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Dean Elgar and Farhaan Behardien put South Africa A into a very strong position on the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh A at Pietermaritzburg

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2011
ScorecardDean Elgar and Farhaan Behardien put South Africa A into a very strong position on the first day of the second Test against Bangladesh A at Pietermaritzburg.Elgar closed unbeaten on 120 with Behardien not out 75 as their 147-run third wicket stand broke the back of the tourists after two quick wickets had given them hope.Jacques Rudolph won the toss and chose to bat first and South Africa A were immediately on top as Shahadat Hossain leaked runs. Having reached 79 without loss Noor Hossain trapped Andrew Puttick in front for 29 to give Bangladesh A some much-needed relief. Mohammad Ashraful then removed his opposite number, Rudolph, for 1 and the tourists were back in it.But Elgar and Behardien could not be removed. Instead Elgar struck 15 boundaries and a six in his 194-ball stay and Behardien seven fours in his 116-ball knock.

Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, has expressed disappointment over how few Indian fast bowlers have added to the bare cupboard, or shown the promise to be given a long run

Sidharth Monga in Galle18-Jul-2010Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, has expressed disappointment over how few Indian fast bowlers have added to the bare cupboard, or shown the promise to be given a long run. “In the last two years and seven months that I have been with the team, we have tried 15 or 16 seamers in one-day cricket,” Kirsten said. “That’s a lot of options. We need to settle on the few who can get through.”It is a concern that the guys are not saying ‘I am here now and now I am going to play international cricket for next five years’. A lot of them might argue that they haven’t been given enough opportunities, but when you are trying to achieve results all the time, sometimes you get only limited opportunities and you have got to ensure that you show what you are capable of in that time.”Kirsten was speaking after India had a disappointing start to the Test series against Sri Lanka, conceding 256 for 2 in 68 overs on a rain-curtailed first day. Ishant Sharma, who has not had a great time after a promising start to his career, found himself leading the pace department in the absence of Zaheer Khan. He went for 79 runs in14 overs.”We need to be patient with Ishant Sharma,” Kirsten said. “He hasn’t had much game time in the last three months. In his last Test in Kolkata he made a crucial contribution, got two vital wickets against South Africa. We need to be patient with guys who we know have the potential and talent to go forward. We must be careful not to judge him on one practice game and one day here. Let’s give him a bit of a run and see how he goes. He lost a bit of confidence towards the end of the last season and that takes some time to come back.”When asked if Ishant and Sreesanth should have been sent on the A tour of England, especially to play in the first-class games, Kirsten said: “I would like the guys to have as much game time as possible. Wherever they get an opportunity to play quality cricket they must play.”Kirsten also spoke about the missing allrounder in the scheme of things, someone who could have shored up the bowling in circumstances like today. “It [playing five bowlers] is an option, but you know that our success in the last 16 Test matches has been this combination. We are a good batting line-up, and it’s important for us to have six batsmen. Ideally we want a batting allrounder who can bowl seam but there are not many of those.”If he is going to be a batting allrounder, he has to be able to make a contribution with the ball. We can’t have a guy bowling at 115 kmph, holding up one end and getting one wicket every five Test matches. He has got to be able to make a proper contribution with the ball. Irfan [Pathan] was certainly one of the individuals that we earmarked, but he is probably a little bit light on his bowling side.”

Surrey kept their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Friends Provident t20 alive with an emphatic victory over leaders Sussex at Arundel

11-Jul-2010
ScorecardSurrey kept their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Friends Provident t20 alive with an emphatic victory over leaders Sussex at Arundel.Skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown hit an unbeaten 87 as the Lions chased down Sussex’s total of 121 for 8 with eight wickets and 10 balls to spare. Sussex remain top of the table on run rate and despite a fourth defeat in five games are guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals thanks to results elsewhere.The home side’s hopes of setting a big total after winning the toss were hit as they lost a wicket in each of the opening four overs. Matt Prior was caught on the boundary by Gary Wilson in the first over from Andrew Symonds for a duck and Ed Joyce followed when he was bowled by Chris Tremlett.Chris Nash was lbw first ball to Symonds who finished with figures of two for 18 and Murray Goodwin was caught behind off Tremlett to leave Sussex on 20 for four after four overs. Dwayne Smith hit a quickfire 21 before he was lbw to Chris Schofield who also had Joe Gatting caught on the long on boundary for 16 to finish with figures of two for 15.Only some stubborn batting from Ollie Rayner and Chad Keegan ensured Sussex were not dismissed for under 100. The pair put on 36 for the eight wicket with Keegan making 26 and Rayner 25.Sussex needed early wickets if they were to stand a chance but James Kirtley dropped Hamilton-Brown at mid off when he had made just four. The Surrey skipper made Sussex pay as he dominated a first-wicket stand of 41 with Steve Davies.The introduction of spinners Rayner and Will Beer gave Sussex brief hope as they picked up the wickets of Davies and Jason Roy respectively in quick succession. Stewart Walters (24no) joined Hamilton-Brown to snuff out any chance of an unlikely win for Surrey. The pair put on 80 for the third wicket with Hamilton-Brown bringing up his 50 off 42 balls with five fours and a six.

For their second match, which is potentially crucial to their chances of making the final, both India and Zimbabwe will want to bring their A game

The Preview by Sidharth Monga02-Jun-2010Match FactsThursday, June 3, 2010
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)
If Rohit Sharma scores a ton against Zimbabwe, he will equal the world record for centuries in consecutive innings•AFPThe Big PictureIndia went from the low of losing comprehensively to Zimbabwe to the high of winning similarly against Sri Lanka in two days. Zimbabwe travelled in the opposite direction with their huge loss to Sri Lanka. The upshot is, despite two unexpected results, the points table wears the expected look: Sri Lanka on top, Zimbabwe last. For their second match, which is potentially crucial to their chances of making the final, both India and Zimbabwe will want to bring their A game.For the second leg of the tournament, play moves to Harare, which should offer clearer weather, giving Zimbabwe a more even playing field. Their army of spinners will like it, so will their batsmen who struggled when it was overcast in Bulawayo, but made merry when it was sunny. It is not quite the do-or-leave situation, but neither team will want to leave it until they face Sri Lanka, on paper the strongest team in the tournament.Form guide (most recent first)ZimbabweLWLLL
India WLLWW
Watch out for…Albeit against lesser teams, Rohit Sharma is showing the will to fight and build an innings. Perhaps it is the added responsibility of no seniors around, but in a week he has taken his ODI average from 25.6 to 31.9, has nearly doubled his List A centuries count, and if he gets a century against Zimbabwe, will equal the world record for centuries in consecutive innings. He will want to carry this confidence and grit into matches against major teams too.In both the matches, Hamilton Masakadza has got off to rollicking starts. In the first he failed to convert it into a big score, but the rest picked up the ball. In the second, he found himself out of partners. In his hometown, he will want to continue the starts and ideally finish the job himself.Team newsZimbabwe went in with an unchanged combination against Sri Lanka, and despite that loss in a truncated match they will want to retain the XI that smashed India in the first match.Zimbabwe (possible) 1 Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Brendan Taylor (wk) 3 Charles Coventry, 4 Greg Lamb, 5 Craig Ervine, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Andy Blignaut, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya, 10 Chris Mpofu, 11 Ray Price.India went in with two specialist spinners because of a warm-up injury to R Vinay Kumar, but unwittingly seemed to have found the right combination. They should retain the bowlers, but the openers have presented a case for giving Naman Ojha a chance.India (possible) 1 M Vijay, 2 Dinesh Karthik/Naman Ojha (wk), 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina (capt), 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Ashok Dinda, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Umesh Yadav.Stats and trivia Greg Lamb’s batting strike-rate in ODIs is 42.35, and that provides a case for some flexibility when it comes to sending him at No. 3. It worked against India after Zimbabwe had a good start in a full 50-over innings, but against Sri Lanka, when they lost an early wicket in a 26-over contest, it backfired. Virat Kohli’s career average of 51.61 is impressive enough, but in his last 13 matches he has been even better, scoring two centuries, five half-centuries and averaging 67.33.Quotes”Very disappointing. We did not play well, hopefully we will bounce back. Building an innings has been a problem – we lost four wickets in a short space of time.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of “many clubs” who are “in the frame” to sign Sporting CP defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha.

What’s the word?

According to the latest report from O Jogo, as per Molineux news, Wolves have identified Palhinha as a possible replacement for Ruben Neves, who looks almost certain to depart this summer after spending five seasons at the club.

The 26-year-old has seen his minutes fluctuate across the second-half of the season, amidst his on-going links with Wolves.

Neves’ successor at Wolves

Palhinha’s game is all about breaking up opposition attacks in and around the middle and defensive third of the game.

As such, the £23.4 million rated Portuguese midfielder who’s name translates to “butcher” as discovered by Robert Lusetich, boasts some outstanding numbers with his average of 32 pressures, with 20 of these occurring in the middle third – enough to humble Neves’ total of 20.

Palhinha operates much deeper than Neves, who in an attacking sense is much more well-rounded, with the “butcher’s” specified total of 0.17 shot-creating actions all the evidence needed in regards to his lack of threat to the opposition’s goal.

Although he is tried and tested in a 3-4-3 system under Ruben Amorim, his stats suggest that he would shine in a system, like a 4-3-3, that makes use of a single pivot in midfield.

His defensive game is by far his best service and he would have no problem filling the boots of Ruben Neves if he was to depart.

The biggest worry from a Wolves perspective would be his lack of attacking threat.

Wolves have struggled to score goals this season, boasting the fourth worst record when it comes to finding the back of the net, with an average of just one goal per game.

The lack of central threat would suggest that the Old Gold would require at least one creative threat out of the two central midfield options in Bruno Lage’s team, though with on-going links of Leander Dendoncker’s departure amidst Lazio links, the Molineux side may well be out to sign a couple of midfielders this summer.

If that is the case, Palhinha is a sure-fire pick to replace Ruben Neves.

In other news: Better than Dendoncker: Wolves must finally unleash “enormous” 22 y/o who’s “filth…”

Former Tamil Nadu batsman Tirumalai Srinivasan died on Monday morning after a long struggle against brain cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2010Former Tamil Nadu batsman Tirumalai Srinivasan died on Monday morning after a long struggle against brain cancer. The 60-year-old had had two surgeries and was due to have a third when he passed away.Srinivasan was first noticed when he hit 112 for South Zone against North Zone in the Duleep Trophy in the 1977-78 season. A string of consistent performances, culminating in an innings of 129 in the 1980-81 Deodhar Trophy final and an unbeaten ton against Delhi in the Irani Trophy, earned him a place in the India squad for that season’s tour of Australia and New Zealand. A famous anecdote from that tour captured Srinivasan’s witty outlook to life. When he landed in Australia, Srinivasan allegedly told a local press reporter, “‘Tell Dennis Lillee TE has arrived”. He could, however, not make an impact on the field, scoring 48 runs in his solitary Test in Auckland, and failing in two one-dayers.In an era that included the likes of Kris Srikkanth, Srinivasan was considered by many to be the best batsman of his times to play for Tamil Nadu. Though his international career did not take off, he was quite successful when he turned out in the Yorkshire League for the local outfit Wodehouse. Former England captain Michael Atherton, in his autobiography , documented his appreciation of Srinivasan’s strokeplay in the league. “A swashbuckling batsman from Madras, Srinivasan was everything that [Sri Lanka’s Sidath] Wettimuny was not – wild, aggressive, and totally unorthodox,” Atherton wrote. “He was a stalwart for Tamil Nadu, in India, for many years.”S Venkataraghavan, the former India and Tamil Nadu offspinner, recalled Srinivasan as being a wonderful friend. “He enjoyed his cricket as much as he enjoyed life,” he said. “In my opinion, he was one of the best I have seen. His death is a great personal loss to me.”The latter part of Srinivasan’s life was dominated by his protracted battle against cancer. He underwent his first surgery immediately after being diagnosed with a malignant tumour at the age of 54, following which he managed to lead a near-normal life. However, a risky second surgery to remove the residual tumour and scar tissue, that had formed due to his treatment, left him almost paralysed and speechless. He responded remarkably to an advanced second line of therapy recommended by doctors from New York University. Having put up a brave front against the disease, Srinivasan was keen to help cancer patients and dreamt of setting up a hospital or a foundation to that end. Unfortunately, he could not live long enough to see the cause through to its completion.

According to reports by UOL Deportes in Brazil (as relayed by Sport Witness), Ajax have rejected a £12.5m bid for reported Everton transfer target David Neres as they seek a valuation of £16.7m.

Despite this, it is ‘expected’ that the 24-year-old will be sold during the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Neres in poor form

The winger has seen his productivity decline in recent times. During the 2017/18 league campaign, the Brazilian produced an emphatic 14 goals and 14 assists in 32 appearances for the Amsterdam club.

However, this electric form seems to have dried up for Neres since then, who has scored three goals and set up another two in 15 Eredivisie games this season, although three of those goal contributions came in Ajax’s 9-0 win over Cambuur.

This poor recent form has led to the 24-year-old being dropped from the starting line-up, and he was an unused substitute in two of the last three league games. Shockingly, Neres is ranked 18th in the Ajax squad for shots averaged per game (0.6), an extremely poor indictment for an attacking player.

The Latest: Everton interested in Neres

Previous reports have linked Everton with the Brazil international, with claims that the club are ‘interested’ in the player arising as former director of football Marcel Brands was a keen admirer of the Dutch league.

According to reports by UOL Deportes in Brazil (as relayed by Sport Witness), Ajax have rejected a €15m (£12.5m) bid from Shakhtar for Neres. The Dutch champions are said to value the attacker at a minimum of €20m (£16.7m), and it is ‘now expected’ that Neres will be sold this month, with the player being ‘kept on Ajax’s negotiable list’ for now.

Everton will need to move swiftly if they are to bring the winger to Goodison Park, as Shakhtar are set to go back in with another bid to try and get their man.

The Verdict: Transfer could be hit or miss

Neres has made an impression across Europe, with the prolific winger netting 47 goals in 180 appearances for Ajax. Indeed, Jose Mourinho previously awarded him the highest of compliments, saying: “As far as I am concerned, David Neres fully reflects what a Brazilian footballer stands for. For me he is the best of this new generation.”

With Everton keen on bringing in a new right winger to the club, the 24-year-old’s relatively cheap price-tag could prove to be a gamble worth taking, if they are to get the player that Ajax originally signed.

However, if he produces the kind of form we’ve seen this season, it could be a move to earn unwanted comparison with that of Davy Klaassen, who flopped on Merseyside after moving from the Amsterdam giants for £23.6m in 2017. It’s hard to predict which way a potential Everton move for Neres would go.

In other news: Goodison Park exit could beckon for Everton ace dubbed ‘one of the best in Europe’

Sussex Sharks remain in control of the Twenty20 South Group after thrashing Hampshire Royals by nine wickets at Hove

18-Jun-2010
ScorecardSussex Sharks remain in control of the Twenty20 South Group after thrashing Hampshire Royals by nine wickets at Hove. The reigning champions are on course for the knockout stages again after recording their sixth win in seven games as they chased down a target of 133 in just 11.4 overs.Matt Prior fell for a golden duck, stumped by Nic Pothas off the bowling of slow left-armer Danny Briggs in the first over, but that was as good as it got for the Royals as Brendon McCullum and captain Murray Goodwin went on the rampage.Goodwin smashed 76 from just 35 balls, winning the match with a six off Dominic Cork – the second of his innings – to add to 11 boundaries. McCullum lost little in comparison as he hammered 59 from 33 deliveries with six fours and four sixes, his first half-century in his short stint with the Sharks.At one stage Sussex scored 31 runs from just eight balls as seamer Chris Wood’s second over disappeared for 21 and McCullum hit the first two deliveries of the next from Briggs for six and four.An understrength Royals’ attack had no answer and after picking up just two wins from five games so far they are already struggling to make the knockout stages. Sussex had earlier produced an excellent bowling performance to restrict the Royals to 132 for 8 after visiting skipper Cork had won the toss.Goodwin sprung a surprise by opening with his two slow bowlers and it paid off when off-spinner Ollie Rayner, making his first appearance in the competition for nearly four years, struck in his first over as Michael Lumb’s wretched form continued when the World Twenty20 winner drove to mid on.Jimmy Adams, who had scored a century against Surrey on Sunday, looked in the mood to make another hefty contribution, quickly moving to 31 with three fours and a six. But he failed to make his ground when sent back by Michael Carberry and was run out by McCullum’s under-arm throw from backward point.Dwayne Smith then picked up wickets in successive overs with Sean Ervine beaten by extra pace and bounce while Michael Carberry cut to backward point. When Australian Dan Christian was leg before on the walk to offspinner Chris Nash the Royals were 76 for 5 and struggling.They were revived by a stand of 45 from 33 balls between South African Neil McKenzie and Nic Pothas, with McKenzie top scoring with 40 from 35 deliveries. He should have been run out on 32 and Sussex also dropped three catches, but James Kirtley and Chad Keegan bowled superbly at the end of the innings with only 26 runs scored in the last four overs.McKenzie was deceived by Keegan’s slow bouncer and the former Middlesex quick then bowled Wood to finish with 2 for 22 while Kirtley had Pothas taken at deep point in the final over to further stall Hampshire’s momentum.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has dropped a fresh twist in Everton’s hunt for a new manager…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that former Porto boss Vitor Pereira was the man leading the race to replace Rafa Benitez on a permanent basis, but it now appears that Frank Lampard has once again come into consideration following a significant development.

Writing initially on Twitter, Ornstein said: “Amid a mixed reaction reaction to reports of Vitor Pereira’s potential appointment as Everton boss, understand a final decision has yet to be made by #EFC owner Farhad Moshiri and Frank Lampard is still very much in contention for the job.”

Fans will be buzzing

The fact that Toffees fans took to protesting about Pereira’s potential appointment as the club’s new manager speaks volumes about just how much they disagreed with Moshiri’s first choice.

Ornstein’s update that the reaction to Pereira’s possible hiring has seemingly impacted the decision to appoint him is sure to be a major relief to Everton fans, while revealing Lampard is still “very much in contention” is a double boost.

And on Twitter, a move for Lampard was backed by The Telegraph’s Matt Law, who said: “Sure I’ll get stick on Twitter for this but surely Lampard is the obvious choice for Everton. Fans seem to want him, track record in English football, can communicate ideas quickly + make instant impact. Not only proved he can use youth but has also made good transfer decisions

“Qualifying for and managing in the CL, also getting to an FA Cup final, seems plenty qualified for the Everton job to me. Yes, Chelsea were ninth when they had sacked him after 19 games, but they had been in top 3 for first 11 games of that season.”

Lampard’s time with Chelsea and Derby has seen him pick up valuable experience in English football, and quite crucially, a real mix between competing at the very top end of the pyramid with the Blues, and leading a side in the play-offs down in the Championship.

As Law himself says, Everton “fans seem to want him”, and it’s exactly why Ornstein’s news on this mini manager saga is sure to delight them.

Meanwhile, Everton have made an enquiry for this European star…

Kenya have announced their 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup and it is a combination of youth and experience under newly-appointed captain Jimmy Kamande

Martin Williamson19-Jan-2011Kenya have announced their 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup and it is a combination of youth and experience under newly-appointed captain Jimmy Kamande. The announcement was more of a rubber-stamping exercise than a surprise, given it is the same group who are currently preparing for the tournament with matches in India.Steve Tikolo, the 41-year-old allrounder who led his country to the semi-finals in 2003, will be taking part in his fifth World Cup as will 32-year-old Thomas Odoyo. At the other end of the spectrum, nine of the squad will be making their World Cup debuts.The warm-up matches in India suggest Kenya will struggle to make any impression in the main competition. Although their batsmen have been scoring well, their bowlers have been ineffective and all five matches against Baroda and Gujarat have been lost.Their preparations will be slight disrupted as Seren Waters, the 20-year-old opening batsman, who has scored the only hundred on the India trip, has to return to his studies for a week at the insistence of Durham University.Kenya squad Jimmy Kamande (capt), Seren Waters, Alex Obanda, David Obuya, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tamnay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Maurice Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Peter Ongondo, Shem Ngoche, James Ngoche.