All posts by h716a5.icu

Irfan Pathan has said that Delhi Daredevils’ performance in IPL 2011 has been a big disappointment but the team “atmosphere is still very good”

Tariq Engineer10-May-2011Irfan Pathan has said that Delhi Daredevils’ performance in IPL 2011 has been a big disappointment but the team “atmosphere is still very good”. He also credited his captain Virender Sehwag for keeping the squad together despite the struggles. Delhi were eliminated from the race for a place in the playoffs after losing to Mumbai on May 7.Sehwag, who will miss the last three games of the season to have shoulder surgery, was one of the few consistent performers for Delhi. It was because of two breathtaking innings from him that the team stayed in contention for as long as it did. With him sidelined, and James Hopes set to lead the team, Irfan told ESPNcricinfo they needed to “play our hearts out in the next three matches and show things aren’t that bad. Then we can take all the positives to next year’s tournament.”A lot was expected of Irfan after Delhi signed him for $1.9 million but it has been a tough season for the allrounder as he made his way back from a serious back injury that had kept him out of competitive cricket for over eight months. He started poorly with the ball, picking up only three wickets in his first six games, and while he admitted he would have liked more success, he said he expected to need some time to find his groove.”Some really good cricketers are there at this level,” he said. “I knew I had to give myself some time. The team really helped me out. They played me in back-to-back matches and that got my rhythm going.”Over his team’s previous five games, though, he showed flashes of the Irfan of old, getting the ball to swing in to right-hand batsmen and going past 130 kph on the speed gun. His figures also reflected the improvement over the same span – 1 for 16 against Kolkata Knight Riders, 2 for 27 against Kochi Tuskers and 1 for 23 against Mumbai.”I need to take it one step at a time. Just go one step by one step. I need to make sure first, I get my rhythm going, running well. Bowling in the right areas. Then swinging the ball. I should make it my second nature. The good thing is, I am not thinking about it. It is just happening.”Still, Irfan wished his results had been better this season but said he was “very happy with the process” so far, and credited assistant coach Eric Simmons, whom he described as “fantastic”, for aiding his recovery. Irfan also said he was feeling good about how his body has held up after his long layoff and believed his rehabilitation gave him a better understanding of how to manage the demands of fast bowling. “I feel like I am in control of my body. I feel in control of my action … This is the best I am feeling in last three years.”He is also still hoping, “like all cricketers hope,” that he will get the call telling him he is part of India’s touring plans later this year. But if not, he would like to play Twenty20 and one-day cricket in England once the IPL is over, as long as the BCCI gives him permission. “If I get to play some more cricket, it will be good.”

Pakistan’s one-day captain, Shahid Afridi, has issued a public apology on behalf of the three players suspended by the ICC

Cricinfo staff04-Sep-2010Pakistan’s one-day captain, Shahid Afridi, has issued a public apology on behalf of the three players suspended by the ICC after allegations of spot-fixing during the fourth Test at Lord’s. Speaking to the press after the visiting team’s training session ahead of the first Twenty20 against England in Cardiff, Afridi also distanced himself from the events of the last week and insisted that his team were focused on the remaining games of their tour.”I think it is very bad news,” said Afridi. “On behalf of these players – I know they are not in this series – but on behalf of these boys I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations.”Afridi also revealed that Mazhar Majeed – the man alleged to be at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal – had accompanied the team on various tours in the past. “This guy has been travelling with the guys in the West Indies and in Australia,” he said. “I saw him on the tours. I didn’t know anything about this.Afridi, who took no part in Pakistan’s Test series against England after stepping down as Test captain after a 150-run loss to Australia at Lord’s earlier this summer also guaranteed that the limited-overs leg of Pakistan’s tour would continue despite any further revelations in the ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption in cricket.”I told the boys don’t read the newspapers tomorrow, just focus on cricket. I know the Pakistan people are very upset. We all love cricket. As a team all we can do is to play good, aggressive cricket and maybe when we go back home the things will settle down. It is a big challenge for me as a captain but I think we are all ready and focused.”Myself and the coach have already told the boys: ‘Don’t talk about this issue, we are here to play cricket.’ It is none of our business and we are here to play cricket. The boys know that. They want to win and motivate themselves – and as a captain, that is what I want.”

Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing struggle for form remains England’s single biggest concern following a thumping 354-run victory over Pakistan at Trent Bridge

Andrew Miller at Trent Bridge01-Aug-2010Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing struggle for form remains England’s single biggest concern following a thumping 354-run victory over Pakistan at Trent Bridge. The match was wrapped up with five sessions to spare as James Anderson dismissed the visitors for 80 in their second innings, but having contributed scores of 9 and 22 to the contest, Pietersen has now gone 22 innings without a Test century, with the most recent of his 16 hundreds coming against West Indies at Trinidad in March 2009.Pietersen has not been entirely devoid of form in that time. He made 99 against Bangladesh at Chittagong in March before claiming the Man of the Series award for his flamboyant performances in England’s triumphant World Twenty20 campaign. But the consistent dominance that he showed against all opponents up to and including the time of his removal as England captain in early 2009 has deserted him, and shows no sign of returning in the immediate future.England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, repeated a familiar team refrain when he declared that Pietersen’s determination to succeed was as absolute as ever, and while there was little to show for his contribution in the scorebook, Strauss singled out his second-innings effort of 22 as a vital factor in enabling England to pull away from Pakistan in the latter stages of the third day. Having come to the crease early following the loss of both openers, Pietersen added 48 for the third wicket with Jonathan Trott, before Kamran Akmal clung onto an outstanding one-handed catch to dismiss him via an inside-edge.”KP is fine,” Strauss said. “He wasn’t able to make a telling contribution in this game, although he batted better in the second innings and made a very important contribution because both him and Trott had to dig deep. The contributions maybe don’t look all that good in terms of the figures they finished up the game with, but the first 30 overs of every innings was very tough work for batting, and there were more contributions than just the guys who got the big runs.”All the same, Pietersen has had a variety of distractions in recent weeks – both on the home front, where he recently became a father for the first time, and perhaps more significantly, down at his county Hampshire, where he is now persona non grata after declaring his intention to seek a new base closer to his London home. As a consequence of that, he was recently snubbed for a CB40 fixture against Kent, after the ECB requested that he play to gain match practice ahead of the Test.Strauss, however, was confident that that row had not impacted significantly on his cricket. “KP has always been very clear in his mind what he needs to do practice-wise, and that’s not changed on the back of him not getting a county game with Hampshire,” he said. “He’s done a lot of work with Gooch, and the most important thing is he feels well prepared. Not playing in that game hasn’t made him feel less prepared.”We’re all hopeful he does find a club for next season, because it’s important for there to be that relationship between the counties and the England team, and that it’s a healthy relationship. On the one hand, England players can go there to get form, on the other, those England players can pass on their experience to the younger guys in the county dressing room. That’s how it works.”

A preview of the second one-day international between England and Bangladesh at Bristol

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan09-Jul-2010Match factsJuly 10, 2010, Bristol
Start time 10.30am (9.30GMT)Ian Bell made the most of his chance at No. 3•PA PhotosBig pictureIt was messy at times from England at Trent Bridge, but they duly secured a comfortable six-wicket victory as Ian Bell enjoyed his return to the one-day ranks with a steady 84. Moving on to Bristol the home side will want a more convincing performance against opposition now beset by injuries and having to hastily summon replacements from Bangladesh.Mushfiqur Rahim and Raqibul Hasan are out of the series and the replacements will need to be ready to play with some hefty jetlag if they make it to the country on time for Saturday’s game. What was most disappointing about Bangladesh’s effort in the opening match was the way the batting faded with the team seemingly happy to settle for 250 when they should have pushed for 280.Not that England can sit back and relax. Their bowling, especially with the new ball, is starting to cause some serious concerns with James Anderson proving continually expensive and Tim Bresnan struggling to make breakthroughs. Against Bangladesh it is unlikely to prove costly – although Tamim Iqbal could yet change that scenario – but for Andrew Strauss it should be about how his team wins these matches.Strauss, who was run out for a sublime 50 at Trent Bridge, will also be keen for the batsmen to build on their platforms because England still need to score more hundreds in one-day cricket. But it’s almost impossible to see how Bangladesh will prevent another whitewash because even if Tamim cuts loose for more than a few overs the bowling is so unthreatening that Mashrafe Mortaza has few options to turn to.Form guide (last five completed matches)England WLLWW
Bangladesh LLLLLWatch out for…Craig Kieswetter was quite frenetic during his 32 in the opening ODI and is still struggling for form this season since his performances at the World Twenty20. After backing him over the last six months the selectors will be loathe to make another change to the position, but Matt Prior’s county form has been impressive. Kieswetter is likely to have the remainder of England’s one-day cricket this summer to make a mark – and he has been earmarked for the World Cup – but needs a strong finish to this series.Shakib Al Hasan has shed the captaincy to try and recapture his form, particularly with the bat, and Bangladesh need big performances from him. He showed glimpses in the first match before driving to cover and was also involved in the mix-up that ended Raqibul’s innings when he was acting as a runner. However, the bowling looked in good order and he troubled Ian Bell during a testing spell. He is a class above the other members of the attack.Team newsThere must be a temptation from Strauss and Andy Flower to make a change in the bowling department with Ajmal Shahzad having carried the drinks in recent weeks. They like the balance of the current team, but James Tredwell only bowled three overs at Trent Bridge so Shahzad could slot in for the offspinner and increase the pace options.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Ian Bell, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Michael Yardy, 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James AndersonBangladesh will have to wait and see how many of the reserves arrive in Bristol in time for the game. Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam and wicketkeeper Saghir Hossain are jetting over and without them the squad is down to the bare bones. If Saghir doesn’t reach in time for the match, Jahurul Islam will keep wicket.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Jahurul Islam (wk), 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Faisal Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Shafiul IslamPitch and conditionsThis is the ground where 23 wickets fell on the first day of Gloucestershire’s County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the beginning of the season. Although conditions have certainly eased considerably since then, and Gloucestershire eased to 154 for 2 in slightly more than 15 overs in the last Twenty20 match played here, the pitch should provide a decent battle between bat and ball. The weather is set fair for Saturday’s game.Stats and Trivia After his unbeaten 84 in the first game, Ian Bell now averages 143.40 in all international matches against Bangladesh, having scored 717 runs – including three Test centuries – against them. Despite Tamim Iqbal’s consistent form, Bangladesh’s leading runscorer in ODIs in 2010 is his opening partner, Imrul Kayes, who has 502 runs at 35.85 this year. Tamim is just behind him, with 499 runs at 35.64, but has a far superior strike-rate of 103.09 as compared to Kayes’ 68.11 in 2010. Quotes”Andy Flower spoke to me about a few things when he left me out of the side last year, mainly about playing spinners in the middle overs, and it’s started to pay off.”

“We have lost 20 games in a row, and as a captain I have to lift the other 14 guys.”

Over the past week Australia have been asking the same question as everyone else. Why aren’t they taking wickets?

Peter English at Adelaide05-Dec-2010Often the Australian cricket team seems removed from the thought patterns of the rest of the country, but over the past week the players have been asking the same question as everyone else. Why aren’t they taking wickets?In England’s past two innings they have scored 1068 runs for the loss of only five batsmen, and they still aren’t finished after being 4 for 551 when rain arrived at tea. “That’s something we’ve been talking about the last week, really,” Shane Watson said. “What are the reasons why we haven’t been able to get as many wickets as we would have liked?”He blames fine England batting and Australian bowling that has been unable to build and then sustain pressure. The same problems were highlighted and discussed after the draw at the Gabba, but there have been no answers provided despite a re-worked attack that includes Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris.”You can’t take anything away from the English, they have batted very well, Alastair Cook especially through these last two Tests,” Watson said. “His concentration is something we have to do as batters, and stay out there for long periods of time. The wickets have been fairly flat, but that’s no excuse as well. We’re skilled enough to make the most of what’s out there.”Cook was dismissed early in the day when he was caught behind off Harris, but then it was Kevin Pietersen’s turn to burn off a long period of frustration during a masterful 213 not out. Once again, Pietersen and his team-mates were allowed to wait for the full ball on their legs or the short one outside off. Throughout this innings they have scored at almost four an over with only pockets of danger from the hosts.”It is unfortunate and it’s very disappointing we’re where we are,” Watson said. “But there’s a couple of days for us to do everything we possibly can to draw the game.” That task first depends on an England declaration, and the response will then start with the opener Simon Katich under a fitness cloud.Katich hurt his heel and didn’t field late in the day, but he is determined to make some impact on this match after being run-out without facing a ball in the first over on Friday. “It’s going to be interesting to see our running between wickets after the first innings,” Watson said. “If I call it might make things a little bit easier. He’ll be sweet. He’ll be out there fighting his heart out.”England’s position has become so strong – even though the series score-line is still 0-0 – that the Australians are admitting to the pain of being so unthreatening. “It hurts,” Watson said. “It hurts in general whether it’s in our own conditions or anywhere else around the world. We have so far been outplayed in these three days, that’s the reason why it does hurt, because what we’ve been doing hasn’t been good enough.”Despite the state of the match – England have a lead of 306 – Watson still believes. “I never doubt our ability and our talent,” he said. “It’s more so what we can produce on the day and the last three days haven’t been good and they have been better than us, no doubt.”The only way we can turn that around, in this game anyway, is to bat as long as we possibly can.” The rain may encourage Australia again, with showers forecast over the rest of the contest, but in their current state, even that might not be enough.

Sunderland maintained their spot in the play-offs with a 1-1 draw at home to Rotherham in League One on Tuesday night.

The Black Cats are fifth in the table and one point ahead of seventh, as it stands, and know that a win on the final day of the season against Morecambe, who are battling against the drop, will seal their place in the top six.

It was an eventful night for Michael Ihiekwe at the Stadium of Light as he went from hero to zero for The Millers. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute before turning the ball into his own net in the 88th minute to gift Alex Neil’s team a point.

Sunderland did not register a single shot on target in the match as they struggled to break Paul Warne’s well-structured side down.

The home side were, therefore, a tad lucky to come away from the game with a point to show for their efforts as they did not trouble the opposition goalkeeper at all. Neil’s attackers struggled on the night and one player, in particular, who let the head coach down was centre-forward Nathan Broadhead.

Off the ball, he was a lightweight. As per SofaScore, he lost four of his six (66.6%) individual battles and this shows that he was dominated from a physical standpoint. He made one tackle in the match whilst failing to make a single interception, clearance, or block as he failed to help the defence out when Rotherham had the ball.

On the flip side of the game, he offered no attacking quality. As per SofaScore, he did not register a single key pass or shot on goal, whilst also failing to complete a single dribble. He only had 19 touches of the ball, with goalkeeper Anthony Patterson having 32, and completed just nine passes.

Broadhead struggled to get into the game in the final third as he let Neil down on and off the ball throughout the match. The Everton loanee has been sublime this season, with nine goals in 14 starts, but this was a performance to forget from the Welshman.

He must now dust himself down and work hard in training ahead of the crunchtime clash with Morecambe on Saturday. Neil will need the striker at his clinical best to ensure that the Black Cats are competing for a spot in the Championship via the play-offs next month.

AND in other news, Speakman howler: SAFC may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass…

Dwayne Leverock, the burly left-arm spinner that flew to fame during the 2007 World Cup, has come out of international retirement to join Bermuda’s squad for the Intercontinental Shield game against UAE next month

Cricinfo staff20-Jun-2010Dwayne Leverock, the burly left-arm spinner that flew to fame during the 2007 World Cup, has come out of international retirement to join Bermuda’s squad for the Intercontinental Shield game against UAE next month.Leverock, 38, became an one of the few positive icons from a maligned tournament in the Caribbean when he hurled his generous frame at slip to take a stunning one-handed catch and dismiss Indian batsman Robin Uthappa.After Bermuda failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup in Asia during qualifiers in South Africa last year, Leverock announced his international retirement but stayed within the game by captaining club side Southampton Rangers. Now he is a surprise inclusion in the 25-strong squad that Bermuda national coach David Moore says he wants to form the basis of his team for the next year.”He’s made himself available,” said Moore. “He approached me about being involved. He told me that he was interested in being part of the programme and that’s where we are at the moment. We’ll just see how he goes, how he trains, and so on, but it’s good to have him back in the squad, although the competition is quite stiff from the likes of Rodney Trott and Joshua Gilbert.”The squad will be trimmed to 15 players for the four-day Intercontinental Shield match against UAE which starts on July 5.

Aston Villa have turned their sights towards signing Robin Olsen after suffering a transfer blow over Darren Randolph…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested Steven Gerrard’s side were keen on landing the Republic of Ireland international, with an enquiry having already been made for the West Ham goalkeeper.

But now, according to journalist Alex Crook, Villa have failed in their pursuit of the Hammers man, and have instead lined up a swoop for Sheffield United loanee Olsen.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “#AVFCnow turning their attentions to Robin Olsen after failing to land Darren Randolph.”

Villa making moves

On loan from AS Roma, Olsen has played 11 times in the Championship this season for the Blades, but has fallen out of contention in recent weeks and months after being a virtual ever-present for the opening of the campaign.

With 53 caps for Sweden, the 32-year-old is a highly-experienced campaigner who of course has had previous experience of playing in the top-flight.

Indeed, the 6 foot 5 shot-stopper was impressive over his seven Premier League appearances while on loan at Everton last year, helping to keep two clean sheets, conceding an average of just 1.3 goals and also making three saves per game too.

While the signing of Olsen himself is hardly like to set hearts aflutter in Villa fans – especially when you consider they have just signed Philippe Coutinho in recent days – it should still be a move that has supporters very much impressed though.

Gerrard’s side have been quick and decisive in this transfer window, taking advantage of every opportunity that has arisen and come their way.

Whether it was snapping up Coutinho on loan and Gerrard using his pull and previous links to the Brazilian, or swooping in ahead of the likes of Chelsea to land Digne, Villa have been very fast to act.

Now, Crook’s update that after hitting a roadblock in trying to sign Randolph, they have already lined up an alternative target in Olsen suggests a highly thought-out planning structure that bodes well for their future recruitment.

Meanwhile, this Aston Villa target is now set to join their Premier League rivals…

Tottenham Hotspur could yet move for a centre-back on deadline day…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit are closing in on the double swoop for Juventus duo Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski but it appears they may not be done just yet with hours left to go in the window.

That’s according to reliable Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who delivered an exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT today. He said:

“At centre-back, I believe – effectively – we could see a rabbit out of the hat. But that could hinge on outgoings.”

Much-needed addition

Spurs manager Antonio Conte is adding some solid depth to his Spurs squad in the aforementioned signings  – the Uruguay international adds a better option in the engine room with club-record flop Tanguy Ndombele on his way out, whilst the Swede offers a hugely versatile presence in the attack.

However, that isn’t enough if he’s to truly get the north London outfit back in the top four. The Italian head coach has already worked his magic, losing only one league game since his arrival in November, so just imagine what he could do with a couple more additions.

It’s thought that he requested signings in three priority positions, whilst there has always been suggestions of a desire to bolster his backline, where the likes of Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga have struggled to look the part in recent months.

Spurs have been linked to a number of options in the role, including Conte’s ex-Inter beast Stefan de Vrij, Milan’s arch-rival captain Alessio Romagnoli and sensationally, Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt, who sporting director Fabio Paratici has signed before.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

All three would be outstanding additions to Spurs’ squad but time is running out if they are to secure any one of them, if not any other central defender.

If the Lilywhites can land Conte a new colossus late on in the January transfer window, then both he and the fanbase will surely be absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, Spurs eye club-record swoop BEFORE deadline, it’s Conte’s dream signing…

Rajasthan’s unbeaten run this tournament owes, in large part, to a collective effort and consistency in implementing their strategies

Siddhartha Talya26-Dec-2010It’s been a dream campaign for Rajasthan, emerging from the Plate League to all but go past the defending champions Mumbai and book their place in a Ranji Trophy semi-final for the first time in 25 years. “It’s a huge thing for Rajasthan, to all those players who’ve been associated with Rajasthan for such a long time,” Aakash Chopra, the former Delhi and now Rajasthan opener, told ESPNcricinfo.A determined batting performance from Rajasthan has given them a big first-innings lead, but did the conditions play any role in the contrasting performances of the two teams? “Not at all,” Chopra said. “It was a good wicket to bat on on day one as well. That’s why Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat. It goes on to show that they also thought the track was dry. There is a grass covering but the grass is basically brown, and it’s there to hold the track more than anything else. So there wasn’t any exaggerated sideways movement or movement in the air. There were no demons in the track. It’s more about the way we have played our cricket and how Mumbai have played their cricket.”The chief architect of Mumbai’s collapse in the first innings was seamer Pankaj Singh, whose six wickets set the game up for Rajasthan. His victims included the Mumbai openers and one of their most successful batsmen this season, Rohit Sharma, each of the three either bowled or lbw.”Pankaj, throughout the season, has been bowling his heart out, running in hard and bowling in the right areas with good pace,” Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the Rajasthan captain and their highest run-getter this season, said. “And he’s never given up and it’s solely his hard work that is helping him.”The approach adopted by the Mumbai batsmen also worsened their prospects, Chopra added. “The Mumbai batsmen were flamboyant, going after the bowling and perhaps played into Pankaj Singh’s hands because he bowled a probing line, asked the right questions and they didn’t apply themselves as well as they would have liked.”They were bowled out for 252, not a par-score for this track. We had thought, considering their depth in the batting line-up, of chasing a score of something like a minimum of 450.”Rajasthan’s unbeaten run this tournament – although a nominal fourth day in the quarter-final still remains – owes, in large part, to a collective effort and consistency in implementing their strategies. “The teamwork has been the highlight,” Kanitkar said. “We’ve really stressed on that in all our meetings and practice sessions. Throughout this season, in each game, we’ve had sets of players step up, which has helped us succeed consistently.”A committed plan to make the most effective use of their bowling resources and extract as much assistance from the tail with the bat made this success possible, Chopra said. “As far as our bowling is concerned, we’ve tried to swing the ball all the way.” And the ploy’s worked, with seamers Pankaj and Deepak Chahar splitting 63 wickets in six games. “That’s where our strength lies. We’ve tried to pitch the ball up, maintained a good aggressive line of attack. We may not have been the most economical side in the competition but we’ve created enough chances. For our batting, we had decided to have a set batsman batting right till the end and in most of the games we had one pure batsman batting with the tail.””It’s just one of those things where we bowled really well, a disciplined line and length and continued to get wickets,” Kanitkar said. “Mumbai have batted well throughout this season, but our discipline paid off.”