Without taking anything away from Zimbabwe’s first ODI win over West Indies, the next four matches will show if this was a flash in the pan or the start of something more substantial.Since taking over from Kevin Curran as Zimbabwe coach, Robin Brown has been singing the one tune: the need to reverse an inherited negative approach towards the game by his players which was a hallmark of the Curran regime. “The days of playing to compete are over,” he is reported to have told local reporters at a press meeting on the eve of the first ODI.Curran sent his players out to do no more than bat out the overs, with the result that rarely did they ever give themselves a chance to win matches. It was safety first and that negativity spread to the players. “My contract doesn’t say that I have to win matches, it says as long as I am competitive, then my employers are happy,” he boasted. In the end, even swatches of non cricketers within the ZC board realised that was not a viable approach.Brown oozes self-assurance in the midst of adversity. His confidence lies in his own ability as a cricket instructor of note, and his power to uplift and overhaul the whole attitude of a bunch of young players, who he has bluntly told to pull up their socks.The results have been apparent from as early as his first assignment when Zimbabwe stunned Australia at the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. For once the Zimbabwe Cricket board deserves a pat on the back for a cricket decision which seems to be bearing early fruits.The players too are buying into Brown’s regime. Commenting on his outstanding all-round performance which earned him the Man-of-the-Match award, Chamu Chibhabha paid tribute to the coach, saying that he “allows us to play our natural game.” That could never have been said under Curran.Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya, who seems to be growing in confidence under Brown, admitted that his side can no longer use inexperience as an excuse for poor cricket and self-inflicted defeats.It is certainly an approach which can be taken forward. But will it be? Only time will tell and much will be clearer by the end of the week. Zimbabwe have the remaining four matches to prove that their first ODI win was no fluke, and that they can genuinely claim to be a bona fide member of the international cricket family.They need to take forward the positives from the first match, like the resurgence of Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura as versatile players with the ability to deliver in all departments. This development has meant sure that the seam bowlers on the sidelines are kept on their toes as the team begin to rely more and more on players with all-round abilities.Zimbabwe cricket has a tendency of burning down its own house in order to build again. One hopes that they have learned and will leave cricket to cricket people and allow Brown to get on with the job in hand.
A fine 138 from Ryan ten Doeschate led Netherlands to a solid 235 for 3 against Bermuda on the opening day of their ICC Intercontinental Cup match at Pretoria.Netherlands, who fielded a strong side, must beat Bermuda if they are to replace Canada at the top of Group B, the winner of which progresses to the final. Fortunately for them, they are facing a weakened Bermuda side whose confidence is on the wane following a poor tour of Kenya.However, Bermuda appeared – initially at least – to have put their indifferent form behind them. After Netherlands had won the toss they lost Bas Zuiderent in the second over, bowled by Saleem Mukuddem. But ten Doeschate joined Tom de Grooth to put on a huge second-wicket stand of 189, with ten Doeschate in particularly aggressive mood. It was he who reached his fifty first, from 95 balls including seven crashing fours and a six.Netherlands were looking settled before Mukuddem took his second wicket, removing de Grooth for 61 to end the day’s only significant partnership. And though ten Doeschate fell shortly before the close, he had registered a fine hundred – his fourth in first-class cricket, and a vital one for the Netherlands, who ended the day in a strong position.
Marlon Samuels believes his growing maturity and hard work while recovering from serious knee problems have paid off in the lead-up to the first Test against Australia. Samuels had a stunning warm-up for the three-match series when he scored 257 against Queensland at the weekend before following it up with 5 for 87.The impressive double will ensure greater responsibility as the young West Indian outfit test themselves against the world champions. “I wasn’t really surprised,” Samuels said of his efforts in the tour game. “I’ve been doing hard work and we all know hard work pays off in the end. I’ve worked on being more mature and patience is the most important thing for me at the moment.”Samuels said his greater emphasis on fitness had already shown strong results and he was in top condition. “I think it played a major part in my batting [against Queensland],” he said. “But with most of my centuries I like to go on and get a big one.”Knee problems have hampered Samuels’ Test career, which began in Australia five years ago, and the last instance of surgery occurred when he was forced to leave the South Africa tour in 2003-04. “I started out well, but if you know my story injury has played a major part in my career,” he said. “I’ve been working very hard on my knee so I can play as much as possible.”West Indies have picked a large pace contingent and Samuels expects to chip in with his part-time spin to break up the fast men’s load. “I’ve learned to vary my pace as much as possible,” he said. “I think they will get me to bowl longs spells and I’m up for it. I’m up for anything.”Samuels said the squad was close-knit and there was no lingering discontent over the team sponsorship issues that resulted in a massively under-strength side playing the Test series against Sri Lanka. He also dismissed the concerns of Michael Holding, who questioned the team’s attitude on tour.”We are spending more time together and we are working very hard as one unit,” he said. “We have a bunch of guys who are very positive and will go up against any team.”
After an unusual beginning – the Test being delayed by a couple of hours by dew, and Sourav Ganguly winning the toss – the first day followed the expected script. Bangladesh folded within two sessions, a familiar late-order resistance following a familiar early collapse; a record was claimed; a personal best was achieved; and an early finish loomed.Anil Kumble will claim the headlines in tomorrow’s papers, but the day belonged to two young men. Irfan Pathan made Sourav Ganguly’s decision to bowl first – a 50-50 one considering India’s batting strength – pay off, and Mohammad Ashraful displayed composure and a straight bat to show his team-mates that despite the early moisture and skilful bowling by the Indian pace bowlers, batting wasn’t as hazardous as most of the top order made it appear.Batting has been the bigger worry for Bangladesh in Test cricket, and their performance today made it apparent why. Five of their batsmen fell to leg-before decisions, four of them to one bowler in almost identical fashion, planting the front foot forward and groping around with the bat. Javed Omar, the first to fall, refused to learn from a mistake committed only four balls earlier, by offering no shot for the second time to Irfan Pathan, who was swinging the ball only one way – back in to the right-handers.Ashraful, who scored a century on his debut and shared the Man-of-the-Match award with Muttiah Muralitharan, has tended to be a hot-and-cold player, mixing occasional brilliance with baffling mediocrity. But today he gave full demonstration of his talent, playing in a calm, unhurried way as all else collapsed around him. Till Mohammad Rafique came to join him and scored freely with some characteristic lusty hits, Ashraful seemed to be batting on a different plane from his team-mates. He countered the swing by playing late and decisively. His first four, an off-drive against Zaheer Khan, was executed to perfection: head straight and over the ball, bat coming down straight and meeting the ball on the up but in the middle. Later, he stayed back to guide Kumble delicately off his stumps to third man for another four. But as has so often been the case with Bangladesh, he was their lone success in the top order.Pathan is the same age as Ashraful. He has the face of a chocolate-box hero, but the mind of a cool assassin. He plays his cricket with the passion of a youth, but the nous of a seasoned pro. His Test figures are misleading, because he has bowled better than the numbers suggest. He will bowl better than he did today for poorer returns because, barring Ashraful, the Bangladesh batsmen played him like novices, but he will relish this day because the first five-for, like the first hundred, is always special. It marks the breaking of a barrier.Pathan is a rare talent, because he is the purveyor of a dying art. Pace bowlers these days are taught to pitch the ball on a length rather than try to swing it. Swing bowling takes skill and courage, for it demands the bowler to pitch the ball up and risk punishment. Pathan was fortunate to have got his break early, because toiling on barren domestic pitches could have sapped his spirit and changed his aspirations. He was fortunate also to have encountered Wasim Akram on his maiden international tour. Akram shared his knowledge willingly and generously, and Pathan fed on him like a hungry child. Every time Pathan claimed a wicket with his swing today, there was a gleam in Akram’s voice in the commentary box. Left-arm swing bowling is alive and well.
Muttiah Muralitharan has admitted that he feared an abrupt end to his cricket career after being called for chucking by Darrell Hair in 1995-96. In an exclusive interview published in the August issue of Wisden Asia Cricket, Murali gave a detailed account of the controversy, and how the Sri Lankan board, Arjuna Ranatunga and the rest of the team helped him overcome the crisis.
Muttiah Muralitharan: ‘I thought it might be the end of my career’
“I was shocked,” Murali said, remembering the occasion when he was first no-balled by Hair. “I had never considered the possibility of my action being illegal. I first thought they [the Australians] were scared of me, and that it was just one umpire. But when Emerson and the other guy called me again, I wondered if there might be a problem.”Deep down I believed everything was all right because throwing and bowling are completely different: one requires the shoulder and the other the elbow. You can feel the difference. But there were times when I thought that it might be the end of my career. I thought: `I can’t change my action … this is how I have bowled from the start.’ I even considered taking up legspin as I can bowl that pretty well.”Murali survived that tour, but it wasn’t the end of his ordeal. When Sri Lanka toured Australia next – in 1998-99 – he was called for chucking again, despite having been cleared by the University of Western Australia. Having experienced the situation once, Murali was much better prepared the second time around.”We expected that,” said Murali, recounting the incident. “Leading up to the match we knew it was going to happen. In 1995-96, it had been a shock – Hair had even umpired me before that Boxing Day Test and not called me or indicated any problem. So in the next tour it was not a problem for me. Yes, we were disappointed, and Arjuna was very upset, but it was not so much of a problem for me.”Murali also spoke about how Ranatunga, the captain on both those tours, supported him throughout the controversy. “The cricket board, Arjuna, Aravinda (de Silva) and the team all gave me their full backing and that reduced my fears. He [Ranatunga] really pushed the cricket board, and maybe he did save my career.”Despite his altercations with Hair, Murali said that he shared a cordial relationship with Hair. “We said hello in the matches where he has officiated since. There is no problem. People make mistakes and that episode is now gone for me. I want to look forward.”
Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken buried their Ashes disappointments with outstanding comebacks as NSW thrashed South Australia by 290 at the Sydney Cricket Ground here today.Lee, returning to first-class cricket after a rib injury in the fifth Ashes Test, gathered momentum over by over to show he was ready to play his 13th Test when Australia meets New Zealand at the Gabba on November 8.Lee took 5-56 as South Australia, chasing 483, was bowled out for 192 just after tea on the third day of the Pura Cup match.The blond speedster, who took only nine wickets at an average of 55.11 in England, grew in confidence and by the end of the day had the throttle fully open in an encouraging display in front of national selector Allan Border.”I’m certainly ready,” Lee said.”I was always going to take it a little bit easier in the first dig and I was a down on pace there.”But I felt very comfortable out there and the pace was soon back and the rhythm felt fantastic – so no problems there.”There’s certainly no strains, the body felt fantastic.”Lee said he had no trouble bowling a spell of seven overs in the middle session.”I could have charged in all day but I had to give the other guys a go and it was great that Bracks could back us up.”After Lee whipped the head off the Redbacks batting, Bracken crushed the tail with 4-10 in 6.2 overs.He was returning from an even longer injury layoff after he was forced home from England with a shoulder injury in June.An impressive performer in one-day matches, Bracken could be close to Test selection with his leftarm pace offering a welcome variation to the right arm pace of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Lee.An early finish was always on the cards when 20 wickets fell on the first day of the match, Gillespie taking career-best figures of 8-50 as the ball seamed and swung on a moist, green pitch.But NSW, led by young opener Greg Mail, secured the upper hand when it piled on 399 runs on the second day before its second innings ended this morning at436.Man-of-the-match Mail carried his bat to be unbeaten on 150 and the 23-year-old looks a bright prospect in an era when talented young players appear thin on theground.Blues captain Shane Lee was impressed with Mail, who more than doubled the next best score in the match with his 405-minute knock.Mail formed big partnerships with a series of players – Michael Slater, Mark Waugh, Mark Higgs, Stuart MacGill and even McGrath, who made his highest score in Australia with 26.”Greg Mail played an unbelievable innings,” Lee said.”He plays the way he knows how, letting the other guys around him play their strokes – he’s the basis of any big scores we make.”Having set SA 483 to win, the Blues were always in the box seat and Lee accelerated the win when he took three quick wickets, including those of key batsmen Greg Blewett and Darren Lehmann in the space of two balls.Darren Dempsey, facing his second hat-trick in as many weeks, survived, but Lee went on to pick up two more scalps in the middle session for his eighth five-wicket bag in first-class cricket.The Blues took six points from the match to move into second place on the table behind Queensland.
Burnley fans in the Transfer Tavern are loving the action in the 2018 World Cup but can’t wait for their European adventure to begin on July 27.
The Clarets ended the season in seventh place, guaranteeing a place in next season’s Europa League. They will enter the qualifying rounds to fight for a place alongside Europe’s elite in the group stages. Sean Dyche’s side was drawn to face Scottish team Aberdeen in their first qualifier.
Our punters are hoping to see some new faces arrive at Turf Moor ahead of the journey up north. Scott Arfield left the club on a free transfer to Rangers, but Dyche is yet to make a signing in the summer window. Adding goals to the side will be a priority if Burnley are to compete on a European and domestic level.
Therefore, the perfect signing could be a former striker – Danny Ings. Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the striker left the club for Liverpool for £7m back in 2015 after an excellent debut season in the Premier League. His time on Merseyside has been plagued with injuries which has seen him fall down the pecking order. Ings recognises he needs first-team football and is set to leave the club this summer.
A return to Burnley would be the best option for the former England international as he looks to get his career back on track. Ings was a popular player at Turf Moor, scoring 43 goals in 130 appearances for the Clarets. Returning to the familiar environment under a manager that knows him well would be a wise decision.
Liverpool are unlikely to command a large fee for Ings due to his injury problems meaning Burnley could get a great deal. Still only 25-years-old, Burnley need their former forward to fire them to European success.
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On Thursday night, Frank Lampard guided Everton to their third victory under his management since being appointed at the end of January, defeating National League side Boreham Wood 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round at Goodison Park.
Salomon Rondon’s double was enough to earn the Toffees a place in the quarter-finals, and it was his best performance in an Everton shirt (in terms of match rating according to SofaScore) since arriving from Chinese outfit Dalian Professional on a free transfer last summer.
Not only did he complete 100% of his dribbles in a typically aggressive display, he also completed 21 out of 23 of his passes with a tremendous striking performance.
The Venezuela international has largely struggled since signing for the Toffees and has been used as nothing more than a backup option and cup striker. However, with Everton having scored just seven Premier League goals in 2022 so far, Rondon could potentially be of use to Lampard’s team, with the manager praising him as “something different”.
Since being appointed, Lampard has deployed a 4-4-2 formation twice, beating Leeds 3-0 but losing to Southampton 2-0. However, if Rondon is given a chance in that formation, he could make a huge impact, not just as a goalscorer but as a valuable team player.
The 32-year-old ranks in the top 11% among forwards across Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for aerial challenges won per 90 (4.78), as well as in the top 2% for passes attempted with a header per 90 (3.27). Those figures illustrate his ability to play as a target man alongside a faster forward to get onto his knockdowns.
He has also performed well when asked to press high up the pitch, ranking in the top 10% for successful pressures per 90 (5.41) and in the top 22% for pressures overall per 90 (17.62). Those figures suggest that he intelligently chooses when to press the opposition defence, giving him a higher success rate for pressures than most strikers.
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There aren’t many strikers in the world who you could consider a ‘bruiser’ but also likes to run and work for his team, along with being able to hold the ball up well and make effective aerial challenges. Therefore, if Lampard continues to try the 4-4-2 formation, he should definitely give Rondon a chance in the Premier League up top.
In other news: Lampard potentially heading for his biggest Everton disaster yet over £112m-rated trio
Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar capped his return from injury with a second-innings half-century and five-wicket haul that sent Vidarbha crashing to a 189-run loss inside three days in Vadodara. The win took Karnataka to their third victory in four games, thereby topping Group B at the season’s halfway mark.On a 17-wicket day in 71 overs, Karnataka first crumbled from 108 for 3 to 209 all out. Set 301 for victory, Vidarbha were skittled for 111, with Vinay returning 5 for 28.Left-arm pacer Shrikant Wagh (4 for 59) and Lalit Yadav ripped through Karnataka’s lower middle-order, before Vinay rescued them with 56 from No. 8. He hit eight fours along the way to build the lead.After top-scoring with the bat, Vinay returned to lead the bowling charge, by picking three of the first four wickets; Vidarbha slumped to 12 for 4 at one stage. Jitesh Sharma counter-attacked to make 61, before S Aravind and K Gowtham dismissed the tailenders to finish off the innings inside 37 overs.Saurashtra dismissed Assam for 171 in Kolkata with Jaydev Unadkat taking six wickets, but not before Assam took a first-innings lead of 18.Saurashtra started the day on 121 for 9 with Unadkat and Shaurya Sanandia adding 32 runs in the morning for a cumulative partnership of 46 runs for the final wicket – their highest in the innings. Unadkat’s 46 helped creep their score up to 153 before Sanadia was dismissed by Dhiraj Goswami.In the reply, Assam lost their first wicket in their second over and Unadkat’s double-strike in overs 13 and 15 saw them stranded at 26 for 3. But a 52-run partnership between Arun Karthik and Swarupam Purkayastha for the sixth-wicket took them close to Saurashtra’s score, before the former was dismissed for 57. Purkayastha was out the following over and then Unadkat and Jadeja cleaned up the tail to constrict Assam to a slender lead.Saurashtra lost opener Avi Barot to Arup Das – his eighth scalp of the match – as they ended on 0 for the loss of one wicket at stumps.Opener Ranjit Singh and Subhranshu Senapati helped Odisha to 244 for 2 after following-on against Rajasthan in Patiala. Their unbeaten partnership of 159 runs in 56.3 overs gave Odisha a 93-run lead before final day’s play.Beginning the day on 143 for 8 in their first innings, Odisha fell short of avoiding follow-on by one run as Pankaj Singh picked up the last two wickets to finish with 4 for 61 as they were all out for 172, chasing 343.Odisha batted better in their second innings; opener Sandeep Pattnaik scored a 32-ball 40 before his partner Singh and Senapati – both of whom remained not out on 89 and 90 – steered Odisha to a significant lead while playing out the seven Rajasthan bowlers used in the innings.Unmukt Chand reached his century and followed that up with another half-century as Delhi reached 165 for 1 in their second-innings at stumps against Jharkhand in Thumba after being asked to follow on.Starting the day on 225 for 3, Chand and overnight centurion Rishabh Pant added 36 runs more before the latter was removed by Ashish Kumar. Chand fell one run later, but not before he had completed his eighth first-class ton earlier in the day. The last five Delhi wickets could add only 72 more runs as they were dismissed for 334, trailing by 159. Kumar and offbreak bowler Sunny Gupta returned with three wickets each.In their second innings, Chand put on 109-runs with fellow-opener Dhruv Shorey before Gupta dismissed him for 63. Shorey continued, to post his third first-class fifty, and ended not out on 67 with Nitish Rana, at stumps with Delhi on 165 for 1, leading by six runs. * The report erroneously mentioned Karnataka had beaten Baroda. This has been corrected.
Cricket Australia has ordered Shaun Tait to rest from South Australia’s Pura Cup match starting on Friday as he continues to recover from an elbow injury. Tait played in the Redbacks’ one-day win over Western Australia on Wednesday, taking 2 for 50, but Australia are concerned that too much bowling could delay his progress.”Cricket Australia do not believe that playing Shaun in back-to-back four-day domestic matches is in the best interests of his pending return to the Australian team,” Mark Sorell, the South Australia coach said. “While we had hoped to play Shaun we are fully supportive of Cricket Australia’s decision.”While Tait will not play in Darren Lehmann’s farewell game against Western Australia at Adelaide Oval, he might be considered for the match against Queensland, which starts in eight days’ time. Sorell said the Redbacks understood the need for Tait to be handled carefully in the lead-up to Australia’s Chappell-Hadlee Trophy games in December and the Test series against India that follows.Tait had surgery on his right elbow in June and his recovery has been much slower than anticipated. He has played only one Pura Cup match this season and had been targeting an international comeback in the Chappell-Hadlee Series.South Australia squad Matthew Elliott, Callum Ferguson, Mark Cosgrove, Nathan Adcok (capt), Darren Lehmann, Andy Delmont, Graham Manou (wk), Ryan Harris, Jason Gillespie, Cullen Bailey, Dan Cullen.Western Australia squad Justin Langer, Chris Rogers, Adam Voges (capt), Liam Davis, Luke Ronchi (wk), Theo Doropoulos, Brad Hogg, Darren Wates, Aaron Heal, Steve Magoffin, Ben Edmondson, Mathew Inness.