Category Uncategorized

Azhar Mahmood is not as flashy as Shahid Afridi but he was far more reliable and won the day for Auckland in the most emphatic of ways

Firdose Moonda in Centurion10-Oct-2012There was something symbolic about Azhar Mahmood slog-sweeping Shahid Afridi onto the grass embankment at SuperSport Park in Centurion. The shot brought up Mahmood’s half-century, ensured Auckland would seal a big win over Hampshire and secure a spot in the main draw of the Champions League. It also made a small statement about Mahmood’s prowess when compared to that of his countryman.Afridi is thought of as one of the top Twenty20 allrounders. He can smoke the ball a long way, demolish stumps and has the attitude to match the boom-boom. In contrast, Mahmood has spent a long time being under-rated, but he is massively efficient. He was Kent’s player of the season in 2011, and ended IPL 2012 with 186 runs at an average of 23.25 and 14 wickets at 23.50 for Kings XI Punjab.On Wednesday, against Hampshire, Mahmood became only the sixth player to take five wickets and score a half-century in a Twenty20 match. Any MVP status he would have had must have increased exponentially in those few hours, with scouts from the world’s Twenty20 leagues taking notes, but for Auckland it was a performance they always saw coming on a big stage.”This is how Azhar has played for us in our domestic competition and we think he is a world class allrounder,” Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins said. “He brings a confidence and a security for our batsmen and he understands how to go about setting and chasing a total. That experience with our younger batters is great.”Mahmood’s ushering of Auckland through a fairly straightforward chase was the most notable difference between his performance and that of Afridi. Mahmood was beaten by the first ball he faced, and took seven more to settle in. Afridi tried to pull the first ball he faced, which was not short enough. And the second. And the third.He was beaten on his fourth attempted pull as well, and was caught at mid-on. The bowler? Mahmood. He worked out Afridi’s plan, kept bouncing him, and got his reward. Afridi has not been in top batting form recently. In six matches at the World Twenty20 he managed a top score of 14 against India, but his reputation as someone who dictates the course of a match by sheer willpower precedes any notion of form.Afridi can come off without warning and today would have been an ideal occasion to do so. With Hampshire struggling with the bat, Afridi’s urgency to get on with it was understandable. His method was not. Juxtapose his flashy attempts with Mahmood’s level-headed grind and the differences between the two are highlighted.Afridi is a show jumper, the kind that is not spurred by the sight of a bar placed too high but by the thought of it. He does not always respond to calls to action but he always thinks he will, and that is what makes Afridi so entertaining. When his thought process and his actions are in sync, there is no other cricketer in the world who is more arresting to watch.Mahmood is the workhorse. Season after season, he has produced. Not of all it has been good produce. Just like in this innings, where he got lucky when he charged Liam Dawson and managed to get the ball just over midwicket, Mahmood has not always had it good. He fell out of favour with Pakistan and is not an automatic choice when discussing reliable, talented, go-to players.As a measure of how forgotten his vast experience can be, consider that when Hopkins asked every member of his dressing room who had played at the Wanderers before, he also put the question to Mahmood. “Yes, I’ve been here before,” he answered calmly. “I scored a Test hundred here.” Mahmood’s 136 against South Africa in February 1998 came a week before he brought up three figures in Durban as well.Even the Hampshire Dimimtri Mascarenhas, whose fury with the pitch could not be masked, had a kind word for Mahmood. “It was a great performance and he is a class cricketer even though he is a bit slow in the field these days,” Mascarenhas joked. “And he is also a genuine bloke.”

Alex Brown in Cardiff10-Jul-2009They have been ships in the night; two careers that embarked from different ports, intersected ever so briefly, and then continued in opposite directions.When Michael Hussey made his blazing entry into Test cricket in 2005, Michael Clarke was bracing for an inglorious exit. A difficult Ashes series followed by an indifferent performance in the Super Test had dimmed the lustre of Australian cricket’s one-time “golden boy”, and when the axe finally fell in the ensuring series against the West Indians, few were surprised. Clarke managed just five runs in his final Test for 2005. Hussey, in just his second appearance in the baggy green, scored 137 and 31 not out.How times have changed. Clarke, reprogrammed into a middle-order accumulator these days, compiled a determined and composed 83 before strangling a Stuart Broad delivery down the leg-side to Matt Prior in the failing light in Cardiff. That took his tally to 824 runs since the beginning of the last Australian summer, all at the robust average of 58.85. The golden boy has become the steely man.Hussey, meanwhile, continued his worrying slide with a scratchy innings of three that barely advanced his record to 325 runs at 21.66 over the corresponding period. The batsman who once redefined “intense” at the crease looked only tense against the second new ball, and eventually fell pushing at a full, subtly-swinging Anderson delivery in the period before lunch.Whether this was a temporary glitch, or a sign of insidious decline, is yet to be determined. Hussey’s innings of 150 and 62 not out against a strong England Lions attack in Worcester last week convinced many that the drought was set to break, but the first innings in Cardiff has left his recent record parched.”He’s one guy that’s probably not had the best year in Test cricket and we certainly let him know that,” Jimmy Anderson said. “Luckily we got him cheaply today because we saw what good form he seemed to be in at Worcester.”Clarke, too, was impressed with Hussey’s form in the West Midlands, and predicted “a big hundred was not far away” for his middle-order partner. Certainly, the Australian vice-captain has played his part in easing the pressure on Hussey during a year in which his own consistency has covered for his team-mate’s stumbles.Only once in their respective international careers have Clarke and Hussey struck form together; a period that began with the triumphant Ashes campaign of 2006-07 – during which they combined for in excess of 800 runs – and carried through to the ensuing home series against Sri Lanka. Since then, the fortunes of Australia’s No. 4 and 5 have traveled in different directions; a pattern that continued at Sophia Gardens on Friday.Clarke’s mission to atone for an underwhelming 2005 campaign in England began strongly. A cover drive off Graeme Swann took him to his 14th Test half-century, and a pull-shot to the mid-wicket fence propelled Australia beyond England’s first innings total of 435.”I would have liked to have been there for the end of the day,” said Clarke, ever the perfectionist. “I’m just disappointed to get out like that. You always would love a hundred, especially when you get to 80. I’m disappointed with the shot more than anything. I’ve played enough cricket under lights and with rain around to know the ball skids around a little bit. The replay looked like the ball was bowled across the seam as well, should have ducked it or let it go.”

Star overseas signing only bowls two overs as rain curtails debut

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2024

Lancashire are hoping that “common sense prevails” in their discussions with Cricket Australia over Nathan Lyon’s availability, after his debut for the county against Surrey was heavily curtailed by the Manchester weather.Lyon initially signed for the whole season but was only made available for seven out of Lancashire’s first nine County Championship fixtures by CA. He was selected as one of two spinners, alongside Tom Hartley, for the opening match but his involvement was restricted to a first-ball duck and two wicketless overs.Asked if Lyon’s cameo would count as one of his seven permitted appearances, Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein said: “I hope not. We have asked the question and hope common sense prevails. Two overs doesn’t constitute a match. But we are waiting to hear back from Cricket Australia.”Related

'Doesn't make sense' – Clarke questions CA capping Lyon's county stint

Sam Cook 'desperate' for England chance after running through Notts

Lawrence turns spin discussion on its head as Surrey take a grip

Anderson 'unlikely' to play for Lancashire before June

Lyon looks beyond Ashes to spread spin gospel

Only 81.1 overs were possible across the four days at Emirates Old Trafford. The water table on the ground is very high and heavy overnight rain made the prospects of play on the final day slim even before a further morning shower. Umpires Peter Hartley and Paul Pollard carried out three inspections before finally pulling the plug at 2.15 pm.”It wasn’t ideal but there’s a few grounds [around the country] where it has been worse,” Benkenstein said. “At least we got some play. We got some positives out of it and there were a few areas in which we can do better.”Although there wasn’t a lot of cricket out in the middle, the nets have been great. Everybody’s managed to get a good bowl outside, and there has been a lot of batting in the nets on grass which helps us top up and get ready for the Hampshire game.”Surrey’s coach Gareth Batty praised the performances of Cameron Steel and Dan Lawrence, who took nine first-innings wickets between them. “I think both Cam and Dan are very skilled spinners but because we have a very good seam attack, the spinners don’t always get a go,” Batty said. “They got a go here and they were both quite magnificent.”Having bowled out Lancashire for 202 on Saturday , Surrey took 11 points from the game while Lancashire took eight points. Rory Burns’ team now return home to play Somerset at The Oval in a game starting on Friday while Lancashire’s next match is away at Hampshire, also on Friday.

Gregory, Davey rebuild innings after Barnard, Hasan, Rushworth strike on debuts

ECB Reporters Network07-Apr-2023

Somerset 269 for 8 (Gregory 65*, Barnard 3-54) vs WarwickshireSkipper Lewis Gregory led an enterprising Somerset fightback on the second day of the rain-affected LV= County Championship match with Warwickshire at Taunton.The visitors’ new-look seam attack looked to have taken control when reducing their hosts to 136 for seven shortly after tea, Ed Barnard (three for 54), Hasan Ali (two for 62) and Chris Rushworth (one for 51) all taking wickets on debut.But Gregory and Josh Davey had other ideas. Somerset’s eighth-wicket pair added 105 in 25.1 overs with some attractive counter-attacking cricket to help their side to 268 for eight at the close.Gregory contributed an unbeaten 65, off 105 balls, with 9 fours, while Davey lost nothing by comparison, hitting seven boundaries in his 42 before falling lbw to Oliver Hannon-Dalby (two for 65) with the second new ball.After no play on the first day due to a saturated outfield, umpires Alex Wharf and Rob Bailey made a 10.30am inspection and ruled that the game could start at noon, with lunch at 1.30pm and 88 overs to be bowled in the three sessions.Gregory, acting Somerset captain while Tom Abell completes recovery from a rib injury, won the toss and backed his side’s new top order, including debutants Sean Dickson, Cameron Bancroft and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, by electing to bat first under clear blue skies.Rushworth impressed during an initial five-over spell from the River End and was unlucky not to claim a wicket when former Durham team-mate Dickson, on five, was dropped by wicketkeeper Michael Burgess, diving in front of first slip.The error did not prove expensive as, without addition to his score, Dickson connected sweetly with a drive off Hannon-Dalby, but directed the ball straight to Barnard, who pouched a sharp chance at point.Bancroft walked out at 13 for one in the fifth over. The Australian was soon making good use of the quick single, but both he and Tom Lammonby survived several close shaves as Warwickshire’s seamers went past the bat and had some confident lbw shouts rejected.The pair took the score past 50 before Lammonby, who had shown commendable patience, was caught behind for 22, victim of Barnard’s first ball having switched to around the wicket, a perfectly-pitched delivery that moved away off the seam.The umpires immediately signalled lunch with Somerset 52 for two in the 23rd over, Bancroft unbeaten on 24.Kohler-Cadmore was beaten by Barnard in the first over after the interval, but quickly responded with three boundaries through the off-side off the same bowler.Bancroft looked to have plenty of time to play his shots and appeared well set on 44 when chasing a short, wide ball from Rushworth and edging to Rob Yates at first slip. He had faced 104 deliveries and hit 5 fours.From 98 for three, George Bartlett helped add 22 for the fourth wicket before departing on 13 to a similarly poor shot, edging Barnard to Yates, who took another routine catch.Three balls later Kohler-Cadmore, who had just struck his seventh boundary to move to 34, became the third Somerset player to be pouched at first slip, Yates this time taking an excellent low catch to give Hasan his first Warwickshire wicket.By tea, the hosts were reeling at 128 for five and would have been in worse trouble had Burgess not spilled a regulation catch behind offered by James Rew on two.Again the wicketkeeper’s mistake was not costly. Rew had moved onto six when bowled by Hasan between bat and pad in the fourth over of the final session to make the score 135 for six.With only a single added, Barnard bowled Craig Overton with an in-ducker. It was an all too familiar tale for Somerset supporters, whose team struggled to post meaningful first innings totals last season.But their spirits were lifted by Gregory and Davey, who capitalised on a tiring attack with a flurry of positive shots all around the wicket to give Somerset serious momentum going into day three.Gregory moved to an entertaining half-century off 85 balls before Davey departed and Jack Leach came in to help Somerset to a first batting point with successive fours off Hasan.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na noite desta quinta-feira (16), o time sub-20 do Palmeiras derrotou o Goiás por 3 a 1 de virada na Arena Barueri, pela terceira rodada da fase inicial do Campeonato Brasileiro da categoria. Os gols do Verdão foram marcados porDaniel e Kauan Santos.

> Atlético-MG ‘truca’ e dificulta saída de Allan para o Palmeiras

Com a vitória, o Alviverde alcançou a terceira colocação do seu grupo do Brasileiro Sub-20, com seis pontos.O Palmeiras está no Grupo B ao lado de Athletico-PR, Atlético-GO, Bahia, Cruzeiro, Fortaleza, Goiás, Grêmio, Santos e São Paulo.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPiquerez, do Palmeiras, é convocado para lista final da seleção uruguaiaPalmeiras16/03/2023PalmeirasZé Rafael valoriza semana de treinos do Palmeiras e projeta duelo difícil na semifinal do PaulistãoPalmeiras16/03/2023PalmeirasAtlético-MG ‘truca’ e dificulta saída de Allan para o PalmeirasPalmeiras16/03/2023

Na primeira chance do Verdão no jogo, David Kauã fez o passe para Kevin, que finalizou, mas parou na defesa do goleiro do Goiás. Aos 14 minutos da primeira etapa, o Goiás abriu o placar com gol de Xavier. Na sequência, Thalys cabeceou no rebote, mas o defensor tirou em cima da linha.

Pedro Lima arriscou um chute de longe e obrigou o goleiro a fazer uma boa defesa. Aos 49 minutos, Kevin cobrou falta, Pedro Felipe ajeitou e Daniel empatou o partida para o Palmeiras.

No segundo tempo, aos 17 minutos, Kevin fez uma ótima jogada e inverteu para Gilberto, que cruzou para Daniel marcar o seu segundo gol e virar o jogo para o Alviverde. Aos 29, Léo cruzou pela direita, Thalys cabeceou e parou no goleiro. Porém,Kauan Santos apareceu no rebote e marcou o terceiro para o Verdão.

> Com cobranças de pênalti em treino, Palmeiras segue preparação para semifinal do Paulistão

Campeão em 2022, o time palestrino vai em busca de seu terceiro título da competição. No ano passado, o Palmeiras se sagrou campeão ao vencer o Corinthians por 1 a 0, com gol de Endrick, na final disputada na Neo Química Arena. O primeiro título do Brasileiro sub-20 veio em decisão contra o Vitória, com goleadas por 4 a 1 e 5 a 2, na edição de 2018.

A competição conta com 20 clubes, que são divididos em dois grupos com dez equipes cada. Na primeira fase, os times se enfrentam em turno único. Na sequência, os quatro melhores classificados de cada chave avançam às quartas de final. Na fase de mata-mata, os jogos são realizados em confrontos de ida e volta, com exceção da final, disputada em partida única.

O próximo confronto do Palmeiras pelo Brasileirão sub-20 é contra o Fortaleza, na sexta-feira da semana que vem (24), às 10h (de Brasília), no Allianz Parque.

Enzo Maresca has squashed talk suggesting Wesley Fofana wants to leave Chelsea, despite the defender removing the Blues from his socials.

• Fofana removed Chelsea from his Instagram
• French star has struggled with injuries
• Maresca says defender is happy

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Eagle-eyed social media watchers spotted Fofana had deleted all mention of Chelsea from his Instagram account, but the Blues boss has assured fans there's no issue with the defender. While Fofana has struggled with various injuries, he was on the bench for the season opener with Crystal Palace and is expected to feature against West Ham on Friday.

Advertisement

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fofana received abuse online after it was spotted his Insta profile had changed, some of it of a racist nature. Maresca addressed the issue, saying: "There is nothing good to add on that. If there was abuse on Instagram, it's never good for any human being in the world. But it is something we cannot control."

• WHAT MARESCA SAID

  Maresca said: "I spoke with Wes yesterday. He is very, very happy. First of all because he is back from injury. He is joining all the sessions with us. He is very happy. He was on the bench against Palace. From tomorrow, he is also with us and he can also get some minutes. He is very happy and we are very happy. On Instagram, I don't have any idea."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR FOFANA?

  Fofana is still working his way back to full fitness but, as Maresca says, he featured on the bench against Palace and is in the frame for some minutes in Friday's London derby against West Ham. The Hammers have won four of their last eight home league games against the Blues.

Phil Salt brought up his fourth half-century at Eden Gardens in IPL 2024 to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roll over Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets with 21 balls to spare in Monday night.Salt smashed 68 off just 33 balls, with 60 of those runs coming in the powerplay. During that phase, he clubbed seven fours and four sixes as KKR raced to 79, which was the fifth time this season that they posted 75 or more in the first six overs.”It is high-risk at times, but it is also about putting the odds in your favour and not taking the risks you don’t want to,” Salt told the host broadcaster after the game. “That’s the sort of balance that every opening batter tries to strike. Sometimes you can miss the boat a few innings in a row, but you just got to keep backing yourself and sort of taking those right options.”Related

• Varun and Salt star in comprehensive KKR win

Salt picked his targets against DC: Lizaad Williams, off whom he plundered 15 off the 23 runs in KKR’s first over, and Khaleel Ahmed, who he took down for three fours and a six in the final over of the powerplay. Salt faced 28 of the 36 balls when the fielding restrictions were on, while his opening partner Sunil Narine played second fiddle.They brought up their fifth fifty-plus opening stand in IPL 2024 off just 26 balls, continuing their successful season as an opening pair with a 79-run partnership. Across nine innings, Salt and Narine have now added 485 runs, which is the most by any pair for the first wicket this IPL. Their scoring rate of 12.43 is also the second-highest for any pair to have opened the batting at least five times.”We’ve dovetailed nicely this competition, [and] that’s because if one of us gets going, then you feed the strike to that person,” Salt said. “When I get going, he feeds me the strike, and vice-versa. It’s good that we are on the same page like that.”Asked about the nature of his conversations with Narine, Salt said, “Off-field, we have a laugh generally. On-field, there’s not too much. We normally do all the talking the day before. Sunil keeps it very simple, but he’s a deep thinker of the game. With all his experience, he’s really good to lean on. We normally just have a good time. He brings a lot of experience to the partnership.”The Narine-Salt duo has made the job of KKR captain Shreyas Iyer a lot easier.”Phil, he comes for the team meetings and also gives his inputs,” Iyer said. “That guy is completely engrossed in the game. He wants to learn what’s happening, and every time [he is] coming up and giving such kind of performances and brilliant starts. It’s just pure bliss to see him coming and performing the way he has been.”

Both teams have four points from six games and need to pick up winning momentum as the league phase nears the half-way stage

S Sudarshanan17-Apr-20242:26

Should MI play Nuwan Thushara?

Match detailsPunjab Kings (eighth) vs Mumbai Indians (ninth)
Mullanpur, 7:30pm IST (2pm GMT)Big picture – The contrast between Kings and MumbaiPunjab Kings have only one batter with more than 150 runs this season, but he’s going to miss Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, have three over 150 and those who have fewer runs are either middle and lower-order batters or haven’t played enough games in IPL 2024.Mumbai’s openers have given them a kickstart: the 308 runs between Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan is the second highest for the first wicket this year; they have been separated in single-digits in only two out of six innings, and have fifty-plus partnerships (including a hundred) in the other four. Their partnership runs have come at more than 11 runs an over.The Kings haven’t had such batting riches. Their regular openers – Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow – have totalled 168 runs at only 8.33. With Dhawan injured for their previous game against Royals, Kings opened with Bairstow and Atharva Taide but there was not much improvement.The contrast doesn’t end there. Mumbai have hit 67 sixes this season, the second highest, while Kings’ 44 is the second lowest. In the powerplay, Mumbai’s 23 sixes and Punjab’s four are at opposite ends of the spectrum.Though Mumbai’s batting is performing much better than Punjab’s, they are just below the Kings near the bottom of the table with four points from six games. And that may be down to the contrast between their bowling units this season.Despite Jasprit Bumrah’s genius (10 wickets at an average of 14.60 and economy of 6.08), Mumbai have one of the poorest performing attacks of the season: their collective average of 35.72 and economy of 10.04 is the third worst among the ten teams. Punjab, on the other hand, have the best bowling average (25.20) and the fourth best economy rate (8.87) this season.Their home venue might have something to do with it. Teams have struggled to start fast in Mullanpur: the powerplay run rate of 7.11 there is the lowest this season, which means Rohit and Ishan will be challenged to give Mumbai their customary quick start on Wednesday.Form guidePBKSLLWLL
MI LWWLL2:04

Which is the best phase to bowl Kagiso Rabada?

Team news and Impact Player strategyPunjab Kings
Bairstow’s lean run, especially in Mullanpur where he has scores of 9, 0 and 15, could force Kings to consider playing the South African batter Rilee Rossouw. Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma have formed a potent threat with the bat lower down the order, so expect the Impact Player tactics to be the same: Ashutosh swapping in or out for Arshdeep Singh or Prabhsimran Singh.Probable XII: 1 Atharva Taide, 2 Jonny Bairstow/Rilee Rossouw, 3 Singh, 4 Sam Curran (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 , 12 Mumbai Indians
Along with Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee is the only MI bowler to have a sub-ten economy rate in the death overs in IPL 2024. Mumbai have been the third-most expensive side in the phase. Given they have not used a lot of spin, could they be tempted to bring in the Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Thushara for offspinning allrounder Mohammad Nabi?Probable XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), , 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Hardik Pandya (capt), 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Mohammad Nabi/ Nuwan Thushara, 9 Shreyas Gopal, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Gerald Coetzee, Rohit Sharma is enjoying his best start to an IPL season•BCCIIn the spotlight: Kagiso Rabada and Rohit SharmaNot only has Kagiso Rabada been among the wickets this season for Kings, he has done so at an economy under eight – the first time he has conceded less than eight an over since IPL 2020. His nine wickets include seven right-handers and Mumbai have plenty of them. Rabada has been effective in the middle overs, where he has picked up four wickets with an economy of 7.33.Rohit Sharma has been superb for Mumbai this season. Without the burden of captaincy, he has blazed away in the powerplay and is enjoying his best start to an IPL. His tally of 261 is already the highest for him in the first six matches of a season. He has also never scored faster than his strike rate of 167.31 in IPL 2024. He has been good against pace (strike rate of 173.63) as well as spin (152.17) which has made him hard to contain for the opposition.Stats that matter Rohit will become only the second player after MS Dhoni to play 250 matches in the IPL Kishan has been dismissed three times in 12 balls by Arshdeep Singh in the IPL but has a strike rate of 208.3 against him. Against Rabada though, Kishan has 58 runs off 33 balls for one dismissal. Rohit has a strike rate of 148 against Rabada for two dismissals in the IPL, but in all T20s, he has been dismissed four times in 74 balls for just 89 runs. Against Harshal Patel in the IPL, his head-to-head reads: 27 runs, 23 balls, three dismissals. Rabada against Suryakumar Yadav could be the contest to watch: 94 runs off 52 balls with three dismissals.Pitch and conditionsTeams winning the toss have opted to chase in Mullanpur, and won two out of three games this season. The one time they lost, Kings fell only two runs short against Sunrisers Hyderabad. The pitches have largely been batting-friendly, and expect the trend to continue in the evening game on Thursday.Quote”I have known Hardik for a decade, and he is a very tough guy. Something like this is only going to motivate him. The way he is taking it so far is tremendous and very inspiring for all of us. Seeing it on a daily basis is not easy, but the guy is really strong.”
“Brar has been our successful bowler if you look at his economy or wicket-taking ability. Last game, he bowled less dot balls but Livi [Liam Livingstone] has bowled more dot balls and taken more wickets. Brar will come back stronger, he plays his domestic cricket on the same ground. He will come back stronger.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco mantém firme seu interesse em assumir a gestão temporária do Maracanã. Com isso, o clube enviou, na última quarta, um ofício ao Estado solicitandoa participação na administração do estádio, visto que a licença do Flamengo acabará na segunda quinzena deste mês. A informação foi inicialmente divulgada pelo portal ‘GE’.

RelacionadasVascoVasco demonstra interesse na contratação de Pedro Henrique, do Athletico-PRVasco10/11/2022VascoVasco renova com Anderson Conceição até o final de 2023Vasco10/11/2022VascoVasco encaminha acerto com Junior Urso, primeiro reforço para 2023Vasco10/11/2022

Dessa forma, o documento oficial foi endereçado a Nicola Miccione, secretário da Casa Civil, e assinado pelo CEO Luiz Mello. Nele, o Cruz-Maltino reforça o interesse em assumir o Maracanã até que aconteça a licitação. Antes disso, o clube já havia enviado um ofício no dia 28 de outubro.

+ Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Como a reunião da última terça foi remarcada pelo Estado, o Vasco acredita que a falta de comunicação poderia indicar uma tendência da renovação do TPU (Termo de Permissão de Uso Precário) ao Flamengo. O clube aponta três argumentos no ofício.

1) o Estado não pode ignorar um novo interessado

2) a questão do prazo não pode ser considerada, uma vez que em 2019 a permissão ao Flamengo foi concedida em cinco dias.

3) a temporada do futebol brasileiro de 2022 termina nesta semana. Após sábado, o Maracanã só voltará a receber jogos na segunda quinzena de janeiro.

Com a chegada da 777 Partners, o Vasco demonstrou interesse no Maracanã. No primeiro momento, o clube tentou uma parceria com a dupla Fla-Flu, mas os rivais declinaram da proposta. Sendo assim, o Gigante da Colina se uniu à construtora WTorre e à Legends, que é referência mundial em gestão de estádios.

O nome do consórcio é “Maracanã para Todos”, e o clube requisitou uma proposta ao Governo do Rio de Janeiro no dia 28 de outubro. Contudo, o início de uma nova licitação foi adiada pelo Tribunal de Contas do Estado, em virtude de possíveis irregularidades no edital.

Diante deste contexto, Executivos da 777 Partners estavam no Rio de Janeiro para a possível abertura dos envelopes. Vale destacar que, em 2019, depois do cancelamento do contrato com a Odebrecht, o governo do Rio lançou um edital, mas o então presidente Alexandre Campello não demonstrou interesse.

+Vasco encaminha acerto com Junior Urso, primeiro reforço para 2023

Desde então, a licença vem sendo renovada a cada seis meses, e o Vasco entende que o governo do Rio de Janeiro deve analisar o caso desta vez e abrir os envelopes para uma nova licitação.

It was Afghanistan’s highest successful chase in ODIs, and took them to their first win over Pakistan in the format in eight attempts

Ashish Pant23-Oct-20231:50

Bond: ‘There was a real calmness about Afghanistan’s chase’

8-0 or 7-1? Nah, we are not talking about one. Coming into their fifth game of the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had not beaten Pakistan in an ODI in seven attempts. They had run them close on at least two occasions but had to suffer one heartbreak after another. But on probably the biggest stage of them all, Afghanistan finally managed to break the hoodoo. And they did it, in Chennai, by eight wickets chasing down 283 with six balls to spare, crafting their highest successful chase in ODIs in the process. A ‘W’ against Pakistan finally, and 1-7, too. It was also the highest successful chase against Pakistan in a World Cup game.Should it count as an upset? Maybe not after what Afghanistan did to England, not after the clinical manner in which they chased down the target on Monday to move to sixth position on the table.Batting first on a surface that didn’t have a blade of grass, Babar Azam had no hesitation in batting first. Babar and Abdullah Shafique’s fifties backed up by excellent cameos from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan helped Pakistan post a formidable 282 for 7.In reply, Afghanistan were switched on like men on a mission. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran posted a 130-run stand for the opening wicket, with both batters scoring fifties. Once they exited, it was the turn for Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi to shepherd the chase and close it in 49 overs.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Afghanistan’s chase started on a perfect note with Gurbaz picking Shaheen Shah Afridi to the fine-leg boundary and Ibrahim driving Afridi through the covers three balls later. While Ibrahim took Hasan Ali to the cleaners, Gurbaz targeted Haris Rauf, smashing him for four fours in his opening over as Afghanistan raced to 60 after nine.While the boundary-scoring was impeccable, their running between the wickets was even better. They were also helped by Pakistan’s sloppy fielding – they were all over the place.It took Afghanistan just 15.3 overs to breach the 100-run mark. By that time, both Ibrahim and Gurbaz had brought up their fifties. Pakistan’s first wicket only came in the 22nd over, when Afridi induced a top edge off Gurbaz’s blade that was snapped up by deep third.No panic stations, though. Rahmat came in, and immediately got to work in his usual industrious style. Whenever there were a string of dot balls, Ibrahim or Rahmat broke the shackles with a boundary. They added 60 off 74 for the second wicket before Ibrahim, struggling with cramps, edged Hasan behind for 87.Any thoughts of a collapse, or even a couple of quick wickets, were quickly shut down by Shahidi and Rahmat. They added 96 unbeaten runs for the third wicket, not once giving Pakistan a sniff. The calmness with which they went about their work was probably the most striking feature of the chase.1:53

Babar: ‘The defeat has hurt us a lot’

And Pakistan looked toothless for most of the chase, the bowlers hardly getting anything out of the surface.While Rahmat with five fours and a six remained unbeaten on 77, Shahidi scored a 45-ball 48*. It was the captain who hit the winning runs, a pull/flick off Afridi to spark emotional scenes in the dugout.The first innings was one of three chunks: Pakistan dominated the first 15 overs; Afghanistan spinners had a stranglehold on the proceedings for the next 25; Pakistan pumped 91 runs in the last ten. And that seemed to have given them the momentum heading into the break.The pitch in Chennai was the same one used for India’s opening game against Australia, so Afghanistan brought in Noor Ahmad for Fazalhaq Farooqi to make it four spinners in their XI. The move, at least for the first 15 overs, seemed to have backfired.Pakistan moved to 56 for no loss in the first ten overs, the best powerplay they have had in ten innings at the World Cup. There was another first – and second – that took place in these ten overs: Abdullah Shafique hit two sixes. The first was Pakistan’s first after 1169 balls in powerplays this year.Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam – not a bad haul for Noor Ahmad•Associated Press

Pakistan had actually raced to their 50 in 7.4 overs with Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Ur Rahman both leaking runs. At this stage, Shahidi turned to Mohammad Nabi and the veteran, through his effective variations of pace and length, put a hold on the run-scoring. Azmatullah Omarzai benefited from this at the other end when Imam-ul-Haq miscued a pull to short midwicket.Babar and Shafique took the innings forward with Shafique soon reaching his second successive fifty, off 60 balls. However, once the ball got a bit older, and the surface a tad tired, it started playing a few more tricks. Between the 16th and the 31st overs, Pakistan could only manage two fours and a six and scored 61 runs while losing two key wickets. Noor struck both the telling blows.He first took out Shafique lbw with a wrong’un and then removed Mohammad Rizwan. Babar took 69 balls to reach his fifty before falling to Noor for 74.At 206 for 5 at the end of 42 overs, Pakistan seemed to be falling short of a par score. But Iftikhar and Shadab changed the script. The two added 73 off just 45 balls, taking apart what was a poor show at the death by the Afghanistan bowlers.In the end, though, the batters came through.