Category Uncategorized

DURBAN, South Africa, March 13 AAP – Collins Obuya earns $1,000 a year from cricket. The vast majority of his annual income comes from selling tomatoes at his mother’s market. He stutters when he speaks but the ball comes nicely out of his hand.Transformed by words of wisdom from Shane Warne, the Kenyan leg spinner has become one of the sensations of the World Cup, taking 13 wickets to be seventh on the bowling list with Andy Bichel.He faces his biggest test on Saturday when Australia’s batsmen attempt to hit him from Kingsmead to Kingdom Come.Obuya, 21, was inspired to take up leg spin when he watched Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahmed on television at the 1996 World Cup. He credited his rapid recent development to a conversation with Warne at Nairobi last September after the Kenyans had been flogged twice by Australia at a one-day tournament.”In Nairobi I had a chat with him and he showed me some tips about how to bowl the flipper and the wrong one,” said Obuya.”I am trying to bowl the flipper. It is not coming as well as Shane Warne can do it but I am trying.”I’ve bowled two in this tournament but it pitches short – I got hit for four. I can bowl the wrong one pretty well.”I thank Shane Warne for giving me a little bit of hope. He told me I can bowl leg spin if I kept working on it.”Warne might have his flaws but he’s always made time to help his fellow leg spinners, whether they be Victoria’s youngster Cameron White, a group of schoolkids at training camps he attends on tour or a wide-eyed novice such as Obuya from an underdeveloped cricketing nation like Kenya.”I am looking forward to playing Australia very much,” he said.”If I can get three or four wickets I would be very happy.”I know Australian batsmen are very aggressive and I’m looking forward to putting the ball in the right places. I hope to get wickets.”I can say it’s a dream come true because people in Kenya were not expecting us to even reach the Super Sixes and we are in the semi-finals. That’s a good achievement for Kenya.”Obuya bowled 11 wicketless overs against Australia in last year’s Nairobi tournament for 66 runs. Damien Martyn confirmed the Australian top order would attempt to treat him with equal disdain in Saturday’s final Super Sixes match before the semi-finals.”He turns the ball, he takes wickets so we’ll treat their team like we’re playing South Africa, New Zealand or Sri Lanka,” said Martyn.”We can’t go in thinking any differently. It’s a big game for us still.”Obuya’s voice was almost a whisper. He said most of his friends in Kenya played soccer because there was no money in cricket and it didn’t keep them as fit; he hoped Kenya would soon become a Test-playing nation; and he wanted to become a doctor some day when he was finished with cricket and he no longer needed to work at the markets.Money won’t be as big a problem this year.Obuya’s cricketing income is about to go through the roof. Kenya is guaranteed a $500,000 payout for making the semi-finals, with the majority of the booty to be shared among the 15 players who have reached greater heights than any of them thought possible.Especially Obuya.”Yes,” he said.”It is hard for me to believe.”

After taking four wickets in the pre-lunch session, Glamorgan must have fancied their chances of recording their second Championship win of the season. But two missed chances, and stubborn half-centuries by TonyPenberthy and Russell Warren allowed Northamptonshire to stave off defeat and the game, on a wearing Cardiff wicket, ended in a draw as Northamptonshire reached 349 for 7 in their second innings after following on.As in the visitors first innings, Robert Croft was Glamorgan’s main wicket-taker, with Croft taking 5 for 96 during a marathon spell of 57 overs in the Northants second innings. The off-spinner had a spell of 4-11 in the morning session as Northants slipped from their 126-0 at the start of play to 176-4 at the interval.In his fifth over of the day, Croft broke the opening partnership as Adrian Rollins edged a ball to Jimmy Maher at first slip. In the next couple of overs, Mike Hussey went on the offensive against Croft, twice hitting him to the cover boundary, but shortly afterwards, Croft gained his revenge as the Australian chopped the ball onto his stumps as he attempted a cut.Three balls later Russell Warren survived a stumping chance, but Croft was back in the wickets soon afterwards as Mal Loye mistimed a drive and was caught by Steve James at mid-off. Then a couple of overs later, Croft induced a leading edge from Alex Swann, and as he celebrated his fourth wicket, Croft and the rest of the Glamorgan team must have been sensing victory.However, Glamorgan were thwarted during the afternoon session by a stubborn partnership of 94 in 20 overs by Russell Warren and Tony Penberthy, although Warren had a second life when on 28 he survived a stumping chance off Dean Cosker. Undeterred by the turning wicket, Penberthy and Warren continued to punish the odd loose ball, until on 60 Penberthy edged Cosker into the hands of Jimmy Maher at slip.Glamorgan’s slim hopes of victory were briefly raised after tea when Adrian Dale claimed a wicket in his first over, as he trapped Graeme Swann leg before. But Warren remained defiant at the other end, and he eventually reached his patient half-century off 143 balls.Having guided his side to safety, Warren’s long vigil finally ended when on 77 he pushed forward to Croft and got a thin edge to the keeper. This gave Croft his fifth and final wicket of the innings, plus the splendid match figures of 10 for 191 – his first ten wicket haul of the season, and the fourth of his county career.Despite not being able to force a victory, Glamorgan will be able to take great heart from Croft’s performance, his 90.3 overs in thematch, and his innings of 93. Having spent much of the past month with the England one-day squad, Croft had only bowled 84 overs before this match in Championship cricket with just 4 first-class wickets to his name. If the England selectors need an in-form spinner for the forthcoming Ashes series, Croft has more than stated his fine credentials.

Crystal Palace are now targeting a Man City sensation after being dealt a roadblock in their pursuit of Tottenham winger Brennan Johnson, according to a new report.

Amid the uncertainty surrounding his long-term future and murmurs that he won’t be signing a new deal, manager Oliver Glasner is still prioritising attacking reinforcements next month after a good start to the campaign.

The south Londoners are still well in contention for a European place, but they quite simply need more options if they’re to maintain that charge, with Ismaila Sarr’s AFCON departure leaving them even more exposed.

The Eagles are particularly light out wide, as only Sarr, Yeremy Pino and Romain Esse are viewed as natural options in those positions, though Eddie Nketiah has also been deployed on the flanks in recent weeks out of necessity.

Related Crystal Palace learn Brennan Johnson stance on January transfer from Tottenham

The Wales international is a key target heading into the winter.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Recent reports suggest that Palace are eyeing Johnson as a serious option ahead of the winter window, with credible media sources believing that the 24-year-old could leave next month after falling out of favour under Thomas Frank.

Steve Parish and co are also apparently more advanced than other suitors, but reportedly face stiff competition from the likes of Aston Villa.

Make no mistake, Palace’s primary attacking target is Johnson, but the Welsh international’s £50 million price tag also represents a significant ‘stumbling block’ for Glasner’s side.

That is according to talkSPORT, who report that Palace do have an alternative to the Spurs winger.

Crystal Palace eye January move for Oscar Bobb

Indeed, Man City’s Oscar Bobb has emerged as a potentially more viable plan B option should Palace fail to secure their top target, with the 22-year-old also attracting interest from Fulham and La Liga side Sevilla.

The versatile winger can operate comfortably on either flank and would add unpredictability, pace and technical quality to Glasner’s attacking options.

Bobb’s potential availability in January hinges entirely on whether City complete their pursuit of Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who has emerged as one of the Premier League’s standout attacking talents this season.

The Ghana international favours a move to the Etihad Stadium despite interest from several other top-flight clubs, and his release clause of £65 million must be triggered within the first 10 days of the January transfer window.

City are understood to be open to offers for Bobb next month, either on a permanent basis or a loan, having previously considered selling the player last summer before ultimately deciding to retain him.

The Norwegian has struggled for prominence this season, despite returning from the serious leg fracture that derailed his entire 24/25 campaign and kept him sidelined until April.

Subscribe to our newsletter for top transfer insight Get smarter on transfer moves by subscribing to our newsletter, which breaks down targets, stumbling blocks and plan-B options like Oscar Bobb, and provides clear Premier League transfer analysis and context you can trust. Subscribe Subscribe to our newsletter for top transfer insight Get smarter on transfer moves by subscribing to our newsletter, which breaks down targets, stumbling blocks and plan-B options like Oscar Bobb, and provides clear Premier League transfer analysis and context you can trust.

---

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.

Bobb has managed nine Premier League appearances totaling 467 minutes with just one assist this term, which came against Wolves on the opening day, and the recent promotion of Rayan Cherki to the starting lineup has further limited his chances.

Since making his debut in September 2023, Bobb has managed 47 senior appearances for City, contributing three goals and four assists across all competitions, with Guardiola recently calling him a ‘machine’.

However, both player and club had hoped his appearance tally would be significantly higher by this stage, with the unfortunate injury on the eve of last season ruining those development plans.

Now, a fresh start could be mutually beneficial to both Bobb and Palace.

Related Crystal Palace keen on "incredible" £50k-p/w forward with same agent as Pino

Oliver Glasner is looking to upgrade his attacking options.

Posts ByDominic Lund

	Happier days: Allan Donald with his captain, Dermot Reeve, when Warwickshire lifted the Championship in 1995 © Getty Images

Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler, is determined to rekindle Warwickshire’s winning spirit of the 1990s which made them such a force in county cricket. Donald has been persuaded back to the club by their director of cricket, Ashley Giles, and although his official title is bowling coach, he will effectively be the first-team coach.Donald spurned the opportunity to become England’s full-time bowling coach after a brief stint last year, and in spite of a number of media offers he is delighted to be back at Warwickshire.”For me, it really doesn’t get any better than this,” he told . “I’m excited to be working with Ash, to be working with the first team and to be back at Edgbaston.”To be honest with you, I wouldn’t have taken the England job even if this role at Warwickshire hadn’t come up. Working with the England team was fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel I made a positive impact and, I have to say, the ECB were brilliant. They are a highly professional organisation and, in many ways, everything about the job was great.”But I’d been on the road for years. At some stage you have to put the family first. I want to see my children grow up. The thing with the media side is you still have to do the travelling. Besides, I’m more at home in tracksuit and shorts than I am with microphone and tie.”Warwickshire have suffered two dreadful seasons, despite having – on paper at least – a number of gifted players on their books. Last season, they crashed to the bottom of the Pro40 league and were relegated to the second division of the Championship.”It’s difficult when a team has been hammered for a couple of years. But there is a good spirit emerging and I’d like to think the team will have that cockiness you need by the start of the season. I was around enough last season to see how low people were. That decision to leave Ian Bell out of the side for the C&G semi-final was ridiculous but they are a good bunch and you can feel spirits rising already.”There was a great spirit with those teams in the past at Warwickshire. We laughed a lot. We enjoyed each other’s company. It meant something to play for the team. You don’t get that everywhere and it is a special club. We want to get that back.”

James Anderson and Runako Morton go toe to toe – Anderson was subsequently fined 50% of his match fee after being found guilty of barging into Morton © Getty Images

James Anderson has been fined 50% of his match fee for shoulder-barging Runako Morton during the second one-day international at Edgbaston.The incident occurred during the closing stages of West Indies’ innings when, after finishing an over, Anderson dropped his shoulder into Morton as the batsman completed a run. Morton reacted to the incident by pointing his bat at Anderson and Brian Jerling, the umpire, had to step in to keep the players apart. When Morton was dismissed, Anderson gave him a send-off to the pavilion.Both players appeared in front of match referee Mike Procter on Wednesday night and, while Anderson was hit with the penalty, Morton was found not guilty of breaching the code of conduct.”I have no problem with players being aggressive on the field because our game is all about passion and commitment,” said Procter. “But, at the same time, they have to recognize they are role models watched by people all over the world.”Cricket is, after all, a non-contact sport and when players fail to recognise that fact and engage in needless nudges, the type of which we saw yesterday, then that is where we have to draw the line.”Anderson’s 10-over spell went for 78 runs, his most expensive analysis in ODIs, and his last four overs cost 50 against a fired up Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels.Following the match England captain Paul Collingwood said: “To be perfectly honest, I don’t mind the boys getting stuck if they need to get stuck in. I don’t mind that at all. That’s cricket. Simple as that.”Chris Gayle, his opposite number, also shrugged off the incidents, insisting there was nothing personal at stake. “These guys have been playing cricket against each other for quite some time now,” he said. “We were just trying to get on top of them as early as possible and they did the same thing, so it was a little bit of give-and-take. I hope no-one takes it too seriously.”It was a heated encounter throughout with Daren Powell also becoming involved in verbal exchanges with the England batsmen.Stuart Broad was also found to have breached clause 1.1 of the code, which concerns the ICC logo policy, and was handed a reprimand. Broad wore a visible white garment under his playing shirt on Wednesday, something not permitted under clothing regulations. West Indies won by 61 runs to level the series.

‘That I got into rhythm straightaway made a big difference’ – Agarkar on his success in the ODI series against West Indies © Getty Images

Ajit Agarkar, India’s most successful bowler in the one-day series against West Indies, is returning home even as the bowlers in the Test squad had a torrid time in the warm-up match in Antigua, conceding as many as 20 extras on the first day.India lost the series 1-4, but Agarkar finished on top of the Indian bowling averages with nine wickets at 18.11 a piece. Only Ian Bradshaw, the West Indies left-arm seamer, bettered his average, conceding 17.11 runs for each of the nine wickets that he got from the four matches he played.”That I got into rhythm straightaway made a big difference. My confidence, perhaps, would have been dented had I gone for runs in the first ODI [Kingston],” Agarkar told , the Kolkata-based daily.India will next play a one-day tournament only in August-September when they travel to Sri Lanka for a tri-series and Agarkar plans to spend the time in between playing some form of professional cricket, possibly in England, where he had played for Middlesex in 2004.”I will take a complete break for about a week and, then, explore possibilities of either playing for a county or in one of the leagues. Obviously, I’ve got to establish contact with an agent… I’m definitely going to play some form of cricket,” he said.During the series, Agarkar became the seventh allrounder and the second Indian after Kapil Dev, to score 1000 runs and take 250 wickets. He is the only fast bowler in the current one-day squad to have played previously in West Indies when India won the series 2-1 in 2001-02. He took six wickets in three matches, three for 33 being his best bowling figures.Agarkar felt the reason why other Indian bowlers were not as successful as him was because they couldn’t hit the right length – which is vital on the slow West Indies pitches. Experience, he added, also counted in overseas tours.To somebody who arrived on the international scene with such gusto, Agarkar seemed resigned to the seesaw nature of his career. “The past eight years have seen me in and out a number of times… I’m disappointed, but my selection or otherwise rests with others.”

Martin Snedden: ‘If you’ve entered into a contractual arrangement with nine other countries and you try and pick and choose later, then you expose yourself to ridicule’ © Cricinfo

The New Zealand board has said that there was no question of not going ahead with the tour to Zimbabwe and added that they will try and avoid any contact with Robert Mugabe’s government.Martin Snedden, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said an independent security report from Zimbabwe earlier this week had given the all-clear for the tour and that player safety wouldn’t be an issue. In response, the players unanimously agreed to the five-week tour, involving two Tests followed by a one-day tri-series with India as the third team.The detailed report regarding the security arrangements were given to the board by a Zimbabwe-based security expert, who also advised England and Australia during their tours last year. “The advice we’re getting is that as things stand at present he doesn’t think it will interfere with the tour proceeding,” Snedden told New Zealand Press Association. He added that player safety was the only grounds for not touring, as they would be liable for a minimum fine of US$2 million for unjustified cancellation under ICC regulations. Snedden said the US$2 million fine for unjustified cancellation was the bare minimum and that the touring country was also liable for all financial losses suffered by the hosts.The team have come under pressure from political parties and have been urged not to tour. Rod Donald, the co-leader of the Greens, petitioned all contracted New Zealand players in March this year and requested they boycott the tour on moral grounds. Helen Clark, the prime minister, had also said that she “wouldn’t be seen dead in Zimbabwe” under the present regime, and that she preferred the tour did not proceed. However, she didn’t take the final step of government intervention, which would also be grounds for cancelling the tour without financial penalty.Snedden outlined the advice that the board had received from the government. “Phil Goff [Foreign Affairs Minister] has suggested that it’s a good thing if we can avoid putting our players in situations where they have any contact with Zimbabwean Government officials, and we’ll be working to achieve that. The government’s taken a pragmatic approach, they’ve expressed a view that they would prefer us not to go, but they understand the contractual situation.”He felt that the cancellation of the tour would lead to embarrassment and added that the players were given all the information they needed about Zimbabwe’s political situation and had the past two months to decide whether to tour or not. “If you’ve entered into a contractual arrangement with nine other countries and you try and pick and choose later, then you expose yourself to ridicule,” he said. “The players have been through this situation a number of times in recent years. It’s an issue we’ve met head on and done pretty well. My understanding is the players are reasonably confident in the way we handle it and are prepared to trust us to do it right.”The board, headed by Snedden, have been weary of security issues in the recent past: New Zealand’s tour of Pakistan in 2002 was aborted midway after a bomb exploded outside the team hotel in Karachi; the team refused to travel to Kenya for a World Cup match in 2003 due to terrorist threats; and later that year they delayed a tour of Pakistan after receiving threats about touring during the holy month of Ramadan.

Odumbe: fighting to clear his name© Getty Images

Maurice Odumbe, Kenya’s former captain, has enlisted the services of one of Kenya’s top criminal lawyers as he attempts to prove his innocence in the case filed against him by the International Cricket Council. The inquiry into allegations of match-fixing is due to start in Nairobi on May 19, and will be presided over by Ahmed Ebrahim, a Zimbabwean judge.Ishan Kapila, who will defend Odumbe, is the son of Achhrro Kapila, who represented Jomo Kenyatta in a famous pre-independence trial in 1953, after he was accused by the British government of being one of the chief instigators in the Mau Mau freedom movement.The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit will serve Odumbe the papers within the next week. He is alleged to have received payments from at least one Mumbai bookmaker in 2002, so that he could coerce his team-mates into underperforming in matches. If found guilty, Odumbe – who has been the face of Kenyan cricket, along with Steve Tikolo – faces a life ban.

XXXX Queensland Bulls spinner Nathan Hauritz has been given theall-clear to resume training this week after recovering from aquadriceps injury suffered in the ING Cup loss to Tasmania on Saturday.Queensland Cricket medical officer Dr Simon Carter examined Hauritz thismorning and was satisfied with his recovery from the injury, describedas a muscle spasm by Dr Carter.”His recovery has been very rapid and we are quite confident he is fineto resume bowling and training this week," Dr Carter said.Hauritz is expected to play for Norths in the final round of theBrisbane XXXX first grade premiership on Saturday in light of hispositive recovery.Queensland take on Victoria next week in the Pura Cup at the Gabba from February 27 – March 2.

India continued their run of success in the triangular tournament,with a six-wicket victory over West Indies, who found themselves twowickets down after three overs on a flat but sluggish pitch, and werenever in the game thereafter.On another clear Bulawayo morning, India won the toss again and putWest Indies in. Perhaps the move was due to some suspicion of earlylife in the pitch, although in the present dry conditions that waslikely to be minimal, and also because they are playing apredominantly seam attack, resting Harbhajan Singh.West Indies lost Chris Gayle (0) in the second over, trapped back onthe crease without footwork and lbw to seamer Harvinder Singh,recalled to the Indian team after a long absence. Daren Ganga (2)followed, caught in the covers off a leading edge to DebashishMohanty, and West Indies were reeling at 2 for two wickets, with thebowlers finding a good amount of swing, even if the pitch gave themlittle help.Wavell Hinds and Shivnarine Chanderpaul struggled against goodbowling, most of their runs coming in quick singles. Eventually Hinds(9), frustrated, lashed out at Mohanty and gave Reetinder Sodhi hissecond catch in the covers. Chanderpaul (10) followed a ball fromHarvinder that moved away, edged to the keeper, and at 26 for fourWest Indies appeared virtually out of the match. Mohanty’s openingspell of seven overs cost just 8 runs for two wickets. Sharp Indianfielding also kept the runs to the minimum.After 20 overs West Indies were only 33 for four, but then Carl Hooperdecided to open up more. He hit Zaheer Khan high over his head forfour but, tied down, hit the same bowler to mid-on to be caught for14. In the 25th over, West Indies were in desperate need of a miracleat 47 for five.They didn’t get one, but at least Marlon Samuels played a calm,responsible innings, ably assisted by Ridley Jacobs. The pair added72 most commendably in 92 balls before Mohanty returned to break thestand, having Samuels (44) caught at deepish mid-on. MahendraNagamootoo (17) continued the good work until he was out to a finefull-stretch return catch by Khan, just before Jacobs reached aninvaluable fifty off 69 balls.Mohanty finished with three for 18 off his ten overs, and India neverreally lost their control, hard though the West Indian lower ordertried. Jacobs, as he has done so often, held it all together, thistime with 53 not out, and West Indies finished on 169 for seven.India began their reply quietly, almost somnolently, scoring just 24without loss in the first ten overs. The West Indian bowling was notparticularly threatening but it was accurate enough to restrict thescoring, especially Cameron Cuffy, and Sachin Tendulkar was againsurprisingly restrained; he did not reach double figures until the14th over but had less than his share of the bowling.Sourav Ganguly (20) was first to go, controversially given out caughtdown the leg side. Cuffy completed his ten overs for just 20 runs,taking one wicket, the next one falling ironically to the erraticWavell Hinds, who had Dinesh Mongia (8) caught at the wicket. RahulDravid began with a sweetly timed drive through midwicket for three,but had added only a single when he unexpectedly came down the pitchto Mahendra Nagamootoo to be ‘gated’ and stumped.Tendulkar on 46 appeared to have a fortunate escape from being givenout caught at the wicket off Hooper. Soon afterwards he reached hisfifty off 86 balls. He then began to open up and the remaining WestIndian hopes disappeared rapidly. Badani scored 27 before he skied areturn catch to Mervyn Dillon, but Virender Shewag (11) stayed withTendulkar (81) until victory was completed without pressure and withmore than six overs to spare.