All posts by h716a5.icu

Younis Khan has said he was not aiming for a double-century on the third day of the Chittagong Test and only started thinking about it when his captain and coach told him to go for it

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2011Younis Khan, the Pakistan batsman, has said he was not aiming for a double-century on the third day of the Chittagong Test and only started thinking about it when his captain Misbah-ul-Haq and coach Mohsin Khan told him to go for it. Younis started the third day on 96, completed his century with a boundary off the third ball, and then switched gears to reach 200 and give Pakistan a 459-run first-innings leads.”This morning my focus was on getting four runs to complete my hundred,” Younis said. “I was lucky to get them off the third ball. Then suddenly the captain and coach changed the plan and told me to go for the double-century.”I missed two double-hundreds against India in Pakistan in 2006, once when I scored 199 [in Lahore] and once when I made 194 [in Faisalabad]. But this time I was sure that I will get my double-hundred.”During his innings Younis went past 6000 Test runs, and notched up his 19th Test century and third Test double-century. Younis, 34, said he was not focused on breaking any Pakistan batting records but just wanted to play 100 Tests. “It’s my dream to play 100 Test matches. If I am lucky enough to play 100 Test matches maybe I will be close to [some records].”Younis dedicated his double-hundred to his family and the Pakistan coaching staff and team management. He also reserved special praise for his captain Misbah, who he said was respected by the rest of the team.”I will give Misbah 100% marks on his captaincy because he is an educated person and he has the respect of the team. Everybody listens to him and if you want to give him advice he takes it with an open heart.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the Champions League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore

The Preview by Nikita Bastian28-Sep-2011Match factsSeptember 29, Bangalore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Will Yusuf Pathan flex his muscles against Royal Challengers?•AFPBig PictureRoyal Challengers Bangalore lost a close match to the Warriors in the tournament opener and, if they are to make the semi-finals without net run-rates and other favourable results coming into the equation, a win here is a must. Their task has become tougher, with AB de Villiers ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger, fractured during practice on the match eve. Despite the extra pressure to win and de Villiers’ absence, they go in as favourites against the underperforming Kolkata Knight Riders.The Knight Riders’ semi-final chances already seem bleak. They have lost consecutive games, and compounding their problems is a poor net run-rate of -0.624. To progress, they would have to produce two convincing wins – here and on October 1 against Warriors – and then hope for the results of other Group B games to go their way.The Royal Challengers were on top at several stages in their opener, but let the game slip each time. If their batsmen get starts, like most of the top order did against Warriors, they will need to drive the advantage home better. If the bowlers manage to knock over most of the opposition’s batting, they will need to finish them off without allowing the sort of partnership Ashwell Prince and Johan Botha produced in that game.The Knight Riders’ batting has faltered repeatedly, even after Gautam Gambhir’s return. Batting first, they managed a total of just over a run-a-ball against Auckland in the qualifier, and looked on course for another poor score against Somerset in the main draw until a late Yusuf Pathan blitz. While chasing, the top order has failed, leaving the like of Ryan ten Doeschate with too much to do at back end of the innings. They have problems on the bowling front as well. The spin trio of Iqbal Abdulla, Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan haven’t had the impact they had in IPL 2011.Watch out for …Ryan ten Doeschate has looked the best of the Knight Riders’ fielders and batsmen so far. They must play him higher up the order, possibly at No. 3, to make better use of his ability.Daniel Vettori has the second-best economy rate in Twenty20 cricket (200 overs minimum) and bowled a typically effective spell against Warriors – 2 for 26 off four overs. If would be interesting to see how he fares against the big-hitting Yusuf and ten Doeschate.Team newsTillakaratne Dilshan is likely to replace the injured AB de Villiers in the Royal Challengers’ XI, and could be asked to keep wicket. Their other wicketkeeping option is Arun Karthik, who, if used, would probably come in for Mohammad Kaif. Current form dictates the Knight Riders should strengthen their batting. Brad Haddin might get a look-in, in place of Shakib Al Hasan.Stats and trivia Rajat Bhatia, surprisingly, has been the Knight Riders’ most effective bowler, conceding 6.20 runs per over, while averaging 20.00 The Knight Riders’ biggest win ever came against the Royal Challengers – a 140-run win in the IPL curtain-raiser. However, both teams are virtually unrecognisable from that matchQuotes”When you have to win against a good opposition, you need to click as a team. The batting and bowling have to complement each other. We have not done that in the competition.”

“Unless you have someone like Malinga in the side you can never rely on anyone bowling the death overs, you can’t pre-plan it.”

The England fast bowler Tim Bresnan has been fined 7.5% of his match fee by the ICC for showing dissent towards an umpire during Thursday’s third ODI against India in Mohali

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2011The England fast bowler Tim Bresnan has been fined 7.5% of his match fee by the ICC for showing dissent towards an umpire during Thursday’s third ODI against India in Mohali.Bresnan was deemed to have committed a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct at the end of the 18th over of India’s innings, when he snatched his cap from umpire Sudhir Asnani after finishing his fifth over.Bresnan pleaded not guilty to the charge, which led to a hearing at the end of the match attended by the player, the umpires, England coach Andy Flower and England team manager Phil Neale.”The umpires deserve the utmost respect not only because they do a difficult job in the middle but also because millions of budding and aspiring cricketers watch every move of the players,” said Roshan Mahanama, the ICC match referee.”This makes all the international cricketers more responsible and accountable for their actions, particularly in their dealings with the umpires in various match situations.”Bresnan’s action came during an ill-tempered performance from England, who failed to defend a total of 298 for 4 and so lost the match by five wickets and the series 3-0 with two games to play.”A bit of chit-chat is fine, that makes the game interesting,” noted India’s captain, MS Dhoni. “You don’t always want a friendly series, as long as things don’t get too personal but I think they should change the plan for the next two games.”

Kennedy Otieno, the former Kenya wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as a national selector by Cricket Kenya

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2011Kennedy Otieno, the former Kenya wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as a national selector by Cricket Kenya. An official release said Otieno, who played for Kenya as recently as 2009, would join former team-mate Alpesh Vadher and new Kenya coach Mike Hesson on a newly-constituted three-man selection panel.Collins Obuya, Otieno’s brother, who was recently named Kenya’s new captain, and Cricket Kenya’s panel of elite coaches would also have a role in selection, the release said. The new selection panel will be in charge of naming the national team, the A team and the Under-19 team, and will also recommend players for national contracts.Just a year ago, Otieno was at loggerheads with Cricket Kenya over his non-selection and the board’s rules for selection. He was one of the players behind a strike that led to Kenya’s withdrawal from a short tour of England.Otieno’s appointment is the latest step in an effort by the board to completely revamp Kenyan cricket after a disastrous World Cup campaign in which they lost all their matches. After the tournament, the board conducted a comprehensive review into the team’s performances which included a study of the selection process for the national team. Vadher, the former Kenya batsman, was named chairman of a new selection panel in June, Hesson was announced as coach on July 19, and now Otieno has become the third member of the panel.A tough task awaits Otieno; five Kenya players recently refused national contracts and were left out of the squad for the Intercontinental Cup fixtures against the United Arab Emirates. Kenya had to select an inexperienced squad and ended up losing the second of two fifty-over matches against the UAE before being thrashed by 266 runs in the four-day game.Otieno played 90 one-day internationals for Kenya and was part of three World Cup campaigns: in 1996, when they upset West Indies, 1999 and 2003, when they reached the semi-finals. He said the aim for the selectors was to see Kenya rise in the ICC ODI rankings, in which they are currently 13th. “This is an exciting time for Kenyan cricket with a lot of talent coming through as we look to build a squad capable of taking Cricket Kenya back up the rankings,” he said.Cricket Kenya chief-executive Tom Sears said Otieno’s involvement in coaching was one of the reasons he had been appointed selector. “Kennedy has a wealth of knowledge and experience which he can offer and is still very much involved with senior league cricket in Kenya,” Sears said. “With his knowledge of the players coming through and his coaching background he is an ideal national selector.”

South Group leaders Sussex Sharks slumped to a last-ball Friends Life t20 defeat against Glamorgan Dragons at Cardiff

23-Jun-2011
ScorecardSouth Group leaders Sussex Sharks slumped to a last-ball Friends Life t20 defeat against Glamorgan Dragons at Cardiff.The Sharks were set 138 to win and at 78 without loss off 11 overs looked well set to seal their sixth win in eight games. But Glamorgan, who surprisingly gave part-time spinner Gareth Rees the second over from which 16 runs came, fought back to take four key wickets, including Ben Brown (42 off 38 balls) bowled by Simon Jones and Sussex captain Murray Goodwin bowled by Dean Cosker, attempting a reverse sweep.With six overs remaining Sussex, who were without Luke Wright and Matt Prior, were left with 45 to get, but gradually Glamorgan, especially through Jim Allenby and Graham Wagg, started turning the screw on a slow Cardiff wicket.Luke Wells went bowled by a Wagg yorker leaving Sussex needing 19 from the final 12 balls. Opener Chris Nash, who made an unbeaten 64, and Rana Naved were left with 13 from the last six balls, which turned out to be five from the final ball.Nash looked as if he might have hit a boundary from Wagg’s final ball of the match, which would have tied the match, but a good piece of fielding from skipper Alviro Petersen on the boundary restricted the Sharks to just two.The narrow two-run victory has re-ignited Glamorgan’s hopes of reaching the last eight. After winning the toss the Dragons were restricted to 137 for 3 in their 20 overs on a sluggish pitch, and in a bid to negate the big-hitting Mark Cosgrove the Sharks opened with both spinners with mixed results.The first over from Ollie Rayner produced just the one run but the next from Monty Panesar disappeared for 16, including a six over long-on from Cosgrove. But that was a rare expensive over from the Sussex attack which included Pakistan paceman Umar Gul for the first time.Panesar had some revenge when he bowled Cosgrove in the eighth over, but in his next Rees struck the former England slow left-armer for two fours. Glamorgan’s innings was given some real impetus with two sixes from Petersen off an over from Rayner before Gul trapped Rees leg before.Sussex were boosted that they had Gul and Naved to bowl the last five overs between them with Glamorgan struggling to deal with yorker deliveries and reverse swing. Only 33 runs came in those five overs including the wicket of Petersen who holed out at long on but in the end Glamorgan’s total proved just enough.

Only after Saturday’s match against Sri Lanka, one of the pre-tournament favourites, will we really know how Ricky Ponting’s men are placed in their quest for a fourth consecutive title

Brydon Coverdale in Colombo04-Mar-2011The World Cup is two weeks old, but Australia’s challenge is yet to really begin. Only after Saturday’s match against Sri Lanka, one of the pre-tournament favourites, will we really know how Ricky Ponting’s men are placed in their quest for a fourth consecutive title. Only after they have faced down Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis on home soil will the full picture begin to emerge.The points table says Australia have won two from two, and they’ve played 31 World Cup matches since their last defeat. In the light of Ireland’s triumph over England, Australia’s wins over Zimbabwe and an out-of-form New Zealand shouldn’t be ignored, but nor did they reveal anything new about Ponting’s outfit. The Tait-Lee-Johnson triumvirate are a handful for weaker batting orders, Shane Watson makes solid half-centuries, and quality spin can slow the Australians down. No surprises there.The two warm-ups were more instructive, coming as they did against the two favourites to win the World Cup. Australia were beaten by India and then crushed by South Africa, and in that company Zimbabwe and New Zealand look rather irrelevant. Ponting knows this clash with Sri Lanka, finalists at the previous World Cup and a team that triumphed down under earlier this season, is the big one, at least until the quarter-finals.”It’s a little bit hard to judge in the first two games, we really haven’t been pushed too much in the first two games,” Ponting said. “The Zimbabwe game was obviously a very easy win for us and then to bowl New Zealand out the way we did and then pick the runs off pretty easily, we weren’t really tested in that game either. It’s not so much what we’ve done in the games that I’m happy with, it’s just the way we’ve approached every session so far.”Can Cameron break the shackles in the middle overs agaist a top-class spin attack?•Getty ImagesSeven days in Colombo has given them plenty of time to work in and, importantly, acclimatise to a more muggy heat than they experienced in India. It’s seven years since the Australians have been to Sri Lanka, and although five members of the squad have played internationals there – Ponting, Watson, Lee, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin – much has changed since then.That includes the Premadasa Stadium, which has undergone a major redevelopment, and Ponting doesn’t expect the pitch to turn as much as the Australians had originally anticipated. All the same, Ray Price and his Zimbabwe colleagues showed that facing spin is not a strength of the Australian batsmen on the subcontinent. Muralitharan, at a ground where he’s taken 107 international wickets, won’t be any easier to handle, and nor will the mystery-man Mendis.It’s in those middle overs against the spinners that Cameron White needs to stand up. The selectors have been impressed with White over the past year and gave him the captaincy for the final ODI against England last month, but this summer he’s been scratchy as an old record. In the past, teams had watched White walk to the crease at No. 5 and feared his fireworks; now they see a man they can manacle to the crease.And if it’s not the slow bowlers who keep White and the middle order in check, it could be Malinga. His hat-trick and six-wicket haul against Kenya was a timely reminder that Tait isn’t the only source of slingy missiles in the tournament.”We’ve played a fair bit against Malinga over the years,” Ponting said. “He had a great game the other day against Kenya, and he looks like he’s in pretty good form. He was one of the main focuses for us in the team meeting, talking about the right way to go about playing him. His bowling in the middle overs and with the older ball is particularly good.”There’s also a question over Australia’s spinners. Ponting has been talking up Jason Krejza’s efforts on the tour, but even against an otherwise wobbly New Zealand, he leaked a few too many runs, while Steven Smith faces a major battle against quality batsmen like Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.It all adds up to an intriguing tussle, and Australia’s first serious contest of the tournament. If Ponting’s men come through with flying colours, they can justifiably be talked about among the favourites. If not, at least they’ll know where they stand.

The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2011The third one-dayer between Afghanistan and Pakistan A, has been moved from Abbottabad to the country’s capital Islamabad. Abbottabad, a regular venue for first-class matches in Pakistan, attained international significance on May 2, following a US military operation in the town that culminated in the killing of Osama bin Laden.”The itinerary has been revised and now the Abbottabad match will be played in Islamabad on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a release. No official reason was given for the decision which was taken at a meeting on Thursday between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and interior minister Rehman Malik. The rescheduled match will now be the series opener, and will be followed by games in Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, on May 27 and 29 respectively.Afghanistan are set to become the first international team to tour Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. The Afghan side, coached by former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, will arrive in Islamabad on May 24. Afghanistan has made rapid strides in international cricket, progressing in 2009 from ICC Division Five to Division One and securing one-day status the same year. They also won the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2010, and qualified for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies.

Bruno Lage could land a massive upgrade for Raul Jimenez as he aims to rebuild the spine of the Wolves side ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is out of contract at the end of the season and journalist Josh Holland believes Wolves should sign the player to boost the side for next season.

The journalist said: “I think he’s better than Jimenez. If they can bring Origi in and have him starting as their number nine going forward, I think that would be perfect.

“I think he is quality and has an eye for goal. He is always in the right place at the right time.”

Italian outlet Calciomercato have reported that AC Milan appears to be the frontrunner for the Belgian’s signature, but Wolves should also consider a move having been linked previously.

Whilst on £82k-per-week at Liverpool, there may be some room for negotiation and the likelihood is he will get more game time at the club compared to Klopp’s side, with Wolves having held an interest in Origi for a while now, a move could materialise during the summer.

Jimenez upgrade at Wolves

Origi is a man for big moments, think back to the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2019 and even the final against Tottenham where he secured the trophy for Liverpool.

Holland has said that Origi “would be perfect” and believes he is better than Jimenez. The club has only scored 35 times in the Premier League this season, with the Mexican – the side’s main striker – grabbing only six of them, it clearly shows where the problem lies.

With Klopp dubbing him a “monster” before a Champions League tie against AC Milan last year, then Lage could well be getting themselves a player who could solve their goalscoring woes.

Origi has scored 68 matches in that time.

Another advantage is he has time on his side, he just turned 27 in April and could arguably be said, is still to hit his peak.

Lage needs to build a solid spine to the Wolves team ahead of next season in order to achieve European qualification and Origi must be a key target as the transfer window looms.

AND in other news, Big boost: Major Wolves transfer development emerges that’ll leave Lage ecstatic – opinion

The warm-up matches have been done and won but India are among to few teams to start the tournament against an opposition that possesses the wherewithal to knock them over

Sambit Bal in Mirpur18-Feb-2011On the morning of the final day of the Adelaide Test of the 2003-04 series, when a tricky chase lay between India and their second Test win on Australian soil, I arrived at the ground early, sneaked on to the field where the team was playing a game of volleyball, crept up to John Wright, the India coach whom I regarded as a friend, and whispered this question.”So John, what’s this volleyball thing about, a couple of hours before one of the most important days of Test cricket of their lives?”Wright gave me the look of astonishment. His eyes narrowed as he considered his response. I can’t reproduce his words here, but I had hardly expected the spray that came my way.I bumped into him in the elevator a couple of days later, and he smiled. “I don’t bother you when you are working, do I?” he said, saving me the bother of asking. “Sometimes, the best way to prepare for a big day is to take your mind off it.”I remembered this as I watched the Indian team kick around a football in the Shere Bangla stadium, where they will open their World Cup campaign against Bangladesh on Saturday. MS Dhoni had just emerged from the pre-match press conference, where he had to respond to the same question phrased in different words and in different languages: was his team feeling the pressure? “I would have told you the exact figure,” he said at one point, “if I had a machine to measure the pressure.”Indian players hardly need to be reminded about what is expected off them. “What to do,” Dhoni said in response to another question, “there is pressure if you win, there is pressure if you lose.” But out there on the turf, playing a game of football before the serious business of nets, they were like eager boys showing off their skills without feeling the obligation to perform.Bangladesh are hardly pushovers in one-day cricket, and certainly not in their own conditions when their bowlers are as good as any in the world. But India, massive favourites in this World Cup and on whom rest not only the hopes of their fans rest but also the commercial success of the tournament, are expected to win against a team that knocked them out of the last World Cup, leading the format of the tournament to be redesigned.The warm-up matches have been done and won but India are among to few teams to start the tournament against an opposition that possesses the wherewithal to knock them over. There is a precedent of a team losing the first match and going on to win the World Cup, but losing to Bangladesh would bring back the memories and the questions that India wouldn’t want to revisit.Yusuf Pathan’s heroics in South Africa have made him a certainty, but will Suresh Raina play?•AFP”We haven’t even thought about it,” Dhoni said when asked whether the 2007 defeat was playing on their minds, “because we don’t want to repeat what happened in 2007.” Seven of those who featured in that match are likely to be in the playing XI tomorrow, and four of them will form the top order that malfunctioned in Trinidad. The biggest difference between then and now, Dhoni pointed out, is that “we are in a much better frame of mind.”If India have any worries it is over the form of their quick bowlers. Ashish Nehra, who has been India’s most consistent bowler in the format and was expected to fire in yorkers during the batting Powerplay, has been both erratic and down on pace in the warm-up matches. Munaf Patel, who was impressive in South Africa, has looked easy fodder on flatter pitches. Zaheer Khan, who sat out the warm-up games but bowled in the nets today, is certain to play and is expected to carry the attack. Nehra will perhaps be pencilled in to the share the new ball, but the nature of the pitch here makes two specialist spinners a real possibility.”It’s certainly an option we will consider,” Dhoni said. Piyush Chawla was a rank outsider before the squad was selected but lends variety, can bat a bit and is a better fielder, all of which gives him a better chance of making the XI ahead of R Ashwin.An equally big decision would be over the sixth batsman. By no means was Yusuf Pathan a certain starter before the one-dayers in South Africa but he will be impossible to leave out after his near match-winning hundred in Cape Town and his offspin lends a handy four-over option too.But it’s Virat Kohli’s form that provides Dhoni with his happiest headache. He was India’s most impressive batsman in difficult conditions in South Africa, but he would come in at the expense of Suresh Raina, who has been a fixture in the ODI squad and a vital part of Dhoni’s strategy of consuming the fifth bowler’s quota.Whatever combination they pick, though, India’s strategy will be based on a simple plan. Give their bowlers plenty to defend if they bat first. Or expect to chase down big totals. They bat big and they bat deep, and for the first time in a long time, they have all their best players to choose from. The countdown for the cup that counts begins tomorrow.

Aston Villa could be ready to plot a move for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football Insider sources who claim that Steven Gerrard is stepping up to sign a new centre back in the summer transfer window. Gerrard watched Caleta-Car last week as Marseille beat Nantes 3-2 in Ligue 1.

With the Croatia international’s contract expiring at the end of next season and his market value set at £14.4m, then Villa may well grab themselves a bargain if they were to land the defender.

They may face a battle though, as fellow Premier League side West Ham have been linked with him in the past few months.

Better than Mings & Konsa?

Villa have conceded 27 goals in 21 matches under Gerrard since his arrival in November 2021 and these figures are simply not good enough if he aims to take the side into Europe.

The centre-back partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa is clearly not working well enough, hence the interest in Caleta-Car.

Dubbed “excellent” by Alex Crook, it’s clear to see why. The 25-year-old has 22 caps for Croatia, featuring in the squad that was runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and also played in Euro 2020.

Caleta-Car has a 92% pass success rate in Ligue 1, higher than both Mings and Konsa. Showing that he can play out successfully from the heart of defence and build attacks.

He also wins 69% of his duels per game in Ligue 1, again higher than both Englishmen and these performance-related factors could be what Gerrard is looking for in a central defender; someone that is strong and can win both ground and aerial battles, as well as being able to play out well.

Villa may find themselves with a bargain on their hands come the summer.

AND in other news, Aston Villa now plotting bid for £18m-rated “phenom”, he’s the “new Yaya Toure”…