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England’s batsmen took their turn to set up an emphatic victory as the home side wrapped up the one-day series with a thumping 58-run success at Edgbaston

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan26-May-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMatt Prior continued his fine form with a career-best 87 to put England on course for a huge total•Getty ImagesEngland’s batsmen took their turn to set up an emphatic victory as the home side wrapped up the one-day series with a thumping 58-run success at Edgbaston. Matt Prior’s career-best 87, and a 149-run stand with Owais Shah who made 75, powered England to an imposing 328 and once Chris Gayle fell early there was never any chance of West Indies getting near.This latest hammering completes a forgettable and depressing tour for West Indies, whose performances showed that they never wanted to be here despite the hefty tour fee they have earned. Despite pre-match talk from Gayle of turning the tour around it was their early effort in the field that spoke loudest, with sloppy groundwork and woeful bowling. Then they showed little desire to make a decent fist of the chase, typified by Shivnarine Chanderpaul who pottered to his fifty off 96 balls when the asking-rate was in double figures.England can’t be blamed for making it a one-sided contest and a one-sided series. They have done all that could have been asked of them in the opening weeks of the season, following up their convincing Test wins with efficient displays of one-day cricket. In terms of developing a team that can win from different positions, batting first was a useful experience as it meant they had to pace the innings and assess what a decent target would be.In the end 328, which was the highest ODI total at Edgbaston, and their sixth-highest of all time, was well above-par on a sluggish surface. They were rarely under pressure after Andrew Strauss, in his last international outing before the Ashes, and Ravi Bopara opened with a stand of 81. England’s use of the batting Powerplay has often come under scrutiny, but here they made full use of it by adding 55 in five overs as Prior and Shah cut loose and clean late striking meant 98 off the last 10.They were aided by a poor bowling display as the visiting attack failed to offer any control while the fielding hadn’t improved from the lazy standard that has characterised the trip. Fidel Edwards, recalled after surprisingly missing the Bristol game, was introduced for the tenth over and nearly removed Strauss, on 16 at the time, with his third ball, but Kieron Pollard spilled a tough chance at point. He’d made good ground to reach the ball, but couldn’t hold on as his elbows hit the turf.Bopara began moving through the gears with consecutive boundaries off Edwards’ next over before being undone by the lack of pace in the surface, chopping into his stumps against Dwayne Bravo. However, West Indies couldn’t take the opportunity to apply pressure as Edwards gave Prior early width for his favourite cut shot. Prior and Strauss ran well between the wickets and the England captain even brought out the reverse sweep against Sulieman Benn.Since his return to the one-day team in West Indies, Strauss has shown an innovation to his limited-overs batting that wasn’t there before. His half-century was brought up with another deft sweep against Benn, but off the next delivery he faced the ball beat the outside edge, Strauss was slow in sliding his foot back behind the line and Denesh Ramdin noticed the slow reactions and completed the stumping.Prior and Shah consolidated briefly, but didn’t have to work too hard to increase the run-rate as Gayle kept his field deeply set. Prior’s fifty came off 53 balls and as usual was especially strong through the off side. He had been told to play like a proper batsman, as he does in the Test arena, and this was the ideal innings for the situation.With two players set it was the signal for the batting Powerplay and Shah immediately tore into Edwards with a thumping pull that barely slowed down despite striking Ramaresh Sarwan painfully on the wrist at midwicket. Shah’s display was much more reminiscent of the free-flowing batsman Middlesex fans know so well, rather than the nervous, tense version that failed to cement a Test place this winter. He twice cleared the midwicket boundary with huge blows before being caught on the rope attempting another to end a stand of 149 in 20 overs.If they were to have any realistic hope of chasing down 329, West Indies needed a big innings from their captain, but after two early boundaries Gayle fell in the third over when he spooned an attempted pull to mid-on. After a brief shower, Sarwan opened his account with consecutive fours off Stuart Broad only to fall in the next over when he miscued a drive to cover where Strauss held a smart one-handed catch jumping to his left.Runako Morton was run out after a communication breakdown when he turned for a second and saw Chanderpaul rooted to his crease. It was the sort of mistake that has appeared throughout West Indies cricket in recent weeks, but also highlighted the sharpness in England’s play.Bravo at least provided a momentary spark with two sixes off Dimitri Mascarenhas, but his fun ended when the deserving Tim Bresnan trapped him on the back foot. From there the game drifted towards a soporific finish, a suitable climax to a tour that won’t linger long in the memory. It must be hoped that the ICC World Twenty20 can spark the summer into life.

Bangladesh’s chaotic batting incensed Jamie Siddons who was withering in his assessment of the effort, calling the performance a “ridiculous” effort

George Binoy at Trent Bridge08-Jun-2009Ireland did not come to Trent Bridge hoping to cause an upset against Bangladesh. Despite being an Associate member, they believed they were the better side and fully expected to win. They duly executed their skills, ousted Bangladesh, a Full Member country, from the competition and secured a place in the Super Eights.Ireland had beaten Bangladesh during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, and although Mohammad Ashraful said his players were not as anxious now as they were before that match, there was a remarkable difference in how both teams approached the game. While Bangladesh’s batsmen forgot their batting plan, falling to shots that angered their coach Jamie Siddons, Ireland showed calm even when their chase got off to a less than ideal start. It appeared as though Bangladesh were playing nervously, to avoid errors on the field, while Ireland were having fun but always kept their eye on the ball.Their success was heartening, for the struggles a cricket team like Ireland faces are different from those faced by the major nations. For instance, Ireland have only two centrally-contracted professional cricketers – Trent Johnston, who came out of retirement, and Alex Cusack – and only a handful of others that play county cricket.”We don’t have the funds to get the lads on full time contracts,” said captain William Porterfield. “It’s crucial for Ireland cricket to move forward that we get more lads on professional contracts, playing against better opposition, training day in and day out.” And now that they’ve qualified for the next round, several members of their squad might have to organise more leave from their regular jobs, something that Porterfield said the players hadn’t thought about yet.The O’Brien brothers – Kevin and Niall – played a significant part in Ireland’s success. While Kevin started the day poorly, dropping Mohammad Ashraful at first slip, Niall was excellent behind the stumps. His speed in getting to the ball forced indecision between the Bangladesh batsmen and led to the run out of the well-set Tamim Iqbal but it was his lightning stumping to dismiss Mahmudullah that left watchers gasping.Niall O’Brien was standing up to the medium-pacer Alex Cusack when Mahmudullah was beaten by a full ball. The batsmen’s back foot was always behind the line but he raised it for the briefest of moments. And during that smallest of openings, he whipped off the bails. He later revealed it was part luck but there was no denying the speed of his reflexes.”I was happy enough just to catch it and I thought I might as well take the bails off for good measure,” O’Brien said. “Nigel Llong and I, we just said ‘not out’. I was pretty surprised when it was given out. It just shows that you never quite know, do you.”He made an even more important contribution to Ireland’s victory with the bat. The innings had failed to pick up momentum after the early dismissal of Jeremy Bray and Ireland were 18 for 1 after four overs, chasing 138. O’Brien, who was struggling with an injury, attacked Mortaza, hitting the fast bowler for three leg-side sixes in an over. He scored 40 off 25 balls despite taking painkillers after hurting his ankle – Niall said he “heard a crack” – in the final over of Bangladesh’s innings. It put Ireland’s chase on track and they never lost course.”In Twenty20 cricket you’ve got to take a bit of a gamble every now and then,” he said. “Hitting towards that part of the ground, it was the shorter boundary for me. I hit him with the swing. It was a calculated risk, sometimes it got goes straight up in the air, fortunately for me today it went straight over the boundary.”O’Brien, however, only provided the acceleration. He didn’t finish the job, falling in the 10th over with the score on 61. That responsibility was left to his brother Kevin, whom Niall described as one of the best hitters in the game. Kevin O’Brien lived up to that billing, scoring a 17-ball 39 and finishing the game with ten balls to spare.”He [Kevin] came up to me yesterday and said, ‘I’m playing really badly’. I said there’s no point in worrying about how you are playing before the tournament started,” he said. “Once the game starts and you cross the pitch, that’s what counts. He’s done it for us again today. He’s as big a hitter as any.”Ireland’s next match, against the world champions India, counts for little since the two sides have already made it past the first round. Ireland, however, are determined to enjoy every match on the world’s biggest stage. “If you can’t get up and enjoy a game against the World Champions, there’s no point coming here. If you can’t enjoy 20 overs in the field and hitting sixes while batting, what are you going to enjoy? We’ll give it everything we’ve got on Wednesday.”Ireland may not be as skilled as the more reputed sides, as Bangladesh claim to be, but they’ve got belief. And sometimes that can make up for a lack of ability.

Sachin Tendulkar has said the India-Australia series is about more than just how the Indian seniors play

Sidharth Monga in Bangalore29-Sep-2008
Sachin Tendulkar: “It’s India versus Australia, it’s not certain individuals versus certain individuals in their team” © AFP
Sachin Tendulkar has said the India-Australia series is about more than just how the Indian seniors play. “It’s India versus Australia, it’s not certain individuals versus certain individuals in their team,” he said, responding to a question whether the seniors were under extra pressure, especially after Sourav Ganguly was not picked for the Irani Cup.”It’s about performing, and that is what the whole team should concentrate on doing,” Tendulkar said. “We would just like to focus on our performance. It is both the countries competing against each other, so every little thing matters.”Tendulkar, however, avoided commenting on the Ganguly issue. “I would leave that to the captain, the coach, and the selectors. They have certain ideas in their minds and we have to abide by that.”Tendulkar, and the rest of the middle order, had an ordinary series in Sri Lanka, creating a debate over whether, and when, to phase out the Fab Four. Tendulkar started the Sri Lanka series needing 172 to become the world’s leading run-getter in Tests, and three matches later he still needed 77.”I just have to go and play my best,” Tendulkar said. “Records will come if you keep playing well, and the focus will be on playing well. My mind is not on 76 runs, and it’s not as if I can relax after getting 76 runs. For the four Tests, the team has some targets, and I am more focused on those.”The good news for India is that he is back to full fitness – he had injured his elbow in the last Test in Sri Lanka and missed the Irani Cup – and is feeling good about it. “Obviously coming back to the team you feel an energy like no other,” Tendulkar said. “I have been working with our trainer, and it has worked out very well. Last two-three weeks have been quite good and I have been pleased with the way things have gone.”Tendulkar was speaking after India’s first training session at the pre-series camp in Bangalore. “The first session we had has been very good. It was mainly a fitness-targeted session. We enjoyed it quite a bit.”The session went for over two hours, and focused on fielding and fitness. The team will go through more specific sessions – nets, open-wicket practice, and match simulations – in the coming days. The first day of the camp was attended by most of the Test squad that played in Sri Lanka. The players missing from those 16 were Ganguly, the wicketkeepers Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel – since Mahendra Singh Dhoni is back – Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha, who will play for Board President’s XI against the Australians. The additions at the camp were Mohammad Kaif, who took Ganguly’s place in the Rest of India team for the Irani Cup, and Dhoni.The squad for the Tests is yet to be announced, and the players present at the camp are believed to have been called by the captain and the coach. India’s new selection committee will meet on October 1 to pick the team for the first two Tests, which means the tour game in Hyderabad will have no bearing on the team for the first Test in Bangalore.

Twenty20 cricket poses a greater corruption threat than the traditional forms of the game, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said

Alex Brown and Ajay S Shankar23-Apr-2009Twenty20 cricket poses a greater corruption threat than the traditional forms of the game, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said. However, he says he isn’t perturbed by the IPL’s decision not to employ the services of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.”The board has consistently said it cannot afford to be complacent [about the risk of corruption in Twenty20 cricket],” Lorgat told Cricinfo. “We are mindful that with Twenty20 cricket there is great excitement and money. Put those ingredients into a pot and there is a higher concern.”Lorgat’s sentiments echo those of the ACSU’s chairman, Sir Paul Condon, who last year told the council’s executive board meeting, “the IPL brings with it the biggest threat in terms of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah.”There remains a question mark over anti-corruption arrangements for the tournament. The ICC says it offered the IPL use of their security agents for the five-week tournament in South Africa, only to be informed that the Indian league had made its own arrangements.However, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, denied refusing the ICC’s offer of ACSU staff. “We are using the same system as we did last year,” he saidThe IPL last year formed its own anti-corruption unit, which comprised 10 officers from police and military backgrounds. All were briefed by officials from the ACSU prior to the start of the inaugural IPL.Several ACSU officers were deployed at last year’s IPL – one of whom ejected Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan from the players’ dug-out for not being properly accredited – and briefed IPL officials at length on anti-corruption matters. None will be in operation in South Africa.Bob Nicholls, co-owner of the firm charged with providing security for the current IPL season, said anti-corruption measures were not part of their remit. “The ICC anti-corruption and security unit has various functions that they conduct and those include obviously anti-corruption investigations as well as security,” Nicholls said. “So the part we do is security. As far the corruption part goes we are only involved only as far as it relates to security because there is a crossover. The crossover part is the security. We have no knowledge about the IPL refusing ACSU on board this season.”Lorgat, though, says he wasn’t perturbed by IPL’s decision not to employ the services of the ACSU. “It is not dissimilar to county cricket, in that it is a domestic tournament, and the onus for matters such as anti-corruption and doping lie with the home board,” he said.

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have raved over the deadline day signing of Croatia international attacker Nikola Vlasic (whufc.com).

The 23-year-old, brought in to supply a much-needed attacking alternative for manager David Moyes, comes with plenty of promise as the Hammers snap up a last gasp forward addition.

Vlasic joins West Ham from CSKA Moscow for an undisclosed fee, which some reliable sources believe to be around €30m (£25.7m).

A former Everton player, the young attacker has been impressing in the Russian Premier League since his departure from Goodison Park and even averaged an incredible 4 shots on goal per 90 and 2.8 key passes – far more than any Hammers managed in the English top flight (WhoScored).

Judging by his statistics, it appears the Irons secured a real threat going forward, and still in his very early 20s, represents real sell-on value too.

Flocking to this announcement, it’s safe to see why many West Ham fans have raved over his capture.

Find all of their best reactions from social media down below.

West Ham fans rave over Vlasic signing…

“Another excellent quality signing.”

Credit: @transpennineWHU

“GET IN!!!”

Credit: @basmatibonds

“BEST THING TO SEE AFTER WAKING UP SIUUUUU”

Credit: @WHUPawel

“We’re massive”

Credit: @fredfisher_

“We’ve actually just won the league”

Credit: @braadP97

“Just give us the Europa league title now, save everyone’s time.”

Credit: @WestHamXtra

“Let’s hope you shine at the London Stadium we need to keep our amazing momentum so proud to see us shining great business for us Hammers”

Credit: @jr_guiseppe

“Get in. Result”

Credit: @LenaWHU

In other news: ‘Really stupid’, ‘Terrible from us’…West Ham fans rage over ‘terrible’ club decision, find out more here.

Former England coach Peter Moores has said he has no regrets regarding his tenure with the England team

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2009
Peter Moores has called for a stronger team structure and coaching setup © Getty Images
Former England coach Peter Moores has said he has no regrets regarding his tenure with the England team. Moores was sacked as coach following his rift with then captain Kevin Pietersen, and on Wednesday appointed Lancashire coach.”I would be wrong to say I was not disappointed about losing the job because I am a passionate Englishman and I love cricket and coaching cricket,” he said. “I have no regrets but I look forward now to what is a great challenge for Lancashire – one of the biggest clubs in the country – and that is my focus totally.”The fallout with Pietersen marked a crisis in English cricket, following which Andrew Strauss took over the reins as captain and Andy Flower as an interim coach. Moores stressed the need to have a strong team structure and coaching setup to ensure such an incident wasn’t repeated. “There has been lots said about that and England have got a massive Test match coming up – it is not my responsibility any more but over the last 18-20 months cricket has changed a tremendous amount and I think the key for every country is they have got to settle down very quickly and sort themselves out in that structure,” he said.However, he looked forward to his new assignment. “I had to think about it after losing the England job but it wasn’t that big a decision for me. Of all the jobs apart from England I would want, in county cricket, it would be Lancashire. I was brought up around here, watched them as a child, so there is quite a strong connection.”It is a massive club with a great history, so from that point of view it was easy.”

Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-Min has sustained an injury whilst away on international duty with South Korea.

The Lowdown: Crucial Son

Son has enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 season with Spurs, scoring two goals in three Premier League games to help Spurs to the top spot in the table.

The forward started as a striker in the opening two games of the season against Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers before slotting back into his original left-wing position due to the return of Harry Kane.

His importance to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side is second to none as he started all but one top flight game last season, contributing to 39 goals across four competitions.

The Latest: Another blow

As per Ben Dinnery, Son has sustained an injury whilst away on international duty with his country, becoming yet another casualty of the two-week break following Ryan Sessegnon’s withdrawal from the England under-21 squad.

“Heung-Min Son has been ruled out of the WC qualifying match vs Lebanon,” Dinnery said. “The KFA revealed that the Spurs star ‘experienced discomfort in his right leg after Monday’s practice’, which was later diagnosed as a strained calf.”

The South Korean FA insist it is merely precautionary but the news will have everyone at Tottenham sweating about the prospect of him joining Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Le Celso and Cristian Romero on the absence list for Saturday’s clash against Crystal Palace.

The Verdict: Nervous wait

There is no news on the severity of the injury or how long Son will miss as of yet. In some ways, Son missing a fixture for his country will please many Spurs fans if he turns out to be okay and just gets some extra rest.

Nuno will be hoping that’s the case ahead of a huge upcoming doubleheader with Chelsea and Arsenal. The former Wolves boss has got his Spurs’ reign off to a perfect start so far and with the hectic month ahead – Spurs play six times before October – he will desperately hope the injury isn’t too bad.

Danny Mills called the forward ‘outstanding’ last season and Son has proved just that with his form in recent years. They cannot afford to lose him.

In other Tottenham Hotspur news, Serie A ‘complete player’ could be on his way to Spurs. Find out more here.

Southampton fans want to sign Duje Caleta-Car after it was suggested they are interested in a move for the Marseille central defender.

The Saints kicked off their Premier League season with a 3-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park despite taking the lead through Adam Armstrong. That defeat came without Jannik Vestergaard, who recently made the move to Leicester City from St. Mary’s Stadium (lcfc.com) – as such, the Saints could do with a new central defender.

As per Hampshire Live, the Saints are looking at Caleta-Car to come in to replace the Denmark international. He was previously at Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga four times, while he was also a part of Croatia’s squad for the 2018 World Cup when they reached the final.

The news was shared on Twitter by @TheSaintCentre, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Saints supporters. They took took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Caleta-Car news below

“Yes please”

Credit: @oliverrschmidt8

“Put the money in Saints !!”

Credit: @sfc2110

“Make it happen! I don’t care what it takes but Semmens needs to get it done ASAP.”

Credit: @BenneseeWhiskey

“That’d be a great signing and there’s no way they can’t afford 22.5 mill”

Credit: @Sam_Maynard_

“This lad is Brilliant, been outstanding for MARSEILLE for a couple of years now. Never played for Lyon as far as Im aware?!?!”

Credit: @saintbannerman

“Would be an insane signing but anything above £15M isn’t gonna happen. More likely we get Cahill sadly!”

Credit: @SFCMart

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this Champions League winner.

The Dhaka Warriors moved into fourth place in the league and kept their semi-final hopes alive by beating the Chandigarh Lions by eight wickets in Panchkula

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2008
Scorecard

Shahriar Nafees’ 73 kept the Dhaka Warriors’ semi-final hopes alive © ICL
The Dhaka Warriors moved into fourth place in the league and kept their semi-final hopes alive by beating the Chandigarh Lions by eight wickets in Panchkula. Shahriar Nafees led Dhaka’s charge and his unbeaten 73 ensured that the target of 138 was achieved in the 18th over.Nafees’ task was made easier by Dhaka’s bowlers who had backed up their captain Habibul Bashar’s decision to field by restricting Chandigarh to 137 for 9. After conceding 23 off the first two overs, Dhaka struck three rapid blows that irreparably damaged Chandigarh’s innings.Mohammad Sharif landed the first in the third over when he induced TP Singh to sky a pull to midwicket. Tapash Baisya struck the second, trapping Sarabjit Singh, who was given out after a referral, leg before off the last ball of the fourth over. The very next delivery, an awful mix-up resulted in Lou Vincent being run out without facing a ball. Dhaka had gone from 25 for 0 to 29 for 3 in nine balls.They continued to lose wickets periodically and though three middle-order batsmen got starts – Chetan Sharma, Andrew Hall and Bipul Sharma scored more than 25 – no one got past 30. Mohammad Rafique was Dhaka’s most successful bowler, finishing with 3 for 28.The target didn’t require a slam-bang approach and Dhaka’s openers Nafees and Nazimuddin began steadily. They scored only 15 off the first three overs before tucking into Daryl Tuffey: Nazimuddin hit him for fours through cover and midwicket, while Nafees steered one to the third-man boundary. They batted sensibly, finding the boundary every other over while ensuring a steady stream of singles. By the time Nazimuddin fell, sweeping to midwicket in the ninth over, Dhaka had already reached 53. Aftab Ahmed fell soon after, and Nafees who was 33 at the time, became more determined to finish the job.Nafees found an aggressive partner in Alok Kapali, the ICL’s only centurion, and the pair added 76 in quick time to complete the victory. Both batsmen favoured the midwicket region, and sent the ball sailing over the boundary. Kapali raced to 32 off 17 balls and Nafees hit Love Ablish for three fours to improve his strike-rate. The end was emphatic – Kapali pulling the Chandigarh captain Hall to the midwicket boundary to spark off celebrations.

Southampton fans are far from happy after a report revealed the Saints’ transfer policy for the future.

The Saints kicked off their Premier League season last Saturday with a 3-1 defeat against Everton at Goodison Park, but they have been somewhat busy recently in the transfer window, bringing in five new players in Romain Perraud (southamptonfc.com), Danyl Simeu (chelseafc.com), Valentino Livramento, Armando Broja and Adam Armstrong – all of them are below the age of 25.

As per Tom Leach, that is to be Southampton’s transfer policy moving forward. The journalist says the club will look to sign young players, help them develop and then sell them on for a bigger fee in the future.

he Southampton fans do not seem too happy with that news at all, taking this as a sign that the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit see themselves as a selling club with low ambition.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Saints supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the news below

“Sounds like we’ve accepted relegation”

Credit: @dazstevnson1973

“Sounds like the club know where we are heading”

Credit: @JoshSFC13578

“such a dangerous game”

Credit: @Steveba35151963

“That just sounds sad”

Credit: @olliesaints7

“This business model is not sustainable in the long term. Everyone in football knows eventually you run out of good young players to sign and you end up where we are now.”

Credit: @centristjim1

“So we are always a stepping stone, not a destination. OK got it.”

Credit: @DB_247

In other news, Southampton could make a move for this 4-time league winner.