All posts by h716a5.icu

Denesh Ramdin has been retained as captain of a full-strength West Indies Test squad for their upcoming tour of South Africa, but the players have been given a deadline of November 18 to sign tour contracts

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2014Denesh Ramdin has been retained as captain of a full-strength West Indies Test squad for their upcoming tour of South Africa, but the players have been given a deadline of November 18 to sign tour contracts. The squad is the first to be named since West Indies walked out of their tour of India last month due to a pay dispute between the players, the WICB and the West Indies Players’ Association.”Of course at all times the selection panel aims to select the best and strongest team available,” chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd said. “We look forward to this squad giving a good account of themselves for the three Tests in South Africa.”There is a significant amount of international cricket to be played over the next six months, including Test matches against some of the higher ranked teams in world cricket and as such it would be critical for the squad to get off on a positive note in South Africa.”Specifically we have selected young fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell who is a good prospect. The selection panel is looking to introduce players such as Cottrell who can contribute in moving West Indies cricket forward.”The three Tests are scheduled for Centurion, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town from December 17 through to January 6. The West Indies squad is due to depart the Caribbean on November 30, but the WICB said in a statement that tour contracts still had to be signed.”All players selected have been notified of their selection and that their selection is contingent upon their signing of the Match Tour Contract which was sent to each player selected on Tuesday November 11,” the statement said. “The deadline for the return of signed Match Tour Contracts to the WICB is 5pm (ECT), Tuesday, November 18.”Test squad Denesh Ramdin (capt), Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Leon Johnson, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton.

Miguel Cummins ripped through the Trinidad & Tobago line-up to dismiss them for 110 on the first day of the regional four-day final at Kensington Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2013
ScorecardMiguel Cummins ripped through the Trinidad & Tobago line-up to dismiss them for 110 on the first day of the regional four-day final at Kensington Oval. The Barbados top order built on Cummins’ third five-wicket haul of the tournament to end the day 34 runs in front with eight wickets standing.T&T were in early trouble after Barbados chose to bowl on a grassy surface, Cummins taking four of the first five wickets to have the visitors limping at 19 for 5. He had Adrian Barath and Yannick Cariah caught off successive deliveries in his second over, and sent back Jason Mohammed in his third. At the other end, Kemar Roach accounted for Lendl Simmons.The T&T lower order fought briefly, No 9 Rayad Emrit leading the way with 34 and No 7 Stephen Katwaroo chipping in with 24. Cummins completed his five-for, removing Emrit to end the innings in the 38th over.Kraigg Brathwaite and Rashidi Boucher, with a breezy 46, put on 62 upfront for Barbados and captain Kirk Edwards followed up with 48 before falling late in the day to Simmons. Brathwaite was unbeaten on a patient 49.Cummins’ showing took the 22-year old’s tournament haul to 31 wickets, the most by a fast bowler. “Things have been going great for me this season,” Cummins said. “This is my first full season playing for Barbados at the senior regional level. I had one match last year and it didn’t work out that well, but I was determined and came back and told myself ‘this year would be my year’.”We are going to look to bat the whole day on Friday, but if we have to bowl at all, I’ll be looking to come out bowling as hard again as I did on the first day.”

The ICC and ECB have signed the host agreement to stage the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, formalising the arrangement of 2006.

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2013The ICC and ECB have signed the host agreement to stage the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, formalising the arrangement of 2006.The tournament will be held throughout June 2019, will be played at 10 venues and is currently scheduled to involve 10 teams.”The signing of this agreement now enables ECB to enter into staging agreements with venues who wish to stage matches in the World Cup,” ECB chief executive David Collier said after signing the agreement in Dubai.”The Organising Team from the 2013 Champions Trophy, led by tournament director Steve Elworthy, will commence the preparation work for this event immediately following the conclusion of the Champions Trophy, which ends with the final at Edgbaston on June 23.”The ECB is honoured to have been selected to stage one of the largest and most important global sports events which will be a wonderful boost to sport and cricket in particular throughout England and Wales.”England last staged the World Cup in 1999, without great success, not least the hosts’ performance – England were knocked out in the group stage. The 2004 Champions Trophy and second edition of the World Twenty20, in 2009, were also staged in the UK.ICC Chief Executive David Richardson added: “The World Cup attracts a broadcast audience in excess of 1.5 billion people and is one of the premier events in world cricket. England and Wales boasts a number of high quality cricket venues providing players, officials and spectators with excellent facilities. We look forward to working with the ECB to deliver an outstanding tournament.”Bidding to host World Cup matches is expected to be fierce with at least 11 clubs expected to apply: MCC, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Hampshire, Durham, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

Allan Donald, who has been elevated from bowling coach to head coach for Pune Warriors this year, has spelled out his expectations from the players in no uncertain terms

Amol Karhadkar31-Mar-2013Despite being around for two years in the Indian Premier League, Pune Warriors – the most expensive franchise in the event – seem to be struggling to find their feet. In both the editions they have featured in, they have finished near or at the bottom.No wonder then that their third successive season will see a new captain and coach going into the tournament. While both their previous coaches – Geoff Marsh in 2011 and Sourav Ganguly as captain-cum-mentor last year, when they participated without a head coach – were diplomatic ahead of they stints, Allan Donald, who has been elevated from bowling coach to head coach this year, spelled out his expectations from the players in no uncertain terms.Referring to his new role as “intimidating” in a tournament that moves “at a million miles per hour”, Donald, the former South Africa pace spearhead, urged the players to “care” for one another.”I am going to have a meeting with our overseas players on their own to explain their commitment to our cause for the next two months. Every one of those players wants to play. I would be disappointed if I wasn’t picked. But what is important for Pune Warriors is for everyone to be swimming up one stream, [and] not every way and direction like it went last year,” Donald said, referring to a disgruntled unit in the latter half of last year’s IPL.”And negativity spreads cancer. It does because it gets people talking, players talk among each other. And my message to the team is [to] be up front and honest. [This] is going to be the key. I am not here to make anyone promises.”That’s what this format requires. You just can’t be pleasing cricketers for the sake of it. I just want guys to be part of the team and helping each other out. The care factor for me is huge. I want guys to look after each other. That creates that relaxed environment that I talk about. That’s pretty much what I look for. How we gel as a team, how we grow as a team and how we care as a team is going to be the key for us.”In a season in which Pune Warriors tried out 23 players during the season, not many players were given a long rope. It led to team harmony going for a toss as the tournament progressed, and affected the team both on and off the field. Donald seems to have learned the lessons from the disappointing previous outing: “[I] don’t think last year was a great example for me. That was my first year, and I felt that at times, we were a bit gung-ho with our selection.”At times, [we tried] quick fixes, which didn’t work. I see that the teams that have been successful in the IPL have stuck with a certain group of players for a long period of time. And that’s what I intend to do.”Why fix [something] if it’s not broken? All coaches and teams are looking for early momentum and confidence, and we have to earn the right to do that first of all. The hard part about this competition is to get your nose in front. I am not looking far ahead. I am not looking at the semi-finals or anything like that. I just want to concentrate on every game, and on what we do in every game. If it doesn’t work and we go down fighting, so be it. To try and stick to certain processes is the key.”

The Gunners winger has made 78 consecutive Premier League appearances for Mikel Arteta's team, and he has looked tired in recent weeks

Arsenal spent a lot of time last summer looking to bring in some cover for Bukayo Saka on the right side of their attack. Raphinha was the player they wanted, and they did make a bid for the Leeds United winger. But when that bid was rejected and Raphinha’s determination to seal a dream move to Barcelona became abundantly clear, Arsenal took a step back.

At that point you thought the Gunners would move on to other targets. Moussa Diaby, the Bayer Leverkusen winger, is a player they are known to have admired for some time, and there was a feeling the north London club could make a move for the 23-year-old. But they never did.

And when the transfer window closed at the end of the summer the only right winger who had arrived at Arsenal was Marquinhos, the 19-year-old Brazilian who had come in from Sao Paulo.

The capture of Marquinhos was seen as one for the future. He was talented, but he wasn’t a player who was expected to immediately challenge for the first-team. In fact, the expectation was that he would head out on loan almost immediately. So that left Mikel Arteta once again relying almost purely on Saka on the right hand side of his front-line. 

GettyA player in need of protection

Saka’s durability is one of his biggest strengths. No matter how many games he plays and how many kicks he takes, he always seems to be available. And for Arsenal, that has been hugely important during the past two seasons, because they haven’t really had anyone around who could fill in for him, should he be absent for a sustained period of time.

Reiss Nelson is one possibility, but Arteta has always seemed to prefer using him on the left on the odd occasion he has been handed any game time during the past couple of campaigns.

The fact Saka hasn’t picked up any sort of serious injury seems more down to good fortune rather than anything else, given the treatment he receives on a weekly basis from defenders. His team-mates and Arteta have long called for the winger to be given more protection from referees, but so far those appeals have fallen on deaf ears.

AdvertisementGetty Images78 consecutive league appearances

Saka has featured in every single Premier League game for Arsenal this season. The only game he didn’t start, against Leeds, he was introduced as a second-half substitute despite the fact he had been ill and hadn’t been able to train the day before.

In fact, Saka has made an appearance in Arsenal’s last 78 Premier League fixtures. The last game he missed was against Newcastle in May 2021, when he was an unused substitute. That’s currently the longest run of consecutive league appearances in the league (David de Gea is second with 75).

Since the start of the 2021-22 campaign, Saka has featured 74 times – again, more than any other player in the league. Of those 74 appearances, 71 have been starts. For a 21-year-old, those are remarkable numbers, especially when you factor in the games he has played for England during the same period of time. 

They are also numbers, however, which show how important it is that Arsenal finally bring in some much-needed cover for Saka this summer.

Getty ImagesOne goal in eight games

Saka may have the capability to consistently be available, but his performances in recent weeks suggest the incredible workload he has had to take on has started to catch up with him. Since scoring twice against Crystal Palace on March 19, the winger has started eight times for Arsenal and has struggled to find the same level of performance that he had produced during the earlier part of the campaign.

In those eight games, Saka has managed just one goal and one assist. Previously, he had been averaging 0.82 direct goal involvements per 90 minutes, but since the win against Palace that has dropped sharply, falling to just 0.29.

Saka is now taking fewer shots per 90 minutes (2.3 compared to 2.6), creating fewer chances (1.6 compared to 2.3) and having fewer touches (53.3 compared to 59.6). He also missed a crucial penalty during that run, firing wide in the 2-2 draw at West Ham.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyArteta's need to rotate

When you consider the amount of football Saka has been asked to play, both for his club and his country over the past two years, it is no surprise that physically he may be beginning to struggle a bit as the season comes to a close.

And that doesn’t just go for him when you are looking at the Arsenal team. Up to this point of the campaign, Saka, Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes have all featured in every league game this season for the Gunners. Saka has clocked up 3,041 Premier League minutes this season. For comparison, Bernardo Silva at Manchester City has 2,119, Jack Grealish has 2,063, Riyad Mahrez has 1,669 and Phil Foden has 1,612.

Pep Guardiola’s embarrassment of riches in the attacking areas means he can pick and choose who he wants for games, safe in the knowledge that the drop off in performance will not be vast. His players now look as sharp as they have all season as a result.

Arteta doesn’t really have that luxury. The core group of his team have started almost every game when available, and that has to change if Arsenal are going to take another step forward next season and compete not just for the Premier League, but also in the Champions League.

A round-up of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on November 19, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2014An all-round bowling effort led by Shardul Thakur’s 3 for 25 and a swift Wasim Jaffer half-century – his fourth in five innings – helped Mumbai wallop Delhi by six wickets and go through to the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Mumbai’s decision to field bore early fruit as Thakur got rid of Unmukt Chand and Virender Sehwag for 6 and 9 in successive overs. Though Milind Kumar did his best to halt the one-way traffic with 64 off 94 balls, support was lacking at the other end. Only four other people managed to get into double-figures as Delhi were bowled out for 157, with 45 balls remaining. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah claimed 2 for 24 off his 8.3 overs and all of the five bowlers used conceded less than 5 an over.Delhi may have entertained a brief hope of a resurgence when opener Siddesh Lad was dismissed for an 11-ball duck, but Jaffer walked in and kept the score ticking over. His unbeaten 83 required 87 balls, with 11 fours and a six as he took Mumbai home with nearly 20 overs to spare and set a date with Karnataka on Friday’s quarter-final.Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh shone with bat and ball, first slamming a rapid half-century and then picking up two wickets, to help his team reach the quarter-finals after downing Gujarat by 28 runs in Rajkot.Having been inserted, Punjab were precariously placed at 70 for 3 before Amitoze Singh and Gurkeerat Singh Mann led a recovery with a 104-run stand. Gurkeerat was the more aggressive foil, blasting 72 off 69 balls, while Amitoze hit 75, with eight fours. Both batsmen fell in successive overs, but Harbhajan, coming in at No.6, smashed two fours and six sixes during a 25-ball 51 to lift the score to 255 for 8.Most of Gujarat’s batsmen made starts during the chase, but failed to convert it into a substantial score. The No.9 batsman Rohit Dahiya was the team’s top scorer with 53, but his knock was too little too late, as Gujarat were bundled out for 227 in 47.3 overs. Sandeep Sharma was the pick of Punjab’s bowlers, taking 3 for 39 to rattle Gujarat’s top order. Harbhajan chipped in with 2 for 51, while Yuvraj Singh, who had failed to fire with the bat, claimed 2 for 21.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya05-May-2012Match factsSunday, May 6
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)Lasith Malinga has continued to be Mumbai Indians’ MVP•AFPBig PictureWins for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in their previous games helped clear a few lingering doubts for both teams. Mumbai Indians just about held on, but got their opening combination to click. They had tried six combinations in nine games prior to that; with James Franklin and Sachin Tendulkar adding 50, they may have finally settled on one. But the middle-order collapse that ensued and the absence of Kieron Pollard due to injury pose another headache.Super Kings’ win over Deccan Chargers revived their campaign, helping them bounce back after a winless two weeks that involved two losses and a rained-out game. The win also kept them marginally ahead of competitors below them in the points table and with the tournament now well past the half-way stage, Super Kings need to achieve some consistency to retain that advantage.Form guide (most recent first, completed games)
Chennai Super Kings: WLLWW
Mumbai Indians: WWLWLPlayers to watchIt is probably safe to say that Lasith Malinga would be leading the wicket-taking charts this IPL had he played all of his team’s 10 matches. He missed three due to a back injury, but since his return has continued to be his side’s MVP, playing an instrumental role in his side’s two wins in that period.Suresh Raina, after an indifferent start to the season, has finally got going, making 44 and 32 in his previous two games. But he’s been relatively restrained on a slowish Chennai track, and will hope the Mumbai conditions offer him a chance to be play with more freedom.Stats and trivia Seamers have taken 310 wickets thus far in the IPL, out of 464, almost 67%. Spinners, though, have been marginally more economical, going at 7.26 an over as opposed to 7.82 * Fifteen matches thus far in the IPL have gone into the last over.Quotes”Franklin gives us stability (in the top order), but we are still looking for a middle-order batsman who can fill Franklin’s spot. We have Dwayne Smith (he has joined the squad as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Johnson) and hopefully he can fill that slot.”
“We have the best fielding unit in the tournament but still there are areas we need to improve like with our direct throws. For a team, there is always some scope of improvement.”

* Stats do not include numbers from Saturday’s matches

Cameron White has said the Pakistan series is “fantastic preparation” for the upcoming World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2012Australia may have already lost the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, but their middle-order batsman Cameron White has said the series is “fantastic preparation” for the upcoming World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Australia collapsed to 89 all out in the first T20 but turned in an improved performance in the second, going down on the last delivery of the Super Over.”We’d like to be winning, we made great steps from the first game to the second,” White said, a day ahead of the third T20 in Dubai. “We are heading in the right direction, and from a prep point of view this is fantastic.”The conditions in Dubai have been helping spinners, with Pakistan packing the side with three/four slow bowlers. White said the testing series would hold Australia in good stead in the World T20. “I don’t think you can ask any more than what we are experiencing at the moment (in terms of preparations),” he said. “I know we are experiencing very tough conditions, very similar conditions to what we are going to experience in Sri Lanka, and against very good bowlers.”White was also pleased with the amount of matches Australia were getting to fine-tune their World T20 strategies. “The way the Twenty20 game is set up internationally, it is just two games at the back of a Test and ODI series. You come in for two games and then you might not play again for a month, two, three or six months,” he said. “(Here) we are playing three games in a row, we have two more warm-up matches, five solid games leading into a big tournament.”Despite Australia’s series defeat against Pakistan, and just one victory in five previous T20 matches, White said his team was “definitely looking to win” the World T20. “We finished second in the last [World] T20, Australia traditionally have a good record in big tournaments, so I think we are a good chance going into the tournament.”The loss on Friday pushed Australia down to tenth place in the ICC’s T20 rankings, though White was confident his side’s position would improve after the world event. “We know where we are ranked, you lose a game you go down two or three spots. We haven’t been winning enough games, so that’s why are down there,” he said. “Things can change around quickly, if we get a couple of wins under our belt, start winning in the World T20, we could easily shoot back up, and if we win it there’s no arguments to say we are not the No. 1 in the world.”

On a challenging track in Lahli, the match between the Haryana and Punjab seems to be heading for an exciting finish after the hosts finished the second day 96 runs ahead in their second innings

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2013
ScorecardSanjay Budhwar picked up four wickets•ESPNcricinfo LtdOn a green track at Lahli, the match between hosts Haryana and Punjab seems set for a close finish. At the end of the second day, Haryana have a 96-run lead but are also five wickets down and the Punjab pacers, particularly, Sandeep Sharma and VRV Singh will be looking to knock the side over quickly on the third morning.No one team could claim the honours on the second day. Punjab began at 50 for 3 but lost overnight batsmen Sandeep and Uday Kaul off consecutive deliveries to pacer Sanjay Budhwar. Taruwar Kohli followed suit with only 11 runs added to the scoreboard.A doughty 86-run stand between Mayank Sidhana and Gurkeerat Singh rescued the innings and, more importantly, helped them take a small lead over Haryana. Gurkeerat raised his maiden first-class fifty, scoring 51 off 48 balls with eight fours, while Sidhana collected a 91-ball 43 with seven fours. Once Gurkeerat fell, however, the Haryana pacers wrapped up the last four wickets for 10 runs and Punjab were dismissed for 184, a lead of 21 runs. Seamer Harshal Patel picked up three of the last four wickets to finish with 4 for 60 and Budhwar also finished with a four-wicket haul.Haryana’s batsmen once again found themselves struggling against Sandeep as the pacer quickly dismissed Abhimanyu Khod and Rahul Dalal. Avi Barot was on his way to a second fifty in the match and was involved in a promising stand with Nitin Saini before Sandeep struck again, dismissing him for 31. VRV Singh added another blow to Haryana, dismissing Saini for 25. By close of play, Sachin Rana and Amit Mishra had added 31 for the sixth wicket. The pair carry the hopes of a Haryana line-up that will be looking to set a challenging target as they seek their second win.

The fast bowler Mark Gillespie has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test series against West Indies due to an ongoing ankle problem, further depleting a squad already hit by injuries

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2012The fast bowler Mark Gillespie has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test series against West Indies due to an ongoing ankle problem, further depleting a squad already hit by injuries. The captain Ross Taylor hurt his shoulder during the first Twenty20 in Florida on Saturday and is in doubt for the rest of the tour, while Jacob Oram (knee) and Ronnie Hira (dislocated finger) have also been sidelined so far on the trip.Gillespie, 32, was New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker during the Test series against South Africa in March, in what were his first international appearances in three years. Despite his success, Gillespie missed out on a national contract last month and has been battling ankle trouble, which the national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said had ruled him out of the Caribbean tour.”Mark unfortunately has had to withdraw from the upcoming Test series against the West Indies having not responded to treatment in time to be fully fit,” Littlejohn said. “As a precautionary measure, Mark feels that it would be the right decision to stay in Wellington to continue working on his rehabilitation.”No decision has been made on who will replace Gillespie, although one option would be to retain Tim Southee, who is in the squad for the one-day internationals but was left out of the Test group. The absence of Gillespie will boost Neil Wagner’s chances of making his Test debut, while his fellow left-armer Trent Boult will also come into calculations to join Chris Martin and Doug Bracewell in the pace line-up.New Zealand lost the two Twenty20s in Lauderhill on the weekend, and are now preparing for a five-match ODI series that begins in Jamaica on Thursday. The two Tests, in Antigua and Jamaica, run from July 25 to August 6.