Category Uncategorized

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Michael Clarke’s 3 for 5 turned what looked like a draw for India into Australia’s 16th consecutive Test win © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting’s Australia emulated Steve Waugh’s run of 16 consecutive Test wins as they took a 2-0 lead in the series against India in a thriller of a game that went right down to the wire at the SCG. With only six minutes to spare as the shadows lengthened Michael Clarke picked up the last three wickets from only five balls as Australia sneaked home. India will be gutted, not merely because they had resisted stoutly but because once again they were at the receiving end of some umpiring decisions that will be talked about for some time to come.At the end of a very long day it seemed as though India had hung in there for the draw that left the series open heading into Perth when Clarke was thrown the ball in the 69th over of the day. Anil Kumble, who had resisted admirably, negotiated it with little trouble. But it was the next Clarke over that knocked the last nails into India’s coffin.Off the first ball, a brute that reared and took the outside edge to be smartly caught by Michael Hussey, Harbhajan Singh was dismissed. RP Singh planted his foot down the pitch to the next one but only interrupted the ball’s onward journey to the stumps and was lbw for a first-ball duck. Ishant Sharma negotiated the hat-trick ball, another straight one, and dabbed the next to the on side but the fifth ball did for him. Tossed up and outside the off, the ball gripped the surface and went via outside edge straight to slip, and Australia had the result they wanted.The knock of the innings came from Kumble, and you had to feel for him when he was left stranded on 45 off 111 balls as the last wicket fell. Kumble was a picture of concentration and determination, and if there was any anger at the decisions that went against India it was channelled into a batting effort that would have done many top-order batsmen proud. Although more comfortable playing off the back foot Kumble ensured that he came forward to the spinners when he could, taking the lbw out of play as much as possible.At the end of the day Australia won a dramatic Test but it was not entirely without some help from the umpires. When you pick up a pack of Benson & Hedges you get a statutory warning: “Smoking cigarettes is injurious to health.” From this day on, the firm of Benson & Bucknor may well have to come with some sort of warning. It’s a shame when you have to spend more time talking about the umpiring than the wickets taken or the runs scored, but when the errors umpires make play a big role in deciding the course of a game, there’s little choice.The first bad decision of the final day went against Rahul Dravid, who was a key component in India’s stonewalling after Australia had set them 333 from a possible 72 overs and shut them out of the game. Dravid’s dour approach at the top of the order has raised a good many eyebrows and elicited ironic jeers and cheers from Australian crowds, but it was just what India needed.Dravid was positive in his judgment of what to play and what to leave, confident in defence and when the occasion presented itself, willing to drive safely. He had consumed 103 balls for his 38 when he tucked his bat completely behind pad with all the safety of a Swiss banker and padded Andrew Symonds away. Even with no part of blade visible, Steve Bucknor upheld a spirited appeal for the catch behind when the ball had come off the knee roll. Dravid has copped his fair share of debatable decisions as he has tried to bat his way out a lean patch, but this one took the cake, and he shook his head in disbelief all the way back to the dressing room.When Dravid fell, India were 4 for 115 and precariously poised. Already Wasim Jaffer had gone for a duck, edging Brett Lee to Adam Gilchrist, VVS Laxman had been trapped plumb in front by a clever bit of bowling from Stuart Clark and Sachin Tendulkar had dragged one back onto his stumps.Sourav Ganguly batted as though he was under no pressure, bringing a refreshing confidence and positive mindset to the middle. Just as Dravid’s defensive approach was best for him, Ganguly had found a way to launch his own resistance and it was certainly more pretty to watch. Planting his foot well down the ground and driving superbly through the off side, Ganguly was scoring at a run-a-ball when none of the Indian batsmen before him had come close to doing so.

	It’s a shame when you have to spend more time talking about the umpiring than the wickets taken or the runs scored, but when the errors umpires make play a big role in deciding the course of a game, there’s little choice.

Andrew Symonds was the one to suffer the most against Ganguly, being taken for three consecutive boundaries through cover in one over, as well as having him dropped at slip off his bowling. The fast men did not trouble Ganguly much either, that is until the ball that terminated his innings. Having raced to a half-century Ganguly slashed one to Clarke in the slips cordon. Clarke went low to take the catch and it was not clear if he had got his fingers under the ball, but that should have proved to be irrelevant as he subsequently grounded the ball, tumbling to his left in the process of completing the catch. Mark Benson, called upon to rule on this one, chose not to ask his partner at square-leg, or go to the third umpire, and instead was satisfied by a word from Ricky Ponting, also stationed at slip. Only a few minutes before this Ponting had claimed a bat-pad catch after clearly grounding the ball in the process. Why Benson chose to take Ponting’s word for it, after all that had happened, is something only he knows the answer to. Either way it was time for Ganguly to go, on a well-made 51 and India were 6 for 137.Then a fresh rearguard began, with two new protagonists in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumble. Dhoni has not been a force with the bat in the Tests so far and it was not his brute force but his mental strength that was called upon. Dhoni left his big shots back in the pavilion and defended stoically, albeit in somewhat unorthodox fashion. He was fidgety outside the off stump but ensured he did not nick the ball.The Dhoni-Kumble stand had pushed on to 48, and more importantly eaten up precious time – 21 overs to be exact – before an error of judgment from Dhoni, when he padded up to an offbreak from Symonds and was plumb in front, separated the two. Then came the Clarke special that sealed the deal. He’d endured a poor match with the bat, picking up more wickets than scoring runs, but playing such a big part in the win, he’ll take it.And Clarke’s wickets could not have been more timely. When Ponting prolonged the Australian second innings till they reached 401, thanks mainly to an unbeaten 145 from Hussey, there was just the thought that he hadn’t the time to bowl out the Indians. At the end of the day, 72 overs proved to be enough, albeit by the thinnest of slivers.

George Bailey is looking forward to transferring his skills as captain from the one-day game to the Pura Cup arena © Getty Images

When Tasmania played Victoria in their Pura Cup match in November, George Bailey was third in command for the Tigers. Ricky Ponting was available for a rare outing for his state and Dan Marsh, the team’s leader for most of the last four years, was bumped down to second in charge.Now, at the business end of the season, Bailey has been thrust into the captaincy for the first time as Marsh recovers from a calf tear and Ponting takes a break ahead of the World Cup. Tasmania are equal on points with New South Wales, who are on top of the Pura Cup table.With two games remaining, the Tigers have a good chance not only to contest their fourth final but to host it for the first time. Bailey knows the pressure will be on as he guides the team against South Australia at Adelaide Oval starting on Thursday.”In previous years Tassie have been needing to win the last couple of games and see what happens in other games,” Bailey said. “This year our destiny is in our own hands.”Bailey, 24, has captained his club side, South Hobart-Sandy Bay, and brings to the leadership impressive links with the state team: his great-great-grandfather was the Tasmania player George H Bailey. His first chance to act as the Tigers’ skipper was during their limited-overs loss to the Redbacks last week.”I like to have some control over what’s going on out in the middle,” Bailey said. “There are plenty of blokes with some experience [to call on for advice], Michael Di Venuto has filled in before. As a team we know where we’re heading, I’m just there to marshal them out on the ground.”Tasmania have a few seasoned campaigners – Di Venuto, Sean Clingeleffer and Damien Wright – but Bailey said the team’s progress in 2006-07 was thanks largely to their newer faces. Last year three key members of their attack – Ben Hilfenhaus, Brendan Drew and Brett Geeves – were in only their first or second seasons of first-class cricket.

Bailey has been impressed with Brendan Drew’s work ethic and improvement © Getty Images

Bailey said Hilfenhaus and Drew had been especially impressive with their work ethic and ability to keep improving. “Those guys are a bit more experienced and it’s a bit the same with the batting,” he said. “Birty [Travis Birt] and me have been around longer now and are starting to feel as though we belong there.”The chance to spend a week under Ponting’s guidance in November also proved beneficial for the younger players. “As much as playing with him we also had the chance to spend a couple of days training with him and seeing the way Ricky prepares to play was really valuable,” Bailey said. “He can reel off what’s been happening in your second XI or grade sides. It’s great to see how seriously he takes it.”Bailey said the competition from players outside the starting 11 had also strengthened the Tigers, as Michael Dighton proved with two centuries and two fifties since his recall just before Christmas. “He took his opportunity when [Michael] Bevan retired and hasn’t looked back,” Bailey said. “To have guys like that sitting in the wings for the first half of your season … he’s been on fire since he’s come in.”Bailey has been pleased with his own form this year but said with only one century in 2006-07 the time had come to lift his output. “I’ve been more consistent this year with getting a start but have only got one hundred to date,” he said. “I need a big one and hopefully I can do it against South Australia.”Although he is looking forward to Thursday, Bailey hopes his tenure as captain is just for one match. Marsh is an outside chance to return for Tasmania’s last game against New South Wales starting next Thursday.In the meantime, Bailey won’t be taking the last-placed Redbacks lightly. “They’re as dangerous as any team going around,” he said. “There are guys in that team who might be playing for their careers.”

Neil Rider – back © Getty Images

Neil Rider originally resigned from his post as manager after the World Cup in April last year. He cites his reasons as not being able to combine his two jobs; working as England manager and as county cricket development manager at Hampshire County Cricket Club. But, having left his Rose Bowl job in September, when the England job opportunity arose again Rider was keen to apply.”It is an exciting time for the women’s game,” he says. “In the time I have worked with the women’s team they have certainly made huge strides forward”.A part-time 80-day-a -year contract is a challenging job to take on and ideally Rider would like to be involved full time, particularly as his standards are set for the top level. “I want the team to become number one in the world. We are not far off that”. The world champions Australia hold that honour.Last summer’s Ashes success of both the men’s and women’s teams “has had a huge impact on the game itself”. But are those long memorable summer days starting to fade? Is Ashes fever wearing off? “No, I don’t think this is the case,” says Rider. “Certainly, because in the next few months cricket clubs will be starting to open up again – then it can be seen how many youngsters join up”.Rider founded and runs Serious Cricket, a specialist cricket equipment shop and part of the Serious Sport Group. It also offers coaching in the Berkshire and North Hampshire Area. These courses are often fully booked; Rider sees this as a reflection and an ongoing interest of the Ashes series.Hopes are set realistically high to what England’s women can achieve -but can women’s cricket catch up with the attention paid to the men’s? “This is difficult because firstly the men’s game is professional and they play the game day in and out, but the standard of women’s cricket has vastly improved and has become a spectacle in its own right.”

Lara: at the centre of the dispute© Getty Images

The feud between Digicel, the sponsors of the West Indies cricket team, and their rival telecommunications company, Cable & Wireless, was no closer to a resolution last night, after an attempt by Dr Keith Mitchell, the prime minister of Grenada, to instigate an arbitration process was blanked. As a consequence, the prospect of Brian Lara and six of his team-mates being selected for next month’s Test series against South Africa is receding. They have signed personal endorsement contracts with C&W that are in direct competition to Digicel, and were last week dropped from the team pending a resolution to the dispute.According to a report in The Trinidad Express, the two companies met last Monday with representatives of the West Indies Cricket Board and the Players’ Association, in an effort to salvage a situation that is fast becoming the most divisive yet to affect the troubled fortunes of cricket in the Caribbean. In a radio address on Friday evening, Dr Mitchell appealed for the recall of the seven key players – Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Dwayne Smith – but according to Digicel, this is not acceptable in the current climate.In his address, Mitchell had indicated that a possible formula to end the impasse has been reached, claiming that the players’ contracts had been scrutinised by WICB lawyers and that concerns had been dealt with. “In light of the above,” said Mitchell, “the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Cricket hope that the West Indies Cricket Board will no longer exclude the seven players with Cable & Wireless contracts from the squad selected to prepare for the impending tours.”This, however, has cut no ice with Digicel, who released a media statement to make plain their displeasure with C&W, who had been West Indies’ principle sponsors for nearly 18 years, until they chose to withdraw their support last year. “[C&W] decided not to match the unprecedented five-year US$20m sponsorship package which Digicel was prepared to undertake,” read the statement, “and while negotiations were taking place, [they] deliberately signed six players to personal sponsorship contracts coinciding with Digicel taking over as title sponsor of West Indies cricket team. C&W did this in the full knowledge that their actions would create great difficulty for the WICB, the six players and the title sponsor, Digicel.”Digicel added that, with regard to Lara and his special status in terms of endorsement deals, they had attempted to offer an enhanced personal contract to replace his existing one with C&W that was due to expire in September 2005. “This approach to representatives of Mr Lara was made in an effort to solve the contract issue and in the interests of West Indies cricket,” read the statement. “Unfortunately these efforts were not responded to and in 2004 Mr. Lara extended his C&W contract to a period beyond 2005.”Consequently, Digicel have rejected outright all attempts at arbitration, accusing C&W of jeopardising the future of West Indies cricket by investing US$500,000 on a select group of individual players. Nevertheless, with the Test series against South Africa – Digicel’s first as title sponsor – fast approaching, they remain hopeful that a resolution can be reached. “[The series] promises to be a rewarding, fun and memorable experience for the team and fans and our commitment to the entire team is unwavering.”

Inspired by an unbeaten double century by Sherwin Campbell, Barbados bowled out Leeward Islands for 161 to take the first-innings points and ensure that they would win the Carib Beer Cup, regardless of the outcome of the other matches. Barbados clinched the trophy for the 19th time, while elsewhere Kenya found the going tough against the Windward Islands.
Points tableLeeward Islands 161 and 76 for 2 trail Barbados 432 (Campbell 211*, Hinds 49) by 195 runs
ScorecardBarbados clinched the Carib Beer Cup when they bowled out Leeward Islands for 161 to take the first-innings lead, and the points that go with it. Sherwin Campbell scored 211, and towered over his team-mates, not one of whom could tally over 49. Leeward Islands could only muster 161 in reply as Sulieman Benn and Ian Bradshaw tore through the batting to share seven wickets. Following on, the batsmen weathered early storms – caused by Bradshaw – and ended the day on 76 for 2, still 161 runs away from making Barbados bat again.Windward Islands 281 for 0 (Smith 169*, Currency 92*) lead Kenya 152 (Thomas 8-28) by 129 runs
ScorecardDevon Smith and Romel Currency bullied Kenya into submission with a 281-run opening partnership that set Windward Islands on course for victory. Smith scored 169, with the more sedate Currency unbeaten on 92 at the end of the day. Nothing the bowlers tried worked, but the batsmen gave them respect, and did not savage any bowler in particular. They made batting look easy on a pitch where Kenya had performed abysmally on the opening day.Kenya threatened to make a game of it when their openers put on 50 for the first wicket, with Kennedy Otieno and Ravindu Shah providing a platform to launch from, before Fernix Thomas struck. In 19 overs of pure mayhem, Thomas removed the top six, and took two more to end with 8 for 28. Kenya’s innings was terminated at 152, and the only other resistance shown was a 51-run fourth-wicket partnership between Hitesh Modi and Maurice Odumbe. Towards the end, Collins Obuya managed 23, but Thomas claimed him too.Trinidad and Tobago 229 (Kanhai 111, Ganga 64) and 76 for 1 lead Jamaica 147 by 158 runs
ScorecardTrinidad and Tobago, put in to bat by Jamaica, found the going tough on a difficult pitch and struggled to 22 for 3 before a 144-run partnership between Sherwin Ganga (64) and Aneil Kanhai hauled them out of trouble. David Bernard, who took three wickets, then dismissed Ganga and started a procession that would end the innings at 229. Kanhai, however, stood his ground and remained unaffected by the fall of wickets, playing an innings of 111 that gave the score respectability, and more importantly, give the team a chance for victory.Things went to script when Jamaica lost all 10 wickets in the space of 107 runs, to be all out for 147. Amit Jaggernauth and Reyad Emrit picked up six wickets, and only Andrew Richardson (31*), Brenton Parchment (32), and David Bernard (24) could resist. Trinidad then came back to bat and lost only one wicket in the 34 overs they faced. At the end of the second day, Darren and Sherwin Ganga were on 39 and 26 respectively, with Trinidad leading by 158.West Indies B 96 for 2 (Haynes 40*) trail Guyana 419 (Sarwan 95, Dowlin 94, Nagamootoo 58, Daesrath 56) by 323 runs
ScorecardWhen Guyana lost their first two wickets for next to nothing, it seemed the team would remain at the bottom of the table. But Ramnaresh Sarwan and Travis Dowlin struck nineties, and Narsingh Deonarine followed up their knocks with 35. Then Damodar Daesrath and Vishal Nagamootoo scored fifties, and took Guyana to 419. Jason Bennett was the main bowler for West Indies B, with a haul of 4 for 83 in 27 overs. And at the end of the day, his team were 96 for 2, with Hayes batting on 40.

Somerset paceman Andy Caddick was the hero in England’s resounding victory over the old enemy Australia in the final Test match in the Ashes series at Sydney.The Ciderman’s 7 for 94 off 22 overs, makes him by far the leading English wicket taker of the series with a total of twenty at an average of 34 .50, which is almost certain to mean that the thirty four year old remains an important part of the Test attack for the foreseeable future.At the end of the match he said: "Even though the Ashes series was lost before coming into this match it’s still nice to beat the Australians, not too many countries do that over here. To have played a leading part in that will be a special memory for me."He continued: "I was feeling a bit down and wondering where my international career was going. Hopefully I’ll draw inspiration and rejuvenation from this performance."The Somerset player’s fine performance earned considerable praise from the first team coach and the chief executive back at Taunton.Kevin Shine told me: "It was a great return and thoroughly deserved It was so pleasing to see Andy back at the top of his game and bowling so well. When the first innings ended almost level it could have gone either way, but he ran in and gave it all he had, and on the last day won the match single handed."Chief executive Peter Anderson told me: "Before Christmas the coach and I were getting quite excited at the prospect of Andy Caddick’s international career looking likely to be over and therefore him being available for Somerset. We should have known never to write him off and today he has reminded just what an outstanding bowler he really is."The Somerset boss continued: "His exploits in the series have been overshadowed by the media hype referring to Darren Gough’s wicket taking exploits who he has now overtaken. Andy is not a natural showman in the style of `Dazzler’, which was why the media probably find him less interesting as a player."Regarding the England victory at Sydney overall, Peter Anderson told me: "Three interesting aspects have come out of this. Firstly there is a huge question mark over an Australian side that is shorn of two gems- Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and secondly there is also a big question mark over the leadership of Steve Waugh, who is still a fierce competitor master batsman.""Thirdly, are we really sure that the way forward for English cricket is to play on the benign wickets that the ECB want to play on at county level. The Aussies were decidedly vulnerable when the ball swung and had an uneven bounce."He concluded: "Why then don’t we play on these types of wickets in England which always occurred in the past and let the Australians see if they can compete on that."

The Vigilance Commissioner of India’s cricket Board, K Madhavan hasexamined batting mastreo Sachin Tendulkar in connection with thecontroversial Ahmedabad Test match in 1999 when India did not enforcethe follow-on against New Zealand despite being in a position to doso.Sources in Mumbai today said Tendulkar was examined by Madhavan beforethe team left for Zimbabwe last month. They said Tendulkar was thethird person to be questioned by Madhavan, who has been asked by theBCCI to probe into the controversial Test, in which India, with a leadof 275 runs, could have easily asked New Zealand to follow-on.Tendulkar was leading the team in the controversial Test, which waseven probed by the CBI during its investigations into the betting andmatch-fixing scandal. However, the sources said Tendulkar was”examined as a witness only” and his comments were necessary in theMadhavan probe as he was the captain of the team.Madhavan, a former Joint Director of CBI, had already examined AjitWadekar (the then manager of the team) and Kapil Dev (the then coachof the team), the sources said. When appraoched by PTI for hisconfirmation, Madhavan, who investigated the famous bank securityscam, refused to comment on the issue. However, he said he was probingthe Ahmedabad Test and would be submitting his report by this monthend after examining another person.The Ahmedabad Test sparked a serious controversy after the Indian sidedid not ask the Kiwis to follow on. The match, which ended in a draw,was played from October 29 to November 2. About his finding in theAhmedabad Test, Madhavan said “my inquires have revealed that thematch was drawn due to certain factors and I cannot say anythingbeyond this.”He, however, added that since the Test took place in 1999, it may notbe possible to probe into all the aspects that led to the drawnresult. Besides this, he said the BCCI had been referring to him forinvestigating some more cases including the recent ticket scam in Goa.Comparing his report to the one submitted by the International CricketCouncil’s Anti-Corruption Unit chief Sir Paul Condon, Madhavan said”the terms of references of such inquiries aim at identifying betting.But this has to be tackled by the police and CBI, who have been doinga commendable job.”Madhavan favoured making mandatory certain rules against carryingmobile phones to the match venues or inviting unknown persons to hotelrooms by players the world over. The BCCI Vigilance Commissionercommended the Condon report and said “it was well researched anddefinitely a step in the right direction.”

Liverpool are plotting a move for Swedish star striker Alexander Isak this summer and he would be a perfect partner to Diogo Jota.

What’s the story?

Manager Jurgen Klopp is said to be willing to break the club’s transfer record in order to land the striker from Real Sociedad for a whopping £77m, according to reports in Spain, via Liverpool.com

The player is highly rated having been linked with a number of moves in recent transfer windows, including Premier League rivals Manchester United and Arsenal.

He could partner Jota perfectly

While Liverpool usually play Jota in the middle of a front three, they have many talents to choose from with Luis Diaz and Roberto Firmino also available.

Isak could also easily slot into that central role and link up with Jota out wide, or Klopp could opt to play a more traditional partnership of just the two of them.

Jota has proven he can excel when working with a strike partner, before he made the move to Anfield the Portuguese striker had an ‘amazing’ partnership at Wolves with Raul Jimenez.

In their final season together they had a combined average of just over three shot-creating actions per 90 minutes played.

Isak is great on the ball and his stats when it comes to goal and shot creation are on par with Jota – both players rank in the 90th percentile in Europe’s top five leagues this season for dribbles that lead to a shot attempt.

On that evidence, it’s clear to see why he’s been described as a “special talent” by ESPN FC.

At only 22-years old he still has a lot of time to develop, and with Jota 25 years of age, they could forge a long-lasting partnership that could naturally succeed the Reds’ pairing of Salah and Mane.

Currently playing his trade in La Liga for Real Sociedad Isak moved to Spain from Borussia Dortmund in 2019 for £13.5m.

However, Liverpool need to be willing to pay much more than that to land him. His contract doesn’t run out until the summer of 2026 so Sociedad have the bargaining power here.

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.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

His goal scoring form has been good at all of his clubs and so far he’s scored 41 times in 122 appearances for the Spanish club.

Isak also stands at 6 foot 4 which means he would be a threat in the air as well, something which Liverpool currently lack in their attacking line.

All three of Jota, Mane and Salah are no taller than 5 foot 8 so he’d certainly provide a different but exciting new dimension to the forward areas.

IN other news: Another blow: Liverpool suffer huge injury setback, Klopp surely gutted – opinion…

	If the Indian team management had its way, Steve Bucknor would not stand in the third Test in Perth © AFP

The under-fire umpire Steve Bucknor will not be replaced for the third Test between Australia and India in Perth, despite an official protest from the Indian board following his controversial performance in Sydney.The Indian board demanded that Bucknor be stood down for the third Test, which gets underway on January 16, after a string of errors contributed to India’s thrilling last-ditch defeat in Sydney. But an ICC spokesman invoked the playing conditions that both teams signed up to before the series, saying: “Neither team has a right to object to an umpire’s appointment.”Bucknor’s colleague in Sydney, Mark Benson, is not due to stand in Perth – the Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf is earmarked to replace him. The only way Bucknor could have been removed from the for that Test would have been if the executive board took up the issue and a majority voted in favour of removing him.That has not, however, happened, and Bucknor, 61, is instead preparing to stand in his 121st Test, which is more than any other official in history.

Andrew Symonds is not concerned about re-injuring his arm © Getty Images

Andrew Symonds wants to play at least the second half of the World Cup after being named in the squad on Tuesday, but John Buchanan is concerned the allrounder will re-injure his arm by rushing back. Symonds had surgery almost two weeks ago on a torn bicep and is not worried about snapping the tendon again because he “knows he’ll be okay”.Symonds, who can be replaced if he doesn’t recover in time, believes a comeback against South Africa on March 24 is possible, but Buchanan thinks it is too soon. “My personal view is he might be ready for round three of the Super Eights, which is a week after the South Africa game,” Buchanan said in the Courier-Mail. Buchanan said he did not want Symonds to jeopardise the next four years of his career by returning too quickly.”The World Cup is a big deal to me,” Symonds told the paper. “It’s not the end of the world if I snap it again, it can heal and be okay. So I’m not too worried about it if it goes again because I know I’ll be okay. If it goes, it goes.”Symonds has been told to think long-term but said he tended to think about one thing at a time. “I will play hopefully half of the World Cup,” he said, “if not more.”Australia’s current plan is for Symonds to start batting in four weeks and then add throwing and bowling to his program. Symonds suffered the injury in Australia’s CB Series group loss to England and his absence in the finals severely affected the team’s balance. The side’s first game of the World Cup is against Scotland on March 14.It is likely Cameron White, who was devestated to miss the squad, would replace Symonds if he failed to regain fitness for the tournament. “If there came a time towards the end of March where Andrew wasn’t progressing as we would hope then we might need to look at naming a specific player and making sure they continue to train,” Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said in the Sydney Morning Herald. Hilditch’s 15-man squad included Shaun Tait and Brad Haddin, but Stuart Clark, the New South Wales fast bowler, was not included.