Billy bruised but ego unhurt Billy Bowden is usually happy to make a spectacle of himself, but even in his wildest publicity dreams he wouldn’t have contrived for Geraint Jones to sweep a ball into his lower back at square leg. Billy went down faster than a beach ball snatched by a security guard and when he got up looked as dazed as he must have been when he gave Kevin Pietersen lbw. As the crowd chanted “Billy, Billy” – Craig McDermott must have felt a pang of nostalgia in his corporate box – England supporters wished Jones had struck it harder.Fans get shirty Much of the time between Ashes series has obviously been spent coming up with slogans and arty t-shirts for the rematch. A Barmy Army version has Captain Cook (it depends on your world view whether he was an invader or discoverer of the Queensland east coast in 1770) making an early deposit on Australian soil while reading a newspaper headlined “England invent cricket”. The sanitised version of the accompanying text says “Captain Cook only stopped here for the toilet”.Where’s the Barmy Army? Queensland upset some sections of the world when they used the line “Where the bloody hell are you?” in a worldwide tourism campaign. The description became so popular locally it was used in an advertisement in the lead-up to the series and was taken a step further by cheeky Australian supporters this morning. “Barmy Army! Where the bloody hell are you?”Fans for female fans England’s supporters are sprinkled throughout the stadium and are sure to find their true voices on the hills at Adelaide and Perth in the next two Tests. At least their female contingent was cool today. As part of Ladies Day all the girls in the stadium got traditional hand fans from Cricket Australia to provide some fresh air.
Griqualand West won a remarkable – and brief – game at Benoni against Easterns by 258 runs. After 23 wickets fell on the first day, Griqualand resumed their second innings on 163 for 3, a lead of 310. They stretched this 402 by the time they declared on 255 for 8. Easterns, bowled out for 70 in 19 overs yesterday, were never in the hunt and none of their batsmen reached 30 as they fell to 144 all out, medium-pacer Alan Kruger taking 6 for 46.Free State moved into a first-innings lead against North West on a truncated day at Bloemfontein, finishing the day on 250 for 6, a lead of 14 runs. The top six all made good starts, but Petrus Koortzen was the only one to reach his fifty, leading the way with an unbeaten 81 from 134 balls.Zimbabwe Under-23s staged a spirited fightback on the second day against Eastern Province in Port Elizabeth. First, they took nine wickets for just 105 runs to dismiss Eastern Province – who had started the day on a commanding 115 for 1 – for 222. Then, trailing in the first innings by 60 runs, they reached 147 for 4 by close of play, with Colin de Grandhomme and Stuart Matsikenyeri adding an undefeated 79 for the fourth wicket.
Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming have both requested the International Cricket Council to explain the 15-degree rule for bowlers, saying that the players themselves are in the dark about the procedures and methods employed to decide whether a delivery is legal or not.Tim May, chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, was on the nine-member panel that recommended the change in the laws, and he talked to both Ponting and Fleming regarding the proposed amendment.Ponting was quoted in as saying: “It was good to hear it come from Tim yesterday and his views on it all. But we still need to know a bit more about it, we need to see it in action and see it in place.”According to tests done by biomechanics experts, 99% of bowlers extended their arms to some extent, and even those with actions considered to be in the classical mould were found to straighten their arm more than 10 degrees.”It shouldn’t be secretive,” said Fleming, expressing his views about the study. “What we have to be careful of is the knee-jerk reactions when a statement comes out, and we get this emotive type of reporting that starts throwing players’ names up without basis.”Fleming told the paper that he would welcome more information on the subject, with the current picture being pretty vague. “The one thing we are happy about is there is some movement,” he added. “For too long [chucking] was the ugly sister that wasn’t being talked about but now it’s out in the open and there’s some positive steps being put in place.”
The second part of Neil Manthorp’s exclusive interview with South Africa’s captain Graeme SmithWhat are the biggest changes to your life since you became captain? On the material side I’ve bought a house – that’s a pretty significant change. But I’ve still got housemates. You need someone to look after the place, I’m never there. And personally the requests on my time can be daunting. My management group, Fordzone, field invites and requests for three functions a day, on average. I struggle to say no to anything so they do it for me, it would be crazy otherwise. I’m now able to focus on my cricket responsibilities because my diary is managed by professionals. I’m also aware that I have 14 other sets of emotions to be concerned about – I can’t just think about myself, there is a squad that deserves my concern. But that is something I’ve always had and I welcome it.Can a captain still have friends within his team, go out for a beer with them? Yes – certainly. It’s a question of balance. You can’t just be an onfield captain, you learn so much about your team-mates by having a beer with them in the pub. The same goes for the opposition, too. And the players enjoy seeing the captain having a beer with them, so I definitely won’t be changing any of that. Besides, I enjoy a beer!Must a captain always be in the team, especially on tour? The best interests of the team come first. If I wasn’t pulling my weight then it would be better to step aside. I wouldn’t avoid the issue if I was out of form, and I wouldn’t pass the buck as far as the responsibility was concerned. I wouldn’t force someone else to make the decision – I’d do it. But I’d also want to be in the front line, in the thick of it. I’d hate to duck the pressure. I wouldn’t ever do that.What’s it been like captaining Shaun Pollock? He’s been absolutely brilliant. From what I know of Shaun he’s been a different man since we changed over. He’s far more relaxed and outgoing now, always down at dinner in the team hotel and smiling. We had a couple of long chats on tour in Bangladesh and I learned a lot from him. Before he seemed weighed down by everything.Doesn’t that concern you? I know it can get to you, I really do. I can’t pretend I know what it’s like as national captain but I can imagine. I’m a different person to Shaun and we’ll handle things differently. Our personalities are different – we deal with stressful situations in our own ways.Are you prepared to compromise your privacy for the next ten years? You have to – how can you not? You can’t expect to have a private life – your private life is what happens in your own home.Your phone has rung 14 times in the 35 minutes we’ve been talking. Is it always like that? Yes [smiles]. You get used to it. You know, anyone who has ever dreamed of being a professional sportsman has also dreamed of being recognised in a restaurant and of being asked for an autograph in a nightclub. Anyone who tells you different is lying. Learning how to deal with those situations is part of the job, and the responsibility of playing for your country. Obviously you become more and more sceptical as the years go by, and I’m only 22, but I hope I still feel it’s important to recognise people in ten years’ time. I hope I never, ever ignore genuine supporters.Have you ever been made really, really cross? Really angry? No, no. Not that I’d ever show on the outside. Oh, well, er … I’m a liar. Just once, and it happened last week. Some guy phoned me at 3.30am – I don’t know where he got my number – and gave me huge flak about the team. He attacked me, personal and abusive. Underworked and overpaid, with lots of swear words. And I responded.What did you say? I said, "You’re probably sitting in some sweaty nightclub with a tenth beer in your left hand, a smoke in your right hand and your stomach hanging all over your belt. And you’re calling me at 3.30am to abuse me about a group of professional sportsmen?"Does the Aussie sledging ever border on the childish/unnecessary/personal? At times, yes. But they are also very clinical with it and it can be very effective. They are very practised at it and they all know what they’re doing. They put a bit of thought into it, it’s not just verbal bombing. They are a very professional side and that is part of their game plan. But at times it pushes the limits of what’s acceptable.Is there a danger of you, or your team, becoming obsessed with the ‘dangers’ of the tabloid media in England? Yes, that’s a possibility. Mark Boucher told me how they got stitched up the very first night they arrived in England for the ’98 tour. Apparently they got photographed with some semi-naked girl – Jacques and Lance were there, too, but only Bouch appeared in the papers the next day which caused some embarrassment … but it gave the rest of the boys something to laugh about. We must be aware of the dangers without allowing them to affect our day-to-day lives. But we definitely must not try and hide away and avoid the difficult questions.Isn’t Alec Stewart a bit old for international cricket? Oh very funny, very funny.No seriously, he’s 40 years old. If I say a word about him he’ll score five centuries against us in the Test series! Hmm. If he’s playing well enough then he’s young enough. I’m sure some of the young keepers in England have felt a bit frustrated over the years, but the selectors have given Foster and Read a chance and they keep going back to Alec. So maybe he really is the best. He seems very fit and strong. I don’t know him but he’s certainly not a favourite of many of our team. Maybe that’s why they’re keeping him going. The only time I’d ever bring age into a selection equation is when you have two players of equal ability and there is a large gap in their ages. You’d want to think of the future. But if you’re the best you must play.Who is under more pressure, you or Nasser Hussain? I’m a young captain – frequently accused of being too young – with very little international experience and very little experience of England, so of course I’m under pressure. But so is Nasser, and he’s right at the other end of the experience scale. He’s under just as much pressure, retiring from one-day cricket, questions about his commitment. Captains are under pressure, full stop.Any previous experience of England? I spent two months with Hampshire when Jimmy Cook was there, playing for the 2nd XI and seeing the country. I played at The Oval and otherwise spent lots of time driving around, sitting in traffic actually. I was 18 years old, driving a car about the same age with brakes even older. Happy days. But no, I wouldn’t say I had too much experience of England that might stand me in good stead during a series of five Test matches. But we’ll have good people around us.Why is it so difficult to win in England? From South Africa’s point of view I think it has a lot to do with the length of the tour. Looking at the stats from 1994 and ’98 we’ve won early on and then faded as the weeks went by. There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of time spent in each others’ pockets. People become physically and mentally tired – perhaps motivation became affected. I do think mental preparation is very important for an England tour.How do you feel when people talk about South Africa’s legacy of match-fixing since 2000? Really, really pissed off. Really angry. I can’t stand it. It irritates me. We’ll turn it around – I know we’ll turn it around. I’m so frustrated that people can call us cheats in the middle of a Test match, that people have that image of us. It doesn’t just hurt me, it hurts every single member of the current squad and they are determined to change that image, not for themselves but for every member of the public who felt embarrassed, angry or ashamed when it happened. I promise you, we want to make all South Africans proud of their cricket team. I promise you that.
It was said from a very early stage of his career that Michael Atherton was a future England captain. Now the same is being said about another Lancashire-born batsman who could well fill the place in the order vacated by Atherton’s retirement. The difference is that this Lancastrian by birth plays his cricket for Yorkshire.Michael Vaughan made his Test debut for England on the 1999-2000 tour to South Africa, and although he did not score as heavily as he would have liked, he did make an impression by his calm temperament and correct technique. That had been evident on the 1998-99 England A tour to South Africa where his leadership qualities shone through to earn him the ‘FEC’ tag.He has been unfortunate that the one period that has seen him suffer a number of injuries has coincided directly with his Test career. Having made his debut, he missed the first three Tests of the following summer, but came back to play a significant part in denying the West Indian attack in the gripping Lord’s Test – in company with Atherton. He missed the series in Pakistan through injury, but was back for the last Test in Sri Lanka. He recorded his maiden Test century at Old Trafford against Pakistan, but then missed the entire Ashes series.Now he is back, fit and hopefully in the form that saw him so successful in Yorkshire’s run-in to the CricInfo Championship title. Having missed so much cricket, there is little wonder that he was so keen to go on this trip. When there were doubts concerning personal safety expressed by some, Vaughan was at the forefront of those wanting to travel without hesitation.”The two years I have been involved with England I have picked up more injuries than during all the rest of my career. I’m really looking forward to a good trip now and hopefully I’ll find some form and score a few runs.”He is aware of the security implications, but now wants the side to concentrate entirely on cricket and not be distracted by other matters. “The one thing we’re going there for is to try to play some good cricket. We know it’s going to be tough. They’re a very good side on their own soil but, as we showed last winter when we went over there as underdogs, we can perform on the Sub-continent and there is no reason why we can’t do that again.”He added: “We’ve got to learn from last winter; that’s why you go to these places. Winning out there was a great bonus and the only way to improve on last winter is to take up all the hints, all the positive things we took from last winter and take them into this one. We know it’s going to be very tough. Their batting line-up is formidable, they’ve got some good spinners and a good opening bowler in Srinnath. So we know we’re up against it, but then we were up against it this time last year against Pakistan. There’s no reason why we can’t do well.”Asked if he really felt England could win this series, he was dismissive. “Of course. Last winter we went to Pakistan with everyone saying we stood no chance. Everyone is saying exactly the same this year, so there’s no reason why we can’t go and prove a few people wrong.”
Sri Lanka-based International College of Business and Technology beat pre-competition favourites Assupol TUKS, by a narrow two-wicket margin, in their Group B opener played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun on Monday.The South African side won the toss and elected to bat first, but the decision back fired, as they were reduced to 15 for five in four overs.Malshan Mendis troubled TUKS batsmen with a disciplined spell that yielded five wickets for just 22 runs in four overs.Murray Coetzee helped rebuild TUKS’ innings with a 19-ball 28. His fourth-wicket forty-run stand with Matome Modiba helped TUKS recover from their early set back.Ruben Classen then added 39 runs with Corbin Bosch to help their side post a respectable 134 in their 20 overs.ICBT, in reply, refused to hand TUKS the early advantage. Their top-five batsmen found runs and took their team close-in on a win.It was down to nine needed off four balls. Uralakalasi de Silva smacked a four and a six off consecutive deliveries thereafter to pull off a narrow win.In the first Group A encounter, Delhi-based Shraddhanand College thrashed European University of Bangladesh by seven wickets.Fast bowler Abhishek Vats made the most of a lively surface and pegged the team from Mirpur on the back-foot early, with two quick wickets.They failed to recover from the early set back and were at one stage reeling at six for 27 in eleven overs. Vats added another wicket to his tally, as the opponents managed just 46 in their innings.Shraddhanand College lost just three wickets in the chase and reached the target in just seven overs.In the last match of the day, Loughborough MCCU out classed University of Technology Sydney by a convincing six wickets.The side from Australia scored at a brisk seven-runs per over and managed 140 in their innings. Harry Dalton top-scored with a quick fire 41 off just 30 balls.Loughborough were reduced to three for 43 in six overs, but a 90-run fourth-wicket stand between Michael Burgess and Timothy le Breton helped their side reach the total in just 15 overs.
The higher they climb, the harder they fall. Sadly, with football being as brutal as it is these days, there is simply no time for sentiment. One day you can be flying high with your club, the next you’re old news, and you’re out on your own.
Through a combination of poor performances, long injury lay-offs or simply because they just weren’t as good as everyone thought they were, the following 10 payers have plummeted down through the football leagues, in this country and around the world.
And while some might seem harsh inclusions, it is important think about where they were, how much promise they had and how badly they have failed to achieve that, through their own fault or otherwise.
Football is now a cruel and uncaring game. Let’s exploit that. Have a cheap laugh at the expense of others. Go on…
Click on Alan Smith to unveil the top 10 fall from graces
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Karim Benzema’s solitary goal proved enough as France overcame 10-man Brazil at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
The French took full advantage of Brazilian midfielder Hernanes’ dismissal following a clumsy tackle five minutes before the interval, as Benzema bobbed up in the 54th minute to score the only goal of the game.
The hosts started brightly in Paris, with Benzema finding himself on the end of Yoann Gourcuff’s pass after nine minutes but the striker’s shot flashed just wide.
The Brazilians responded strongly and were the dominant side for much of the first period, with Alexandre Pato hitting a curling shot just over the bar before Dani Alves had his free-kick blocked.
France came close on the half-hour mark when Alou Diarra’s header from yet another Gourcuff delivery sailed just over.
The game turned in France’s favour on the 40 minute mark when Benzema tried to control a bouncing ball only to be struck by Hernanes’ flailing boot, with the Brazilian midfielder receiving his marching orders from referee Wolfgang Stark.
Numbers won out after the break, with France taking control of the match and unlucky to finish only one ahead.
Roma winger Jeremy Menez made a great run nine minutes after the interval before firing a low cross to Benzema, who gratefully tapped home from close range.
The Real Madrid striker could have had a second moments later but Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar made a brilliant reflex save from his close-range header.
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The Inter Milan shot stopper was on hand again just after the hour mark to stop a low effort from Benzema with the French pouring on the pressure as Brazil tired.
In the end the hosts settled for a timely1-0 win ahead of next month’s Euro 2012 qualifiers against Luxembourg and Croatia.
Denial can be a difficult thing in football. The admittance of error is something we seldom hear in the Premier League and in an industry where mistakes often cost millions, perhaps it’s easier to skew our opinions and beliefs into believing what we’re witnessing is right.
There is always a nature of blind faith supporting any football club and Liverpool fans aren’t any different from any others in the league. Although there has to be a cut off point. A backdrop of cultural and ethical implications may have shrouded the support of Luis Suarez, but there are no blurred lines in the support of Andy Carroll’s place in the team.
If Brendan Rodgers wants him out, then that is the only stance supporters should be buying into – that of footballing principles. Because at the end of the day, transfer fees, bruised pride and idyllists aren’t going to win you football games. The vision of the manager and the way his players perform in his set-up, will. Nothing else should matter.
The Andy Carroll situation has fast turned into something of a burning dilemma up at Anfield. It’s been quipped a million times, but it wasn’t the Gateshead born striker’s fault he cost £35 million. He wasn’t worth that much and probably never will be. Although the fact is that it has played its part in his difficult last 18 months at Liverpool.
But there is also a fact that you don’t become a bad player overnight. Form is temporary; class is permanent, so they say. Some may be ready to ridicule such a statement, but his time at Liverpool doesn’t mean that he can’t still become a massive Premier League success.
Carroll showed enough at Newcastle to suggest this and towards the closing stages of last season at Liverpool as well. His overwhelming gift is of course an immense aerial prowess, but he has a decent ability to hold the ball up too and a sincerely powerful shot as well. What he needs is a team that is willing to base their entire side around him. Play to his strengths and there are rewards to be reaped. It might not be tiki-taka football, but what does it matter?
There is more than one way to play football and just because Carroll epitomises the strengths of a less favourable style in today’s game, it doesn’t mean that a Premier League team can’t be successful with him in their side.
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But that also decrees that Carroll’s game isn’t going to be suited to all set-ups. And the question has to be, does Brendan Rodgers have a need for an archetypal English number nine in his new Liverpool set-up? In the fluid, mobile system Rodgers will look to play, the emphasis is going to be all around possession; pass, pass and pass again. The ball is going to be kept on the deck, as opposed to launched into the air. His frontman is going to need to bestow intelligent movement and technically excellent hold up play. You can see where this is going.
You can’t force the shoe on if it doesn’t fit. If Brendan Rodgers doesn’t see Andy Carroll as part of his long-term plans, and unless he has some really quite drastic change of philosophy, then he has to be moved on. New managers arrive at clubs all the time and when they do, players who don’t fit into their conception of a team that will win football matches, are usually moved on. It doesn’t matter that it’s Andy Carroll, it doesn’t matter that he cost so much money and it doesn’t matter that Kenny Dalglish signed him either.
There is a school of thought that Brendan Rodgers is naïve in shifting Carroll without giving him a chance or looking at him in close quarters. Rodgers might learn the intricacies of Carroll’s game a bit better and there will be elements that may well surprise him.
But the bread and butter of Carroll’s game is there for the world to see. It’s not as if he is some shrinking violet with a hidden aspect of his game that has been restricted through playing out of position. Rodgers knows exactly what Carroll’s game is all about and if he doesn’t, it’s only going to be a stay of execution if he does.
This isn’t to say that there is any form of bad feeling around Carroll and not everybody wants to see the back of him. But if he was to stay, he needs to be backed to the hilt and have Rodgers craft his team around him. Rodgers has made the right noises about having Carroll in his team, but it’s difficult to tell whether the Northern Irishman is simply indulging in good PR. Luis Suarez will of course play a prominent part and the singing of Fabio Borini represents a tried and tested player for Rodgers. There’s no smoke without fire and if the club have indeed accepted a bid from West Ham then the gaffer must be happy to let him go. If that’s the case then Carroll is fighting a losing battle staying at Liverpool.
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When you cost your club so much money to acquire, the subsequent focus and expectation is unavoidable. Andy Carroll has become a victim of a transfer fee that he had no control over. One of the unfortunate sideshows has been the media’s continuous stirring of his situation and the added exposure certainly hasn’t done him any favours. It may seem like pedantic critique, but did a man as wily and experienced in the game as Kenny Dalglish not wonder what effect the title of most expensive British signing in history might have on Carroll? It’s academic now, but still food for thought.
But there is no more time for posturing and denial. Perhaps it’s time Rodgers made his intentions crystal clear. Because the current hesitation and indecision are only going to cost Liverpool and Andy Carroll dearly.
Carroll needs to play in a team that aren’t going to be afraid to back him all the way. Liverpool can’t pour any more time into something if their heart’s not truly in it.
Stick of twist with Andy Carroll? A simple question, but what would you do? Tell me how you see it all on Twitter, follow @samuel_antrobus and bat us your views.
Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge has praised his coach Andre Villas Boas, and thanked the Portuguese manager for having faith in him.
The England under-21 forward has been suspended after being sent off for Bolton on the last day of last season, but returned to the Stamford Bridge starting line-up against Sunderland on Saturday.
Sturridge was preferred to out of form Fernando Torres, and scored a terrific goal to give the London club a 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light.
“The competition for places is very tough in the squad and the manager has shown huge faith in me to put me in the team after a three-game ban, because I’ve been training for the last five weeks, including the international break,” the attacker told the club’s official website.
“It was a huge result to come away from Sunderland with three points. It’s a great stadium and their fans sing very loud. Now we need to keep winning and put pressure on the Manchester clubs.”
Sturridge converted a through-ball by new signing Raul Meireles with an audacious back-heel, and was delighted to score on his return to the team.
“It was a great ball from Raul Meireles, great vision from him and I got across the centre-half (Wes Brown) and saw the keeper coming out, so I just went for a little cheeky one.
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“The only way I could have scored was to do that and it paid off. I’ve done it in training a few times but it is completely different in a game. I thought that he (Brown) was going to get to it before it crossed the line and it was a huge moment to see it hit the net,” he concluded.
Chelsea now open their Champions League campaign on Tuesday as they take on Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge.