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It started with a third-ball duck and ended in a leg-side wide. Those were the events that bookended Australia’s lamentable three-day ICC World Twenty20 campaign

Alex Brown at Trent Bridge08-Jun-2009It started with a third-ball duck and ended in a leg-side wide. Those were the events that bookended Australia’s lamentable three-day ICC World Twenty20 campaign, and symbolised the struggles encountered by Ricky Ponting’s men in comprehensive defeats to West Indies and Sri Lanka.Australia on Monday suffered the ignominy of becoming the third team after Scotland and Bangladesh to be dumped from the pool stages of the tournament, while the likes of the Netherlands and Ireland remain. Theirs was a campaign rocked by the expulsion of Andrew Symonds, blighted by indisciplined bowling (24 extras in 34.3 overs) and ultimately thwarted by the orthodoxy of their batsmen in a format that rewards power and creativity.In many ways, the result was not surprising. Ponting’s side had lost three consecutive Twenty20 matches entering the tournament, and were cast into by far the most difficult group around. But this is Australia – a team bearing the same colours, if not cast, to that which vanquished all before it in the preceding decade – and the expectation shouldered by their world-beating forebears is now a burden for a new generation to carry.Few outside its own borders will mourn Australia’s early exit. Indeed, the image of jubilant Sri Lankans dancing and singing down Bridgford Road, which runs adjacent to Trent Bridge, was no doubt replicated in bars and living rooms the world over by fans still scarred from Australia’s era of dominance. But even the most calloused of hearts felt a twinge of sympathy for Ponting at the post-match press conference, where his utter despondency and frustration was eerily similar to the demeanour he sported the last time he fronted the cameras in Nottingham – following a series-deciding Ashes defeat four years ago.”I’d like to be able to tell you I knew what was going on,” he said. “That’s five international Twenty20 games we’ve lost in a row. That’s a bit of a worrying trend for our team and our group. I couldn’t have been happier with what we’ve done leading into the tournament, everything was spot on. But when the big moments have come along we’ve just stumbled.”The group we’re in, with the West Indies and Sri Lanka, we knew that they were two very dangerous sides and if we made mistakes they’d make us pay. That’s certainly the way it’s turned out. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that we’re not through to the next stage, for the reason that I can’t really understand why. Everything was going along so nicely for us and now we find ourselves out of the tournament altogether. That’s it.”In the aftermath of Australia’s seven-wicket walloping at the hands of the West Indies on Saturday, Ponting stressed the importance of positive first overs. So when David Warner steered Angelo Mathews’ third offering of the afternoon into the sure hands of Tillakaratne Dilshan at point – the lowlight of an over in which the Australians managed a solitary run – the captain’s exasperation must have been palpable.Ponting channelled some of that frustration towards Lasith Malinga, whom he glanced and pummelled for three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over. But the red mist would eventually prove his undoing. Charging a faster, flatter delivery from Ajantha Mendis, Ponting’s anger turned to despair as the ball cannoned into his leg stump, taking with it much of the momentum he had built during his short, sharp innings of 25 from 15 deliveries.Symonds loss hurt – PontingRicky Ponting conceded the eleventh hour loss of Andrew Symonds severely disrupted the balance of the Australian side at the World Twenty20. Symonds was expelled from the touring party for breaking a clause in his personal contract with Cricket Australia in which he was forbidden from drinking in public while on national duty.

“It upset a lot of our structures around the team,” Ponting said. “Andrew is one of those guys who had just been over in the IPL for the last couple of months. He’s one of the best individual players in this form of the game anywhere in the world, so when you do lose somebody like that out of your side it does throw a spanner in the works, for sure.

“But we’re not going to use that as an excuse. We had 14 other guys here who had to step up in his absence, and we’ve been good enough to do that in the past when we’ve lost some of our better players out of the side. Over the last few days we haven’t been good enough.

“I haven’t actually heard any talk about Symo not being around in the last few days so I would like to think that hasn’t played on the minds of any of our players, but when you lose someone of the quality and the calibre of him out of your Twenty20 team, it certainly leaves a big hole.”Thereafter, the innings largely belonged to Mendis. Playing his first match against Australia in any form of the game, Sri Lanka’s modern-day Johnny Gleeson completely befuddled Michael Clarke and the brothers Hussey en route to the sparkling figures of 3 for 20 from four overs.Mendis’ strength lay in his aerial mastery, more so than his lateral movement off the pitch, as evidenced by his bowling of Ponting and trapping of Shane Watson (22 off 21) and Michael Hussey (one off five) leg-before. The orthodoxy of Hussey and Clarke (11 off 15) proved no match for the unique trajectories and bustling pace of Mendis, and created a hole from which the Australians would always struggle to emerge.Mendis’ union with Muralitharan was largely responsible for Australia’s torpid tally of 40 for 4 between the fifth and 14th overs, and created a pressurised atmosphere which Malinga and Isuru Udana would later capitalise on. Both quicks used deft changes of pace to deny the Australian batsmen any sense of rhythm, and if not for Mitchell Johnson’s rearguard 28 not out off 13 balls – in which he took 19 of the 21 runs to come from Muralitharan’s final over – Ponting’s men may have been in for another Windies-style humiliation.As it was, the Australians were restricted to a total of 159 for 9 – ten runs shy of the total the West Indians devoured on Saturday – and victory never seemed likely; particularly after Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara pounded 11 boundaries in Sri Lanka’s first 50 runs of the innings.The ten players chosen in Australia’s Twenty20 and Ashes squads will now be subjected to the galling experience of remaining in England while the World Twenty20 plays out around them. Their immediate plans involve an extended stay in Leicester, and an attempt to ensure the bitter disappointment of their three-day World Twenty20 campaign doesn’t metastasise into a problem that corrupts their Ashes campaign.”Next week I don’t think there’ll be too much freshening up,” Ponting said. “I reckon we might get flogged a bit by the coach next week. We need to talk about it and we need to address some of the issues and some of the areas where we’ve been so deficient in the last couple of games. We need to talk about that tonight and get that done because some of the guys will be out of here soon.”When the specialist Twenty20 players do leave then we do have a real focus on just cricket. There will be nothing else to think about, nothing else to talk about. That will be my job, to make sure we get over this loss pretty quickly and start focussing on the red balls and the white clothing for the next few months.”

With Steve Cooper’s Nottingham Forest side heading into Wednesday night’s fixture on the back of a promising first performance under the 41-year-old manager last weekend, the Reds would certainly have been hoping for yet another fine display, and perhaps even their first win, under the leadership of the Welshman at Barnsley.

And Forest did not disappoint, as second-half goals Philip Zinckernagel, Brennan Johnson and Lewis Grabban helped to secure a highly impressive turnaround at Oakwell, after Cauley Woodrow has given the hosts the lead in the 20th minute of the match, with the Garibaldi running out 3-1 winners.

The result sees the Reds move out of the Championship relegation zone for the first time since matchday one, however, while the club’s small climb up the second tier standings will undoubtedly have delighted Cooper, the level of performances from a number of his players in the fixture is sure to have pleased the 41-year-old much more – none less so than the display of Philip Zinckernagel.

Three key passes

Having been deployed at centre-forward as a result of Lewis Grabban’s slight knock, the right-winger thrived in the position, playing an influential role in two of Forest’s goals on the night.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £2.7m-rated man scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as hitting the target with all three of his shots at goal, making three key passes and completing one cross.

The 26-year-old who Xisco Munoz dubbed a “brilliant” talent also helped out in a defensive capacity, making one clearance, two tackles and winning four duels against the Tykes.

These returns saw the former Denmark U20 international receive a SofaScore match rating of 8.1, a score which, aside from fellow Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson, bettered any other player to feature in the match.

As such, while Grabban’s pre-match fitness concerns initially looked to cause something of a selection headache for Cooper – as the 41-year-old’s other option up top, Lyle Taylor, has far from been in the best form of his life this season – Zinckernagel’s show-stealing performance as the lone striker will have given the Welshman confidence that the winger can more than fill in for the 33-year-old centre-forward if required.

In other news: Forest dealt potential blow on “incredible” £3.6m-rated ace, Cooper would be gutted

Lee Ryder reckons that Newcastle United officials behind the scenes know ‘deep down’ that their poor performances under Steve Bruce ‘can’t go on much longer’. 

The lowdown

As the Premier League season pauses for the second international break, Newcastle find themselves second from bottom in the table.

They have failed to win any of their first seven matches, with only their three draws keeping them above Norwich City.

What’s more, the stats suggest that Newcastle fully deserve to be in the relegation zone. When you go by expected goals for and against, they should be 18th (via Understat).

Despite these struggles, the club has firmly backed the manager. The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards reported at the end of last month that ‘his job is not under threat and is unlikely to be any time soon’.

By contrast, a Chronicle Live survey in September found that a whopping 95 per cent of Newcastle fans are in favour of a managerial change.

The latest

In a fan Q & A for The Chronicle, Ryder was asked whether Bruce was ‘refusing to resign’ because he fears he won’t get another chance at the top level, or whether it was down to finances.

He acknowledged that it could be Bruce’s ‘last job’ in the Premier League, but stressed that compensation is a ‘big factor’.

If he’s sacked, he’s entitled to a ‘seven-figure pay-out’, but he waives that right if he resigns.

However, Ryder adds: “I think deep down they know this can’t go on for much longer unless the team REALLY (his emphasis) pick up after the break.”

The verdict

Are Newcastle’s fixtures conducive to an upturn in form? Not particularly. Tottenham Hotspur are next up, and then they travel to an impressive Crystal Palace led by Patrick Vieira.

After that, it’s title contenders Chelsea and early high-flyers Brighton and Brentford.

If Ryder is right about the true feelings of the decision-makers behind closed doors, then, perhaps the clock is ticking for Bruce.

In other news, could this be a potential replacement for Bruce? 

Plays of the Day from the first day of the Cardiff Test between England and Australia

Andrew Miller and Peter English08-Jul-2009Meltdown of the day
Kevin Pietersen had an eventful day with the bat. He began manically, pumped to the gunwales with Ashes adrenalin, before settling into a more measured approach, aided in a peculiar way by the Achilles-related calf injury that forced him to chill out and play each ball on its merit. Alas, that sanity couldn’t hold sway forever, and on 69, he climbed into perhaps the most atrocious sweep-shot he has yet unfurled in his career. His feet did not move as Nathan Hauritz tossed the ball out wide, and Simon Katich back-pedalled gleefully from short leg to cling onto what might yet prove a match-turning dismissal.Escape of the day
Pietersen is carrying an aching Achilles and calf in his right leg, and after the first day he must have a sore left shin and foot as well. He was the target of a couple of strong lbw decisions at the start of his innings, but both were shown to be heading over the stumps. After tea, with the batsman on 61, Ben Hilfenhaus swung one in instead of taking it away and Pietersen was struck right in front on the shoe. Hilfenhaus is new on the scene and his appeal did not carry the power of Brett Lee or Glenn McGrath. There was only quiet support from the slips and Billy Doctrove was not convinced. Five runs later Hilfenhaus was upset further when Michael Clarke dropped a sharp chance at cover.Catch of the day
The morning was drifting along until Michael Hussey sparked the contest with a leaping take to his right at gully to remove Alastair Cook. It wasn’t quite Andrew Strauss flying to grab Adam Gilchrist’s nick at Trent Bridge in 2005, but Hussey was mid-air for a special catch that spurred the Australians to another two breakthroughs before lunch. Hussey has been standing in the gully since Matthew Hayden moved to first slip after Shane Warne’s exit at the end of the previous Ashes contest. Michael Clarke now plants himself next to the keeper, and his collection of Andrew Strauss was much simpler.Welcome of the day
With his bustle and aggression from an apparently innocuous set-up, Peter Siddle is Australia’s modern-day answer to Merv Hughes, and the second-ball bouncer with which he introduced Ravi Bopara to Ashes cricket was merely a moustache short of an exact replica of Hughes’ huff-and-puff at Old Trafford in 1993. The ball was short and angry, like a disenchanted midget, and carried on climbing and climbing until a flat-footed Bopara had no place to hide. With his defences breached, he dropped his gloves and took his licks, as the ball cannoned off his breastbone, and up into his Adam’s apple.Anthem of the day
It is common knowledge that the Welsh love a good sing-song, and on the opening morning of their long-anticipated Test debut, their collective lungs were bursting with pride. As the teams lined up in front of the Really Welsh Pavilion (topped off, incongruously, by a gently fluttering St. George’s Cross), the mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins – more commonly spotted down the road at the Millennium Stadium – belted out Land of our Fathers, before some random reality TV winner led the charge through Advance Australia Fair and God Save the Queen. Still the musical montage wasn’t finished, however. With minutes to go until the start, Jenkins returned to belt out Jerusalem. And then finally the Ashes could begin.Miscue of the day
Paul Collingwood deceived everyone, including himself, when he climbed into a Mitchell Johnson bouncer in the final over of the morning session. The ball skidded onto him, as is Johnson’s wont, and zipped, pelota-style, down the blade and away through midwicket for four. Collingwood’s head and body motion gave the impression, however, that he had just slapped his shot uppishly to fine leg, where Ben Hilfenhaus was waiting, hands at the ready, for the catch that never came.Medal of the day
Not content with introducing a new venue to the Ashes annals, the ECB decided to revamp the all-important coin toss as well. Instead of the traditional nugget of currency, a specially minted gold “medal” was rolled out, one of a limited edition of 150 apparently, with a defending batsmen on one side, and a swooshing npower logo on the other. In the circumstances, it was hard to know exactly what to call at the toss – although Ricky Ponting eventually settled, incorrectly as it turned out, for “heads”. Mike Atherton, overseeing the event for Sky Sports, had to wait for the match referee to confirm which side was which before broadcasting the result to the nation.

Mark Butcher, the Surrey club captain, has announced his retirement following a persistent knee injury

Cricinfo staff06-Aug-2009Mark Butcher, the Surrey club captain, has announced his retirement because of a persistent knee injury.Although Butcher has managed five Championship matches this season he had further surgery two weeks ago with the hope of returning before the end of the current campaign. However, he has now conceded defeat to his long-standing problem and ends a 19-year professional career.He has been with Surrey throughout and his retirement brought to an end a great family playing tradition at The Oval. Mark followed his father, Alan, into the team and they joined forces as captain and coach before Alan left following relegation last season.”It was a very tough decision to walk away from the club that I have called home since I was a boy and the game that has given me so many great memories,” Butcher said. “But I feel that it is the right time to move onto the next chapter in my life.”I look back very fondly on my twenty years as a player at Surrey, in my opinion the best place to play cricket in the land, and am also very proud to have represented my country. I would like to thank all the coaches, players, supporters and administrative staff that have helped me along the way and made the last twenty years incredibly special.”Butcher played 71 Tests for England, the last of which came against South Africa, in Durban, in 2004 and his career-best was the unbeaten 173 he hit against Australia, at Headingley, in 2001. He later enjoyed a period at No. 3 when he was a key part to England’s success under Duncan Fletcher and Michael Vaughan.In his first-class career Butcher amassed 17,870 runs at 40.70 with a career-best 259. He was also a very useful medium-pace bowler – until his knees started playing up – and captured 125 first-class wickets at 33.89. In one-day cricket he averaged 31.85 but never won an ODI cap for England.”I had the privilege of touring with Mark in 1999-2000 and I got to see first-hand what a fine batsman he really was,” cricket manager Chris Adams said. “I also got a glimpse of the man, and that told me that here was a talented cricketer for sure but a cricketer whose attitude and work ethic were of the highest order.”In the short time that we have had working together I would like to thank Mark for his contribution in what we are trying to achieve in this new era at Surrey . He has never once let his personal anguish and frustrations with the injury affect his decision making with regards to team affairs and has 100% endorsed the vision and journey that has only just begun.”Butcher’s is the second high-profile county retirement in recent days following Andy Caddick’s decision to halt his career at the end of the season.

A number of Manchester United fans have been left buzzing as transfer news emerged on Anthony Martial.

As per Stretty News, Newcastle United have now made an enquiry about the France international after their takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium. However, there are also a number of clubs from Spain in the mix for his signature.

With Cristiano Ronaldo arriving at Old Trafford, Martial has seen himself falling down the pecking order, with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood also options for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer up top.

He has only managed to score one goal and has provided no assists in seven games over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), and at 25 years of age, the Red Devils could get a decent fee for him, especially with the riches that the Magpies now have at their disposal.

Man Utd fans on Martial transfer news

These United supporters were buzzing as the transfer news was shared on Twitter:

“Siuuuuu”

Credit: @GoatWooddd

“Hope this is true.”

Credit: @greatjavs

“Yes babes!”

Credit: @the35k

“Come and take him ASAP”

Credit: @Marscott15

“Best news I’ve heard tonight”

Credit: @SparkysArt

“Take him for free”

Credit: @Mwalkerr17

In other news, find out what official announcement has made these United fans erupt with glee

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed one massive boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Newcastle United this afternoon…

What’s the latest?

According to reports earlier in the week, two unnamed Spurs stars had tested positive for the ongoing pandemic having trained on Thursday and both will have to isolate for ten days, as a result.

One of these players was rumoured to be Heung-min Son, who had returned from international duty with South Korea, after the Evening Standard claimed he was ‘not expected’ to feature up at St James’ Park in a now altered article (via HITC).

But in a stunning new twist, South Korean outlet Yonhap News Agency have revealed that the 29-year-old has actually tested negative and is likely to start for the Lilywhites.

A source close to the £76.5m-rated Spurs attacker said: “Tonight, I was contacted by the agent saying, ‘Son has tested negative and will play against Newcastle tomorrow (17th).”

Massive boost

This will come as a huge source of encouragement for the under-pressure Nuno Santo as he’ll have his star performer involved in what is sure to be an intriguing encounter.

United have finally been taken over by a Saudi-backed consortium, so the atmosphere in the northeast is expected to be electric and on a whole different level now Mike Ashley is out the door.

Spurs had lost three straight league games in a row, conceding three times in each, before their win over Aston Villa before the international break and the Portuguese coach will want to see that form continue now the Premier League has returned.

His chances of leading his side to a victory in this match have been boosted tenfold with Son seemingly available.

WhoScored rank the versatile attacker amongst Spurs’ best two players so far this campaign and that’s hardly a surprise as he’s currently their top goalscorer on three goals (50% of their overall total).

He also tops the charts for shots (3.2) and key passes (1.5) per game and isn’t far behind for dribbles per game (1.7) either. Son is currently a bigger threat than Harry Kane, so it’s easy to see why Nuno would need his services this weekend.

It was the South Korean sensation who inspired the Lilywhites to the victory over Villa.

“Sometimes games are determined by outstanding players and they had that player on the pitch in Son who won the game for them today,” claimed opposition manager Dean Smith. “Sometimes you have to tip your hat. He was the outstanding player and the difference between the two sides.”Nuno will surely be delighted with this latest development ahead of kickoff.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo hints at Spurs injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash…

Brad Haddin is in serious doubt for Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign after being ordered to undergo surgery on his broken finger

Cricinfo staff26-Aug-2009Brad Haddin has been advised surgery on his broken finger, which has ruled him out of Australia’s limited-overs series against Scotland and England and makes him a serious doubt for the Champions Trophy. Haddin was sent home from England after scans revealed significant damage to the left ring finger broken on the morning of the Edgbaston Test.Haddin visited a specialist upon his return to Sydney, and will undergo surgery on Thursday. “It’s been decided that the fracture of the ring finger of the left hand, sustained in the Test series in England, will be best dealt with by Brad having surgery,” said Trefor James, the Australian team doctor. “Brad will undergo corrective surgery in Sydney tomorrow.”He will therefore not be available for the limited over internationals in England. His fitness for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa and the ODI series in India in October and November will be reviewed at a later date.”

Muttiah Muralitharan has said New Zealand are unlikely to collapse the way Pakistan did last month in Galle because the pitch was yet to dry and break up

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle20-Aug-2009Muttiah Muralitharan has said New Zealand are unlikely to collapse the way Pakistan did last month in Galle because they were fighting hard and also because the pitch, covered for long hours because of rain, was yet to dry and break up.”What happened against Pakistan, we can’t expect New Zealand also to collapse,” Murali said. “Pakistan collapsed in three innings. Any international side won’t collapse suddenly. Pakistan lost easily to us because they collapsed whereas New Zealand is putting up a fight.Sri Lanka scored 452 and took eight New Zealand wickets for 281 over three truncated days of play in the first Test.”The wicket is holding because of the rain, underneath there is still water, so it has become slow. We bowled well as a group and restricted them to 281 for 8. If we can get the remaining two wickets early and bat and give them a 300-350 run target to chase on last day it will be a good match.”Murali picked up three wickets from the 31 overs he bowled today. He also went past Shane Warne’s record for most number of maidens in Test – with his seven today he now has 1762, one more than Warne. Murali said he was not aware of the record. “At the end of the day it’s all numbers. I’ve enjoyed my cricket for the last 18 years, I want to enjoy one more year and go off on a high note. In the end you can be satisfied, once you get old you can say ‘I have these records’ that’s the only satisfaction you get. At the end of the day the team wins are the one’s that are most important.”He also said he had given up aiming for 1000 Test wickets since it would take him at least five years to achieve the feat. Last month he announced he would retire after the home series against West Indies next November. “I think youngsters have to come through. [Ajantha] Mendis is the youngest spinner and [Rangana] Herath is 30 years old. He can go on for another five to six years. If I go for another two to three years then Herath won’t get much chance to play.”Thousand wickets is the only thing I can achieve but it will take a lot of years because we play about seven to eight Tests a year. To take another 200 wickets it will take me another 30-35 Tests in about five years. It is not realistic for me to play for such a long time. I want to go off on a high note and retire properly.”Murali said he had increased his run up to few more paces to bowl quicker. “I am getting older now so you have to be a little bit quicker. A longer run up will help me to get better rhythm. I have been bowling with this run up for the past six or seven months.”

Steve Bruce is no stranger to being hung out to dry by his respective employers. At Hull City he was virtually singled out as club spokesman when the owners attempted to erase the team’s history by renaming it as part of a rebranding strategy. Then at Newcastle he performed the same role for Mike Ashley, being asked to stand between the Sports Direct boss and the irate Toon Army.

It is therefore no surprise that since his sacking at Newcastle he has released statements about the torment he has suffered while fulfilling his role as a topflight manager. Indeed, his treatment is now being highlighted as a potential barrier for new managers to enter the game, especially ex-players who probably could do without even more abuse than they suffered during their playing careers.

Do Inflated Salaries Justify Such Treatment?

There is an argument that because top managers and players get paid so much that they should just put up with the flack that comes their way, but in many ways this misses the point, that being that if managers are so distracted fighting battles on behalf of their club’s owners they will not find the time to run their football team correctly. Just as managers often talk of protecting their players, it might be a good idea for owners to do the same with their managers.

Is There a Different Way?

Ultimately managers put up with enough criticism regarding how their charges are living up to the betting odds and the expectations of online tipsters and sports bettors. This means that none of them need the added pressure of acting as a front man for their owner. Clubs may wish to start putting official PR or spokespeople in front of the cameras when such issues relating to club ownership arise, allowing managers to focus instead on delivering for those fans who wagered their online free bets on top football action. It could also be good that as part of Premier League rules, club owners should be forced to face fans or the media a set number of times each season, thus further taking pressure off the shoulders of harassed managers. The odds of that happening are slim, but it would certainly make for a fairer and more transparent Premier League.

Is Bruce the Only One?

Bruce is far from the only manager undertaking this sort of role of go between. A good case in point was the whole furore surrounding the European Super League, where managers found out in the media that their club was being entered in the breakaway league rather than being kept abreast of the topic by their bosses. This led to managers like Jürgen Klopp having to explain his club’s actions, despite them being counter to his own beliefs on how the game should be run.