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ESPNcricinfo previews the Women’s World Twenty20 semi-final between England and New Zealand

The Preview by Alan Gardner03-Oct-2012Match factsOctober 4, 2012
Start time 2.30pm local (0900 GMT/1000 BST)England’s No. 3 Sarah Taylor will be a key wicket for New Zealand to target•ICC/GettyBig Picture
The knockout stage of the Women’s World Twenty20 begins with a rematch of the 2009 final. Potentially, 14 of the 22 players that took the field at Lord’s could face-off again in Colombo, with New Zealand attempting to reach a third consecutive final – they were defeated by Australia in 2010 – and England looking to take a step further to regaining the trophy they won three years ago.The two sides are already familiar, with England having toured New Zealand earlier in the year. A 4-0 win extended England’s unbeaten run in T20 internationals, which was only ended last month by West Indies after a sequence that included 19 consecutive victories (and a couple of abandonments). They have picked up the thread of their dominating form in Sri Lanka, winning all three of their Group A games convincingly to qualify top.With a top three of Charlotte Edwards – the leading run-scorer in the format – Laura Marsh and Sarah Taylor, England have plenty of batting, while their array of spinners have so far excelled on the slow pitches in Galle. Although occasionally erratic, they are also capable of moments of brilliance in the field. After the disappointment of 2010, when England exited at the group stage, they appear to have left nothing to chance.For New Zealand, 2012 has not been a good year but two of their three wins have come in their last two matches. Sophie Devine, who opened the bowling and batted at No. 9 in the 2009 final, missed out on a place with New Zealand’s hockey team at the London Olympics but has returned to cricket as an attacking No. 3, while Erin Bermingham is the tournament’s joint-leading wicket-taker, with six.They also recorded the highest score of the group stage, making 151 for 5 against South Africa – but the seven-wicket defeat to West Indies, who England thrashed 4-1 last month, may provide a more reliable indicator of their chances. Whoever prevails, the prospect of playing in front of a capacity crowd as the stadium fills up for Sri Lanka’s semi-final against Pakistan in the men’s tournament will add an extra gloss to the occasion.Form guide(completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWLW
New Zealand WWLLL
Watch out for Sarah Taylor was recently anointed as the leading batsman in women’s T20 by the ICC’s new ranking system, which would be quite something on its own, were she not also widely regarded as one of the best wicketkeepers in the world. Taylor has already made the highest score of the tournament, an unbeaten 65 as England cruised to victory over the holders, Australia, and her form in front of and behind the stumps will be key to England’s chances.Not only is Sophie Devine a dual international, she also has a sociology degree and is studying for a diploma in landscape gardening. The 23-year-old plans to try and win a hockey berth at Rio 2016 but, for now, she has the opportunity to appear in a third World T20 final. After 18 months out of the game, she made her first T20 international fifty in the win over South Africa, to go with three wickets in the group stage, and is surely reaching her peak as an allrounder.Team news England named the same side for all three of their group games so, barring injury, expect a familiar look to the team. Spin has accounted for 11 of the 17 wickets taken by England bowlers at the tournament, so the switch from Galle to Colombo shouldn’t hurt them.England (possible) 1 Charlotte Edwards (capt), 2 Laura Marsh, 3 Sarah Taylor (wk), 4 Arran Brindle, 5 Lydia Greenway, 6 Danielle Wyatt, 7 Jenny Gunn, 8 Anya Shrubsole, 9 Danielle Hazell, 10 Katherine Brunt, 11 Holly ColvinNew Zealand have also had a fairly settled line-up, using only 12 players so far. With Shane Bond as their bowling coach, they have relied on a battery of medium pace supplemented by Bermingham’s legbreaks but they could bring in Lucy Doolan as another spin option.New Zealand (possible) 1 Suzie Bates (capt), 2 Amy Satterthwaite, 3 Sophie Devine, 4 Frances Mackay, 5 Sara McGlashan, 6 Nicola Browne, 7 Katie Perkins, 8 Katey Martin (wk), 9 Erin Bermingham, 10 Morna Nielsen, 11 Sian RuckPitch and conditionsThe Premadasa has gradually got slower and lower as the tournament has gone on, so spin is likely to play a big part. The rain has held off in recent days but there’s every chance of a shower in Colombo at some point during the afternoon.Stats and trivia England beat New Zealand 4-0 in their five-match T20I series earlier this year. Prior to that tour, the teams each had a won four, lost four head-to-head record. Suzie Bates needs 51 runs to become the fourth women to score 1,000 in T20Is. Sarah Taylor is the leading women’s T20I run-scorer in 2012, with 576 at 44.30, almost 200 runs ahead of the next best, Charlotte Edwards.Quotes “Tomorrow will be a massive event for us and playing ahead of Sri Lanka versus Pakistan, I think they’ve had some massive crowds so far so I think that will be a big boost.”
“They’ve played really well and haven’t really been tested in the tournament. I think if we can get a couple of early wickets, some of their batters haven’t batted at this tournament, so we can hopefully put them under some pressure.”

A round-up of the One-Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2012Group A
United Bank Limited opened their One-Day National Cup campaign with a crushing victory against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Lahore. United Bank’s bowlers put in an impressive collective performance to dismiss SNGPL for 123 in 46.3 overs. Khurram Shehzad top scored with 42 for SNGPL, while Shabbir Shmed took 2 for 8 in 6.3 overs for United Bank. There was a hiccup during the chase, with United Bank slipping to 63 for 3, but Saad Sukhail scored an unbeaten 48 and Mohammad Sami made 35 to lead their team to a seven-wicket victory in 30 overs.Peshawar Panthers beat Lahore Lions by four wickets after a tight contest at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 162, Peshawar were never going to be pressed by the asking-rate, but they lost wickets and slipped to 89 for 5. Their captain Akbar Badshah, however, scored an unbeaten 40 and wicketkeeper Gauhar Ali made a brisk 47, adding 72 runs for the sixth wicket. The target was eventually achieved with 49 balls to spare. When Lahore had batted, all five of Peshawar’s bowlers took wickets to dismiss them for 161 in 42 overs. Eight Lahore batsmen got into double figures but only Farhan Asghar (36) made it past 20.Group B
A century from Behram Khan and a five-for from Tabish Khan helped Karachi Zebras rout Multan Tigers by 201 runs at the National Stadium. Behram opened the innings for Karachi and scored 129 off 118 balls. He was supported by Saeed Bin Nasir, who made 57, but the rest of the batsmen failed. Karachi slipped from 209 for 2 and were dismissed for 265. Multan’s innings suffered from run-outs in the top order and Tabish in the middle order. Three batsmen were run out before Tabish ripped through the line-up and finished with figures of 5 for 28. Multan were shot out for 64 in 18.3 overs.A solid all-round performance from Lahore Eagles set up a six-wicket victory against Hyderabad Hawks with 33 balls to spare at the Niaz Stadium. Asif Raza and Mohammad Irfan led the bowling effort, taking 2 for 34 and 3 for 36 respectively to limit Hyderabad to 215 for 8. Several Hyderabad batsmen made starts but Ayaz Jamali and Ghulam Yasin’s 41 was the best score. Half-centuries from Muzaffar Mahboob and Abid Ali led Lahore’s chase and the target was achieved in 44.3 overs.

Yuvraj Singh has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the United States

Sharda Ugra05-Feb-2012Sportsmen who came back from cancer

Lance Armstrong The American cyclist was diagnosed with Stage 3 testicular cancer in 1996, but he recovered to go on to win the sport’s most prestigious race, the Tour de France, an unprecedented seven times

Mario Lemieux One of the greatest ice hockey players, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at the height of his powers in 1993. He returned after radiation treatment and remained prolific for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Simon O’Donnell Soon after he helped Australia win the 1987 cricket World Cup, a lump on his rib was found to be cancerous. He underwent chemotherapy and made a strong comeback to international cricket in 1988-89

Dave Callaghan The South Africa allrounder was treated for cancer in 1991, but returned to full health and earned a place in the national squad in the next year. He played 29 ODIs in his South Africa career before retiring from cricket in 2003.

Eric Abidal A tumour was detected on this France and Barcelona defender’s liver in March 2011. He underwent surgery and two months later played the entire duration of Barcelona’s masterclass in the Champions League final.

Yuvraj Singh has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the US. A member of Yuvraj’s medical team, Dr Nitesh Rohatgi, informed ESPNcricinfo that Yuvraj’s condition is called “mediastinal seminoma,” a germ-cell tumour located between his two lungs. The condition, Rohatgi said, is neither lung cancer nor a tumour that had spread into the lungs. Mediastinal seminoma is a rare tumour which forms less than 1% of cancers on the whole.Rohatgi, a senior medical oncologist at a Delhi hospital, said: “We are very lucky to know that this is a seminoma variety of germ-cell tumour which are mostly curable with therapy and moreover would be unlikely to cause any detriment to Yuvraj’s career in the long term.”On Wednesday Yuvraj will begin the third of his nine weeks of chemotherapy in the USA. “In the first few days Yuvi may not feel very good,” Rohatgi said, “he may feel nauseous, but starting this week he will be on the mend and may even do a bit of training as he improves, under the guidance of a specialist physiotherapist from the BCCI.”The chemotherapy has been planned, Rohatgi said, with the aim of ensuring Yuvraj can return to full fitness and readiness for cricket. He said Yuvraj should be able to start active training in about ten weeks. “If I was asked: will Yuvraj Singh the person be cured, I will say very likely yes. If you ask: will we see the return of Yuvraj Singh the cricketer, I would say most likely yes and he will return with the same fervour that he had when he left. In all likelihood, he should be on the field on May 1.”Rohatgi said Yuvraj’s family had been reluctant to divulge his whereabouts because, “it is important Yuvi has time to himself to focus on his recovery. He has been reading; he has read Lance Armstrong’s books, he is playing video games, he is committed to his therapy and recovery.”Yuvraj’s doctors in the USA, working in collaboration with his team in India, were confident of his recovery. Rohatgi said that in their vast experience with sportsmen with a similar condition they have had many positive outcomes and even seen athletes return to the field. Germ-cell tumours are found to be more common in young people and in athletes.Rohatgi denied that there had been a wrong diagnosis by an Indian hospital, as was reported, or that Yuvraj’s chemotherapy dose was reduced following Ayurvedic treatment. “The diagnosis that was given in India,” he said, “was precise and reconfirmed by doctors in the USA without needing a repeat biopsy. It had helped to get the chemotherapy started almost immediately.” The doctor said Ayurveda had not influenced Yuvraj’s present treatment and that it was “wrong” to send out a message that Ayurvedic treatment cures cancer or can effectively supplement chemotherapy.Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since the Tests against West Indies last November, when news of his tumour became public. He had originally hoped to make a comeback in the tri-series in Australia, but last month it was announced that he would not be fit in time for the IPL, which begins in April.

Marcus Trescothick was named PCA player of the year for the third time at the annual end of season awards in London on Thursday evening

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Sep-2011Marcus Trescothick was named PCA player of the year for the third time at the annual end of season awards in London on Thursday evening. Alex Hales, the Nottinghamshire and England batsman, took the young player award while Alastair Cook was England’s most valuable player.Despite Somerset twice finishing in second place again on Friends Life t20 finals day and in the CB40 final, Trescothick had an outstanding season with 2518 runs in all competitions putting him at the top of the batting list even though he missed games towards the end of the season due to an ankle injury. Trescothick is only the second player, after Sir Richard Hadlee, to win the Reg Hayter Cup three times.Hales, meanwhile, was rewarded for passing 1000 runs in the County Championship for the first time along with hitting 544 runs in Twenty20 cricket which earned him an England call-up to face India at Old Trafford. Although he made a second-ball duck he will get another chance to impress in the two matches against West Indies.Cook and Stuart Broad, who is currently out injured, were recognised for their part in England’s triumphant summer with the overall and ODI most valuable player awards respectively. Mark Ramprakash was also named County Championship player of the decade while Andrew McDonald and Chris Nash collected domestic awards.Reg Hayter Cup for the NatWest PCA Player of the Year Marcus Trescothick (Somerset)
John Arlott Cup for the NatWest PCA Young Player of the Year Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
ECB Special Award Patrick Eagar
PCA Special Merit Award Jack Bannister
Sky Sports Sixes League Winner Darren Stevens (Kent)
NatWest ODI Player of the Year Stuart Broad
England FTI MVP of the Summer Alastair Cook
LV=County Championship Player of the Decade Mark Ramprakash
Friends Life t20 Player of the Year Andrew McDonald (Leicestershire)
Clydesdale Bank 40 Player of the Year Chris Nash (Sussex)
PCA Umpire of the Year Michael GoughFTI Team of the Year Alastair Cook, Marcus Trescothick, Chris Nash, Alex Hales, Darren Stevens, Steven Davies, Samit Patel, Chris Woakes, James Anderson, David Masters, Monty Panesar

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, while Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl first at Newlands

The Report by Nitin Sundar03-Jan-2012Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlviro Petersen and Jacques Kallis made a mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl•Associated PressAlviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, and Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl at Newlands. Kallis had a sense of occasion, converting his 114-ball century into a 150-plus score in his 150th Test. His first ton against Sri Lanka, and his first in a year, was all the more significant since it silenced murmurs of failing form following the first pair of his glittering career, in Durban.Kallis’ century reaffirmed his love affair with Cape Town, a venue where he now has nine Test hundreds and over 2000 runs. But one man who might be happier with his day’s work is Petersen, whose fluency during his second Test ton glossed over the fact that he was returning to the side after a year. The pair’s dominance yielded 205 runs in under 50 overs, and negated any advantage Sri Lanka had gained from Dhammika Prasad’s early breaches.Regardless of the ease with which South Africa progressed, there was merit in Sri Lanka’s call to bowl; their historic win in Durban did not mask their problems against pace and bounce, and was founded upon South Africa’s own abject batting display. Dilshan’s decision shielded his weaker suit, and gave his seamers the mandate to attack South Africa in marginally helpful weather. He was, however, let down by a sketchy plan of action, and conditions that quickly played into the batsmen’s hands. Sri Lanka were too full in the first hour, too short in the second, and all over the place in the afternoon, before tightening their act after tea.Smart stats

Jacques Kallis became the sixth player overall and the first South African to feature in 150 Tests. Among South African players, Mark Boucher is next with 144 matches.

Following his first pair in the Durban Test, Kallis scored his 41st century in his 150th Test. It is also his first century against Sri Lanka. Among batsmen with 10000-plus runs, Kallis has the highest average (56.98).

In the course of his innings, Kallis passed 2000 runs in Cape Town. He becomes only the third player after Mahela Jayawardene and Graham Gooch to score 2000-plus runs at a particular venue.

Kallis’ present strike rate of 73.95 is his third-highest for a 100-plus score. The highest is 74.44 during his 201 against India in Centurion in 2010.

Alviro Petersen, making his comeback, scored his second century in his 10th Test. He has now scored 681 runs at an average of 37.83.

The 205-run stand between Kallis and Petersen is the third-highest third-wicket stand for South Africa in Cape Town since their readmission. It is also South Africa’s best third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.

Rangana Herath was the most economical bowler conceding just 63 runs off his 26 overs. The remaining bowlers conceded 282 runs in 64 overs (economy rate 4.40).

In between-times, though, Prasad managed to hit the in-between lengths. His ability to ramp the pace up to 140 kph – a rare feat in an attack missing Dilhara Fernando – earned him success against Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Both batsmen began well, but perished to familiar failings – Smith chopped on while attempting a reckless cut, and Amla was trapped in front as he walked across the stumps. Amla consulted with Petersen, and rightly chose not to review the decision. That wasn’t the only instance of Petersen’s solid judgement in his comeback innings.A couple of early drives down the ground and a nudge through square leg signalled that Petersen had carried his domestic form into the big league. Thereafter, he built steadily, before summoning the spirit to thrash Prasad over square leg for a six. He brought up his fifty with a brace of boundaries against Thisara Perera, before receding into the background.Kallis came out throwing punches in all directions, reminiscent of his half-century against Australia in the recent Johannesburg Test. He nearly pulled his fourth ball straight to fine-leg, where Chanaka Welegedara inexplicably didn’t go for the catch. Another pull off Angelo Mathews spiralled towards midwicket and landed safe. Encouraged, Mathews persisted with the short stuff, and Kallis pounded him into pulp with a raft of murderous pulls in front of square. Sri Lanka had missed their chance to nip him out early, and Kallis proceeded to enjoy himself.Sri Lanka’s discipline faltered dramatically after lunch. The early-morning moisture had evaporated, and with it all traces of sideways movement. Kallis rushed to his fifty off just 42 balls, and went on to expose their lack of pace, and Rangana Herath’s lack of spin on the first-day surface. A 21-over phase without a single maiden suggested Sri Lanka’s afternoon could not get any worse, but it did when they wasted both their reviews in desperation.Petersen’s signature shot was easily the straight drive, a shot he executed with an assured forward step and exemplary timing. Kallis, on the other hand, went on to produce shots of immense beauty in every direction. The punchy pulls gave way to picture-perfect cover drives and sublime straight hits, but the stroke that stood out was an astonishing whipped on-drive from the line of off stump when Thisara Perara was looking to angle one across defensively.That shot came after Petersen’s fall, sucked into an uppish drive by a Welegedara slower ball. The run-rate dropped below four for the first time in the 66th over, with de Villiers struggling to deal with Welegedara’s offcutters. Having batted out of his comfort zone all day, Kallis seamlessly shifted into accumulation mode and chugged past 150. The stand was worth 86 by stumps, leaving Sri Lanka wondering if they had lost the Test even before it had started.

Ravi Rampaul has described his delivery that got rid of Sachin Tendulkar as the best ball of his career

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Mar-2011″It was the perfect ball at the perfect time.” That’s how Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies seamer, described his delivery that got rid of Sachin Tendulkar in the first over in Chennai. Rampaul, in his first World Cup match, went on to take a maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs but his team was at the receiving end of an 80-run defeat. Despite the eventual loss, the five-for, and delivery, marked a personal highlight for Rampaul.”It was the best ball of my cricket career. It was one of those moments in life you dream of. When I saw him walk I felt great. It was an amazing feeling. I wasn’t sure how to celebrate. Here was I, in one of the biggest matches of my career, getting the wicket of one of the greatest batsmen. I felt really great to get such a massive breakthrough for the team,” Rampaul said.Rampaul was drafted in to the XI due to an illness to Kemar Roach. He began on an unsavoury note, conceding five wides off his first delivery in World Cup cricket. But off the final ball of that first over, he got a shortish delivery on off stump to straighten, one that Tendulkar stabbed at and ended up feathering an edge to the keeper. Tendulkar walked off immediately after he was caught, even though Steve Davis, the umpire, shook his head.”I was happy to get into the team and play my part. It was very exciting to play in front such a large crowd on such a big stage,” Rampaul said. “I went out and got five wickets and I was really happy to get the full support of everyone in the team. I was happy to be able to make the most of my opportunity.”Rampaul returned in his next spell to break a century-stand between Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, and continued to chip away in the death overs when India, as they had done against South Africa, collapsed. He finished with 5 for 51. “The pitch had some extra bounce at the start of the India innings and I knew if I got the ball in the right areas I would be successful,” he said. “Later in the innings I got the ball to reverse swing and I attacked the stumps. Things went in my favour and I felt good to get my first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket.”The defeat for West Indies meant they finished fourth in Group B, setting up a quarter-final clash in Dhaka against Group A leaders Pakistan on March 23.

The PCB has requested national coach Waqar Younis to return to Pakistan after the Ireland tour, instead of going to Australia, to discuss manager Initikhab Alam’s report on the West Indies tour

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2011The PCB has requested national coach Waqar Younis to return to Pakistan after the Ireland tour, instead of going to Australia, to discuss manager Intikhab Alam’s report on the West Indies tour. Waqar was supposed to go to Australia to see his wife, who is unwell, but has been asked to return to Pakistan if her illness is not serious.”We want to discuss in detail the report of manager Intikhab Alam on the tour and if Waqar comes here it will help us discuss the report in a better way,” Subhan Ahmed, CEO of the Pakistan board told reporters in Lahore.There has been speculation over differences between Waqar and Shahid Afridi, and matters apparently came to a head during Pakistan’s recent tour of West Indies, where Afridi was the captain for the limited-overs leg of the tour. Afridi was reportedly unhappy with what he saw as Waqar’s interference in selection; one report claimed Afridi almost walked out of a selection meeting ahead of the fourth ODI against West Indies and had to be persuaded by Intikhab to come back.Afridi hinted at these differences upon his arrival from the West Indies for which he was issued a showcause notice by the PCB and subsequently was replaced as Pakistan’s ODI captain for their tour of Ireland. Afridi pulled out of that tour and has since announced his “conditional” retirement from the international game, as a mark of protest against the way he has been “humiliated” by the PCB. However, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman said that there were “solid reasons” for the removal of Afridi as ODI captain and the board would take appropriate action after submission of the tour-report after the conclusion of the West Indies tour as well as deal with Afridi’s showcause notice.Former Pakistan cricketers have criticised the board’s handling of Afridi. “This is a mistake of [the] PCB administration. Afridi never took any names while he criticised the policies and board took note of that. Why [is] no one in the government taking notice of PCB’s actions of last three years?” Moin Khan told AFP. Wasim Akram agreed that the board had been unfair towards Afridi, but said the captain should not have gone public with the team’s issues. “As Pakistan captain, Afridi should not have made his differences with [the] coach public and should have solved them without coming to the media,” he said. “But the PCB has also not tackled this fairly.”Subhan said that Afridi would not be part of the meeting and added that the PCB would first discuss the report with the team management.

The UK Press Complaint Commission has handed Yasir Hameed a victory of sorts

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2011The UK Press Complaint Commission (PCC) has handed Yasir Hameed a victory of sorts by ordering the to take off from its website a video and story about the Pakistan opener in which he was seen discussing the fall-out from the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal as well as an approach by a bookie in 2004.However, the case is not yet concluded with the PCC unable to make a final ruling until the criminal trial involving Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt has been completed. “We have made clear to Mr Hameed that we are unable to continue our investigation at the moment, in light of the associated legal proceedings which, while they do not relate directly to Mr Hameed, are relevant to the matter,” the PCC told ESPNcricinfo in a statement.”The case is now on hold until the conclusion of the proceedings, at which time we will pursue the matter with the . The newspaper has removed the article from its website pending the outcome of our investigation. As such, the Commission has made no ruling at this point.”Hameed, who was part of the Test side during the 2010 tour to England but hasn’t played for Pakistan since, maintained that he was duped by the investigative reporter who came to him in a Nottingham hotel claiming to be a representative of a global airline who wanted to talk sponsorship deals. Instead, Hameed became the subject of a video sting operation and was made to answer to the board’s integrity committee. He apologised to the board but was barred from a couple of domestic tournaments thereafter.Soon after the video came to light, Hameed was called to the Pakistan High Commission in London to explain his utterances in the video. He issued a statement later that day saying that the man, an Abid Khan, sent him intimidating SMSs after the meeting when Hameed denied what had been attributed to him.Hameed eventually filed a formal complaint against the newspaper in February centred on four points, of inaccurate reporting, a breach of privacy, misrepresentation of character and harassment. He opted to wait till the end of the spot-fixing hearings and a definitive verdict before he filed the complaint. The first results of that have come now; the video and story is no longer to be found on the NOTW website.A more detailed decision of the commission will come after the criminal trial of Butt, Asif and Amir is over; the trio are due to appear in court in October to face charges of corruption following the Lord’s Test last summer, in which they are alleged to have bowled deliberate, pre-planned no-balls.”I am very happy to have come out of this difficult situation,” Hameed told ESPNcricinfo. “My only aim now is to try and fight for my place back in the Pakistan side.”

Liverpool have been handed a major boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Merseyside giants will be looking to keep the pressure on league-leading Manchester City, who they defeated 3-2 in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday, as they welcome their red arch-rivals to Anfield later today.

Jurgen Klopp appears to have a fully fit squad to choose from and now, he has been gifted an even bigger boost as Manchester United are set to be without as many as five first-team stars for this huge encounter.

As revealed by Red Devils boss Ralf Rangnick in his pre-game press conference on Monday afternoon, the visitors will be without Edinson Cavani, Scott McTominay, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane and Fred.

“Rapha [Varane] didn’t train with the team. He was on the pitch with one of our rehab coaches. But with regard to injured players, we have the same situation that we had in the last two games,” he revealed.

Huge for Klopp

This is great news for Klopp and co as at least four of those five players would normally be part of Rangnick’s starting lineup, if fit.

Shaw and Varane are two key members of the German’s backline, particularly the latter, who is leagues apart from £80m flop Harry Maguire, whilst the English left-back has been in fine form in recent months.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

Meanwhile, both McTominay and Fred – dubbed ‘McFred’ by the Old Trafford faithful – have often been the main pairing at the base of the engine room for Rangnick, and his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Only four players have featured in more league minutes than the duo this campaign.

Cavani, however, has played a bit-part role following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has recently missed two of their last five matches in the English top-flight.

There’s no doubt that the Uruguayan can still cut the mustard at this level – having scored ten goals in only 13 league starts last term – and on his day, he poses a big threat and it also leaves the visiting cast of United without another frontline option.

With Liverpool needing to pick up further points to maintain their position in the title race, they will certainly feel buoyed by the prospect of facing a much weaker United team later this evening.

Klopp must be buzzing.

AND in other news, Forget Salah: Klopp must unleash £54m-rated Liverpool “monster” today, he can terrify Man Utd…

Kevin Pietersen may have complained that “it isn’t easy being me” in the England dressing room, but sometimes it looks preposterously easy to be him on the pitch.

George Dobell in Ahmedabad08-Nov-2012
ScorecardKevin Pietersen was in familiar, imperious form against a weak Haryana attack•Getty ImagesKevin Pietersen may have complained that “it isn’t easy being me” in the England dressing room, but sometimes it looks preposterously easy to be him on the pitch. Pietersen took another step in his “rehabilitation” by plundering a century of dominance and disdain on the first day of England’s warm-up match against Haryana.In truth, there were never many doubts about Pietersen’s on-field contributions to the England cause. He was dropped, after all, having just scored one of the best centuries of his Test career. The problems were more off the pitch. But this innings, as facile as it was, at least showed that Pietersen is in the form and, perhaps more importantly, the frame of mind, to flourish in the Test series ahead. Only time will tell if the cracks in the dressing room are to reappear.Yet, like preparing to wrestle a tiger by feeding a kitten, the first day of this warm-up match may prove of little value to England ahead of the Test series against India. On a green pitch and against an unusually modest attack, England’s top-order – Pietersen in particular – plundered runs with ease. Suffice it to say, the most uncomfortable moment any England batsman experienced was when Ian Bell’s chair broke as he was waiting to bat.But these runs will have brought hollow pleasure to England. While the team management thought they had ensured adequate preparation in agreeing three warm-up games ahead of the first Test, India had other ideas. By providing England with surfaces quite different to those anticipated in the Test series and with opposition some way below international standard, they are, arguably, denying their opposition any meaningful practice. It is a tactic that bears the hallmark of Duncan Fletcher.While some may bridle at such an approach, it will remain legitimate until the precise details of these warm-up games – the nature of pitches and the quality of opposition – is contractually agreed in advance. At present, while the hospitality and facilities extended to England have been faultless, there is a faint echo of Cambridge United under John Beck, master of gamesmanship, in the Indian approach. It is not meant as a criticism.The Sardar Patel B Ground in Motera is not a classically beautiful venue. Faintly reminiscent of Garon Park in Southend, but with red kites instead of seagulls, it is a venue most unlikely to be painted by Jocelyn Galsworthy. For much of the day, it seemed the circling kites looked as if they wanted to feast on the bowling, too.Still, the day was not completely wasted. Pietersen proved his form and frame of mind, Alastair Cook fell three short of what would have been the softest century of his first-class career and Nick Compton compiled a sound half-century that has cemented his position in the team for the first Test. Bell and Jonathan Trott also enjoyed decent time at the crease. All will, at least, go into the Test series having enjoyed match practise in the heat. It is, after all, surely better to score runs against modest opposition than fail to score them.There was, perhaps, just one warning sign for England. Amit Mishra, the one quality spinner England have faced on the tour to date, only introduced himself into the attack in the 51st over of the innings and struck almost immediately. He beat Nick Compton, prodding forward, with his seventh delivery and, in his sixth over trapped the previously untroubled Trott leg before as he missed a sweep. All rather familiar.Mishra apart, there was little here to worry England. One of the opening bowlers, Sanjay Budhwar, is a left arm seamer who has not played a first-class game for two years, while the other, Amit Karamvir, was playing just his fourth first-class match. Neither are likely to follow in the footsteps of Haryana’s most famous son, Kapil Dev, and go on to represent India. England will not face many bowlers like Chanderpal Saini, a seamer with the physical presence of Janette Krankie, in international cricket, either.Cook, in particular, stood out. Usually content to pick up his runs from nudges and nurdles, here he struck 18 fours, most of them from glorious drives between extra cover and mid-off. It perhaps says more about the bowling than Cook’s form that there were times in this innings when he bore passing resemblance to David Gower. Only a waft off a wide delivery denied him the 40th first-class century of his career.Compton was less eye-catching but admirably sound. Quick to skip down the pitch to the spinners, he defended positively but showed a willingness to attack when appropriate and brought up his half-century from 88 balls with a pleasing lofted drive for six off Jayant Yadav’s off spin. He survived one edge, on 33, but generally looked to have the technique and temperament to prosper in Test cricket. But much sterner tests await.Bell was, perhaps, the one established batsman in the line-up under just a little bit of pressure. While his first scoring shot, an attempted loft over mid-on, was not completely convincing, he soon found form. Twice he danced down the wicket and drove Mishra for straight sixes and, though he struggled to find his most fluent timing, he became the third man of the day to bring up his half-century with a six over mid-off.And then there was Pietersen. Asking him to bat against this attack was like asking Noam Chomsky to recite his two-times table. While he was, in theory, dropped on 42 to a sharp caught and bowled chance, Yadav may consider himself fortunate to still have his hand. Pietersen drove, swept, ramped and cut with ease and power that suggests his form and motivation are strong. He looked bored some time before reaching his century, from 86 balls with 14 fours and three sixes, with his second 50 occupying just 32 balls. He was badly missed on 85 by Sachin Rana on the mid-wicket boundary and retired, rehabilitated and ready for the struggle ahead.