Tag Futebol

Brian Lara is among those invited for the tour of Australia in November © Getty Images

There is no deadline for West Indian players to sign the match and tour contracts for the upcoming tour of Australia, scheduled for November 2005, according to a source close to the negotiations between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).The WICB, in its September 13 invitation to 30 players for the tour of Australia, had stated that “the players accepting the invitation are required to sign the letter and return it to the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) by 5 pm on September 19”.On September 16, Dinanath Ramnarine, the WIPA president and CEO, said in a press release that according to an agreement between himself and Ken Gordon, the new WICB president, all players “may accept the invitation to participate in the camp in preparation for the tour of Australia with the clear understanding that there has been no agreement with regards to the match/tour contract and that the players would not be bound by the draft match/tour contracts which accompanied the invitations sent by the WICB for the Australian tour later this year as discussions are ongoing”.Ramnarine stated that the counsel for the West Indies Cricket Board, represented by senior counsel Charles Wilkin, and the West Indies Players Association, being advised by Dr Kusha Haraksingh, CARIFORUM Lead Negotiator on Dispute Resolution, were to meet over the weekend to “settle all outstanding issues” on match/tour contracts for senior West Indies cricketers.The source said that players were advised by WIPA not to sign any match/tour contracts because negotiations “are still in progress”. The source also said, contrary to a Barbados report, fast bowlers Pedro Collins and Fidel Edwards only indicated that “they accepted the invitation and never indicated they would sign the match/tour contracts”. “They were misquoted,” the source said. “They will not sign now because the contracts are still being negotiated.”WIPA had pointed out Friday that they only received a copy of the match/tour contract on September 13, “the same day it was sent to the players”, and reiterated that they want to reassure the public and all stakeholders that “we are committed to finding a resolution and for the best team to tour Australia…”Despite the lack of a settlement to date, players are still expected to turn up for a preparatory one-week camp from September 24-30 at the Three Ws Oval at the Cave Hill campus of the University of West Indies.Invited players:Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Daren Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Dave Mohammed, Sylvester Joseph, Ryan Hinds, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith, Devon Smith, Narsingh Deonarine, Carlton Baugh Jr, Omari Banks, Xavier Marshall, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Jermaine Lawson, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Ian Bradshaw, Deighton Butler, Daren Powell, Dwight Washington, Jerome Taylor.

Scorecard
Glamorgan hit back on the second day of their tour match against Sri Lanka A at Swansea. After Sri Lanka posted a healthy 367, Matthew Elliott and Ian Thomas helped to guide Glamorgan to 118 for 1 at the close, 80 runs behind.After Sri Lanka A resumed at 178 for 3, Jehan Mubarak was out early on, caught by David Hemp off Mark Harrison for 66, Jeewan Mendis was soon run out for 5, and Sri Lanka had stuttered to 195 for 5. However, Bathiya Perera continued the momentum, adding 22 quick runs before he was caught by Robert Croft off Darren Thomas.Then came Charith Sylvester and Gayan Wijekooon, who put on a fifty stand to further frustrate the Glamorgan attack. Sylvester scored a bright 44, including four boundaries. He was finally bowled by Croft, but Ranga Dias and Nuwan Kulasekara chipped with a couple of 20s down the order to boost the total to 367 with Ramyakumara left not out on 60.Elliott and Thomas, however, then made a better fist of things second time around, as they added 113 for the opening stand. Thomas was the more aggressive of the two, reaching his half-century from 76 balls, while Elliott cracked four fours and a six in his 53. It was Kulasekara who eventually made the breakthrough, with Elliott caught by Fernando shortly before the close.

Adam Gilchrist has said that he subscribes to what he believes will be an increasing trend among international players to retire from one-day games to concentrate on Test cricket.He told the today that while it would not be “in the foreseeable future”, he could see a day when he may retire from ODIs and devote himself to Test cricket. The gruelling schedule of modern international cricket could result in more players looking to do the same sort of thing.Gilchrist said starting a family tended to change the perspective of players and while he still enjoyed his cricket, he was juggling around in his mind what he wants to do in the future.Gilchrist said that the usual time to think about such decisions – at the end of a tour, when “you’re tired and worn out” – was not the right time. But he did see that the option would be used more and more in the future. “There’s no hiding the fact that people are thinking that way and that’s going to be part and parcel of it. There’s some demand coming from somewhere for more and more cricket, so if that’s the way cricket decides to go, that’s going to be a spin-off effect.”

Before the team left for Sharjah I had prayed for a triumphant start and that was exactly what the boys achieved for us. After the initial hiccup, things took a pretty smooth route. Aided by the indomitable Wasim and Waqar, the Pakistan team looked a well-knit unit. Critics could always point out that this triangular was only a two-way race but they should also keep in mind Sri Lankan power in recent desert tournaments. They had been decisive winners in the last two competitions at Sharjah, and Pakistan beat them twice, quite convincingly, in the tournament.

Mudassar Nazar Photo © CricInfo

Admittedly, Sri Lanka were seriously handicapped by the absence of Fernando and Kaluwitharana. Fernando had bowled at a furious pace in the first game and some of our batsmen had looked uneasy with his length. Kaluwitharana, as most of us know, can be devastating with the bat and is no mean achiever behind the stumps.In our first match against Sri Lanka our batting looked rusty and with Inzamam absent, were in disarray against incessant short of length deliveries. Yousuf Youhana was the only batsman who seemed at ease with these tactics.

Waqar Younis holds up trophy Photo © AFP

We introduced Naved Latif in this tournament and he did not disappoint his admirers. He loves playing square off the pitch and being an unknown quantity, took Sri Lankan bowlers by surprise. In the absence of Fernando all the Sri Lankan bowlers lacked some awareness and penetration. Instead of switching to ‘Plan B’ they limited themselves to the original plan that had worked well for them in the first game. Many a well-devised plan goes awry on the day and one must be flexible enough of change at a very short notice.Inzamam played a patient innings in the beginning and thrashed the bowlers towards the end of the game. It was a masterly knock. He also persuaded the adjudicators to nominate Naved Latif for the Man of the Match when they wanted to share it between him and his junior. I thought this was a tremendous gesture and went a long way in building up more team sprit.

Jayawardene – Man of the Series Photo © AFP

Mahela Jayawardene had scored a scintillating 92 in the first session of the match. What a graceful and intelligent player he is. This young man seems destined for greatness.Before the tournament final, a lot of expatriates had reminded us not to fall at the final hurdle. I do not think we needed a reminder. We were extremely confident after our third win on the trot while the Sri Lankans looked totally devastated after Pakistan had chased a huge total batting second. The manner in which we chased such a commanding total would have knocked the stuffing out of many sides.What’s more, we also had our ace Wasim Akram back in the side. It was a difficult choice to leave out Shoaib Malik who has bowled reasonably well and was by far the best ground fielder of the tournament. Saeed Anwar also had to miss out because of an injury to his wrist. It was a painful loss to us as his record in Sharjah is outstanding.On a hot and humid day, Jayasuriya won the toss and elected to bat. We had planned to take early wickets and cramp both the left-handed opening batsmen for room. Jayasuriya and Gunawardene can tear into you if you give them the slightest bit of freedom on the offside.Wasim and Waqar once again belied their age and were very hostile. Both were among wickets very early on, which gave us a distinct advantage.

Shoaib and Wasim Photo © AFP

Enter Jayawardene, and the whole game took on a different dimension. He treats every bowler in the world with disdain and has more time than most players I have come across in my career. If he were not an opposite number I would pray for him to bat all day for my sake!His six off Shoaib Akhtar was a delight and would have done Sir Viv Richards proud. Ironically, it was Shoaib Akhtar who had the last laugh by removing him when Jayawardene appeared to be running away with the game. This is the beauty of playing Shoaib Akhtar. He can go for runs but will always feature among wickets. Greatest way to check the run rate is by picking up wickets at regular intervals. It breaks the opposition’s rhythm and also leaves them with fewer wickets in hand for the slog overs. In fact, Shoaib Akhtar fit in the tournament and being played more consistently will get better. A fit and healthy Shoaib Akhtar is an asset for our team. On the tour he was completely focused on his game. I really am at a loss why his bowling action is under scrutiny again. If, for scientific reasons, Brett Lee and Muttiah Muralitharan are allowed to operate then why pick on our youngster? Shoaib is an emotional young man and these things affect him more than most people. I really despair for him.Wasim Akram was his lethal best in this tournament. At one stage I became concerned, as he seemed to be trying too hard. I did not want him to break down, so we rested him in one game. He vowed to win the tournament for Waqar and us. I once played in two one-day games against England in the same team as Michael Holding. Michael bowled 20 overs and picked up 6 for 48. I thought I would never see anything like that again. Wasim proved me wrong and in this tournament took 6 for 69 in 29 overs. He was my Man of the Tournament with Waqar a very close second.Waqar Younis is very much like Dennis Lillee (the greatest fast bowler of my era, if not the best ever). Both are classical, side-on bowlers. Waqar being a little shorter then Dennis, bowls to a fuller length but the game plan always is the same, attack. Like Dennis, Waqar also strives for wickets rather than conserving energy and achieving a decent economy rate. To this day, Ian Chappell maintains Dennis was a ‘captain’s dream’. Well, I wish I had played in the same team as Waqar let alone captain him. What marvellous services these two W’s have given us and any history of cricket would be incomplete without our two W’s.

Naved Latif Photo © AFP

Without a shadow of doubt, the find of the tour was Naved Latif. He came to prominence by scoring 394 runs in one innings in a first class game. When I first saw him in nets, about ten months ago, his stroke play was very catching. I was astonished when a few of my colleagues seemed to differ from my views. Despite this, we selected him for the Pakistan Academy. Much to my dismay he chose to go to England instead of joining our ranks. He was disillusioned and thought he deserved better from the cricket selectors. He likes playing square on the offside, and in his eagerness to do that, sometime he does not go back and across enough. Those who watched his dismissal in the Sharjah Final will know exactly what I am trying to put across. Had he stayed in the Academy we would have worked on his technique. Anyway, it’s better late than never.We have a month before we take on Bangladesh and the West Indies. A lot of hard work beckons all of us. Let us hope we carry the Sharjah spirit forward with us wherever and whenever we play in the future.

Manchester United will host Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford this afternoon in an important clash for both teams in the race for a spot in the top four, and now Ralf Rangnick has been given a late injury boost ahead of the game.

What’s the word?

The Man United boss has given an update on Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability in his pre-match press conference, after the star was unavailable for the Manchester derby last weekend.

Rangnick told the press;

“He resumed training yesterday.

“He trained the whole training session and I expect him to train today as well. He trained well, like the rest of the group. I would’ve thought he was available tomorrow.”

Rangnick will be elated

There has been mounting speculation around the Red Devils over the last few weeks relating to Ronaldo’s future at the club, and when he was missing from the squad against Manchester City it caused a further media frenzy, with claims that the Portuguese striker wasn’t actually injured and had just decided he didn’t want to play.

With that being said, Rangnick will surely relieved that the five time Ballon D’or winner will be available and back in the dressing room to support and inject confidence into his team mates this weekend following the embarrassing 4-1 defeat against Pep Guardiola’s side and the ongoing negative speculation surrounding the club.

Not only will Ronaldo’s leadership be a huge boost for the Manchester United team, but his presence on the pitch is an inevitable threat to any team and as top goal scorer with 15 goals and three assists this season so far, there is no doubt that the striker will offer the best possible attacking opportunities in the challenging clash.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The German coach will be hoping his team can take advantage of being back at Old Trafford, putting their most recent defeat behind them to take advantage of the opportunity to leap frog Arsenal back into the fourth spot in the league table ahead of the Gunners’ fixture on Sunday afternoon – however slipping to a consecutive loss against Spurs this afternoon could set them back further pushing them into sixth.

In other news: Manchester United interested in Robert Lewandowski

The Telstra Dome is primarily an Australian football ground but it has hosted 12 ODIs © Getty Images

The chief executive of Melbourne’s second-largest stadium wants to poach international cricket from the MCG and has not ruled out bidding for the Boxing Day Test. Ian Collins, who is in charge of the Telstra Dome at Melbourne’s Docklands, believes the ground should stage more than just the occasional limited-overs fixture.The right to host Melbourne’s international matches could be put to tender unless Cricket Victoria reaches a better commercial deal with the Melbourne Cricket Club. “The contract is up with the MCG in 2009,” Collins told the . “Hopefully, we will be talking to cricket and hopefully, they will be talking to us about some or all of it.”Telstra Dome has held 12 one-day internationals on its drop-in pitches since 2000 – including the Super Series matches – and is an attractive option in the off-season because of its retractable roof. It was also used when the MCG was unavailable due to Commonwealth Games commitments but it is primarily an Australian rules football ground and has a capacity of about 50,000 – half the size of the MCG.Collins said it would be more difficult to extend the Docklands ground’s hosting rights to Test matches but it was not out of the question. “I think it would be hard to justify playing a Test away from the MCG, especially Boxing Day, but it’s a changing market,” he said. “We are running a business and when the contract is up we would be very happy to talk to cricket for some or all.”The reported that one possibility was for the MCG to retain the Boxing Day Test while Telstra Dome would stage Melbourne’s ODIs. In 2004, Cricket New South Wales put its international games to tender but in the end gave all the rights to the SCG ahead of Telstra Stadium at Homebush.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic © AFP

Two contrasting half-centuries put Michael Hussey’s maiden one-day century in the shade as West Indies scampered to a nervy three-wicket win in the fourth match of the DLF Cup and secured a place in the final. Brian Lara’s artistry was complemented by Chris Gayle’s fury and their whirlwind partnership, rattling off 151 at a rate of close to 7.8 runs per over, set the stage for the chase, which was eventually achieved after several heart-stopping moments.The West Indian bowlers played their part as well, turning in an improved performance to reduce Australia to 104 for 5 at the halfway stage. They couldn’t finish the job off – Hussey, leading the side in Ricky Ponting’s absence, and Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper, engineered a comeback with a record sixth-wicket stand – but their batsmen, after threatening to collapse yet again, reached the finish line with close to three overs to spare. The result means West Indies are through to the final with Australia’s game against India on Friday turning into a virtual semi-final.It was by no means a walk in the park. Chasing 273 under lights is never easy and it was imperative that West Indies reprised the scorching starts they’ve got in the tournament so far. For ten overs they were patient, laboured to 30 for 1, preserved wickets and waited for the opening. Then, like a giant awakening from a slumber, they blitzed their way to 139 for 2 after 25 overs. Ramnaresh Sarwan triggered the acceleration before Gayle instigated mayhem.A Gayle innings has no set pattern – absolutely anything is possible. At the end of the 12th over, he had 13 off 31 balls with just one four. A clattered six over midwicket, in the 13th over, whet the appetite before Stuart Clark began his third over, on a day that will probably remain his most forgettable one. The first ball was swung over mid-on; ditto the second except it nearly decapitated Clark on the way to the fence; the third was steered for a double, almost a calm interlude; the fourth, a no-ball, was upper-cut for a fantastic six over third man; and the next screamed past mid-off, with the fielder having absolutely no chance. Clark’s two overs had gone for 38 and he eventually finished with none for 87 off seven overs.At the other end Lara was in a mood that was nothing short of majestic. The gorgeous straight-drives and samurai-like whiplashes were out in full force. There was also a masterclass in ‘how to toy with spin’ as Dan Cullen, all of five ODIs old, watched some good bowling being treated as if it was tripe. It must be quite unnerving to watch a batsman stand a good foot outside leg stump – moving forward and diagonally towards midwicket – watching the ball onto his bat and steering it past the keeper to the third man fence.When Lara was beaten in the flight after waltzing down the pitch, he still managed to crash the ball into the sight-screen. The faster bowlers did all they could to keep it full and on off, but when a batsman walks across the crease and whips you through midwicket, there is nothing they can do. He was out in a curious manner – the ball ricocheting off the back of the bat as he got too early on a pull – and it was only after his dismissal that Australia had any chance. Four wickets fell for 13 runs, raising visions of another “calypso collapse”, but Dwayne Bravo held his nerve, lofted a six in the dying stages and steered them home.

Michael Hussey’s 109 in only 90 deliveries was a magnificent effort © AFP

It was a victory to savour, especially after the two Hs – Hussey and Haddin – had threatened to undo all the good work the West Indian bowlers had done in the opening stages. Hussey went about rebuilding the innings in a manner that has made him an ODI master over the last year – eliminating the dots, running the fielders ragged, picking off the odd boundary and setting them up for the slog. Amid all this were reverse-paddles, slog sweeps, short-arm jabs and crisp swats. To rip a controlled 109 in just 90 deliveries, with the team stuttering, was a magnificent effort.At the other end, there was Haddin, continuing a long tradition of Australian wicketkeeper-batsmen who’ve more often than not thwarted the opposition’s plans just when everything seems to be going their way. Merging some of Ian Healy’s combativeness with a tinge of Adam Gilchrist’s aggressiveness, Haddin drilled four fantastic sixes enroute to his highest ODI score. It was the partnership of the day until Gayle and Lara combined.

AustraliaSimon Katich run-out 22 (41 for 1)
Shane Watson c Lara b Taylor 0 (42 for 2)
Andrew Symonds c Smith b Bradshaw 8 (57 for 2)
Michael Clarke c Gayle b Bradshaw 1 (64 for 4)
Matthew Hayden c Taylor b Bravo 49 (104 for 5)
Brad Haddin c Taylor b Bravo 70 (270 for 6)
West Indies
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Haddin b Lee 0 (12 for 1)
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Haddin b Bracken 25 (44 for 2)
Chris Gayle c Hussey b Watson 79 (195 for 3)
Brian Lara c Hussey b Lee 88 (242 for 4)
Wavell Hinds c Haddin b Lee 1 (249 for 5)
Marlon Samuels run out 0 (249 for 6)
Dwayne Smith b Symonds 4 (255 for 7)

Nadeem Shahid has retired from Surrey to seek a new career© Getty Images

Nadeem Shahid has announced his retirement from first-class cricket following a ten-year career with Surrey. Shahid, 35, has decided to seek a new career path after having recently had a stint as the captain of Surrey’s 2nd XI.But Shahid, who had previously given seven years’ service to Essex, remained upbeat about the role he played at Surrey, during which time he helped them to three County Championship titles. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Surrey, made some great friends and hopefully made a meaningful contribution on and off the field,” said Shahid, who may come to be better remembered as Ed Giddins’s partner in their business enterprise, Nad and Ed’s Christmas Trees.However, he did stroke nine centuries and more than 6000 runs in his career, with a top score of 150 for Surrey against Sussex in 2002.Meanwhile, Surrey’s England A batsman Scott Newman has signed a new three-year deal, following a successful first full season in 2004.Newman took just 11 matches to reach 1000 runs for Surrey last season, a club record which he shares with another left-hand opener in John Edrich. He scored 1162 runs in the County Championship last year, at an average of more than 43.”I’m thrilled to have committed my future to Surrey,” he said. “I can’t wait to repay their faith in me over the coming seasons.”

Scorecard

Jacques Kallis: scored 25 not out as the game ended in a draw© AFP

Graeme Smith played a captain’s innings of 85 not out as the South Africans secured a draw in their tour match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in Colombo. After Michael Vandort had scored 129, and Russel Arnold 83, in their total of 286 for 3 declared, Smith ensured his side didn’t make a losing start to their tour of Sri Lanka.Resuming at 123 for 1, the President’s XI made steady progress, with Vandort and Arnold taking advantage of some rusty bowling as Smith used nine bowlers in all. A total of 14 players were allowed to be played in the match, and all the South African bowlers in the squad had a chance to impress, but not with much success.Vandort, who has played two Tests for Sri Lanka, and Arnold added 187 in all before both were out caught by Andrew Puttick off Nicky Boje. In between their dismissals, Romesh Kaluwitharana punched a quickfire 54 not out to boost the total before Thilan Samaraweera declared the innings leaving the South Africans needing an academic 312 to win.Puttick completed a disappointing match when he was bowled by Asanka Welegedara for 12, and Martin van Jaarsveld was shortly out, caught and bowled by Rangana Herath and the South Africans were teetering a touch at 66 for 2. However, Smith knuckled down to spend a little over two hours at the crease and hit 12 fours to deny the attack. Jacques Kallis also got in some good batting practice with 25 not out from 42 balls.

Geoffrey Boycott has said Andrew Flintoff could be an even more effective one-day international player if he was promoted to open the innings.Writing in , Boycott said: “For me Andrew Flintoff has been a revelation and shown he is England’s most valuable player.”Personally, I feel we need to experiment to find his best battingposition. He can do so much damage so quickly that I would like to see himtried as an opener.”He continued: “Adam Gilchrist of Australia moved from Test middle-order to one-day opener with amazing results. Like Gilchrist, Flintoff could soon put the bowling side on the defensive and wondering what the hell has hit them.”England beat Pakistan 2-1 in the NatWest Challenge and defeated South Africa byseven wickets in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s last week. These were two large steps forward for a new-look side which the England selectors hope will form the nucleus of the 2007 World Cup team.Boycott added: “I think they played splendidly, fielded athletically and looked as if they were enjoying themselves.”Even more surprising than his generally wide-ranging endorsement ofEngland’s players was his praise for the selectors, whose decisions he hasoften criticised. He said: “Our selectors have done well and our team has done even better.”But any thoughts that the usually hard-hitting Boycott had gone soft were dashed with his comments about Vikram Solanki: “He gets out cheaply too often, playing extravagant shots that are not on.”This was Boycott’s first major article since he revealed last month that hewas optimistic about winning his battle against throat cancer. He aims to return to television broadcasting when given the go-ahead from his doctors.Click here to read the article in full