Guyana icons inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

Two more former West Indies icons were inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the lunch break of the first one-day international between West Indies and England at the Providence Stadium, Guyana on Friday. 

Lance Gibbs alongside his cousin Clive Lloyd, ex-ICC match referee and now Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, were inducted in a special ceremony in front of a large and appreciative crowd. 

Commemorative caps were presented to the pair by West Indies Cricket Board President (WICB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) director Dr Julian Hunte and Chetram Singh, President of the Guyana Cricket Board in front of a large and appreciative crowd. 

The cousins are two of the three Guyanese players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the third inductee being Rohan Kanhai who is due to receive his cap later in the year. 

Lloyd and Gibbs are part of a group of 13 West Indians who are in the initial intake of 55 players into the Hall of Fame*, a joint venture between the ICC and the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA). 

In a career divning 18 years, Lloyd played 110 Tests for the West Indies, scoring 7,515 runs, including 18 centuries and finished with an average of 46.67. Lloyd also played in 87 ODIs in which he scored 1,977 runs at an average of 39.54. 

After finishing his career as a cricketer in 1985, Lloyd joined the International Cricket Council in 1992 as part of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and stood in 53 Test matches and 133 ODIs before retiring in 2007.

The 64-year-old Lloyd continues his association with the ICC to this day and is the Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee, a role he took over in 2008 from another ICC Cricket Hall of Famer and former India maestro Sunil Gavaskar. 

Reflecting on his induction in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, Lloyd said, “This is a great moment for me to receive my ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap. I enjoyed my cricket career and I am happy to have done well for my country Guyana and for the West Indies. 

“My greatest honour as a cricketer was to captain the West Indies team and to win the first-ever World Cup in 1975. 

“This is also a great moment for my family as my cousin Lance Gibbs has also been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. As a young man growing up, I always looked up to him and with him here today makes it that much more special.” 

Gibbs, a crafty off-spinner, played in 79 Test matches for the West Indies taking an impressive 309 wickets. Gibbs career also divned over 18 years for the West Indies during which he took five wickets in an innings 18 times and 10 wickets in a match twice. He had a strike-rate of 87.8, whilst conceding runs at a mere 1.99 per over. 

Gibbs also has the honour of being only the second bowler and first spinner to take over 300 wickets in Test matches, the first bowler being another ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Fred Trueman of England. 

“For me this is a tremendous honour. I am truly delighted to be inducted into the ICC’s Cricket Hall of Fame,” Gibbs said. 

“To be standing alongside players such as Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Don Bradman and many other outstanding players is truly an honour and the one I will cherish for a very long time. 

“I hope that by being named in the Hall of Fame, this will be a form of encouragement for cricketers in Guyana as well as spinners in the West Indies and around the world.” 

The cap presentation ceremony is a key part of the celebrations to mark the ICC’s centenary year as it acknowledges the greats of the game and the contributions they have made to ensure cricket is a great sport with a great spirit. 

Other ICC Cricket Hall of Famers to have received their caps so far in 2009 are ex-Australia wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh, nine former West Indies players or their family members or representatives – batting great Sir Vivian Richards, champion all-rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, the three Ws Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell, opener Gordon Greenidge and fast bowlers Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Andy Roberts – also ex-South Africa batsmen Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock – and former Pakistan stalwarts Javed Miandad, Hanif Mohammad and Imran Khan. 

Further cap presentations will be made during the course of the year and a limited number of inductees, in addition to the 55 already chosen, will be named during 2009. 

*ICC Cricket Hall of Fame – initial inductees (55): 

Sydney Barnes, Bishan Bedi, Alec Bedser, Richie Benaud, Allan Border, Ian Botham, Geoffrey Boycott, Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Denis Compton, Colin Cowdrey, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Lance Gibbs, Graham Gooch, David Gower, WG Grace, Tom Graveney, Gordon Greenidge, Richard Hadlee, Walter Hammond, Neil Harvey, George Headley, Jack Hobbs, Michael Holding, Leonard Hutton, Rohan Kanhai, Imran Khan, Alan Knott, Jim Laker, Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammad, Rodney Marsh, Malcolm Marshall, Peter May, Javed Miandad, Keith Miller, Bill O’Reilly, Graeme Pollock, Wilfred Rhodes, Barry Richards, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts, Garfield Sobers, Brian Statham, Fred Trueman, Derek Underwood, Clyde Walcott, Everton Weekes, Frank Woolley, Frank Worrell. 

About the ICC centenary year 

ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat officially launched the ICC centenary year in Sydney, Australia on 2 January by announcing the formation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with FICA. 

The ICC’s centenary year of 2009 will be a global celebration with events taking place around the world to reflect all that is great about the game. 

On the field these events include the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women and the ICC Champions Trophy. 

And off the field there will be the opening of the ICC Global Cricket Academy and the inauguration of the ICC’s new headquarters, both of which are in Dubai, and an ICC cricket history conference at St Antony’s College, Oxford in the United Kingdom in July. 

The ICC will also be celebrating the contribution of volunteers across the world through the award of 1,000 centenary medals and will announce new developments to its social responsibility partnership on HIV/AIDS. 

During the course of 2009, each of the ICC’s 104 Members will be hosting activities inspired by the special spirit of cricket as part of the global Catch the Spirit centenary celebration.

ICC Media Release
Saturday, March 21, 2009 2:25:12 PM

Lessons of 2005 can help turn new page for UAE cricket

Four years ago, on the lush, green grass of Castle Avenue in Dublin, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates was beaten by the Netherlands in what was perhaps the single most important match in that year’s ICC Trophy.

It was not the final or even the third/fourth-place play-off but the fifth/sixth-place play-off and considering the top five teams from that tournament won a place at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, it must have seemed like a winner-take-all affair. 

Back now in the somewhat more sandy surrounds of Dubai, Khuram remembers bitterly the feelings of that day when Dutchmen jumped for joy and the world fell out of the UAE’s World Cup dream. But for every crushing defeat there is a rebuilding and Khuram now believes the time is right for cricket in the Emirates to make a long-awaited comeback from the heights it attained by reaching the previous 2003 World Cup in South Africa. 

“Preparations are going very well,” said the 37-year-old all-rounder speaking about next month’s ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (as the ICC Trophy is now known) which will take place in South Africa from 1 to 19 April. 

“We started a couple of months ago with our new coach (former Sussex and England batsman) Colin Wells and the guys are shaping up very well. We have some new players, some youngsters in the team so it looks good for the future as well but we are ready now,” he said. 

Asked about his side’s aspirations going into the big event considering the relative strength of some of the other competing teams, Khuram is unequivocal. 

“Our goal is to qualify for the World Cup. We have played against some of the teams such as Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and others – they are very good teams but we are going well. We have played some practice matches and we are also involved in the Emirates Airline Pro-Arch tournament against six English county teams taking place in the UAE. I’m sure the other teams are working hard but our preparations are going well too. 

There is obviously a development factor in mind for Khuram and he is anxious that the sport should continue to be promoted in the UAE. 

“I think cricket will grow in the UAE, especially if we qualify for the World Cup. The ICC moving here is also a boost for cricket in the UAE as is the completion of the cricket stadium in Dubai Sports City and the ICC Global Cricket Academy. So cricket is developing here day by day. 

“Cricket has a huge following in the UAE especially if you take the big expatriate populations from places like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. For locals it’s not the number-one sport but there are many local people who play the game and that number is increasing,” he said. 

United Arab Emirates (squad): Khuram Khan (captain), Saqib Ali, Arshad Ali, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Naeem Uddin, Fahad al Hashimi, Zahid Shah, Sameer Nayak, Fayyaz Ahmed, Nithin Gopal, Qasim Zubair, Ravi Kumar, Owais Hameed, Muhammed Aman.

ICC Media Release
Friday, March 20, 2009 3:15:09 PM

ICC announces umpire appointments for play-offs and final of ICC Women's World Cup 2009

The ICC today announced details of the umpire appointments for the play-offs and the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009, which will be played on Saturday and Sunday. 

On Saturday, the third/fourth-place play-off between Australia and India will take place at Bankstown Oval, Sydney with Sarika Prasad and Tony Hill as the on-field umpires and Kathy Cross acting as third umpire. 

The fifth/sixth-place play-off between the West Indies and Pakistan will also be played on Saturday at Drummoyne Oval, Sydney, and will be umpired by Shahul Hameed and Lakani Oala with Neil Harrison performing the duties of third umpire. 

Like the play-offs, match referee Brian Aldridge will lead the playing control team for the final, which will be played between England and New Zealand at the North Sydney Oval, Sydney, on Sunday. 

Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Brian Jerling of the International Panel will be the on-field umpires. Tyron Wijewardena will be the third umpire while Jeff Brookes has been named as fourth umpire. 

Davis, the 56-year-old who made his international debut in December 1992, has stood in 82 ODIs and 17 Tests in men’s international cricket, while 50-year-old Jerling has made 75-ODI and four Test appearances in the men’s game. 

21 Mar – Australia v India, third/fourth-place play-off, Bankstown Oval – Sarika Prasad and Tony Hill, Kathy Cross (third) 
21 Mar – West Indies v Pakistan, fifth/sixth-place play-off, Drummoyne Oval – Shahul Hameed and Lakani Oala, Neil Harrison (third) 
22 Mar – England v New Zealand, final, North Sydney Oval – Brian Aldridge (match referee), Steve Davis and Brian Jerling, Tyron Wijewardena (third), Jeff Brookes (fourth)

ICC Media Release
Friday, March 20, 2009 11:08:57 AM

Hosts try to end campaign on a high

Australia will try to end a disappointing World Cup campaign on a high when it takes on India on Saturday at Bankstown in the 3rd/4th play-off.

It will be trying to avenge a defeat last weekend which effectively destroyed its chances of reaching Sunday’s final.

India, who missed out on the final after defeats to England and New Zealand, will be hoping to continue its excellent bowling performance on Thursday that saw it dismiss the West Indies for 84 all out.

In Saturday’s other game, Pakistan and West Indies will contest the 5th/6th play-off final at Drummoyne.

Both England and New Zealand will train today ahead of tomorrow’s final at North Sydney Oval.

ICC Women's World Cup 2009  News- Saturday, March 21, 2009 5:23:55 PM

India beats Australia by three wickets in third-fourth position play-off

India recorded its second successive victory over Australia when it defeated the dethroned world champions by three wickets in the third-fourth play-off at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 at Bankstown Oval on Saturday. 

In a match reduced to 46-over-a-side, due to rain, Australia was all out for 142 in 44.4 overs. India reached the victory target with 13 balls and three wickets to spare. 

Batting first after winning the toss, Australia was in trouble at 27-2 when heavy rain came down and stopped play. When the match resumed, the umpires decided to reduce the match to 46 overs per side but Australia plunged into deeper trouble when play started as it slipped to 63-5 in 27 overs. 


At that stage, captain Karen Rolton and Lisa Sthalekar rescued their side with a gutsy 60-run partnership that allowed the home team to reach 144 all out in 44.4 overs. Rolton finished as the top scorer with a fine 52 that came off 93 balls and included a six and a four while Sthalekar contributed 30 from 32 balls with two fours.


For India, wickets were evenly shared between Jhulan Goswami (2-21), Priyanka Roy (2-21), Rumeli Dhar (2-24) and Gouher Sultana (2-27).

India, in its target chase, put together small but useful partnerships to achieve the target in 43.5 overs. Sulakshana Naik finished as the top scorer with 28 while Rumeli Dhar chipped in with a priceless 24 not out. 

In the fifth-sixth play-off, the West Indies avenged for its four-wicket defeat last Saturday when it defeated Pakistan by three wickets in the fifth-sixth play-off. By virtue of this win, the West Indies retained its fifth-placed ranking while Pakistan jumps from eighth to sixth spot. 

The star of the match was West Indies’ Shanel Daley who claimed her career-best 4-29 to dismiss Pakistan for 131 all out in 46.3 overs. She then returned to contribute 24 with the bat as the West Indies achieved victory with 3.3 overs to spare.

ICC Women's World Cup 2009  News- Saturday, March 21, 2009 5:54:49 AM

England and New Zealand ready for final showdown

Kiwis have noses ahead after winning 29 out of 49 matches to date; Haidee Tiffen aims to win her second World Cup while rival captain Charlotte Edwards searches for her first title

Belinda Clark heads selection panel which will decide player of the tournament and ICC Team of the Tournament

Photos from the training sessions of the two teams and captains’ photo with the trophy available for free download from the ICC FTP site

Former champions England and New Zealand will try to add another title to its collection when they square-off in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2009 in front of the ESPN STAR Sports cameras at North Sydney Oval, Sydney.

England has won the World Cup twice – the inaugural tournament in 1973 on its home turf and then in 1993 when it defeated New Zealand in the final by 67 runs – while New Zealand’s only success has come in 2000 in its backyard when it beat Australia in a dramatic final by four runs.


The two teams have previously met 49 times with New Zealand winning 29 matches and England 18. Their first match against each other in the 1982 World Cup ended in a tie after both the sides finished on 147 at Auckland while one match was abandoned.

The two sides have qualified for the much-awaited final after finishing in the top two of the Super Six stage. After winning their respective groups, both the sides lost one match each in the Super Six stage – England defeating New Zealand by 31 runs last week before losing to Australia by eight wickets on Thursday.

The two teams have showed a lot of flare, aggression, method and purpose behind their performances in the last couple of weeks which is evident from their convincing victories. New Zealand defeated defending champion Australia by 13 runs (D/L Method), West Indies by 56 runs, South Africa by 199 runs, India by five wickets and Pakistan by 223 runs while England also beat Sri Lanka by 100 runs, India by nine wickets, Pakistan by eight wickets and the West Indies by 146 runs.

The players of the two sides are also peaking at the right time with New Zealand’s Suzie Bates clobbering 19 fours and six sixes in a 105-ball 168 against Pakistan on Thursday. She is the second leading run-getter in the tournament after England’s Claire Taylor who has scored 303 runs to date, including a century against Sri Lanka and an unbeaten 69 against India.

Other in-form New Zealand batters include captain Haidee Tiffen, who has scored 249 runs, Amy Satterthwaite (162) and Sara McGlashan (153) while for England openers Caroline Atkins (211) and Sarah Taylor (177) have shown remarkable consistency at the top of the order while captain Charlotte Edwards, ICC’s Women’s Player of the Year in 2008, has yet to find her magical touch despite scoring 127 runs.

England’s Laura Marsh has undoubtedly been the find of the tournament. The 22-year-old off-spinner from Kent has taken 14 wickets so far at an average of 9.28 while New Zealand vice-captain Aimee Mason is her side’s most successful bowler with nine wickets at an average of 14.33.

The two sides had their final workouts on Saturday morning ahead of Sunday’s final and both the captains were confident and excited in their pre-match press conferences.

Haidee Tiffen said: “We are really excited about tomorrow’s game and have been working extremely hard over the last couple of weeks. At the same time, we have been improving on our overall performance on the way.”

“We have been learning as we went along and we have made sure we have given our players plenty of opportunity. That game against Pakistan was great as we got a good hit out.”

Tiffen, who has scored 2,889 runs in 116 ODIs and will equal Maia Lewis’ record of captaining New Zealand in most ODIs (45) on Sunday, said her team would not only depend on Bates. “Against Pakistan, Suzie batted the best I have ever seen of her. She is an outstanding player for us but there were some other good performances on that day and all through the tournament.

“Look, you will be nervous if you are not nervous. There will be some nerves around - that is a positive thing. But it’s all about how you channelize those nerves.”

Haidee, who was also a member of the New Zealand side that won the title in 2000, refused to be drawn into comparing the present side with Emily Drumm’s side. “The memories of the 2000 World Cup are very close to my heart. It is certainly the highlight of my career. Whilst the teams are different, certainly the passion, commitment and pride for our country are evident in both the teams. We are looking forward to (Sunday’s) occasion and the girls have been doing very well.”

In sharp contrast, Charlotte Edwards has been in the three previous semi-finals but will be making her first appearance in the final. She is not only her country’s most experienced player with 123 caps, she is also the most successful batter with 3,647 runs.

Edwards said Sunday’s match would be the biggest match of her career. “I have played in a lot of big games but never in a World Cup final. I am looking forward to tomorrow which will be the biggest game of my career. The World Cup comes only after four years and I think I am lucky to be in the final after three semi-finals,” she said.

“Hopefully, Claire Taylor’s and my experience will see the girls through tomorrow. The good thing about our team is we have youngsters and all they know is success at the moment. It is a good mixture of youth and experience and we have been telling the youngsters to just enjoy the day as not many people play in a World Cup final.

“Yesterday was quite a long day, having a day off. But yes, there is excitement today and we are just ready to play cricket. This is something we have worked towards for a number of years now and we can’t wait for tomorrow to happen and get underway.

“Tomorrow’s match will be all about which team handles the pressure better and whose key players perform. These are two very good and evenly matched teams and the team that plays best cricket on Sunday will win the match.

“On Thursday (against Australia), there was a minor blip but we have been playing good cricket. We have a lot of confidence and are going along nicely.”

Match referee Brian Aldridge will lead the playing control team on Sunday. Steve Davis of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Brian Jerling of the International Panel will be the on-field umpires while Tyron Wijewardena has been named as third umpire and Jeff Brookes will be the fourth umpire.

The player of the tournament will be announced on Sunday while the ICC Team of the Tournament will be named on Monday by a five-member selection panel that includes Belinda Clark, Brian Aldridge, Danny Morrison, Kathy Cross and Allison Mitchell.

Squads: 

New Zealand – Haidee Tiffen (captain), Aimee Mason (vice-captain), Suzie Bates, Nicola Browne, Abby Burrows, Sophie Devine, Lucy Doolan, Sara McGlashan, Beth McNeill, Katey Martin, Rachel Priest, Kate Pulford, Amy Satterthwaite, Sarah Tsukigawa.

England – Charlotte Edwards (captain), Caroline Atkins, Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Lauren Griffiths, Isa Guha, Jenny Gunn, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Ebony Rainsford-Brent, Nicola Shaw, Anya Shrubsole, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor.

Match referee: Brian Aldridge

Umpires: Steve Davis and Brian Jerling

Third umpire: Tyron Wijewardena

Fourth umpire: Jeff Brookes

ICC Women's World Cup 2009  News- Saturday, March 21, 2009 4:22:56 AM

Daley delighted with career-best figures

Shanel Daley was delighted after winning the Player of the Match Award for the West Indies against Pakistan.

 Daley took career best figures of 4-29 as the West Indies recorded a dramatic three-wicket win over Pakistan in the 5th/6th Play-Off.

“I surprised myself how well I bowled today as I didn’t start that well, but it developed into something good,” said Daley, the daughter of former Jamaican player Aaron Daley.

Although she had hoped that the West Indies would improve on its ranking of five in the world, she was still proud of her side’s efforts.

“I am very proud of the team and our performance. I don’t think we had a great tournament, as I think we could have done better, but that is how it goes,” said Daley.

“I am happy that we maintained our faith, as we haven’t been on the international scene for a while, so I am proud how we came back.”

Daley admitted she has greatly enjoyed her World Cup experience and is keen to gain more experience in Australia to further her cricket education.

“I love Australia and I am hoping to come back next summer to play some club cricket. It has been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t give it up for anything,” she said.

ICC Women's World Cup 2009  News- Saturday, March 21, 2009 4:03:02 AM