All posts by h716a5.icu

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.

A round-up of matches from the sixth day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Cricinfo staff25-Oct-2009West ZoneMahrashtra ensured their qualification for the knockout stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a comfortable eight-wicket win over Baroda at the Poona Club Ground. Shatrunjay Gaekwad’s 31-ball 45 along with a blistering 33 from Ketan Panchal took Baroda to a competitive score of 152 but it proved highly inadequate, as Maharashtra chased it down with little difficulty. Kedar Jadhav and Rohan Bhosale struck half-centuries, adding an unbeaten 94 for the third wicket, to seal victory with three overs to spare. Maharashtra take on Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final.Saurashtra prevailed by two runs in a thrilling game against Gujarat at the Deccan Gymkhana Ground. Chasing 149 for victory, Gujarat faltered at the start but were propped up by the middle order, Bhavik Thaker (34) and Jay Desai (32) leading the recovery. But in a see-saw game, three wickets fell for five runs before Sunny Patel (29) and last man Siddharth Trivedi added 18 to bring their team within two runs of Saurashtra’s score. Earlier, wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani had smacked 55 to take Saurashtra to a total they just about managed to defend.North ZoneDelhi qualified for the second stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy following their eight-run win over Services at the Palam B Ground. After being put into bat, Delhi were off to a sound start with their openers adding 51. Aakash Chopra and Rajat Bhatia then came together for a stand of 50 for the third wicket. Bhatia was the top scorer with 44 off 37 balls and Delhi eventually posted 153. Sachin Nadkarni, the offspinner, took three middle order wickets. Services were progressing steadily till the 11th over, when they were 70 for 1. However, Delhi fought back to pick three wickets for three runs. Services had lost the well-set duo of Yashpal Singh and Imran Khan and two further strikes by the offspinner Yogesh Nagar helped Delhi maintain the momentum. Nadkarni took Services close to the target in the final over but Delhi prevailed after he was dismissed.Three early strikes by Haryana’s Joginder Sharma hurt Jammu and Kashmir early in their chase of 164 and it turned out to be a one-sided affair at the Palam A Ground. Haryana posted a strong 163 thanks to contributions by Rahul Dewan and Sunny Singh. Joginder’s early burst reduced J&K to 22 for 3 and the situation got worse when half the side departed by the eighth over. Manvinder Bisla top scored with 37 but had no support as his team folded up for 105.Himachal Pradesh booked a spot in the pre-quarter finals with a 12-run win over Punjab at the Palam A Ground in New Delhi. Himachal overcame a shaky start to post 165 for 6 thanks to Paras Dogra’s unbeaten 58 and Mukesh Sharma’s 41. The pair added 72 for the fifth wicket to lift the team from 53 for 4. The Punjab openers began briskly, adding 53 in 5.5 overs before Sarandeep Singh broke the stand. Punjab lost wickets at regular intervals and the pressure was right back on them. Vikramjeet Malik leaked runs but finished with three wickets to stem Punjab’s resistance. Himachal will now face Jharkand in the second round.Central ZoneMadhya Pradesh recorded their third successive win, beating Railways by four wickets in Indore. Both teams have qualified for the knockout stage. MP captain Jalaj Saxena (38) and Abbas Ali (33) added 64 for the third wicket to set up a successful chase of 140, while Rahul Bakshi, unbeaten in 19, sealed victory with two balls to spare. Asad Pathan (35) and Jai P Yadav (33 not out) had enabled Railways reach a competitive score, but it didn’t prove enough. Railways take on Assam in the Pre quarter-finals.

New Zealand batsmen admit to breaking a team curfew which subsequently led to them being detained by the police

Cricinfo staff22-Nov-2009New Zealand batsmen Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond have admitted to breaking a team curfew in Chennai while on tour with the A team in August, which subsequently led to them being detained by the police. New Zealand Cricket said it chose not to go public with the incident and decided to deal with the matter internally.The players, who were participating in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, breached security protocol when they stepped out of their team hotel and headed to an ATM. In an act of benevolence, they tried distributing money to the poor living in the streets, before which a crowd started to gather.According to the , the crowd got unruly and a riot started to develop. The police intervened, detained the pair at the police station and arranged for a taxi to take them back to the hotel, on realising they were New Zealand players.”Unfortunately when we decided to leave the night spot we were picked up by police following another poor decision to hand out money to people living on the street, whereupon a crowd developed,” Redmond told NZPA. “The police initially took us back to the station and then arranged for a taxi to take us back to the hotel.”Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, did not revel any details of the punishment meted out to the pair. “The incident was dealt with thoroughly and appropriately at the time,” he said. “It was a confidential process, and New Zealand Cricket considers the matter closed.”The pair regretted the incident and apologised to NZC for not seeking permission to step out. “We also wish to apologise to other stakeholders in the game including the fans for our inappropriate behaviour while on tour,” Redmond said.

Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash has ‘officially’ received his Polish passport and is expected to be called up by the national team for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has kept on top of Cash’s process to switch nationalities in recent months, and a number of Villa fans have been reacting to his Twitter post.

The 24-year-old, who has been a regular in Dean Smith’s side this season, stayed in London over the weekend following the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Friday.

He visited the Polish embassy to begin the process of switching nationalities, which has now been completed.

It has been a long time coming for Cash, who was looking into representing Poland back in 2019.

Poland take on Andorra and Hungary next month in crucial qualifiers, and it appears as if Paulo Sousa will name the Villa full-back in his squad.

Villa fans react

Romano shared the news regarding Cash to his 5.6m Twitter followers. This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply…

“YESSSSSSSSS CASHKOWSKIIIIIIII”

Credit: @AvfcLuka

“Surely he will be the best player in the team?”

Credit: @AvfcTalkTime

“MATEUSZ CASHOWSKI”

Credit: @ryanmccarthy688

“International caps confirmed for Cash”

Credit: @branvilladon

“The polish Alan Hutton”

Credit: @WazeUTV

“The Polish Cafu, the Polish Cafu, MATTY CASH, THE POLISH CAFU.”

Credit: @ItsJuliobnave

In other news: ‘2-0 West Ham’ – Lots of AVFC fans unleash at ‘unbelievable’ report on Villa striker. 

Everton fans are far from happy with their club’s ratings following the release of EA Sports’ latest edition of the popular FIFA video game.

It is that time of year once more when video game enthusiasts and football fans across the globe are captivated by the new edition of FIFA. The game officially released on October 1st, and since then supporters have been looking at how their players have been rated by EA Sports.

Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy.

Amongst those who are not best pleased are Toffees fans. While the likes of Lucas Digne have been recognised adequately in the game – he was given an upgrade to a rating of 84 – the supporters believe other players such as Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been underrated by EA.

Everton shared a photo showing the ratings of a number of players on their official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the FIFA 22 ratings

“45 pace for mina is a joke”

Credit: @Owens_EFC

“Think Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Pickford have been hard done by to be fair. Doucouré could potentially a rating higher, but apart from that does anyone really think anyone else deserves a better rating going off their PREVIOUS seasons performance?”

Credit: @ReeceMurphy1996

“Should be a lot better, my team”

Credit: @Paul_Parr_1989

“not good enough from EA, Doucouré deserves 85 and Allan deserves 87 if Thiago has 86”

Credit: @jayefc_

“GRAY 82, ALLAN 85, DOUCS 83, DCL 84, RICHY 84, MINA 82, PICKS 85, DIGNE 86, GODFREY 80, TOWNSEND 82 FIX THEM”

Credit: @pombomalvado

“Disgrace, EA sports actually hates us”

Credit: @KierxnOfficial

In other news, Everton lead the race for this Champions League winner.

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a potential setback in his recovery from injury, posing further selection headaches for manager Rafa Benitez.

What’s the word?

The England international hasn’t featured since the 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on 28 August due to a broken toe and thigh problem.

Although the Toffees are yet to name an exact date for Calvert-Lewin’s expected comeback, there are growing concerns over a setback in his recovery.

A recent report in the Liverpool ECHO expressed such worries, claiming the versatile attacker could be on the treatment table for up to three months.

The report states that: “Rafa Benitez had hoped to be in a position to recall Calvert-Lewin to the squad in the coming weeks, but it is believed the 24-year-old may have suffered complications in his rehabilitation.

“Everton were asked about Calvert-Lewin’s fitness by the ECHO, but the club have yet to respond. There are some fears that the No9 could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks, but there is hope his absence will not be as long as that.”

Rafa Benitez surely devastated

News that Calvert-Lewin could face an extended spell on the sidelines will surely leave Benitez feeling absolutely devastated.

He has been their star man for a considerable period of time now, bagging 21 times last season and scoring three goals in his opening three outings this term. That was sandwiched by a place in England’s Euro 2020 squad as he played second fiddle to Harry Kane in the Three Lions side that reached the final a few months ago.

A fast start to the season from Everton is threatening to be unravelled due to a series of injuries to several key players, with midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure the latest to pick up a fresh problem.

The Goodison Park outfit suffered their first home defeat of the campaign last time out against West Ham United, and Benitez must fear more underwhelming results are inevitable as the list of absentees continues to grow.

And, in other news…Everton could be hit with a hammer blow after concerning report, fans surely worried 

Batsman to play in Chennai first division to get match practice ahead of the Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa

Cricinfo staff09-Jul-2009Rahul Dravid will play in the Chennai first division league to get into match form ahead of the Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa.Dravid will represent Vijay CC (India Cements) in the league which begins on Thursday.Vijay CC coach S. Suresh said the move would provide Dravid the perfect opportunity to find serious match practice. “I have talked to him and he is extremely keen to play,” Suresh told the . “This is a perfect opportunity for him to get into the groove even before the KSCA and the Buchi Babu Invitational meets in August.””The local league is very competitive and Dravid had played here back in the 1990s. We’re looking forward to having him in our team,” he said.Suresh, however, said that the India batsman will not play for the team immediately, and it was likely that Dravid would join for the later games.Dravid will play alongside India internationals Subramanium Badrinath and Laxmipathy Balaji, and promising Tamil Nadu Ranji opener KB Arun Karthik.”To play alongside Dravid will be a great experience for the young boys in the team as well. We hope Dravid’s association with us will help him as well as the team,” Suresh said.

David Moyes could be without one of his key West Ham stars as they return to Europa League action this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Irons welcome Austrian outfit Rapid Wien to the London Stadium as they host their first-ever group stage game but the 58-year-old may rue the absence of right-back Vladimir Coufal, who is “doubtful” ahead of kick-off.

That’s according to the Evening Standard’s Jack Rosser, who delivered a fresh update on the shape of the Hammers’ squad this week.

“David Moyes and Declan Rice speaking ahead of Rapid Vienna tomorrow night. Confirms Fredericks is out, Coufal doubtful too so a little short at right-back,” he tweeted.

Big blow

If the Czech Republic international is missing tonight, then it will certainly leave the Hammers looking a little weaker and given recent upsets in Europe like Sheriff’s stunning win over Real Madrid, no opposition should be taken lightly.

What makes Coufal’s potential absence even worse is the fact that his back-up, Ryan Fredericks, has been ruled out, meaning academy graduate Ben Johnson is the only other option available.

The 29-year-old is a crucial cog to Moyes’ system, having registered seven assists in the Premier League last season. A feat only bettered by his full-back counterpart Aaron Cresswell (eight).

He is just as influential defensively, too.

As per WhoScored, Coufal ended the season with a squad-high average of 2.6 tackles per game, whilst he also managed an average of 2.6 clearances and 1.2 interceptions per game.

His form led to some high acclaim after Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher touted him to be in the conversation for one of the signings of the season.

He told Monday Night Football [4th May, 22:24pm]:

“I think he’s been one of the signings of the season. We talk about [Tomas] Soucek, but Coufal whether it’s right wing-back or right full-back at different times, he’s just one of those players that’s 7/10 minimum every time you watch him play,” claimed the ex-Liverpool defender.

“He’s the type of player you’d love to play with him. A manager’s dream, never injured, he’s there, week in week out.”

On the above evidence, Moyes could really miss Coufal’s presence this evening and that should leave him hugely concerned heading into the encounter.

The Hammers will be looking to extend their fine form this campaign but without such a key cog, it makes it a little harder, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Newman can end West Ham striker hunt with £18m-rated “goal king” scoring every 83 mins…

At the age of just 18, Tottenham Hotspur’s academy defender Maksim Paskotsi has already become a regular for his national side, Estonia.

He’s yet to break through into the first team under Nuno Santo, though he has made his senior debut this campaign after featuring regularly during pre-season, but he could be someone that saves the north Londoners a lot of money in the future.

Capable of playing in the middle, as well as on the right, Paskotski has clinched nine caps since March 2021 and this week, he impressed to help Thomas Häberli’s side to a clean sheet against Belarus before being defeated by Joe Rodon and Gareth Bale’s Wales side.

The Spurs teenager was deployed at right-back in the former clash, where he provided one key pass (only bettered by two players on the whole pitch), made four clearances and registered two tackles, as per WhoScored.

His performance caught the eye of the Lilywhites faithful, many of whom were left swooning over the emerging talent in their youth ranks.

Some called for him to be promoted into the first-team setup, whilst others claimed he was better than Matt Doherty – and even Sergio Ramos, as relayed by The Boot Room.

The latter reaction may be a little far-fetched at this stage but there’s no reason that Paskotsi shouldn’t be involved in Nuno’s senior side in some form. After all, they remain in all cup competitions and will have plenty of fixtures ahead thanks to the UEFA Conference League.

His versatility could be very useful to Nuno as he’s able to provide cover for their central defensive options, whilst being a firm choice to rival Japhet Tanganga and the rarely-used Matt Doherty behind Emerson Royal at right-back.

The young Estonian beast is shades of Jan Vertonghen in this sense and that’s the sort of player that the Portuguese is currently lacking in defence – someone capable of filling in wherever and whenever he’s needed.

He’s somewhat been a big goal threat, too, having found the net five times in 20 appearances for the U18s since arriving from FC Flora Tallinn. Again, further comparisons could be made to the Belgian utility defender.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig once dubbed him “one of the most talented players in Estonia” and likened his playing style to Manchester United’s summer signing Raphael Varane, with the teen’s key attributes being tackling and intercepting, pace and aerial ability.

Whether he’s half the player of either, Spurs will be getting one hell of a talent, should Nuno unleash him in the senior side anytime soon.

Paskotsi could be his very own Varane.

AND in other news, Spurs could be about to repeat their Roberto Soldado nightmare…

Ben Sennik has announced that he will stand down as president of Cricket Canada at the end of June

Cricinfo staff28-May-2009Ben Sennik has announced that he will stand down as president of Cricket Canada at the end of June after five years at the helm. His last role will be to attend the ICC’s centenary celebrations in London.”This was not an easy decision,” said Sennick. “However, after reviewing what we have been able to jointly achieve, and recognizing what lies ahead for all of us on the cricket scene, I believe the time is now right for me to pass the responsibility as president to other hands.””I believe Cricket Canada is now at an important crossroads. In the past five years we have revived the organization and we now stand on firm financial footing. We operate as a viable business and all financial undertakings are fully transparent. We have balanced our budget and creating a responsible economic environment to attract new partners and new opportunities.””I fully appreciate the time and commitment that Ben Sennik has put into building the game in Canada,” said Richard Done, the ICC’s high performance manager. “Under his leadership Canada has developed from its voluntary base to start a new professional era both on and off the field. The national team has qualified for its third successive World Cup, the number of schools playing the game is growing, financially the sport is on a sound footing and Cricket Canada has again successfully hosted events involving a number of Full Members during 2008.”While Canada has progressed during Sennik’s time at the helm, he has been a controversial figure, and only last month he faced moves to file a no-confidence vote against him. This has been withdrawn in the wake of his retirement.