South Africa opened their tour of Australia on a winning note when they beat an ACB Chairman’s XI by 48 runs in a 50-over match at Lilac Hill in Perth on Wednesday.Neil McKenzie made a fine 76 while Lance Klusener clubbed 64 off 74 balls as the South Africans reached 257 for nine. Herschelle Gibbs struck a typically breezy 39 off 36 balls at the top of the innings,In reply the Chairman’s XI were bowled out for 209 with Mike Hussey top-scoring with 56. For the South Africans Steve Elworthy took four for 27 with Allan Donald getting through eight overs to take two for 42.
Mike Atherton and Sourav Ganguly produced a feast of high-quality strokeplay to become Lancashire record-breakers at Taunton.Replying to a modest Somerset total of 198, the two Test players put on 192 for the first wicket in 34 overs to lead their side to a seven-wicket victory – only Lancashire’s second in the National League this season.The stand was the county’s highest opening partnership in the competition, beating the 177 compiled by Graeme Fowler and Gehan Mendis against Kent at Canterbury in 1986.It was murderous batting, particularly in the closing stages, when Atherton and Ganguly appeared to be trying to out-hit one another with a succession of thumping boundaries off the medium-pacers.Atherton hit a near faultless 105 off 115 balls, with 14 boundaries, managing to score faster than his partner for most of the stand.Ganguly was first to go for 82, having smashed a six and 10 fours, in a typically elegant contribution. He had faced 93 balls when trying one big hit too many and departing with just seven runs needed.Atherton quickly followed and John Crawley missed out before Lancashire cruised home with seven overs to spare, denting Somerset’s title hopes in the process.While the serene batting will be remembered by most of a bumper crowd basking in glorious sunshine, it was the visiting bowlers who set up victory after Somerset had won the toss.Home skipper Jamie Cox opted to go into the game with an extra bowler, calling up all-rounder Jason Kerr for his first appearance of the season at the expense of Mark Lathwell.It proved a mistake as, despite an encouraging start, Somerset batted poorly, with too many players tossing their wickets away through poor shots.Wicketkeeper Rob Turner was promoted to open with Cox and the pair put on 46 in quick time. Then, after Piran Holloway had fallen for a duck, Peter Bowler helped Cox add 45 for the third wicket.But from a promising 103-2 in the 19th over Somerset fell away as spinners Chris Schofield and Gary Yates took two wickets each in key spells that enabled Lancashire to peg back the run-rate.The pair sent down their combined 18 overs for only 73 runs, sharing the vital wickets of Cox, Bowler, Mike Burns and Ian Blackwell.Somerset were never able to accelerate again and the total of 198 all out in 44 overs looked woefully inadequate on a typically batsman-friendly Taunton pitch.Glen Chapple weighed in with 3-23 from his nine overs as only Keith Parsons of the later batsmen showed much composure in making 25.As it turned out, 250 might not have been enough against players of the calibre of Atherton and Ganguly in top form.But Cox conceded he had got it wrong. “We should have played Lathwell. But our medium-pacers have been going for a few with the white ball and I thought Kerr would be a handy extra option,” he said.The only Somerset player with cause to smile was Bowler, whose benefit game this was. His coffers will have been swollen considerably by the gate receipts and a bucket collection that raised more than £1,700.
Hong Kong beat table-toppers Papua New Guinea by 93 runs at the Hong King Cricket Club to qualify for Friday’s final in the ICC World Cricket League Division Three, where they will play PNG again. Hong Kong’s win also mean they are guaranteed promotion to WCL Div. 2.PNG, who chose to field, had Hong Kong in trouble early on as Rarva Dikana and Hitolo Areni picked up three wickets to reduce Hong Kong to 39 for 3 in the 11th over. However, Hussain Butt, who top-scored with 68 was involved in two crucial 40-plus stands with Irfan Ahmed (25) and Nizakat Khan (36) to take Hong Kong past 100. Areni struck to dismiss Nizakat and Waqas Barkat in quick succession but Butt and captain Najeeb Amar put on 53 runs in just under 10 overs to get the Hong Kong innings back on track. Butt was dismissed with the score on 196 but Nadeem Ahmed hit some big shots to take Hong King to 221 before they were bowled out.Hong Kong’s bowlers then defended the total, bowling PNG out cheaply. Tony Ura and Kila Pala were the only two batsmen who managed to get past 20, as PNG failed to string together any substantial partnerships and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Nadeem picked up three wickets as PNG were bowled out for 128 in just under 48 overs.”We talked about how we could beat PNG today and knew if we batted first it would be important to make as many runs as possible before our bowlers could get to work on the PNG side,” said Hong Kong coach Charlie Burke.”The important thing for us was to remain focussed and we knew by putting PNG under pressure the side would become vulnerable which they did today. We beat them in a warm-up game without our full strength squad so we knew we had the ability today to beat them, and our ability and strength showed today.”There are plenty of quality sides in Division 2 but my focus since taking this role has been about securing promotion. We have the promotion but this league isn’t over and we want to win the entire tournament in front of our home crowd before we focus our attention to the new challenges and teams Division 2 will throw at us,” said Burke.”We’re obviously disappointed with our play and commitment in the loss to Hong Kong today,” added PNG captain Dikana. “Today was Hong Kong’s final as they battled for survival in the tournament and they were the better side on the day. Congratulations to a well prepared side that fought hard and showed strong spirit.”We have a rematch to see who will take home the title of Division Three champions and I know my team have the ability to take the trophy home to PNG as the best side in the tournament. Our complete focus is on tomorrow as we take one step at a time. Tomorrow is a new ball game.”
Two aggressive half-centuries from Hemin Desai and Vaibhav Wategaonkar carried Oman to a commanding four-wicket win over Denmark at the Kowloon Cricket Club, but it was not enough to allow Oman to qualify for the final.Denmark were sent in to bat and got off to a shaky start, losing their openers with just 38 runs on the board. Carsten Pedersen and Rizwan Mahmood steadied the innings with a 66-run partnership but once Mahmood was dismissed with the score on 104, Denmark suffered a collapse. Rajesh Kumar and Khalid Rashid picked up three wickets apiece as Denmark slumped from 104 for 3 to 181 all out in just under 48 overs.Oman needed to knock the runs off quickly if they were to keep their hopes of qualifying for the final alive. Desai and Zeeshan Siddiqui got them off to a rapid start, adding 34 runs in 2 overs before Siddiqui was dismissed. Desai and Wategaonkar then blasted 41 runs in 17 balls. Desai fell for 51 off just 17 balls with five fours and five sixes. Wategaonkar added another rapid 22 with Adnan Ilyas before Bashir Shah had Ilyas stumped. Oman seemed to lose momentum after his dismissal. Though they reached their target in just under 25 overs with Wategaonkar unbeaten on 54, Hong Kong went ahead of their run-rate by beating PNG to destroy Oman’s hopes of qualifying for the final.
USA’s hopes of qualifying for WCL Div. 2 were ended by Italy, who beat them by four wickets at the Mission Road Ground. Italy will now go on to play Oman in the third-place playoff while USA will play for fifth place against Denmark.Italy got off to a shaky start in their chase of 223, slumping to 52 for 4, but a 102-run partnership between Peter Petricola and wicketkeeper Hayden Patrizi got them back into the game. After Patrizi was out for 50, Michael Raso came in and smashed 38 off 29 deliveries, and Italy got home with 18 balls to spare. Petricola was unbeaten on 69.Petricola had also been Italy’s most successful bowler, taking four wickets as Italy restricted USA to 222 for 8. USA captain Steve Massiah scored 52 and opener Sushil Nadkarni scored 47, but USA didn’t get to a big enough total.”Along with the entire team, I am hugely disappointed to be relegated back to Division Four,” said Massiah. “We didn’t prepare for this tournament as well as we have done in other events and our performances here were nothing like what we know we are capable of when we play cricket.”Certain things didn’t go our way this tournament and we now need to go back to the USA and rethink our strategy and how we are going to bounce back from this and rebuild our team to climb back up the leagues.”
[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”]
For the first time in years, Liverpool are well-equipped to challenge for the Premier League title.
Jurgen Klopp has shaped an exciting and scintillating team that can score goals from all areas of the pitch.
In the summer, the Merseyside outfit bolstered areas that needed strengthening and they have started the season perfectly by winning all seven of their matches so far in all competitions.
It would be understandable if the fringe players at Liverpool were worried about their chances of making it into the first team.
However, 21-year-old Harry Wilson is one of those talents who could be pushing for a regular spot next season.
The winger was sent to Derby County on loan in the summer and he has impressed so far by making six appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
One of those hits was netted on Tuesday night in the form of a stunning free kick against Manchester United in the third round of the EFL Cup.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Wilson was a major factor in Frank Lampard’s side progressing into the next round via a penalty shootout after the clash finished 2-2 in normal time.
Plenty of Liverpool fans were impressed, which has led us to ask you whether the young winger should be considered for the first team next season.
Tottenham Hotspur source John Wenham has slammed Sergio Reguilon after the Spaniard’s display in Sunday’s 3-1 win against West Ham.
The Lowdown: Reguilon’s performance
The 25-year-old played 88 minutes at the weekend, but in spite of a reasonably decent 7.1 SofaScore rating, he failed to produce a single accurate cross or successful dribble attempt from a left wing-back position. He also had two big chances to try and test Lukasz Fabianski, but he failed to hit the target with either of them.
This added to a list of wasted chances in recent weeks, including those from the games against Brighton and Manchester United in recent weeks.
N17 ‘insider’ Wenham claimed that, despite a number of poor performances recently, Reguilon’s display against West Ham was the worst of all.
Speaking with Football Insider about the Spurs defender, he fumed: “He’s so average it’s untrue.
“I always go back to these constant rumours about Barcelona or Real Madrid being interested in him. There’s always stuff about them paying a premium for him, it’s nonsense.
“He’s just not that good. He’s the best of the full-backs we have but that’s not really praise at this point. Against Man United, he didn’t offer anything, against West Ham was the same.
“For me, he is the worst of the bunch. He wasted so many chances against West Ham. You can absolutely see why Conte kept playing Sessegnon over him until he got injured.
“He wastes so many good crossing opportunities. He was very, very poor yesterday. It’s probably his worst game for Tottenham.”
The Verdict: Damning verdict by Wenham
Wenham’s damning verdict suggests that Antonio Conte is not playing Reguilon out of choice, but is instead being forced into the starting XI due to Ryan Sessegnon’s hamstring injury. This rendered the 21-year-old out of action for Spurs’ last four games, and with an unknown return date for the ex-Fulham starlet, it appears that Reguilon is going to receive more game-time over the remainder of the season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Whilst Wenham claimed that the Spaniard is “the worst of the bunch”, this is arguably an unfair assertion. According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old has been Tottenham’s fifth-best player this season, so perhaps the £68,000-per-week defender is merely in a momentary rut and could come good again during the final weeks of the campaign.
In other news: Dean Jones makes Harry Kane claim amid Paulo Dybala speculation
A four-for from left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh and three wickets from captain Manisankar Murasingh helped Tripura bowl Services out for 163 in Guwahati to seal a 219-run win, their first Ranji Trophy win in four seasons. Tripura’s last victory in the tournament came against Himachal Pradesh in December 2012. This is only their eighth win in 153 Ranji matches since their debut in 1985-86; they have lost 99.Tripura began the fourth day on 280 for 1 with an overall lead of 322. The overnight pair of Udiyan Bose and wicketkeeper Smit Patel, who had scored centuries on the third day, quickly took the side past 300. Bose fell for 165 but Patel (127*) steered the side ahead before they declared their second innings at 340 for 3. Services, set 383 to win, were reeling at 75 for 5 by the 24th over. Rahul Singh resisted with 51, but with only tail-end batsmen to keep him company, Tripura had little trouble dismissing Services by the 55th over.Haryana captain Mohit Sharma cut through Hyderabad‘s lower order to help set up his side’s eight-wicket win in Jamshedpur. Hyderabad were in danger of being dismissed for much lower than the 224 they eventually scored in their second innings, but got there through fifties from wicketkeeper K Sumanth (55) and Chama Milind (66*). The pair added 83 runs for the seventh wicket, but the honours on the day belonged to Mohit, who wrapped up four of Hyderabad’s last five wickets to finish with 5 for 26 in 14 overs.Left with 85 to get, Haryana chased the target down in 16.4 overs. Wicketkeeper Nitin Saini scored 45, opening the innings.Half-centuries from Srikar Bharat and Hanuma Vihari, and important contributions from DB Ravi Teja and Ashwin Hebbar helped Andhra salvage a draw against Chhattisgarh in Kalyani.Following-on, Andhra resumed on the fourth day at 122 for 4, needing another 73 runs to wipe out the deficit and make Chhattisgarh bat again. Vihari and Ravi Teja helped the side past that milestone, before a 53-run partnership between Hebbar and Murumulla Sriram took Andhra past 250. Andhra ended the day on 282 for 8. Chhattisgarh took 3 points by virtue of the first-innings lead.
Shaun Tait will use the three one-dayers against New Zealand in his bid to get back into the Test frame. Tait dropped out of the Test squad for Sri Lanka with an elbow injury, and had to watch Mitchell Johnson bowl credibly in the third fast bowler’s slot.But he says he will target the Chappell-Hadlee Series, which starts at his home ground in Adelaide next Friday, to push for selection for the India Tests, which begin on Boxing Day. He also has Tuesday’s Twenty20 in Perth to further his claims, which have already been boosted by a ten-wicket match haul against Queensland in the Pura Cup, including 7 for 29.”It’s in the back of my mind,” Tait told . “I can’t lie, I suppose, but at this stage I’m just stoked to be back in the one-day side. Last time was the World Cup so it’s exciting. I’ll concentrate on that for the next couple of weeks.”Tait said he enjoyed the edge of competing for a Test spot with Johnson, saying that when he gets his chance he wishes him all the best. “It’s healthy competing. We’re all mates,” Tait said. “It’s fantastic and likewise with myself. In this day and age there’s so many good players around you’ve just got to accept it.”Brad Haddin is similarly happy to be in the one-day squad, but he has a different aim – to nail a spot as a batsman in his own right, rather than a back-up keeper to Adam Gilchrist. This has always been his target, he says, but he’s moving ever closer to achieving it after he was included in the one-day squad for his batting, following on from the one-dayers in India in October when he batted in Ricky Ponting’s absence while Gilchrist kept.”It’s something I’ve been working on for a long time now to be considered in the team on my own merits while Adam is still in the squad,” he told . “It’s been probably a four to five year process and it’s finally come about.”Haddin’s recent one-day form is impressive. He made 200 runs at 66.66 against India, with two half-centuries in four innings, and he has 239 domestic runs at 79.66 so far.He will be concentrating on Australia’s bid to reclaim the Chappell-Hadlee trophy after New Zealand took the series 3-0 last season. “We really want that trophy back,” he said. “We don’t want our little cousins to be holding it for much longer, we’d much rather have it in our trophy cabinet.”
The cricket world has been cautioned not to expect too much of the young spin bowlers who will be the long-term replacements for Shane Warne. Terry Jenner, Warne’s mentor, said the next generation of Australian spinners, including Dan Cullen, Cullen Bailey and Nathan Hauritz, could not be asked to immediately become matchwinners like Warne.”Because Shane has raised the bar so high people expect a lot of young legspinners now,” Jenner told the . “People are expecting them not only to be able to bowl like Shane but to do it from age 14 – they forget he had to battle when he first played Test cricket.”Jenner said in the short-term Stuart MacGill could fill the void left by Warne, which might allow the younger spinners time to develop before they are called into the Test team. “The bonus for the youngsters coming through is they will have 12 to 18 months grace while Stuey MacGill plays before they have to step up,” he said.”With the greatest respect to Stuey at least, for those who follow him and are compared to him, he is a normal human being who will have good and bad days. He will dominate on some days and will get hit out of the attack on others which didn’t really happen to Shane, who would be an impossible act to follow.”Michael Atherton said the England team of the 1990s suffered similarly when allrounders were compared to Ian Botham, who had recently retired. “There were many allrounders who suffered under comparisons with Beefy, all of them until Andrew Flintoff really,” Atherton said. “I suppose the thing to say is that you are not going to find many who stand up to the comparison. I guess the danger is every time a legspinner comes along, Shane Warne will be mentioned. That’s unrealistic.”Richie Benaud said although there were a number of promising slow bowlers in Australia, it was hard to predict how they would handle the pressure. “There are a lot of good young spinners around but just think for a moment what will be on the one who is chosen to replace Warne,” Benaud said. “It will all be the ‘new Warne’, you can be guaranteed that. There will be headlines five centimetres high. There are plenty around. It’s just whether they can handle it.”
Australia’s World Cup campaign received a significant boost with the renewal of sponsorship between Cricket Australia and Travelex, the world’s largest foreign exchange specialist, extending the partnership until the end of 2010.Travelex has been the overseas sponsor and international tour partner of the Australian men’s cricket team since 2001. The new agreement features annual performance measures and incentives for the team to maintain its high levels of success.James Sutherland, the CEO of the Australian board, said the partnership with Travelex was not only an indicator of the strength of Cricket Australia’s brand in the marketplace, but also provided tangible support for the men’s team in the build up to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.Sutherland added that Travelex’s strong international reputation will assist Cricket Australia develop and expand its brand into traditional non-cricket markets in Europe, North America andSouth-East Asia.
Scorecard Abdul Razzak’s quickfire 58 delayed the inevitable but Bangladesh crashed to a massive defeat, by an innings and 149 runs, in their opening game of the Duleep Trophy at Nagpur. Resuming on 123 for 8, Bangladesh lasted 7.3 overs this morning with Razzak’s strokeplay being the main highlight. He smashed 11 fours and a six in his 61-ball knock and was the only Bangladesh batsman to score a half-century in the whole game.Shib Shankar Paul, who finished with match figures of 9 for 75, and Ranedeb Bose, his fellow medium pacer and Bengal team-mate, cleaned up the last two wickets. However, East will still struggle to make the final after being jolted in the opening game against Central. Bangladesh now turn their attention to Jaipur, where they will meet Central from March 1.