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James Sutherland did his bit to appease the aggreived fans © Getty Images

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s CEO, personally apologised to aggrieved fans hoping to acquire tickets for the Ashes series following fresh revelations that just over 23% of the total seats at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) were allocated to the members of the Australian Cricket Family.The SCG has a capacity of 42,000 but only 9800 seats were allocated to the Family for each day’s play – all of which were sold out within hours, much to the ire of the remaining members who felt short-changed. It was learnt that the SCG Trust, which pays New South Wales Cricket $12 million a year to host international matches, took the sponsors and corporate clients into consideration before deciding on the number of seats allocated to the members of the Family.In an email to the fans, Sutherland wrote, “It has been a big week for us all, with 300,000 tickets sold in two days. I know that many of you are happy with the tickets you have got, and others are unhappy about not getting tickets you wanted and the problems you had with the system we used. I apologise for that.”The official launch of the online ticket system has witnessed complete mayhem over the last few days, with several fans facing difficulties in contacting the ticketing agencies through the phone and the internet. Their frustrations were compounded when tickets were being resold at eBay, the online auction site, at ridiculous prices by several touts seeking profits. Sutherland lashed out at the profiteers and urged the authorities at eBay to take appropriate action.The apology came after Brett Judd, the group manager for ticketing in the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, criticised the Ashes ticketing system, implying that the process could have been handled in a more professional manner.”If it was me, I would have balloted in some way, so it was an equal playing field, or I would have staggered it out,” he told . “Simply dumping it on the market probably didn’t afford the best opportunity to sell in a nice, orderly manner.”Judd indicated that unlike the authorities in charge of the Games, Cricket Australia failed to foresee the need to strike an agreement with eBay in advance to prevent people from reselling tickets at prices higher than the face value.However, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the allocation isn’t as lopsided, with 42,000 out of the 95,000 tickets reserved for the Family, while the corporates, tour groups, and the other state associations getting a total of 19000 seats.

Barry Richards: forward looking © Getty Images

Barry Richards, the former South African batsman, has said that Twenty20 should become a global competition featuring teams from a number of cities.”If you had 16 or 20 sides you could float it around the world and you could sell it into America and Canada,” Richards told BBC Sport. “You could have a team from Toronto, a team from Miami, teams from Cape Town and London. You could have the best players, not representing a country but a town.”It would be the 200 or 300 best players in the world and it’s up to the franchise-holders to decide who are the best players. You always associate Test cricket with the best players but it’s not the case anymore. If you’ve got 15 in each side then we can see all the Australians that are not playing that are good enough to play Test cricket.”Richards comments are hardly likely to be warmly received by the authorities in some countries, but the rapid growth and remarkable popularity of the format where it has been tried means that his ideas are not as far-fetched as they might have been even a year ago.Richards has been at the forefront in recognising the need for the game to appeal to new markets and audiences if it is to prosper. At the Cowdrey Lecture in 2003, he urged the authorties to consider where cricket would be in 20 years, and said that it had to revise traditional thinking in favour of new concepts that stimulated the young.

Darren Gough’s international career could yet be revived in the West Indies, despite his scathing criticism of the England selectors in a Sunday newspaper.In an interview in the Sunday Telegraph, Gough had made it known in no uncertain terms how disappointed he was not to be selected for the winter tours to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and West Indies. “I feel like I’ve been sh*t on, to be honest,” was his frank admission. But David Graveney, England’s chairman of selectors, has revealed that Gough remains very much in England’s thoughts.”Darren can blame us as much as he likes,” Graveney told the Daily Mail. “But we have had a perfectly legitimate concern about what has been a very serious knee injury. I would rather players get angry when they’re dropped, than take it lying down. What he has to do is show he’s fit.”Gough has taken 188 wickets at 24.96 in 121 one-day internationals, and was Man of the Match in his most recent outing, the NatWest Series final against South Africa at Lord’s last summer. That fact has not been lost on Graveney, who intends to add two fasting-bowling options to the 13 men already selected for the one-dayers in the Caribbean.”You look at fitness and who might be available,” added Graveney, “and you don’t have to go too far before you come to the name of Darren Gough.”

HOBART, Dec 19 AAP – An assault on one of cricket’s most dismal records was the lowlight of a slow day as Queensland grafted to a solid position in the Pura Cup match against Tasmania in Hobart today.Opener Brendan Nash’s morning snail impersonation, plus a continuing Martin Love affair with Bellerive Oval, ensured the Bulls survived a difficult wicket and reached 4-249 at stumps on the first day after opting to bat.Love was 127 not out and Lee Carseldine 19.Chief culprit was Nash, the 25-year-old lefthanded opener, who was at the wicket for 88 minutes before he opened his account with an inside edge that squirted to square leg.That was only nine minutes less than the world record 97 minutes it took England’s Godfrey Evans to break his duck in the 1946-47 Test in Adelaide.It took Nash another 33 minutes to get his second, just after lunch. Then he accelerated modestly before being bowled for 34 shortly before tea. He was there for 223 minutes, faced 174 balls and hit four boundaries late in his innings.Nash said it was hard to score on the two-paced wicket.He said the record was “not something you’d really want”, but he’d not felt too bad about not scoring and Love had helped him get through the period.In fairness to Nash, the wicket was tough. The bowlers, moreover, sprayed a lot that had to be left, especially before lunch.This led to some extraordinary figures, notably for Shane Jurgensen, who at tea had conceded only one run off the bat from 15 overs — but had also produced four wides and three no balls.The morbid interest in Nash overshadowed Love’s performance, yet it was a good indicator of the difficulties.Love is a class act who loves Bellerive and only last month hit a double century for Australia A against England in less time that it took him to reach three figures today.In the morning, the Love affair was rocky. His timing was astray and he regularly played and missed. But survival gradually became assurance and his innings was the critical one.He has batted for 367 minutes, hit 20 fours and given one tough chance, on 103.Queensland progressed by increments — a mere 35 in the first session, 78 in the session and a healthy 136 in a long third.Stuart Law (21) and Andrew Symonds (29) provided a little late zing, but couldn’t capitalise on their starts.Damien Wright (2-59) was the only multiple wicket taker in an attack that didn’t fully capitalise on its opportunities, but also had little luck with edges — many either just missing or just falling short of the slips.

There were times during the second day of this Test match that illustrated exactly why cricket at this level is known as Test cricket.This was a day played hard and tough, by 22 men trying desperately to effect some advantages for their respective team.Mark Waugh, with his elegance and true grit, changed things fully to ensure Australia had the advantage. What a comeback after the pressure he was under recently. Perhaps, only perhaps, Brian Lara could follow suit, since he too was under the same pressure.At least no-one, not even me, could complain about the efforts and the cricket overall, even if the West Indies, as they did at Brisbane, lost the plot somewhat after tea, the fast bowlers tiring badly and being punished for it by Brett Lee.With the Australians starting at 72-2 in reply to the West Indies 196, both teams would have been looking for the immediate advantage. While Australia managed to go to lunch at 151-4, the West Indies looked to have made every effort to take quick, necessary wickets.Jimmy Adams however showed a lack of imagination when it looked as if he could just get that break through. Someone will have to wake him up sometime this series. His field placings were strange, and the situation with the 2nd new ball, not taking it immediately after tea, confused all.Australia scored a daunting 396-8 before captain, Steve Waugh, surprisingly, declared late in the afternoon, giving his bowlers seven overs at the West Indies late in the evening.Darren Ganga is not out nine, just surviving to the end, while losing opening partner Sherwin Campbell, easily caught by the first of two gullies, Jason Gillespie, from the bowling of Brett Lee. When Campbell went for four, the West Indies were 7-1. Night-watchman Merve Dillon was also out, caught at the wicket by wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, for three, the final act of the day.Sunday could be a very long day for the West Indies batsmen.Earlier, Mark Waugh, with his 18th Test hundred; was eventually dismissedfor 119, including 12 boundaries. It was his first Test century sincemaking exactly 100 against Pakistan in the 1999/2000 series 19 innings ago, and represented a perfect psychological comeback. He also helped put his team in a very strong position to effect that record-breaking 12th win.Waugh Junior came to the crease when his team was in some bother at 111-3, after overnight batsman Matthew Hayden had been bowled, from an inside edge, by Marlon Black, for a very well-made 69. He had survived a chance on 58, in the 11th over of the day, when he top edged a Dillon delivery to fine-leg, but Marlon Black spilled a dolly catch, the score 100-2.Courtney Walsh, in the meantime, was soon presented with a straight but fiercely hit caught and bowled chance from Hayden. The return catch was missed, but Walsh had to quickly go for an x-ray, as the ring finger of his bowling finger was dislocated. The x-ray suggested only severe bruising.At 104-2, Gillespie, then on 12, received another poor decision, this time by Umpire Peter Parker. There was a clear deviation from the glove of the Black delivery on its way to wicket-keeper Jacobs which was confirmed by television replays. The dismay and disappointment of the West Indies was evident.But nightwatchman Gillespie did not last for much longer. He was caught by Brian Lara at 1st slip, from the bowling of Nixon McLean, for a bothersome 23.Waugh Junior was also dropped at cover point by Darren Ganga, when he had madeonly 21 and the score 159-4. That miss cost the West Indies dearly. He also survived a fearful hit from a delivery from Courtney Walsh, using the second new ball, directly on the helmet, when he was 93, and Australia 296-6.After that, he blossomed, playing some imperious shots in his innings, driving, glancing and guiding the fast bowlers everywhere in the outfield. The straight drives, especially off Dillon and Nixon McLean, then a pull and a cover drive, after he had made his century, from Courtney Walsh’s bowling, were sights to behold. Incidentally, when he had gotten to his century, after only 151 balls, he had hit ten four’s.He established useful partnerships with his brother Steve, putting on 65 for the fifth wicket, in 107 balls and then with Adam Gilchrist, who also played well for his sixth Test half century; including seven boundaries; Waugh added a quick-fire 95 runs in 134 balls for the seventh wicket. Both partners fell to Walsh to edge him close to the 500 landmark.Said Mark Waugh afterwards: “To make runs on a bouncy Perth pitch, against the West Indies, was very satisfying. I was very pleased with the way I played. No, I was not under any real pressure except that this is a Test match. Simply, I wanted to enjoy the day, hopefully make a few runs, as this is a very important game for us. I was obviously pretty focussed out there and was happy with the way my form went.””Perth could be a difficult place to bat, as obviously there are pace and bounce there. It takes a bit of adjusting to. If you happen to meet a couple of good fast bowlers, it can be pretty awkward, but once you get in, the pace of the wicket allows you to score quickly. At least it’s a nice and even surface out there. You can get yourself in trouble if you are not diligent and watch the ball constantly.””Perth is a lot harder, with much more pace and bounce than Brisbane. Brisbane was a little bit slower and a bit more uneven. While Perth was much more even, if you wanted to bend the back, the bowlers could get some help too”The third day is shaping up to be a truly great day. Either Australia will win the game, and secure that record of 12 consecutive Test wins in a row, or the West Indies could flash themselves to glory, slashing and bashing the Australians to a full stop.Somehow, the former seems more likely than the latter, but you never know.

On-loan Aston Villa star Philippe Coutinho has expressed a willingness to take a major pay cut to facilitate a move away from Barcelona. 

The lowdown

The Brazilian moved from Camp Nou to Villa Park on a short-term deal in January, and 90min last week reported that Steven Gerrard’s side have already opened talks over a permanent deal.

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However, they also revealed that the 29-year-old earns ‘just shy’ of £500,000 per week with the inclusion of bonuses. That far outstrips Villa’s current wage ceiling, the £120,000 that they pay to Danny Ings, who earns 50% more than the next-best reimbursed players on the list.

Coutinho’s £142m move to Spain in 2018 remains one of the biggest in football history, but he has struggled so much for Barcelona that he has occasionally been booed by his own fans.

The latest

Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo reported (via Birmingham Mail) that both Barcelona and Coutinho hope to negotiate a permanent exit from the Nou Camp this summer.

The La Liga club want €40m (£33.5m) for the Brazilian, which is pretty much in line with the £33m purchase option that Villa have been granted.

The report stated that ‘the main obstacle’ to a permanent move is Coutinho’s salary, but ‘club sources consulted by MD’ insist that the player ‘always does his part to overcome’ this barrier. The 29-year-old will seemingly do what he can to ensure that an agreement can be reached with a new club.

The verdict

Coutinho is enjoying his football at Aston Villa. He said at the end of February that he is ‘very happy’ in the Midlands, having fulfilled his ambition to return to the Premier League.

That sense of contentment has been evident on the pitch, with the playmaker bagging four goals and laying on three assists in his first 10 appearances in claret and blue.

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Significantly, his Brazil prospects have also improved following the move away from Camp Nou. Having missed out on the Selecao squad altogether in September and October and watched on from the bench in November, he has featured in each of the country’s three games under Tite so far in 2022.

Coutinho knows that leaving Barcelona for good could be crucial to his World Cup ambitions, and that is yet another reason to make sacrifices in terms of his pay packet. It could be a major hurdle cleared if Villa are hopeful of sealing him on a permanent move.

In other news, could this throw a spanner in the works for Villa?

	New Zealand will be looking forward to Tim Southee to deliver the goods against India in the semi-final © Getty Images

New Zealand’s hopes of upsetting India’s World Cup campaign will hinge on how quickly their medium-pace attack – especially new-ball bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult – adjust to unfamiliar conditions at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur. The semi-final will be New Zealand’s first game at the venue, having played all their group matches in Johor and the quarter-final at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala LumpuSouthee is the leading contender for Man of the Tournament, with 13 wickets, while left-arm medium-pacer Boult has ten including the best figures of the competition, 7 for 20 against Malaysia. Dav Whatmore, India’s coach, singled out the pace attack as New Zealand’s strength.”We [India] have a sense of understanding why New Zealand have made the final four. It’s because they have a strong medium-pace attack and their fielding. We’ve got a very good economy-rate as a group [bowling attack] but they are better than us. They consistently bowl better in terms of economy.” None of New Zealand’s regular bowlers have conceded more than four runs per over. Southee and Boult, who are both from Northern Districts, have gone forless than three.However, New Zealand’s games in Johor were on pitches that were damp earlyon and assisted the fast bowlers. Boult felt that the ball swung a lot more in the air in Malaysia while back home the assistance was primarily movement off the pitch. Southee agreed, and said that getting accustomed to the swing was the only major adjustment that the bowlers had to make.”Obviously with the white ball and humidity here, it swings around more than it does in New Zealand,” Southee told Cricinfo. “The wickets have generally been pretty good though the one yesterday [against Sri Lanka at Royal Selangor Club] was quite slow and quite low. It was quite uneven as well: I got the odd one to kick through but there were a few that kept low. I bowled the opening batter with one that crept under his bat. I think we had the better of the batting conditions yesterday and it got tougher to face the pace bowlers in the afternoon.”None of the New Zealand players, apart from Southee, have played under lights before and that could prompt them to bat first so that their batsmen don’t have to face a run-chase for the first time under lights. If that is the case, Southee and Boult could avoid bowling in the searing heat and gain additional assistance with the white ball moving around in the evenings.Dipak Patel, the New Zealand coach, said the team that handles the “mental pressures” of such a tense encounter better would emerge victors, while pointing out that for most players on both sides, the stakes have never been higher. Southee, however, has played on a larger stage – two Twenty20 internationals against England in front of packed houses in Auckland and Christchurch. He held his nerve and did well for himself – taking 1 for 38 and 2 for 22. How he, and Boult, fare against the Indian top-order could make or break it for New Zealand.

Trent Johnston enjoys part of his breezy cameo © Getty Images

Grand Old Duke of York
There was more than a frisson of worry in the England camp when Trent Johnston and Andrew White started to find the boundaries late in the innings. Michael Vaughan turned to Andrew Flintoff, and he settled it, spearing the ball into the blockhole to devastating effect. One-day tactics have evolved constantly down the years, but there’s still no match for the yorker at the death.One for the auld enemy
The wicket of Flintoff – chopping one on – and two sixes in a breezy cameo would have been satisfying for most allrounders, but perhaps Johnston relished it a little bit more because of his New South Wales roots. He tries to play it down now that he’s Irish captain, but some old rivalries linger.Look who’s clucking now
Johnston had unveiled the chicken-dance celebration when he dismissed Mohammad Yousuf in the famous victory against Pakistan, and there was a reprise as Flintoff became another prized victim. Chickens don’t fly though, and England plucked his feathers ruthlessly, with 47 coming from the last five overs he bowled.SuperColly
The ICC rankings may have Kevin Pietersen at the top, but Paul Collingwood’s the man in prime form. A soaring six over midwicket was one of three that he hit as 56 came from the last 31 balls that he faced.Palm Pilot
No, we’re not agents for Johnston, but he had a hand, literally, in the day’s exceptional fielding moment as well. Collingwood was on course for a century when Andrew White’s throw from mid-on came arrowing in. Stationed in front of the stumps, Johnston palmed it on with his left hand.I’m an Irishman, get me out of here
For Ed Joyce, this was a day to forget. Boyd Rankin got him shouldering arms to one that nipped back, and Ireland’s top scorer in the 2005 ICC Trophy trudged off with just one to his name. Later, with Niall O’Brien on 9, Joyce appeared half-asleep when he grassed a high chance at midwicket off Sajid Mahmood. O’Brien cashed in to the tune of 54 more runs. Joyce’s two matches against his old mates have now fetched him 11 runs. Ouch.Seen and heard
During a slow phase of play, the roaming cameras zoomed in on a little fella in an orange vest. Perhaps aware that millions of eyes were on him, he took guard and executed a textbook loft over midwicket. Not content, he took guard again and bent low for a sweep shot, holding the pose for about five seconds. The gloves were a size too big, but he certainly looked the part.

Herschelle Gibbs, for all his absurd talent, has endured a poor run of form this summer © Getty Images

Herschelle Gibbs, the South Africa batsman and Garnett Kruger have been dropped for the remaining two Tests against New Zealand. South Africa won the first Test at Centurion by 128 runs last week, but Gibbs put in another disappointing performance with a match aggregate of eight runs.In his last ten Tests, he has made just 437 runs at an average of 25.70. His last hundred was made against England over a year ago.”Herschelle and I had a meeting yesterday (Friday), and we agreed that a break and a fresh start next season will do him a world of good”, Haroon Lorgat, South Africa’s convenor of selectors, said. “Garnett is most unfortunate to have picked up a shoulder strain when he was set to play in the first Test at Centurion.”With the outstanding performances of Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn in this match, and with Andre Nel in reserve, we have decided to release him.”Lorgan confirmed that South Africa will not be replacing Gibbs or Kruger.”At the start of the series we had carried an unusually large squad of 16 players. This was designed to take into account the fact that there was no domestic cricket being played,” he said. “With one Test completed, we are now able to reduce the squad to 14 players and will reduce it further to 13 for the last Test at Liberty Life Wanderers.”South Africa team (from):Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Ashwell Prince, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Nicky Boje, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Andrew Hall, Jacques Rudolph, Hashim Amla

Squeaky clean: Ricky Ponting says the public perception of the team is changing © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting believes Australia’s on-field behaviour is improving despite the sledging allegations against Shane Warne, but he wants the tone to rise against England. Ponting said yesterday he expected to talk to Warne, who is currently playing for Hampshire, about the events leading to Chris Adams, the Sussex captain, complaining that he had lost respect for Warne.Ponting said Warne’s antics had not been a problem during his captaincy and all the players had made a point of cleaning up their acts. “If you look back at what the team has been able to do over the last couple of years, we have really been able to change the perception,” Ponting told the Herald Sun. “Certainly in the public’s eyes but, more importantly, everyone we speak to involved in the game has been really impressed with what we have been able to do with our on-field attitudes.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, was also considering calling Warne, who was exposed for sledging Ronnie Irani last season, after Adams said he was trying to “humiliate young players”. Warne said he was responding to Matt Prior’s “chesting” of Simon Katich during last weekend’s County Championship match at Hove. “I thought cricket was a non-contact sport,” he wrote in his Times column. “I was sticking up for my mate and letting Prior know what I thought about his behaviour.”Ponting said he wanted to find out what had happened from Warne and Katich. “Then we can make better judgements,” he said.