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Derbyshire’s rocky season continues with the news that three players are leaving the club with immediate effect

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2014Derbyshire’s rocky season continues with the news that three players are leaving the club with immediate effect.Stephen Moore, the opening batsman, has announced his retirement, Peter Burgoyne, the allrounder who has not played this season due to a stress-related illness has mutually agreed an end to his contact, and Richard Johnson, the wicketkeeper, has opted to pursue his studies having also been out of the side due to illness.Moore quits midway through a season where he has been a regular in all formats and is currently Derbyshire’s leading run-scorer in the Championship with 474 runs at 31.60.”Stephen’s decision has come as a bit of a shock, but we respect that it’s right for him and wish him all the best for the future,” Graeme Welch, Derbyshire’s elite performance director, said. “A spot is now available at the top of the order, in all competitions, for our other batsmen to make their own and that’s an exciting opportunity for them.”Meanwhile, our strategy to target experienced match winners to blend with our promising young cricketers will continue.”Meanwhile, Burgoyne, who has been supported by the club and the PCA since his break from the game was announced in March, has said he still has ambitions to resume his career in the future.”It’s been a tough few months and a tough decision but I am really looking forward to playing club cricket again for a few months before making a decision about my future,” he said. “I eventually would like to return to the first-class game but only when I feel 100% ready to do so.”Chief executive Simon Storey said: “Peter is a promising young cricketer and we have seen several glimpses of his potential in his appearances for Derbyshire.”Whilst we are disappointed to lose his talent at this stage in his career, we have worked very closely with the player and the PCA over the last few months and given the circumstances, we respect his decision.”Johnson’s illness was confirmed more quietly by the club after he had started the season in the Championship side. He has recently been playing club cricket for Knowle and Dorridge in the Birmingham and District Premier League and has decided to relocate back to the Midlands to continue his commence studies.”I’d like to place on record my sincere thanks to my team-mates, the coaching staff and the admin team at Derbyshire for their support during my time with the club,” he said. “They have a terrific set-up which is not easy to leave but I know I’m making the right decision for my long term future.”Welch added: “It’s about the club supporting what’s best for Richard, a young man we all respect for his hard-work and dedication to his own development. Whether his future career is to be in cricket, or elsewhere, I know he’ll be successful and we wish him all the best.”Derbyshire’s season has been beset by difficulties, including the tragic events surrounding Tom Poynton who was injured in the car crash that claimed the life of his father.Tim Groenewald, who has been the club’s leading seam bowler in recent seasons, recently signed a loan deal with Somerset for the remainder of the season having said he would not agree a new contract with Derbyshire which subsequently led to him being dropped.

In a home season that will feature high profile opponents in India and Australia, the Boxing Day Test returned to South Africa’s cricket calendar

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2013India tour of South Africa

18 November: T20 Tour match, India v SA Invitation XI, Potchefstroom (Day/Night)

21 November: 1st T20 International, Johannesburg (Day/Night)

24 November: 2nd T20 International, Cape Town (Day)

27 November: 1st ODI, Durban (Day/Night)

30 November: 2nd ODI, Port Elizabeth (Day)

3 December: 3rd ODI, East London (Day/Night)

6 December: 4th ODI, Centurion (Day/Night)

8 December: 5th ODI, Johannesburg (Day)

12 December: 6th ODI, Bloemfontein (Day/Night)

15 December: 7th ODI, Cape Town (Day)

18-19 December: India v SA Invitation XI, Paarl

22-23 December: India v SA Invitation XI, Pietermaritzburg

26-30 December: 1st Test, Durban

2-6 January: 2nd Test, Cape Town

15-19 January: 3rd Test, Johannesburg

Australia tour of South Africa

5-8 February: Australia v SA Invitation XI, Potchefstroom

12-16 February: 1st Test, Centurion

20-24 February: 2nd Test, Port Elizabeth

1-5 March: 3rd Test, Cape Town

9 March: 1st T20 International, Port Elizabeth (Day)

12 March: 2nd T20 International, Durban (Day/Night)

14 March: 3rd T20 International, Centurion (Day/Night)

The traditional Boxing Day Test returns to South African shores for the 2013-14 season with India scheduled to play the first of three Tests in the home summer. CSA cancelled the fixture last season and opted to play three T20s against New Zealand over the festive period instead in the hope of attracting bigger in-stadium audiences. Although the matches were sell-outs, there was a public outcry about the lack of a Test match and with India visiting this season, the administrators have reinstalled the fixture and handed it back to its usual home, Kingsmead in Durban.But before they can get to that, India will play two T20s and seven ODIs between November 18 and December 15. The matches have been spread around the country with so-called smaller venues like East London and Bloemfontein playing host to ODIs. Newlands Stadium will also host a fifty-over match after not having one last season.After two warm-up matches, India will play three Tests, which are to be held in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg and will conclude the tour. Administrators are hopeful Sachin Tendulkar will bring up another milestone during the second of those games. “The Indian players have always been very popular in South Africa and their maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, has currently played 198 Test matches,” Naasei Appiah, CSA acting CEO said. “It would be wonderful for his 200th Test match to be in front of a packed New Year’s crowd at Newlands. The last time he played a Test match there his battle with Dale Steyn thrilled a global audience.”South Africa’s busy period continues with Australia visiting for three more Tests that take place between mid-February and early March. “Any series between Australia and South Africa in any sporting code always promises a spectacle of note and a contest worthy of some of sport’s most famous moments,” Appiah said. “Australia will be battle-hardened after successive home and away Ashes series against England.”The Australians will kick off their tour with a warm-up fixture in Potchefstroom before Test matches in Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. St Georges’ Park keeps their Test fixture after successfully hosting New Zealand last year. The venue had not seen the longest format match for five years prior to that. Newlands, by virtue of its significant Test crowds, is the only venue that will host two Tests. Australia’s tour has no ODIs but three T20s, which South Africa hope to use as preparation for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.South Africa’s season begins before these two major tours though. Their limited-overs sides embark on a five ODI and three T20 visit to Sri Lanka at the end of this month for Russell Domingo’s first assignment as head coach. They also visit the UAE to play Pakistan for fixtures that are yet to be decided in October.The main talking point ahead of the series is the fitness of Test captain Graeme Smith, who is recovering from ankle surgery. Smith returned home from Surrey in May when the recurring problem with his ankle flared up again. At the time, he was said to need four to five months of rest. Team manager and doctor Mohammed Moosajee said Smith’s rehabilitation is “progressing well,” and they are hopeful he will be available to play against Pakistan and are determined to have him ready for the home summer.

Thisara Perera was the difference with the bat and then held his nerve, although only barely, with the ball to seal a two-run victory off the final delivery of a rain-reduced chase

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG28-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMahela Jayawardene top scored for Sri Lanka•Getty ImagesThisara Perera was the difference with the bat and then held his nerve, although only barely, with the ball to seal a two-run victory off the final delivery of a rain-reduced chase. In a heated finale, Glenn Maxwell needed four runs from the last ball for victory and was frustrated by a long conference held by several Sri Lanka players before the delivery was bowled, and when Perera sent down the ball wide of off Maxwell missed and all the batsmen could manage was a bye.The Sri Lanka players were jubilant but there were tense scenes as the players walked off, Maxwell clearly annoyed at the Sri Lankans, and even the handshakes involving players who weren’t on the field at the end became testy. It became that kind of night when rain interrupted Australia’s chase of 162 and despite the shower being short, the umpires did not allow play to restart for 45 minutes due to difficulties drying the outfield.When the rain arrived after 10 overs, Australia were 15 runs behind on the Duckworth-Lewis score at 2 for 60. By the time play resumed at 10.49pm Australia needed a further 62 runs from five overs. With Shaun Marsh and George Bailey well set and eight wickets in hand, the new target of 122 from 15 overs gave Australia hope of pulling off victory.However, Perera and Nuwan Kulasekara proved especially difficult to score off and while Bailey and Marsh managed to find 16 runs from Lasith Malinga’s only remaining over, and 12 off an over from Ajantha Mendis, they were left needing 18 from the final over to be bowled by Perera. The loss of Bailey, caught at deep midwicket for 45 from 36 balls, left 16 required from four balls with the new batsman Maxwell at the crease.Perera briefly appeared to lose his nerve and sent down a no-ball above waist height that helped the Australians and Maxwell then struck a pair of fours through the off side to leave four needed from one. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, Perera managed to deny him that boundary.Australia’s chase had started poorly with the loss of David Warner for 7 in the second over when he tried to thump Kulasekara through the leg side but succeeded only in sending a leading edge to mid-off. That was followed by the departure of his opening partner Aaron Finch for 7 in the fifth over, lbw to the first ball Mendis bowled when he tried to sweep a straight delivery.After five overs the Australians were really struggling at 2 for 24, not helped by Marsh being unable to find the gaps. He was nearly run out and caught in the same over and appeared severely lacking in confidence until he managed to clear long-on during Akila Dananjaya’s first over and followed it with a boundary through the gap at wide midwicket. But Marsh and Bailey couldn’t get Australia far enough advanced in their chase when the rain came.But really it was the final five overs of Sri Lanka’s innings that made the difference as Mahela Jayawardene and Thisara Perera put together an unbeaten 59-run partnership from 28 balls. That pushed the total from what looked like being 140ish to a much more competitive 4 for 161, and left Australia needing the highest successful chase in a T20 international in Australia.Jayawardene finished unbeaten on 61 from 45 deliveries and Perera on 35 from 15, justifying the captain Angelo Mathews’ decision to send Perera in ahead of himself. Ben Laughlin, who struggled to restrict the Sri Lankans in the final few overs of the first match in Sydney, again had a hard time bowling at the death and conceded 20 runs from the last over of the innings.That over started with a reverse sweep for four that brought Jayawardene his fifty from 42 balls. It also included two more fours to the vacant third-man area from Jayawardene and a top-edged six from Perera, leaving Laughlin with 1 for 40 from his four overs.James Faulkner, who had bowled a terrific initial spell of 1 for 3 from his first two overs, also suffered at the hands of Perera and Jayawardene in the later stages. He was struck over midwicket for six by Perera, as well as dabbed delicately over short fine leg for four, and Faulkner finished his four overs with 1 for 24.The Sri Lanka top order had struggled in the first half of the innings as Australia’s bowlers used clever variations and took wickets to help keep the runs down. Faulkner picked up his first international wicket in the third over of the match when Tillakaratne Dilshan tried to pull his slower ball and played on for 6 off 10 balls.None of the Sri Lanka top three managed a strike rate of better than a run a ball as they failed to pick the pace of the bowling, or the gaps in the field. Dinesh Chandimal fell victim to a change in pace from Laughlin, whose first ball of the game was a slower delivery that Chandimal smoked through cover for four. But in the same over Laughlin’s quicker bouncer hurried Chandimal, who lobbed a catch to mid-off.Kushal Perera, who had struck three crisp boundaries including two in a Mitchell Starc over – Starc struggled with his line and sent down four leg-side wides – fell for 15 when he tried to slog Glenn Maxwell over the infield. The ball flew very high off the top edge and nearly struck the hovering Spidercam, and provided a very tricky swirling catch for the cover fielder Bailey, who ran almost a complete circle as he tried to track the ball and successfully completed the take.After ten overs the Sri Lankans were 3 for 56 and it wasn’t until the 12th over of the innings that the first six was struck, when Jayawardene slammed Maxwell straight down the ground. Jayawardene began to find his touch but was lucky to survive a run-out chance on 36, when Jeevan Mendis dropped the ball at his feet and took off for a run and the bowler Laughlin had Jayawardene well covered – except he failed to pick up the ball.Mendis fell for 25 from 24 balls when he drove Xavier Doherty hard and flat and was caught at long-off by Faulkner, ending a productive 63-run partnership with Jayawardene that had been important in rebuilding the Sri Lanka innings. To keep the left- and right-hand combination going, Thisara Perera was promoted ahead of Mathews and the results were good for Sri Lanka.

Australia entered their fourth straight final of the Women’s World T20 with a five-run win over England in Delhi

The Report by Shashank Kishore30-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:49

‘Our fielders did a great job’ – Lanning

International victories are sweet, but some are sweeter than the others. On Wednesday, it was Meg Lanning-led Australia Women side that won the bragging rights over England Women, who stumbled to yet another defeat to their arch-rivals in a knockout clash. It left Australia eyeing a delicious prospect of pitching for their fourth successive Women’s World T20 title come Sunday.Lanning’s 50-ball 55 on a slow Feroz Shah Kotla deck was the cornerstone to Australia’s 132 for 6. England, who needed to achieve the highest successful run chase in the tournament to have a crack at their second title, choked despite having the target well within touching distance. They imploded with a combination of nerves and reckless shots. Katherine Brunt, who had a forgettable day with the ball, muscled a six and four to bring the equation down to 17 off 10 deliveries before Australia’s killer instinct prevailed; England agonisingly falling short by five runs.England came out all attacking in their chase, and also benefitted from some luck as a diving Beth Mooney put down a tough chance offered by Tammy Beaumont at mid-off in the fourth over. Charlotte Edwards, who started slowly, lent the artistic touch to the innings, before she chipped a catch to cover, against the run of play. Her dismissal ended a 67-run opening partnership that came at better than a run a ball.Sarah Taylor, who had failed in each of her four innings in the group stages, then showed why she is a feared striker in the women’s game as she stamped her authority immediately by hitting Jess Jonassen inside-out over cover for six. But the pressure of the asking rate resulted in her partners attempting shots they wouldn’t otherwise.Beaumont, after doing all the hard work, chipped one to cover where Lanning pulled off a stunner. Nerves then turned into proper panic when Natalie Sciver, who had brought England back into the contest with the ball, walked across the stumps, only to miss a full and straight delivery from Ellyse Perry. By then, England were reduced to 91 for 3, needing 42 off the last five overs.Lanning then introduced spin even as Taylor, who grew increasingly frustrated, tried to reverse sweep and paddle her way, but to no avail against Kristen Beams, the legspinner. The slowness of the surface forced another change as Erin Osborne, the offspinner, brought in for the first time in the 17th over struck off her second delivery as Heather Knight holed out to long-on. From bossing the chase, England had almost bottled it by that point as the asking rate escalated to close to 10 runs an over.That Australia had the luxury of runs on the board was courtesy a strong start from the openers Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani. Healy, under scrutiny after a poor run of scores in the tournament, did the early running by taking the attack to Brunt and Anya Shrubsole with a 41-run stand, their highest of the tournament.Healy’s game is mostly about timing, and she set the template early on, showing the surface was a far cry to the ones both sides had encountered early on. Healy’s four boundaries in the first three overs somewhat took pressure off Villani, who took a while to get going. England’s pacers were guilty of not varying their pace and were duly put away, the first four overs yielding 35, before Australia were pegged back by a double-strike.Sciver, the seamer, struck in her first over as Villani missed a straight one to be adjudged lbw. Off the next over, the sixth, Healy, also fell lbw attempting a reverse paddle to give Laura Marsh a breakthrough and leave Australia at 50 for 2.Lanning and Perry did what they do best, milking the runs in the middle overs through smart strike rotation, seldom looking for the big hits to largely defensive fields set by Edwards. England didn’t help their own cause by reprieving Lanning twice, once on 20 and 45, with Taylor being the culprit on both occasions.Lanning went on to make a half-century, and help Australia post a more than competitive score courtesy support from her deputy Alex Blackwell, who contributed all of 11 in a 37-run stand for the fourth wicket. While most other sides may have looked to hit out, the match awareness of the pair on a surface that demanded application, and not flamboyance, may have resulted in those few extra runs that made the difference in the end.As much as those extra runs may have come in handy, it wouldn’t have been enough had Rene Farrell not brought her experience into play. She held her nerve, defending 12 off the final over in style, as Australia showed why they were the three-time champions.

Darren Lehmann has been appointed Australia’s new head coach until the end of the 2015 World Cup after Mickey Arthur was sacked over what Cricket Australia called failures of discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability

Brydon Coverdale and Daniel Brettig24-Jun-2013Darren Lehmann has declared he will use honesty and enjoyment to stamp out a mass of off-field problems and inject confidence into an Australian team that is now commencing their Ashes campaign with a new but trusted coach.Lehmann has been appointed Australia’s new head coach until the end of the 2015 World Cup after Mickey Arthur was sacked over what Cricket Australia called failures of discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability. Lehmann will take over immediately and has just over two weeks to prepare the squad for the first Ashes Test after the drastic decision by Cricket Australia’s management.”There won’t be any ongoing problems. We’ll get everything right off the field,” Lehmann said. “It’s important to talk about the game, whether it’s with a beer or a Diet Coke I don’t mind, to be perfectly honest. It’s about learning the game and improving our skills. That’s what we’re about on this tour, improving our skills as cricketers and people, and performing at the level everyone would expect back home for us to do.”It’s a challenge for all the playing group and everyone involved. The team is going to play a certain way. We’re going to play an aggressive brand of cricket that entertains the fans but also gets the job done on and off the field. I’m excited by the challenge.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, sat alongside the team performance manager Pat Howard and explained the decision.”This has been a difficult decision to make but one that we feel is necessary,” Sutherland said. “We are looking to establish a high-performing Australian cricket team that is consistent over a period of time. To achieve that, we need all the parts moving in the right direction. Recent on-field results have been too inconsistent.”Discipline, consistency of behaviour and accountability for performance are all key ingredients that need to improve. And we see that the head coach is ultimately responsible for that. The Cricket Australia board decided yesterday that Mickey Arthur should not continue as head coach of the Australian cricket team. In taking this decision, the board accepted the recommendation to make an immediate change as being in the best interests of the team.”The timing is far from ideal but we didn’t feel we could sit back and hope matters would change without addressing issues critical to a high performing team culture. It obviously isn’t the type of change we want to make three weeks out from the Ashes commencing but we believe a change is needed.”Sutherland also accepted responsibility for the management of the team slipping so far out of hand that Arthur’s sacking had arrived at such an inopportune moment, even though concerns around the team had been mounting from the moment Michael Hussey joined Ricky Ponting in retirement last summer.”Certainly it causes me to reflect on issues and performance related matters that as an organisation we need to take responsibility for,” Sutherland said. “I guess that’s why we’re grasping the nettle today and we’re making a decision to make change perhaps ahead of where public expectation might be because we’re not going to allow things to remain the same. Status quo isn’t good enough and we need improved performance improved accountability and we expect to see that over the coming months.”I think we all need to take responsibility for ultimately performance. One of the key objectives as an organisation is for all teams to perform to their utmost ability. Between Pat and I we take responsibility for that and we’ve made a difficult decision today to move forward and hopefully we’ll get the response we hope for and expect.”Sutherland acknowledged that Lehmann’s position as a widely respected figure in Australian cricket and popular coach at state and IPL levels would help provide a bridge over the gap left by Hussey and Ponting, one that Arthur had failed to deal with in India and in the early weeks of the tour of the UK.”Mickey’s job was made tougher by the departures, perhaps premature departures of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting,” Sutherland said. “That’s not an excuse, that’s how it happened. But certainly Darren is close to the players, he knows a lot of them, a couple of them actually played with him. And I think that’s another reason why I have great confidence sitting here today in saying I believe the players will respond very positively under Darren.”The board considered him the outstanding candidate to drive the cultural change required in the team and to take it to the number one ranking in all formats of the game. No-one is underestimating the task at hand but we believe he is the right man for the job. It is up to the players to respond under his leadership and demonstrate their commitment to a successful Australian team.”Arthur conceded that the team had not galvanised sufficiently under his tenure.”The reality is when you take a job on as head coach you are totally responsible for the outcomes,” he said. “The players are a young group learning the way. I’m very structured in the way I go about things. I’m a man of principle, I try and get the team going in one direction because I firmly believe a team with culture is a successful team.”I don’t feel let down by the players at all. At the end of the day you live and die by the sword and I gave this job 100% of my time over the last couple of years. The disappointing thing is I thought we were nearly there to cracking it, I really do. I take responsibility for it.”Lehmann said that he would set out quickly to eradicate any issues with team culture and off-field standards, and that his focus as coach would be to ensure the players learnt what they needed to about the game and improved their skills.CA also confirmed that the captain Michael Clarke has stood down from the selection panel. Clarke was appointed to the five-man panel after the Argus Report recommended that the captain and coach become more accountable by officially being part of the selection process.”Michael first approached Pat Howard in March after the recent Indian series and requested to stand down as a selector so that he could focus on the team and avoid any perceived conflicts of interest,” Sutherland said. “Being a team selector was proving to be a significant drain on Michael’s time and he sees this as distracting from his primary responsibilities as a player and as captain.”

Barcelona's Inigo Martinez feels that Ilkay Gundogan did not intend for his criticism of the team to spark controversy after the Clasico defeat.

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Gundogan spoke out against team-matesReceived criticism for commentsInigo Martinez defends Germany internationalGetty WHAT HAPPENED?

Last month, the Catalan side lost 2-1 to Real Madrid after blowing a lead, which prompted a heated comment from Gundogan following the match in which he criticised the Barcelona team's response to the setback. Gundogan's remarks have caused some uproar as he called for greater fervour and cautioned his team that they were losing ground. Martinez has now claimed that Gundogan was just overcome by the passion of his first Clasico in an attempt to defuse the situation.

AdvertisementWHAT MARTINEZ SAID

"It was just after the game, in the heat of the moment, we had just lost against Real Madrid and when you are in the heat of the moment, you say things you don't mean," he told Sport. "Whenever you're like this, things usually don't come out well and often contribute little.

"We all knew what he wanted to say and none of us felt singled out. The next day, we talked about it. It was in the heat of the moment because you lose against Madrid and you say things that you don't really mean and you don't want to say. Everything is solved, there are good vibes. There is no problem between us."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The midfielder's future in Barcelona has already come under scrutiny. His wife Sara has previously refuted reports that Gundogan was unhappy with Barcelona's attempts to help the family settle into life at the club, while his agent has hit back at claims the midfielder wants to move to Galatasaray.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

Barcelona are third in the league, four points behind surprise leaders Girona, and will be in action when they take on Rayo Vallecano on November 25.

Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler and popular coach of Yorkshire, has ruled himself out of the running for an England coaching job

Daniel Brettig01-Feb-2014Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler and popular coach of Yorkshire, has ruled himself out of the running for an England coaching job following the resignation of Andy Flower.It took only a matter of hours following the news of Flower’s exit for Gillespie to be mentioned as a strong possible contender for the role of managing England. His positive effect on the Yorkshire dressing room and uncomplicated coaching style has raised comparisons with his fellow South Australian and adopted northerner Darren Lehmann.But Gillespie told ESPNcricinfo he was adamant that his immediate future lay with Yorkshire. He expressed a desire to move into international coaching in time but did not wish to entertain leaving the county job in which he has mentored the likes of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow and took the club to a second-place finish behind Durham in the 2013 Championship.”I’m 100% committed to Yorkshire, really want to work with our players and support staff to achieve success at our County,” Gillespie said. “We believe our club is moving in the right direction on and off the field and I am excited to be part of it. I am learning a lot about coaching and people where I am now. I love my job, I would look at an international opportunity down the line but not at this stage.”Apart from his desire to carry on with Yorkshire, Gillespie also has a young family to consider – the significant amount of global travel entailed in an ECB job is also likely to factor into his thinking. Gillespie had previously applied to be Australia’s bowling coach in a post-playing career that has also taken him to Zimbabwe.

Australia have shipped in Shane Warne to mentor (not coach) their spinners ahead of the Twenty20 series and share his cricket knowledge with the rest. South Africa have called on some of the finest heads in the cricketing fraternity to do the same

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town28-Feb-2014Australia have shipped in Shane Warne to mentor (not coach) their spinners ahead of the Twenty20 series and share his cricket knowledge with the rest. South Africa have called on some of the finest heads in the cricketing fraternity to do the same. The biggest Test of the summer awaits both teams and they’re doing all they can to make sure they’re not found wanting.Gary Kirsten, who signed on for 50 days as a batting consultant with the South African side, has spent a few of those alongside the squad this week. Mark Boucher was at the nets on the eve of the Test match, Jacques Kallis’ advice will be sought from whichever golf course he is on and when he arrives to be felicitated during the game, and even the non-playing members of the squad will be called on to add their bit.Robin Peterson, who did not play at St George’s Park but was born and has lived in Port Elizabeth, contributed to the knowledge bank in a big way for that Test, according to Dale Steyn. In Cape Town South Africa have a wealth of players who are familiar with the ground and the conditions to call on. Six members of the squad play for the franchise based in the city and one of them, Rory Kleinveldt, is being tipped to make a return partly because of the success he has enjoyed at this ground.Of the former players, Kirsten, Boucher and Kallis all spent large parts of their careers playing domestic cricket in Cape Town. All of them know the ground and the game almost as well as they know themselves and add a different dimension to the think-tank. Kirsten’s specialties are player management and technique. “It’s always nice to have Gary back,” Smith said. “He always adds value with his calmness, experience and work rate. He is a great asset to us.”Boucher and Kallis’ areas are mindset. Although Boucher was spotted doing throw-downs at a nets session, there’s little doubt he will also be doing some teaching in throwing down verbals at the Australians and beating them at their own mind game. Boucher has a reputation for being a fighter and a scrapper and during his playing days, South Africa thrived on that.He’ll remind them of their standards, as he did on Twitter after the second Test win: “We are the No1. team in the world… we showed why. Other teams would have crashed in after the humiliating defeat in 1st Test. Not us!”Kallis is not as loud a cheerleader but an astute observer of the game. He has already weighed in on the reverse swing debacle, explaining that when David Warner hit JP Duminy for six and the ball landed on concrete, the roughing up started. “It was perfect start to preparing the ball for reverse swing,” Kallis said in a column.It’s observations like that Graeme Smith will welcome. “I always like to get as much information as possible,” Graeme Smith said, when asked about whether he knew what he’d do at the toss. Smith has lived in Cape Town for 15 years and considers himself a local, so he knows the weather can change in an instant and that can influence a decision at the toss.Clouds are forecast for the first morning and when they sit on Table Mountain, that usually means conditions are good for bowling. But, they are also expected to clear fairly quickly and blue skies and a warm day will open up, making the afternoon good for batting. If the captain who calls the coin correctly decides to put the opposition in, he will want quick wickets as a reward for that decision.Whatever happens, neither captain expects the surface to be as a lively as it was when they last met in Cape Town in November 2011. Then, South Africa were bowled out for 96 and Australia for 47 on a mad day in which 23 wickets tumbled at Newlands. “I think the wicket has settled down quite a bit since then,” Smith said, with Michael Clarke also noting the strip seemed “quite different” to what it was three years ago.Then, the water table was high because of the time of year and the freshly laid clay. Now, the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and there’s a Test series on the line. There’s no better reason to expect eye-catching cricket.

The Young Lions progressed to the knockout stages of the European Under-21 Championship courtesy of a comfortable win on Sunday

Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith Rowe were the scorers as England beat Israel 2-0 to secure their place in the Under 21 European Championship quarter-finals on Sunday.

The Young Lions were dominant throughout the Group C encounter, but had a difficult time converting it into dangerous chances.

Morgan Gibbs-White was the architect of the victory, setting up Gordon with a fine cross early on and then putting it on a platter for Smith Rowe to secure the victory in the second period with his second of the competition.

GOAL rates England's players from Stadion Ramaz Shengelia…

Goalkeeper & Defence

James Trafford (6/10):

Got down low to keep out a promising free kick but otherwise did not have a great deal to do.

James Garner (7/10):

A solid performance at right-back, did well to contain the threat from Israel and support the attack.

Levi Colwill (7/10):

Had a sound game in the heart of the back line.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (6/10):

Looked comfortable in the centre of defence against an Israel side that struggled to threaten.

Ben Johnson (5/10):

Had a shaky performance, got booked and gave away a dangerous free kick at the end of the first half.

AdvertisementMidfield

Emile Smith Rowe (7/10):

Grew into the game and fired in the decisive second goal just as Israel seemed to be gaining in confidence and bravery.

Curtis Jones (6/10):

Did well to win the ball in midfield and play some simple passes to keep the ball in circulation.

Angel Gomes (7/10):

A solid display deep in the England midfield with some smart moves.

Morgan Gibbs White (8/10):

Put in a lovely cross for Gordon to nod in the opener and then teed up Smith Rowe for the second. A lively threat throughout and the Young Lions' best player.

Attack

Anthony Gordon (7/10):

After having a goal disallowed, he netted the opener after 15 minutes with a fine header beyond the goalkeeper.

Noni Madueke (5/10):

Had a quiet game as he found it difficult to influence England's attack as forward partner Gordon looked more dangerous. Squandered a great opportunity early in the second half.

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Cole Palmer (5/10):

Replaced the struggling Madueke but did not fare much better himself in an underwhelming display.

Cameron Archer (6/10):

Was sent through for a great opportunity but failed to capitalise on it.

Harvey Elliott (6/10):

Set up Archer for a chance with a nice through pass shortly after coming on.

Oliver Skipp (5/10):

Did not make much of an impact after replacing Gomes.

Jacob Ramsey (5/10):

On for the last 10 minutes but the game was winding down by then.

Lee Carsley (7/10):

His team were on top throughout but the coach would have expected more opportunities than they created.

After a flawless run at home, New Zealand have travelled to Melbourne for the World Cup final. This last challenge – against co-hosts Australia – will be their greatest

Andrew McGlashan26-Mar-20151:46

Crowe: NZ will need to adapt quickly to MCG

Home advantage has helped carry New Zealand through the World Cup, amid frenzied atmospheres that peaked during the astonishing semi-final against South Africa. Now, though, the players have left the feeling of familiarity behind to play the biggest match of their lives. And the contrast in venues does not come much greater than Eden Park to the MCG.Some of the shortest boundaries in the world will be replaced by some of the longest. Both grounds have hosted four matches in the World Cup: the Auckland sixes count is 56, Melbourne 19. However, to suggest that it is a game-changing difference is to do injustice to New Zealand’s batting. Martin Guptill’s 110-metre six that landed on the roof in Wellington would have comfortably made the MCG stands and Brendon McCullum will just see it as another challenge. Still, there will be a new test presented to the batsmen.New Zealand visited the MCG in October to get a feel for the venue, but walking round an empty ground cannot start to replicate what they will be greeted with on Sunday. The last time they played in Melbourne was 2009 and they were guided to victory by an unbeaten 61 from Grant Elliott, the one New Zealander not to make the planning trip last year.Six of the New Zealand side from that day will, barring injury, play the final. Alongside Elliott, there was McCullum, Guptill, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori and Tim Southee. McCullum faced 75 balls for his 43; in his current mindset a 75-ball innings would leave him not far short of 150. Luke Ronchi, meanwhile, will bring his Australia and Western Australia memories with him, which amounts to 14 matches on the ground. For four of the likely starting XI – Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult and Matt Henry – it will be their first appearances at the MCG.Vettori, in what is likely to be his final international appearance, will be a key player. Such is his longevity he has played eight times at the MCG from 1997 to 2009, and though he only has eight wickets his economy rate is 4.39 – albeit before the current fielding restrictions. In the 2009 match, he was part of a twin-spin attack alongside Jeetan Patel and bowled his allocation for 35 runs.Batsmen will need to adjust their sights and running between the wickets will become as important as clearing the rope. As a rudimentary example, there have been 26 threes run at the MCG in four matches compared to nine at Eden Park. That also impacts the fielding, the teamwork and aggression, which have been markers for New Zealand. Cutting off twos becomes a tough task for the deep fielders and you can expect plenty of use of the relay throw. And that’s before you factor in the ‘advice’ that will no doubt be offered from the other side of the fence.”We’ve played cricket around world so nothing really changes,” Henry insisted. “You just adapt to the conditions, we’ve done that throughout New Zealand. It doesn’t really matter with some of the guys in our team, boundaries aren’t big enough so we don’t need to worry about that. It’s just a beautiful ground, just enjoy it. Soak it up.”For the players, adjusting their own games is something they have control over. But one aspect of the final that is out of their hands will be the support-base. Whoever had won the second semi-final would have had the majority of the crowd behind them. Now that Australia have made it, New Zealand can expect a hostile welcome especially after the previous meeting at Eden Park.There will not be a full house roaring their support for New Zealand, as there was that day or in the semi-final, though significant Kiwi backing is expected. Air New Zealand have added an extra charter flight on Sunday morning to ferry fans across the Tasman – the return flight arriving in Auckland at 7.30 am on Monday, in time for work – while Jetstar have said “half their flights” from New Zealand to Melbourne are sold out. Still, a few planeloads of people do not make much of a dent in a 90,000-seater stadium.”The crowds have been amazing everywhere around the country,” Mike Hesson said. “We’ll miss them, no doubt, at the MCG but I know there’s a fair few going over … they’ll probably be drowned out but we’ll know they are there.”Henry, for whom this trip is only his second visit to Melbourne, was just waiting to savour the day. “For me personally it’s the first time to touch the turf,” he said. “There’s excitement, it’s not something to be daunted and scared of. It’s a time to embrace it.”Never mind that they are on Australia’s patch this time, New Zealand’s performances in this World Cup – and especially the semi-final – mean they will have no fear. The MCG provides a vast challenge, in every respect, but the ground alone will not decide the World Cup.