Dion Ebrahim is the latest Zimbabwean to head for English club cricket, after signing with Stony Stratford Town, who play in the Northants Cricket League. Ebrahim will also have a coaching role with the club.
CricInfo - Ebrahim signs for English club
Monthly Archive for April, 2007
From CricInfo’s Beyond the Test World blog, looking at the end-of-day-one score from Kenya Select’s Logan Cup match against Westerns:
Kenya’s slightly below-par performance can partially be explained by the fact that they only arrived in Bulawayo on Wednesday and have been in the country for less than 48 hours. It will, inevitably, take them time to acclimitise.
Get your excuses here (for the record, Kenya were bowled out for 218 in their first innings). It’s snarky little comments like that, that make me hope Westerns wrap this one up with minimal problems…
CricInfo BTTW - Mishra spares Kenyans’ blushes
Ireland v Sri Lanka: CWC Super Eight, 21st Match Ireland 77 (27.4 overs; Bray 20, Muralitharan 4/19), Sri Lanka 81/2 (10 overs; Jayawardene 39*, Langford-Smith 1/29). Sri Lanka win by 8 wickets.
Vusi Sibanda has confirmed he’ll be concentrating on his club career in Australia and will no longer be playing for Zimbabwe. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sibanda said the decision was the best choice to improve his game:
“I had dreamed of playing for Zimbabwe all my life, but, over the years, it has changed a lot. The young guys have been left to clean up the mess. In the last three years, I don’t feel like my game has improved, and I believe that will happen in Australia. I know that, in the long run, I can better my career here. I wouldn’t mind playing for a grade or Shires team, so long as I felt my game was improving. I would also like to study computing. I think that this will hurt the [Zimbabwean] team, but I feel it is important.”
Sydney Morning Herald - Zimbabwe counts cost as Sibanda joins club
UPDATE: An article in the Herald would seem to contradict the above (no link provided, as the Herald doesn’t archive their online edition):
“My intention remains to better my game in Sydney. This is important for me as a professional. It is also vital for me as an international player because nowhere have I ever said that I am turning my back on Zimbabwe.”
Thanks to jones for the heads-up.
CricInfo reports on how the proceeds of the World Cup are being shared amongst players:
As Zimbabwe Cricket battles to stave off another exodus of players, it has been revealed that while most other Full Member countries have paid their players between 20 and 25% of their income from the World Cup, Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped cricketers will only a fraction of the money paid to ZC by the ICC.
Each of the ten Full Members is expected to receive around US$11.5 million from the tournament, and Cricinfo has learnt that most of them will pay around 20% into a player pool. This equates to between US$2.3 and US$2.8 million. However, Zimbabwe’s players are believed to be in line for a fraction of that, perhaps as little as 2%.
The article goes on to rightly question where the money retained by ZC is going, if not to the players. They also claim that, in addition to Anthony Ireland and Vusi Sibanda, at least two more players will shortly announce their retirement from the Zimbabwe international side.
CricInfo - Zimbabwe’s players sold short
Westerns (236/9 decl & 254) beat Centrals (232 & 181) by 77 runs
Easterns (297 & 383) drew with Northerns (178 & 223/9)
(Southerns v Kenyans to be played later)
Scorecards below the cut.
England v South Africa: CWC Super Eight, 20th Match England 154 (48 overs; Strauss 46, Hall 5/18), South Africa 157/1 (19.2 overs; Smith 89*, Flintoff 1/36). South Africa win by 9 wickets.
Australia v Sri Lanka: CWC Super Eight, 19th Match Sri Lanka 226 (49.4 overs; Jayawardene 72, Bracken 4/19), Australia 232/3 (42.4 overs; Ponting 66*, Arnold 2/20). Australia win by 7 wickets.
Bangladesh v Ireland: CWC Super Eight, 18th Match Ireland 243/7 (50 overs; Porterfield 85, Mashrafe Mortaza 2/38), Bangladesh 169 (41.2 overs; Mohammad Ashraful 35, McCallan 2/25). Ireland win by 74 runs.
New Zealand v South Africa: CWC Super Eight, 17th Match South Africa 193/7 (50 overs; Gibbs 60, McMillan 3/23), New Zealand 196/5 (48.2 overs; Styris 56, Nel 2/33). New Zealand win by 5 wickets.