Glamorgan beat Essex by eight wickets with a magnificent batting display as they successfully chased a daunting target of 254 under the Duckworth/Lewis system with 13 deliveries to spare.Keith Newell played the lead role, hitting a belligerent 97 from just 53 deliveries that included five sixes and 10 boundaries as he destroyed the home attack with a series of pulls and drives that tilted the balance firmly in favour of his side after Essex had reached a formidable 243-6 in 34 overs despite three rain interruptions.Newell ensured the perfect start for his side as the first 50 took less than seven overs and then he maintained the momentum with his continued onslaught of the hapless bowlers on a batting paradise. Although Jimmy Maher was dismissed with the score on 59, Newell continued his savage assault showing a particular liking for Mark Ilott from whom he thrashed 27 from one over.Matthew Maynard accompanied Newell in a forceful second wicket stand that produced 100 runs in 10 overs before Newell was caught driving to mid-off. By that time, his side had utilised only 17 overs and upon his departure, Maynard took control in a perfectly executed display of timing that saw him reach his half-century from 45 deliveries before continuing to oversee the victory with an unbeaten 87.Earlier, Ronnie Irani had delighted the crowd with a superlative, scintillating unbeaten 108 having faced only 61 balls with 17 boundaries that included four sixes, an innings that appeared to have put his side on the winning path but then came Newell’s display to upstage the Essex captain.
Newcastle have beaten Atromitos 1-0 on Thursday night to progress in the Europa League.
Alan Pardew rested some of his big names for the clash against the Greek minnows, but Haris Vuckic scored the decisive strike to send the Tyneside outfit through to the next round.
The Sports Direct Arena team did suffer an injury blow however, as Ryan Taylor hobbled off after 11 minutes, with Pardew now considering a move in the transfer window to replace the crocked man.
“We took a bit of a risk with our selection. But we did enough,” The Guardian quote Pardew as saying.
“Ryan Taylor’s injury will make me think about whether we need another defender and I am hoping that is not that case and we have a good enough squad.
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“The squad has depth and we will need it,” he concluded.
A Pakistan-Australia series in the lead-up to next year’s Ashes is looming as a possibility as the two countries juggle their calendars in an attempt to reschedule the cancelled three-Test tour. Creagh O’Connor, Cricket Australia’s chairman, has invited his PCB counterpart Nasim Ashraf to Australia to discuss possible dates.April or May of 2009 might give Australia a chance of visiting Pakistan, but it would be straight after a tour of South Africa and right before their Ashes visit to England. However, Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said it was potentially the most suitable time.”We believe that would the best time for Australia to honour its commitment to tour,” he told the . “We have been saying again and again we don’t want to play in a neutral venue and our position has not changed. We hope that with a new democratic set-up in the country things will improve, the bombings cannot go on forever.”Australia were to visit Pakistan this month but fears over safety and security of the players led to a decision to postpone the tour. The last year was a turbulent one for Pakistan, with militant violence affecting several areas of the country. In November, a state of emergency was imposed and in December former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated while campaigning for elections.This year has already seen several suicide attacks in Lahore and the NWFP. Though South Africa stayed in the country to complete their tour last October and Zimbabwe visited in January, Australia’s tour was put in doubt after players voiced their concerns. Australia haven’t toured Pakistan since 1998.”Dr Ashraf and I have taken the opportunity to catch up during the current ICC board meeting in Dubai and we have had a preliminary look at dates which might be suitable to reschedule the matches,” O’Connor said. “I have assured the PCB that Australia is committed to finding new dates, and we are committed to the ICC principle that cricket will only develop as a genuine global sport if all nations play each other away and at home on a regular basis.”It is clear from our initial discussion here in Dubai that we need to sit down and go through the technical issues on finding new dates with a fine tooth comb. To that end, I have suggested we meet in Melbourne as soon as possible and we will organise dates once the current ICC meetings are finalised.”
Jerome Taylor, the West Indies fast bowler, is in negotiations with Glamorgan for a stint following their Test and one-day tour of England which concludes in July.A spokesman from Glamorgan couldn’t confirm to Cricinfo that the deal had been finalised, but a source at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said talks with the county were ‘at an advanced stage’.Taylor is negotiating a sponsorship deal with Digicel which is, according to Caribbeancricket.com, reportedly worth $40,000. Should Taylor join Glamorgan, he would join a list of West Indian legends to have played for the county, including Viv Richards, Roy Fredericks and Winston Davis.And although only 22, Taylor is one of West Indies’ brightest fast bowling hopes. He has 31 wickets from his ten Tests and has been an economical and incisive one-day bowler.West Indies will play four Tests, three one-dayers and two Twenty20s against England this summer – with their last match, the third one-dayer at Trent Bridge, on July 7.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe bowlers dominated day one of the SuperSport Series final at Durban as 16 wickets fell. Ethy Mbhalati took the honours with 5 for 26, helping to dismiss the Dolphins for 176, but the Titans then slipped to 70 for 3 during the final session as Nantie Hayward picked up a brace.The Titans had put the Dolphins into bat and despite removing Imraan Khan in the seventh over there was little sign of the action to come. Doug Watson compiled a solid half-century as they moved passed 100 for the loss of just two wickets. But Mbhalati then struck his first blow, bowling Watson, and the collapse set in.Mbhalati tore through the middle order and within 19 overs of losing their third wicket, the Dolphins were all out. Only Hashim Amla offered any further resistance, striking 58 off 115 balls with eleven boundaries.However, the Titans didn’t have it all their own way in reply as Hayward nipped out both openers in a fiery opening burst. With the international duo of Martin van Jaarsveld and Zander de Bruyn also back in the hutch the Dolphins are well and truly alive in this final.
Sussex’s joy at reaching the third round of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy has been severely tempered by the realization that they will now miss out on a lucrative three-day clash against the touring Australians – a fixture that was expected to have netted them a cool £50,000.Sussex’s four-wicket victory in a low-scoring encounter against Nottinghamshire on Wednesday was greeted with a certain ambivalence by those in the know in Hove. Their reward, if it can be termed as such, is a tricky away fixture against Lancashire at Old Trafford, which will be played on either July 15 or 16.The honour of hosting the Australians, on the other hand, now passes to Leicestershire, and given that the fixture falls in the week before the first Test, it is expected that something approaching their full-strength XI will take the field for that game. As Robin Marlar, the new Sussex president, told The Guardian, “To make up the money we have lost today we will have to go on and win the trophy.”Sussex have, of course, already hosted one touring side so far this summer, although the challenge that the Bangladeshis posed last week was rather less of a drawcard. Sussex defeated them by an innings and 226 runs inside three days, and given that entry to the ground was free, they could only rely on sales of lunchtime lasagne to boost their coffers.There would have been no love lost between Sussex and the Australians either. During Sussex’s recent match against Hampshire, Chris Adams and Matt Prior were involved in an unseemly war of words with Shane Warne, and all three would have relished the renewal of hostilities. As it is, the Australians will now warm up in Grace Road, against a less alluring attack that includes the likes of Charl Willoughby, Ottis Gibson, Phil DeFreitas and Claude Henderson.
Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting continued their remarkable run of form in 2003, as Australia returned to something like their best form on the second day of the Melbourne Test. Neither man though was taking anything for granted, not after the manner in which India had stormed back at Adelaide after being under the cosh for most of the first two days.”It was a very satisfying day all round,” said Ponting, whose unbeaten 125 took him to 1340 runs for the year. “We had identified the first session as one of the biggest in the series for us. We didn’t have much luck yesterday and we put a couple [of catches] down, which never helps. Sehwag played beautifully as well. We hung in there, but we know that we need three more good days to win this match.”Hayden, who now has three successive hundreds at the MCG, said it was an awesome place to play cricket, with bumper crowds cheering all the way. He admitted though that it was no stroll in the park. “We had to work hard early, but once you get in, the game tends to open up. It’s a rewarding place to play cricket.”Hayden said the Adelaide debacle, when Australia batted in shockingly cavalier fashion on the fourth afternoon, had receded into the background after today’s display. “We’ve put that behind us now. We needed a big partnership to get back in the hunt after a tremendous bowling performance in the morning. Punter [Ponting] and I bat really well together. On this wicket, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself … it’s hard to play square-of-the-wicket shots. Ricky tends to play straight and he also pulls, which is very similar to the way I play.”Ponting also spoke of Adelaide, saying, “It hurt us. The environment in the dressing room afterwards was very different. There were two sessions of play on the fourth day where the Test was lost, and we knew we’d let ourselves down.” But he added that his brilliant 242 at the Adelaide Oval hadn’t influenced the way he played this innings. “I don’t look back too much at all. I didn’t think of Adelaide at all.”
Neither man was too interested in the run aggregates for the year, though Ponting raised a laugh or two when he said, “Stephen [Waugh] told me I was level with Mark [on 20 Test hundreds] when I walked back in. It’s been a good year so far, and hopefully it will get better.”For India, the talking point was Zaheer Khan’s fitness, or lack of it. Rahul Dravid said he was fit enough to play when the team was announced, but that he had felt a twinge in his hamstring the fourth or fifth over he bowled in the morning. “He showed character to stay on and keep bowling,” he said. “It is a slight worry though, but he knew he had to keep going today.”Dravid accepted that India had had a “tough day”. “We didn’t bat well,” he said. “We had a great platform but we couldn’t build on it. It was a combination of poor shots and them putting the ball in the right areas. From 278 for 1, we should have done much better.”Of Ponting and Hayden, he said, “They showed why they’re two of the best in the world at the moment. It was a tough day for them yesterday and a tough one for us today. You shouldn’t forget that we’re playing a very good side.”Dravid brushed off suggestions of a momentum shift, saying, “We didn’t have momentum the first two days at Adelaide either. I’m not a big believer in that. We showed some spirit today, and we just have to come back and try our best tomorrow.”Ponting said that Zaheer’s injury was a big blow for India. “He was bowling well within himself. It’s a good sign for us. They capitalised on the mistakes we made yesterday and now it’s up to us to take advantage of some good fortune.”Tomorrow, all that will most likely be relegated to a snippet, as the headline writers gear up for the next instalment of Australia’s favourite ongoing soap opera, the Steve Waugh retirement show. There’ll be enough and more red rags on show…thank heavens we’re not in Pamplona for the running of the bulls.
England’s fighting recovery to peg a game back in the National Bank One-Day International series with New Zealand drew the plaudits of the British press today.Paul Collingwood’s effort in taking four wickets for 38 most captured the imagination.A sampling of the opinions follows:The Daily Telegraph: “When Paul Collingwood made his England debut against Pakistan last summer, many observers classified his medium-paced bowling under ‘cafeteria’ or, in other words, ‘help yourself’.”But while Collingwood’s little seamers may have served up a banquet for the Pakistan batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq in June, he certainly spoiled New Zealand’s appetite yesterday, taking four for 38 to maintain England’s interest in this series.”Collingwood’s decisive spell began when New Zealand were 128 for three, well-positioned to overhaul England’s painstaking total of 244 for five. Stephen Fleming and Lou Vincent were cruising along nicely in a half-century stand but, when Vincent drove a gentle out-swinger to backward point, a clatter of wickets helped the tourists ease home by 43 runs.”While New Zealand is known as the land of the long white cloud, it must also rate as the spiritual home of the trundling seamer. Wickets like yesterday’s toffee-coloured strip turn a lack of pace into a positive advantage, which may explain why the national one-day team used to base their attack around three bowlers nicknamed Dibbly, Dobbly and Wobbly.”Yesterday, though, Collingwood did more than just float the ball into the blockhole. He found prodigious swing in both directions, finding an excellent late in-ducker to pin Chris Harris in front. “I was surprised to see it doing so much when I came on,” he said afterwards, “but it’s certainly good news when it’s swinging at my pace.”The Guardian: “How transient can be success or failure in one-day cricket. How fickle the nature of the game. Two matches down in a five-match series and playing like dogs, England had been subjected to the sort of derision in New Zealand that usually greets them across the Tasman. The New Zealanders were rampant, it was said – and, indeed, they were playing superbly. Bring on Bangladesh. They will give England a decent game.”Well so much for form. England turned it on its head at McLean Park last night, overwhelming the Black Caps by 43 runs to keep the series alive and shut one or two rather loud mouths. England have won four of their past eight matches, New Zealand only two. Who then is playing more consistently?”The Times: “Just in time, England have caught up with the pace being set by their opponents. They kept their one-day series with New Zealand alive by means of a greatly improved all-round performance in this contented little city where the spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald seems to linger over the art deco houses in the humid air of Marine Parade.”A few streets away at McLean Park the spectators were a good deal less sophisticated than the Great Gatsby and his friends but they had a happy evening in the way that small populations do when a big event comes to town. Happily for the series, if not for the New Zealand team and their supporters, the peculiar arts of one-day cricket were more decorously displayed on this occasion by England.”Resolute innings by their three best one-day batsmen, Nick Knight, Marcus Trescothick and Graham Thorpe, plus a fine spell of medium-paced swing bowling by Paul Collingwood, contributed to a hard-fought but ultimately satisfying win despite Stephen Fleming’s determined effort in response.”The Independent: “On Paul Collingwood’s arrival in New Zealand there was ugly gossip that customs officers took one look at his disembarkation card and laughed when they saw what was on the line marked for occupation. In the land of Chris Cairns they knew an all-rounder when they saw one.”Since last summer, when England first selected him, Collingwood has laboured under the unfortunate cricketing label. He had provided evidence of being an all-round cricketer in the sense that Les Dawson was an all-round entertainer. Collingwood bowled, Dawson sang, but neither of them got the notes in the right order.”Until yesterday, that is, in the case of Collingwood. He turned up at McLean Park under pressure for his place in the side, the batting having not gone too well lately either. In eight overs of slow medium pace – but, crucially, slow medium pace which swung – he took 4 for 38 and England won the third one-day international in the National Bank Series by 43 runs.”England won more comfortably than they might have expected. Their total of 244 after being put in was certainly adequate, but that did not make it unattainable. The side batting second had won seven of the last eight matches at the ground.”The Sun: “When skipper Nasser Hussain demanded a win, Collingwood was the man who swung it.”He also wobbled it, curved it and swerved it. The Kiwis simply had no answer to the movement he gained with his medium-pacers.”And, following laser surgery on his eyes in December, he was able to savour his triumph with perfect vision.”Collingwood revealed: “In Zimbabwe last October, I was struggling with my contact lenses because of the heat and dust.”‘So, before leaving for the one-dayers in India, I had the laser treatment. It was a complete success and I no longer need to wear contacts and I have 20-20 vision.'”Durham’s Collingwood was one of the England players under the microscope as the management assess the likely squad for next year’s World Cup.”But, being mainly a batsman, even he could not have expected to make such a persuasive case with the ball. He had THREE wickets in his previous 15 one-day internationals, now he has seven.”
Garth Roe returned career best figures of seven for 47 as Free State lost the initiative on the first day of their SuperSport Series match against the North West Dragons at Goodyear Park.At 183 for four and 251 for five, the Eagles looked capable of posting the kind of first innings score to dominate the match. But in the space of six Roe overs that all changed. The seamer got the breakthrough by having Gerard Brophy lbw for 33 to end a threatening 68-run partnership with Kosie Venter.In the next over Roe followed up with the wickets of Venter (57) and Rasjeed Lewis for a duck to reduce the home side to 254 for seven. Four overs later he struck again to end any hopes of a wagging tail by dismissing Bakkes for a hard-hit 34 from 41 balls and, in his next over, he completed his afternoon rout by having Mpitsang caught for eight.Roe had started the ball rolling in the morning session when he took the only wicket to fall. Immediately after his introduction as first change bowler he castled Andrew Gait, but that was to be Free State’s only success before lunch.Gerry Liebenberg steered his team to the break in the relatively healthy position of 80 for one. His 68-run partnership for the second wicket with Louis Wilkinson, was ended shortly after the resumption by Dreyer, and although Wiaan Smit and Liebenberg (60) fell to Dreyer and Roe respectively, there was no hint of Roe’s coming dominance.Instead Morne van Wyk (38) and Venter put on 56 for the fifth wicket and then Brophy joined Venter to suggest Free State were about to take a telling grip on the match. That was before Roe got hold of the ball though.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 defeat against Liverpool on home soil last night will no doubt have cranked up the pressure onto the shoulders of manager Thomas Frank.
The Dane’s side were unable to get anything out of the clash with Arne Slot’s men, subsequently leaving the Lilywhites in 13th in the Premier League to date.
Frank’s side have now lost back-to-back games once again, subsequently shipping five goals in the process – and highlighting the struggles that face them in the defensive third.
After yet another defeat, the fans are now starting to get desperately impatient with the manager, especially after the struggles endured under Ange Postecoglou last campaign.
The club have now already racked up seven defeats out of their first 17 league outings, with no doubt two players taking the majority of the blame for Saturday’s defeat.
Spurs’ poor performers against Liverpool
Despite failing to impress against Nottingham Forest last weekend, Frank decided to stick with Xavi Simons from a starting position in the number ten role.
The Dutchman struggled to get into the game early on, only registering one dribble completed, but he certainly announced himself in the contest for all of the wrong reasons.
He was originally booked for a lunge on compatriot Virgil van Dijk, but after a VAR check, the midfielder was sent off for the first time since his £52m move in the summer.
Simons wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with centre-back Cristian Romero once again being unable to deliver at the heart of the backline alongside Micky van de Ven.
The Argentine was unable to stop Hugo Ekitike from leaping above him to put Slot’s side into a two-goal lead, whilst also failing to win a single tackle in the contest.
Like Simons, he was also handed his marching orders after being adjudged to have kicked out on Ibrahima Konate in the closing stages after already being booked.
The Spurs star who’s becoming more unreliable than Simons & Romero
After winning just one of their last eight Premier League matches to date, there are evidently some key issues that Frank needs to address within the Spurs squad.
The Lilywhites’ only win in such a run came against the manager’s former side Brentford, whilst subsequently suffering a defeat in five of those outings.
It’s evident that something has to give in the next few games, especially given the slump in the table, which has seen the Dane fall below his former employers, whom he left to join the Lilywhites.
One of his biggest issues has been his inability to identify his best starting eleven in the Premier League, which has no doubt cost him in key matches of late.
He’s often started with a two-man midfielder with Simons in the number ten, with Rodrigo Bentancur one of the men usually called upon to start in such a role.
The Uruguayan has now started 13 out of a possible 17 league games this campaign, including a run of four in a row – including the two most recent defeats.
However, despite the faith shown in him by the manager, he’s rapidly becoming an unreliable option, with his constant selection now even becoming a baffling one.
His stats against Liverpool showcase his lack of impact, with the 28-year-old also becoming a bigger issue than the aforementioned duo despite their dismissals.
He featured for the entirety of the clash against the Reds, subsequently losing six of the duels in which he entered – a tally higher than any other player on the pitch.
Rodrigo Bentancur – stats against Liverpool
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
90
Touches
53
Passes completed
80%
Possession lost
10x
Duels lost
6
Fouls committed
2
Dribbled past
1x
Aerials lost
75%
Stats via FotMob
Bentancur also managed to achieve an 80% pass completion rate, but was often wasteful, as seen by his tally of 10 times possession lost – one of the highest of any Spurs player.
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The midfielder was often unable to live with the intensity of the opposition – especially in the second half – resulting in two fouls committed and leading to yet another booking.
His disappointing showing was further showcased in his tally of being dribbled past once, whilst also being dominated in the air and losing 75% of those battles.
As a result of his showing, Bentancur was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by The Express’ Archie Griggs – further reaffirming his dismal performance in North London.
After such a showing, it should now be clear to Frank the Uruguayan is unfortunately not at the level required to achieve success during his tenure at the club.
However, the Dane will need to make huge calls in the future if he is to be a success with the Lilywhites, especially given the recent slump in Premier League form.
Frank must now drop 6-pass Spurs flop who had fewer touches than Vicario
Thomas Frank must now drop this Tottenham Hotspur flop who was as bad as Xavi Simons against Liverpool.