Tag Futebol

Gloucestershire 221 for 9 (Malik 74) beat Derbyshire 219 (Kaif 72) by one wicket
Scorecard

Mike Smith strikes as Derbyshire are restricted to 219

Dominic Cork put a disappointing first spell behind him to bowl Derbyshire to the brink of a famous comeback, but Gloucestershire’s final pair kept their nerve to secure a one-wicket victory and secure their path to the final at Lord’s, where they will play either Lancashire or Worcestershire.At one stage, Gloucestershire were cruising to victory. They had restricted Derbyshire to a sub-par total of 219, and after a few early wobbles, had progressed serenely to 193 for 5, with Mark Alleyne playing the supporting role to Shoaib Malik’s well-crafted half-century. But when Lian Wharton picked up Alleyne and Jack Russell in the space of three balls, the innings was turned on its head.Cork, whose first three overs had been pasted for 31 runs, now rose to the occasion. With two runs still required for victory, Shoaib hoisted a short ball to Kevin Dean at backward square-leg, before Martyn Ball was spectacularly caught at gully by a diving Michael di Venuto (217 for 9). Cork, however, was unable to make it three in the over, and James Averis bided his time before clipping Graeme Welch through square-leg for four.Shoaib was deservedly named Man of the Match for a fine allround performance. His offspinners had earlier played a major part in Gloucestershire’s success in the field, Although Mohammad Kaif top-scored with a brisk 72 from 83 balls, Derbyshire’s total was undermined by some sloppy running between the wickets, and eventually fell several runs short of a par score.Mike Smith had given Gloucestershire the perfect start by removing both openers, di Venuto and Steven Selwood, in a typically thrifty opening spell. He had been doubtful ahead of the match after picking up a back injury, but his influence set the tone for the innings. Averis and Alleyne helped to apply the pressure, before the spinners Ball and Shoaib chipped in with three wickets.Derbyshire were nevertheless well-placed for a good score when Dominic Hewson and Luke Sutton were run out by direct hits. Hewson was the most culpable, failing to run his bat in as he was beaten by Matt Windows’s shy from the deep. His dismissal brought an end to a 75-run partnership with Kaif (134 for 4), and the rest of the batting didn’t hang around.After cracking a car windscreen with a straight six, Kaif was eventually beaten in flight by Ball and holed out to Windows at mid-off (193 for 7), and fittingly, the innings ended with a third run-out in a frenetic final over, as Welch failed to make his ground.

Any Indian fan who has been following the news from the Indian camp during the last few days will have every reason to feel disgusted and demoralised. The second Test against South Africa, due to start at Port Elizabeth this Friday, has now become all-important for Sourav Ganguly’s men after they lost the first inside four days. Yet, instead of putting up a united front and looking professionally at their failings, the Indians seem to be in great disarray. And guess what the hullabaloo is about – the opening slot indeed!Rahul Dravid, who in Ganguly’s own words had volunteered to be the opener ahead of the Bloemfontein Test, apparently is not besotted with the idea anymore. So the Indian camp has been mulling over the various possibilities – would VVS Laxman best serve us at the top of order? Or will Deep Dasgupta’s elevation make more sense? Might Sourav Ganguly not be the best choice?John Wright, in particular, seems to be expending much verbal energy in getting the issue resolved. On Monday, he began to question VVS Laxman’s credentials as the Indian No. 3. Giving his reading of the issue, Wright said, “I think it is a choice between Dravid and Laxman, and possibly Dasgupta.””It is tough on Laxman, but in three Tests, he doesn’t have a fifty. Sometimes the need of the team is greater than the individual needs. It is all about the national team, it is not about what you choose or who you choose,” he further remarked. “By that token, Dravid has the right to play in the middle-order. He is averaging 50 plus in Test cricket and has a very important part.”There are, thus, clear indications that at least Wright wants Laxman to move up the order and create a slot for Dravid in the middle. What is bewildering, though, is the tactics that Wright seems to be employing to convince Laxman.By all accounts, the stylish Hyderabadi batsman is not in the least bit inclined to don the mantle of opener yet again. In fact he had announced, even during his days in the wilderness, that he was ready to wait until he found a place in the Indian middle order. Now after a few great deeds on the international arena, it is understandable that he expects to be left in peace to concentrate on the job at hand.The Indian coach might have dredged up Laxman’s performances as Indian No. 3 to support his argument that the latter could not fare any worse as an opener. But was this, diplomatically and otherwise, the right line to take?Probably not; all it could possibly do is put additional pressure on Laxman, who has not really done all that badly in his last five innings – there have been at least a couple of brilliant cameos from him. And before that, he had the stupendous series against Australia. Yet, here he is, finding himself painted into a corner, with his coach also having turned hostile. Couldn’t Wright have shown greater sensitivity?Also, since when has the media turned into a message-board where the coach posts his daily observations? If Wright felt Laxman must do the job, he should have first talked to the rest of the think-tank, and then personally convinced the batsman. Even in that situation, the phraseology used in explaining the situation to Laxman should have suggested understanding and sympathy, and not seemed a crude effort at arm-twisting. The media, meanwhile, should only have been involved after the final decision was made.It is one thing for the journalists to sit and speculate, and quite another for the Indian coach to tell the world, on an almost regular basis, that he is at sixes and sevens.The truly great leaders are almost inscrutable to the outside world. They move in the most silent and yet most efficient manner. This is a lesson that Wright would be well advised to learn; on a foreign tour in alien conditions, the last thing India should be doing is conceding further ground by way of improper planning and less-than-average media-management skills. Wright, then, must begin by restraining his impulses to seek catharsis every time a journalist comes his way.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers sealed their place in the last eight of the Europa League in spite of their 2-1 loss on Thursday night.

The Gers failed to react from a short corner as Glen Kamara allowed his man to bring the ball down 10 yards out and fire it past Allan McGregor after Alfredo Morelos missed the initial header.

Ryan Kent made the score on the night 1-1 and 4-1 overall as he raced away on the counter-attack and saw his deflected effort nestle in the back of the net early on in the second half.

Allan McGregor was forced to make a string of superb saves to keep Red Star Belgrade at bay but he could do little about a stoppage-time penalty – given away by Kamara – winning the game for the Serbian outfit on the night.

Forget Kamara

Whilst Kamara will be disappointed in his part in both of Red Star’s goals, another player almost cost van Bronckhorst Europa League qualification – Joe Aribo.

The ex-Charlton man endured a rough evening as he struggled throughout the match and he was lucky not to cost the Gers their three-goal lead.

He was consistently losing physical duels and failing to do his job defensively, leading to a number of chances for Red Star that McGregor was forced to brilliantly save time and again.

Off the ball, he left plenty to be desired. As per SofaScore, he lost a whopping 16 individual battles out of the 22 he contested in 68 minutes on the pitch. This shows that the lightweight was abysmal out of possession as he was constantly bullied by the opposition and that allowed them to dominate his side and continually create openings in the final third.

On the ball, he made little impact. Via SofaScore, he completed just 58% of his passes and failed 100% of his attempted dribbles. He also ended the game without a single key pass or successful cross, which shows that he was unable to stamp his mark in the final third.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Therefore, he let van Bronckhorst down badly on the night and should consider himself thankful that McGregor saved him from being the villain of the piece alongside Kamara.

Hopefully, he will be able to shake off this performance and return back to his best against Dundee FC at the weekend and for whoever the Gers draw in the quarter-finals of the competition.

AND in other news, Sold at £4m, then became the “best forward ever”: Rangers had a howler on 274-goal gem…

Andrew Hall is one of several South African players who have turned their backs on the national team © AFP

Graeme Smith has voiced concerns about the exodus of leading players from South African cricket. Several cricketers including Jacques Rudolph and Vaughn van Jaarsveld have signed Kolpak contracts while others such as Andrew Hall have recently quit international cricket.”The main concern is that players who can still mean a lot to the national team are turning their back on South African cricket,” Smith told news24.com, a South African news website. “Those are the ones we have to keep and whom the administrators should think about.”Guys of 21 and 22 years are leaving because they just do not have the patience to play their way into the national team,” Smith said. “Some players who are near the end of their career are also taking that route.”It is hard to stop them because the money they will earn in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a major consideration. But it does prove that there are other problems in our cricket that have to be solved. The administrators have a major task and I just hope they take it seriously.”Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje have signed with the ICL while Hall is almost certain to join once his contract with Cricket South Africa comes to an end in April next year.Though Jacques Kallis, who resigned from the vice-captaincy after being dropped for the ICC World Twenty20, is back in the side for the Pakistan tour, his replacement as vice-captain has not been announced. “I wish I knew. I’ll let you know when I find out,” said Smith. “But it seems that sort of information is not meant for me.”The South African team is currently in Pakistan on a two-Test and five-ODI tour.

‘I would rate this innings among the best I’ve played’ – Subramaniam Badrinath © Cricinfo

After lasting 205 balls and not having played a shot in anger, S Badrinathdanced down the pitch to Rahul Sanghvi and hit him straight back over hishead, clean as anything, and the ball thudded into the sightscreen,signalling the only six on a day where the scoring rate was just in excessof two runs per over. It was an amazing moment not because Badrinath isincapable of the big hits, but simply because it was a startling shot on aday when batsmen had to shelve their shots.Indian cricket these days is full of cricketers who want to make aninstant impact – and the best way to do that is to be a strokemaker. ButBadrinath is different, and is proud of the fact that he began as a grafterand from that solid base has grown into something more. “I started off asa grafter,” he told Cricinfo at the end of the day’s play. “My range of strokes hasincreased over time, has become broader. Now I think I’ve got all theshots. It’s basically a question of shot selection – which shots to playon which wickets, that’s important.”Badrinath has made eight first-class centuries, and some of them have beeninvaluable to Tamil Nadu’s cause, but this was perhaps the most critical,and he acknowledged that. “Given the circumstances I went out to bat in,11 for 2, and the fact that this was not the easiest wicket to bat on, Iwould rate this innings among the best I’ve played,” he said. “Perhapsthis isn’t my best-ever, but I’d rate it very highly.”There was another grafter on display on the day, in M Vijay, the debutant,who played almost five hours for his 59 and shared in a critical 127-runpartnership for the third wicket after an early wobble. “He looks a goodplayer, and has made plenty of runs in league cricket in Chennai,” saidBadrinath of Vijay. “He’s a bit inexperienced in that he’s playing hisfirst Ranji match, but he’s definitely a player for the future.”There is plenty of experience the team, though, with the likes of SSharath and Ashish Kapoor having played domestic cricket for years, andBadrinath is not ignorant of this. “There are times when I can talk tothese guys and get some inputs,” he said. “I’ve played a bit of cricketmyself, but you must remember this is just my third match as captain. Soit certainly helps to have the right blend of guys, like we do.”Badrinath was also not especially concerned that his team had only managed184 after winning the toss and choosing to bat. “The wicket was reallyslow and the ball was just not coming onto the bat,” he said. “Consideringthat you had to be patient and look to play long. The runs will eventuallycome. Losing only three wickets in the whole day was a good effort, evenif we only made 184 runs.”With the bounce not being consistent, it was hard work for the batsmen allround, and it’s only going to get tougher as the pitch wears down. “It washard to play both the spinners and the fast bowlers,” he said, refusing tobe drawn out on what was the easiest type of bowling to make runs againston this pitch. “The bounce isn’t true, so the horizontal bat shots arecompletely ruled out. This makes it hard to get boundaries. In suchsituations you just have to work, work, work and try and pick up the onesand twos wherever you can.”The hundred was a timely one for Badrinath, with Dilip Vengsarkar, thechairman of selectors, watching the game from near the players’ enclosure.When asked if Vengasarkar’s presence put any added pressure on him,Badrinath laughed off the suggestion. “It wasn’t a distraction,” he said”I’m just going to go out there and play my game, whoever is watching orisn’t. It wasn’t any added pressure on me.”

Michael Lewis’s treatment of the cricket ball has raised several eyebrows © Getty Images

Michael Lewis, the fast bowler from Victoria, has been investigated for alleged ball-tampering during the Pura Cup game against Queensland at the Gabba. In what was the first such video review in the history of Australian domestic cricket, Lewis was found to have applied his thumbnail to the ball but the umpires, stating that he hadn’t done anything illegal, let him off with a warning.Lewis was caught in suspicious circumstances on camera on two occasions: first, applying his thumbnail to the ball; and second, in the way he was holding the ball, with both hands over the top. Norm McNamara and Dave Orchard, the on-field umpires, reviewed the footage with Greg Shipperd, Victoria’s coach, and Cameron White, the captain, at the end of the day’s play and decided Lewis had no case to answer, saying the matter had been “dealt with” on the field.However, when Lewis and White were asked to comment by the media, they denied being addressed by the umpires, claiming that their on-field discussions with McNamara and Orchard were in regard to a different incident. Lewis had earlier hurled the ball at Clinton Perren, the Queensland batsman whose second-innings 90 had set his team up for a win, and this forced the umpires to intervene. “We wouldn’t be so stupid as to do something illegal when we know the cameras are on us,” Lewis has been reported as saying by the , a Melbourne-based daily.During the second day’s play, Lewis had requested McNamara and Orchard to clean the ball after it had been soiled by sand and dirt when retrieved from the boundary. Both umpires consented, and Lewis apparently cleaned the ball with his thumb. Later in the day’s proceedings, Lewis was seen to have applied his thumbnail to the ball. After being shown the footage, Graham Dixon, Queensland’s cricket chief executive, brought the matter to the attention of the umpires, adding that he was suspicious over the manner in which Lewis held the ball during delivery. The umpires watched the video and decided Lewis had done nothing illegal, and a warning was issued to Lewis that such instances were not permissable without the umpires’ consent.Despite Victoria’s claims of being scrutinised because of the intense rivalry between both teams, this incident has been taken seriously owing to another case earlier this year. An investigation into a ball-tampering episode involving an assistant coach during a Victorian second XI game was dismissed due to lack of evidence, but the vigilance with which such cases have been approached has put players under pressure. Further, Victoria’s bowlers have a reputation of generating reverse-swing, and Lewis – who maintained that he along with Rodney Hogg, the former Test bowler, had devised a legal method – has been recognised as one of the chief exponents of the craft.

England’s tour of Zimbabwe has been plunged into further controversy after the journalist Derek Pringle refused to restrict his coverage to cricket only.Pringle, a correspondent with , now faces deportation after his editor ordered him not to sign a declaration that would commit him to covering nothing but cricket. The was one of 13 media organisations whose representatives were banned last week by the Zimbabwean government, which prompted the England team to stay in South Africa until the ban was lifted.”My editor told me on no account to sign any such guarantee,” the former Test player Pringle was quoted as saying on the BBC’s website. “If they want to deport me for that, then so be it.”And Pringle suggested that he may not be the only British journalist to refuse to sign the document, depending on what their editors advise. “A lot of them haven’t discussed it yet at length with their editors. “Mike Walters, the Daily Mirror’s correspondent, has been told not to travel at all by his paper and he is travelling home. I’ve been told one or two others have been told not to sign any such declaration.”It is not the first time the has taken a firm stance in Zimbabwe. Described at various times by the regime as an agent for MI5, the paper has repeatedly highlighted political abuses inside Zimbabwe. In April, another of its correspondents, Mihir Bose, was deported from the country for what he claimed were fabricated accreditation reasons.England will play the second of their one-day series against Zimbabwe on December 1. The series was reduced from five to four matches following England’s delayed arrival after the debacle over media accreditation last week.

Scotland are pushing to be included in next season’s Twenty20 Cup on the back of their impressive performances in their early outings in the National League.Gwynne Jones, Scottish Cricket Limited’s chief executive, is believed to have been talking to several counties to press the case for Scotland being brought in to the competition."We would love to be involved in the Twenty20, which I’m convinced would be a major draw in Scotland," Jones told the Herald newspaper. “The indications I’m getting are that we could get an invite and that it could happen as early as next season.”The main obstacle to their involvement would appear to be that the 18 first-class counties neatly divide into three divisions of six. However, such is the success of the competition that an alternative structure might be considered with two divisions and more games, and that would boost Scotland’s chances.

At a meeting held this afternoon at Lord’s, an ECB Bowling Review Group chaired by the Board’s Cricket Advisory Committee Chairman David Acfield approved an interim report on the Sussex pace bowler James Kirtley’s bowling action for submission to ICC.The report is required under Stage 1 of ICC’s Bowling Review procedures which was activated when James’ action was reported by the ICC Match Referee during the ODI Series in Zimbabwe in October 2001.The report contains sophisticated scientific analysis of James’ action and it has identified issues which he will work on over the next four months with the assistance of Bob Cottam, ECB’s Bowling Advisor, and other Sussex CCC and ECB support staff.James’ action will be reassessed by the ECB Bowling Review Group before thestart of the 2002 season and an updated report will be submitted to ICC.

QPR lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier League after pick up their first win of the season against Fulham at Loftus Road.

Two goals from Adel Taarabt scored twice for the R’s to hand Harry Redknapp his maiden victory since taking over from Mark Hughes, ending their record winless run and giving supporters hope that the club will now mount a serious bid to beat the drop.

Early dreams of Europe have subsided for the Cottagers after a run of one win in their last nine games, which came on Monday against Newcastle, left them marooned in mid-table heading into Christmas.

Performances have visibly improved since Redknapp’s arrival and it was the hosts that started on the front foot and Mark Schwarzer had to be on his toes to gather a scuffed Djibril Cisse effort following a glorious pass from Taarabt.

John Arne Riise then saw a blind back pass go unpunished when Jamie Mackie shot wide from six-yards as the away side struggled to break out of their first half slumber.

A free kick was then wasted Cisse and Taarabt just before the break before the latter handed QPR a deserved lead seven minutes after the restart with his shot trickling past a despairing Schwarzer after flicking off Brede Hangeland.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Taarabt continued to exert his influence over proceedings and would make certain of all three points in the 68th minute with a stunning goal. The Moroccan international brushed off the attentions of Hangeland before driving the ball home with the outside of his boot from just outside the penalty area.

Fulham had failed to pose an attacking threat all afternoon but bagged a consolation through Mladen Petric’s strike that looped off the boot of Alejandro Faurlin and over Robert Green.