All posts by h716a5.icu

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan fast bowler, has questioned the PCB’s decision to appoint 36-year-old Misbah-ul-as Haq as the limited-overs captain

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-2011Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has questioned the PCB’s decision to appoint 36-year-old Misbah-ul-as Haq as the limited-overs captain in place of Shahid Afridi, saying the move is “at best a stop-gap arrangement.””The present Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq is on the wrong side of 30 and I don’t see him leading the side beyond six to eight months”, Akram told on Friday. Earlier this week the PCB decided to hand Misbah the reins for the two ODIs against Ireland at the end of the month, but chose not to offer a reason for the move. It is likely, however, that the decision came after the board decided they had had enough with Afridi’s penchant for awkward public statements. The latest situation arose when Afridi returned from the Caribbean and hinted at unhappiness with coach Waqar Younis over matters of selection.Out of 34 ODIs, Afridi had won 18 and lost 15; a stretch which included tough series against England and South Africa, and took Pakistan to the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup, and Akram believes those results mean it was wrong to sack Afridi over such “trivial matters”.”Arguments between captains and coaches are not new in Pakistan cricket,” Akram said. “Afridi was hailed as a national hero after the World Cup, and came back from the West Indies after winning the ODI series only to find out he has been sacked. What is the PCB up to?”It is a wrong step taken by PCB, and only [chairman] Ijaz Butt is to be blamed for this. In Pakistan, the coach wants all the power and when it doesn’t happen, the fight begins.”Akram was not the only one critical of the board’s decision. Abdul Qadir, former Pakistan legspinner, felt the board should not have been so quick to change captains. “Afridi should also be careful in giving media statements,” he told . “But the fact is changing the captaincy is a cricketing decision and this one is not a sagacious one. Dropping Afridi as captain and retaining him in the side to play under Misbah appears a bad move,” he said.And former chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said the PCB was to blame and called for the government to intervene. “Players are the ones who bring in money for the board and attract people to the sport. Afridi didn’t commit a crime if he spoke about problems he was facing as captain. Instead of listening to him the board sacked him as captain this is unjust and unfair and the government should take notice of this.”

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been ruled out of the domestic Faysal Bank T20 competition, due to a cyst on the chest that requires surgery

Umar Farooq29-Sep-2011Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s opening batsman, has been ruled out of the domestic Faysal Bank T20 competition because of a cyst on his chest that requires surgery. The timing of the surgery has been decided with an eye on Pakistan’s upcoming international commitments.”It’s a minor surgery, nothing serious, but he [Hafeez] opted to skip the Twenty20 championship as precaution,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNCricinfo. “He has very less time ahead of the Sri Lanka series [the first Test begins on October 18 in Abu Dhabi], which is followed by Bangladesh and England series. So it’s the ideal time for him to undergo surgery.”He needs to go through a recuperation process after surgery and, since the commitments of the national team obviously have priority, ensure his availability for Pakistan.”Hafeez, 30, is a key member of the Faisalabad Wolves, who kicked off their Faysal Bank campaign with a convincing 54-run win against Multan Tigers in Karachi. He was in prime form during Pakistan’s recent tour of Zimbabwe, scoring 467 runs and taking 13 wickets across formats, with four Man-of-the-Match awards and two centuries.

Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh’s senior players, has said he had no idea that the national coach Stuart Law was going to resign

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Apr-2012Tamim Iqbal, one of Bangladesh’s top batsmen, has said he had no idea that the national coach Stuart Law was going to resign. He was talking hours after Law announced his decision to quit as Bangladesh coach.”I’m completely taken by surprise,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “But family comes first.” Law was stepping down less than a month after guiding Bangladesh to the final of the Asia Cup.Tamim said Law had added to the professionalism brought in by his predecessors as coach, the Australian pair of Dav Whatmore and Jamie Siddons. “Law gave us the belief that we can do it,” Tamim said. “And that only pumped up the players. He used to give us tremendous amount of confidence. A team like us needs the confidence and he always supported us.”The relationship between a coach and the players takes time to develop usually and with Stuey, we were almost there. Everyone was enjoying his presence in the dressing room and he was enjoying being with us as well.”Tamim also gave a personal example of Law’s influence. “When I was going through a rough patch during the Pakistan series (last December) he kept pushing me to work hard. There is one line I can never forget. He said: ‘Someone is hurt now and someone will be hurt in the Asia Cup.'” Tamim made four half-centuries in four matches in the Asia Cup and finished as the second-highest run-maker in the tournament.Tamim said he was also disappointed as he felt Law’s departure was a bit of a backward step for Bangladesh cricket. “We will miss him definitely. This is the tragedy with Bangladesh cricket: whenever we do something good, something bad happens.”Edited by Siddarth Ravindran

The absence of a specialist spin-bowling coach in Australia’s full-time touring setup is not a major problem, according to the offspinner Nathan Hauritz

Brydon Coverdale17-May-2011The absence of a specialist spin-bowling coach in Australia’s full-time touring setup is not a major problem, according to the offspinner Nathan Hauritz. Craig McDermott is Australia’s new bowling coach and his brief, like that of his predecessor Troy Cooley, includes mentoring the slow men as well as the fast bowlers.McDermott took 291 Test wickets off the long run-up and would seem as qualified to help the spinners as he would be to advise the batsmen. But Hauritz said while it was in theory a positive to have a specialist on hand to assist the slow bowlers, the information overload provided by an extra coaching staff member was not necessarily a good thing.”It is good, it gives you someone else to talk to about fields and tactics, but sometimes it can confuse things,” Hauritz told ESPNcricinfo. “You can have too much. It can be a bit overwhelming at the end of the day.”There’s so much technology these days. Any spin coach can watch the footage or you can sit down and have a chat over the net, Skype or anything like that. Craig McDermott’s experience and record speaks for itself. I think he’ll be invaluable for the side. And he’s going to offer different opinions about spin bowling as well. It’s all going to be worth listening to.”Australia typically don’t take a spin coach on tours, although the Centre of Excellence mentor John Davison has travelled with the side, as he did on last year’s Test tour of India. England, on the other hand, use the former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as a specialist coach, and his former team-mate Saqlain Mushtaq has advised the New Zealand spinners.Australia’s spin stocks are not exactly brimming with world-class talent, and an international expert might be of use to give Hauritz and his colleagues a different perspective. He said when bowling in the nets on a tour, it was usually the batsmen to whom he turned for advice, as they had a good view of how he was performing.”They’ve generally got the best idea of how the ball is coming down, whether they’re getting beaten in flight, the lines, what sort of fields you’d set,” Hauritz said. “That’s what I like to work with. When you’re bowling against those guys, if you’re doing the right thing and the ball is arriving in the right way, they can give you the best response. If not, then you can work on it from there.”

Johan Botha’s best Twenty20 bowling figures helped Northamptonshire to a 40-run win which ended Warwickshire’s unbeaten start

05-Jun-2011
ScorecardJohan Botha’s best Twenty20 bowling figures helped Northamptonshire to a 40-run win which ended Warwickshire’s unbeaten start to their Friends Life t20 campaign at Edgbaston. The South Africa off-spinner took 4 for 16, including two wickets in his first over, as Warwickshire were dismissed for 110, their lowest Twenty20 total.Botha found a slow pitch, on which Warwickshire’s New Zealand off-spinner Jeetan Patel had taken three for 19, to his liking and he stifled Warwickshire’s chase as they tried to keep up with the Duckworth Lewis rate as steady rain threatened to curtail their innings.Botha may have taken the individual honours but the fact that Northamptonshire reached 150 for 8 and had a total to defend in the first place was due to Jack Brooks and David Willey, who shared a Twenty20 world record-equalling ninth-wicket stand of 59.Northamptonshire were in danger of being dismissed for under 100 when they limped to 91 for 8, but Brooks and Willey rode their luck to equal the record stand of Lancashire’s Glen Chapple and Peter Martin at Leicester in 2003.Brooks, who had made only seven runs in the competition before this innings, struck out boldly and lifted Neil Carter for a straight six in his breezy unbeaten 33 from just 19 balls.Left-hander Willey also lifted Carter for six over long on in making 22 from 15 balls which helped Northamptonshire recover after they had struggled against Patel and seamer Steffan Piolet, whose three for 25 constituted competition-best figures. Piolet took two wickets in his first four balls including Alex Wakely, who was lbw working to leg after he had clobbered six fours in his 35.Warwickshire’s response was timid and they ran into trouble against Botha after Carter was run out trying to take two to Chaminda Vaas at short third man. William Porterfield, who made half centuries in the wins over Durham and Yorkshire, carved to point and Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton went lbw in Botha’s first over.Botha then snared Darren Maddy and Varun Chopra playing across the line and Hall ended a mini-revival by bowling Keith Barker and Tim Ambrose, whose seventh-wicket partnership of 23 was the best of the innings, in the space of four balls.

Two players at Manchester United are considering their future at the club amidst the incoming rebuild led by Erik ten Hag and Ralf Rangnick.

What’s the word?

That is according to the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that both Eric Bailly and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could join Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani, Lee Grant, Jesse Lingard and Paul Pogba in leaving the club this summer.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “It’s important to say that two more players have chance to leave Manchester United in the summer.

“One is Eric Bailly because the player is not happy with his game time and so he’s waiting to see what will be the position of Erik ten Hag, but from what I’m told there are good chances for him to go in the summer to leave Manchester United. So Bailly will consider potential proposals.

“And for [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka, there is interest from Crystal Palace. They would love to have the player back but still no decision made on player side. So let’s see what Wan-Bissaka will decide in the coming months.

Supporters will be buzzing

Having conceded 52 Premier League goals this season, United’s defence has well and truly crumbled. The Red Devils have the eighth-worst concession record in the current top-flight campaign, with the likes of Burnley, Aston Villa and West Ham all shipping significantly fewer goals.

As a result, the majority of United fans will surely welcome the news that two defenders could be on their way out of Old Trafford this summer.

The appointment of Ten Hag, with Rangnick set to move into a consultancy role, is massive for United. It presents an opportunity to tear everything down and build from scratch.

That begins by addressing the futures of the current first-team players and trimming down the squad, before adding signings who can come in and reignite the spark of this sleeping giant.

With the likes of Denzel Dumfries mentioned as a potential replacement for Wan-Bissaka, the intent as to how Ten Hag will want to play at United seems very clear.

The 52-year-old wants his defenders to press and win back possession in and around the attacking third. United have been mediocre in that regard this season, winning the ball back in the attacking third at an average of just 4.4 times per match, a return bettered by 11 top-flight teams.

Therefore, the new manager will be looking for players who are comfortable operating in such an intense system and are competent both in and out of possession.

It’s an exciting time for Manchester United, who will be hoping that Ten Hag and Rangnick can awaken what is a sleeping giant in the world of football, and this planned overhaul of the defence will surely leave the Old Trafford faithful buzzing given their troubles in that regard over the past few months.

In other news: Man United are now best placed to sign £83m “diamond”, just imagine him & CR7

An inexperienced West Indies top order rose to the occasion to trigger a strong comeback in Mirpur after Bangladesh had enjoyed the better of the drawn first Test in Chittagong

The Report by Siddhartha Talya29-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kieran Powell made a fluent half-century•Associated PressAn inexperienced West Indies top order rose to the occasion to trigger a strong comeback in Mirpur after Bangladesh had enjoyed the better of the drawn first Test in Chittagong. On a track that promised plenty of runs and just as much discouragement for the bowlers the trio of Kieran Powell, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kirk Edwards struck half-centuries to lay the foundation for a substantial first-innings score. But the performance was undermined, somewhat, when Bangladesh grabbed three wickets in the final session to give themselves hope of thwarting a West Indian attempt to bat them out of the Test.It didn’t take long for the Bangladesh bowlers to discover that there was no swing, hardly any movement off the pitch and not much turn. It didn’t help that the hosts were also missing Elias Sunny, who grabbed seven wickets on debut in the opening Test on a supportive pitch, due to a stomach upset. The attacking fields quickly grew defensive, spin was introduced as early as the sixth over and opportunities created were largely a result of the batsmen’s own misjudgement. The West Indies approach was cautious for much of the day, largely devoid of risks and reliant on quiet accumulation.A back injury to Lendl Simmons meant a game for Powell, and he, along with Brathwaite, shrugged off some early moments of discomfort to bat out an entire session with assuredness and solidity. Both were just a Test old before this game but capitalised on a flat track to help themselves to individual landmarks that should only boost their future Test prospects. There was little room for error on the part of the seamers early on and the pair was prompt to dispatch any bad balls that came its way. Rubel Hossain and Shahadat Hossain were often guilty of bowling too short, and kept providing periodic openings for the batsmen to break free.Brathwaite was also at ease when the ball was pitched up. He drove Shahadat through the covers and past mid-on, worked the strike by clipping the ball through the leg side and later slashed him through point. He’d been a little vulnerable against Rubel, who persisted with an off-stump line against him and should have had him when he cut one just wide of gully before lunch. He finally had his man, who chased a slightly wide delivery once too often, caught on 50.At the other end, Powell looked more fluent. His shots lack flourish but the stand-out feature of his batting is his timing. His maiden half-century was laced with languid punches and drives through the off side with a minimum of effort and unlike Brathwaite, who was restrained against spin, Powell was more authoritative in his treatment of the slower bowlers. He got going, pulling Shahadat through square leg before driving a meaty full toss, stood tall to crack the ball through the gaps on the off side and reached forward to drive the spinners when they pitched up. He looked good for much more than 72 – after adding 100 with Brathwaite and 55 with Edwards – but was bowled playing inside the line to debutant left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo.Edwards had been scratchy in Chittagong but was at greater ease against the minimal turn and made a committed effort to use his feet, get to the pitch and play through the line. He collected plenty of runs, driving through mid-on, when the slow bowlers offered flight and even stepped out to clear the in-field on one occasion. Like the others, he was more confident against pace. Rubel was pulled for successive fours, Shahadat clipped through fine leg. Shahadat was taken for runs by Marlon Samuels as well, after Bangladesh fought back post tea.West Indies had been going along well at 180 for 2, Darren Bravo having settled in with a couple of boundaries. But like Powell he too misread a straighter one, and was trapped lbw by offspinner Nasir Hossain who kept the batsmen in check through his round-the-wicket line. Among the spinners, he managed to turn the ball the most and got some extra bite with the second new ball that was enough to induce an edge from Shivnarine Chanderpaul that was feathered to the keeper. Nightwatchman Kemar Roach had no answer to an arm ball from Shakib Al Hasan two overs later, and the two quick wickets just prior to stumps kept a check on a far-improved West Indies batting effort.

Zimbabwe batsman Tino Mawoyo insists he is ready for the challenge of the World Cup after receiving a surprise call-up to replace Sean Ervine

Liam Brickhill28-Jan-2011Zimbabwe batsman Tino Mawoyo insists he is ready for the challenge of the World Cup after receiving a surprise call-up to replace Sean Ervine, who pulled out of the squad for the tournament due to personal reasons.”I was both excited and a bit surprised when I got the news,” said Mawoyo. “I was disappointed to have been left out at first just like all the players that have not been included, but despite having been left out I have been working hard all along so I think I will be as ready as the other guys when the World Cup starts.”Mawoyo, an opening batsman who played two one-day internationals against Bangladesh in 2006, has been one of the more consistent batsmen on the domestic limited-overs scene over the past two seasons. He furthered his claims for national selection with some impressive innings in the unofficial Test series against New Zealand in October last year, and his entry to the World Cup squad will also give the team more options at the top of the innings.”There is a slight change in the dynamics of the side as we lost a batsman we could have got some seam from,” explained national coach Alan Butcher. “On the other hand now we have a batsman who is used to opening the batting. I was comfortable with the options we had in that regard but now we have somebody who is used to taking the new ball at the top order and whose natural inclination is to play shots.””Tino has done well to improve on his fitness, as asked to, and he has had some rewards for his hard work,” added Butcher. “He has shed some weight and we can push that along for the next few weeks. Let’s hope that he takes to our regime for people to become fit and strong and at the same time compete in that way against other teams. We’ll get a good idea about how his attitude and mind work by the end of the tournament.”Mawoyo was in ebullient mood after being asked to join the squad and suggested that if Zimbabwe play to their strengths they could upset some of the bigger teams at the tournament. “We have always shown we are a good team,” he said. “We can get positive results against some of the big guns in our group if we apply ourselves fully. Everybody is excited and raring to go so I have a feeling it will be a successful outing for us.”Mawoyo’s words will have pleased Butcher, who expressed his hope that the Zimbabweans would approach the World Cup with a spirit of fun and adventure. “Pressure and opportunity are different sides of the same coin and I hope our people will look at it as an opportunity and an adventure rather than being under pressure,” he said.”There are other teams in the world cup that will be under more pressure than Zimbabwe and that is purely because their expectations will be greater. We have our own expectations but the more we can look at it as an opportunity to showcase individual and collective talent, rather than something that should stop us from performing, the better.”National team assistant coach Steven Mangongo added that he expected Mawoyo, who he suggested had been unlucky to miss out on selection in the past, to make the most of this opportunity. “It’s a big opportunity for him to finally get his international career going,” said Mangongo. “I always thought he was one player that had been left out who deserved to be in the squad. He is one of the few specialist openers that we have and we hope he takes this opportunity with both hands and does the job.”

Liverpool have been boosted by the news that Villarreal key player Gerard Moreno could miss both Champions League semi-final clashes with the Reds.

The Lowdown: Liverpool one step from Paris

Jurgen Klopp’s men overcame Benfica in the quarter-finals, following an exciting 6-4 win on aggregate, booking their place in the semis in the process.

It is Villarreal who Liverpool are up against next, following their surprise win over Bayern Munich, with a place in the final in Paris now within touching distance.

With the first leg at Anfield arriving on April 27th, a key injury update has emerged from Spain.

The Latest: Moreno could miss out

Taking to Twitter on Monday, journalist David Lynch shared confirmation that Moreno has picked up a hamstring problem that could rule him out of both legs of the tie:

“Villarreal confirm striker Gerard Moreno has suffered a hamstring strain. No timescale but that doesn’t bode well for his chances of facing Liverpool.”

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The Verdict: Undoubted boost for Reds

Moreno has arguably become one of Villarreal’s most important attacking players, so the idea of him missing both legs is undoubtedly a positive for Liverpool.

He has scored nine goals in 14 La Liga starts this season, as well as picking up the all-important assist for Samuel Chukwueze’s goal away to Bayern earlier this month.

It is worth stressing that Moreno hasn’t officially been ruled out yet but the current news suggests Liverpool’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final have been boosted.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

A question mark has arisen over the continuance of Justice BN Srikrishna as arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab following the Indian board’s objection to his appointment on grounds of a conflict of interest

Nagraj Gollapudi and Sharda Ugra01-Dec-2010The arbitrator in the case between the BCCI and the Kings XI Punjab, justice BN Srikrishna, has withdrawn from the case after disclosing to both parties that he represented the Wadia Group, part owners of the Punjab franchise, in many of their cases in the past.”I disclosed to the BCCI today that I was defence counsel for the Wadia Group,” Srikrishna told ESPNcricinfo. “They said I couldn’t continue, I said that was fine with me.”The news came a day after Srikrishna delivered an interim order in another case involving the BCCI, granting a stay on the expulsion of Rajasthan Royals. He said today’s development would not have any bearing on the Rajasthan case. “I will carry on because my association with the Wadias in the past does not concern that case.”Srikrishna was scheduled to begin hearing the Punjab case today, with the hearing set to last three days with provisions for a reserve day. But the board’s objection – made before the day’s proceedings started – stalled it.The irony is that Srikrishna was the BCCI’s own choice as arbitrator when both the issues went to arbitration. BCCI president Shashank Manohar told ESPNcricinfo that “he was chosen as we have all our faith in him.”Manohar said they would be challenging Srikrishna’s order staying the Rajasthan Royals termination in the Bombay High Court tomorrow, but said there was a possibility to include more teams in the fourth IPL.”Honestly speaking, we have nothing against any teams or any of the franchises,” Manohar said. “We have just acted based on the advice we have taken from our lawyers over certain matters.”The BCCI chief said the board was “not at all worried” about the turn of events in the IPL arbitration cases. “We will work it out … even if there are eight teams or ten teams in the next IPL, that’s fine. If we get an order from the court tomorrow that we cannot terminate the teams and they will have to be included in the IPL, that will happen.”