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Ireland have been given a huge boost with the return of Andre Botha, the allrounder, for the Quadrangular series after a tennis elbow kept him out of the ODIs against India and South Africa, their coach Phil Simmons said.”We really missed him at the start of the summer when we gave a lot of younger lads the chance,” Simmons told sportinglife.com. “He always gets through his overs efficiently and his batting gives us options at the top of the order.”In their final match of the series, against Scotland, Botha picked up 3 for 27 in nine overs after adding 46 with Niall O’Brien as Ireland beat Scotland by 23 runs. But Ireland failed to gain the bonus point point needed to share the series title with West Indies. They had to bowl out Scotland for 177 but the visitors managed to make 199.Meanwhile Ryan Watson, the Scotland captain, felt that his side had played well in parts but were not good enough to win matches at the international level. Chasing 223, Scotland were at a comfortable 167 for 3 in the 44th over before they lost their last seven wickets in the space of 39 balls.”We didn’t bowl as well as we can, which is unusual for us, but there were positives,” said Watson, who top-scored with 83. “Neil McCallum showed what a good player he is with his 54 and we’ve got to follow his lead in the Intercontinental Cup matches against Ireland and Netherlands next month.”Scotland play two four-day games against Netherlands and Ireland as part of the ICC Intercontinental Cup between August 2 and 12.

ScorecardKenya won the first one-dayer against Canada at the Toronto Cricket Club by a comfortable 107 runs. Despite this margin, Canada bowled and fielded well in the opinions of both coaches – their own Andy Pick and also Kenya’s coach Roger Harper. But once again the Canadian batting lacked discipline in the one-day format.Yet if the result was routine, the after-match speech provided the most surprise. In a bizarre speech at the conclusion of the game, the Canadian players were clearly stunned by Canadian Cricket Association President, Ben Sennik, saying ‘he was glad Kenya won.’ He commented on his Kenyan heritage and how Canada could learn from the Kenyans, but his remarks neglected an understanding of Canada’s fine win this week over Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup.James Kemande top-scored for Kenya, making 68, and he received solid support from captain Steve Tikolo, who posted 50. Tanmay Mishra added 38 useful runs in the later stages and the opener Kennedy Obuya made 36. But Tikolo said later that he thought his team “were 20 to 30 runs short” of what they should have made.Sanjay Thuraisingham was the pick of the Canadian bowlers, ending with 4 for 35 in 9 overs. He bowled a very tight line in his first spell. He bowled a good line in his first spell, conceding only 2 runs an over, despite there being nothing in the wicket.The Canadian innings never got going and the familiar theme of shot selection proved a problem, as it had in this season’s opening ODI’s in Trinidad. Too many wickets were lost to careless strokes, and the total of 129 all out was a disappointment. George Codrington provided the main resistance, making 40. The slow left-arm bowler Hiren Varaiya took 3-24 for Kenya.It was a frustrating batting performance for Pick. “The batting embarrassed us again,” he said. “It did in Trinidad, and it did again today.” As in Trinidad, where Canada lost to Zimbabwe and Bermuda, he was happy with the bowling and fielding. “Something, somewhere in the top five has to change.”The sides meet again on Sunday at the Toronto Cricket Club. Play begins at 10 am.

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In Durban, KwaZulu-Natal’s pace attack had Gauteng in early trouble, as they slumped to 36 for 5, but Derek Crookes hit them out of trouble with a fiery 77. He was well supported by Shane Burger, who finished with an unbeaten 53, as Gauteng managed to reach 228. Crookes, who has played 32 one-dayers for South Africa, smashed 15 fours and counterattacked when all looked lost. Zahir Abrahim and Ugeshan Govender were the most successful bowlers for Natal and both had the batsmen struggling against the moving ball. Both ended with three wickets apiece. In reply Natal made a solid start with Rivash Gobind (40 not out) and Mark Sanders (36 not out) sharing an unbroken opening partnership of 82.
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At Newlands, a middle-order collapse triggered by Eugene Moleon, the medium-pacer, cost Western Province a few jitters. But they recovered well and declared after reaching 276 for 7 in 85 overs. Renier Munnik was once again among the runs with an undefeated 65 while Doug Worth scored his maiden first-class fifty and notched up 71. North West started off shakily and were reduced to 22 for 3 but they fought back grimly and finished the day at 76 for 4, with Werner Coetsee unbeaten on 43.

A volatile Sikh with a fast bowler’s temperament, and a willowy legspinner whose polio-crippled arm became a deadly weapon. Bishan Bedi and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar were the two most famous members of India’s all-conquering spin quartet of the 1970s, and a partnership of opposites whose very diversity made their union stronger.Bedi was a master of deception. He finished with a vast haul of 1560 first-class wickets, more than any other Indian bowler, and all of them were garnered with his stealthy array of flighted, loopy, spinning deliveries – some quick, some slow, all potent and beautifully delivered from the purest of bowling actions. His passion for the game was plain for all to see, and he made a bristling and bold captain as well.Chandrasekhar’s style could hardly have been more different. With a big bounding run-up and a whippy seam-bowler’s action, he would fizz topspinners, legbreaks and googlies at his bewildered prey, many of whom would be beaten for pace as much as guile. He was the master of the unplayable delivery, and as such, he became India’s greatest overseas matchwinner, with 42 wickets in five famous victories.Together, Chandrasekhar and Bedi gave India’s bowling a much needed cutting edge, and they are destined to be remembered as one of the finest partnerships to have graced the game.

Although most of the Test world is preparing for slaughter when Australia and Bangladesh meet in two Tests starting next week, Bangladesh’s coach Dav Whatmore is optimistic, saying that the series was the start of “something wonderful”.As Bangladesh prepare for their last tour match – against a Northern Territory Chief Minister’s XI in Darwin – before the first Test, Whatmore said that Bangladesh would use this series to better themselves rather than seek an impressive final outcome.”It’s no secret that performances with the team haven’t been as good aswhat anybody would like. We are here to make sure that we get on the righttrack and play the sort of cricket that world cricket demands Bangladeshplay,” he said. “We see this series as hard, as it’s going to be against a team ranked number one … the commencement of something really wonderful for our cricket and the region in the subcontinent area and world cricket as well.”Michael Clarke, Cthe captain of the Northern Territory XI, said that he had “seen a little bit of Bangladesh” but could not really launch into preparation based on his knowledge. “I think all the boys have prepared as well as they possibly can. I just hope they get out there and give their best.”

Independent match venues are ok as far as the International Cricket Council is concerned.At its meeting in Kuala Lumpur last week, the ICC noted that the war on terrorism had resulted in global uncertainty and Afghanistan neighbour Pakistan was in the front line of world events.That made touring there uncertain, a situation New Zealand has already opted out of.ICC president Malcolm Gray said after the situation was discussed at the Malaysian meeting.”We need to adopt creative solutions to support those affected and to overcome these problems. In agreeing to use independent venues, the Board was totally supportive of countries affected by recent horrific events and unanimous that every effort should be made to assist them,” he said.In the event of a match or series being unable to be played at the original home venue, it would be permissible to reschedule the games in the opposing team’s country, or a neutral venue.Whatever the situation, the games would be a home series for the original host nation.On the other hand, boards guilty of failing to meet their requirements under the ICC Future Tours programme would face substantial fines.These would be at least $US2million, which would be payable to the affected country. That country would also receive the two ICC Test Championship points on offer from the series. The offending country would be deducted two points, effectively a four point penalty.If there are differences of opinion over the nature of the cancellation an ICC Disputes Resolution Committee would adjudicate. Reasons for cancellations being exempt from penalties would be: force majeure, natural disaster, war or where the safety of players and officials was proven to be at risk.Gray commented: “This decision reflects the priority that world cricket has to give to protecting its calendar of fixtures. We have to be tough in protecting the integrity of the Future Tours programme from wilful disruption.”Other decisions included:A three or four stage disciplinary system, with set penalties for each stage to combat the deteriorating standards of player behaviour.Adoption of a One-Day International championship. Formats and structures will be considered for presentation to the March board meeting.A decision on the venue of the next ICC KnockOut will be made by the end of February. India is the preferred venue, followed by Sri Lanka, Australia and the United Arab Emirates.Prizemoney at the World Cup in 2003 will be $US5million with the winning team receiving about $US2.2million. The tournament will be played at 15 venues, 12 in South Africa, two in Zimbabwe and one in Kenya.The ICC is to employ five regional security managers to assist in the anti-corruption battle.Ethics committees will be created within all national teams.Sports corruption legislation being drafted will be available to the governments of member countries for possible consideration as part of each country’s legislation.An anti-corruption manager will be appointed by the ICC to co-ordinate implementation and management of recommendationsAppointments to the umpires’ and referees’ panels will be made by the end of January and managers for both are being recruited at the moment.ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed’s strategic plan was approved as a blueprint for a fast track development of the ICC into a modern, powerful world governing body.Kenya’s application for Test status will be assessed by Zaheer Abbas, Andy Pycroft and Allan Border.

Sri Lanka fast bowler Shaminda Eranga has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against West Indies because of another injury sustained during a period of rehabilitation. He hasn’t played for Sri Lanka since January 2015, and missed the home series against Pakistan because of a back problem and the Tests against India with a groin niggle. The latest setback is also a groin injury.”Eranga unfortunately has been really struggling to recover from a few of his injuries,” said chief selector Kapila Wijegunawardene. “He started off with a back injury in December, and when he was recovering from that towards June-July he developed a groin injury, and since then every time he was rehabilitated and tried to get into the normal routine of bowling he had tightness in his hamstring.””The physio Steve Mount is now really looking at taking him to a more medical solution. Eranga is likely to be ruled out for the upcoming West Indies series. The latest injury is he’s developed a groin injury.”Every time he recovers he develops a new injury which is worrying us a little bit. When you are recovering from an injury your natural tendency is to protect that injury and invariably you end up putting strain on another part and you tend to tear that. That is what is happening. This is about the third time that he is experiencing a recurring injury.”Until his injury Eranga was considered the spearhead of Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, having bowled them to a historic Test series win in England last year. He took 11 wickets in two Tests, including the scalp of last man James Anderson that sealed the 100-run victory at Headingley.In Eranga’s absence Dhammika Prasad has taken over the role of main strike bowler, picking up 29 wickets in the series against Pakistan and India. Until quite recently Prasad too was unable to go through a Test series without injury problems, but he has worked on his fitness since.”It’s about understanding your body, understanding which areas you need to strengthen,” said Wijegunawardene, a fast bowler who played two Tests and 26 ODIs for Sri Lanka. “Today the workloads are far more than what a fast bowler had to endure a few years ago.”It’s all to do with how disciplined you are on the physical fitness side and understanding which parts of your body need to be focused on. These boys really need to be professional and focused, and care for their own well being over and above the routine that you do in a team environment. These boys need to be looking at themselves individually also.”Wijegunwardene said that apart from Eranga the rest of the fast bowlers were fit and available for selection. “They are all looking lean and mean and ready to go. They do understand there is competition now and there are a few young boys yapping at their heels.”Sri Lanka host West Indies for two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is in October and November. The first Test begins on October 14 in Galle.

It took Darren Lehmann a long time to become comfortable with the role of the full-time coach. A natural, free-swinging player, he was happier doing rather than thinking for much of his career. Now he wants to be one.Lehmann retired from the first-class scene last year and the break from South Australia has helped him re-discover his love for the game. To stay involved he now wants to pass on the things he did and didn’t learn during his long career.”There’s so much out there,” he said during a break from a level three coaching course in Brisbane. “You are allowed to know more as you get older. I knew a lot more at the end of my career, but I thought I knew a lot more at the start.”Lehmann, who played 27 Tests and 117 internationals, was essentially self-taught while picking up important tips from David Hookes, Greg Chappell and Wayne Phillips. “Having a ‘coach’ coach has never been high on my agenda,” he said. “When I stopped playing I fell in love with the game again. Then you want to become a coach. I love watching and want to learn about all the coaching techniques going on behind the scenes.”The Centre of Excellence, where the course is being held, is a familiar place for Lehmann, who last year travelled with the Academy side as an assistant, a role he will repeat this winter. As a teenager Lehmann rejected the chance to attend the facility when it was based in Adelaide, but 20 years later he is one of the many past players who has turned into a tutor.”It’s really enjoyable, and I can have an influence on them,” he said. “I’m trying to up-speed them as players. I learnt most things after 30 as a player. Now I try to help them to do it in their 20s, so they reach their peak earlier.”Lehmann is joined at the seminar by his former South Australia team-mate Greg Blewett, a light-footed batsman who played 46 Tests between 1995 and 2000. Blewett stopped playing last year and has kept himself busy working as a television commentator. “I’m at the stage where I’m trying to find out what I like the most,” he said. “It’s really a trial and error thing.”Lisa Keightley, the Australia women’s coach and former opening batsman, is also on the course along with the current first-class players Dan Marsh, Andrew McDonald and Nick Jewell. Rumesh Ratnayake, the Sri Lanka fast bowler of the 1980s and 90s, and Douglas Hondo, who appeared in nine Tests for Zimbabwe, add an international flavour to the Cricket Australia initiative, which is being run alongside Australia’s pre-tour camp for the West Indies tour.”To have the likes of Lehmann, Blewett and Keightley working with other high performance coaches from around the country and overseas will provide a fantastic learning environment for what is Australia’s flagship coach education program,” Tim Nielsen, the national coach, said. “This course illustrates the importance of ongoing education for coaches.”

The ICC executive has decided to recommend to its annual general meeting in June that Kenya be stripped of its status as an ODI member and will revert to being as associate member. The executive, who have been meeting in Dubai, also announced that the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) would be looking into the ongoing crisis in the country.The ICC accepted an offer by the ACA to travel to Kenya to speak with the parties involved in the current dispute to see if a resolution to the current impasse is possible. The ACA will be assisted by Percy Sonn, the ICC’s vice-president, and will report to the executive on the findings of thisvisit and its view on whether the current issues can be resolved.At the same time, the ICC will continue with the initiative of an independent commission to develop a new constitution for cricket in Kenya. This commission, which was established last year, has been in limbo since the announcement of the formation of Cricket Kenya in January.Another blow to the Kenyan Cricket Association came with the news that that suspension of the special funding from the ICC would continue, although the executive did agree to release the $54,000 associate member entitlement to help “deal with the pressing financial obligations of the KCA.”Kenya’s loss of one-day membership almost exactly two years after they reached the World Cup semi-finals will be a bitter pill to swallow and is clearly a result of the bitter in-fighting which has blighted Kenyan cricket for so long.But it will retain its one-day status for matches against Test-playing countries and also against other members of the top six associates.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) will receive NZ$406,000 as compensation from the government for the cancelled tour by Zimbabwe. The tour, originally planned for December, was called off after the government refused to grant visas to the Zimbabwe players, due to human rights violations in the country.”We decided the tour was not appropriate given the Zimbabwean Government’s continuing human rights abuses,” Trevor Mallard, the sports minister, told the New Zealand Press Association. “The Labour-led Government made an important stand over this tour in order to send a strong message to Robert Mugabe’s government over its appalling human rights record and continuing abuse of democratic principles.”Mallard added that NZC expressed concerns over the financial losses they would suffer with the tour being cancelled, and that the government felt it fair to compensate NZC immediately.In January, the Zimbabwe board suspended the national team from playing Test cricket until early next year, due to their disappointing performances on the field. An ICC delegation is currently in the country to reassess the team’s future as a Test playing nation.