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A disciplined Deccan Chargers lifted themselves from near the basement of the IPL table to fourth place with an important win over fellow strugglers Delhi Daredevils

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran19-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sunny Sohal was Man of the Match for his 62 off 41 balls•AFPA disciplined Deccan Chargers lifted themselves from near the basement of the IPL table to fourth place with an important win over fellow strugglers Delhi Daredevils on a slow-and-low track at Feroz Shah Kotla. Their stand-out performers were not the marquee names but unsung opener Sunny Sohal and medium-pacer Harmeet Singh, playing his first match of the season.Sohal put on a powerful partnership with Kumar Sangakkara to seemingly set Deccan on their way to their highest total of the tournament, but Delhi shackled them in the second half of the innings to keep them to a more-manageable 168. Harmeet, however, removed two of Delhi’s three lethal hitters cheaply to swing the game in Deccan’s favour.Deccan began brightly with a beautiful Sohal cover drive for four off the first ball, and Shikhar Dhawan belted two more boundaries in the over. Delhi hit back as Irfan Pathan had Dhawan chopping on, but that brought together Sangakkara and Sohal, who put together Deccan’s best passage of play in a 92-run stand.Sangakkara was his usual elegant self, timing the ball wonderfully as he cut and drove the loose deliveries on offer. He was at his most punishing against the spinners, welcoming Shahbaz Nadeem’s left-arm spin with a six over midwicket, and two more leg-side boundaries. Yogesh Nagar, playing his first game of the season, was also taken for two extra cover boundaries. Both times Sangakkara teased Morne Morkel on the boundary, making him dive to his left, and then to his right; but both times the ball eluded the fielder.Sohal also didn’t play a typical brute-force Twenty20 innings. His 62 was sprinkled with dabs to third man and clever glides past fine leg, besides some textbook drives. It was only once he reached his half-century that he brought out the big shots, smashing Morkel for a six near the sightscreen and then blasting him through the covers.At 103 for 1 after 11 overs, even 200 was within Deccan’s sights. Ashok Dinda, though, had Sangakkara miscuing to cover, where he was taken by a back-pedalling Aaron Finch, and another smart catch from Finch sent back Sohal a couple of overs later. Though the big-hitters, Cameron White and Dan Christian, were at the crease, Deccan couldn’t maintain the pace. There were only three boundaries in the final six overs as Delhi squeezed the runs with some accurate bowling.Delhi would have been satisfied at the halfway stage, and soon the home crowd was at its most vocal as Virender Sehwag unleashed three successive fours off the second over of Delhi’s chase. The strong start was undone by Harmeet, who removed Sehwag and Finch in his first two overs, with Christian nipping out Naman Ojha in between.The Delhi innings was a stop-start affair, with bursts of big scoring sandwiching prolonged quiet spells. David Warner and Venugopal Rao muscled 30 runs off two overs to get to 71 for 3 after nine and revive Delhi hopes, but the return of Dale Steyn and the introduction of Amit Mishra choked the runs.On a track providing turn, and where shot-making was becoming difficult, Venugopal fell to a superbly judged, leaping overhead catch by Christian at long-off, and Warner’s less-than-fluent innings ended with a slog to deep midwicket in the 15th over. Delhi’s slender hopes now rested on Irfan Pathan and James Hopes but neither could get going and despite Yogesh Nagar’s cameo, Deccan coasted to victory.

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.

Cricinfo’s preview of the first ODI between Australia and Sri Lanka at the MCG

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale02-Nov-2010Match FactsXavier Doherty is set for his ODI debut•Getty ImagesWednesday, November 3, Melbourne
Start time 14.20 local (03.20 GMT)The Big PictureSri Lanka’s victory in the Twenty20 has given Australia plenty to think about. They haven’t won an international match since the Lord’s Test against Pakistan in July and, while they will claim their focus is on winning this series, as much as anything that is for the momentum that it would give their Ashes campaign. Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz and an out-of-form and under-pressure Michael Hussey are back in the squad, which features the majority of the men likely to take the field in the Gabba Test, although Ponting and Hauritz won’t play in this one-day series opener.”If you look at it that way, since July, it looks like a long time,” Ponting said of the losing streak. “It’s only a few games, really. There’s no sugar-coating anything, we know we’ve got some work to do. It’s really important that we do start getting that winning feeling back around the group again. There’s no doubt that it’s always a different feeling around the change rooms when you are winning games of cricket. We have to start that off pretty soon, and hopefully that’s tomorrow.”Sri Lanka have never won a series in Australia and if they can carry their Twenty20 form in to the ODI arena, this could be their best chance yet of breaking that record. They are also planning ahead to the World Cup, which will partly be held in their own country starting next February. Last time they co-hosted the World Cup they emerged as the champions, and they deserve to be among the favourites in 2011. Following this tour they head back to Sri Lanka for a Test series against West Indies, so they too are hoping to build momentum heading in to a home series.The other question is whether anybody will turn up to the match. Many Victorians have already taken an extra long weekend due to Tuesday’s public holiday for the iconic Melbourne Cup horse race, and asking the public to back up immediately and attend another day of elite sport is ambitious.Form guide (most recent first)
Australia LWWLL
Sri Lanka WWLWL
Watch out for…On Sunday, Peter Siddle played his first international match since January. It was a promising comeback for Siddle, who had sat out for nearly nine months due to stress fractures in his back. His recovery was geared towards making him available for the Ashes but to break back in to the side he needs to perform at every opportunity. If he plays on Wednesday, it will be his first one-day international at his home ground, the MCG.Thisara Perera bowled well in the Twenty20 in Perth, where his 2 for 22 from four overs helped restrict Australia. But the hosts will be equally concerned about his batting, even though he faced only four balls. Perera came out towards the end of the chase and his scorebook read 1, 6, 4, 6. He monstered Steven Smith over long-on twice to confirm the victory, and if he gets the chance to spend five overs at the crease, he could do some serious damage.Team newsPonting will be in Launceston on Wednesday for the funeral of his grandmother, so Michael Clarke will remain in charge after leading Australia to defeat in Sunday’s Twenty20 at the WACA. On Tuesday, Nathan Hauritz had not yet joined the squad following his Sheffield Shield performance over the past couple of days, so the Tasmanian spinner Xavier Doherty is in line to make his international debut. Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson are back after missing the T20, while there are plenty of bowling options, with Johnson, Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc and John Hastings all in the squad. Brad Haddin will play his first ODI since March and could be back near the top of the order.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Brad Haddin (wk), 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Steven Smith, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 John Hastings, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Peter Siddle.Kumar Sangakkara confirmed that Sri Lanka will open with Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan, and that Muttiah Muralitharan would take his place in the side for his first ODI since June. On an MCG pitch that could be affected by rain, that might make it difficult for Suraj Randiv to squeeze in as a second spinner, despite being the Man of the Match in Sunday’s Twenty20 triumph.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Mahela Jayawardene, 4 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chamara Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekera, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.Pitch and conditions Australia’s training session on Tuesday was interrupted by rain and isolated showers are forecast for Wednesday. The drop-in pitches at the MCG can be a little on the slow side, so don’t expect the pace and bounce seen at the WACA on Sunday.Stats and trivia Michael Clarke has captained Australia 16 times in ODIs and has made two centuries in those games; in his remaining 163 one-day internationals he has managed only three hundreds This is a Sri Lankan side with plenty of experience: Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have each played more than 30 ODIs in Australia The MCG is Sri Lanka’s best venue in Australia in ODIs against the hosts (of grounds where they have played more than once), with four wins from 11 meetingsQuotes”If we start winning games of cricket again, the whole atmosphere and attitude around the team changes. We’ll worry about the Ashes when that comes.”

“A player of Ricky’s calibre not being in the side is a huge blow. He’s one of the best batsmen of the last two decades.”
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Crystal Palace left it late to complete their January transfer business with a deadline day deal to make Jean-Philippe Mateta’s loan spell at Selhurst Park a permanent one as well as the signing of 19-year-old Derby County striker Luke Plange.

Having managed to score a goal and provide an assist in his four previous Premier League games for the Eagles, it’s safe to say that they have seen enough in him to make his loan deal permanent.

However, even though he’ll be spending the remainder of the current season trying to keep Derby in the Championship, Palace’s swoop for Plange could actually be the more exciting one for the club and their fans.

Derby signed the teenager from Arsenal’s youth system back in the previous summer transfer window where he scored seven goals in 23 games.

Since joining the Midlands club, the striker has racked up a total of 13 goals in 27 appearances across their U18, U23 and senior sides, showing how highly rated he is there and how capable he is of finding the back of the net at a relatively young age.

According to a report on the youngster by The Athletic, Plange said when he was younger that he wants to be “the next Cristiano Ronaldo,” which just goes to show the sort of ambition he has to try and replicate the same sort of impact and career of one of this generation’s greatest players.

Looking at the striker’s clear knack for scoring goals and the fact that current Derby manager Wayne Rooney will know an awful lot about the Portugal icon from their time playing together at Manchester United, he will be very much aware of the teen’s talents and what he could offer Palace next season.

Moving forward, with the Englishman set to join Patrick Vieira’s squad at the end of the season, this will give the Palace boss the starting point to see if the January signing has what it takes to make the step up to the Premier League, potentially following in the footsteps of Ronaldo, which would be a mouth-watering prospect for the club and fans in equal measure.

Of course, it is a stretch to compare the two definitively but he has already achieved something the great CR7 failed to do, score on his debut in English football.

Given the advanced age of both Christian Benteke and Jordan Ayew, as time goes on, the former Arsenal youth player could find it easier to play regularly in the team at Palace if he makes the most out of any opportunities he gets to impress Vieira.

In other news: Vieira already has his own Van de Beek in “transformative” CPFC gem likened to Lampard – opinion

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

Defeats for Guyana and Mumbai tomorrow will knock them out, making the Bangalore-Lions game a sudden death. The opposite result, however, will, theoretically, keep all four teams in contention

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya18-Sep-2010Match factsSunday, September 19
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Big PictureWill Jacques Kallis return?•AFPThe clash between these two IPL heavyweights is the biggest draw in Group A and the stakes have increased with South Australia Redbacks sealing their place in the semis after three straight wins. Mumbai Indians face a must-win clash while Royal Challengers Bangalore have a bit more breathing space, given they’ll be facing the Lions in their final league game after the results of Sunday’s fixtures will have either intensified or narrowed down the race for the final four. Defeats for Guyana and Mumbai tomorrow will knock them out, making the Bangalore-Lions game a sudden death. The opposite results, however, will theoretically keep all four teams in contention.Mumbai and Bangalore brushed aside Guyana and their defeats to South Australia were also similar. Both fielded terribly and were beaten by South Australia’s century-opening stands but the difference lay in the batting. While Mumbai’s innings was laced with several important contributions, a feat repeated against Guyana, Bangalore had just three batsmen reach double-figures en route to 154, which included 13 extras. Each of the front line Indian batsmen fell cheaply and though Bangalore were rescued by the counterattack led by Ross Taylor and Dillon du Preez, it’s a failure they can ill-afford to repeat against an equally power-packed Mumbai batting line-up. The loss of Jacques Kallis due to a sore back had its impact at the top of the order and with the ball. A return could prove a timely boost to a side slightly behind on momentum.Team newsBangalore may have a few tough calls to make in the event of Kallis’ return. du Preez was his replacement against South Australia and he smashed a 25-ball 46. Bangalore could be made to choose between him and Cameron White. They tried out Vinay Kumar in place of B Akhil but without much success; Abhimanyu Mithun remains an extra pace option.Royal Challengers Bangalore (possible): 1 Jacques Kallis/Manish Pandey, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Dillon du Preez/Cameron White, 7 Praveen Kumar, 8 Abhimanyu Mithun/Vinay Kumar, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Nayan Doshi.Mumbai got most things right against Guyana, and could go in with the same team. Abhishek Nayar, who came in as a replacement for Dhawal Kulkarni in the squad has himself been replaced due to a flu and respiratory infection. Assam seamer Abu Nechim takes his place.Mumbai Indians (possible): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Kieron Pollard, 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Ali Murtaza.Watch out for …Rahul Dravid was far from comfortable against South Australia, scoring 4 off 11 and, not for the first time, got out trying to overcome his frustration by attempting the paddle. He took his time while chasing a paltry target against Guyana in Bangalore’s first game. Under pressure, however, his position in the batting order could be reconsidered given the presence of several explosive batsmen in the line-up.In each of this three appearances this tournament, Kieron Pollard has reaffirmed the reputation that won him a bumper bid at the IPL auction. He’s struck 14 sixes, entertained the crowd with his brute power and raised the price-bar for the next auction. And he’s enjoying it, jiving to the music on the pitch with Dwayne Bravo after he sent Shaun Tait over cow corner. In a do-or-die encounter, Mumbai have the game-changer they need to stay alive.Key contestsOpening stands: Both teams possess plenty of ammunition in the middle order and solid batsmen making up the opening partnerships. Shikhar Dhawan and Sachin Tendulkar have been productive at the top while Bangalore’s results have been mixed thus far. In the battle of the bats, against pace bowlers who’re adept with their skills and variations, the start to each innings involves a keen contest.Stats and trivia Dwayne Bravo is one of seven bowlers to have grabbed a four-wicket haul in the Champions League Twenty20, but for Trinidad and Tobago against Somerset in 2009.Kallis, with an average of 8.66 for his six wickets, has the best average for anyone who has bowled three overs or more in the competition.

Ricky Ponting took it upon himself to put Australia’s tour back on track, leading from the front with a 93-ball 92, and ensuring against the indignity of a whitewash at the hands of the old enemy

Andrew Miller at The Oval30-Jun-2010Ricky Ponting took it upon himself to put Australia’s tour back on track, leading from the front with a 93-ball 92, and ensuring against the indignity of a whitewash at the hands of the old enemy. But while that coveted 5-0 scoreline is now beyond England’s reach, Ponting stopped short of declaring that normal service had been resumed. With the series long gone, he was happy simply to inject some confidence into his squad – in particular a bowling attack that is someway short of a first-choice line-up, but is rapidly developing a style of its own.At Old Trafford it was Shaun Tait and Doug Bollinger who clawed their team right back into the contest by instigating a collapse of six for 18 in the closing overs of England’s run-chase. Today, it was the other 90mph man in their ranks, Ryan Harris, who stepped into the vacancy left by a host of senior men, including Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee. His third five-wicket haul in 16 ODI appearances first thwarted England’s bid for momentum then ushered them straight to the exit. The final margin – 78 runs – was arguably the most comprehensive beating meted out by either side in this series.”We’ve lost the series, but it’s nice to play well, and I’m proud of the boys for the way they played today,” said Ponting. “We’re not that far away, but you don’t need to be that far away to be shown up in international cricket, like we were in the first three games. What I said to the boys this morning was that we had to keep backing their instincts and talents, and soon enough our best cricket was going to come out.”I thought the way we controlled the game today was pretty good,” Ponting added. “To make 290 batting first was always going to be a hard total to chase, and Ryan and the boys did a great job with the ball. When you’re in a situation like we were today, 3-0 down, it says a lot to be able to bounce back, to pick yourself up and play a game like we did today. That’s what I’m most proud of from the group.”England were on the back foot throughout their run-chase – metaphorically and literally – thanks largely to the ferocity that Shaun Tait’s belated inclusion has brought to the line-up. He was not at his absolute best on this occasion, but he didn’t need to be, because his mere presence has helped to bring out the best in his colleagues, who set themselves to attack from the word go, rather than sit back and await their fate – as they did with particularly dire consequences at the Rose Bowl.”We had our noses in front in the entire bowling innings and to close the game out the way we did gives us great confidence going into the last game,” said Ponting. “Our attack for the last few years has been Johnson and Lee, so we’ve always had that firepower. If anything, we lacked zip in the first few games and we lacked the ability to get the batsmen off the front foot. Tait has been able to do that for us, because having that firepower to take wickets through those middle overs is vital in one-day cricket.”On this occasion, however, it was Harris who reaped the rewards of Australia’s renewed aggression, as he collected his third Man of the Match award in 15 ODIs this year. “That was probably my best performance,” he said. “I’ve been happy with the way I’ve been bowling, because I’ve been going out there with no fear and knowing I can get anyone out. I’m bowling quicker than I was three or four years ago, and I’m looking after myself and keeping my body strong.”Australia’s management know all about the challenges of keeping their fast bowlers fit, and Ponting admitted he longed for the day he could take his pick of every one of the seven or eight men who are challenging for selection in the run-in to the Ashes and the World Cup.”We’ve been tested a lot in the past 12-18 months, the amount of injuries to our quicks has been hard to deal with and cope with,” he said. “Even when you have four men on the tour, at some stage they’ll pick up niggles and you have to manage them. But put Lee, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Siddle back into your group and suddenly your stocks look really good again.Having big Josh Hazlewood here has been good as well, he’s had some exposure, and Smithy [Steven Smith] has stood up well in the last few games. But I’m looking forward to having all those guys to pick from. It’ll be nice as captain not having to worry about injuries.”

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…

Steven Finn believes that his first taste of defeat as an England Test cricketer will help to make him a better player in the long run

Andrew Miller at Lord's24-Aug-2010Steven Finn believes that his first taste of defeat as an England Test cricketer will help to make him a better player in the long run, as he prepares to return to his home ground at Lord’s for the series decider against Pakistan on Thursday. However, with the hype surrounding this winter’s Ashes being cranked up an extra notch, he refused to be drawn into a war of words with Australia’s opening batsman, Shane Watson, who earlier this week singled him out as the potential weak link in England’s attack.Finn, whose Test career coincided with the start of England’s run of six victories in a row against Bangladesh at Chittagong in March, admitted he was “gutted” to suffer his first loss in England colours, as Pakistan overcame some familiar jitters on the fourth day to win a thrilling contest by four wickets. He claimed just one wicket in 23 overs in the match, his least productive outing of the year, but insisted he would treat the experience as another step in his ongoing development at the top level.”I hate losing games of cricket,” said Finn. “Every game that I play in, whether it’s for my club side, Middlesex or England, every game you lose leads to a period of reflection. There were areas where I didn’t bowl as well as I could have done and that might have contributed towards us losing the game. That’s something I’m very aware of, and in the grand scheme of things you learn a lot from that having lost that Test.”Whereas Finn’s 6’7″ frame had enabled him to harvest wickets in his early outings of the summer -not least on his last trip to Lord’s in May when he claimed nine in the match against Bangladesh, including second-innings figures of 5 for 87 – Finn found the going rather harder on a true Oval surface last week, when he and his team-mates were thwarted by the experienced Mohammad Yousuf and the rapidly improving Azhar Ali, whose 69-run stand for the fifth wicket proved to be the decisive partnership of the game.”We’ve identified the areas where we could do better, and hope to do better in this next game,” Finn said. “At times felt I leaked too many four-balls, I’d bowl five decent balls then one four-ball, which was very frustrating and I didn’t mean to do. During that middle period, when Yousuf and Azhar Ali were going well, we could have done with me drying it up a little bit, but that’s cricket, you learn every time you step out on the pitch. It’s not a mindset thing or a technical thing. I’m just going to focus more on putting the ball in the right areas.”The phrase “right areas” is perhaps the most lampooned in international cricket, but as far as Finn is concerned, it is a mantra that he expects to serve him well as he concentrates on the line and length that his role model and coach at Middlesex, Angus Fraser, made his watchword during his own international career in the 1990s.”I think I’ve got what it takes to bowl under pressure,” he said. “I’ve got a repeatable action and I know I know what I’m doing with the ball and where to bowl it. Having the people around me that I have, Fraser and David Saker [England’s bowling coach], and people who’ve played a lot of international cricket, I have people to turn to in the tough times, because that is the nature of international cricket, people go through hard periods. But people come out the other side of tough periods as well, as Alastair Cook showed with his hundred this week.”After a relatively gentle introduction to Test cricket against two brittle batting line-ups in Bangladesh and Pakistan, the presence of Yousuf for last week’s third Test represented a significant step-up in class for Finn. However, he reiterated his belief that – with or without a player of such stature in the opposition ranks – the four-man attack that had swept all before it this summer was still good enough to secure a decisive victory at Lord’s this week.”Obviously Yousuf is a good player, you can’t take anything away from that, but we’ve bowled Pakistan out for 72 and 80 so far, so there’s a batting collapse waiting to happen,” he said. “They’ve had two innings where they’ve played well and put partnerships together, but at no stage have they got away from us. Their top score is just over 300, so we’re not at all disappointed by that. We feel as though we are doing the right thing as bowlers, and them having Mohammad Yousuf in the team doesn’t make them a different team at all.”Having sat out the one-dayers against Australia last month to undergo a strength and conditioning course, Finn feels he is a fitter and more effective bowler now than he was at the start of the summer, with his pace topping 90mph at times during the Oval Test. However, he will be running up against the Aussies soon enough, and though he remains modest about his prospect of making the cut for the Ashes, it’s already clear from Watson’s pre-emptive strike that they expect him both to make the tour, and to be a significant factor.Watson, who has been shortlisted as one of the ICC’s World Players of the Year after returning to the Australian team as an opener during last summer’s Ashes campaign in England, took it upon himself to fill the shoes of Glenn McGrath in targeting England’s players. “We can make the most of Finn’s inexperience,” he said. “We want to test his durability as a bowler. It will be so foreign for him – he doesn’t know what to expect in Australia.”Finn, however, refused to rise to the bait. “It’s up to me first to be put on that plane to go to the Ashes, and I have to bowl well to warrant my place,” he said. “There’s competition for places, and there are a lot of good fast bowlers in the English set-up. But as far as what Shane Watson has said, I’m not concerning myself at all about it. If people want to concern themselves with me, and waste their mental energy on me, that’s their business. But it doesn’t faze me whatsoever. All I do is turn around at the end of my mark and go through my processes, whether I’m playing for club or country.”

Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has urged the ICC to introduce a Test Championship when its members meet for its annual general meeting in Singapore next week

Cricinfo staff25-Jun-2010Graeme Smith, the South African captain, has urged the ICC to introduce a Test Championship when its members meet for its annual general meeting in Singapore next week.”I believe a Test championship is a matter of urgency to stimulate the five-day game,” Smith told by email from Bridgetown. “All our senior players support a formal Test championship,” he said. South Africa are currently ranked No 2, behind India, in the ICC’s Test rankings.South Africa are presently playing a three-Test series in the West Indies where the matches have attracted poor crowds. There have been concerns over dwindling crowds at Test venues around the world and Smith believed a championship would help addressing the issue. The concept of a Test championship had also received backing from Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain.”Such a championship would give context and value to every Test match and would stimulate interest in the five-day game worldwide,” Smith said. “It is important all Test matches should have equal value and that is what a championship would do. If you look at the [football] Premiership in England, for example, Manchester United picks up three points for a win, whether it is against [champions] Chelsea or one of the relegation strugglers.”Smith also stressed on the need for more bowler-friendly pitches in Test cricket to maintain a balance between bat and ball. West Indies and South Africa scored a total of 1324 runs for the loss of 19 wickets in the second Test St. Kitts and it was clear by the end of the third day that the match was heading for a draw.”It [the pitch at Warner Park] was not a good surface to play Test cricket on,” Smith said. “We’re all looking for a pitch that will result in a good contest between bat and ball. Hopefully the wicket in Barbados will lend the teams more assistance.”South Africa lead the three-Test series 1-0 going into the final Test at Bridgetown, which begins on June 26.