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Yorkshire’s new bowling sensation Steven Kirby blasted out six Leicestershire batsmen at Headingley as his former county were dismissed for only 174 after the CricInfo Championship leaders had piled up 500 in their first innings.Kirby, who played for Leicestershire Seconds before being released, took seven for 50 on his Yorkshire debut in their last home match after replacing Matthew Hoggard in the middle of the Kent game.He was in the same dynamic mood again as he sent back Leicestershire’s first three batsmen in his opening spell and later returned to wreak more havoc in two further stints.Darren Maddy was the first of Kirby’s victims when he was caught behind, Ben Smith was lbw in his next over and Dan Marsh soon had his middle stump ripped out.Opener Iain Sutcliffe survived Kirby’s initial burst but became his fourth scalp when he returned to have the left-hander caught behind and Jon Dakin and Phil DeFreitas followed in consecutive overs later on.Kirby had still not finished his heroics, however, because he then took a good catch on the third man boundary off Chris Silverwood to send back Aftab Habib who was on his second visit to the crease after earlier retiring hurt when struck painfully on the left thumb.Yorkshire had resumed the second day on 299 for three and their batting was dominated by Darren Lehmann who became the third centurion of the innings, Matthew Wood and Michael Lumb achieving three figures the previous day.It was the first time that three Yorkshire batsmen had hit centuries in the same Championship innings since the match against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 1975 when the batsmen concerned were Michael Lumb’s father, Richard, Geoff Boycott and John Hampshire.Lehmann finally departed for 104 off 133 balls with 13 fours, leaving Championship debutant Richard Dawson to entertain the crowd with some spectacular hitting near the end of the innings when he thrashed DeFreitas for 21 in one over, including two sixes off consecutive balls. Dawson was last out for 37 from 41 deliveries.Leicestershire trail by 326 on the first innings and Yorkshire look in excellent shape to go on to win their fifth match of the season and extend their lead still further at the top of the Division One table.

Karnataka placed themselves in a position of considerable strength atthe end of the first day’s play against Goa in the KSCA Coca Cola Cup(under-25) tournament at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore onWednesday. After dismissing Goa for 158 runs, the hosts replied with61 for no loss at stumps.Winning the toss and opting to bat, Goa ran into trouble early whenopening bowler Sunil Kumar dismissed both openers Nilosh Mulkar (0)and H Nityananand (19). with only 38 runs scored. Kapil Angle (33) andAmit Jadhav (21) then shared a third wicket partnership of 36 runs off8.3 overs. Both fell in quick succession and Goa were again shakilyplaced at 78 for four. Gourish Phadte (42) and S Prasanth (13) revivedtheir hopes somewhat with a fifth wicket stand of 31 runs off 17.2overs. But the later order succumbed meekly before the bowling of GVRavi, who finished with five for 36 off 20.4 overs. Phadte, who topscored, faced 129 balls and hit five of them to the ropes. Coming inat 74 for three, he was ninth out at 151.Karnataka openers V Pramod (39) and Shyam Ponappa (19) consolidatedthe good work done by the bowlers as Karnataka raced to within 97 runsof the Goa total by stumsps off 18 overs. Pramod, much the dominantpartner, has hit six boundaries while Ponappa has hit two.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

	Brendon McCullum was at his dashing best to haul New Zealand out of real trouble at Lord’s © Getty Images

Michael Vaughan called on his side to produce “aggressive, vibrant cricket” in the lead-up to the first Test at Lord’s, and his bowlers responded in kind to reduce New Zealand to 109 for 5 by tea. Such perilous positions are of little consequence when Brendon McCullum is at the crease, however, and his magnificent 97 – at a run-a-ball – took the sheen off England’s spirited display on a dank and chilly first day of the international season.Before McCullum missed a clever quicker delivery from Monty Panesar prior to bad light stopping play, he was threatening to completely transform New Zealand’s day, not just rescue them from the bowels of complacency. Coming to the crease with his side tottering on 41 for 3, he found little support in New Zealand’s typically fragile top six until Jacob Oram arrived at No.7, with whom he put on 99 exhilarating runs in 19 overs.His 97 beat the 96 he made at this same ground four years ago, and though he has again failed to reach three figures – he has yet to make a Test hundred against meaningful opposition – today’s innings was a microcosm of his growing international stature. Promoted to No.5 – he would like to be even higher than that – his first 30 runs were part scratchy, part defensive: a rescue act. Only once he’d passed his 65-ball fifty did McCullum the entertainer break free, creaming the disappointing Ryan Sidebottom through extra cover; lifting Panesar for a straight six before crashing Stuart Broad over mid-off into the Warner Stand for the day’s most extraordinary stroke. The difference in self-belief and class between McCullum and his colleagues is so stark as to be almost alien.Prior to McCullum’s derring do, it was England who owned the day. The morning session was washed out by English summer drizzle, providing Vaughan optimum conditions in which to insert New Zealand’s brittle top-order. Choosing not to call-up Matthew Hoggard – in spite of his nous in green-and-seaming conditions – the onus fell on James Anderson to provide the spunk with the new ball, and he justified the selectors’ belief in him with a fast and fiery opening spell of 2 for 27. Jamie How nibbled at a wide one while Aaron Redmond – son of Rodney, a one-Test-wonder in 1972-73 – fell for a five-ball duck on his Test debut.

	James Anderson was in the wickets early on © Getty Images

Broad, who was later savaged by McCullum, supported Anderson superbly with a variety of fast legcutters to the right-handers, and coped well with Ross Taylor’s frenzied attack. Taylor still appeared hungover from his recent display in the Indian Premier League, and his innings epitomised New Zealand’s shaky confidence. Bangalore this was not; he took every opportunity to put England’s bowlers off with a squirted edge down to third man; a hectic single, for which he should have been run out when he finished at the same end as James Marshall, and a desperate slice over the slips off Sidebottom. At least New Zealand’s run-rate was moving, albeit with fraught intent. Taylor’s hectic innings ended with the day’s most careless shot, trying to pull Broad and skying him straight to Paul Collingwood, running back at second slip.Like Taylor, Marshall also batted in a frenzy. He was caught behind off a no-ball from Anderson when 9 and slashed the same bowler just over Kevin Pietersen’s head at gully before an ill-balanced drive sent an edge flying straight to Andrew Strauss at first slip. Four years ago, Strauss made his debut here against the same opposition, and – after a disappointing 2007 – there was tangible glee that his career has come full circle.Then, it was all about McCullum. His customary one-day shimmy down the pitch was only in evidence a few times, but such was his timing that no bowler – least of all Broad, whose spell from the Pavilion End was too full – was spared. His motionless reaction to Panesar’s wonderfully flighted quicker ball which squeezed through bat and pad screamed disappointment, yet his 97 has saved New Zealand from near capitulation.In fact, so much so, that the honours are just about even.

There may be more like him in the future if Shahid Afridi’s camp successfully identifies some young talent © AFP

Shahid Afridi will organise a summer coaching camp in Karachi for Under-19 and Under-14 players later this month.Afridi is famously the product of very little formal coaching himself, having honed his unique style on the streets of Karachi before he gained acclaim as an international. But he is keen to unearth talent from the city that he has lived most of his life in.”Sadly, nowadays we are not producing such cricketers from our city,” Afridi told , a Karachi-based daily. “I think, as national heroes, it is our foremost duty to make some sort of contribution to ensure we don’t lag behind.”Karachi’s presence in the national team has dwindled in recent years, as more cricketers emerge from smaller towns, particularly in Punjab. Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, apart from Afridi, are among the more successful Karachi talents in recent years.”There was a time in the past when there was stiff competition for places at the Karachi level and a number of those players went on to represent Pakistan. But now there are hardly a couple of players representing Karachi in our national teams,” Afridi explained.Dates for the camp have not yet been decided though trials for it will be held at the National Stadium on June 9-10. Afridi also said that other national team members will come to the camp. “I intend to invite a good number of former and current Pakistan players during the camp for giving tips as well as do some coaching.”

Glenn McGrath is back and he is hungry © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath is still hoping to make his international return at the Champions Trophy in India in September. McGrath has not played since January when his wife Jane again fell ill to cancer, but with her recovery he is set for his comeback.”Things are going really well at home and Jane continues to improve each day,” McGrath told the . “She is more than happy for me to get back into some serious work. I’ve been doing plenty of indoor work and everything has been feeling great. Now it’s time to build up with some extra sessions outdoors.”McGrath is due to visit Brisbane next week for a rigourous workout at the Australian Cricket Academy. “A few of the guys, including Michael Clarke, have indicated they want to travel up there with me and ‘Pup’ [Clarke] is pretty keen to face me,” McGrath said. “I can’t wait to get to Brisbane for the outdoor stuff.”He believes the flat batting tracks in India will be ideal practice for the Ashes campaign. “I can think of no better preparation for the Ashes than a six-week build-up on the flat sub-continent wickets,” he said. “That will be all the workout I need leading into the summer.”He has received support and encouragement from the former greats Dennis Lillee, Richard Hadlee and Allan Donald. Lillee felt McGrath should be handed the new ball in the first Ashes Test and Hadlee said there was no reason why McGrath could not return “as strong as ever”. “What you lose in pace you make up for in experience, skill and variation,” he said.”It’s great to hear positive things from people who know what the game is all about, as opposed to the opinions of a few who are less informed,” McGrath said. “They are all quality fast bowlers – three of the greatest ever – and that level of support has given me a lift.”McGrath revealed that if everything goes to plan he will feature in the World Cup 2007. “I’ve always said the next World Cup is a realistic goal – and the way I’m feeling, there is no reason why I can’t go beyond that,” he said. “As the guys have said, it’s all about experience and I still have some good years, maybe even my best years, ahead of me.”

World champions Australia will play two Test matches and three one-day internationals on their tour next year of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh board announced in Dhaka on Wednesday.Australia will arrive in the country on April 6 and play their first Test at Dhaka on April 9, according to an itinerary released by the BCB. The second Test will begin at Chittagong on April 16.The opening one-dayer will he at Chittagong on April 23, followed by matches on April 26 and 28 in Dhaka. Australia have so far played just two Tests against minnows Bangladesh,winning both of them by an innings at home in 2003. Bangladesh have won just one of their 38 matches since gaining Test status in 2000, their lone victory coming against fellow-strugglers Zimbabwe at home last year. They have lost 33 Tests and drawn four.Bangladesh were under fire recently after tamely losing a two-Test series in England, with the former Australian captain and noted commentator Richie Benaud calling for them to be removed from Test cricket along with Zimbabwe. But the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland came to the defence of the struggling side, saying that a sport with only ten Test-playing nations could not afford to dump teams.”They have (Test) status,” Sutherland said, “and we have commitments under the future tour programmes to play against those countries.”

With only one round of matches to go in the ICC Six Nation Challenge, five teams were still in with a chance to take the single berth on offer for the Champions Trophy, to be held in England in September. Scotland and Netherlands led the points tally going into the final round, but USA, Namibia and UAE were all in the hunt as well.
Points tableScotland 214 (Stanger 84, Codrington 4-39) beat Canada 178 (Stanger 3-11) by 36 runs
ScorecardA superb allround performance from Ian Stanger helped Scotland ease to a 36-run win against Canada, who slumped to their fourth consecutive defeat in the tournament. Stanger steadied the Scotland innings with a patient 84, allowing them reach 214. He then chipped in with three late wickets as Canada were bundled out for 178 in the 46th over. For Canada, Austin Codrington was the star performer with four wickets, but in the end, it wasn’t enough to take his team to victory. Scotland play USA in their last match, and need a win to be assured of a place in the ICC Champions Trophy.Namibia 177 (Keulder 64, Khuram 4-35) beat UAE 107 (Kotze 3-4, Burger 3-24) by 70 runs
ScorecardAfter starting the tournament with consecutive defeats, Namibia bounced back with their second win in two games, beating UAE by a handy 70-run margin in a low-scoring game. After being put in to bat, Namibia managed just 177, with Danie Keulder, their opener, top-scoring with a patient 64. UAE made a reasonable start, but then slumped from 46 for 1 to 67 for 6, and were never in the hunt thereafter.Netherlands 249 for 2 (van Bunge 79*, Reekers 67, Zuiderent 64*) beat USA 248 (Staple 94, Reid 55, Schiferli 5-45) by 8 wickets
ScorecardA superb batting display by Netherlands helped them register their third win in the competition. Set a challenging target of 249, Netherlands reached there for the loss of just two wickets, and with 11 balls to spare. Daan van Bunge anchored the run-chase with an unbeaten 79, while Darron Reekers (67) and Bas Zuiderent (64*) provided the impetus to the innings. Earlier, Richard Staple (94) lifted USA to a respectable total after they had slumped to 20 for 3.

KARACHI, Feb 2: The first semifinal of the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship will be played from Monday between Khan Research Laboratories and Faisalabad at National Stadium.KRL, possessing the services of Test discards Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Ramzan, skipper Ali Naqvi and upcoming stars Saeed bin Nasir, Yasir Arafat and Saeed Anwar Junior, definitely have an edge over Faisalabad.Faisalabad sprung a surprise by shocking an aging Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at UBL Sports Complex last week in the only quarterfinal tie to produce an outright result.KRL qualified for the semifinals after their intriguing clash against National Bank ended on a damp note with the final day’s play abandoned after overnight rain had left the NSK’s square drenched and muddy.The second semifinal, between PIA and Rawalpindi, originally scheduled for Peshawar from Monday, will now be played here at UBL Sports Complex from Thursday after rain ruined the quarterfinals in northern parts of the country.

For some time now, there has been talk of a nexus between theunderworld, the bookies and some cricketers which has been at thecentre of the match fixing scandal. Even the Condon report mentionedit and added that because of this nexus, cricketers were living in anatmosphere of fear and uncertainty and were not easily forthcomingwith information.Now, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the nexus, hasindicated that Dubai and Pakistan based underworld gangs were runningdedicated groups of operators to concentrate on the `lucrativebusiness’ of betting and match-fixing in international cricket. TheCBI began probing the nexus between bookies and the underworld mafiato find out how deep the criminal section has penetrated into thegame.Information about the formation of such groups emerged as part ofvital clues collected by the CBI on the modus operandi of theunderworld with regard to the murky dealings in cricket. The CBI hasbeen working towards exposing the underworld’s involvement in cricketever since it became apparent.CBI sources recently said that the investigation into the matter,which started soon after the submission of its report on betting andmatch-fixing in Indian cricket in November last year, was progressingat a good pace and they had gathered many vital clues about the case.According to indications, the gangs were closer to cricketers,administrators and officials in the Indian sub-continent. The CBI hasalso collected a lot of information about the alleged role of a numberof cricketers, administrators and officials in the murky business.While the agency has so far refused to reveal details as, according tothem, it might hamper investigations, it has confirmed that they haveinformation about their close links with the underworld operators andwould question them at an opportune time.The country’s premier investigating agency is also considering takingactive help from the Delhi Police and the Mumbai Police to get to thebottom of the way the underworld operated. The CBI has alreadycontacted a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates,Dubai and Singapore and sought help in providing inputs about thepossible role of the underworld in tournaments held there.The CBI decided to probe the matter in the wake of reports of risinginterest of the underworld in cricket in India. Even though the nexushad been unearthed during the CBI’s probe into the match-fixingscandal, the dimensions at that time were yet to be fully established.But now the probe into this nexus and its bearing on national securityis being conducted vigorously both within India and abroad.The agency had, in its report on match-fixing released in Novemberlast year, warned that if concrete steps were not taken immediately,the underworld could take overall control of the betting racket.Negligence of the police and other authorities in allowing "wageringto turn into an organised racket, particularly with the involvement ofthe underworld mafia", was cited by the CBI as reason for the growthof the mafia’s dealings within the game.The possible implication of the underworld in betting in Indiancricket is seen in the statements of former Indian captain MdAzharuddin and the Indian team’s former physio Ali Irani who hadindicated the involvement of mafia dons.In the testimonies of Azharuddin and Irani, the names of mafia donsAnees Ibrahim, Abu Salem and Sharad Shetty have found mention. The CBIreport said Azhar during his questioning had stated that “Abu Salemhad rung him up on a couple of occasions to fix matches but he hadrefused.”According to the CBI, the fact that a “few bookies” had links with theunderworld has been fairly established during the initialinvestigation. The CBI now seems to be casting its net far and wide toget to the bottom of the nexus between the underworld, bookies,cricketers and the game’s administrators.It is a disturbing thought that more than a year after the matchfixing scandal broke, and several probes have been conducted, theevidence gathered could well be in the words of Sir Paul Condon, "thetip of the iceberg." Former England captain Ian Botham has alsospoken in much the same terms and has now even expressed the fear thatsomeone within the game could be killed. He is of the view thatplayers caught in the scandal were afraid to blow the whistle on thoseseemingly responsible for offering money to under perform for fear ofviolent reprisals, again something that Condon hinted in his report.Clearly the fight against match fixing is far from over despite allthe efforts put in so far.

Arsenal are now racing Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for the signature of a “really exciting” Champions League player, who is likely to have a huge asking price.

Campbell suggests Arsenal need to sign new centre-back

With William Saliba and Gabriel spending time on the treatment table, Sol Campbell has now suggested it could be worth dipping into the transfer market to sign a new centre-back next month, saying: “Maybe an older centre-half who wants a six-month contract, something might happen at the back-end of January, or a loan that makes sense. Keep your options open.”

The former defender also added: “Arsenal can lose two players elsewhere on the pitch but in defence, they miss Saliba and Gabriel’s experience, knowledge and cool heads for the big moments.”

The two defenders are set to return before 2026, but Cristhian Mosquera was recently sidelined for weeks due to an ankle issue, which means it may still be worth bringing in another centre-back, heading into a busy period.

With the Gunners still competing on all fronts, they have 11 games penciled in before the end of January, so having squad depth is likely to be important, and they have now joined the race for a new defender.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Arsenal are now closely monitoring Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor, but there could be fierce competition for his signature, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Chelsea also keen.

In fact, the Blues could be prepared to make a bid of €60m (£52m), with the Italian club set to hold out for a huge fee, as they view the 17-year-old as a ‘future defensive leader’, rather than a player to cash-in on in the near future.

The starlet is regarded as a ‘potential cornerstone signing’ by the Gunners, and there are plenty of indications he could go on to be a future star…

Related Journalist fears Arsenal could sign AC Milan rising star amid "strong" temptation

The Rossoneri may give in and sell.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini "Really exciting" Ahanor tipped to become "one of the best"

Journalist Bence Bocsak clearly rates the teenager very highly, having described him as a “really exciting” player, while former Italy international Aldo Serena believes the starlet is capable of reaching the very highest level.

Serena said: “I don’t usually bet, but I could make an exception for Ahanor. I feel confident saying that by the age of 20, he will be one of the best in the world in his position.”

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Since making his breakthrough at senior level, the Atalanta ace has regularly displayed his dribbling skills and ability to win back possession.

Honest Ahanor’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

2.20 (91st percentile)

Blocks

2.0 (98th percentile)

Progressive carries

1.05 (81st percentile)

Not only that, but the centre-back put in an impressive showing against Arsenal’s rivals in the Champions League, with manager Raffaele Palladino saying: “He had a great game against Chelsea, and I really like his spirit: his boldness and his willingness to give 110% of every opportunity he gets.”

Ahanor clearly has the talent to become a top defender, and it would be exciting if Arsenal were to launch a January move.