All posts by h716a5.icu

Sundar Raman, the IPL’s COO, has said India will have to accommodate the interests of other countries while planning its international schedule as the BCCI cannot “disrupt world cricket” to protect its own interests

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-2014’If we admit to mistakes, we’ll get better’ – Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar, the interim BCCI chief who is overseeing the IPL, wants the board to become more transparent in its workings through frequent interactions with the public via the media. The former India captain, who was asked by the Supreme Court to take over the position last month, said the process would help the board deal with its mistakes and bring in accountability.
“I am hoping the BCCI will become more open,” Gavaskar told journalists on Monday. “Like, maybe at least for the IPL, we are trying to make it open and it will carry on for the rest of the BCCI where there will be healthy discussions where people can speak freely and fearlessly, and involve everyone in the decision making process. We will make mistakes, mistakes have been made, but if we admit to mistakes, then we’ll get better.
“This is not only to inform people of what’s been happening but also to get feedback on things that maybe we can do better. We are hoping to do this regularly for the next month and maybe beyond. It’s something new for the BCCI but I hope it will be a regular feature so that you can form your own judgment and then do as you see fit.
“I very strongly feel that there are four major stakeholders – biggest is the fan, the players, the media and the administrators, and the sponsors as well. If all of us work together, we will be able to take the game forward. Not just Indian cricket, but world cricket.”

Sundar Raman, the IPL’s chief operating officer, has said India will have to accommodate the interests of other countries while planning its international schedule as the BCCI cannot “disrupt world cricket” to protect its own interests.The scheduling of the international calendar has become an important issue after an ICC revamp proposed by the BCCI, ECB and Cricket Australia, suggested that the Future Tours Program (FTP) system be replaced with bilateral agreements between boards. Raman formed part of the “working group”, along with officials from Cricket Australia and the ECB, behind the ICC’s financial and administrative restructuring and he told a media gathering that the focus was on “reinventing” the FTP.”If India say, ‘forget everything, we will play at home December-January-February’, my exaggerated view is that world cricket will collapse,” Raman said. “Australia will not have a Boxing Day Test, South Africa will not have a season, Sri Lanka will not have a Test. So you are treading on a territory … India has to be accommodative.”We can’t disrupt world cricket so much at the cost of our own interest. Truth is, Australia don’t tour for more than four weeks at a time except for the Ashes. India is happy to go on long tours. We want to have minimum two home seasons every year, but it’s tough with the different weather conditions.”We are trying to figure the best way out so that all 26 stadiums in India get a game. It’s got to have Tests and one-dayers every year and we are planning in such a way that we prepare better for big events. Before the World T20, we’ll play more T20s. Before the World Cup, we’ll play more ODIs. We’re trying to reinvent the whole FTP. And you know every year there’s IPL and Champions League T20.”Raman also praised the “robust” IPL model despite the controversies surrounding the league. Brand IPL was hit last year after three Rajasthan Royals cricketers and Gurunath Meiyappen, the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings, were arrested on allegations of betting and spot-fixing.A Supreme Court-ordered probe, conducted by the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel, stated that Meiyappan was found to have indulged in betting and passing on information, and in subsequent hearings, the court asked N Srinivasan to step down to ensure a free and fair investigation into corruption in the IPL. Srinivasan’s reluctance to resign as BCCI president and act against Super Kings, a team owned by his company India Cements, had put the tournament under a cloud, especially when the first phase was moved to the United Arab Emirates.The conduct of the event in the UAE has, however, led Sunil Gavaskar, the court-appointed BCCI interim president for the event, to reveal that the BCCI is considering hosting the Champions League T20 in UAE later this year.”The success of the IPL here will make the BCCI look at this in a much different way than it has in the past,” Gavaskar said. “Champions League here is definitely on the back of our minds.”Following the exit of the Sahara Pune Warriors franchise last year, the IPL returned to an eight-team format, which had been successful in the first three years of the tournament. Ranjib Biswal, the IPL chairman, said the BCCI has decided not to add any more franchises at least until 2017. The 2011 edition of the IPL featured ten teams, with two franchises drafted in, while the last two editions saw nine teams competing in the league after the Kochi Tuskers franchise was ousted on technical grounds.The IPL governing council will take stock of the UAE leg which ends on April 30, Gavaskar said, at a May 3 meeting in Mumbai. Deepak Parekh, a leading banker, was named advisor to the IPL and he is expected to give his feedback on the matches he has seen so far, and present his suggestions on improving the IPL brand.

Former Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan has been appointed Habib Bank Limited’s coach for Pakistan’s new domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2014Former Afghanistan coach Kabir Khan has been appointed Habib Bank Limited’s coach for Pakistan’s new domestic season. Kabir had recently resigned as Afghanistan’s coach stating that the job had taken a toll on his family life. He coached Afghanistan in two stints – from 2008 to 2010, and from December 2011 to 2014. He has now signed with HBL for a year.”We have offered him a contract and he has accepted,” Abdul Raqeeb, HBL sports head, told ESPNcricinfo. “Having observed his international career with Afghanistan we are excited to get his services. He is a coach with a caliber who worked hard with developing the Afghanistan team to get them recognised in the world. It’s good to have him in our circuit and I am sure he will spur a new spirit in the team.”HBL includes some prominent international players such as Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq and Abdur Rehman.Kabir, who played for HBL for nearly a decade, played four Tests and 10 ODIs for Pakistan.

The final super squad has been released for FIFA 18, with players from Europe's big five leagues included after impressing for their clubs in 2017-18

EA Sports1Ciro Immobile – LazioST, 96AdvertisementEA Sports2Edinson Cavani – PSGST, 96EA Sports3Harry Kane – SpursST, 95ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

EA Sports4Luis Suarez – BarcelonaST, 97

If the Sheffield Shield final petered out inevitably to a dull draw in front of a small gathering at Manuka Oval, then there was no fizz lacking in the celebrations of a New South Wales team toasting their first domestic title since 2008

Daniel Brettig25-Mar-2014
ScorecardNew South Wales were led ably by the increasingly mature Steven Smith•Getty ImagesIf the Sheffield Shield final petered out inevitably to a dull draw in front of a small gathering of spectators at Manuka Oval, then there was no fizz lacking in the celebrations of a New South Wales team toasting their first domestic title since 2008.Led ably by the increasingly mature Steven Smith, the Blues were not in much danger of defeat from the time the Man of the Match Moises Henriques shepherded the tail well beyond 400. Rain on day four settled the issue after Western Australia’s reply had been throttled by Josh Hazlewood’s pace and movement.But it was highly appropriate that the final day had a Smith hundred as its centrepiece, for his batting and leadership has been arguably the most promising single theme of the summer for Australian cricket. The redemptive narrative of Test match success against England and South Africa has been accompanied by the emergence of Smith as a young leader and top class batsman, rather vindicating the national coach Darren Lehmann’s assertion at the outset of the summer that the country’s next captain “will find us”.Looking back on a summer of enormous riches, Smith confessed to living out a hatful of his dreams in the space of six months. That he had not taken part in a Shield final before only underlined how thick and fast Smith’s wishes have been fulfilled over the course of the season.”It’s very special, this is the first Shield final I’ve been a part of and to win the Shield it’s just been an amazing 12 months for me and the whole thing’s still kind of a blur,” he said. “Everything’s been so amazing, dreams have come true. To win an Ashes series, win an away series with Australia and then to back it up with the Sheffield Shield it’s very, very special.”Smith’s front foot play was cause for plenty of admiration from the national selector John Inverarity, who watched the 24-year-old split the WA field repeatedly and make light work of a slow and now ageing pitch that made scoring a difficult task throughout.The trio of strokes that took Smith from 89 to three figures summed up much about his talent. He lofted an audacious drive for six down the ground, danced into a flick to the straight midwicket boundary, then glanced deftly fine to register his fifth hundred of the season. In receipt of this punishment was Ashton Agar, who could do worse than look at Smith’s career arc as inspiration for how to move beyond a precocious beginning into a pattern of sustained performance.Australia’s tradition of ending the Shield with a competition final stretches back to 1983 when these two sides met in a fractious encounter at the WACA Ground. It is a concept open to some exploitation, particularly that of the home side needing only a draw to win the title. But as the ICC found so vexing in their failed attempts to schedule a World Test Championship, one-off fixtures will always have certain pitfalls.”I think you should have an advantage for coming first if you’re going to have a final,” Smith said of a match that was called off by the mutual agreement of the captains at 1.50pm on the final afternoon. “If they go down that road I think that’s the best way to do it.”Henriques was even more adamant about keeping the show-piece match, which he had termed the most important of his career. Asked about the “hollow” conclusion, he offered a passionate retort. “I don’t know where you’re describing this hollow feeling from because it doesn’t feel hollow within me,” he said.”It’s very special, it’s not just about the final. We earned this home final and played the way we did, we dictated the whole game, we outplayed them every day of this fixture, so there’s no hollow feelings here. I can’t put it down in words to be completely honest, I’m still quite speechless and haven’t even had a beer touch my lips yet, so I’m verymuch looking forward to getting in the change rooms.”With no option but to play things out until Smith offered his hand in consolation, the Warriors were left forlorn, their own 15-year wait for another Shield title destined to go on. Only Marcus North’s dismissal of Kurtis Patterson drew brief smiles from the WA collective, while the wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman grimaced when a rare failure to glove the ball cleanly stung his fingers.Their captain Adam Voges observed the scene with a heavy heart, as all the strides made by WA this season under the tutelage of Justin Langer came to nothing. But he also retained some measure of hope, exhorting his men to use these memories next summer “We’ve worked our guts out to get here, unfortunately it hasn’t been the five days we hoped for,” he said. “But we’ll use that to drive us, and make sure we’re back better next season.”

A spot in the semi-finals of the World T20 could well be heavily weighted on the toss of a coin when Sri Lanka take on New Zealand for one remaining spot in Group 1

Sa'adi Thawfeeq30-Mar-2014A spot in the semi-finals of the World T20 could well be heavily weighted on the toss of a coin when Sri Lanka take on New Zealand for one remaining spot in Group 1, but stand-in captain Lasith Malinga will refuse to use a wet ball and damp outfield as an excuse and believes his side are better prepared after coming unstuck against England.Sri Lanka could not defend 189 as Alex Hales clubbed an unbeaten 116, the expensive performance of Ajantha Mendis, who conceded 52 off his four overs, proving especially telling and the spinner may pay the price for the crunch game. Malinga was also less effective than is so often the case, going wicketless and at almost eight an over during his four overs.”When we play night games we must know to use those conditions. We can’t give excuses against a wet ball and things like that. That’s my feeling as a bowler,” he said. “In the bowling sometimes we are on top but in the last few overs against England we didn’t do very well.””Now it’s in the past and we are looking forward to the next match. We had a good training session yesterday and today and we know how to adjust to situations like dew and when the ball becomes slippery. We are all prepared.”Malinga, the team’s T20 vice-captain since October 2012, said that he was under no extra pressure leading his country for the first time even though so much was at stake. He has been forced into this position after Dinesh Chandimal was suspended for one match for his team being penalised twice for slow over rate within a 12-month period.”It’s a good feeling to captain my country for the first time. I really like to get challenged in my bowling or in my career,” he said. “This is a good opportunity for me. The other thing this is it is a crucial game and I am not thinking too much about the captaincy but to just to give 100% and win the match tomorrow.”I have a lot of good support from some experienced T20 captains in the side like Mahela, Kumar , Dilshan and Angelo . As captain I want every single player to prove his skills in tomorrow’s game.”Sri Lanka and New Zealand have met each other on 12 occasions and are tied at five wins apiece, with Sri Lanka having won the last two meetings. The teams also have the experience of a Super Over when the World T20 match at Pallekele in 2012 ended in a tie.”We have no choice but to win the match if we want to get qualified for the semi-finals. However, as a team, we’re in very good shape, I mean mentally. If you look at the last few games that we played, we’ve played well to win them,” Malinga said.”In our recent tournaments, we’ve always won the crucial match and came into the finals. We handled that pressure well.With England playing Netherlands in the first match of the day, Malinga said that his team will follow closely that game to see how the pitch behaves before deciding on their final eleven. Batsman Lahiru Thirimanne is expected to replace Chandimal, but the bowling remains unclear with either Rangana Herath or Seekkhuge Prasanna in line to replace the struggling Mendis.

Sony Six has secured the exclusive broadcast rights for the Indian tour of New Zealand, which is scheduled from January 19 till February 18

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2014Sony Six has secured the exclusive broadcast rights for India’s tour of New Zealand, which is scheduled from January 19 to February 18. The tour consists of five ODIs, followed by a two-match Test series.”We are delighted to partner [with] New Zealand Cricket as the official broadcaster to this series,” NP Singh, the CEO of Multi Screen Media, which owns Sony Six, was quoted as saying in several newspaper reports.Sony has been the host broadcaster of the IPL since its inception in 2008, having rights to the tournament till 2017. It also has the rights to show the ongoing series in the UAE between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. NEO Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd was the original broadcaster for international matches in New Zealand, but stopped coverage of the recent West Indies tour of New Zealand after the 3rd ODI in Queenstown.NEO Sports had signed a deal last year guaranteeing it exclusive broadcast rights across Asia, excluding West Asia, for both domestic and international cricket tournaments to be played in New Zealand till 2020.

A round-up of Faysal Bank T20 Cup matches played on February 7, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2014Karachi Zebras eked out a one-run win over Federally Administered Tribal Areas Cheetas, dismissing the latter for 96 in a curtailed match reduced to 14 overs a side.Put in to bat, Karachi were boosted by a 56-run, third wicket partnership between Hasan Raza and captain Faisal Iqbal, which helped the side post a challenging 97 for 5. Raza top-scored with 45 off 36 balls.In reply, FATA were tottering at 5 for 2 before their middle-order batsmen got starts and kept the chase on track. A flurry of wickets with the side within sight of the target, however, cost the team a win.Shabbir Ali and Kamran Sajid took two wickets each as Dera Murad Jamali Ibexes beat Abottabad Falcons by 11 runs in a rain-shortened match in Rawalpindi.Sent in to bat after wet outfield conditions had delayed the start of the match, Dera Murad Jamali scored 35 for 5 in their five overs. None of their batsmen got into double figures, with Mohammad Ayub and Sanaullah top-scoring with 8 runs each.It still proved to be enough. Yasir Hameed struck two fours in the first over of Abbottabad’s reply, but they only scored five runs in their next two overs. After three overs, they were 15 for 3, and needed 21 from 12 balls. Shabbir and Sajid, bowling the last two overs, dismissed four more Abbottabad batsmen. Needing 13 from the last over, bowled by Sajid, Abbottabad only managed 1 run.Chasing 167 against Sialkot Stallions in Islamabad, Larkana Cricket Association Bulls only managed 69 for 9. Only two players got into double figures for Larkana, as a side containing seven T20 debutants struggled to come to terms with a side boasting as many as eight players capped by Pakistan. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets for Sialkot, while Sarfraz Ahmed, Raza Hasan and Abdur Rehman picked up two each.Sent in to bat, Sialkot scored 166 for 6, with wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar making a 40-ball 54. Other useful contributions came from Haris Sohail, who made 34, Shahid Yousuf, who struck a 27-ball 39, and Ali Khan, who scored 20 off 12. For Larkana, Ghulam Yasin and Zahid Mahmood picked up two wickets apiece.Bismillah Khan’s 41-ball 51 led Quetta Bears to a five-wicket win over Hyderabad Hawks in a 16-over-a-side game.Chasing 100, Quetta lost a few wickets in clusters but stabilized through small partnerships. Bismillah’s 51 was the centerpiece of the chase with five fours and a six.Earlier, Hyderabad, who were put in to bat, lost their last seven wickets for 50 runs, sliding from 49 for 3 to 99 all out. Left-arm pacer Nazar Hussain and Ghulam Mohammad picked up three wickets each, while Sher Ali took two wickets.Lahore Eagles’ vaunted batting line-up, featuring Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Kamran Akmal and Azhar Ali failed to chase down a target of 119 against Islamabad Leopards, and lost by 17 runs.Umar struck a 45-ball 41 but had little support from the rest of the batsmen. Lahore’s chase suffered a big setback when Umar, Azhar Ali and Ikhlaq Bhatt were out in the 15th over to Imad Wasim. Lahore managed to last all 20 overs, and ended their innings at 101 for 9.Earlier, useful knocks from Junaid Nadir, Faizan Riaz and Imad helped Islamabad recover from a top-order stutter and score 118 for 7. Mohammad Khalil was the most successful bowler for Lahore, taking 2 for 19 in his four overs.

North Zone won a coin toss to qualify for the Duleep Trophy final, after their semi-final against East Zone was called off without either team securing a first-innings lead due to a wet outfield

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2013
Scorecard
North Zone qualified after winning the coin tossNorth Zone won a coin toss to qualify for the Duleep Trophy final, after their semi-final against East Zone was called off without either team securing a first-innings lead due to a wet outfield.Persistent rain had washed out the fourth day – the scheduled final day – pushing the match into a reserve day. Even though the weather cleared up, the umpires were not happy with certain areas of the outfield, making play impossible even on the extra day. So, as per the rules, they organised a toss between North Zone captain Harbhajan Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem, the East Zone captain.Before the game was interrupted, North Zone had declared their innings at an imposing 591 for 8, with centuries from Unmukt Chand, Ian Dev Singh, Rajat Paliwal and Nitin Saini. In reply, East Zone were 32 for 1 at the end of the third day. Under the circumstances, the umpires had decided that if conditions on the reserve day were suitable, play would be called off once a first-innings lead had been established.North Zone will now play South Zone in the final, which starts on October 17 in Kochi.

Darren Sammy remembers something that happened eight years before he was born

Firdose Moonda18-Nov-2014Darren Sammy remembers something that happened eight years before he was born.”You don’t forget Clive Lloyd scoring 100 in the World Cup final or Viv Richards’ three run-outs which helped us win,” he told ESPNcricinfo, talking about the inaugural World Cup final in 1975. Watching videos has left the contest imprinted on his memory, so much so that he feels as though he saw it first-hand.”There’s something about a World Cup. It’s the mecca,” Sammy said. “The event is so prestigious and as a player, you know the world is watching and there is real motivation for you to perform on a world stage. That’s what people remember.”In an age where teams can play dozens of ODIs a year in multiple series, the magic and meaning of results can be lost, which is what Sammy thinks makes the World Cup more important than anything else. It creates the chance to make an impression where it matters most and he thrives on that.”I love it. It can be too much for some players to be in a pressure situation but I love it,” Sammy said. “Even today, when people talk to me, they mention things like my innings against Australia at the World T20.”In 2012, when West Indies won the tournament in Sri Lanka, they eliminated Australia thanks to a powerful batting showing. Sammy was not needed in the line-up on that day but cherishes the performance as one of his best. Two years later, West Indies ejected Australia from the tournament again when they pulled off their best chase and on that occasions, Sammy was central to proceedings. He hammered 34 off 13 balls to haul his team over the line and it is little wonder that innings still gets mentioned.But that was in the shortest format, which has suited West Indies best in recent years and led to expectation that they will do well. In longer versions they continue to struggle, which is why Sammy is desperate for them to make an impression at the World Cup.”For us to do well will be massive for us,” he said. “I always tell the guys about that in the changeroom, even though I am not the captain anymore, I still tell them that the world needs a West Indies cricket team that is winning matches and competing.”Sammy was replaced in the leadership role in May this year with Dwayne Bravo taking over at ODI level and Denesh Ramdin in Tests. That also prompted Sammy’s retirement from the longest format, a decision over which he has no regrets.”I’m done with Tests. I am thankful for every day I had but when I retired, I knew it was time for somebody else to take over,” he said. “Cricket is not about Darren Sammy. I knew the board and the players wanted to move forward and my focus is now on playing ODIs and T20s.”Particularly ODIs, where Sammy’s focus is on the World Cup. He signed on with Titans for South Africa’s domestic Twenty20 competition to allow him to prepare on pacy pitches ahead of the big event.Sammy has since also been installed as the franchise captain, a role he still enjoys. Sammy’s approach is to bring individuals together, because that is the only way he can see collective success, a mentality to feels is especially relevant for West Indies.”With the calibre of players we’ve got and the impact players we’ve got, we can win the World Cup but it will take a real team effort to be able to do it. It’s all about the team and what we can do as a team,” he said. “That’s how it always is in cricket, not about the individuals but the team and for us, that will be very important. We really want to do well so we have to do it together.”The last time West Indies lifted the cup was the year Sammy was born which means he does not have a recollection of that, either, which is further incentive to create his own memories. “We’ve not won the World Cup since 1983 so if we can do it, it will just be massive.”Darren Sammy spoke to ESPNcricinfo on behalf of the Unlimited Titans and the RAM SLAM T20, which is being broadcasted in India by SONY SIX

A round-up of all the games played in Group A of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers on November 17, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Sarel Burger blasted 43 off just 36 deliveries•ICC/Helge SchutzAn all-round performance from Sarel Burger powered Namibia to an easy 35-run victory over USA, their first in the competition. Burger scored a 36-ball 43 that included two sixes and a four, and added 76 for the fourth wicket with Craig Williams, as Namibia finished on 163 for 4. He then bowled a tight spell of 4-0-16-1 to put pressure on USA during their chase.USA lost regular wickets throughout the chase and a 34-ball 44 from the opener Steven Taylor aside, no one else produced a significant score. Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit picked up two wicket each, as USA managed 120 from their 20 overs.
ScorecardUAE came close to pulling off an upset, but Ireland held their nerve to register five-run win in Abu Dhabi, their second tight win in two days.UAE, helped by handy contributions from Khurram Khan and Rohan Mustafa, were 129 for 6 in the 19th over, 10 run away from a win. But in the next six balls, they lost four wickets for just four runs giving Ireland their third straight win in the competition. George Dockrell and Max Sorensen picked up two wickets apiece for the visitors.Ireland, choosing to bat, were earlier propelled by Gary Wilson’s first T20I fifty, and his 92-run fourth-wicket stand with Kevin O’Brien, that took the team to 138 for 5.