Tag Futebol

Worcestershire’s season continues to go from bad worse. Not only has New Road flooded for a second time, making any more cricket there this season unlikely, large amounts of the players’ kit has been damaged leaving them short of supplies ahead of the Championship match against Surrey at Guildford.The squad are going to have to share whites and equipment after flood water got into the lock-ups at New Road. Steve Rhodes, the director of cricket, also lost his laptop after swimming into his office to try and rescue some possessions.”There has been around four feet of water in the dressing room where the players store a lot of their kit and equipment, ” Rhodes told the Press Association. “The floods also got into the lock-up where most of the training gear is kept and caused a lot of damage.”A lot of players are waiting for new kit to be delivered but we will have to muck in and help each other out for the game at Surrey. Some of the guys will probably have to wear other people’s whites and share their kit. The situation will cause us a bit of a logistical nightmare but we all pull together and get through it.”Worcestershire are still waiting to announce the new venues for their next batch of home matches and to find out the ECB’s decision on the Kent and Lancashire Championship games that were abandoned without a ball bowled.The ECB initially ruled the Kent game would be replayed later this month, but that sparked angry reaction from other Division One teams. With the Lancashire game also off they may be forced to overturn that ruling as fitting in a host of rearranged fixtures wouldn’t be possible.

Steve Harmison has been ruled out of Durham’s final Championship fixture of the season, against Yorkshire, after medical advice over the back injury that forced him to miss the one-day series against Pakistan.Harmison had been scheduled to return to action against at Headingley in next Wednesday’s Division One clash. But after a review by the ECB medical staff he has been withdrawn in order to allow more time for further rehabilitation ahead of the Champions Trophy.David Graveney, the England chairman of selectors, said: “Stephen’s withdrawal from this match will allow for a more gradual progression in his recovery programme. He will continue to work with the Durham and England medical staff as well as ECB fast bowling coach Kevin Shine, and we anticipate that he will be fully fit for the Champions Trophy.”Harmison is one of the injury clouds hanging over the squads for the Champions Trophy and Ashes series, that were named on Monday, which also include Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles, Liam Plunkett and James Anderson.On Wednesday England were given another moment of concern when Matthew Hoggard, who isn’t traveling to India, pulled out of Yorkshire’s match against Nottinghamshire which a side strain. England are due to leave for India on October 6.

On the state of the game
It’s a nice position to be in, with a 250-run lead. But it’s still a very good pitch for batting. And in that respect, our bowling today was superb. Glenn McGrath was brilliant in his 100th Test, and he got great support from Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz. And I thought Shane Warne deserved better figures in the 20 overs he bowled. We need five more wickets. It’ll take time, and patience, and then we have to follow it up with some good batting.On the possibility of enforcing the follow-on, given Australia’s past experiences
We’ve always been mindful of enforcing the follow-on. We’re playing back-to-back Tests, and to put the bowlers and fielders back in straight away will be a big test for them. But the bowlers will get some rest tonight, and if we can get them out early tomorrow, it remains an option. There has been enough movement on offer for the new-ball bowlers, and it’s been difficult for top-order batsmen.On Darren Lehmann’s injury
Brett [Lee] will continue to field, but we’re doing everything possible to make sure that Darren recovers quick enough to play a part in the Mumbai Test.On whether he was surprised at how quickly India went into a defensive shell after Virender Sehwag was dismissed
Sehwag can ignite an innings, and losing him quickly made it harder for the Indians to adjust. If anything, this shows that the Australian batting was better than the score indicates. All the bowlers have got some assistance from the pitch, and I thought we bowled exceptionally well today. We didn’t allow India any sort of momentum.On the off-side cordons that were frequently employed
The pitch produced bounce and pace, with some seam movement. It was conducive to getting edges, and the line of attack needed to be different here.On whether a chat with Glenn McGrath might have contributed to Sehwag’s dismissal
I think apart from McGrath’s bowling, you have to credit Kasprowicz’s previous over. He contained Sehwag and tightened him up. As we all know, he likes to go for his shots. So I’d say Kasprowicz contributed in part to the dismissal.On the role played by Errol Alcott, the physio
It’s not just Errol, it’s been the total support from the backroom staff. Errol’s knowledge and experience of the subcontinent are unmatched, but the trainer and the masseurs have all done their bit. The performance of the players can be attributed to the work done off the field.

India 342 for 4 (Dravid 134*, Laxman 71, Patel 69, Ganguly 53*) lead Pakistan 224 by 118 runs
Scorecard

Rahul Dravid struck 134 not out, an innings of the highest class and character, to put India well on top on the second day of the deciding Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. India reached 342 for 4 by the close of play, 118 ahead, with six wickets still in hand. It was no solo act, though – Parthiv Patel vindicated Sourav Ganguly’s bold decision to promote him to the top of the order by making a feisty 69, VVS Laxman made a strokeful 71, off just 99 balls, and Ganguly himself made an aggressive 53 not out.Dravid’s century, his first against Pakistan, reflected his quintessence. It featured solid defence, impeccable shot selection, classical strokeplay, and unwavering concentration. Dravid has been the key figure in India’s finest overseas wins of recent times – Headingley and Adelaide, especially – and here, on yet another big occasion, in conditions which offered some encouragement to the bowlers, he played a calm and unhurried innings.Dravid had his slices of luck, though. He survived an early scare, when an lbw appeal against him, off Mohammad Sami, was turned down by the umpire, although it appeared absolutely plumb, an impression confirmed by Hawk-Eye. The last few minutes before tea were also nervy ones – he cut a ball from Sami uppishly to Yasir Hameed at point, who fumbled with it, and dropped it. Moments later, Dravid inside-edged a ball from Danish Kaneria down near his feet, from where it bobbed up and was caught by a diving Kamran Akmal. Replays were called for but were inconclusive, and Dravid survived.But these were isolated instances in a beautifully constructed innings, the centrepiece of three lucrative partnerships – 129 with Patel, 131 with Laxman, and an unbeaten 81 with Ganguly.Patel’s elevation as an opener entailed tests of both character and technique. On both fronts, he delivered. His shot-selection was immaculate, and in the first few overs of the morning he let go everything that was not on the stumps, and played everything else late, and close to his body. He opened up as the game went along, though, and was especially severe to anything full or short outside off, getting most of his ten boundaries square of the wicket on the off side.But although Patel excelled in the areas square of the wicket, he was not limited to them. An on-drive off Sami and a straight-drive off Shoaib Akhtar were orthodox strokes of the highest class, and showcased the potential Patel has as a batsman. He may not be a long-term opening option for India, but Ganguly’s move was a short-term tactical move*, and it paid off superbly.

Pakistan’s fast bowlers, in the morning, had not extracted anywhere near the kind of movement as the Indians had done on the first day, though Shoaib hurried both batsman initially with his pace. Kaneria troubled Patel when he came on, beating him with a top-spinner and a googly early on, but once the batsman had a good look at him, he no longer looked dangerous. It was eventually Fazl-e-Akbar who got Pakistan the first breakthrough.Akbar bowled an accurate spell in the post-lunch session, getting some movement, and pitching the ball consistently in the corridor. He accounted for Patel, who edged one that was leaving him to Akmal (129 for 2). Sachin Tendulkar came out to bat – but not for long.After getting off the mark with an edge through slips off Akbar, Tendulkar succumbed to Shoaib off the first ball of the next over, a snorter just outside off stump which Tendulkar could not get his bat away from in time. The face of his bat opened as the ball passed him, as he simultaneously tried to draw it away, and the ball was virtually guided through to Akmal (130 for 3).Laxman, who is accustomed to long partnerships with Dravid, was the next man in, and after an early edge through slips for four, he showed no sign of nerves. Solid in defence, imperious on the attack, Laxman quickly got into his groove. If there were any demons in the pitch, he quickly exorcised them, playing some dazzling pulls and drives, and timing the ball so well that it seemed almost magical.The second new ball brought Pakistan some relief, as Shoaib launched into yet another hostile spell. He induced two edges off Dravid, both of which fell short, before knocking off Laxman’s middle stump with a full-toss that swung wildly from its original line on leg stump (261 for 4).Ganguly came in next, and began positively, slashing the short balls outside off, timing his off-drives to perfection, and scoring at a run a ball for much of his innings, before slowing down towards the end. Shoaib, meanwhile, went off the field to treat an injured wrist, as news filtered in that he would not bowl for the rest of the day. It was a stony cherry on the top of a bad cake.India looked well set, as the day ended, to extend their lead to such an extent that they wouldn’t have to bat again. Dravid was still at the crease, defiant and determined, and Ganguly would certainly take the attack to Pakistan on the third morning. And Yuvraj Singh waited in the pavilion. The big question that now remained, it appeared, was if Pakistan’s batsmen could bat well enough in the second innings to save the Test. Ganguly’s men were running the show.Amit Varma is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo in India.*Patel is clearly not a long-term option to open, as he cannot possibly both keep wicket and open the batting. But in this crucial Test, he did the task asked of him. Patel’s brief was the same as Aakash Chopra’s had been, to take the shine off the new ball, and he did better than what one could expect from Chopra. His 69 was higher than Chopra’s best of 60, he lasted much longer (141 balls) than Chopra’s average stay at the crease per innings, of 79 balls, and his strike-rate of 49 was much better than Chopra’s, of 35.46. Patel’s performance was Ganguly’s triumph as a tactician. (Back to article)

John Emburey, Former England Captain and current Middlesex Coach backs Ladbrokes sponsorship of the Middlesex County Cricket League and Youth Academy.This is a new and innovative sponsorship for Ladbrokes; combining support for the league and the academy and for the first time Ladbrokes is launching their highly successful `Fair Play’ scheme into league cricket.John Emburey Fair Play Ambassador commented, "This is an opportunity for Umpires to strike back, it’s a great initiative and a fantastic opportunity to penalise players for sledging and bad sportsmanship on the field. It will improve standards of behaviour and uphold the traditions of the game. We are thrilled to be involved with such an enlightened approach".The scheme rewards one club in each 1st XI side that finishes top of the Fair Play league in each of the 3 divisions considered by the umpires to have achieved the highest standards in Fair Play through the season.In assessing teams for Fair Play umpires will consider three broad criteria, which are based on `The Spirit of Cricket’. The criteria for Umpires are:

• Spirit of Cricket on the Field
• Courtesy towards umpires and opponents
• Acceptance of decisions

Ladbrokes, sponsors of this years Middlesex Cricket League is officially launching the partnership at The Cricketers Club of London, 71 Blandford Street, London W1U 1AB, on Tuesday 8th April at 7pm.Dominic Harrison, Ladbrokes Commercial Director said "Ladbrokes recognises the importance of supporting grass roots sports and is delighted to be sponsoring the Middlesex League, we are looking forward to a successful and enjoyable relationship"Vinny Codrington, Chief Executive of Middlesex, was delighted to have secured such a sponsorship. "To be able to support league cricket in the county, and help with the development of players through the academy is a major step forward for cricket in Middlesex, and we are delighted to be involved with Ladbrokes."

Exactly seven days are left before Bangladesh is taking on the mightyPakistan in their home ground for the inaugural match of Asian TestChampionship. The ground of Multan is unfamiliar to both sides evenInzamam-Ul-Haq knows little or nothing about it. It is worth mentioning thathe was born here and Waqar’s hometown is not far away. A team like Pakistandoes not go for spinners when they have a bundle of match winning fastbowlers in their camp. So let’s think they are coming with their quickies inthe Multan field.Bangladesh’s performance against the quick bowlers is a suspect and it isevident in all three Tests they have played so far. Fast bowlers from Indiaand Zimbabwe caused the havoc on every occasion and they had claimed 39 outof 60 Bangladeshi wickets. Pakistan certainly has a stronger pace attackthan that of the other two rivals Bangladesh played against. Here, thequestion arises how far the Bangla Tigers will go against the hostility ofthe Paki quickies with a frail tail?The specialist batsmen of the country were seen struggling against therising deliveries of the Indian and Zimbabwean pacers. Think about thesecond innings of the Test against India when the side collapsed to 91 only.Most of them succumbed to the short pitch deliveries and were found quitenervous in facing such balls.Against Zimbabwe it turned out to be a more daunting task, as they had todeal with the pacers in alien tracks and the front line batsmen missed theassistance they should get from the tail enders. On an average the last fivewickets put 50 to 60 runs on the board, which brought a hasty finish in theinnings. Otherwise, it could not be stiff to take three of their innings offto 300 landmarks or more (257, 168, 254 and 266 are the four test inningsthey played in Zimbabwe and the last five wickets put 63, 39, 83 and 63respectively).The tail-enders of Bangladesh team can bat at least their averages make itclear. Mushfiqur Rahman, who batted at number eight, is an excellent batsmanbut failed miserably. Hasibul Hussain hits the ball hard and he made 28against India. Mohammed Sharif proved in the ODI that he could be helpful atthe end. Enamul Hoque’s ability to bat is indisputable (His average is 36.38in the First Class matches). The sole exception is Manjurul who bats atnumber eleven and much should not be expected from him.Instead of staying on the wicket and batting sensibly, these players wereseen carried away with their wild shots that cost their wickets eventuallyand brought the doom for their side.In Multan, we hope Bangladesh would show some signs of improvements here.

BPL put it across hosts Hyderabad by two wickets in a seat edgethriller in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Cup at the AOC ground in the citytoday. SR Deepu had a brilliant allround game for the winners,grabbing 5/33 with the ball to shut out Hyderabad for 177 and thenmaking an unbeaten 42 to pilot BPL home with one ball to spare.Hyderabad elected to bat after winning the toss and a useful openingstand of 76 between Nandakishore (45) and Daniel Manohar (41) in lessthan 20 overs gave them a strong foundation which the later batsmencontrived to squander. After Syed Nooruddin made the initial inroadsby dismissing Manohar, Deepu took over, slicing through the middleorder with precision. Nooruddin also joined the party with a bag of3/32 as Hyderabad collapsed from 113/1, losing their last nine wicketsfor 63.In reply, BPL lost Nooruddin to Fiaz Ahmed in the third over and thesame bowler also sent back Yere Goud to leave them at 26/2. VinayKumar (30) and Nitin Mulki (52) then came together in the brightestspot of the innings, adding 55 for the third wicket. Mulki and Deepuput on a further 44 for the fourth wicket before the former was runout at 125.From there things steadily went downhill for BPL as the next threebatsmen fell for ducks and they slipped to 128/7, having lost fourwickets for three runs in a spectacular collapse. Deepu who hadsurvived all the carnage got a willing partner in BN Ramesh with whomhe added 37 to take BPL to the doorstep of victory. No.10 SandeepHebbar came out with 13 required in 15 balls and they just aboutsqueaked home.

The Twenty20 revolution apparently knows no boundaries. Now cricket’s hottest craze is poised to make inroads into one of the sport’s most elusive frontiers, the United States.Mohammad Azharuddin, Javed Miandad and Richie Richardson are the former Test captains who have agreed to take part in a privately-run, All-Star weekend in southern Florida in late May. The MAQ T20 International Cricket Tournament will combine three days of matches with ethnic musical concerts during the Memorial Day long weekend, May 23rd to 25th. It aims to attract 30,000 fans over three days to Central Broward Regional Park, a new cricket stadium, near Fort Lauderdale.The event will be funded by Cricket Council USA (CCUSA), a non-sanctioned organisation with no affiliation to the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), which was reinstated as an Associate Member of the ICC on April 1st after a one-year suspension.CCUSA, with a couple of former USACA officials among a full-time staff of 12, is backed by Florida-based, Pakistani-born businessman, Mahammad “MAQ” Qureshi. With an office in Boca Raton, it says its aim is trying to spread the gospel of Twenty20 across America.Tickets will range between just US$10 and $20, with free general admission for children on two of the three days. “Our ultimate goal is to get the local youngsters at high school level to try cricket as an alternative to baseball, basketball or American football,” said Nino DiLoreto, Director of Media for CCUSA. “We’re looking beyond the expatriate element to take Twenty20 to mainstream Americans.”With four teams competing for $75,000 in prize money, the Memorial Day tournament has attracted an impressive list of names from cricket’s past and present.The West Indies All-Star Team is managed by Lawrence Rowe – who, like one of his former international team-mates, Lance Gibbs – now lives in southern Florida. Richardson will have ex-Windies internationals Ricardo Powell, Stuart Williams, Franklyn Rose and Courtney Browne amongst his team-mates. Joining Miandad, 51, in the Pakistani All-Star side will be 20-somethings Mohammad Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat.The timing of the IPL rules out a significant Indian contingent, so Mohammad Azharuddin will captain an International All-Star team that includes former Australian spinner Nathan Hauritz, Ireland’s 2007 World Cup captain Trent Johnston and Brighton Watambwa, who played six Test matches for Zimbabwe in 2001-2002.Canada will provide players for the fourth side and intends using the tournament as a warm-up for an upcoming qualifying round in Ireland for the 2011 Twenty20 World Cup.”A Cricket Night to Remember” is the name of the concerts that will follow the first two days, featuring Caribbean and south Asian artists. The event is the first of four Twenty20 tournaments planned by CCUSA for 2008. On August 16th, the Azadi Cup will mark Indo-Pak Independence Day and will aim to attract some high profile subcontinental players to Central Broward Regional Park, recently completed and funded by public money at a cost of $71 million.”It’s the first purpose-built cricket stadium in the United States or Canada,” declared Nino DiLoreto of CCUSA.The diverse Broward County, a 30 minute drive north of Miami, is a unique, diverse pocket of the United States where cricket actually registers on the radar. Almost 4% of an estimated population of almost 2 million was born in Jamaica while there are also sizeable south Asian and British communities, many of whom subscribe to pay-per-view television to regularly watch international cricket. Broward County is the home to about 50 of the United States’ 750 registered cricket clubs, who play in two leagues. It’s estimated that the US has around 50,000 active players, making it the ninth largest cricket-playing country.CCUSA is still recruiting for the tournament and hasn’t given up hope of bringing another recent former Test captain to the impressive Central Broward Regional Park. “If he agrees to come, he’d be by far the tournament’s biggest name,” said Syed ‘Bobby’ Refaie, its president.Refaie, a former USACA secretary, added that CCUSA wasn’t trying to compete with the sport’s official body. “But we’re not waiting for USACA to bring the beautiful game of Twenty20 cricket to the American audience,” he said. “We’re hoping that we perhaps can join hands with USACA and work together in the future.”

One opens the batting and has struggled for runs of late; the other, a middle-order batsman, has been in fine nick. Yet, come Thursday, the first is almost certain to find his name listed on the team sheet while the second is likely to miss out. Two left-handers, Andrew Strauss and Yuvraj Singh, both made confidence-boosting half-centuries in this game but their situations make interesting reading.Strauss arrived on the Test scene in splendid fashion, carving out a century on debut at Lord’s in 2004 and rattling off nine more since then, but has struggled to reach three figures for close to a year now. Yuvraj burst into the one-day arena in style, blasting his way into public consciousness during the Champions Trophy in 2000, but has been a part of just 19 Tests in seven years since.Strauss is part of a batting line-up in form; Yuvraj is part of a group that’s prone to inconsistency, often reliant on one or two batsmen. Strauss will mostly play because he’s done enough earlier to guarantee another chance; Yuvraj will mostly miss out because he’s done little to show he’s a finished article at Test level. Strauss’s failure made news on the first day while Yuvraj’s half-century was totally overshadowed. Strauss’s success made another story today, Yuvraj got just 25 minutes in the second dig.Strauss came to the press conference all staid and composed. “Lord’s is a special place to play cricket and I’m keen to go out there and score some runs this week,” he said as if to suggest there was no uncertainty. “But what you’ve done prior to the Test match matters very little when the first ball comes out. So it’s about reapplying yourself and sometimes when you’ve had a very big score [like Sachin has] you can settle back down and think you’re on a hundred. That’s the danger of being in good form but I’d prefer to be in good form than in bad form.”Yuvraj entered as if he was taking a jolly stroll in the park. “I’ve been out with injury, it’s been a while since I played a Test but I’ve had some good preparations and I’m looking forward to whatever game I play,” he said, almost in a resigned tone. “There was a bit of pressure yesterday so I thought I’ll take my time. But I got set and the moment I should have cashed in, I got out.He was asked if he would like to open, considering India’s brittle opening combination and also taking into account that he’s done the job in the past, but he dead-batted it with a “I wouldn’t like to comment”. But would he be frustrated if he missed out? This time he was more forthcoming. “It’s tough, I’ve had many disappointments in the past and I also know that the guys ahead of me have played a lot of Test cricket. They have a lot of experience. So I’ll just wait for my chance and whatever game I play in, I’ll try to perform.”Strauss left with a smile on his face, Yuvraj left as if he was continuing the stroll in the park.

The Twenty20 Cup comes to Nottingham on Saturday for finals day at Trent Bridge. For the hosts, Nottinghamshire, it will be their first experience of the electric atmosphere of finals day – and, facing thethreat of relegation in the County Championship, their motivation cannot be hindered.”This is our first appearance at finals day but I don’t see that as a disadvantage,” said Stephen Fleming, Nottinghamshire’s captain, wholast year took his side to their first Championship title since 1987. “It would be great to win a trophy for the club because not only would it add to the silverware but it would help bring new fans to Trent Bridge. I can’t wait for finals day.”But it is Surrey who start favourites, and Nottinghamshire face them in the second semi-final of the day, before which Essex and Leicestershire go head-to-head at 11.30am.Surrey’s season has gradually improved and, as the shadows begin tolengthen on 2006, the horrors of 2005 have been quickly forgotten. Perhaps instrumental to their success – not to mention creating a revitalised, happier squad – has been the return of Mark Butcher, the captain, who missed most of last season through injury. Indeed Butcher, in an interview with last week, revealed Surrey’s return of confidence can be put down to a restoration of the “old arrogance” which brought them so much success in the late 1990s. Surrey also took the inaugural Twenty20 Cup title in 2003.The most explosive example of their cocksureness comes from James Benning, their bristlingly aggressive opener who has injected suchfever and pace into Surrey’s innings. On four occasions he has passed 50 and his 326 runs have come at the superb strike-rate of 161.4. “I’m sure I will be nervous come next Saturday,” he told Cricinfo. “It is our fourth final, I’ve been at all four. I can’t wait to get there. We’ve worked so hard to pull it out of the hat and we’ve performed so well. We are going to give ourselves every opportunity to get to the final and bring the trophy back to the Oval, where it should be.”

While Surrey have puffed out their chests with greater confidence this season, Essex, too, have strutted like peacocks. “We believe when we walk out onto the pitch we’re going to win the game,” James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper said. “When you get on a roll and win matches it turns into a habit and that has happened with Twenty20.”Foster was instrumental in Essex’s quarter-final win over Yorkshire when, coming to the wicket at 73 for 5, he put on 76 with Ryan ten Doeschate to take his side through to finals day. But it is DarrenGough, twinkletoes himself, who has arguably been the key to Essex ‘s Twenty20 campaign. Bowling at the death, his and Andy Bichel’s late wickets and starving of the runs have helped Essex strangle opponents on more than one occasion. For all his claims in various magazines and newspapers this summer that England would be daft to ignore him any longer, it appears the selectors do acknowledge his worth: yesterday he was called up for the provisional squad of 30 for the Champions Trophy in October.While Gough is Essex’s cheerleader, Darren Maddy is Leicestershire’s – albeit without so much of a Samba. Maddy, 32, is the world’s highest run-scorer in the format, not to mention a match-winner and, while Leicestershire’s Championship form has been less than satisfactory – with just two victories this season – they continue to excel in Twenty20 cricket. “We have always had a good one-day team,” Maddy explained, “butprobably under-achieved and somehow Twenty20 has suited the way weplay. We’ve got some very good game plans and we’ve been very lucky at Leicester that we’ve had some fantastic support.”The day kicks off with the first semi-final at 11.30, followed by the second between Surrey and Nottinghamshire. The final starts at 19.15.