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Zimbabwe’s tour of the United Arab Emirates for the Sharjah Champions Trophy triangular one-day series looks set to proceed as scheduled next week. Thenational selectors named a 14-member squad for the tournament, which also involves Pakistan and Sri Lanka and starts on October 26th.Former Australia coach Geoff Marsh will be in charge of the team after taking over from fellow-countryman Carl Rackemann, who returned home soon after theone-day series against England.Opening batsman Alistair Campbell and former vice-captain Guy Whittall are both dropped, together with spinner Dirk Viljoen, because of poor form.Convenor of selectors Ali Shah said yesterday that the two regular players Campbell and Whittall had been playing badly of late.”The two players were dropped due to lack of form. We felt that they needed to regain their form,” said Shah, adding that Campbell’s dropping had nothing to dowith his racial remarks to the British media in Bulawayo last week.”We did not drop him because of that incident. The ZCU board is going to deal with it as Campbell has already been summoned to appear before a disciplinarycommittee.”Campbell, 29, who made his one-day international debut against West Indies in February 1992, has played in 172 matches. Only Andy Flower has played more, with180. Campbell has scored 4794 runs in 168 innings at an average of 31.12. He has scored seven centuries, the most by a Zimbabwean in one-day cricket ahead of Grant Flower (5) and Andy Flower (3).Despite his good overall record, Campbell scored a mere 69 runs in five innings against England at an average of 13.80. He was also the stand-in captain in the last two one-day matches in Bulawayo in the absence of the injured Heath Streak.Whittall has the fourth highest number of one-day appearances for Zimbabwe with 139 matches. Brian Murphy has replaced him as vice-captain. Murphy is returning to the squad after a lengthy lay-off due to injury. Also joining the team is Harare Sports Club all rounder Trevor Gripper.The new selection panel started its work soon after the series against England at the weekend. The selectors are looking at building a strong side for the 2003 World Cup with an emphasis on youth.Seamers Andy Blignaut, Brian Strang and Brighton Watambwa were not considered because of injuries, while Churchill schoolboys Hamilton Masakadza and TatendaTaibu were left out as they are preparing for final Advanced Level examinations.Youngsters Douglas Hondo, Guy Croxford and Stuart Matsikenyire were not considered because they are preparing to leave for Australia to play gradecricket.

Worcestershire have brought in West Indies pace bowler Shannon Gabriel for two Championship matches in a late toss of the dice intended to save their Division One status.Gabriel replaces Saeed Ajmal, who was due to leave after Worcestershire’s game against Sussex. Ajmal’s impact has been limited since he was forced to remodel an illegal action and he has only taken only 16 wickets at 48.50 in a season in which three Worcestershire seam bowlers – Jack Shantry, Joe Leach and Charlie Morris – have carried a heavy workload.Ajmal will return to Pakistan after his Worcestershire contract expires next week, leaving Gabriel free to step in away to Durham and at home to Middlesex, subject to the granting of a No Objection Certificate from the WICB.Moghees Sheikh, Saeed Ajmal’s manager, told ESPNcricinfo*: “There was no sacking or early termination of Saeed Ajmal’s contract as some media are reporting. His contract with Worcestershire is until September 4 as he will be leaving for Hajj the day after his return to Pakistan next week.”Worcestershire had wanted him to play for them for the whole season but he had decided and agreed with Worcestershire prior to signing the contract this season that he wouldn’t be able to play the whole season and would return to Pakistan prior to the end of the season.”Worcestershire, second bottom in Division One, lie four points behind Sussex, with Somerset a further nine points ahead.Gabriel, 27, has played 14 Tests for the West Indies and made his debut against England at Lord’s three years ago. He has taken 32 wickets for his country at an average of 35.81 and was part of the Windies side which took on Australia in June ahead of the Ashes. He has most recently been playing for St. Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League.He is the latest of several West Indies internationals to play for Worcestershire in recent years including Kemar Roach in 2011 and Andre Russell in 2013.Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: “We are hoping with the extra pace he has, a 90 miles an hour bowler, he will just give us something slightly different. We are looking forward to him playing a part for the last two matches and hopefully making a difference.”It is not easy for any bowler just coming in for two games but if you are looking for someone who can make an impact as a strike bowler, then Shannon is an ideal man.”I’ve admired his pace and he has played in some games where he has bowled quicker balls in the day than Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc so that is testament to what pace he has got.”We just hope he can repeat some of that in the Championship fixtures. The ball tends to move around a bit at Durham so that we might be a good option there and we will see what we’ve got at Worcester for the last game.”*August 28, 3pm BST – This story was updated with a quote from Ajmal’s manager

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish has stated that he feels Steven Gerrard can play at the highest level for many years to come, and that his style of play will not change as he gets older.

The England international has been on the sidelines with a groin injury since March, but is set to start for the Anfield side against Manchester United on Saturday.

The skipper’s return will be a major boost for the Merseyside team, and their Scottish coach has spoken highly of Gerrard and ageing team-mate Jamie Carragher.

“Carra and Steven have been fantastic for this football club, whether they have been playing or not,” he told The Daily Mail.

“Anybody who is an asset to the football club I am sure we will look forward to keeping. I don’t have a figure in my mind and Damien (Comolli) has never told me a figure they have in mind that when they get to 30 they only get a one-year contract. You judge a player on what they are doing on the pitch. It doesn’t matter what their age is.

“I got a long contract when I was 33, which I couldn’t believe. If you are 20 and not making a contribution you are not going to get a contract. If you are 30 and making a contribution you have more chance of getting one,” he stated.

Despite Gerrard getting older, Dalglish still expects the midfielder to continue his barnstorming style of play.

“Steven is not on a Zimmer! When he plays, you’ll still see him charging forward. He did that against Wolves the other week when he came on. Steven isn’t going to change. He’s probably fitter now than he was before,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind the idea of scrapping the toss, while he is also open-minded about the concept of four-day Test cricket. While Australia and New Zealand pioneered day-night Test cricket in Adelaide last week, other suggestions have also been made in the debate around making Test cricket more competitive and more attractive to spectators.One idea is to abolish the coin toss before matches and instead allow the visiting team the choice of whether to bat or bowl, which proponents argue would encourage the host country to produce a fair pitch. Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Michael Holding have all expressed support for the idea, while the ECB will next year trial a similar concept in county cricket.Under the ECB’s trial, the visiting county will automatically be given the option of fielding first and only if they decline will the coin toss go ahead as usual.”That is one that should definitely come in to cricket, where the opposition gets the right to choose what they want to do,” Lehmann told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday. “I reckon it will stop all the wickets suiting the home team.”As you saw in Perth, the wickets don’t suit how we want to play sometimes and in Australia in general the wickets have been fantastic for years, it doesn’t really matter on the toss, who wins or not. But in some other places it certainly has a big bearing on the game.”The MCC World Cricket Committee also expressed its concerns about pitch preparation last week and said in a statement that home advantage had become too significant in Test cricket, and it would monitor with interest the ECB trial next year. It was the MCC World Cricket Committee that pushed for day-night Tests six years ago and Lehmann said he loved the roll-out of the inaugural pink-ball Test.”I thought it was a great concept,” he said. “It was probably over a little bit quick for my liking in terms of the game but it was exciting for three days and it could have gone either way. Maybe a little less grass [on the pitch] and maybe get the ball a little bit darker in the seam, but it’s only a little bit of tweaking. I was quite impressed by it. I know the fans loved it … we have just got to make it better.”Four-day Test cricket has also been floated as a possible way of keeping fans interested in the longest format. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has an open mind about the concept, with the possibility that the four days could be extended so that little play was lost overall. Lehmann said he did not mind the idea, but was unsure whether the extra overs could be easily fitted in.”We don’t bowl our 90 overs in a day as it is, so that is probably the only thing,” he said. “But I’m open to all those sorts of things. Whatever makes the game better for the fans is pretty important.”

According to Tapan Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s Sports Advisor, the national cricket board will be restructured once a new chairman is named. Recent reports indicated that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB’s) next president, whose identity is yet to be confirmed, will be announced upon his arrival in the capital next week.In regards to these reports, former BCB general secretary Syed Ashraful Haq told ,”It is no magic figure, but the number of members would be between nine to 13. I have asked him to keep it to around ten, as it is with the International Cricket Council or Asian Cricket Council but it is up to him.”He did not comment on who the new BCB boss would be.Haq, also the ACC chief executive, recently came to Dhaka for a meeting with Chowdhury. “We only talked about cricket. I told him about my ideas and how I see the board evolving into a more professional and a lot more accountable body,” he said. “There should be people who will not be holding honorary posts rather there should be people who will be paid for their job. That is what we basically talked about.”According to Haq, Chowdhury preferred 12 to 13 members on the new committee. “I did not discuss any names with him but whoever they are, must have cricketing background, both internationally as well as in the domestic front,” he said. “I gave him my views on how it should be structured, to be more specific. It should be structured like it is in a big cricket organisation so that we can compete with them in that regard too.”Haq believed the BCB should operate around a business plan, with an executive board, but felt that it also needed to have representatives from not just Dhaka, but exterior cities and towns, such as Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet.He was also critical of the current board’s handling of domestic cricket.”In the next few years, the BCB will receive an astronomical amount of money from the ICC so it would not be wise for someone with an honorary post to handle that much because that person would not have any accountability,” he said. “A general secretary cannot exist when there is a CEO. But here, the CEO should be someone with some cricketing knowledge because he represents Bangladesh in the important ICC meetings. But for that matter, if you keep both, then I don’t think it makes any sense.”

Lara hugs Jerome Taylor during an inspired first spell, but there was no repeat later in the day © AFP

Brian Lara’s press conference
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Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAAfter the end of the fourth day’s play, Brian Lara addressed the media and defended his decision not to enforce the follow-on with the reason that his bowlers were tired. While many believed that the bold and positive decision would have been to enforce the follow-on and go for broke with a day and a session to play, Lara thought otherwise.VVS Laxman, who scored a painstaking hundred, told reporters that he was glad to have contributed to his team’s cause, and praised Anil Kumble for his role in a vital stand down the order. Cricinfo’s Siddhartha Vaidyanathan reports from St Kitts. Listen in!Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
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In Bloemfontein, Free State turned the tables on Border as they won by 60runs. Jonathan Beukus got Free State off to a flyer, as he hit sevenfours and two sixes in an innings of 90. Bowling 15 extra balls forwides and no-balls did not help the Border cause, but 223 should havebeen within their grasp. But they were always on the back foot as they lost six wickets for 79, and were eventually bowled out for 162. In the end, they just managed to save the bonus point as they fell 60 runs short.A close encounter in Port Elizabeth saw Eastern Province squeeze outWestern Province by seven runs, with the result in the balance up to thefinal over. Eastern Province, having batted first, had scored 219. They had comeback from 96 for 6, thanks to 61 off 60 balls from Grant Howell, and 36 from Bob Homani. William Hantam, who was responsible for the early wickets,ended with 4 for 53. At 103 for 2, Western Province must have thought it was inthe bag. But, with the exception of Warren Wyngaard who scored 73, no onecould get into the twenties as the required run rate increased. Michael Price took advantage of some rash shots to pick up 3 for 25, and seeEastern Province home.
Having taken a severe beating in the three-day game, North West came backwith a vengeance as they beat Griqualand West by seven wickets inPotchefstroom. Griquas put up a meagre 215 for 8 on a near-perfect batting strip. Adrian McLaren top scored with 55, but could not finda willing partner as the wickets fell at regular intervals. In replyNorth West. managed to put some decent partnerships together. The match culminated in an exciting final over, the 44th, where Juan le Roux needed five runs to go to his hundred, and North West only two to win the game. He finished it in style by lofting the ball well over deep wide midwicket for his maiden century.

Graham Napier, Essex’s allrounder, has signed a one-year contract extension with the county up to the end of the 2005 season. Napier, 24, has contributed hugely with both bat and ball for the county in recent times."I am very pleased to be involved with the club for another year. This gives me a chance to relax and concentrate on my cricket and to hopefully put in some match-winning performances," said Napier. "I’m an Essex boy through and through and this Club is going places, so I’ve no desire to move. This is where I’ve played all my cricket and I’d like to see my whole career played here."Napier equalled the highest number of wickets taken by an Essex player in a one-day league campaign with 33 wickets in 2003, and his exploits last season earned him a place with the ECB Academy squad that toured Malaysia and India early in 2004."Graham has made great strides over the last couple of years, which has seen him become an integral member of the Essex side," said David East, Essex chief executive. "The extension of his contract is due recognition of his efforts and we hope to see him make further progress in the coming years."

As Sri Lanka’s cricketers prepare for the start of their tough seriesagainst a resurgent West Indies team, an equally fierce contest is raging back home as aspiring administrators battle for control of Sri Lanka’s cricket board (BCCSL).Sri Lanka will hold its first BCCSL elections for three years on Friday, ending a 26-month spell of control by government appointed interim committees following the decision to dissolve the last elected board in March 2001.Johnston Fernando, the sports minister, announced the elections last month following widespread media criticism of the current interim administration and demands from member clubs and associations for a return to democratic rule.Thilanga Sumathipala, a leading businessman and a cricket administrator with personal ambitions of heading the International Cricket Council, is expected to compete a landslide victory in the battle for the BCCSL presidency.Sumathipala’s main contender for the coveted post is former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, now a member of parliament. Ranatunga has waged an aggressive campaign, pledging to wipe out corruption in the administration.Ranatunga’s typically outspoken approach has lead to Sumathipala threatening a USD$5 million lawsuit for defamation. Sumathipala has accused him of mud-slinging. Both claim to be ready to fight for their reputations in the courts.Although Ranatunga enjoys popular support, few member clubs andassociations, who are the ones that will vote in the open ballot, havepledged their support. Even his own club, the Sinhalese Sports Club, has decided to support Sumathipala.Sumathipala is no stranger to cricket administration, and is campaigning for his third term as BCCSL president. Both terms were cut short by the government following legal wrangles after a particularly ugly election in 1999 and for allegedly violating the Sports Law in 2001. He has also served as vice-president.Sumathipala’s National Development Plan, a cohesive and ambitious blueprint for cricket development, has ensured overwhelming support amongst the clubs, who have become increasingly frustrated by the lack of long-term thinking in the last two years.Previous elections have been marred by violence, intimidation andallegations of vote buying, prompting the government to beef up security this time around. The director general for sports, Milton Amarasinghe, is responsible for conducting the election. Amarasinghe has confirmed that 20 police officials will be on hand to ensure security.The first job of the incoming president will be to secure a suitablepermanent replacement for coach Dav Whatmore, as well as a physiotherapist and fitness trainer. Sumathipala has promised a foreign coach within 30 days but no candidates have so far come forward.The financial state of the cricket board is also a serious concern. Last week the BCCSL announced a 93 million rupee (USD$940,000) loss in 2002, due primarily to the lack of inbound tours but also because of increased player salaries.But those factors pale into insignificance following a recent Singaporetribunal decision that the BCCSL is liable to pay damages to WSG Nimbusafter the premature cancellation of a multi-million dollar television deal in 2001.Aside from the legal costs and a monetary claim already awarded, whichamounts to nearly USD$1 million, WSG could press for potentially crippling damages. The new president will have to negotiate a settlement that protects Sri Lanka’s financial future.

There was good news for Nottinghamshire today when it was announced that three promising young players have pledged their immediate futures to the club.23 year-old wicket-keeper Chris Read and pace bowler Paul Franks, 22, have both signed three-year contracts while Gareth Clough, a 23 year-old medium pace bowler has signed a two-year deal.After coming through England youth teams, the England A set-up and then playing three full Tests for England in 1999 and nine one-day internationals, Read was said by some to have gone backwards in terms of career development.He answered those critics last season when he claimed 44 first-class victims as a wicket-keeper and, significantly, had his most successful season with the bat. He scored 666 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 30.27 while going past fifty on five occasions.He said: “My contract was up at the end of the season but it was not hard for me to decide to stay with Notts. I’m very happy with the way things are going at the moment. I felt I had a good year and while the results did not go as well as we would’ve liked, we have the nucleus of a very good young side. We are in the middle of a transitional period but in the very near future will have a team at Trent Bridge with the majority of players in their mid-20s that is capable of winning all sorts of trophies.”Franks has followed a similar career path to Read, in that he was vice-captain of the England Under 19 team that won the Youth World Cup in South Africa in 1997-98, went on two England A tours and then made it into the England one-day team for the NatWest Series in the summer 2000.He made a good start to last season, managing to average 54.25 with the bat and taking 13 wickets in the five first-class matches he could play before his season was prematurely ended by a persistent knee injury.Looking forward to returning to full fitness himself for 2002, he said: “With the players we have here at the moment, the next two or three years promises to be an exciting time and hopefully this new contract will enable me to play a big part in that. Injuries allowed some of the younger guys to gain valuable experience this year and I know it’s been said before but I genuinely believe we have the players to achieve anything we want to next season.”Clough played one match for his native Yorkshire in 1998 and moved to Trent Bridge in 2000 when he appeared in the 2nd XI. Last season he only played in four first-class matches, but he was chosen for most of Nottinghamshire’s one-day matches where he enjoyed a certain amount of success.Clough said: “I was very pleased with the way my first season went at Trent Bridge and am very happy with the two-year contract I’ve been offered. I would like to have played a few more Championship games and that’s what I will be aiming to do next year. It’s an exciting time at Notts, anyone in the squad can justify a place, there’s plenty of competition and it’s up to each and every one of us to stake our claim.”Last year Nottinghamshire finished seventh in Division Two of the CricInfo Championship, fifth in Division One of the Norwich Union League, lost to eventual finalists Leicestershire in the fourth round of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy, but reached the semi-finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup after topping their qualifying group.