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Lalit Modi has reacted to security concerns over the IPL by insisting that the tournament will stay in India, and that he is not concerned by the possibility of a boycott by international players

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010Lalit Modi has insisted that the IPL will not be moved out of India, despite security concerns raised in an independent report commissioned by the players’ unions in England, Australia and South Africa that led to talk of shifting the event to another country.”We are going to have the tournament in India. I can’t see any reason why we should move it at this point in time. The media is reacting to every fringe group saying security is a problem,” Modi told in reaction to the concerns.The Australian reported the security discussions caused a split between high profile freelance players and Ricky Ponting when the situation was outlined at an Australian Cricketers’ Association meeting in Sydney on Tuesday. The paper said Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist, who have supported each IPL tournament, clashed with Ricky Ponting over the way forward.Cricket Australia-contracted players want to follow the ACA’s advice while Warne and Hayden, a Cricket Australia board member, have said they want to go. If players pull out of the tournament they could be banned from future IPL editions, a decision which would cost some of them millions of dollars.The report, written by the England team’s security advisor Reg Dickason, said there was a credible threat to the tournament from terrorist groups, raising questions over player safety apart from talk of a boycott by international cricketers. The Australian Cricketers’ Association has decided to formulate a list of security demands for IPL organisers, following a meeting attended by most Australian players slated to play in the tournament.”The process from here is for all players associated to meet with their player groups and for all of us to feed back the concerns raised from these meetings to the IPL,” Paul Marsh, the ACA’s chief executive said. “This will be coordinated through our peak body the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. From here we will await a response from the IPL.”Heath Mills, the New Zealand Players’ Association chief, also outlined security concerns. “It’s one thing to have a security management plan, it’s a much different thing to see it delivered and delivered well. It’s quite complex when you consider the IPL is played across 12 cities, 12 police jurisdictions throughout India. There are some real concerns around that aspect,” Mills said.Modi, however, underplayed their concerns. “Nobody in the world can safeguard the safety of the players in any tournament. All we have to do is ensure we are putting on the best security,” Modi said. “Safety is paramount to us and we are working with the national and state governments to ensure we have good security in place.”At the end of the day we have to ensure the safety plans we put in place and the way we conduct them are absolutely top-notch.”Modi also said that he was not overly concerned by the possibility of overseas players withdrawing from the event. “The heavens aren’t going to fall if that happens. This is an Indian tournament; we have the key Indian players and only a few international players.””We have no worries at all. You have to understand that the market for us is India.”The tournament is a huge success – we have a huge credibility, we have the top 200 players in the world. It’s not only dependent on foreign players, although they are part of it, Modi said.

A round-up of the sixth day’s games of the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2010Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins and Scott Styris combined well to end Central Districts’ unbeaten run in the competition with a seven-wicket win at the Colin Maiden Park. Their unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 124 helped secure the victory with 10 balls to spare, after they had encountered early difficulties during thechase of 156 – slipping to 32 for 3 in the sixth over. However, Hopkins and Styris calmed nerves, with Hopkins blasting 71 of 44 balls, including four boundaries and an identical number of sixes. Styris though, was more measured, his 45 taking 36 deliveries, with three fours and two sixes. Put in by Auckland, opener Mathew Sinclair was solely responsible for carrying Central Districts to a respectable 155 for 9. His 54-ball 69, comprising 10 fours, failed to inspire the rest of his colleagues though. Colin de Grandhomme was the most successful bowler for Auckland, picking up 3 for 22, while Styris and Daryl Tuffey bagged two apiece.Bradley Scott hit a last-ball six to enable Northern Districts edge out Canterbury by one wicket in a close encounter in Christchurch. Scott deposited seamer Ryan Burson over long on, when a four would have been good enough for the visitors. Together with tailender Brent Arnel they took 11 runs off the first five deliveries, including successive fours by Scott, before the left-arm seamer helped them claim an unexpected win. Chasing a modest 128, Northern Districts were in trouble at 75 for 8 in the 15th over before Tim Southee hit 32 off 16 balls, with five fours and one six. Along with Scott, who finished unbeaten on 20, they took 19 runs off the 18th over, before another 17 came off the last. Their late heroics overshadowed offspinner Rob Nicol’s five-for. Asked to bat, Canterbury could manage 127 for 9, with Michael Papps and Johann Myburgh top scoring with 28 each, while allrounder Joseph Yovich took 3 for 26 and Southee 2 for 32.Inclement weather meant no play was possible in the match between Otago and Wellington in Dunedin.

Central Districts 4 31 0 0 12 +0.309 663/80.0625/78.2 Otago 4 2 10 1 10 +0.887 414/58.5 369/60.0 Auckland 4 2 2 00 8 +0.113 628/78.2 631/79.5 Northern Districts 4 2 2 00 8 -0.288 596/80.0 610/78.5 Wellington 4 1 2 01 6 +0.052 522/57.4 540/60.0 Canterbury 4 1 3 00 4 -0.811 551/79.5 599/77.4

A round-up of the second day’s play of the third round of the RBS Pentangular Cup

Cricinfo staff14-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited are in an excellent position to win their second game of the competition, against Sialkot in Hyderabad. SNGPL began the day 109 ahead, after having dismissed Sialkot for just 78 on the opening day. They extended that lead to 191, thanks to Usman Arshad’s 96 and Yasir Shah’s 48. Left-arm spinner Nayer Abbas grabbed four wickets, but the lead, as it emerged, proved a major challenge for Sialkot. In their second innings, despite a much-improved performance, they are only six ahead of their opponents with just three wickets left. Sialkot’s batsmen will regret not making best use of their starts – there were three scores of above 30, but none reached a half-century. Yasir played the chief spoilsport, finishing the day with four wickets.
Scorecard
The Rest compensated for their poor first day with an admirable display on the second to even things out in their fixture against Habib Bank Limited in Karachi. Seamer Mohammad Rameez grabbed five wickets to limit HBL’s lead to 96, but not before a lower-order resistance had given HBL the advantage. Wicketkeeper Farhan Iqbal fought it out with the tail, scoring a half-century – the ninth and tenth-wicket pairs added 58 and 37 respectively to take their team to 238. But the Rest replied strongly in their second innings, with opener Umair Khan stroking a patient 62 and captain Saeed Anwar jnr finishing the day unbeaten on 32. At stumps, the Rest led by 49 with eight wickets still in hand.

There has been lots to like about Crystal Palace’s start to the current campaign, but one player is perhaps being overlooked for his integral contributions.

Several new signings and existing stars such as Odsonne Edouard and Wilfried Zaha have received plenty of plaudits for their eye-catching displays in the final third of the pitch, yet it’s the solid performances at the back that have arguably been more important.

Joachim Andersen arrived at Selhurst Park over the summer after Palace splashed out £20m to secure his services, raising a few eyebrows after his relegation with Fulham.

However, the Denmark international has soon silenced his doubters after putting in a string of impressive performances alongside Marc Guehi in the heart of defence.

As per SofaScore, the 25-year-old has won a whopping 27 duels in his 11 Premier League appearances, made 26 clearances, 18 interceptions and 12 tackles, highlighting his domineering displays at the back.

But it’s not just his defensive contributions that have proved so pivotal to the south London outfit’s success.

Andersen’s ability with the ball at his feet is crucial to how Vieira wants to play, allowing the capital club to build from the back, or play more directly when the opportunity presents itself.

He’s regularly been found firing diagonal, crossfield passes to either wing in order to quickly shift play and start attacks, and his underlying numbers are evidence of how effective they’ve been.

According to WhoScored, Andersen has averaged 6.5 long balls per league game this term – the highest tally amongst his teammates – and has averaged 67.8 passes per game, achieving a passing accuracy of 84.2%.

In a recent interview with football.london, Vieira was quizzed over how vital Andersen was in helping the Eagles play his preferred style.

“He is massively important. Joachim played in France, he played in Italy, he was in the Premier League last year. He has this experience of moving around and going to a new club,” Vieira said.

“When you want to have possession, and you have a centre-back who is really comfortable having the ball at his feet, it’s quite important. He will be a massive help for Marc to build his confidence, and he is doing really well.”

While the likes of Zaha deserve huge amounts of credit for putting the ball in the back of the opposition’s net on a regular basis, Andersen and co. deserve just as much for keeping it out of Palace’s, and the Scandinavian gem has been doing a stellar job of that in recent weeks.

And, in other news…Huge boost: Palace handed injury lift ahead of Burnley, Vieira will be delighted

Ryan Harris, the former one-day international, will play his first match of the season for Queensland

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009Ryan Harris, the former one-day international, will play his first match of the season for Queensland in Wednesday’s FR Cup game against New South Wales at the Gabba. Harris had knee surgery before the season and will join Chris Swan, who is back after a nagging groin problem, as the Bulls attempt to increase their competition lead.The return of the fast bowlers is a boost for the side, which is on a run of five consecutive wins and sits eight points ahead of Victoria. Ben Laughlin has been ruled out with a side strain while Wade Townsend has been dropped. “It’s in a different place to the last injury and not as painful so hopefully the scans will deliver positive news,” Laughlin said. “I can look at being back in time for the Twenty20 Big Bash after Christmas.”New South Wales have a couple of changes to the side that lost to Tasmania on Saturday. Mitchell Starc, the left-arm fast bowler, has come in for the spinner Stephen O’Keefe while Simon Keen was left out after his late call-up for a debut against the Tigers. The Blues are desperate to find form after three losses in their four games this summerMatthew Hayden, the retired opener, will host a session at the Gabba on Tuesday with his old Queensland team-mates on Twenty20 batting techniques as they prepare for the domestic tournament that starts on December 28. Andrew Symonds is playing for the Bulls in that event and will warm-up for it by being one of Queensland’s three over-23 players in the Cricket Australia Futures League T20 series in Melbourne next week.Queensland squad Chris Hartley (wk), James Hopes, Lee Carseldine, Nathan Reardon, Nick Kruger, Craig Philipson, Chris Simpson (capt), Ryan Harris, Ben Cutting, Nathan Rimmington, Chris Swan, Scott Walter.New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, David Warner, Phil Jaques, Moises Henriques, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, Daniel Smith (wk), Stuart Clark (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Grant Lambert, Mitchell Starc.

Interest in Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi should come as no surprise to Ange Postecoglou.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to commentator and journalist Stuart Hodge, who claimed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the 26-year-old’s links with a move to Southampton in the January transfer window will not come as a shock to those at Parkhead, as the Japan international has been something of a revelation since joining the Bhoys this summer.

Speaking about whether the interest in the striker is surprising, Hodge said: “Absolutely not. Look at his productivity since he came to Scotland. The age he is as well is a good age. Japanese players tend to mature a bit later in their careers.

“Normally you would say, for a Premier League player, by the time they hit 23 you’ve got a good idea of the level of player they’re going to be. In Japan, it can sometimes happen a bit later because of various things.”

Fans would be fuming

Hodge is correct to point out Kyogo’s impressive productivity since his arrival at Parkhead, as the forward has arguably been one of Postecoglou’s stand out players in the current campaign.

Indeed, over his nine Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season, the £1.8m-rated man has scored five goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou dubbed a “positive character” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Celtic’s joint 14th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

The Japan striker has also bagged three goals over four Europa League qualifying fixtures, one goal over two Europa League proper matches and one goal in one Scottish League Cup appearance – taking his total haul of goals to 10 in 16 games played for the club.

As such, while the interest in Kyogo’s services should come as no surprise to the Parkhead faithful, if the Hoops were to cash in on the 26-year-old this winter, it would undoubtedly be a decision that would leave fans fuming – as the forward clearly has the ability to play a major role in Celtic’s bid to reclaim their Premiership crown come next May.

In other news: Major blow: Celtic handed big injury setback ahead of Thursday, fans will be gutted

Back in 2007, Zaheer Khan and Murali Kartik pulled off a late show to give the scoreline (4-2) a slightly more respectable look, and that’s as much as India can aspire to at the DY Patil Stadium

The Preview by Dileep Premachandran10-Nov-2009Match factsWednesday, November 11
Start time 14.30 local time (09.00GMT)Big PictureIndia have struggled to counter Doug Bolinger’s pinpoint accuracy•Getty ImagesFor India, it’s a bleak and depressing one. Three successive losses have cost them the series against a patchwork-quilt Australian side. Despite an appalling injury list, Australia have managed to hold their nerve at key moments. India have lapsed back into 1990s mode, with stellar individual performances like Sachin Tendulkar’s 175 in Hyderabad expected to paper over collective weakness. That hasn’t happened, and the pre-series hype of going for the No.1 ranking now sounds pathetic.For the second series in a row at home, they head to Mumbai, the heartland of Indian cricket, with the cause hopelessly lost. Back in 2007, Zaheer Khan and Murali Kartik pulled off a late show to give the scoreline (4-2) a slightly more respectable look, and that’s as much as India can aspire to at the DY Patil Stadium. As for Australia, having won the Champions Trophy and now swatting aside the challenge of one of their big rivals away from home, this is a happy time, an occasion to revel in the success of a system that can produce stand-ins like Doug Bollinger and Clint McKay. Even with half the first team back home nursing injuries and niggles, they’ve been far too good.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia -WWWLL
India – LLLWW
Watch out for…Sachin Tendulkar: That dazzling century at Hyderabad aside, he has contributed just 100 in five innings. This, though, is a special game, the first time he’ll be playing in front of his home crowd since the terror attacks in Mumbai a year ago. Some of his greatest innings against Australia have come in Mumbai (twin fifties in the Test in 2001, and 90 in the World Cup of 1996), but they never resulted in Indian wins. He’ll be desperate to change that.Doug Bollinger: A generation ago, Brett Schultz’s left-arm pace caused India immense discomfiture on a tour of South Africa. Bollinger, who’s as quick and more accurate, has had a similar impact since his introduction into this series, taking nine wickets at 19.33. The caught-and-bowled dismissal of Tendulkar was the big moment in the six-wicket romp in Guwahati, and there should certainly be enough bounce at the Navi Mumbai venue to keep him interested.Team newsIndia have to make a choice. Do they opt to give the fringe players a chance, or do they focus on the victory that would claw back some pride? Had the series been won rather than lost, Sudeep Tyagi and Amit Mishra would certainly have been given outings. Mishra could yet play in place of Ravindra Jadeja, but Virat Kohli is unlikely to get a game, given how the frontline batsmen have struggled at times. Ishant Sharma could make a return with the Test series against Sri Lanka now just four days away.India: (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.With Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson flying home on Tuesday night to get some rest ahead of the upcoming home season, Australia are certain to give one-day debuts to Andrew McDonald and Burt Cockley. There could also be an opportunity for Jon Holland, the left-arm spinner who has watched from the sidelines, while Nathan Hauritz has been the most economical bowler in the series.Australia: (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Adam Voges, Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Cameron White, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Andrew McDonald, 7 Graham Manou (wk), 8 Clint McKay, 9 Jon Holland, 10 Doug Bollinger, 11 Burt Cockley.Pitch and conditionsThe DY Patil Stadium can seat 55,000 and has one of the best facilities in the country. Even the square was prepared with the help of 200 tonnes of soil flown in from South Africa. There should be enough pace and bounce to keep the quick bowlers interested, though no one can be certain how it will play given that it’s the first international match at the venue. During the IPL final in 2008, the slow bowlers had some joy, and the batsmen also enjoyed an outfield where the ball raced to the ropes.Rain is forecast for tomorrow and the overcast conditions should further encourage the seamers. India’s practice session on the eve of the game was cancelled due to persistent showers.Stats and triviaAustralia have won two of the three one-day matches they’ve played in Mumbai. The loss came in the dead rubber in 2007. Michael Hussey averages 104.33 in the series and is the only batsman on either side with more than 300 runs.The top six for Australia have averaged 42.96 in the series so far, as opposed to India’s 34.70Quotes”Even though the series is won, it’s not as if we’re going to leave everyone out now and not worry too much about the last game. We feel we’ve started something here with this group, not only here but since the one day series in England, we’ve started to get a really good feeling around the group and I don’t want to abandon that or let that go. It’d be nice to finish off on a winning note.”
“We haven’t backed the opportunities that we have got. A majority of the batsmen haven’t contributed at the same time.”

Cricinfo previews the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy 2009-10

Cricinfo staff07-Oct-2009Big PictureYusuf Pathan’s form has nosedived in recent months•Getty ImagesIndia’s dismal performance in the Champions Trophy has loosened the grip of some of the regulars on their berths in the national team. The Challenger Trophy, which begins in Nagpur on Thursday in the shadow of the hype and hoopla surrounding the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, provides the perfect stage for fringe players to make their case. Despite the low profile of the Challengers, there’s plenty at stake as an eye-catching performance in it could catapult hopefuls into the national team for India’s next assignment, the seven-ODI series against Australia starting later this month.Besides shifting the spotlight off Nagpur, the Champions League also dilutes the strength of the player pool in the Challengers, as the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag are missing. Also, some perhaps on the verge of being dropped (RP Singh and Dinesh Karthik) and those eyeing a comeback (Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Robin Uthappa, Pragyan Ojha) are away playing in the Twenty20 tournament. Some of the sheen is also off due to the absence of the big stars like Sachin Tendulkar (resting), Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan (both injured).This is the 15th edition of the Challenger Trophy, and is a four-day event, kicking off with a round-robin among the three teams, the top two of whom will face off in the final on Sunday.India BlueThey have the strongest batting unit in the competition: captain MS Dhoni has domestic giant Wasim Jaffer, aggressive wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, an in-form Abhinav Mukund and a pair of allrounders, Yusuf Pathan and Abhishek Nayar, to back him up. The fast bowling will be spearheaded by Sreesanth, with two players who made an impact in the IPL, Rajasthan’s Sidharth Trivedi and Bengal’s Ashok Dinda, to provide support.Players to watch After muscling his way into the one-day side on the back of some match-turning efforts in the IPL, Yusuf Pathan’s form has nosedived over the past few months. He needs to perform here or risks losing his place to India Blue team-mate Abhishek Nayar, who hasn’t had enough of a chance yet to show off his skills on the international stage. Also, Sreesanth, fresh from being fined 60% of his Irani Cup fee for a verbal tiff with Dhawal Kulkarni, will look to hit the headlines for the right reasons.India RedCaptained by perennial hopeful S Badrinath, this is a side with plenty of bowling firepower. Ishant Sharma will attempt to recapture the pace and form of 2008, and he will have Munaf Patel and the promising Uttar Pradesh seamer Sudeep Tyagi sharing fast-bowling duties. The withdrawal of Yuvraj Singh, though, makes the batting suspect, putting a lot of responsibility on the Tamil Nadu duo of Badrinath and M Vijay.Players to watch The uncertainty over the availability of Zaheer Khan for the Australia series, combined with the inept displays from the fast bowlers in both the Compaq Cup and the Champions Trophy, means virtually none of the quicks can be sure of their place in the national side. After his five-wicket haul in the Irani Cup, Munaf Patel’s comeback bid will gather steam if he is among the wickets in Nagpur. Ravindra Jadeja will also enter the fight for the allrounder’s spot if he builds on the assured showing in the Irani Cup.India GreenThis young side will be led by Suresh Raina, and has two fast bowlers, L Balaji and Dhawal Kulkarni, who dropped off the selectors’ radar after the tour of New Zealand early this year. The batting is their stronger suit, though, with the line-up including Raina, the prolific Ajinkya Rahane, Parthiv Patel, and two members of the 2008 Under-19 World Cup-winning squad, Saurabh Tiwary (seven half-centuries in 12 List A innings) and Tanmay Srivastava.Players to watch A glut of runs in 2008-09 has pushed Ajinkya Rahane up the ladder towards a national spot. This is his third consecutive Challenger Trophy, and a strong showing here could help him make the final leap to the big stage.

Everton have been linked with a move for Inter forward Ivan Perisic as manager Rafael Benitez looks to add further reinforcements to his threadbare frontline.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Toffees are among several clubs interested in securing the highly-rated 32-year-old’s services, with fellow Premier League outfit West Ham United also credited with an interest.

Perisic has entered the final year of his current contract at San Siro, and his impressive performances of late have reportedly attracted the attention of several potential suitors, although signing a new deal with Inter has not been ruled out.

Marcel Brands must sanction Everton swoop

Despite Perisic’s age, there is little doubt that the Croatia international would still be a valuable addition to Benitez’s ranks should he make the move to Merseyside over the winter transfer window.

Throughout his career, the hard-working winger has scored 131 goals and provided a further 100 assists in 512 appearances for various clubs, winning one Champions League crown, two Bundesligas, one Serie A title and three DFB-Pokals along the way.

He was lauded as a “top-quality player” by compatriot Dejan Lovren prior to playing a pivotal part in Croatia’s run to the World Cup final in 2018, before then joining Bayern Munich on loan a year later.

Perisic enjoyed a fabulous 2019/20 at the Allianz Arena, with the £9m-rated beast featuring 35 times in all competitions as Hansi Flick’s charges pulled off an incredible treble-winning campaign.

The attacker’s impressive performances for the Bundesliga giants caught the eye of Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who lauded Perisic’s efforts.

“Ivan has had a good season and is very reliable. He doesn’t necessarily do something spectacular, but statistically, he does show up with goals and assists. Flick is really counting on him,” Rummenigge gushed.

“We really appreciated that when we qualified for the Final Eight of the Champions League, he, Philippe Coutinho, and the others on loan agreed to remain even with a pay cut. We haven’t decided yet if he’s staying, but the coach and I really like him.”

Bayern eventually chose not to make Perisic’s stay in Bavaria permanent, but that didn’t stop him from continuing his good form on the pitch. He helped Inter claim their first Scudetto in 10 years last season and has already bagged two goals and laid on an assist in 11 outings for the Nerazzurri in the current campaign.

Therefore, Everton’s director of football Marcel Brands must sanction a swoop for the experienced forward, providing Benitez with the strength in depth he desperately needs in order to challenge for a top-six place.

In other news… Bye-bye Mina: Everton step up interest in “blessed” 22y/o starlet, fans would love him 

Pakistan police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2009Pakistan police have arrested a man suspected of being involved in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on March 3 earlier this year. Five cricketers, including Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, were injured in the attack which killed six security men and two civilians.Pervez Rathor, Lahore’s police chief, said seven attackers had been identified and one had been arrested. “We have broken up a Punjabi Taliban network and we have arrested an attacker who shot dead a policeman,” Rathor told reporters. The suspect, who police identified as Zubair, also known as Naik Mohammad, appeared at the news conference in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province in Pakistan, with a blanket over his head to hide his identity.The Sri Lankan team was in Pakistan for a two-Test tour which, as a result of the attack, was terminated abruptly. The attack had immediate repercussions for cricket in Pakistan, as its status as an international sporting venue came under doubt. The ICC subsequently decided to strip the country of its right to host the 2011 World Cup.