All posts by h716a5.icu

News from the second day of warm-up matches for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff09-Jun-2009England suffered a set-back in their preparations as Australia outmuscled them in a high-scoring warm-up at Taunton. Batting first, Australia amassed 141 for 5 with Leah Poulton top-scoring with 66 from 49 balls. In reply, England lost both openers for a combined total of one run, although Claire Taylor started aggressively with 42 from 25 balls. Ellyse Perry and Lisa Sthalekar both claimed three wickets, however, and at 92 for 9 the game was as good as over. Katherine Brunt and Caroline Atkins refused to give up, however, adding 45 unbeaten runs for the tenth wicket, but 18 off the final over proved out of reach. “It was a perfect warm-up game for us to play – against one of the best sides in the world,” said coach Mark Lane. “I’m a little bit disappointed with our performance in some of our key areas, particularly with our ground fielding and the performance of our middle order. However there were also some solid performances from Claire, Caroline and Katherine.”Stacy-Ann King transformed West Indies’ fortunes with a hard-hitting 48 from 25 balls, as Sri Lanka were condemned to a 40-run defeat at Taunton despite at one stage reducing their opponents to 51 for 7. King clobbered four fours and three sixes in a 27-ball stand of 54 for the eighth wicket with Deandra Dottin, and a shell-shocked Sri Lanka couldn’t respond. Chasing 122, they meandered to 81 for 8 in their 20 overs.New Zealand recovered from a top-order wobble to post a competitive 123 for 5, before inflicting an even more dramatic collapse on India at Taunton Vale. New Zealand’s captain, Aimee Watkins, cracked 60 not out from 51 balls to rescue her side from 31 for 3, before India crashed to 68 for 9 in reply. The wickets were shared around, with all six bowlers claiming at least one scalp. Priyanka Roy and Babita Mandlik saved some face with a tenth-wicket stand of 38 which was only ended by the final ball of the innings.Trisha Chetty anchored the innings with 45 from 40 balls, as South Africa coasted past Pakistan by 36 runs at King’s College. Chetty’s effort, couple with 29 from Cri-zelda Brits and 24 from Susan Benade, carried their side to 126 for 7. Pakistan in reply slumped to 90 all out in 17.1 overs. They started brightly enough, with an opening stand of 43, but the spin of Sunette Loubser made the breach when Nain Abidi was stumped for 23, and the wickets tumbled.

Dean Kino, head of business and legal affairs for the Champions League Twenty20, has intimated that a second team from the Caribbean may participate in the second edition of the tournament

Cricinfo staff17-Dec-2009Dean Kino, head of business and legal affairs for the Champions League Twenty20, has intimated that a second team from the Caribbean may participate in the second edition of the tournament. Speaking to the Caribbean Media Corporation Kino said the success and popularity garnered by Trinidad & Tobago this year had prompted consideration of further Caribbean flavour for 2010’s tournament, the destination of which would be decided at an upcoming governing council meeting.”T&T brought great value in terms of their cricketing skills, performances, the terrific spirit in which they played the game and the many talented cricketers on display, who had not been seen outside the Caribbean before,” he told CMC, adding that the governing council had gotten in touch with the West Indies Cricket Board.”They have been told that all participating countries must host a domestic tournament, and do so early to mid-2010, in order to be considered for inclusion in the event, and the dates have to be confirmed soon,” said Kino. “The defending champions will not be allowed to return to the competition automatically, all teams must re-qualify.”As for the country to host the second edition, Kino said: “We are yet to decide on a venue but what I can say is that the tournament in 2010 will be played around mid-September.”In the inaugural edition of the Champions League, held in India in October, T&T not only won Indian hearts with their distinctive brand of cricket but also brought alive the tournament which at its halfway stage was flickering once the hopes of the IPL teams had been extinguished. They won all their games but lost in the final to New South Wales.

A number of Liverpool supporters have urged the Reds to sign Youri Tielemans, following comments regarding his Leicester City future.

Jurgen Klopp didn’t add to his midfield in the summer transfer window, in a decision which left many frustrated, especially with Gini Wijnaldum joining Paris Saint-Germain.

One player who Liverpool were linked with signing was Tielemans, who has become an influential performer for Leicester.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The £49.5million-valued Belgian memorably scored a stunning winning goal in last season’s FA Cup final win over Chelsea, and has been a key figure under ex-Reds manager Brendan Rodgers, being hailed as ‘fantastic’ by Emile Heskey.

Tielemans has remained coy over his Leicester future, however, admitting [via Sky Sports on Twitter] that he is “keeping his options open” with regards to his future.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-2/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans call for Reds to sign Tielemans

These Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to talk up the idea of the Reds signing their summer target if he decides to move on next term.

“Youri Tielemans’ contract runs out summer 2023. If he doesn’t sign a new deal before then, we should be all over him”

Credit: @CosmoKhan

“Please, @LFC. Tielemans or Bellingham”

Credit: @JoshDrewPoland

“I’d take him on the cheap next year with 1 year to go we’d get him like £35million. Bellingham. Won’t go next year unless 100 plus then go for him”

Credit: @WaqarHu63300657

“How to say you’re leaving without saying you’re leaving. Hopefully Liverpool get him along with Jude Bellingham next season”

Credit: @muootarek

“#TielemansLFC2022”

Credit: @BKNBUZZ

“Coming to Anfield”

Credit: @Lfc_madhikes

In other news, James Pearce has shut down one rumour regarding a Liverpool player leaving. Read more here.

Mark Cleary’s four wickets led South Australia as they dismissed Western Australia for 243 on a rain-shortened opening day

Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2009South Australia 0 for 0 trail Western Australia 243 (Pomersbach 51, Cleary 4-70) by 243 runs
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Luke Pomersbach opened his shoulders with seven fours and two sixes in his 51 from 51 balls © Getty Images
Mark Cleary’s four wickets led South Australia as they dismissed Western Australia for 243 on a rain-shortened opening day. Luke Pomersbach blasted a run-a-ball half-century but it was one of few highlights for Western Australia as they relied on their lower order to post the total.The Warriors, who are four points adrift of second place with two games remaining, started badly as they tripped to 3 for 26 after the start was delayed by more than two hours while the surface dried. There were brief rallies from the hosts, with the captain Adam Voges and opener Luke Towers making contributions before Pomersbach’s burst.Voges went lbw to Cleary for 38 and when Towers was trapped by Aaron O’Brien for 41 the Warriors were 5 for 98. Pomersbach struck seven fours and two sixes in his 51, but he was undone by Daniel Christian as South Australia continued their hold.The wicketkeeper Michael Johnson, who has replaced Luke Ronchi, and Steve Magoffin inflated the total by 48 until Magoffin (24) fell the ball after hitting O’Brien for six. Cleary benefitted the most from the conditions with 4 for 70, including Johnson to a top edge, while O’Brien picked up 3 for 67 after ending the innings. South Australia, who are last on the table, survived two overs without making a run.

Former Glasgow Rangers player Derek McInnes has expressed his surprise that the Gers did not try to sign Ali McCann from St. Johnstone this summer.

The Lowdown: McCann joins Preston

Earlier this summer, McCann made the move to Preston North End in the English Championship.

The Lilywhites paid £1.25m for his services (Lancs Live). Rangers fans wanted the club to move for the 21-year-old (Rangers News), but clearly a concrete bid never arrived from Ross Wilson and co.

The Latest: McInnes surprised

Speaking to The Sunday Mail, McInnes suggested Rangers or Celtic should have made an offer for the 21-year-old. He said:

“McCann lacks a bit of finesse and quality with his final pass and he could probably score more goals, but he has everything else.

“He is a responsible midfielder, a real competitor who knows his job and is good on the ball. I have played and managed in the English Championship and he will deal with that fine.

“I am just surprised and disappointed that neither player (McCann or Jason Kerr) has stayed in the Scottish league.

“McCann would have been an easy one for Celtic or Rangers to take and such a hard one for Callum to replace.”

The Verdict: Promising player

McCann showed promise in the middle of the park as St. Johnstone impressed last term. He made 43 appearances in all competitions for the Saints (Transfermarkt) as Callum Davidson’s side won both the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup – something incredibly difficult to do in Scotland when you aren’t Rangers and Celtic.

In the Gers’ case, they brought in two new midfielders in Juninho Bacuna and John Lundstram – they did not really need to make a move for McCann. Still, with his ability, he could prove them wrong and McInnes right south of the border.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this latest Heart and Hand twist.

The captain Dan Marsh showed a cool head as Tasmania completed a fine comeback against Western Australia

Cricinfo staff18-Feb-2009Tasmania 163 and 5 for 197 (Marsh 58*) beat Western Australia 189 and 168 (Magoffin 59*, Duval 4-29) by 5 wickets
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Dan Marsh has given Tasmania a chance for more first-class success after they moved to second on the table © Getty Images
The captain Dan Marsh showed a cool head as Tasmania completed a fine comeback against Western Australia that increased their chances of making the Sheffield Shield final. The Tigers, who were 26 behind on first innings, are now second after Marsh steered the closing stages of the chase with 58 not out as they reached their target of 195 with five wickets in hand.In conditions that no batsman mastered, the Tigers were nervous until Marsh, who scored 64 in the first innings, took charge. When he hit three fours in a Drew Porter over they needed only 13 and he finished the match with a lofted boundary from Adam Voges.It was the fourth time in a row at home that Tasmania had successfully chased a fourth-innings total, which is a strong record considering the damage caused by the bowlers during the matches. Tasmania’s 5 for 197 was the highest total of the game that finished a day early.The Tigers started solidly with the openers both reaching 18 before Jonathan Wells and Rhett Lockyear both fell with the score on 37. Alex Doolan and George Bailey made important contributions of 33 and 36, but they were still looking to Marsh when Tim Paine departed with 25 still needed. Victoria lead the competition while Tasmania, who have 24 points, are two ahead of Queensland with two matches remaining.Western Australia began the third day at 8 for 97 with a quick finish looking likely, but the No. 10 Steve Magoffin had other ideas and registered an unbeaten 59. Magoffin, who would later take 3 for 59, lost Josh Mangan for 12 early in the morning before he combined with Brett Dorey (16) in a 48-run stand. Unfortunately for the Warriors, it only delayed the defeat.

Not everything went smoothly as Toronto hosted big-time cricket for the first time in nine years

Cricinfo staff10-Oct-2008
Canada was the hotspot for India-Pakistan contests in the 1990s © Picturecare
In the late 1990s it looked as if Canada was set to become North America’s home for visiting international sides. A large, primarily Asian, expat audience turned up in big numbers to a succession of tournaments, usually held in September.The presence of India and Pakistan was crucial to the viability of the ventures, but as the political tension between the two escalated, the cricket sides became caught up and eventually India were forced by their government to pull out rather than face Pakistan. Without the prime draw, interest waned and the Toronto project was doomed. Soon after, the whole match-fixing saga broke and offshore venues for matches lost their appeal as the authorities looked to clamp down on bookmakers’ opportunities.But nine years later on, and Toronto is again hosting major cricket. Some would argue it’s too late in the year – early-morning temperatures struggle to hit 50 degrees – but with the international calendar jam-packed, you take what window you can get.The event has been made possible by substantial sponsorship by a Dubai-based company. However, the build-up has been anything but ideal. West Indies were on the original cast list, along with Canada, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but they pulled out as their board signed a deal to make all their players available to Allen Stanford. They were replaced by Zimbabwe, hardly an A – or even B-list – attraction.Promotion has been scratchy, not helped by rumbling uncertainty over the visa positions for two of the visitors. As late as Monday, both Pakistan and Zimbabwe were reported to be having difficulties. In the event, both made it, albeit with little time to spare.Temporary stands, accommodating up to 10,000, have been built in recent weeks, and the organisers have been bullish in their predictions of the turnout. In the event, there were never more than 1300 inside the ground today, with the bigger audience for the Pakistan match. The earlier game was not so attractive, either in terms of teams or time. The 9.30am start on a chilly autumn morning doesn’t appeal to many.The ground looks pretty good, the replay screens are big and the sightscreens impress. But the behind-the-scenes operation was hardly slick, with power outages and limited internet access for the media. What an event like this needs is publicity, and the PR machine has been, at best, spluttering into life. With a slicker operation, many more tickets might well have been shifted. Oh, and given that a picture is worth a thousand words, someone might have thought to ensure that there were photographers on the ground who would feed the world’s media.The hope is that the weekend will bring much bigger crowds, and talk is that when Sri Lanka play Pakistan tomorrow at 1.30pm in what should be a dress rehearsal for the final, there will be several thousand inside the hastily-constructed ground.Despite the glitches and grumbles, just getting top cricket to Canada is an achievement, and the organisers deserve credit for that. What they now need is three days of good weather, more spectators and some great cricket.

With talent in abundance, Pakistan cricket team which is perhaps the best on paper in the world looks demoralised because of the total mess in the management

Ali Kabir12-Sep-2002With talent in abundance, Pakistan cricket team which is perhaps the best on paper in the world looks demoralised because of the total mess in the management.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), is being run simply on personal whims of the establishment totally ignoring the potential of the players and selection or appointment of team officials who are simply either incompetent or have no say whatsoever in its functioning or policy making decisions. Whatever may be the reason, in nutshell the team’s performance is proof enough of all-round deterioration.The team’s performance at Tangiers (Morocco) and Nairobi in the just concluded tri-nation competition exposed the intentions and calibre of all those who are associated with the team and those who are at the helm of affairs. The responsibility cannot be put only on the team management or the establishment. If one cares to do postmortem of the recent events, which is a must and if someone cares to improve the things, it is evident that there is unnecessary interference from some quarters which is adversely affecting the team’s performance.The role in the overall performance of the team shows that personal likes and dislikes is governing the policy of the PCB. If national interest is dear to anyone, this factor should never be allowed to creep in. The problem is that it has become the governing factor. Those who talk of merit are living in a fool’s paradise at least in the present PCB setup.Every move of the establishment is manoeuvred which has plagued the board. Nobody in the PCB seems to be sincere or loyal to the game. If there would have been sincere people, they would not have allowed sports vultures to hang around. What is the contribution of individuals like Zakir Hussain Syed to cricket. He was offered a lucrative job of secretary, Asian Cricket Council and unconfirmed reports suggest that a situation is being created to adjust him somewhere in the PCB hierarchy.Presence of a few shady characters in Morocco has given new dimensions to rumours that Pakistan lost some of the matches in Tangiers under suspicious circumstances. May be someone sensing rift in the team and being present on the scene made full use of the situation.The Kenya episode, which resulted in Yousuf Youhana being sent home was the overflow of happening in Morocco which was covered up under the guise of fitness problem of the batsman. Can the PCB explain how come Youhana went for an MRI test without the consent of the team doctor. It was all doctored and nothing else.The present PCB setup has a set plan to have only ‘yes’ men or paid employees who dare not raise their finger on any issue. It adopted the policy of having paid selectors and perhaps the PCB chief himself was the worst sufferer when his yes men dare not pinpoint the fault of Junaid Zia’s bowling action. The result was that Junaid was called for chucking on four occasions. Team coach Haroon Rasheed failed to show any wisdom by not pointing out the problem with Junaid’s action after the first call. But, Haroon was more interested in his bread and butter than anything else.The present chairman of the selection committee, Wasim Bari, a gentleman cricketer, just cannot afford to put his foot down and at times he is not even aware of team selection. The PCB is in dire need of men of the stature of Haseeb Ahsan who despite having best relations with the then BCCP chief, Air Marshal (Retd) Nur Khan refused to select, player of the calibre of former Pakistan captain, Imran Khan, purely on medical grounds and stepped down, totally ignoring his relationship with Nur Khan.When Haseeb toured England with the Pakistan team as manager, the British press which is always out to run down visiting teams was perhaps most respectful. Then we have a man in Naushad Ali, who is a clean man and has managed the Pakistan team, is a former Chairman of the Selection Committee and a former ICC match referee with good reputation.But such people cannot be inducted in the board as they are men of principle and would work with full freedom without any interference. Nobody can doubt their credibility and credentials. There are some other people but they do not suit the present management who want to meddle in everything and are responsible for the present mess up.The latest action of the PCB in retaining Shoaib Malik and sending back Azhar Mahmood is simply disgusting. Shoaib Malik is being rated as a better off-spinner than Saqlain Mushtaq and a better batsman than Saeed Anwar. So much so that the PCB toyed with the idea of promoting him as an opener. Shoaib Malik scored two hundreds in one-dayer which gave boost to the manipulators to promote him in the batting order.The whole effort fired back as whenever he went to open the innings he played dot balls, resulting in increased pressure on the team. He only wanted to secure his place in the team caring hoots for the team interest. He failed as a bowler when in three matches he just bowled one over for 15 runs. In the last match against Australia he scored 37 from 94 balls which totally belied the PCB hierarchy’s doctrine.If anyone from Nairobi had to be sent home, it should have been Shoaib Malik, the worst performer on the present form and not Azhar Mahmood who has been declared unfit, a reasoning which is hard to challenge as neither the player nor the team doctor will support for obvious reasons.Those who follow the game must be surprised with the way the present management is handling Shahid Afridi, who holds the world record of scoring fastest century in one-day. The team management is toying with his batting position. He has batted at No. 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 and last time he was sent to open the innings. Can anybody in his senses ever make such decision unless there is some motive behind it.Misbah-ul-Haq, who has been unlucky in the past at last got a chance when the team management was left with no option and he slapped in the face of the establishment by scoring 50, 39 and 50. What was the team of so many experts travelling with the squad doing all along. All the team officials should be kicked out and fresh team of management should be inducted. But nothing will change as long there is interference from the top. Unless everyone who is given a particular assignment has a free hand which at the moment seems impossible. What has been the benefit of specialist, trainers imported from Australia for batting, bowling and fielding.Pakistan sports in general and cricket in particular is on decline and one cannot expect any improvement unless we do away with the politics of regionalism, nepotism and ‘sifarish’ and work with the sole aim of promoting national interest, keeping personal interest at a distance. No doubt it is easy to preach than practice but nothing is impossible if there is sincerity and loyalty to the nation which should not be compromised.

Sheffield United’s diabolical start to the Championship season continued on Saturday as Slavisa Jokanovic saw his side succumb to yet another defeat at Bramall Lane.

While recovering from relegation from the Premier League is undoubtedly a challenging task, it would have been difficult to find a football fan – Sheffield United supporter or otherwise – who would have predicted the Blades would be languishing in the Championship relegation zone after picking up just a single point over their first four games of the season.

However, following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Huddersfield Town, that is exactly where United find themselves, and it must have been a particularly difficult result to stomach for the Bramall Lane faithful.

Indeed, fans watched their side dominate the ball against the Terriers, boasting 70% of possession as well as taking 16 shots to the visitors’ six and completing 339 more passes than Carlos Corberan’s side, although it would be the visitors who left Sheffield with all three points.

The timing of Huddersfield’s winning goal must also have been particularly gut-wrenching, for after United had drawn the game level through Billy Sharp’s 92nd-minute strike which seemed to have secured at least a point for the hosts, Levi Colwill spoiled the party when he bagged the winner for Huddersfield in the 94th minute, leaving the Blades down and out on the canvas.

In terms of the United players, there were rather unsurprisingly a number of below-par performances, but it was Rhian Brewster’s particularly abject display which most caught the eye for all the wrong reasons.

Indeed, over his 65 minutes on the pitch, the 21-year-old managed just 14 touches of the ball, lost possession six times and completed just four passes. The £41k-per-week man also managed just one shot on target, completed none of his three attempted dribbles and won only one of his seven duels – a win percentage of just 14%.

These returns saw the former Liverpool centre-forward earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.4, with no Sheffield United player receiving a lower score than the England under-21 international in the fixture.

As such, while it would appear as if Jokanovic’s hopes of automatic promotion this season are already slim, Brewster will nevertheless have to significantly raise his game in the coming weeks and months if the Blades are to have any chance of making an assault on the top half of the table.

In other news: Jokanovic drops “huge” Sheffield Utd update which is sure to have fans fuming

Backed by a formidable first-innings total, Mumbai’s fast bowlers destroyed Delhi’s top order as the visitors slumped to 85 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ 500 on the second day at the Brabourne Stadium

The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium04-Jan-2010
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Iqbal Abdulla scored his third half-century this year, pushing Mumbai past the 500-mark•ESPNcricinfo LtdBacked by a formidable first-innings total, Mumbai’s fast bowlers destroyed Delhi’s top order as the visitors slumped to 85 for 3 in reply to the hosts’ 500 on the second day at the Brabourne Stadium. It would have been four down had Wasim Jaffer, at second slip, pouched an easy offering from Rajat Bhatia, who played hard at a straighter delivery from Aavishkar Salvi after scoring his first run.But Mumbai, hopefully, would not rue the missed opportunity because for the second straight day they were busy making their own luck. They began the morning in a circumspect manner. Having crossed the 300-mark on the first day their two main goals were to go past 500 and stretch their stay in the middle. Interestingly their hero of the first day, Abhishek Nayar, the overnight centurion, was more subdued. It took him 17 balls to open his account, happily leaving the balls or just defending them.Mumbai had scored just seven runs by the fifth over when Ajit Agarkar, who scored a brisk half-century the previous evening, spooned an easy catch to Mithun Manhas at cover. Next, Ramesh Powar went for an audacious charge against a flighted delivery from left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra, and was clean bowled.Newcomer Iqbal Abdulla though, was more confident and sure about his footwork as he charged Mishra straightaway on his second ball to hit over the bowler’s head for a four. He declared his attacking intent with a strong sweep which raced past the square-leg ropes. Aged 17, and playing only his third match this season, Mishra was used less on the first day as Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya feared he would get exposed against the well-set left-hand pair of Nayar and Onkar Khanvilkar. Obviously, it was a defeatist strategy.Today Mishra did impart more flight but the lack of turn hurt him as the opposition continued to pick him with ease. Abdulla rocked back to cut a short and wide ball for a four as he set about to break the early tedium of the first hour. Though Nayar had started to open up finally after the first 90 minutes, his approach lacked the bold intent prevalent on Sunday. He later stepped out to Mishra, attempting to clear the long-on boundary, but could only loft an easy catch to Ishant Sharma at deep midwicket.Abdulla had found himself in more desperate situations on few occasions earlier this season and understood a balanced mixture of attack and caution would help him lead Mumbai towards 500. He followed that principle successfully and reached his third half-century this year with a strong square cut off medium pacer Parvinder Awana. Along with his Parkophene team-mate (a local Mumbai club) Usman Malvi, Abdulla stitched together a crucial 50-run partnership for the ninth wicket and the Delhi bowlers need to blame themselves as they gave enough space for the pair to take advantage.It was then the turn of the Mumbai’s fast bowlers to carry forward the advantage and they made full use of the customary afternoon breeze from the neighbouring Arabian sea through the West stand. Ajit Agarkar, Malvi and Aavishkar Salvi consistently troubled Delhi’s top order with movement in the air and off the pitch. Having been freshly rolled the pitch was hard, and Mumbai’s speedsters banged in the ball hard and stuck to the off stump line forcing the batsman to play.Mayank Tehlan, who had come in for the injured Aakash Chopra, tried to ground a fuller length, seaming away delivery from Malvi, but offered a straightforward catch to Khanvilkar at third slip. Aditya Jain picked two easy fours but was beaten by a superb outswinger from Agarkar that rapped the front pad and the umpire upheld the appeal instantly. Manhas was deceived by a superb delivery from Salvi next up, which pitched on length, kept moving straight before shaping out a little bit to uproot the off stump.All is not lost for Delhi, who will remain optimistic due to the presence of Shikhar Dhawan and Bhatia, who now will have to play a patient game without taking too many risks. Interestingly, Delhi are in the same precarious position as Mumbai were yesterday (86 for 3) till they were rescued by the heroics of Nayar.