Category Uncategorized

The last time 230 was chased at the Premadasa was six-and-a-half years ago. It was fitting then that on the big day the home side lost the toss, and put in a supreme performance to comfortably chase and win

Sidharth Monga at the Premadasa26-Mar-2011Today the R Premadasa Stadium became only the fourth ground to have hosted 100 ODIs. Yet it is a much-maligned venue, and not without reason either. It was actually a surprise that they kept playing ODIs under lights here, with the side batting first at an obvious and a significant advantage, what with the evening moisture and the ordinary floodlights deciding most of the games between evenly matched sides at the toss. The last time 230 was chased here was six-and-a-half years ago, a statistic that speaks for itself.However, for the year and a half running into the World Cup, they stopped playing here. As they renovated the stands, they also tried to figure out what they could do to address that imbalance. They realised that because the ground is in a low-lying area, the moisture comes up in the evenings and assists seam movement. So they raised the square by three-and-a-half feet, and also installed new, improved floodlights. Hosting a World Cup is a matter of prestige, and nobody would have wanted two unfair knockout matches in Sri Lanka.It was natural that the statistics were thrown around in the lead-up to the match. “Toss crucial,” ran the headlines around the world. Meanwhile Sri Lankan players told anybody who would listen that things had changed, a glimpse of which was shown in how they had looked comfortable chasing 278 against Pakistan before losing their way. It was fitting then that on the big day the home side lost the toss, and put in a supreme performance to not only chase and win, but chase and win comfortably at that.Of course they didn’t win because batting second was easy. Batting was still a bit difficult; 230 was still a good target on a low and slow pitch, in a high-pressure World Cup knockout game. And they didn’t win because they just batted well; their bowling was superb for the conditions, never mind the three dropped catches. More importantly, for all of England’s tenacity – and they were tenacious even today for 70 overs – Sri Lanka had enough class to fall back upon and pull the opposition back. Don’t forget that Muttiah Muralitharan was one of the most expensive bowlers on either side, and yet – except during the partnership between Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan – Sri Lanka never really looked in trouble.Shrewdly they opened the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan, knowing England would be circumspect with their third different opening combination of the tournament. Dilshan, a smart cricketer, gave the openers little pace to work with, and by the time he was taken off, England had the uninviting prospect of facing 30 overs of specialist spin out of the 42 remaining. England played Muralitharan well, getting to the pitch of the balls and dabbing, paddling, reverse-paddling him for ones and twos. Then came a period when the game seemed to be running out of Sri Lanka’s butter fingers. Three catches went down, a chance to challenge a not-out lbw call was missed, and England looked good to get even 260, which would have seriously challenged Sri Lanka, evening or no evening.England called for the batting Powerplay at 182 for 3 after 42 overs, with set batsmen in the middle who had added 87 in 15 overs. Kumar Sangakkara called for Lasith Malinga. Malinga needed one loosener before firing in three yorkers followed by a slower ball that accounted for Morgan. The fielders woke up again, with Dilshan and Chamara Silva not allowing twos in the outfield and Malinga and Ajantha Mendis not allowing boundaries. Andrew Strauss admitted later that they were not allowed to play well by “a very good side”.Putting Dilshan and Upul Tharanga together at the top of the order has been Sri Lanka’s biggest ODI investment over the last two years. Dilshan had been a middle-order batsman, and to persist with Tharanga, the team management has had to fight undue outside pressures to bring Sanath Jayasuriya back. Both were bold moves, and both have paid off: in 32 attempts the two have added 2023 at an average of 65.25, incidentally surpassing tonight the Jayasuriya-Tharanga combine to become the third-most prolific opening combination for Sri Lanka.It was evident why they work so well together. When Dilshan struggled for timing in the first half hour, it was Tharanga who took the initiative and cut Tim Bresnan and lofted Graeme Swann. There was a clear understanding that Dilshan could throw things away if the runs didn’t come fast enough, and that’s where Tharanga came in. Once Dilshan got in, he took charge of the scoring, and in synchronicity they moved towards their centuries.The freedom with which they batted proved two things. The Sri Lankan bowlers were much higher in quality, and the conditions weren’t as tough as it seemed when England batted. There was the aggressive intent that is necessary to score runs on these pitches, something neither England’s technique nor their loss of wickets allowed them to do.Not long into the Sri Lankan innings, the stands turned into a party. The steel bands blared in every stand, the people danced, exaggerated defensive shots from Dilshan ensured there were enough runs left for Tharanga to get to his century too. Amid all that, a ground was possibly sent on redemption path too.

Stats highlights from the first Test between India and South Africa in Chennai, which ended in a high-scoring draw

S Rajesh and HR Gopalakrishna30-Mar-2008
RP Singh shows how much he enjoyed bowling on the placid pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium © AFP
The last three Tests in Chennai have all been drawn, but the previous two – against Australia in 2004-05, and Sri Lanka in 2005-06 – were both severely affected by the weather. Over the last two years, the Indians have been the masters of the draw. Of the 26 Tests they have played during this period, 50% have ended in a stalemate. The percentage is easily the highest among all teams. Pakistan is next with 40%, while Australia are at the bottom of the list with just one draw – against India, as you’d expect – in 17 matches. Of the 13 draws involving India, four have been at home [out of seven matches], while nine have happened overseas [out of 19]. There was little joy for bowlers throughout the game, with only 25 wickets falling over five days. An average of 59.92 runs were scored per wicket, making it one of the most batsman-dominated Tests at this venue – only twice have more runs been scored per wicket in Chennai, but one of them, the Test between India and Pakistan in 1960-61, was hosted at the Corporation Stadium. Overall, 25 Tests in India have had an average of more than 50 runs per wicket, with this game slotting in at 13th place. Most of the batsmen who came out for a hit enjoyed themselves, but the ones who made the bulk of the runs were the openers. Apart from Virender Sehwag’s 319, Neil McKenzie made 94 and 155 not out, while Graeme Smith and Wasim Jaffer chipped in with half-centuries. In all the openers from both teams scored 749 runs, which is second in the all-time list of openers’ aggregate in a Test. The only occasion when they scored more also involved South Africa – against England at Edgbaston in 2003, the openers put together 811 runs in the match, with a double-century for Smith, and hundreds for Herschelle Gibbs and Michael Vaughan. (Click here for the complete list.) McKenzie’s total of 249 runs is the highest by a South African batsman in a Test against India. Hashim Amla, who made 240 runs in the match, is in second place. Both batsmen continued their excellent form: McKenzie has scored 475 runs in his last three innings, pushing his career average to 38.74, while Amla has scored three hundreds and two fifties in his last eight Tests. In a match in which most batsmen filled their boots, the most prolific players from both camps missed out. Jacques Kallis managed just 32 runs in two innings – he has now gone ten innings without a century – while Sachin Tedulkar lasted only five deliveries, making his first duck at home since February 17, 1999, when Shoaib Akhtar famously yorked him with a scorcher. The Indian seamers had a forgettable game, finishing with combined figures of 1 for 313. In home Tests where the Indian pace attack has finished with less than two wickets, this is the most expensive in terms of runs conceded. The only bowler who managed a five-for here was Harbhajan Singh, who finished with match figures of 8 for 265. He had to work hard for his success, though, conceding more than 100 runs in both innings of a Test for the first time in his career. His eight wickets were much better returns than what Anil Kumble managed [3 for 163]. The two spinners have played together in 49 Tests so far, and barring injury or illness, the Ahmedabad match will see the two of them play their 50th Test together.

21-year-old adds four wickets to brisk half-century as Worcestershire fall to derby defeat

ECB Reporters Network23-Jun-2023

Birmingham Bears secured a place in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals with a thumping 53-run victory over arch-rivals Worcestershire Rapids at Edgbaston.Put in, the Bears started strongly and never lost momentum as they totalled 228 for four thanks to half-centuries from Rob Yates and Dan Mousley and Glenn Maxwell’s 20-ball 44.Mousley then continued his brilliant Blast by adding 4 for 41 to his half-century as the Rapids totalled 175 for 9, Mitchell Santner top-scoring with 56 from No. 3.One more win from their last two games will secure Bears a home tie in the last eight while, though the defeat is a setback for Rapids, they remain in the thick of the qualification race.Related

Buttler joins 10k club as Lancashire close in on quarter-finals

Hampshire gun down 210 target to leapfrog Essex

Blistering Bell-Drummond fires Kent to sixth straight win

Leicestershire 'investigating allegations' amid Nixon's sudden departure

Lynn, Zaib put crisis-hit Leicestershire to the sword

The Rapids chose to field but Bears openers Yates and Alex Davies put 50 on the board in 30 balls. England’s most recent debutant Josh Tongue suffered a tough first over with three successive wides, but hit back well in his second over, beating Yates with three successive balls without getting the edge.After a strong powerplay (66 without 0), the Bears lost Davies for 29, caught behind off Santner’s second ball but Yates galloped to his second Blast fifty in 24 hours before skying a return catch to Dillon Pennington.Maxwell’s departure, well-held by Pat Brown at long-off off Santner, brought together two of English cricket’s most vibrant young talents – Mousley and Chris Benjamin. They crashed 60 from 30 balls to leave the Rapids needing to score at 11.40 an over.Glenn Maxwell got into his groove•Getty Images

They received a perky start from Brett D’Oliveira and Jack Haynes before the former tried to swat Mousley’s first ball to leg and was bowled. Haynes then swung Danny Briggs over mid-wicket for six but drilled the next ball to Yates at extra cover.The Rapids had to go for broke and that pressure cost wickets. Briggs struck a big blow by luring former Bears team-mate, and fellow Ventnor product, Adam Hose to his doom, stumped by Davies. Kashif Ali smote Mousley far into the Hollies Stand but then dragged a swinging yorker from Hasan Ali on to his stumps in a superb over which cost three runs and sent the required rate into the stratosphere.Santner landed some clean blows in his fifth T20 half-century off 27 balls, but Mousley bowled Ben Cox and Usama Mir with successive balls to leave the Rapids needing 96 from five overs. When Mousley had Santner stumped to complete his four-for, the Bears were home, hosed and in the quarter-finals.

MatériaMais Notícias

Alex de Souza, ex-técnico do São Paulo Sub-20 e atualmente treinando o Avaí, tem interesse na contratação de um ex-comandado de Cotia: o volante Léo Silva. Segundo o LANCE! apurou, o jogador está fora dos planos de Rogério Ceni.

RelacionadasSão PauloVai lotar! Mais de 37 mil ingressos foram vendidos para jogo do São Paulo contra o São BernardoSão Paulo24/02/2023São PauloSão Paulo x São Bernardo: onde assistir ao jogo válido pelo Campeonato PaulistaSão Paulo23/02/2023São PauloDestaque nas participações em gols pelo São Paulo, Galoppo está perto de temporada mais artilheira da carreiraSão Paulo23/02/2023

O Avaí quer um empréstimo de um ano. O estafe do jogador estaria pressionando o negócio para o volante ganhar rodagem – uma vez que, como dito anteriormente, está fora dos planos da comissão técnica do Tricolor no elenco profissional. O atleta tem contrato com o São Paulo até dezembro de 2024.

ATUAÇÕES: Galoppo e Wellington Rato são novamente cruciais na vitória do São Paulo

Veja tabela do Campeonato Paulista e simule os próximos jogos

No último ano, Léo Silva chegou a ser relacionado por Rogério Ceni em alguns jogos. Inclusive, pela fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana, contra o Everton e o Ayacucho. Porém, só entrou em campo contra o Ayacucho, onde atuou por 45 minutos na vitória por 1 a 0. Também foi relacionado em uma partida do Campeonato Brasileiro, contra o Atlético-MG.

O treinador preferiu o volante Vinícius, também de Cotia. Este teve seu contrato prorrogado pelo Tricolor até o final do ano.

O LANCE! apurou que o estafe de outras ‘Crias de Cotia’ também querem o empréstimo para os jovens atletas ganharem rodagem. Entre os favoritos a serem emprestados, estão Juan e Rodriguinho – que são frequentemente relacionados por Rogério Ceni, mas não ganham tantos minutos na equipe.

Neste ano, outros dois jogadores revelados na base Tricolor assinaram com outros times. No caso, o zagueiro Walce e o goleiro Thiago Couto. Os dois foram emprestados para o Juventude, ambos com vínculo até o final da temporada.

Borussia Dortmund have set their sights on two Barcelona youngsters as they look to strengthen their squad for the coming campaign.

• Dortmund are pursuing Barcelona youngsters
• Both lack first-team prospects under Flick
• A decision expected post Barca’s Asia tour

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Dortmund are targeting two young Barcelona players, seeking reinforcements for both left-back and midfield positions, according to . BVB’s focus is on right-back Fort, 19, and 17-year-old midfielder Fernandez. Both players have been involved in Barcelona’s pre-season squad but face limited prospects of first-team opportunities under coach Flick.

Advertisement

• getty
  

  WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND?

  Fort, a Spanish youth international, is being pursued by several clubs including Paris FC, AC Milan, Mallorca and Ajax. Barcelona’s preference is a loan or a permanent move with a buy-back clause, as Fort struggles to break into the team, with Jules Kounde and Eric García ahead of him. Fernandez, a product of La Masia, is under contract until 2027 and is seeking guarantees of playing time. Dortmund, known for developing young talents are one of several clubs to have made concrete proposals for the creative midfielder.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Fort made 17 league appearances last season, mainly from the bench, and has 30 senior matches for Barcelona. Fernandez featured in the pre-season, getting 15 minutes against FC Seoul, but first-team minutes have been scarce. Both players are established Spain U19 internationals.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Decisions on both Fort and Fernandez are expected after Barcelona’s pre-season tour of Asia concludes. Dortmund continue to monitor the situation, with any progress hinging on Barcelona's willingness to negotiate favourable terms, including possible loan agreements or retaining rights through buy-back clauses. BVB recently strengthened their squad with Daniel Svensson at left-back and Jobe Bellingham in midfield, but remain in the market for further youth signings.

كشف صحفي شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” المعروف، فابريزيو رومانو، عن تفاصيل عرض نادي توتنهام هوتسبير للتعاقد مع أحد نجوم نادي مانشستر سيتي خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

مانشستر سيتي من المتوقع أن يرحل العديد من اللاعبين عن صفوفه خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي، نظرًا للتعاقدات الأخرى التي قام بها النادي الإنجليزي في المقابل.

طالع .. رومانو يفجر مفاجأة بشأن مصير سافينيو مع مانشستر سيتي

وأكد رومانو عبر حسابه الرسمي في “تويتر”، أن جناح مانشستر سيتي، سافينيو، هو هدف رئيسي لنادي توتنهام هوتسبير، من أجل التعاقد معه هذا الصيف.

وأضاف رومانو في حديثه، أن توتنهام قد قدم عرضًا رسميًا لنادي مانشستر سيتي، وذلك من أجل ضم سافينيو مقابل حوالي 50 مليون يورو.

وأوضح الصحفي الإيطالي، أن رد مانشستر سيتي على هذا العرض كان بالرفض، حيث يريد الفريق السماوي الحصول على مزيد من الأموال للسماح برحيل سافينيو إلى توتنهام.

وأردف رومانو، أن سافينيو يرغب في الرحيل إلى توتنهام والمفاوضات لا تزال سارية مع مانشستر سيتي، لكن الأخير يرغب في بيع اللاعب البرازيلي بشروطه فقط.

سافينيو شارك كبديل يوم السبت الماضي خلال مواجهة مانشستر سيتي مع نظيره باليرمو وديًا، والتي انتهت بفوز مانشستر سيتي بثلاثية نظيفة.

ويدخل توتنهام الموسم الجديد بمشروع طموح تحت قيادة المدير الفني توماس فرانك، حيث سوف يلعب السبيرز الموسم المقبل في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

Daryl Mitchell is looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet, after the World Cup humdrum, when New Zealand return to Test cricket after eight months in Sylhet. It will also be the first Test for both New Zealand and Bangladesh in the third cycle of the World Test Championship. Mitchell is coming off a strong run in the World Cup where he struck two centuries, both against India.”A bit more patience is required going from white ball to Test cricket,” Mitchell said. “You can breathe and relax a little bit. The surfaces are turning. We will keep adapting. We will see what we get on day one.”It is always special to play in that tournament in front of millions of people. It is also about recognising what an opportunity we have here at the start of the World Test Championship. How much it means to wear that baggy with the silver fern on.”He also said that New Zealand are focussing on short-term goals rather than thinking about the ultimate goal of reaching the WTC final.”We obviously know it is the end goal,” Mitchell said. “That’s what every country taking part in the World Test Championship wants to do. For us, it is about making small goals. Trying to tick off games as we go. First, we have to take on Bangladesh. It is always a tough challenge in Bangladesh.”Conditions are foreign to us as Kiwis so it is about adapting as quickly as we can to these surfaces, and getting stuck to win little moments. It is what we are speaking about. We are not looking too far ahead. At the same time, you want to be part of those big games. That’s why you play Test cricket.”Related

• Phillips: 'As a batter, I'd look to target myself as well'

• Southee expects spin to play a big role in 'hard-fought' series

• Ravindra is living his dream, and loving it

Sylhet, incidentally, has hosted just one Test previously but while conditions will be alien to both sets of players, New Zealand coach Luke Ronchi said that his side has developed their skills in the sub-continent. This, despite New Zealand having last played a Test in Bangladesh in 2013.”Ten years is a long, long time,” Ronchi said. “That’s when Ish Sodhi made his Test debut. Some of the guys were young so their style of play would have changed a lot. We played a lot of cricket in the sub-continent. We have toured Pakistan as well. The guys have their own tactics to play around the world.”You can see the reverse-sweep coming into it a lot more now. It makes life difficult for bowlers. But that’s how guys want to play. They need to adapt to that surface whichever way they think is the best way for them to score.”Ronchi said that the ODI World Cup in India on slow pitches has prepared them for the Test series on similar tracks in Bangladesh. “It would have been a big change if we came from the green wickets of New Zealand straight to Bangladesh,” he said. “But for the majority of our group here, they have been in the World Cup. They have been practicing on slower and turning surfaces so that it helps us in this Test series.”As for Mitchell, he put the World Cup behind him, though he savoured his presence in the ICC’s team of the tournament. “It is cool to be recognised with [a place in the World Cup team of the tournament]. It means you are contributing to the team and helping to win games,” Mitchell said. “There’s not much time to reflect. We are straight into Test cricket. You want to stay present, and be ready to go for the Test team. But also, a very special eight weeks in India. Those memories will last a lifetime.”

Ehsan Adil, Ben Dunk and Sohail Tanvir played good supporting hands to make sure Chargers edged the see-saw title clash

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2023

Texas Chargers 92 (Hafeez 46, Dunk 20, Sohail 5-15, Afridi 2-8, Asif 2-14) tied with New York Warriors 92 for 6 (Carter 39*, Adil 3-11). Texas Chargers won the One-over Eliminator.Despite playing the eliminator and a qualifier on the same day, Saturday, Texas Chargers had enough in the tank to come out on Sunday and beat New York Warriors in the final of the inaugural US Masters T10, which was so tightly contested that it required a Super Over to identify the winners.With 92 vs 92 in the main contest, it went down to the one-over shootout, and it was between the two Sohails – Tanvir and Khan – in the end. Sohail Khan, who had earlier picked up five wickets to keep New York in the game, kept Texas to a decent 15, with Mukhtar Ahmed hitting a last-ball six. Sohail Tanvir stepped up then, and stopped New York two runs short, despite a last-ball six from Jonathan Carter.It was entirely because of Sohail Khan that the game went into the tie-breaker. He didn’t have a lot of runs to work with when he started the ninth over, with Texas on 82 for 4, needing 11 runs from two overs. Bang-bang he went, hitting the stumps to get rid of Upul Tharanga, Phil Mustard and Thisara Perera in a four-ball burst, before sending back Neil Broom off the last ball of the over. Shahid Afridi got Sohail Tanvir and Fidel Edwards in the last over then to tie the game.Before Sohail Khan’s heroics, Mohammad Hafeez built on his outstanding form, and was well supported by Ben Dunk. The two strung together a partnership of 46 runs for the second wicket, with Hafeez scoring 46 in 17 balls and Dunk 20 in 12.Earlier, put in to bat, Warriors struggled to get any momentum going. Edwards dismissed Kamran Akmal with the first delivery of the match, and after a 30-run stand between Richard Levi and Tillakaratne Dilshan, Ehsan Adil produced a two-over burst of 3 for 11 to thwart Warriors.Carter, though, hit three sixes and three fours in a 17-ball 39 not out to give Warriors a chance, which Sohail Khan built on later, but it wasn’t enough on the day.Sohail Khan expectedly took the Player-of-the-Match award for the final, while Hafeez was awarded the Player-of-the-Tournament.