All posts by h716a5.icu

The fifth edition of the IPL will be held from April 4 to May 27, 2012, featuring 74 games

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011The fifth edition of the IPL will be held from April 4 to May 27, 2012. The tournament is scheduled after India’s return from their tour of Australia and South Africa’s tour of New Zealand in March. The tournament will feature 74 matches – the same as this year’s IPL – and the match schedule will be announced soon.The structure of the Future Tours Programme [FTP] is one of the major points up for discussion in the ongoing ICC annual conference in Hong Kong, amid calls for a separate window for the IPL within that schedule. There are several series next year that are expected to overlap with the IPL, and may result in the absence of some international stars. England are scheduled to host West Indies, Australia are expected to tour the West Indies, and Pakistan are due to play Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.The 2011 IPL took place barely a week after the World Cup, and the arrival of some Australian cricketers, including Shane Watson, was delayed due to their tour of Bangladesh. The number of teams grew from eight – as in the previous three versions – to ten, with Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala joining the league but failing to qualify for the knockouts. Chennai Super Kings defended their title successfully, beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.

Reactions from former players and officials on the sentences after the spot-fixing trial

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2011
Michael Vaughan: “More can be done to try and catch more than just the three we’ve seen in court”•Getty ImagesFor me, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered because they weren’t exposed by any of the cricketing members; they were exposed by the . I still think the ICC could be doing a lot more than they are doing. Unfortunately, the anti-corruption unit is a pretty toothless tiger. They can’t get into the real depth of it all because they haven’t got the resources available to them. I don’t hold it against them; they’re doing the best job they possibly can. They can’t do sting operations like the , they can’t infiltrate these betting networks. They’ve tried their best.
After this case we can say that we are doing something about it and we don’t tolerate any sort of fixing, be it spot or match-fixing, or cheating. From now on, it is a very good deterrent to players, administrators and people who watch the game and try to manipulate it. I would hate to think that I’ve played in any game that we have won because it was fixed. I would rather hope that we won because we had played better.
This is a sad day for Pakistan cricket, a sad day for the cricketers and their families. I can just imagine what the families are going through. In a society where crime pays… Where this sort of thing goes on, an impressionable young man would have got swayed by it. A message has to go that crime does not pay. I feel sad for the cricketers but I feel that you have to punish crime, so that it becomes a punishment for aspirants of the corruption of cricket that crime does not play.
The real possibility of spending time in prison is a further compelling argument for players to distance themselves from those who seek to profit illegally from the game
I hope it sends a shockwave through the game and I’m delighted with the way it’s been handled. I still believe there are more out there and more can be done to try and catch more than just the three we’ve seen in court over the last few weeks.
The sentences could have been harsher. What saddens me is that the ICC didn’t take a stronger line when they had a chance. When they found these players guilty with their own investigation earlier in the year, they were only banned for five years. I don’t understand that kind of logic. If you get caught doing anything like this you should be banned for life and the ICC should get a wake-up call themselves and be more pro-active in rooting out the problem because it won’t go away without pro-active measures. Players are susceptible when they are young to being lured into this kind of thing so [the ICC] has to get the message through when young.
Absolutely the decision is a hard one for the families of the three cricketers. Justice has been done and you’ve got to get rid of the corrupt elements from the game. The verdict will act as a great deterrent for future aspirants. These big fishes need to be taken to task.
We’ve played quite a bit of cricket against them throughout the last two or three years as well, with Test series in Australia as well as over in England and some one-day series as well. I definitely didn’t suspect anything of what’s come out over the last year or so. Whether it’s jail, whether it’s a life sentence, there’s no doubt the punishments are very severe for doing the wrong thing.

In what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran27-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chanaka Welegedara dismissed four of South Africa’s top five•Associated PressIn what has already been a champagne year for Test cricket, Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath set Sri Lanka up for what could be the biggest Test upset of 2011. There were no signs of Durban’s famed Green Mamba – tides which are rumoured to make the Kingsmead track juicy – but that didn’t prevent South Africa from being knocked over for their lowest total against Sri Lanka. While the lower order had to deal with some sharp spin, the specialist batsmen didn’t have to face any snorters, which makes the collapse more baffling.An assured stand of 76 for the fourth wicket between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers showed how few gremlins there were in the surface, but collapses on either side of that partnership had South Africa scrambling to avert the follow-on. Their tail managed to achieve that, before Welegedara completed his five-for and ended the innings by getting Marchant de Lange to edge to the keeper. de Lange’s 7 for 81 had limited Sri Lanka to 338 in the morning, but instead of a well-earned rest after becoming the eighth debutant to take a five-wicket haul this year, he had to bat in the gloom towards the end of the day.The substantial lead of 170 did not seem likely even after Thilan Samaraweera became only the second Sri Lanka batsman to make a Test century in South Africa. de Lange had ripped out the final three batsmen for three runs, but unfortunately for the home fans the wickets continued to tumble even when South Africa were batting.Two overs after lunch, Jacques Rudolph continued the trend of batsmen throwing away their wickets, by helping a short ball on leg stump to deep-backward square leg. Graeme Smith followed minutes later, as he fished without footwork at a Chanaka Welegedara delivery to give wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal his first Test catch. It got a lot worse in Welegedara’s next over as Jacques Kallis edged to slip to collect a rare Test duck, leaving South Africa at 27 for 3.South Africa still had two of their most bankable batsmen in the middle – Amla and de Villiers – and they revived the home side by comfortably playing out the rest of the session. de Villiers was subdued, but Amla showed his wide range of whiplash shots through the off side. There were several punches through cover for four and the point boundary was peppered as he pounced on the wide deliveries offered. Dilhara Fernando, regarded as the spearhead of the Sri Lankan attack, was only brought on as the fourth-change bowler, but even his introduction didn’t stop Amla, who lashed three fours in one over to cruise towards another half-century.If South Africa were breathing easier at tea, when they were 100 for 3, they were left gasping by what followed after the break. de Villiers chased a half-volley so wide that he ended up on his knees as he edged the ball to second slip. Welegedara had his fourth important wicket two overs later when Amla was caught behind pushing at a delivery angling across.That put Sri Lanka in charge, and two players whose places in the South Africa side are under scrutiny were left to launch a rescue effort. Questions over Mark Boucher’s batting ability will intensify after his poke to gully off Rangana Herath for 3, but there will be even more pressure on Ashwell Prince after his botched reverse-sweep against the spin, that too when South Africa were 119 for 6. With Herath proving too good for Morne Morkel, South Africa had lost five for 16.Dale Steyn didn’t get a wicket in a completed Test innings for the first time since 2008, but he still made a crucial contribution as he shepherded South Africa past the follow-on mark. The final two wickets put on 49, again showing that this wasn’t a pitch impossible to bat on.South Africa’s capitulation made Samaraweera’s century – only his second outside Asia -even more significant. He and Herath defied the home side for more than an hour in contrasting style: Samaraweera was 14 short of his hundred overnight and was in no hurry to reach the landmark, while Herath swung at everything, playing some comical yet effective flat-batted swipes against the hulking fast bowlers.Samaraweera got to his century soon after drinks, pushing the ball towards cover for two, before exuberantly celebrating the milestone by pretending to shoot at someone in the dressing room. Herath was also enjoying himself, with consecutive boundaries, both confident steers past cover point as Sri Lanka moved to 335 for 7 before de Lange’s burst brought the innings to a quick end.South Africa had some cheer late in the day, when Tillakaratne Dilshan perished for 4, but Sri Lanka are still in pole position to extend the home side’s Durban jinx.

Peter Drinnen, the Netherlands coach, has warned his players not to read too much into their shock World Twenty20 victory against England

Nagraj Gollapudi in Nagpur20-Feb-2011Peter Drinnen, the Netherlands coach, has warned his players not to read too much into their shock World Twenty20 victory against England when they launch their World Cup campaign against the same opponents in Nagpur. Netherlands won that famous match at Lord’s off the last ball by four wickets and six members of the team are still part of the squad, but Drinnen has stressed to his players the difference between 20- and 50-over cricket.”The big thing is at times we can get ahead of ourselves,” Drinnen said “We lack the knowledge of batting in the 50-over cricket. We need to special attention to that.” Not that Drinnen wants the Dutch to forget their maiden triumph against a full member nation. He said they can take plenty of pointers from their victory at Lord’s.”Certainly half the squad were there on that evening and they are fully aware of what is possible on any given day. I know it was a shorter version but they are going to take quite a bit of confidence out of that victory into this. I have got no doubt their confidence will spread through the group and rub off all the players.”Netherlands have been preparing for the World Cup for three weeks including a preparatory camp in Dubai followed by three warm-up matches in Sri Lanka. They won the last n against Kenya having lost the first two to Canada and Sri Lanka respectively and Drinnen believes he has a balanced squad at his disposal.”We have got a good top order. Our bowling attack is not youthful in age and probably is and inexperienced attack,” he said. “The way they have progressed in the last six months is significant. The challenge is going to be great as the wickets are flat. Bowlers know they really have to be disciplined.”If Netherlands want to improve their World Cup record, where they have managed just two victories out of 14 matches spread across the three editions, much would depend on the performances of the senior players like Bas Zuiderent, Tim de Grooth, Peter Borren and Essex allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate. “If we put up a performance we know we are capable of, we know we can cause some problems,” Drinnen said.Drinnen also cleared up doubts over the availability of Borren, the captain, who had been sidelined in the warm-up matches and could not attend the opening ceremony after suffering from a side strain but today he had his first complete workout. “He is fit but still carrying side strain. He has trained very well, had a full hit out in the field and full hit out with the bat today. We are happy with his progress. I’m confident looking at how he has performed today and he will be fine for the match.”

Jurgen Klopp signing a new deal is ‘huge’ news regarding the Liverpool futures of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, according to Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Klopp signs new deal at Liverpool

The Reds are flying on the pitch at the moment, going for an unprecedented quadruple, but some massive off-field news emerged earlier in the week.

Klopp has extended his stay at Anfield by a further two years, meaning he will remain as Liverpool manager until the end of the 2025/26 season.

It is an enormous boost for anyone of a Reds persuasion, given the German’s influence and success on Merseyside, and the hope now is that star players also commit their futures to the club.

Liverpool are reportedly nearing a breakthrough in talks with Salah, while FSG also intend to offer a new contract to Mane.

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The Latest: Whelan makes exciting claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that Klopp’s new deal could spark a domino effect, leading to Salah and Mane also extending their Liverpool careers. The former Premier League striker said:

“This is huge. He’s key to players staying at the club as well. You see the reputation that he has with the players, that relationship, that one-on-one, that bonding.

“I think it’s great for the players to know that he’s there for another two years. That’s vitally important. There’s a lot of hard work that needs to be done in contract talks with Mane and Salah. But it’s important Klopp’s doing the contract talks.

“It also makes it very easy for the manager to know what he wants as well. It works both ways. I think the fans would choose manager over players because of what he’s done and how important and how key to their success he has been.

“He’s building something and he’s got plans in mind. Whether some of these players will be there with the plans in mind remains to be seen.”

The Verdict: Surely they stay at Liverpool

Given Liverpool’s current status as one of the world’s best teams, and with an iconic manager in Klopp staying put for another few years, it would be a big surprise if Salah and Mane – who have been hailed as “unbelievable” in the past by former team-mate Emre Can – didn’t sign new contracts.

In the past, one of Europe’s powerhouses such as Barcelona and Real Madrid may have had a greater appeal than the Reds, but things are very different now.

Someone like Gini Wijnaldum is perfect proof that leaving Liverpool could be viewed as a downward step these days, and that should act as a warning to both Salah and Mane if they see their futures elsewhere.

In other news, a journalist has made a key Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

Fresh information has emerged regarding Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte’s links to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, as well as details on Mauricio Pochettino’s links to Spurs.

The Lowdown: Conte news

According to Le Parisien (via Get French Football News), Conte has offered himself to officials at PSG on an initial two-year engagement in the hope of replacing Mauricio Pochettino, who is soon expected to be relieved of his duties as head coach, already drawing links back to N17.

However, Alasdair Gold, football.london’s Spurs reporter, has revealed that people around the Italian have suggested that the rumours are not true.

As a result, a sense of unrest has overwhelmed the ongoing preparations at Hotspur Way ahead of Sunday’s clash with Leicester City.

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The Latest: Fresh info emerges

According to a fresh report by football.london reporter Gold, there is no official break clause this summer in Conte’s deal.

At the end of the season, it is expected that the 52-year-old will meet with chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici to discuss future plans.

Gold also reveals that previous claims of Levy holding regular contact with Pochettino are false, saying ‘those within the Argentine’s camp’ have shared that the former fan favourite exchanges only the odd pleasantry with the Spurs chief.

The Verdict: Conte is crucial to Spurs

Whilst the opening few months with the Italian in charge hardly went swimmingly, Tottenham have managed to win 13 of their 23 league matches under Conte’s reign.

As a result, the Lilywhites have cemented themselves as genuine top-four contenders in the league this season. Spurs are now up to fifth in the Premier League table, just two points behind Arsenal in fourth.

This improvement illustrates the vast changes which have positively affected the north London club’s results. Therefore, this means the news that there is no official break clause in Conte’s deal will come as a huge sigh of relief to Tottenham fans.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Noel Whelan makes Joe Rodon exit claim

Cam Battersby, the former Australian team manager and chairman of Queensland Cricket, has died at the age of 76

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011Cam Battersby, the former Australian team manager and chairman of Queensland Cricket, has died at the age of 76.Battersby was the team manager on Australia’s historic tour of South Africa in 1994, the first time in nearly 30 years that an Australia team had toured there. He also managed tours of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and New Zealand.A board member of the then Australian Cricket Board from 1987 to 2002, Battersby was also the chairman of Queensland Cricket from 1993 to 2000. A doctor, Battersby was in 2000 awarded the a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to medicine, especially in education and research into liver transplants, and for his services to cricket administration.”Cam was a stickler for detail, a composed figure who thought deeply about issues and acted in the best interests of cricket during his lengthy time in office,” the Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding said. “He had a soft spot for the game in India and Sri Lanka, and kept close ties with friends in both countries.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the CLT20 match between Cape Cobras and Trinidad & Tobago

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit03-Oct-2011Match factsCape Cobras v Trinidad & Tobago, October 4, Chennai
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Can the T&T bowlers choke the opposition again?•AFPBig PictureAfter the last-ball and one-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians, and the Super Over defeat to New South Wales, one wondered what Trinidad & Tobago would come up with next. Along with MI, T&T did their best to infuse excitement into a tournament that has struggled to pull in crowds. They finally managed to get it right against Chennai Super Kings to give themselves an outside chance of making the semi-finals. T&T have one last opportunity, against Cape Cobras, to add more thrills to the Champions League. It is a must-win game for both sides.While T&T’s spinners will look to use the slowness of the Chennai pitch to their advantage, they would have also noted that the Cobras batsmen struggled more against the Super Kings’ seamers in their only loss so far.A win tomorrow will put Cobras at the top of Group A and ensure their qualification for the semi-finals. Victory alone will not be enough for T&T, though, as they will need the Super Kings to beat New South Wales to force a three-way tie for the second place.Watch out for …Unlike the T&T spinners, there is nothing mysterious about medium-pacer Kevon Cooper but he has gone for just over five runs an over in the tournament. Even fellow Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo could not go after him in the death. Cooper’s 28 at a strike-rate of 280 was the difference against the Super Kings. T&T’s next best strike-rate was 121. Cobras will have to be wary on both fronts.You either get Herschelle Gibbs early or else he gets you. New South Wales didn’t, and suffered. Super Kings did, and got a target that could be chased. Gibbs will go after all the sliders, wrong ‘uns and flicked legbreaks that the T&T spinners try against him. Who will get whom?Team newsBarring last-minute injuries, neither side has reason to change their XIs.Stats and trivia Not surprisingly, slow and low Chennai is where batsmen have struggled the most. It has the lowest average per wicket, 21.22, and the lowest economy-rate, 6.80, of the three venues used in the tournament T&T’s loss to MI was only the 11th instance of a Twenty20 being decided by the smallest margin of one wicket off the last ball.Quotes”There is still a remote chance of us qualifying. God only knows what will happen in the last game but we still hold faith that we will qualify for the semi-finals.”
“We are playing T&T at the end, so their spinners are not complete unknowns to us. We have done a little bit of work on how to face them.”

Newcastle United have reportedly now ‘made’ a club-record ‘offer’ to sign Darwin Nunez in the summer.

The Lowdown: ‘Marquee’ signing

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) reportedly want to make a ‘marquee’ signing this summer, and Nunez tops that list.

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Described as an ‘absolute beast’ by Liverpool podcaster Hari Sethi after an impressive performance in the UEFA Champions League against the Reds, the six-foot-two starlet has notched up no fewer than 32 goals in just 37 games in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt be on a lot of club’s radars come the transfer window.

The Latest: Offer made

As per transfer insider Santi Aouna, the St. James’ Park faithful have now ‘made an offer’ for Nunez ‘in recent weeks’, but ‘several’ clubs in Europe are ‘trying’ to sign him from Benfica.

He expanded in his article for Foot Mercato that the North East club have offered ‘more than’ €60m (£49.6m) for his signature, but face competition from PSG, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.

The Verdict: Unlikely

Given the calibre of clubs interested, and off of the back of the season that he is having, it seems highly unlikely that the Magpies would be able to persuade Nunez to move to Tyneside.

They would not be able to offer him any European football, and so it is too early in their project to be going for names currently being chased by what seems like half of the big teams in Europe.

However, he is only 22 years of age, and so the Uruguay international could be one that they look to target in the future, once the PIF project is fully firing.

In other news, find out which Van Dijk-like colossus NUFC have now sent scouts to watch here!

Shane Watson says all of the Australian bowlers should be blamed for the side’s lack of penetration on the fourth day as England stormed back into the opening Test.

Peter English at the Gabba28-Nov-2010Shane Watson says all of the Australian bowlers should be blamed for the side’s lack of penetration on the fourth day as England stormed back into the opening Test. The locals started with a 202-run lead but by stumps were 88 behind after the visiting top three took advantage of an inconsistent attack to post 1 for 309.Mitchell Johnson struggled with his line and Ben Hilfenhaus was unthreatening for long periods, while Peter Siddle could not build on his impressive six-wicket return in the first innings. “I don’t think you can single out Mitchell today,” Watson said. “All of us, the bowlers, didn’t perform particularly well, me included.”Andrew Strauss (110) and Alastair Cook (132 not out) were regularly given balls to cut, pull and drive, and the wayward approach also allowed them constant singles. Jonathan Trott joined the fun after Strauss was out stumped to Marcus North, the only wicket to fall on an extremely difficult day for the hosts.”It came down to sustaining pressure and unfortunately we weren’t able to do that,” Watson said. “We did it for little periods but weren’t able to execute for long enough. The English guys batted well, particularly Strauss and Cook, but all of us as a bowling group weren’t able to consistently execute to build the pressure that was needed.”The problem has been a feature of Australia’s attack since the last Ashes series and is highlighted on flat pitches when the bowlers can’t make things happen. “That’s something we are continuing to work on as a group,” Watson said. “We know how important it is on flat wickets and there’s no doubt that there’s going to be a lot of flat wickets throughout this whole summer. We have to continue to improve, to make sure we get better at it.”This surface was supportive to the fast men for the first two days but has flattened out. There are a few cracks to aim for but England’s position is so strong that they may be in a position to push for victory over the second half of the final day. That depends on lifting their scoring rate in the morning, something Watson hopes they try to achieve.”It would be nice if they did,” he said. “It might give us a few more opportunities to be able to take some wickets.”Although England were reluctant to think too far ahead in the game, Australia’s former captain Ian Chappell said that a positive approach in the final stages of the game could have a major bearing on the momentum of the series, much as was the case when England snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat at Cardiff in 2009.”A draw has got to be the favourite, but England should at some point just start to push a little bit, and try to frighten Australia,” Chappell told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t for a moment think they will bowl them out – if they do you’ll be talking about this one in the same terms as Headingley 1981, or India’s victory over Australia in Calcutta. But even if England can push Australia into a bit of a corner and get five of them out and put the frighteners on them, then they would go to Adelaide with a huge psychological boost.”Despite the swift momentum shift, Watson said Australia were still in the game. “But we do have to turn it around very quickly,” he said. “We still need to get nine wickets and that seems a long way away at the moment. But there’s definitely still quite a bit of hope for us.”