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With the county season reaching its end, a number of Ireland’s players with commitments in England will miss the four-day Intercontinental Cup match between Ireland and Namibia in Belfast from September 6

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2011With the county season reaching its end, a number of Ireland’s players with commitments in England will miss the four-day Intercontinental Cup match between Ireland and Namibia in Belfast from September 6. The match was originally scheduled for early July but was postponed because the Namibia players were facing issues getting their visas. With regular captain William Porterfield missing the game, Kevin O’Brien has been appointed captain of a 13-man squad that includes some new names.Stuart Poynter, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper, joins his older brother Andrew in the squad, while 18-year-old Graeme McCarter, who took 14 wickets in the recent Under-19 World Cup qualifying tournament, has also been included. Boyd Rankin, contracted with Warwickshire, Niall O’Brien, who plays for Northamptonshire, and Sussex’s Ed Joyce will all miss the game, which is Ireland’s first four-day match in this year’s Intercontinental Cup. Trent Johnson will also miss the game with injury.Ireland have recently announced they are planning to put a first-class structure in place in order to ultimately attain Test status, and this will be their first first-class match this year.Kevin O’Brien has captained Ireland once before but only in List A games, and he said he was looking forward to leading the team in a longer format. “The four-day game gives skippers a chance to try different ideas and put their own stamp on the team,” he said. “We have a few new faces in the squad for the game, with Stuart Poynter and Graeme McCarter both uncapped at senior level. This is an excellent chance for them, and the rest of the squad to make a mark ahead of the winter schedule.”Ireland had won the Intercontinental Cup three years in a row before Afghanistan won last year’s event.Ireland squad: Kevin O’Brien (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Nigel Jones, Graeme McCarter, John Mooney, Andrew Poynter, Stuart Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

Royal Challengers Bangalore may as well rename him Criss Gayle

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga27-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chris Gayle was devastating once again•AFPIn Jamaica the term is used to suggest everything is all right. Royal Challengers Bangalore may as well rename him Criss Gayle. For with Gayle, they criss. Gayle fell 11 short of his third century this IPL, but for 15 overs he played so much above the game that the 37 that came in the five after his exit didn’t look far off par on this surface. Mumbai struggled to replicate Gayle’s impact except with the new ball when they got off to a flying start. Gayle came on then to stifle the openers with a two-run over. The pressure resulted in wickets, everything was criss again, and Bangalore were in the final of the IPL.When batting, Gayle was assisted by Mayank Agarwal, his 20-year-old opening partner yet to make first-class debut, who scored 41 off 31 in a 113-run opening stand. Gayle will be the first one to concede, though, that he couldn’t have found a more accommodating opposition. To begin with, Mumbai Indians opted to bowl on a track where sides batting first have won six out of seven games this season. Then they refused to take the bull by its horn, throwing the new ball to Abu Nechim as opposed to Lasith Malinga. It can be argued that they succeeded in the previous game with Dhawal Kulkarni bowling the first over, but surely against a side as heavily reliant on Gayle as Bangalore they would have unleashed their best bowler right away.Nechim can still argue he hardly bowled a bad ball in that first over, but he still went for 27. The first of the boundaries came off an edge past slip, the second burst through Sachin Tendulkar at mid-off. Nechim, though, bowled length, and Gayle took six, two and four off the rest of the over. Agarwal played his part, foiling Mumbai’s other strategic move of bowling Harbhajan Singh to Gayle. Gayle faced only one delivery in Harbhajan’s two overs at the start, with Agarwal dominating the strike and hitting big, down the ground and with the turn, taking 20 runs.More friendliness followed from Mumbai as Malinga dropped Agarwal at square leg. At 57 for 0 after four, it became a Gayle show. Malinga bowled one good over full of slower ones for just one, but Gayle had his way with the rest of the bowlers. Only Rohit Sharma escaped his wrath, but Agarwal tucked into him with a four and a six. The beauty of the partnership was obvious: the right-hand batsman took care of the offspinners, Gayle everything else. The best of Gayle revealed itself in the 10th over, when Nechim was almost through a decent comeback over for four runs. The last ball, though, hardly left the ground, and yet crashed into the sight screen. Gayle was on 61 off 32 then, Bangalore 111.Rohit dropped Agarwal in the next over, but made amends two balls later. Gayle, however, was not through, and went on to suggest that maybe he didn’t need any shielding from Harbhajan, smacking him for back-to-back sixes over midwicket. Munaf, who held his own along with Malinga, eventually got rid of Gayle with a slightly slower one, and patted Gayle’s back as he walked back. All of a sudden, slower balls started working, the ball started gripping the surface, inside edges appeared, and the batting seemed like hard work. Just how well Gayle batted was further driven home.Despite the early wickets, Tendulkar, through cricketing shots and some improvisation, kept Mumbai’s fans interested with 40 off 24, but ICL returnee J Syed Mohammad produced one sharp offbreak across Tendulkar to get him stumped. Kieron Pollard, who often teases the fans in such chases with late but insufficient hitting, was spectacularly and coolly caught by Abhimanyu Mithun on the edge of the long-on boundary. With the Mumbai dugout right behind him, Mithun stood with his feet six inches inside as the Mumbai extras made way for him, stretched over the boundary and completed the catch one-handed to shut the door on Mumbai. The filmstar Mithun, known for his outlandish stunts, would have been proud.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa Test team captain, will require six to eight weeks of recovery after undergoing surgery on his right knee

Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2011Graeme Smith, the South Africa Test team captain, will require six to eight weeks of recovery after undergoing surgery on his right knee, and will consequently miss the Champions League Twenty20 which his franchise Cape Cobras have qualified for. Smith had an arthroscopy in Cape Town on July 15 and the results of the procedure were made available to the South Africa team management on July 18. While he will not be match-fit for the Champions League, which starts September 23, Smith should be ready in time for South Africa’s international season.”He had a debridement, which is basically shaving off of the cartilage,” Mohammed Moosajee, the South Africa team manager told ESPNcricinfo. “He will be training under the guidance of the rehabilitation team.”The injury was sustained during the IPL in April where Smith was playing for Pune Warriors. He collided with team-mate Rahul Sharma while fielding against Kochi Tuskers Kerala and had to bat with a runner later on in the match. Smith only played two more games for Pune after the incident and was said to be in discomfort even though he was undergoing physiotherapy.”He had an operation to the same knee when he was 19 years old,” Moosajee said. “If everything goes well he will be ready in time for the summer.”Smith’s eight-week recovery period will end in mid-September which will still give him a month to train before the start of Australia’s tour to South Africa, which starts with a Twenty20 international on October 13 in Cape Town, and will include another T20, three ODIs and two Tests. Smith stepped down from the ODI captaincy at the conclusion of the World Cup, but is still available for selection in the limited-overs forms of the game.

Jade Dernbach produced a brilliant display of reverse swing to dismantle Leicestershire to highlight his credentials with 5 for 41

Andrew McGlashan at The Oval06-May-2011
ScorecardJade Dernbach played a key role in Leicestershire’s second innings demise•PA PhotosThe England selectors will sit down in the near future to pick a Lions side for the match against Sri Lanka in a couple of weeks. It won’t be an easy task. The highlight of this season has been the performances of up-and-coming players vying for international honours and, at The Oval, Jade Dernbach produced a brilliant display of pace, which dismantled Leicestershire, to highlight his credentials with 5 for 41.Dernbach’s late call-up to the World Cup squad was a surprise move after many thought Chris Woakes – who has also been prolific so far this summer – was next in line. But Dernbach had impressed on the Lions tour, taking wickets on flat Caribbean surfaces, having learnt his trade on batsmen-friendly pitches in south London.The pitch for this Championship match had far more on offer for the bowlers, after Surrey gambled by leaving it very green, and towards the end of the third day the bounce was becoming variable. Dernbach later confirmed that it was normal swing, rather than reverse, that did the damage which started when he found Will Jefferson’s edge before trapping Josh Cobb lbw.He took a break after seven high-class overs but returned post tea with a better burst, claiming 2 for 7 in seven more overs, his wickets coming in the space of four balls as Leicestershire sank to 99 for 5. Both Jacques du Toit and Wayne White were beaten by balls which tailed in late, although White was a little unlucky as his delivery didn’t bounce much.Leicestershire provided pockets of resistance but it was tough going. Matthew Boyce, who was dropped on 7, batted two-and-a-half hours for his 41 before giving the innings away with a loose drive against Yasir Arafat. James Taylor, though, stood out and has rarely had to work so hard for his runs as he did here, taking 89 balls to register a boundary during a thorough going over. Dernbach called it “the gutsiest innings I’ve been involved with.” It was a high-quality battle between two players who could earn England honours this summer.Chris Tremlett wasn’t quite a threat as in the first innings and Taylor attacked the short balls, hooking for six and four, but Stuart Meaker took his match tally to eight wickets. Paul Dixey top-edged a pull, then Claude Henderson, Nathan Buck and Matthew Hoggard were beaten for pace by full deliveries. Rarely does county cricket witness such a sustained pace barrage.Taylor battled to his fifty from 138 balls, receiving blows to body along the way, and took a second strike on the helmet from Dernbach for his hard work. He needed attention from the physio – and new helmet – but resolutely carried on, until flicking Dernbach to deep square-leg off the first ball of the day’s final scheduled over. It was nothing less than Dernbach deserved.The victory push was set up by brisk morning batting and the biggest surprise of the day was that Mark Ramprakash didn’t register his first hundred of the season. He’d moved comfortably to 91 when he missed a drive against Nadeem Malik and lost his off stump. Surrey made swift progress as Ramprakash and Zander de Bruyn took their stand to 148 before Steve Davies chipped in with 37 to hasten a declaration.Rory Hamilton-Brown tried to end the innings with enough time to have an over at Leicestershire before lunch but didn’t quite get it right. However, it was another positive piece of captaincy during an impressive match in the field for the young leader. His team are much better than the innings thrashing against Middlesex last week and in this game they showed it.

According to The Telegraph’s ‘sources’, a big transfer update has now come out of Southampton involving Fiorentina goalkeeper and target Bartlomiej Dragowski.

The Lowdown: Saints set for busy summer?

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl could be set for an interesting and busy summer as his side gear up for the 2022/2023 Premier League season and a potentially crucial one.

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Club chief Martin Semmens, tasked with backing the Austrian, has been linked with a fair few faces and perhaps most notably between the sticks.

Southampton face the prospect of losing a plethora of their goalkeepers by the end of 2021/2022 as with many out of contract past June (Transfermarkt).

Consequently, they’ve been linked with signing new shot stoppers as some promising news emerges on Dragowksi.

The Latest: Telegraph ‘sources’ share news…

According to ‘sources’, via The Telegraph, Southampton have ‘targeted’ the 6 foot 3 powerhouse keeper as a ‘summer signing’ for Hasenhuttl.

He’s apparently been ‘looked at’ in a ‘£10 million deal’ and it is believed that Fiorentina have conceded that they may have to sell Dragowski as it will be ‘difficult’ to stand in his way.

The Verdict: Get it done?

While he has struggled for game time this season with La Viola, we believe Dragowski may well be a solid goalkeeping signing for Hasenhuttl.

Last year, the Poland international was a mainstay between the sticks and was even compared to superman by sections of the Italian press for some of his performances.

If Dragowski could replicate that form at St. Mary’s, £10m for a goalkeeper who is still just 24-years-old feels like a real bargain waiting to happen.

In other news: Southampton join race to sign ‘sensational’ and ‘flawless’ player from major European club! Find out more here.

In the aftermath of England’s embarrassing 2007 World Cup campaign the first wicketkeeper selected was Matt Prior. Nearly four years on, and a month away from the next global tournament, he is again in possession but that doesn’t mean it’s been a smooth r

Andrew McGlashan in Hobart20-Jan-2011In the aftermath of England’s embarrassing 2007 World Cup campaign the first wicketkeeper selected was Matt Prior. Nearly four years on, and a month away from the next global tournament, he is again in possession but that doesn’t mean it’s been a smooth ride. Prior has been dropped three times in that period, the most recent 10 months ago in Bangladesh, as the selectors tried various options before deciding their original choice was the best.When Steve Davies was given the gloves against Pakistan last year, following a brief stint for Craig Kieswetter, and retained for the one-day series against Australia it appeared Prior’s World Cup chance had gone. But he’d finished the Ashes in prime form with 118 at Sydney and, wisely, took up the chance to play Twenty20 cricket for Victoria.”I wasn’t expecting it, to be honest,” Prior said. “Obviously I was hoping, you always do when the team is getting selected, and I’ve always said that whenever England are playing I want to be the man with the gloves on. I’m absolutely delighted with the selection. It feels like I’ve come home again.”Prior has never hidden his drive to be England’s keeper in all three formats. He has sometimes felt harshly treated over one-day cricket and his desire for self-improvement was evident when he took up the Big Bash offer rather than return home after the Ashes.”When the option was thrown at to me either go home or stay here playing cricket it was a pretty simple decision for me,” he said. “I’ve stated for a long time that I want to play one-day international cricket again and flying home to sit in the snow in England wasn’t going to better my chances at all.”I’ve been in positions before when I’ve felt I’ve done okay and then been dropped, but that’s international sport. The one thing you do is go back to the drawing board, dust yourself down and come back harder. I’ve put a lot of hard work into my one-day game, it hasn’t just happened overnight. There are obviously reasons why I’m here and it’s now down to me to prove that by performing well.”However, the recall doesn’t mean all the tricky decisions are made. A feature of Prior’s 55-match one-day career is how many positions he has filled in the order; everywhere apart from Nos.5, 10 and 11, while his last 50-over outings were at No.6. This constant movement hasn’t helped his development and the next stage of his career will be back as an opener, where he has batted on 27 occasions.He has never been a complete failure in the one-day side, but his career to date is characterised by how many starts he has made only to then fall without dominating. He has just two half-centuries, with a top score of 87 against West Indies, but has been dismissed between 20 and 50 on 18 occasions – 13 of those as an opener. Prior, though, remains convinced that’s his best position rather than a middle-order worker.”That’s where I want to play in one-day cricket,” he said. “Andrew Strauss and I will form a pretty good partnership, we get on well and run well between the wickets. I’m a very different player to the guy who opened the batting however many years ago. Getting the starts wasn’t a problem, or getting in against the new ball, I was always seemed to get good starts but I didn’t have the experience at the time to then make the match-winning score.”If you look at Shane Watson in the last game with 161, those are the type of innings all batsmen are trying to get. Forties and fifties don’t win games and that’s certainly what I’ll be trying to do once I get in and make a start.”Another factor in Prior’s return is the part he plays in the field, not just as a much-improved and now world-class keeper but also the central focus of the fielding unit. Prior’s constant chirping and encouragement is not to everyone’s taste, but the coach Andy Flower made specific reference to the energy he brings to the side.”I’ve taken it upon myself to lead the fielding unit,” he said. “As an England team we thrive on setting very high standards in the field. I like to try and push the boys as much as possible with that. When I’m out there it’s one of my roles – I want to score runs and catch more than I drop – to make sure I’m pulling people with me and making sure our standards in the field remain very high.”The remainder of the one-day series in Australia will see Prior and Davies travelling together as part of the squad, but Prior doesn’t foresee there being any issues with the man he has just pushed out of a World Cup berth.”We are the keepers’ union and have been for the whole of this trip. We go a long way back,” he said. “I think we both know that we are pushing for the same place and all you can do is try your best to perform. Whoever gets the nod on the day fair play to them. It works that way, it is international sport and cut-throat at times but everyone has been through it.”Prior knows only too well the feeling of losing his place, and having earned it back, he wants to keep it for a long time to come.

Newly-appointed team manager and former captain, Richie Richardson, says Darren Sammy’s team can “spring a few surprises”

Sharda Ugra10-Feb-2011The weather gods have rained on the West Indies’ parade all throughout their lead-up to the 2011 World Cup. Their five match-ODI series in Sri Lanka was first postponed due to bad weather, then shrunk down to three matches, one of which was, again, rained out. Then ten days before the World Cup began, the latest ICC rankings announced that the two-time World Cup-winning West Indies now find themselves at No.9, behind Bangladesh in the ODI rankings, their lowest position so far.Yet newly-appointed team manager and former captain, Richie Richardson, says Darren Sammy’s team can “spring a few surprises” in a World Cup where, “every team has a chance.”Richardson told ESPNcricinfo from Colombo, “We are not affected or thinking about our ranking… because we have gone down one spot in the ranking won’t have a negative effect on us. We are just trying to get our minds right, get our players in as good a condition as possible. In a one-day tournament, it’s how well a team plays on the day, and how consistent you are. If we can raise our game and if we can really come together and play as a unit, I believe we can spring a few surprises.”At the World Cup, the West Indies have been clubbed with India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands in Group B, and are expected to struggle to make it to the knock-out stage. The team has had a very poor ODI record over the last two years, its last ODI victory over a Test team was in June 2009 versus India.Richardson, whose last international appearance was in the semi-final of the 1996 World Cup, said that every World Cup tournament acts as a clean slate. “At a World Cup, it doesn’t matter how you are doing, how good you are, what number in the ranking. Every team at the World Cup looks forward to go out there and win it. Sometimes you have some upsets. The little teams want to cut down the big teams…”If the West Indies are being thought of as a ‘little team’ in this World Cup, it is because they have only beaten Zimbabwe, Canada and Ireland over the last 12 months. A player-strike over the contracts issue in 2009 and the 2010 decision by Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard to turn down West Indian Board contracts have only added to the grim news around the team. Richardson said that as manager of the World Cup team, “What happened in the past in terms of the contracts is none of my business… I just want to make sure the players are in the right frame of mind and are ready to go and play World Cup.”When asked whether the World Cup would be the critical moment in which Pollard, the attacking right-hander who had made a name for himself in Twenty20, could prove his credentials in top-flight cricket, Richardson responded first with a simple emotive message about what the event means for the squad as a whole – an opportunity to win back some territory in the international game.”I say that to the players, we’ve got to go there and prove to the world that we can play cricket. Let’s surprise a lot of people, because people at the moment are not thinking very highly of us. But we have got to just focus on what we have to do, believe in what we can do and create a few upsets. That’s what we want to do – go and impress. Every single player…”He then turned his attention to Pollard, saying, “Pollard is a hard-hitting batsman in Twenty20 and at the end of the day if you are a batsman, you are a batsman and you should be able to adjust in various situations. He (Pollard) should not be thinking that he’s just a Twenty20 player. When he gets the opportunity he should be looking to go there and bat and do well.”And I’m hoping that what he’s thinking. Quite often the press has opinions; the fans have an opinion… At the end of the day you have to focus on what you have to do and work there and work hard.”Other than Pollard, the West Indies have several quality batsmen in their ranks, both experienced and upcoming, but have a fragile and understocked bowling unit. Richardson said, “Well, you know cricket is not played on paper. We don’t think that we are weak in that area, we don’t think, oh we don’t have bowlers in the top five or whatever. We know what we are capable of doing. If players bowl in the areas they have to bowl, bowl with control and the confidence and the fielders support the bowlers, anything is possible.”My approach has always been a very a positive one and this is what you have to instil it the players. You can’t listen to what people are saying, we have just got to work with what we have and back ourselves and do what we have to do to do well in this tournament.”He said the team would not be affected by the fact that the scheduled five-match ODI series versus Sri Lanka had been reduced to three, in which eventually only two full ODIs were possible. “All the players were actively playing cricket prior to arrival here in Sri Lanka. We have still being practicing every day. The rain has not affected our practice session. We have a couple more matches; we think we’re in good shape. We have a few more days to get ourselves right, so we’ll continue to work hard. We believe that at the start of our World Cup, the first match on the [February] 24 [against South Africa in Delhi], we’ll be ready.”Given that he played in a very different era for West Indian cricket, Richardson said taking over as manager at a time when the region’s cricket was at its lowest was “not easy”, but he said, “there are certain things in life you have to accept. You have good periods, you have bad periods. If you are on top, you are not going to be on top forever… I’m not one to have a go at the players, have a go at certain situations. What we need is accept that things are not as nice or as great as it once was, but it is for us to work hard to bring it back… We know the fans expect great things of us and we want them to support us because we will give our 100 percent.”For all the bad tidings around the West Indies, they do have what other teams in the competition would crave for: fifteen fit men to choose from. The worry around the sight of a limping Bravo after pulling off a stunner of a catch for Victoria in the Australian Big Bash versus Western Australia is now a thing of the past. Bravo, a team spokesman said, has recovered well.

Nathaniel Clyne is interested in signing a new deal and extending his stay at Crystal Palace this summer, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Clyne out of contract

The 31-year-old is currently in his second spell at his boyhood club, proving to be a solid squad player under Patrick Vieira this season.

Clyne has made nine Premier League starts in 2021/22 to date, acting as a solid understudy to Joel Ward and putting his experience to good use, arguably becoming first-choice in recent weeks.

The defender’s current deal expires at the end of the season, though, at which point he would be able to leave on a free transfer.

The Latest: Clyne keen on new Palace deal

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Barclay claimed that Clyne wants to extend his stay at Selhurst Park. The journalist said of the Palace defender:

“He suggested he definitely would like a new contract. And there’s a bit of talk about it at the moment; we’ll see what will happen.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Palace

It makes complete sense for Palace to give Clyne a new contract, with the Englishman proving what a reliable figure he can be throughout this season.

Granted, his very best days may be behind him, but he remains a reliable defender who has averaged 1.5 tackles and 1.5 clearances per match in the current Premier League campaign.

Jurgen Klopp once hailed Clyne as ‘amazing’, which speaks volumes given the calibre of player with whom the Liverpool manager has worked, and at 31, there is no reason why the defender can’t stay at the top level for a few more years yet.

In other news, one player is reportedly considering moving to Palace. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United are reportedly looking to pip Tottenham to a move for Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries.

The Lowdown: Spurs contact

Dumfries, labelled as a ‘difference maker’ by Eurosport journalist Siavoush Fallahi, only made the move to Inter last summer. Since then, the 26-year-old has made 41 appearances for the Serie A giants, contributing to 12 goals.

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The Netherlands international is under contract until 2025, however, he is already a wanted man ahead of the summer, with Spurs making contact to discuss a deal.

It now looks as if Manchester United have joined the race, with a busy summer expected at Old Trafford.

The Latest: United links

Sports Witness relayed an update from Tuttosport on Wednesday regarding Dumfries and United.

They claimed that the full-back is high on Erik ten Hag’s wishlist, with a €35m figure (£29.5m) mooted ahead of a potential swoop.

The Verdict: Wan-Bissaka replacement?

Aaron Wan-Bissaka hasn’t been a regular since the turn of the year, with Paul Scholes labelling him as ‘useless on the ball’ back in November.

The 24-year-old will be entering the final two years of his Old Trafford deal this summer and has been linked with a return to Crystal Palace.

Therefore, Dumfries could prove to be the Englishman’s replacement under Ten Hag, providing United can pip Tottenham to a deal. It could be a move to keep a close eye on, but it won’t be the only transfer to watch closely ahead of Ten Hag’s first season in charge.

In other news: ‘In the coming weeks’ – Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd transfer news as Ten Hag gets his way. 

The South African cricket team is in a “beautiful space” ahead of next year’s World Cup in the subcontinent, Herschelle Gibbs has said

Firdose Moonda01-Nov-2010The South African cricket team is in a “beautiful space” ahead of next year’s World Cup in the subcontinent, Herschelle Gibbs has said, thanks to a change at the management and personnel levels that has translated into a change of attitude on the field. It’s a far more positive view of the team than is painted in the much-publicised extracts from his autobiography , in which he wrote of a disjointed unit, run by a clique of players and paralysed by a fear of failure.Gibbs was speaking to ESPNcricinfo in a long and wide-ranging interview on Monday, the day the book was published. He’s been part of the South Africa team for 14 years, and in his time has seen it go from a “fantastic team” that was unlucky to lose out on the 1999 World Cup final to a “team without focus” that crashed in the 2003 tournament to a unit that could not “handle the pressure” in 2007 to the men he sees them as now.The current South African squad under Corrie van Zyl doesn’t get a mention in the autobiography – though he praised the coach in his interview – but all the regimes from the Bob Woolmer era do. Gibbs feels the team never reached the heights it did in the Hansie Cronje era and is particularly harsh on Mickey Arthur’s tenure. He wrote that Arthur was “not the most forceful personality” and that “without Graeme (Smith’s) backing Mickey didn’t have influence over guys.”Gibbs wrote that during that time the team was run by a clique consisting of Smith, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and later AB de Villiers. It’s a charge he repeated on Monday. “That particular clique was an issue I was asked about a lot, even by ordinary people,” he said. “They’d always see those guys together because they are good mates and they (Boucher, Kallis and de Villiers) were senior players and they were outspoken so they assisted Smith.”The book reveals how Arthur was often held hostage to this clique and “bowed to senior players’ opinions.” Gibbs also described Smith as being “too powerful.” Arthur reacted in an article published by the South African paper , saying that Gibbs “didn’t know what was going on” when it came to player and management relationships. Gibbs had not had word of Arthur’s reaction but said he expected his former coach to react in that way and stood by what he published in the book.Smith reacted in a more personal manner. “He actually sent me a BBM (Blackberry message) this morning. I know he’s just going on what he’s seen in the papers but he didn’t even say ‘Good morning Hersch’ or anything. He just wrote ‘Too powerful? Is that what you really thought?’ And I said it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.” Gibbs said he was never in Smith’s “inner circle” of friends but that he hopes the two will not have a strained relationship going forward.”I can’t ever feel resentment or hatred for him because he was my opening partner and partners go through a lot together. We might have not spoken for a bit of time, but when I saw him the other day at the Cobras I SMSed him and said ‘I can’t be upset with you. It’s just not possible.’ He just replied saying he respects my opinion,” said Gibbs.One of the other members of the alleged clique also communicated his unhappiness. “Kallis has voiced his opinion and I believe is not entirely happy and he will support any move by Cricket South Africa (CSA) if they decide to take any action against me,” Gibbs said. However, he hasn’t only incurred wrath. Long-time friend Mark Boucher, he said, hasn’t taken the revelations too badly. “Bouchie is a hardcore sort of boy and he went through the book and he said it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.”Gibbs said the clique does not hold the same sway anymore, because van Zyl is now in charge, and, though he didn’t write about it in his book, admits that the team are gelling. “Maybe they (the clique) are still close but they don’t have as much influence on the coach.” Van Zyl’s induction has played out on the field, he said. “We had a workshop a couple of days before the Zimbabwe series started and for the first time in a long time, I felt the team was a unit. There was a sense of togetherness and they are in a much better space.”He also thinks that the likes of David Miller, Colin Ingram and Rusty Theron have added to the new sense of hunger in the side. “There are a couple of youngsters now, who have brought in a lot of self-confidence. Those guys haven’t struggled to make the adjustment to international cricket and it bodes well for the World Cup.”The 2011 tournament is one Gibbs would dearly love to be a part of. “All I’ve ever wanted to do”, he said, was win the World Cup, and didn’t even hang on to his man-of-the-match trophies because he only aimed to keep a winner’s medal. Gibbs signed a new contract with CSA this year and van Zyl has assured him that he is in their plans for the tournament, but Gibbs has resigned himself to not taking part. “I can’t see the current squad changing too much. They’ve got such depth, both with batters and bowlers.”Although it was a lifelong ambition of his, Gibbs said he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t get to participate in the tournament. “Maybe when they’ll play without me, they’ll win,” he said in jest.He has two pieces of advice for the team that will travel to the subcontinent in February. The first is to lose the “fear of failure” that he says has crippled South Africa since the 1999 tournament. The second is more of a warning. “Until we win a World Cup, the chokers tag will stay.”