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Zimbabwe have announced a strong A side to face New Zealand in the two-day warm-up match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, which starts on October 28

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2011Zimbabwe have announced a strong A side to face New Zealand in the two-day warm-up match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club, which starts on October 28. All but one of the group have international experience, with seamer Mike Chinouya the only player not to have represented the national side.Chinouya has, however, been picked twice for Zimbabwe A and played in one of the four-day matches against the visiting New Zealand A side in October last year. He picked up four wickets in the match and played against the likes of Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie, Chris Martin and Graeme Aldridge, who are all in New Zealand’s Test squad.Tino Mawoyo will captain the Zimbabweans, and the match will allow several players likely to be included in the Test side with a valuable warm-up. It will also provide seamers Chinouya, Ed Rainsford, Njabulo Ncube and Shingirai Masakadza – who has not played for Zimbabwe since the World Cup in India – with a chance to push for selection.Zimbabwe A squad Tinotenda Mawoyo (Capt), Elton Chigumbura, Mike Chinouya, Hamilton Masakadza, Shingirai Masakadza, Natsai Mushangwe, Forster Mutizwa, Njabulo Ncube, Edward Rainsford, Vusimuzi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller.

In 2007, with a little help from the weather, India held on nine down at Lord’s and went on to win the series. England are determined there won’t be a repeat this time as they search for the nine scalps needed to take a 1-0 lead

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's24-Jul-2011In 2007, with a little help from the weather, India held on nine wickets down in the first Test at Lord’s and went on to win the series. England are determined there won’t be a repeat this time as they search for the nine scalps that will put them 1-0 up. However, if the evidence of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman seeing out the final hour is anything to go by, it will be a day of sweat and toil.This time the rain should stay away and the buzzword for the home side will be patience. India have had to reshuffle their batting order after illness to Sachin Tendulkar and injury to Gautam Gambhir, but they will be hard to shift wherever they come in. Having worked themselves into such a dominant position, and overcome a potentially game-changing spell from Ishant Sharma, England are aware how crucial finishing the job will be.”It’s very important,” said Matt Prior, whose unbeaten 103 propelled England to their 457-run lead. “Test wins against quality opposition don’t come about very often and we’ve got ourselves in a very good position. It will be hugely frustrating not to back that up and go through with it. But we can’t look too far ahead.”The really important thing is we come in tomorrow like we always do and look to win the first half an hour, first hour, and go from there,” he added. “If you start thinking we have to win this Test match, we have to take nine wickets, you can start building up unnecessary pressure on the bowlers. If we do what we’ve done for the last two years, keep it basic and build pressure, I’m sure we’ll have a very good day.”Matt Prior expects Rahul Dravid and company to put up a hard fight•Getty ImagesEngland’s three quick bowlers again caused problems for the India top order on the fourth evening – with Broad bowling a marvellous spell at Rahul Dravid as his rejuvenation continued – but the final day of a Test, especially if the sun shines, is a time for the spinner to make his mark. In Graeme Swann England have the best in the world, and Harbhajan Singh was been completely outbowled during this match, but to take a significant haul against this line-up would be one of Swann’s greatest achievements.”There are still a lot of runs on that wicket,” Prior said. “There are no devils, it’s a pretty good deck, but it’s a huge amount of runs [to chase], especially when the ball gets a bit older. I think Swanny’s going to play a huge part for us, and I don’t think it’s going to be easy. There’s a lot of hard work ahead for us, and I think India’s batting is pretty strong. The ball might not be swinging and seaming like it did in the first innings.”As early as the third over of India’s chase James Anderson was bowling with just two slips plus a man at deep square-leg. Andrew Strauss’s captaincy is well known to verge on the cautious and he also had a deep point in place during the final over. Prior, though, believes success will come not by stacking the slip cordon, but by drying up India’s runs in a similar manner to how England found success in the Ashes.”It’s very easy to think we have a good lead and over-attack,” he said. “If it was a quick, bouncy wicket you could have all those catching men, but I don’t think that’s necessarily the way we’ll get wickets. We need to give bowlers an opportunity to get [the ball] up and swing it. You need to give them cover, you don’t just want batsmen pushing through the covers. If we turn up and it starts swinging round corners we’ll probably have more catchers in, but we’ll take our wickets by building pressure and not letting the Indian batsmen score quickly.”

Rest of India secured the Irani Cup by virtue of a whopping first-innings lead and then, instead of enforcing the follow-on, chose to bat again and batter Rajasthan further

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShikhar Dhawan got his second century of the match•ESPNcricinfo LtdRest of India secured the Irani Cup by virtue of a whopping first-innings lead and then, instead of enforcing the follow-on, chose to bat again and batter Rajasthan further. And batter them they did. Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund scored at breakneck pace, made substantial centuries, and helped Rest of India amass 354 for 2 in 54 overs. The late declaration, however, reduced Rest of India’s chances of an outright win as Rajasthan had all ten wickets intact at stumps, chasing an impossible 618 for victory.Rajasthan began the fourth day in Jaipur needing 157 to avoid the follow-on with four wickets in hand. They managed only 93. Ashok Menaria, who had resumed on 59, made 20 more before falling to left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Menaria had charged and lofted straight to long-on. In his next over Ojha had the other overnight batsman, Deepak Chahar, lbw with an arm-ball.Tailenders Madhur Khatri and Sumit Mathur were both dropped by Manish Pandey at slip as they swung freely for a few quick runs. They added 50 for the ninth wicket before Vinay Kumar trapped Khatri lbw for 31 off 28 balls. Minutes later, Ojha completed his five-wicket haul by inducing an edge to slip from Mathur. Rajasthan were dismissed for 400, trailing by 263.Parthiv Patel decided to bat again, instead of giving his bowlers more time in the field, and Rest of India pursued quick runs. The openers attacked from the start with Dhawan continuing to punish Chahar for pitching too short. He brought up his half-century off 53 deliveries, by driving a full ball from Chahar to the cover boundary. Abhinav made up for his first-innings failure and reached his fifty off 73 balls. They continued plundering a clueless Rajasthan attack and by tea the opening stand was 200 in 33 overs, with both Dhawan and Abhinav in the 90s.In the first over after the break, Dhawan cut Chahar and ran a double to bring up a century off 90 balls. He became the first batsman to score a hundred in each innings of the Irani Cup. Abhinav reached his century a few overs later, off 121 balls. It was his third successive hundred in the Irani Cup. Dhawan then laid into Robin Bist, hitting him for two fours and a six in one over and four fours and a six in another.The partnership had swelled to 310 in the 46th over when Dhawan miscued a loft to long-on and was caught for 155 off 126 balls. His innings contained 22 fours and three sixes. Mukund fell a few balls after bringing up his 150, holing out to long-on off Menaria. Rest of India were 328 for 2 and the declaration came not long after.With the Irani Cup already lost on the first-innings lead, Rajasthan could only battle to avoid an outright defeat and their openers survived seven overs before stumps. They made 28 and will need to negotiate a testing period on the final morning to help secure a draw.

Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the Emerging Players tournament to be held in Australia from August 1 to 13

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2011Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan will lead India in the Emerging Players tournament to be held in Australia from August 1 to 13. Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who has an impressive first-class average of 67.72, will be the vice-captain of the 15-member contingent.The squad includes a number of players on the fringes of the India team, who have impressed through the domestic season and in the IPL. Manoj Tiwary, who failed to shine when given an opportunity in the West Indies one-dayers, has been included in the side. Saurabh Tiwary was picked despite a lacklustre IPL.This year, the Emerging Players tournament will feature three-day matches as opposed to limited-over matches as in previous years. India’s campaign at the tournament starts with a match against South Africa from August 1. They will then play New Zealand from August 6, and Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) from August 11.Ashok Menaria, who led India in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand before fruitful Ranji and IPL seasons with Rajasthan, was also picked. S Anirudha, Manish Pandey, and Ambati Rayudu were the other IPL regulars who made the squad. Karnataka’s C Gautam got the wicketkeeper’s spot.Legspinner Rahul Sharma and left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who made waves with their incisiveness in the IPL, make up the spin attack. Karnataka seamer Vinay Kumar, who toured West Indies with the senior one-day team, will lead the fast-bowling department. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, both of whom have built reputations based on their ability to generate pace, and left-arm seamer S Aravind complete the pace attack.India had won the tournament in 2009 after Virat Kohli led the team to a 17-run win over South Africa with a rollicking century. They reached the finals of both the 20-over and 50-over legs of the tournament in 2010, but lost to AIS in the 20-over final and lost out to South Africa for the 50-over title. The final of the 50-over leg was abandoned due to rain and South Africa were declared winners because they finished higher in the points table.Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), S Anirudha, Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Menaria, C Gautam (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Rahul Sharma, Iqbal Abdulla, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, S Aravind, Vinay Kumar

England’s bowlers hit back on the first day in Cardiff after Sri Lanka had set a solid base through their openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan26-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson appeals for the caught-behind of Kumar Sangakkara•Getty ImagesSri Lanka’s openers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana, gave their team a solid start to the first Test in Cardiff before England’s bowlers hit back on a truncated day. The pair added 93 for the first wicket after play was delayed until mid-afternoon by regular showers, but Dilshan couldn’t build on his half-century and Kumar Sangakkara also departed in somewhat controversial circumstances when the DRS became involved.Graeme Swann provided the first breakthrough and James Anderson was in the middle of a testing spell when England appealed for a Sangakkara edge behind but Aleem Dar turned down the shout and Andrew Strauss was quick to use the DRS. The decision rested on a combination of a noise and a faint mark halfway up the bat as the ball scooted past the edge. Rod Tucker, the third umpire, relayed that information and Dar overturned his decision.Sri Lanka’s opening partnership was their best in England, a place where touring sides often struggle against the new ball especially at this time of the year. They were also unfortunate that the dry, warm start to the summer ended on cue for the first day, but one of the main bonuses of Sri Lanka’s successful warm-up period was the form of the top two. Dilshan and Paranavitana both hit hundreds against Middlesex and England Lions in stands worth 209 and 200. In that sense, England did well to separate them for 93. A solid start here was vital, too, because Sri Lanka have a lengthy tail after opting for a five-man attack which, after a late change of heart, included two spinners.Strauss hadn’t been unhappy to lose the toss, especially when another shower meant an awkward 70-minute session before tea, but it soon became clear there wasn’t going to be a huge amount of help for the quick bowlers. There wasn’t much early swing for Anderson and Stuart Broad bowled too short, reinforcing the feeling he is short of rhythm after just two Championship matches for Nottinghamshire and his injury-hit winter.As was to be expected there were the occasional alarms for the openers but they judged well what to leave and what to play to build the frustrations for the bowlers. Against his natural instincts Dilshan was restrained in the 16 overs before tea except for a flash against Anderson and a strong cut off Broad as he passed 4000 Test runs. Paranavitana was impressively solid and alert to the quick singles although was on the receiving end of two big appeals from England.The first was for a catch down the leg side which always sounded more like pad, but the second got Anderson excited as Paranavitana was squared up and the ball taken at first slip. Billy Doctrove was proved right, though, as the ball had flicked the batsman’s hip and Strauss had been wise to keep the DRS up his sleeve. The England captain is becoming a good judge of when to use the system. However, Paranavitana was never flustered and adjusted impressively for a man playing his first Test outside the subcontinent.After tea Dilshan came out playing more shots although England’s bowlers did find the edges of both batsmen without anything reaching the slips. Chris Tremlett produced a probing spell that began to build some pressure and one delivery reared past Dilshan’s edge even though he was largely negated by a slow pitch.Swann had been brought on in the 27th over and while he couldn’t produce a first-over strike he was in the action in his fourth. At the start of the over Dilshan reached fifty from 92 balls, but three balls later dragged into his stumps as he tried to force through the off side. England sensed their chance for a late push and Anderson’s short battle with Sangakkara promised more for the series ahead.Paranavitana remained firm during the closing overs and brought up a hard-working and hugely valuable fifty from 145 balls when he cut Tremlett for his fifth boundary. With Mahela Jayawardene for company plenty of hard work remains for England’s bowlers.

Liverpool have been rocked with rumours that Sadio Mane will leave the club this summer after Sky Sports revealed that Bayern Munich were interested in signing the star forward and now an update from a reliable Merseyside source has been revealed.

What’s the latest?

Following the reports of a potential move for Anfield’s number 10, supporters have been keen to know if there were any truth in the rumours and Liverpool’s journalist for The Athletic, James Pearce, has given his input and an update on Mane’s future.

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Pearce responded to a question on the rumours in a Q&A last night via The Athletic saying:

“Been no approach from Bayern at this stage and I’m told the talks that took place in Mallorca between Salihamidzic and Mane’s agent last week were to discuss another Roof client, Gnabry.

“Liverpool will hold talks with Mane about a new contract after the end of the season.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Since the turn of the year, Mane has upped his game following a slow start to the season, and has not only been influential for Liverpool in their pursuit for multiple trophies in the second half of the season but has been breaking records along the way.

The Senegalese winger started his run of impressive form by leading his country to their first ever African Cup of Nations trophy, winning Player of the Tournament and further leading them to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Back in Merseyside, Mane brought the quality he showed in AFCON back with him, playing a key role in the Champions League progression for Liverpool by scoring against Benfica and finding the back of the net in both legs of the semi-final against Unai Emery’s Villareal. That has taken the team to their third Champions League final in five years.

His recent goals in the European competition helped the goal-machine break records with Mane becoming the highest scoring African player in the Champions League knock-out stages, and following his strike in the second leg of the semi-final, joined Frank Lampard as the joint highest scoring player for an English team in the knock-out stages of the competition.

In the Premier League since returning from the African competition, Mane has scored seven goals and bagged two assists, proving that he is an extremely valuable asset to Liverpool that they cannot afford to let go.

Supporters will be buzzing that the star could potentially extend his contract beyond June 2023 as he has become an important player and fan favourite for the Reds, and with the potential of a FA Cup and Champions League trophy on the horizon, the thought of Mane leaving is unimaginable given the position Liverpool are in.

AND in other news: FA Cup final blow: Liverpool rocked by “massive problem” that’ll leave Klopp gutted

Riding on an unbeaten ton from Glenn Maxwell, Victoria set South Australia a target of 380, before Peter Siddle snagged two wickets in fiery spell late in the day to put the hosts in control

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2011
ScorecardRiding on an unbeaten ton from Glenn Maxwell, Victoria set South Australia a target of 380, before Peter Siddle grabbed two wickets in fiery spell late in the day to put the hosts in control at the MCG.Victoria began day three on 0 for 17 with a 102-run lead, but the South Australia bowlers managed to keep things tight and frustrate the top order. Fast bowler Daniel Christian was particularly impressive, bowling 20.3 overs for just 39 runs and picking up two wickets.Victoria were 5 for 129 at one stage and in need of some sensible batting. They got it from Maxwell and Peter Siddle. The pair unsettled the bowlers by playing their shots – Maxwell cleared the ropes four times – and strung together a 90-run seventh wicket stand. Victoria declared once Maxwell got to a hundred.In the eight overs that Victoria bowled before stumps, Peter Siddle continued to torment South Australia, taking two wickets and conceding four runs in an incisive four-over spell. Daniel Harris and Cameron Borgas were at the crease at stumps.

Tom Maynard has walked away from Glamorgan, citing the treatment of his father, Matthew, as the reason

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Dec-2010Tom Maynard has walked away from Glamorgan, citing the treatment of his father, Matthew, as the reason.In an interview with the Western Mail, Maynard, 21, said the circumstances which led to his father quitting the county left him wanting to “tear down walls and rip off heads” and he blamed chairman Paul Russell and chief executive Alan Hamer for what happened. Maynard senior’s resignation was followed by that of ousted captain Jamie Dalrymple and club president Peter Walker.”I no longer feel I can stay at Glamorgan while the current people are in charge,” Maynard junior said. “It’s a shame it has come to this. I feel people who have not offered as much for Glamorgan on the playing front have come in over the top of them and dealt with cricket matters. With these guys at the helm you just don’t know what is coming next and what they could do.”I resent how me and my father have been treated in the last couple of months and have been shocked by what has happened. I feel it has been a big step backwards. We had a reasonably successful season and we were going to kick on next year and make a big impact in all forms.”Now these changes have been made it puts everything up in the air and the environment is too unstable for what I want to achieve. I was looking to push for higher honours and that does not change with my goals remaining the same. But I am going to have to do it somewhere else.”He said the decision had not been easy. “I’ve grown up watching and wanting to play for Glamorgan. This county is close to my heart and always will be. I have my Glamorgan number tattooed on me. That is how much it means to me. I only ever thought I would want to play for Glamorgan. So there has been a lot of emotion and sleepless nights over this, but I need some closure now.

Consider the prospect of working for men you do not respect

“Consider the prospect of working for men you do not respect. I would never want to win a game for the people in charge of Glamorgan at the moment and that is my biggest issue. How I am going to go out in a Glamorgan shirt and have these people enjoy the success? I can’t be a part of that.”However, things may not be as simple as Maynard makes out as he signed a new three-year contract in September, shortly before the upheaval at the county. He believes the change in personnel invalidates the deal, but attempts by him to move away could well be challenged in court.”They seem to feel they want to fight it out in court, which I find unbelievable,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t go that far. I hoped they would have the humility to have seen the error of their ways and let me go. I’ve been trying to sort this out for the last two months and have continually asked to be released and to talk to other counties.”He added he had been informed Glamorgan had sent letters to other counties warning them not to approach him.

All is not lost in West Ham United’s bid to keep midfield star Declan Rice at the club, according to journalist Paul Brown…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected insider revealed that the 23-year-old could still be convinced to stay at the club, should the Hammers manage to run out winners in this year’s Europa League.

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Amid rumours that the Englishman could leave the club this summer, following interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, Brown said of his future that:

“We don’t know yet how desperate Rice is to get out of West Ham. Moyes said this could be a negotiating tactic just because he wants more money. He has been offered more money by West Ham and it’s clear that he’s ambitious and wants to win things too. West Ham could still win things this season. That might change his thinking.”

Recent reports had suggested that the 29-cap international – who David Moyes claimed could be worth as much as £150m – has turned down a contract extension to stay at the London Stadium, although with two years still remaining on his existing deal, plus the option of a further 12 months, it is not time to panic just yet, particularly after this latest news.

Supporters will be buzzing

Following all the recent speculation about his future, Brown’s update will surely have West Ham supporters breathing a sigh of relief, with there seemingly still lingering hope that the club’s talisman will be lining up for the east London outfit at the start of next season.

It is perhaps no surprise that the £67.5m-rated man is courting so much attention of late, such have been his outstanding performances for both club and country in recent times.

Fresh off the back of featuring in all seven games of England’s surge to the Euro 2020 final last summer, Rice has kicked on again this term for Moyes’ men, carrying the mantle of being his side’s main man and skipper, in the absence of club captain Mark Noble.

In his 33 Premier League outings this season, the academy graduate has registered 1.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and 1.2 clearances per game, while also enjoying a pass success rate of 92%, showcasing he is much more than just a midfield destroyer.

That is the view shared by pundit Joe Cole, who likened his progression to that of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and also noted his ability “breaking from midfield with that power”, with the £62k-per-week gem ranking in the top 6% among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries.

A constantly developing talent, the London-born star has plenty of strings to his bow, albeit with one thing that is missing at present being silverware.

As Brown mentioned, that bid to win trophies may sway him to depart, although he still has the chance to claim what would be a remarkable Europa League triumph this season, even with the Hammers currently 2-1 down at the halfway stage of their semi-final tie with Eintracht Frankfurt.

If the club can match his potential, there’s no reason why can’t continue to delight the home support for years to come.

IN other news, West Ham can unearth huge Antonio upgrade in £9m-rated gem who gives “a new dimension”…

Celtic saw many players come and go out of the club during their previous summer and winter transfer windows as Ange Postecoglou made his mark on the squad.

Now that the next summer window is on the horizon, this will once again give the 56-year-old the chance to make any further changes to the squad that he sees fit.

In terms of which players that could or should be moved out of the club, we feel that the duo of goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas and striker Albian Ajeti should not be wearing Celtic shirts next season.

With a combined total of eight SPFL appearances between them this season, this shows just how far down the pecking order they are.

Looking at Barkas, the shot-stopper has only made two appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions in this campaign, conceding a goal in each of them.

The 27-year-old was slammed by Michael Stewart for his “catastrophic” error against FC Midtjylland that led to Celtic drawing 1-1 against them in their Champions League qualifying match back in July.

As for Ajeti, the striker has only started seven of the 17 games he’s appeared in, scoring three goals and providing one assist in the process.

Back in March, Frank McAvennie claimed that it was “unbelievable” that the attacker was still taking money from the club as a result of his dire performances.

When the Switzerland international has been able to get on the pitch in the SPFL, his performances haven’t done much to add cause for concern for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi or Giorgos Giakoumakis in terms of their place in the side.

According to WhoScored, the centre-forward has only been able to earn himself a rather disappointing overall season rating of 6.47/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players in Postecoglou’s squad to start more than one league game in this campaign.

Moving forward, if Celtic have the chance to offload the duo in the summer, then they should absolutely do it without hesitation.

If they can then pick up some money in the process, this would be an ideal situation for them as the disastrous duo are not offering much to the team as things stand apart from rinsing the club financially.

In other news: Celtic now eye bid for £1.8m-rated gem with “serious Haaland vibes”, Ange will love it