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Australia’s 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, completed with a draw at the SSC in Colombo, was one of Michael Clarke’s proudest days

Daniel Brettig at the SSC20-Sep-2011Australia’s 1-0 series victory over Sri Lanka, completed with a draw at the SSC in Colombo, was one of Michael Clarke’s proudest days. Not only did he lead his team to success at the first time of asking across three Tests in unfamiliar conditions against a higher-ranked opponent, but Clarke also made the series safe with a telling contribution.There were equal parts of personal and team satisfaction as Clarke reflected on a tour during which Australia also won the ODI series 3-2. Of particular importance for Australian cricket was the emergence of a young group including Shaun Marsh, Nathan Lyon and Trent Copeland, who all debuted and contributed. Add to that the runs of Phillip Hughes, and there was plenty of progress made.”It’s as special a day as I’ve had, no doubt,” Clarke said. “We put in a lot of work to come on this tour and perform well. I know seven years ago Ricky [Ponting], in his first Test series as captain, won here so it’s certainly very special.”The way the boys played, the way [Michael] Hussey played, he had an amazing series. I was so stoked for Hughesy, Copes, Lyon and young Shaun Marsh. Everyone has contributed and that’s the most pleasing thing.”To get those three figures is a great feeling because it has taken such a long time. Throughout my career there’s been plenty of ups and downs but of late, in Test cricket, there’s probably been more downs than ups. My statistics have not been as I would’ve liked. I had a horrible Ashes series, as I’ve made very clear, and to be able to help this team win this series by making some runs today is very special.”The tourists still had plenty to do at the start of the final day, and scrounging out a draw has not been an Australian trait since the days of Allan Border.”The start of the day was pretty tough,” Clarke said. “I said to the boys, when they ran their first drinks out, that was as tough a 20 runs as I’ve scored in my career. Things got a little bit easier from there. Batting with Huss [Man of the Series, Michael Hussey] makes a big difference. He’s in some great nick and allowed me to play my way.”I was still trying to play positively, if we could get the runs quickly enough to try and set up a bit of a game. But as the day unfolded the wicket was very good to bat on, there was a little bit of spin and reverse swing but it was still a very good batting wicket.”I’m stoked to have made a hundred. It’s been way too long. It’s about time I guess but it’s very satisfying and a great feeling to have scored it under those circumstances.”Central to Clarke’s effort on the final day was a calculated attack on the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who ultimately had figures of 7 for 157. He could have spun Sri Lanka to a realistic last-day target had Clarke not shown courage in dancing down the wicket to deliveries that spun and bounced out of the rough.”It got me out in the end, didn’t it? I’ve always said that about spin. I feel I try to play as positively as I can against spin, and probably more positive once the ball’s spinning,” Clarke said. “But I get out a lot to spin as well, there’s obviously risk there. Fortunately, today I had a little bit of luck.”I hit some balls out of the middle, a couple of balls I don’t know how they missed the stumps and went between my legs. I was pleased I had the courage, like Hughesy yesterday, to be able to go and play my way. There’s always a risk, when the ball’s spinning away and you’re going down the wicket, there’s always a risk of missing it.”I think he’s [Herath] bowled really well throughout the series, he got seven today. He’s a wonderful bowler and I was just fortunate it was my day today.”

The PCB will support the recommendation to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) in international matches at the ICC annual conference in Hong Kong, its chairman Ijaz Butt has said

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2011The PCB will support the recommendation to implement the Decision Review System (DRS) in international matches at the ICC’s annual conference in Hong Kong, its chairman Ijaz Butt has said. However, the board will oppose the proposal to end the rotational system for ICC presidents and the planned amendment to the ICC’s constitution which will allow the governing body to suspend a member in the event of governmental interference in the running of a national cricket board.Those two issues, along with the Associate participation in the 2015 World Cup, form the crux of the conference but they were not debated on the opening day. The meetings began on June 26 with discussions on playing conditions and the rankings system. The headline issues were kept for the upcoming days.One board that has vehemently opposed the DRS is the BCCI, but the PCB was satisfied with the system. “We really don’t know why India is opposing the DRS,” Butt had said prior to his departure for Hong Kong. “They must have their reasons but as far as we are concerned, we are satisfied with the impact it has had so far in Test and ODI cricket, and we felt the World Cup was a good example of this system working and getting better in future.”We support India where we agree with their viewpoint. But generally we have our own independent views on decisions. I think the fact that we are not in favor of ending the rotation system of electing the ICC chairman, or having amendments in the ICC constitution to prevent complete government interference in member board affairs, is testimony to this.”With regards to the proposed amendment to prevent government interference, the PCB issued a legal notice to the ICC. It is among the boards that could, in the event of any interference from the government, be directly affected by the amendment, since the patron-in-chief of the PCB is the president of Pakistan.Pakistan and Bangladesh are next in line to nominate the ICC president and vice-president as per the rotational system. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said it is not against the proposed change in the process for the nomination and election of the ICC president, but wants the amendment to come into effect only after the completion of a full cycle of the current rotational system.”The board, in principle, agrees on the proposed amendment of ICC Article of Association regarding abolishing the present rotation system for the post of president of the ICC,” the Bangladesh board said. “However, the BCB feels that an equal and fair opportunity should be given to all existing Full Member countries to avail the privileges of the current rotation system.”The ICC annual conference begins with a meeting of the chief executives committee on June 26 and 27, followed by the executive board meeting – June 28 and 29 – and the full council meeting on June 30.

Injuries combined with the pressures of captaincy may have inhibited his batting previously in the ODI-format, says Smith, and it’s something he hopes to set right in the upcoming season

Firdose Moonda19-Aug-2011Graeme Smith, South Africa’s Test captain, has decided what he wants to be when he grows up. A good friend (especially to AB de Villiers), a loving husband and a batsman. More specifically, a one-day batsman.”If I look at the record I have built up over the years, I am proud of it, but there is still a lot more to do,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo in Johannesburg, where he was attending a CSA sponsorship announcement. “The injuries that I’ve had have mostly affected the ODI format so I am focussing on that.”Since 2008, Smith has had six hand-related injuries, battling tennis elbow and an array of broken bones. Those ailments have kept him out of a significant number of one-day matches in recent times. In the first six years of his career, Smith played an average of 20.8 ODIs a year. That number has reduced to 11.75 over the last four years, including this one.In some ways, the most remarkable thing about that statistic is that Smith has been playing international cricket for a decade, eight years of which he has spent as captain. It’s a length of time that justifies thoughts of reinvention, something that Smith has been working on. He stepped down as Twenty20 captain in August last year and relinquished the one-day leadership after the 2011 World Cup, to give him more time to focus on batting.”Injuries, combined with the pressures of captaincy, may have inhibited my batting,” he said. “At the moment I am just concentrating on getting some confidence back. I know that I’ve never been the most elegant batter, but I’ve always had self-belief. I need to build up some confidence.”With his place in the ODI side no longer secure, Smith’s form in the shorter version of the game is under scrutiny and recent performances are not in his favour. His average of 28.25 in 2011 is a big step-down from his career average of 39.25, and is at its lowest since 2006. He has not scored an ODI century since 2009, when he made 141 in a losing cause against England during the Champions Trophy. He was also not able to clock up a half-century at the World Cup and his failure to return home with the rest of the squad at the end of March saw him heavily criticised by the South African public. He has since had a knee operation and has only been able to train for the past three weeks.”The World Cup was one of the darkest places I have been in my career,” he said. “I’ve had some time to press the reset button and I’m looking forward to the new season.” It will be a season of change, and freedom, for Smith, who will no longer feel the weight of the captain’s armband. “After being captain in all three formats, I can now focus on myself. It’s going to be a big season for me.”With expectation of a different sort hanging over him, Smith believes that in former opening batting partner, Gary Kirsten he will have an ideal mentor and challenger. “When we played together Gary and I had a deal that whoever scored more runs in the season would take the other one out for dinner. I always ended up paying for dinner,” he said jokingly. Kirsten can’t make deals like that anymore but he will “bring a lot of common sense to the side and will bring the best out of players”.Having basically grown up being the captain gave Smith the space to mature and develop while leading, an opportunity not a lot of people get. “When I started in the job, I was 22, and I didn’t have the experience in terms of relationships. I learnt how to allow each guy the space to grow and feel comfortable, and it helped having good guys around.”Now, Smith has to be that good guy, the one who will provide de Villiers with advice when needed and then back off at the right time. “I will always been an ally for him, but it’s important that he forges his own way,” Smith said. He believes that zoning in on his own game will allow de Villiers to have the space he needs to build a team that will have this ethos and that Smith will be able to fit into that as someone who will “score lots of runs,” for de Villiers.Smith remains South Africa’s Test captain and the coming series against Australia and Sri Lanka are foremost in his mind, as South Africa aim to challenge England for the No.1 ranking. “I see it as a season filled with prospects, in some ways similar to the 2008-09 season.” South Africa beat Australia in Australia for the first time then, getting one over the No.1 team in the world, although their ranking did not change. The over-riding image of that tour was Smith walking out to bat with a broken hand. Smith the batsman, the same one he wants to become now.

Carl Hooper, the former West Indies batsman, has been appointed batting coach at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2011Carl Hooper, the former West Indies batsman, has been appointed batting coach at the Sagicor High Performance Center in Barbados. Hooper, who scored 11,523 international runs in 102 Tests and 227 one-day internationals for West Indies will move to Barbados from Australia, where he has lived since retiring in 2004.He has been appointed for the ongoing semester and will work with the centre’s head coach Andre Coley, the former Jamaica wicketkeeper. Hooper’s appointment comes after another former West Indies batsman, Desmond Haynes, agreed to be batting consultant to the national side for the ongoing series against Pakistan, as the WICB makes efforts to involved more ex-players in the development of cricket in the Caribbean.

David Harrison, the Glamorgan seamer, has been forced to retire due to a persistent hip problem

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2011David Harrison, the Glamorgan seamer, has been forced to retire due to a persistent hip problem. The 29-year-old worked hard over the winter to try and resume his career this season but the injury proved too severe.In 2004 he reached as far as the England A set up after a season where he took 57 Championship wickets and as recently as last summer claimed career-best figures of 7 for 45 against Worcestershire.”It’s disappointing to have to retire through injury,” Harrison told the Glamorgan website. “It’s sad but I’ve had time to reflect on the situation over the last couple of weeks and I look back on a fantastic 13-year career. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to play professional cricket and do what so many people aspire to.”Colin Metson, Glamorgan’s managing Director of cricket, added: “David has been an excellent servant to Glamorgan Cricket over many years and it’s always disappointing when players finish their careers early through injury.”It is even more disappointing after his performances with the ball last year. David is held in high esteem by both players and coaches alike, and I am delighted that he will remain involved with the team in a coaching capacity for the remainder of the season.”

Leeds United are in a great position to bring Brennan Johnson to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider and journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, should Leeds go on to secure their status as a Premier League side this season, coupled with Nottingham Forest failing to secure promotion to the top flight in the Championship play-offs, Victor Orta will be in a fantastic position to land his reported £20m transfer target this summer.

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Regarding the Whites’ interest in the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Jones said: “They should make him their number one target, 100%. They are in a great position to sign Brennan Johnson if they do stay up and Forest don’t manage to get promoted.”

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is undeniable that Leeds’ place in the Premier League next season appears extremely uncertain following the weekend’s results, should the Whites go on to secure survival, the prospect of landing a player as talented as Johnson is undoubtedly something that will leave the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 46 Championship appearances this season, the £900k-rated forward has been a revelation in Steve Cooper’s attack, scoring 16 goals, registering ten assists and creating 15 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £2.5k-per-week Wales international average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Nottingham Forest’s fourth-best outfielder in the second tier – with the 20-year-old playing a starring role in the Reds’ widely unexpected securing of a top-six finish in the league.

As such, the suggestion that – as long as Leeds stay up and Forest remain in the Championship – Orta is in a great position to secure the signing of Johnson this summer is undoubtedly incredibly exciting for everyone involved with the Whites.

However, with Jesse Marsch’s side currently sitting 18th in the Premier League standings, it would appear a wise move for Leeds to hold off on printing shirts donning the attacking midfielder’s name just yet.

AND in other news: “Very possible…”: Phil Hay drops big Leeds injury update, supporters will be buzzing

Wayne Parnell, the South Africa left-arm fast bowler, has signed up with Sussex as their overseas player for the second half of the 2011 English domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2011Wayne Parnell, the South Africa left-arm fast bowler, has signed up with Sussex as their overseas player for the second half of the 2011 English domestic season. Subject to clearance from Cricket South Africa, Parnell, who is part of South Africa’s 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup, will take over from Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who will be with Sussex until the end of June.Parnell, 21, made his international debut at the age of 19, has played three Tests, 18 ODIs and 11 Twenty20 internationals. He averages 30.35 in ODIs for 31 wickets, including two five-fors, and 20.50 for 14 wickets in the T20 format. He’s also shown ability with the bat lower down the order.”I must be honest and say that I’m very excited about the prospects of playing for Sussex,” Parnell was quoted as saying in a release. “I believe it will be a great learning curve and I will definitely gain more experience playing alongside some seasoned professionals as well as international cricketers. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of winning trophies for Sussex”.Sussex’s professional cricket manager Mark Robinson said: “We are delighted that one of South Africa’s brightest talents has joined us. He will give us not only a wicket-taking threat, but the potential for valuable runs.”

The ICC has announced the final squads for the six-team ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, which will be played from January 22 to 29 in Hong Kong

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2010The ICC has announced the final squads for the six-team ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament, which will be played from January 22 to 29, 2011 in Hong Kong.Teams from Denmark, Italy, USA, Oman and Papua New Guinea will join hosts Hong Kong for the tournament. The top two sides will win promotion to Division 2, which will be staged in the United Arab Emirates in April 2011.The matches will be hosted at three grounds in Hong Kong – Kowloon CC, Hong Kong CC and Mission Road.The teams will arrive in Hong Kong on January 20 and have one day to practice before the matches start.Denmark: Michael Pedersen (capt), Aftab Ahmed, Rizwan Mahmood, Raja Javed, Martin Pedersen, Jacob Larsen, Bashir Shah, Troels Thøgersen, Bobby Chawla, Yasir Iqbal, Frederik Klokker, Carsten Pedersen, David Borchersen, Naveed MugfalHong Kong: Najeeb Amar (capt), Nadeem Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Tabarak Dar, Khalid Butt, Asif Khan, Courtney Kruger; Roy Lansam, Mark Chapman, Nizakat Mohammad, Moner Muhammad, Adil Mehmood, Mohammad Aizaz KhanItaly: Alessandro Bonora (capt), Roshendra Abewickrama, Din Alaud, Damian Crowley, Gayashan Munasinghe, Dilan Fernando, Thushara Kurukulasuriya, Damian Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Hayden Patrizi, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso, Hemantha Jayasena, Vincenzo PennazzaOman: Hemal Mehta (capt), Qais bin Khalid al Said, Sufyan Mehmood, Sultan Ahmed, Hemin Pratap Desai, Vaibhav Wategaonkar, Jatinder Singh, Deep Trivedi, Rajeshkumar Ranpura, Awal Khan, Syed Amir Ali, Adnan Ilyas, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Khalid RasheedPapua New Guinea: Rarua Dikana Boge (capt), Chris Amini, Assadollah Vala, Kila Pala, Loa Nou, Pipi Raho, Mahuru Dai, Raymond Haoda Jnr, Chris Kent, Jack Vare-Kevera, Tony Ura, Kapena Arua, Hitolo Areni, Jason KilaUSA: Steve Massiah (capt), Muhammed Ghous, Lennox Cush, Usman Shuja, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Ritesh Kadu, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Kevin Darlington, Durale Forrest, Asif Mehmood Khan, Ryan Corns

West Ham stands on the brink of a historic season, with David Moyes and his men close to a Europa League final appearance and challenging for a top-six spot in the Premier League.

This has been a remarkable turnaround since Moyes took charge of his second spell at the Hammers and is a direct product of his excellent recruitment that have propelled them to unparalleled heights so far this term.

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Recruitment is key for success obviously but promoting youth talents should also be deemed paramount to long-term glory and West Ham have a fair few talents blossoming in the U23 squad.

One such player is left winger Armstrong Okoflex, who signed from Celtic last summer and is one of the squad’s brightest talents.  As a result, Moyes should get ready to unleash him in the near future as he could cause all kinds of threats.

The 20-year-old has 11 goals and two assists in 21 matches in the Premier League 2 this season and this is the type of form that Moyes will be paying close attention to.

Former Hammer Carlton Cole dubbed him as a “revelation” just a couple of months ago and with 17 goals in all competitions, it’s hard to argue with this sort of praise.

Okofloex could well be Said Benrahma 2.0 as the two are rather similar, with both playing in the same position and the pair having a similar eye for goal.

Indeed, the young talent even dreams of following in the Algerian’s footsteps, revealing in an interview: “The likes of Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen, I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can, especially Benrahma because of the way he dribbles with the ball and is creative. I’m happy to be here around the first team whenever I can.”

It would be nice for Moyes to have some added competition in the first team, especially for the likes of Benrahma and although this season could be a step too soon for the 20-year-old, the manager might unleash him after the summer.

The future is bright for Okoflex, the main question is, will he take his opportunity when it comes?

AND in other news, Contact made: West Ham plot bid for 14-goal gem, he could become a £63m-rated talent

Stuart Broad was quick to adapt to Australian conditions as he gained three wickets on the opening day of their tour opener against Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Nov-2010England XI 1 for 10 trail Western Australia 8 for 242 dec (Voges 72, Robinson 62, Broad 3-47) by 232 runs
ScorecardStuart Broad watches Marcus North’s cut fly to Graeme Swann•Associated PressStuart Broad was quick to adapt to Australian conditions as he gained three wickets on the opening day of their tour opener against Western Australia. England’s enjoyed a dramatic start to their trip, with Broad taking two wickets in the second over, and the other fast bowlers completed a decent first hit-out.Western Australia declared at 8 for 242 to leave England’s openers six overs to face, but they lost Alastair Cook for 5 when he was bowled off the midriff while trying to pull Steve Magoffin. Andrew Strauss, who was 5, took them to 1 for 10 at stumps, while the nightwatchman James Anderson was on zero.The game began in a flurry of action and Broad, who is expected to be a key figure in the Ashes, was on a hat-trick almost immediately. Liam Davis edged to Graeme Swann, who took a diving catch at second slip, and Michael Swart flinched at a short ball before popping it to Paul Collingwood at first slip. Broad finished with 3 for 47 from 18 overs and will be keen for more work before the three-day game ends.Marcus North, Australia’s No.6, was edgy at the start of his innings and survived a couple of loud appeals for lbws from Broad. North has been under pressure to build on his starts over the past year, but he fell shortly before lunch when Broad returned for another spell.After spending 72 balls creeping to 19, North cut to Swann at second slip, as Broad collected 3 for 13 in nine impressive overs in the first session. It was a slow day after Broad’s initial breakthroughs as the hosts tried to hold on through Adam Voges (72) and Wes Robinson (62).Anderson, who gave up eight runs from his nine overs before the break, delivered 22 for the day and finished with 1 for 49. The wicket came when Luke Pomersbach (21) edged behind and followed Paul Collingwood’s caught-and-bowled of Robinson. Steven Finn was less effective but did pick up Luke Ronchi (32) after tea to have 1 for 69, while Swann was given 20 overs and gained the scalp of Ryan Duffield.