SOUTH AFRICA MOVE INTO SEMI FINALS- DEFEAT PAKISTAN

Champions Trophy, Mohali: South Africa 213-8 (50 overs) bt Pakistan 89 (25 overs) by 124 runs

South Africa tore through Pakistan's top order for a landslide 124-run win in Mohali to book their place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals.

The Proteas won the toss but were reeling at 42-5 before Mark Boucher (69) and Justin Kemp (64) ground out 131 to set a total of 213-8.

But Pakistan were in deeper trouble at 47-8 and were unable to recover, surrendering on 89 in 25 overs.

South African paceman Makhaya Ntini took 5-21 off six overs.

Former skipper Shaun Pollock ended with 2-20 off seven and Charl Langeveldt chipped in with 2-19 off five.

Swashbuckling all-rounder Shahid Afridi offered Pakistan brief hope with a four and a six in his 14, while Yasir Arafat (27) and Umar Gul (7) staved off the inevitable with a late stand of 30. None of the top seven reached double figures.

Pakistan's record lowest one-day score is 43 against West Indies in Cape Town in 1993, while the lowest ever (35) was posted by Zimbabwe against Sri Lanka in Harare in 2004.

South Africa's second victory in Group B ensured they qualified top of the group and will travel to Jaipur to meet the winner of Sunday's match between Australia and India.

New Zealand, as runners-up, will play the winner of Group A in Mohali, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka were eliminated from the tournament.

But the eventual outcome in Mohali looked distinctly unlikely when South Africa lost two wickets inside the first over.

Captain Graeme Smith led the procession back to the pavilion with the second ball of the match, out lbw to paceman Gul, and was followed two deliveries later by Herschelle Gibbs, caught by Shoaib Malik at first slip.

Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Kallis survived some close calls before Dippenaar fell for 13, caught one-handed by an athletic dive across first slip from wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal off Rao Iftikhar Anjum in the 10th over.

Kallis stuck around long enough to make 17 before edging behind to Akmal, also off Anjum, while AB de Villiers (10) became Akmal's third victim, this time off seamer Arafat.

De Villier's demise left South Africa reeling but wicket-keeper Boucher and Kemp knuckled down to give the Proteas hope.

Boucher, beginning to up the run rate after weathering the storm, eventually fell in the 44th over, caught by Mohammad Hafeez off the bowling of Abdul Razzaq after facing 98 balls.

Former skipper Pollock added just two before he was caught by Anjum off Hafeez, while Kemp, who hit two big sixes late on, was pouched by Malik off Gul in the final over.

Andre Nel (12 not out) saw out South Africa's allocation of overs with Ntini as Gul ended with 3-36 and Anjum took 2-26.

 

PAKISTAN PLAYERS TO KNOW FATE

Pakistan pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar will find out on Saturday if they can play in the World Cup after testing positive for banned substances.

Both were sent home from the Champions Trophy after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug nandrolone.

Shahid Hamid, head of the tribunal set up to look into the allegations, said: "We'll close the inquiry on Saturday.

"Both players said they have accepted the findings of the 'A' sample and don't want a second test conducted."

He added: "We offered both the players to have retests on 'B' samples which they declined, which implies that they are not questioning their failed dope tests.

"They had explained their point of view and we are now going to take medical opinion to examine the situation."

If found guilty, the pair should face a two-year ban, the minimum for a first offence under International Cricket Council doping rules, which would rule them out of the World Cup which takes place next March and April.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board has said it will take its own decision because the tests were conducted internally.

PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf promised the tribunal would act "impartially and fairly" and seek a "correct decision".

He added: "A thorough, independent investigation is being carried out. They have been accused of testing positive, but we don't know if they took it inadvertently or intentionally."

The hearing, which opened last Thursday, continued on Friday and lasted for more than six hours with both bowlers appearing twice before the tribunal.

"During the second hearing Shoaib and Asif recorded their statements," a PCB spokesman said.

"Asif came alone, while Shoaib was accompanied by doctor (and personal physician) Nauman Niaz and also stayed for one hour."

 

LARA WANTS TO BEAT ENGLAND

'The necessity is to win' - Lara

Despite having already sealed a place in the semi-finals with impressive victories against Australia and India, Brian Lara insisted that there would be no complacency from West Indies when they take on England at the Motera Stadium on Saturday. Resounding defeats against both India and Australia have already scuppered the English campaign and Lara suggested that their minds might already be in Australia, where they begin their defence of the Ashes next month.

"I think we've got the batting line-up that we want, and what we need now is to continue winning games and seeing the likes of [Chris] Gayle, or maybe [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul, getting another hundred," said Lara, when asked whether he might be tempted to experiment a little with the combination. "It's hard to tell you what the plans are before the team meeting. We don't know what the XI is going to be. [Corey] Collymore is on his way back to India [after having flown home for the birth of his daughter]. The necessity is to win."

Though he himself was clearly not as fit as he would have liked in the game against India, Lara said that it was unlikely that he would sit out Saturday's game. "I think I've got 36 hours or so before the game starts," he said, talking to the media after the three-wicket win over India. "At the end of the day, if I'm fitter than I was today, I'll definitely play. It's important that we get the best team out there. We don't want to have a hiccup at this time. We did that in Malaysia, where we experimented in the game before the final, and lost the momentum."

He was well aware of England's struggles in the one-day arena, but didn't expect them to roll over meekly either. "They didn't have a very good summer in the one-day game in England," he said, when asked whether he had been surprised by how poor England were in their two opening games. "Coming out to the subcontinent is a bit difficult. They were here a few months ago, playing India, and won only one game. It was always going to be difficult for them, with the likes of [Marcus] Trescothick and Michael Vaughan missing. They're not at full strength. I'm sure they're going to come out here and play for pride. England have got bigger things to worry about now, the Ashes. I wish them well for that."

He didn't seem particularly bothered either when asked which way the Ashes might go. "I don't want to comment on what I think the result's going to be," he said. "Someone like Vaughan, who was instrumental in the Ashes win in England, is going to be missed. And Simon Jones, is it? I don't know what the team is like. I'm not really concentrating on English cricket.

"The series I saw in England in 2005 was the best Test series I've ever watched. The odds are against them [England], but you always back the underdog. If they can retain the Ashes, it would be a very, very good achievement."

For the moment though, Lara and his West Indies team appear keen to make sure that England head to Australia having gained nothing from the trip to India but frequent flyer points.

 

FW: RE: WEST INDIES ADVANCE TO ICC SEMI FINALS

Windies victory dumps out England
Champions Trophy, Ahmedabad: India 223-9 (50 overs) v West Indies 224-7 (49.4 overs) West Indies hung on for a nail-biting win over India to book their semi-final place and knock England out of the Champions Trophy in Ahmedabad. Chasing 224, the Windies looked home and dry but they lost four wickets in the last 13 balls before clinching a three-wicket win with two balls left. Ramnaresh Sarwan hit 53, Shiv Chanderpaul made 51 and Runako Morton kept up the momentum with 45. India were rescued by Mahendra Dhoni's valiant 51 in his side's 223-9. Skipper Rahul Dravid (49) and Yuvraj Singh (27) earlier guided India away from another mini-crisis at 69-3. For West Indies, Bradshaw took 3-30 off 10 overs, while Taylor took 2-33. India need to beat Australia on Sunday to progress, in a make-or-break match for both sides. The Windies, who won the toss and chose to field, were in grave danger of batting themselves to defeat inside the last three overs, sparked by the demise of Morton. The right-hander was trapped lbw by Ajit Agarkar with 12 runs left to get after putting on 92 with Sarwan. Skipper Brian Lara, who passed a fitness test on his back, came in at number six hoping to steer his ship safely home. But after surviving one big appeal for lbw, and then stroking a sumptuous four, he dragged a delivery from Irfan Pathan on to his stumps for five. Two deliveries later, and still needing six off the last seven balls, Sarwan saw Dravid drop a skier, only for the home skipper run him out. Windies needed five runs off the final over but Agarkar clean bowled Dwayne Smith with his first ball to leave the visiting side on tenterhooks before Carlton Baugh scrambled a single and Marlon Samuels smashed a four to clinch the win. Chris Gayle earlier got the Windies innings off to a flying start with a quickfire 34 off 37 balls before needlessly holing out to RP Singh in the deep off Munaf Patel in the 10th over. Chanderpaul played second fiddle early on but took over as senior partner and combined with Bravo to add 57 before Bravo fell lbw to Harbhajan Singh for 16. The left-handed Chanderpaul lasted until the 17th over, facing 72 balls and hitting eight fours, when he edged off-spinner Virender Sehwag to Dravid at first slip. This ushered in the exciting Morton to join Bravo and the Windies seemed set fair for a comfortable victory before the late collapse. Lara's decision to bowl seemed vindicated when India lost opener Sehwag and Pathan quickly. Sehwag was trapped lbw by Jerome Taylor for 17, while Ian Bradshaw forced Pathan to drag on to his stumps in the sixth over, leaving Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid to avert a crisis. The pair steadied the ship for 10 overs, though Tendulkar survived a good lbw appeal from Smith in the 12th over. But Bradshaw eventually removed the prolific right-hander, who dragged a wide delivery on to the stumps after facing 45 balls and hitting four fours. Dravid and Yuvraj came together on 69-3 and put on 61 before Bravo pouched Yuvraj off Bradshaw with the first ball of the 31st over. Five balls later, Dravid was run out by a pin-point throw from Smith, leaving India struggling at 131-5. Dhoni took his time to ignite, taking 40 deliveries to reach 12 runs as Suresh Raina was stumped by Baugh off right-arm off-spinner Samuels for 19. But Harbhajan came in and played the perfect foil as Dhoni began to unleash his fireworks. Harbhajan eventually fell to Taylor in the penultimate over for 15 before Dhoni and Agarkar were out with the final two balls of the innings. Both men were run out by Windies wicket-keeper Baugh as they tried to eke out every last run.

 

2007 CRICKET TOURNAMENTS

The West Indies first-class tournaments will run alongside each other in 2007.

The first round of the Carib Cup four-day tournament will be played from January 4-7, 2007 and, two days later, the same teams will play the first round of the KFC Cup one-day competition. Also, the WICB is expected to announce that a Sri Lanka 'A' team will tour the Caribbean to play two 'Tests' and five one-day games.

Itineraries for the Carib Cup, KFC Cup and Sri Lanka 'A' team tour follow:

FORMAT: CARIB CUP FOLLOWED BY KFC CUP 2 DAYS AFTER

Jan 4-7
Jan 9
LEEWARDS vs JAMAICA (St Kitts)
WINDWARDS vs GUYANA (Grenada)
BARBADOS vs TRINIDAD (Kens, B'dos)

Jan 12 - 15
Jan 17
WINDWARDS vs JAMAICA (St Vincent)
BARBADOS vs LEEWARDS (3 W's, B'dos)
TRINIDAD VS GUYANA (Queen's Park Oval)

Jan 20 - 23
Jan 25
JAMAICA vs GUYANA (Jamaica)
TRINIDAD vs LEEWARDS ( Guaracara)
WINDWARDS VS BARBADOS (Dominica)

Jan 28 - 31
Feb 2
JAMAICA vs BARBADOS (Jamaica)
GUYANA vs LEEWARDS (Providence, Guyana)
TRINIDAD vs WINDWARDS (St Augustine)

Feb 5 - 8
Feb 10
JAMAICA vs TRINIDAD (Jamaica)
LEEWARDS vs WINDWARDS (SVR, Antigua)
GUYANA vs BARBADOS (Bourda, Guyana)

FEB 12 -- WIPA AWARDS (Barbados)

Feb 14, 15, 17
KFC Final Four (St Vincent)

Feb 22 - 26
CARIB FINALS (Guacara Park, Trinidad)

SRI LANKA 'A' in the West Indies

Nov 24 - 27 (1st 'Test')
SRI LANKA A vs WI A (Bourda, Guyana)

Dec 1 - 4 (2nd 'Test')
SRI LANKA A vs WI A (Warner Park, St Kitts)

Dec 8
SRI LANKA A vs WI A (Sabina Park, Jamaica)

Dec 10
SRI LANKA A vs WI A - Sabina Park, Jamaica

Dec 13
SRI LANKA A vs WI A - Trelawny, Jamaica

Dec 15
SRI LANKA A vs WI A - Trelawny, Jamaica

Dec 17
SRI LANKA A vs WI A - Trelawny, Jamaica

DWAYNE BRAVO SAYS - WEST INDIES MUST ATTACK INDIA'S BATSMEN

AHMADABAD – India's batting line-up is out of form, something West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo said the defending champions needed to exploit at the Champions Trophy.

"The Indian batting line-up is up and down," Bravo said as West Indies prepared for tomorrow's Group "A" match against India.

West Indies and India have two points each after recording victories in opening group games. West Indies upset Australia by 10 runs while India emerged with a narrow four-wicket win of a low-scoring match against England.

Except for star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian top order have been struggling for runs.

India lost six wickets while chasing a modest England total of 125 at Jaipur last week with Virender Sehwag (9), captain Rahul Dravid (4) and Mahendra Dhoni (7) all departing cheaply.

"The form of some of their players is not there," Bravo said.

The West Indies have won five of its last seven limited-overs games against India, with Bravo performing well with both bat and ball.

He has scored 134 runs with two half-centuries and also took nine wickets with his medium fast bowling against the Indians this year.

"We certainly go into the match with confidence and we know we have the edge over India," Bravo said.

However, he was wary of India's ability to perform on slow subcontinent wickets.

"Indians feel comfortable at home while playing in their own conditions," Bravo said.

The West Indies all-rounder said he was inspired by his teammate Jerome Taylor's hat-trick against Australia at Mumbai last week.

"I can't say I am looking forward to a hat-trick against India, but if the situation arises I would love to take that."

Bravo made his limited-overs international debut against England in 2004 and has scored 576 runs and taken 53 wickets in 52 matches.

 (AP)

 

Support the West Indies!!!!!!

 

SUPPORT THE WEST INDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

==============================================================

 

It is that time again !!!!!

In the early hours of Thursday morning, West Indians all over the World will be “nervous” and “jumpy” again.

Why?

Because the West Indies battle not only India in the ICC Champions Trophy, but also more importantly, themselves, their own demons and their insecurities.

As a people, cricket is more than just a game for this region; it is our bond against the World, and our Saviour against depression and the demons that exist all around us.

So on Thursday, support the West Indies as best as you can, in your own way.  Some people are superstitious (Don’t change), some people are prayerful (Don’t change), some can’t help themselves, but be optimistic always (Don’t change).  As for those who are negative, try to confine that to your personal habitat.

This is out time, a win here by the Brian Charles Lara led West Indies will guarantee us a place in the semi-finals.

We do not want to have to wait until our final match against England on Saturday to know our fate.

All we can do is support them and remember we have beaten India on five of the last seven occasions; we have met in one-dayers.

Also remember this match is personal.

Sachin Tendulkar is there for India at home, and Lara plays at his best when we knows Tendulkar has the attention on him.

Expect fireworks, but expect victory.

This is Andre Errol Baptiste, saying have no fear, the fearless one is here.

 

BRIAN LARA - DOUBTFUL AHEAD OF THURSDAY'S GAME AGAINST INDIA

West Indies captain Brian Lara is a major doubt for Thursday's Champions Trophy game against hosts India.

The veteran left-hander struggled with back spasms while batting in the win over Australia last week and will have a late fitness Test in Ahmedabad.

"I'm not totally sure yet. I trained for the first time on Tuesday and pulled up a bit sore," he explained.

"Things didn't look too good. I'm sure the correct decision will be taken and not one which will disable the team."

Lara added: "I'm sure we have 11 players that can do a job and as a team we're well placed not to worry about any one or two individuals.

Both teams won their opening games - India saw off England in the first match of the main group stage - but Lara's men have held the upper hand in recent meetings."

They won 4-1 in their one-day series in the Caribbean and also qualified for the tri-series final in Malaysia at the Indians' expense.

"The guys are fully aware our record against India this year has been very impressive," Lara explained.

"We don't see playing in India's backyard as a hindrance - in fact it's something that can catapult us even further forward and give us a greater psychological advantage over India.

"If things go well, we could be meeting them at a crucial stage in next year's World Cup so this match is huge.

"We feel comfortable and are improving as a team - I'm sure people will see an even better performance on Thursday."

India captain Rahul Dravid insists previous results will have little bearing on the outcome.

"It's a new game and a new tournament," he insisted.

"We haven't had a great run against them, but I don't think the past has much to do with what can happen.

"They seem to have some key players in form but we're also not very far from that. We can get back to the kind of consistency and performance we showed a little while back.

"It's just a question of a few more players getting back into the kind of groove they were in."

Among India's main concerns are the batting problems Dravid and some of his team-mates have had.

The skipper has not hit a half century in his last 10 limited-overs internationals, while Virender Sehwag's last five ODI innings have yielded 37 runs.

"If you look at it with perspective, we're not the only team that goes through ups and downs," Dravid added.

"Australia are the only team in the last decade to maintain a high level of consistency - it's about bouncing back and getting your key players in form.

"The good players and successful ones adapt to anything. That's a great challenge and hopefully we can rise to that."

 

 

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Photo caption: T&T team poses before 4-0 win over Barbados earlier this month.
Back row (l-r) Aaron Downing, Devon Drayton, Leston Shade (not in final squad), Khaleem Hyland, Keon Daniel, Marvin James

Front row (l-r) Lester Peltier, Dion Peters, Jamal Wiggins (not in final squad), Corneal Thomas and Matthew Bartholomew.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Carlos urges support for T&T Under 20 footballers

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, October 24, 2006

Luton Town midfielder Carlos Edward is calling for fans in his homeland to come out and support the new generation of local footballers as they get set to enter qualification race for the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Edwards was referring to the current National Under 20 team which comes up against Dominican Republic in the second game of a double header in the CFU second round at the Ato Boldon Stadium from 7pm on Wednesday.

The young “Soca Warriors” will be battling for a place in next January’s CONCACAF final round from which four nations will advance to the FIFA Youth Cup in Canada.

Currently preparing under head coach Brian Williams, the 20-man squad, which will be captained by defender Radanfah Abu Bakr will also face St Vincent and the Grenadines and St Kitts/Nevis in other qualifying matches later this week. Abu Bakr who is attending college in England arrived on Friday to join the squad and was given the armband by Williams. The former Queen’s Royal College player has previous experience with the National Under 20 team during CONCACAF qualifying action in 2005.

Edwards who started T&T’s 2006 qualifying campaign against Dominican Republic back in 2004 when he sustained a serious knee injury, is urging the young T&T side to believe in themselves.

“The guys must believe in themselves and go out there and represent,” Edwards told TTFF Media.

“They have to be disciplined and not rush in hope of success. They have to realize too that all these teams want to beat us and be better for us so we need to show them that we can take them on and finish on a high.

“At this stage of their career they also have to take the game as serious and professional as possible. They must be ready for the game from the day before and not just a few hours before the kick off. The game is fast paced now. I am sure they saw us at the World Cup and they saw how fast it was. No one expected us to match up to the big teams but we believed in our ability and we prepared for it,” Edwards added.

He also called on the fans to show their support. The locals must also realize too that not because it’s the early phase of the tournament means there should be little interest. But the fact is that this is the only leg of the tournament they will have a chance to see the team live and extend their support as the next final round takes place in Mexico and Panama next January.

“The fans must come out and show their support and make the boys feel that they are behind them, Support is a key part in football now and this the new breed of Soca Warriors,” added the former Defence Force man.

The Under 20s got a 4-0 win over Barbados earlier this month in a friendly and will be seeking to at least dominate their group despite the fact that Dominican Republic are coming off a 1-0 win over Cuba which knocked that country out of the runnings. St Vincent beat Barbados 2-0 on their way to the second round. St Kitts meanwhile topped Antigua/Barbuda, Saint Martin and Dominica to advance to the current stage.

Admission for the games is $10 anywhere.

T&T Under 20 team : Goalkeepers -Adrian Foncette (Fatima College), Kareem Gray (St Benedict’s College)

Defenders - (Fyzabad Composite), Devon Drayton (W Connection), Corneal Thomas (Superstar Rangers), Radanfah Abu Bakr (UK), Marvin James (unattached), Brendon Boucaud (St Anthony’s College),

Midfielders - Elton John (San Juan Jabloteh), Khaleem Hyland (Mucurapo SC), Hans Pierre (Maple FC), Keon Daniel (Utd Petrotrin), Atulla Guerra (unattached), Dion Peters (Joe Public), Javed Mohammed (Naparima College), Christon Thomas (Superstar Rangers)

Forwards, Aaron Downing (W Connection), Matthew Barthlomew (W Connection), Lester Peltier (San Juan Jabloteh), Carlon Hughes (Mayaro United), Stefan DeLas (Graceland University).

Photo shows Warner presenting a FIFA pennant and a pair of FIFA cuff links to the Mayor of Victoria Allan Lowe.

Warner approves Victoria Stadium for 2007 World Cup

- October 21, 2006

FIFA Vice President Jack Warner continued his inspection visit of the Stadia in Canada for the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship over the past two days, approving the Royal Athletic Facility in Vancouver to be a host venue.

Warner, also chairman of the Organising Committee for the Championship, has been touring the facilities with a host of other delegates from FIFA, the Canadian Local Organizing Committee and Soccer Association as well as FIFA media broadcasters committee. In total some 40 persons make up the touring party which made its way to the Burnaby Stadium, Swangard Stadium and Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

“We made 500,000 Canadians in Victoria extremely happy with the approval of the Royal Athletic facility and I am confident we will continue to the same for the remaining inspection of the facilities in Canada,” Warner said.

The inspection tour ends on Wednesday with a visit to the Varsity Stadium in Montreal which will be followed by an overview meeting the next day.

BENNET KING PRAISES CLIVE LLOYD

Bennett King could not have been far from pulling on the maroon gear when his team were down to ten fit men for a brief while during West Indies' match against Australia in Mumbai. Vinayak Samant, the former Mumbai cricketer and current vice-captain of the Cricket Club of India team, did fielding duties, although only for two overs, but as humbled as he would have been to be on the field with those who had played hundreds of international games, he would have been more at home than King. Samant's played 61 first-class matches to King's 0. But, as is fast becoming the trend in international cricket, King is coach not because of how much cricket he played, but because of what he can teach.

A promising winger, rugby was always King's first sport, although he did play club cricket for Northern Suburbs in Queensland's grade cricket 24 times. But just as he was making a name for himself in rugby, and received an invitation to join the Gold Coast Giants, a knee injury that needed extensive reconstructive surgery ended his career in competitive sport.

A physical education teacher by profession, King's forays into cricket began when he joined Queensland Cricket as a development officer. In 1999-2000, during King's first year as coach of the Queensland Bulls, they won the Pura Cup, and would repeat the feat again two years on. Later he accepted a position as head coach at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Australia - the premier finishing school for first-class cricketers in the country.

Today, after more than two tumultuous years as coach of the West Indian team, the job seems to rest lightly on his shoulders. "Some countries are blessed with lot of resources and financial assistance," he said, talking to the media three days before his side takes on India at Ahmedabad. "What we aim for is it to be nice and creative and make the most of what we do. On an economy scale, we try and make the most of it. The players certainly have been getting their batting time or their bowling time. I believe players benefit the most from one-on-one attention, and sometimes on tour that is spread a bit thin as the ratio of staff to players is 1 to 8 or so."

Earlier in the tournament Brian Lara spoke of the financial difficulties West Indies faced. "We're going to get a substantial influx of funds during the World Cup. It's how we utilise that money that's important. It has to be put back in cricket in a sustainable manner," he had said. And now King is singing pretty much from the same hymn sheet.

When you listen to King speak, there are several commonalities in the language he uses to that of a certain type of coach in world cricket. He talks of flexibility, of building a group, of making the most of resources etc. Much of it is management speak. And with this in mind, you have to commend the West Indian board for bringing Clive Lloyd on board to travel and stay with the team during the Champions Trophy, as he brings with him 7515 Test runs, the knowledge of how to beat the best, and do so consistently, apart from a fund of stories.

"We encourage players interacting with him and spending as much time as they can with him," said King. "We want him to look at things and to say what he feels. We're always encouraging the players to listen to what he has to say. And they do listen, spending a lot of time in his room. It is a case of how Clive Lloyd has been effective as a cricketer."

Some time ago, India tried a similar experiment, when John Wright was the coach, using Sunil Gavaskar as a batting consultant. But that did not work as well as everyone might have expected, with their being some confusion about the roles different people would play, and Wright's authority being eroded to some extent. King has a different story to tell of his association with Lloyd. "He has been very good. He tells the boys stories from when he played, and is now helping around in the nets," he said. "Lloyd gives his ideas to the players. I certainly encourage him to keep talking with the players and keep teaching them about things that happened in the past. It certainly helps players to learn about cricket history."

When King took over as coach as the West Indian team, there was certainly some resistance, as an outsider, and one who hadn't even played first-class cricket, was taking a job that had been held by some of the biggest names in Caribbean cricket. Slowly but surely he is gaining acceptance in the islands, and a strong showing in this Champions Trophy will only make him more comfortable in his seat as coach

 

:: CRIC INFO

 

TTFF News - Under 20 team picked to start "Course to Canada"

Under 20 team picked to begin “Course to Canada”

Issued by Shaun Fuentes, TTFF Media Officer, October 21, 2006

 

National Under 20 team head coach Brian Williams finalized his  20-man squad to go into action in the Caribbean Football Union second round of the qualification towards the 2007 FIFA World Youth Cup from Wednesday against Dominican Republic at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

 

Williams’ team will go into a live in camp from Monday with two latest additions joining the team after arriving on Friday night. They are defender Radanfah Abu Bakr, based in College in London and Stefan Delas, a former Birmingham City trainee out of the Stern John Skills Award program, now attending Graceland University in the USA.

 

The Under 20s had a training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium on Saturday morning, playing a scrimmage among themselves after CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh failed to show for a training match.

 

Coach Williams expressed a fair amount of satisfaction with his final squad.

 

“After our final session this morning before going into camp, we had a good talk with the boys, explaining our expectations and trying to instill into them the approach needed for the phase of the game they will be heading into,” Williams told TTFF Media. “They seem comfortable on the whole approach and the next couple days we will work some more on fine tuning the squad for the games. Today we had both Wim Rijsbergen and Lincoln Phillips at the session and they too were part of the talks with the players who are understanding more and more what it is to play at this level apart from doing it with the College team or club. International football is always something you have to see differently whether it be in the early stages of competition or the real Finals which we are trying to get to,” Williams added.

 

The former national defender did hint though that he will continue to look at available talent once T&T progresses to the final CONCACAF round in January.

 

“It means we have basically two months after this round to look at the other players in other parts like the United States. We will look at anyone who has the T&T passport and can fit into our program and add something to the team’s cause.”

 

Some of the players in the current squad with past national youth team experience include midfielder Khaleem Hyland, Marvin James, midfielder Keon Daniel, Atulla Guerra, Brendon Boucaud, Javed Mohammed while Aaron Downing also worked with the Under 17s and is expected to be one of the main attacking threats with the likes of skipper Matthew Bartholomew and Lester Peltier

 

Bartholomew seemed confident in his team’s ability.

 

“We are still working on meshing as a team but basically we want to destroy and we think we can do that. That’s how we are thinking at the moment. There’s always more work to do and we will work towards getting the team to the best shape,” the W Connection striker added.

 

T&T will face Dominican Republic, which knocked Cuba out on a 1-0 win, on Wednesday at the Ato Boldon Stadium with St Vincent/Grenadines and St Kitts/Nevis meeting in the first game of the double header. T&T then faces  St Kitts/Nevis two days later and then St Vincent on October 29.

 

 

With two groups among eight teams being contested in the CFU, the top three Caribbean nations will then progress to the CONCACAF final round. Group A of that  CONCACAF Final Round will be held at the Estadio Rommel Fernández in Ciudad de Panamá from January 17-21, while Mexico will stage Group B which runs from February 21-25  in Culiacán, Sinaloa. Four CONCACAF teams will progress to the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship in Canada.

 

 

T&T Final 20-man squad

Goalkeepers -Adrian Foncette (Fatima College), Kareem Gray (St Benedict’s College)

Defenders - (Fyzabad Composite), Devon Drayton (W Connection), Corneal Thomas (Superstar Rangers), Radanfah Abu Bakr (Caledonia AIA), Marvin James (unattached), Brendon Boucaud (St Anthony’s College),

Midfielders -  Elton John (San Juan Jabloteh), Khaleem Hyland (Mucurapo SC), Hans Pierre (Maple FC), Keon Daniel (Utd Petrotrin), Atulla Guerra (unattached), Dion Peters (Joe Public), Javed Mohammed (Naparima College), Christon Thomas (Superstar Rangers)

Forwards, Aaron Downing (W Connection), Matthew Barthlomew (W Connection), Lester Peltier (San Juan Jabloteh), Carlon Hughes (Mayaro United), Stefan DeLas (Graceland University).

CHRIS GAYLE FINED 30% OF MATCH FEES

West Indies all-rounder Chris Gayle has been fined 30 per cent of his match fee for his part in a mid-pitch argument with Australian batsmen Michael Clarke during his team's 10-run Champions Trophy win.

Gayle, who had harsh words with Clarke during the match, was found guilty of a breach of C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, failing to "conduct play within the spirit of the game," by ICC Match Referee Mike Procter in a hearing here overnight.

Clarke was found not guilty of the same charge in a separate hearing.

"What started off as banter between the two players got out of hand and Chris Gayle went over the top in his reactions," said Procter.

"We do not want robots on the field and we want to ensure players play with enthusiasm and passion.

"We saw a great deal of that during an excellent match on Wednesday but there is a line between what is acceptable and what is not and Chris crossed it."

The charges were laid by the two on-field umpires, Mark Benson and Rudi Koertzen, as well as third umpire Aleem Dar, and the trio attended both hearings.

The hearing involving Gayle was also attended by West Indies team manager Tony Howard, vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and team advisor Clive Lloyd.

Clarke's hearing was attended by Australia team manager Steve Bernard, coach John Buchanan and captain Ricky Ponting.

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a player's match fee.

For Level 1 breaches of the ICC Code of Conduct the ICC Match Referee's decision is final and binding.

 

RICKY PONTING PRAISES GAYLE AND SAMUELS

Ponting praises West Indian spinners

Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised the performance of West Indian finger spinners Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels after the world champions were defeated by 10 runs in their Champions Trophy opener overnight.

Both spinners bowled their full quota of 10 overs and conceded only 75 runs between them as Australia fell short of the West Indies' 6 for 234 on a slow Mumbai pitch.

"We always knew it would be difficult to chase, we always knew the wicket would slow up and probably turn as the game went on," Ponting said.

"You look at their finger spinners, Gayle and Samuels did a very good job for them. They probably got the ball to spin a lot more than what we did earlier in the game.

"But we can't blame conditions. There was a game here to be won and we were not good enough. So I won't be blaming anybody but ourselves."

Australia now meet England in Saturday's Group A in their first clash since the Ashes changed hands at The Oval last year.

England lost their opening match to hosts India, and Ponting said the game was now a 'must-win' for the Australians.

"I think you've got to look at every game in this series as a knockout game anyway," he said.

"As we found out in the last couple of Champions Trophies, one little slip up and you're gone.

"So for us tonight, a disappointing result, but we've got to forget about it as soon as we can and talk about the areas we didn't play well tonight.

"It is the first time Australia and England are meeting since the last Ashes battle."

"Now, with a lot riding on the game as far as this tournament is concerned I'm sure it will be another good game of cricket, hopefully one that we come out on top."

Middle-order batsman Michael Clarke was involved in a mid-pitch argument with Gayle during the match and Ponting said he expected the incident would be examined by officials.

"I think as we all saw it was fairly animated," he said.

"They were brushing shoulders as they were walking down the wicket. I wouldn't have thought that was acceptable in this game."

West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who led his side in the field in the absence of Brian Lara who suffered a back spasm while batting, said Lara would be fit for the next match against India.

"We understand that India play pretty well at home. But we are going to go into that game with the same positive attitude and hopefully win that one as well," he said.

 

SATURDAY TRIAL FOR AKHTAR AND ASIF

Suspended Pakistan bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif may attend a preliminary hearing of their doping tribunal on Saturday.

"The preliminary hearing of the tribunal will be held on Saturday and there is a possibility that Akhtar and Asif will appear before them," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) operations director Salim Altaf said.

Altaf also said that doping expert Waqar Ahmed, the medical director of the Pakistan Sports Board, had been appointed as the third and final member of the panel.

Barrister Shahid Hamid, who represented banned player Salim Malik during a match-fixing inquiry in 1998, will chair the tribunal while former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam is the other member.

The tribunal is expected to take two weeks to return its findings and recommendations to the PCB, which will then take a final decision.

Akhtar and Asif were sent home from the ICC Champions Trophy in India on Monday after urine samples tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. Their 'B' samples are yet to be examined.

Under ICC doping rules the penalty for first doping offence is a ban of two years. However, the PCB said since the tests were conducted internally they will take their own decision.

 

Taylor treble shatters Australia
Champions Trophy Group A, Mumbai: West Indies 234-6 (50 overs) bt Australia 224-9 (50 overs) by 10 runs

Jerome Taylor took a hat-trick as West Indies stunned favourites Australia by 10 runs in Champions Trophy Group A.
Runako Morton (90) and Brian Lara (71), who hurt his back, helped the Windies post a Brabourne Stadium record 234-6.
The world champions were on course to reach their target when Adam Gilchrist (92) and Michael Clarke (47) added 101 but they fell in quick succession.
Taylor (4-49) bowled Mike Hussey and Brad Hogg, trapping Brett Lee lbw in between as the Aussies ended on 224-9.
Australia now face a crunch clash with England in Jaipur on Saturday, with the losers facing elimination.
But it was a remarkable turnaround for the Windies who were routed for 80 in their final qualifier against Sri Lanka at the same venue last Saturday.
Although this pitch was better, another quick finish looked likely after the first 15 overs in which Lee claimed his 250th ODI wicket to help reduce Lara's men to 63-4.
The skipper played himself in cautiously, taking 31 balls to get his first four, before unleashing some trademark big shots as he put on 137 with Morton.
Morton proved a good foil, having seen Aussie captain Ricky Ponting spill a regulation chance off Nathan Bracken on the off-side when he was on 40.
With the Australian bowlers starting to struggle, Lara stepped up a gear to pull Shane Watson majestically over mid-wicket for six and flick Lee over square-leg for another mighty maximum.
A lower back problem forced the veteran left-hander to use a runner and chase boundaries, and it resulted in him driving straight to short extra-cover.
After his departure Morton launched his own assault, heaving a startled McGrath back down the ground and several rows back over long-on for six.
If the Windies were buoyed by that finish, they were rampant when Watson horribly mis-timed a pull off his third ball to Ramnaresh Sarwan at mid-on and Ponting chopped Taylor on to his stumps.
Damien Martyn drove straight to Dwayne Bravo at cover-point and Chris Gayle comprehensively bowled Andrew Symonds to spark a quite remarkable celebratory jig.
Gilchrist and Clarke dampened that euphoria by nudging the ball around astutely and punishing the occasional error in length and direction.
With Clarke's confidence growing, he and Gayle were involved in heated exchanges which rattled the normally languid Jamaican.
But Gayle's morale was boosted when he and Hinds combined to run out Gilchrist and the Windies sensed victory when Clarke chipped Bravo's slower ball back to the bowler.
That left 29 to get off 26 balls and Taylor struck the decisive blows by cleaning up Hussey and trapping Lee in front with the last two balls of his ninth over and bowling Hogg at the start of the 10th.

Only the first choice for WCIB CEO

Only the First choice for WICB Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

Will the best person get the Job?

 

The West Indies Cricket Board are about to appoint a Chief Executive Officer this week.

 

What should be the criteria?

 

Is it your Country of birth or rather what can you do for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), in terms of enhancement and upgrade.

Certainly the image of the West Indies Cricket Board has been tarnished by all the incidents over the last five years in particular.

 

Yes, many will argue, that the location Antigua, may be a detriment to encouraging the best people to leave their current place of abode.

But I beg to differ, there must be a “Price” for such discomfort, and the WICB must take every avenue to achieve this.

 

It is too easy to give up on the best people, because they have said, “yes” but………..

 

And also, please forget about Nationality, if the facts are that Trinidad and Tobago because of its wealth of knowledge and advanced thinking is above the other Caribbean Islands, then so be it.

 

We need to ensure, we do not make the same mistakes of the past.

 

Please WICB; do not settle for third or fourth choices, our ideal is the first choice.

 

Even though some may suggest that President Kenneth Gordon wants it this way, so that he can continue his one-upmanship behaviour, we hope that is a fallacy.

 

Forget about the raging voices of distraction from all in the region and Barbados in particular, if they are still jealous of the number of selections earned by the top team in the region (Trinidad and Tobago) on the West Indies Team.

 

Don’t just put another “Bajan” to make some happy and West Indies Cricket “Big Losers”.

 

We all know that quality is essential if CRICKET is to go forward.

 

Otherwise we are heading “for the same thing, over and over.”

 

Is that what we want ?

 

 

 

KEN GORDON HEADING TO ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY

President of the West Indies Cricket Board Ken Gordon, who is also Chairman of the ICC Cricket World 2007 committee of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), will be leading a delegation of officials to the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy in India

As part of the outreach to the global market, Mello – the youthful World Cup mascot – will be on display during the Champions Trophy, which is due to end on November 5.

"Mr Gordon will be heading the team to the Champions Trophy as we continue to reach out to the cricket world and try to whip up support and interest for the 2007 World Cup," said Chris Dehring, the chief executive officer and managing director of CWC 2007.

"He will answer questions and bring the international media and various stakeholders fully up-to-date on what is happening here in the Caribbean."

:: AB