All Today’s Yesterdays – July 19 down the years

July 18| July 20

1952
A young and very fiery Fred Trueman continued his personal assault onIndia’s batsmen. Trueman had grabbed 15 wickets in his first two Tests,and this time added a further 8 for 31 in the first innings at Old Trafford, as India crumbled to 58 all out. Tony Lock, making his debut,started the rot with a stunning catch at short leg to remove Vinoo Mankad, the first time Lock had touched the ball in Test cricket. He wasthen instrumental in bowling India out for 82 in the second innings,taking 4 for 36 in 9.3 overs as 22 wickets fell in the day. It would be49 years until England next played Test cricket on July 19.

1899
No Ashes cricket whatsoever was played on July 19 in the entire 20thCentury. Before 2001, you have to rewind 102 years to Old Trafford, andthe final day of a three-day draw. Earlier in the match, Tom Haywardtopscored with 130, Bill Bradley took a wicket with his first ball in Testcricket, and Australia ‘s Monty Noble became the only batsman to scoretwo Test match fifties on the same day.

1993
The last day of first-class cricket for Ian Botham. Halfway throughDurham’s tour match against the Australians, Beefy announced that itwould be his last. After terrorising them on and off the field for 15years, it wouldn’t have been right if he’d bowed out against anyoneelse. He made 32 and went wicketless, but Botham had another way ofstealing the limelight: he kept wicket for the last over of the matchwithout gloves or pads.

1993
While Botham was finishing up, Glen Chapple was flaying a centuryin 21 minutes and 27 balls – the fastest in first-class history. But youwon’t see it any record books. Chapple’s hundred came against jokebowlers, Tony Cottey (6-0-121-0) and Matthew Maynard (6-0-110-1).

1955
Birth of the first Anglo-Indian to play for India. And fittingly, Roger Binny was at his best in English conditions. A steady medium-pacer and acapable batsman who opened in India’s Golden Jubilee Test, Binny madelittle impact in his first four years of international cricket. But hiscareer took off when he was selected for the World Cup in 1983. He savedIndia from elimination with a matchwinning display against Australia atChelmsford, and conceded just 23 runs from ten overs to help India to astunning victory over West Indies in the final. Three years later, Binnywas instrumental in England’s Test series defeat, taking 5 for 40 inIndia’s victory at Headingley.

1982
England beat Pakistan by 73 runs in a one-day international to win theseries 2-0. Mike Gattingtop-scored with 76 and Ian Botham hit foursixes off Iqbal Qasim.

1877
Birth of fast bowler Arthur Fielder, who played six Tests forEngland, all against Australia. He took an heroic 6 for 82 (9 wickets inthe match) in the narrow defeat at Sydney in 1907-08. In 1906 he becamethe only person to take all ten wickets in an innings for Playersagainst Gentlemen at Lord’s.

1876
John Gunn was born, another whose six Tests were all againstAustralia. A hard-working allrounder, he bowled 42 overs in taking 5 for76 at Adelaide in 1901-02. His uncle William and brother George alsoplayed for England.

Other birthdays
1920 Robert Christiani (West Indies)

The Tasmanian Cricket Association (TCA) Chief Executive, David Johnston today announced the appointment of Cameron Hodgkins to the vacant position of Head Curator at Bellerive Oval.Mr. Johnston said; “For the TCA to be able to obtain the services of a person with Cameron’s experience and knowledge is a real coup and we look forward to Bellerive Oval regaining its high reputation under his management.”Hodgkins joins the TCA, highly recommended and qualified after 14 years in the first class cricket/sports industry as a Curator and Turf Manager.During that time Cameron was employed for 3 years at Lords Cricket Ground in London as a groundsman reporting to Head Groundsman, Michael Hunt.He moves to Bellerive Oval from the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) where he has worked for 11 years and held the position of Assistant Arena Manager under Tony Ware for the past 6 years. He has during his long association with the MCC been exposed to cricket pitch preparation and Sports Field Management at the highest level.At the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Cameron has had the responsibility of preparing both first class and international cricket pitches, his most recent being the one-day international between Australia and Bangladesh at Marrara Oval in Darwin.His achievements and involvements include the Olympic Soccer Project in 2000, portable cricket pitch development, Challenge Series 2 during 2002, VB Series in Darwin 2002 and the reconstruction of the MCG Arena in 1992.Upon his appointment Hodgkins stated that the opportunity to be involved with Bellerive Oval and the TCA was extremely exciting and he was looking forward to commencing duties on September 15.

Michael Vaughan says your bowling needs a bit of work.
I know my bowling is my weak area. Ideally I’d like to bowl a lot more at Surrey, but basically it’s a case of working with Troy Cooley when I get the opportunity and seeing how it goes. At Surrey, I’ll bowl well in one game, but then not bowl again in the next or for a while after that. It leads to inconsistency, and that’s what I lack at the moment. I need to sort out my technique, iron out that odd short ball and odd full ball, and hit more of a consistent area at a decent pace.Was your action modelled on that other famous Guildford and Surrey seam bowler?
Bickers? No, it wasn’t planned like that. But when I joined Surrey I did work a lot with him, and he said that that sort of action would help. I had a tendency to fall away at the crease, which was something of a glitch in my technique. Bickers’s advice was to find an action that just repeated itself naturally.How are you feeling with a Test debut seemingly round the corner?
I’d like to play, and most people reckon I will play. I’ve just got to wait and see who they go with. From a very early age I’ve wanted to play for England, and now I’ve got the chance, I want to grab it with both hands. It’s all come pretty quickly. In the summer before last I was playing for Guildford, got a few games for Surrey and at the end of it I was picked for the ICC Champions Trophy. And then, at the start of this summer, I went the other way. I started off with Surrey, got dropped, went back to Guildford for two or three games. And then two months later I was in the one-day series … and now this.Would your career benefit from a move from Surrey?
It’s definitely something I’ve thought about. I’ve played all my cricket for them, but if I was somewhere else, then I’d be higher up the order and have more responsibility. But for the moment I’m a Surrey player and I just need to work hard. But moving away is something I’ve thought about, to further my England career. Because at the moment my bowling is not good enough. I’ve mentioned it to Adam Hollioake and the coach, and towards the end of last season they did give me more responsibility, and it went well – I was taking wickets and building a good rhythm. I think that’s what I need, day-in-day-out bowling. Up till now I’ve been getting a game where I’d bowl 25 overs, then in the next I wouldn’t touch the ball. It leads to inconsistency.Last season you scored a hundred and were then dropped?
Yeah, I got 127, but then the overseas players came back and it was a case of “the youngster has to go”. I missed the next four or five games and went back to Guildford instead. But I know they rate me – I’ve signed a five-year contract, and I’ve got four years left … which is pretty tidy!How’s the one-day career going?
It’s been okay, so far. In my last game against South Africa at Edgbaston, I didn’t exactly set the world alight, but I batted well and played my natural game – basically the nerves had settled. The Pakistan series earlier in the summer didn’t go so well, though I’m not sure why. Maybe it was nerves, possibly some bad shot selection. Either way the key is to play naturally. I do what I do, scoring runs and taking wickets.How do you rate your prospects in Bangladesh?
I’ve been very nervous early on in my career, so I hope to relax over here. But I can’t escape the fact that my bowling is still weak. I want to do a job as a third seamer, go for two runs an over, keep it tight and take the odd wicket. That’s what I’m working at. I worked with Troy in the summer, and to be totally honest, my bowling really progressed in that time, only to fall back again at Surrey. Hopefully he’ll help take it on again.Is Freddie Flintoff something of a role model?
Yes, definitely. Freddie is taking on more responsibility with the ball as well as bat, and he’s getting wiser as a cricketer. He’s a definite role model. I’ve heard no word for Stewie [Alec Stewart], my predecessor at No. 6 – he’s too busy watching Chelsea. But 6 is my number. I’ve done it for Surrey and I’ve enjoyed it. It’s down to me to do well now, so that when Freddie comes back, I’ll be giving the selectors a bit of a headache. I just want to be in the side.Is your fielding natural or the product of hard work?
I don’t work that hard on my fielding, to be honest. Of course, it’s the same as everyone – we have our catches in the morning. But maybe I’ve just got big hands! I enjoy standing at slip, backward point, or wherever. It’s just a question of where the skipper wants me. Down at fine-leg is not really me – I like to be in the action and maybe take a run-out.How have you adjusted to the batting conditions overseas?
Batting-wise I’ve been working with Duncan Fletcher, and he said get a bit lower at the crease. In England I stand very tall, because the pitches are so true. Over here that’s not the case, you have to stay lower, especially when you’re quite tall like me. As the allrounder I’m not quite in the Flintoff mould – Freddie is more powerful than I am. He still plays the correct shots, but hits the ball so much harder. Given time at the crease I can be pretty destructive myself, but I like to have a look first and build an innings. Freddie, on the other hand, can just come in and destroy bowlers

Sports journalists from across the country came together last week at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi for an unusual event: an encounter with seven members of the Australian team, not with dictaphones and notebooks, but with bat and ball. The Australian team’s sponsors on tour, Travelex, had organized an unusual event called the Media Bowling Masterclass, with the intention of getting the players to pass on some hints and tips to the scribes, many of whom play cricket at some level.The event was conceived like this: some of the bowlers from the Australian squad would help the members of the press – young, old, fat, slim, competent, incompetent – with their bowling, after which Adam Gilchrist and Michael Bevan would line up in adjoining nets and have a bat against them. Rod Kohler, brand manager for Travelex, explained that a similar experiment had been made in the World Cup last March, except that that had been a batting masterclass. “We got out some kit for the press, and some of our batsmen helped them out with their technique, after which Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie had a bowl at some of them. But the bowlers held nothing back – it’s not their nature to do so – and some of the sports writers didn’t have the most pleasant time. After that we decided that it would be more interesting to let the journalists bowl rather than bat.”The Australians brought along Brad Williams, Nathan Bracken, Andrew Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz to advise eager members of the press about their bowling. For a while there was much talk of inswingers and outswingers, seam position and head position, front leg and leading arm, while shutterbugs clicked away and cameras rolled.Of course, the Australians did some bowling themselves to illustrate points of technique, and many were blissfully happy to be running up to bowl in the wake of a Williams or a Bichel. Even Adam Gilchrist turned his arm over, bowling some beautiful curving outswingers and explaining he’d learnt it all watching his pacemen bowl.After a brief break, Gilchrist put on his pads, as did Bevan, and the most eagerly awaited part of the event began. Bevan, batting with his dark glasses on, did not exert himself unduly, but Gilchrist, ever the sport, warmed to the task, and soon had the stadium abuzz with excitement as surely as in a real international game. Several cracking hits flew into the heavens, accompanied by cries and gasps from those watching, and kept the security guards at the edge of the arena busy retrieving balls. Those of us who took some stick also had the pleasure of seeing, from closer than ever before, evidence of the quickness of his eye and his spectacular bat-speed. As the afternoon drew on, even those who were there merely to cover the event could not resist the temptation of rolling their arm over. One portly cameraman entrusted his instrument to a colleague, scurried in, and let fly some deliveries of surprising pace.The event was useful for many, and entertainment for all. Perhaps the only problem with it that journalists, photographers and cameramen all got in each others’ way – not that they don’t usually, but here they were present both as actors as well as reporters. It was not long before the run-ups were besieged with those seeking soundbites, autographs and advice on matters unrelated to the occasion. Perhaps those of us who keep emphasizing the need to play more disciplined cricket ought to take a note.Chandrahas Choudhury is staff writer of Wisden Asia Cricket magazine.

Australia will certainly remember their epic Test match against India atthe Eden Gardens in 2001, but the final of the TVS Cup will be theirfirst time against India in an ODI here. And they should knowthat India have won eight out of the 11 times they played here.Australia’s only ODI at the Eden Gardens before was the eventfulfinal of the 1987 Reliance World Cup where they edged out Englandby 7 runs.Like most venues in India, the Eden Gardens has seen its share of highscores. On five occasions, the side batting first has posted 270 ormore. Not surprisingly, only once in these occasions, the teamchasing won. That happened when West Indies scored 273 and still lost to Pakistan in the MRF NehruCup in 1989.In 17 ODIs that have taken place at the Eden Gardens, only fourcenturies have been scored. Kris Srikkanth opened the account in1986-87 and was followed by Desmond Haynes and Marcus Trescothick. Ofthe current Indian team, only SachinTendulkar has reached three figures here.Bowlers of all kinds should know that they have their work cut out forthem. Only once has a team been bowled out for less than 150 inan ODI here. That was when Anil Kumble sliced through the West Indies inthe final of the Hero Cup in 1993. West Indies made just 123 in pursuitof 226 for victory.Having said that, sevenbowlers have taken four wickets or more in one-dayers at Eden Gardenswith Allan Donald and Saqlain Mushtaq being the only non-Indiansto do so.

John Dyson, Sri Lanka’s coach, has turned around criticism of his team’s defensive approach during the second Test at Kandy by expressing his surprise that England did not try to win the game. Sri Lanka had caused widespread surprise themselves on the fifth day by their refusal to launch an all-out attack against England, despite a mammoth target of 368.Dyson, however, believed that it was England who were guilty of negativity. “It is very difficult to get people out when they are not playing any shots,” he said. “The English attitude surprised me given that it was a very fast outfield, and a very good wicket for the whole game.”He continued: “It was a very brave declaration, but England didn’t at any stage try to chase the runs. They decided they couldn’t get the runs very early on in the final day. They had to take the initiative at some stage. I don’t think they tried to push many singles and twos. It was a case of okay, if you guys give us the runs, we’ll take them. We are not too keen to get them. They had the whole of the final day plus an entire session on the fourth day to chase the runs. It was a hell of a lot of time. They must have been thinking that it was going to break up, but it didn’t.”Comparing the Australian and English batting line-ups, Dyson said the Australians would have looked at this as an opportunity to rewrite the history books, on an outfield that was fast and a wicket which was still good. England batted out 140 overs to finish on 285 for 7. “The pitch wasn’t turning viciously and I would have thought here was a chance to rewrite the record books,” Dyson said. “England settled for a draw. It was a staggering attitude.”He went on: “We’ve been the dominant team in the one-day game and in the two Test matches. We were extremely unfortunate at Galle because of the weather conditions. At Kandy, England batted 140 overs to get a draw. It was a fantastic effort by [Michael] Vaughan who batted beautifully. But I also thought that in the England top order was where their experience lay with tried and tested players. I find their attitude strange on such a good wicket that they played for a draw.”Dyson denied that Sri Lanka were not positive enough. “We attacked all day. We had a slip for everyone, bat-pad catchers all day, men in catching positions and a few fielders on the boundary,” he insisted. “England had four or five fielders on the boundary when they bowled. The other team has to take the initiative somewhere. They had to work for victory and we had to work for our wickets and extremely hard at it. You just don’t do all the hard work and hand them a victory.”Despite the two close draws, Dyson said that the team spirit was still good. “We have been on top of those games. We have been frustrated at times. But that had to be expected,” he said. “These games test your patience, and test your levels of coping with frustrations. But the spirit of the team is still very good. We’ve had the upper hand in both matches. We played the more positive cricket between the two teams.”Dyson was not yet sure about his strategy for the decisive third and final Test, which starts on Thursday. “I can tell you one thing, the boys will have to maintain their concentration, their focus and their patience.”

Barbados 422 for 7 dec and 8 for 0 beat Guyana 108 and 321 by 10 wickets
ScorecardBarbados started their defence of the title in style – and in some controversy – by routing Guyana by 10 wickets at Bridgetown. They needed just eight runs for victory, after dismissing Guyana for 321, and Kurt Wilkinson wrapped it up in the first over, by lofting Esuan Crandon over extra cover for four. Barbados’ win was clouded by their five-run penalty for ball-tampering, though. On the third afternoon, the umpires reportedly decreed that the ball had changed appearance, and immediately changed it. The board are deciding whether to take any further action on the matter.Trinidad & Tobago 335 and 255 drew with Leeward Islands 324 and 58 for 3
ScorecardThe rains returned to curtail Leeward Island’s run-chase against Trinidad & Tobago, with 25 overs of the day remaining. The highlight had earlier been Ricardo Powell’s hard-hitting 77 to set up the declaration. The Leewards never threatened to pursue 266 in 47 overs, once Alex Adams had fallen to the first ball of the innings.Jamaica 266 and 296 for 8 dec drew with Windward Islands 273 and 233 for 5 (Smith 118*)
ScorecardDevon Smith hit a sparkling century, but Windward Islands were forced to settle for first-innings points against Jamaica at Beausejour. Set 290 for victory, Windwards finished on 223 for 5 with three of the final 15 overs remaining leaving Smith undefeated on 118. Jamaica, who trailed by seven runs on first innings, earlier declared on 296 for 8.West Indies B 97 and 149 beat Kenya 149 and 85 by 12 runs
ScorecardJason Bennett grabbed a hat-trick and Dwight Washington picked up three wickets of his own, as West Indies B pulled off a dramatic 12-run victory over Kenya from an apparently hopeless situation. Set 98 to win, the Kenyans crumbled to 85 all out midway the final session at Edgar Gilbert Park. Bennett removed Collins Obuya (1), Martin Suji (0) and Peter Ongondo (0) with consecutive deliveries to finish with figures of 3 for 23 off 12 overs, and a match haul of 8 for 68.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) has renewed its plea for England to go ahead with their tour in November 2004. Peter Chingoka, chairman of ZCU, issued a statement after some reports in the media suggested that England might pull out of the series. “We are aware of media speculation concerning England’s tour to Zimbabwe, but there has been no formal advice from the ECB to clarify the matter,” he said. “Obviously we expect that the tour will go ahead.”Chingoka urged David Morgan, chairman of the ECB, to honour the commitment he had made last year. “In light of the uncertainty that appears to exist in England the ZCU has now written to David Morgan, asking him to urgently confirm the commitment he gave on behalf of the ECB to our Board of directors in Harare last March. That commitment was that England would fulfil its scheduled tour to Zimbabwe and those assurances were given to secure Zimbabwe’s tour of the UK last summer.”Having honoured our word that we would tour the UK we naturally expect England to reciprocate by touring Zimbabwe. There’s no doubt that relations between the Boards and other nations were strained by England’s refusal to play the World Cup game in Harare. It would be extremely disappointing from our point of view if England were to now review its position on this latest tour.”Zimbabwe successfully hosted five matches in the 2003 World Cup, but England had forfeited their game at Harare. Since the World Cup, West Indies played a full series comprising two Tests and five ODIs in Zimbabwe, while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Australia are all scheduled to tour the country before England’s visit.”There are many important things to consider with this situation, such as the question of the honour and spirit upon which bilateral series between countries are based,” Chingoka reiterated. “Other factors that the ECB need to consider are the effect that cancellation of this tour would have on the development of the game in Zimbabwe, the unity of the ICC family of cricketing nations and the integrity of the Future Tours Programme that binds us together. We look forward to an early and positive response to our letter from Mr Morgan.”

Zimbabwe 210 for 2 (Carlisle 103*) drew with Bangladesh 168
ScorecardDay 1
Bulletin – Bulawayo washout
Day 2
Bulletin – Another soggy day in Africa
Verdict – Right place, wrong time
Day 3
Bulletin – Rain stops Zimbabwe in their tracks
Verdict – Three clear segmentsDay 4
Bulletin – The deluge returns at Bulawayo
Verdict – Another day, another washoutDay 5
Bulletin – Carlisle hundred the only saving grace
Verdict – Zimbabwe take the bird-in-a-hand option

Sri Lanka 277 for 5 (Tharanga 117) beat South Africa 248 (Mahroof 120) by 29 runs
Sri Lanka blew Super League Group 1 wide open, as they defeated South Africa by 29 runs at Fatullah. For Sri Lanka, it was an essential victory after their 19-run loss to West Indies on Sunday, while for South Africa, it was a disappointing follow-up to their thrilling three-run win against India.Sri Lanka won the toss and, for the first time in the tournament, they chose to bat first and their batsmen finally find found their best form. Upul Tharanga dominated from the start to make 117, Sri Lanka’s first century of the tournament, and was well-supported by Nadeera Nawala (56) and Gihan de Silva (42).South Africa’s bowlers failed to find the tight lines that had served them so well against India, and when Chamith Kulasekara thumped 32 from 14 balls in the final overs, Sri Lanka had posted an impressive 277 for 5 in their 50 overs.South Africa made a stuttering reply, as Sri Lanka’s captain Farveez Mahroof and Manoj Chanaka each picked up a wicket in the opening five overs. But Jaco Booysen lead a spirited fightback and South Africa reached 200 in 39.4 overs, with Booysen closing in on the second century of the match.The equation had boiled down to 78 from 10 overs with five wickets in hand, but Mahroof and Chanaka returned to the attack and the tide turned back towards Sri Lanka. Booysen was the eighth man out, bowled by Mahroof for 120 from 114 balls, and the resistance finally ended in the 49th over.South Africa’s coach Russell Domingo felt his side had lost the match in the first innings. “The Sri Lankans played very well in that they did the basics well,” he said. “The same could not be said for us. We conceded 24 extras to their seven and dropped a couple of crucial chances.””It was our batting that won us the match today,” said Sri Lanka’s coach DS de Silva. “We made a big score for the first time and we will now look to be positive in the group decider against India. We are still confident we can make it through to the semi-finals.”