Story ICC 2006- Lancashire 2009: Journey To The Top- (FC Match) Lancs- 36/3

[Bigglesworth]

That Indian tail looks a bit long for me, with Harbhajan at 7. I think they'll struggle to pose a major threat.

I'm predicitng a South Africa victory.

 

[The Blazer]

ANDERSON AND MAHMOOD UNHAPPY AT BEING OMITTED FROM WC SQUAD​

Lancashire stars James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood have put forth their concern about being left out of England's World Cup squad and have questioned the ECB's selection policy. With just a day to go until England's first WC match against Canada, the two spoke out during a Lancashire press conference.

"Me and Sajid have been quite disappointed to have been overlooked by the ECB for the England squad that went off to the West Indies to play in the World Cup. We both feel that we deserved a place amongst our England team-mates; both Sajid and I performed well for Lancashire last season and I for one was their leading wicket-taker. To be left out is quite sad, especially seeing some of the names that made the squad in our place. It's a real shame that the ECB didn't show any sense in the matter and instead gambled on younger, inexperienced players. But what is done is done; we're now both looking forward to performing for our county and wish the England team all the best in the World Cup."

James Anderson: Left out of England's World Cup squad. ​

 

[The Blazer]

12th April 2007

ENGLAND VS CANADA England were looking forward to a successful World Cup and what better way to ease your way into the competition than to face Canada in their first match. Michael Vaughen won the toss and put Canada in to bat first.

Andrew Flintoff got the early breakthrough as D. Chumney edged one back to the keeper. Z. Surkari (51) and H. Dhillon (38) then put together a useful partnership that took Canada close to the 100 mark without the loss of another wicket. After this point they lost wickets at regular intervals as Ashley Giles and A. Mascarenhas took five wickets between them. The Canadians still managed to get to a rather good total of 231-9 from their 50 overs, and as seeing as they were one of the weaker sides in the WC this was an amazing performance from them.

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss came out to bat with some work to do. But a mammoth opening partnership of 227 runs ensured that there would be no upset. Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell both fell to Dhillon in the same over but then Strauss finished up the work with an unbeaten century. Trescothick was awarded Man of the Match for his brilliant 129.

Lancashire's Andrew Flintoff made a definate impact in the game as he finished with bowling figures of 2-42. He will play a big part in England's success.

Andrew Flintoff: Will gain valuable experience at the World Cup.​

 

[GrayNicolls]

Great world cup presentation mate. Like the Cricket 2005 parts of the story. Who'd include James Anderson in the England squad anyway? Dimi Mascarenhas is way better!

 

[kookaburra69]

good win for england in their first match,they look to be a strong side
keep up the good work mate.

 

[The Blazer]

good win for england in their first match,they look to be a strong side
keep up the good work mate.

Thanks for the praise, man. And yeah, England do look quite strong, don't they? But then again so do Pakistan and South Africa!

Bare with me; just a few more WC matches to go before I dive into Lancashire's season. I'm not boring anyone with these WC reports, am I? I can of course not include them at all if people think they're a waste of time and space.

 

[kookaburra69]

nah they are great mate,i think you should continue with these world cup updates,its a good build-up to the county season.

500 posts

 

[Left_Hander]

Nice idea to use World Cup updates Blaze . Are you playing these games or are you just getting pictures from other peoples threads?

 

[The Blazer]

And now for the second time, I plan on restarting this story...

Fast forward to 2009. Lancs are looking forward to a good season after winning the Natwest Trophy last year and have made a superb signing...

Stay tuned for more.

 

[The Blazer]

LANCASHIRE GEAR UP FOR 2009 SEASON​

The clouds have given way to sunshine and the bitter winds have slowly died away as the heat has started to rise. The birds have started to chirp merrily in the trees and folk are getting ready for the upcoming summer. Away in the distance you can hear the familiar sound of ball against willow. It could only mean one thing- The start of a new English domestic cricket season!

Up at Old Trafford Lancashire are preparing for another intense season of blood, sweat and tears; and after last year's roller-coaster of ups and downs, anything is possible for this mighty English club. They are of course gearing up for the title defence of the C&G Trophy, which they won last year in a thrilling final thanks to the devastating bowling of a certain someone who goes by the name of Shahid Afridi. They are certainly capable of snatching the Trophy again this year due to a formidable One Day line-up that includes the likes of Marshall, North, Afridi, Flintoff, Mahmood and Anderson. They'll also be eyeing up the Twenty-20 Cup, where they narrowly lost in the final last year. And with two of the world's most destructive batsmen at their disposal, who can hold it against them?

Shahid Afridi: A freak of nature and world-class all rounder. Coming back to play for Lancs for the third year running. ​

Lancashire also have the Liverpool Victoria Championship and Natwest Pro40 tournaments to look forward. After finishing third and second respectively in these competitions last year, they'll definitely be looking to go one step further this season and win the trophies. Lancashire do boast a very solid FC squad, and with players such as Sutcliffe, North, Loye and Joyce providing valuable experience in the team, Lancashire should be in with a chance of topping the Championship this year, providing they take care of some of the foreboding opposition!

Marcus North: Will the burden of captaincy weigh him down?​

 

[The Blazer]

HODGE OUT, GIBBS IN​

After four years of faithful service, Brad Hodge has decided to part ways with Lancashire. The news became apparent when earlier in March Lancashire offered Hodge a revised contract for the 2009 season, but the Australian politely declined. He stated that his departure was a neutral decision as both him and the club came to the agreement that Hodge had served his time well at Lancashire and now looked towards pastures anew.

Obaid Bin Nasir, the Lancashire Chairman stated that he wished Hodge all the best and thanked him for his years at the club: "Brad Hodge has been an inspiration to the whole team. He has captained them well and led them to considerable success over the last few years- He finished last year with the highest individual score of the season [225] and racked up more then 1,200 runs for the club. He is now looking to take his career forward and I wish him all the best. His departure saddens us all, but Hodge did the right thing by talking it over and explaining that his re-signing would've been futile in the first place as he has a packed international year with Australia and would thus have been unable to play any games for us anyway."

Brad Hodge will return to England this summer, albeit with his national team, to take part in the high anticipated Ashes tour, where the former Lancashire captain hopes to make it in the final XI.

Brad Hodge: Leaves after four years of leading Lanc's batting attack. ​

The departure of the captain meant that Lancashire had a free slot for an overseas player and bagged a real gem in the transfer market. However, deciding who to bring it was a difficult decision because the overseas transfer market was packed full of international superstars such as Graeme Smith, Salman Butt, Anil Kumble, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Asif. Selection was made easier when the Board stated that they were searching for a high-profile wicket keeper who had exceptional ability with the bat. The first name to spring to mind was Adam Gilchrist, who showed his interest for signing for Lancashire, but at 37 the Aussie was rapidly in his decline and was therefore unsuited to play for the club. Pakistani youngster Hasan Raza was also considered, but his lack of international experience ruled him out as a potential signing. In the end it was none other than South African superstar Herschelle Gibbs who signed for Lancashire.

Played as a back-up wicket keeper for his national team, it was decided that Gibbs had enough talent to replace the struggling youngster Cross, and as an opener he would be ideal to take up Hodge's place. The South African flew out to Old Trafford this week to sign his one year contract with Lancashire, which was rumoured to be at ?50,000.

Herschelle Gibbs: Ready to provide some firepower for Lancashire at the top of the order.​

 

[The Blazer]

Anyone going to follow the story? :

 

[plympilgrim]

wow good work mate keep it up

 

[The Blazer]

AFRIDI EAGER TO GET BACK INTO CRICKETING ACTION​

29 year old flamboyant Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi is eager to get back into cricketing action after missing out the ODI Series against India due to a fractured leg. He is now back in England, and having regained his fitness, is training hard with the rest of the squad.

Afridi continued on his good form from last season into the winter when the Kiwis toured Pakistan- He not only contributed with the bat in both the Test and ODI Series, but made crucial breakthroughs with the ball that saw him, along with fellow spinner Danish Kaneria, dismantle the New Zealand batting line-up.
However, Afridi really shown in the following Test Series against Australia where he took on the might of Brett Lee and co. and registered three solid 50s during the course of the series. What was significant about these half-centuries was that Afridi, being the player that he is, was not afraid to take the attack to the bowlers and was a important cog in the Pakistani line-up, as he came in and played a quickfire innings that took some of the pressure off the team.
In the Triangular Series against Australia and the West Indies, Afridi once again showed that he was a might to be reckoned with as he picked up two 5-fers during the course of the tournament and troubled all the batsmen with his attacking legspin.
The much-awaited Test Series against India saw Afridi perform with the ball, as he picked up important wickets in the Indian top order that saw his team overcome their rivals in the first Test. However, his bowling wasn't enough for Pakistan win the second Test, where Afridi fell for the third consecutive time to Harbhajan Singh's spin. In Pakistan's second innings, Afridi was involved in a collision with Sehwag in which he ended up being taken to hospital, where it was discovered that he had a hairline fracture in his right leg. This injury made Afridi forfeit the third Test and the ODI Series.

Having worked hard on his fitness, Afridi was back in training last week and will be available for Lancashire's upcoming fixtures. The Pakistani all-rounder is a crucial member of the Lancashire XI and his batting and bowling prowess will be relied upon if his club are to succeed.

Shahid Afridi: Fired up and ready to get back on the cricketing scene.​

 

[The Blazer]

GIBBS SUSTAINS INJURY IN TRAINING ​

Lancashire have been struck with an injury crisis just days before the start of the English domestic season. Their new overseas player Herschelle Gibbs sustained an arm injury in the nets today that will keep him out for two weeks. Gibbs is obviously displeased as he was looking forward to playing for Lancashire next week in their opening fixture in the Liverpool Victoria Championship. With Gibbs out for at least two games, it seems apparent that OD-specialist Simon Marshall will be called up to make his FC debut. Marshall has been devastating for the club at the top of the order in One Dayers, but whether he can perform at FC level remains to be seen.

Herschelle Gibbs: Struck down by injury days before the start of the new domestic season.​