Dive for the prize Behind-the-wicket catching has been a severe problem for Australia over the past month, but there was no issue in the micro-seconds it took Matthew Hayden to leap high to his left and stun Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The batsman had driven hard at Brett Lee and Hayden, standing at second slip, latched on to it like he had a bucket on his hand. It was the Australians’ catch of the series.Another not out “Now for the hat-trick, Billy,” a spectator in the Bradman Stand shouted after Sourav Ganguly was finally ruled caught from his scoop to Michael Hussey at cover. Mitchell Johnson’s previous delivery to Ganguly looked plumb to viewers behind the wicket, but Billy Bowden, who has spent much of the Test shaking his head to appeals, was not swayed. The hypothetical hat-trick ball was easily covered by VVS Laxman.Foot fault Sachin Tendulkar arrived in a hurry, driving his first ball hard into the foot and shin of Phil Jaques at bat-pad before it ricocheted to Andrew Symonds at cover. The Australians were confident they had achieved a miracle dismissal, but the replays raised doubt over whether it bounced short of Jaques’ foot and Tendulkar was rightfully reprieved.Jekyll and Hyde Tendulkar’s 13 continued his trend of under-performing in the second innings against Australia. He managed only 52 runs for the entire series at the second attempts, but he more than made up for it with 440 at 146.67 in the first ones during an unforgettable collection of a couple of hundreds and another two half-centuries. Australians will remember his time here fondly.Gilly’s last dismissal Adam Gilchrist bid farewell to Tests by making sure Mark Boucher would have just that little bit extra to do when he inevitably regains the world record for dismissals. Gilchrist took a leg-side catch off Brett Lee to dismiss Laxman and in his final session held on to Virender Sehwag’s edge and celebrated wildly. In between the two catches, his last effort in Tests was nearly decided for him when, standing up, Stuart Clark boomed in a bouncer. Agile to the last, he managed to put his gloves in front of his face just in time.Bruised and broken Brett Lee’s bouncers have been hostile this series and he made Rahul Dravid retire hurt after one got big on the batsman and hit his right middle finger. That was on Dravid’s 15th dot ball of the day, and although he played out one more over he couldn’t grip the bat properly and left the field for an x-ray. It showed a break.The Billy and Asad show The Test may have been petering out to a draw, but the umpires decided they could still have some fun. As they waited for the teams to arrive back on the pitch for the final session, Bowden and Asad Rauf took the match ball and started practising their slip catching in the middle. They may well have inspired Hayden.
The first day of the second Test between the England and Bangladesh A sides was washed out at Bogra.Heavy rain had lashed the area on Tuesday night leaving the outfield extremely soggy and further rain on the morning of game left the umpires with no choice but to abandon the day. They finally bowed the inevitable at 2pm.The news is not much better for the remaining days but, if the weather relents, play will start half an hour earlier each morning to try and make up for lost time.England had planned to bring Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire legspinner, into the side at the expense of Tom Smith following their five-wicket win in the first Test at Mirpur.
Lahore Lions made heavy weather of a modest target, beating Hyderabad Hawks by three wicketsin an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Lahore. Chasing 200, Lahore lost three early wickets before half-centuries by Rashid Riaz and Adnan Raza provided stability. Naeem-ur-Rehman, the medium-pacer, then struck back with three wickets, all lbw, to leave Lahore in a spot of bother at 157 for 7 but Raza guided his team to victory with an unbeaten 69. Earlier, Hyderabad failed to capitalise on winning the toss, losing wickets regularly. Shahid Qambrani, continuing his good form after his ton in the previous game, was the only batsman to cross fifty.An unbeaten 112 by Afaq Raheem helped Islamabad Leopards canter to a easy nine-wicket win against Karachi Dolphins in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Islamabad. Raheem struck 17 boundaries and added 146 with Bazid Khan for the second wicket to see the side through. Sent in to bat, the Karachi batsmen struggled against some quality bowling by the Islamabad bowlers. Rauf Akbar and Zohaib Ahmed, the opening bowlers, shared seven wickets between them to bundle Karachi out for 190. Akbar had the best figures of 4 for 44 and cleaned up the tail.Sialkot Stallions bagged their first win in the tournament beating Rawalpindi Rams by three wickets in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Karachi. Batting first, Rawalpindi finished on 221 with half-centuries by Mohammad Wasim (74), the former Pakistan batsman, and Yasir Arafat (64*). Tahir Mughal and Mansoor Amjad took three wickets each for Sialkot. Sialkot began their chase losing two quick wickets before Atiq-ur-Rehman (60) steadied the innings. The middle-order batsmen chipped in with useful scores as Sialkot got home with over four overs to spare.A scintillating 118 off only 85 balls by Ali Naqvi helped Abbottabad Rhinos beat Quetta Bears by four wickets in a high-scoring duel at Abbottabad. Set a target of 315, the Rhinos won in the final over, guided by Ahmad Said (50*), the wicketkeeper. Naqvi’s innings included six fours and sixes, taking the attack top the bowlers before being run-out in the final stages of the chase. Earlier, Quetta were propelled by their lower order, with half-centuries by Faisal Irfan (78), the captain and Hameedullah Khan (64). Both scored at over a run-a-ball. Adil Nasar finished the innings in style, scoring 42 off only 23 balls with three sixes.Faisalabad Wolves beat Multan Tigers convincingly by fifty runs in an ABN AMRO Cup league match at Faisalabad Chasing 265, Multan lost wickets at regular intervals and never really looked like winning. Adnan Akmal, brother of national wicketkeeper Kamran, showed some fight late in the innings but was short of assistance at the other end. Earlier, Misbah-ul-Haq, the Faisalabad captain, scored a valuable 65 to take his side to a competitive total before being stumped off Majid Majeed, the offbreak bowler who finished with four wickets.Teams batting second in the second round games in the ABN AMRO Cup have generally emerged triumphant, as Peshawar Panthers prevailed in a high-scoring duel beating Karachi Bears by five wickets thanks to an unbeaten 117 by Mohammad Fayyaz. Fayyaz and Rafatullah Mohmand (51) took the game away from Peshawar, with a 90-run stand for the second wicket. Earlier, Khurram Manzoor (50), Naumanullah (81) and Hasan Raza (70) helped Karachi post a tall score of 284. Fazl-e-Akbar was the best bowler for Peshawar picking up three wickets.
ScorecardJamaica crushed Leeward Islands by 176 runs to notch up an easy win at the Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay. Requiring 309 to win, Leeward Islands were bundled out for 132, giving Jamaica 12 points from their first Carib Beer Cup match of the season. Resuming at 16 for 2, Leeward kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They slumped to 57 for 6 before Ridley Jacobs (32) and Stuart Williams (31) delayed the inevitable with a 59-run stand. However, Odeon Brown then wrapped up the tail quickly, finishing with 3 for 22. ScorecardWith rain having reduced Trinidad’s match against Guyana into a two-day affair, a draw was the only possible result. Resuming at 82 for 3, Guyana were bowled out for 163, but they fought back to have Trinidad struggling at 120 for 7 when play was called off. Narsingh Deonarine and Damodar Daesrath were the stars for Guyana. Deonarine scored 93, easily the highest score in the match, to prop up Guyana’s innings. Daesrath, the captain, then struck with ball, taking 5 for 34 as Trinidad struggled to bat out the day. The result meant that both teams got four points each.The match between Barbados and Windward Islands was washed out without a ball being bowled.
All Today’s Yesterdays – July 28 down the yearsJuly 27| July 291936 Birth of surely the greatest allrounder in cricket history. Garry Sobers, one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, was just 21 years old when he converted his maiden Test century into a colossal 365 not out against Pakistan at Kingston in 1957-58, which remained the Test record for 36 years, until Brian Lara came along. Sobers won the 1966 series in England almost single-handed, scoring three centuries – all in excess of 160 – and a 94, as well as taking 20 wickets with his left-arm bowling, which would flit between seam and spinas befitted the situation. For many years he was a stalwart at Nottinghamshire, and against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1968, he became the first batsman to hit six sixes in an over in first-class cricket, making Malcolm Nash famous in the process. A colossus with bad knees, Sobers retired from the game in 1974, with 8032 Test runs and 235 wickets tohis name, and was knighted shortly afterwards.1977 Talking of allrounders, on this day a likely lad called Ian Botham made his Test debut for England. He started as hemeant to go on by taking five Australian wickets on his first day, and immediately served notice of his ability to buy wickets through sheer force of personality. His maiden scalp was a memorable one – Greg Chappell, bowled off what can only be described as a rank long hop. He added a handy 25 from No. 8, as England won by seven wickets.1991 Order is restored at Edgbaston. After falling behind in the series, West Indies went 2-1 up against England with a seven-wicket victory in the fourth Test. The only English fifty of the match came from their No. 10, Chris Lewis, who also took six-for in the first innings and, at the age of just 23, was starting to look like the new Botham. The real deal, though, was Richie Richardson, who continued anoutstanding year – nobody matched his four Test hundreds in 1991 – with a decisive 104. As for England, their dreams of their first series win over the Windies since 1969 were over, but they salvaged plenty of pride by squaring theseries at The Oval.1987 A maniacal run-chase at Edgbaston. England were left to chase 124 off 18 overs to beat Pakistan and square the series. It called fora Flintoff or a Trescothick: instead Tim Robinson (4 off 10 balls) and Bill Athey (14 off 20) struggled to give themthe requisite oomph, and England ended up on 109 for 7. In Wisden Cricket Monthly, David Frith said that “like a man who had given up all hope of wealth and then seen some diamonds in the ditch, England had ruptured themselves in their anxiety to grasp the prize.” They did well to evenget close, though: at lunch on the final day, Pakistan were 79 for 1 – three runs behind and the most boring of draws drifting to sleep. Instead, it was so nearly a classic.1970 Birth of the first legspinner to play Test cricket for Zimbabwe. Paul Strang won his first cap in 1994-95 and was soon joined in the team by his brother Bryan. The highlight of his career came at Sheikhupura in 1996-97, when he followed an unbeaten century from No. 8 with five wickets in Pakistan’s reply, though hewas somewhat overshadowed by his opposite number in the batting order, Wasim Akram, who finished unbeaten on 257. A wrist injury kept him out of the side for three years, though his comeback was impressive – he took 8 for 109 against New Zealand at Bulawayo in 2000-01.1937 Two triple-centuries on the same day. Bouncy little Eddie Paynter scored 322 in five hours for Lancashire v Surrey at Hove – and Richard Moore hit 316 against Warwickshire at Bournemouth, still the highest County Championship score for Hampshire.1973 One of the new wave of West Indian fast bowlers, Nixon McLean was born. So far his middle names (Alexei McNamara) have been more impressive than his Test average (42.56).1934 South African batsman Louis Tancred died. His highest Test score was made in his very first innings: 97 against Australia in 1902-03. His brother Bernard was the first opener to carry his bat in Test cricket.1973 Victory for England in the inaugural women’s World Cup. Enid Bakewell hit 118 out of 273 for 3 to beat Australia by 92 runs at Edgbaston.Other birthdays 1931 Johnny Martin (Australia) 1891 Ron Oxenham (Australia)
The Zimbabwe squad will arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport on flight UL 423 at 11:45 p.m. on the 29th of November.Journalists are advised to confirm flight arrival by calling Flight Information on 073-2377 or 073-2677 prior to leaving for BIA. All media persons are kindly requested to make their own arrangements with respect to travel to Katunayake and security clearance for entry into BIA.The Taj Samudra invites media personnel to cover the arrival of the Zimbabwe team at the hotel, at 1:30 a.m. on the 30th of November. Please note that this is a photo opportunity only and not a press conference.
Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar will captain opposing teams in a three-match T20 exhibition tour of the USA next month. The matches will be played in New York, Houston and Los Angeles and the event, titled “Cricket All-Stars Series 2015″, will feature more than two dozen retired internationals from other Test nations.The matches will take place on November 7 at New York’s Citi Field, November 11 at Houston’s Minute Maid Park and November 14 at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium. The first two games are slated to be played in the daytime while the final game at Dodger Stadium is scheduled to be played under the lights at the 56,000 capacity facility.”To make history in America playing these cricket games, myself and Sachin walking out and tossing the coin in New York at Citi Field, will be a pretty epic moment,” Warne told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. Warne had said in June that Chicago’s Wrigley Field would also be a venue during the tour, but those plans were scrapped while an earlier proposal to play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx had also been ditched in favor of Citi Field located in the New York City borough of Queens.
List of participating players
India – Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar Australia – Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath, Brad Haddin South Africa – Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Lance Klusener, Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald England – Graeme Swann, Michael Vaughan West Indies – Brian Lara, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Carl Hooper Sri Lanka– Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene Pakistan– Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Moin Khan New Zealand– Daniel Vettori
All three facilities are baseball stadiums – occupied by the NY Mets, Houston Astros and LA Dodgers – and according to sources, drop-in pitches will be used with the strips being laid from second base extending out toward the centre field wall.Apart from the captains whose teams are named “Sachin’s Blasters” and “Warne’s Warriors”, the event website lists 26 other players who are set to take part including Brian Lara and Wasim Akram. Besides Tendulkar, three former Indian team-mates join him on the exhibition roster: Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar. Four other Australians are also listed to join Warne: Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin.According to a list obtained by ESPNcricinfo, nine other players were also tentatively included to take part: Anil Kumble, Andy Flower, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey. However, Younis will be coaching Pakistan against England in the UAE throughout November while Mahela Jayawardene, one of the players included in the main list of 26, is also in the UAE in a consultant role with England but is understood to be leaving after the first Test ends on October 17.This is the first attempt at a revenue-generating cricket foray in the USA since a pair of Twenty20 matches were played between West Indies and New Zealand in June 2012 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. The 15,000 capacity facility is the only ICC ODI-certified cricket specific stadium in the USA, but will not be used for any of the T20 exhibition matches.
An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio…
What’s the talk?
According to Calciomercato, the Magpies are keen on a deal to sign the defender from the Portuguese champions in the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the Toon have not been put off by his new contract with Sporting, after he recently penned fresh terms until 2025.
Get it done
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe must ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the £9.2k-per-week tank in the summer, as he would be a fantastic signing for the club.
He has been in fine form in Liga Portugal for Sporting this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.08 across 19 starts. The Portuguese giants have kept 11 clean sheets in those 19 matches, showing that Inacio has been a crucial member of a terrific defensive unit this term, which is one of the reasons why he would be a fantastic addition to Howe’s squad.
Journalist Zach Lowy previously dubbed him “underrated”, while his former coach José Lima (as quoted by Portuguese outlet RR) also heaped praise on the defender, saying: “The psychological aspect is one of his great strengths, as he shows a lot of tranquility in any situation, in addition to his technical skills, in the formation, he could play as a left-back because his dominant foot is his left.
“Although at Sporting, now, he plays on the right side, even though that is not the dominant foot. He has, therefore, evolved and has been more confident with the passing of the games. He is an increasingly stronger player. He has always played with quality.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
At the age of 20, he has the majority of his career ahead of him to grow and develop as a player over the years, so Newcastle would be buying him for his ability now and also what he can provide further down the line. Howe could work with him on the training pitch to help him fulfill his potential, which could make him a huge asset in the future if he is able to increase his value.
Therefore, the Magpies must seal a deal for Inacio, as he would likely make an impact in the short-term given his statistics for Sporting and in the long-term with his potential. He would be an excellent addition to the 44-year-old’s options at centre-back and must be a priority target for the summer.
AND in other news, Forget Trippier: £13m “Rolls-Royce” is saving NUFC’s season, he’s their “figurehead”…
ScorecardA strong bowling performance put Gujarat on course for victory in the final of the Ranji Trophy Plate League at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Gujarat ended the fourth day requiring just 120 more to win with all ten wickets intact. The stars of the day were their bowlers, who dismissed Railways for just 169 in their second innings. The openers then chopped off 30 runs from their target of 150 before close of play.Resuming their overnight score of 14 for 1, Railways’ slide started when Sanjay Bangar and Murali Kartik fell within the space of three deliveries, leaving them tottering at 23 for 3. The middle order barely resisted and succumbed to a three-wicket burst by Amit Singh, as Railways slumped to a precarious 79 for 6.Harshad Rawle and Raja Ali then battled it out for more than 30 overs in their stand of 56. Rawle scored 45 off 180 balls while Ali was the more fluent of the two, scoring 46 off 99. Their partnership was dislodged by legspinner Timil Patel, and the lower order could do little to push the score. Singh finished with figures of 3 for 22 while Mohnish Parmar, Ashraf Makda and Patel too two wickets apiece.Nilesh Modi and Rajesh Tabiar, the Gujarat openers, then played out 20 overs in the evening. They didn’t score too many, but importantly for the team, they were still together when the last ball of the day had been bowled.
Dinanath Ramnarine, the executive president of the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), has said that the WIPA is prepared to work with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to help educate players on anti-corruption and anti-doping codes.Ramnarine added that the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association had raised the issue with the ICC but that little had changed. “You may make a presentation to one group, but the team playing in the next series could be totally different,” Ramnarine told the Caribbean Media Corporation. “In the West Indies, there is a need for all the players to understand these codes because no one ever knows when they will be selected.”In touch with Marlon Samuels, who was taped by the Nagpur police in conversation with an alleged Indian bookie, Ramnarine said that the WIPA would do whatever it could to support Samuels, a member of the association. “He [Samuels] has emphatically denied any wrongdoing of any sort and I have no reason to doubt him,” Ramnarine told the Caribbean Media Corporation.”We are still receiving information, and there is process for dealing with these matters. The ICC has a code relating to these things, and all we can do is make sure – whoever the player – is treated in a fair manner. Marlon says he will cooperate with the authorities fully to prove his innocence and this is all we can ask of him.”The Nagpur police revealed on February 8 that Samuels had passed on team information to Mukesh Kochar, an alleged bookie, ahead of the first ODI between India and West Indies in Nagpur on January 21. Members of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit are expected to arrive in Nagpur on February 12 for detailed discussions with the police and hotel staff regarding the case.Meanwhile, the WICB also announced that it would fully support Samuels and would not impose any sanctions on him unless there was evidence that he was guilty.