Category Uncategorized

Cheteshwar Pujara and Dhawal Kulkarni embellished their reputations as India A bounced back from their shocking defeat in the previous game to thump Scotland by 152 runs in Glasgow

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2010India A 281 for 7 (Pujara 122*, Mukund 50) beat Scotland 129 (Kulkarni 5-29, Abdulla 3-21) by 152 runs
ScorecardCheteshwar Pujara kept accelerating through his unbeaten century•Indian Premier League

Cheteshwar Pujara and Dhawal Kulkarni embellished their reputations as India A bounced back from their shocking defeat in the previous game to thump Scotland by 152 runs in Glasgow. The visitors started off edgily after winning the toss, losing Shikhar Dhawan edging to second slip. Ajinkya Rahane was reprieved by Richie Berrington at point, and in Abhinav Mukund’s company he settled down to see off the early threat. Fifty runs were on the board when Pujara took guard, and in Mukund’s company, he set his side up for another big score. The pair added 83 runs without fuss, before Pujara’s uncertain call left his partner stranded. Mukund had struck six fours in his fifty which came of 60 balls, and was flustered by the way his innings was ended.Pujara was determined to make up for the misunderstanding, and with Manoj Tiwary took the innings into overdrive. Tiwary hustled for 41 off 45 balls, but the mainstay of the 109-run stand was Pujara who kept accelerating through the innings. He began the onslaught with a six off Gordon Drummond in the 38th over and picked Ally Evans for 12 in the next over. Despite the loss of a few wickets in the end overs, Pujara kept going and finished with 122 off 117 balls, as India A posted 281.Scotland’s chase got off to the kind of start that necessitated another miracle comeback, but today the Indian bowlers ensured that it did not happen. Dhawal Kulkarni was the star of the show, as all three seamers kept the pressure up. None of the batsmen barring Moneeb Iqbal and Richie Berrington crossed 20 as wickets fell at regular intervals. Kulkarni finished with a five-for while the biggest highlight of the innings was Iqbal Abdulla’s freakish dismissal of Matthew Parker, out lbw sweeping an intentional double-bouncer. The hosts eventually folded for 129, not even half way to their target.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the itinerary of the ‘home’ series in the UAE against South Africa in October and November this year. The series will be shared between the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai International Cricket Stadium; the two grounds will join Sharjah, which has hosted Pakistan in the past, as Test venues in the UAE. The series will feature two Tests, five ODIs and a Twenty20 international.Cricket South Africa had agreed to the PCB’s proposal of playing a series on neutral ground, back in April. The PCB even explored the possibility of playing matches in Sharjah, but have decided to restrict it to two venues. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have hosted one-dayers and Twenty20s but never staged a Test.” I am very grateful to Dr. Mtutuzeli Nyoka (CSA president) and Gerald Majola for their understanding of our position and supporting us to make this even possible,” PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said. “I would like to especially thank the Emirates Cricket Board for their unwavering support to Pakistan Cricket.”Pakistan has not hosted an international series since the Lahore attacks in March last year, and was stripped of its rights to host the 2011 World Cup as a result of the volatile security situation in the country. The UAE, with strong links to Pakistan cricket, emerged as an alternate ‘host’ and Pakistan have played ODI series against Australia and New Zealand in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since last year. Pakistan also played a ‘home’ Test series against New Zealand late last year, and will also ‘host’ England and Australia in England later this summer.Schedule:Oct 27: Only Twenty20, Abu Dhabi
Oct 29: 1st ODI, Abu Dhabi
Oct 31: 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 2: 3rd ODI, Dubai
Nov 5: 4th ODI, Dubai
Nov 8: 5th ODI, Dubai
Nov 12-16: 1st Test, Dubai
Nov 20-24: 2nd Test, Abu Dhabi

Former BCCI president AC Muthiah has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to own league teams

Cricinfo staff23-Apr-2010

Former BCCI president AC Muthiah has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to be part of the IPL and own league teams. The petition follows the Madras High Court’s decision last month to dismiss a similar plea filed by Muthiah and is significant in light of the fact that the board secretary, N Srinivasan, is also the owner of an IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings.Prior to the amendment, clause 6.2.4 of the Regulations for Players, Team officials, Umpires and Administrators, said: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the Board.” After the amendment, though, the clause said “no administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”Muthiah’s petition echoes his recent statements that Srinivasan’s convening of Monday’s crucial IPL governing council meeting is invalid given the conflict of interest.The meeting is set to decide Lalit Modi’s future with the IPL. Modi, who is under fire over allegations of corruption, has questioned Srinivasan’s authority in convening the meeting for the same reason as Muthiah.”All he [Srinivasan] is actually is an ex-officio member of the council, as an office-bearer of BCCI, and he is a conflicted party who owns an IPL team. He has never and can never call a governing council meeting,” Modi wrote in a mail to BCCI president Shashank Manohar.Last month, however, the Madras High Court dismissed Muthiah’s application that sought to remove Srinivasan of his role as a BCCI office-bearer given his involvement in the IPL. Under its original rules, the BCCI prohibited its office-bearers from having commercial interests in the league, but this rule was retrospectively amended in September 2008, eight months after the inaugural round of bidding for IPL franchises.The Chennai franchise was won by the company India Cements, of which Srinivasan is the managing director, and BCCI’s ruling validated his involvement in the IPL.In December that year, Muthiah filed a civil suit in Madras High Court, questioning the BCCI’s amendment that effectively said the IPL was out of the board’s purview. Muthiah also filed an application seeking an interim stay on Srinivasan functioning as BCCI secretary, for the period until the suit was heard.That application was turned down in March this year, while the suit is yet to be heard by the court. The court’s stand was that the clause was a code of conduct and not a rule, and as such could not be challenged by an individual from outside the BCCI. The court however ruled that the merits and demerits of various clauses could be examined during the hearing of the civil suit.The governing council is set to meet on April 26, and at the latest on May 1, if Modi’s attempt to defer it is successful. The suit is unlikely to be tried between now and the meeting, which makes Modi’s line of defence against Srinivasan untenable.Meanwhile, Muthiah expressed his support to Modi’s claim, reiterating his original argument. “I quite agree with Lalit Modi. Srinivasan is an interested party and I filed a case against him for conflict of interest. He is a secretary and he is a holder of franchise. It is clear he has no right to call for a meeting,” Muthiah told PTI.

The Bombay High Court has directed that Sharad Pawar be made party in a petition regarding the levy of entertainment tax by the Maharashtra government on IPL matches held in the state

Cricinfo staff05-May-2010The Bombay High Court has directed that Sharad Pawar, the federal agriculture minister and president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, and Chirayu Amin, the interim chairman, be made party in a petition regarding the levy of entertainment tax by the Maharashtra government on IPL matches held in the state. While hearing arguments on Wednesday, it also raised the question of whether a minister being a member of a cricket body constituted a conflict of interest.The court’s direction and observations came on a public interest litigation that challenges the Maharashtra government’s decision to waive entertainment tax for the recent IPL season. The petitioner – Subhash Desai, a member of the Shiv Sena political party – claims that in January this year the state government, of which Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party is a member, decided to levy the entertainment tax on IPL but the decision was not implemented.The exemption is estimated to have cost the government several crore rupees.”If a minister holds a post in a cricket association, and the state cabinet is to decide on granting some exemption to the association…perhaps conflict of interest may arise,” the bench observed, while seeking the federal government’s view on whether any “conflict of interest” arose if a minister was a member of a cricket body.The BCCI’s counsel contended that Pawar currently had no connection with the BCCI or IPL, though he headed the apex cricketing body two years ago. However, the petitioner contended that since the finance portfolio in the Maharashtra government was with the NCP, the decision not to levy the tax was “politically motivated”.”This is a very important issue,” the bench said, seeking the assistance of the additional solicitor-general of India, who represents the Union – also impleaded in the case – on this.The court observed that “prima facie this activity (IPL matches) is covered under entertainment tax. If there is no exemption, then state has no option but to recover it”.The court adjourned the hearing till June 22.

Imran Tahir, the nomadic legspinner who was briefly included in South Africa’s squad for their tour to India, has spoken of his anger at his treatment by the Titans franchise in South Africa

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010

Imran Tahir, the nomadic legspinner who was briefly included in South Africa’s squad to face England last month, has spoken of his anger at his treatment by the Titans franchise in South Africa, and confirmed he is looking to move to the Durban-based Dolphins.It would be a timely signing for the Dolphins, who have just culled five senior players from their squad after a disappointing Supersport Series and a winless start to the domestic Pro20 competition.”This is my third season with the Titans. In the beginning I was performing so well; it is why they won so many trophies. Then they just stopped selecting me for no reason. You play so well, you are among the top three bowlers in county cricket and you carry drinks all season.” Tahir told .”I want to ask the Titans how come I’m not playing franchise cricket this year but they don’t talk to me at all, especially the coach. I’m not happy with them. I’m angry.”Tahir’s dissatisfaction has led him to consider a move to the Dolphins at the end of the current domestic season. “I cannot play for the Dolphins now because my contract with the Titans ends in April this year – thank God.” he said. “My family is in Durban. I would like to play for the Dolphins and they have approached me but I’m not sure yet. I feel I’d like to decide after my contract with the Titans expires.”Tahir was involved in a farcical call-up to the South Africa squad for the final Test against England before being de-selected on qualification grounds, but understands why he was removed from the squad.”I understood why Cricket South Africa withdrew me. Whatever they could do for me, they did,” he explained. “I got my residency and I was selected but the ICC rule is that I have to spend 183 days a year in South Africa for a four-year period. I’ve been doing this for three years now, so in terms of this rule, I will qualify to play for South Africa in December this year.”Before he qualifies, Tahir intends to spend the English summer playing county cricket, although after after two successful seasons with Hampshire he will be switching to Warwickshire – his fourth county – this season.”I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be available for Warwickshire from start to finish and I want to do well for them. The wickets in England are very helpful to me,” he said. “The start of the English county season – from April to mid-May when it’s cold – is the same as South Africa because it seams and swings. After that the ball starts spinning nicely and that’s when I get my wickets.”

Rangers picked up their eighth consecutive win in the Premiership on Saturday as they scraped a 1-0 victory over Dundee United to extend their lead at the top of the table to seven points.

Right-back James Tavernier received the plaudits after his penalty proved the difference in what was a hard-fought victory for the Gers, who maintained their 100% winning record in the league under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Despite the 30-year-old’s winning goal, it was his fellow defender Connor Goldson who particularly impressed and played a vital role in securing the Light Blues’ fifth Premiership clean sheet in a row.

Gold-standard display from Goldson

The 29-year-old won nine of his duels as well as making three tackles, whilst not being dribbled past once as the Gers edged to victory. Goldson also managed an impressive 86% passing accuracy whilst having 112 touches, a significant tally for a centre-back.

The £6.75m-rated defender has been a kingpin for Van Bronckhorst’s side, both before and after Steven Gerrard’s departure for Aston Villa last month.

Having missed just two games in all competitions all season, playing the full 90 minutes for the remaining 30, the Englishman really has been a colossus for the Gers this term.

Rangers’ entire defensive unit has been a marvel this season, conceding just 14 goals in 19 games. However, what is particularly impressive is that they have only shipped four goals in the last eight league matches, going five consecutive matches without being breached.

Following today’s win over Dundee United, Football Scotland writer Euan Robertson stated that Goldson “is getting back to his dominant best”, but admittedly “breezed through the game in second gear” despite the narrow scoreline.

There is no doubt that the 29-year-old is a key fixture in this Rangers setup, and the Scottish champions will need the defender at his best and fully fit throughout the campaign if they are to retain their league title.

In other news – Forget Tavernier: Rangers gem who won 6 of his duels ran the show v Dundee United

Match facts

Monday, December 21
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)Nuwan Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga could get some action•Associated Press

Big Picture

The build-up to this game has been dominated by the two-match ban handed down to MS Dhoni for India’s appallingly slow over-rate in Nagpur. With Dhoni out of the fray, Sri Lanka’s own woes have been obscured. Angelo Mathews, who clinched victory in Nagpur, is the latest to join the incapacitated list, with Thissara Perera flying in to take his place, and it’s still uncertain whether Lasith Malinga will be risked after missing the first two games. The missing-in-action theme has affected India too, though Yuvraj Singh is expected to be fit to shore up a middle order that will sorely miss Dhoni’s remarkable consistency.The bigger concern for India is the fielding, or lack of it. The number of catches dropped has gone into double-figures, and the ground-fielding was equally dismal in the last game. Both seniors and juniors have been equally culpable, and Mike Young would have watched with some horror from the dressing room as even the basics were ignored.Sri Lanka haven’t been exceptional in the field either, but they do have two batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, in prime form. There was also a fine debut for Suraj Randiv, and a moderately successful return to the limelight for Ajantha Mendis, whose dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar set India back in Nagpur. India’s bowling woes are more focussed on the opening overs, where not one man has been able to put the slightest pressure on Upul Tharanga or Dilshan. Old-ball mastery won them the game in Rajkot, but raggedness with the new one left them with too much to do in the second match.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – LWLLL
Sri Lanka – WLLLW

Watch out for…

Yuvraj Singh: Ever since he established himself as one of the bulwarks of India’s one-day batting, rarely has a series gone by without Yuvraj playing at least one defining innings. An injured finger and flu kept him out of the opening two games, but if his Twenty20 blitz in Mohali was any guide, he certainly isn’t lacking form. Against an attack missing Dilhara Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mathews, his nonchalant heaves over midwicket could well prove decisive.Spinners: The slow blowers have traditionally enjoyed Cuttack. When India beat West Indies in the run-up to the last World Cup, India’s contingent took six wickets in a low-scoring encounter, and last year it was Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj that were the difference in a free-scoring match with England.

Team news

Dinesh Karthik will take Dhoni’s place, while Virat Kohli, despite a sprightly 54 in the last game, will have to make way if Yuvraj recovers fully. There could also be a rejigging of the pace attack, with Zaheer and Ashish Nehra both far more comfortable with the old ball. Praveen Kumar lacks the pace to hustle batsmen early on, especially in conditions where there’s little or no movement, and that could see Ishant Sharma take his place.India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh/Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.Given their injury concerns, it’s hard to predict Sri Lanka’s line-up. But Mathews’ absence does pave the way for Sanath Jayasuriya’s return, especially in low and slow conditions where his left-arm spin could be a big factor. Suranga Lakmal didn’t impress much on debut, and there could be a recall for Nuwan Kulasekara. The big plus though would be Malinga’s return. In Fernando’s absence, Sri Lanka have lacked a bowler who can hurry the batsmen.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Suraj Randiv, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara/Suranga Lakmal, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Chanaka Welegedara, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Pitch and conditions

A bright, sunny day is predicted, and it won’t be excessively cold at night either. Teams fielding first have won nine of 14 previous matches at the Barabati Stadium, and India chased down England’s 270 with 38 balls to spare last November. Unlike other Indian grounds, this one has seen only one score in excess of 300, and the conditions could make for a tight game with moderate scores rather than Rajkot-like ones.

Stats and Trivia

Teams average 33.65 runs per wicket at the Barabati Stadium, the sixth-highest for grounds in India that have hosted more than ten ODIs.However, the scoring rate in Cuttack is among the lowest in the country with 4.72 per over.

Quotes

“There is no extra pressure as a captain with everybody contributing for the team.”
“We made a lot of mistakes on the field and picked up more injuries but still gave the opposition a hard run.”

Once the current international break comes to an end, West Brom will be back in Championship action at the weekend with an away clash against Huddersfield Town next up for Valerien Ismael’s side.

On the chalkboard

With this match in mind, one player that should definitely be in Ismael’s starting XI for this match is defender Kyle Bartley, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £15k-per-week at The Hawthorns according to Salary Sport.

Taking into account how Dara O’Shea is still out with an ankle injury and the fact that Kean Bryan has now been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury, this should make it an easy decision for Ismael to give Bartley a place in the team for the match against the Yorkshire club.

In addition to this, after coming on in the 19th minute to replace Matt Clarke who picked up an injury in West Brom’s 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough before the international break, Bartley managed to make two tackles, two clearances and blocked one shot, as well as winning eight out of his 13 duels, showing how vital he was for the team from a defensive point of view.

As well as this performance against Middlesbrough off the substitutes bench that earned him an overall match rating of 7.4/10 from SofaScore, making him the highest-rated Baggies player on the day, Bartley has managed to prove himself as a solid defender for the team throughout the current season with an average of 4.4 clearances per game in the league under his belt, as well as winning 65% of duels he’s been involved in, further proving why he should be in the starting XI to face Huddersfield.

With the match against Carlos Corberan’s team in sight this weekend, while Ismael may have little choice but to play Bartley, who has been praised for having an “unbelievable” attitude by the Baggies boss, as a result of their current defensive injury issues, the player has very much earned the right be in the starting XI on this occasion through merit.

However, if Bartley does play against Huddersfield, he will have to make sure he doesn’t pick up a yellow card in the match or else he will receive a ban as it would be his fifth of the season.

In other news: Ismael could unearth the next Townsend at West Brom with “excellent” 19 y/o prodigy – opinion

حرص روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول، على استقبال اللاعبين بمعسكر الفريق الذي انطلق اليوم الثلاثاء.

ويستعد الفراعنة لوديتي النيجر وليبيريا المقرر لهما يومي 23 و27 من شهر سبتمبر الجاري.

وتحدث المدرب البرتغالي مع اللاعبين ورحب بهم، في اليوم الأول لمعسكر الفريق والشد من أزرهم.

طالع أيضًا.. زكي عبد الفتاح: تعجبت من ضم ثنائي الأهلي لـ منتخب مصر.. وأبو جبل كرر خطأ الشناوي

وجاءت نتيجة المسحة الطبية سلبية لجميع اللاعبين استعدادا لمعسكر، كما أجرى جميع أفراد جهاز منتخب مصر مسحة أمس الإثنين، وجاءت نتيجتها سلبية أيضًا تحت إشرف الجهاز الطبي للمنتخب بقيادة محمد أبو العلا.

🔴 📸 | فيتوريا يستقبل اللاعبين استعدادًا لمعسكر سبتمبر 🇪🇬

حرص روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول على استقبال اللاعبين بمعسكر الفريق الذي انطلق اليوم الثلاثاء، استعدادًا لوديتي النيجر و ليبيريا المقرر لهما يومي 23 و 27 سبتمبر الجاري. pic.twitter.com/ndw8nqa3xl

— EFA.eg (@EFA) September 13, 2022

كشفت تقارير صحفية، أن نادي ليفربول كان يبحث عن تعزيز وسط ملعبه بلاعب آخر، حتى مع انضمام آرثر ميلو قادمًا من يوفنتوس.

النادي الإنجليزي يعاني في وسط الملعب من غيابات عديدة وإصابات، وبالتالي قرر التعاقد مع آرثر ميلو في اليوم النهائي من سوق الانتقالات.

طالع أيضًا.. ذا أثلتيك: كلوب رفض رحيل مدافع ليفربول في نهاية الميركاتو الصيفي

وفقًا لـ فابريزيو رومانو، الصحفي الإيطالي الموثوق بـ سوق الانتقالات، فقد أكد أن ليفربول كان يفكر في ضم رافينيا ألكانتارا شقيق تياجو ألكانتارا الذي يلعب الآن في الريدز.

وأكد رومانو، أن ليفربول كان لديه العديد من الاحتمالات، وأن رافينيا لاعب باريس سان جيرمان كان يحلم بإمكانية اللعب مع شقيقه في ليفربول تحت قيادة كلوب.

في النهاية، لم تنجح مساعي ليفربول، وانضم بعد ذلك رافينيا إلى العربي القطري في خطوة جديدة للعب في الشرق الأوسط.