All posts by h716a5.icu

Marcus North showed his class with a captain’s hundred to put Western Australia in a reasonable position at stumps on the first day at the Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2011
ScorecardMarcus North made 119 for the Warriors•Getty ImagesMarcus North showed his class with a captain’s hundred to put Western Australia in a reasonable position at stumps on the first day at the Adelaide Oval. North made 119 and Liam Davis scored 89, but South Australia’s bowlers fought back late in the afternoon through Peter George and Gary Putland to leave the Warriors at 7 for 288 at the close of play.George (3 for 59) was on a hat-trick at one stage after he had Davis caught behind and then trapped Adam Voges lbw next delivery. The hat-trick was not forthcoming, but soon afterwards Putland picked up the key wicket of North, who was given lbw, ending a 169-ball innings in which he looked in total control.Earlier, Putland had had Wes Robinson caught behind for 7 from a nasty short delivery that the batsman failed to fend properly, after the debutant Joe Mennie ended the opening partnership by having Marcus Harris caught behind for 22. At stumps, Travis Birt was the key man for the Warriors and was on 21, with Michael Beer on 5.

Leah Poulton and Jess Cameron powered Australia into the finals of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series, their 82-run partnership for the second wicket setting up a six-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2011Australia 147 for 4 (Poulton 61, Cameron 47, Bates 2-17) beat New Zealand 146 for 6 (Perry 50*, Sthalekar 2-33) by six wickets
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Leah Poulton drives down the ground during her 61•Getty ImagesLeah Poulton and Jess Cameron powered Australia into the finals of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series, their 82-run partnership for the second wicket setting up a six-wicket win after New Zealand had set a competitive 146 for 6. Cameron fell just short of her fifty but Poulton batted on, adding a further 47 with Shelley Nitschke and reaching 61 before she was dismissed with victory in sight.Medium pacer Lea Tahuhu appeared to give her team a chance when she bowled Meg Lanning for single figures, but Poulton and Cameron’s partnership helped put Australia on top. Bates threatened to spark a late fightback, trapping Cameron and Alex Blackwell in front of their stumps with consecutive deliveries to put herself on a hat-trick, but Poulton and Nitschke locked the game down with their aggressive batting.New Zealand had got off to a similarly enterprising start with the bat after Aimee Watkins had won the toss and opted to set a target, Watkins herself leading the way with a 22-ball 29 that included four fours and a six.She put on an opening stand of 52 with Bates before a flurry of wickets dented the middle order, and New Zealand were thankful for the in-form Liz Perry’s unbeaten fifty, which ensured they set a defendable total. That was not to be, however, and Australia will now meet a rampant England in the tournament final at the Rose Bowl on Monday.”The ground had a fast outfield and the wicket was good,” said Watkins. “We thought that we had enough. But obviously it wasn’t. I think it was a par score on that pitch. But Australia took the opportunities that came their way and put away the bad balls. They chased down the target well.”Watkins also praised Perry for her second successive knock under pressure. “It was a good back-up performance from Liz. She came up with another good performance for us today. I hope that continues tomorrow in the play-off and then onto the 50-over competition.””It was a good ground to chase down scores,” said Player of the Match Poulton. “The pitch was good for batting. The target was gettable. We had some clear plans on how many runs need to be scored in every period of the match. I am glad the plans we had came good as we reached all targets set for the game.”Poulton recalled a similar chase against England at the same ground previously and said the batting derived confidence from that match. “We had played England here and chased down 150 then. So we knew that 146 was a gettable target. We thought 140 to 150 was a par score and Kiwis did well in getting there. But we were always confident going into the chase.”Jess and I had a good partnership. She was striking the ball well and I quite liked to play second fiddle. We have batting all the way down, it was nice to be able to play my game. It was good to have a win in the lead-up to the final. We are confident about our chances. We have played England quite often and know what to expect of them. They are also a good, strong unit and as confident as us. So it will be a good contest.”

Twenty20 Finals Day was introduced to its first One-over Eliminator as a mad-cap semi-final swung one way and the other before settling in Leicestershire’s favour as Will Jefferson clubbed 15 runs of four balls in a dramatic finish

The Report by Sahil Dutta at Edgbaston27-Aug-2011 (D/L method)
One-over Eliminator
ScorecardWill Jefferson booked a spot in the final for Leicestershire by smashing three boundaries in the Super Over•Getty ImagesTwenty20 Finals Day was introduced to its first one-over Eliminator as a mad-cap semi-final swung one way and the other before settling in Leicestershire’s favour as Will Jefferson clubbed 15 runs off four balls in a dramatic finish. The victory booked Leicestershire both a place in the final and a spot in the Champions League qualifier next month, but for now their thoughts will be on the Birmingham finale.After rain had twice curtailed the game to leave Lancashire needing 80 from 11 overs, Gareth Cross clubbed a six off the final delivery to leave the scores level and set up the Eliminator. Stephen Moore had been Lancashire’s highest scorer in the tournament and was given the responsibility of setting the target with Steven Croft. Moore started with a six down the ground and added a four as the fielder at deep-square leg misjudged on the boundary. Claude Henderson, however, finished with two dot balls.Leicestershire had to chase 14 in their over and Jefferson made it look easy. Earlier he had seemed in good order during a 15-ball 23 but found better range against Gary Keedy. The first delivery was clattered through midwicket for four and the second down the ground. With four needed from the last two balls, Jefferson mowed a huge six deep into the stands over midwicket, sparking wild celebrations from both the Edgbaston crowd and the Leicestershire players.Though it ultimately made for a thrilling finish, the clouds that stalked the ground all day twice delivered downpours to interrupt the game. The first, in Leicestershire’s innings, lopped the match down to 18 overs a side but the second – after eight overs and one ball of the chase proved more decisive.Lancashire had skipped out of the blocks to take 38 from the five Powerplay overs but were bogged down by Henderson’s left-arm spin to be 53 for 1 when the rain arrived. With three games to squeeze into the day the chase was curtailed by the delay to leave Lancashire needing 27 from 17 more balls.Their response was to hack wildly. Batsmen walked in and off a procession as five wickets fell. Joshua Cobb, whose contribution had been limited to a diamond duck, was given the penultimate six balls and delivered a fearless over of offspin that gave away just six runs and brought two wickets. Wayne White’s final over had been superb until the last delivery – a low full toss – was dispatched by Cross over long-on to tie the scores. The crowd had started the day quietly but became ever more gripped by the wildly fluctuating match and were in raptures by the time the six set up an eliminator.Up until that Super Over, the first semi of Finals Day had proved a tale of two matches. Batsmen profiting against seamers and hamstrung against spin. Through the match 18 overs from the quicker men went for 157 while the spinners shared five wickets for 44 in 11. Hampshire’s trio of twirlers would have eyed each rasping turner with giddy anticipation.While the wicket may have raised eyebrows it was not unexpected. Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, said afterwards he had no complaints. “The wicket played pretty much what we thought,” he said. “Edgbaston is pretty consistent, it sticks in the pitch a bit, mix your pace, it turns a bit. And it’ll turn a bit more probably as the day goes on. But its nothing different. Normally 150 will be a good score, and that’ll hold sway throughout the day.”That Leicestershire ended up victorious was all the more unlikely after they lost their way batting first against Keedy and Stephen Parry’s left-arm spinners. With the ball gripping violently they were reduced to 82 for 5 by the 12th over. But, after a slow start Abdul Razzaq launched three sixes and two fours – sharing a crucial 40-run stand with Paul Nixon to haul them up 132. It proved enough, just, to extend Nixon’s career that little bit more.

The Rajasthan Cricket Association and Rajasthan Royals will meet in Mumbai on Tuesday in a move prompted by the BCCI to find a solution to their public conflict

Tariq Engineer16-May-2011The Rajasthan Cricket Association and Rajasthan Royals will meet in Mumbai on Tuesday in a move prompted by the BCCI to find a solution to their public conflict that erupted after the Sawai Mansingh Stadium pitch was switched for the game against Chennai Super Kings last week. The meeting follows RCA’s rejection of an apology offered by the Rajasthan franchise, with the state board also threatening further action if the matter was not resolved to its satisfaction.Since the pitch was changed for the May 9 game, Shane Warne, captain of Rajasthan, and Sanjay Dixit, the honorary secretary of the RCA, have engaged in a war of words that has been fought, in public, private and through the media. The dispute has grown to involve Lalit Modi, who was Dixit’s predecessor and opponent at RCA, and who has maintained good relations with Warne on Twitter.In his latest salvo on the micro-blogging site, Warne posted on Sunday to ask his fans to “wait till the end of IPL and I will say everything he promised and went back on his word about to the Royals. Unfortunately it is all about Dixit ego! RR has been fantastic for RCA – it’s about RR not Dixit.” To which Dixit replied: “I want to hear them too. Be sure to back it up with evidence, though.”Meanwhile Modi was re-posting a number of comments from other Twitter users critical of Dixit, such as one that read: “a quick way up the ladder in BCCI, is to publicly defame @LalitKModi and everyone he knows, don’t believe me ask @sanjay_dixit.” The RCA secretary was quick to respond to Modi directly, writing, “Bloody fugitive. Come back to India and I will give you your just desserts.”The Twitter exchange came after the RCA complained to the BCCI and IPL that Warne reportedly abused Dixit after his team’s loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Jaipur on Wednesday. The reported that RCA venue director Narendra Joshi had written to IPL’s chief operating officer Sundar Raman, alleging that Warne had publicly abused Dixit by calling him “a liar and egoistic” and demanded action against Warne.Rajasthan subsequently sent an email apology on May 14 to Dixit, in which the team said it would take disciplinary action against Warne, who had also apologised for “any distress caused”. However, according to Dixit, the franchise has refused to say what that disciplinary action would be, something he considers unacceptable. “We asked them what action they were going to take, but they never divulged it,” Dixit told ESPNcricinfo. “They are playing diversionary tactics.” Rajasthan Royals did not respond to phone calls or text messages seeking comment.Dixit said there has been no communication with the franchise since Sunday and in the wake of Rajasthan’s silence, he has threatened to take further action “because we want to put an end to these kinds of incidents. We cannot have players coming and abusing senior officials just because they don’t get what they want.”Warne’s alleged tirade has its genesis in Dixit’s refusal to have the match against Bangalore played on a different pitch to the one on which Rajasthan had lost to Chennai. The pitch for both the Chennai and Bangalore games was flat, unlike the slow and low tracks for Rajasthan’s first five home games, and had a short boundary, a switch that Warne had criticised after the Chennai match, saying he had never before been told which pitch to use in the four years of the IPLAt the time, Dixit contradicted Warne, saying the BCCI has always had the final say on which pitch is to be used. “The BCCI has already clarified that the pitch comes under the purview of the pitch committee and curator. So, how could I have acceded to his demand?” Dixit told the . “His behaviour was totally unjustified and I have asked for action against him.”The BCCI ratified that in a statement after the Chennai game. “Neither of the playing teams has a choice of the wicket, on which to play the game,” the statement said. “It is the curator, in consultation with the committee chairman, who prepares the wickets.”The Jaipur pitch first became a topic of discussion after Mumbai Indians were restricted to 94 for 8 on it, and Sachin Tendulkar called the track two-paced. At the time both Warne and Dixit had criticised Mumbai for their comments on the pitch. The BCCI’s pitches committee head Venkat Sundaram attended Rajasthan’s next home game, and took the decision to switch the pitch for the Chennai game. The same pitch was then used for Rajasthan’s last home game, which was also Warne’s last match in Jaipur, and Rajasthan were once again comprehensively beaten.

A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict on a petition challenging BCCI secretary N Srinivasan’s right to hold a position in the board while also holding a stake in an IPL franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2011A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court has delivered a split verdict on a petition challenging BCCI secretary N Srinivasan’s right to hold a position in the board while also holding a stake in an IPL franchise. The petition, filed by former board president AC Muthiah, questioned the motives behind the board amending their regulations in order to allow Srinivasan to have a dual role of board member and part-owner of Chennai Super Kings.Justice JM Panchal dismissed the petition, while Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra allowed it, holding that a BCCI officer bearer cannot have a stake in an IPL franchise. The split verdict means the petition has been referred to the chief justice for allocating it to a larger bench.The BCCI had amended clause 6.2.4 of the regulations for players, team officials, umpires and administrators in September 2008, shortly after the first season of the IPL. Before the amendment the clause read: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the board.” After the change, it read: “No administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI, excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”Muthiah’s argument was that the exclusion of IPL and Twenty20 events was made specifically to benefit Srinivasan. In September 2010, Mishra had suggested Srinivasan resign from his position in the board .”You introduce an amendment where the IPL will be an exception. You are a prominent industrialist holding a key position in the board and have a stake in the bidding,” Mishra had told Srinivasan. “In order to avoid suspicion and be above board, you should have got your membership suspended.”Our nagging question is: can you continue in a dual capacity? That is the core issue.”Following those statements, Mishra allowed Muthiah’s petition on April 28, 2011, but Panchal’s decision to dismiss it means the amendment to the BCCI regulations will stand for the time being.

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Copper must sign “sensational” defender Joris Gnagnon on a free transfer this summer. The Frenchman is currently without a club after being released from Saint-Etienne recently.

Forest were linked (via Nottingham Forest News) with him back in 2019 when they were managed by Sabri Lamouchi, who tried to convince the player to move to The City Ground when he was at Sevilla.

It hasn’t worked out for him since, and after being released from the Spanish club last year, he joined Saint-Etienne where he spent this season. There is a talent in there somewhere and the fact he’s available for free has got to make this even more appealing for Cooper and his staff.

He could come into the club and provide great competition for the defenders currently at Forest, and bring with him top-flight experience which could be needed should they secure promotion to the Premier League.

Gnagnon has made 19 appearances in Ligue 1 this season with his now former side battling to remain in the division.

One of the players he would be competing with if he moved would be Joe Worrall. The English defender has been pivotal to Forest’s promotion push having played 39 of their games in the league this season and is a favourite with the fans.

It would be hard to displace him given his impressive performances, however, we think that Gnagnon is a better defender and can offer Forest even more.

His statistics defensively are more striking, with Saint-Etienne winning possession of the ball 90 times this season as a result of a tackle made by Gnagnon. That compares to just 42 times for Forest and Worrall.

He also excels when passing the ball with an impressive pass completion percentage of 90% compared to the Englishman on 77%.

Although it may have not worked out for him at his past two clubs, this is a transfer with very low risk that Forest should be seriously considering. With no transfer fee involved, even if it didn’t go well, the club wouldn’t be massively out of pocket.

He was being paid £29k per week when he was at Sevilla and probably would be willing to take a pay cut to secure a move. Cooper must swoop for Gnagnon now before he’s snapped up by someone else.

IN other news: Sold after 1 appearance: Forest had a big disaster over £6.3m-rated “top talent”…

Celtic are close to snatching the SPFL title away from their Old Firm rivals as the end of what has been a storming season for the Hoops draws to a close.

With 35 league games played, the Bhoys have won 27, drawn five and lost three, scoring 81 goals and conceding 20 along the way under Ange Postecoglou.

One figure that hasn’t contributed that much to the side in an attacking sense is winger James Forrest.

Deployed just 16 times in the league, the Scotsman has only started eight of those games, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

To put that into perspective, 14 other players in the current squad have found the net on more occasions than the 30-year-old.

As the third-oldest player at the Parkhead club, it could be argued that his time as a first-choice option in the team is coming to an end.

Also, with a significant injury record and a current contract due to expire in the summer of 2023, his days at the club could be numbered as well.

With that in mind, the Hoops have recently been linked with a player that could come in and potentially be a long-term replacement for the veteran.

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Bodo/Glimt winger Ola Solbakken is on Celtic’s radar as a potential summer transfer target if they can’t strike a deal for current on-loan winger Jota.

In 19 appearances under his belt across all competitions this season, the 23-year-old has scored goals and provided assists whilst playing on the left and right sides of the pitch.

This shows how versatile he is and how comfortable he is being an attacking threat on both the left and right wings.

This versatility could also make him a useful next version of Forrest, who has also played on the left and right this season.

Labelled as being “[Jose] Mourinho’s nightmare” by journalist Pablo Giralt after the 23-year-old scored two goals in the 6-1 demolition of the Italian club back in October, the Norwegian has 17 goals and 18 assists to his name in 72 appearances for his current side.

Moving forward, with a reported price tag of £1.6m on the Norway international, the Bhoys should definitely consider paying this and getting him in as a potential long-term replacement for Forrest.

In other news: Transfer accelerating: Exciting Lennoxtown update will leave Celtic supporters buzzing

Aston Villa will be looking to sell French midfielder Morgan Sanson in the summer transfer window as Steven Gerrard aims to rejig his playing squad.

What’s the word?

According to former Villa striker Kevin Phillips, who was speaking to Football Insider, the 27-year-old midfielder will “definitely” leave the side in the upcoming summer transfer window, while suggesting that the manager will be “desperate” to sell him.

The club will reportedly accept bids around the £10m mark as they aim to cut their losses on the Frenchman.

Gerrard is desperate to sell

Gerrard is having a mixed spell at Villa so far since his arrival from Rangers in mid-November. A solid start was disrupted by a tough period over Christmas and New year, and while relegation was never really a threat, the former England captain will want to stamp his authority on the side ahead of an important campaign.

The manager will be desperate to sell Sanson, especially if a bid is going to be made on Philippe Coutinho and funds will need to be raised.

Unfortunately, it just hasn’t worked out for the midfielder at Villa Park since his arrival from Marseille in January 2021.

He has only featured in 21 matches for Villa during this underwhelming stint and after an injury in September, Dean Smith labelled it a “frustrating” time for the Frenchman.

During that time, he has only ever started six league games and has consistently underperformed, achieving a WhoScored average match rating of just 6.34 this term.

Gerrard and the club’s ownership, NSWE, will be hoping to cut their losses and gather the majority of the £16m transfer fee back that was spent on the player as the manager decides whether to plot a bid for loan star Coutinho.

With Villa’s most important transfer window fast approaching, recruitment will need to be spot on if Gerrard aims to push the side into the European spots next season and justify the decision to hire him in the first place.

If he has a slow start, then the board might have a decision to make.

AND in other news, “Gerrard really keen..“: Preece drops exciting Villa transfer claim, Lange must pounce

New Zealand Cricket XI, a shadow New Zealand Test team, have come out of the tour match against the Pakistanis in Whangarei with the psychological advantage of having taken a 97-run first-innings lead

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2011ScorecardUmar Gul rearranged Brendon McCullum’s stumps on the third day•Getty ImagesNew Zealand Cricket XI, a shadow New Zealand Test team, have come out of the tour match against the Pakistanis in Whangarei with the psychological advantage of having taken a 97-run first-innings lead. The match ended in a draw after both teams decided to end the third and final day’s play early, with New Zealand having reached 111 for 4 in 32 overs in their second innings.Misbah-ul-Haq, the visitors’ captain, completed his century on the third day as his team added another 53 runs to their overnight total of 234 for 8. Misbah, who has scored half-centuries in each of his last three Test innings, remained unbeaten, finishing on 126, but New Zealand will be satisfied that he was the only Pakistani batsman to go past fifty. The New Zealand Cricket XI bowling attack was similar to the one expected to take-on Pakistan in the first Test, which starts on Friday, with Chris Martin, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee and Brent Arnel all featuring in the tour match.Martin and Vettori had already taken three wickets apiece on the second day. On Tuesday morning, James Franklin picked up his second wicket of the match, dismissing Sohail Tanvir for a duck. Pakistan’s last-wicket pair put together 51 runs, with Tanvir Ahmed scoring 25 and sticking around for 52 balls to support Misbah. Southee finally took the last wicket, getting Tanvir Ahmed out caught by Tim McIntosh.Umar Gul was able to prevent Brendon McCullum from building on the confidence he earned with his first-innings double-century, bowling him for 18. Gul dismissed Kane Williamson two balls later for a duck to leave the home side at 25 for 2. McIntosh and James Franklin spent some time at the wicket, getting 26 and 30 respectively. Younis Khan took the final wicket of the day with his seamers, bowling McIntosh. Wicketkeeper Reece Young and Southee were unbeaten at the end of play.

Just days after humbling Kenya in an Intercontinental Cup fixture in Nairobi, Afghanistan were at the receiving end of a thrashing themselves

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2010
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Steve Tikolo starred with a half-century•Getty ImagesJust days after humbling Kenya in an Intercontinental Cup fixture in Nairobi, Afghanistan were at the receiving end of a thrashing themselves, sliding to a 92-run defeat against the same opponents in the first of three ODIs in Nairobi. It was a low-scoring contest with both batting line-ups collapsing after promising starts to their innings.Kenya chose to bat and openers Seren Waters and David Obuya were involved in a steady stand of 55. David’s brother Collins and Steve Tikolo, Kenya’s most experienced player, consolidated the innings after the openers were dismissed, taking them to a healthy 139 for 2 in the 35th over. Tikolo eased to a half-century, his 23rd in ODIs, and the situation looked promising for the hosts but their batting then fell apart.Mirwais Ashraf, the medium-pacer, triggered the slide, bowling Tikolo and accounting for Collins Obuya and Maurice Ouma in a space of two overs. Legspinning allrounder Samiullah Shenwari strangled the innings from the other end with a couple of wickets, including Thomas Odoyo, who, like Tikolo, has been a part of the Kenyan set-up since the 1996 World Cup. From 139 for 2, Kenya slid to 145 for 8. It was captain Jimmy Kamande who rose to the occasion, resisting with the lower order to make 31 and inducing some respectability to the score, extending it to 180.As it turned out, Kenya had made enough well before the collapse ensued as Afghanistan’s batting flopped. Things appeared to be on track when the openers had added 33 but their start set a deceptive tone for the innings. Once Karim Sadiq was run out in the eighth over, the Kenya bowlers attacked ruthlessly to derail Afghanistan. Noor Ali Zadran, Sadiq’s opening partner, was left stranded amid the relentless fall of wickets at the other end, as none of the other batsmen who followed Sadiq reached double-figures.Medium-pacer Nehemiah Odhiambo, who has five relatives involved in cricket in Kenya, grabbed three wickets, supported by offspinner James Ngoche and Odoyo, who picked up two each. Afghanistan folded for a humiliating 88 to trail 0-1 in the three-match series.