All posts by csb10.top

It was the victory of south over north but in the end it was a Yorkshireman who won the 2009 Village Cup for Glynde and Beddingham. Under attack from two Streethouse batsmen who were evidently in the zone, Mark Beddis, the one Glynde player not heralding from Sussex, took both wickets in the penultimate over of the match and with them the Village Cup.That the match would be tight at all seemed unlikely after Glynde had passed 200 in their 40 overs. Streethouse – from west Yorkshire – started well with the priceless wicket of Dominic Shepheard but his tall partner Joe Adams refused to budge. Callum Smith came and went quickly but managed to score a succesion of boundaries through a ring of close fielders. Adams, omniously quiet in the early overs, started striking the ball cleanly and breezed past a fifty off 68 balls.The 100 was up in the 22nd over and Glynde were looking at a healthy total well above 200. But Streethouse captain Richard Vigars came on to take two wickets, the second of which was Adams, bowled when swishing to leg. A run-rate which was threatening to creep above five an over began to descend.Then came a curious little innings by Glynde’s Dominic Harris, a man whose diminutive size is as striking as Adam’s towering stature. He needed two escapes, the first in the 32nd over when he was dropped at deep mid-on; then when Harris was given out stumped on 15 only for the square-leg umpire to reverse his decision after consultation with his colleague. Due to the crowd noise, the square-leg official had not heard the other umpire’s call of ‘no-ball’.It proved critical. Harris went on to a quickfire 41 which brought the total above 200. Of note was an outstanding single spell of spin from Jonathan Hughes, who finished with 3-33. The Glynde innings played out to much amusement – the birthday boy Dale Tranter was happy-birthdayed all the way to the crease by the Glynde fans only to be happy-birthdayed all the way back to the pavilion by the Streethouse supporters after a first-ball duck.The Streethouse innings seemed always on the verge of collapse despite Callum Geldart’s fluent 34. Tumbling wickets, helped by Shepheard’s excellent spell of medium pace, meant a long period of rebuilding. Only opener Paul Langley stood firm.At 98-5 after 22.1 overs out walked Vigars, the man who had steered his side to the final with five wickets and a tail-guiding 30 as the Yorkshire team won by a single wicket. Vigars was needed to perform a similar role again at Lord’s today.For a while it seemed a lost cause: boundaries were scarce and quick-run singles were as much as Streethouse could manage. Then came over number 31. Langley hit a six and everything changed. Ollie Bailey, who until then had bowled a very tidy spell of offspin, was hit for three more sixes in the next over as Vigars freed his harms. He was at it again in the next over, and Langley reached his fifty off 81 balls, a foundation if ever there was one. But, decided Beddis, a foundation to nothing.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outTim McIntosh struck six fours and a six during his gritty knock•Associated Press

After heavy morning rain had caused a 90-minute delay, Sri Lanka’s bowlerschipped away relentlessly, whittling out six wickets before bad light tookthe players off with New Zealand having just avoided the follow-on target.Thilan Thushara and Muttiah Muralitharan were Sri Lanka’s bowling heroes,while Tim McIntosh, who faced 226 balls for his 69, led the resistance for the visitors.Along the way, Murali passed Shane Warne for the most maidens bowled inTest cricket (1761), and New Zealand were left to rely on theirallrounders to take them past the follow-on target.When Jacob Oram was wrongly given out caught off the pad soon after tea,New Zealand were still in danger of being asked to bat again. But JesseRyder, who had got going with a couple of emphatic pulls off Thushara, andDaniel Vettori staved off the spin threat and when the new ball wasfinally taken after 97 overs, a cover-drive from Ryder ensured that therewould be no prospect of an innings defeat.He went soon after, bowled playing an airy drive at Nuwan Kulasekara, andthere was a stroke of fortune for New Zealand just before stumps whenDaniel Vettori was palpably plumb to a Murali doosra. Everyone but theumpire was convinced, and Vettori could have been excused a shy grin as hewalked off for the day.McIntosh and Ross Taylor had batted through most of the afternoon, longperiods of stolid defence interspersed with moments of real anxiety.McIntosh survived a couple of vociferous leg-before shouts from Murali,while Taylor was twice reprieved, on 15 and 27. Mahela Jayawardenecouldn’t get his hands to a low chance at slip off Ajantha Mendis, and hewas again the injured party as Nuwan Kulasekara spilled a slog-sweep.It was a stroke that Taylor had employed earlier, with one soaring overthe rope at square leg, but by and large, attacking strokes were few andfar between. McIntosh struck one superb straight six off Mendis, butneither batsman was remotely assured against Murali’s wiles, especiallywith the ball angling in from round the wicket.The two spinners bowled in tandem for most of the session, but it was onlywhen Mendis was taken off after a 14-over spell that Sri Lanka brokethrough. Taylor hung his bat out at one from Thushara, and PrasannaJayawardene did the rest. Soon after, McIntosh’s luck ran out. This time,the leg-before shout was marginal, on or just outside the line of offstump, but after a long think, Daryl Harper raised the finger. WhenMcCullum then chopped Thushara onto his stumps, New Zealand were indesperate trouble.They had managed fine in the abbreviated first session as McIntosh,troubled periodically by the short ball, gritted his way to ahalf-century. Patel provided stout resistance as the bowlers toiled hardwithout reward. Murali bowled the first over and was then taken off, andit was Thushara who asked all the initial questions. Patel was sound andconfident in defence, nudging the odd single, while McIntosh left the ballalone more often than not. Against the short ball though, he was in allsorts of strife, getting hit first on the shoulder and then flush on thehelmet.Patel’s innings was part grit and part good fortune. There was one lovelydrive through the covers off Thushara, but it was followed by an awkwardshot that flew past the slips as he sought to duck under a bouncer.McIntosh survived a huge shout from Mendis, with the umpire perhapsthinking there was an inside edge, and it looked like it was going to beNew Zealand’s morning as a rare full toss was pummelled away to takeMcIntosh to his half-century. But then Murali struck, trapping Patel infront after a 57-ball 26, and it was left to Taylor and McIntosh torebuild. But so slow and painstaking was the progress, with Murali puttingtogether 29 uninterrupted overs for just 54 runs, that it was only amatter of time before Sri Lankan pressure told.

ScorecardNot a good day for Ashley Giles in either of his jobs. As an England selector, he will have hoped to see Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott declare themselves nicely in form ahead of the final Test at the Oval, which would have had obvious benefits for his state of mind as Warwickshire’s director of cricket after Nottinghamshire’s dominance of the opening day.Instead, he wore a long face under both hats. Bell, at risk of seeing his comeback abruptly terminated after his double failure at Headingley, was out for one after facing six deliveries, while Trott, who had been in the squad for Leeds, chose just the wrong moment to register his lowest completed innings score since the first day of the season. Giles will be able to tell national selector Geoff Miller that Ryan Sidebottom, who took three wickets, is looking good — but bowlers are not England’s major worry.It had been a wet and miserable morning but the drying qualities of the outfield here are becoming as renowned as the eponymous pub next door, and without the need to boast about it with a sign on the wall. Warwickshire, frustrated by their own ground’s sodden surface against Somerset last week, might have been happier to spend a little longer off the field, given the short work Nottinghamshire made of their top order once play began at 1.30pm.At first, the new opening combination of Ian Westwood and Ant Botha — the latter taking over from the omitted Tony Frost — coped pretty well with the threat of Sidebottom and Charlie Shreck, taking measured steps compared with the home side’s Tuesday charge but building a decent platform at 35 without loss.But after Westwood had edged Shreck low to Andre Adams at gully in the ninth over, Warwickshire fell apart with alarming speed. Botha departed in similar fashion in Shreck’s next over.Suddenly, therefore, Bell and Trott were together in the middle. It was the perfect situation, you might have thought, for the incumbent and the hopeful among England’s middle-order prospects to dig themselves in, egg each other on and make just the joint statement the selectors would want to hear from them as they ponder their options for the Oval Test.It was a script, however, that neither man could stick to. Bell, having got off the mark by clipping Shreck behind square for a single, faced only a couple of balls from Sidebottom before he was on his way, just about leaving the first but failing miserably with the second, pitched a little shorter, which he played at with the bat away from his body and nicked through to wicketkeeper Chris Read.He had been in for 12 minutes and faced six balls for his one. It will be noted — in both the England and Australia camps — that after being out to Mitchell Johnson in all his three Test innings this summer, it was a left-armer who had his measure again.With a heavy gait, Bell wandered back to the pavilion, leaving the stage to Trott. Sidebottom, clearly fired up, fixed the South African with burning eyeballs, then claimed Jim Troughton as his second victim in eight deliveries, the left-hander playing round one to be leg-before.Trott eased his nerves with a leg-glanced four off Shreck and picked up four more with a drive, slightly mistimed, to long-off against the same bowler. But in the end he seized the moment no more effectively than Bell, edging Shreck to second slip, where Adam Voges took the catch at shin height. With Tim Ambrose-leg before to Sidebottom in the next over, at which point the bowler had figures of 3 for 11 on the day, Warwickshire were in poor shape at 66 for 6, still some 322 runs behind.They may still not reach the follow-on threshold, although they ended the day rather closer to it than Bell and Trott may have suspected, gearing themselves up as they would have been for a quick second chance.This was thanks largely to Rikki Clarke, who stuck around for two and a half hours for his 67, aided first by Chris Woakes, who made 22 before a quicker ball from Adams took out his off stump, then by Naqaash Tahir (24) in an eighth-wicket stand worth 69, and — spectacularly — by Sreesanth, who hit both Mark Ealham and Samit Patel for enormous straight sixes.Clarke and Sreesanth, after briskly adding 39, might have put on a few more had Clarke not been run out through some fine fielding by Adams, throwing in from third man. At 214 for 9, Warwickshire were 174 behind at the close.

Match facts

Monday August 3, 2009
Start time 10.00 (04.30 GMT)Rebel with a cause? Naved-ul-Hasan•ICL

Big Picture

Two one-sided matches later, Pakistan have been left with a tall mountain to climb if they are to salvage anything from this series. Outclassed in the previous ODIs at the same venue, Younis Khan will be keen to win his first match of the tour before the party shifts to Colombo. The batting has been the biggest worry for Pakistan and maybe it is high time that coach Intikhab Alam turns to his ICL returnees – Imran Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan – hoping for the same success that Abdul Razzaq brought after he was given a starting place in the ICC World Twenty20.A 2-0 lead in the five-match series could not have been prettier for Kumar Sangakkara. With Sri Lanka firing on all cylinders, Sangakkara’s hopes of building a strong outfit for the 2011 World Cup have received a major boost. Sweeter still will be sealing the series, having bagged the reverse fixture in Pakistan in January this year, with another clinical performance in Dambulla.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka – WWWLL
Pakistan – LLWLL

Watch out for…

Mohammad Aamer: It comes as a shocker that the rookie fast bowler, along with Umar Gul, has been the top run-scorer for Pakistan in two matches. While he has managed 47 runs at a similar average, Aamer is also Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker with four at 19.00. In fact, his bowling has provided the only sunshine in what has been a dismal campaign so far.Thilan Thushara: He continues to dominate the bowling charts in this series. Thushara proved his 3 for 29 in the first match was no fluke, picking up 3 for 33 in the second. With an economy rate of below four in both games, his zip off the pitch has troubled the Pakistan top order. There will be no relenting in this crucial fixture as well.

Team news

Pakistan may well be unforgiving, given Nasir Jamshed’s failure at the top, and should opt to give Imran Nazir a try. And with Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi capable of handling the spin department, Saeed Ajmal may make way for Naved as well.Pakistan: (likely) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Imran Nazir, 3 Younis Khan (capt), 4 Fawad Alam, 5 Shahid Afridi, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Umar Akmal, 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Naved-ul-Hasan 10 Umar Gul, 11 Mohammad Aamer.Sri Lanka are unlikely to change the XI as they zero in on a series win.Sri Lanka: (likely) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.

Stats and trivia

• If he does get a run, Naved is five away of getting to 100 wickets in ODIs. His former fellow-ICL player Razzaq needs just one more to reach 250.
• Having concentrated on his batting and bowling stats in earlier matches, it’s Murali’s catching abilities we focus on. He needs just two more to topple Roshan Mahanama’s record of 32 for the most number of catches against Pakistan. He is also set to go past Wasim Akram’s record for most wickets in clashes between the two countries, needing just one more to go past Akram’s 92.

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has said the 17-year-old left-arm seamer Mohammad Aamer needs to put on weight to add more power to his bowling.Aamer, a protégé of Akram, who called for his selection to the national side in July last year, made his international debut in the World Twenty20 and took six wickets at a strike-rate of 24 from seven matches. He played a crucial role in the final, dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck in the first over.”I spotted him [Aamer] along with Mudassar Nazar and Aaqib Javed two years ago at a training camp,” Akram said. “He played for Pakistan under-19 and now he is opening the attack. He is definitely promising.”For someone who can consistently bowl at 90 miles an hour, Aamer is definitely cut out for pace bowling. He will get more wickets with the Kookaburra ball. He has a natural outswinger. With a Kookaburra, he will get the ball to come in and that will be even more deadly.”Aamer has said Akram is his role model and though he was born two weeks after the 1992 World Cup, he said he had watched videos of his idol and was attracted to cricket through him.In his maiden first-class season, Aamer took 56 wickets in 10 matches for Rawalpindi. He also picked up 15 wickets in List A games and was selected for the Bangladesh tour which got postponed.Akram said if Aamer maintained his fitness then Sohail Tanvir, whom he replaced in the side, would struggle to make his way back.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Collingwood’s stumps are rearranged by Jacques Kallis•AFP

South Africa put in a display worthy of their tag as pre-tournament favourites as they cruised to a seven-wicket victory against England at Trent Bridge after skittling the hosts for 111 in their first Super Eights match. Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell set the tone with wickets in their opening overs and were backed up by impressive spin and fine catching, particularly Roelof van der Merwe’s effort to remove Kevin Pietersen, and although the run chase didn’t set pulses racing the result was never in doubt.Only Owais Shah made a significant contribution for England as he made 38 off 33 with two sixes, but it was a forlorn effort as wickets fell regularly. When a scorecard reads as poorly as England’s it’s easy to criticise the batting – and some of the shot selection was poor – but South Africa were outstanding in every facet of their game. They could have charged down the small total, but chose to take their time on a surface that grew slower by the minute – a key factor in Paul Collingwood deciding to bat first – yet still eased home with 10 balls to spare as Jacques Kallis helped himself to an unbeaten 57.Winning a rare toss was about the only thing that went well for England. South Africa started the match in perfect style when Steyn removed Ravi Bopara with his fifth ball as an inside edge crashed into off stump. Luke Wright then found that opening against a top-quality attack was a different proposition from the Netherlands or lacklustre Pakistan efforts. He was beaten twice by the impressive Parnell, as he tried to crash the ball through the off side, then edged another attempt to the keeper to leave England 4 for 2.The scene was set for Pietersen, but it proved another case of KP failing and England failing with him. He opened his account by whipping his first ball from Steyn imperiously through midwicket and drove the next through mid-off as Steyn momentarily had problems with his run-up. Two more boundaries followed off Kallis’s opening over, but the next bowling change was decisive.Albie Morkel’s second delivery was a low full toss and Pietersen hit it pretty well and fairly straight, but van der Merwe went airborne to his left at mid-on and got both hands to a stunning catch. It was a huge moment for both teams, deflating for England and completely uplifting for South Africa. Morkel’s successful over was the first maiden of the tournament and England’s tally of 25 for 3 the lowest six-over total so far in the event.Shah and Collingwood had no choice but to opt for a period of consolidation as Graeme Smith quickly turned to his spinners. Shah injected momentary life into the innings when he launched a full toss from Johan Botha down the ground for six then he followed that by attacking van der Merwe’s next over, launching him straight and taking two more boundaries through cover and midwicket, but the revival didn’t last.Kallis returned to the attack and after Collingwood paddled him for four past the diving Mark Boucher, Kallis responded by clattering the stumps as the batsmen backed away to give himself room and then greeted James Foster with a rearing bouncer.Despite having been taken for 17 in his previous over, van der Merwe had the confidence of his captain and responded with an over which effectively killed off the innings. Foster tried to reverse sweep the first ball but just lobbed a simple catch to short third-man and Dimitri Mascarenhas lasted three deliveries before backing away to cut, losing his off stump.The last hope of England setting anything competitive lay with Shah, but he was undone by a sharp delivery from Kallis that moved away a fraction and took the edge. It meant the lower order was left having to try and bat out the 20 overs and they couldn’t managed it when Parnell gave himself superb figures by cleaning up Stuart Broad and James Anderson in two balls.Smith fell early in the chase as he top-edged a pull and was well caught by Foster who ran towards short fine-leg. England actually bowled reasonably well, but the game had long since been lost during their innings. Kallis enjoyed the rarity of being able to bat within himself during a Twenty20 innings to reach fifty off 46 balls. This was an ominously slick display from South Africa but for the hosts, who lifted their game in the nick of time in the group stage against Pakistan, another huge improvement is needed to have a chance of progressing further.

And, so, after 36 days, it has to come to this. Royal Challengers Bangalore v Deccan Chargers. The nightmare of 2008 has turned into a dream 2009. It’s a contest between Bangalore, a disciplined team that has begun to add flair, and Deccan, a team that has reduced its flair to add discipline.The Bangalore story is known. A new coach, a new captain, a sense of hurt from last year and a desire for redemption. Deccan’s resurgence runs along similar lines. Adam Gilchrist did captain a fair number of games last year but perhaps he didn’t have the same sense of ownership that he possesses this year. Last year’s Deccan were a team of superstars trying to strut around the park and they fell flat.This year, Deccan returned to earth and to the basics. They reduced their ambitions to living in the moment and playing as a team. It’s such a cliché that one doesn’t take it seriously. At the end of the first week of the tournament, their coach Darren Lehmann had this to say: “We are trying to live in the moment and play it ball by ball. If anything that’s our mantra. We are playing as a team. It’s very difficult to achieve. You have to get everyone to buy it.”That’s what they couldn’t do last year, but have perfected this year.Pragyan Ojha, who has bowled superbly this IPL, too spoke about the transformation. “No one is complaining about each other now,” he said. “Sometimes it happens, you know, when you are playing and losing… lots of differences crop up [between people]. There is nothing like that now. We are gelling well together.”That they have done. The batting now revolves around Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma. The bowling is led by RP Singh and Ojha, and Gilchrist has used Rohit, T Suman and Venugopal Rao liberally with the ball.Deccan’s batting is dynamic while the bowling is disciplined. Bangalore’s batting is growing into a confident unit while the bowling has been always disciplined. The two teams are led by captains itching to prove their own points. Anil Kumble has talked about his desire to do well in Twenty20s and Gilchrist has spoken about how bad last year’s results hurt him.Kumble has led from the front, has never shirked from doing the tough things that he might ask others to do. He has opened the bowling, brought himself on when Matthew Hayden and Yuvraj Singh were attacking and has bowled at the death. Gilchrist has shown trust and faith in youngsters like Harmeet Singh and Suman and has used his irregular bowlers very smartly.Both teams have had openers in Jacques Kallis and Gibbs who have shown a great desire to compete hard. Ray Jennings spoke to Kallis before the tournament about his role and mindset; Kallis assured him that he was not only hurt by last season’s efforts but was aiming to end this tournament as the best batsman in this format. Similarly, Gilchrist made sure that Gibbs was in the right frame of mind to play before the tournament started. He spoke to a few people and was confident that Gibbs wanted to prove a point. Slowly, things started to fall in place for both teams.The final could come down to whether Deccan can stick to their “living in the moment” philosophy. Especially after their thumping win in the semi-finals, they need to be wary of overconfidence. Bangalore are unlikely to go that way. Deccan start as favourites but if they return to being Superman instead of playing as Clark Kent, Bangalore will bring them down to earth.

Abdul Razzaq has said he is ready to sign a letter pledging his future to Pakistan and not the ICL, as the ramifications of the PCB’s policy on players with the private Indian league takes root. Mohammad Yousuf has already claimed he has ‘resigned’ from the league and though Razzaq has not taken that step yet, he said he was willing to leave the league and play for Pakistan.Like Yousuf, Razzaq also had problems with the previous board administration and Pakistan captain. He is one of the ICL players to have met with current Pakistan captain Younis Khan over the last month to discuss a future with the national side, worried it is believed, about the future of the ICL. “We are ready to leave the ICL and play for Pakistan,” Razzaq told Cricinfo. “If the board invites us and says, sign a letter to say you will play for Pakistan and leave other leagues, we are ready to do it.”But in an indication of the muddle – and perhaps lack of communication between the board and ICL players – that still surrounds the question of which players will come back and just how they will do so, Razzaq said he was unaware of the board’s recent amnesty statement. Instead, he questioned why the board continued to ask for a NOC (no-objection certificate) from the ICL. “This NOC the board wants has no authority, no value,” he said. “The players are ready to play for Pakistan so where is the problem?”When Yousuf left the ICL the first time, did they ask him for any NOC? When a politician changes party, does he take an NOC from his old party? I want to play and am willing to sign a letter saying so,” Razzaq said.Pakistan has been badly hit by ICL defections and though the board is keen to bring back players such as Razzaq and Yousuf, this administration has been caught between public demand for bringing them back and the hardline stance adopted by the rest of the cricket world for banning players altogether.Though the board has communicated an amnesty, officials still anticipate problems with the contracts players have signed with the ICL and implications from reneging on them. The contracts, says the PCB’s legal cell, are one-sided and make it difficult for players to just up and leave. Not so, says Razzaq. “They are not like that at all. If a legal case has to happen it has to, but if our availability is there, it shouldn’t be an issue.”Razzaq last played an ODI for Pakistan in May 2007 and the last of his 46 Tests in December 2006.

Isuru Udana, the 21-year old left-arm fast bowler, was the toast of Wayamba after he bowled them to a five-wicket win over Basnahira South in the final of the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament at the SSC.Udana, generating a lot of pace and movement off the pitch, accounted for four of the top five batsmen and was adjudged the Man of the Match and Series. The Basnahira South batting line-up had no answer to Udana’s bowling and were dismissed for 144 at the start of the 20th over. Apart from Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made an attractive 66 off 49 balls with three sixes and four fours, and Chamara Silva’s 41 off 27, the rest of the Basnahira South batting crumbled against the pace of Udana.Two run outs and an unusual dismissal of obstruction of the field did not help Basnahira South’s cause as they made several basic mistakes when batting. From a strong position of 133 for 1, they stumbled rapidly and lost their last nine wickets for just 11 runs. It was a sensational collapse.Basnahira South reached the final as the only unbeaten team in the competition. They won all their matches but met their waterloo in the final against Wayamba, who carried too many experienced hands in their side. Mahela Jayawardene’s presence alone inspired the team and proved a great boon to the captain Jehan Mubarak. Despite losing half the side Wayamba had the game under control and won quite easily with an over to spare.Wayamba qualified for the final on a bowl-out after their semi-final match against Ruhuna was affected by bad weather. Basnahira South came through beating Kandurata, led by Kumar Sangakkara, by 15 runs with fast bowler Chintaka Perera proving a thorn with 4 for 19.

Weather concerns could prompt the ICC to move the Champions Trophy away from Sri Lanka. The tournament, scheduled to be played in October, may be shifted to Australia, South Africa or the United Arab Emirates, according to the ICC’s general manager, Dave Richardson.The seventh Champions Trophy was due to be held in Pakistan last year, but was postponed due to security concerns. The eight-team tournament has since been shrouded in uncertainty, with questions raised as to whether it could be accommodated in an already crowded international schedule and doubts over the suitability of Sri Lanka as a venue. Some critics have called for the Champions Trophy to be scrapped entirely, arguing that it now trails the World Cup and World Twenty20 in terms of prestige and holds little appeal for competing teams.Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Richardson admitted seasonal concerns – October is one of the wettest months in Colombo – had prompted the ICC to consider relocating the tournament to a drier venue. Richardson added that the 2009 Champions Trophy could be condensed to 12-days, and played in a region where two or more grounds are lin close proximity, thereby reducing travelling time between matches.”Some doubts have been raised as far as Sri Lanka is concerned mainly from the weather prospective,” Richardson said. “Questions have been raised whether it’s wise to hold a tournament where rain is often affecting in October.”If it’s not Sri Lanka, the board has decided that we want to hold the tournament over 12 days, which means that we have to have two venues in virtually the same city. Certainly there can’t be any question of international travel being involved. That itself narrows the options down considerably. Perhaps Perth, Johannesburg-Pretoria, Dubai-Abu Dhabi might be an option.”There are couple of options which need to be considered and (those venues) would be in frame when the decision is made.”