THE CRICKET PUNDIT

SELECTING AN ALL-TIME WEST INDIES SIDE

George Headley	Gary Sobers	Viv Richards

This is an enormous task since over the eight decades of Test cricket in which the West Indies moved from being an ordinary third world team to the top of world cricket, several great players comparable with the best in the world were developed. Although the idea of an all-time West Indies side is a fascinating one, it will be difficult to select a side and not omit some players whom others feel should certainly make the side. For my part, Frank Worrell and Rohan Kanhai are the greatest batsmen to emerge from West Indies cricket. They played all the strokes with grace and perfect timing but they might not make the all-time side because cricket matches are not won on grace and stroke play but by batsmen who make lots of runs and make them often and by bowlers who take wickets often and cheaply.

The middle order was a disaster, says Gayle

West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who top scored in the Third Digicel One Day International with 53, had some stinging words of criticism for his middle order batsmen who failed to capitalize on an opening stand of 86 in 17.4 overs. "I thought myself and Xavier (Marshall who made 35) really started well this morning. The wicket was doing a bit early up but the middle order was a disaster for us again," Gayle said at the post match presentation ceremony. "We set it up really well and they didn’t actually carry on," Gayle observed as his team made a modest 223 in 48 overs and lost by seven wickets as Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five match Digicel ODI Series with two games to be played in St Kitts.

Gay says next race with Bolt will be closer

The next time world champion Tyson Gay steps on the track against Jamaican 100 metres world record holder Usain Bolt, things will be different, Gay predicted on Thursday.

Usain Bolt

Bolt rocketed to a world record 9.72 seconds in his May 31 meeting with Gay in New York, leaving the American a distant second in 9.85 seconds. The loss pained Gay, who had been the Beijing Olympics favourite. After three weeks tinkering with his running form, he said he too was ready to dip under 9.80 seconds at the US Olympic trials, which began last Friday. He did so on Sunday, clocking 9.68 seconds, but the world record is not valid because it came with a too-strong tailwind. The day before, in the quarter-finals he ran 9.77 to break Maurice Greene’s American record.

World champ Campbell fails Beijing qualifiers, Bolt asserts record

World champ Veronica Campbell failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in her signature event and Usain Bolt validated his world's fastest human title at the Jamaican Olympic athletics trials. Campbell equalled her season-best time of 10.88 seconds but it wasn't good enough as she placed a shock fourth in the 100 metre final at National Stadium on Saturday. Campbell, the reigning 100m world champion and bronze medal winner at the 2004 Summer Games, needed to finish in the top three to qualify for Beijing. Kerron Stewart won the 100m in 10.80, edging out Shelly-Ann Fraser who finished in 10.85. Sherone Simpson was third in 10.87.

Tennis icon Evert weds golf legend Norman

Chris Evert & Greg Norfman

This one will go right up there with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra, Jennie Finch and Casey Daigle (the pitcher no one has ever heard of but every guy wants to be). Golf legend Greg Norman married tennis icon Chris Evert on Saturday in a seaside ceremony in the Bahamas, Reuters reported. While the wedding was held under extremely tight security, People magazine reported that the two were wed in front of 140 family members and friends. Media reports have said that the couple spent up to $2 million on the lavish nuptials.

Woods had reconstructive surgery on ACL

Tiger Woods had reconstructive surgery on his left knee last Tuesday in Utah to repair a torn ligament, and doctors said it was "highly unlikely" there would be any long-term effects. It was the second time in 10 weeks Woods had surgery on his knee, this time on his anterior cruciate ligament. "We were confident going into this surgery, and I am pleased with the results," Dr. Thomas D. Rosenberg said in a statement released by IMG, Woods' management company.