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Hayden's record ton sets up Australia's thumping win
South Africa's Roger Telemachus, left, and an unidentified trainer, help captain Graeme Smith, centre, off the field as he retires hurt against Australia in the final 'Group A' match of the Cricket World Cup at Warner Park at Basseterre, St. Kit ts, Saturday. Australia made 377 in their innings. Photo: AP Basseterre (St. Kitts), March 25 (PTI): Australia showed who's the real number one by crushing South Africa for a 83-run victory in the World Cup Group 'A' cricket one-dayer here on Saturday. Three-time champions Australia, who recently lost their status as world's top one-day team to South Africa, put up a commanding performance to round off their group engagements and move into the 'Super Eight' with an all-win record. Put in to bat, the Australians rode on a record-breaking hundred by Matthew Hayden to post a mammoth 377 for 6 before containing the Proteas to 294 in 48 overs at Warner Park. Hayden led the Australian run-fest with a 68-ball 101, while skipper Ricky Ponting (91) and Michael Clarke (92) sustained the assault with aggressive half-centuries. The Australian total was the third highest in World Cup matches, after India's 413-5 against Bermuda earlier in the tournament and Sri Lanka's 398-5 against Kenya in 1996. Hayden brought up his century off 66 balls, one less than what Canada's John Davison needed against the West Indies in South Africa four years ago, for the fastest hundred in World Cup history. South Africa, who last season successfully chased Australia's 434 for 4 at home, were set for an encore when they were placed at 220-1 in the 32nd over. Captain Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers gave the world's top side the perfect launchpad with a 160-run opening stand, but the rest of the batting failed to stand up to the task. Both the teams had already booked their berth in the 'Super Eight', but Australia will now carry two points into the second stage, while South Africa none. Hayden hammered 14 fours and four sixes as he bludgeoned the South African bowling. Adam Gilchrist hit an equally aggressive 42 from as many balls and provided the launchpad for the middle order with an intimidating opening partnership of 106 runs with Hayden. The duo tore into the South African bowling and were particularly severe on the most experienced Shaun Pollock who was taken to the cleaners in his first three overs which averaged nearly 10 an over. Ponting and Clarke then put on 161 runs for the third-wicket stand to continue the pulverising of the Proteas' attack. South Africa clearly missed a spinner as the seamers were consistently thrashed all over the park. Hayden imposed himself on the bowlers, his trademark "walk and whack" six followed by a stand and deliver stuff off Pollock marking his domination of the rivals. Only Jacques Kallis and Charl Langeveldt had a semblance of economy in their bowling, thanks to their ability to vary the pace and cut the ball both ways. Yet, the sluice-gates were truly thrown open in the closing stages as 89 runs came from the last 10 overs. The South African chase began on a strong note with AB de Villiers and Smith going after the Aussie bowling hammer and tongs. The 50 came in 36 balls and the 100 in the 13.1 overs and the usually competitive Australians' shoulders began to drop. De Villiers used the pace of express bowler Shaun Tait to stroke boundaries on either side of the wicket. Smith at the other end used his muscle power to twice hit Glenn McGrath into the stands. The southpaw, known for his strong on-side play, demonstrated his shots on the off-side as well, collecting boundaries square of the wicket and in the straight. Nothing seemed to go right for the defending champions. Even edges found their way to either boundary or the wicketkeeper's cap for penalty five runs. De Villiers, who struck 14 fours and two sixes, was run out against the run of play with Shane Watson effecting a direct hit from the deep. The Proteas then began to lose momentum as new batsman Jacques Kallis took time to settle down and Smith began to cramp. Herschelle Gibbs, coming in after Smith retired hurt, struck Brad Hogg for a six over long on but the next delivery failed to read the googly from the chinaman bowler and was stumped for 17. The Aussies began to claw their way back into the game. McGrath, whose line and length accuracy was smacked all over previously, changed tactics and a well direct bouncer induced Ashwell Prince (1) into a pull shot straight to Hayden at deep squareleg. Tait too had started to reverse swing by now. Mark Boucher, after pulling McGrath for six over midwicket, was beaten all ends up by Tait. Smith returned to the crease but did not last long, top-edging a sweep against Hogg for Gilchrist to run behind and complete the catch.

Tait then had Kallis (48) leg before with another inswinger and Shaun Pollock was consumed by Watson to hasten South Africa's end.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200703250301.htm

Australia beat top-ranked South Africa

St Kitts
24 March 2007 11:58
<>ad_script('MGnBrN','dmg','MGnBrN.Sport','10','220x240'); < =1.1 src="http://a.coza.com/js.ng/site=MGnBrN&affiliate=dmg&target=MGnBrN.Sport&=10&adsize=220x240&number=3DDS1174777397718-0.9223828567803797"> Matthew Hayden scored the fastest hundred in a World Cup match and defending champion Australia topped Group A with an 83-run win over top-ranked South Africa on Saturday. Inspired by Hayden's 66-ball century and contributions of 92 by Michael Clarke and 91 by Ricky Ponting, Australia posted 377 for six from 50 overs, the third-highest total at a World Cup. The South Africans were racing in reply with AB De Villiers (92) and Graeme Smith (74) putting on 160 for the first wicket in 21 overs. But de Villiers' dismissal -- run out by Shane Watson's direct hit from the outfield - and a cramp that caused Smith to retire hurt took the momentum out of the chase. Australia took the last nine wickets for 74 runs and South Africa was out for 294 in the 48th over in what was another World Cup record -- for the highest aggregate total in a match. - Sapa-AP

Cricket-Hayden century helps Australia to win over South Africa

Sunday, March 25, 2007
Bermuda holds India's key

By Tushar Trivedi

Bangladesh will take on Bermuda in the 24th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and the final match of the Group stage at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Here's a look at what's in store for the two teams (and India).


1. Bangladesh and Bermuda have met once before. Exactly a month ago on February 25, Bangladesh beat Bermuda by 8 wickets at St John's in the Associates' Tri-series.

2. Shahriar Nafees needs only two runs to complete 1500 runs is his career. He has scored 1498 runs in 43 innings at an average of 38.41 so far.

3. Javed Omar is also nearing the 1500 run-mark. He has scored 1434 runs in 57 ODIs and needs another 64 runs to complete 1500 runs.

4. If Bangladesh win this game, it would be their 4th win in the ICC Cricket World Cup. They beat Pakistan and Scotland in 1999 and India in the current tournament.

5. Bangladesh have played 13 matches in ICC Cricket World Cups but no Bangladeshi player has hit a hundred as yet. They have hit 7 half centuries so far.

6. Mohammad Rafique needs five wickets to become the highest wicket taker for his nation in ICC Cricket World Cups. He has taken 8 wickets in 10 matches. Khaled Mahmud leads the list with 12 wickets in 9 matches.

7. If Bermuda beat Bangladesh, then India will qualify for the Super 8s but if the reverse happens, then India will be knocked out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.


http://cricketworldcup.indya.com/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?x f=news,Cricket,2007,March,News_20070325_321

Shaharyar Khan pays tribute to Bob Woolmer

A gentle man, a superb coach

Shaharyar M Khan

March 25, 2007



'Bob had some cricketing differences with Inzamam-ul-Haq but these were addressed through dialogue and mutual understanding, even though for days the captain would go into a brooding silence while Bob attempted to overcome the problem through rational discussion' Getty Images



The news of Bob Woolmer's murder deeply shocked me and I have written this appreciation in the memory of a dedicated professional and a superb human being. I had met Bob Woolmer cursorily before deciding, as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, to appoint him national coach. I had based the decision on the advice of Ramiz Raja, then chief executive, and on Bob's outstanding reputation as coach with Warwickshire and South Africa. I had also consulted the ICC, where Woolmer served as High Performance Director of Coaching.

To my pleasant surprise, Woolmer readily agreed and, at a meeting in a London hotel, we quickly agreed to the terms. I recall that at the meeting Woolmer demonstrated immediately his ability to interact sensitively with even the most difficult of players. Shoaib Akhtar had at the time adopted a position of non-cooperation with the PCB and had refused to join the national camp but Woolmer picked up the phone at the hotel and spoke to Shoaib in a most persuasive manner and obtained from him a commitment.

When Bob took over as coach, Pakistan were languishing in the lower levels of both Test and ODI rankings of the ICC tables. There was demoralisation, controversy and disunity among the players. Bob immediately addressed the issues of morale and performance in the team and worked assiduously to reverse these negative trends.

At a time of our lamentable exit from the World Cup, when the entire cricketing establishment is being blamed for Pakistan's failure, it is worth recording that during Woolmer's tenure Pakistan's performance led to the rise in its rankings to second and third spots in the ICC tables. Apart from the obvious improvement in performance, Woolmer was able to instil unity and a fighting spirit in the team that saw Pakistan succeed at home and abroad. Even when Pakistan lost to Australia and England, a fighting spirit was apparent with many a rearguard action and an ability to bounce back from reverses.

Bob Woolmer was not an authoritarian coach. He believed in gentle and sensitive persuasion of the players, spending hours with individuals demonstrating weaknesses of technique and even of attitude. He was an innovative coach and a master of developing coaching techniques to improve performance. He was opposed to dull routine and insisted on advanced fitness levels - an area he found shockingly inadequate when he took over coaching Pakistan. I advised him not to interfere in religious matters and to work round the issue. Several weeks later he came to me and said that he had appreciated my advice and added that he had found that praying together several times a day had let to bonding and a welcome team spirit in the team



Woolmer was also a modest and sensitive human being. He decided with his colleagues to live in simple accommodation at the National Academy even though he was entitled to a more luxurious lifestyle. He accepted remuneration at a lower level than he would have found in the international market and his main ambition was to meet the challenge of making Pakistan's talented team a winning outfit. His emoluments were almost the same as for Javed Miandad whom he replaced as coach and about a third of the salary contracted by India with its foreign coach.

There were also several occasions when players, senior and junior, had differences with Bob. He never took umbrage at these outbursts and always went round later to the player to sit and rationally discuss the issue. He was nearly always successful and left the aggrieved player realising that facing disappointment equably was part of the game.

Woolmer also believed that the coach's role ended with the toss of the coin. He maintained that on the field, the captain was fully in charge of strategy and the players. After the game, he would return to the helm to analyse and advise. I recall that sometimes this stand-back role led to problems. For instance, in the vital Bangalore Test against India, the captain was batting and was expecting advice from the coach as to when the crucial declaration should be made. Bob felt that this decision was solely for the captain to make. I know that Inzamam was disappointed and I told Bob that perhaps he had on this occasion taken his non-interference too far.

Woolmer faced two major problems during his tenure. First, though he knew of my full support, he felt that senior officials in the Board were out to undermine his authority. On October 6, the day I resigned, Bob came to me with red eyes and said that he would also resign. I persuaded him not to do so, assuring him that I knew the new chairman would give him his full backing. I told Bob that the patron greatly appreciated his contribution in raising the team's performance and had on several occasions expressed this appreciation and had reiterated the need to support the coach.

Two days before leaving for the Caribbean, Bob came to see me saying he would be prepared to serve Pakistan even after the World Cup but the continuous sniping and harassment from PCB's senior elements would have to stop. He felt that it had been hugely disruptive to preparations and team morale. I again advised Bob to place his trust in the new chairman before making a decision.

'Bob's emoluments were almost the same as for Javed Miandad whom he replaced as coach and about a third of the salary contracted by India with its foreign coach' Getty Images




The second obstacle that Bob faced was control of the team. Here he found that the captain's spiritual hold on the team prevented his holding full sway with the players, especially the senior members. Bob had some cricketing differences with Inzamam-ul-Haq but these were addressed through dialogue and mutual understanding, even though for days the captain would go into a brooding silence while Bob attempted to overcome the problem through rational discussion.

The more serious issue was that Inzamam was not only the cricketing leader but the spiritual talisman of the team who expected - and was mostly given - total obeisance by his team-mates. I recall Bob telling me, several months before the England tour, that he was severely hampered in addressing team issues because the players were constantly at joint prayers - at lunch, tea and after play. He said he never got a chance to coach the team. I advised him not to interfere in religious matters and to work round the issue. Several weeks later he came to me and said that he had appreciated my advice and added that he had found that praying together several times a day had let to bonding and a welcome team spirit in the team.

I will always remember Bob as a superb innovative coach who dedicated himself to harnessing Pakistan's wayward talent and transforming it into a successful motivated unit. To a large extent he had been successful despite the very real obstacles that he had faced. He was a modest, generous and warm-hearted man who gave his life for Pakistan. I cannot believe that anyone but a raving lunatic would have deliberately caused his death. His murder is a tragedy for Pakistan cricket.

I immensely appreciated Bob Woolmer's dedication as the national coach but beyond his professional abilities, I regarded Bob as a friend and a superb human being. I deeply mourn his death and consider it a national and personal tragedy.

Inquest ordered into Woolmer's murder

Cricinfo staff

March 24, 2007



Bob Woolmer's family was informed that his body would be kept in Jamaica till the inquest was over Getty Images



The Jamaican authorities have ordered an inquest to be held into the murder of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach. Woolmer's family was informed that his body would remain in Jamaica till the inquest was over.

Coroner's inquests are held in cases of sudden or unexplained deaths.

The Jamaican Gleaner reported that according to the Commissioner of Police, Lucius Thomas, the coroner had directed the inquest be held "as soon as possible".

According to Les Green, the police officer heading the Major Investigation Task Force, no date has yet been set for the inquest. "We don't know when it will begin at this point," Green told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

But a release from the government's public relations arm, the Jamaica Information Service, stated that the coroner gave an assurance that the inquest, which is to be held with a jury, would be conducted "as soon as practical".

The police also denied reports appearing in the foreign press that a man was arrested in connection with the case in Jamaica on Thursday night and that phone numbers of Pakistan and Indian team members were found in a cellular phone taken from the man.

TVJ, a local television channel, reported that Darren Lifsun, the Pakistan team physiotherapist, and Murray Stevenson, the trainer, would stay back in Jamaica till the inquest is completed. "We promised the family to stay until everything is sorted out," Lifsun told AFP. "The police informed the family first, then us, with everything, and then we told the team."

Woolmer died on March 18 in his hotel room in Kingston and five days later the cause of his death was confirmed to be asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. The Pakistan team were fingerprinted and asked to provide DNA samples as part of the investigations.

Bangladesh storm into Super Eight

The Bulletin by Jamie Alter

March 25, 2007

Bangladesh 96 for 3 beat Bermuda 94 for 9 by 7 wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out



Mashrafe Mortaza did the early damage with the ball AFP




It was a delayed, stop-start affair that was reduced to 21 overs-a-side but will go down as one of the biggest moments in Bangladesh's sporting history, a sweet seven-wicket triumph that surged them into the second stage of the World Cup. Their comfortable victory meant that India were well and truly ousted from the competition, leaving Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to carry forward the Asian hopes from here on.

It was a wet, gloomy affair at the Queen's Park Oval but one that ended in a wave of Bangladeshi elation. They kept Bermuda down to 94, largely owing to Mashrafe Mortaza and Abdur Razzak, and then got home by seven wickets in conditions where the ball was moving around prodigiously. Chasing a meagre 96, Bangladesh were shaky at 37 for 3 but Mohammad Ashraful and Saqibul Hasan stitched together a 59-run stand to seal the issue.

Defending a Duckworth-Lewis revised target of 96, Bermuda needed something special from their bowlers, and Kevin Hurdle delivered it, though not with his extra-ridden opening overs. Saleem Mukuddem, recalled into the XI, struck with his first ball as Tamim Iqbal shimmied down the track and top-edged over point. Hurdle sprinted over from third man, ran towards deep point, dove and pulled off a stunner with both hands.

Hurdle couldn't transform that effort into a good bowling display; three no-balls and a six followed in his second over. At the other end, a spirited Mukuddem hustled in and got the ball to move both ways off the scrambled seam and forced the wicketkeeper to stand up to the stumps. Aftab Ahmed drove perilously close to a diving mid-off and inside-edged on more than one occasion before he played all around an incutter that struck him in front of off stump. Mukuddem was rewarded for his consistent movement off a great length with a third wicket when he forced a shaky Shahriar Nafees to edge to second slip in the last over of the Powerplays.

Perhaps unsure of how to approach their run chase, Saqibul and Ashraful survived leg before shouts, balls whizzing over the top of the stumps, and dropped catches. Fortunately for their side, they held their nerves. The yells and whoops from their team-mates on the balcony was one for the photo album.



Bangladesh were on a roll in the field, restricting Bermuda to 94 AFP



Blue tarps and yellow tarp were both used by the groundstaff in a game that started roughly two-and-a-half-hours late due to rain and was held up four times, but Bangladesh's decision to bowl first was justified. Mortaza wasted little time with the new ball under overcast conditions - Steven Outerbridge went for an injudicious pull in the first over but only found Mohammad Rafique at fine leg. After just three overs, however, the players and umpires were forced back into the hut as a massive rain shower lashed across the Queen's Park Oval.

The rain relented somewhat, the match was brought down to 35 overs, the groundstaff did a commendable job, and Mortaza needed just one delivery to take his second wicket. Syed Rasel wasn't about to be left out, and picked up David Hemp with some help from Aftab Ahmed at backward point. But that the good old rain refused to go away for long and for the second time the players and umpires went inside with Bermuda on 17 for three after 7.4 overs.

On resumption, Bashar introduced spin in the form of Razzak. The ball had to be wiped every few seconds, and the lack of turn did Bermuda, even in slippery conditions, created doubt in the batsmen's' minds. Captain Irvine Romaine adopted a stand-and-defend-or-swish approach, which worked for two thumped boundaries down the ground off Razzak, but when the bowler fired in one at 100kmhs, Romaine was a dead duck in front of middle stump.

A fourth interruption curtailed the game to 21 overs, forcing Bermuda to go for broke. Dean Minors was let off at deep square leg off Saqibul's slow left-arm spin, but two balls later Pitcher was smartly taken by Bashar, who ran backwards at sweeper cover and took the catch as he tumbled over. Lionel Cann took two fours and a six off three Aftab deliveries, was stumped off Saqibul, Rafique removed Tucker, Minors hit a big six in his 25-ball 23, and Bermuda set Bangladesh a Duckworth-Lewis revised 96 to get at just over four-and-a-half runs an over. Many in India would have stayed up late to hope Bermuda pull this one off, but would have to go to sleep disappointed.