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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outPakistan began their preparations for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa in spectacular fashion by beating Uganda by 148 runs in the first match of the Twenty20 Quadrangular in Nairobi. Shahid Afridi’s blistering 57 off 15 balls propelled Pakistan to 226, a target that proved too great for Uganda as they were restricted to 78 for 7.Afridi hit seven sixes and three fours and helped blast 82 runs off only 26 deliveries with Salman Butt for the fourth wicket as Shoaib Malik’s decision to bat first paid dividends. Though Pakistan lost Imran Nazir in the first over, Butt and Kamran Akmal, who was promoted up the order, kept the run-rate at around nine per over as they raced to fifty in the fifth over. They added 70 before Akmal was bowled for 31.Younis Khan, returning to the Pakistan side for the first time since the World Cup, added 67 with Butt as the two struck fours and sixes in every over. The arrival of Afridi at the crease plunged the already demoralised Ugandan bowlers into despair. Emmanuel Isaneez went for 34 runs in one over as Afridi clouted him for five sixes and a four. Uganda’s situation was made worse when Lawrence Sematimba dropped Butt on 55. Joel Olwenyi, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, managed the best economy-rate of 8.50.Pakistan’s bowlers, however, were unable to bowl out Uganda despite having pinned them down at 46 for 5 after 12 overs. Umar Gul was their best bowler with 2 for 10 off three overs and only three out of eight Uganda batsmen reached double figures. Raymond Otim top scored with an unbeaten 27 off 29 balls.Uganda face Kenya while Pakistan meet Bangladesh on Sunday.

Gordon Greenidge: free-spirited cricketer, no-nonsense administrator © Getty Images

Gordon Greenidge, the former opener and current chairman of the West Indies selection panel, has responded to criticism about a conflict of interest in the game’s development. Greenidge and fellow selector Andy Roberts’s roles on the board of directors for the Standford 20/20 Cup had come in for question following the recent row over the Stanford All Stars match and Pakistan tour dates.”Wherever and whenever anyone wishes to assist West Indies cricket, believe me, I will be one of the first persons to help them do so,” Greenidge told reporters. “We have been trying hard for many years for someone to come on board and financially support West Indies cricket. We have had a number of companies and persons who have vowed to assist West Indies cricket financially.”We saw recently that the Carib Beer Series was not the kind of tournament we would wish because it was reduced due to a lack of finances,” he continued. “We have a situation with the 20/20 – a shorter version of the one-day game – and a benefactor was willing to come on board.” Greenidge felt that the progress of the Stanford 20/20 organisers would not harm West Indies cricket. “I don’t think it can take it any lower now because it is low, quite low right now and it is something about which we are not pleased,” he said. “We – the legends – have all been willing to help West Indies cricket and to see that it is run in the way we would like it to run. None of us wants to bring West Indies cricket into disrepute with anyone.Last month, Clive Lloyd resigned from his position as chairman of the Stanford 20/20 Cup board citing concerns over how the future of the tournament affects West Indies cricket. Greenidge, however, remained unfazed about his role. “I don’t feel my situation, being on the Stanford board, and being chairman of selectors which I did not know I was going to be is difficult. Do you wish me to relinquish one and take up the other?” he said. “Until the West Indies Cricket Board says it does not wish for me to be a selector or chairman of selectors, or the Stanford board says it is going to dissolve I will remain in this position.”

New Zealand 484 beat Zimbabwe 231 and 207 (Taylor 77, Mahwire 50*, Bond 4-84) by an innings and 46 runs
ScorecardDay 3
Bulletin – Zimbabwe’s batsmen capitulate
News – Streak fit to resume
News – Curran replaces SimmonsDay 2
Bulletin – Vincent and Astle make hayDay 1
Bulletin – Taibu leads fightback after Bond onslaught
Comment – Absentee spectator

Brijal Patel will replace Maurice Odumbe in Kenya’s squad for next month’s Champions Trophy in England. Patel, who plays for Aga Khan Sports Club, is a legspinner and bats in the middle order.The reason Patel was enlisted in the squad was because Odumbe was banned for five years after being found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers, a charge Odumbe said he was “shocked and surprised” by.He was supported by Steve Tikolo, the captain, who called the decision unfair and said that the Kenya Cricket Association’s action had affected the morale of the team.

Alton march on at the top of Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3, beating newly promoted Southsea by a thumping 143-run margin.Michael Heffernan (86) and Ben Jansen (53) led the way to a seventh successive win as Alton posted 239-7 before bowling Southsea out for 96 – John Halfacre (5-36) and Jerry Pang-Kessler (4-20) doing the damage.Ventnor won by four wickets at Bashley, while Trojans maintained their challenge with Mario Mohammed – 54 and 3-47 – prominent in the 42-run victory at Flamingo.New Milton made it five wins in a row with a 28-run victory at Hook & Newnham Basics, but Winchester KS lost ground after losing by 30 runs to Rowledge.Imrie Chakrabarti hit 52 and took 5-49 in Hambledon’s 25 run win at Leckford.

The WP cricket selectors have beefed-up their bowling attack for Sunday’s opening Standard Bank match against Easterns.

MEDIA RELEASE:NASHUA Western Province vs EasternsWillowmoore Park18 November 2001STANDARD BANK CUPNashua Western Province Squad:1) Neil Johnson2) Graeme Smith3) Andrew Puttick4) H.D. Ackerman ( C )5) Ahswell Prince6) Jonathan Trott7) Thami Tsolekile8) Alan Dawson9) Claude Henderson10) Roger Telemachus11) Charl Willoughby12) Quentin FriendCricket Managers: Vincent Barnes and Eric Simons

In the bid to revive cricket in Chittagong, Tamim Iqbal has announced that he will organise age-group tournaments in the region for the next three years. He is one of the last international cricketers to hail from the south-eastern division that was once considered the second-most important cricket hub in Bangladesh.Tamim said that the lack of quality among Chittagong players was directly related to the lack of competitive tournaments in the city and region. He will become the second cricketer from Chittagong to take steps to give back to the game after former Bangladesh batsman Aftab Ahmed started coaching and received a good response.Tamim said he will take assistance from local coaches like Nurul Abedin to organise the different age groups. The tournaments will bear the name of his late father Iqbal Khan, who was a footballer and coach, and was instrumental in the rise of his brother Akram Khan, the former Bangladesh captain, and Tamim’s elder brother Nafees Iqbal.”Chittagong isn’t producing many cricketers,” Tamim said. “I think tournaments are not properly held. So I want to organise three age-group tournaments each year for the next three years, in the name of my father. It will be at the U-13, U-15 and U-17 levels.”Tamim hoped the tournaments would pave the way for the future generation of cricketers from his home city to graduate to the national level. Currently, the Chittagong divisional cricket team is third among the four Tier-2 teams in the National Cricket League.”When the likes of Akram uncle and Nannu uncle used to play, Chittagong had big tournaments like Star Jubo or Star Summer,” Tamim said. “Many players from across the country used to play in these competitions but these days although the leagues are going on, these tournaments aren’t taking place. If age-group tournaments can be organised, many players will represent Chittagong at the national level in the future.”After Tamim Iqbal, Nazimuddin was the only cricketer from Chittagong to have played for Bangladesh.

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Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has named Jamie Shackleton as Leeds United’s most promising youngster ahead of Jack Clarke.

The 19-year-old made 21 appearances for the first team last season, and the BBC Radio pundit has clearly been impressed by what he has seen.

Shackleton’s performances last term also saw him called up to England’s U20 squad for the first time.

What’s been said then?

The 44-year-old has been getting excited about Shackleton based on his performances this season.

The youngster has been utilised as both a right-back and a central midfielder by Marcelo Bielsa this year. His versatility has drawn praise from the 44-year-old who is impressed by how well-rounded he is as a player.

Jamie Shackleton is the standout young player at Leeds, for me,” Whelan told Football Insider. “I know everyone is talking about Jack Clarke, but Shackleton is better than Clarke, who doesn’t make the same impact.

“Shackleton is an all-round player who has a bit of everything. He ticks more boxes than Clarke, who is an out-and-out winger, and is going to be a really important player for Leeds next season.

“Shackleton can play in different areas of the pitch, drive the team forward, win the ball, see a pass, beat a player, he can do most things really well. I’m getting really excited about what he can achieve.”

Popular opinion

This seems to be a popular opinion amongst Leeds United circles.

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Phil Hay recently shared the same sentiment when he appeared on the Square Ball podcast (May 28, 39:00), and some supporters on Twitter have said the same thing.

Undoubtedly, Shackleton won over a number of spectators with his incredible performance against Derby in the playoff semi-final first leg, as well as his composed debut for the England U20s.

This isn’t to say that Clarke isn’t a fantastic player either, but Shackleton seems to just be edging it for the right to be called Leeds’ most promising youngster.

A bumper performance in the recently-concluded Bangladesh Premier League helped uncapped left-arm seamer Abu Hider earn his maiden call-up to a preliminary Bangladesh squad for a proposed T20 series against Zimbabwe in mid-January, February’s Asia Cup T20 in and the World T20 in March.Hider took 21 wickets from 12 matches, one short of equalling the top-wicket taker in BPL, at an average of 15.04 and economy rate of 6.91. Batsman Mosaddek Hossain, left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan are the other uncapped players in a squad of 30, who will meet for a training camp that begins on January 3.

Bangladesh’s preliminary squad

Tamim Iqbal, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Mashrafe Mortaza, Imrul Kayes, Mustafizur Rahman, Jahurul Islam, Abu Hider, Liton Das, Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Shafiul Islam, Mossadek Hossain, Mohammad Shahid, Mohammad Mithun, Abul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Taskin Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Mahmudullah, Arafat Sunny, Nasir Hossain, Saqlain Sajib, Nurul Hasan, Sohag Gazi, Shuvagata Hom

Pacemen Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Shahid, Abul Hasan and Taskin Ahmed, batsmen Mohammad Mithun and Jahurul Islam and spinner Shuvagata Hom have also been included despite not playing T20s for Bangladesh in their last assignment, against Zimbabwe in November.The chief selector Faruque Ahmed said they had to keep fast bowler Rubel Hossain out of the preliminary squad due to his calf injury and added they don’t have opening batsman Rony Talukdar and legspinner Jubair Hossain in their immediate plans.The BCB are still working on plans to have a three or five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe, ahead of the Asia Cup and World T20.

Muttiah Muralitharan: emulated by children all over Sri Lanka © AFP

The former India captain, Bishan Bedi, has laid the blame for his current row with Muttiah Muralitharan at the door of the International Cricket Council.Last week Bedi, a long-term critic of Muralitharan, compared his bowling action to that of a “shotputter”. The comment has led Murali to claim Rs. 750 million (US $7 million) in damages for defamation.The matter looks set to be decided in the courts, but Bedi believes that the ICC are guilty of “flouting the spirit of the game” in allowing Murali to continue with his controversial bowling action. In 2005, they amended the law regarded illegal bowling actions, to allow a 15-degree threshold of flexibility.”It’s not poor Murali’s fault,” Bedi was quoted as saying in the Times of India. “My grouse is against the ICC, which may yet rue this decision. Cricket has been a part of my existence for as long as I can remember and I can’t bear to see the spirit of the game being flouted.”Muralitharan’s manager, Kushil Gunasekera, said his lawyers had given Bedi 14 days to respond. “I am a free man and I have a right to express my opinion,” said Bedi. “I haven’t said anything new. Everyone knows for years my views on the matter.””The most worrying thing is that young boys are trying to emulate him. Murali’s success has prompted kids from Sri Lanka to Maharashtra to Gujarat (states in India) to emulate his action. Can that be a good thing for cricket?”