Rain put paid to any chance of play in the Standard Bank Pro20 Series match between the Fidentia Warriors and the Nashua Dolphins in East London on Friday.The dreary drizzle arrived like a hungover hobo soon after lunch on Thursday, and refused to leave. A howling westerly, which duly brought more rain, only added to the dismal scene at Buffalo Park as the sun set somewhere beyond the smothering clouds on Friday.Sensibly, the match was abandoned an hour before the scheduled start. That left an inflatable igloo behind the pavilion unrelieved of its cargo of luridly green hardhats. Nary a ripple ruffled the surface of the dunk tank, and not a bubble was launched from the strangely silent foam pit.Most tellingly, the stands and grass banks were deserted as East Londoners pursued their other options for a damp and drizzly Friday evening
Younis Khan, Pakistan’s vice-captain, has admitted that pressures from the crowd distracted him and affected his batting during Pakistan’s 4-1 one-day series loss to India.”People need to understand that every player has his own style of playing,” Younis told the . “I’m neither Shahid Afridi nor Mahendra Singh Dhoni; I like to bat more in the mould of Rahul Dravid: staying around, accumulate runs and hit out at the right time. That’s the way I play my game.”Younis, the star of Pakistan’s 1-0 Test victory with 533 runs, said that he was sick of hearing taunts from the crowd yelling for him to get on with it. “Unfortunately throughout the series against England and India I’ve been constantly disturbed by the crowds passing personal remarks and making demands for big hitting,” he said. “I would like to appeal to the people to understand that I like to bat my own way and so far it has paid off for my team.”Younis also made it clear that he had no problems batting at any position in Tests or one-day internationals. “I want to clear this misconception that I like to bat at No.3 in Tests but not at the same position in the one-dayers,” he added. “I will bat wherever my captain or coach wants me to; I have no problems with that at all. My job is to make runs for my team. There are no personal preferences involved.”Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer have been derided by critics for ‘shielding’ Younis down the order in the one-day series, but Younis remained supportive of the decision. “Look, I agree to what Imran Khan says; the theory is simple: Tests and one-dayers are totally different in nature,” he said. “In one-day matches the game plan should be the in-form players should go up and play maximum overs. But if the captain and coach think otherwise I’ve no problems with that. And to be honest Shoaib Malik did get runs at number three. Now that we’ve started losing everyone is raising this issue.”On Pakistan’s dismal performance in the series, Younis maintained that the absence of Shoaib Akhtar was key. I think the biggest factor was the injury to Shoaib Akhtar. It cost us a lot,” he said. “If you look at the way Shoaib bowled against England and then in the Tests against India he was our main striking force. His injury did allow the Indians some breathing space. “No matter what the Indians say but we know they were not comfortable facing Shoaib. He didn’t take too many wickets but the pressure created by him allowed the other bowlers to break through.”He also added that there was pressure on the team and the management from critics and the media. “I think that sort of pressure leads nowhere because after all the common aim is the team should do well. I think the management should be left alone to take its decisions,” Younis said. “The team does not turn bad overnight. This very team has been performing well in the last one year or more. But yes we need to sit down and see where we went wrong. I think we need just one good match to turn things around and it should happen in Sri Lanka. We need to regroup strongly and quickly.”
Ray Jennings, the current coach of the South African team, does not have the unanimous support of all the players as full-time coach, according to reports. Jennings has reapplied for the full-time role after gaining support from the players, including Graeme Smith, the captain. But not everyone in the side would be happy if Jennings’ appointment as coach – a position he has held since October – was made permanent.”I would be very disappointed if this was the truth,” Jennings told the News24 website. “I know that no coach will have the support of all the players he works with. Yes, it is true that I challenge the players to lift their game. I would be lying if I said it had been plain sailing, because there have been words between me and some players, but nothing serious.”Jennings has maintained a good track record since his appointment. Under his guidance, South Africa have won three Tests, lost three and drawn three. In one-day internationals, Jennings enjoys a 83 percent success rate, having won the series against England 4-1 and Zimbabwe 3-0. Jennings’ term ends after the Caribbean tour and the new coach will take up the post on June 1.”I challenged Graeme Smith at times and I must have irritated him when things did not pan out as I wanted,” continued Jennings. “Overall, however, we have a good relationship and I believe I have the support of the senior players such as Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Smith.”This relationship with the players is like a marriage, which is not perfect overnight. You have to work at it. I think the players who do not want to continue with me are those who are unsure of their positions in SA cricket. If there are guys who play games behind my back, the next coach will also not be able to trust them.”Jennings was hopeful of becoming the full-time coach. “I will be much more comfortable if I should get the post as full-time coach,” he said. “It will create stability. I feel I can continue with these players and I am prepared to listen to people.”Gerald Majola, the CEO of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, refused to comment on the allegations and mentioned that the shortlisted candidates included overseas players.
Matthew Elliott made a magnificent 154 not out, taking Victoria to 8 for 331 declared in their Pura Cup game against South Australia, a lead of 106. His innings helped put Victoria within touching distance of securing home advantage for the final. South Australia survived four nervy overs, reaching 0 for 3 by the close.Elliott batted for seven hours to move to within reach of the fourth thousand-plus first-class season of his career. His fourth Pura Cup ton of the summer – he also has one ING Cup hundred – gives him 916 first-class runs, just 10 shy of team-mate Brad Hodge, who made a quickfire 73 at the start of the day. More importantly, Elliott’s innings took Victoria past SA’s first innings 225 and the two points earned means the only way they can miss out on a home final is if they lose this match spectacularly and then suffer two innings losses against Tasmania.Victoria, who last won the domestic four-day title in 1990-91, are now 12 points clear of second-placed Tasmania but have vowed to continue their aggressive approach in pursuit of outright wins. “We’ve talked about [the final] but I think we really need to just keep playing for six points, and keep playing to win games,” Elliott said. “That’s why we’ve been so good this year, we’ve always found a way to win games and we need to keep doing that into the final … we can’t take our foot off the pedal. I think tonight if we could have got one wicket it was probably worth 30 runs.”Elliott played anchor role to Hodge at the start of the day and then to Jonathan Moss (46) in the middle before opening his shoulders with the support of Berry (16) and Mick Lewis (16). The tail offered valuable support after Shaun Tait (3 for 55) hit back for South Australia with three wickets in successive overs before tea.
Jimmy Maher has laid his name before Australia’s selectors again and hit Queensland closer to another first-class final to boot with a dominant display of batting on the opening day of the Pura Cup match against New South Wales here in Sydney today. The prolific left handed opener led a run-feast, piloting the Bulls to the imposing scoreline of 1/325 by stumps.In combining brilliantly with fellow upper order players Martin Love (101*) and Brendan Nash (60), Maher (151*) made it a horror day for the home team, which requires points from each of its last two matches to retain any hope of making the competition final.And his 17th first-class century also couldn’t have harmed his chances of being elevated into the Australian one-day squad – expected to be named on Sunday – which will shortly tour South Africa.”I’d love to play for Australia; that’s what we all play for and I know that I am batting very well at the moment,” said the 28-year-old after play.”I feel good about the way I’m playing (and) the way I’m hitting the ball.”When Queensland captain Stuart Law won the toss at the start of the day and decided that his side would bat first on a benign pitch, it gave Maher the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his talents. Albeit that he survived at least three anxious moments, and never really felt for his own part that he was completely settled at the crease.”It was hard work, it was a real battle today (and) I never felt 100% in at any stage,” said Maher.Maher’s resilience, over 283 deliveries and 348 minutes, brought him the milestone of 1000 first-class runs for the season and assisted him in surpassing his previous highest score (of 44) at the Sydney Cricket Ground. And, more importantly for the Bulls, it also helped produce partnerships of 134 runs for the first wicket with Nash and an unbroken 191 for the second with Love.The latter stand was Queensland’s all-time best for the second wicket at the SCG.With Nash, the left handed Maher started the innings relatively slowly against accurate bowling from Nathan Bracken (0/51) and the luckless Stuart Clark (0/70).Maher even survived a huge caught behind appeal on 1 and was then dropped at both 7 and 29 when tough chances in the slips were spilt by Corey Richards and Michael Clarke respectively.But it wasn’t too long before a change came over the game, with both batsmen growing in confidence as soon as they started to score their first boundaries of the day.A lapse in concentration ultimately accounted for Nash in the middle session – as he spooned a drive to Shane Lee at mid on from the bowling of namesake Don Nash (1/45).But Maher continued to play impeccably even after that setback. The ever-elegant Love helped him compound the punishment for the New South Wales bowlers and fielders with some outstanding strokeplay of his own.Maher struck a nervous patch in the nineties, remaining marooned on the mark of 97 for as many as 16 deliveries at one point before scampering through for an expertly judged single. He also hovered on 99 for a time in the lead-up to a misfield by Nash at mid on that permitted another single in the last over before tea.But he found little else acting to slow his progress, and a near-perfect day for the Bulls – only an outright victory away from guaranteeing themselves a home final in three weeks’ time – was then sealed when Maher registered his 150 and Love his century in the closing minutes.
Canterbury narrowly won the first innings points, but Northern Districts isthe only side with a realistic chance of achieving outright victory, after aschizophrenic day’s cricket on day three.In a dramatic first half-hour Stephen Cunis ripped the heart out of the NDmiddle order with a devastating display of swing bowling. In muggy, overcastconditions he picked up three wickets in a spell of six consecutive maidenovers.He first removed night watchman Bruce Martin (0) and overnight batsman NeilParlane (35). He then picked up the scalp of the unfortunate Grant Bradburnfor a duck in his one-hundredth first class match for ND.Joseph Yovich fell before lunch, LBW to the left arm spin of Carl Anderson,and Northern looked in dire trouble going to the break at 188/7.But the defending champions are not a side that throws the towel in whenthings start getting ugly. A fighting undefeated 72 from Matt Hart providedthe backbone to Northern’s tail-end resistance. His partnerships of 31 withYovich and 44 with brother Robbie gave the ND effort some respectability.Then back-to-back record stands against Canterbury of 69 (ninth wicket) withSimon Doull and 62 (tenth wicket) with Graeme Aldridge took Northern towithin sight of first innings points.Doull struck Northern Districts’ first half-century of the match. His hardhit 54 (74 balls, eight 4’s, one 6) was like Viagra to ND’s impotentrun-rate, at last lifting it above two.But Carl Anderson broke the partnership when he bowled Doull with a ballthat kept low as he attempted a slog through mid-wicket. It was the highestND partnership of the match and the first of the innings to exceed 50.Number 11 Aldridge came to the wicket with ND still well short of Canterbury’s 344. But Matt Hart began to play some punishing shots and the tenthwicket partnership took ND within 15 runs of overhauling Canterbury’s firstinnings score.Canterbury captain Gary Stead turned to the experienced Chris Harris tobreak the stand. The Canterbury stalwart had not bowled well and hadn’tpicked up a wicket in conditions that should have suited his uniquelytrundly deliveries.But with his third ball Harris tempted Aldridge into playing an ill-advisedsweep shot. The ball struck the back of Aldridge’s horizontal bat andballooned gently to Warren Wisneski at slip. The big fast bowler wrapped hislarge mitts around the ball and a jubilant Canterbury side trotted off thefield having secured two hard-won Shell Trophy points.But the second batting collapse of the day was to come from Canterbury. Thesoutherners began badly with Stead out fending at a ball from Yovich. RobbieHart took a simple catch and Stead departed for just one. JarrodEnglefield’s miserable run then continued when he also fell to Yovich, LBWfor one.Robbie Frew became the third casualty and the second batsman to fall withthe score on 12. He would have felt a little aggrieved as Robbie Hart had noright to catch the leg-glance he played off Simon Doull. But Hart leapt tohis left to brilliantly snare the ball in his left glove and, at 12/3Canterbury was right in the unpleasant brown stuff.Night watchman Carl Anderson (8 not out) and Harris (4 not out) made itsafely through to stumps, but with only a slender first innings leadCanterbury will need to defend stoutly tomorrow to ensure a draw.
Zimbabwe Cricket has signed an eight-year deal with Total Sports Marketing (TSM), a Bangladesh sports marketing agency, for the marketing rights and live television coverage of all of Zimbabwe’s home international matches.The agreement, which both parties claim to be a “zero-cost deal” as of now, was signed in July and could conceivably end ZC’s partnership with Indian firm Ten Sports, whose parent company Taj Television holds the television rights for Asia and the Middle East. Due to their association with Essel Group, an Indian conglomerate company said to be eyeing an extraordinary takeover of world cricket, Ten Sports have fallen out of favour with cricket authorities.Only last month, India’s tour of Zimbabwe was initially called off due to the unresolved issues between the BCCI and Ten Sports, though the tour eventually took place after crunch talks after the two boards worked out a deal.Moinul Chowdury, the TSM’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo that his company was ready to operate at a loss until Zimbabwe started attracting significant corporate interest. Chowdury claims that ZC saved at least $2.5 million in television production costs when the country hosted India and New Zealand over the last two months. He added that the board retained the $3.8 million in revenue generated from the India series alone.”The ZC leadership convinced me to invest and I’m confident that around 2016-2017 we will start operating at a profit,” Chowdury said. “Zimbabwe was the only Test nation that was meeting its own television production costs and it took a huge toll on the board. They’ve shown us a good blueprint, and we are happy to be in business with them.”ZC interim chairman Wilson Manase said under the deal, Zimbabwe are guaranteed at least 50 days of home international cricket in all three versions of the game until the 2023 World Cup.”Under the FTP, we were supposed to play just 58 ODIs outside the ICC tournaments. That was going to decrease our chances of improving rankings. The onus is now on us to make ourselves marketable and repay the confidence and faith shown in us by TSM,” Manase said.
Manchester United have been a club in transition over the last 12 months, after Ruben Amorim was appointed as their new manager back in November 2024.
The 40-year-old arrived with huge expectations after his spell in Portugal with Sporting CP, which saw him claim the Liga Portugal title on two separate occasions.
However, his 3-4-2-1 system has failed to have the desired impact at Old Trafford, which has often led to supporters getting frustrated with his stubbornness to change shape.
The fanbase have also been crying out for the likes of Kobbie Mainoo to gain more game time, with the Englishman often having to settle for a place on the bench in every Premier League game this campaign.
He may have opened up a new can of worms over the last couple of weeks, after making some unpopular comments about multiple players on the books at Old Trafford.
Why Chido Obi and Harry Amass are unlucky to play under Amorim
The academy has often played a huge part in United’s success in years gone by, but Amorim has done himself no favours with his comments over recent weeks.
He was asked about the potential of utilising some youngsters within the first-team ranks in the near future, with Chido Obi and Harry Amass two of the names suggested to the boss.
He stated that the left-back was struggling in the Championship during his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday, but he’s been one of the standout players for the Owls.
The 18-year-old has already featured on 16 occasions in England’s second tier, and even managed to score his first senior goal against Southampton.
As for Obi, Amorim claimed he’s struggled to start in the U21s side this campaign, but the 18-year-old has already racked up a total of 13 appearances across all competitions.
The Danish youngster has already scored on five occasions, including three in three starts in the U21 Premier League, subsequently demonstrating his clinical nature in front of goal.
However, the manager’s recent comments highlight the lack of faith he currently has in the youth players at United to make the step up and feature in the first-team.
The United star who’ll never play for the club again
The aforementioned academy duo aren’t the only ones who have struggled to make their impact at United over the last couple of months, with Mainoo unable to get into Amorim’s plans.
Like Amass, he’s a product of the Red Devils’ academy, but he’s been restricted to 11 substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, with none of which coming from a starting role.
The player himself has covered his displeasure over his lack of first-team action, subsequently leading to the youngster asking for a move away from his boyhood club.
However, such a move has been rejected, with the Red Devils wanting to keep hold of the youngster despite his lack of action throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
He’s not alone in struggling to make an impact, with centre-back Tyler Fredricson potentially already playing his last game for his boyhood club under Amorim.
The 20-year-old managed to break into the senior ranks last season, subsequently making two appearances in the defeats against Brentford and Wolves.
Subscribe for deeper United analysis and youth insights Keep following Manchester United’s youth and management storylines: subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth coverage of Amorim-era decisions, academy prospects, squad dynamics and clear context on what it means for the club’s direction. Subscribe for deeper United analysis and youth insights Keep following Manchester United’s youth and management storylines: subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth coverage of Amorim-era decisions, academy prospects, squad dynamics and clear context on what it means for the club’s direction.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
He’s also only made one senior appearance this time around, featuring for just 45 minutes in the now infamous Carabao Cup Second Round defeat against League Two outfit Grimsby Town.
Fredricson may have appeared on the bench against Bournemouth on Monday night, but unfortunately for his sake, he’s been overtaken by Ayden Heaven in the pecking order.
Such a situation, coupled with the manager’s lack of faith in the youngsters at his disposal, could well spell the end of his career at Old Trafford – under Amorim at the very least.
Tyler Fredricson – stats against Grimsby
Statistics (per 90)
Tally
Minutes played
45
Touches
50
Passes completed
37
Tackles won
1
Blocks made
0
Interceptions
0
Fouls committed
1
Yellow cards
1
Stats via FotMob
His showing against Grimsby at the start of the season is evidence that, unfortunately, he’s not up to the standard required in the Premier League, given the current situation.
It’s a real shame to see the club’s academy setup going to waste at present, with such a decision potentially being a deciding factor in his spell at the club.
However, for the players currently on the books, it will no doubt spell bad news, which could lead to the departure of Fredricson alongside Amass and Obi.
Far better than Mainoo: Man Utd make £100m star their "top top target"
Manchester United have now set their sights on one player ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
Two months ago, one of India’s selectors, looking ahead to the Australia tour, said: “Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Munaf Patel would be a great combination, especially in Perth.” None landed up at the WACA and a second-string attack was left to shoulder the burden on a day when the skin threatened to peel off. They didn’t just stand up, they soared.A year back you wouldn’t have thought RP Singh would get a Test. Ditto Irfan Pathan, who seemed to have lost his way after a fine arrival. At the same time Ishant Sharma was taking his first steps in domestic cricket. Here they were, like rookies in a bullring, against the most formidable batting line-up. Australia’s batsmen probably thought they were facing India’s ODI attack – their innings lasted exactly 50 overs.They bowled as a team. Pathan swung the new ball as superbly as RP Singh swung the old. Ishant didn’t just hit the deck, he also straightened the ball off the narrow. Importantly, they held their nerve during a mid-afternoon lashing. They made the batsmen play more often than their Australian counterparts and did better in partnerships. It was the most heartening pace-bowling effort since Nottingham last year, the last time they won a Test overseas. It was Australia’s shortest innings since Nottingham two years earlier, the last time they lost a Test.The game turned on several pivots but it was the half hour either side of lunch that cracked the contest open. India had lost four quick wickets and Australia went back into the dressing room with a spring in their stride. A new opening combination walked in with an air of expectation. Running in from the Marsh-Lillee end, Pathan didn’t just swing the ball to get rid of Chris Rogers and Phil Jaques, he changed the momentum.Nobody should be surprised with India’s young bowlers accepting responsibility readily. Look through the last five years and you have tyro after tyro taking the leap. The problem hasn’t been so much about bowlers being intimidated early as about keeping them injury-free. Pathan and L Balaji burst on to the scene sensationally, Sreesanth surprised with seam movement and Munaf with pace. Faisalabad may top a vote among bowlers as the venue to skip but not only did RP Singh debut there, he picked up a Man-of-the-Match award.Ishant, thrown into the cauldron in Sydney, ended the first day as their most impressive bowler. He ended wicketless but bowled with pace and heart. He showed gumption with the bat, scoring more runs in an innings than he had in his first-class career, and didn’t flag through the game. He didn’t try anything fancy here, and even showed he possessed the lethal ball that left the right-hander.Ponting might have received better deliveries in his career but rarely would have been so outfoxed by a 19-year-old. Harbhajan Singh wasn’t around but Ishant made sure he did some sort of impersonation of the celebration: running ecstatically towards the dressing-room. “He’s learnt which areas one needs to bowl in,” Kumble said about Ishant defying expectations. “Look at the way he’s bowled in the last two Tests. He’s ready to bend his back and looks like he belongs to this arena.”From a purely bowling point of view, this series is pretty neck and neck. Australia have had the more accomplished attack but India’s young men have not been cowed down. At the most bowler-friendly surface of the series, they’ve won the first innings. “They utilised the breeze well,” he said, “and bowled with a lot of control. It was commendable to see the way they controlled the swing.” RP Singh was asked if he was tempted to pitch the ball short and use the bounce at the WACA to scare the batsmen. His reply came with a smile: “Not really.”
Warwickshire have pulled off a major signing after agreeing terms to bring Kumar Sangakkara to Edgbaston. The club have recently lost the services of Martin Love, the Queensland batsman, after he sustained a serious knee injury. Dale Steyn and Paul Harris, the South African bowlers, will share the second overseas spot.Sangakkara will be available for most of the summer, with only the Afro-Asia cup on the horizon for Sri Lanka at the World Cup and he said: “I am absolutely thrilled to have been offered an opportunity with Warwickshire. They are a great club with a long history and it will be a privilege to join them.”During previous visits to England I have really enjoyed playing at Edgbaston and staying in Birmingham. I hope I can make a really significant contribution to a successful season.”Mark Greatbach, Warwickshire’s director of coaching, added: “We are delighted to have secured one of the top players in the world so quickly after Martin Love’s injury.”Kumar Sangakkara has had an outstanding 12 months and is ranked in the top 10 batsmen in the world in both forms of international cricket. He is looking forward to taking that sort of form into our domestic season”.Sangakkara enjoyed an impressive 2006 where he averaged 69 in Test cricket including two centuries against New Zealand in Sri Lanka’s final Tests of the year. He also scored 1208 runs at 43 in ODIs. However, his move to England is subject to ratification by the Sri Lankan board on February 6.Steyn has also now agreed terms with Warwickshire and will be available from the start of the season until June 3. “We have a good crop of young bowlers at the club but we feel that Dale’s extra pace can add something to our attack and hopefully help us to build some early season momentum,” explained Greatbach.The club are hoping to confirm that Harris, who was a Kolpak signing last summer, will replace Steyn from early June. Harris’s recent Test selection means he now has to play as an overseas signing, but Warwickshire say they will be happy to have him back.”Paul’s selection for South Africa over recent weeks posed a bit of a problem but provided we are able to juggle our resources within the new regulations regarding overseas players we are keen to have him back,” said chief executive Colin Povey. “Last summer he performed exceptionally well and his confidence is high after his international selection. We hope he will carry on where he left off last season”.