News – Murali breaks Warne’s record
Interview – ‘No spinner has Warne’s thinking power’
Andrew Miller – Murali sparks delirium in Kandy
Rob Steen – An undiluted champion
Timeline – Spinning his way to success
Stats – The Murali story in numbers
Records – World-record holders over the years
Archive – The challenges of facing Murali
Surfer – In praise of Murali
Gallery – Magical Murali
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Worcestershire have agreed terms with Shoaib Akhtar as one of their overseas players for 2005, subject to clearance from the Pakistan Cricket Board.Shoaib, 29, who was the first bowler to break the 100mph barrier when he bowled to Nick Knight in Pakistan’s World Cup match against England in 2003, won’t be available for the whole season because Pakistan are scheduled to play two Tests and three one-day internationals in West Indies in May and June.”I’ll be rested and raring to go when I start in July,” he said, “and, from looking at the players Worcestershire have in their side, [I’m] confident we’ll have a successful season.” Shoaib played for Durham for the last two seasons, and Somerset in one first-class match in 2001.”I love playing county cricket in England and I’m really looking forward to helping Worcestershire get straight back into Division One of the Championship and challenge for honours in the one-day game.”Tom Moody, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, was excited by the news. “Shoaib creates a huge buzz wherever he bowls,” he said, “and I have no doubt he will be a popular member of the squad both on and off the field. He is a world-class strike bowler in both forms of the game, and he will spearhead our drive for success.”
Dropped catches cost Minor Counties dearly, together with some wayward seam bowling on a pitch of variable bounce and slow pace, enabling Northants to score 271 for 8 in their 50 overs. Chris Brown was again on top form, taking 2-13 from his 10 overs.This was always going to be a stiff target especially when Howitt was caught at cover off his first ball. Adshead and Dawson batted aggressively, adding 54 for the second wicket in just 6 overs. Trower again showed his class and together with Mann proceeded to keep up with the clock. When Trower(45) was well held driving uppishly to fly gully and Mann(29) spooned a catch to extra cover, the target proved out of reach, in spite of some determined batting from Brown(30) and Kidner.
Javed Miandad has finally signed a contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board, more than 11 weeks after taking over for his fourth stint as national coach.The contract, reported to be worth R10 million (US$175,000) per annum, was signed on the eve of the Pakistan team’s departure for their short tour of England.Miandad had delayed agreeing the new deal while issues regarding salary and perks were sorted out. "He was not pushed to sign the contract," a PCB spokesman told the local News newspaper. "He knew whenever he did sign it the contract would be valid from the date he took over as Pakistan coach and he would receive all backdated payments.”
Pakistan U17 231 for 4 (Adnan 76) beat India U17 230 by six wickets
Scorecard
Pakistan’s Under-17s struck a blow for their senior team by beating their Indian counterparts in the final of the Asian U17 tournament in Bangalore.Pakistan’s heroes were Adnan Raza and Fayyaz Ahmed, who stroked fine half-centuries to guide their side to a six-wicket victory. Pakistan had lost to India in their preliminary round match, but achieved the victory when it mattered, overhauling their target of 231 with more than six overs to spare.Adnan, the Man of the Match, top-scored with an unbeaten 76 from 90 balls, with five fours and a six, while Fayyaz hit 63 after having earlier picked up two wickets for 44 runs. The pair added 108 for the fourth wicket after Yasir Arafat (16), Nasir Jamshed (31) and Ramiz Raja (12) had all been dismissed.India had batting first after winning the toss, and were bowled out for 230 in 45 overs. Raza Ali Dar was the pick of Pakistan bowlers, bagging 3 for 40. Fahad Zaman snapped up 2 for 40. India’s Piyush Chawla scored a 54-ball 51, including two fours and two sixes.The victorious Pakistan team returns home on January 29.
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The Pakistan Cricket Board will not block any efforts by Saleem Malik to open up his own cricket academy. In a report in , a senior official from the PCB confirmed, “As far as we are concerned, he is banned from playing international, domestic and club cricket. But we can’t stop any individual from doing something to earn a living. As long as it does not involve him playing any competitive cricket, we have no problem.” The report went on to state that the board would not support or offer any assistance to the academy.The PCB were reacting to news yesterday that Malik, a former captain currently serving a life ban for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal that rocked the game a few years ago, was planning to set up an academy to help solve the batting crisis in Pakistan cricket. Malik, who was banned from the game four years ago after being found guilty in the Justice Qayyum Report on match-fixing, plans to set up the coaching academy in Lahore later this year.Talking to AFP, Malik had said, “I want to start a new career as a coach because everyone I meet asks me why I don’t start coaching budding players. I would want the PCB to avail my services. I have already found the site in Lahore and hopefully will start coaching later this year, because I realise my duty as a former player to overcome the shortage of good batsmen in the country.” Now 41, Malik has played no cricket for four years, but said, “I follow cricket with the same interest of my playing days.”He continues to maintain his innocence as well, arguing, “My whole career was destroyed by a one-sided ban because nothing was proved against me. I was cleared by the first inquiry [the PCB inquiry in 1995]. It’s a universal law that you are innocent until proven guilty and I have been desperate to clear my name.”Malik has filed several appeals against the ban, including one in the High Court, which have been rejected. His present appeal is pending in the Supreme Court (Lahore Bench). The PCB has refused to review the ban.Malik was one of three international captains banned for match-fixing in 2000 – Mohammad Azharuddin and the late Hansie Cronje being the others who were implicated. Cronje apart, the others have consistently pleaded innocence of any wrongdoing. Malik played 103 tests for Pakistan, scoring 5,768 runs at an average of nearly 44, with 15 hundreds.He also played 283 ODIs, scoring 7170 runs. His alleged penchant for bookies aside, he will be remembered by many as a gifted and wristy strokemaker – unfairly labelled by Imran Khan as a flat-track bully, despite his Headingley heroics – and among the best batsmen this country has produced. And one of the first batsmen, as Scyld Berry recalled, to dominate Shane Warne.
Aaron Nye will make his ING Cup debut for Queensland, missing four players on national duty in India, in the opening match of the domestic season against New South Wales at the Gabba on Sunday.Nye, 25, is expected to fill a middle-order role and will be hoping his domestic limited-overs career follows a similar path to his initial first-class experience.In 2003-04 Nye became the third Queensland batsman to score a century on Pura Cup debut when he made 102 against New South Wales at the SCG, an innings that helped Queensland snatch a spot in the final.The Bulls will be without the Test squad representatives Matthew Hayden, Michael Kasprowicz, Nathan Hauritz and Shane Watson, but Andrew Symonds and Wade Seccombe will return after missing the final loss to Western Warriors at the Gabba in February.New South Wales will depart for a training camp on the Sunshine Coast tomorrow and play warm-up matches against Victoria and Tasmania.Queensland Jimmy Maher (c), Martin Love, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Shane Jurgensen, Craig Philipson. (12th man to be named).New South Wales Brad Haddin (c),Nathan Bracken, Shawn Bradstreet, Stuart Clark, Phil Jaques, Jason Krejza, Greg Mail, Stuart MacGill, Don Nash, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron O’Brien, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely (one to be omitted).
Bangladesh teetered on the brink of yet another innings defeat, after collapsing in the morning session for 102. They fought better after following on, but at the end of the third day’s play, still needed 24 runs to make South Africa bat again, with just two wickets in hand. They lost 18 wickets in a day that epitomized their fragility perfectly.South Africa repeatedly snapped promising partnerships to ensure that Bangladesh’s cause stayed hopeless. Six Bangladesh batsmen went past 20 in the second innings; none had the temperament or maturity to consolidate on their start and play a long innings.It was similar to the first innings, when Bangladesh lost ten wickets in the morning session. Mehrab Hossain and Javed Omar put on 22 for the first wicket – the highest stand of the innings – before Hossain (8) nicked a legcutter from Shaun Pollock for Graeme Smith to catch at second slip (22 for 1). It started a shameful procession, and the remaining nine wickets tumbled in a heap for 80 runs.Pollock (2 for 21) and Makhaya Ntini (3 for 32) caused the early damage. Both bent their backs to squeeze some life out of a low and slow pitch, with Pollock in particular generating a surprising degree of seam movement in his six-over spell.Putting up stiffer resistance after lunch, in the second innings, Hossain and Omar played sensibly for over an hour to put on 46 for the first wicket.But with habitual carelessness, Bangladesh undid the good work. South Africa were gifted the first breakthrough when Hossain (16) was run out. Omar (27) departed without a run being added. The floodgates opened.In a spin-dominated attack after tea, Robin Peterson struck in successive overs to hasten Bangladesh’s end. He took the wickets of Habibul Bashar (33) and Khaled Mahmud (0), as Bangladesh lurched to 139 for 6.Spurts of strokeplay enlivened the evening session but defied logic. Surviving the day increased the possibility of rain rescuing Bangladesh. But the urge to entertain took precedence over basic common sense.Akram Khan’s cameo was a typical example. He struck five hefty boundaries, including three successive fours off Ntini. But he reacted late to a short, vicious ball in the same over and could only fend it off to Jacques Rudolph at short leg (119 for 4). Khan (23) was Ntini’s hundredth Test victim.So, for only the fourth time in ten Tests since the start of 2002, Bangladesh reached the fourth day. They were helped by rain along the way, which remains their only hope now. But surely even the weather gods have their limits.
Surrey are confident that they will get the go ahead from the Indian board for them to sign Harbhajan Singh for the 2005 English season.”We are currently at an advanced stage of negotiation with Harbhajan,” a club spokesman told the BBC. “We are hoping to secure his services and are waiting to hear.”Surrey have been looking for a replacement for Saqlain Mushtaq for several months. Saqlain, whose season was cut short by injury, was generally regarded to have been a disappointment and Surrey are in need of a cutting edge.Harbhajan has not played county cricket before. Although he was signed by Lancashire as their overseas player in 2003, injury meant that he had to withdraw from the contract.
Points TableHampshire completed a comprehensive victory over Nottinghamshire. The champions fared slightly better in their second innings, but once Darren Bicknell fell for a patient 97, Notts’ spirit seemed to wane. Shaun Udal capped his season in great style by grabbing four wickets, to see the champions fall by an innings and 188 runs.In a rain-interrupted day at The Oval, Mark Ramprakash continued where he left off yesterday, as did Surrey who reached 607 without losing any further wickets against Middlesex. 203 further runs were added with Azhar Mahmood scoring the bulk of the runs. He remained not-out on 167, and Ramprakash reached 242. Surrey hold a lead of 203 runs, in a match which is almost certainly heading for a draw.Sussex wrapped up a comprehensive victory over Kent by 8 wickets at Hove. Kent could only manage 238 in their second innings, collapsing from their overnight score of 144 for 3. Naved-ul-Hasan and James Kirtley each took four wickets, which left Sussex with the straightforward task of knocking off 148 runs. They lost two wickets, but Mike Yardy saw them home with 55.Gloucestershire are struggling in their match against Warwickshire, and face an uphill battle to avoid defeat. Set 411 to win, they closed the third day on 97 for 2 with Naqqash Tahir picking up both wickets. Earlier, Warwickshire had amassed 320 with Nick Knight making 94 and Jim Troughton 57.
Points TableLeicestershire scraped past Lancashire by just four runs in low-scoring game at Old Trafford. James Anderson mopped up Leicestershire’s tail to restrict them to 200, and set Lancashire a target of 175 runs. But Lancashire lost wickets regularly, with three wickets for Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad.Monty Panesar took his ninth wicket of the match as Yorkshire stumbled to 101 for 4 in their second innings against Northamptonshire. On a rain-affected day at Northampton, Michael Lumb was left not-out on 31, as Yorkshire trail the hosts by 198 runs.Luke Sutton made the remarkable decision of declaring Derbyshire’s innings, midway through the 171st over, with Graeme Welch left stranded on 99. Sutton declared on an imposing 707 for 7, and quickly grabbed two wickets to leave Somerset on 173 for 2, trailing by 275 runs.Rain also affected play at Worcester, but there was enough play possible to ensure Worcestershire hauled their way up to Essex’s first innings score of 574. Stephen Moore, not-out overnight on 124, fell nine short of 200, and Ben Smith reached 154. Worcestershire closed on 424 for 3, and trail by 150 runs.