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The ICC has received a report on the banned Pakistani mediumpacer Shabbir Ahmed’s modified action and will make a decision as to whether his action is now within the limits prescribed once it has “read and digested” the contents of the report.Shabbir became the first bowler to be banned from international cricket after he was reported twice last year for a suspect action. He has not played for Pakistan since December last year. But having spent the time working on his action with Sarfraz Nawaz, he recently went to Australia to undergo tests on his new action at the University of Western Australia, under the supervision of Professor Bruce Elliott and Daryl Foster.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) say preliminary reports from Elliott suggest that the action is within the prescribed limits now, though the ICC has to go through the official report. An ICC official told Cricinfo, “The report has just arrived. Once we have read and digested the report we will write to the PCB confirming the findings and then it is expected we will issue a media release with the details.”The report needs to show that Shabbir is bowling within the legally prescribed limits in order for him to resume bowling at international level,” the official added. The board are confident that the action has been corrected for now at least and that Shabbir can resume a career blighted by problems with his action since he made his international debut in 1999. He has been reported a total of four times in ten Tests and 32 ODIs.Salim Altaf, director operations, PCB, told Karachi-based daily that they were confident that Shabbir will be able to represent Pakistan again. “According to the preliminary report we have received from Professor Bruce Elliot, Shabbir has improved his bowling angle and has brought it to 10 degrees which is below the 15-degree limit. It is because of this we are sure that he would be cleared by the ICC to play international cricket,” said Altaf.Pakistan are keen for a swift decision from the ICC. Shabbir has already been named in the 25-man squad which will report to the four-day training camp for the tour to South Africa in January. He has been in impressive form domestically and Pakistan will be eager to utilise his awkward bounce on the faster pitches of South Africa if he is selected. “Shabbir is a good medium pacer and if he is fit would be a valuable addition to our bowling attack,” Altaf said.

Viv Richards has called on the Caribbean’s governments to get behind West Indies and help rebuild them into a force to be reckoned with.Speaking to the London-based Voice newspaper, Richards was typically forthright, calling on those running the game at the moment to stand down.”In order to create confidence there are many individuals who are in administrative roles in West Indies cricket who need to vacate their positions,” he said. “What we are seeing on the field is a result of administrative failures. As long as that problem remains the belief factor among the players will be minimal.”There seems to be no desire to win at the boardroom level. Results don’t matter. And there are people there who are just hanging on until after the World Cup in 2007. They should vacate their positions now and not drag West Indies cricket down any further.”And he warned that unless there was change, things could continue to slide. “If we keep these individuals running our affairs we will only get worse. We need leaders in every department and the evidence is there that those who are now required to carry out certain functions are just not up to the jobs.”Richards did not rule himself out as being someone who could led West Indies’ recovery, even though his time as head of selection was not overly successful. “I am willing to accept any opportunity that presents itself. When I was involved there were many decisions that I wanted to take but I did not get the support. That was why we were not clicking as a unit.”I am deeply concerned about the path we are taking at the minute. Everyone is hoping that we will host a good World Cup and that the West Indies will do well. But what will happen after that? We need a fresh administration at this point that will have to look beyond 2007 and create the vision which will put West Indies cricket where we should be in world cricket.”

A dozen years ago South Africa were a team with few stars, and only one man who knew anything at all about playing Test cricket. That man was Kepler Wessels, and he had faith in the old-fashioned adage that a captain’s first and foremost duty to his country and his team was to make sure they could not lose before they even contemplated victory.Wessels believed that if he could make his inexperienced South African team hard to beat then they might have a chance of actually winning matches. But first, he believed, they needed to inherit some of the bloody-mindedness he had learned while playing for Australia, maximise whatever talent they did possess, and then learn to play for each other.Fast forward 12 years … and where are we now? Exactly the same place. Almost. Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis have played 86 and 81 Tests each, but the team, collectively, has lost so much. The attributes of toughness and determination are one thing, but there is the talent to think of, too. Particularly the bowling talent.In the early and mid-1990s, South Africa fielded a quartet of fast bowlers all capable of taking wickets, and there was no respite for the batsmen. Behind Allan Donald was a queue of good men just waiting to take their turn – Brett Schultz, Craig Matthews, Brian McMillan, Fanie de Villiers, Richard Snell and then, in 1996, Pollock himself. But now there are just two – and Pollock is overworked and suffering because the batsmen are content merely to keep him out, while Makhaya Ntini is struggling through over-exertion and an impatience to break through.The batsmen are missing Gary Kirsten as badly as a ten-year-old misses his mum on the first day at boarding school, and they are subdued by the knowledge that, without a huge first-innings total, they have no chance of victory and are probably doomed to defeat.So what you see today is what you get. South Africa aren’t suddenly going to find the magic solution and bounce back to being the second-best team in the world, as they were for three or four years.If they have looked like underdogs scrapping for a bone and hanging onto it for dear life over the first four days at Kanpur, it’s because they are. And you can expect more of the same at Kolkata.

The Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 championship trophy is the prize for victory in tomorrow’s winner-take-all clash between Old Tauntonians & Romsey and St Cross Symondians at the Romsey Sports Centre, 1pm.Three points separate the pair who have fought a season-long battle for the leadership – and now the championship itself.OT’s will certainly want to forget their mid-June visit to St Cross, when they were shot out for 98 and thumped by a massive 135-run margin."That was as bad as its got this season, although mixed in with some top performances, we have had some we’d rather forget – and that was one of them," reflected OT’s skipper Stuart Tulk.Charles Forward (699 runs) and Indian all-rounder Raj Naik, whose 20 wickets have come alongside 544 runs this summer, will be the main OT’s player tomorrow.Nick Wood (hamstring) remains sidelined, but fellow spinner Mark Padwick is missing for St Cross, who recall Marc Rees.St Cross are holding a Memorial Day on Sunday (10.30am) for New Zealander Mark Parker, who was killed in last September’s Bali terrorist bombings.They have helped set up a Trust Fund and proceeds from Sunday’s six-a-side tournament at the Royal Green Jackets Ground will go towards it.Desperate to pip Easton & Martyr Worthy to a third-place finish, Lymington bid to field the SPL’s tallest wicketkeeper against United Services at Burnaby Road."Lee Savident kept for Portsmouth last weekend (and took five victims), while we’ll have Ben Craft donning the gloves tomorrow. They’re both big six footers," said Lymington captain Dan Peacock.Glyn Treagus hopes for a repeat of his 152 for Dorset (against Wiltshire this week) as Lymington bid to boost Sparsholt’s prospects of avoiding the drop.It’s a must win situation for Sparsholt at Purbrook, who have won three of their last four games – and haven’t given up hope of staying up.Without a win for five weeks, Sparsholt lie second from bottom, five points adrift of United Services."We could go bottom if we lose at Purbrook. We’ve got to win. It’s as simple as that," skipper Ian Stuart said.Former Hampshire wicketkeeper Adrian Aymes plans to boost his claim for the Premier 2 batting prize as Hursley Park entertain Easton & Martyr Worthy.A win against Burridge at Botley Road should be enough to keep Gosport Borough out of the relegation zone.

LCCA Blues will defend its title in the Quaid-i-Azam crickettrophy Grade-I tournament starting throughout the countryfrom Jan 2.According to the draws announced by the PCB Friday, LCCABlues who recorded sensational one wicket win over KCCAWhites in the final at Karachi to win the country mostprestigious cricket tournament last year, were placed inGroup-II. In all, 18 teams will vie for the main trophy. Theteams have been divided into two groups I and II.Top teams of each group will play the final to be held fromMarch 1 to 5. The winning team will get Rs 1,00,000 whilethe runners-up Rs 50,000. Besides it, cash prizes of Rs10,000 will be given each to best batsman, bowler, fieldersand wicket-keeper of the tournament.Teams from all the four provinces are also taking part. Theanother significant feature of the tournament is the thatthe first class matches will be held at Gymkhana CricketGround, Okara, and the Country Club, Muridke, for the firsttime.One bottom team from each group, except of the provincialteams will be relegated to Grade-II for the next season(2002- 2003).The group position is as under:Group-I: KCCA Whites, KCCA Blues, Hyderabad,Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Rest of Baluchistan andRest of Sindh, Gujranwala. Group-II: LCCA Whites, LCCABlues, Sheikhupura, Peshawar, Sialkot, Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Rest of Punjab, Rest of NWFP.Following are the draws (details as: date, teams, venue):Jan 2 to 5, 2002: KCCA-W vs KCCA-B, KCCA Stadium,Karachi; Hyderabad v Bahawalpur, Niaz Stadium; Sargodha vFaisalabad, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad; Rest of Baluchistan vRest of Sindh, National Stadium, Karachi, (Group-I)LCCA-W v LCCA-B, LCCA ground; Sheikhupura v Sialkot, CountryClub, Muridke; Islamabad v Rawalpindi, KRL Stadium; Rest ofPunjab vs Rest of NWFP, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar (Group-II).Jan 8 to 11: KCCA-W v Rest of Sindh, NationalStadium, Karachi; KCCA-B v Rest of Baluchistan, KCCAStadium,Karachi; Hyderabad v Faisalabad; Iqbal StadiumFaisalabad; Sargodha v Gujranwala, Jinnah Stadium,Gujranwala; (Group-I).LCCA-W v Sheikhupura, Sheikhupura Stadium; LCCA-B v Sialkot,LCCA ground; Peshawar vs Rest of NWFP, Arbab Niaz Stadium,Peshawar; Rawalpindi v Rest of Punjab, Gaddafi Stadium(Group-II)Jan 14 to 17: KCCA-W v Rest of Baluchistan, NationalStadium; KCCA-B v Rest of Sindh, KCCA Stadium; HyderabadvSargodha, Sports Stadium, Sargodha; Bahawalpur v Gujranwala,Bahawalpur Stadium; (Group-I)LCCA-W v Sialkot, Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Rawalpindi vPeshawar, Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi; LCCA-B v Rest ofPunjab, Gaddafi Stadium; Islamabad v Rest of NWFP, KRLStadium, Rawalpindi; (Group-II)Jan 20 to 23: KCCA-W v Gujranwala, National Stadium,Karachi; KCCA-B v Faisalabad, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad;Hyderabad v Rest of Baluchistan, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad;Rest of Sindh v Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur Stadium, (Group-I)LCCA-W v Pehsawar, LCCA ground; LCCA B v Islamabad, KRLStadium, Rawalpindi; Islam Khan- Rawalpindi v Rest of NWFP,Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi; Sheikhupura v Rest of Punjab,Gaddafi Stadium (Group-II).Jan 26 to 29: Gujranwala v Hyderabad, Niaz Stadium,Hyderabad; KCCA-B v Sargodha, Sports Stadium, Sargodha;Faisalabad v Rest of Sindh, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad,Bahawalpur v Rest of Baluchistan, Bahawalpur Stadium;(Group-I).LCCA-W v Rest of Punjab, Gaddafi Stadium; Sialkot vRawalpindi, Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot; Islamabad v Peshawar,Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar; Sheikhupura v Rest of NWFP,Sheikhupura Stadium (Group-II).Feb 1 to 4: KCCA-B v Gujranwala, Jinnah Stadium,Gujranwala; Bahawalpur v KCCA-W, Bahawalpur Stadium;Faisalabad v Rest of Baluchistan, Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad;Sargodha v Rest of Sindh, Sports Stadium, Sargodha (GroupI).LCCA-B v Sheikhupura, Sheikhupura Stadium; LCCA-W vIslamabad, LCCA ground, Peshawar v Rest of Punjab, GaddafiStadium; Sialkot v Rest of NWFP, Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot(Group-II).Feb 7 to 10: KCCA-W v Hyderabad, Niaz Stadium;Bahawalpur v Faisalabad, Bahawalpur Stadium; Gujranwala vRest of Sindh, Country Club, Muridke; Sargodha v Rest ofBaluchistan, Sports Stadium, Sargodha (Group-I).LCCA B v Rest of NWFP, LCCA ground; Sheikhupura vRawalpindi, Sheikhupura Stadium; Sialkot v Peshawar, JinnahStadium, Sialkot; Rest of Punjab v Islamabad, Gym. CricketGround Okara (Group-II).Feb 13 to 16: KCCA-W v Faisalabad, National Stadium,Karachi; Bahawalpur v Sargodha, Sports Stadium, Sargodha;KCCA-B v Hyderabad, KCCA Stadium; Gujranwala v Rest ofBaluchistan, Country Club, Muridke (Group-I).LCCA-B v Peshawar, Arbab Niaz Stadium, Peshawar; LCCA-W vRawalpindi, Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi; Sheikhupura vIslamabad, Sheikhupura Stadium; Sialkot v Rest of Punjab,Gym Cricket Ground, Okara (Group-II).Feb 19 to 22: KCCA-W v Sargodha, KCCA Stadium,Karachi; KCCA-B v Bahawalpur, National Stadium, Karachi;Gujranwala v Faisalabad, Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala;Hyderabad v Rest of Sindh, Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad (Group-I).LCCA-W v Rest of NWFP, LCCA ground; LCCA B v Rawalpindi,Gaddafi Stadium;, Sheikhupura v Peshawar, Arbab Niazstadium; Sialkot v Islamabad, KRL Stadium, Rawalpindi Final:March 1 to 5. (Venue will be announced later).

Far from being overawed by the huge total put up by the visitingKenyan team, Maharashtra CA XI replied in kind and with batsmencalling the tune, it was no surprise that the two day match at thePoona Club ended in a tame draw on Saturday. In fact the two sidescould complete only their first innings at the end of two days.Kenya led off with 432 for eight declared off 90 overs at the end ofthe opening day. Maharashtra batted the whole of the second day andwere 374 for seven in 90 overs when stumps were drawn.Consistent batting down the order saw Maharashtra come up with afitting reply. The Kenyans did get an early wicket with NA Godbolebeing out for 18 at 29. But after that, they found success hard tocome by. The other opener JS Narse (60) and skipper HrishikeshKanitkar (56) added 117 runs for the second wicket. While Narse faced109 balls and hit nine of them to the ropes, the left handed Kanitkarplayed 100 balls and hit eight fours. Medium pacer Odoyo dismissedboth in successive overs but the recovery process was maintained withveteran Santhanu Sugwekar (50) and KD Aphale (54) figuring in a fourthwicket partnership of 91 runs off 21.4 overs. While Aphale faced 93balls and hit eight fours, the more aggressive Sugwekar faced only 60balls, while also hitting eight of them to the ropes.Tikolo finally dismissed both of them but the innings was kept goingby a sedate unbeaten 32 by S Shah who batted two hours, faced 76 ballsand had four boundary hits and a breezy 60 off 63 balls bywicketkeeper SM Komdhalkar. He hit ten fours and two sixes. The twobatsmen added 102 runs for the seventh wicket off 20 overs. Odoyofinished with three for 35 while Tikolo had two for 90.The Kenyans, who had lost their opening fixture to Tata SC at Mumbaiby two wickets, now play the MCA President’s XI in a one day game atMumbai on Monday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Shahzad cracked 74 off 37 deliveries to set up an eight-wicket win for Afghanistan over United Arab Emirates. Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari shut out UAE completely with an unbeaten 69-run stand in seven overs as Afghanistan chased down 165 with 16 balls to spare.Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal put Afghanistan on their way with a 43-run opening stand in four overs. By the time Shehzad holed out to long-off in the 11th over trying to hit his sixth six, Afghanistan had raced to 99.UAE’s batting had crumbled in their opening match against Scotland, but this time, they posted a competitive 164 for 6 after winning the toss. It was their bowling that proved no contest for Afghanistan.Shahzad powerfully cut the first ball of the chase, a short and wide one from Mohammad Naveed, for four. UAE’s seamers continued to bowl short and provide width, and Shahzad punished them for boundaries. He then slog-swept and stepped out repeatedly to lift the spinners for sixes. UAE’s fielding failed to support their bowlers, with misfields and a dropped chance off Stanikzai adding to the pressure.Stanikzai and Shenwari took over after Shehzad’s departure. Stanikzai kept the sixes coming to end on 44 off 33, while Shenwari carved fours through off to finish with 30 off 23.UAE’s openers Faizan Asif and Mohammad Shahzad had given them a solid start with a stand of 63 inside seven overs. But the introduction of Mirwais Ashraf sent back the openers and also slowed down the scoring. Swapnil Patil ran himself out cheaply and Shaiman Anwar fell to Hamid Hassan in the 17th over after looking good for his 35 off 25. Despite some late hitting, UAE finished on a par score when they could have managed more.

Leeds United could be making a huge mistake as a transfer update emerges on Francisco Trincao’s possible move to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have claimed that Raphinha is someone who Barcelona are keen to land when the transfer window opens, with the Brazilian winger’s agent, Deco, having close ties to those at the Camp Nou.

Now, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness) have revealed that the Whites would be open to taking a young player in return from the La Liga giants, and that Trincao could be someone who moves in the opposite direction if Raphinha does make the switch.

Orta making a mistake

Given Trincao is on the books at Barcelona, there’s no surprise that a number of people, including his former teammates, have waxed lyrical about his talents, with Ronald Araujo saying: “He is not so fast or intense but I think he has a little more magic.  He was an amazing kid, very skinny. Physically, he was very poor but with the ball he was magic, doing tricks, so skilful.”

And, about the 22-year-old previously, his former teammate at Braga, Abel Ruiz, said: “I would say Trincao looks like Messi, but you can’t compare anyone to Leo. He is the typical left-winger who has a good dribble, someone who’s skilled. If he plays on the right, he goes inside and hits with his left. On the left, he overflows and scores many goals.

“He’s a very good player and I’m sure that he will do very well at Barca. Trincao, honestly, is a very complete player. He’s more than ready to play for Barca. His shot is incredible.”

But, since making the loan switch to Wolves last summer, the Portuguese ace just simply hasn’t delivered the goods on a consistent basis in English football.

Dubbed as being “toothless” by Nathan Judah, the winger has earned a measly average match rating of 6.60 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated Wolves players to start more than ten league games – indeed, only Leander Dendoncker figures lower than him in that regard.

Trincao appears to be someone who is very much streaky in his displays, capable of pulling off the sublime like he did against Leeds themselves when he scored one and made one, but also going on a run of nine games without a single goal contribution prior to that clash at Molineux.

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The £25m-rated trickster may have the natural talent to potentially being an exciting addition to this Leeds team, but his overall performances and lack of consistency in the Premier League make him a very questionable signing for Marsch this summer.

Seeing Leeds swap Trincao for Raphinha would be an almighty backwards step, and it’s a mistake Victor Orta would be very wise to avoid.

AND in other news – Forget Joffy: Marsch can get Leeds rocking by finally unleashing “phenomenal” 20 y/o