Category Uncategorized

James Tomlinson’s four wickets helped Hampshire skittle Leicestershire and make them follow-on at the Ageas Bowl

11-Apr-2013
ScorecardJames Tomlinson caused havoc with the ball•Getty Images

James Tomlinson took four quick wickets as Leicestershire were forced to follow-on on day two against Hampshire.Left-arm pace bowler Tomlinson exploited the swinging bowling conditions with great skill as Leicestershire were bowled out for 143 in response to Hampshire’s first innings total of 454 for 7 declared. They will therefore begin day three 311 runs behind their hosts.Leicestershire openers Michael Thornely and Niall O’Brien had to bat out the last two overs of the day without scoring when following on but the damage had already been done. Tomlinson made the ball move both ways to finish with 4 for 23 while another left-armer, Chris Wood took 3 for 30 as Leicestershire collapsed from 31 without loss.Earlier Hampshire had resumed on 286 for 4 and had little difficulty in adding a further 168 in 39 overs for the loss of Sean Ervine, James Vince and Wood. Ervine departed at 308, bowled by Matthew Hoggard, but Vince was in imperious form, reaching his century with his 17th boundary off Shiv Thakor as Hampshire built a formidable total.Vince and newcomer Adam Wheater added 104 for the sixth wicket in 29 overs before Vince lofted debut-making pace bowler Ollie Freckingham into the deep where Thakor held the catch. Vince faced 236 balls for his 148 and struck 21 boundaries, but even then the punishment was not over.Wheater, signed in the close season from Essex, blasted a rapid unbeaten 56 and Wood took advantage of a demoralised attack to make a swift 28 before being bowled by Jigar Naik to prompt the declaration.Thornely and O’Brien gave no hint of the tribulations to come with an opening stand of 31 but when Wood had O’Brien caught at first slip by Ervine, the batting was processional.Tomlinson’s first victim was Thornely, followed in rapid succession by Ned Eckersley and Josh Cobb to make inexperienced Leicestershire 64 for 4, a position from which they never recovered. Only captain Ramnaresh Sarwan hung around long enough to make an impression, hitting five fours in his top score of 25 before he was bowled by Ervine.At 118 for 9 Leicestershire looked doomed but then last pair Hoggard and Alex Wyatt attempted to bring some respectability to the score with an aggressive stand of 25 before Tomlinson returned to claim his fourth wicket when Hoggard drove to third slip.Hampshire fielders surrounded the Leicestershire openers when the follow-on was enforced but they survived to the close.

A Chris Martin triple-strike just after tea justified Ross Taylor’s decision to bowl first on a placid Dunedin surface, as New Zealand first toppled South Africa’s top order giants, then made headway into the tail, to leave the visitors on 191 for 7 at st

The Report by Andrew Fernando07-Mar-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla scored 62 before his dismissal in the final session confirmed New Zealand’s dominant position•Associated Press

A Chris Martin triple-strike just after tea justified Ross Taylor’s decision to bowl first on a placid Dunedin surface, as New Zealand first toppled South Africa’s top order giants, then made headway into the tail, to leave the visitors on 191 for 7 at stumps on the first day. Heavy clouds failed to deliver the swing Taylor had banked on, but Martin’s stunning spell against his favourite opponent among the top-eight nations, turned the innings, and drew first blood in the series.The drama of Martin’s surge was heightened by its abruptness. Following a sleepy first session that offered so little for the pacemen that South Africa seemed destined for a mammoth total, Martin snaffled Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers in four balls to tear the guts out of the opposition top order.The rush of intensity was immediately apparent in Martin’s first few balls after tea. Twice he beat Smith’s outside edge, before hitting the batsman on the midriff with a straighter one. Having finished the previous session somewhat deflated, New Zealand suddenly sensed change. When Smith scooped the next one to short cover, they were positively buzzing.The first ball of Martin’s next over was sharp, short and angled. Too good for Kallis who could only manage an edge, which Taylor flew to his left to intercept. AB de Villiers was trapped by an indipper first ball. His review interrupted New Zealand’s celebrations momentarily, before replays confirmed the shout was as plumb as they come. From a comfortable 86 for 1, South Africa had slipped to 90 for 4.The recovery from South Africa, though somewhat short-lived, was swift and pleasing to the eye. Hashim Amla unfurled the offside strokes that bore him fruit in the ODI series, as he nullified a reinvigorated New Zealand pace attack that were once again searching for scalps. Purring cover drives and crisp square cuts found the ropes, and in 80 balls, he and Jacques Rudolph had scored 66.But having crossed 50, Amla fell to his nemesis from earlier in the innings. His tussle with Daniel Vettori had been the most engrossing battle of the earlier session, when the spinner’s turn beat his outside edge in his attempts to defend, and Vettori’s flight outdid enterprising scurries down the pitch. That time, the release had come for Amla when he finally connected to launch Vettori into the stands. But in his first over after tea, Vettori landed the knockout punch when he got one to kick, taking Amla’s edge.Mark Boucher was then the victim of the run-out South Africa looked like offering thoughout the day. Smith and Amla had survived one chance each, when fielders failed to hit the stumps. But this time, no direct hit was necessary. Boucher bounded from the non-striker’s end when Rudolph worked Vettori to point, and Bracewell swooped and found Kruger van Wyk’s gloves with his throw, to leave the visitors at 161 for 6. Dale Steyn succumbed soon after, with Taylor snaffling a rebound from Martin Guptill in the slips to leave his side much the happier of the two at stumps.The day had begun so promisingly for South Africa after almost four hours were lost to rain, when Graeme Smith progressed untroubled to a 31st Test half-century. New Zealand’s decision to insert the opposition on a slow, batsmen’s track seemed like folly when hopeful, full lengths from Martin, Trent Boult and Tim Southee were punched through the line by Smith in particular.Misjudgment on line, rather than significant movement removed Alviro Petersen for 11, but with Amla and Smith progressing smoothly, and the cloud cover expected to clear for the evening session, a large total beckoned. Smith was punishing on the leg side, when New Zealand’s pacemen abandoned their hopes for swing and muscled it in short, and his flick off middle stump for four just prior to tea epitomised his command of conditions. But things were about to change, and quickly.Edited by Nikita Bastian

Hamish Bennett led New Zealand’s humiliation of a Kenya outfit clearly out of its depth in Chennai

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill20-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Hamish Bennett blew away the Kenyan top order•Getty Images

Hamish Bennett led New Zealand’s humiliation of a Kenya outfit clearly out of its depth, attacking the stumps with metronomic accuracy to rip out four quick wickets as the minnows capitulated for just 69 – their lowest World Cup total and the fifth worst overall. Tim Southee helped himself to three cheap wickets, while Jacob Oram also picked up three in three overs before Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum eased their side to an unchallenged 10-wicket win.Kenya’s first showing at this tournament demonstrated both their lack of competency against good, but hardly exceptional, seam bowling and their incomprehension of the review system – borderline decisions were accepted without question and clear cut ones questioned out of sheer desperation.Jimmy Kamande called correctly at the toss and opted to bat on a pitch expected to help slow bowlers, but that was Kenya’s last success of the morning. The new ball barely deviated off the straight for Southee but Kenya’s young opening pair, perhaps over-awed by the occasion, remained nervously rooted to the crease. They had cobbled together just 14 runs – all in singles – when Southee nipped one off the seam to strike Alex Obanda in front of leg stump.Umpire Marais Erasmus’ decision initially looked a good one, but there was a hint that a review might have been in order. The Kenyans were, of course, unfamiliar with the UDRS but that provides no excuse for Obanda’s tame acceptance of his demise as replays showed that the ball would have gone over the top of the stumps by at least an inch or two.With the innings drifting swiftly into mediocrity Collins Obuya got going with a couple of meaty blows off Nathan McCullum, who opened the bowling from the other end, but just as he and Waters were starting to gain momentum Bennett was introduced and soon had the innings in disarray. First, he fired one full and straight at Waters, the ball shooting through at a low shin height to pin the batsman in front of his stumps.

Smart stats

• Kenya’s total of 69 is by far their lowest in World Cup games – it’s their first sub-100 total in 24 games. They lasted 23.5 overs, which is the lowest for them.

• It’s also the fifth-lowest total in World Cups. Canada’s 36 against Sri Lanka in 2003 is the lowest.

• For the first time in a World Cup match, New Zealand dismissed a team for less than 100. The previous lowest against New Zealand in a full 50-over match had been Bangladesh’s 116 in 1999.

• New Zealand won the match with 252 balls to spare, which is their most comprehensive World Cup win – and the third-best for all teams in World Cups – in terms of balls remaining. In all ODIs, it’s New Zealand’s second-most emphatic win.

• Hamish Bennett’s 4 for 16 is his best ODI figures, bettering the 4 for 46 he had achieved against Pakistan in his previous ODI.

There would have been high hopes in the Kenyan camp of Steve Tikolo, their veteran batsman, sparking a revival but he was swiftly removed by a searing full delivery that burst through a lazy swish to make a mess of his stumps. With the ball keeping low and starting to nip off the seam Obuya was the next batsman to be rapped on the front pad, right in front of middle. Perhaps out of desperation, a completely superfluous review was called for but there was no second life for Obuya and the innings sank even further when Maurice Ouma was dispatched in identical fashion in Bennett’s next over to leave Kenya staring into the abyss at 49 for 5.That soon become 59 for 6, Jacob Oram finding the edge of Kamande’s bat to end his brief resistance, and with that the fight went from Kenya’s innings. Oram had Thomas Odoyo, who was fending at a rising delivery, easily caught by Jesse Ryder and Southee was on a hat-trick when he removed Nehemiah Odhiambo and Shem Ngoche with the last two balls of his sixth over. There was no second international hat-trick for him, however, with Elijah Otieno flicking Oram straight to midwicket shortly afterwards to end a miserable Kenyan innings.Guptill took the lead as New Zealand completed the formality of the chase in just eight overs, thrashing two enormous sixes and peppering the boundary almost at will in a 32-ball 39. An uninspired McCullum chipped in with a rapid 26 as Kenya at least attempted to remain upbeat in the field despite the futility of their efforts.While New Zealand would have been hoping for a successful start to their campaign, the ease of their win here is hardly the best preparation for sterner challenges ahead against the likes of Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. For Kenya, things can only get better after a day they would dearly like to forget, though their performance won’t have done any favours to the argument that Associate nations deserve to be involved in future World Cups.

Match Timeline

Cricinfo previews the 15th match of the IPL between Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils in Cuttack

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran20-Mar-2010

Match facts

March 21, 2010
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)AB de Villiers’ place could be up for grabs if he fails again•Associated Press

Big picture

Things aren’t so rosy for the Delhi Daredevils, who’ve slipped from top of the table after two games to No.6. Gautam Gambhir’s absence has had a bigger impact than they could have imagined, and a date hasn’t yet been set for his return. Their biggest worry, though, is their bowling, which has failed to defend totals of 218 and 185. And even those high scores belie a shaky batting line-up, with AB de Villiers out of form and Tillakaratne Dilshan yet to play a special innings. A strong middle-order performance will play a big part in getting Delhi back on track. Their seamers, especially Dirk Nannes, can be very potent on pitches that offer seam movement and pace. In Ashish Nehra’s absence, the responsibility on Nannes has only increased. After two forgettable showings at home, they’ll hope for better luck at a new venue.Deccan have rebounded well after losing their opening game, recording back-to-back wins against Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. Adam Gilchrist retained the winning line-up against Punjab and the team looked in control of the game for most of the game. Their overseas players, including Andrew Symonds and Chaminda Vaas, have performed consistently and they are one of the form teams in this tournament. If Deccan win, it will be their first against Delhi in the league stages of the IPL.

Team talk

Gambhir’s return is still uncertain and assistant coach Eric Simons hinted that he could miss the next couple of games. Dinesh Karthik will continue to lead the team in his place. Wayne Parnell hasn’t got a game, neither has Moises Henriques, though it won’t be a bad idea to bring in the allrounder Henriques in place of the under-pressure de Villiers. Sarabjit Ladda has been expensive, so they can consider replacing him with Sarandeep Singh.Deccan’s VVS Laxman suffered an unfortunate injury to the arm while batting against Punjab. The fact that he retired hurt suggested that the injury could be serious. His absence could give Venugopal Rao an opportunity.

Previously…

Delhi 4 Deccan 1
Delhi won both their matches against Deccan 2008. They won their home game by 12 runs and the away game by a nine-wicket margin.Delhi won the first match against Deccan in 2009 by six wickets, thanks to Nannes’ opening spell. Deccan ought to have won the return match, needing 25 in three overs, with six wickets in hand but choked, losing by 12 runs. Rajat Bhatia was the hero on that occasion. But Deccan had their revenge in the more important clash – the semi-final.

In the spotlight

AB de Villiers: Thirty-five runs in four games at 8.75. Not numbers you will associate with the South African batsman, but a big score is due. Fortunately, his poor batting form hasn’t rubbed off on his fielding, which is as sharp as ever. But you have to admit that he’s one failure away from being dropped.
RP Singh: The left-armer has struggled in Indian conditions and he’s yet to recreate his form from last year, where the swing and seam in South Africa made him feel at home. Three wickets at 36 and an expensive economy rate of 9.81 aren’t figures you’d expect from the team’s strike bowler.Chaminda Vaas v Delhi top-order: He did it to Kolkata, Chennai and Punjab. A fascinating duel with Sehwag beckons.

Prime numbers

• Chaminda Vaas remains the Purple Cap holder with seven wickets, followed closely by hat-trick man Praveen Kumar at six.
• Virender Sehwag’s strike-rate of 194.68 is the highest for any batsman who has played four matches. Gilchrist’s slightly ahead at 195.31 but he’s played one game less.

Chatter

“We know what Gilchrist did to us in the semifinal last year. We know what kind of a player he is and what is the kind of player Gibbs is.”

“We can’t take anyone lightly and Delhi are a quality side, they showed it in IPL 2. But, we must do our things well and not worry too much about the opposition.”

[ad_pod ]

Aston Villa fans have taken to Twitter in frustrated fashion following Saturday’s 2-0 loss to West Brom at Villa Park.

The Villans have just one win from their last nine Championship games, and now sit tenth in the Championship table – the Midlands-based side are now nine points off the play-off positions with their chances of promotion fading quickly.

Villa sacked Steve Bruce and appointed Smith back in October after luring him away from his post at Brentford, but that switch hasn’t had the desired effect despite a promising start.

Sloppy mistakes that simply could not be accounted for by Smith saw the Baggies run out 2-0 winners at the weekend, but fans have been pointing the finger at the former Bees manager for the defeat.

It is quickly looking like a season destined for a mid-table position, and fans of the Villans have voiced their opinions on Twitter after yet another defeat…

[ad_pod ]

Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to Tuesday night’s setback at Loftus Road, and they’re absolutely furious with the performance of Jack Harrison.

It was the same old story for Marcelo Bielsa’s side on Tuesday night, as they dominated possession but failed to create enough clear-cut chances to win the match.

Patrick Bamford looked a step off the pace in every department, Tyler Roberts was hugely disappointing and Izzy Brown touched the ball just once in his ten-minute cameo.

Perhaps worst of all though was Harrison, who completed just 62 per cent of his passes in the 1-0 defeat, the lowest such number of any Leeds player on the evening.

The 22 year-old has scored three times and added one assist since joining on loan from Manchester City last summer, and his lack of end product is surely now a huge concern for Bielsa.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans want the youngster axed from the starting XI for Friday’s clash against West Brom…

According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are intent on giving striker Harry Kane the platform he needs to achieve his trophy ambitions at the club.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the England captain dropped a bit of a bombshell during an Instagram Q&A with Jamie Redknapp on Sunday, via The Guardian, saying that he wouldn’t stay at Spurs for the sake of it if he doesn’t feel they are going in the right direction.

The 26-year-old’s verdict will certainly concern some fans of the north London outfit, however according to a source who has spoken to Football Insider, chairman Daniel Levy isn’t looking to cash in on their talisman anytime soon.

In addition, the same source says that Tottenham intend to hold him to his contract which runs until 2024, and that they are intent on giving him the platform to achieve his trophy ambitions in the capital.

Exciting insight

Following a tough 2019/20 campaign and the latest quotes from Kane, Spurs supporters could do with a boost and this report should provide that.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Spurs discussion going on in the Vital Tottenham Forum! Click here to get involved!

The fact that Levy & ENIC have no intention of letting their star centre-forward leave and are seemingly ready to do everything to ensure his ambitions are met has to be a positive sign – especially with someone like Jose Mourinho at the helm, given he has won the Premier League on three occasions and the Champions League twice.

The Portuguese manager will already know that he needs new faces – especially in defensive areas – if Tottenham are to get back to challenging at the very top in the English top flight and in Europe, with The Express reporting in February that he wants to rip up an ageing backline.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

This latest report suggests that financial backing for the former Manchester United and Chelsea boss could be on the cards sooner rather than later, so there is no danger of Kane going.

Watch this space, then.

In other Tottenham news, Spurs fans have identified the 6 ft 4 colossus they want should Kane end up leaving…

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is attempting to drive down the price of midfielder Giovani Lo Celso in this transfer window, per iNews.

What’s the word?

The Argentina international is currently on loan at Spurs but the club hold two options to sign him permanently.

The deal includes a compulsory purchase option that kicks in if Spurs qualify for the Champions League and stands at €40m (£34m).

However, Spurs can sign him in January for a reduced fee of €32m (£27.2m).

The report, though, states that Levy is attempting to negotiate that price to below €30m (£25.5m).

Betis, though, are said to be holding firm and are refusing to negotiate with the north London club.

The Spanish club, however, are not said to have any expectations that he will return to the Liga club.

The big fat Tottenham quiz of 2019 – how much do you remember about the last year at Spurs?

A joke

Levy needs to stop beating around the bush and try to get this deal done.

The two clubs struck an agreement in the summer and the Spurs chairman needs to honour that instead of haggling over the price.

The Premier League club simply need to pay up if they are going to keep the Argentine, who has yet to make a serious impact at the club.

He has started just two games in the top-flight under both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho.

But, nevertheless, the conditions are clear and Levy needs to stick to them, especially if he wants to save that £4.8m.

Meanwhile, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has made a huge transfer demand. 

Whether we like it or not, the world’s top footballers are some of the richest sportsmen in the world and their influence is huge.

Social media has been a big player in raising the profiles of the world’s best, especially in recent years, Instagram.

Not only can players use the social media platform to raise their profile by gaining new followers, they can make money from them.

Influencer marketing is a huge business and the guys at Ticketgum.com have worked out the earning potential of the top players in the world.

From merely posting a sponsored post, these players can earn more than average Joe earns in a year and in some cases ten years.

Warning this article will make you insanely jealous.

21. Ivan Rakitic – £26,415.76 per post

The Croatian had a brilliant World Cup and was influential in their journey to the final.

With a star-studded attacking line-up at Barcelona he is often the forgotten man, but with 12.8 million followers, he could make some serious cash from sponsored posts.

20. Robert Lewandowski – £28,634.13 per post

With 352 career goals, Lewandowski is one of the most prolific goalscorers in world football.

The Polish forward is prone to a sponsored post to his 13.8 million followers on the social media platform.

19. Thiago Silva – £30,430.04 per post

With over 14.7 million followers on Instagram the Brazilian could certainly use his popularity to reach a wide audience.

The PSG defender could set up a sponsored post and make enough to buy 79 season tickets for the French champions.

18. Luka Modric – £33,004.47

Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric has seen a huge rise in popularity this year, thanks to another Champions League win and guiding Croatia to the World Cup final in 2018.

With 16.3 million followers, his European reach would see him able to demand over £33,000 for a single sponsored post.

17. Gerard Pique – £34,922.11

If the Barcelona captain was asked to promote a product or brand to his followers, he too could ask for a huge paycheck.

With 16.8 million worldwide followers and a popstar girlfriend, Pique could demand £34,922.11 for any single promoted post.

[ad_pod ]

[ffc_insert title=”Check out the Big Interview with Ben Dinnery & Johnny Wilson” name=”Fixture In Focus Podcast Special” image_ link=”https://fixtureinfocus.podiant.co/e/369d9b4fb86294/” link_text=”Click here to play”]

Lots of Celtic fans on Twitter backed manager Brendan Rodgers after he was asked about the pressure on his job in his pre-St Johnstone press conference.

The Bhoys currently sit in sixth in the Scottish Premier League table after six matches having conceded a last minute goal to lose 2-1 away at Kilmarnock on Sunday.

Earlier in the season, the Hoops also crashed out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage and are now in the group stages of the Europa League, where they saw off Rosenborg in their first game but only thanks to a late Leigh Griffiths goal.

After Rodgers completed the double treble last season, many would have been forgiven for thinking that his job would be untouchable this season. However, after their poor start to the campaign and a very public disagreement over transfers in the summer the pressure has begun to mount.

Celtic fans on Twitter were clear in their backing for him though. Check out some of the best tweets below.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”299719″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Man Utd Beat Young Boys But Not New Boys”]