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Andrew Miller presents West Indies’ marks out of 10 following their 2-0 series defeat against England

Andrew Miller19-May-2009Fidel Edwards: blazing speeds, but little support•Getty ImagesFidel Edwards – 9An outstanding, if somewhat puzzling, display from the quickest bowler on either side, and maybe even in the world game. At Lord’s Edwards’ figures of 6 for 92, although magnificent, failed to take into account three dropped catches that could and should have set him up for an eight-for. At Chester-le-Street, he reserved his best and most venomous spell for James Anderson, of all the unlikely targets. Quite why he couldn’t rouse himself for more obvious targets, such as Kevin Pietersen, is a mystery. Perhaps he was just fed up at his lack of support.Sulieman Benn – 7Cruelly under-rewarded for his efforts. Bowled with attacking intent and cunning varieties, and from a height that had the potential to turn every ball into a hand-grenade. Pietersen certainly didn’t enjoy the best of the battle, and he wasn’t alone, as the combative cricketer who had taken eight wickets in the Jamaica triumph returned to something approaching his best form. Had fun with the bat as well at times, and wasn’t shy in dishing out the verbals either. West Indies could have done with more of his spirit.Ramnaresh Sarwan – 6Not quite the superhuman who cracked 626 runs in the previous series, but away from the featherbeds of home, Sarwan still helped himself to his fourth century in six Tests, which was quite some achievement for a man who never got going in his other three innings. His strength through the covers was diminished by the threat of the moving ball, although with the sun on his back on the fourth day at Chester-le-Street he made hay impressively to record West Indies’ only hundred of the series. Nevertheless, he was dismissed twice in the same day in both matches, which was something of an unwanted ignominy.Denesh Ramdin – 6Caught the eye with two free and easy half-centuries, the second of which, at Durham, had England’s bowlers on the run when they thought they were going for the kill. His glovework was still prone to untimely lapses, however, not least the leg-side drop off Alastair Cook that condemned his bowlers to yet another long and fruitless day in the field.Brendan Nash – 5Enhanced his credentials with a pugnacious 81 at Lord’s, but either side of that innings he was swept away in West Indies’ tide of futility. Out-thought at Chester-le-Street, first by a bouncer barrage that made him susceptible to a loose under-edged drive, then by Bresnan’s booming swing in the second dig. And then there was his dropped catch at square leg on the first afternoon at Lord’s – the error that arguably transformed the momentum of the series.Chris Gayle – 4Led by example, which is not meant as a compliment. His late arrival ahead of the Lord’s Test set the tone for a hideously forgettable series, and not even his fourth-day fireworks could atone for his divisive comments about the future of Test cricket. He is entitled to his opinion of course, but there’s a time and a place for expressing sentiments, and this, sadly, was neither.Devon Smith – 4Two starts, two failures, and no surprises. At times in the first Test at Lord’s, Smith looked the most accomplished batsman in the side, but then would come the inevitable error, and all his hard work would unravel. He attracted the odd good delivery, it has to be said, not least the Onions yorker at Lord’s, but his travails against Swann became the subject of ridicule when Strauss elected to open the bowling with his spinner for West Indies’ first innings of the series.Shivnarine Chanderpaul – 4Equalled Viv Richards’ record of 121 Tests at Chester-le-Street, and overtook his runs tally in the very same game which was a spooky coincidence. But aside from a futile 47 in the follow-on, there was little for the ICC World Player of the Year to cheer. At Lord’s he made 0 and 4 as Swann got his number in both innings, and though things improved in the second Test, he found simply being a barnacle wasn’t sufficient to get his team back into the contest.Lendl Simmons – 3His temperament at times seemed unflappable, which meant that his series haul of 55 runs in four innings was a crushing disappointment. Simmons is unquestionably a name for the future – anyone who can score 282 off an international attack, as he did in St Kitts for West Indies A against England in February – has to be worth investing in. Somehow his returns failed to stack up, but watch this space, he’ll get it right soon.Jerome Taylor – 3 Innocuous and superfluous, and a dreadful shame it was too. What has become of the man who rampaged through Sabina Park back in February? A combination of injuries and ennui seems to have set in ever since, for Taylor’s pace was powder-puff at times, not least in a critical first over to Kevin Pietersen in the second Test. Taylor is in need of a long lay-off and recharging of the batteries.Lionel Baker – 3Bowled one superb delivery to castle Ravi Bopara, and that was that, really. With a lithe, whippy action that is designed to be repeated, Baker really ought to be a line and length merchant, the steadying influence around which a team can build. Instead no two deliveries ever landed in the same place. Four-balls were only ever a matter of time.

Plays of the day for the fourth day of the Australia-West Indies Test in Adelaide

Alex Brown and Brydon Coverdale07-Dec-2009The Chris Gayle shuffle
Proof that Chris Gayle is cooler than Mawson’s Hut was evident in his celebration of his maiden Test century against Australia. Triumphant waves of the bat bookended a short dance sequence that featured the kind of rhythmic sashaying that would have proven a hit in the nightclubs of Kingston. Gayle looked decidedly less graceful several overs later when he was struck by cramp. Gayle’s nickname among team-mates is “crampy”, a Jamaican expression for slow movement, and his seizing muscles served to decelerate his scoring rate for a time, but he picked it up at the end of the day.Brother, can you spare a wicket?
Australia’s inability to take 20 wickets proved a curse in recent losing campaigns against India, South Africa and England, and the lack of an enforcer returned to haunt them on Monday. Without the services of the incapacitated Peter Siddle, who has a hamstring problem, for much of the day, Australia struggled for impact against a resolute West Indies batting unit on a benign Adelaide surface. Nathan Hauritz could not replicate the bounce or bite of Sulieman Benn the previous day, while Mitchell Johnson lit up the start and the end, but not in the middle. It was a tough time at the office.Tall tales of Big Benn
Sulieman Benn said it wasn’t until he was about 14 that he began getting taller than most of his friends, but at 28 it seems he’s still enjoying a growth spurt. The story of his success on the third day in Adelaide turned into a tall tale – but just how tall depended on whose story you read. His profile page on Cricinfo lists him as 6ft 7in, which equates to 200cm, but in the he had grown to 204cm and in the he had shot up to 207cm.Save the umps
The Gould League is an Australian organisation that, among other things, aims to protect the environment. Umpire Ian Gould might just need his own group if he keeps getting in the way of Gayle drives. Gayle crunched a straight one that clipped the fingers of the bowler Marcus North, but that didn’t take much of the pace off the ball. It promptly ricocheted into Gould’s ankle, sending the umpire hobbling in pain and denying Gayle a boundary.

The West Indies fast bowler has said he is delighted with his superb bowling display in the second ODI against India

Cricinfo staff29-Jun-2009West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul has said he is delighted with his superb bowling display in the second ODI against India. He struck at either end of the Indian innings, to finish with 4 for 37, and was largely responsible for containing India to a below-par 188.The 24-year-old picked up the Man-of-the-Match award as West Indies drew level in the four-match series, storming to a eight-wicket win in Jamaica. “It was the best I have bowled for a long time. I was playing four-day cricket and coming back to one-day, my rhythm and everything went well – today I bowled really well,” Rampaul said.Rampaul, who replaced Lionel Baker from the first ODI at the same venue, said he was a little surprised with the loose shots that the Indian batsmen played, but he was more concerned about ensuring that he maintained an immaculate line and intelligently utilising the swing he managed to extract from the pitch. “I was getting a little swing with the ball so I was just waiting for them to play the rash shots,” he said.He said he had also noticed that since the ICC World Twenty20 the Indians were averse to short-pitched deliveries but contained himself to use it sparingly. “They weren’t too comfortable with the short balls so I used it as a surprise delivery,” Rampaul said.While Rampaul went on the rampage early on – dismissing Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma for ducks in his first over – he also underlined the importance of bowling miserly spells. “I’m always an attacking bowler and I think the captain knows that I am an attacking bowler, but I can bowl tight as well,” Rampaul said.After his initial double strike, he sent back Ravindra Jadeja and Praveen Kumar as the West Indies stormed to a comprehensive victory. His performance would no doubt have put the selectors on notice over his inclusion in the Test side. “I enjoy all types of matches, I am just waiting for my opportunity to play Test cricket,” Rampaul said.Rampaul, who has played 34 ODIs, said he had been making steady progress in getting back into top shape and thanked former West Indies trainer, Ronald Rogers, for his help. “I have been working hard; apart from cricket I have been doing a lot of physical work and I’m getting better,” Rampaul said. “I still need to do a bit more work but I am getting there slowly.”

New Zealand have been dealt two injury concerns before their one-day series in Australia with Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum both suffering problems during training in Canberra on Wednesday

Cricinfo staff28-Jan-2009
New Zealand are yet to decide if Jesse Ryder, who has a shoulder injury, will be replaced in the touring squad © AFP
New Zealand have been dealt two injury concerns before their one-day series in Australia with Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum both suffering problems during training in Canberra on Wednesday. Ryder will miss Thursday’s warm-up match against the Prime Minister’s XI after aggravating a shoulder injury.The trouble with his rotator cuff had affected Ryder in New Zealand and flared up again at the team’s net session. He will have an MRI scan on Wednesday night to determine whether a replacement player needs to be flown in for the ODI series, which begins in Perth on Sunday.Gareth Hopkins has already been called on to join the squad in Perth after McCullum sustained a minor hip injury. McCullum responded well to physio treatment after training and is likely to play in Canberra, although it is not clear how much time he will be able to spend behind the stumps.New Zealand’s problems have been complicated by the fact that Ryder was the designated wicketkeeping reserve in the existing squad. Ryan Carters, a gloveman who has represented the Australian Capital Territory Under-19s, has been placed on standby in case New Zealand require a substitute wicketkeeper against the Prime Minister’s XI.New Zealand are already below full strength for the five-match ODI series with the allrounder Jacob Oram unavailable due to injury. The Prime Minister’s XI will be captained by Justin Langer and features some players hoping to impress Australia’s national selectors, including the in-form batsmen Phillip Hughes and Michael Klinger.

Some Everton fans have been left raging as a transfer update emerged on James Rodriguez.

Writing in his latest piece for The Liverpool Echo, Phil Kirkbride has now said that the Goodison Park faithful are still be exploring their options with regards to finding a potential taker for the former Real Madrid star.

The transfer window is still open in Russia, Turkey and Portugal, and so while the English window is now shut, there is still a possibility that Rodriguez could be moved on.

Of course, with the inability to be able to find a suitable replacement, it would not be a wise idea for the Merseyside club to offload the Colombia international, and so it is not a surprise to see a few Toffees supporters raging at the proposal.

Everton fans on Rodriguez transfer update

These Blues raged as the transfer update was shared on Twitter, with one EFC fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘hideous’:

“Too late to let him go. We are short in depth already we need him.”

Credit: @Akira7277

“Nothing to gain from freezing him out. Only thing to do now, is encourage him to fight for his place, treat him like a valued asset, but nothing more, and get the most out of him we can. He’ll be useful! He can also spearhead our global expansion strategy if we have any sense!”

Credit: @BufordTJustice

“Hideous”

Credit: @Shakeitupbaine1

“The club would be idiotic to get rid of him while we can’t get a replacement in. But then again, the club is run by idiots”

Credit: @PatricRidge

“This is just stupid, when we can’t get a replacement. highly doubt he’ll join any of those leagues anyway.”

Credit: @lewissefc

“Wages aside why isn’t this being looked into for everyone else we need to get shut of? Those need to be gone more than him”

Credit: @SoundDave1981

In other news, find out which Premier League ace Everton enquired for late on in the window here!

Everton have cruised through the summer transfer window in unspectacular fashion.

The Toffees have signed four new players but have only spent £1.7m. Rafa Benitez may have expected to be given more license to spend but it hasn’t had an adverse impact on the squad.

What’s the word?

Although Everton haven’t thrown their chequebook around this summer, they have still secured seven points from three matches in a promising start to the season.

What bodes well is that they’re also trying to improve the squad before the deadline passes in just over 24 hours’ time. Luis Diaz could arrive from Porto, while former Newcastle striker Salomon Rondon is also a target.

However, the player Everton should sign instead is Odsonne Edouard. The Sunday Mail (29/08 – via Sky Sports) suggests that the Merseyside outfit are battling Tottenham, Brighton and Crystal Palace for his signature.

Edouard has been a highly sought-after player for a while now but his wage demands had priced the Frenchman out of a move before deadline day. It’s thought that he may cost in the region of £20m.

Wonderful signing

If Benitez secures Edouard over Rondon on transfer deadline day, it would ensure that Everton end the transfer window with an almighty bang.

The striker has downed tools with Celtic over the last few months and nothing typified that more than a horrendous miss from just yards out in Sunday’s Old Firm derby against Rangers.

However, the 23-year-old is more than that. He is usually a wonderfully composed finisher from inside the area. He is a tall and powerful forward but possesses an incredible first touch which he uses to his advantage to subsequently outmuscle defenders.

However, most vital to his play is the goalscoring antics he has created in Glasgow. Edouard found the net on 22 occasions in 41 outings last season, a tally which beat Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goals for the campaign by one.

On top of that, he has beaten the goalkeeper 86 times in 179 appearances for the Hoops. Therefore, he’d surely bring a heap of goals with him to Merseyside.

With Richarlison potentially heading for the exit door, Everton will definitely need another prolific attacker in their ranks, and Edouard fits the bill perfectly.

Speaking about the Celtic star last year, Frank McGarvey waxed lyrical about his qualities, saying: “He has that bit of magic in his feet.”

Scotland defender Declan Gallagher added: “His one-touch play, his link-up, he’s two-footed – he has got absolutely everything, all the attributes. It’s hard to stop him. When Edouard is on that kind of form he is unplayable.”

With that in mind, Benitez must attempt to wrap up a deal. It could be the difference between a mere top half placing or a European finish.

AND in other news, Alan Myers delivers seven-word Everton transfer update, fans must be fuming…

According to RMC Sport, Marseille chiefs have been left angry with defender Duje Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham United or Wolverhampton Wanderers before the deadline.

The Lowdown: West Ham summer completed…

As the Irons have completed their summer business, it’s safe to say most supporters will be fairly happy with the outcome given they had just Alphonse Areola to show for a majority of the window.

In the end, manager David Moyes came out with Aroela, centre-back Kurt Zouma, midfielder Alex Kral and attacker Nikola Vlasic – with only the lack of another striker being a sour point.

The central defensive area was a big topic for much of the window, and before West Ham landed Zouma, they were apparently in the mix to land Caleta-Car from Marseille.

The Latest: Marseille chiefs angry with Caleta-Car…

As per RMC Sport, chiefs at the Ligue 1 giants are angry with Caleta-Car after he refused to join West Ham a few weeks ago, or Wolves before the deadline.

Marseille apparently needed to ‘lift some of the constraints’ weighing on the club in this transfer market and were desperate to find a solution to sell the player.

Valencia came forward in the last minute but to no avail, with the 24-year-old now set to stay at the Stade Vélodrome in January.

The Verdict: Blessing in disguise?

Despite Caleta-Car having perks of his own, standing at a colossal 6 foot 4 and possessing the physicality for Premier League football, Zouma stands out as the better option.

The latter man has a wealth of experience both in Europe and the English top-flight – all while being a calm and composed option at the back for West Ham.

He averaged an impressive 90.9% pass accuracy out from the back over 22 league starts for Chelsea last season and even pitched in with five goals going forward (WhoScored).

Missing out on the £22.5 million-valued Caleta-Car could actually come as a blessing in disguise.

In other news: ‘Yayyyy’, ‘Ooooo’, ‘Actually mental’…West Ham fans rave over ‘fantastic news’, find out more here.

Nottinghamshire have signed Ali Brown, the former Surrey batsman, on a two-year deal as they build for the new season

Cricinfo staff07-Jan-2009
Ali Brown was a destructive batsman for Surrey and hopes to bring that to Nottinghamshire © Getty Images
Nottinghamshire have signed Ali Brown, the former Surrey batsman, on a two-year deal as they build for the new season.Brown, 38, spent 21 years at The Oval and has scored first-class centuries against all the other counties, but was released by Surrey at the end of the 2008 season as they started to build for the future following Championship relegation.Nottinghamshire, though, have snapped him up and believe he can still play an important role. “Ali has a lot to offer as a cricketer but he’s also an experienced head who will act as a role model to younger players,” director of cricket, Mick Newell, said. “He’s an exiting one-day player at the top of the order and he can play an important role for us over the next two years.”Brown, who also played 16 ODIs for England, is looking forward to joining a team who are pushing for honours. “Nottinghamshire are primed to challenge for the Championship and I want to hit the ground running and help the team to push for honours,” he said.”For me, the buzz of playing cricket comes from winning competitions and I feel that I’ve got two more years to win things at this level. I’ve always been confident in my ability, I’m feeling fit and I want to play for Nottinghamshire in all forms of the game.”Nottinghamshire have been busy during the off-season, securing the futures of a number of key players including Samit Patel and Darren Pattinson, while also strengthening the squad with offspinner Jason Brown joining from Northamptonshire.

A round-up from the first day of the fifth round of Pentangular Cup matches

Cricinfo staff18-Nov-2008
Scorecard

Sohail Tanvir took career-best figures of 6 for 10 © AFP
Fresh from his successful trip to Abu Dhabi, where he took seven wickets in three ODIs against West Indies, Sohail Tanvir returned to the Pentangular Cup to tear through Baluchistan’s batting line-up and put the Federal Areas in an unexpectedly dominant position, given their poor start earlier in the day.Though Baluchistan collapsed to 33 for 6 at the end of day one as Tanvir took all the wickets, they were never in danger of following on since Federal Areas were bowled out for 146 – four runs short of the total required to enforce a follow-on. It was a day for the seamers as Bilal Khilji and Nazar Hussain shared seven Federal Areas wickets before Tanvir got his career-best figures of 6 for 10. He can increase his haul on Wednesday when Federal Areas look to wrap up Baluchistan and gain a substantial first-innings lead.Four of Tanvir’s dismissals didn’t need the help of fielders – three lbws and one bowled – and no Baluchistan batsman managed to reach double figures. Federal Areas didn’t fare too well either; their top score was No. 8 Yasir Arafat’s 32.With North West Frontier Province miles ahead of the other teams, with 27 points from three games, the battle is on for the second finalist’s spot. Federal Areas can bump Baluchistan off the second spot if they win this game.
Scorecard
Opener Azhar Ali rescued Punjab from a dire situation with an unbeaten century against NWFP in Lahore. Punjab will hope he can take them past 250 on Wednesday after they ended the opening day on 238 for 8.Medium-pacer Nauman Habib struck early blows to Punjab by removing two top-order batsmen with the total at 29. Mansoor Amjad (29), however, hung on for nearly one and a half hours, and added 60 with Azhar before he too was dismissed by Habib, whose three dismissals were all caught behind. After Amjad’s exit, Punjab lost three more wickets in quick succession before Abdur Rehman (10) and Wahab Riaz (19) added useful runs to partnerships with Azhar. In his 206-ball innings, Azhar hit 17 fours and one six.

North Wst FP 4* 3 0 00 0 27 Baluchistan 4*1 1 0 1 0 9 Federal Areas 4* 1 1 01 0 6 Sind 40 2 0 2 0 6 Punjab (Pak) 4* 0 1 02 0 3

The Middlesex captain, Shaun Udal, has been named the club’s skipper for 2009, the decision rubber-stamped by the county’s new director of cricket, Angus Fraser

Cricinfo staff25-Oct-2008
‘I have been fortunate to have achieved a few things in my career but this is right up there with my proudest moments’ © Getty Images
The Middlesex captain, Shaun Udal, has been named the club’s skipper for 2009, the decision rubber-stamped by the county’s new director of cricket, Angus Fraser. Udal is currently in Antigua for the Stanford Super Series, as Middlesex prepare to take on England tomorrow.”He’s done a great job for us in the last couple of months and when I broke the news to Shaun today, he was very emotional and very excited,” Vinny Codrington, the Middlesex chief executive, told the club’s website. “I believe with Gus [Fraser], Toby [Radford] and Shaun we have a formidable team in charge of cricket in Middlesex, which can only bring future success.””It is an unbelievable honour to captain this great and proud club and it is my intention to return it to its glory days of years gone by,” said Udal. “I have been fortunate to have achieved a few things in my career but this is right up there with my proudest moments and I look forward to the future with great anticipation.”I was truly touched when Vinny told me the news and I can promise our supporters I will give my all to the club. I also applaud the choice of Gus Fraser [as Middlesex’s director of cricket] and look forward enormously to working closely with him.”