Adam Gilchrist insists there is nothing sinister to his surprise retirement and has promised to reveal all after his final Test finishes on Monday. Thoughts of walking away began on Thursday night and Gilchrist called his parents on Friday, telling them to fly to Adelaide to see his last days in whites.Gilchrist was feeling “really happy but a bit confused” after the response to his decision and he wanted to avoid the hype to keep the focus on Australia as they push for a series win. “There’s nothing sinister or anything to hide,” Gilchrist told Nine before the start of the fourth day. “There’s no reason why I’m not talking openly, but I can’t wait till the end of the game to share it then.”The demand for Gilchrist is high, but he asked his supporters to “hang with me for another day” before he discussed the decision and his career in depth. “It’s just been unbelievable,” he said. “I want to say to the cricketing public: I just can’t wait to focus on the Test and at the end I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”Gilchrist’s mother, father, sister and brother are in Adelaide and the only person that doesn’t seem to know about the call is his brother Glenn, who is camping in country Queensland. “He’s out of range, so if someone sees him please tell him,” Gilchrist said. “I want to track him down, I’d love him to be here.”Ian Healy said Gilchrist was not pushed from the team, but the choice was made because he didn’t have the energy to escape a “mini-glitch” in form. “It hasn’t forced the move, but I think it has made it very clear on what he should be doing,” Healy said. “It cleared everything in his mind. He decided ‘that’s it, I haven’t got the energy to get myself back up out of this sort of mini-glitch’.”He is not a thoughtful cricketer, he is a very natural cricketer. He is an instinctive cricketer and that that had been dulled a little bit for him.”
Sunil Gavaskar delivered a strong retort in what was the latest in his joust with Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting. In a scathing reaction, Gavaskar said a “hot-head guy” might actually whack the Australian cricketers if they dared replicate their on-field behaviour in a bar.Last week Gavaskar called Australia’s on-field behaviour “awful” in a column for magazine. Ponting felt it was “high and mighty” of Gavaskar to complain, considering “the way India have played their cricket over the last few years”.”Some day, some other hot-head guy might actually get down and you know whack somebody who abuses him,” Gavaskar said on . He cited the example of the former Australia cricketer David Hookes, who had been fatally beaten up outside a bar. “There’s the example of the late David Hookes. Would the Australians who use that kind of language on the field, and not all of them do, in a bar and would they get away with it? Would they have a fist coming at their face or not?”He also defended his decision to attempt a walk-off at the MCG in protest against an lbw decision in 1981, an incident Ponting alluded to. “The reason the walk off took place was simply because I was abused by the Australians,” Gavaskar said. “Let me also come back to what he [Ponting] said about the way I played my cricket and I do not know what he’s looking at.”When he talks about the Indian team not having won matches, we are not talking about winning matches here, we are talking about behavior on the field,” he said. He drew a comparison between the Australian and West Indian sides of the 1970s and ’80s.”The West Indians were popular winners, there was an affection about the West Indians players in spite of the fact that they were beating you in three days,” he said. “They [West Indies] did not abuse the opponents. They did not have anything to say to the opponents. When they were dominating world cricket the West Indians did not resort to personal abuse on the field, they just played the game hard, they were very tough competitors but there was nothing untoward in their behaviour towards their opponents.”West Indian players always had a smile on their face when they came in at the end of day’s play to talk with you and to commiserate when you lost, you could see that there was no arrogance there. Cricket lovers all over the world wanted the West Indies teams to get back on their feet and start winning again.”
If not for early-morning rain and dimming light, today would have been the last day of this topsy-turvy Test, but there could well be a final twist to what promises to be a tantalising finish. West Indies’ cruise, made possible by a 148-run opening stand, was abruptly halted by an inspirational spell from Shane Bond, who blasted out four wickets and put New Zealand on the verge of a memorable victory. West Indies needed 45 more, New Zealand required two wickets, and the smattering of spectators at Eden Park will need another set of nails to chew on the fifth day.Bond’s was a scintillating display of fast bowling. Bowling extended spells with accurate pace, Bond broke the back of the West Indian chase with a four-wicket burst after Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga had laid the perfect platfrom with dominant half-centuries. However, with 70 runs to get and three wickets in hand, Denesh Ramdin and Ian Bradshaw defied New Zealand, after Bond had been taken off, during a 25-run partnership. Three balls before the light was offered, Ramdin played one of the most reckless sweeps to deep square leg to give New Zealand their eighth wicket and a sniff at victory.None of this appeared possible in the first two hours of play, when Gayle and Ganga confidently motored towards the target, causing Stephen Fleming to despair. With none of his strike bowlers providing the breakthrough, Fleming brought on Nathan Astle, a move that eventually proved to be a masterstroke. Astle induced Gayle to edge to slip with his second ball, and in the 15 minutes that followed, the game turned.Bond forced Ramnaresh Sarwan to retire hurt after cracking him on the back of the helmet and, for the second time in the match, dismissed Brian Lara with his first ball. That was just the appetiser, though, as he, rejuvenated after the break, blew away the middle order. He prised out Dwayne Smith, Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo in successive overs, with the first two caught at slip and the third trapped in front with one that seared into his pads.He was well supported after tea by Daniel Vettori, who bowled over the wicket and strangled the run-flow by bowling into the rough outside leg stump. His frugality induced Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had earlier slogged a four over midwicket, to hole out to short midwicket while trying to ease the mounting pressure. While Bond and Vettori kept up the pressure, Astle returned to complete his pair of openers’ scalps by dismissing Ganga with the second ball after drinks.
New Zealand might have wrapped it up if not for large chunks of sloppiness on the field. Gayle was dropped on 59 at silly point by Fleming, and Ganga was caught at gully when Martin overstepped. Both openers made New Zealand pay dearly. Gayle forced Franklin out of the attack and after starting cautiously against Vettori, used brute force to cut and drive him on the off side. He even lost the ball when he carted the first of his two sixes over wide long-on. Only Bond managed to trouble him, hurrying him for pace but Gayle still belted the wide ball through covers.Ganga’s was a more composed innings. He left anything too close to cut but pounced when offered width. He had a stroke of luck at the start when an inside edge missed his stumps but thereafter was fluent as he milked the off side for 80% of his runs. Even during Bond’s fierce spell after tea, Ganga wasn’t flustered and waited patiently to put the lose ball away.In spite of their hard work, the middle order threw it all away. And Ramdin will rue his mindless swipe all the more because, a few overs earlier, he had skied a pull to Martin who had dropped a dolly at midwicket. Bradshaw is no bunny with the bat, as his heroics in the 2004 Champions Trophy final testified, but he will need a lot of help from his tail-end partners if West Indies are to engineer another twist.
Chris Gayle c Fleming b Astle 82 (148 for 1) Brian Lara b Bond 0 (157 for 2) Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Fulton b Vettori 15 (182 for 3) Dwayne Smith c Fleming b Bond 5 (216 for 5)Ramnaresh Sarwan c Styris b Bond 4 (218 for 6)Dwayne Bravo lbw Bond (221 for 7)
Adam Gilchrist ruined New Zealand for the second time in two Tests with a brilliant, brutal 162 and Australia’s bowlers were almost as cruel as they bullied a wilting top order. The start was delayed by rain, adding to the washed out opening day, but the scoring pace of Gilchrist and Damien Martyn in a record 256-run partnership gave them oodles of time to wrap up the series.Wet weather or a Laxmanesque double-century are really the only things that can save New Zealand from slipping to a 2-0 deficit after they hopped to 122 for 4 at stumps on day three. Gilchrist was again to blame. At Christchurch he swung the game away from the Kiwis with Simon Katich, and today he grabbed it powerfully alongside Martyn’s beautiful strokeplay, allowing Ricky Ponting to declare at a mountainous 570 for 8.The total was swiftly set up in the hour before lunch with a mind-blowing display of power hitting as Gilchrist blasted 51 from 35 deliveries and New Zealand haemorrhaged 90 runs. After the break he slowed a touch as the field spread, adding 66 from 62, but the upshot was his 15th Test century at a strike-rate of 111 with five sixes and 22 fours. The barely believable has become weekly.Gilchrist’s punishment overshadowed an exhibition from Martyn, who stayed true to his graceful nature and celebrated a career-high 165. Together they stripped their opponents in a record sixth-wicket partnership against New Zealand in 182 minutes. It was mean, explosive and sustained. Martyn went to Iain O’Brien at 503 and Gilchrist bunted back to James Franklin at 557, but Ponting extended the torture until Shane Warne slapped his fifty. He is not a captain fond of donations.Stephen Fleming’s dire series continued when he offered no shot to Glenn McGrath and was lbw in the opening over. An already exhausted side, needing 420 to avoid the follow-on in a four-day match, enjoyed the aggressive fields but not the attack. Short balls were ordered as Hamish Marshall was pushed to the back foot, and Craig Cumming’s pull shot again led to his removal. Michael Clarke then popped up to upend Nathan Astle as stumps neared.A day that ended in dark conditions began in similar light. The umpires saw the rain and fog and expected no play until after lunch so Gilchrist went swimming with his son. When the clouds cleared quickly an 11.30am resumption was decided and calls to mobiles rustled up the players. Gilchrist made it to the ground in time to rush on his gear and walk out to the middle for the 60-minute session.Adjusting quickly from the paddling, Gilchrist lined up Chris Martin once he raised his half-century. A clipped four through point was followed by a hooked six and a back-foot boundary through cover: three balls, 14 runs. Martin seemed in more trouble when he dropped short and Gilchrist aimed a cut. There was relief when Hamish Marshall intercepted it and further frustration when it bumped out as he hit theground.
Franklin was next for punishment – three fours in one over – as Gilchrist closed on his century before lunch. He was slightly delayed and waited until the first over after the break with a late cut off Daniel Vettori. He moved from 50 to 100 in 29 balls; it was bludgeoning and breathtaking. Next ball he pierced the wicketkeeper and first slip with an edge, straining New Zealand necks.Vettori, who bowled 47 overs for two wickets, masters most Australia batsmen, but not their wicketkeeper. Gilchrist’s third six of the innings was belted high, long and straight. The next, two balls later, bashed into a blue fence over mid-on shortly before lunch. The fifth, again off Vettori, took him to 143. When Gilchrist fell to Franklin his summer of runs in four Tests against New Zealand included 126 at Brisbane, 50 at Adelaide, 121 at Christchurch and 162 today. Imagine if Australia had second innings.While Gilchrist paraded his muscles, Martyn eased boundaries as he woke up in the same form that earned him 106 on day two. Calm in all conditions, he kept to himself and coolly increased his score despite the distraction of his partner. Martyn’s 150 came from 250 balls, with 23 fours, and his intensity soon dropped. Unfortunately his highest Test effort will be overlooked by everyone but the purists. Martyn sparkled while Gilchrist crashed and New Zealand cracked.How They Were Out Australia Martyn c McCullum b O’Brien 165 (503 for 6) His best Test score ended with a push and a nick to a ball that moved away.Gilchrist c&b Franklin 162 (557 for 7) Popped a return catch in a meek end to a mammoth innings.Gillespie b Franklin 162 (559 for 8) Bowled slogging to leg.New Zealand Fleming lbw McGrath 0 (9 for 1) Padded up to one coming back in the first over, Rudi Koertzen thought it would hit off.Marshall c Gillespie b McGrath 18 (55 for 2) Attacked with short bowling, he hooked to fine leg and Gillespie ran out of the shadows to take a lunging, low catch.Cumming b Kasprowicz 37 (78 for 3) Aimed a pull towards midwicket that didn’t bounce as much as he expected and dragged an under-edge on to the stumps.Astle c Warne b Clarke 9 (108 for 4) Clarke came on in the gloom to replace Gillespie and Astle drove hard to Warne, who snapped the sharp offering at first slip.
A medley of both traditional and modern carols will be resounding in The Rose Bowl’s glass-roofed Atrium on Sunday, 14th December when the Concert Party of Hedge End’s New Music Makers will be entertaining visitors, staff and players at Hampshire Cricket’s Christmas Carol Concert.The choir, accompanied by pianist Di Heathorn, will be singing around The Rose Bowl’s 15ft Christmas tree from 1pm until 4pm during which coffee and mince pies will be available.For those wishing to enjoy some traditional fare before the 25th December, a one, two or three course Christmas Carvery will also be served in the first-floor Long Room overlooking the main cricket ground. Table reservations can be made on 023 8047 1525."The Rose Bowl is one of the most exciting new entertainment venues in the South and our spectacular glass Atrium provides a wonderful backdrop for the Christmas choir and carols," said Alexis Tusler, who is organising the event. "We anticipate a fantastic atmosphere for the Carol Concert which we hope will become a firm favourite in the pre-Christmas festivities each year."Further information on the Carol Concert is available on 023 8047 2009.
England lost the first match of their National Bank New Zealand tour in Hamilton, beaten by three wickets by Northern Districts, with five balls to spare.A spectacular piece of pinch-hitting by former Test swing bowler Simon Doull launched ND on their pursuit of a formidable target of 289, after Nick Knight’s century had formed the core of an impressive England batting performance.
Knight- century not enough Photo Photosport
Doull – who England knew only as a Test opening bowler – hit a one-day best 80 from 47 balls. He announced his intentions early, with six, four and six off successive balls in Andy Caddick’s second over.Sixteen came off Matthew Hoggard’s fourth over, all in boundaries, the best of which was a back-foot cover drive. The first of them brought up the ND half-century.Darren Gough replaced Caddick at the City End. He bowled quickly, but inconsistently. He did not appreciate Paul Collingwood giving away four overthrows, throwing the ball over the head of the bowler and the back-up fielder as he attempted to throw the stumps down.Doull hit a a total of 11 fours and a six before he perished like a warrior, caught on the long-on boundary by Craig White off Collingwood. Doull’s dismissal left ND needing 174 at under five an over, a rate kept under control by sensible batting.Michael Parlane’s 79 from 100 balls was the most important factor. He batted with a mixture of circumspection and controlled aggression, hitting five fours and three sixes, an outstanding effort from a player who appeared to be drifting out of the first-class game just a few weeks ago.Grant Bradburn (43 not out) supported him admirably in a partnership of 90 for the fifth wicket. They made the decision to start the final charge immediately after the second drinks break, a decision that caught England by surprise.Three wickets fell quickly at the end, before Bradburn hit Jeremy Snape over long off for six to finish the match.With the exception of White England’s bowlers lacked control, some being carried away by the pace of the Hamilton pitch after India’s slow surfaces. The fielding was also suffering from a little jet-lag.Earlier, the batting had been more impressive, after they were put in by ND captain Robbie Hart.Marcus Trescothick got the innings off to a rousing start, taking six fours off the opening attack of Daryl Tuffey and Joseph Yovich as England set off at six an over. He dominated an opening partnership of 60 with Knight.The England skipper began to show signs of frailty with the introduction of 20-year-old pace bowler Ian Butler, whose speed induced two false shots from Trescothick in his first over.Unsettled, Trescothick fell to Graham Aldridge in the next over, caught low by Bradburn at first slip for 38.The impressive Butler struck in the 19th over having Michael Vaughan caught behind for 12 off a cracker that climbed and left him. This was the only period of the innings in which the bowlers contained the batsmen, with only 35 runs scored in 10 overs after the lifting of the fielding restrictions.At this point the third-wicket stand between Knight and Graham Thorpe gained momentum. Forty-two runs came from the next five overs.The partnership had reached 98 when Thorpe was out for 40, caught at deep square-leg by Matthew Hart to give Aldridge his second wicket. Thorpe scored 40 in 55 balls including three fours, putting on 98 for the third wicket with Knight.This brought Owais Shah to the middle, an event in itself. He has appeared in only one of the 11 One-Day Internationals that England have played in Zimbabwe and India over the past few months, despite being a member of the squad throughout.He made the most of his opportunity, scoring a fluent 31 from 32 balls including a towering six that scored a direct hit on a spectator sitting at deep square leg.But it was Knight who dominated. He moved from 90 to 96 with a hook off Aldridge, reaching his hundred in the 41st over. He celebrated with a third six, lifted effortlessly over midwicket.
MichaelVaughan avoids a short one Photo Photosport
Knight was out for 126 from 128 balls, including 11 fours and four sixes. It was an innings of a batsman in prime form. He displayed a great range of shots, some from the textbook, some improvised.White, playing his first innings since rejoining the tour, was run out for a duck from his first ball. Snape and Collingwood scavenged sensibly at the end of the innings.England’s 288 seemed likely to be more than enough against an ND side that has batted inconsistently this year, but that was to reckon without a whirlwind called Doull.England’s acting captain Trescothick, was not too disheartened at the end of the match.”Our bowlers didn’t bowl as well as they can, our fielders didn’t field as well as they can, but it wasn’t dreadful.”Were the bowlers over-excited by discovering a pitch with genuine pace?”There’s probably something in that. It cheers the bowlers up to see a bit of pace. We did bowl a bit short and that was one of the reasons.”Trescothick shouldered the burdens of captaincy and keeping wicket in this match.”It was difficult doing both, but I was excited about being captain and excited about keeping wicket.”He dropped a hint that he might continue behind the stumps in the forthcoming ODI series.”I enjoy keeping wicket, though I haven’t done it for years. If I’m going to do it a bit more, there’s a lot of practice to be done.”ND skipper Robbie Hart was jubilant when he spoke to CricInfo. He always believed that victory was possible, even chasing a score as big as 288.”It’s a great deck here, but it needed special innings’ from Doull, Parlane and Bradburn. Simon Doull has such a great eye.”He praised Parlane and Bradburn for taking responsibility and going flat out for the target straight after the second drinks. Hart smiled broadly as he talked about what the place of the victory in his career.”Every time I play for ND I’m proud, but its great to beat England.”The two teams meet again in a day match on Sunday.
Indian Airlines face an extremely difficult task on the morrow afterclosing out the second day of their MRF-Buchi Babu pre-quarterfinal at23/1 in reply to MAC-TNCA’s imposing 459/7 declared. India ‘A’ openerJ Arun Kumar survived 51 minutes before being dismissed by legspinnerBalaji Rao for 14 in what turned out to be the penultimate over of theday.Play was suspended at 4.34 PM due to bad light and called off at 5.00pm since the light had not improved. Manish Sharma and VVS Laxman heldout until close but Airlines are still 436 runs adrift. If they do batout the whole day tomorrow, it is unlikely they would have overhauledMAC-TNCA’s first innings total.In that eventuality the winner will be decided on run quotient (numberof runs scored divided by number of wickets lost). MAC-TNCA’s runquotient presently stands at 65.57. For Airlines the responsibilityrests heavily on the shoulders of Laxman, Sharma, Ravneet Ricky andVijay Dahiya.In the morning play started 105 minutes behind schedule due toovernight rains having dampened the outfield. Indeed only 69 overswere bowled during the whole day. Resuming at 314/4 at the CPT-IndiaPistons ground here in Chennai, MAC-TNCA lost Sharath for 124 (191balls, 16 fours, 1 six) when he edged Dodda Ganesh into the waitinggloves of wicketkeeper captain Dahiya.The fifth wicket partnership between Sharath and Robin Singh hadswelled to 89 when the mishap occurred. Robin merrily proceeded to 73(127 balls, 6 fours), adding another 64 with Gokulakrishna before hefell to Haryana off spinner Ishan Ganda. Gokulakrishna, brother ofyesterday’s centurion Madanagopal finished on an unbeaten 46 as MAC-TNCA called it quits in the 139th over.Incidentally there were another pair of brothers on the field – thetwo umpires K Srinivasan and K Bharathan. For Airlines Murali Kartiktoiled long and hard to collect returns of 2/141 from 46 overs whileGanesh, Ganda and Chaudhury took a wicket apiece.
Liverpool are interested in signing PSV Eindhoven winger Cody Gakpo this summer, according to reliable journalist David Ornstein.
The Lowdown: Gakpo impressing for PSV
The 22-year-old is enjoying an eye-catching season for the Eredivisie giants, scoring eight goals and registering 13 assists in the division.
Gakpo also netted twice in the Champions League prior to PSV’s exit and he has been described as a player who ‘has everything’ by former Netherlands midfielder Theo Janssen.
The youngster’s current deal in Eindhoven may not expire until 2026, but a fresh update suggests that he could be on the move in the near future.
The Latest: Liverpool eye up move for Gakpo
Writing for The Athletic, Ornstein claimed that Liverpool are among the clubs interested in making a move for Gakpo this summer.
The likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also seen as potential suitors, with PSV willing to sell if the right offer comes along. The Dutch outfit are not believed to have set an asking price, although offers in excess of £35m have already been mentioned
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The Verdict: One for the future
Liverpool have five excellent attacking options at their disposal these days, with Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino all battling for minutes.
However, Firmino is now 30 years of age, while Salah and Mane will both reach that milestone later this year, so Gakpo could be considered a long-term replacement for them at Anfield.
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The majority of his appearances this season have been in a left-sided role, so he could be seen as Mane’s successor, although Diaz’s emergence does cloud the situation.
Gakpo’s versatility means that he can excel anywhere across the frontline, so Jurgen Klopp may feel that the 22-year-old is an ideal signing who can fill in across various roles as the years progress, eventually joining Diaz and Jota as a regular in a new-look front three at Liverpool.
In other news, Liverpool are interested in signing one highly-rated player. Find out who it is here.
Habib Bank Limited (HBL) have named a strong 15-man squad for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to be played in Karachi from January 7. The squad is bolstered by the inclusion of current internationals including Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Danish Kaneria and Abdur Rehman. Hasan Raza, a former international and HBL’s captain during some of the round matches, might captain, though Afridi and Younis are also in the running.Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar, the two openers who took part in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), have been omitted on the orders of the PCB while Umar Gul, the fast bowler, has yet to recover fully from the injury sustained on the tour to India.While HBL looks set to field a strong side on Monday, SNGPL might be missing out on the services of Umar Akmal for the final. Akmal, younger brother of Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran, has been called up to a Pakistan Under-19 camp in Lahore to prepare for the tour of Sri Lanka and the U-19 World Cup next month.Akmal has made a terrific impact this season, having scored 849 runs in eight matches in the current Quaid-e-Azam Trophy – his debut first-class season – at an average of 94.33. His tally includes 248 against Karachi Blues as well as an unbeaten 186 in the match against Quetta that was abandoned following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.SNGPL will, however, have the services of Mohammad Hafeez, their captain, who has scored 639 runs in nine matches as well as Misbah-ul-Haq who scored an unbeaten 32 in his only outing of the current domestic season.
Each of the Associates has one, possibly two, star names but EoinMorgan, the Ireland left-hander, is one of precious few to have aprofessional contract with a county. His path to England has, so far,mirrored that of his friend and team-mate Ed Joyce who Morgan joinedat an increasingly Irish Middlesex. And he won’t be the last.”Ireland is really proving itself to be a hot bed of talent,” Morgansaid at a net session in at the Aga Khan Sports Club Ground inNairobi. “With the likes of Joyce and Niall O’Brien (Northants) playingcounty cricket, it shows we have a top youth development system. Andit’s just a matter of getting players over to England that little bitearlier, grooving them as soon as possible and getting them into thesystem.”Many at Middlesex, let alone those in Ireland, believe Morgan’s futureis even brighter than Joyce’s. A forgettable duck yesterday, inIreland’s win over Bermuda, followed a slick and graceful 41 againstScotland – a match Ireland lost off the last ball. Has his (albeitbrief spell) experience in England highlighted the gap in class of theAssociates?”There is a bit of a gap, but I think it’s consistency,” he said. “Themajority of our team are part-time, not full time. They all have jobsand play at the weekends – but fortunately they are talented and doput in good performances. The gap, if there is one, is with theconsistency. The guys in England have it, and we lack it because wedon’t play it every day because we’re not professionals.”In the long term the gap probably won’t narrow,” he said. “Not in mygeneration anyway. Cricket isn’t popular enough in Ireland; we needmore media coverage and more financial backing in order for it tobecome professional.”And therein lies the problem, not just for Ireland, but for Scotland,Netherlands, Kenya and Canada. Bermuda, the other Associate country,need to play as much as the others, of course, but their remarkable$11m grant from the government allows something of a cushion. Morgan’steam-mates are amateurs, financially aided by the Ireland CricketUnion – as close to a contract as they get. He insists, however, thathis team-mates’ noses have not been put out by the big Englishcounties poaching their talent.”They don’t really mind,” he said with his diplomatic hat firmlyscrewed on, albeit with a hint of a grin forming “and they don’treally say anything. They know that me being in England and playingprofessionally is going to have a huge impact on my game going forwardand my development as a cricketer is going to be over in London,mainly because the financial aspects allow me to play full-time. Thefacilities, the process, all the people around me at Middlesex aregrooving me to play first-class cricket and take me forward.”You can’t blame him, but you can feel sorry for Ireland; his absence,and others who follow him, leave a huge hole. Ireland need to enjoyhim while they have him.