All posts by h716a5.icu

A round-up of the latest MTN Domestic Championship matches in South Africa

Cricinfo staff08-Dec-2008Eagles regained top spot with an eight-run win over Lions in a rain-curtailed 32-over match in Johannesburg. They were nearly undone by a spectacular assault from Vaughn van Jaarsveld, whose 79-ball 97 reinvigorated Lions after they were stuttering at 67 for 4 after 15 overs chasing 225. Werner Coetsee chipped in with a 10-ball 23 and the pair piled on 55 runs in 4.4 overs before van Jaarsveld was caught behind in the final over to dent Lions’ chances. Earlier, measured half-centuries from Morne van Wyk and tournament top-scorer Rilee Rossouw helped Eagles capitalise on the absence of Lions’ fast bowlers Andre Nel and Garnett Kruger to set a challenging target.In the other match of the day, a cautious half-century from captain Justin Ontong and a more cavalier one from Ryan Canning set up Cape Cobras’ 24-run victory over Warriors in East London. The pair’s efforts lifted Cape Cobras to 220 after their top order had failed to fire. Robin Peterson gave Warriors a cracking start with a 52-ball 55 taking them to 81 for 1 in the 12th over. However, former international Claude Henderson and Ontong took two quick wickets apiece to reduce Warriors to 96 for 5. Johan Botha and Justin Kreusch resisted with a 52-run partnership but another rash of wickets saw them bowled out for 196.Player of the week – Justin Ontong
Despite several opportunities with the South African national side over the past seven years, Justin Ontong hasn’t quite managed to showcase his skills on the international stage, perhaps being most famous for being handed a debut ahead of Jacques Rudolph in 2001 because of the quota system. On the domestic circuit, he piled on the runs last season to earn another South Africa recall. After moving from the Lions to take over as Cape Cobras captain this season, he has led them to two wins in their three games in the MTN championship so far. His patient half-century this week shored up his team’s total and he also gave a reminder of his under-used offspinning ability by removing the rampaging Robin Peterson at a crucial juncture.

Eagles 6 4 1 0 121 +1.098 1229/188.3 1126/207.4 Titans 5 4 1 0 0 17+0.034 953/187.2 1046/207.0 Cape Cobras 32 0 0 1 11 +1.389428/90.0 303/90.0 Lions 5 14 0 0 5 -0.315 1123/212.01101/196.1 Warriors 4 1 30 0 5 -0.582 792/162.0 828/151.2 Dolphins 3 0 3 00 0 -1.398 552/135.0 673/122.4

Mahela Jayawardene has announced that he will resign as Sri Lanka captain after the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Colombo11-Feb-2009
Mahela Jayawardene: “It has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup” © AFP
In a surprise move, Mahela Jayawardene has announced that he will resign as Sri Lanka captain after the upcoming two-Test series against Pakistan. The decision, announced on Wednesday, comes three days after Sri Lanka lost 4-1 to India in their home ODI series.Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Duleep Mendis said Jayawardene’s decision had been accepted and a new captain would be appointed for the one-day home series against Zimbabwe, which follows the Pakistan tour.Jayawardene, who sat out Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 international against India on Tuesday, called for a meeting with the selectors on Wednesday morning and proposed that the time was right to hand over the captaincy, ensuring his successor had sufficient time to build the team for the 2011 World Cup. He was asked to reconsider but reiterated the time was right, given the heavy season ahead.He then met Mendis and informed his teammates.”This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup,” Jayawardene said in a statement.”I have concluded that the time has come for fresh leadership to takeover. It was not an easy decision to make because being the Sri Lanka captain has been the source of enormous pride. I hope to play a major part in the team’s success as a batsman.”Jayawardene had hinted at the decision last August, in an interview to Cricinfo. “This is a job that I won’t do for a long time,” he said. “There have to be different challenges. The longer your career progresses, the more you need to focus on your own game and your family.”It is not immediately clear who will succeed him but the obvious choice will be Kumar Sangakkara, the current vice-captain and a close personal friend of Jayawardene’s. In that interview, Jayawardene clearly spelled out his ideal succession plan. “Kumar is definitely a suitable person to lead Sri Lanka. His knowledge of the game and his approach is brilliant. He has been a brilliant deputy too. We talk a lot about planning and strategising, so there is not much difference in our thinking, which is very important. If I suddenly lose the hunger to lead then ideally Kumar should take over.”Jayawardene was appointed ODI captain in 2004 and took over the Test captaincy full time from Marvan Atapattu for the 2006 tour of England. One of his best achievements was guiding Sri Lanka to the World Cup final the following year and in 2008 they won the Asia Cup, beating India in the final.Sri Lanka’s away record improved under his leadership, as the team drew Test series in England, New Zealand and the West Indies. He led the team in 26 Tests, winning 15 and losing seven and his win ratio of 62.5% is the highest for any Sri Lankan captain in history. Although his recent one-day form had been patchy, he still scored heavily in Test cricket, averaging 64.70 as captain. Nor did he let his wavering form in one-day cricket affect his captaincy. In 94 ODIs under him, Sri Lanka won 54 and lost 35.

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted positively to Jurgen Klopp’s fresh update on Andy Robertson’s ankle injury.

The Reds have finished their pre-season schedule following an impressive 3-1 win over La Liga side Osasuna at Anfield on Monday night. However, Robertson was unable to feature in that game, having limped off with an ankle injury against Athletic Bilbao 24 hours earlier.

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The severity of the Scot’s injury looked serious on first viewing, with some fearing the worst, especially after last season’s bad fortune in that department.

However, speaking after the win over Osasuna [via journalist Dominic King on Twitter], Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Robertson is facing weeks out rather than months. That means the 27-year-old could even return before the September international week, or if not by then, shortly after it.

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Liverpool fans happy with Robertson update

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to provide their thoughts on the news, which one Kopite described as “lovely stuff”, with positivity in the air overall ahead of Saturday’s Premier League opener at Norwich City.

“2-3 games is great news tbf”

Credit: @Bennet24_LFC

“Phew”

Credit: @Homes19LFC

“Thank the heavens”

Credit: @icy7_YNWA

“Huge boost”

Credit: @TRK8_LFC

“Lovely stuff”

Credit: @KevDublin

“How on earth… maybe it will be our year again”

Credit: @IsMiseShane

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been left fuming over one transfer rumour. Read more here.

Leeds United have opened talks to sign Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien this summer.

What’s the story?

Journalist Alan Nixon previously revealed via Twitter that O’Brien was “very near” to the top of the shortlist for Leeds this summer as they look to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Football Insider have now claimed that preliminary discussions have taken place over the Whites securing the 22-year-old, with Huddersfield set to demand a significant price for one of their star players.

Bielsa will love him

In O’Brien, Leeds could find someone who could be ready to make that step up from the Championship to the Premier League, with Huddersfield Town writer Steven Chicken waxing lyrical about the midfielder’s potential.

He said: “O’Brien is a left-footed, tough-tackling central midfielder.

“Former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley often praised O’Brien as being ‘like having two players’, with the midfielder receiving particular praise from his manager and fans alike for his ability and willingness to rush back and win the ball with a clean sliding tackle whenever his side were caught on the counter-attack.

“He certainly has the potential to be (a Premier League player), if he’s not already. His fitness is incredible and he just never seems to get tired, which is one of the biggest difficulties Championship players have when stepping up to the Premier League.

“He’s never going to be a big glamorous name in the Premier League, but he is the kind of wholehearted, committed player that managers love because they do so much of the hard work that helps other players to shine.”

As per WhoScored, O’Brien averaged two tackles and one interception per game in the Championship last season, which is only slightly less than the 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions Phillips managed per Premier League match.

Judging by those figures and the endorsement from Cowley, the 1.73m (5 foot 8) midfielder clearly has the defensive tenacity that the highly demanding Bielsa would love at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have had a bid accepted for this player…

Flocking to Twitter, many Tottenham Hotspur supporters have erupted over a claim involving long-time target and Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The 22-year-old has been heavily on Spurs’ radar since the very start of July with Sky Sports detailing a rejected bid of around £12.9 million (€15m) plus an extra £2.6 million (€3m) in add-ons.

Claims then emerged that a deal was close and terms were being finalised on a £15 million swoop for Tomiyasu (The Athletic), but his involvement in the Olympic games had somewhat stalled negotiations according to Alasdair Gold.

Now, The Athletic bring an update on the versatile player’s situation and it is great news for Tottenham.

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The reliable source (via The Spurs Web) back that Tomiyasu’a arrival is expected at Tottenham this summer following the conclusion of his time in Toyko – with many supporters going wild for this update on Twitter.

After the arrival of Cristian Romero from Atalanta, it appears Spurs fans may have more to celebrate soon depending on next developments – find all of their best reactions to this update down below.

Spurs fans flock to Tomiyasu claim…

“Absolutely massive. You’ll see”

Credit: @davidetumiati7

“What a day”

Credit: @raymder

“This day keeps getting better”

Credit: @tottalfie

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @thfcgr

“Tears in my eyes”

Credit: @DeleSZN_THFC

“We’re winning the league”

Credit: @Albie_thfc

“Another really solid defensive signing, Paratici really is cooking”

Credit: @stavrin

“Paratici the GOAT”

Credit: @xAlexTHFC

In other news: Bid made – Tottenham have already lodged offer to sign player with ‘gigantic buzz’, find out more here.

IPL postpones hearing against bowler as well

Cricinfo staff29-Aug-2008
The decision on Asif will be taken soon after the new PCB chairman is named after Pakistan’s presidential polls in September © AFP
The committee set up by PCB to look into Mohammad Asif’s detention at Dubai airport from June 1-19 for alleged possession of an illegal substance has completed its investigation.The committee comprising PCB officials Shaqfat Naghmi [chief operating officer], Zakir Khan [director – cricket operations], and Nadeem Akram [director – human resources] had been asked to acquire all the documents related to the case, establish facts, and after a complete investigation, submit a report to Nasim Ashraf, the outgoing PCB chairman, which would be sent to the ICC as well.”We have completed our work and now it’s up to the new chairman to decide on our recommendations,” Naghmi told on Friday.Naghmi did not divulge the details regarding the findings of the investigating committee.”We have given some recommendations in our findings and only the chairman has the authority to take a decision,” he said. With PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf having stepped down from his position on August 18, the new chairman is expected to be named only after Pakistan’s presidential elections on September 6.The Indian Premier League (IPL) has, in the meantime, agreed to Mohammad Asif’s request to postpone the preliminary hearing for testing positive for nandrolone. The hearing was originally scheduled for Saturday.”We had sent them an e-mail requesting for the hearing to be later in mid-September as we are still waiting for some more documentation on the case regarding the procedures adopted to conduct the dope tests on Asif in the IPL,” Asif’s lawyer, Shahid Karim, told . “We have today got a reply from them saying the hearing will not be held on August 30 and they will inform us of a date later on.”Asif was suspended by the PCB from all forms of the game pending the result of the IPL inquiry. He previously tested positive for nandrolone just before the 2006 Champions Trophy in India. Though he was banned for one year by a PCB tribunal, the punishment was overturned a month later on appeal.

Liverpool are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an away clash against Wolves at Molineux in their latest push for the Premier League title. 

After seeing off their Merseyside rivals in midweek with a 4-1 victory over Everton, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in third place in the league table with 31 points, one behind Manchester City and two behind Chelsea heading into this weekend’s fixtures. 

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Klopp could choose to be in his starting XI to take on Bruno Lage’s side, one player that didn’t play against Everton that should be in the mix this afternoon is defender Ibrahima Konate, who Klopp has previously said has “massive potential.”

Given how the Everton game was only on Wednesday, perhaps this could be an area where Klopp could look to rotate his players and kill two birds with one stone by resting Matip, who played in midweek, and giving Konate some minutes under his belt. 

Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Konate has kept three clean sheets in the four league games he’s played in so far this season, showing that he is more than capable of playing at a high level in the top flight. 

One of those clean sheets came during Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford where Konate managed to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently hit the 800 career goals mark, quiet for the day, showing that the Frenchman can battle it out against dangerous attacking opponents.

This performance against the Red Devils led to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders calling Konate a “beast.”

Overall, Konate has managed to rack up an average of 4.8 clearances per game, two interceptions per game and 1.5 tackles per game, as well as winning 69% of duels, which could make him a terrifying opponent for Wolves on this occasion.

Looking ahead to the Wolves match, this could be a great test for the £70k-a-week earning Konate to play against some of Wolves’ attacking players such as Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Hwang Hee-chan as the Old Gold will presumably be on the attack given how they’ve only managed to pick up two 0-0 draws in their two previous games.

In other news: Big relief: Klopp given major LFC boost as transfer claim emerges, fans surely buzzing – opinion

Leeds United are interested in signing Valerenga goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson this summer, according to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Backup goalkeeper required

The Whites are in need of signing a new goalkeeper this summer, with Kiko Casilla joining La Liga side Elche on a season-long loan deal.

Illan Meslier is the clear first-choice between the sticks, but if the Frenchman got injured, there is currently insufficient cover for him.

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The Latest: Hay provides key update

Hay has now provided an update on Leeds’ search for a new ‘keeper, claiming Victor Orta ‘holds a long-standing interest’ in Klaesson.

Both the 20-year-old and Levante’s Dani Cardenas are considered ‘suitable deputies’ for Meslier, as the Whites’ productive summer continues.

Klaesson has already made 55 appearances for Valerenga, despite his tender years, as well as winning five caps for Norway’s Under-21s.

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The Verdict: Ideal Meslier deputy

Klaesson looks a perfect man to come in and provide competition for Meslier, with the youngster sure to be content with a squad role to begin with given his inexperience in a top league.

He wouldn’t be demanding regular starts, but could be given opportunities to shine in the domestic cups, maturing over time and potentially even being a future No.1, should Meslier move on.

In other news, Leeds’ hopes of signing one player this summer are reportedly fading. Read more here.

Fifteen wickets fell on the second day of the Intercontinental Cup match between Canada and Bermuda at King City

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2008
ScorecardFifteen wickets fell on the second day of the Intercontinental Cup match between Canada and Bermuda at King City and, even though Canada collapsed to give the visitors a slender first-innings lead, their bowlers put them back on top by the end of the day. Canada were dismissed for 228, Dwayne Leverock taking 5 for 69 with his left-arm spin, in reply to Bermuda’s first-innings score of 237 but their spin attack reduced the visitors to 78 for 5 in the second innings by stumps.Canada began the second day on 14 for 0, trailing by 223 runs. Their openers Geoff Barnett and Abdool Samad started steadily, adding 21 runs in the first six overs. The partnership was broken on 35 when Samad, trying to play a delivery from Ryan Steede on the leg side, was caught by Chris Foggo at short square leg. The second-wicket stand began to consolidate Canada’s position but Leverock struck two quick blows to dismiss Barnett, caught at cover, and Trevin Bastiampillai, held by Foggo at short square once again. Canada had slipped from 76 for 1 to 77 for 3.The partnership between Canada’s captain Ian Billcliff and Arvind Kandappah began to shift the momentum towards the hosts. Kandappah did not follow the cautious approach of the top order and attacked Leverock instead. He scored boundaries all round the ground and hit a straight six over the sight screen to go into lunch on 43 off 29 balls. Billcliff provided the stability at the other end and Canada were 121 for 3 at lunch.Kandappah got to his half-century off 38 balls after the interval but a back injury forced the 37-year old to retire hurt shortly after. Canada’s momentum was broken and a steady stream of wickets followed. Sunil Dhaniram was bowled by Stefan Kelly by one which moved in as he tried to play aggressively, while Leverock found a way through Saad bin Zafar’s defences.Billcliff alternated between caution and aggression, scoring his fifty of 111 balls, but as wickets fell around him he scored at a quicker pace, hitting sixes over long-on. When he got out for 56, lofting a catch to George O’Brien at deep cover, Canada were 10 runs short of Bermuda’s total with one wicket in hand. Kandappah returned to resume his innings but didn’t face a ball as Henry Osinde offered a return catch to Rodney Trott to give Bermuda first-innings points.Bermuda’s openers, Foggo and Oronde Bascome, had made ducks in the first innings but they provided a steady start against Canada’s new-ball attack, Osinde and Eion Katchay, by extending the lead to 49.The introduction of spin sparked the collapse. Bascome was caught and bowled by Karun Jethi and Foggo’s attempted sweep against Dhaniram landed in Billcliff’s hands at slip. Bermuda went from 40 for 0 to 48 for 3 when Barnett caught Outerbridge, Bermuda’s top-scorer in the first innings, for a duck at cover. James Celestine batted aggressively, hitting two fours and two sixes in his 22 but eventually edged Jethi to the wicketkeeper.Bermuda’s captain Irving Romaine and Rodney Trott performed damage control, batted nine out of the remaining ten overs with caution. However, Saad bin Zafar ended Trott’s resistance, 1 off 30 balls, in the final minutes of the day by bowling him with a quicker ball.

Pep Guardiola has reportedly made contact with Barcelona star Antoine Griezmann about a potential summer move to Manchester City, and the Frenchman could be a superb addition to his squad at the Etihad ahead of next season.

What’s the word?

According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, Guardiola has made a personal call to the former Atletico Madrid man and City are in ‘good contact’ with his agent.

The report suggests that City’s interest in Harry Kane has cooled due to Tottenham Hotspur’s asking price for the England captain and that they could look towards Griezmann as an alternative option.

Would he be a good signing for Man City?

Although Griezmann perhaps hasn’t hit the heights many expected of him when he completed a £107m move to Barcelona in 2019, he has still managed a decent return of 35 goals and 17 assists in 99 appearances for the Catalan side.

Barcelona included a £717m release clause in his contract when he signed, but they are now in a desperate financial situation and perhaps could look to cash in on the 30-year-old this summer, as a way of easing their substantial wage bill, with it claimed that he earns a ridiculous £594k per week at the Nou Camp.

Whilst City would surely have to negotiate a substantially lower wager should he move to the Etihad this summer, his performances last season, as well as at the Euros with France, suggest that Guardiola would be adding an extremely talented player to his squad.

In 36 La Liga appearances in the 2020/21 campaign, Griezmann would contribute an impressive 13 goals and seven assists, averaging a superb 7.17 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He averaged the same rating for Didier Deschamps’ side at the European Championships, despite France’s shock quarter-final exit at the hands of Switzerland, which again emphasises how good he can be.

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The French manager was full of praise for the forward earlier in the summer, saying:

“He is one of those players who is capable of changing games,” Deschamps told a news conference on Friday. “He is very creative, he has this ability to think outside the box, it is remarkable to watch.

“He beat a (starts) record. He is playing in consecutive games, wonderfully so for him. He may not be 20 anymore, but he takes very good care of himself.”You can see the influence he has with the goals he scores and assists he makes. Then add to that the capacity he has to change the game, while getting back and doing his defensive duties. He is one of the greatest players of all time, both in Europe and worldwide.”

Given that Guardiola played much of last season with one of Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne or Bernardo Silva in a ‘false nine’ role, Griezmann could be the ideal man to evolve his attack next season, as he excels at link-up play but can also be clinical in front of goal, which is something City arguably lack now that Sergio Aguero has left.

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Therefore, if a realistic deal can be done for Griezmann this summer, then Guardiola and Manchester City should definitely consider it.

And, in other news… Guardiola could be set for huge Man City boost with “incredible” star after Romano claim