ICC Media Release

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ICC Winter Training Camp (WTC) head coach Tim Boon is hopeful that one of the Associate countries playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 will spring a surprise and beat a Test nation in the group stages of the competition.

Speaking from Pretoria, where the ICC WTC has been going on for the past seven weeks, Boon says the players who have attended are now much better equipped to deal with the pressures of playing one-day cricket against the best sides in the world after spending time at the high performance centre in the South African capital.

“This is a great starting point for these players as they build towards the World Cup,” said Leicestershire and former England under-19s coach Boon.

“I am confident they now have the tools to go away from here with the information they require to be more competitive at that level.

“Hopefully we will see one or two surprises in the West Indies and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we do,” he said.

And it’s not just the coach who thinks that. In all there are 24 players from the six Associates who will join the ten Test nations in the Caribbean. Kevin Sandher is one of them. A left-arm slow bowler from Canada he is someone who has benefited hugely from the last seven weeks of intensive training and analysis.

“For me, this camp has been about a realisation of what it takes to be a top-class cricketer,” said Sandher.

“Apart from on-field stuff, we have learned more about our fitness, diet and sleep patterns in a very professional environment,” he said, adding he was looking forward to playing against the likes of England and New Zealand in St Lucia next March.

“You have to believe you can win. In the Canadian team we have some very good players. If we all fire on the day and put the opposition under pressure, then you never know.

“Pressure does funny things to people, even players from England and New Zealand. There is nowhere to hide in one-day cricket at the top level,” said Sandher.

“One-day cricket is very intense. When (former Australian Test player) Rod Marsh was here earlier in the camp he told us that a one-day innings was basically 300 plays – you have to focus on each ball the same if you are a batsman, bowler or fielder.”

On Wednesday the ICC WTC team continued its winning ways with a hard-fought victory over a Northerns XI at LC de Villiers Oval in Pretoria.

In a good all-round bowling performance by the ICC WTC, it restricted Northerns to 197 all out in 50 overs. Scotsman Ross Lyons, who took 3-36 off 10 overs, Ireland’s John Mooney (2-23) and Abdool Samad (2-26) were the pick of the attack.

In reply, the ICC WTC passed the total with just three wickets and four balls to spare. Wicketkeeper-batsman Ashish Bagai made all the difference. With his side struggling somewhat at one stage on 136-6, Bagai teamed up with Mooney for a 50-run partnership near the end to make sure the ICC WTC got to its fourth victory from five matches (a further two were rained off).

“I have been impressed with how the team has adapted in particular circumstances,” said Boon. “In yesterday’s game, they got themselves into a bit of trouble but managed to do the right things and took all the right options to adapt and win the game.”

The ICC WTC’s final match, out of eight, is on Thursday against the same team in the same venue and the Associate players will be very keen to finish the camp on a high.

The ICC Winter Training Camp involves 24 players, four from each of the top six Associate Members, in seven weeks of intensive mental and physical coaching on all aspects of the one-day game.

Top coaches including former Test players Rod Marsh, Kepler Wessels and Gary Kirsten have been available to impart their knowledge and expertise to the players, overseen by head coach Tim Boon.

This is the second year the ICC has run the camp which takes place in the hpc (high performance centre) in Pretoria.

 

Friendly

15 November 2006

At LC de Villiers Oval

Toss: Notherns

NORTHERNS

M Aronstam b Mooney 29

N Chouhan c Blain b Mooney 12

A Viljoen c and b Samad 4

N van Woerkom c Bagai b Samad 12

P Joubert b Kashif 20

J Mokonyama c Porterfield b Lyons 46

R van der Merwe c Mooney b Lyons 23

A Phangiso c van Bunge b Lyons 2

M Mashimbiya run out 12

N Wagner not out 14

R Magardie run out 6

Extras (3lb, 4nb, 7w) 14

TOTAL (all out, 48.2 overs) 193

Fall: 37, 48, 67, 77, 95, 153, 155, 167, 176, 193

Bowling: Blain 8.2-1-34-0, Mooney 6-1-23-2, O’Brien 8-2-33-0, Samad 6-1-26-2, Kashif 10-1-38-1, Lyons 10-0-36-3

 

ICC WTC

W Porterfield c Chouhan b Mashibiya 29

A Samad lbw Wagner 3

K Carroll c Wagner b Joubert 23

A Bagai run out 74

D van Bunge c Magardie b van der Merwe 14

A Kervezee c Chouhan b van der Merwe 3

K O’Brien c Wagner b Ardonstam 4

J Mooney not out 28

J Blain not out 1

Extras (1b, 8lb, 4nb, 4w) 17

TOTAL (for 7, 49.2) 196

Fall: 12, 62, 66, 104, 117, 136, 186

DNB: R Lyons, M Kashif

Bowling: Wagner 6-2-19-1, Magardie 6-0-21-0, Joubert 9-0-29-1, Mashimbiya 7.2-1-35-1, Phangiso 7-0-31-0, van der Merwe 10-1-30-2, Aronstam 4-0-22-1

ICC WTC won by 3 wickets

ICC Winter Training Camp, high performance centre Pretoria

Players: Kwame Tucker, Irving Romaine, Kevin Hurdle, Stefan Kelly (all Bermuda); Sunil Dhaniram, Kevin Talvinder Sandher, Abdool Mudassar Samad, Ashish Bagai (all Canada); Kevin O’Brien, Kenny Carroll, William Porterfield, John Mooney (all Ireland); Amollo Morris Ouma, Tanmay Mishra, Hiren Varaiya, Nehemiah Odhiambo (all Kenya); Daan LS van Bunge, Mark Jonkman, Alexei Kervezee, Muhammad Kashif (all Netherlands); Omer Hussain, Ross Lyons, Johan Dewald Nel, John Blain (all Scotland).