All posts by n8rngtd.top

South Zone had the better of the first day of the Duleep Trophy final despite Paras Dogra’s aggressive century

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsParas Dogra (right) was the only North Zone batsman to go past 40•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Paras Dogra made a swashbuckling unbeaten hundred to resuscitate North Zone after a horrid start, but two late wickets ensured that South Zone held the upper hand on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. On a pitch with some moisture that helped the seamers, South Zone chose to introduce Pragyan Ohja as early as the ninth over, and the strategy paid off immediately with Nitin Saini edging a looping delivery to CM Gautam behind the stumps.Shikar Dhawan followed Saini one over later, slapping an Abhimanyu Mithun short ball that stopped on him straight to midwicket. Ojha limped off the field a little while later, having stopped a Mithun Manhas straight drive with his right ankle, but the seamers continued to make inroads. Manhas was bowled by one that nipped back from Vinay Kumar and when Mandeep Singh hit a fuller delivery down point’s throat, North Zone were deep in the mire at 42 for 4.Dogra had made a patient 8 from 29 balls at this stage, and set about repairing the innings in the company of Yashpal Singh. He was fairly circumspect to begin with, making sure to defend the good balls, but at the same time not missing out on the opportunities for boundaries when the bowlers erred in line or length. He began to open his shoulders with the introduction of S Badrinath, whom he dispatched for two sixes and two fours. The pair had added 99, taking the score to 141, when Yashpal fell to S Aravind for 32.The loss of his partner did nothing to slow Dogra down, however. Having taken 103 balls to reach his fifty, he only needed a further 40 balls to get to his hundred, which he did in style, smashing Ohja over cow corner for six. Such was his confidence at this stage that one ball later he skipped down the track and went inside out over extra-cover for another six. He found an able ally in Uday Kaul, and the pair added 89 runs for the sixth wicket, scoring at 4.13 runs an over and giving the innings a sheen of respectability.South Zone struck twice in the last 11 overs to wrest the initiative back. Kaul fell trying to hit Abhinav Mukund through the leg side, but only succeeded in getting a leading edge to cover. Then Vinay Kumar bowled Amit Mishra one ball after he was dropped at slip by Robin Uthappa to leave South Zone the happier side heading into the second day, despite the continued presence of Dogra.

The South Africa A squad that has gone to Zimbabwe has 14 players who have played for South Africa and they will all be competing for a recall to the senior side

Firdose Moonda 27-Jun-2011South Africa’s cricketers are experiencing their first, full-length winter break in 14 years. The team last played on March 25, when they were dumped out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage and they will not take the field again until October 13, giving them a break of almost seven months.Some, like JP Duminy and Graeme Smith, are using the time to tie the knot while others, like Dale Steyn, have gone on an extended holiday. But the likes of Roelof van der Merwe and Loots Bosman aren’t curling up around fires or exploring parts of the world that cricket doesn’t take them to. They’re part of the South Africa A side that have headed to Zimbabwe, where they will play in a tri-series also featuring Australia A.The trip to Zimbabwe is short, with South Africa A playing just four one-day games, but significant. Ten of the 14 players in the A side have been part of the senior national team before and, with no other competitive cricket before the season starts, have to take this opportunity to stake their claim for a national recall.Vincent Barnes, the South Africa A coach, enunciated the significance of the tour. “We’ve sent an important message to these players, that this is not just an ordinary tour or just any other set of pre-season games,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We need to find out who’s next, in terms of everything from wicketkeeping to spin.”With Heino Kuhn and van der Merwe the only specialist wicketkeeper and spinner in the A squad respectively, it is clear that they have been identified as players for the future. The trip to Zimbabwe will present the pair with the chance to break further away from the chasing pack, with the focus on van der Merwe, now that South African attitudes are more embracing to spin. The left-arm spinner is known for his aggression with both bat and ball and is experienced enough to merit another stint at the highest level. “Roelof fell by the way side with the national team a few years ago, but he has worked really hard in our camp over the last few days and showed his commitment,” Barnes said.In the batting department, Jacques Rudolph, who will captain the A side and is being tipped for a recall to the South Africa team, will be closely watched. Rudolph returned from Yorkshire last season to play domestic cricket in South Africa. He topped the run-scoring charts in the 2010-11 SuperSport Series and was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the MTN40 tournament. His captaincy of Titans, and of South Africa A during the home series against Bangladesh A, has been innovative and his maturity evident. “My goal is always to score as many runs as possible,” he said. “It’s a good time to show the strength and depth of our cricket.”The fast bowlers could prove the most interesting area, with none of the five quicks in the A squad having finished the MTN40 season in the top ten on the bowling charts. Vernon Philander and Rusty Theron are considered the two closest to a comeback for South Africa. Philander has been outstanding at first-class level, but less so in the limited-overs formats. “It will be good to play against more international players and see how I go against the big boys,” Philander said.Philander last played for South Africa in August 2008 and said that being dropped allowed him to develop as a player. “I know a lot more about my game now than I did before and I know what’s expected at international level.”Theron has had a frustrating time; he has been picked for various South Africa squads and given a national contract but has only played five Twenty20 internationals and four ODIs. He said he will use this tour to show that he is a “complete bowler.” Theron is known to be a death-over specialist but feels he can offer more. “I can also bowl an efficient first spell and come back in the middle as well. If there is a good training ground to show those skills, this is it.”Allan Donald, who took over as national bowling coach when Gary Kirsten was appointed on June 6, is accompanying Barnes on the tour in order to get a first-hand look at the fast bowlers. Donald replaced Barnes and, on the face of it, the situation they find themselves in appears, at best, awkward. But Barnes denied any tension and said the pair enjoyed “sharing ideas.”The tour is Barnes’ first in his new position at the High Performance Centre, after he spent eight years with the national team. While it is mostly about the players proving their worth, Barnes said he will also use it as a step to re-establishing himself as a coach in his own right. “It’s very good to be able to consider myself a head coach now,” he said. “I am actually running the nets and not just working with the bowlers now.”

BCCI president says the finance sub-committee will be asked to put together the details

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2019In a move that could signal a major shift in Indian cricket, newly-elected BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has said that the board will bring in “a contract system” for first-class cricketers, and that the new finance sub-committee will be asked to put the process in place for it to happen.”We will bring in a contract system for first-class cricketers,” Ganguly told in an interview. “We (office-bearers) will ask the new finance committee to prepare a contract system.”It’s just been four-five days [since he took charge] and in between there was a Diwali break. It will take about two weeks to assess everything and move forward. There is a lot of work going on.”ALSO READ: Gollapudi – Meet Sourav Ganguly, cricket administratorEven before he had been formally appointed to the position, Ganguly had said that domestic cricket, and cricketers, would be a major area of focus for him in his stint at the BCCI, which will be for a ten-month period before he serves the mandatory three-year cooling-off period for completing six consecutive years at a state association and/or at the BCCI.”My biggest priority will be to look after first-class cricketers,” he had said, adding that he had asked the Committee of Administrators (CoA) to provide financial security for domestic cricketers when the panel was put in place by the Supreme Court to supervise the BCCI. “I have been requesting that to the CoA for three years. That’s the first thing I will do, look after the financial health of our first-class cricketers.”

The former Chief Justice of India, the constitution’s main architect, believes a former cricketer like Ganguly would never have been BCCI president had it not been for his reforms

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2019Justice (retd) RM Lodha, who was appointed by the Supreme Court in 2015 to reform the BCCI, has said the board’s move to amend the constitution he had framed was “unfortunate”. The constitution, which provides for sweeping changes to the way in which Indian cricket is run, was approved by the Supreme Court in August 2018.Lodha referred to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and said a former cricketer would never have headed the board if it wasn’t for his reforms in the first place.The most radical amendments include altering the rules concerning the cooling-off period for administrators that currently bars them from office for three years after serving a six-year period in office, relaxing various disqualification criteria and removing the need for any changes to the constitution to be approved by the Supreme Court. Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah are currently set to serve only till June 2020 since they had been heads of their respective state boards for more than five years before their current roles.Among the other amendments proposed by the BCCI board is watering down the “conflict of interest clauses” that exist in the constitution and giving more power to the board secretary. That is a distinct shift from before where the CEO held more power.”It’s very unfortunate,” Lodha was quoted as saying in an interview by Hindustan Times. “I thought a cricketer at the helm of affairs will understand that it was only our reforms which brought him to this position.”If the earlier system was in vogue, perhaps no cricketer could have ever dreamt of heading a body like the BCCI,” Lodha said. “The way politics is played in cricket administration, I don’t think any cricketer would have been able to get this position but for these reforms.”That’s all the more reason for those in charge now to respect the reforms and try to fully implement them, instead of changing them,” Lodha said. “Let reforms work over a period of time and see how transparency, accountability come into the administration.”Lodha conceded that it was legally impossible to stop family members of former board members from contesting elections. But he hoped that more “independent” people would come to the fore in the long run.Lodha also said he wished that the Committee of Administrators, led by Vinod Rai, implemented the reforms much faster. “They took a lot of time in implementation,” he said. “Their job was to implement the SC order by which our committee’s report was accepted. It should have been done a long time back. They took three years.”As a matter of fact, the second election should have been due by this time because the first order was passed in July, 2016. The first election after reforms has taken place in 2019.”The Lodha Committee, appointed by the Supreme Court in 2015, was headed by Lodha, a former Chief Justice of India, along with former Supreme Court Justices RV Raveendran and Ashok Bhan.

Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has flown back to New Zealand to see a doctor about his ongoing knee problem

ESPNcricinfo staff14-May-2011Daniel Vettori, the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain, has flown back to New Zealand to see a doctor about his ongoing knee problem. As a result, he will not be playing in Saturday’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders and could be in danger of missing future games as well. Vettori also sat out Bangalore’s last game against Rajasthan Royals on May 11. Virat Kohli, who led the side in that game, will take over as captain in Vettori’s absence.”He’s [Vettori] gone back home to see his surgeon, someone he generally consults,” Kohli told reporters on Thursday. “He will try to get back and be fit for the upcoming games. We will just have to wait and watch what happens with that.”Vettori first hurt his right knee during New Zealand’s World Cup league game against Pakistan back in March. He missed the rest of his side’s league games, before returning to play in the quarter- and semi-final matches. According to the , Vettori had said during the IPL that he was just about able to get through his four overs and hobble around in the field.”Obviously, it’s a loss for us and it’s unfortunate,” Kohli said. “It’s been happening to us for the last two years as well. We have lost important players at important times due to injuries, it’s never a good thing for the team. But we have got reserves in the side who are willing to do well and who are willing to go out there, who are really talented and thinking cricketers. We just need to set a strong combination now and go with that combination throughout the tournament and we will see if Dan comes back, nothing like it [if he does].”If he doesn’t, then we need to form a different combination and be confident going into the game with that combination.”

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has once again called for the ICC to establish uniformity in the use of the UDRS

Firdose Moonda at Kingsmead29-Dec-2010Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has once again called for the ICC to establish uniformity in the use of the UDRS. “The ICC needs to take responsibility for that,” he said after South Africa’s loss in the second Test against India in Durban. “They can’t leave it up to boards to negotiate. They must lead the way.”The decision not to use the UDRS was taken by Cricket South Africa (CSA), in consultation with the BCCI in November. CSA were keen to use the system, but the BCCI refused. At the time of negotiation, Smith said he believed UDRS could only be effective if it was used in all Test matches and not a selection of them.He reiterated his stance on Wednesday. “Using it once every seven series is not going to benefit anybody. If the technology is available and they want us to use it, then we must use it. Then you can have a proper idea of whether it works or not.” Smith’s statements were fuelled by three decisions that did not go South Africa’s way in the match.Zaheer Khan got away with an lbw shout off Dale Steyn’s bowling on day three when he was on 10 and his eight-wicket stand with VVS Laxman was worth 33. He went on to make 27 and share in an 70-run partnership with Laxman. Umpire Steve Davis was responsible for that decision. Two of South Africa’s batsmen were unlucky to be given out on the fourth day. AB de Villiers was adjudged lbw by Asad Rauf off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh. Replays showed the ball was going over the top of middle stump. Mark Boucher got an even worse decision when Davis gave him out lbw to Zaheer, to a delivery that was too high and missing off stump. There was also an incident where India might have benefitted from a referral. Harbhajan Singh had an lbw appeal against Ashwell Prince turned down when there was a suspicion of an inside-edge, but replays showed the ball had hit pad first.As per the ICC’s regulations, the host country must decide on the use of the UDRS in consultation with the visiting nation. It was in South Africa’s power as the host nation to insist on the use of the UDRS, but they did not do so. CSA and the BCCI have a history of friendly relations, which dates back to South Africa’s readmission into international cricket in 1991, and presumably, South Africa did not want to put that relationship at risk.Prior to this series, South Africa had used the UDRS in three of their last four Test series, with the exception being their tour of India. India have only used the UDRS once, in a series against Sri Lanka in 2008.

Swansea City’s automatic promotion hopes are all but over after a 1-0 defeat against QPR at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The late concession, combined with Watford’s 1-0 win against Norwich City, means that Steve Cooper’s side have to win all three of their remaining games, and hope that the Hornets lose all three of theirs if they want to finish in second place.

The Swans were second best for much of the game, with QPR hitting the woodwork twice before finally taking the lead with 89 minutes gone, with Lyndon Dykes smashing home from Albert Adomah’s clever through ball.

One man who particularly disappointed for Swansea at the Liberty Stadium was Wayne Routledge.

As per SofaScore, the 36-year-old veteran would earn a 6.8/10 rating for his performance, with only Ryan Bennett (6.6) and Kyle Naughton (6.6) rated lower of the players who started the game.

The winger, who was featuring up front in the absence of Andre Ayew, blew a great opportunity to give Swansea the lead in the first half when he hit the post, whilst he was extremely wasteful when played through on goal by Jamal Lowe, as his heavy touch allowed the goalkeeper to snatch the ball when he was one-on-one.

During the game, the veteran attacker would have just 28 touches of the ball and would only manage to complete 7/13 of his passes, resulting in a less than impressive 54% pass accuracy rate.

Not only is this far below the 64% rate he has averaged in the Championship this season, but it was also the fewest passes played by anyone on the pitch, with both goalkeepers completing twice as many.

Routledge was caught offside on three occasions which highlighted his lack of attacking positioning, whilst the fact that he managed to lose possession on nine occasions, despite being involved so little, will surely frustrate Cooper.

[freshpress-quiz id=“532484″]

To compound a miserable display, Routledge would win just 4/11 of his duels during the game and failed to hit the target with any of his shots, so you could definitely argue that he let Cooper down when the manager was relying on his experience to help see his side through what was a must-win game for the Swans.

And, in other news… Winter could sign Swansea their ideal Ayew heir in £225k-rated beast, Cooper would love him

This has been a very disruptive week for Wolverhampton Wanderers, not just because of the failed European Super League plans but also because of their manager.

Once again, Nuno Espirito Santo is attracting interest from one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. Arsenal were keen on the 47-year-old before they appointed Mikel Arteta, but now it’s their north London neighbours Tottenham who are considering him as their replacement for Jose Mourinho.

Nuno issued a defiant response on Friday, hinting that he’d be staying put in the Midlands. Before any talks can happen, though, they will need to negotiate the test of Burnley on Sunday lunchtime.

Wolves have begun to find their rhythm again in recent weeks and have now won their last two games without conceding a goal.

They’ll hope that continues when they face the Clarets this weekend but how will they line up? Here’s what we’re predicting…

We’re tipping Nuno to make only two changes from the side which beat Sheffield United 1-0 last time out.

Willian Jose scored his first goal for the Old Gold that night and hence keeps his place as the leading striker.

There is a place for the £80,000-per-week Fabio Silva, however, who replaces Daniel Podence in the starting XI. The club’s record signing has a goal and an assist in his last three matches, whereas the 25-year-old has struggled since returning from injury. He failed to provide a single key pass in the win over the Blades and was hauled off in the 72nd minute having surrendered possession 19 times.

The other change is in midfield, where Leander Dendoncker drops out in favour of Vitinha. The Belgian is a robust presence but hasn’t offered very much from an offensive point of view.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

Considering that he’s playing next to Joao Moutinho, another more defensive type of player, they could do with some added creativity in the form of Vitinha. He supplied a late chance for Adama Traore in their last game and deserves to finally earn a start.

Ruben Neves is still missing as he sits in isolation, while the likes of Jonny, Pedro Neto and Raul Jimenez remain long-term absentees.

AND in other news, Forget Jonny: Shi must complete Wolves swoop for £17m beast who can “play like Alaba”…

Ben Johnson delivered a promising performance on his return to the starting line-up despite West Ham United succumbing to a 3-2 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

David Moyes recalled the 21-year-old to his starting squad for the first time in four Premier League games, after hamstring injuries ruled Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku out of action.

The Irons boss had only fielded Johnson from the bench in two of West Ham’s prior three top-flight fixtures, after a chastening display from the academy graduate in defeat to Manchester United last month.

Johnson was widely criticised for his efforts at Old Trafford, with former Sheffield United midfielder Michael Brown claiming “I think he is frightened” after the youngster struggled to consistently get forward.

A first half red card for Craig Dawson this afternoon ensured that Johnson could not alleviate those concerns at Newcastle, as West Ham were forced to play much of the game with 10 men and needed a stable foundation in the hope of mounting a second half comeback.

However, Johnson still had chances to get forward and help to create openings for a Hammers side missing Michail Antonio due to a hamstring injury, and he ended the day with a team-high three key passes to his name, per WhoScored.

Only Newcastle’s dynamic dribbler Allan Saint-Maximin, who consistently ran at the Irons’ defence, created more goalscoring opportunities (five) than Johnson, while Vladimir Coufal and Mark Noble (two each) represented the visitor’s next-best options , per WhoScored.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

Jesse Lingard endured a very quiet first half and saw plenty of the ball after the break, but struggled to show his creativity before lashing home a thunderous penalty to restore parity with 10 minutes to play.

He would later limp off the pitch after appearing to develop cramp in his hamstring, having failed to offer a single key pass for the second game running and the fourth since joining the Irons on loan from Manchester United in February.

Johnson – who Franck McAvennie previously claimed is “a joy to watch” – also stood strong defensively to produce a vital goal-line clearance to deny Jacob Murphy in the closing stages, and further offered a joint team-high three successful tackles with Tomas Soucek.

Unlike Soucek, who was dribbled past twice, Johnson was only beaten on the ground once, with the £19k-per-week talent enjoy a vastly more productive afternoon than his Premier League match average of 0.8 tackles this season.

Johnson also won five of his seven ground duels and delivered seven crosses into the Newcastle box, with five finding an Irons teammate, per SofaScore.

Only Vladimir Coufal (seven) won more ground duels for West Ham than the left-back, while Lingard attempted the next-most crosses but failed to find a claret and blue shirt with any of his six deliveries, per SofaScore.

Lingard may have continued his run of either scoring or assisting in Premier League games for West Ham to seven in a row with his penalty, but Johnson was Moyes’ real positive from a disappointing defeat to Steve Bruce’s relegation-threatened Magpies.

AND in other news, a £4.5m-rated West Ham enforcer is being lined up for a summer move out of east London…

In recent comments, the BBC’s Simon Stone revealed that Tottenham Hotspur and the five other breakaway Premier League clubs remain unified in their desire to join the European Super League.

According to Stone’s report for the BBC (11:25), despite “all the strong statements” in objection to the European Super League,” there is “no weakening of resolve” amongst Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United in joining the newly formed league.

Stone continues by stating that that, from the perspective of the clubs, the proposals have been “thought through” and will “benefit the game as a whole,” with the sides involved said to simply be “waiting for the storm to die down.”

He said: “I have just spoken to someone who is close to the clubs concerned and they were adamant there is no weakening of resolve within the six English clubs who have signed up to ESL.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Stone’s remarks appear to directly contradict the reports that both Chelsea and Manchester City are beginning to waver in their commitment to the European Super League following the widespread backlash from the football community.

Indeed, Dan Roan recently claimed on Twitter that sources have informed him the reports of Chelsea and City’s doubts were nothing more than “mischief-making,” and that the “rebel alliance remains firm.”

As such, at this very moment, it would appear as if Tottenham, alongside the other five breakaway clubs, are still set to take part in the European Super League, regardless of the continuing backlash from both the fans and media.

In other news: Insider information on Spurs’ Mourinho sacking emerges; sources rubbish ‘absolutely false’ claim – find out more here!