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Chetram Singh, president of the Guyana Cricket Board and the forerunner for the post of president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), withdrew from the elections amidst controversy about his bookmaking business.Singh, in a media release, said that he had “accepted the nomination for the post out of my love for West Indies cricket and my desire to continue to serve wherever I am most needed. It is that same love of this game and our region that has prompted me to withdraw from this election.””I believe that West Indies cricket needs continued unity at this time and I would not wish to accept the post of President without the broad-based support of the Board and the cricket-loving people of the Caribbean,” he said.Singh added that he was aware of the concern his ownership of the Goodwood Racing Service had generated, and that he made no apologies for a business he had run “legally and with integrity for over 20 years. During my 35 years in a variety of businesses and over two decades in cricket administration, I have earned the respect of corporate Guyana and the cricketing fraternity.”The release also assured his “fellow directors … that this turn of events has not in any way diminished my commitment to the work of the WICB and I look forward to continuing my service to West Indies cricket.”

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association on Friday named their squad forthis year’s MJ Gopalan Trophy. India-discard Robin Singh leads a 16-member squad that includes Ashish Kapoor, S Sriram, JR Madanagopal andT Kumaran, among others.Robin Singh will also captain the side for the one-dayers. Fourteen ofthe members playing in the Gopalan Trophy have been retained. VikramKumar and G Vignesh are the only two changes.The winners of the one-day tournament, which will see the sides clashagainst each other thrice, will receive the FC De Saram trophy. Thetrophy had earlier been named the Vernon G Prins trophy after thecaptain of first Sri Lankan side that contested for the GopalanTrophy.The one-day matches will be held at CPT-IP Ground, ICL-Guru NanakCollege Ground, and the IIT-Chemplast Ground. The four-day match forthe MJ Gopalan trophy will meanwhile be played at the MA ChidambaramStadium.Squad for MJ Gopalan trophy:Robin Singh (Captain), Aashish Kapoor, S Sriram, S Suresh, S Sharath,Rajat Bhatia, JR Madanagopal, TR Arasu, S Badrinath, MR Shrinivas, TKumaran, S Mahesh, L Balaji, R Ramkumar, S Vasanth Saravanan, C HemantKumar.Squad for FC De Saram Trophy:Robin Singh (Captain), Aashish Kapoor, S Sriram, S Suresh, S Sharath,Rajat Bhatia, JR Madanagopal, Vikram Kumar, G Vignesh, MR Shrinivas, TKumaran, S Mahesh, L Balaji, R Ramkumar, S Vasanth Saravanan, C HemantKumar.Colombo District Cricket Association squad:Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Chandana, Avishka Gunawardene, MichaelVandort, Ian Daniel, Upeka Fernando, Akalanka Ganegama, T.M Dilshan,Gayan Wijekoon, Rangana Herath, Prasanna Jayawardene, KaushalyaWeeraratne and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara. Coach: Roshan Mahanama.Manager: Bandula Disannayake Asst. Manager: ARM Aroos

Journalist Dean Jones has made a claim regarding Crystal Palace forward Odsonne Edouard ahead of the clash with Manchester City on Monday, as per GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: Edouard’s first season at Palace

The 24-year-old, who joined from Celtic last summer, made a huge impression on his Premier League debut, scoring twice in eight minutes against Tottenham back in September.

Since then, the Frenchman has scored four more times and registered three assists in 23 appearances, becoming a regular under Patrick Vieira. [Transfermarkt]

However, Edouard has played just one minute in the club’s last four Premier League fixtures, dropping out of first team contention.

The Latest: Jones’ comments on Edouard

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jones had his say on the 24-year-old’s recent shunt to the Palace periphery, saying:

“Edouard, who we were all expecting, especially after the impact he made at first, to make a real splash in the Premier League, but he just isn’t getting those opportunities.”

The Verdict: A worry?

Jones believes that there isn’t an ongoing issue between Vieira and Edouard, but the striker’s lack of game-time in recent weeks has been a concern.

Palace haven’t exactly performed badly without the 24-year-old, though, putting in a solid display in a defeat to Chelsea and picking up seven points from nine against Watford, Burnley and Wolves.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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It could well be a worry on a personal note for the forward, who was labelled ‘special’ by his former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, but hopefully he will get a reasonable amount of game-time to catch Vieira’s eye between now and May.

In other news: Palace handed another injury blow before Man City clash as journalist shares news on ‘undroppable’ ace

	Nathan Adcock retained his one-day place last summer after being dropped from the Pura Cup side, but his prospects for 2008-09 look bleak © Getty Images

Nathan Adcock’s South Australia career is hanging in the balance after the Redbacks did not give him a contract in their first round of offers. Shane Deitz, the wicketkeeper-batsman, also missed out, while the New South Wales players Greg Mail and Grant Lambert have declined a move to Adelaide.It is a remarkable fall for Adcock who started the 2007-08 season as captain. However his poor batting form – his first-class average for the campaign was 13.83 – first cost him the leadership and now a contract.”Obviously Nathan’s disappointed but he understands where we’re going,” the South Australia coach Mark Sorell said. “He’s taken it really well. His batting performance overall was down on what we expected. That doesn’t rule him out in the next round of negotiation and also even in performance down the track in club cricket.”Sorell will not rush to appoint next season’s captain, although he admitted he was keen on cementing Adcock’s replacement. “We need to get our squad sorted,” he said, “but come May 15 we will have our final list of offers and we will know where our squad is at.”The management has drawn on last year’s lessons when an 11th-hour appointment meant Adcock barely had time to settle after replacing Darren Lehmann. “I’d be quite keen to establish our leadership early,” Sorell said, “so everyone knows what we’re doing.”Graham Manou, who took over the Pura Cup leadership in February, is a strong contender but Sorell was offering no promises. “We’ve got some candidates for that position,” he said, while acknowledging that Manou was the stand-out contender from the current group.Adcock and Deitz could yet receive lifelines if they are handed second-round deals on May 15, and until then they also have the option of being picked up from the transfer pool by other states. Deitz made two fifties in 16 Pura Cup innings, with an average of 20.25, and appeared only once in the one-day competition.Instead of looking at local talent, the Redbacks picked four targets at New South Wales and were successful in picking up Aaron O’Brien and Tom Cooper as they attempt to bolster the state’s inconsistent batting. Sorell said O’Brien, who also offers left-arm orthodox bowling, was “an exciting player, a good all-round cricketer” and the 21-year-old Cooper was “a guy for the future”.Sorell plans to analyse the state’s recruitment and retention system after finding it “really disappointing” to miss out on some key batsmen in Mail and Lambert. Mail is studying to be an investment banker while Lambert’s decision was based on family reasons. “The downside of attacking those sorts of players is that they are more entrenched where they are,” Sorell said. “We had some hurdles there.”South Australia had previously made an unsuccessful bid for the opener Chris Rogers and were unable to secure their own No. 1 player Ryan Harris. Rogers ended up at Victoria while Harris will move to Queensland. The state will continue to look for new signings in the next few weeks.South Australia’s local contract holders Graham Manou, Mark Cosgrove, Daniel Cullen, Daniel Harris, Paul Rofe, Mark Cleary, Cullen Bailey, Callum Ferguson, Daniel Christian, Cameron Borgas, Peter George, Gary Putland.The imports Michael Klinger, Aaron O’Brien, Tom Cooper.The rookies Jake Brown, James Smith, Jason Donnelly, Jake Haberfield, Chadd Sayers, Andy Delmont.Players on the transfer list Nathan Adcock, Simon Roberts, Ken Skewes, Shane Deitz, Ben Cameron, Jason Borgas, Tom Plant.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been the standout performer for West Indies on an otherwise difficult tour © Getty Images

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has said that Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be promoted in the line-up for the second ODI against England to strengthen the top order. Chanderpaul scored an unbeaten 53 batting at No. 5 in the first ODI as West Indies were dismissed for 146, chasing 225.”It [Chanderpaul moving up the order] is something that is definitely going to happen but we haven’t decided where [whether opening, No. 3 or No. 4] as yet, we’re still in discussions. He has been tremendous right throughout the tour and he has been our ‘in-form’ batsman and he should get more balls under his belt.””Chanderpaul can up the tempo whenever he needs to. Whenever the situation requires aggression I am sure he can take up that challenge, we know the great player he is,” Gayle said on the eve of the match.Chanderpaul has been one of the few successes on a disappointing tour for West Indies. He scored 446 runs averaging 148.66, including two centuries, as West Indies lost the four-match Test series 3-0.He also scored a crucial 41 during West Indies’ 15-run victory in the first Twenty20 match against England at The Oval on June 28 before being rested for the second Twenty20 encounter the next day, which they lost by five wickets.West Indies face England in the second ODI at Edgbaston later today.

The return of Shaun Pollock will boost South Africa as they look to bounce back after defeat in the opening Test.Pollock missed that match after deciding to remain at home for the birth of his second daughter.”We should not be thinking too much about what happened,” Pollock told reporters. “Instead we must draw a line under it and look ahead. From the reports we’ve heard, the pitch for the second Test is going to be even lower and slower than the first, but there’s no point dwelling on the negatives.”We just have to get on with it and prepare ourselves for a hard, patient fight going right down to the final session on day five.”Pollock is expected to replace Andre Nel who took 1 for 114.

Scorecard

MS Dhoni found his form with 86 from 81 balls © Getty Images

MS Dhoni struck an unbeaten 86 as the Indians warmed-up for the Indian Oil Cup with a comfortable 61-run win over a Sri Lanka Cricket XI. Dhoni and Mohammed Kaif (52) steadied the Indian innings after they were struggling on 104 for 4.Rahul Dravid was dismissed for 5 but Kaif and Dhoni added 56 before Kaif fell to Pradeep Jayaprakashdaran, who was the pick of the Sri Lanka XI attack with 3 for 35. Once Kaif fell Dhoni cut loose and in total hit five fours and three sixes.The Indian seamers – led by Irfan Pathan – then demolished the Sri Lanka XI top order, reducing them to 70 for 6. Jai P Yadav claimed two wickets and conceded just 11 runs from his six overs. Prasanna Jayawardene offered the only real resistance but his 66 only narrowed the margin of defeat. Pathan wrapped up the tail and his figures of 4 for 42 will send him into the triangular tournament in high spirits.

Ozais Bvute, the Zimbabwe Cricket Union board member who is no stranger to controversy, is again at the centre of a row after it was alleged that he offered Vumindaba Moyo a job within the ZCU so that Moyo would campaign for him in Matabeleland, where Bvute wanted to become chairman.Bvute’s sudden interest in provincial cricket politics is thought to have come about after it became clear that local associations had the power to dismiss the ZCU board. Another controversial member of the board – Max Ebrahim, who was previously chairman of the Mashonaland Cricket Association – went out of his way to became chairman of a little-known province called Masvingo, in what was seen by many as a bid to prevent him being usurped by those opposing the ZCU.Bvute’s aspirations in Matabeleland were not helped by the fact that he has almost no support there, hence the approach to the influential Moyo, a leading candidate to become chairman and an opponent of much the ZCU has done of late. In return for the job, the intention was that Moyo would influence the clubs to back Bvute. But a local source said that Moyo dismissed the approach, going so far as to tell the middle man to “go to hell”.This helps to explain the background to the chaos which surrounded the Matabeleland Cricket Association AGM held at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on June 26 when Bvute, accompanied by the Mashonaland Cricket Association chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani and general manager Givemore Makoni, effectively hijacked the meeting. Moyo and his supporters walked out, and even when they came back they refused to stand for any post on the board.Sources claim that Bvute telephoned Moyo after the meeting and tried to distance himself from the job offer, but Moyo was left deeply unimpressed. Several administrators in Matabeleland have confirmed that Bvute did make a specific approach to try to influence Moyo. Attempts to contact Bvute for a comment were unsuccessful.Recently, the ZCU constitution was amended to give provinces four slots on the board. The provincial chairmen of Matabeleland and Mashonaland automatically become ZCU board members, while the provinces also nominate two individuals to be on the board.The ZCU holds a crucial AGM in Harare on Friday, August 6, and it is yet to be seen whether Bvute and Ebrahim, who are thought by many to be the key figures in instigating and fuelling the current crisis in which 15 rebel players refused to play for Zimbabwe, will still be on the board after the meeting.

Sri Lanka’s team management is mulling over the final makeup of their Test team, weighing up whether to play a seventh batsman or a third fast bowler, according to Duleep Mendis, the team’s interim coach.Mendis, speaking after Sri Lanka’s drawn three-day warm up match against a West Indies Cricket Board Presidents XI, expects the pitch for the opening Test at St Lucia on Friday to suit West Indies’ pace bowlers.”We have kept our options open till we see the pitch,” said Mendis. “We have to decide between playing an additional batsman or a fast bowler. Looking at the team that West Indies have picked for the first Test we’ll probably get a wicket which will seam about a bit.”Sri Lanka used the practice match to assess their bowling options, resting Chaminda Vaas and Prabath Nissanka, who will share the new ball, and Muttiah Muralitharan, who will lead the spin attack. Dharshana Gamage, Thilan Thushara and Dinusha Fernando – all young uncapped fast bowlers – are competing for the third fast bowler’s slot.Thushara, a left-armer, is the frontrunner with his extra pace and nip, but Dinusha Fernando’s ability to swing the ball means that he too is a serious contender.But Mendis was not overly impressed by their performance as the WICB XIscored 296. ” I expected us to get them out for a much smaller score,” he said. “At one stage we were doing ok but they got too close to our total. I am not satisfied because they shouldn’t have got anything more than 250.”Regardless of the conditions – unless, that is, the St Lucia pitchresembles a paddy field – Sri Lanka will play two spinners: Muralitharan and either Kaushal Lokuarachchi or Kumar Dharmasena.Should they decide against playing a third fast bowler, they would then have the chance to bolster their batting. Considering that this has been the weakest department of their game in recent months, this is a likely strategy.Romesh Kaluwitharana could then slip down to number seven to make way for Tillakaratne Dilshan or Thilan Samaraweera. Dilshan’s case for inclusion is excellent after a gritty return to the one-day side that has eased doubts over his temperament.But Samaraweera, an offspinning allrounder, has a fabulous Test record.Currently averaging 83 after 10 matches, having already scored twocenturies, he has just recovered from a hand injury that kept him out of the last series against New Zealand.Mendis, although pleased that Kumar Sangakkara (41), Marvan Atapattu (59) and Hashan Tillakaratne (40) all got useful practice in the first innings, would have preferred to have seen more of both Dilshan and Samaraweera.”I would have been much happier if the others had also got some runs before the first Test,” said Mendis. “But it was good that Sanath [Jayasuriya] got a good knock in the second innings.”

India’s veteran new-ball bowlers Javagal Srinath and VenkateshPrasad returned to what could be called their finishing schoolon Friday.It was at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai that Australianpace bowling legend Dennis Lillee fine-tuned the bowling ofthe Karnataka duo who have rendered yeoman service to Indiancricket. Indian coach John Wright’s suggestion at theselection committee meeting meant that the twosome, alongwithnew boys Reetinder Singh Sodhi and Harvinder Singh, were againlearning at the feet of their old master.Lillee watched Srinath and Prasad in action before dispensinghis tips. “Sometimes when you play international cricketwithout a break, you can develop the odd bad habit. It couldbe due to the different types of wickets, different kind ofballs, or even loss of form. Often small things that can beset right,” he told .The Australian pace legend, who at one time held the worldrecord for most number of Test wickets, was reported to be”very impressed” with Harvinder’s progress. The Punjabipaceman is rumoured to be among the five stand-bys for theSouth Africa tour.”He looks compact. Technically he is better now than what I’veseen of him before. Good action, sharp pace. He was knockingthe batsmen over with good outswingers. But you got totranslate your bowling at the nets into a match situation,”Lillee told the paper.The ‘Pace Guru’ felt that Sodhi though needed to “work hard”.Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra were both expected toland in Chennai on Saturday. It will then be the first timethat India’s whole pace battery will be in action right underLillee’s eyes. As Cricinfo originally argued, Indiancricket can only be richer from the experience.