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Butcher’s luck changes at last
BRISBANE, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Mark Butcher’s troubled start to England’s Ashes cricket tour finally took a turn for the better on Sunday when he blasted a century in the first test against Australia.
The English opener equalled his highest test score of 116 on the third day at the Gabba after a bit of luck finally went his way.
Butcher has been plagued by problems since he arrived in Australia last month but got a break as he needed it most when he was allowed to bat on after being bowled on a no-ball eight runs short of his century.
"I knew it was a no-ball just before it hit the stumps. I heard the umpire call it. It was the most excellent news," Butcher said.
The Surrey lefthander had gone into the first test in terrible form after scoring just nine runs in five first-class matches on tour.
He had also been hit in the head after misjudging a bouncer in the first game against Western Australia, requiring 10 stitches above his eye and shaking his confidence.
Butcher had to retire hurt without having scored a run and was unable to bat in the second innings.
He was back in hospital less than week later when he cut his nose and bruised his eye socket after colliding with a team mate in training.
His form with the bat was even more disturbing. In England’s next match against South Australia, Butcher scored two in the first innings and five in the second. Against Queensland a week later, he scored two then a duck.
He told a news conference after play finished on Sunday that he would not have been surprised if he had been dropped for the test.
"It’s a funny thing. Some days you feel great and you can’t miss the middle of the bat and other days you can’t get a bat on it at all," he said.
"But there’s a good feeling in this team at the moment.
"Everyone wants everyone else to do really well and in that climate and environment you can stay focused and believe in yourself and hopefully come out the other side."
Butcher has had a mixed year, to say the least.
He missed the second and third tests of England’s series against South Africa after fracturing his thumb attempting a slips catch.
He hit 75 on his return for the fourth test then made his maiden test hundred against at Headingley in Leeds to win man of the match award.
Australian captain Mark Taylor, playing his 100th test, used seven different bowlers in an attempt to dismiss him on Sunday.
He eventually succeeded when he was brillianty caught and bowled by a diving Mark Waugh, but it was too late.
By that stage Butcher, whose innings had spanned 179 balls and 220 minutes and included 16 fours, had 116 to his name, equalling the score he made against South Africa.
"I always thought it was going to come together again but I just didn’t know when," Butcher said.
SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st innings 485
England 1st innings (53 for one overnight)M.Butcher c and b M.Waugh 116
M.Atherton c M.Waugh b McGrath 0
N.Hussain c Stewart b Kasprowicz 59
A.Stewart c Kasprowicz b MacGill 8
G.Thorpe not out 70
M.Ramprakash not out 29
Extras (lb-7 b-1 nb-9) 17
Total (for four wickets, 94.2 overs) 299Fall of wickets: 1-11 2-145 3-168 4-240
Bowling: McGrath 24-7-66-1 (nb-2), Fleming 22-5-62-0, Kasprowicz 18.2-2-61-1 (nb-5), MacGill 16-2-57-1 (nb-1), S.Waugh 3-0-17-0, Ponting 3-0-10-0, M.Waugh 8-1-18-1 (nb-1)
Seeduwa Raddoluwa Cricket Club gained a first innings win over Weera SC in a Division II game which ended at Raddoluwa yesterday. Seeduwa club batting first totalled 295.
Top scorers being C. Delpachitra 93 and Sanjeewa Arangalla making a top score of 73. Ajith Priyankara 4/40 and L. Priyankara 3/32 bowled well for Horana team.
Weera SC managed 259 with two half centuries from M. Ranaweera and K. Sanjeeva. D. A. Marage took four wickets while D. Surendra and N. Pannilawithana took two wickets each.
Raddoluwa batting a second time reached a massive 315 for 7 wickets at close. P. Tissera cracking a brilliant 135 while D. Ranatunge too chipped in with a half century.
SRCC — 295 (C. Delpachitra 93 S. Arangalla 73, D. Marage 48, R. Jayakody 24, S. Bungshajaya 2/55, Ajith Priyankara 4/100, C. Priyankara 3/32) and 315/7 (S. Arangalla 29, D. Ranatunge 50, P. Tissera 135, S. Priyantha 37, N. Pannilavithana 33, W. Bungshajaya 2/105, W. Kumara 2/44)
WEERA SC 259 (A. Wasantha 21, M. Ranaweera 51, J. Janaka 51, T. Tuduhewa 23, L. Prasad 26, K. Sanjeeva 40, A Priyankara 20, D. A. Marage 4/61, D. Surendra 2/74 N. Pannilawithana 2/48) (BP).
CCC coasted to a comfortable eight wicket victory over NCC in a Under 23 Segment ‘A’ semi final game at Bloomfield ground yesterday.
CCC 295 and 108 for 2 (Bradman Ediriweera 56 n.o.)
NCC 141 and 261/9 declared.
SSC gained first innings win points over Colts in their Segment ‘A’ semi final played at NCC grounds yesterday. Colts were 120 for 6 at close in their second essay.
Scores:
SSC 483 for 3 declared
COLTS 204 and 120 for 6 at close (DR)
‘Kalu’ and Upul open five concrete wickets
by T. Rajah our Badulla sports CorrSri Lanka Test cricketers Romesh Kaluwitharana and Upul Chandana visited Badulla District recently to declare open five side concrete wickets in the district.
Both these Sri Lanka "caps" were received by the Secretary of the Region — 5 of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, R. M. U. Ratnayake and a large crowd of cricket enthusiasts thronged all places these two visited.
Romesh and Upul first visited Badulla Central College and declared open two concrete side wickets and later proceeded to Badulla Saraswathy National School and declared open a side wicket.
Thereafter, they visited Hali Ela and Bandarawela Central College and declared open the two concrete side wickets which were constructed by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka.
According to the Regional Secretary, R. M. U. Ratnayake, another 5 side concrete wickets will be constructed in Badulla shortly. He thanked the Board President, Thilanga Sumathipala for his efforts to promote cricket in the rural areas.
CEAT tyres cricket rating-the first global rating system
The top Indian and Sri Lankan tyre company CEAT Ltd., together with Professional Management Group (PMG), India’s first sports marketing company, instituted the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year Award, to fulfil a long felt need in the international cricket arena: the absence of any method of recognising and rewarding performances of cricketers at the international level.
With so much cricket being played continuously right across the world, it was surprising that the only awards that existed were for cricket played in a particular country. For instance the Wisden Awards for cricket played in England, UBX New Zealand Cricketer of the Year award and Mafatlal award for the Indian Cricketer of the Year. In Sri Lanka, we have our own Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award.
The Ceat Cricket Rating ranks the world’s best cricketers on the basis of their performances in one day internationals as well as test matches. This rating system has been devised after extensive discussions with excricketers, statisticians, and cricket journalists. The system is overseen by three cricketing legends - Clive Lloyd, Ian Chappell and Sunil Gavaskar. Performances are judged over a period of 12 months, from 1 May to 30 April - and the player with the maximum points is declared Ceat International Cricketer of the year. Last year’s award was won by our own Sanath Jayasuriya.
This system of awards has now been extended to a team as well. The Ceat Team of the Year 1997/98 was Australia.
The method of rating players and teams is entirely objective, and is based on a system of allocating points for achieving certain standard of performance at international level. The points system is given below.
CRICKETER OF THE YEAR AWARD - CEAT SYSTEM OF EVALUATION
POINT SYSTEMBATTING
A fifty in an innings
Every 25 runs thereafter in that particular innings
A century in an innings
A double century in an innings1 point
1 point
3 additional points as bonus
6 additional points as bonusBOWLING
Two wickets in an innings 1 point
Every subsequent wicket in that particular innings 1 point
Five wickets in an innings 3 additional points as bonus
Ten wickets in a match 6 additional points as bonusFIELDING
Every catch 1 point
Five catches in an innings 3 additional points as bonusWICKET KEEPING
Two dismissals in an innings 1 point
Every subsequent dismissal in that particular innings 1 point each
Five dismissals in an innings 3 additional points as bonusAside from the points earned by each player, the three adjudicators, Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Chappell and Clive Lloyd will be given the batting and bowling of all the players every month. As the cricketing year progresses the Ceat Efficiency Quotient (CEQ) will be added to the judging criteria. The CEQ will be obtained by dividing the number of points earned, by the number of innings played. For e.g., if two players have earned 100 points but Player ‘A’ has played 10 innings and Player ‘B’ 5 innings, the CEQ of Player ‘A’ will be 10 and that of Player ‘B’ will be higher at 20. The player with the higher Efficiency Quotient will obviously get a preference in the final selection.
The award carries a cash prize of half a million Indian rupees.
CRICKET TEAM OF THE YEAR - CEAT SYSTEM OF EVALUATION
POINTS SYSTEM
TEST MATCH 6 points for home win
Outright win 9 points for away win
Tie 3 points each
Defeat no points
SERIES WIN 2 bonus pointsONE DAY GAME
Win
Tie
Abandoned match
2 points 1 point no pointsSERIES WIN Bonus points for Series/Tournament wins will be based on the no. of countries participating in the event. For e.g. two teams = 2 points, Triangular = 3 points, Quadrangular = 4 points and so on. World Cup = 12 points.
The final selection of the International Cricket Team will be done by the three architects of this scheme. Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd and Sunil Gavaskar. Aside from the total number of points earned by each team the judges will take into account the ratio of test matches to One Days played, the ratio of home and away series, the quality of the opposition, the number of matches played etc.
The Award carries a cash prize of one million Indian rupees.
Students protest over tobacco sponsorships to sell soccer matches
Protestation of students against selling of Foot Ball Matches to Tobacco Company.
Students have expressed their objection with regard to the freedom granted to the Tobacco Company to lure the youth to smoking through football sponsorship permitted to them. The SCAAD, being a student organization engaged in drug prevention met Mr. Manilal Fernando, Chairman of Football Federation, on 18th November, 1998, to express their displeasure with regard to the sponsorship granted to the Tobacco Company.
At this occasion the members of SCAAD pointed out the fact that the Tobacco Industry is attempting to popularize their products among the youth, while enjoying the spills of Football and Football Association. In addition to this, any patriot citizen of Sri Lanka, should not allow the industry to misuse sports grounds for advertising of alcohol and tobacco, since sports is meant for enriching the health of a nation.
The reply of Mr. Manilal Fernando was that he would not expect students of Sri Lanka to be attracted for smoking or become misguided. He further said that it was the parents and teachers who were responsible for this, if students were to be misguided. He went on saying that whatever the people say, he would not hesitate in offering football sponsorship to Bristol.
The student organization is enquiring as to why Mr. Manilal Fernando is so eager to offer Football sponsorship to Bristol, and it is hilarious to say that cigarette advertisements do not target students. They further remark that it is surprising that Mr. Fernando too is pointing out the very same unacceptable ethics which the tobacco industry is bringing forward, about sponsorship.
Copies of this very same letter have been forwarded to Her Excellency the President, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Minister of Sports and other responsible persons. The youth of the country are anxiously awaiting a meaningful response to their claim.
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