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As if Luis Suarez hadn’t already made himself an easy target for the British media, the Liverpool forward has now made matters worse for himself, at least in the short-term, by declaring he wants to leave the Premier League due to the intense criticism he receives on the part of the press.

Of course, it is certainly a case of ‘no smoke without fire’ with a string of incidents and constant controversy triggering such a widespread adverse reaction to the Uraguayan’s behaviour, but regardless, Suarez has now become one of the summer’s most hotly desired purchases in Europe, along with Robert Lewandowski and Edinson Cavani.

[cat_link cat=”liverpool” type=”tower”]

In addition to the tabloids making Suarez’s life more difficult, the Reds talisman also feels that his club have let him down in showing a lack of support following his eight match suspension for biting Branislav Ivanovic during an Anfield clash in April. The striker has openly admitted his preferred move would be to Real Madrid, who have reportedly been interested in his services for some time, however, if it is simply a new home that will show him more affection that Suarez is looking for, should some of the Premier League’s elite clubs consider making a bid for the want-away forward?

There is no denying Suarez’s abilities. The Liverpool forward showed talismanic powers during the first half of the season, being the Reds’ first port of call in building attacks, not to mention being the only player on the roster at Anfield who could provide a steady supply of goals. The Uruguayan international finished the season, all be it a few games short due to his ban, with 23 goals and 5 assists in 33 appearances, yet his rate of providing goals would have undoubtedly been much higher had he the benefit of Daniel Sturrridge as a strike partner for more than a handful of games.

There’s also some truth behind the claim that Suarez would have picked up the PFA Player of the Year award had he not such a negative stigmatism in the eyes of the footballing public. Whilst Bale’s come of age year has been truly incredible to witness at times, and Robin Van Persie has maintained his ruthless efficiency following his £20million transfer to Manchester United, Suarez has been on par in terms of performances and end product with both this season, but arguably deserves further praise for doing it at a club that struggled to get out of the bottom half of the Premier League table before the end of the year. Brendan Rodgers’ inaugural season at Anfield would have been much tougher had his only world-class talent not been firing on all cylinders, and it’s obvious why Suarez’ transfer situation has brought interest from the Bernabeu.

Yet, just as his capabilities as a football are well known, so are his shortcomings as a professional. Although time and the reasoning of cultural ignorance has allowed us to put Suarez’ racial slur at Patrice Evra behind us, it is hardly the first or last showing where the striker’s desperate competitiveness has pushed him towards erratic behaviour. The bite on Ivanovic was the second incident of that kind during his career, the first coming in the Eredivisie and earning him the nickname ‘the cannibal’ in Holland, whilst over the course of the current season, television coverage has caught Suarez partaking in x-rated shin rakes and dirty tackles on more than one occasion – his ten yellow cards tell its own story, yet the tally could easily have been higher and included red cards.

But as previously stated, Suarez’s quality is simply undeniable. At his best he is unplayable, and when the balance between competitive aggression and composure is reached, there are arguably none better at fulfilling the Reds man’s role as a hard-working front man that encompasses the passing and dribbling ability of an attacking midfielder, in addition to the poacher’s instinct of a natural striker.

If a Premier League club is to convince Suarez to stay on English shores however, they will have to waggle an incredibly delicious carrot in front of him, whilst also being incredibly refrained in their use of the stick. Considering his ability, it seems that he would only be available to the Premiership’s top three, all of whom have an assured future in Europe barring a few hiccups and also have relatively equal standing in the title race next season. The promise of accolades and trophies could be enough for Suarez to reconsider a move to La Liga, yet, as ever in the modern age of football, it will also take a rather sizable pay-cheque to convince him to put up with the constant heckling of the British media for the foreseeable future.

That being said, would Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea be willing to actually pursue the intensely disliked Suarez? All three have the financial power at their disposal to do so, and all three need bolstering up front this summer, however it still seems an unrealistic possibility.

It’s unlikely he’d receive a warm welcome at Old Trafford, especially whilst Patrice Evra is still there, but even if the Frenchman took a widely rumoured pay-out and moved to Monaco over the summer, his history with Liverpool will undoubtedly make him a boo-boy amongst the fans. Similarly, although Jose Mourinho enjoys the limelight of his own controversy, only a matter of months has passed since Suarez tried to take a chunk out of the arm of a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge.

It leaves the only viable option as Manchester City, yet I’m sure the SkyBlues would much rather put an era of babysitting their stars in case of temper tantrums behind them with the appointment of Manuel Pellegrini, after his predecessor Roberto Mancini had to put up with the egotistical, childish antics of Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez behind them.

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That being said, Suarez and the Premier League is a combination that clearly works. Whereas Edinson Cavani and Robert Lewandowski are untested in the English top flight, the Liverpool forward has a record of 38 goals in 77 domestic appearances. Similarly, his price tag, set at £40million due to his release clause, is relatively cheap considering the star quality that Suarez provides, in comparison to Bale, with estimates ranging from £50million to £80million, and Cavani, who would also cost somewhere in the region of £50million. It’s the kind of transfer that may not go down well with the supporters at first, but could lead to silverware and titles should Suarez’s antics be kept to a minimum.

My humble opinion is however that the Premier League’s love-hate relationship with Suarez has come to an end. It’s quite clear that he would much rather ply his trade abroad, citing how the  pressure from the media is venturing into his personal life, and I cannot foresee either David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini or Jose Mourinho desperate to convince him otherwise. In some ways, the Liverpool striker has brought it upon himself, as his incidents have often verged upon being unforgivable, but it is a shame that the media have ostracised and pushed away one of the English top flight’s biggest talents, who will now undoubtedly move on to a higher calling.

Regarding the proposed move to Real Madrid however – has his agent actually informed him of the intensity in terms of volume and criticism of the Spanish media? Compared to their La Liga counter-parts, the British press is an ignorant, loudmouthed lout, rather than an intrusive and overwhelming monster.

	Bangladesh players inspect the pitch. A recent first-class match ended within two days after fast bowlers exploited an unusually damp and green surface. © TigerCricket.com

New Zealand have the perfect chance to lift their sagging Test cricket fortunes when they face Bangladesh at the start of a two-Test series in Dunedin on Friday. Fresh from a 3-0 walloping of the visitors in the one-day series, the home side are looking to find their touch in the longer version of the game.While ranked number three in the world in one-day internationals, New Zealand languish at number seven in the Test rankings. “Two wins against Bangladesh are pretty precious to us,” Daniel Vettori said. “We haven’t played a lot of test cricket and when we have we haven’t been going too well.”In the last year, their only Test opponents have been South Africa, who cantered to two massive victories in a short series in November. New Zealand need to regain some confidence before England arrive next month for a tour which includes three Tests.New Zealand and Bangladesh have played four Tests and New Zealand have won all of them by more than an innings. Bangladesh have played a total of 49 Tests, winning once against Zimbabwe and racking up 43 losses and five draws.Bangladesh’s coach Jamie Siddons, was not making any outlandish claims for his team ahead of the Test. “We’ve got a lot of young boys that are going to have a lot of bad days before they have some good ones,” he said. “How will we react? We’re capable of anything. We could respond really well, or we could capitulate — that’s how good we are.”Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh’s captain, was looking ahead to bettering the country’s Test record. “”My New Year’s resolution revolves around seeing the team better its Test record and become more competitive in this form of the game,” Ashraful was quoted as saying in the Tigercricket.com. “It’s fair to admit that we haven’t improved as expected in Tests in the last eight years.”For New Zealand, batsmen Scott Styris, Jamie How, and Ross Taylor and spinner Jeetan Patel have all been left out after playing in the one-day series. Matthew Bell, who has scored heavily in domestic first class cricket, has been recalled after a six-year absence and will open the batting with Craig Cumming.Matthew Sinclair, called in as cover during the South Africa tour, has been retained for the Bangladesh series. Experienced campaigner Styris paid the price for scoring a total of 59 runs in four innings against South Africa. Dunedin’s University Oval will be hosting its first ever Test and the quality of the pitch could become a focus of controversy.A recent first class match ended within two days after seamers exploited an unusually damp and green surface, although authorities have been working hard to bring it up to Test standard. New Zealand will take a four prong pace attack into the match, with a decision between Michael Mason and Iain O’Brien still to be made.”Today [in the practice session] it was more a case of getting used to the wicket and playing out the deliveries,” Shahriar Nafees, Bangladesh’s opening batsman, said. “The ball tends to stop a little and doesn’t come on to the bat at pace. Playing in the V is probably a better option on this wicket.”Otago Cricket chief executive Ross Dykes expressed confidence that the pitch would hold up for some good cricket. “It’s looking good,” he told Stuff.co.nz. “Apart from a bit of rain today which is a bit of a nuisance, everything seems to be on target. A lot of focus went on it, a lot of it was slightly exaggerated, but there certainly has been significant effort put into making sure all that can be done has been done. We are confident we have a satisfactory pitch. [We have been] ensuring the moisture content is maintained at the right level and the density of the grass is as it should be, but these things are governed by the weather.”Vettori said he would insert the opponents in if he won the toss. “There will probably be a little bit in it early and then it’ll flatten out. It was almost a blessing in disguise for the ground. It put so much spotlight on it they had to put a lot of effort into getting it right,” he said. The spikes go in pretty easily so that’s a good sign. There will be a little bit of moisture in it early on before it turns into a road.”Bangladesh are attempting to strengthen their lineup by flying in top order batsmen Habibul Bashar and Nafees and spinner Enamul Haque following the one-dayers. The first Test starts on January 4. Squads
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Craig Cumming, Matthew Bell, Peter Fulton, Mathew Sinclair, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum (wk), Kyle Mills, Michael Mason, Iain O’Brien, Chris Martin (12th man to be named).Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Shariah Nafees, Habibul Bashar, Aftab Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan, Rajin Saleh, Mushfiq Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza (vcapt), Abdur Razzak, Farhad Reza, Enamul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, Sajidul Islam.

Appealing: Ben Hilfenhaus picks up his first ODI wicket © Getty Images

Damien Fleming, who helped swing Australia to the 1999 trophy, believes Ben Hilfenhaus is a “natural” one-day bowler and should be considered for the World Cup in the West Indies. Hilfenhaus opened with Nathan Bracken on debut in Hobart on Sunday and impressed in his first spell before picking up 1 for 26 off seven overs.Fleming said Hilfenhaus, 23, was the “real deal” and he “ticks a lot of the selection-criteria boxes”. “Ideally, the selectors would like to have a right-arm outswing bowler in every squad,” Fleming told . “He’s a natural for one-day cricket because, firstly, he’s accurate.”Secondly, he swings the ball so he becomes a wicket-taking option. And thirdly, he bowls a quicker bouncer and yorker so there’s not too much he needs to learn.” Australia’s selectors expect to take five fast men to the World Cup and they currently have plenty of choice with Mitchell Johnson performing well alongside Nathan Bracken.Hilfenhaus discovered 90 minutes before the start of the game that he would replace Glenn McGrath, who had groin soreness. “It has definitely been a fast ride for me,” Hilfenhaus said in the Hobart Mercury. “I might wake up one day and I will be back to reality.”Starting with a maiden, Hilfenhaus grabbed his opening wicket with the final delivery of his second over when he trapped Brendon McCullum lbw with a ball that went straight instead of moving away. “I was very pleased to get the first one out of the way,” he said. “It was a good feeling when you see the finger going up.” He also finished the 105-run win by taking the final catch.Hilfenhaus, who grew up in Ulverston in northern Tasmania, worked as a bricklayer before making his state debut last season. He is only the second Tasmanian fast bowler to play for Australia after Greg Campbell, who is Ricky Ponting’s uncle, but he is unlikely to appear in Brisbane when Australia face England on Friday. McGrath’s injury is not serious and Brett Lee could return after suffering a chest infection.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Gallery of the day

Flashpoint: Inzamam-ul-Haq is controversially run out by Steve Harmison © AFP

Pakistan took a firm grip on the second Test at Faisalabad thanks to some brutal batting in the morning session and perseverance from their bowlers. England closed on 113 for 3, still 349 in arrears and with a number of batsmen struggling for form. The pitch remained nearly perfect and England will still believe they can bat their way out of trouble, but they seemed determined to make things hard for themselves.It was a day of entertainment, drama and controversy. In the morning Pakistan batted with flair and such was the ferocity of the assault that the cricket often bore more resemblance to a one-day match than a Test. That session was rather overshadowed by the unfortunate dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq soon after he had equalled Javed Miandad’s record of 23 Test hundreds for Pakistan. And when England batted, some good bowling from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was followed by a short delay caused by an exploding gas cylinder, and then Shahid Afridi clearly and deliberately appeared to scuff the pitch on a length during a drinks break. His ill-timed act was spotted by the umpires, and the referee rightly slammed him with a three-match ban at a hearing shortly after the end of the dayThat was a shame as Pakistan were doing the hard work and again had the best of the day, and it was Afridi who set them on their way with a continuation of the blistering assault he started last night. At the close yesterday he told reporters that he would take things easy against the new ball this morning. He obviously slept on it and changed his mind, and from the off looked to attack. Even Inzamam, who had played a solid anchor innings yesterday, appeared just as keen to open up.

No such doubt about Michael Vaughan’s dismissal © Getty Images

While Andrew Flintoff was treated with caution, Matthew Hoggard was not afforded the same respect. Inzamam hammered him for successive fours and then Afridi slammed him for two sixes and a four off consecutive balls as the first five-and-a-half overs yielded 46 runs and England’s fielders scattered to all parts. But on 92, Afridi felt at one from Hoggard and edged low to Marcus Trescothick at wide slip. After a delay while all and sundry thought long and hard – the ball only just carried – Afridi departed, his electrifying 86-ball innings over, and England might have expected that some semblance of normality would return to proceedings.Inzamam, after a brief attack of nerves in the nineties, reached his hundred, celebrating with a rare grin, but the smile was soon wiped off his face. He played a full toss back to Steve Harmison, and the bowler immediately threw down his stumps. The third umpire was called upon, but while the batsman was marginally out, it looked to the naked eye as if Inzamam lifted his back foot while taking evasive action, and according to laws, that is not out. It was a poor decision, and one not even given with the excuse of the officials acting in the heat of the moment. Inzamam departed with a bewildered look on his face, while outside the boundary ropes Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, was more animated. It was an unfitting end to a fine innings.Kamran Akmal, who got off the mark with a sumptuous cover drive, Naved-ul-Hasan and Mohammad Sami all chipped in with breezy cameos as England spent an increasing amount of time chasing the ball or watching it disappear into the stands. And after lunch, Shoaib deposited Harmison into the delirious crowd twice in three balls before perishing attempting it once too often.

Inzamam salutes his public © Getty Images

Flintoff and Harmison bowled well and were given a degree of respect, but Michael Vaughan’s options were limited by the ineffectiveness of his spinners. When Ashley Giles was brought into the attack he was immediately smacked for six and although he picked up two late wickets, he did not look to have the control or guile to contain, let alone threaten, and he was also clearly troubled by his hip injury. Shaun Udal wasn’t even called upon until seven minutes before the break, and his first ball was hammered to the cover boundary in an over which yielded 10 runs. Pakistan set out from the off to disrupt England’s spinners, and it was a ploy which was highly successful.Trescothick and Andrew Strauss saw off the new ball without alarm, but just as the crowd grew quieter and the fielders’ body language showed signs of frustration, the impressively accurate Naved-ul-Hasan struck twice. Firstly, Strauss, who again looked unsettled, bottom-edged an ambitious pull into his stumps, and then Vaughan was cleaned up by a fast, straight yorker and his middle stump was sent cartwheeling. In his brief stay Vaughan almost accounted for Trescothick who was forced to live full-length after a mix-up, scrambling home by inches.The in-form pair of Trescothick and Ian Bell then batted sensibly against pace and spin, but as England’s thoughts turned to the close, Trescothick tried to cut Mohammad Sami and Akmal held a good low catch. It was a vital blow given that Trescothick is England’s form batsman by a country mile, and one which will raise Pakistan hopes that even on this shirtfront, they have the firepower to wrap the series up, or at worst to ensure that England go to Lahore one down.

Shahid Afridi c Trescothick b Hoggard 92 (346 for 5)
Edged low to wide slipInzamam-ul-Haq run out (Harmison) 109 (369 for 6)
Controversial decision after bowler threw down stumps at striker’s endNaved-ul-Hasan b Harmison 25 (403 for 7)
Played lifter down and ball span back into stumps Mohammad Sami c & b Giles 18 (431 for 8)
Patted softly back to bowlerKamran Akmal c Jones b Giles 41 (446 for 9)
Bottom edge attempting to cutShoaib Akhtar c Flintoff b Harmison 12 (462)
Holed out to long on attempting third six in four balls

Andrew Strauss b Naved-ul-Hasan 12 (33 for 2)
Bottom-edged attempted pull into stumpsMichael Vaughan b Naved-ul-Hasan 2 (39 for 2)
Lost middle stump to fast yorkerMarcus Trescothick c Akmal b Sami 48 (107 for 3)
Bottom edge to attempted cut, taken low down

Sanath Jayasuirya is one of many who will be in New Zealand, but whose thoughts will be with those back home© AFP

Let us know what you thinkThe Sri Lankan board (SLC) will ask the International Cricket Council to reassess its ruling that the tour of New Zealand has to go ahead despite the recent disaster which hit Sri Lanka.”I understand that the players are not too keen on playing,” Mohan de Silva, the SLC president, told Reuters. “But the board is bound by the ICC’s Future Tours Programme so we have to negotiate with them if the tour is to be cancelled. If individual players are affected, they can take a conscious decision to fly back home but the team will have to stay back as we are trying to negotiate with the ICC to reschedule the series.”But a source close to the ICC said that it was unfair to blame it for the tour not being cancelled. The rules as they stand allow for the two relevant boards – SLC and New Zealand Cricket – to reach agreement regarding whether the tour proceeds. Earlier this year, Australia’s tour of Zimbabwe was curtailed after the two boards decided to postpone the Test series.Were SLC and NZC not to be able to agree then the Sri Lankans could still ask the ICC to review the situation. As things stand, the ICC has not yet been approached by SLC.A source close to the players told Cricinfo that there was deep unhappiness among the players regarding the tour. The players had a team meeting this morning to discuss the matter and their feelings were made quite clear.This was echoed by Muthiah Muralitharan, who was to join the touring party for the Test matches. “In my opinion, it is not the right time for cricket,” Muralitharan was quoted as saying in the . “Something like this has never happened to my country. I was seeing on the TV today some of the people who are alive in Galle, and there is a lot of organising to do, a lot of feeding people. A lot of our cricketers are from that area.”Murali, recovering from shoulder surgery, survived a narrow shave himself and missed the devastation by about 20 minutes. He spent the weekend in Galle handing out cricket bats to underprivileged children and minutes after he left the city, the tsunami struck.Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manager, was quoted by agencies from Auckland where Sri Lanka lost the first one-day international to New Zealand that his team may consider pulling out of the rest of the tour due to the catastrophe.Marvan Attapatu and Sanath Jayasuriya were the two players immediately affected by the disaster. Atapattu’s father had traveled to Kataragama when the tsunami struck and Jayasuriya’s mother, who lives in Matara had been injured. de Silva confirmed yesterday that Atapattu’s father was safe and that he had been able to get in touch with his family by cell phone and that arrangements were being made to get him out of Kataragama. According to him, Jayasuriya’s mother too was out of danger.The ICC expressed condolences to all countries affected by the tsunami. Ehsan Mani, the ICC’s president, said: “Over the coming days we will be speaking to the sporting authorities from Sri Lanka and India, two of our full member countries, to find out how we can help the relief efforts.”Let us know what you think

Ian Thomas created a new 2nd XI record by scoring 267 against Somerset Secondsat North Perrott during Glamorgan`s mammoth second innings total of 480-9.During the course of his career-bestknock, Thomas broke Alan Lewis Jones` record for the highest individual scoreby a Glamorgan batsman in second team cricket, set at Neath 21 years ago.As the table below shows, the left-hander also became the fifth Glamorgan batsman to recorda double hundred in Championship matches:

267 I.J.Thomas v Somerset North Perrott 2003221* A.L.Jones v Kent Neath 1982218* S.P.Henderson v Gloucestershire Bristol 1983211 L.A.Lewis v Somerset Taunton 1983203* P.J.Mir v Gloucestershire Bristol 1979

While Kenya might be suffering at the hands of South Africa and India inthe Standard Bank Triangular Tournament, the other minnows in internationalcricket, Bangladesh, did themselves proud in Mumbai. The Bangladesh ‘A’team, playing a fifty overs a side match against the Cricket Club of India(CCI) President’s XI team in Mumbai, won easily by six wickets.Put in to bat at the picturesque Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the CCI XIteam collapsed in a heap to 124 all out in just 38.3 overs. Led by stumperVinayak Samant and including India leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule, the CCI XIput on a poor show save all-sounder Robin Morris. Opening the batting,Morris knocked up 76 runs in 109 balls. Striking seven boundaries and threesixes, Morris did his best to prop up the innings. The fight however was alone one. With Bahutule making 13 at one drop, the CCI XI list ofcontributors came to a grinding halt. No one else made it to double figures.Opening the bowling for the visitors, MB Mushrafee returned the excellentfigures of 7-2-15-5. Bangladesh Test and ODI cricketer Mohammed Ashrafultoo played a useful hand with his leg-breaks, scalping 2/7 off 5 overs.With just 124 on the board, there was little the CCI XI team could do whenBangladesh ‘A’ came out to bat. Ashraful was once gain in the thick ofthings, piloting the victory with an innings high score of 46 (53 balls, 5fours, 1 six). Although a few quick wickets fell around Ashraful, Hasanuzzaman (25) and Khaled Mahmud (28) both remained unbeaten and tookBangladesh ‘A’ to victory with more than 25 overs to spare.

Stuart Law believes Australia may be surprised at the strength of the Bangladesh team they take on in next month’s Test series in Chittagong and Dhaka. Law, the former Australia batsman, has previously served as coach of Bangladesh and Queensland, and he is now back in Bangladesh to help them prepare for next year’s Under-19 World Cup.A new-look Australia will tour Bangladesh next month under captain Steven Smith, with five veterans missing having recently retired: Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Chris Rogers, Ryan Harris and Shane Watson. They will also be without David Warner, who has a thumb injury, and the fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are being rested.Bangladesh should therefore view this as their best chance to rattle Australia, having previously lost all four Tests they have played against them, in 2003 and 2006. However, Bangladesh have lost only two of their past 12 Tests at home, and they are also coming off ODI series wins at home against South Africa, India and Pakistan this year.”If Bangladesh play anywhere near what they have been in recent times, they will give Australia a real fright,” Law said. “People who are expecting Australia to come here and be the big bully and beat Bangladesh out of the stadium, don’t think that’s the case. Bangladesh will be ready for a fight.”Smith will be in charge of a squad featuring two uncapped players, fast bowler Andrew Fekete and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, and a further eight members of the group have played fewer than 10 Tests. Law said that would add to their challenge, as would the conditions in Bangladesh, where the heat and turn of the pitches will test the Australians.”Australia are going through rebuilding,” Law said. “It is a different look team. The amount of experience that has left the team recently is a huge hole to fill.”Understand it will be hot. The ball will turn and another big stepping stone would be to get used to the lifestyle here. They have a lot of hurdles to jump over. Bangladesh has to play good cricket. It will be tight.”The make-up of Australia’s XI remains a mystery but with Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe and Glenn Maxwell in the squad they have plenty of spinning options, as well as the seam-bowling allrounder Mitchell Marsh and four frontline fast men. Writing in his column on Cricket Australia’s website, Smith said there were plenty of options for how to balance the side.”With wickets that are likely to be conducive to spin, there’s a possibility we could play two spinners and two allrounders in the starting XI,” Smith wrote. “Mitch Marsh’s bowling has come a long way on this tour, and we all know what Glenn Maxwell can do with his off-spin and dynamic batting.”Maxi has really impressed me over the course of the one-day series. It looks like all the hard work he’s put in during his stint with Yorkshire has paid off, so it’s great to see him learning and improving and I look forward to see how he goes on spinning wickets in Bangladesh.”

Aditya Dole, a Maharashtra Under-22 right-arm medium-fast bowler, took all 10 wickets in an innings against Rajasthan in their CK Nayudu Trophy match in Visakhapatnam.As one would expect, Dole said his bowling figures of 16.1-2-63-10 could not be compared to Anil Kumble’s feat, which came in a Test match. “Never in the wildest of dreams I ever thought that I could do it. It happened only for the support of our captain Nikhil Paradkar and the team,” Dole told , a Mumbai-based newspaper.After Maharashtra had posted a first-innings total of 171, Dole reduced Rajasthan to 76 for 6 on day one. He was handed the ball 20 overs into the second day and proceeded to tear through the tail.”I had taken nine wickets and my captain asked me if he could take the tenth one,” Dole said. “I said, ‘Please do.’ But he was kidding as he had placed a very causal field while he was bowling from the other end and there were no indication that he would spoil my feat.”Definitely a ten-wicket haul is every bowler’s dream and I am happy I have done it so early [in my career].”Ajay Shirke, the Maharashtra Cricket Association president, said Dole’s ten-wicket haul was a bonus to a team that had been doing well. “The boys are doing wonders and Dole has taken 19 wickets in the last four matches,” he said.Rajasthan made up for their poor first-innings performance by bowling out Maharashtra for 175 in the second innings. At the end of day two they were at 36 for 1, chasing a target of 208.

Muttiah Muralitharan: under yet another cloud of doubt © Getty Images

Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, has called for the ICC to review Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling action, specifically the – the delivery that leaves the right-handed batsman.Crowe suggested that Muralitharan needed to be monitored more often to ensure his arm was not flexing more than permitted. According to Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan board (SLC) has prepared a full-bodied defence should the ICC hold an inquiry into the matter.During Sri Lanka’s recent 217-run Test win at Wellington, Crowe, currently a television commentator, claimed Murali’s action deteriorated during a matchwinning spell on day four and needed to be reassessed. Following the match, Crowe sent an e-mail detailing his concerns to the ICC. It was reported that he planned to include video footage.”I have no worries over his offspinner whatsoever,” Crowe told , a New Zealand daily. “It’s the which he now bowls more and more, often up to 50% in a given spell, which needs further clarification. His was banned two years ago and I believe it needs consistent monitoring.”Jayawardene came to Muralitharan’s defence. “It’s quite sad it’s gone this far. From a cricket point of view this is something that has to stop,” he said. “It’s a ridiculous situation. Murali shouldn’t be penalised every time he takes 10 wickets.They [the SLC] will do a presentation to the ICC as well. If he [Crowe] wants to take it higher up … depending on the outcome we will also react.”Jayawardene added that Muralitharan would remain impervious to the latest round of crititicism: “He’s fine, he has no problems and is just concentrating on cricket”.John Reid, the former New Zealand captain who stood on the ICC illegal delivery panel that cleared Muralitharan six years ago, disagreed with his compatriot. “He [Crowe] won’t believe these so-called experts who are the ICC illegal delivery panel. Murali’s also been passed by the biomechanists,” Reid said. “Everyone thinks he has a bent elbow. He hasn’t, he can’t straighten his elbow. He’s got a double-jointed wrist like you wouldn’t believe.”