Narine reported for suspect action

Sunil Narine, the West Indies offspinner, has been reported for bowling with a suspect action during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.Narine finished with figures of 0 for 24 in the Pallekele ODI, which Sri Lanka won by 19 runs based on the Duckworth-Lewis method. The match officials’ report, handed to the West Indies team management after the game, cited concerns about the legality of Narine’s deliveries.Narine will need to undergo testing on his action within 14 days, and will be permitted to continue bowling until the results of his testing are known.This is the first time Narine has been reported in an international game, though he has undergone scrutiny of his action during the IPL and the Champions League T20. He was reported twice in two matches during the 2014 edition of the CLT20, forcing him to miss Kolkata Knight Riders’ final against Chennai Super Kings.Though he was free to bowl in international cricket, West Indies withdrew Narine from their tour of India to allow him “the opportunity to have his action assessed and plan his return to cricket”. West Indies left him out of all their subsequent international assignments until they picked him for the 2015 World Cup. Though he had remodeled his action in the interim, Narine pulled out of the tournament, saying the return would be “a little too much too soon”.Narine endured further trouble with his action during the 2015 IPL – he was first cleared to bowl in the tournament, reported and sent for a re-test, banned from bowling his offbreaks, and then cleared again, with a “final warning”.The Sri Lanka tour was Narine’s first international tournament since August 2014. He picked up four wickets at an average of 18.00 in the three ODIs, while conceding 3.34 runs per over.

Adams weighs in for Sussex

Chris Adams’s 193 has helped Sussex to a very strong position © Getty Images

Division One

Sussex are closing in on a crushing victory at Horsham, after piling on the runs in the first innings and then reducing Durham in their second innings to 108 for 6. Durham now trail by a significant 200, with four wickets in hand. Four wickets apiece for Liam Plunkett and Paul Wiseman were scant consolation as Sussex, led by Chris Adams’ 193, racked up 517. Sussex now have two more days to close out the match, but they will be confident of doing so on the third.Anthony McGrath’s 24th first-class century helped Yorkshire to a solid position against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, after losing the first day to rain. McGrath was unbeaten on 142 at stumps, and he was well supported by Younis Khan’s 49 – together they put on 87 for the third wicket – and particularly so by Jacques Rudolph. The pair added 177 for the fourth wicket.

Division Two

Weighty contributions from Somerset‘s top order, including Marcus Trescothick’s 146, consolidated a promising position at Taunton. Neil Edwards missed out on a fourth first-class hundred, when he fell for 96, while Justin Langer added 83 as Somerset battered their way past Northamptonshire‘s 221, to take a first-innings lead of 238. When Northants batted again, they lost Chris Rogers and Stephen Peters almost immediately, courtesy of the inevitable Andrew Caddick and Charl Willoughby, but Usman Afzaal (46) and David Sales (12*) began to repair some of the damage. Nevertheless, Somerset are very much in the box seat.David Hussey’s century gave Nottinghamshire a steady platform against Gloucestershire after play finally got underway at Trent Bridge following a first-day washout. Notts eased to 259 for 4, with Hussey unbeaten on 114. The early loss of Stephen Fleming for 1 did not hamper the home side, Jason Gallian making 45 and then Mark Wagh easing to 74.

Sonn made honorary life member of Cricket South Africa

‘Percy Sonn was a a pioneer of the struggle against apartheid, as well as a pioneer of the unification of South African cricket’ © Getty Images

Percy Sonn, former president of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) and now president of the International Cricket Council, has been made an honorary life member of Cricket South Africa.”Percy Sonn has been made an honorary life member because he has devoted more than 30 years to the administration of cricket in South Africa,” Ray Mali, president of Cricket South Africa said after the general body meeting on August 3 at which the UCBSA changed its name to Cricket South Africa.”He was a pioneer of the struggle against apartheid, as well as a pioneer of the unification of South African cricket that led to its current membership of the ICC,” Mali added. “It is a great feather in the cap of South Africa that he now holds the highest office in world cricket”.President Thabo Mbeki led the tributes to Sonn when he was sworn in as ICC President on 7 July 2006. “The president, government and the people of South Africa congratulate advocate Sonn on his appointment as ICC president.”

WI chief proposes solution to end dispute

Ken Gordon: ‘Our first task is to resolve the WICB and WIPA conflict’ © Trinidad & Tobago Express

In a bid to end the impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA), Ken Gordon, the new WICB president, disclosed the board’s intentions to introduce central contracts by the end of the year.Currently, the players are given contracts for every tour, whereas most players in other countries are contracted throughout the year, providing additional stability with the sole responsibility of training for, and playing, cricket.”In recent times, we’ve had discussions from people in places like Australia and England,” Gordon was quoted as saying in , “but what was responsible, particularly in the English team, for transforming the team from the relatively indifferent performances you had five or six years ago to the hard, professional unit they have become – and in every case we were told – [was] that it was putting the players under contract, so the players had contracts where they worked full time at cricket.”Our first task is to resolve the WICB and WIPA conflict,” he continued. “We’ve set that as a clear and distinct objective to be achieved before the end of December, and hopefully well before that. Second is to finalise arrangements to place on contract a minimum of 10 players for the West Indies team.”Moving in the same direction, the players association has called on Tim May, the chief executive officer of the Federation of International Cricket Associations, to help resolve the contract dispute, which has kept several top players like Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle out of the game, and resulted in a second string squad being sent to Sri Lanka.”Mr May will be meeting with us to give his experience of dealing with similar situations that have arisen in the Caribbean recently and pass on some of his knowledge of dealing with such a situation,” Ramnarine told the . May is also expected to meet with Gordon.May, who recently resigned as the chief executive officer of Australian Players Association, is vastly experienced in players’ issues, and is also responsible for negotiating with the ICC on behalf of all players who participate in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Bangladeshis start brightly

West Indies Cricket Board XI 82 for 2 (Joseph 42*, Bravo 23*) v BangladeshisScorecardWith the start of the Test series only days away, the Bangladeshis once again displayed the competitive streak that had taken them close to success during the one-day series. Though more than half of the first day’s play against a West Indies Cricket Board XI was washed out, Bangladesh bowled with discipline and purpose to restrict them to 82 for 2 from 40 overs.Tapash Baisya broke through for his team first thing in the morning. He bowled Wavell Hinds before the WICB XI had put a run on the board. Not long after, Tareq Aziz dismissed Darren Smith for 11 (25 for 2). But there were no further rewards for the bowlers. Though they kept things very tight, the batsmen hung on. Sylvester Joseph, captaining the side, led the recovery, finishing the day 42 not out. Dwayne Bravo was keeping him company on 23.While a result is unlikely over the next two days, the Bangladeshis will be hoping to give their morale a further boost ahead of the two-Test series.

Watson to work with Lillee to recover from back injury

Tasmanian allrounder Shane Watson will return to Australia’s Cricket Academyover the winter especially to work with Dennis Lillee in rehabilitation fromthe back injury which forced him out of the World Cup.Watson, 21, was among 25 players announced today by the Australian CricketBoard and the Australian Institute of Sport as the intake for the 2003Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy. He was at the Academy in 2000.They will participate in the Academy’s residential program for two six-weekblocks between May and August.The players are:

PLAYERSTATECLUBPLAYER TYPEAGE
Luke ButterworthTASGlenorchyRMF, LHB19
Daniel ChristianNSWUniversityRHB, RMF19
Mark ClearySAKensingtonRMF, RHB22
Adam CrosthwaiteVICRichmondWKT, RHB18
Chris DuvalSANorthern DistrictsRMF19
Callum FergusonSAProspectRHB18
Matthew GaleVICRingwoodRMF, RHB19
Stewart HeaneyACTTuggeranong ValleyRHB, OB22
Ben HilfenhausTASUlverstoneRHB, RM20
Matthew InnesVICFootscray-Victoria UniversityLHB18
Shane JonesVICFootscray-Victoria UniversityRHB, OB19
Trent KellySAWest TorrensRMF, RHB19
Jason KrezjaNSWFairfield-Liverpool RHB, OB20
Nick KrugerQLDValleyLHB, RM19
Rhett LockyearNSWSt GeorgeRHB20
Steven MagoffinQLDWestern Suburbs RMF, LHB23
Scott MeulemanWAMelvilleRHB 21
Aaron NyeQLDWestern SuburbsRHB24
Tim PaineTASUniversityRHB, WKT18
Luke RonchiWAPerthRHB, WKT22
Shaun TaitSASturtRMF, RHB20
Callum ThorpWAWannerooRM, RHB28
Shane WatsonTASLindisfarneRHB, RMF21
Simon WilliamsNSWPenrithLHB22
Peter WorthingtonWAMidland-GuildfordRHB, RM23
As well as Watson seven other players have already played first-classcricket. They are: Western Warriors players Scott Meuleman, Luke Ronchi,Callum Thorp and Peter Worthington and Southern Redbacks pace bowling duoMark Cleary and Shaun Tait and Queensland batsman Nick Kruger.Cleary also made his Australia A debut at the WACA Ground in Perth in April,in the final one-day international match of Australia A’s series againstSouth Africa A.Four other members of this year’s CBCA intake have played in Australia’sdomestic one-day competition, the ING Cup. Victorian wicket-keeper AdamCrosthwaite, Kruger, and Southern Redbacks pair Callum Ferguson and TrentKelly all made their ING Cup debuts in season 2002-03.Crosthwaite and Kelly are also two of five CBCA scholars who were part ofthe 2003 Australian Under-19 team that contested a series of four-day andlimited-overs matches against the England Under-19 side this season.Butterworth, Christian and Gale were the other members of that team.ACB general manager, game development, Ross Turner said the Academy haddeveloped a strong record of success since it was established in 1987.”Over the past 15 years, the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy has built animpressive reputation for developing and refining the skills of Australia’selite young cricketers,” Turner said.”Since 1987, the CBCA has produced 139 first-class cricketers, 32 of whomhave gone on to represent Australia at either the Test or one-dayinternational level.”In Australia’s recent World Cup victory, 13 members of the 17-man squadgraduated from the academy, and that is indicative of the strength andquality of the program.”This year’s intake again features some promising players, many of whom havealready started to exhibit their skills in Australia’s domestic first-classand one-day competitions, and many others who have reached under-age staterepresentation.”With the experienced coaching staff and the continued support from ourprincipal sponsor, the Commonwealth Bank, and the Australian SportsCommission, the academy is well placed to maintain its record as a qualityfinishing school for young cricketers.”AIS Director Michael Scott said the significance of the Commonwealth BankCricket Academy should not be underestimated.”The achievements of the CBCA and the Australian Test, one-day internationaland domestic cricket stars it produces, is testimony to the Academy’sphilosophy, facilities and coaching,” Scott said.”The coaching staff, headed by Bennett King, has taken the CBCA to a newlevel of professionalism in the preparation of Australia’s next generationof elite cricketers.”The CBCA is a successful model that cricket authorities and other sportsaround the worldstrive to replicate.”Commonwealth Bank executive general manager of brand marketing andinformation management Graham Ford said the Commonwealth Bank was delightedto play a supporting role in the development of Australia’s most talentedyoung cricketers.”The Bank is extremely pleased to continue its long term support of theCommonwealth Bank Cricket Academy, which has proved to be a vital part ofensuring that the nation’s leading young cricketers have the opportunity toreach their full potential,” he said.The 25 scholars involved in the main program will live at the AIS trainingbase at Henley Beach in South Australia for two six-week blocks between Mayand August.The players work with the CBCA coaching staff, led by head coach BennettKing and senior coaches Wayne Phillips, David Moore and the newly-appointedJohn Harmer, to refine and develop their skills.The 25-player squad was selected by CBCA head coach Bennett King, inconsultation with the head coach of each state and territory cricketassociation, the chairman of the national selection panel, Trevor Hohns, andthe AIS.This year, 30 other young cricketers from around Australia will attend theAcademy as camps-based scholarship holders.They will travel to Adelaide for a series of camps during the year to workon their specialised skill in fast-bowling, batting, spin bowling orwicketkeeping, before returning to their state squads.The Academy also offers an overseas program for international scholars andteams to visit and train at the Academy.

Srinath will be fit in three weeks, says doctor

Indian pace spearhead Javagal Srinath should be fit in three weeks,noted orthopaedic surgeon Dr HPC Khincha indicated in Bangalore onMonday.Dr Khincha ruled out the speedster’s injury was “serious.””He may not be able to bat or field for three weeks,” said Khincha,whom Srinath consulted on Sunday, immediately after he flew back homefrom Sri Lanka where he suffered a fracture in the little finger ofhis left hand in the Galle Test.”That he has bowled in a match after getting injured is a good sign.Srinath has a fracture of the left fifth metacarpal bone joining thelittle finger and the wrist,” he said.The Indian speedster had suffered the injury after being struck by aDilharo Fernando delivery in the first innings in last week’s GalleTest in Sri Lanka. Srinath did not bat again in the match but grabbedfive wickets in the first innings.That Srinath should be fit in three weeks’ will come as a relief tothe Indian team dogged by injury woes. Apart from the speedster, otherkey players missing from the side due to injuries are SachinTendulkar, VVS Laxman, Ashish Nehra and Anil Kumble.

Ingram, Meschede defy Footitt

ScorecardMark Footitt picked up three wickets on day two•PA Photos

Glamorgan took a strong grip over Derbyshire at Chesterfield despite another four wicket haul from England fast bowling hopeful Mark Footitt. National Selector James Whitaker was at Queen’s Park for the second day running to watch the left-arm paceman but it was Glamorgan’s batsmen who caught the eye as they scored more than 66% of their 410 for 9 declared in boundaries with former Derbyshire allrounder Graham Wagg making 62 from 64 balls.Wagg was one of four Glamorgan batsmen to pass 50 but Derbyshire responded well to reach 122 for 2 at the close, 288 runs behind with Billy Godleman unbeaten on 49 from 119 balls.Derbyshire needed a response after bowling poorly on the first evening but Colin Ingram was the only wicket to fall in a morning session reduced to 45 minutes by rain. The South African looked set for his maiden Championship century for Glamorgan until he tried to cut Footitt for his 20th boundary but carved the ball into the hands of deep-backward point.Craig Meschede passed 50 in the Championship for the fourth time this season and Derbyshire added to their problems when they dropped catches off consecutive balls. Shiv Thakor spilled a return chance when Meschede was on 60 and Godleman failed to hold on when Wagg edged Footitt to third slip when he had scored only 7.Dropping a player who had scored a double century and 94 in his previous two Championship games was always likely to prove costly and Wagg duly enjoyed himself again, driving Wes Durston’s offspin for successive sixes to reach 50 from 62 balls. Tom Taylor defeated another drive to uproot his off stump but Wagg and Lloyd had put on 87 in only 14 overs and Glamorgan continued to prosper from too many “four” balls to the extent that maximum batting points arrived in the 78th over.The declaration came nine balls after tea leaving Derbyshire with 40 overs to negotiate before the close and Godleman and Hamish Rutherford looked comfortable until a run out lifted Glamorgan. Godleman turned the ball into the leg side and called Rutherford through for a single but Ruaidhri Smith swooped on the ball in his follow through and hit the stumps with the New Zealander short of his ground.When Chesney Hughes played across one in Smith’s next over, Derbyshire were wobbling but skipper Wayne Madsen survived a dropped catch on 17 to help steer his side to within 139 runs of the follow-on target of 261 although Glamorgan are well placed to push for what would be a record fifth consecutive championship victory.”I think we are still on top, unfortunately we put down a chance tonight and there is a lot of work to be done,” Wagg said. “But there’s a lot still in the wicket so if we put the ball in the right areas we should pick up some wickets in the morning.”Rutherford added: “The first hour is key tomorrow and if we can get through the first 30 overs and only lose one that would be ideal to get back into it the game.”

Collapse gives T&T tight win

ScorecardA collapse – six wickets for 21 runs – by Windward Islands in their chase of 217, gave Trinidad and Tobago a 16-run victory in St Vincent.Windwards top order had led them to a comfortable 181 for 3, with No. 3 Andre Fletcher and Liam Sebastien scoring half-centuries. But legspinner Yannik Cariah ripped through the middle order, and the final six batsmen scored 16 runs together, with three batsmen dismissed for 0, to be bowled out for 202 in the final over. Cariah finished with 5 for 44, his best performance in his three-match List A career.T&T’s innings revolved around a solid top-order performance, led by an unbeaten half-century from Jason Mohammed. Besides Justin Guillen, who was dismissed for 2, all other batsmen scored atleast 20. Spinners Sebastien and Shane Shillingford took two wickets each.
ScorecardA balanced and collective effort by Jamaica helped them clinch the contest against Combined Campuses and Colleges by four wickets at Sabina Park, and lead the points table.Having being asked to field, Jamaica kept chipping away at their opponents, as none of the batsmen could anchor the innings. Floyd Reifer and the captain Kyle Corbin got starts, but departed after scoring 32 and 24 respectively. Spinner Nikita Miller was the chief wicket-taker, with three wickets.The home side two wickets early, with opener Jermaine Blackwood and No. 3 Nkrumah Bonner dismissed for a duck. However, Andre McCarthy (45), the captain Tamar Lambert (34) and David Bernard (28) helped them reach the target in the 46th over.

Review ordered of Woolmer probe

Peter Phillips, the Jamaican security minister, has called for a review of the investigations into the death of Bob Woolmer. This comes two days after police closed the case stating that Woolmer’s death was due to natural causes.Justice Ian Forte, a former president of the Appeal Court, will lead the probe. Reuters quoted Phillips saying that the review would look into “the appropriateness of the techniques and the standards of professionalism employed by the police investigators, as well as the medical and other professional personnel.”Phillips said the exercise was to be completed within six weeks and a report submitted by July 31.Phillips declined to comment on the conclusions arrived at by the Jamaican police in the Woolmer case and said that given the high-profile nature and the circumstances surrounding the case, he believed it necessary to commission a review of the investigations.

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