Roger Mosey, the BBC’s director of sport, has revealed that their World Cup highlights programme attracted more than 17m people, compared to 6.6m who tuned into BSkyB’s live coverage.In a wide-ranging speech at the Professional Cricketers’ Association Business Summit on Thursday, Mosey spoke of the BBC’s flagship Test Match Special, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this summer, and the importance of balancing traditional programming with modern techniques in what is increasingly an advertisers’ market.Yet, while the BBC have continued to dominate cricket broadcasting over the radio waves – for half a century – the world of television is more fickle. The BBC’s rights to cover live cricket ended in 1999 when it was sold to Channel 4. Subsequently, in 2005, the ECB’s decision to sell the rights to BSkyB was met with admonishment by many, including several MPs, and Mosey is insistent that pay-per-view television has cut off a large section of the British population”The issue isn’t about Sky: it’s about pay television compared with free-to-air,” he said. “It’s exactly the reason why audiences for English Test cricket have fallen significantly since it moved to pay TV.”Being on terrestrial TV and being free-to-air is vital if you want to attract large audiences to sport. Don’t believe the line that after analogue switch-off and when we’re all digital it will be a level playing field among all broadcasters,” he said. “Forking out an extra £35 a month or whatever for pay TV with sports channels is a rather key differentiator between channels.”Sky won the rights in 2005, ending Channel 4’s coverage which, in their brief but successful six-year span, had attracted many new supporters to the game. Innovations such as Hawk Eye, their weekly cricket road-shows and high-profile commentators such as Richie Benaud and Tony Greig all helped rejuvenate a product which, in the hands of the BBC, had become stale.”Personally, I would never argue that cricket shouldn’t take some of its money from pay TV: it should be absolutely at liberty to do that,” Mosey said. “But, I have a problem with the notion of the whole of the live content of a particular sport being on one platform – especially when it’s a sport with as many hours as cricket.”We do not believe it’s essential or healthy that 100% of any live sport is with one operator. We do believe it’s possible to arrange future contracts so that they give mass audiences the opportunity to see some matches live.”The BBC will have to wait, though, as the current contracts are not up for renewal until 2009.
Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, has said the corporation is considering bidding for the television rights when they next come up for tender in 2009. Last year, the ECB sold the rights to BSkyB who, from this year, hold an all-encompassing exclusive deal for the next four years.Thompson, who was appointed director general in 2004, believes the BBC “should look very closely at cricket again,” while refuelling the debate that the ECB’s asking price was too high.”I thought that the last round the amount the English cricket board were asking for the rights was very high [sic],” he told BBC Radio Five Live. “It’s a more specialist audience – it’s not as big, for example, for live Premiership football.”We have to think about value. If you buy one thing, you can’t buy another so what you’re trying to do when you’re thinking about the portfolio of rights is what’s your priority.”The decision to sell the rights to BSkyB caused an uproar among supporters and even in government. John Grogan, a Labour MP, tabled an early-day motion in the House of Commons calling for home Test matches to be returned to free-to-air TV. And lobbyists, notably Keep Cricket Free, campaigned for the decision to be overturned.Last November it was revealed that the BBC did attempt to reach a deal with the ECB by pushing for a “dip in dip out” basis; their proposal was to show shortened portions of the day’s play allowing Sky to retain their ball-by-ball live coverage. However, as Thompson concedes, the limiting factor was the money involved.”It depends not just on the choice of the sport, he said, “but also on how much it’s going to cost.”
Brian Lara has been given permission by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to miss the one-day internationals on the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Lara, 36, is intent on extending his scintillating Test career and said that a reduction in the amount of one-day cricket might give him “a little more time in the Test arena”.”That’s what I enjoy a lot, the five-day game,” he told the BBC and added that he had already informed the WICB of his decision. Leonard Robertson, the West Indies communications manager, confirmed that the WICB had complied. Lara was among the 13 players picked for the Sri Lankan tour, which will include two Tests, in Colombo and Kandy, and a triangular one-day tournament also involving India.Early hints of Lara’s reluctance to play one-dayers were provided when he was “rested” for the three ODIs against Pakistan at home last month. Bennett King, the side’s coach, hinted at a change in Lara’s attitude as far back as the VB Series in Australia in January. “I think we’ve got to be mindful of his longevity in the game and how we manage him so that we can get the best out of Brian for as long as he wants to play,” King said then.Lara has amassed 9,354 runs in 256 ODIs, including 19 hundreds, and has been one of the most thrilling batsmen in both forms of the game for more than a decade. But Lara’s move might not mean an end to his one-day career as he has already publicly said that he is keen to play the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean. West Indies are not scheduled to play any more ODIs until they visit New Zealand next February and March and Lara will get a chance to concentrate solely on Tests in the intervening period.
Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh: under pressure to perform
Before the home season started, revenge was a word frequently bandied about – a desire to get even against the upstart New Zealanders who had drubbed India in both Tests and one-day internationals last winter, not to mention a chance to exact a measure of retribution – however tiny – against Australia for what happened on March 23.After two consecutive defeats in the Tri Series, the idea of settling scores has been replaced by the far more pressing need for survival. If India don’t outperform Australia tomorrow, and New Zealand in Hyderabad three days later, they’ll most likely be locked out of their own party, in front of traditionally frenzied support at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.Australia arrived here with what most reckoned was a B-grade bowling attack. Five matches and four wins later, the likes of Nathan Bracken – a genuine contender for a Test place against India in Brisbane – and Brad Williams are evoking respect instead of derision. That particular emotion has been reserved for an Indian team that has lost its way horribly since a tremendous win under lights against Australia in Gwalior.The pitch at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore appears pretty similar to that used during the Challenger Series two months ago. The grass cover, as it was then, is deceptive, mere window dressing on a pitch that will definitely aid the strokemakers.The last time these two teams played here, two and a half years ago, Virender Sehwag – then a virtual unknown – shot to prominence with a 54-ball 58 and 3 for 59, as Australia fell 60 runs short of India’s 315. The team that wins the toss tomorrow will be eyeing a similarly mammoth total.India should revert to their strongest line-up for the game, with Sourav Ganguly and Ashish Nehra playing their first games of the tournament. Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh have been battling respiratory problems, in a city notorious for its pollen-heavy and polluted air, but both should be fit for the game. That means a relegation to the players’ balcony for Murali Kartik, Hemang Badani and Sairaj Bahutule.If Nehra is risked, and he hasn’t played a competitive game since the World Cup final, that also means Ajit Agarkar will miss out. Rahul Dravid, despite his reluctance, will take the wicketkeeping gloves, with Ganguly having made no secret of his preferred combination. Parthiv Patel can spend time in the nets, sorting out the myriad problems that have taken him from blue-eyed boy to the butt of some ridicule in recent weeks.Australia go into the game with no worries, and are likely to play their strongest eleven with one eye on the final a week from today. That means that Jimmy Maher, Michael Kasprowicz and Brad Hogg will miss out, despite playing key roles in the defeat of New Zealand two days ago.The onus is on India to deliver, a day after their finest modern-day fast bowler surrendered in his battle against a chronic knee injury. If the team does likewise, and rain on their own parade, they’ll go to Australia like lambs to the slaughter – not that wolves’ clothing is much help against these implacable Australians.Teams Australia (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Bevan, 7 Michael Clarke, 8 Ian Harvey, 9 Andrew Bichel, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Brad Williams.India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 VVS Laxman, 4 Rahul Dravid (wk), 5 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Mohammad Kaif, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.
Players competing in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand were given a traditional welcome at the formal opening ceremony held in Christchurch today.All 16 participating teams gathered in the city for the function before taking up residence at the three venues in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin for the tournament which has its first game on Saturday.The function was held at the Christchurch Convention Centre and before entering the auditorium for the opening function, teams walked through a specially constructed representation of New Zealand’s geographical background which featured glow-worm caves, the famed pink and white terraces which were buried beneath a volcanic eruption in the 19th Century, boiling mud pools, rain forest and rolling farmlands.They were greeted by a formal Maori welcome before all team captains and visiting dignitaries completed the hongi, the traditional Maori greeting where local Maori rub noses with the visitors.New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Martin Snedden said NZC was “proud and privileged” to be hosting the World Cup.”This World Cup represents the most diverse assemblage of nations ever to gather for a cricket competition in New Zealand,” he said.Hosting the tournament was a welcome opportunity for New Zealand because of the work being done here to grow and foster the game at junior level.”This Under-19 World Cup delivers a unique opportunity to showcase the game to a new generation of aspiring athletes, and to demonstrate to them the skill, the commitment, the athleticism and the energy that combine to make cricket such a complete sport,” he said.The president of the ICC, Malcolm Gray, had two congratulations to deliver to New Zealand, the first for its victory in the VB Series opening game over Australia on Friday, and the second for its organisation of the tournament.The ICC was extremely grateful for the willing and enthusiastic way NZC had gone about organising the event.”It is a wonderful opportunity for players to make it a stepping stone to full international cricket,” he said.Cricket had recently provided some fantastic incentives to be involved in the game – the third Australia-New Zealand Test in Perth and the deciding of the ICC Test Championship between the heavyweights Australia and South Africa recently.He asked players in the tournament to enjoy not only the cricket but the companionship of their opponents.Gray reiterated the stand the ICC was taking to lift the spirit of cricket and reinforced to team captains in the youth tournament that much of the onus for protecting that spirit lay with them and he asked them to consider their responsibilities.The deputy Prime Minister, Jim Anderton, in opening the tournament, recalled some of his own cricket experiences including facing former New Zealand fast bowler Gary Bartlett, regarded as the fastest bowler New Zealand has produced, during a Hawke Cup challenge match while Anderton represented Wanganui.Having to come to the wicket second ball, after the first batsman was bowled first ball, Anderton said he saw Bartlett start to run in, move his shoulders and saw nothing until he turned to see the ball in the wicket-keeper’s gloves.”I never saw the ball, but I have not been scared of anything since that day,” he said.Anderton said sport in New Zealand had the ability to swell or diminish the national morale.”You will come to know the pride and pressure of representing your country,” he said.Anderton hoped the players would remember the spirit of cricket during the tournament and that it would bring the countries competing closer together in the way that only sport can achieve.
Like few other sports cricket has the ability to make itself look silly. On the very day that Shaun Pollock should have been celebrating a Castle Lager/MTN Test series victory over New Zealand, questions were being asked of him why he had chosen to play it the way he had.With three out of the first four days in the third Test lost entirely to rain at the Wanderers, the fifth day was always going to be a matter of heading towards the inevitable draw. Unless someone grasped the nettle and tried to make something out of nothing.Pollock had two choices when play finally got underway on the last day: he could either declare at some stage, throw the ball in New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming’s court and see what happened; or he could bat it out.He chose the latter, opted for batting practice, allowed Boeta Dippenaar a maiden Test century that will be special to the 23-year-old but tarnished just a little by the circumstances and condemned the day, if not quite the entire game, to a fairly pointless exercise in tedium.South African cricket’s recent background, of course, has to be taken into account. It is less than a year since Hansie Cronje approached Nasser Hussain with a view to making something out of a similar situation at Centurion Park. As Fleming noted, there is still some baggage floating around after that one and the presence of the infamous Marlon Aronstam lurking near the dressing rooms on Saturday could not have helped matters.Yet the way everything panned out tended only to beg a number of questions: what, really, is the point of playing “dead” matches once a rubber has been decided and, as a corollary, what purpose is served by forcing the players to go through a “dead” day?Alternatively, if we accept that for the time being there is no viable technological method of keeping the weather at bay, why don’t Test matches have reserve days like one-day finals? If both Pollock and Fleming though they had another day to juggle with, both might have played it rather differently.In the end, though, South Africa made 261 for three in reply to New Zealand’s 200 all out. Dippenaar got exactly 100 and promptly got out, thereby learning, as he acknowledged afterwards, an important lesson; Jacques Kallis made an unbeaten 79 and might have had his second century had he not dozed off after tea. In the first hour of the final session of the match, Kallis and Daryll Cullinan added nine in 14 overs, a passage of play that served only to underline the meaninglessness of it all.It was all somehow summed up when the match adjudicator, Ted Wood, gave the man of the match award to the groundsman, Chris Scott, and his staff at the end of the game (Makhaya Ntini, deservedly, was the man of the series).For all the platitudes about the integrity of Test cricket, the outcome most strongly suggests that if this form of the game is to survive, then everyone concerned has to rethink it. Despite South Africa’s efficiency and their 2-0 win, the series struggled to come to life and it will leave few abiding memories.Fleming, as coherent as sensible as ever, talked at length afterwards about the options that might have been available, cricket’s need to entertain and the series and tour as a whole. But it all boiled down, essentially, to one word: “frustration”.That’s exactly how everyone at the Wanderers must have felt.
Arsenal will still be without first-choice right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu this afternoon…
What’s the latest?
That’s according to Premier League injury expert Ben Dinnery, who relayed key information from Mikel Arteta’s pre-game press conference ahead of today’s clash with Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium.
“Takehiro Tomiyasu continues to be hampered by an ongoing calf complaint,” he tweeted alongside comments from the Spanish head coach. “We’re still assessing him because we’re taking some time to protect him.”
Huge blow
The Japan international has been absent for each of their last five top-flight outings with a pair of injuries to both his calves.
Now valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, the 23-year-old has proven to be a reliable and influential member of not just the Gunners’ defence but the squad as a whole.
He is one of the many summer signings to have helped completely transform the team and their fortunes on the pitch.
Whilst Arsenal have plenty of games in hand on their nearby rivals, this encounter is pivotal in the race for the top four as three points would see them leapfrog Manchester United, who defeated Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, into fourth place.
They would then only be a handful of points behind third-placed Chelsea with a couple of games in hand.
Their chances of success against a Foxes side who have turned a corner in recent weeks is made difficult without Tomiyasu’s influence down the right flank.
As per WhoScored, he currently ranks as their fourth-best performer on the campaign so far, only bettered by Hale End duo Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe, and assist-king Alexandre Lacazette.
No one is winning more aerial duels (2.7 per game) or tackles (1.9 per game) in the current Gunners squad, whilst 0.7 key passes and crosses per outing suggests he can have some involvement in the final third, too.
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“Tomi is amazing. He’s the best right-back I’ve ever played with. He’s always focused. It’s an honour to play next to him,” teammate Benjamin White told DAZN Japan earlier in the year.
On the above evidence, still not having the Japanese right-back available is certainly going to be a gutting blow to Arteta.
AND in other news, Signed for £30m, now worth £59m: Edu struck gold on “incredible” £79k-p/w “baller”…
The push for an international window to stage the Indian Premier League is growing with Cricket Australia signalling its willingness to join talks about rearranging the ICC’s Future Tours Programme. The board has yet to release its players, including the soon-to-be-retired Adam Gilchrist, for the inaugural tournament in April amid concerns over protection of its sponsors.There are high-level negotiations between Cricket Australia and the IPL, who are demanding the Australians sign by Sunday or miss out, over this year’s event, but future series of the Twenty20 competition may experience fewer set-up problems. Paul Marsh, the Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive, has suggested the six-week international break and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations also supports the move.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is now ready to debate the merits of the idea, which if implemented would keep the players happy. The issue is likely to come up when the chief executives of the game’s major countries meet next week in Kuala Lumpur.”James Sutherland is willing to participate in discussion and debate about creating a window in the Future Tours Programme so players can play in the IPL, as long as it is a window that recognises the genuine interests of the FTP and all ten ICC nations,” the Cricket Australia public affairs manager Peter Young told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We are still of the view that [the contract disagreement] is capable of resolution. It’s going to be tough, but we believe we can get through.”Jason Gillespie, who will be for sale to a franchise in the player auction on February 20, supports the idea of a Test and ODI break. “It’s certainly worth considering as this thing will really take off,” Gillespie said in the Herald Sun. “It’s a positive for the game and I think administrators are embracing Twenty20.”The amounts on offer from the IPL for a six-week competition dwarf players’ national payments and have already led to complaints from some Australians about the board’s slow pace at solving the current problem. However, if Australia’s tour of Pakistan goes ahead the negotiations will have been redundant as the trip clashes with the tournament.
Kevin Pietersen has become only the third England batsman to top the ICC ODI player rankings, after his solid start to the World Cup. Pietersen made half-centuries against New Zealand and Kenya to take a narrow four-point lead from Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.He is the first England player to head the list since Marcus Trescothick, who had a brief one-match stay there in 2005. Allan Lamb was the only other England batsman to achieve the feat and that was in 1989.The success of Australia’s top order has cost Hussey, who dropped from No. 1 down to third spot. The earliest Hussey has made his way to the crease in the first three matches was in the 44th over against Scotland, and he has not yet reached double-figures.Shaun Pollock remains a long way ahead of the pack in the bowling rankings, despite his costly performance against Australia. Shane Bond and Muttiah Muralitharan shot to equal second from seventh and ninth places respectively.South Africa need only to beat Sri Lanka on Wednesday to secure top position in the team rankings for the April 1 cut-off date, when the No. 1 side is awarded US$175,000. Australia could overtake South Africa, however, if results fall their way.
A century stand between Matthew Bell, the Wellington captain, and Jesse Ryder gave way for a middle-order collapse at the hands of Central Districts on the third day at the Basin Reserve. Bell struck a patient 93 and Ryder 73 before Central Districts came to the party and left Wellington on 284 for 8, still 28 runs adrift of their first-innings 312, on day curtailed by bad light.Bell began the day on 51 and pushed himself towards a third hundred for the season while Ryder progressed to his own fifty. What began as a positive start to the day turned to a chalky collapse as Ryder was bowled by Min Patel’s slow left-arm spin with the score on 174 for 3.Michael Mason and Lance Hamilton then struck further blows to send back Michael Parlane and Chris Nevin before Patel trapped Grant Elliot lbw. Bell and Stu Mills (24), the Wellington wicketkeeper, began to forge a useful partnership before Mason returned to dismiss Mills lbw. Mills struggled to score but spent valuable time and the crease where his middle and lower order team-mates struggled.Mason finished with 3 for 63, Hamilton 2 for 60 and Patel 2 for 57 as CD restricted Wellington from a strong position. Dewayne Bownde (13) and Scott Rasmussen (0) were at the crease when bad light ended the third day.