The standoff between the Indian Premier League and the media over controversial guidelines for covering the inaugural tournament looks set to ease after a meeting between officials of both sides on Monday. The IPL has toned down some of its earlier restrictions, especially benefiting the print media, though it has not relaxed its ban on websites covering matches from the ground, nor its ban on news agencies supplying websites with images.It was also disclosed that the date for submitting accreditation forms would be extended beyond the original April 8 deadline.”We have successfully concluded with them [media representatives] the way forward and there are no issues on the table,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said after the meeting in Mumbai. “New media guidelines are being issued this evening, and will be published [on the IPL website].””It was two-way traffic at our discussions and it was a happy ending,” Pradeep Vijayakar, vice-president of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI), said.Barry Parker, South-East Asia bureau chief of Agence France Presse (AFP), told Cricinfo that he and the international media coalition that also includes AP and Getty Images are waiting for the written version of the new guidelines before they decide on their next step. Parker had earlier said the terms and conditions as existed “don’t allow us to cover the event.”The day’s bad news was reserved for websites, whose representatives will be granted accreditation for the tournament but not match tickets, enabling them to report on pre- and post-match activity but barring them from the press box during play. This, IPL officials said, is because the league wishes to protect the portal rights it has sold to an American firm.The other contentious clause that remains is preventing news agencies from selling their pictures to websites, who will have to source images from the IPL database. Modi said the IPL’s planned photo database would integrate resources that can take about 10,000 photographs on a single day at various venues.”That makes things difficult,” Parker commented. “There’s more than one issue as far as the AFP is concerned.”However, there was resolution on other major contentious issues, largely surrounding use of images. Contrary to the earlier guidelines, the IPL will not have the rights, free and without restrictions, to all photographs taken at the matches; and news organisations will not have to upload on the IPL site, within 24 hours, all images taken at the ground. The IPL has also allowed newspapers with their own web publication to upload six different pictures on their online photo galleries in addition to the pictures published in print.
The other contentious clause that remains is preventing news agencies from selling their pictures to websites, who will have to source images from the IPL database
The IPL also relaxed its limit of accreditations for each organisation – there will now be two accreditations each for reporters and photographers from any media house.”There has been a misunderstanding to a certain extent as far as the guidelines and there was no clarity on the guidelines,” Modi said.The original guidelines, published last week, had provoked widespread outrage in the media. The influential Editors’ Guild of India criticised the “prohibitive conditions” that it said were “unprecedented and unacceptable to the Indian media.”The SJFI had also issued a statement expressing “alarm and concern” over the IPL’s conditions and asked that the “unfair and unethical restrictions being placed on the media be withdrawn unconditionally”.
Manoj Tiwary could not wait to get that India cap but now the man who had refused to recognise pressure or fear will have to learn a new, perhaps tougher trait – patience. While he sits and ponders, he can reflect on what Ravi Shastri said in Kolkata when Rahul Dravid got injured in the nets. “Getting injured is a part of the enjoyment process. This is not a game of marbles; it is a sport and you are bound to get injured.” But so soon?At the preparatory camp in Kolkata, Tiwary had impressed both Dravid and Shastri with his eagerness and enthusiasm. Ironically, it is that same enthusiasm which cost him his debut. Watching the incident, at Tuesday’s outfielding practice drill, at close quarters, one could immediately sense that Tiwary had had a bad fall. Yuvraj Singh had twice taken it easy and hadn’t risked his braced knee by diving to save a similar boundary. Tiwary, though, too young and fast to contemplate the consequences of a false move, dived to save that ball as if four runs were required off the last ball of a match.He saved the four all right but as he fell things slowed down. Unsuspecting team-mates shouted, “Manoj, char ja raha hai!. (It’s going for four!)” Tiwary didn’t get up, and waited for John Gloster to come and attend to him. Initial applause for the effort was slowly replaced by concern. That boundary didn’t really matter. His tour, now, for all practical purposes, has ended, as Cricinfo reported yesterday and Dravid confirmed today. “He probably won’t be available for the series. It’s really disappointing and we feel for the youngster. It’s sad for a kid to be selected and to have an unfortunate injury like this. We feel for him.”Tiwary’s attitude during the domestic championships had been a breeze of fresh air; he had talked big, saying he did not fear anything; he enjoyed bowlers sledging him; he seemed to love the big challenge. His international debut, therefore, was much anticipated; this was his chance to walk his talk. But all he can do now is wait, as Dravid said, “He is in good hands [Gloster’s[. The board will be behind him and hopefully he can get through this and come back for more… He has a lot of cricket ahead of him.”
At a time when players are reportedly unhappy with the non-stop schedules imposed on them by their boards, it might seem out of place to moan about the gap between matches, but South Africa and New Zealand start the second Test at Cape Town on Thursday after eight days of doing nothing.New Zealand might have expected to play a tour match in that time, but the itinerary has left them with nothing more strenuous than the occasional net and plenty of time off. That hasn’t stopped them losing Shane Bond, who failed a gentle fitness test on his knee on Tuesday and will return home, hobbling out of the tour and of his summer commitments with Gloucestershire.Hamish Marshall has also been ruled out with a rib injury, although at least their third doubt, Nathan Astle, has been passed fit to play despite bone chips in his left knee. New Zealand have given Michael Papps a chance to restate his claim at the top of the order, although he has failed to impress against short-pitched bowling in the past and is sure to be tested here. “The openers are an area of concern,” admitted Stephen Fleming, New Zealand’s captain. ” We’ve got to wait until someone comes along that has good statistics behind them and is a good opening bat. At the moment our best batsmen are on tour and it’s a case of finding a position for them.”.South Africa have no such worries, with just one self-imposed change. Hashim Amla is likely to take the No.3 slot in the batting line-up after Herschelle Gibbs was left out. Amla has much to prove after a very disappointing time against England in 2004-05, making 36 runs in four innings, with serious questions being raised about his technique. Boeta Dippenaar is likely to replace Gibbs as opener.The pitch is something of a mystery as Newlands has never staged a major match this late in the year. The hard-pressed groundsman admitted that he had struggled with heavy rain taking longer to dry than it would in a conventional season, and that will mean any moisture in the pitch will linger well into the day. The general consensus is that it will give variable bounce to the seamers, as well as help to the spinners earlier than might otherwise be expected.Early-morning dew could make the first hour of the day even more tricky for the batsmen. Both teams have postponed their practice sessions from 9.30am to 10.30am to avoid the wetness. The Test itself starts at 10am.If the pitch does turn, it has to help New Zealand, for Daniel Vettori is the one class spinner in the match. If it really looks likely to break up then New Zealand might even contemplate drafting in a second spinner – Jeetan Patel – but that would leave their attack dangerously imbalanced if they were to lose the toss and bowl first.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Boeta Dippenaar, 3, Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villers 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Sean Pollock, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.New Zealand (probable) 1 Peter Fulton, 2 Michael Papps, 3 Stephen Fleming (capt), 4 Scott Styris, 5 Nathan Astle, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Brendon McCullum (wk), 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 James Franklin, 10 Kyle Mills, 11 Chris Martin.
Sourav Ganguly and Lou Vincent were much talked about on the final day of the Ahmedabad Test. Ganguly, for letting things drift and being unable to force a win; Vincent, for his mastery of the conditions and the Indian spinners. Here’s what they had to say:Sourav Ganguly On India’s bowling performance: I thought we bowled pretty well. The pitch got slower and slower as the game progressed, and there was notmuch help for the bowlers. I thought they tried very hard.On the surface: It’s the responsibility of the BCCI pitches committeeto prepare wickets accordingly, which they have not done here.On the pressure on India at Mohali: I thought we dominated them here, so there won’t be too much pressure. It will be a different surface inMohali, and if we can put up the runs on the board, we should win. But to win the series, we have to win there, so that’s the bottomline.On his groin infection: The infection has not healed very much, but it isbetter than on the first day. We’ll have to wait for a couple of days to see.On why he started off proceedings on the fourth daywith Kumble and Balaji: There wasn’t much for the spinners, and I thoughtBalaji bowled well in this Test. He had gotten RobbieHart the night before and had troubled Paul Wiseman afew times. He brought the ball into the batsman too. Ithought he bowled well and was unlucky not to getwickets.On the playing XI for Mohali: Playing five specialist bowlers is definitely a thought. With Ajit Agarkar coming in for the injuredAavishkar Salvi, we can afford that. But we’ll have towait and see the pitch before decidingLou Vincent On his innings: In the morning it was a pretty tough situation. Indiahad 18 overs at us last night and went all out to get a few wickets. After Zaheer Khan performed well in the first innings and took three early wickets, it wasimportant for somebody to hang in there and see the shine off the ball. I was surprised to see Mark Richardson go, because he had been in good form forNew Zealand.If we’d had a good couple of sessions, wecould have set up a good chase in the final hour orso, but things didn’t turn out that way. As you couldprobably have seen, I was gutted to get out. I wasdisappointed to miss out on a century.On the wicket:It was pretty flat, although the footmarks weregetting rather nasty by the time the game ended. It’smy first Test in India, and I don’t know much aboutpitches here. It had both spin and bounce, though, andin my limited experience, I thought it was a good Test wicket.On perceived friction between Anil Kumble and StephenFleming on the field: I didn’t see any, from where I was, but it’s alwayslike a war out there. If, from a spectator’s point ofview, I saw the teams applauding each other’s runs andwickets, I’d think: “What are the wallies doing?”On New Zealand’s strategy for the Mohali Test: Well, we’ll have to see. Right now, we’re just happy to get through this little battle. We lost only fivewickets in the final day to two world-class spinners, so we’re pretty happy about that.On the heat: Ah, I don’t know how you Indians live here! It’s souncomfortable! But as professional athletes who playso much in Asia, it’s important to adjust and be ableto perform regardless of the conditions.
Less than 48 hours after it was revealed that Bryan Strang had been banned from playing domestic cricket by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU), it has emerged that Paul, his older brother, has also been overlooked by his provincial side in rather strange circumstances.Paul Strang played 24 Tests and 95 one-dayers for Zimbabwe between 1994 and 2001. Although Manicaland gave no reason for his being dropped last season, he has little doubt what was behind their decision.”I wasn’t given a reason, but when I was head of the players’ association I had been very vocal about various aspects of the game I believed to be wrong, including the quotas system," he told BBC Sport. “It seems you have to be a ‘yes man’ and be a puppet on a string to play for the ZCU. They don’t seem to apply the normal parameters for selection, but use other things than a player’s statistics."Former Zimbabwe fast bowler Henry Olonga, who now lives in the UK after fleeing his homeland following his black-armband protest during last year’s World Cup, agreed with Strang’s view. “According to the ZCU, they are an apolitical organisation, but the way they deal with any players who have shown any form of dissent is not consistent with that,” he explained to BBC Sport. "I made my comments and I got censured. All sorts of things happened to me after I took my stance. Many players who have had the freedom to speak their minds about what’s happened in Zimbabwe very often find themselves ostracised.”The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has declined to comment on the situation regarding the Strangs.
Give away a bonus point, offer a team a berth in a finals series, and evidently media criticism, a small crowd, and an eight wicket hiding is all that New Zealand receives by way of thanks. Or at least that’s the way it seems after South Africa’s batsmen, bowlers and fielders all savaged the Black Caps to open up a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three VB Series deciders in Melbourne tonight.It had lost three of its four previous matches against South Africa in the series and won only one of its last 16 games against the Proteas overall.And, today, New Zealand never really looked in the game either.Lopsided as the contest may have been, though, there was plenty to appreciate in the performances of a number of the South Africans. The bowlingof Makhaya Ntini (5/31) was outstanding; Shaun Pollock (1/30) and Lance Klusener (2/27) were also consistently threatening; and then BoetaDippenaar (79*) and Jacques Kallis (59*) led not so much a chase of a victory target of 191 as a saunter.The New Zealanders (the targets of criticism on both sides of the Tasman over recent days for their decision to give away a bonus point to SouthAfrica in their previous match) had the opportunity to tilt the scales their way when captain Stephen Fleming enjoyed a victory at the toss.But, while that outcome killed any prospect that they would be forced to chase another big South African total, it only hastened the emergence offurther problems at the top of the New Zealand batting order.Even before falling to early catches behind the wicket in the midst of Ntini’s sizzling opening spell, openers Nathan Astle (9) and Lou Vincent (7)played with uncertainty. Only 15 runs were added in a first wicket partnership that extended a dismal run for the New Zealanders at the top of theorder across the series as a whole.Craig McMillan (73) and Fleming (50) rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 109 runs for the third wicket. But their stand was blessed more bypatience than by power and there was never a real flow about New Zealand’s exhibition.As the strain of needing to accelerate the run scoring rate eventually impacted upon them, the Black Caps lost their way. Fleming, Andre Adams(13), Dion Nash (9) and Chris Cairns (0) all hit catches into the leg side while ambitiously attacking; McMillan and Shane Bond (1) badly misjudgedsingles to be run out; and Chris Harris (9) and Adam Parore (2) feathered from outside edges to the ‘keeper.Ntini rattled batsmen into error at both ends of the innings; Klusener collected two wickets in an over; and Pollock’s trademark awareness ofnear-perfect line and length meant he was always at the batsmen.Nevertheless, there was no great venom in the pitch and a number of the New Zealanders’ wounds were self-inflicted.They would have learnt a lesson about measured batting if they had closely watched Gary Kirsten (25) and Herschelle Gibbs (24) assemble theirthird half-century stand of the series in reply. Or Dippenaar and Kallis in their unbroken, risk-averse union of 139 runs.Once the two openers had weathered the new ball threat posed by Bond (0/21) and seen Nash (0/6) succumb to an abdominal muscle strain after only oneover, the result was never in doubt.Kirsten fell to a run out verdict that was unlucky on two counts – given that it was caused by a deflection back on to the stumps from bowlerMcMillan and that several replays were needed before it could be assumed that the veteran left hander’s bat had merely reached rather thantraversed the line of his crease as a bail was lifted.But Dippenaar then looked contrastingly lucky to survive a caught behind decision as he drove inside the line of a Cairns (1/27) leg cutter with hisscore at just 6. With the New Zealanders needing even so much as half-chances to translate themselves into wickets, it was a decision thateliminated even the last signs of activity from a flickering pulse.Dippenaar, who has been due good fortune all tour, was later dropped in the gully when he aimed a powerful cut toward Fleming with his total at40. He capitalised on the two reprieves with magnificent driving to both sides of the wicket and disdainful punishment of short deliveries with someglorious horizontal-bat strokes.Kallis, ever-composed, assisted in the cause in no small measure at the other end.A crowd of only 20671 arrived all the while, producing the spectacle of vast banks of empty seats on a fine and sunny day and at least challengingthe contention that sports-loving Melburnians will turn up in their droves to watch any international game.With no bonus points on offer to help spark a contest, what the patrons saw was a remorseless performance.
In a repeat of the semifinal clash last season, Karnataka took onHyderabad in the South Zone Ranji Trophy league match at the MChinnaswamy Stadium at Bangalore. The one big change was MohammedAzharuddin missing in the visiting side. As it turned out though, itwas the home side batting out in the middle. Youngsters Mithun Beeralaand Barrington Rowland batted well and helped Karnataka post 279/4 atstumps.At the end of 15 overs, Arun Kumar (28) became the first Karnatakabatsman to fall, caught at gully by left arm spinner Venkatapathy Rajuoff the bowling of Parth Satwalkar. Beerala and Barrington then forgedthe most successful partnership of the day, posting 106 runs for thesecond wicket. Beerala and Barrington matched each other shot forshot. While Beerala made 73 (158 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), Barringtonhit 70 (150 balls, 8 fours).If two youngsters ruled the roost for Karnataka, it took two Hyderabadveterans to stop them. Off spinner Kanwaljit Singh had Barringtoncaught at short leg while Raju snapped up Beerala caught and bowled.One Day hopeful Vijay Bharadwaj (43 not out) held one end up tillstumps even as One-Day discard Sujit Somasunder (43) became KanwaljitSingh’s second victim. Stumper Tilak Naidu (13 not out) kept Bharadwajcompany as Karnataka ended on a healthy 279/4.
Celtic appeared to hold all the cards in their pursuit of John McGinn back in 2018, with the 27-year-old being a boyhood fan of the Hoops, and the Bhoys very much having the inside track on English teams regarding the then-Hibernian maestro.
However, the club ultimately failed to get a deal over the line for the midfielder, with Aston Villa instead going on to seal a £3m swoop for him.
Since then, McGinn has gone from strength to strength at Villa, scoring seven goals and registering 10 assists over his promotion to the Premier League, before establishing himself as a crucial component of the Villans’ midfield in the top flight.
Indeed, the £70k-p/w Scotland international earned an impressive seasonal SofaScore rating of 6.95 in his debut Premier League campaign in 2019/20, improving on this score over his 37 top-flight outings last season as he earned a rating of 6.99 in 2020/21.
However, it has been over McGinn’s 24 league fixtures this season that the 27-year-old has truly proven himself as one of the most talented midfielders in the division. He has scored three goals, registered two assists and created four big chances for his team-mates, along with averaging 1.5 key passes, 0.9 interceptions and three tackles and winning seven duels per game.
These returns have seen the player who Steven Gerrard dubbed “outstanding” average a remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Villa’s second-best performer in the Premier League but also as the 16th-best player in the entire division.
As such, it is not difficult to understand why Villa are apparently demanding a fee in the region of £50m to even consider parting with the midfielder this summer, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool reported to be interested in the Glasgow-born sensation.
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Indeed, all of the above highlights just how much of a nightmare Celtic had when failing to cough up a mere £3m in 2018 for a player who Dean Smith dubbed a “star”, as the Bhoys not only missed out on an exceptionally talented footballer but also a potentially massive payday.
AND in other news: Ange could unearth a £71m talent in 16 y/o Celtic “killer” who’s heading “to the top”
Five foreign players, each of whom applied to join counties as Kolpaks, have been refused registration by the ECB. Wavell Hinds (Derbyshire), Johan van der Wath (Northamptonshire), Andrew Hall (Northamptonshire), Hamish Marshall (Gloucestershire) and Justin Kemp (Kent) – who coincidentally are all signed-up members of the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) – will play no part for their respective counties all season.The situation is muddied by the Kolpak issue. Any cricketer who has played cricket (domestic or international) in another country 12 months prior to their Kolpak application can be turned away, at the ECB’s discretion. But in recent years, this stipulation has been waived several times, which has led to a number of counties expanding their squads with experienced internationals and former internationals. Now, however, with the ICL alive and kicking, the ECB has chosen not to exercise its discretion, which could be seen as sanctioning an event not officially recognised by the ICC.”We are obviously very disappointed that Wavell will be unable to join us this season,” Tom Sears, Derbyshire’s chief executive, said. “While we support the ECB’s stance on unsanctioned events we can fully understand why Wavell has accepted the Indian Cricket League offer.”Now we have a definitive decision we can turn our attention to securing a replacement and we can assure our members and supporters that we have the resources to compete for the very best players that are available.””It was something we expected and has been on the cards for a few days now,” Mark Tagg, Northamptonshire’s chief executive, told Cricinfo.The ICL signings have caused confusion for weeks. The county circuit has two captains who are also part of the ICL – Dale Benkenstein (Durham) and Nicky Boje (Northamptonshire) – but they are expected to play because they are already registered and no retrospective action will be taken by the ECB.
In a statement that is likely to have a large bearing on the immediate future of Indian cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that India’s cricketers would be most disappointed with Greg Chappell, the coach, if he questioned their attitude.In a rare public outburst, Tendulkar, not known to air his views on controversial issues, expressed his anguish. ” (Things have gone a bit too far to keep quiet). I’ve given my heart and my soul for 17 years. No coach had mentioned even in passing that my attitude was not correct,” Tendulkar told . “Cricket has been my life for all these years and will always be.”His statements come in the wake of reports that many members in the team have rallied together against Chappell and Dravid and want Tendulkar to take up their case to the board. Cricinfo had reported on the crisis in the team , one largely owing to the rift between Chappell and the senior players, and Tendulkar’s statements reinforce the players’ stance.”Tell me, the world has gone on talking about all this [our defeat and exit] but has anybody spared a thought for us?,” asked an emotional Tendulkar. “Did they try to find out what we have been going through?
I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I’ve never felt so bad in my entire career … The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered
“I am shattered beyond words and I feel helpless. I’ve never felt so bad in my entire career.” he said. “No matter how many Tests or one-day series you win, nothing else even comes close to a World Cup triumph. The World Cup was our passion, our collective goal, our dream and that has been shattered. And we all are terribly disappointed over it.”Tendulkar took responsibility for the World Cup debacle but responded to what he perceived as a slight to his commitment. “Again, it’s not that we are defending ourselves. We do realise that we played badly and, as a team, we take full responsibility for that. But what hurt us most is if the coach has questioned our attitude.”The Indian board’s working committee meets on April 7, following the meeting of the review committee the day before. It is expected that Chappell’s report, due to be submitted to the board before April 6, will be scathing in its criticism of the attitude of the senior players including Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh. The working committee meeting will be attended by BCCI’s office-bearers and seven former captains, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and S Venkatraghavan.