Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has assured Malinda Warnapura and Thilan Thusara that they can expect an extended run in the national team. Warnapura starred with scores of 120 and 62 in Sri Lanka’s opening Test win by 121 runs against West Indies last week in Guyana, and Thushara offered steady support to the elite bowling duo of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan with match figures of 5 for 129 runs from 37.5 overs.”These two guys have played good first-class cricket back home and play a little bit of league cricket in England so know their way around the park,” Jayawardene said. “We can always call them up and say this is your opportunity.”They have waited a long time for this opportunity, and now they will get an extended run – whether they make runs or not, or whether they take wickets or not. So we have not put them under any pressure on this tour, and told them that if they fail that they will lose their place. They will get an extended run, and this is probably why they have responded to the challenge in this way.”The retirements of former captains Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu have left vacancies at the top of the Sri Lanka batting line-up that have yet to be convincingly filled. As a result, the selectors promoted Warnapura, 28, from the middle order to an opening slot on the basis of his consistency at domestic level.He has been a regular member of the Sri Lanka A team and visited the Caribbean two years ago, when illness restricted him to three innings of 2, 8 and 11. But almost a decade after making his first-class debut, he had to wait to make his Test debut against Bangladesh at home last June. His entry into Test cricket was hardly auspicious, as he was dismissed off his first ball, and scored 82 in the second Test.With Vaas admitting he is nearing the end of his career, the national selectors have eyed Thushara as a possible left-arm replacement. He made his Test debut on Sri Lanka’s previous trip to the Caribbean five years ago, but he subsequently faded, and others have overtaken him in the pecking order. This trip provides him with a second crack at international cricket, following strong performances in domestic competitions.Sri Lanka, eyeing a Test series victory for the first time in the Caribbean, lead the two-Test series 1-0, after the Guyana victory handed them their first Test win on Caribbean soil in five matches. The second Test from April 3 in Trinidad will be followed by a three-match ODI series with two games at the same venue, and a day-night affair on April 15 at St Lucia’s Beausejour Stadium.
Shoaib Akhtar has been cleared to play in the IPL after the Appellate Tribunal decided to suspend his five-year ban for one month, until they reconvene on June 4. The PCB has, in turn, granted Shoaib a No Objection Certificate to feature in the IPL, where he will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.Lalit Modi, the chairman and commissioner of the IPL, confirmed that Shoaib will play the tournament. “We look forward to Shoaib playing for us,” Modi said. “I am going to call him immediately and invite him to come to Kolkata tonight or tomorrow morning.”Farrukh Aftab, the head of the three-man tribunal, announced the decision. “We have suspended the ban for one month and the next hearing will be held on June 4,” Aftab told reporters in Lahore. “Had we not suspended the ban, he could not have been played the in IPL, which we thought was injustice to Akhtar.”Meanwhile, Shoaib expressed relief after his clearance. “This is a great relief for me as I am keen to play in the IPL,” Shoaib said. “But this is just one battle won and we still have to win the final case.”The tribunal’s decision to grant Shoaib a temporary reprieve comes after his lawyers pressed for the suspension of his ban.Earlier, the tribunal, on April 30, had decided to uphold the PCB’s ban on an interim-basis. Shoaib was banned for comments he made after not being offered a contract by the PCB, in which he lashed out at domestic tournaments, pitches and the administration in general. He made the comments while on a two-year probation after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the World Twenty20 last year. Shoaib has the additional burden of dealing with a Rs 22 crore (approx US$3.37 million) defamation suit filed against him by PCB chief Nasim Ashraf.The Knight Riders franchise, which signed him for US$425,000 in the player auctions, would welcome his arrival and hope for a turnaround in their fortunes. The team has suffered four consecutive losses after winning their first two games. Shoaib returns to one of his memorable hunting grounds, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, where the team has five remaining home games. His was a revelation in his first Test at the venue, picking up eight wickets in a match-winning effort.
ScorecardTymal Mills was again in the wickets with 3 for 34•Getty Images
Luke Wright took his run-total in this season’s NatWest T20 Blast to 522 with an unbeaten 92 as Sussex Sharks strengthened their bid for a quarter-final place with an eight-wicket win over Glamorgan at Hove.Sussex made short work of a target of 165, reaching it when George Bailey hit the third six of the 15th over from Dean Cosker to seal only their second home win in the South Group but one which should guarantee a top-four finish with two games still to go.Glamorgan’s total of 164 for 7 looked competitive at halfway as they chased a third successive away victory but Wright and Chris Nash produced another punishing stand against them to set up victory.Three weeks ago in Cardiff they put on 116 but went one better this time, scoring 117 in 69 balls with Nash contributing 50 off 32 balls to the third-highest first-wicket stand in Sussex’s T20 history.
Insights
Sussex are in a strong position to qualify for the quarter-finals. By contrast, Glamorgan are likely to be scrapping hard for their place after this defeat. It could be argued that Sussex and Glamorgan – two well-rounded, well-drilled teams are similar in style and substance. The difference, it could also be argued, is Luke Wright. With experience playing in the BBL and IPL Wright is perhaps the best and most experienced player in England not in the T20 international team. His past five scores this season are 57*, 111*, 47, 12, 92* and such rare international quality hiding within the domestic circuit is invaluable.
Nash hit seven boundaries and initially took the initiative but once Wright had reached his half-century he went into overdrive, savagely attacking the Glamorgan spinners as he hit Andrew Salter’s off-breaks for successive sixes before taking three maximums of slow left-armer Cosker. It was left to Bailey to hit the winning runs with the eighth six of the Sussex innings.It was the fifth successive game where the side batting second at Hove had won and Glamorgan will feel that their total was at least 20 runs short.They lost opener Jacques Rudolph in the fifth over when left-armer Chris Liddle trimmed his off stump and thereafter Glamorgan needed a solid unbeaten knock of 63 from 46 balls from Ben Wright to hold their innings together.Liddle and leg-spinner Will Beer bowled with commendable control but the fireworks were provided by left-armer Tymal Mills, who finished with 3 for 34 and unsettled all the Glamorgan batsmen with his searing pace.Mills picked up a wicket in his first over when Colin Ingram gloved down the leg side and he returned to the attack to knock back Graham Wagg’s middle stump and have David Lloyd caught off a leading edge.Glamorgan only got some momentum when Craig Meschede clubbed 20 off an over from Matt Machan, including two sixes, and well though Wright batted in difficult circumstances he never found the tempo that Luke Wright and Nash produced later in the contest.
Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has said that he is fit for the ODI and T20 series against Zimbabwe next month. He bowled in the Bangladesh nets at full pelt, leaving him quietly confident of returning to the senior side for the first time since June 21. Taskin is one of the 18 players in the preliminary squad for the Zimbabwe series starting on November 7.Eleven of the players turned up for training on Thursday since six will travel back to the country from South Africa on Friday as part of the A side and Shakib Al Hasan is expected to arrive from the USA on Saturday evening.Taskin suffered a tear on his left side during Bangladesh’s second ODI against India in June. He recovered and was sent to India with the Bangladesh A squad but after five overs in the first game on September 16, suffered the same injury and returned home from Bangalore the next day.”There aren’t any problems now,” Taskin said. “I bowled with full effort on Wednesday and today so I am hoping there won’t be any problems ahead too. I could bowl with my usual pace. I didn’t complain to the physio. I will be more confident if I can bowl like this in the next couple of days.”I am confident that since I am free of injury and I don’t feel pain while bowling, I will do well if I get an opportunity to play.”He may, however, be chosen for only one of the formats against Zimbabwe, so as to not put pressure on his body, which has been susceptible to major injuries in the past.Taskin felt he had hurried his return from the side injury in June, which caused a relapse in India.”I didn’t recover fully and had put myself under pressure. But now I have worked hard on my rehabilitation in the past five weeks. I have found rhythm in my bowling too.”
Mark Footitt believes he is ready to make up for lost time when the Boxing Day Test against South Africa gets underway in Durban in just under a fortnight’s time, with Surrey’s newest recruit itching to make his Test debut despite turning 30 last month.Regardless of what happens this winter, Footitt will be starting a significant new chapter of his career at The Oval next season, when he makes his debut for newly-promoted Surrey, having moved on from the club where he rebuilt his career, Derbyshire, at the end of the summer.However, with 158 wickets at 21.57 in the space of two seasons for Derbyshire, Footitt’s 90mph pace and awkward left-arm line has attracted interest from England’s head coach, Trevor Bayliss, ever since he began his tenure ahead of the Ashes last summer.The ferocity of the onslaught that England endured from that other rapid left-armer, Mitchell Johnson, during the 2013-14 Ashes is a significant reason why Footitt’s rare abilities are set to be called upon.However, speaking to reporters at Potchefstroom, where England are warming up ahead of their opening tour match against a South Africa Invitational XI on Tuesday, he downplayed such comparisons.”It’s nice to be compared to bowlers like that. But I’m just me really and I’ll go out and do what I do best.”It is the lessons he gleaned at his original county, Nottinghamshire, that could stand him in the best stead in South Africa. Prior to his release in the 2010 season, and before he underwent an operation in 2012 to remove a disc in his back that could have ended his career, Footitt watched his fellow Nottinghamshire left-armer, Ryan Sidebottom, lead the line for England at the age of 29, having been overlooked for six years since his one-off Test cap against Pakistan in 2001.”I was at Notts when Ryan was there and playing for England so back then it was very much trying to learn from him and speaking to him,” Footitt told”I still speak to him sometimes nowadays,” he added. “I have taken a lot from him playing one Test match and then coming back at a later age and doing well. It gives you that belief that whatever age you are you’ve still got a chance of playing international cricket.”I think you just have to enjoy every day,” he added. “It took a long time for me to get here but things happen and people develop at different ages and I seem to have developed a bit better in the past two or three years.”I think it’s just getting to a certain age and learning your game. When I was younger I was very raw, very pacy but didn’t have much accuracy. But hard work has got me to where I am today. It’s just an exciting time to be here really.”Footitt’s call-up this winter was no great surprise given the traditional importance of fast bowling on tours of South Africa. However, he knows he is in a prime position to be fast-tracked to a debut following the injuries to Mark Wood and Steven Finn that thwarted their selections for the tour, and the surprise omission of Yorkshire’s Liam Plunkett.”I think I’m 100% ready,” he said. “I’ve had a good two or three years in county cricket and after stepping into the nets with the [England] lads I know my game and I know I’m as ready as I can be.”Footitt’s first involvement with the senior squad came on the pre-Ashes bonding trip to Spain – Bayliss’s first involvement with his new team – but his first taste of dressing-room action came in the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, when he was called into the squad and watched from a prime position as Stuart Broad routed Australia on the first morning of the match.”My first day of the Ashes was brilliant with Broady taking eight-fer and bowling Australia out for 60,” he said. “It gives you a great hunger in wanting to be involved and wanting to play for England. Being in that squad and being around the guys was brilliant. It just gave you the hunger to get your foot in that door.”
Close Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOn a day when the whole of Melbourne seemed to have descended on the MCG to witness a domestic T20 derby, Test cricket needed an enticing day to reassure its admirers that it still had a great future as well as a glorious past. It found it at Newlands, packed to the brim and looking at its most resplendent as England made decent first use of an excellent batting strip in the second Test.Around 12,000 England supporters were among the 20,195 in Cape Town, enough to encourage predictions that this Test will set record attendances in the city if it lasts the course. There was no tablecloth over Table Mountain, but the batsmen had napkins in place. The travelling supporters soaked up the rays and wondered whether England’s first hundred would be logged before the sunburn really began to set in. The sunburn won, although a late spurt by Ben Stokes, 74 not out at the close, provided some heat of its own.By the time the second new ball was immediately taken, England, at 271 for 5, had been slightly tentative, held at three an over. But Stokes’ immediate joust against Chris Morris, South Africa’s debutant seamer, brought four boundaries in an over. Stokes muscled his way past 50 and, in leage with Jonny Bairstow, 46 runs came in seven overs before overtime elapsed with three overs still unused.
Rabada’s home comforts
Despite an estimated 12,000 England supporters at Newlands, including the Barmy Army, South Africa still feel at home at home, as of course they should.
“Well the Barmy Army haven’t been singing that much,” said Kagiso Rabada, who claimed three wickets on the opening day. “I haven’t felt their presence too much but I know that they are there. “Even when they do sing, I still feel like I am at home. It’s our backyard.”
Unlike on previous visits, the Barmy Army have not come out with any cleverly-worded tunes against the South African players (“He’s got his head on upside-down,” was a favourite for Hashim Amla) or even the exchange rate. When England last toured here, a pound could buy about 16 Rands and the Barmy Army would begin with “We’ve got one rand to the pound…” to the tune of Ten Green Bottles. Now, it is almost 23 Rands to the pound but they are seemingly too coy to crow about it.
Instead, they have begun every Test with a rendition of and there were some England supporters crying out for Joe “Roooooooooooooot,” through the day, but many of the cheers were from the South African contingent, especially with Rabada in full flow.
“The South Africans supporters were magnificent today,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I was away.” And he shouldn’t.
Newlands is also sold out for the next two days, although South Africa may feel they will have to play better to keep the supporters on their side. Firdose Moonda
It was a bountiful pitch, showing decent pace and bounce, encouraging presumptuous thoughts of 500, but it was a long time before England fully availed themselves of its pleasures. Barring a bad second morning, England now have a golden opportunity to build on their 241-run win against South Africa in the opening Test in Durban.After waving goodbye to a problematic 2015, South Africa must have been encouraged by the gameness shown by their four frontline bowlers, which partially compensated for a morning session in which they bowled too short and too straight.Most exciting of all, though, were the flashes of potential from Kagiso Rabada, a 20-year-old quick who took three top-order wickets on his home Test debut, dislodging Alastair Cook before lunch and removing Nick Compton and James Taylor, first ball, in successive balls either side of tea.At 20, Rabada looks a considerable prospect. Newlands might have been a demanding challenge for a bowler whose natural length looked a bit shorter than the Philander-style probing demanded on such a surface, but it sure beat his only other experience of Test cricket last year as he toiled away on India’s calculated turners.Newlands carries dangers for a visiting side batting first – there again, there are generally dangers whatever they do, such has been South Africa’s dominance here against all but Australia – but recent hot weather had stripped most of the first-session threat out of the surface.Morris, who had shed tears when awarded his first Test cap before start of play, was given the new ball ahead of Rabada. A conservative move perhaps, and not entirely convincing considering that Morris’ international career has been spent as a one-day specialist and that his fate against the tourists in a warm-up match in Pietermaritzburg was the return 0 for 93 in the match.Rabada’s opening lines were also fluffed: full and fast followed by short and wide, both deliveries despatched to the boundary by Hales. With the likelihood that Dale Steyn and Philander might return by the end of the series, Rabada knew he had to earn another opportunity. He worked up enough pace to strike Hales on the back, had good control of the seam and looked at the graceful and athletic end of the fast-bowling template.Cook was a big first wicket for Rabada, departing before lunch to a wonderful catch at third slip by Morris, flinging himself low to his left.England edged towards a position of strength in a second-wicket stand of 74 between Hales and Compton, a somewhat idiosyncratic affair in which both batsmen played in fits and starts, two batsmen seeking the right tempo, but coming from different directions: Hales a dasher trying to be responsible, Compton a painstaking soul aware that his innings must not lose impetus.Hales never looked entirely comfortable, encapsulated by three slightly streaky boundaries off Rabada soon after lunch to take him to his maiden Test fifty, but he will rightly regard it as an important staging post nonetheless. It was a good ball that dismissed him, Morkel finding bounce from a good length around off stump and de Villiers diving across Dean Elgar at first slip to hold the catch.Compton’s first three runs encompassed 38 balls, leading one contributor to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball service to remark memorably that he had “the highest ratio of handsome dashing looks to handsome dashing strokeplay.”Ben Stokes took the attack to South Africa in the closing overs•Getty Images
He found impetus with a favourite get-out shot – a paddle sweep against the offspin of Dane Piedt – and then to general surprise drove him straight for six. There was considerable irony in the fact that his third Test six took him level with his grandfather Denis, who managed the same number in 78 Tests but was much treasured for being a great entertainer. You made your own fun in the 1950s.Rabada, who bowled a combative pre-tea spell, removed Compton with what became the last ball before tea when he pulled a short ball sweetly enough but straight to Temba Bavuma at midwicket. A first-baller for James Taylor, pushing at a wide one, gave the bowler two in two.The stage looked set for Root, who had made 13 Test half-centuries in a prolific 2015, but to his frustration had repeatedly failed to deliver a big one when well set. He survived on 13, a devilishly difficult chance off Morkel which Morris, this time diving to his left from gully, let slip through his fingers. He was fortunate again during Rabada’s pre-tea assault when he was done for pace on a pull shot and the ball lobbed up safely from his incomplete stroke.There were also enough of Root’s usual delicacies on show – the best a pull against Rabada – to suggest the omens for South Africa were not good, but the New Year retained old habits and, as soon as another half-century was stored away, he gave the persevering Morris a first Test wicket when he chopped him to the wicketkeeper. It has been a common mode of dismissal when well set.Hashim Amla was reluctant to go for the jugular with only four frontline bowlers and the second new ball only 12 overs away: understandable but probably mistaken. Instead, Stiaan van Zyl trundled in, time was generally wasted and by the time South Africa did meaningfully seek late wickets, Stokes crashed all around him. How South Africa, a bowler light, would value someone like him.
Saleh Ahmed Shawon is fidgety, unlike the mostly calm Nazmul Hossain Shanto or the bright-eyed Bangladesh Under-19s captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz. The left-arm spinner is the Bangladesh team’s prankster, making wisecracks and keeping everyone cheerful, while at times, by his own admission, being the victim of his team-mates’ pranks. Despite his antics, Shawon has been the team’s leading wicket-taker since January last year, with 53 dismissals at 16.01 in 30 matches.He doesn’t look at one person for too long and his hands are constantly fidgeting, but he did stand still for the duration of the press briefing. The bowler has also started to like the big stage, and draws motivation from the crowd cheering his name.”I always try to keep my team-mates amused, I joke around, especially when I see someone down,” Shawon said. “I try to poke him, ask him what’s wrong. And they, too, have fun at my expense. I also find a lot of motivation playing in front of a crowd where they are calling out my name and cheering us. Maybe some people take it as pressure, but I like it.”While bowling, he has the run-up of a front-on bowler but slides into a side-on action and flights the ball consistently. He has set himself a target of finishing as one of the leading wicket-takers in this tournament, although he admitted his primary job was to keep the runs down.”In team meetings, we have been told to keep the runs in check,” he said. “I don’t go for wickets. I just want to keep it to 20-25 in my ten overs. [Getting a] Wicket is a matter of luck. We think that our bowling attack can defend a score like 240, which will be hard for any opponent in any condition.”My target is to be among the top five wicket-takers in the tournament, or if possible the highest wicket-taker.”Shawon stated that in a bid to keep the players under less pressure, the team management had told them to approach the World Cup as a set of two three-match series’. Personally, though, he doesn’t seem too nervous about the big stage.”We are looking at it as a series, not a World Cup. We shouldn’t be tensed about playing a World Cup, that’s what our captain and vice-captain have told us ahead of the tournament,” he said. “We have divided it into two three-match series. So we have the three matches in the group stage, and three in the knockout. If we can win six, we can win the World Cup.”It is not really possible to think this way but it is about believing it yourself, you get what I’m saying?”
Windward Islands held off a determined effort from West Indies Under-19s on the opening day of Group A matches to win by 21 runs in North Sound. Sunil Ambris added 70 for the fourth wicket with captain Liam Sebastien and top-scored with 54 off 84 balls in Windwards’ total of 221. Keemo Paul burrowed through the middle order before wrapping up the tail, taking the last wicket two balls into the 47th over to finish with figures of 4 for 31 for West Indies Under-19s.In reply, Bhaskar Yadram scored 52 at No. 3 for the junior side but got little support as West Indies Under-19s struggled to string a decent partnership together. There were only two 40-plus partnerships in the innings: 45 runs between Yadram and Shamar Springer for the fourth wicket, and 40 runs between Paul and Kirstan Kallicharan for the sixth wicket. Paul and Kallicharan were part of six batsmen down the order who reached double-figures but couldn’t make it past 25 as extras wound up the next best contributor behind Yadram with 32 runs. Mervin Matthew dismantled the lower order to finish with 4 for 38, claiming Man-of-the-Match honours as West Indies Under-19s finished on 200 for 9.In the late game at Coolidge, Leeward Islands defeated Kent by seven wickets, chasing a target of 229 with 6.3 overs to spare. Nkrumah Bonner steered the successful chase by scoring an unbeaten 78. Fast bowler Gavin Tonge had been the biggest obstacle in the Kent innings, taking 4 for 39 to restrict the English county side to 233, with their top score coming from Calum Haggett, who scored 45 off 59 balls at No. 7. Kent’s score was revised to 228 after umpires imposed a five-run penalty.
Damien Hough does not want to go down as the first curator in the storied history of the Adelaide Oval to create a Test pitch where a spinner is redundant, as Nathan Lyon emphasised the importance of the role in Australia despite only bowling two overs in the Ashes series to-date.Lyon and Hough shared an embrace on Monday at Adelaide, a ground where they once worked together, and Hough attended a ceremony on the western side where Lyon was added to the Avenue of Honour that commemorates some of the best Test performances at the stadium.Lyon was celebrated for his 12 wickets against India in 2014 at the venue, joining the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Shane Warne and Mitchell Johnson among others on the outer wall of the Chappell Stand.But it comes at a time when Lyon is stalled on 562 Test wickets, two shy of passing Glenn McGrath to go second all-time among Australia Test bowlers, having not been selected in two of the last three Tests and only bowled two overs in the game in between at the start of this Ashes series.Related
Nathan Lyon: 'No one's got a given right to be selected'
England pick Tongue and omit Bashir for Adelaide Test
Lyon 'absolutely filthy' after being left out of consecutive pink-ball Tests
Brook pledges to temper approach after playing 'shocking shots'
However, Hough is certain Adelaide Oval will spin this week as it has done in the three day Sheffield Shield games at the venue this season and Lyon is poised to return to Australia’s XI despite England opting to retain part-time offspinner Will Jacks ahead of their No.1 spinner Shoaib Bashir.”[Spin is] really important,” Hough said on Monday. “I don’t want to be the curator at Adelaide where you don’t pick a spinner. Spin needs to play a part here. It always has. Even last year when [Lyon] didn’t bowl a lot of overs, I felt that the pitch would have spun. But Pat [Cummins] was able to take wickets with the quicks but spin needs to play a part in pitches around Australia, and we want it to play a part.”Lyon only bowled one over in Australia’s last Test in Adelaide, which was a pink-ball game against India in 2024. That is part of the reason why he has been left out of Australia’s two most recent pink-ball Tests with Australia’s selectors concluding that spin is not needed in day-night games.Australia hold a 2-0 lead in the Ashes against England•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images
But Lyon has also only bowled eight overs in total in his last two red-ball Tests in Australia. He bowled just six overs in the SCG Test against India in January and only two in the first Ashes Test in Perth. He was asked how important it is that curators continue to produce pitches in Australia that do allow spinners to play a role.”Well, you’re asking a spinner,” Lyon said. “I think it’s incredibly important. I think the variation in Test cricket, understanding that Test cricket goes for five days, and there’s a lot of opportunity for pitches to wear and spinners to be able to produce their craft.”I’ve always said as soon as the ball spins there’s more eyes on TVs, and I stand by that. You look at when we go over to India, and you look at the conditions there, and the exciting cricket when the ball is spinning, how many people pay attention to it. So for me, spin is incredibly important in the game of cricket, in junior cricket, in first-class cricket, in white-ball, red-ball, it doesn’t matter what format, what game of cricket, I think spin plays a massive role here.”Lyon only bowled 15.3 overs in the last day Test in Adelaide in January 2024, on a pitch where the game ended before lunch on day three. Lyon did pick up three wickets, but two were West Indies’ No. 11 Shamar Joseph when he was out slogging at the end of both innings as the visitors made just 188 and 120 in a 10-wicket loss.That game featured a lot of seam movement and variable bounce. But Hough claimed it was due to the use of a different grass type on the drop-in pitch, which has since been abandoned.”That was a Legend pitch, Legend is a grass variety,” Hough said. “This is a Santa Ana Couch, what we’ve used since 2013, outside of two years. We’ll go back to what we know. It’s still that mat of grass. We still want that, and we just want to get the compaction right and the moisture levels right. Once the coin is tossed, it’s over to the players.”Spin has played a big part in the Shield fixtures so far this season. Victoria left-arm orthodox Doug Warren took a career-best 5 for 69 in the opening round in early October. Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who has played four Tests for Australia, took 10 wickets in mid-October. South Australia played two spinners in their most recent match against Tasmania and both took wickets. There have been five team scores of over 300 with a highest of 426. There have been seven individual centuries scored including one by Marnus Labuschagne. South Australia seamer Wes Agar has a five-wicket haul, while Test seamer Michael Neser has one of four four-wicket hauls also taken by seamers. But all three red-ball Shield games have had a result, with the only Shield game this season to end in a draw being a rain-affected day-night pink-ball game.”Our Shield pitches have played really well,” Hough said. “They’ve been a really good contest. The feedback has been really good.”We’re just are trying to get a contest between bat and ball.”The calibre of bowlers step up at international level. We know that compared to Shield level. But we’ve got some hot weather, and you would expect with hot weather that the spinners will come into it because of that hot weather.”
Forget Mexico, forget Japan, clearly the best preparation England can get going into the World Cup is to test themselves vigorously against the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Henrik Larsson, Ryan Giggs and that guy who played a periphery character in Heroes….You know, one of the ones who wasn’t actually a hero, but was a mate of one of the heroes. Little guy. Him… and Austin Powers.
This was of course Soccer Aid, Robbie Williams’ noble attempt to elevate a kick around with his mates from an embarrassing wheeze fest of male competitiveness to a meaningful grudge match for UNICEF. And once the dust had settled from the latest installment of charity celebrity football, England vs the Rest of the World had proved to be far more entertaining than either of England’s latest efforts to convince us they’re on the cusp of world domination.
The coverage began with the sad and disturbing footage of the desperate, mournful unfortunate faces we’ve become all to accustomed to on these types of occasion. And once Kenny Dalglish and Harry Redknapp had left the studio to give their team talks, we were reminded of the harsh realities of life in Africa as well.
Orlando Bloom had been banished to the BT Tower to keep an eye on the telephones and valiantly attempt to read the autocue convincingly, so host Dermot O’Leary had to make do with Big Sam Allardyce and Al Murray, who seemed to be trying out a new incarnation of his Pub Landlord character, namely one who wasn’t funny.
As the teams prepared to take the field, the real fun of spotting whom they’d managed to convince to do it this time began. The Rest of the World Team is always the more interesting in these things. England’s team usually consists of soap actors (Bradley Walsh – tick) Simon Cowell competition winners (Olly Murs – tick) TV Presenters (Jamie Theakston – tick) Respected all be it B-List thespians (Damien Lewis – tick) and recognizable, but “not for the life of me why” mates of Robbie Williams (Jonathan Wilkes – tick). The opposition however are usually far more eclectic and this year had managed the genuine coup of getting not just Woody Harrelson and Mike Myers, but former World Players of the year Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo. Clearly aware that they were supposed to be the bad guys here however, they’d sensibly negated any support they’d likely get form this by including not just one, but two members of Westlife, presumably hoping to prove there is some talent in there somewhere, but a bit baffled at how to prove it without standing up and sitting down again from a stool.
As Russell Watson belted out Nessun Dorma for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, Clive Tyldsley optimistically noted that Piereluigi Collina was singing along, when in fact it looked for all the world to me like he was yawning. He may well still have been by the end of the first half, which was almost as dour as Kenny Dalglish’s pre match team talk despite the occasional glorious site of Zidane embarrassing everyone when he could be bothered.
After the opening few minutes of nervy misplaced passes, testosterone fueled over exuberation and terrible crosses, it started to become clear which celebs could actually play and which were there merely as a good will gesture. Damien Lewis chipped an audacious 25 yard effort off the bar and Olly Murs tormented Gordon Ramsey on the right wing, both out shining Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham in the center, who both seemed to be taking it all incredibly seriously to little effect.
For a brief period the game threatened to burst into life and the entertainment came two fold as Robbie Williams gave away a penalty and one of the mannequins from Westlife missed it.
It was at about this point that Zidane decided he was going to step it up a bit and after dribbling past 4 players to play in Sami Hyypia, nutmegging Lewis on the touchline and combining sexily with Giggs he almost broke into a smile. But didn’t.
After a massive spider had crawled across the lens, sparking momentary fears that the age of our new insect overlords was finally upon us, Jamie Redknapp literally scored a lovely goal, combining with a version of Teddy Sheringham made from boiled ham and varnish to put England ahead right on half time.
It was then back to the studio to watch Orlando Bloom struggle with the autocue again and Dermot O’Leary struggle to muster a convincing laugh at anything Al Murray was saying.
Luis Figo came on for Giggs as the second half began and immediately took the game in the right spirit, attempting to dribble past everyone every time he got the ball then hugging anyone who managed to stop him heartily. Jamie Theakston – on for David Seamen – saved well from blonde Westlife man before the SAS of Shearer and Sheringham combined to put England two up after more good work from Olly Murs.
Joe Calzaghe just about managed to not miss from half a yard out to bring the ROW back into it as the game really started to get interesting with the celebs starting to tire.
Ricky Hatton wobbled on, Patrick Kielty saved a one on one from Alan Shearer, Brian Lara hit a chance for six, Bradley Walsh somehow hit a shot backwards and Woody Harrelson completely missed the ball with his first (non) touch as the game opened up.
Hyypia grabbed an equalizer to take it to penalties, and the real fun began as a celeb only policy was enforced to ensure maximum comedy value.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
After Robbie’s mate had scored and Brian Lara squeezed it past the boundary, Jamie Theakston stepped forward as a viable choice for back up keeper in South Africa with a string of saves to deny a slew of relatively recognizable people and Gordon Ramsey. England continued to show that taking very bad penalties runs in our blood as Paddy McGuiness skied over and Robbie did a John Terry before the ever-impressive duo of Lewis and Murs slotted in their pens like they’d actually kicked a ball before. Calzaghe and Brian Clough both netted for the opposition whilst Ben Shepard and Ricky “Waller” Hatton found the top corner and after each side had cancelled each other out in both hits and misses, Mike Myers slotted one calmly down the middle to force Jamie Theakston to step out of goal to keep England in the lead.
Undoing all his good work between the sticks however, Theakston awkwardly punted it over creating the surreal sight of Woody Harrelson making the long walk to the spot to win the damn thing.
Looking fittingly spaced out, the A-List Hollywood actor who’d spent the previous week joining in other peoples kick abouts in Battersea park to gain match fitness, struck it to the left of the despairing dive of England’s number one to clinch the trophy for the Rest of the World, sparking jubilantly surreal scenes as Woody from Cheers was mobbed by Ryan Giggs, Tony Blair, Luis Figo, Austin Powers, the Mentalist and that little bloke from Heroes who had earlier attempted to throw a ball in from a corner. Utter madness, and all the better for it.
A riotous evening’s enjoyment, and with over £2 million made for UNICEF by the end of the game alone, a triumph all round. Even Zidane was smiling by the end of it, but whether he attended Patrick Keilty’s pre-game team bonding barbeque is the question I really want an answer to.