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Daryl Tuffey will enjoy better days than that he experienced at Ahmedabad today, in fact he has enjoyed them, most notably against India in New Zealand last year. But the fine line between success and missed chances was never more apparent than on the first day of the series in India.It was always going to be toughest for the fast-medium brigade. That’s the way it has always been in India. Not having the shock value of Shane Bond compounded the situation. But Tuffey made his point. A player who in the past has been labelled a slow starter and less than effective in overseas conditions, he showed that with maturity has come consistency. He did his bit, and bowled to his plan in the first half of the day. But if he creates the chances, all he can do is hope that they go to hand.They didn’t today. Virender Sehwag dropped on the third man boundary by Craig McMillan with the ball going for six, Akash Chopra dropped by Robbie Hart. Fortunately for the offenders, neither lasted long enough to create problems and there was a catch-up when Sehwag was given out leg before wicket. But the man the Indians were keen to show could only perform on New Zealand wicket types like those of last summer, won his own battle to show that he was deserving of greater respect.Jacob Oram, too showed commendable adherence to the plan. The unity of purpose in the side’s attack was obvious. Stephen Fleming, the captain directing operations on the field, and having a fair say off, has become identifiable as one of those leaders who likes to work on his opponents – assessing, probing and executing. It can mean some field placements that test the descriptions provided in the MCC Coaching Manual, but it was only by mere fractions that New Zealand weren’t better placed by the end of the day.The last session was memorable for India as the New Zealand competitiveness waned in the heat and the patient batsmen had their reward. As it is so often when New Zealand meet India nowadays, it was Rahul Dravid who bridged the gap between the breakthrough, when Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed, and safety and security in an ongoing partnership of 115 runs with VVS Laxman. Dravid has scored 801 runs in eight Tests against New Zealand, with an average of 64.57 in New Zealand as opposed to 58.16 in India, although at the start of today’s Test his home average was 39.83. The same elegance that has been his trademark throughout his career was obvious again, never more than when he was caressing the ball through the off side en route to his fourth century against New Zealand.And while both were subjected to part of “the plan” and some concentrated shorter bowling, Laxman especially, they withstood it and turned the attack back on the bowlers in crisp and authoritative style. Laxman’s pull shots showed that he had emerged from the coaching lesson Craig McMillan appeared to be delivering during his ‘short’, if you’ll pardon the double entendre, spell all the better for the experience. Certainly he revealed no effects from the constant whiplash effect of jerking his head out of the way of the ball as it passed by.In recent times the grooming of the New Zealanders in Asian countries has taken a hammering, most notably the Number One hair cuts in Sri Lanka earlier in the year, but Craig McMillan this time has opted for more hair on his face with a handlebar moustache that left him looking like an atomised Merv Hughes, and a Mohawk haircut that could only be described as Beckhamesque in effect if not delivery.With Sourav Ganguly still to come and some capable lower-order batsmen, India have left New Zealand needing to take quick wickets on the second morning or be left facing a daunting batting target when they finally get their turn.The Wisden Bulletin
The Wisden Verdict: Planning’s not enough
Wisden Stats: How NZ missed a trick
Roving Reporter: Screaming for Sa-chin
Quotes

The recent India-England series outlined the differences in the thinking process between Sourav Ganguly and Nasser Hussain. The hosts were not unduly worried about the visiting team, since they were without their best players. Some of the leading English stars had pulled out of this tour due to personal reasons, and with Graham Thorpe returning to England after the first Test, Hussain’s team was further depleted. Mind you, their performance at Mohali was not encouraging, to say the least, but this is where Hussain, as a visiting captain, showed great enterprise in keeping his inexperienced side on track.

Hussain was completely aware of his team’s strengths and weaknesses, and it would be fair to say that the weaknesses outweighed the strengths. Yet he was faced with the task of reviving morale and inspiring his team to do better than its best. The bowling looked thin without the likes of Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick, and the spinners – Ashley Giles and Richard Dawson – hardly lookied capable of running through a side. The top-order England batsmen too looked lost against spinners, especially on the dusty tracks in India. Apart from all these concerns, Hussain also had to formulate a game plan to put it across the hosts.The uncompromising toughness and individuality of Hussain landed him in trouble with the Essex management some years ago, but ironically those very attributes won him accolades on this tour. He always was in charge of proceedings and never allowed the game to drift. His bowlers were told to stick to his plans, and they were utilised in the best manner possible. Andrew Flintoff has come a long way as a bowler on this tour, and Matthew Hoggard looks a very good prospect for the future. Furthermore, Hussain simply did not bother to think about the prospect of being criticised for his tactics. The visiting captain may not have scored big runs, but this did not deter him from leading the team with an iron hand. It is at times when things are not going well that the character of a cricketer is severely tested and, based on what Hussain has done, he has passed with flying colours.

On the other hand, Sourav Ganguly was definitely not in the best of form with the bat, and this resulted in him being slightly hesitant throughout the series. A captain has to keep track of a lot of issues, and when personal form is poor, there is every chance of haziness creeping into the mind. The spinners were expected to bowl the visitors out without too much fuss; they did that well enough, but the batsmen were the ones to be blamed. In a way, Ganguly’s gang was puzzled by Hussain’s tactics. Ganguly may not come out openly and say so, but one got the impression that he did not get his choice of medium pacers. Even so, it was a shame that the visitors were allowed to call the shots in the second and third Tests.The lesson to be learnt from this series is that Ganguly should try to utilise the resources on hand rather than brood over the absence of his choices. This is where Hussain showed that inexperienced bowlers can do the job as long as they enjoy the skipper’s confidence. This has not been Ganguly’s problem alone; the same mindset prevailed in the case of his predecessors as well. To add to his woes, the visiting team’s medium pacers zeroed in on Ganguly, and it was clear that he succumbed to pressures that were mounted on him from all directions. It just goes to show that, regardless of experience, pressure has a sinister knack of having the final say.

ScorecardNikita Miller’s match haul of 9 for 113 and an important knock of 39 in the second innings led Jamaica to a 30-run win over Windward Islands at Sabina Park. Miller, who took five wickets in the second innings, bowled Windward out for 145 in a chase of 176 and added to his first-innings returns of 4 for 67.With the bat, Miller rescued Jamaica from a score of 25 for 7, sharing a 76-run partnership with Damion Jacobs for the seventh wicket after Shane Shillingford and Mervin Matthew had cut through the batting. Both Shillingford and Matthew finished with five-fors. The partnership between Miller and Jacobs helped stretch Jamaica’s first-innings lead of 47 to 175, which proved too much for Windward.Jamaica posted 259 in their first innings, building around Andre McCarthy’s 92, while John Campbell and David Bernard chipped in with 43. Liam Sebastien was the pick of Windward bowlers with figures of 7 for 58. Windward managed 212 in response, the only noteable score being Sunil Ambris’ 89. Apart from Miller, Jacobs was also among the wickets in the first innings, taking 3 for 76.

ScorecardFifteen wickets fell on a bowler-dominated day at Nagpur. Vidharbha hit back after being bowled out for 163, reducing Services to 38 for 5. Vidarbha collapsed after the opening partnership of 56 – incidentally the highest of the day – to a combination of seam and spin. Rakesh Sharma and Narender Kumar shared five wickets while the spinners Ashish Mohanty and Arun Sharma grabbed four wickets as the wickets fell in a heap. For Vidarbha, the seamers did the trick: Mohammad Hashim and Sandeep Singh bowled 17 overs and took all the five Services wickets to fall.J&K 133 for 8 (Bandekar 4-46) v Goa
ScorecardCharged by a four-wicket haul by Saurabh Bandekar, Goa restricted Jammu & Kashmir to 133 for 8 on a truncated opening day’s play at Jammu. J&K had reached a comfortable 82 for 1 when Robin D’Souza effected a twin-strike to push them to 83 for 3. Bandekar prised out three more quick wickets and Shadab Jakati struck twice in succession to leave the hosts reeling at 118 for 8. The ninth-wicket pair of Manzoor Dar and Pranav Mahajan kept the Goa bowlers at bay for seven more overs before play was called off after only 53 overs.Tripura 285 for 4 (Shetty 164*) v Assam
ScorecardNishit Shetty smashed a career-best 164 not out to propel Tripura to a healthy 285 for 4 against Assam at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. Tripura were in touch of bother at 32 for 3 before Shetty added 106 runs with Rajib Saha, who made his highest first-class score of 66, and a further 147 with Timir Chanda (36). Shetty struck 26 boundaries in his 232-ball knock as Tripura headed towards a big first-innings total.

Kenya has been waiting for this, but it was only when Samir Inamdar,their chairman, received rapturous applause for his speech that werealised just how much the World Cricket League means to the country.”I think I speak on behalf of many associates that, to many a fullmember – perhaps even a cricketer – the cream of Associate cricketremains a mysterious enigma,” he said at the WCL opening ceremony, atParklands in Nairobi. “No one really knows how good they are, how wellthey will perform in the World Cup. Over the next two weeks we standto learn just how good they are and that alone is a huge step forward.The eyes of the world will be on us today.”Inamdar was speaking at a lavish, marquee ceremony in the district ofParklands on the eve of the first match between Kenya and Bermudatomorrow. Cultural dancers, local to the district, performed adazzling display of hamstring-tweaking manoeuvres to a large audience,made up of the six participating teams, media, administrators andalmost anyone with even the vaguest connection to cricket in Kenya.There was a strong sense from the group of people collected that herethey all were “in it together,” fighting the once spiritless cause oflower-tier cricket. Recognition at last.”Kenya is proud to host this event because, for too long, the countryhas been in the news for precisely the wrong reasons,” Inamdar said.”I’m not prepared to dwell on the past, but what I do say is we havemade enormous progress in the way our cricket is managed. But we arestill not out of the woods and an enormous amount of work remains tobe done. We are in for an exciting time in the next 10-12 days.”It is too early for congratulatory back-slapping – the opening game ofthe tournament is still some 12 hours away. But tonight confirmed thezeal and fervour for cricket in Kenya. Win lose or draw, it is animmensely encouraging sign for the future.

Australia’s cricket authorities are determined that England’s Barmy Army supporters won’t outnumber the home supporters during next winter’s Ashes series, as the jostling for position continues ahead of the most eagerly anticipated tour in years.The Australia press has been speculating that as many as 40,000 English cricket fans will descend on Australia, raising concerns among some players that England’s Ashes defence will be like a virtual home series for the visitors. But Cricket Australia says it is confident Australian fans will not be shouted down by the vociferous Barmy Army.”The Aussie players are going to want to play in front of Australians, and we confidently expect that most people in the stands will be Australians barracking for Australia,” said Peter Young, a Cricket Australia spokesman.”That’s the way it should be, because it’s our country, and Australians should have as good an opportunity to see their team first-hand as we can provide.”There have been projections of huge crowds for the five Tests in November, December and January, and officials believe the refurbished Melbourne Cricket Ground – the principal venue for the Commonwealth Games in March – may break its own world record of 90,800 for the first day of the Boxing Day Test.”It’s going to be phenomenal,” Shane Warne told AFP on Wednesday. “We’ve just got to make sure it’s not a home Test for England. “[If] they’ve got 40,000 or 50,000 at [the MCG] and you’ve only got 20,000 or 30,000 Aussies it will be like a home ground for them.”CA’s marketing people have not yet projected a total crowd figure, but it is expected to be the most watched Australian Test series in history. Young said the reason for the delay in ticketing pricing was the complexity of dealing with “the most extraordinary customer interest we’ve ever encountered”.He said ticket prices and on-sale dates were the responsibility of the individual state associations and CA wanted to make sure everything was right before any announcement. “They own the pricing of the tickets and to get all of that lined up is bloody hard work and we’re not there yet.But Young was not about to turn the English fans away. “We hope that lots of UK visitors come Down Under,” he said. “It adds to the colour and excitement. We also hope that they leave lots of their pounds sterling here, and also that little urn here at the end, because we want it back.”England regained the Ashes against Australia for the first time in 18 years last September with a 2-1 series win.

Memories of Sri Lanka’s cricket in 2004 will fade quickly, though not because the year was uneventful. On the contrary it was an important and progressive year, but the tragic events on Boxing Day leave everything other than life and death seeming so meaningless. But if you can shake off your tsunami-inspired depression for a moment, you’ll look back on a year of more triumph than disappointment, and a team that has grown visibly in stature since Marvan Atapattu took full charge of the leadership.It all started badly, though, with Sri Lanka’s first-ever home whitewash, against Australia. The final 3-0 scoreline hid the true competitiveness between the two sides, but it also accurately reflected Sri Lanka’s weaknesses during crucial match-turning passages of play. Amazingly, Sri Lanka secured first-innings leads in all three games, but Australia’s spirit and resolve was far stronger, and they slowly but surely grasped control of each game and then ruthlessly applied the killer blow. At Kandy, powered by Sanath Jayasuriya at his adrenaline-fuelled best, Sri Lanka came within a whisker of levelling the series but were ultimately outsmarted on the final morning.The defeat left a bitter aftertaste, especially because Sri Lankans had expected their team to fare better after their rain-soaked series win in 1999 against Steve Waugh’s team. Knives were being sharpened and Hashan Tillakaratne, the Test captain, was the natural fall guy. He resigned at the press conference that followed the final game. The decision to appoint Tillakaratne as a caretaker leader proved as misguided at the end as it seemed at the outset. Although he was an extremely determined batsman (and at 37 he is still searching for one final comeback), Tillakaratne was an insecure and uninspiring leader and the team stagnated under his charge.So there was a silver lining to the humiliating whitewash. Atapattu’s accession to the throne could be delayed no longer, and the team started to rebuild in Zimbabwe. A new approach was agreed upon that encouraged players to take greater responsibility for their preparation. The Tillakaratne focus on results, particularly the avoidance of defeat, was reduced and a lighter, more relaxed mood was encouraged. Practice sessions, for example, were snappier but more intense.It took Atapattu just a handful of weeks, with back-up from his deputy Mahela Jayawardene, who gelled together the younger elements of the team well, and coach John Dyson, who was starting to win over those sceptical about his lack of top-class coaching experience, to pull together the team and reverse the decline. Atapattu may have developed a reputation for being shy and mild-mannered, but he proved to be a strong, clear-headed and straight-talking captain. There were no favourites in the dressing-room and all the players knew exactly what was required of them. A new togetherness soon became evident.

Zimbabwe, missing most of their senior players, provided predictably weak resistance and Sri Lanka duly held together their focus long enough to win the five one-dayers and two Tests with ease. But the tour will be remembered less for the quiet revival in the dressing-room, or the silverware won against schoolboys, and more for the chucking storm that had engulfed Muttiah Muralitharan and marred what should have been his proudest day, when he overtook Courtney Walsh’s 519-wicket world record.Chris Broad, the match referee, had waited for the last day of the last Test against Australia to report Murali’s doosra as suspect. The decision created a furore in Sri Lanka, where there was disbelief that a third chucking controversy was now threatening Murali’s career. The debate was emotional and, at times, regrettably racially tinged. But the biomechanical boffins at the University of Western Australia vindicated Broad’s decision in the end, discovering an elbow bend far in excess of the permitted levels of tolerance.But while Murali’s detractors gloated “I told you so” with some glee, the situation was not so clear-cut. Murali’s doosra may have been technically illegal, but there was a growing body of experts warning that the ICC’s permitted tolerance levels were flawed. As the ICC Champions Trophy was to reveal later in the year, Murali was one of many bowlers, including those previously believed to have pure textbook actions, who were exceeding tolerance levels. In fact, Murali turned out to be one of the lesser offenders. The emotional doosra debate rumbled on for months, and only started to calm when the ICC agreed to a thorough review of the current laws.Murali was so upset by the whole controversy, and so angered by the comments of Australia’s Prime Minister John Howard, who labelled him a chucker, that he opted out of a two-Test tour to Darwin and Cairns in northern Australia in July. Sri Lanka struggled in his absence in the first Test, mainly because of the green seamer-friendly surface at Darwin, which suited Australia. However, helped by some fiery bowling from rookie Lasith Malinga, who caused a sensation with his weird round-arm action, they fought bravely for a draw in the second Test, a match that proved to be a turning point for the team in the year.The Sri Lankans were forced to rush back quickly for the Asia Cup, the first such tournament for four years. The rapprochement between India and Pakistan created a window of opportunity for the Asian Cricket Council and a six-nation tournament was squeezed into an already congested summer. Thanks to a misconceived tournament structure the Sri Lankans were at least able to workout their jet-lag during a first round that mattered little. But after a rusty performance against an impressively spirited and well-organised UAE team, Sri Lanka hit a rich vein of form. India, the pre-tournament favourites, were struggling to regain their early-year form after a layoff and Sri Lanka seized the initiative. Murali had returned but his performances were overshadowed by the journeymen bowlers, Nuwan Zoysa and Upul Chandana, who helped Murali and Chaminda Vaas form a genuinely strong attack. With Sanath Jayasuriya finding one-day form after a lean run, Sri Lanka lifted the trophy.By now, all was rosy in the Sri Lanka camp. The atmosphere was open and upbeat and in complete contrast to the guarded and introverted feel of a few months earlier. Even the board was starting to recover from an embarrassing start to the year when its president, Thilanga Sumathipala, was thrown behind bars after becoming embroiled in an immigration-fraud case. The new provincial tournament had been a success, providing a solid basis for lifting the standards of domestic cricket, and a new super-intensive programme for the A team ensured more exposure for upcoming players. The board was also able to safeguard its financial future, which had been imperilled by an ongoing legal dispute with WSG Nimbus, when Taj Television signed a new four-year deal worth $50 million.

Sri Lanka’s good run continued against South Africa despite a shoulder injury to Murali. Jayawardene piled on the pressure at Galle, batting magnificently, but with Murali obviously struggling with his injury, South Africa escaped. In Colombo, though, this time powered by a brilliant double-century from Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka were more ruthless and South Africa folded. The momentum was retained during the five-match ODI series and by the time the ICC Champions Trophy arrived, Sri Lanka’s confidence was sky-high.But Sri Lanka have never been renowned for their prowess in the freezing cold, and when the English weather turned autumnal their odds lengthened. Had their catching held firm at the Rose Bowl they might well have still prospered. But Jayawardene, ironically Sri Lanka’s best slip catcher, grassed a simple chance off Andrew Flintoff early on, and Sri Lanka eventually lost control. Sri Lanka returned quickly to winning ways, stealing the PakTel Cup from Pakistan, the hosts, despite losses in the first round.Then followed the biggest selection controversy of the year as Ashantha de Mel, the new chairman of an unwieldy seven-man selection committee, shocked the team management with a public attack, accusing them of standing in the way of the development of young players. de Mel, determined that youngsters be blooded, axed Tillakaratne Dilshan from the squad. The move incensed Atapattu, and helped Pakistan level the Test series at Karachi. Ironically, it was the elder statesman, Jayasuriya, who dominated the series in what proved to be one of his best years (1130 runs at 56.5). Jayasuriya was Sri Lanka’s most successful Test batsman of the year, but Sangakkara (1114 runs at 55.7) was close behind, while Atapattu (966 runs at 48.3) and Jayawardene (861 runs at 45.32) also had good years.The curtain fell with a limp performance against New Zealand, but as the Kiwis knocked off a measly target with ease, the giant tsunami reached the east coast of Sri Lanka and circled around the south coast and up the west. Within the space of a few overs more people had been killed than during two decades of civil war. Cricket was suddenly irrelevant, and Sri Lanka’s players naturally wanted to return immediately to join the humanitarian effort. The year 2005 will be dominated by their contributions off the field.

Promote our visionNorthern Districts Cricket Association is one of the largest and the fastest growing Associations in New Zealand. Based in Hamilton and responsible for the management and promotion of Cricket in the northern half of the North Island. Our Vision is to provide leadership, innovation and excellence to ensure Cricket is the No. 1 Sport in the Region.Commercial Operations ManagerTo ensure we achieve our Vision, we are seeking a highly motivated senior person with Commercial/Marketing experience to drive our Association’s Commercial Operation.The position encompasses the management of Funding, Brands, Communication and Events and reports directly to the CEO.To be successful you will need drive and initiative to:· Develop and deliver the strategic vision· Proven ability to network at a high level· Develop new business initiatives· Demonstrate ability to think laterally· Achieve funding and sponsorship levels· Experience with outsourcing and managing contractorsFor a copy of the job description, contact Kate at ND Office.Ph: 07 839 3783Fax: 07 839 5542Email: [email protected]

Funny about that.Trevor Chappell came to New Zealand yesterday. No devilish horns protruding from his close-cropped grey hair. No horned tail curled up inside his smart slacks. Not a sign of a cloven hoof.Here was the man whom New Zealanders vested with yellow-shirted infamy on February 1, 1981 after he finished a one-day win for Australia over New Zealand by six runs at the MCG by bowling the last ball underarm.Now Chappell, every bit the journeyman cricketer, has returned for a longish stay in New Zealand as coach of the Bangladesh side which will play first-class matches at Wanganui and Auckland and Tests at Hamilton and Wellington.No place for him to hide, to live down the endless procession of shock-horror dissertations by every Australian cricket after-dinner speaker who has visited New Zealand in the last 20 years.Chappell, who has played cricket for South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, and coached in Sri Lanka and now in Bangladesh, has been in New Zealand since 1981, to play in benefit matches for Bruce Edgar (102 not out on THAT day) and Gavin Larsen.He promises not to talk about the under-arm incident while here, and would probably prefer that everyone else dropped the cone of silence on that boring-boring piece of cricketing history.

England are attempting to replicate the intensity of a match situation during training to eradicate the no-balls which have proved costly for them this year, but Alastair Cook is convinced the issue stems from fewer on-field calls being made.In the first Test, Stuart Broad had Shoaib Malik caught at slip on 40 only for replays to show he had overstepped. Earlier in the same day Broad had overstepped by a distance but not been called. It was the sixth time this year that England had been denied a wicket in such a fashion, following two apiece by Mark Wood and Steven Finn during the summer, and one by Ben Stokes in the West Indies.At training, bowling coach Ottis Gibson is trying to ensure bowlers come off their full runs and take the same care in marking their delivery stride as they would in a match situation. At a net session on Tuesday, Gibson could be heard calling no-balls and during the first Test Broad pondered whether it would be possible to have umpires at net sessions.”It’s incredibly frustrating,” Cook said of the transgressions. “One of the frustrating bits is there has been less and less no-balls called in games and you always know as a bowler if you’re never getting called you don’t really do too much about it.”In the nets, Gibbo is onto the guys making sure it’s their full run-up and they’re not bowling no-balls. It is incredibly frustrating not only for the ten other guys but the one bloke who must feel terrible. No one means to do it but we are working hard to make sure we don’t do it again.”The question of calling no-balls on-field was raised at an ICC briefing to the media in Dubai on Monday. Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, said that umpires still confer with bowlers to warn them when they are getting tight to the line, but confirmed that the instruction was only to call them if they are sure, because once a no-ball is called the subsequent actions cannot be overturned.Stuart Broad comes in off his long run in training•Getty Images

He said there were no plans in the near future to take the process out of the hands of the on-field umpires, largely because the officials themselves have said they want to retain the authority in the middle. Umpires, partly for safety, now stand further back from the stumps than they used to while there are some bowlers, such as Finn, who have an action which blocks off the view of the front foot.Cook, himself, fell victim to a missed no-ball when his dismissal against Shoaib Malik was not referred to the third umpire, only for replays to show that Malik’s foot had landed over the line before dragging back, which made it an illegal delivery.Although frustrating for Cook, who was eyeing a maiden Test triple hundred having previously fallen for 294 against India in 2011, he did have the compensation of setting a vital tone for England’s series with his 14-hour 263. His performance, which helped England pile up 598 for 9, ensured there were no early reminders of the batting woes which struck their previous visit here in 2012 when they passed 300 only once and where 94 by Cook was the highest individual score.Cook said he did not envisage any problem in refocusing his energies in a bid for a repeat performance this week, but was aware that Pakistan’s attack will be strengthened by the return of Yasir Shah on a surface expected to have more life.”It’s always a nice place to be as a batter, to score runs early in a series. I know my game is working well. I don’t think it’s any more or less daunting. For me it’s about rhythm – I had a hit yesterday and felt in good touch. You need a little bit of luck to get in and then it’s a question of whether you can get into that rhythm and go big again. If you get in here, you have to go big.”Pakistan missed [Yasir] last game, he’s done well but we were prepared to play him in Abu Dhabi. He will strengthen their bowling.”It will turn more and a bit quicker – last time there was more for the seamers. It’s a unique stadium, the shadow is still there at 10am and that allows for dampness in the wicket and movement. It should be a better cricket wicket.”