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Powered by a fine 100 by opener Chetan Sharma, Delhi helped themselvesto a eight wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in the North Zone RanjiTrophy One-Day tournament match at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Tuesday

Natarajan Sriram22-Jul-2009Powered by a fine 100 by opener Chetan Sharma, Delhi helped themselvesto a eight wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in the North Zone RanjiTrophy One-Day tournament match at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Tuesday.Set to score 222 for a win, Delhi openers Chetan Sharma (100) and AshuDani (86) dominated the HP bowers for 83.4 overs during which theymade 168 runs. Such was their supremacy that the HP skipper RajivNayyar was prompted to utilise nine of his players in the bowlingdepartment. Chetan Sharma was the first to be dismissed caught by RThakur off Amit Sharma. During a 174 minute stay at the crease Sharmafaced 131 balls and found the boundary ropes eleven times.Then Gautam Gambhir (21 not out) joined Dani to take the score on to214. By the time Dani fell for a catch to Amit off V Sharma the gamewas well and truly in favour of Delhi. Mithun Mihnas and Ghambhir thentook the hosts home.Earlier, opting to bat first, HP’s innings was steadied by a fine 72by Nayyar. He shared a 88 run fifth wicket stand with Varindar Sharma(37). Nayyar then fell with the score at 191, stumped by Chawla offRahul Sanghvi. Sanghvi was the most successfull bowler for Delhi withfigures of 4 for 34.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said international players will be forced to opt out of matches in order to give themselves rest in a crammed calendar of cricket

Cricinfo staff19-Nov-2008
Mahendra Singh Dhoni: “It’s important for a player to decide when he cannot take it any more. It’s getting increasingly tough, especially for the fast bowlers” © AFP
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, has said international players will be forced to opt out of matches in order to give themselves rest in a crammed calendar of cricket.Dhoni had skipped the three-Tests series in Sri Lanka earlier this year after an 18-month streak that included 14 Tests, 56 ODIs, eight Twenty20 internationals, and a high-voltage IPL. “I myself opted out of the Test series in Sri Lanka because I needed a break,” he said. “It’s important for a player to decide when he cannot take it any more. It’s getting increasingly tough, especially for the fast bowlers.”Players know their body best and in future more and more players would come out and say that they are going to skip events.”When asked whether players had fallen into the trap of excess cricket due to the riches on offer, Dhoni said: “It’s not only about money. In fact when you play 10-12 years for India, you earn ample money. You don’t need more unless you want to buy a chartered plane or have private airlines. Money will keep flowing as long as you play.”Dhoni also clarified he would prefer to play for the country over his obligations with his franchise, Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni will lead Chennai in the inaugural Champions League from December 3-10, but if his team makes it to the final, Dhoni may have to make a choice between leading his franchise or India in the Ahmedabad Test against England, which starts on December 11.”I have no information regarding this but for me, country always comes first,” Dhoni said. “I will go by whatever BCCI decides, but in case I have to make a choice, of course I would like to play the Test match.”

Lee Ryder has now revealed what sources close to Mike Ashley have said would get Steve Bruce sacked at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Poor start

The St. James’ Park faithful have made a poor start to the Premier League season, picking up no wins and a mere two points from there opening five matches, leaving them in 19th place in the table (Premier League).

Bruce will feel under pressure to pick up some results sooner rather than later, and if he has any hope of getting the Toon Army off his back that turnaround will have to start soon.

The Latest: Ryder on Bruce

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has now revealed what it would take for Bruce to be sacked.

According to close sources to Ashley, it would take the North East club to be left a ‘fair distance’ behind those in the bottom half of the league for their to be a change of manager while he is still the owner.

Otherwise, the intention is to leave the choice of manager to the prospective new owners should the proposed takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium go through.

The Verdict: Worrying

The Magpies need to pick up results fast, otherwise it is very likely that they will leave themselves in yet another relegation battle.

Given that some players have been critical of his training methods, perhaps sacking Bruce and bringing in somebody else for a new manager bounce would not be a bad idea, and may propel them up the table before any new owners even arrive.

Nonetheless, Ashley cannot afford to leave a decision too late or rely on the takeover going through, whatever he decides to do.

In other news, find out when Ashley has said the takeover will be completed by here!

With six goals scored and none conceded in their two previous games against Arsenal in the Premier League and FC Porto in the Champions League, Liverpool are in a good position to take on Southampton at Anfield in their next league match at the weekend.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Jurgen Klopp could select in his starting XI to take on the Saints, one player that should definitely be in the team on this occasion that didn’t start in midweek is Jordan Henderson.

Despite not starting the match against Porto on Wednesday night, Henderson still managed to impress in the 27 minutes of action he got in the second half after he replaced goalscorer Thiago Alcantara.

During his cameo, Henderson managed to highlight what a useful midfield option he is for the Reds in an attacking and defensive regard.

As well as providing the assist for Mohamed Salah’s goal, Henderson managed to complete 17 passes with one cross and long ball and even have one shot at goal.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-liverpool-news” title=”Check out the latest Liverpool news!”]

Henderson also managed to help his side keep a clean sheet on the day by winning five of the six duels he was involved in and complete two tackles, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 7.3/10 from SofaScore, which is higher than the likes of Tyler Morton and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who started the match managed to get.

It’s been the same story for Henderson in the Premier League this season as well with an average of 1.4 key passes per game and 1.4 tackles per game under his belt.

With this in mind and the fact that he managed to have a rest by not playing the whole game, Henderson, who has been labelled an “athletic” player by former Reds captain Steven Gerrard, should definitely be in the starting XI to face Southampton, who he could absolutely terrify with his attacking prowess, defensive capabilities and ability to control the tempo of a game.

Looking beyond the Southampton clash, if Liverpool can keep the £18m-rated midfielder fit and playing regularly throughout the rest of the season, he will undoubtedly play a big part in their push for the Premier League title.

In other news: Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool dud who won just 35% duels wasted his big chance – opinion

Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards will be making their appearances for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers respectively, for this season’s IPL, but will be available for a little less than two weeks

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2009Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards will be appearing for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Deccan Chargers respectively in this season’s IPL, but will be available for a little less than two weeks. With both West Indian players expected to arrive in England for the return series no later than May 1, their IPL stints are expected to last just 12 days.There were concerns that West Indies’ best players would not have been available for the tour, which begins with a three-day tour match against Leicestershire on April 21, after some of them signed deals to appear in the IPL. However, with the first Test scheduled at Lord’s from May 6, a window has opened up for the players to turn out for their respective franchises in the tournament being played in South Africa from April 18-May 24.”We have named 17 players because we have got a couple of our players going off to play in the IPL,” Clyde Butts, the West Indies chairman of selectors, said while announcing the squad. “Gayle and Edwards will travel to the IPL and will join the squad just before the first Test.”One of the complaints which the players raised in their recent dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) was the ruling body’s unilateral decision to stage the tour which was organised last October without their consultation and would be contested in direct conflict with the IPL.The series was arranged bilaterally between the WICB and the ECB, following the withdrawal of Sri Lanka – whose players demanded that they be allowed to play in the IPL.West Indies are scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs on the tour of England which ends on May 26. Their next assignment is the World Twenty20 to be held in the same country from June 5.

With an Ashes tour coming up during the Australian winter, now is the perfect time for the likes of North, Hughes, Hilfenhaus and McDonald to completeirresistible auditions

Brydon Coverdale at the Wanderers02-Mar-2009
Each of the three Australian debutants – Marcus North, Phillip Hughes and Ben Hilfenhaus – played their part in the win © Getty Images
As Australia neared victory on the final afternoon at the Wanderers,Ricky Ponting stood at second slip and surveyed the men closest to him. The cordon was made up of Ponting, the debutants Marcus North and Phillip Hughes, and also Andrew McDonald, who was playing his second Test. Even the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was less than a year into hisTest career.For anyone who hadn’t fully comprehended the magnitude of change inAustralian cricket over the past few months, it was a telling image.Barely a year ago, the same positions would have been occupied by AdamGilchrist and Matthew Hayden, and going back a further 12 months,Shane Warne and Justin Langer.Also scattered around the field were the debutant fast bowler BenHilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, who was in his fifth Test. When MitchellJohnson fired in a full one that bowled Dale Steyn, Ponting collectedthe stumps and distributed them among his new colleagues. Each of themdeserved a reward. Whereas Ponting spoke of the team’s “passengers”during the series in Australia, every player contributed inJohannesburg.Of the debutants, North’s 117 in the first innings was the standout.Hughes’ fighting 75 in the second innings was also important andHilfenhaus did what he was asked to do – he ran in hard all day, swungthe ball and collected three wickets for the game, including the keybreakthroughs of Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher in the second innings.Each of their efforts pleased Ponting but none shocked him.”I’m not surprised that Hilfenhaus came in and bowled well because Iknow what he’s capable of,” Ponting said. “I’m not surprised thatHughes came in and made runs because he’s been making runs for thelast couple of years in domestic cricket in Australia. I’m notsurprised that North did because he’s an experienced player that hasfaced his own challenges in a very high domestic competition inAustralia.”I’m not surprised by what they’ve achieved. Now it’s a matter ofthose guys being able to do it again next week. That’s what Testcricket is all about. You don’t get the luxury of having a couple ofweeks between games to get yourself prepared again. It’s aboutbouncing back in a couple of days.”There are several men back in Australia who will be watching withinterest to see how the fresh faces respond after their opening win.Stuart Clark, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson would allhave been in the starting line-up in Johannesburg had they been fit.If the new boys can continue to thrive at the highest level, there isno guarantee that there will be places for the more experienced menlater this year.
Injured stars like Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds can’t expect to walk right back into the XI © Getty Images
Clark is a must-pick but Australia will learn more over the next fewweeks about how much they really need the out-of-form Lee, theill-disciplined Symonds and the injury-prone Watson. With an Ashestour coming up during the Australian winter, now is the perfect timefor the likes of North, Hughes, Hilfenhaus and McDonald to completeirresistible auditions.But for all the hype the Ashes will bring, the past four Tests haveshown just how highly South Africa-Australia contests deserve to berated. For the second time in successive Tests these sides have takenthe match into the final session of the fifth day and ended with aresult. The Perth and Melbourne Tests that came before weren’t overbefore lunch on the last day.The battles have been so tight and unpredictable that with a day toplay in Johannesburg, few onlookers were prepared to confidently tip awinner. At a time when Tests in the West Indies and Pakistan havefeatured such high totals that draws appear inevitable, the SouthAfrica-Australia bouts have been immeasurably valuable for a five-dayformat that is trying to hold its place as the game’s pre-eminentstyle.One of the reasons Test cricket may have lost some popularity over thepast decade was the fact that Australia dominated so comprehensively.Since the days of Mark Taylor’s captaincy they have been underdogs asoften as the Harlem Globetrotters. That they flew into South Africa afortnight ago without being favourites was a major shift in the game’sfoundations.That they won the opening Test with one of their least experiencedteams in 20 years is good for cricket. Fierce and even competitionbetween the world’s top teams can only be positive for the game. Thechallenge for Australia’s young squad now is to prove that theirdisplay was not a one-off.

A source from Glasgow Rangers has told Football Insider that Arsenal tried to lure Gers star Glen Kamara away from Ibrox in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Kamara speaks out

As quoted by Ibrox News, Kamara has recently been speaking about his future at Ibrox while on international duty with Finland.

The central midfield player is aware that there has been some interest in him, but there have also been ongoing talks over him potentially signing a new deal.

The Latest: Arsenal interest

As per Football Insider, Arsenal did actually make a move to try to sign Kamara before the window shut.

A source from the Light Blues has said that they shortlisted their former player as a potential target, and even offered him a five-year contract.

However, a deal could not be pushed through, and so Mikel Arteta’s team signed Albert Sami Lokonga instead, even though Kamara was interested in a move back to the Emirates Stadium.

The Verdict: January looming

It is certainly a relief that a deal for Kamara to go to the Gunners never materialised in the end.

Dubbed as a ‘magnificent’ player by Steven Gerrard back in December, the 25-year-old has already made his presence felt in the Scottish Premiership this season, winning no fewer than 3.3 of his duels per game while also averaging 1.3 tackles per match, grabbing himself one assist so far (Sofascore).

However, it is not clear whether the North London side will revisit their interest in him in January.

Given that both Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny are set to compete in the African Cup of Nations with Ghana and Egypt respectively, and that Kamara is allegedly keen on a move, this could be a big concern for Gerrard moving forward.

In other news, find out what tweet from The Scottish Sun has Gers fuming here!

Celtic have made some incredibly strong progress under Ange Postecoglou but the time to properly judge the Australian will be next May.

The Hoops have signed some exceptional players to suit his system and all of that has provided six wins on the spin.

Yet, given how everything unravelled last season, supporters must be realistic about their chances.

What’s the word?

With just over a week to go before the transfer window closes for the month, the Bhoys still have plenty of business they want to conclude.

Odsonne Edouard could still head to the Premier League and if he does depart, a replacement will be required.

Celtic have been in the market for Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis but they are also interested in signing a player closer to home; Kevin Nisbet.

The Scotland international has been a target all summer and according to reporter Peter Martin, they are trying to tempt Hibernian with a player swap deal involving Leigh Griffiths.

Whether Hibs decide to bite on a deal, however, remains to be seen.

Must sign him

With Nisbet having expert knowledge of the Premiership, deciding to sign him this summer should be a no-brainer for Postecoglou and Dominic McKay.

Only Edouard scored more goals in the Scottish top-flight than the 24-year-old last season while a further two strikes in 2021/22 has taken him to 20 in Hibernian colours.

Furthermore, Celtic have seen firsthand the damage he can do.

On his way to being described as “wonderful” by Frank McAvennie, Nisbet scored twice against the Bhoys last term, including a last gasp goal in the League Cup.

On that occasion, he embarrassed the catastrophic Shane Duffy late on. A ball was swung into the area but the Irish centre-half typically failed to deal with it.

He lost balance and then instead of clearing the ball sufficiently, played it straight into the path of Nisbet who fired home in injury time.

It was a typical poacher’s finish from a player who has made the Premiership his playground over the last 12 months.

His record might not be as attractive as someone like Giakoumakis who found the net 29 times last campaign, but he knows the SPFL inside out.

Needing little adjustment time, he may well be the perfect heir to Edouard’s coveted throne. Ange needs him for that reason alone.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kyogo: Ange must seal Celtic swoop for “dazzling” 27-goal weapon…

The West Indies selectors have invested in youth by selecting a young squad with an average age of 21 for England’s solitary first-class warm-up ahead of next month’s first Test in Jamaica

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2009The West Indies selectors have invested in youth by selecting a young squad with an average age of 21 for England’s solitary first-class warm-up ahead of next month’s first Test in Jamaica.England, who fly out to the Caribbean on Wednesday, January 21, will play a three-day practice match against a St Kitts XI at Basseterre from January 25-27 before taking on West Indies A at the same venue two days later.There has been one change to the original squad with fast bowler Kevin McClean replacing Nelon Pascal, who was injured in the second round of the regional four-day competition.Of the 12 players named for the second fixture, only Darren Sammy – who claimed seven wickets on his Test debut at Old Trafford in 2007 – has faced England at the highest level, although Lendl Simmons played in a Twenty20 international at The Oval on the same tour.Simmons, Amit Jaggernauth and Darren Bravo were also part of the Trinidad & Tobago side that came within one run of beating England in their Stanford Series warm-up in October.West Indies A 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Brandon Bess, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Amit Jaggernauth, 5 Leon Johnson, 6 Kevin McClean, 7 Keiran Powell, 8 Kemar Roach, 9 Darren Sammy, 10 Lendl Simmons, 11 Devon Thomas, 12 Gavin Wallace.

Confusion surrounds the position of Walter Chawaguta, Zimbabwe’s coach, after an advertisement was posed on the board’s website advertising his job

Cricinfo staff09-Dec-2008Confusion surrounds the position of Walter Chawaguta, Zimbabwe’s coach, after an advertisement was posed on the board’s website advertising his job.Chawaguta, who only took charge in August, has been criticised for his tactical and man-management failings, and serious questions were asked as to his ability after Zimbabwe threw away three good opportunities to win matches during the 5-0 ODI whitewash by Sri Lanka last month. His appointment was unexpected given his inexperience as both a player and a coach.Cricinfo has learned Chawaguta was only picked on a three-month contract. The board resolved that the post would then advertised and a longer-term appointment made. The new coach is now expected to be in charge of the team for January’s tour of Bangladesh.The advertisement calls for someone to lead the side in all formats of the game, including Test cricket, with at least five years’ experience of “senior coaching”. That would seem to rule out Chawaguta, whose own background is limited to Zimbabwe A and Under-19 sides. The post of A-team coach has also been advertised.The closing date for applications is December 12, giving less than a week for people to contact the board. It could not be established if anyone has applied to date or if ZC is going to extend the deadline.Chawaguta is seen by many as a political appointment, someone the hardliners on the board who have consistently demanded more black players in the team can dominate and, given his club background with Takashinga, a politically-acceptable figure.Anyone from outside Zimbabwe was effectively ruled out by Ozias Bvute, ZC’s controversial managing director. Speaking at the time of Chawaguta’s appointment, he said: “It is unwarranted and unfortunate for people to disown their own, and all this speculation that ZC are looking at employing a foreign coach is totally unfounded and baseless.”