Yorkshire often expect a frosty reception at Old Trafford but the scene that greeted the players on Monday was taking it to the extreme. The one-day friendly, if a match between these two teams can ever be classed as such, was delayed for 45 minutes as the ground staff hacked mountains of ice off the covers.Despite the chilly start, a decent crowd was able to watch a full match although the temperature never threatened to hit double figures despite wall-to-wall sunshine. Yorkshire warmed the hearts of their supporters, completing a 24-run win despite the match being their first serious cricket of the season.Lancashire have spent 10 days in St. Kitts, but laboured with the bat after restricting Yorkshire to 200 for 8. The top order struggled to find the boundary as Yorkshire’s young attack kept control. Stuart Law’s wicket – brilliantly caught at second slip by a flying Matthew Wood – put Yorkshire in command and they didn’t let up. Andrew Crook and Dominic Cork struck combative forties, but they had been left too much to do.The second of two matches, scheduled for today, fell victim to more seasonal conditions as heavy overnight and morning rain led to it being abandoned by 10am. Lancashire start their Championship season against Hampshire, at Old Trafford, on April 18, and Yorkshire a day later against the defending champions, Nottinghamshire.
Musharraf’s handshake Musharraf, bhai-bhai and corny graphics of superimposed flags have been all over the telly. We hear that Musharraf will watch the game for little more than an hour before talking shop with Manmohan Singh. Then someone says no, it’s two hours. Another says it’s 45 minutes. We give up guessing.Finally the day arrives. There are men with machine guns everywhere. They are just outside the boundary, watching the game with a passing interest in security. A man from the prime minister’s security office turns up to film the press box. Then, at ten to nine, the teams line up before the pavilion in one-day garb. The two heads of state emerge, hustled by bodyguards in dark suits. Both leaders give us their best smile and wave at us before meeting the teams. Manmohan greets the Pakistan team before Musharraf, who touches every Pakistan player at the back of the head and the shoulder. Then Musharraf says hello to the Indians and while shaking hands he holds their elbow. We think Bill Clinton mentioned he did that to express personal warmth to unfamiliar people.Then they turn to the crowds and wave happily. Such happy waves! Such dazzling smiles! They all but somersault and do a lap of honour.Like any other ground One enters the Ferozshah Kotla imagining skeletal stands and workmen applying one last dab of paint before the spectators pour in. Gruesome images and news anchors on 24-hour news channels in the weeks preceding the game had sadistically emphasised that the stadium would be far from complete on April 17. Upon entering it we realise they were partially correct. Yes, the ground was not ready, but no, it did not appear as if the game would be affected in any way by it.What does the stadium look like? Well, the dirt has been swept under a rug. Blue cloth and advertisements hide the construction work. There are incomplete pillars wrapped by the cloth, but if you didn’t know any better, you’d have thought it was installation art: bamboo poles poke out from beneath the cloth. Three floors above the dressing-room is a packed enclosure missing a wall.Heat stroke, danger to life and advertising everywhere. This is like any other ground in India.The heavy burden of protection With the visit and the threats by the Shiv Sena the security turn out is immense. There is the rapid-action force that mans the gates, the ordinary cops with batons that, thankfully, they aren’t using, as well as other stern-looking men armed with an assortment of weapons. They are everywhere, especially up your nose.”Pass by this bar,” shouts one cop to a crushing wave of fans attempting to enter the ground. The bar is held horizontally at a height, no, depth of about three-and-a half feet. So you have the sight of face-painted limbo dancers. Once you are past, hands of security men reach out to grab your press pass, checking its authenticity. Then come the gates, swarming with security and framed by metal detectors. A beep sounds as you walk through it. A lengthy check entails, an embarrassing pat-down follows.”Frisk everybody thoroughly, all up and down,” says a senior policeman to no one in particular. This means heavier pats from heavy-handed friskers.In view of such security, what chance does any one with evil intent have of entering the ground with, say, a banned device? “I could have brought anything in here, man,” a cheery television news reporter professes in the press box. “Those metal detectors? I just walked around them. Here, you can do anything.”A while later, after failed attempts to bring water bottles into the press box – “Sorry, water bottles are not allowed” – the cheery TV reporter returns with bottles of much needed liquid. “See? I just walked in through an entrance with no security. Boss, anything’s possible in Delhi.”American intervention Interesting. There are Indian flags of all lengths and sizes, and there is a flutter of Pakistan green when a boundary is hit. And then there is a solitary American flag, waved wildly during a drinks break.
The Otago Cricket Association (OCA) has denied claims that security was heavy-handed during Wednesday’s one-dayer between New Zealand and South Africa at Dunedin. The problems arose with the way that the security guards dealt with people bringing alcohol into the ground.”There always seem to be some complaints but, overall, we thought security did an excellent job,” Graham Elliot, president of the OCA, told reporters. “But we had a blanket rule in place and we also advertised that no liquids would be allowed into the game.”I understand there were several instances where security were a bit heavy-handed. But it is very difficult when you’ve got this large number of security staff. You try to give people discretion, but it is sometimes difficult to get common sense.”The Otago Daily Times carried reports from disgruntled spectators. “I stood and watched for a while and it seemed to me, every time someone was trying to have a bit of fun, they stifled it,” one said. “The guy with a whistle who tried to get a Mexican wave going was told to settle down; I mean, what harm is that doing?”Another said he was told he could not enter the ground unless he either drank his thermos flask of milky coffee first or tipped it out, because of the ban on liquids. The man said he had gone home instead.Elliott said that he was unaware of these instances, although he revealed that student ingenuity was alive and well. One group arrived at the game with hollow plastic cricket bats filled with alcohol.Elliott admitted that he was disappointed with the small crowd, but inisisted that Carisbrook had underlined its claim to be a major venue. “It really proved again what a top-class cricket facility we have,” he said. “The New Zealand team love playing here. I think their success here really gives them a psychological edge.”
Sri Lanka’s team management has reacted furiously to match fixing suspicionsfollowing their shock defeat to Kenya.A news wire report had earlier claimed the sport’s Ant-Corruption Unit (ACU)was scrutinising the game closely.The report said that a special request had been made for a videotape,although the ICC later said this was simply normal procedure.”It’s an insult to this side,” said Sri Lankan manager Ajit Jayasekera.”The reason we lost was because we batted badly. It was a gettable total,and the batting let the side down.”We vehemently deny this allegation. Just because we lost the match to ateam like Kenya it is disgusting to be accused of match fixing. I am veryannoyed.”Kenya Cricket Association chairman Jimmy Rayani was also disappointed by theallegations.”What is the point of having a World Cup if everybody knows the results ofall the games?” he said.”Don’t insult us every time we beat a big team.”An ICC spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that the ACU had spoken to teamrepresentatives and reassure them that normal procedures were beingfollowed.
Following the four day game against The Australians at Taunton Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson was in bouyant mood.He told me: “from a cricketing point of view it was a great success. It was a pleasure to watch the Australians play. Their batsmen were an object lesson for our young cricketers to learn from and played with a straight bat. They were very athletic in the field, and their bowlers were very disciplined, and bowled to their field.”With regard to the finances of the situation he told me “over the course of the four days 15,000 people came to watch and we grossed £100,000, so financially the match was a success for the club.”Regarding the two Pakistan Test players who guested for the county he said “all of our members know that the bottom line for the club is to retain our first division status in the County Championship and the Norwich Union National League, and to do this we have to rest key players for crucial matches on the run in at the end of the season. We introduced the two Pakistan players to add interest to the fixture.”
When I was a young whippersnapper supporting any team who happened to be at the top of the Premier League table, I never thought I’d live to see the day a footballer was worth £100million. But before making even a quarter of a century without succumbing to fatal demise, I find myself almost regurgitating my morning Vimto over a copy of The Telegraph, claiming Manchester United intend to spend that exact figure on Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale this summer.
It seems illogical the European champions would demand a fee superior to the world-record-breaking sum they coughed up two summers ago for a player they apparently now want to get rid of. It seems improbable two separate institutions could spend £187million on the same person, for his ability to kick around a pig skin, in the space of two years.
For pretty much any other club in world football, I’d advise their money be better spent elsewhere, spread more evenly across a diverse array of transfer targets; but for a Manchester United team in desperate need of everything the 25 year-old offers, he might just be worth that ridiculous nine-figure fee.
Bale has always struck me as a Manchester United player, a winger-forward of imperious pace, power, industry and netting prowess, with enough technical quality to rightfully succeed the likes of Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo on the Red Devils’ flanks. He would have thrived under the clinical counter-attacking football of scintillating velocity that defined United under Sir Alex Ferguson, and become the biggest benefactor of Paul Scholes’ driving through balls into the final third.
But now, the Red Devils need Bale’s eclectic mix of talents more than ever. They’re a few superstars short of a title-winning side and a penetrative threat that can be depended upon for goals has been absent from their forward line for much of the season – particularly since Angel Di Maria’s early superlative form turned surprisingly sour.
Wayne Rooney’s underappreciated pace is a running cliché and Ashley Young has performed considerably better than expected when called upon. But overall, United have been static up front this year – dependent more on the aerial dominance on Marouane Fellaini to punch holes going forward – and with the exception of Di Maria’s deft lob against Leicester City, we’re yet to see them roar up the pitch in the manner of old. In fact, they’ve scored just two counter-attacking goals this season – five less than the Premier League’s best in that regard, Manchester City.
Louis van Gaal’s attempted to take the team in a new direction this season – his much-discussed philosophy of ball retention juxtaposed by long, angled passes. But physically demanding counter-attacking is an integral part of the Premier League and there are few attackers in world football who suit that basketball-paced style better than the Welshman.
Not that Bale is all about the counter-attack, although his capacity to convert wide open spaces into goals was the catalyst for his £87million move to the Bernabeu, after netting 26 times during his coming-of-age campaign at Tottenham Hotspur. Since joining Real Madrid, he’s succumbed to La Liga demands by improving his ability in tight spaces, with deft flick-ons, nutmegs, tidy one-twos and reverse passes aplenty.
And more than counter-attacking itself, it’s the manner in which the winger has refined his abilities so perfectly for Premier League football – his athleticism, his ability to produce stunning technique whilst moving at incredible speed, his overall workrate and original tutoring as a defender – that would make him such a valuable asset for a United side seemingly moving away from English ideals.
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But perhaps most importantly of all, Manchester United need a bold statement this summer – a declaration they’re a part of the European elite once again. It will take a lot to shake Chelsea’s confidence of retaining the title and Arsenal are rather chuffed with themselves amid a purple end to an otherwise ordinary 2014/15 campaign; but Bale is the kind of signing – and £100million is the type of transfer fee – that can psychologically shift the balance of power back into United’s favour.
Should a combination of the above events secure United’s first Premier League title since Ferguson’s resignation, then Real Madrid’s £100m man will be worth every penny. The longer they go without the English crown in the legendary Scot’s absence, the harder it will become.
A day after premier news agencies voiced their concern about the IPL’s media guidelines, the Editors Guild of India – an influential lobby group – has criticised what it calls “prohibitive conditions” that are “unprecedented and unacceptable to the Indian media.” The criticism, in a letter from the Guild to Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, comes on a day the league confirmed that websites would not be given accreditation for the tournament.The Sports Journalists’ Federation of India also issued a statement expressing “alarm and concern” over the IPL’s conditions and asked that the “unfair and unethical restrictions being placed on the media be withdrawn unconditionally”.The contentious conditions include the IPL’s right to use all pictures taken at its grounds for free and without restrictions; the commitment by news organisations to upload on the IPL site, within 24 hours, all images taken at the ground; and the restriction of web portals’ access to images without prior permission from the IPL.”The conditions described in the form stipulate, among other things, that the media cannot use any image or photograph in any other publication, even if it belongs to the same organisation. Indirectly, it is making a claim on the images taken by the media organisations as a property of the IPL,” the Guild’s letter said.”To say the least, this is a ridiculous claim, unheard of in the annals of free India’s media tradition. The IPL is even making a claim on the said property for future use. The rules also stipulate that still images, taken by accredited photographers cannot be used for online editions of the newspapers for which the photographers may be working. In an age when most newspapers are also available to online readers, this stipulation is extremelyuntenable.”On Thursday, the IPL had indicated it was open to negotiations on the contentious conditions. However, it came out with another condition on Friday: those working for websites will not be granted accreditation for the event. “We will not be granting accreditation to websites as we will be having a site of our own for IPL,” Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer and an ex-officio member of the IPL board, said.It is believed that a decision to this effect was taken during a meeting involving media accreditation officials on Thursday night. IS Bindra, a member of the IPL’s governing council, told Cricinfo on Thursday that the portal rights for the event had been sold to a US company for US$50 million.
The contracts tussle between Cricket Australia and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been resolved, ending weeks of uncertainty over the availability of top Australian players for the Twenty20 tournament.”The issue has been resolved,” IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi told Cricinfo. “Two or three Australian players have already signed up with IPL. Hopefully, in the next 24 hours, this will go down the line. The process has already begun. Now it’s just a matter of getting through to the Australian players and their agents,” Modi said.The dispute revolved round protecting the rights of the Australian team’s global sponsors during the tournament, which will be telecast live in Australia by Channel Ten. However, asked whether the compromise that has been worked out involved compensation or protection to Australia’s sponsors, Modi said: “No. We have made it clear.”A resolution to the issue was on the cards, given that the last day for players to sign up for the IPL – as indicated by Modi – was Sunday. On Thursday, a senior Indian cricket board official had told Cricinfo that the contracts tussle was nearing a resolution. “It’s not a conflict situation any longer. We are looking at a resolution now,” the official had said.The IPL organisers are now looking for some clarity to emerge on Australia’s impending Test tour of Pakistan before the deadline. Cricket Australia’s security advisors have warned against going ahead with the tour and a cancellation will enable the biggest names, including Ricky Ponting, the captain, and fast bowler Brett Lee, to appear for the IPL.
Glenn McGrath and Brad Hodge have joined the Australian backlash over Sunil Gavaskar’s linking of David Hookes’ death to poor on-field behaviour. McGrath said Gavaskar “crossed the line” while Hodge was “pretty disappointed” his former coach, who died in 2004, had been brought into the argument.Gavaskar warned the Australians could get “whacked” in a bar if they operated the same way off the field as they did on it and his comments followed Ricky Ponting’s complaint Gavaskar acted badly during his playing days. Allan Border and Darren Lehmann were also upset by Gavaskar’s response.”Fair enough, if that’s what [Gavaskar] thinks, he’s allowed to comment on the team,” McGrath said on Sydney’s 2KY. “But I think when you start bringing David Hookes into it that’s crossing the line. It’s very disrespectful. Sunny was an amazing cricketer, but I think this time he’s gone beyond.”McGrath agreed Gavaskar’s words could damage Australian cricket’s relationship with the ICC official. “I think potentially it could be, we’ll wait and see,” McGrath said. “The comments in themselves are very disappointing when he’s mentioning David Hookes and you really feel for Hookesy’s family.”McGrath said Gavaskar must feet Australia were a threat to India and “he’s trying to put us off our game”. He also said the current side’s behaviour was not “any worse than any other teams”. “It’s fine to say that we are, but at the end of the day I think the Indian team does it as well as every other team,” he said.Hodge made a brief statement at the team hotel in St Kitts. “I’m disappointed about comments made about my former coach David Hookes,” Hodge told AAP. “That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Zimbabwe have dropped controversial plans to reduce the forthcoming one-day series against Kenya from five to three matches after the board was condemned by the ICC for its action over this and the proposed tri-nation series in Bangladesh.Zimbabwe had agreed to play Kenya in five ODIs, but last week this was reduced to three matches without explanation, and without the Kenyans even being consulted or notified. On Thursday, a source inside Zimbabwe Cricket said that Kenya would be given an ultimatum – accept the revisions or the tour would be cancelled. He added that this decision had come from Ozias Bvute, the board’s managing director, although this cannot be confirmed.But it is understood that Bvute, who was in Dubai for an executive meeting, was given a tough time over Zimbabwe’s conduct and its complete failure to keep other boards advised of the situation. Earlier this month, ZC wrote to the ICC confirming the five matches and asking for ICC officials to be provided, so officials in Dubai were surprised at the about turn.Bvute is reported to have claimed that the change was because ZC could not provide TV coverage for third-umpire decisions for five games. However, under ICC regulations, TV replays are not needed for ODIs where a Full Member plays an Associate, as is the case here.Insiders believe that Zimbabwe are deeply worried that Kenya might win the series and so leapfrog them in the ICC ODI Rankings, thus depriving them of a place in the lucrative ICC Champions Trophy play-offs. ZC are also rumoured to be in deep financial trouble.Kenya arrive in Zimbabwe on Thursday and will play two matches in Bulawayo and three in Harare. They have been training hard under their new coach, Roger Harper, and do not lack in experience. Zimbabwe, however, have only been together two weeks since the end of the player strike and contain few faces with any real international exposure. They are also under a coach, Kevin Curran, who they have not always seen eye to eye with.This is a make-or-break series for both. But while Kenya are looking to prove that they can compete at the bottom end of the Full Member countries, and can live with any defeats, Zimbabwe, who suspended themselves from Test cricket last month, simply have to win to prove they have arrested the slide.The two met last October when Kenya toured and played a side labelled Zimbabwe A, but one which containing most of their best players, such as Tatenda Taibu and Heath Streak. Kenya won 3-0. Since then, the player drain inside Zimbabwe has continued apace.