Tuesday 15th July, 2008 13 Ramprakash forced to wait for 100th first-class century Going for gold: Phillips Idowu goes to Beijing confident of glory once more by Paul Bolton "It's certainly not Idowu ready an issue in the Mark Ramprakash is growing tired dressing room, of the publicity surrounding his contin- other than the fact to leap for uing search for that elusive 100th first- that we'd like him class century, his county coach revealed to be scoring runs on sunday. irrespective of Beijing gold 'Ramps Watch' has rivalled 'Flintoff what number of Watch' for media attention since hundreds it is." Ramprakash made his 99th century Ramprakash was by Tom Knight against Sussex on May 3. Since then the subdued during his former England batsman has ground to latest innings, in Phillips Idowu underlined yester- a halt, failing to reach fifty in any of his which he struck only day why he will stand apart from the subsequent nine County Championship four boundaries from rest of the British team announced innings. 166 balls, but such intro- today as the only athlete who knows The 38-year-old's latest failure - spection is not unusual, according to he can win an Olympic gold medal in judged only against the remarkably high Butcher. Beijing. standards he has set himself in a 409- "In quite a lot of his innings over the On the form he has shown in match first-class career - came for years he has taken time to get himself recent weeks, the triple jump gold, Surrey against Nottinghamshire at in, then there becomes an air of last won by Jonathan Edwards in Trent Bridge on Saturday.He batted inevitability about it," Butcher said. Sydney, is there for the taking. more than 3½ hours for his 42 before he "Every now and again he has a random Idowu confirmed that in the got a leading edge to extra cover. hack where, for no reason, he'll play an Alexander Stadium yesterday. With Ramprakash has a potential 17 more outlandish shot. little fuss, the 29-year-old Londoner innings this season and remains 2-5 on "Over the last couple of years they've opened with 17.58metres and favourite with the bookmakers to disappeared out of the ground, but improved to 17.59m before calling it a become the 25th - and probably last - things are not quite happening the same day with 17.27m. It was at these trials member of one of cricket's most exclu- way for him at the moment." a year ago that Idowu aggravated the sive clubs before the end of the summer. back injury that wrecked his medal Surrey coach Alan Butcher shares Mark Ramprakash's record since hopes at the World Championships in the bookmakers' optimism that 99th first-class century: Osaka. Ramprakash will reach the landmark v Hampshire at the Rose Bowl But this was a consummate per- sooner rather than later. May 14: b Tomlinson 17 formance and he knew it. "I just "Mark is aware of the publicity and May 16: lbw b Mascarenhas 9 wanted to come here and put in a he says it's disappointing that when v Yorkshire at the Oval good series of jumps to make my someone else does well, his failure to get May 21: c McGrath b Hannon- international competitors tremble a his 100th hundred is the main story.It Dalby 29 bit," he said. takes away from someone else's success," May 23: c Gale b Rashid 14 Idowu already topped the world Butcher said. v Somerset at Whitgift School rankings and this competition merely "But we're not unduly concerned. I'm May 30: c Kieswetter b put him further ahead of the rest. not a betting man but would have a bet Willoughby 17 Gone is the inconsistency that struck on him getting another hundred before June 1: c Kieswetter b him at the last Games in Athens, the end of his career. It would be good to Phillips 15 where he failed to register a single get it out of the way. v Kent at the Oval jump. "Not many people know what it feels June 29: c Jones b McLaren ''This is my year," Idowu added. like to get 99 first-class hundreds, so it's 48 ''Everything looks as if it is going in hard, but I keep saying to him that he's July 1: c McLaren b Van the right direction and I'm doing all I going to get one sooner or later, so it's Jaarsveld 0 can to end the year as Olympic cham- not really an issue." v pion." Although Ramprakash was disci- Nottinghamshire To that end, Idowu took the brave plined by Surrey for an outburst at a tel- at Trent Bridge step earlier this year of switching evision cameraman last month, Butcher July 12: c Swann Mark Ramprakash from his long-time coach to work said that there have been no obvious b Pattinson 42 celebrates his 99th with Aston Moore at the high per- signs of stress. "He's been fine in the first-class century. formance centre alongside the dressing room, everything has been nor- © The Telegraph Alexander Stadium. "Hopefully, God mal," he added. Group, London 2008 will keep me injury-free and I'll come back with the gold," he said. He is even talking of breaking Edwards' world record of 18.29m. "I can probably put another 80cms to a Karachi: Shoaib Akhtar's legal payment of the fine had nothing to do metre onto what I'm doing and 18.40 counsel Sunday night said that the with the court decision allowing him is not beyond my capabilities," said beleaguered paceman would not pay Shoaib not to pay fine to play for Pakistan even though the Idowu. the seven million rupees fine, as court will hear the case sometime in "If I nail one right and run demanded by the Pakistan Cricket September. through the way I can do and com- Board as a pre-requisite to keep him in – Legal counsel "That has nothing to do with this ... plete my jump properly, it's not a the Champions Trophy preliminary The question is about playing of the problem." squad, until the court pronounced its squad and called the selectors for against the PCB decision to cricketer. The ban on him playing has Idowu's prowess was in sharp con- verdict on his writ petition. fresh discussion on Monday. They ban him for five years. been removed by High Court's interim trast to the worrying catalogue of Abid Hasan Minto said Shoaib have also sent a notice to Shoaib had chal- order, therefore as far as the fine is injuries, illness and excuses that con- would pay the fine imposed on him by Shoaib asking him to pay the lenged the tribu- concerned, he will pay when the final tinue to plague Britain's athletes at a the appellate tribunal only when the fine by Monday to be consid- nal decision in decision of the High Court comes," he time when their Olympic prepara- Lahore High Court will make a final ered for selection. the High Court argued. tions ought to be nearing their peak. decision on the writ petition filed by The fine was imposed which recently Minto also said it was up to the Jenny Meadows, Marlon Devonish him against the ban and fine. by an appellate tribunal, suspended the 18- Board to decide if they wanted to and Chris Tomlinson were hit by ill- "He has no objections to paying the which reduced his original months ban but select him or not. ness, Andrew Steele by a minor ham- fine but only when the high court ban of five years to 18- did not stay the "The ball is in their court. What string tear and Nicola Sanders by a reaches a final decision," Minto said. months in June after fine imposed on they decide is up to them. If they want last-minute "niggle" that prevented Shoaib and fellow pacer Shoaib appealed him. the devoid the national team of his her from contesting the 400m. Mohammad Asif were selected by the Minto said the presence and keep a first-class crick- In addition, Tyrone Edgar left national selection committee in eter like him away from the team then Birmingham complaining of injury Pakistan's 30-member preliminary it is their decision. after he had finish squad. The list of probables was to be "They know that the fines that have only fourth and possibly out of released by the Board on Friday, the been imposed on my client in the past Olympic selection in the 100m. deadline set by the International have always been paid and he has © The Telegraph Group, Cricket Council. Shoaib Akhtar never challenged them," he said. London 2008 However, the Board held back the (Hindustan Times) ECB must safeguard Tests from the manic spread of Twenty20 by Derek Pringle posal for a nine-team franchise-based considered and gradual is that eight ly chosen to accommodate the best week, the franchise, which made the The popular metaphor for Twenty20 England Premier League to be months ago only one of those competi- Indian players and therefore an Indian semi-finals of the IPL, made losses of Frankenstein's monster is of something played on Fridays in June and July. Talk tions existed - the Twenty20 Cup. The television market. With the nine Test £2 million. new running amok. In cricket that thing about flooding the market.