Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”) Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAIt seems like yesterday – well, maybe last week! – that a 16-year-old kid was charging down the pitch and hitting Abdul Qadir into the crowd. Sachin Tendulkar is 33 now, and as his career enters his last phase, he struggles with injury and a desire to play that simply isn’t matched by his physical fitness. In this interview with Dileep Premachandran, which was conducted for the , he talks about his “desire to get back into action” and “the hunger to go out there and perform.”He tells us of “sleepless nights”, of “nights full of frustration” as he waits to get back into action. He also talks of the vagaries of time, and of how he ignores what the outside world says about him. “I don’t need a newspaper to make me believe that I’ve scored a double-hundred,” he says, remembering the time a journalist asked him during the Sydney Test against Australia in 2004 if he would read the papers the next day.It’s our greatest batsman at his most candid. Listen in!Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”) Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Injuries continue to plague Australia and a squad of 14 players has been named to prepare for the second Test against Zimbabwe starting in Sydney on Friday. The latest concern is for Darren Lehmann who has suffered an achilles tendon strain.Simon Katich has been included in the squad as cover for Lehmann while Brad Hogg would take Stuart MacGill’s place if MacGill should fail his fitness test. Nathan Brackan has also been included in the squad. With a replacement necessary for Jason Gillespie, Brad Williams would be favoured to make his Test debut.In a worst case scenario with Lehmann and MacGill out of the side and Katich, Hogg and Williams included, with only 53 Tests between them, it would be the least experienced Australian attack for many years.The Australian squad is: Steve Waugh (capt), Ricky Ponting, Andy Bichel, Nathan Bracken, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Darren Lehmann, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Brad Williams.
Guyana 310 and 148 for 8 (Ramdass 60; Smith 4-46) drew with Barbados 395 (Campbell 81, Smith 114; Nagamootoo 5-116) ScorecardBarbados narrowly missed out on an eighth straight win in the Carib Beer 2004 Cricket Series, but went through to the final against Jamaica as a result of having gained a first-innings lead. Guyana, who started their second innings 85 in arrears, were 148 for 8 when stumps were drawn with Sewnarine Chattergoon and Mahendra Nagamootoo having defied the bowlers in the final stages.Dwayne Smith, later named Man of the Match, captured 4 for 46 from 25 overs, and Fidel Edwards took 3 for 34 as Guyana collapsed in their second innings. But Chattergoon, who came out to bat nursing a sore shoulder, and Nagamootoo did enough to thwart any attempt to go for an outright win.Barbados will now play Jamaica in the final on home turf – the venue has yet to be announced – from March 25 to 28. They have already won the Carib Beer Cup, and are looking to win a second trophy for the season.
Steve Harmison’s place in England’s World Cup squad is in doubt after he twisted his ankle in the field during England’s 19-run win over Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval.Harmison, after bowling two overs which cost 27 runs, had just been taken out of the attack when he slipped while fielding at mid-on.”He’s hobbling around but the physio says it hasn’t swollen up too much,which is a good sign,” said the England captain, Nasser Hussain. “He will go for the regulation scans.”Hussain was full of praise for Andrew Caddick, who was made Man of the Match for his four wickets, two of which were taken in a key period near the end of Sri Lanka’s innings.”Andy’s had a really good couple of weeks,” Hussain enthused. “We’ve missedDarren Gough’s experience on this tour but Andy has got his rhythm andconfidence back.”The wicket in Sydney at the Test match helped him regain his confidence. The bounce at Sydney gave him his confidence back and he has always been fit, which means he will always grow as a tour continues whereas others fade away.”I thought it was the best game in the tournament so far. Sri Lanka thought they had it in the bag for a while but we used our brains well. “I think we need a point now to make the final but we’ll play our next game (against Australia in Adelaide) normally and see what we can get from it.”Caddick said: “Things are going well for me at the moment. There’s plenty of rhythm there and I’m getting the ball in the right area.”I’m quite happy to take responsibility but it would be nice for our youngerplayers to pull through and get experience under their belts.”England also had Alec Stewart to thank for another sterling performance with the bat and behind the stumps.”Alec had an excellent game and I thought he should possibly have been man ofthe match, Hussain added. “It was typical of him when in our management meeting yesterday he said he would like to bat at five. If you back yourself that much you bat at five.”Michael Vaughan justified the confidence Hussain showed in his bowling, with seven overs of off-spin at a cost of just 35 and the wicket of Chaminda Vaas.”He bowled well against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last year and bowls well atleft-handers, tucking them up a bit, and he did well under pressure because it’sthe first time he’s bowled in a long time,” Hussain said.Both captains agreed that the turning point of match was when Sanath Jayasuriya was run out attempting a straightforward single which would have brought him his third ODI hundred in four innings.Kumar Sangakkara obstructed his captain, who was left stranded as Hussain hit the stumps from mid-off.”It was a lot closer than the result and probably the best game of the tournament so far,” Hussain said. “Our coach has told us we don’t hit the stumps enough so it was nice to hit and Sangakkara also did us a favour. That was the turning point because Sanath was playing beautifully.”Jayasuriya said: “It was the crucial thing because I was batting well. The match would have changed if I had been there but unfortunate things happen.”
Former West Indies fast bowler, Wes Hall and Anguillian bank executive, Val Banks are likely to become the next president and vice president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).The WICB yesterday confirmed that Hall and Banks were the only nominees to fill the vacant posts of president and vice president of the regional body; this, in accordance with Article 92 of the WICB’s Memorandum of Association.The nomination of Hall, who is also a former chairman of selectors was supported by both the Barbados Cricket Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control.Meanwhile, Banks’ nomination was supported by the Leeward Islands Cricket Association and the Barbados Cricket Association.Election for the two top posts in West Indies cricket will take place on 21 July when the WICB convenes a special general meeting at the Savannah Hotel in Barbados.The positions of president and vice-president became vacant after Jamaican lawyer Pat Rousseau and Antiguan business executive Clarvis Joseph resigned at a meeting of the WICB directors in Barbados earlier this month.The elevation of Hall and Banks to the two top positions in West Indies cricket is likely to be a formality since the Memorandum of Association (Article 92) clearly states: “No person shall be eligible for election to the office of President or Vice President at any meeting of Members unless, not less than thirty days before the date appointed for the meeting of Members at which the election of the President or Vice President is due to be considered, there shall have been left at the office of the Secretary of the Board a nomination in writing, signed by two Full Members accompanied by a notice in writing signed by the nominee of his willingness to serve if elected.”
One of the more eyebrow-raising decisions made by Wilfried Nancy at Celtic in recent matches has been his call to start Anthony Ralston as a right-sided centre-back in the last three games.
The right-back has played on the right side of the back three for the new manager, despite being displaced by Colby Donovan under Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill.
Ralston was given a 4/10 player rating by Glasgow World in the 3-1 League Cup final defeat to St Mirren and a 4/10 player rating by 67HailHail in the 2-1 loss to Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.
Many may look to Donovan as the natural alternative to the experienced full-back, given that they are both natural right-backs, but that should not be the case.
Why Donovan should not replace Ralston
Love it or loathe it, Nancy has introduced a new system at Parkhead. The 3-4-2-1 formation has changed the dynamics in the squad and what is needed from each position.
Celtic do not play with a right-back anymore. It has, essentially, been split into two different roles: right-sided centre-back and right wing-back. This means that Donovan and Ralston are not competing for the same position anymore, because they fall into different roles now.
Whilst Ralston is more of an old-school defender who will dig in and fight for duels, rather than showing attacking flair and quality, he is more suited to the centre-back position.
Donovan, who assisted Kieran Tierney’s goal against Aberdeen on Sunday, is more suited to playing as a wing-back because of the quality that he can deliver into the box.
The academy graduate has produced three assists in all competitions, per Sofascore, including two assists in four starts in the Scottish Premiership.
Because of this formation change, Donovan may not be the player who ends Ralston’s career at Parkhead, amid his poor run of performances, as he should be competing with Hyun-jun Yang for a starting berth.
The rarely-seen star who could end Ralston's Celtic career
Nancy does, however, have a rarely-seen star who does have the potential to end Ralston’s career by emerging as a starter in the right-sided centre-back role.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
In the summer transfer window, Brendan Rodgers swooped to sign Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan from Manchester City and described the central defender as a “quick” and “dominant” player.
Unfortunately, the 20-year-old prospect did not play a single game for the Northern Irish head coach, as the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Dane Murray, and Auston Trusty were preferred ahead of him in the back four.
Martin O’Neill finally handed the youngster his debut for Celtic during his time in interim charge, but he started him as a right-back in a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Premiership, despite being a natural centre-back.
In that win, the English defender showed that he has the physicality to deal with the rigours of Scottish football, as he won five of his eight duels and was not dribbled past a single time at right-back, per Sofascore.
Vs Kilmarnock
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey
Minutes
64
Duels won
5/8
Interceptions
1
Clearances
4
Dribbled past
0x
Pass accuracy
97%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Simpson-Pusey was also incredibly reliable defensively for the Scottish giants in that convincing win under the Northern Irish manager, whilst excelling defensively.
His experience at right-back on his debut for Celtic could make him the ideal player to displace the underperforming Ralston in the right-sided centre-back role, because he is a natural centre-back who has experience at right-back, making him the perfect player for that hybrid role.
Ralston has been dribbled past 0.6 times per match and only completed 86% of his attempted passes in the Premiership this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been susceptible defensively and wasteful at times in possession at right-back and right centre-back.
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Whilst Simpson-Pusey only has the one game for Celtic as evidence of his strength defensively and on the ball, he also completed 97% of his attempted passes and was not dribbled past a single time, per Sofascore, in two EFL Trophy appearances for Manchester City’s U21s in the 2024/25 campaign.
The Cityzens loanee has been an unused substitute in the last two matches, against Dundee United and Aberdeen, which shows that he is available for selection and could feature for Nancy in the coming weeks.
With this in mind, the French head coach should finally unleash the rarely-seen star, who has made one first-team appearance this season, in Ralston’s role to finally end the defender’s career at Parkhead.
Not just Johnny Kenny: Nancy must finally drop Celtic flop who won 0 duels
Wilfried Nancy must finally drop this Celtic flop who was as bad as Johnny Kenny against Aberdeen.
ByDan Emery
Ralston’s underwhelming performances, as aforementioned, could leave him as a deep back-up option if Simpson-Pusey comes in to replace him and Alistair Johnston returns from injury, which could force him to consider his future at the club, essentially ending his career at the club.
Friday, April 25, 2008 Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)
The Big Picture
There is plenty at stake here as both sides have gone two rounds without a win and languish at the bottom of the points table. Mumbai, who were at the wrong end of two close encounters, will pin their hopes on the possibility of their captain and icon, Sachin Tendulkar, making his IPL debut on a batting-friendly Mohali wicket. It will be interesting to see whether the crowds flock to arguably the most spectator-friendly stadium in India, after large sections of the stadium were empty in Punjab’s first game.
Watch out for …
… a classic contest between Tendulkar, if he plays, and the fiery Brett Lee. Look for needle between Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh; there was some friction over fielding issues during the recent Test series against South Africa. Harbhajan, who may have to captain the side for the third match running, has the added challenge of playing for the away team in what is his Ranji home ground, and will play opposite his state-mate, Yuvraj Singh.
Team news
If Tendulkar does return, Vikrant Yeligati, the offspinner, could be dropped after going for 16 runs in his one over in Chennai. The rest of the team will probably remain largely unchanged, but Nayar may feel he deserves a promotion after taking Mumbai close to a win in the last game.Mumbai: (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Luke Ronchi (wk), 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Shaun Pollock, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Musavir Khote, 10 Ashish Nehra, 11 Dhaval Kulkarni.Punjab may bring in VRV Singh, the right-arm seamer who has played for India in Tests and ODIs, in place of Wilkin Mota. Mahela Jayawardene is likely to retain his place despite making just 2 in his only innings.Punjab: (probable) 1 Karan Goel, 2 James Hopes, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Sunny Sohal, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Vikram Singh, 11 Sreesanth.
Mumbai scored an average of 12.67 runs per over in their last five overs, while Punjab have only managed an average of eight.
Nayar took three catches in Mumbai’s first game, the most so far by a fielder in an IPL match
Quotes
“The wishes of my fans and team-mates is the best gift I have received today. I hope I will perform better this year.”Tendulkar on his 35th birthday
Mickey Arthur, South Africa’s coach, has admitted that he is surprised by the amount of flack aimed in his direction following South Africa’s World Cup campaign.Arthur, who has been lambasted in some quarters of the media, told Beeld newspaper: “This has been the best year South African cricket has had. We achieved a 75% success ratio and had only one poor World Cup match.”South Africa played below par in the semi-final against Australia, losing by a seven-wicket margin, after scoring a paltry 149 batting first. But South Africa suffered a shock ,67-run loss to Bangladesh and a five-wicket loss to New Zealand in the Super Eights stage. South Africa lost 4 out of the 10 matches at the World Cup.”When I took over we were the fifth best one-day team in the world. We rose to number one this year,” he said. South Africa ended the ICC year, which ran from April 2006 to March 2007, as the leading one-day country in world cricket, edging Australia into second place by a narrow margin.”How we can see the World Cup performance as a failure, I cannot understand,” Arthur said, adding that South Africa had never gone further than the semi-final and that it was the best they had done”Winning the ODI series at home against Australia and the way we came back after the shattering defeat in the first Test against India were the highlights for me. It’s no easy task to coach the national team. I never realised to what extent one becomes the property of the people,” he added.””It caught me off guard. I was also surprised by the way one finds oneself in the media spotlight and how they analyse everything you do,” he added.Despite the anti-climatic semi-final against Australia, Arthur said, “Yet I believe we have reason to claim that we are, along with the Aussies, the best one-day team in the world”.”How we can see the World Cup performance as a failure, I cannot understand,” Arthur said, adding that South Africa had never gone further than the semi-final and that it was the best they had doneArthur is hoping for another stint as coach, despite calls for his removal. He said that he has started planning for the next season. He hoped for a quick recovery from captain Graeme Smith, who is due to undergo a knee operation on Thursday. South Africa resume their cricket when they travel to Ireland to take on the home team and India.”Some players listen with one ear only”, he said in response to criticism from Roger Telemachus that he was not honest with him at the World Cup. “He (Telemachus) heard only what he wanted to hear. Even before we left South Africa I made it clear to him that he was a substitute bowler. I never promised that he would play,” he added.Telemachus had spoken out after the World Cup, and is quoted as saying, “I’m not afraid to say that I am spitting mad. And I’m not the only one who feels this way. To this day I do not know why I did not get an opportunity to play.” Telemachus was the only member of the 15-man South Africa squad who did not get a game at the World Cup.
Sussex have announced that Gus Mackay, currently operations director at Leicestershire, has been appointed as the club’s new chief executive to succeed Hugh Griffiths in October 2006.David Green, the Sussex Chairman, said: “After an exhaustive process we are delighted to have found Gus who has an excellent blend of business and cricket experience, with a background in finance and as a player for Zimbabwe. In recent times he has been a very effective administrator at Leicestershire and established a positive reputation for himself within county cricket”.Mackay added: “I am delighted with the appointment and look forward to leading the Club to further success both on and off the field. The challenges ahead are very exciting for all involved at the club with a new ground development. It is vital, however, that the club balances the books in the near future and continues to remain competitive in all competitions.”It is essential that we maximise the ECB’s performance related fee payments by developing English qualified players and the club has an excellent youth structure which will enable it to do so. Building on the success of Team England, we need to attract new audiences and increase participation at all levels.”Mackay will take on the role of Chief Executive in October following a three-month hand over period when he will work alongside Griffiths. “I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of the 11 years spent at Sussex in various roles,” said Griffiths, “I am delighted at the prospect of working with Gus in the future and wish him every success in his new role”.
Darren Bicknell and Stephen Fleming batted firmly for Nottinghamshire as a heavily rain-affected match edges towards stalemate. Andrew Harris took three of Sussex‘s final four wickets as they made 355 on the third day. Harris ended with 5 for 131. In reply, Jason Gallian fell early for 5 and Russell Warren made 25 before being bowled. But Bicknell (88) and Fleming (102 not out) stood firm to take Notts into a strong position.Mohammad Akram took five wickets in the second innings to consign Hampshire to Surrey a heavy defeat at The Rose Bowl. Ormond had taken apart the top order – Jimmy Adams, who made just 1 for the second time this match, Michael Brown (20) and Chris Benham, who made a duck – before Akram ripped through the middle order with 5 for 41 from just 9.3 overs. John Crawley offered the best resistance for the visitors, with 67, before Harbhajan Singh penetrated his defences and Hampshire collapsed to 160 all out from just 33.3 overs.An intriguing final day is in prospect at Southgate after Middlesex declared on 435 for 4, and Glamorgan replied with 125 for 3. In another run-fest, Ed Smith fell eight short of his century, Scott Styris 15 short of his but Ed Joyce managed to post his – and went on to stricke an unbeaten 155. Glamorgan increased their lead of 149 to 325 by the end of play, but Daniel Cherry couldn’t repeat his first innings heroics: he made 16 before Alan Richardson dismissed him, the first of his three wickets. Matt Elliott (20) and David Hemp (29) were the other casualties.Kent are strongly placed for victory after their batsmen struck 569. Warwickshire still trail by 272 with eight wickets remaining. For a full report see Match of the Day.
Division Two
Dale Benkenstein followed up a good performance with the bat with four wickets as Durham took firm control of their match against Northamptonshire. Benkenstein ran through the middle order with 4 for 29 as Northants collapsed from their overnight score of 98 for 2 to 214 all out. Jonathon Lewis and Nathan Astle led the charge in reply, each striking half centuries to leave Durham with a good chance of success as they have a lead of 372 with six wickets remaining.Lancashire edged a one-wicket win against Derbyshire. The visitors had been in firm control, requiring just 136 for victory after Muttiah Muralitharan took six wickets to shoot Derbyshire out for 185. But they didn’t make it easy for themselves – and Derbyshire nearly snuck the win after Lancashire slumped from 57 for 1 to 131 for 9. Ian Sutcliffe, though, proved a hero with the bat, anchoring the innings with 62 not out as Muralitharan hit the winning runs in the third additional over.Worcestershire are scenting victory at Grace Road after advancing to 323, with Zander de Bruyn topscoring with 67. Daryl Mitchell ended unbeaten on 63 and James Pipe added 47 to give the visitors a first innings lead of 98. Leicestershire chipped away at the deficit, but lost four wickets for 28 runs, and HD Ackerman fell for 2 later to give them a slim lead of 34, with five wickets remaining. Worcestershire will press for early wickets tomorrow.