Tag Futebol

Had Royals had the rub of the green they would have made the playoffs. Super Kings, on the other hand, could have been knocked out at the end of the league phase

ESPNcricinfo Stats team14-May-2019Chennai Super Kings rode their luck to the playoffs and Rajasthan Royals were unlucky not to have made it to the playoffs of IPL 2019, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index. Royals only marginally avoided the wooden spoon this season, but were at the wrong end of a few lucky breaks for the opposition that flipped the results against them. Had these events not occurred, Royals could have notched up a net of two additional wins, which would’ve taken their points tally to 15 – enough to carry them into the playoffs. Super Kings, on the other hand, could have been knocked out of the IPL at the end of the league phase.One defining moment that epitomised the season for Royals and Super Kings came in the match between the two teams in Chennai. With Super Kings already floored at 27 for 3 in the fifth over, MS Dhoni got an early reprieve on zero: a delivery from Jofra Archer rolled back on to his stumps but the bails didn’t fall. Royals had had Chennai Super Kings on the mat by then, and Dhoni’s wicket would’ve reduced Super Kings to 27 for 4. Luck Index estimates that Dhoni’s reprieve cost Royals 15 runs. This cost is arrived at by assuming that Dhoni is dismissed and simulating the rest of Super Kings’ innings. The remaining balls in the innings are allocated to rest of the batsmen, and an estimate of their scores is calculated. Needing 12 to chase down off the last over, Royals ended up losing by eight runs. The result of the match could well have been different had Royals had to chase 161 instead of 176.That game was just one of the several fortuitous instances for Super Kings this season. In another example of how the rub of the green went their way, Shane Watson’s 96 won them a match, having been reprieved against Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Chennai. The home team were chasing 176 and secured the win with just one ball to spare. Luck Index estimates that Super Kings ended up scoring 31 runs more than they would’ve had Watson’s catch been taken.Had things panned out differently, Super Kings would have had two fewer wins to show for their efforts this season than they actually managed. Considering that Sunrisers could’ve ended up with a net of one additional win and already had a much superior NRR, it was quite possible that Super Kings would’ve been eliminated at the end of the league stage on the basis of NRR. The below graphic shows how the points table would’ve looked at the end of the league stage after taking out all the luck events for the teams.Getty ImagesThis is not to say that Super Kings didn’t deserve to be in the finals. Chances are worth as much only when they are made use of. Super Kings’ batsmen top the list in terms of extra runs that were added to the team’s total thanks to those reprieves. Incidentally, these chances came in matches where the additional runs mattered, often in relatively low-scoring games.To illustrate this, let’s look back on the qualifier against Delhi Capitals. Watson got a reprieve in the first over of the chase, with a run-out chance. He went on to score 50 off 32 balls after that. Twenty-four of those runs came in the last nine balls he faced and sustained the momentum Faf du Plessis’ had given to Super Kings’ innings in a do-or-die contest. Luck Index estimates that that Watson innings shaved off 18 runs off Super Kings’ chase, without which it would have been a far tighter affair.Contrast this with Ishant Sharma’s drop of Ajinkya Rahane in the game in Jaipur. Rahane went on to score a century after benefitting from the chance in the fifth over. Luck Index estimated that the chance added 33 runs to Royals’ total. But unlike in Watson’s case, those 33 runs came in a match where both teams scored over 190 runs and the home team’s total in the end was not enough to win them the match.The below table shows the top batsmen whose reprieves were impactful for their teams. The column is an aggregate of the additional runs their teams ended up scoring because these batsmen got reprieved. The third column presents the normalised for result margin and the relative size of the target set up in the match. In the match against Sunrisers, the normalized value for Watson’s Impact Runs of 31 are normalised to 15. This is calculated by dividing the impact runs by margin of win and then adjusting by a factor for the size of the target. This takes both the importance of the runs, to the win margin, and the size of the target into account. In the words, the same would have higher normalized value should it come in a close match in a low-scoring game than if it were to come in a high-scoring match. Evidently, Watson’s reprieves were more useful to Super Kings than those of other batsmen to their respective teams.ESPNcricinfo LtdWatson is not the batsman to have the highest aggregate this season, though. Andre Russell, in fact, leads the list. Russell’s chances benefitted Kolkata Knight Riders by 141 runs. But two of those chances, while adding big runs to Knight Riders’ total, were immaterial when seen in context of the match. In the game in Chennai, Russell got a reprieve that added 42 runs to Knight Riders’ total – the highest any chance has cost this season – but the team could put up a total of only 108 runs even with that chance. The Super Kings to chase down without breaking a sweat.The other big chance came against Royal Challengers Bangalore when he was dropped in the 14th over. Russell clobbered 54 from the next 17 deliveries he faced before getting out on the penultimate ball of the match. Knight Riders, however, managed just 13 out of the 24 required off the last over. Russell’s chance resulted in additional 30 runs to Knight Riders’ total, but those runs were not enough to take them over the line.Overall, some of the other teams were recipient of at least as many chances as Super Kings had, but the ones the losing finalists converted proved more consequential. Super Kings were fortunate enough that their batsmen made use of their luck in crunch situations, as Watson did, again, in the final. But in that game it wasn’t enough to take them over the line.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tom Moody, the Sunrisers Hyderabad coach, looks ahead to the new season, and the challenge of working with players coming off long international tours

Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi04-Apr-2017It must start again all over again – the campaign.
Absolutely. Last year was a wonderful experience. It will be a treasured moment for everyone at Sunrisers. But certainly the page is turned. We need to reinvigorate and challenge ourselves. We again have another opportunity.Do you look to repeat the things that worked last season?
You need to constantly evolve as a coach, as a player and as a team. The same things don’t tend to work day in day out, particularly in a fast-moving game like T20. The style of cricket, the brand you play, the game plan you have in place will naturally change with the personnel changes in the squad every year.You said you were busy with player meetings earlier today. How important are these meetings?
That is one thing that hasn’t changed. Over the years in the IPL, it is important to catch up with players one on one. I do that with my assistant coach. It is important to understand exactly where the players are with their game, what are the things they are concentrating on, the areas they are looking to develop and improve, how we can help them in those areas. The other thing is role clarity – to give them a clear understanding of why we were keen to get them at the auction, why we selected them, and where I see them fitting into our plans for the season.So it is a relationship you need to nurture at all times?
The coach-player relationship is not one that starts at the beginning of the IPL and finishes the day the tournament ends. It is a relationship that is carried out throughout the year. I keep in touch with the players whether they are playing domestic or international cricket. It can even be a congratulatory message or just a simple “Hi, how are you getting on?” That is a very important part of building a positive and open team environment.

“Afghanistan have always bowled Rashid at the heat of the moment. That, to me, showed he is a player who not only has skill but also the character”

What is it like when you have senior players, some of whom are the core group of the franchise, just coming out of a long and hard-fought series, like your captain David Warner, who didn’t make a lot of runs during the India tour?
It is interesting you mention his name. I have only just been in communication with him ten minutes ago on WhatsApp. Since he was going to Australia very briefly, I was just joining the dots with him to make sure both of us were on the same page. It boils down to the communication. I am in regular contact with Davey, whether that is for supporting his quest to perform for Australia or regarding our plans for the IPL this year.I understand there are certain players that are going to be coming into the tournament a little bit more mentally and physically fatigued than others, more so your international stars. But in saying that they also accept the responsibility they have taken in being part of the IPL and being senior figures in franchises. They would be expected to step up come the first game on April 5.It is a reasonably easy exercise. Whether it be Kane Williamson or Warner or Bhuvneshwar Kumar, if you have the regular communication then it is an easy position to come in and have a conversation with them. To make sure you have a clear understanding of where they are physically and mentally, to tell them that we have empathy and understanding of where they are, and we will try to be as flexible as possible. These players have huge commitment all year around, and they also have their own personal commitment with family. So understanding of these things is important. If that is seen by the players, you tend to generally get a positive response, because they appreciate you understanding them as a person and not just as a cricketer.Let us revisit the last season. Could you go back to how you felt when you achieved the title one fine Sunday evening?
It was one of those moments all the hard work, all that energy and all that commitment you make – you get this feeling of huge satisfaction and reward. It was just an overwhelming, euphoric feeling.”For us, Yuvraj is that No. 4 batsman who goes out and plays with freedom and continues to be a dynamic and destructive player he is known to be”•BCCIIf you look at numbers purely, Sunrisers’ campaign was guided by just two batsmen, your openers. That was incredible, right?
There was no question that there were some remarkable individual performances that led the campaign to be a successful one last year. The real cornerstone to our success was firstly our captain, David Warner, and his extraordinary season, and secondly, his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan. Both shared the best opening combination of the tournament. You can look at any numbers, but if you have got your top order firing, you go a long way towards building a strong total that one can defend or chase down.We also had situations where, because of that dominance of the top two, there were limited opportunities for others to shine. That was purely because the number of balls consumed by our top order really took the shine away from our middle order. Having said that, we had a number of cameos from our middle order that were significant in us winning games. Probably one of the most significant was Ben Cutting in the final.So you are saying the middle order did not get much time to flourish?
I am just saying that was a possible reason. This year may be very different – though I hope not – where our Nos. 3, 4 and 5 are going to have to make far more considerable contributions.Dhawan has been out of the Test squad. Do you reckon the good season he had last IPL might motivate him to fight for his place?
Shikhar has struck some tidy form. He had a good hundred and a half-century just recently [in the Deodhar Trophy]. The IPL is a truly big stage to perform, whether you are an international or domestic player, because people recognise it is an extremely competitive and tough tournament. If you are scoring runs or taking wickets, it is worth noting. I am sure Shikhar has that burning hunger and desire to find himself back in the Indian squad. Another big season in the IPL would put his name in front of the selectors.Another big-name Indian player is Yuvraj Singh. You spoke about role clarity. What is his role in the team?
The fortunate thing to have Yuvraj is, he has got a huge amount of experience. Yuvraj totally understands what his role is and how he fits into the team and how important he is to the team. For us he is that No. 4 batsman who goes out and plays with freedom and continues to be the dynamic and destructive player he is known to be.

“We set out to target both international and local spinners while also trying to cover our bases in the fast bowling department, with Mustafizur only available for four or five games”

Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman and Barinder Sran are part of your fast bowling bench. Was it more intuition, or did you do some number-crunching to pick left-arm bowlers last year?
A bit of both. We were very aware of the numbers behind left-arm fast bowlers and the benefit of having them. We recognised that having the experience of Nehra was very important to our attack. He did not play as much as he or we would have liked to due to injury last year, but just his presence was a key, considering we had a young bowling group. He will again play an important role this year.You managed to pull it off with a dominant pace attack. Do you think that proved to be the right strategy?
That was more coincidence than design. In the early part of the tournament we felt that we were not getting the impact with our slower bowlers. We felt the likes of Moises Henriques and others needed to fill that void in the middle overs, and they do it cleverly with changes of pace. Like most teams, we did not rely on spinners [who bowled a total of 50.2 overs for six wickets].What fine-tuning has been necessary after last year’s victory?
We felt we needed to have a rethink around our strategy with spin bowling. We also realised Mustafizur was not going to be available for the whole tournament [because of international commitments]. We set out to target both international and local spinners while also trying to cover our bases in the fast bowling department, with Mustafizur only available for four or five games.One big surprise was Sunrisers picking two Afghanistan spinners – Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. It surely was not a spur-of-the-moment decision to pick the pair.
Very far from spur of the moment. It was a very, very thought-out strategy. Both were very worthy of playing in the IPL. Rashid has shown over a long period of time that he has something that is quite unique. He has the ability to deceive batsmen at whatever level – both right- and left-handed – and whatever format of the game with his legspin. We have huge confidence of him fitting into our squad easily. I am not going to call him an X-factor. To me he is just a clever spinner. He spins the ball both ways and quite often batsmen are unsure which way it is going.”The real cornerstone to our success was firstly our captain David Warner and his extraordinary season, and secondly, his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan”•BCCIThe other thing that appealed to me about Rashid is that Afghanistan have always bowled him at the heat of the moment. He is not bowling the easy overs in the middle of the innings. He is given the responsibility to bowl under pressure every single time. It is part of their strategy. Because he is skilful and he has obviously got the temperament, he bowls under pressure and he does it well. That, to me, showed he is a player who not only has skill but also character.I have been an admirer of Mohammad Nabi for a couple of years. He has been a bit of an unsung hero in the rise of Afghanistan cricket. He has been successful when he has played in other T20 leagues. He was an important option to have in our squad because we really did not have an international allrounder that could bowl spin. He is also a player who has been around for a long period of time, understands the game, has got maturity. I generally feel that players of that caliber, who have got experience and maturity, are assets to any team.What will be the challenge for Sunrisers this season?
To me, it is not so much asking us as reigning champions defending our title. That is not what it is about. It is about us looking to improve on what we did last year. There are certain areas we feel that we can improve, and if we focus on just those small aspects of our game as a team, we hope that the results will reflect that and we will be playing finals cricket again. Ultimately every team wants to climb into the top four. That is the first milestone every franchise wants to achieve. For us to do that, we need to be focusing on how we need to continue to improve.

Stats highlights from the second day of the Adelaide Test

Shiva Jayaraman28-Nov-2015171.66 Steven Smith’s batting average in first-class matches at the Adelaide Oval. His fifty in this innings was his fifth consecutive fifty-plus score at this venue. He has made 515 runs including two hundreds and five fifties in just seven innings at the Adelaide Oval.66 Runs scored by Peter Nevill in Australia’s first innings – his highest Test score and his second fifty in nine innings. He had made 59 at Edgbaston in the Ashes earlier this year. Nevill has 263 Test runs at 29.22.50 Wickets Josh Hazlewood has taken in 12 Tests including the six in this. Only two other bowlers – R Ashwin and Stuart Broad – have taken more wickets than him since his debut at the Gabba last year.74 Runs added by the stand between Nevill and Nathan Lyon – equaling the most Australia have added for their ninth wicket in Tests against New Zealand. Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz had also added 74 in the Auckland Test in 2004-05. This was also the highest ninth-wicket stand at the Adelaide Oval since Michael Hussey and Stuart MacGill’s partnership of 93 against West Indies in 2005-06.86 Runs Australia trailed New Zealand by when they lost their eighth wicket, a deficit which was wiped out by their ninth and tenth-wicket stands. This is the second highest runs scored by a team’s last two wickets to take the first-innings lead after being eight down for fewer than 150 runs. The only instance when a team has added more runs, came at Trent Bridge in the 2013 Ashes when Phillip Hughes combined with Ashton Agar and James Pattinson to score the 99 runs that were required to draw level with England’s total of 215 in their first innings.426 Runs scored by both teams in the first innings of this Test – the fifth lowest first-innings aggregate in any Test at the Adelaide Oval. The last time fewer than 426 runs were scored was in 1992 when the teams totaled 370 runs in the first innings. The lowest first-innings aggregate at this venue came in 1951-52 when only 187 runs were scored in the first innings.25 Wickets that have fallen in this Test so far – the second most in the first two days of a Test at the Adelaide Oval. As many as 30 wickets had fallen in the first two days of the Test between Australia and West Indies in 1950-51. There are only ten other occasions when 25 or more wickets have fallen in the first two days in Australia. The previous instance had also come between these two teams, at the Gabba in 2008-09, when 26 wickets fell in two days.0 Number of instances when an overseas batsman had made 400 or more runs in a Test series in Australia from three or fewer matches. Kane Williamson became the first batsman to do so having made 428 runs at 85.60 in this series. Williamson’s tally is also the most by any New Zealand batsman in any series against Australia. Ross Taylor also completed 400 runs before being dismissed by Hazlewood in this second innings.1976 The last time before this that as many as 13 wickets fell on the second day of a Test at the Adelaide Oval, which happened in a match between Australia and West Indies. Only once have more wickets fallen on the second day of a Test at this venue: 14, in the Ashes Test way back in 1894-95.62 Runs scored by Australia in the first session on the second day – the fewest they have scored in a session for the loss of six or more wickets in a home Test since the Boxing Day Test of the Ashes 2010-11. In that match, they had lost six wickets for just 40 runs in the second session of the first day. This is the lowest they have averaged when they have lost five or more wickets in one session of a Test in Australia since 2010.12.60 Martin Guptill’s average as an opener in Tests against Australia – the second worst for any opener to have played at least ten innings against an opposition. Guptill made scores of 1 and 17 in this Test. Only South Africa’s William Shalders had a worse average against any team: he made 159 runs from 13 innings at an average of 12.23 against England. Guptill’s 82 runs in this series are the fifth lowest by a New Zealand opener to have played at least six innings in any series.

Two thousand kilometres from the actual funeral service, many who could have watched it on TV at home showed up at the Adelaide Oval to bid Phillip Hughes farewell

Sidharth Monga at the Adelaide Oval03-Dec-20141:13

Adelaide mourns Phillip Hughes

The Chappell Stand at the Adelaide Oval, by the steps that players take to and from the stadium, is a great place to watch a square cut. A right-hand batsman, when the bowling is on from the City End, and a left-hand batsman when facing a bowler running in from the Cathedral End. At around 1.55pm Adelaide time, towards the end of the service for Phillip Hughes in Macksville, being shown live on the big screen at the Adelaide Oval, a montage showcases a lovely picture. Hughes has backed away from the stumps. The ball seems neither short nor wide. For Hughes has gone really low and away from the stumps, his rear is almost on the ground. It is an extremely unnatural position to play a cricket shot from. Hughes has executed it perfectly; he has created his own length and his own line. He is even wearing the red South Australia helmet.To watch it from the Chappell Stand in a photo, and not being played live before your eyes as you usually would do when you come to the Adelaide Oval, is a cricketing experience more surreal and poignant than most. Around 2000 Adelaide people – including the South Australia men and women teams – walked into the stands of Hughes’ adopted home ground to watch the service from Macksville, to celebrate the life of Hughes and pay their last tributes to the man whose death has brought to fore the sentimental side of a country known for being tough and uncompromising in sport and in life.Two thousand kilometres from the actual service – which these folks could have easily watched on TV at home but decided to come out to the ground to witness – people laughed as Hughes’ cousin Nino Ramunno regaled with stories of how Hughes didn’t know how to calculate his own average, and how his only problem with Homebush School, where he studied for a year, was that there were no girls there. Brother Jason Hughes’ eulogy left quite a few wiping their eyes. Chances are, most of the people present at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday didn’t ever have a personal interaction with Hughes. Yet it was as if they had all lost something personal.In a fair world, Hughes would have been square-cutting at the Gabba nets, preparing for a comeback into the Test side, ready to add to his 26 caps. He would have taken the injured Michael Clarke’s place in the side. In the real world, Clarke was bidding farewell to his “little brother”, and might not recover emotionally even if his hamstring heals in time for the first Test, which has been pushed back by five days and, incidentally, shifted to the Adelaide Oval.People in the stands at the Adelaide Oval themselves had knots in their throats, as Clarke choked while trying to read out his eulogy. Eyes moistened as Clarke spoke of the time he walked into the middle at the SCG, “now forever the place where he fell”. Nobody was left unmoved as Clarke said: “I stood there at the wicket, I knelt down and touched the grass, I swear he was with me. Picking me up off my feet to check if I was okay. Telling me we just needed to dig in and get through to tea. Telling me off for that loose shot I played. Chatting about what movie we might watch that night. And then passing on a useless fact about cows.”People were allowed to walk to the square of the Adelaide Oval after the service finished in Macksville. Stumps had been erected at the main pitch with a bouquet of flowers right down its middle. More tributes rested on the stumps. A kangaroo flag appeared on the fence at the square. A soft-toy cow was thrown in by somebody. A cricket ball with 408 written on it.A couple of kids pulled out a tennis ball, and began to play at the edge of the field. It was in keeping with the message sent across by almost every speaker at the service. After Jason promised his brother that he will look after their parents and sister, he added that he would “get back on the horse and play the game we both loved”. Clarke said they must “dig in and get through to tea”, and play on. Hughes would have approved.

Two thousand eminent cricketers, long-standing colleagues and mere devotees of came together to honour the career of lengendary broadcaster and journalist

Ivo Tennant16-Apr-2013It was rather more than a warm-up act for Lady Thatcher’s funeral. The service to celebrate Christopher Martin-Jenkins’ long and distinguished career as a broadcaster and writer, but all too short a life, was held on what, for a change, could be termed a spring day. Some 2,000 eminent cricketers, long-standing colleagues and mere devotees of went to St Paul’s and then, some of them, on to a reception at Lord’s. Who else can have been honoured at two such cathedrals on one day?The Dean, David Ison, conducted the hour-long service, supported by – among other clergy – Canon Andrew Wingfield Digby, aggressive fast bowler turned England chaplain. Sir Tim Rice spoke of Martin-Jenkins’ MCC presidency and his love of the game; Jonathan Agnew of his outstanding ability as a broadcaster and Peter Nott, the former Bishop of Norwich, of the faith of the young Cambridge under-graduate. CMJ, who died on New Year’s Day at the age of 67, never lost that faith.Everywhere you looked, there was a famous face. Rice, indeed, will be returning for Lady Thatcher’s service, which will most certainly not feature clips in which the featured commentator is impersonating a Dalek. John Snow lopped in to the great cathedral, still looking fit enough to take the new ball. Derek Underwood was his vivacious self in the Long Room Bar later when told of a sighting of Alan Knott in troubled Cyprus. J.S.E. Price, he of the curving long run, similarly looked untouched by the passing years. Richard Hutton, whose link with CMJ was through as well as having played for England, held court in the Long Room. Any number of MCC administrators and officials swirled around.CMJ’s family, of course, took a proper part in the order of service. James Martin-Jenkins, not so tall as his father or brother Robin but instantly recognisable when he began to speak, delivered John Betjeman’s ‘Seaside Golf’ in tribute to CMJ’s second passion, culminating in that great line “And splendour, splendour everywhere.” This might as well have been a poem written from the deckchairs at Hove. Robin recited ‘Forefathers’ by Edmund Blunden:It was not hard to conjure up the image of CMJ, sitting on a bench on some rustic ground in Sussex, keeping a paternal eye on his sons’ progress at the wicket while gloaming descended. Lucy, his daughter, whose marriage last year her father was able to attend, was present. Daughters-in-law and grandchildren abounded. Judy, Christopher’s widow, looked characteristically serene and elegant in a deep blue suit and black hat.The music – Dvorak, Mozart and Elgar beforehand – and the choir were, it need hardly be said, commensurate with the traditions of Christian worship that has been offered to God for more than 1,400 years on this very site. All to honour “a true Christian gentleman” as Nott called him. CMJ’s faith survived the fact that he was, apparently, “not the most outwardly pious of students after years of school chapel.”Graeme Walker, one of CMJ’s old teachers at Marlborough College, arrived early and recalled how his pupil had overcome dyslexia as a boy – doubtless through the determination he displayed throughout his career. Agnew, in his tribute, reckoned that no-one else had gained a more extensive experience of cricket commentary nor written more words on the game. “His words created a beautifully detailed and perfectly framed snapshot.”CMJ, Agnew said, was described perfectly by his friend Mike Selvey as having been “cricket’s greatest friend.” There is a tendency in such tributes to state that the coverage of cricket will never quite be the same again – Colin Cowdrey said as much of CMJ’s mentor, E.W. Swanton – but somehow, in this setting, and having listened to CMJ’s descriptions of Geoff Boycott and Sachin Tendulkar reaching centuries, this rang true.There was the odd solemn note and not quite so many tales of hapless use of mobiles and television zappers as appeared in the many obituaries. Rice, a trustee of MCC at the time of CMJ’s presidency, felt that the role, honorary but increasingly arduous amid the quicker pace of life that is to be observed even in the pavilion at Lord’s, had taken too much out of him towards the end of his life when the club’s redevelopment plans were becoming de-railed. “Christopher was a gentle, considerate man of charm, impeccable manners and shambolic in terms of anything electronic.”It was telling, Rice believed, that the favourite player of CMJ’s youth was not some heavy run-scorer in the 1950s but Tom Graveney, who, before he returned triumphantly to the England side in 1966 was not an established Test cricketer. “Tom’s grace, elegance and art were what Christopher wished to emulate.”As a broadcaster, which was the talent for which he will be primarily remembered, CMJ, according to Rice, “represented a brilliant balance between tradition and the inevitability of change. He was always honest.” And Rice finished his address with an alliteration which he felt his distant cousin would have enjoyed: “Countless cricketers cherish Christopher.”Test, club and village players felt that very way as they filed out into the sunshine on what, it should be noted, was not a day that would have kept anyone from attending a fixture in the county championship which CMJ did so much to promote.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Kochi Tuskers and Deccan Chargers

Firdose Moonda27-Apr-2011The dream spoiled
Sreesanth, the Kerala home boy, seemed to have found his rhythm in exceptional fashion and was about to put the cherry on the top when he made a huge mistake. He bowled a peach of an inswinger, not as short as some of the others he had served up, that snuck through Kumar Sangakkara’s drive, taking the inside edge onto the stumps. Just as Sreesanth was about to hit the roof in celebration, the umpires checked for the no-ball and he was found to be on the line. The free-hit rubbed salt in his wound and he responded with a waist high no-ball and later, a wide outside off.The only six
Cameron White has been struggling for form and was in strife again today, as he kept mis-hitting and mis-timing his strokes. Out of the blue, he managed to get willow to leather in meaty fashion on one occasion. He picked one of Ravindra Jadeja’s shorter balls and sent it sailing over square leg. It was a glorious, clean hit and offered a small glimpse into the form White once had. It was the only six in a game where bowlers had more say in the proceedings than usual.The incomplete hat-tricks
Three bowlers were on a hat-trick today, and none of them managed the third wicket. Vinay Kumar took the wickets of Deccan’s two top-scorers with successive deliveries. First, White swatted him straight to Daniel Christian at deep midwicket, and then Kumar Sangakkara edged one behind. Ishant Sharma then began his magic with the second ball of his spell, getting one to kick and swerve away from Parthiv Patel, who meekly nicked it. Raiphi Gomez came and went next ball, unable to stop a vicious inducker that clattered into the stumps. Dale Steyn ended the Kochi innings in similar fashion. He bowled Vinay with a with a full, straight ball that castled off stump and then dished up a yorker that RP Singh backed away to and sent onto his stumps. Neither Vinay nor Steyn got the chance to complete their hat-tricks. Ishant’s hat-trick ball was safely negotiated by Brad Hodge, though he perished for a duck in the same over.The Ishant Sharma special
The pitch was seamer-friendly but it seemed to be best friends with Sharma. In this first over, he dismissed Pathiv Patel with seam and bounce, Raiphi Gomez with one that kept a touch low, and Brad Hodge with a fuller ball. That made it three wickets in five balls, separated by a dot ball and a wide. He followed that up by removing Kedar Jadhav and Mahela Jayawardene in his next over. Sharma didn’t bowl all four of his overs but the match may have been over sooner if he had. The lanky quick thanked Zaheer Khan for helping him work on his fitness and keeping him motivated.

The Indian board’s latest warning to Sehwag was totally uncalled for and reeks of double standards, writes Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan10-May-2006

Virender Sehwag: mum’s the word, keep the secret © Getty Images
Here we go again. How irresponsible can Virender Sehwag get? One can understand his liberal swishing of the bat out in the middle, but look what he’s done now. He actually had the audacity to publicly go on record and say that there’s too much cricket and that players “need a break” to guard against burn-out. Worst still, he was cheeky enough to say that Sourav Ganguly was the best captain he has played under and added that (take a deep breath) “we miss him”.Obviously, none of this would sit well with the Indian board, who promptly issued a warning. One wonders how Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, controlled a chuckle when he read out this statement: “As a player you cannot give your opinion on any other player.” Shah, probably realising his folly a day later, attempted a cover-up operation: “It was not a warning, just our advice to him. There is no question of taking action against Sehwag. The matter is closed.”But, more pertinently, why was it an issue in the first place? Sehwag isn’t the first to be pulled up for opening his mouth. The two Singhs – Harbhajan and Yuvraj – have been gagged earlier and Greg Chappell has faced the music as well, except that his comments, unlike the other three, were against Ganguly. So it’s 3-1 at the moment, but the refereeing has been quite hopeless.Around a month back, at the pre-match press conference before the sixth one-dayer against England at Jamshedpur, Sehwag was asked about Ganguly. His response was guarded, more an effort to pass the question rather than create a stir: “… there’s no question of looking back … We have already forgotten that chapter.” No warning then, no yellow card, no nothing.Around two weeks back, Sachin Tendulkar was asked, again in a press conference, about too much cricket. One of his responses: “I have been happy with my schedule. It is important to physically and mentally recharge yourself after every series. One must make sure there is a break after matches and series.” Tendulkar expresses his opinion. No hassles. Sehwag expresses his opinion. Warned. Inference: open your mouth but just don’t say what the board doesn’t want to hear.And what if you are asked about your former captain? He might have been your greatest backer, he might have revitalised your career, and he might be your hero, but it’s almost anathema to take his name, more so if you are praising him. If the Indian board has its way, a few years down the line you may watch this version of a player interview.Interviewer: Who have been the key players in India becoming the best team in the world?
Player: Sorry, I am not in a position to answer that.I: Tell us about the World Cup final. What a superb innings from your captain …
P: I wish I could talk about that innings. But I can’t publicly comment on other players.I: Do you still have fond memories of your debut?
P: Great moment. I need to thank one man for having faith in me during that time. I am sure you know who I am talking about. That’s all I can say.I: A thousand Twenty20 games in the last year. Isn’t it too much?
P: That is for the board to comment.

Tammy Beaumont posts half-century in 72-run stand with legspinner

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023

Tammy Beaumont and Sarah Glenn showed their international quality as The Blaze maintained their perfect start to the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy with a thrilling low-scoring three-wicket victory over Sunrisers.Legspinner Glenn bamboozled Sunrisers with a brilliant 4 for 22 before striking 30 in a 72-run partnership with Beaumont – who scored 64 on a tricky pitch.Sunrisers, who had finally broken their 20-game losing streak in the competition last week, set The Blaze 160 and had them 22 for 4 after Kate Coppack’s devilish new-ball spell.But Beaumont and Glenn secured the wobble before Sophie Munro and Nadine de Klerk finished the job with 14.4 overs to spare.Grace Scrivens and Cordelia Griffith carefully navigated the new ball by putting on 66 for the first wicket, after Sunrisers had chosen to bat.At the time it had felt like a scratchy partnership, especially after Scrivens’ high-quality 67 last week, but it would soon prove much-needed grit. Scrivens’ departure, for 39, began a slide to 159 all out, which proved Glenn’s incredible talent as much the difficulty of the pitch to score runs quickly.Glenn waited until her third over before she had Scrivens stumped before 18-year-old Jodi Grewcock was bowled attempting to sweep.Mady Villiers was next as the tennis ball bounce didn’t allow her to get over a delivery and looped to mid-wicket before Griffith – who had been excellent in her 43 – was leg before.With Sunrisers now 100 for 4, The Blaze turned to Kirstie Gordon to replace Glenn – and she had Amara Carr stumped and Kelly Castle caught behind to continue the right-to-left-spin bonanza from the River End. Gordon returned 2 for 24.Meanwhile from the Hayes Close End, Munro’s pace had the enterprising Saskia Horley caught off a full toss and Jo Gardner pinned in front.Coppack and Abtaha Maqsood frustrated The Blaze with 20 for the last wicket – the second-highest stand of the innings – with Katherine Bryce grabbing the last two scalps.The 160 to win, didn’t look hugely challenging, but Coppack’s stunning opening spell saw The Blaze slide to 22 for 4.The fast bowler, who is a lawyer during the week, had Marie Kelly caught after a steepling leading edge, the opening batter’s second two-ball duck of the competition.Eva Gray found Georgie Boyce nibbling outside off stump before Coppack pocketed the Bryce sisters in successive overs – firstly Katherine edged a wide one behind and then Sarah sliced a full toss to point.Beaumont, who had been dropped herself, had been watching helpless from the other end but finally found an accomplice in Glenn, as the duo made the batting conditions look much easier. The pair used power to find gaps, with Beaumont adding flicky trickery, in a 72-run stand in just 64 balls, before Glenn picked out deep square leg.South African De Klerk helped add 25 as Beaumont reached her classy half-century in 56 deliveriesr. Then Beaumont was stumped off Castle and Lucy Higham was leg before to Gardner in back-to-back overs to threaten to turn the game again.But De Klerk and Munro knocked off the remaining 38 runs with little fuss to take The Blaze two from two.

Las Águilas discussed the ambitious goal while unveiling their new signings for the Apertura 2025

Another signing is not ruled out.Club seeks to renew Brian RodríguezCáceres received two offers from EuropeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Club América sporting president Santiago Baños confirmed Friday that the club is pushing to stage an official Liga MX match in the United States, joining a global trend of leagues exploring regular season games abroad. 

“We will do everything possible to make it happen,” Baños said, citing examples like La Liga’s proposed Barcelona-Villarreal clash in the U.S.

The comments came as América officially unveiled their Apertura 2025 reinforcements at Coapa, where Allan Saint-Maximin, José Zúñiga, Alexis Gutiérrez, Isaís Violente, and Ralph Orquín posed in the jersey. Baños praised the roster but admitted changes could still come before the transfer window closes: “If someone leaves, we’ll look to replace that spot. Otherwise, we consider the squad complete.”

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Baños also addressed criticism of América’s transfer activity ahead of the current tournament, where the team sits fourth with 11 points and remains unbeaten. 

“People blow the criticism out of proportion. We come from a three-peat and are fighting for a fourth straight title. If that’s considered a crisis, then imagine how the rest of the teams are doing. América will always be the club that dominates headlines and airtime,” he said.

Getty Images SportWHAT SANTIAGO BAÑOS SAID

Regarding Sebastián Cáceres and Brian Rodríguez, both linked with possible moves abroad, Baños was straightforward. 

“No one is indispensable here, not Sebas, not Brian. Whoever wants to leave has the door open.” He explained that the bids for Cáceres did not meet expectations for “a national team player,” while in Rodríguez’s case, he revealed that a renewal offer is already on the table and could be finalized next week.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CLUB AMÉRICA?

face Atlas this Sunday in Matchday 6 as they look to remain unbeaten and stay at the top of the table.

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن موقف بيراميدز من حكم مباراة فريقه أمام الأهلي في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن لقاءات الدوري المصري، موضحًا أسماء طاقم تحكيم اللقاء بالكامل.

وتقام المباراة بين الأهلي وبيراميدز، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة، السبت المقبل على ملعب استاد السلام في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

وقال أحمد شوبير في تصريحات إذاعية عبر “أون سبورت إف إم”: “لدينا أزمة ستحدث اليوم، أو قد تتأخر إلى الغد، لجنة الحكام جلبت طاقم حكام أجنبي بناءً على طلب النادي الأهلي لإدارة مباراته مع بيراميدز في الدوري، والأهلي سيفعل الشيء نفسه في مباراته مع الزمالك”.

وأكمل: “الغريب أن الحكام المصريين دائمًا ما يُتهمون بمجاملة الأهلي، والأغرب أيضًا أن الأهلي هو من يطلب حكامًا أجانب دائمًا، ولجنة الحكام أرسلت طلبات إلى الدوريات الخمسة الكبرى إسبانيا، إنجلترا، ألمانيا، إيطاليا، وفرنسا”.

وتابع: “اللجنة لم تتلق ردًا من فرنسا حتى الآن، واعتذرت الاتحادات الألمانية والإيطالية والإنجليزية، بينما قال الاتحاد الإسباني (على العين والرأس)، كنا قد أخبرناكم أمس أن الحكم إسباني، وأرسلوا خافيير روخس، وجورجي بوينو ماثيو والفريدو رودريجيز، وخورخي فاسكيز، وألخاندرو مونيز رويس، وهذا هو طاقم التحكيم بالكامل، مع الحكم الرابع وحكم تقنية الفيديو”.

وأردف: “المشكلة أن بيراميدز ينتظر الإعلان الرسمي، ويقول (حقي برقبتي) والمشكلة في رأيهم أن هذا الحكم سبق وأدار مباراة بين الفريقين بالموسم الماضي أو الذي قبله، واحتسب ضربة جزاء لصالح حسين الشحات، ووافق عليها الفار، وفاز الأهلي بنتيجة 3-2”.

وواصل: “بيراميدز يقولون إنهم لا يريدوا هذا الحكم، ونريد حكامًا مصريين، وتم حجز تذاكر الطيران للحكم، وتم الإعلان عنه رسميًا، وكل شيء جاهز تمامًا، والنادي المنافس، وهو الأهلي، طلب حكامًا أجانب، والأهلي ليس له علاقة، سواء أحضرتم حكمًا إسبانيًا أو إيطاليًا أو فرنسيًا، فالأهلي ليس لديه مشكلة لا في جنسية الحكم ولا في اسمه”.

طالع.. خاص | موعد وصول حكم مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز إلى القاهرة

وزاد: “الأهلي يريد حكمًا أجنبيًا وفقط، والأهلي لم يعد طرفًا في هذا الموضوع، وهل قدم بيراميدز احتجاجًا رسميًا؟ لا، لم يقدم، وهل سيقدم؟، ومصدر هام ومسؤول داخل نادي بيراميدز قال (عند إعلان اسم هذا الحكم، ستجدوننا بعد دقيقتين قد قدمنا اعتراضًا واحتجاجًا، وطالبنا بحكام مصريين، ونحن نثق تمام الثقة في الحكام المصريين)”.

وأضاف: “هذا كلام بيراميدز، وما الذي سيحدث؟، الحكام سيصلون وسيديرون المباراة، وقد يطلب اتحاد الكرة من الرابطة محاولة تغيير أسماء الحكام، لكنهم أرسلوا أسماء الحكام، وقد تم تسريبها، ونحن أعلناها، ويبقى الإعلان الرسمي من اتحاد الكرة”.

وأتم: “المباراة بعد غدٍ ويتم الإعلان عادةً قبل 48 ساعة، واليوم الخميس سيتم الإعلان، وأتمنى أن نكون هادئين ونتعامل مع الأمور بهدوء، وأنا ليس لي علاقة لا باتحاد الكرة ولا بنادي بيراميدز ولا بالنادي الأهلي، وأنا فقط أروي لكم الموقف وأخبركم بما قد يحدث خلال الساعات القليلة المقبلة”.