Kaushik Aphale made a fine century to place Maharashtra in a commanding position against Gujarat on the second day of the Ranji Trophy West Zone league at Shri Shivaji Stadium at Karad. Maharashtra amassed a healthy 476 in 139 overs.Resuming on 318 for five, Aphale (115) and Mandar Sane (32) added 77 runs for the sixth wicket. Aphale’s 191 ball innings had 13 hits to the fence. Lalit Patel (5/73) picked up four of the five wickets to fall in the session.In reply, Gujarat had a disastrous start to their innings, losing both the openers with five runs on the board. Iqbal Siddiqui bagged two of the wickets to fall. Mukund Parmar was struggling to keep the innings together. He toiled around for 104 deliveries and was unbeaten on 35.Gujarat ended the day on 64 for four from 39.1 overs, trailing by 412 runs.
Why was the CLT20 culled and what is the most significant impact? The CLT20 was cancelled because of the lack of viability from a broadcaster’s perspective. An IPL insider revealed that the tournament was worth almost a billion dollars over ten years but the broadcasters failed to recover even a tenth of that.The biggest impact following the cancellation of the CLT20 will be felt by non-Indian domestic teams, who have lost out on a three-way income stream. Non-Indian teams in the tournament received participation fees of US$500,000 per team, prize money and US$150,000 per player who chose to turn out for his IPL team instead of his domestic team, in the event that both qualified.”The CLT20 was a cash cow for international teams,” the source told ESPNcricinfo. “For a team like T&T, when a Samuel Badree or Dwayne Bravo is playing for other teams, the money they receive from them would change things immediately. The CLT20 was a game-changer for other teams around the world given the sheer amount of money.”
Impact on respective boards
BCCI Of the three stakeholders – the BCCI, CA and CSA – the Indian board and its teams are the best off. The BCCI will receive US$190 million – more than half the $330 million settlement between the three boards and the broadcaster Star India – and the IPL teams will no longer have to spend thousands of dollars for retaining overseas players for the CLT20. “For Indian franchises, most of the amount would be spent towards retaining the services of a Pollard or de Villiers,” the source said.Cricket Australia CA is the next biggest beneficiary. It will receive US$80 million following the closure of CLT20 and has a television rights deal to cushion it against other loss. Cricket Australia made somewhere in the region of US$25 million in each edition of the Champions League, and in the early seasons of the Big Bash League, it was this money that allowed the BBL project head Mike McKenna to say “domestic Twenty20 operations” were running at a profit.The broadcast networks, Channel Nine and Channel Ten, alleviated CA’s reliance on this revenue in 2013. The deal with Channel Ten for the BBL alone is worth $20 million per season, while Nine’s investment of $500 million over five years also strengthened the board’s position and the funds that could be doled out to the states and their BBL teams.Cricket South Africa The South African board will receive US$60 million from the settlement but its franchises, who operate as separate companies to the national body, are concerned about their own affairs. CSA will split the participation fees of the two teams who took part in the tournament between all six of their franchises, who received R350,000 (US$28.778) a year.Several franchise CEOs described the funds coming in from CLT20 as “essential”, because the income-earning opportunities for South African franchises are limited. “The participation money from the CLT20 is worth more than we get in prize money for winning a domestic tournament,” Nabeal Dien, CEO of Cobras, said. For turning up in the CLT20, teams receive the equivalent of R2.4 million (US$200,000). In comparison, South Africa’s first-class competition carries a total prize money of R2 million (US 166,666).West Indies Cricket Board The West Indies Cricket Board loses between $300,000 and 400,000 as a whole from the tournament being cancelled. A major portion, over 65% of the money they would earn from the CLT20 was channelled towards development in the territories with the remainder retained by the board.The WICB was also concerned about the impact on domestic teams. “It’s what funds the region will be devoid of, not the board. Everything does not just go in the WICB coffers as that money has to be shared,” Michael Muirhead, CEO of WICB said. “You can’t just say what money the board will be missing out on.” He estimated that the funds that “the region” would no longer be privy to could be around “a couple hundreds of thousands of US Dollars.”Sri Lanka Cricket For Sri Lanka, where the board owns all the franchises, the effect will be felt at national level. The SLC received the US$500,000 participation fee plus the amounts from players retained by IPL franchises. Around 5% of this money went into operational costs, another 5% to the players and the remaining 90% into SLC coffers.
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Victor Osimhen to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a claim made by Italian media outlet Kiss Kiss Napoli (via Sport Witness), who state that Antonio Conte is a huge fan of the centre-forward, and is considering instructing Fabio Paratici to make a move for the 23-year-old at the end of the current campaign – particularly if Harry Kane once again seeks a move away from north London.
The report goes on to state that Newcastle United are also interested in the Nigeria international, while it is also said that an important offer could tempt Napoli into parting with the striker this summer.
“He’s the future”
Considering Kane’s continuous links with a move away from Tottenham, in addition to the fact that the £90m-rated England captain turns 29 years of age this summer, it is easy to see why Conte would be interested in a move for Osimhen.
Indeed, the Napoli centre-forward is hard-working, incredibly quick and a lethal finisher, with Andries Jonker previously stating of the 23-year-old:
“He has great potential in him. He is ambitious, quick and highly unpredictable, he will be a star in the future if he maintains his focus.”
Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo also heaped a considerable amount of praise on the Nigerian hitman, saying of Osimhen:
“He’s the future, he’s going to do so well in football. I love him, he’s down to earth, he’s hard-working, he has a future and he has the mentality of a winner, that’s what I love about him.
“He has that lion’s heart. I love him, I just want him to keep working hard the way he’s doing, he’s going to break so many records in Europe and Nigeria.”
These are all traits the £54m-rated dynamo has demonstrated over his 19 Serie A appearances for Gli Azzurri this season, bagging nine goals, registering three assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.3 shots and making 0.6 key passes per game.
These returns have seen the £112k-per-week attacker average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.05, ranking him as Luciano Spalletti’s joint eighth-best player in the top flight of Italian football – playing a key role in his club’s push to secure the Scudetto.
However, it has not only been in domestic competition that Osimhen has impressed, with the centre-forward also having been in remarkable form over his five Europa League outings this term, scoring four goals, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.4 shots and making one key pass per fixture.
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These metrics saw the player who Spalletti dubbed a “thoroughbred bomber” average an even more impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.34 in the European competition, ranking him as Napoli’s third-best performer.
As such, it is clear to see that the 23-year-old could very easily become Conte’s first-choice number nine at Tottenham for many a year to come, however, with it being reported that the Serie A outfit are demanding a figure of around €100m (£84m) to part with the striker this summer, securing a deal for the Nigerian sensation will not be easy for Paratici to pull off.
AND in other news: Alasdair Gold drops behind the scenes Spurs update that will have supporters buzzing
Michael Hussey shook off his fears over a short Test lead-up to register his sixth Test century and continue an impressive rebuild of Australia’s team after the loss of three greats. A torn hamstring suffered in the World Twenty20 limited Hussey’s preparation to a first-class game for Western Australia, but he was not hampered by his body or lack of play as he set up a massive total with Michael Clarke.”I was a little concerned,” Hussey said. “I’d done a lot of batting in the nets and had one game against Victoria, but nothing can really prepare you for a Test. I was quite relieved to score a hundred.”Hussey’s 245-run partnership with Clarke allowed Ricky Ponting to declare at 4 for 551 and ensured a smooth transition after the side lost Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer after its previous Test in January. Despite the strength of the position, Hussey was cautious about the state of game – “It’s just a start” – but was more confident about the prospects of improvement from the regenerating squad.”You can’t replace champions, but we’re still trying to raise the bar again and that comes down to the guys working collectively to raise their own games and our team to keep growing,” he said. “But it’s a lot different not having Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath around.”Hussey has quickly developed into a great international player and his 133 was the spine of the innings. On reaching three figures he waved to his family in the stands, where his daughter Molly, who was born prematurely in May, was attending her first Test. “I don’t think she’ll know too much about it,” he said, “hopefully she slept most of the day.”If she watched she would have seen her father excelling against one of the game’s greatest spinners. Hussey’s plan against Muttiah Muralitharan was to stay in the crease while Clarke was prepared to use his feet during his unbeaten 145. Clarke was picking the doosra “sometimes” – “I’m definitely not saying yes or I’ll get stumped next time” – and felt the duo did a good job against Muralitharan.”We played him pretty well,” he said. “I was looking for the ball to come out of his hand differently and trying to get to him on the full so it didn’t get a chance to spin.”A year ago Clarke was feeling his way back into the team and now he is entrenched after three centuries in his past five Tests. “I don’t think too much has changed, I still try to be as positive as I can,” he said. “My shot selection has probably improved and I’ve grown up a bit.”Australia’s day got better in the final 16 overs after Brett Lee struck twice, although Hussey warned things might not be as easy on day three. “The wicket has flattened out,” he said, “and we’re going to have to work hard to prise out the Sri Lankans.”
Barbados staged a remarkable comeback on the third day against Trinidad and Tobago, dismissing them for a lowly 145 with Tino Best picking up four wickets. Chasing 191, the Barbados are on course for a memorable victory and went to stumps on 163 for 4.Barbados’ tail was quickly mopped up in the morning before Best set to work. A nasty lifter accounted for Daren Ganga, skilfully caught by the wicketkeeper Patrick Browne, and Best was ably supported by Pedro Collins. In one over, Collins had three successive lbw appeals against Jason Mohammed turned down and, despite hitting Collins for a six, he soon edged a catch to third slip.Dwayne Bravo was the only batsman to offer any semblance of resistance. His 71, from 104 balls, was littered with 12 classy boundaries and the visitors still stood a semblance of a chance when he was in. And despite six of the top seven falling for single figures Bravo was undaunted, batting with plenty of conviction. But he stood alone and, after falling to Ryan Hinds, Trinidad and Tobago’s innings fell away.Wayne Blackman – whose inclusion in this side has raised eyebrows in some quarters – batted with great authority in Barbados’ chase of 191, with a 67-ball 51. And though Barbados lost four wickets, Hinds (27*) and Dwayne Smith (24*) will resume tomorrow needing just 28 to notch a memorable win. ScorecardA fighting hundred from Wavell Hinds, the Jamaica captain, has put his side in a strong position on the third day against Leeward Islands at St Kitts.Jamaica were in trouble at 170 for 4 before Hinds and Tamar Lambert (70) steadied the ship with a fine fifth-wicket partnership of 143. Though Hinds fell for exactly 100 – and though Jamaica’s tail crumbled meekly, losing 5 for 40 – his captain’s innings led Jamaica to 353, trailing Leeward Islands by just 40.His day improved, too; Jermaine Lawson removed both openers and Daren Powell struck twice to leave Leeward Islands struggling on 54 for 5. Ryan Morton (44*) and Omari Banks (28*) prevented capitulation with an unbeaten stand of 68, but Leewards lead by just 162 going into the final day. ScorecardThe Windwards Island put Guyana’s bowlers to the sword on the third day at Grenada with their captain, Rawl Lewis, reaching a fine, unbeaten hundred. He was given excellent support from Liam Sebastien who fell 10 short of a deserved hundred as the Windward Islands declared on 392 for 8.In what has been a soggy, interrupted match so far, Lewis and Sebastien resumed this morning with their side on 185 for 6 but put on 176 for the seventh wicket with Lewis hammering six fours and a six. Sebastien finally fell to Veerasammy Permaul, the persistent 17-year-old offspinner who marked an impressive debut with figures of 4 for 83.Guyana lost their opener, Travis Dowlin, in reply but, with one day to go, this match is heading for a draw.
Tom Moody, Sri Lanka’s coach, feels that Sri Lanka have put their dismal one-day tour of India behind them and are geared up for a better show in next month’s Test series. India, who thrashed a lacklustre Sri Lanka 6-1 in the one-day series earlier this month, will host them again for three Tests starting in Chennai on December 2.”Great teams are those which bounce back after a bad series,” Moody told reporters ahead of the team’s departure for India on Friday. “The Tests are an opportunity to show our class.” Moody felt the experience of the one-day tour will help Sri Lanka plan for the Test matches. “We learnt a lot during the one-dayers and the Tests will really show the true potential of the team. We had a good look at some of their players who were relatively new on the big stage and also at their strategies.”Sri Lanka, who went into the one-day series ranked second in the world in ODI rankings, never recovered after crashing to four successive defeats. “The confidence of the individuals suffered a lot after those defeats,” Moody said. “Our batting lacked consistency and put tremendous pressure on the bowlers.”The Sri Lankan selectors axed veteran Sanath Jayasuriya for the Tests, replacing him with Chamara Kapugedara, a promising 18-year-old who has played just one first-class game. Other uncapped players in the team are Sajeeva Weerakoon, the 27-year-old left-arm spinner, and Upul Tharanga, the 20-year-old opener. Avishka Gunawardene, the left-hand opener, has also been recalled along with Malinga Bandara, the legspinner, who played his lone Test against New Zealand in 1998.The good news for Sri Lanka is that Muttiah Muralitharan, the spin wizard, and Farveez Maharoof, the allrounder, are fit again after suffering injuries in India. Sri Lanka will play a three-day practice match at Bangalore from November 26. The second Test will be played at New Delhi from December 10 and the third at Kanpur from December 18.
Glamorgan’s Alex Wharf has been rewarded for his instant impact in England’s one-day side, by earning a call-up for next week’s Champions Trophy.Wharf, 29, grabbed a wicket with his fifth ball in international cricket at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, followed up with two more in his next two overs, and was named Man of the Match for his sparkling display.His inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad was signed and sealed by the International Cricket Council’s technical committee, after it was revealed that Kabir Ali had failed to recover from a side strain. England play their opening Champions Trophy match against Zimbabwe at Edgbaston next Friday.South Africa and Pakistan have also had changes to their squad approved. Charl Langeveldt has been called up in place of Andre Nel, while Azhar Mahmood comes in for Shabbir Ahmed. Shabbir is likely to be out for another six weeks after being diagnosed with a cartilage tear in his knee. Mahmood, who is with Surrey at the moment, will take his place.Andre Nel, the South African fast bowler, will also miss the tournament. Nel didn’t play in the Tests on the tour to Sri Lanka and was forced to fly home after failing to recover from a back strain. He was replaced by Langeveldt, who impressed with his medium-pace, with 3 for 31, in one of the one-dayers.
The likelihood of India and Pakistan playing against each other regularly moved closer with the news that the Indian government has proposed a number of measures to its Pakistan counterpart in a bid to normalise relations between the two countries.At the moment Pakistan are scheduled to tour India in February next year, with India in turn visiting Pakistan 12 months later. But the strained political relationship has meant that sporting contact between the two countries has been almost non-existent of late, with the Indian government opposing sporting contact with the exception of multination tournaments. India last toured Pakistan for a Test series in 1989, when Kris Srikkanth was captain, while Pakistan’s last tour of India was in 1999.”Obviously, the government have decided now is the right time to restore cricket ties,”said Ratnakar Shetty, the joint secretary of the Indian cricket board. “We are happy for this.”And Rameez Raja, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief executive, welcomed the news, insisting that his board had always maintained that politics should not interfere with sporting ties. “I wholeheartedly welcome India’s decision to send its team to Pakistan. We are very delighted and appreciate that Indian government has put cricket first. The PCB has always maintained that sports and politics should not be mixed. To improve the relationship, there has to be a people-to-people contact and cricket can be a good medium. I remember in the 1989 Test at Lahore, people came from New Delhi and Amritsar – and likewise when Pakistan played in 1997 and then in 1999, people from Pakistan went to Chandigarh and other Indian cities.”Last month Rameez Raja attended an ICC meeting in Mumbai, but he refused to take the credit for India’s change of mind. “I went there as a sportsman, as Pakistan’s ambassador and the PCB chief executive. I did the convincing or lobbying as part of my duties as a sport-loving individual.”I want to put it on record that our Indian counterparts were also lobbying to in New Delhi for the revival of cricket, while our chairman and the ICC played their role at the ICC platform. I would like to say that it has been a collective effort.”India are scheduled to play three Tests and as many one-day internationals – but Rameez said he would like to see three Tests and five ODIs. “Our public has been starving to see India play in Pakistan for nearly 14 years. I think eight international matches would generate huge excitement and interest, while almost every centre will also get its due share.”Rameez said he hoped that the itinerary would be discussed during the next ICC executive board meeting, which is in Barbados on October 29.Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, welcomed the announcement . "The international cricket community is delighted with this positive step. The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the great rivalries, not only in cricket but also in world sport, and the resumption of series between these countries is a boost for the game. I believe that these matches will help build greater understanding between the two countries."Mani praised the efforts of all parties involved in reviving the series. “The Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board have both worked hard to revive the series and I am very pleased that the Indian government has taken this step today. “
Predictions of a pace-friendly pitch for the Boxing Day Test may prove correct if today’s ING Cup cricket match between Victoria and Western Australia is any guide.On a wicket just adjacent to the strip that will be used for the second Test between Australia and South Africa, WA’s Brad Williams and then Victoria’s Ian Hewett ripped through the opposition batting as the Bushrangers won a thrilling match by just ten runs.Hewett, who took 4-22 as Victoria dismissed the Warriors for 200 in reply to its total of 6-210, believes the Australian and South African quicks will have much to look forward to come Wednesday.”There was much more in it than a a normal wicket and especially compared to what you get interstate,” he said of the MCG pitch.”There was good carry in it all day.”While Hewett bowled with intelligence and gained plenty of assistance off the wicket, Williams was downright terrifying when he ripped through the Bushrangers’ batting line-up earlier in the day.The former Victorian speedster took 3-0 in seven balls as Victoria crashed to 3-34 in the 13th over. A vicious, lifting delivery to dismiss Brad Hodge for a first-ball duck was the stand-out.”It was getting to a point where it was almost about survival,” Hewett said of Williams’ opening spell.The Test pacemen will be taking notice after talk of a bouncer war between Australia and South Africa in the second Test following the heavy treatment dished out to Nantie Hayward by Brett Lee in the first Test in Adelaide.There is likely to be plenty of scary moments for batsmen of both sides if the Test wicket has anywhere near the bounce of today’s pitch.After Williams’ opening onslaught, Victoria looked unlikely to survive its 50 overs.But thanks to skipper Matthew Elliott’s 60 and half-centuries to youngsters Michael Klinger and Simon Dart, the home side eventually boosted its run rate above four an over.Western Australia’s innings started disastrously when Hewett dismissed its top four batsmen in his first seven overs, including a superb leg-cutter to get rid of Warriors skipper Simon Katich for three runs.From that point the Warriors were always up against it but still nearly pinched victory thanks to a magnificent 77 from Ryan Campbell.Campbell took 16 runs off Ian Harvey’s ninth over to reduce the target from 27 runs off 18 balls to a far more achievable 11 runs off 12 balls, despite being left to bat with No.11 Williams.Elliott then bravely tossed the ball to Jon Moss, who wouldn’t have even played had Damien Fleming not made a late withdrawal with hamstring soreness.Moss ended the Warriors’ innings with his first ball when he had Campbell caught behind.The Bushrangers finally had something to celebrate in the one-day arena even though they remain bottom of the ING Cup table.
St John’s (Antigua), April 10: Pakistan avenged their defeat ofSaturday against the West Indies Select XI by gaining a marginal14-run victory over the home team at the Antigua Recreation Groundhere on Sunday.Like the Pakistan team in the first match, the West Indies Select XIalso collapsed in a similar fashion while chasing 184 to win in 50overs.Mohammad Akram, who took three for 27 in the first match, was onceagain in good form as he picked four for 28 as the Select XI werebowled out for 169 in the 40th over. Pakistan in their innings hadmade 183 for nine after winning the toss.The Select XI from 135 for four had plummeted to 137 for seven afterRamnaresh Sarwan and Runako Morton seemed to have taken the grip onthe game with a stand of 70 for the fifth wicket. The two had takentheir innings from 65 for four to 135.After Morton was leg before for 25 to Mohammad Akram with the firstball of his second spell, their innings slid quickly.Junior Murray lofted Shoaib Malik to be caught at long-on by ImranNazir and Nehemiah Perry was stumped by Mohammad Wasim who had takenover after Atiq-uz-Zaman was taken to hospital with strained hipligament in an attempt to catch opener Wilden Cornwall.Pakistan had lost three wickets for 60 before Wasim and YousufYouhana, who scored 29, salvaged the innings. Pakistan lost fivewickets for 46 before Shoaib Malik made an unbeaten 22 to enhance thescore.