Lou Vincent’s 72 and a steady 43 from Vikram Solanki helped Worcestershire fell Yorkshire by four wickets in their Pro40 encounter at Leeds. Yorkshire reached the rather paltry total of 191 for 9 in their 40 overs after winning the toss, with Matt Mason taking 3 for 26. But Worcestershire got off to a terrific start with Vincent smashing 10 fours and a six in his 74-ball knock. And though he fell, the tail edged them over the line with 11 balls to spare.
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Sourav Ganguly wanted to celebrate his 10,000 runs with an Indian victory, but unfortunately for him he could celebrate only one thing – becoming the third man to get to the milestone after Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq. “I still don’t understand how we could lose a game after having them at 95 for 6,” he said, “Chasing 220 on a wicket which is not easy to bat on, so it’s a huge disappointment.”Ganguly didn’t agree that India were scoring at a slow rate in the early part of their innings. “It is not an easy wicket to bat on straightaway with the new ball as the ball stops and we had lost a few early wickets in the early part of the tournament. It was disappointing to not get a big score as when I open I look to do that and I was all set for today as it was a good platform to go and get a big score and push the team up.”Rahul Dravid, India’s new captain, thought that the failure to convert good starts into big knocks was the biggest impediment facing the Indian batting order. “We weren’t defensive, it’s just that we weren’t able to convert the starts,” he said. “People who were set couldn’t take it further. We fell a few runs short and it was due to Irfan’s [Pathan] knock that we at least managed 220. But we need to convert our starts especially in the middle overs and some of the batsmen need to bat in the end overs.”Dravid didn’t see anything wrong by bowling the in-form Nehra for his full quota because he had to break the Jayawardene-Upul Chandana partnership before it was too late. “We had to go for the killer punch and since Nehra had bowled well and had two overs left, I decided to bowl him at a trot. We needed the seventh wicket but that didn’t happen.”In the end the difference was Jayawardene’s cool and calculated strategy. “We believe that we bat down to No. 10,” said Jayawardene. “When Upul came in I told him that we needed to set small targets like five-over blocks and score at four or five runs an over. And whenever they got a wicket-taking bowler like Harbhajan [Singh] and Irfan we made sure we don’t lose a wicket. We were lucky to get good runs against Harbhajan and then we saw that we had hit off with our plan successfully.”At the 40-over mark we wanted to get to 160 but we were 176 after which it was just a run-a-ball for us. It was just a matter of taking singles from there and not lose wickets and we were lucky.”While Jayawardene’s was the innings of the day, earlier it was all about another under pressure batsman as Ganguly passed 10,000 ODI runs. “It was a big milestone. When I started my Test career in 1996 I was thought to be more of a Test player and in the next nine years to get 10,000 runs is obviously satisfying.”
Muttiah Muralitharan has joined the United Nations World Food Program as an ambassador to fight hunger among school children. According to an AFP report, Muralitharan will also take part in a walk in Colombo on Sunday to help raise money to feed children in the remote areas of Sri Lanka.”I already have a foundation of my own helping the needy,” Muralitharan said, “but I am also very happy to associate myself with the World Food Program.”Speaking to reporters at the function, Murali hit out at comments made by some Australians after he announced his decision not to tour there for the Test series next month. Shane Warne called Murali “thin-skinned”, while Dennis Lillee termed the decision a “real cop-out”.”It is easy for them to say that. Only I know what I have gone through,” Murali responded. “Cricketers can say anything. Whatever I have achieved today, it has been with great difficulty.”
The Twenty20 Cup is the most exciting new feature of the 2003 county cricket season which starts tomorrow (Friday 18 April) with the first round of Frizzell County Championship fixtures.The Twenty20 Cup replaces the old Benson and Hedges Cup and is the first brand new competition in county cricket for 30 years – since the Benson & Hedges Cup began in 1973. Matches will be 20-overs-a-side but the action on the pitch will be matched by enhanced off-the pitch entertainment. Barbeque zones, beer tents, music bands, karaoke, fancy dress and interactive games for children are some of the activities planned to ensure a fun evening out for all spectators.Tim Lamb, ECB chief executive, said: “This is the most ambitious and revolutionary step county cricket has taken since 1963, when the first one-day domestic competition, the Gillette Cup, was born. The Twenty20 Cup is unashamedly aimed at getting new and younger audiences to watch county cricket matches – whilst also, we hope, retaining existing spectators. Before this year, the shortest county match lasted over five hours; Twenty20 Cup games will be over in two hours 45 minutes with matches played at convenient late afternoon times to make cricket watching more accessible for both school children and office workers alike.”The 18 first class counties are divided into three groups of six teams each with the group winners and the best runner-up progressing to a finals day on Saturday 19th July. The competition starts at 5.30pm on Friday 13th June, when five late-afternoon group matches are scheduled, and all the 45 group matches will be played over a 12-day period – thus intentionally scheduling the competition around the longest days of the year.Other significant changes for the domestic season include Scotland’s entry into division two of the National Cricket League, while the number of points gained for a win in Frizzell County Championship matches increases to 14. For the first time, penalties have also been implemented to punish sub-standard one-day pitches.There are 367 matches, or 797 days of cricket in total, scheduled for firstclass counties across four different competitions in the 2003 season. The Frizzell County Championship season starts on Friday 18th April, the National Cricket League begins on Sunday 27th April, while the third round of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy takes place on Wednesday 7th May.The women’s domestic season will include the Super Fours trophy, now in its second year. The 48 best women cricketers in the country will be divided into four teams and will compete against each other in six one-day matches ahead of the international season. Super Fours will run each weekend from Saturday 17th May to Sunday 15th June.Yorkshire, meanwhile, will aim to retain their title in the Frizzell Women’s County Championship which will run from Saturday 26th – Wednesday 30th July at Cambridge University grounds.
Winners in 2002Frizzell County Championship Division One SurreyFrizzell County Championship Division Two EssexNorwich Union National League Division One Glamorgan DragonsNorwich Union National League Division Two Gloucestershire GladiatorsCheltenham & Gloucester Trophy YorkshireBenson and Hedges Cup WarwickshireWomen’s County Championship Yorkshire
Wicketkeeper-batsmen Romesh Kaluwitharana was dropped from the Sri Lankan Test squad for the Third Test against India on Monday night after the selectors slimmed down the squad to 15 players.The Sri Lankan selectors are still, however, undecided on the final eleven for the deciding Test, which starts on Wednesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.They are presently considering two changes: the introduction of off-spinning allrounder Thilan Samaraweera and top order batsman Michael Vandort in place of left-handed batsman Hashan Tillakaratne and fast bowling allrounder Suresh Perera.Both Samaraweera and Vandort would be making their Test debut.Perera is almost certain to be dropped in place of Samaraweera after two disappointing performances with both bat and ball. The right-arm fast bowler was also reported by umpire Steve Bucknor in the Galle Test for having a suspect bowling action.Tillakaratne may be given another chance. The 34-year-old is yet to make an impression after scores of 11, 10 and 16 in his three innings so far, but Tillakaratne has come back into Test cricket after a two year absence and the selectors are apparently keen to give him a fair chance of readjusting to international cricket.
ScorecardChris Rushworth reduced Warwickshire to 12 for 3•Getty Images
Sam Hain cannot have failed to impress watching England selector James Whitaker as he top-scored with 57 on a ground where he struck a century last season. He was the only batsman not out lbw, four of the victims going to Chris Rushworth, who moved one ahead of Middlesex’s James Harris as the leading wicket taker in Division One of the Championship.In difficult conditions that required them to counter a typical Riverside pitch after a delayed start and stoppages for rain that resulted in the 43.3 overs possible being played over five sessions, it is perhaps no surprise that Warwickshire are in a bit of a spot.They lost six of their seven wickets lbw, four of them to the admirable Rushworth as the ball jagged around and sometimes kept low. Rushworth broke the half-century mark for the third successive season. Of those, 23 have been leg before, remarkably, although before anyone suggests his success is all down to the pitches here it should be pointed out that he has taken more wickets (27) away from the Riverside this year than on his home turf.In the circumstances, then, the half century scored by Hain in a 98-run partnership with Tim Ambrose that towered above the wreckage of the rest of the Warwickshire innings is all the more outstanding.Hain is in only his second season as part of the senior squad at Edgbaston but has made such an impact that Warwickshire already feel his absences keenly, particularly now, with several top-order batsmen finding runs hard to come by. A shoulder injury suffered in the field against Worcestershire in May ruled him out for two months and he was badly missed.Still a teenager – at least until this Thursday – Hain is the former Australia Under-19 batsman who pledged his future to England in 2013 and raised exciting possibilities last season by becoming his county’s youngest first-class centurion – taking the record held by Ian Bell — and later the youngest double centurion among four hundreds scored during his debut season.There were two more half-centuries in the first three matches of this season before his injury. On his comeback against Yorkshire last week, when Warwickshire suffered a crushing defeat, his second-innings hundred set him apart as the only batsman able to counter a Yorkshire attack led by a rampant Ryan Sidebottom.Again here, with batting conditions such a challenge, he seemed to have the composure and technical qualities that deserted others. He had the chief England selector, James Whitaker, among those looking on, although Hain’s name remains one solely for the notebook for now. Although he avoided the new requirement for someone of his status to undergo a seven-year qualification term, he does not become eligible still until the winter of 2016-17.As it is, Warwickshire will do well to finish anywhere close to Durham’s 314 and much will depend on Chris Woakes, who reports that both ankle and knee stood up well to his comeback with the ball on Sunday, being able to reproduce the form with the bat that enabled him to make 93 on his guest appearance for Nottinghamshire’s Second XI last week.If day three begins in any way resembling day two he might not add many to his overnight 12. After a delayed noon start, Rushworth struck with his second ball, adding another disappointment to a string of low scores troubling Varun Chopra, the Warwickshire captain, who has been out for 16 or fewer in 13 of his 16 Championship innings. He seemed unimpressed with decision by David Millns, as Paul Collingwood had the day before, although he might have felt less unhappy had it come off the back of a run of fifties and hundreds.It was not long, in any case, before he had Jonathan Webb and Laurie Evans back in the dressing room with him, the two falling to Rushworth in consecutive, similar balls before Hain survived the hat-trick attempt, only just as it happens, his bat coming down just soon enough to flick the ball off his pads and divert it to the long-leg boundary.Ian Westwood became Rushworth’s fourth victim, at which point Warwickshire were 40 for 4. The Sunderland-born seamer’s propensity for lbws is the direct consequence, he said afterwards, of trying to bowl straight, at the stumps, rather than looking for swing.Thereafter, though, he was made to wait for more gains as Hain batted with the precocious maturity that has been the feature of performances since he announced himself last season. With Ambrose encouraging him, as well as keeping the scoreboard moving, he settled to his work and his confidence grew, to the extent that his dismissal on 57 was slightly unexpected. It was not Rushworth this time but John Hastings who found the way, posting Keaton Jennings as a short leg positioned deeper than is conventional, and reaping the reward as Hain turned a ball off his hip cleanly but could not get it past Jennings, who moved sharply to his right to take a fine catch.From Warwickshire’s point of view, the benefits of that partnership were undermined somewhat by the loss of three more wickets for 21. Ambrose departed four balls after Hain, lbw this time to Collingwood, before Rushworth returned to bag another one in Rikki Clarke. Then came the fourth and last stoppage of the day.
Liverpool’s exploits in front of goal this season have been much criticised, and understandably so, with Kenny Dalglish’s men struggling on a weekly basis to covert chances into goals. As we all know goals-win-games, and as a result of their failings, the Reds have dropped points at home to the likes of Swansea, Norwich and Wigan, denting their early season ambitions for a spot in the top four.
Despite boasting a strike-line with a combined value of almost £60 million, chances have gone unconverted all season, leaving the Mersey men with a goal tally of just 43 after 36 games. To put this into perspective 19th placed Blackburn Rovers have netted on 47 occasions, whilst table topping Manchester City have managed over double the Reds tally, with 88. This consistent failure to turn chances into goals has led to calls from fans and pundits alike for Kenny Dalglish to enter the transfer market and secure a new centre forward for next season. Liverpool fan group Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) believe that the club need a lethal finisher to move up to the next level:
“We are lacking in the final third of the pitch. We haven’t created enough shots on target and have hit the woodwork more than 30 times. We need some one who can simply ‘pop the ball in the net’, someone who can just finish.”
Whilst this sentiment remains true, Liverpool arguably possess such a player already in Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan has been a real hit since his arrival on Merseyside in January 2010, instantly winning over the fans with his all action displays and breath-taking ability on the ball. Suarez made an instant impact at Anfield, netting on his debut during the club’s 2-0 home victory over Stoke City, before going on to notch a further three goals as Liverpool surged from 12th place to a sixth, narrowly missing out on Europa League football.
However, this season has been far more difficult for the striker, who has had to contend with off-field issues, and a failing Reds unit. Despite this he has taken his tally to 11 in the league, as well as producing some important strikes in the club’s domestic cup successes, including the cooly finished equaliser in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton.
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Despite this the Uruguayan’s finishing has been called into question during his first full season in the Premier League, with many believing the striker is not the answer to the club troubles in front of goal. However, last weekend’s hat-trick against Norwich displayed Suarez’s full range of ability in front of goal, as the 25-year-old produced three stunning finishes, including a wonderful 45-yard chip over John Ruddy.
The majority of his efforts this season have failed to find the back of the net, but when you consider the quality of service he has been receiving it’s little wonder. Andy Carroll is showing signs of improvement, but for the majority of the campaign he has been poor, whilst Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson have all disappointed throughout the season. Steven Gerrard’s return has clearly aided the club’s front-line, yet due to injury problems in the squad, the skipper has been deployed in a deeper role, and as a result has been unable to link up with Suarez. Due to these factors, the number seven has had to create openings for himself, which is undoubtedly a difficult job. Although his technique and low centre of gravity allow him to beat his marker frequently, the chances of both making the opening and finding the net are fairly slim.
As his goal record of 81 in 110 for former club Ajax displays, Suarez is extremely able in front of goal, hinting that if he receives the right kind of service, he more often than not, will finish the job. As a result Liverpool may benefit from adding more creativity this summer, in a bid to get the best out of their talented South American. The club have already been linked with his fellow countryman Gaston Ramirez as well as AZ Alkmaar midfielder Rasmus Elm, both of whom are potent in terms of creating chances, hinting at a desire on the part of the Anfield club to aid their struggling front-men.
It’s likely that Liverpool will enter the market for a vast array of players this term, as the Fenway Sports Group look to fund an improvement in the squad. The club need to alter their fortunes in front of goal for next season, but the answer to the issues may be closer to home than they realise.
Is Luis Suarez the answer for Liverpool? Or do they need a top level finisher to compete? Let me know your thoughs by commenting or follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter
Special thanks to @empireofthekop (www.empireofthekop.com/anfield/)
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Alexandre Pato was thrilled to play a part in Brazil’s 4-2 win over Ecuador that secured their place in the Copa America quarter-finals.Needing a win or draw from their final Group B match on Wednesday to avoid elimination, Brazil ran out 4-2 winners thanks to an excellent second half display.
Pato and Santos’ starlet Neymar both scored a brace each to assure Brazil’s passage to the quarter-finals.
Speaking after the game, the AC Milan striker praised the attitude of his team-mates after their difficult start to the tournament, and admitted that a win was the most important thing.
“It was the match that we were all hoping for. It was crucial for us, we had to win no matter what. We went looking for a good result and we found it,” Pato said.
“We qualified and in first place, it was what we wanted. Now it is time to work and forget all that happened. A new Copa America begins.”
Pato also highlighted the team spirit inside the Brazil camp, which he said was decisive.
“Here when you win, everybody wins and when you lose, everyone loses. It was an excellent game by the whole team, they all gave something extra and this enabled the 4-2 victory and a great game,” he said.
Brazil now play Paraguay in the quarter-finals, after drawing 2-2 with Gerardo Martino’s men in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Ecuador forward Felipe Caicedo was disappointed following his side’s defeat, a loss that confirmed his team’s exit at the group stage for the fifth Copa America in succession.
“We played well, we could at least have drawn the match,” Caicedo said.
“We lacked concentration at the end and gave Brazil too much space. We could not keep the same rhythm, and that hurt us in the rest of the game.”
The Sun report that Wolves boss Mick McCarthy will do all he can to tempt Robbie Keane back to Molineux, in a desperate bid to save the club’s Premier League status. Tottenham announced last week that Keane was free to leave the London club and it seems that Wolves are the early favourites for his signature.
Robbie Keane has expressed his desire to stay in the Premier League, and Wolves may be his only option. He has an affinity with Wolves, only last year stating how ‘overwhelmed’ he was by the welcome he received when Tottenham travelled there.
”No matter what you’ve done at a club, a lot of the time people just boo you, but with Wolves it’s different. Even to this day I go back and it’s great.”
Wolves need something to save their season and Robbie Keane’s return could change the whole atmosphere around the club. Mick McCarthy knows he needs to do something quick to change Wolves’ season and the signing of Keane may just do this.
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Will Keane make a fairy tale return to Molineux – RATE THE RUMOUR
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With Euro 2012 rapidly approaching, England fans are hoping to avoid another scathing post-mortem come the end of the summer: why are we not as technically good as Holland? Why can’t we beat the Germans? Why can’t we pass it like Spain? The very same questions appear year after year, tournament after tournament.
As a footballing nation, England prides itself upon its colossal tradition and the gratification of being football’s founding institution. Yet for all the legends and myths attached to the English psyche, as a collective footballing entity England is in danger of slipping into the realms of mediocrity, as failure to evolve in the same manner as our contemporaries leaves English football susceptible to deterioration.
For some time now, nations in Europe and beyond have been developing new systems, innovative training regimes and unique tactical philosophies which though not entirely revolutionising the game, have notably reshaped and reinvigorated the way in which we think about football. On the other hand, England in contemporary times have brought Kevin Davies and Michael Ricketts into the international fold.
As well as the national team struggling to adapt to modern football’s progressive ways, our club sides have also thrown a stubborn fist in the face of transformation. Despite the rapid spread of globalized forces into the English game, domestic clubs still remain largely antiquated institutions as traditional hierarchical structures persist. There is an owner; he owns. There is a manager; he manages.
Only on very rare occasions has this arrangement been compromised, with generally blundering consequences. A list of various Directors of Football at English clubs reads like a Crimewatch episode for those wanted for crimes against the customary norms of English football. Damien Comolli at Spurs and Liverpool, Avram Grant’s ill-fated time in the job at Chelsea and Sir Clive Woodward’s groundbreaking appointment at Southampton all ended in prevailing misery for those involved. The idea of a manager having anything less that total control over his playing squad is an alien one to English football – time to change?
One Englishman leading the charge for greater evolvement is Lee Congerton at Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Formerly Chief Scout at Chelsea, Congerton moved with Frank Arnesen to the German club last summer and has excelled in his new role as Technical Director. In a recent interview with the Guardian, Congerton outlines his desires for the role to be more widely recognised in England: “I would love to see this role grow in England because I think it can offer so much to clubs. Here in Germany every club has it and it’s very much about the medium to long-term development. And that’s maybe a problem with the English game – the coach goes, big pay out and off we go again.”
Congerton’s words strike a resonating chord in regards to the psychological oversight which is adversely affecting football in England. The English disposition does not allow for this kind of progressive, enterprising form of football governance. The manager is in charge and he must get it right; if he does not, simply sack him and get another in. It’s a cyclical disaster and one which much change if English football on whole wants to achieve growth and betterment.
The introduction of such a role for English club would no doubt aid the development of the academies, as well as laying the foundations for a more expansive way of thinking in the English game. Young players find exceeding benefit with the presence of similar positions at German clubs – outlined by the striking rise in prominence of Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Thomas Muller. Germany are widely insisted to be great favourites for Euro 2012 playing a enviously attractive brand of football, and with club and international football inextricably linked, this has been aided to no end by the developmental structure of the German game.
Why can’t the English do this? Because we’re too resistant to change. Too stubborn, too proud. Congerton states that his “dream in years to come would be to help a manager be successful at a big Premier League club and put some footprints in the sand for the role to grow for others.” Unless the English attitude alters significantly in order to accommodate this change, we may find ourselves languishing further behind our counterparts for many years to come.
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Can you explain why we as a nation cannot find it within ourselves to accept change? Tweet me @acherrie1
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