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ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the third ODI between South Africa and Sri Lanka, in Bloemfontein

Firdose Moonda in Bloemfontein17-Jan-2012Trend-breaker of the day
Tillakaratne Dilshan had gone two matches without a run to his name. At the end of the first over of the third ODI, he hauled out a vicious flick to fine leg to stop the rot. Dilshan played an uncharacteristically watchful knock, with his first boundary coming after 41 balls and the Dil-scoop emerging shortly after. He was dismissed caught trying to slog-sweep after he had built a decent foundation. Jonty Rhodes moment of the day
AB de Villiers said South Africa had given away 15 runs too many in the field in East London and demanded an improvement from his men. The response started when Morne Morkel ran across from a wide fine leg, dived to attempt a catch and, when the ball fell short, grabbed it on the half-volley, one-handed, to save four. That was overshadowed, though, by Faf du Plessis, who de Villiers says is “one of the best fielders in the world right now.” Dinesh Chandimal pushed the ball to the right of du Plessis at point and du Plessis lunged, picked it up and struck down the stumps at the striker’s end in a fluid, seamless movement. Kumar Sangakkara was not even halfway down the track and de Villiers had not reached the stumps yet, but du Plessis was spot on.Yorkers of the day
Before Lasith Malinga could get his turn, Morne Morkel removed Nuwan Kulasekara with a pin-point yorker, and then Dale Steyn dismissed Malinga himself with a full, slower ball. But, it was up to the yorker king, Malinga, to bowl the best toe-crushers of the match. He fired in a low, lethal one to Graeme Smith, and then deceived Colin Ingram with a slower one, the ball after Ingram had stroked him for four. South Africa’s new No. 3, Ingram, had no clue and tried to bring the bat down as the ball dipped on him, but was completely fooled.Bungle of the day
In the tenth over, Faf du Plessis carved Rangana Herath to short fine leg for what should have been just a quick single. But the fielder there hurled in a wayward throw that went to a dawdling Lasith Malinga at long-off. Instead of hurrying to the ball, Malinga took his time, allowing for a second and then fluffed the pick-up to let du Plessis and Alviro Petersen steal a third.Déjà vu of the day
At the start of the 34th over, South Africa were one run behind the Duckworth-Lewis par score of 172. Given that the opposition was Sri Lanka and margins were so small, there was an eerie déjà vu of the 2003 World Cup group match that knocked South Africa out; but this time, South Africa did not get their calculations wrong. De Villiers sprinted through for a couple off the first ball, scampered a single off the second and Albie Morkel put pressure on the fielder for a quick single to draw level. Then, Lasith Malinga bowled a wide to put South Africa ahead and they stayed there until the end of the over, when the rain came down.

Ivo Tennant looks ahead to Bob Woolmer’s coaching manual,

Ivo Tennant14-May-2008
‘This is an account that details his love of the game and how to develop mental as well as technical strength’ © Getty Images
At the time of his death during the World Cup last year, Bob Woolmer was working on two books: an update of his autobiography and a coaching manual. Amid the frenzied speculation that ensued over the following days, it was suggested that he might have been preparing a third tome, for page proofs allegedly had been stolen from his hotel room. It was also suggested that he had asked a journalist based on the sub-continent to write an account of his time spent coaching Pakistan, which was nearing a natural conclusion. The demise of any individual is routinely described as ‘untimely’ nowadays, but there can be no question that this death was exactly that. This much-liked man, with his generous nature and spirited view of human nature that bordered on naivety, did at least bequeath a legacy incorporating much of his knowledge of the game which will be published this August.Woolmer’s updated autobiography will never be printed, partly because he had submitted only a further 10,000 words to the version published in 2000 and had yet to commence writing about coaching Pakistan – a period, it should be mentioned, that fulfilled him, for he was working with gifted cricketers and spats with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar generally were swiftly resolved – but mainly because that was the wish of his widow, Gill, whose fortitude over the past months has been much admired, and of Michael Cohen, Woolmer’s long-standing agent. That is not to suggest there was anything untoward about match-fixing in the e-mails he submitted not long before his death: that much I know because I was his ghost-writer – although it took quite a while for some sections of the media to accept this after the pathologist in Kingston declared he had been strangled. His coaching manual, on the other hand, was almost completed before his death in the early hours after Pakistan’s defeat by Ireland on March 18 last year. It has been written in conjunction with Dr Tim Noakes, a sports scientist at the University of Cape Town, who had worked with the South African team during Woolmer’s tenure as coach. This is the first such pairing of cricket expert and boffin for a coaching manual.For anyone seeking lurid accounts of match-fixing or deals involving Hansie Cronje’s leather jacket, this is not the place to go. In fact, insofar as Woolmer’s life was concerned, there was never anywhere dodgy to go. Although he liked a good pay day as much as anyone else – he signed up for World Series Cricket and the breakaway tours to South Africa – he would never have harmed the game he loved through any corrupt action and he did not mix with shady individuals. He knew nothing about Cronje’s underhand activities – and yet did not condone him for it. A braai at Woolmer’s home in Pinelands on the outskirts of Cape Town would include the likes of Jacques Kallis, Mike Denness and Michael Owen-Smith, the long-serving and discreet cricket writer on the Cape Times, and now South Africa’s media liaison. Respectable people, all. So this is an account that details his love of the game and how to develop mental as well as technical strength.The title is . It comprises four parts: discovering the game, technique, developing cricket and cricket science. Allan Donald, who spoke memorably at Woolmer’s memorial service in Cape Town, Kallis and Jonty Rhodes, friends as well as outstanding performers, demonstrate some of the skills involved. Spin, swing, sledging (although no skill) all is there. Noakes, who co-founded the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and who also directs the Sports Medicine Research Unit at the University of Cape Town, brings this expertise to bear and comes up with findings on vision, the prevention of injury and how to unravel the intricacies of swing bowling. At £30, this is not a cheap book and hence some prominent serialisation would not go amiss for the publishers.There is, perhaps, one other reason why purchasing it is important: Woolmer was not well-off and he leaves two sons, both of whom are still making their way in life, as well as his widow. His contract with Pakistan was about to expire and his thatched house, which, he would say, was worth no more than a lock-up garage in Birmingham on account of an indifferent exchange rate, was far from in the most sought-after area of Cape Town. He said this only partly in jest. The coaching centre he had long planned to be built in South Africa may yet come off, but the cancellation of a fund-raising match at Edgbaston this summer is indicative of how constricted this market is.The market for this manual will be clubs – will MCC add to its definitive coaching manual once its cricket committee has studied this? – schools, libraries, enthusiasts and, of course, the considerable number of aficionados who knew or watched Woolmer from afar and who admired him as the most forward-thinking coach the game has ever nurtured.

KKR have brought in 16-year old Afghanistan offspinner Allah Ghazanfar

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2024Afghanistan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been ruled out of Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2024 campaign due to injury and will be replaced in the squad by his countryman, the 16-year-old Allah Ghazanfar.Rajasthan Royals signed South Africa’s left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj as a replacement for fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, who is currently recovering from surgery on his left proximal quadriceps tendon.Ghazanfar, also a mystery spinner, made his international debut earlier this month during the ODI series against Ireland, though he went wicketless in the two matches he played. He was Afghanistan’s second highest wicket-taker at the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup, taking eight wickets at an average of 16.75. Ghazanfar has played six List A matches and three T20s. He joins KKR for his base price of INR 20 lakhs.Maharaj, a South Africa veteran, has played 50 Tests, 44 ODIs and 27 T20Is, with a total of 237 wickets in international cricket. Additionally, he has played in T20 leagues around the world, including for Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20, and Fortune Barishal in the BPL. Maharaj, who took 15 wickets from 13 matches in this year’s SA20, had arrived in India earlier this month, training with the Lucknow Super Giants squad.KKR, who opened their campaign with a four-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, face Royal Challengers Bengaluru next on Friday. Royals also began their season on a victorious note against Super Giants.

Whether or not South Africa specifically asked for slower surfaces, they got one at Kingsmead, and their left-arm spinner played the holding role perfectly to keep Australia’s aggressive line-up in check

Firdose Moonda in Durban01-Mar-2018The fire and the fury will have to wait. The fastidiousness of Keshav Maharaj moved the series out of first gear but not quite into the fast lane on the opening day. Much like pitches were the theme of the India series, pace will be the topic of this one, especially when there is a lack of it.Whether or not South Africa specifically asked for slow(er) pitches, they have got one at Kingsmead, and the early evidence suggests it can be a way to keep Australia’s aggressive line-up in check. That was the feature of today’s play. It involved very few fireworks, but it was about tension and teasers, cat and mouse, hide and seek, and we are nowhere near finding anything yet.What we know is that South Africa will need their spinner much more than they usually do, and so too, probably, will Australia. The hosts’ team composition of seven specialist batsmen forces them to go in a bowler short, with immediately extends Maharaj’s workload. Aiden Markram and Theunis de Bruyn offer a few overs, but with only three frontline seamers, Maharaj knew from the outset that he would be needed to bowl “lots and lots” of overs, as captain Faf du Plessis said at the toss. And he did.Maharaj was brought on as early as the 11th over and delivered an opening spell of seven overs. Then he came back halfway through the second session and bowled through to tea in a spell of ten overs. After tea, he came on for six overs and was brought back the over before play was called off for bad light, and would have probably gone through until the second new ball, which is four overs away.But the quantity was not as important as the quality, and from his first ball Maharaj showed he could be a threat. That ball gripped and turned and struck David Warner on the back pad, and the naked eye suggested it was going on to clip leg stump. South Africa, having squandered one review on Morne Morkel’s insistence in the first over, used another, and replays showed it was missing by some distance, much to the disbelief of even some Australians. “Usman [Khawaja, the non-striker] told me he thought it was out as well,” Maharaj joked afterwards. “But Hawkeye proved everyone wrong.”Maharaj’s opening spell included a surprising amount of turn, more than he, who plays his domestic cricket at the Dolphins franchise based at this venue, has encountered before. He thought it may have had something to do with the “stickiness in the wicket” caused by overnight sweating under covers in heavy humidity.The spin didn’t bring any early rewards and it was Vernon Philander who changed the complexion of the morning session with the wicket of David Warner off the final ball before lunch. After that, it was time for Maharaj to play a bigger role, and he did it admirably because, as the day went on and the pitch flattened out, Australia could have got away but didn’t. With Maharaj holding an end up for most of the second session, South Africa only conceded 75 runs in the 29 overs they bowled in the second session and brought Australia’s scoring rate down from 3.5 runs an over to just over 3. Maharaj allowed the seamers to stay fresh and helped facilitate reverse-swing, which was particularly noticeable during Kagiso Rabada’s post-lunch spell.”I thought he controlled it well from one end, especially when the ball was going reverse,” Warner said of Maharaj’s performance. “We know that when the ball is shifting you’ve always got to speak to the spinners that they are holding the ball the right way and keeping one side dry… and obviously that didn’t affect the way that he bowled. It can affect some spinners. I thought he held up one end very well and they slowed our scoring down with the fast bowlers at the other end.”Getty ImagesMaharaj was particularly effective in keeping Steven Smith quiet. Smith reached 46 off 60 balls and was dismissed for 56 off 114 – his last 10 runs took 54 balls, of which 20 were delivered by Maharaj. The Australian captain was dismissed trying to cut a shorter ball but Maharaj explained there was no mystery to his ability to take wickets, only discipline.”You don’t go out trying for wickets. Kingsmead is a wicket where if you stop the scoring something will happen,” he said. “I don’t have many variations so I have to rely on consistency to outsmart the batsmen.”But there is some magic in the way Maharaj does things. He got Shaun Marsh with a ball that drifted and bounced to take the outside edge and Maharaj started to experiment with flight as the day wore on. He doesn’t do anything extravagant but he doesn’t need to.In the end, Maharaj turned in the third-best performance, since readmission, by a South African spinner in the first innings at Kingsmead. He also bowled the second-most overs, after Imran Tahir’s 28 on the first day of a Test against Sri Lanka in 2011.Nathan Lyon would have regarded all this with great interest, not least because visiting spinners have fared better here in the first innings than local ones. Lyon will also have the advantage of bowling last and with the general feeling that spin will play a big role in the match, if not the whole series, fire and fury really will have to wait, while fastidiousness enjoys its rewards.

Australia left-arm quick signs as replacement for injured bowler Scott Boland

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2024Ben Dwarshuis, the Australia left-arm fast bowler, has signed for Durham for this summer’s Vitality Blast.Dwarshuis joins Durham as a replacement for Scott Boland, who was ruled out for the rest of the season with plantar fasciitis after playing in a solitary Championship match.Dwarshuis’s stint at Chester-le-Street comes off the back of a successful Big Bash League campaign with Sydney Sixers, for whom he was their leading bowler and player of the season with 17 wickets, including a match-winning 5 for 21 against Brisbane Heat. He also played a key role in Sixers’ back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021, including 24 wickets in the latter campaign.To date, he has played three T20Is for Australia, against Pakistan and India in 2022-23, claiming five wickets at 22.40. He has also featured for Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 Indian Premier League, and for Worcestershire in the 2021 Vitality Blast.”I am very much looking forward to joining Durham Cricket for the upcoming 2024 Vitality Blast season,” Dwarshuis said. “It will also be a great opportunity to play in front of the passionate Durham fans at the Seat Unique Riverside.”Durham has pulled together a really great squad this year and I’m sure we’ll give this competition a good crack. I can’t wait to get started!”Marcus North, Director of Cricket, added: “We are thrilled to have recruited Ben for our T20 Blast season, with the loss of Scott Boland and the T20 Word Cup being played through the tournament it was important we found the right cricketer who can play a key role for us this season.”Ben has a terrific record with the Sydney Sixers and is constantly up there as one of the top wicket takers in the BBL, his white ball cricket skills are a very good and we are pleased to have him on board.”The left-arm option gives a variety to an already strong bowling attack and he can also contribute with the bat.”

تفاعلت الصحف الإنجليزية على قرعة مسابقة بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري، وبالتحديد عن الكبيرين ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي ومشوارهما في البطولة.

وأوقعت قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا، مانشستر سيتي وليفربول في مواجهة نارية مع ريال مدريد، وذلك في سيناريو مكرر مثلما حدث الموسم الماضي.

ولعب ليفربول مع ريال مدريد في ملعب أنفيلد الموسم الماضي في دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري، حيث انتصر الريدز بهدفين دون رد.

وفي ملحق دور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا تواجه ريال مدريد مع مانشستر سيتي، حيث انتصر ريال مدريد ذهابًا بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، وكرر الفوز في العودة بنتيجة 3-1.

أقرأ أيضًا .. مواجهات خاصة وثنائية.. نظرة على مباريات برشلونة في دوري أبطال أوروبا

وتعتبر هذه هي المرة السادسة في آخر سبع سنوات التي يتواجه فيها ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، في حين لعب الفريق الملكي ضد ليفربول الموسم الماضي وفي موسم 2023 بدور ال16 وفي نهائي المسابقة عام 2022. ردود فعل الصحف الإنجليزية على مواجهتي ريال مدريد مع ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي بدوري الأبطال

وبدأت صحيفة ديلي إكسبريس بقولها عن نجم ريال مدريد، تريت ألكسندر أرنولد، ومواجهة فريقه السابق ليفربول، حيث قالت: ”يستعد ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد للقاء سريع مع ليفربول بعد أن أوقعت قرعة دوري أبطال أوروبا فريقه في مواجهة ريال مدريد، مسجلاً عودته إلى ملعب أنفيلد بعد انتقاله الصيفي إلى سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وأضافت صحيفة ميرور: ”ستمثل ستة فرق من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز إنجلترا في دوري أبطال أوروبا. ينضم ليفربول، حامل لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، إلى مانشستر سيتي وأرسنال وتشيلسي ونيوكاسل، بعد أن احتل كل منهم مركزًا بين الخمسة الأوائل الموسم الماضي. ويكمل توتنهام سداسي إنجلترا بعد فوزه بالدوري الأوروبي”.

وأوضحت ذا أثلتيك: ”قرعة ريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا ، ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي ورحلة مدتها 3985 ميلاً إلى كازاخستان”.

وأردفت صحيفة ذا صن: ”سيعود كيفن دي بروين، الذي أمضى فترة في تشيلسي، إلى ملعب الاتحاد لمواجهة مانشستر سيتي، حيث يظل أسطورة في النادي بعد قيادته الفريق إلى تحقيق الثلاثية من قبل”.

وواصلت بي بي سي سبورت: ”يواجه ليفربول ومانشستر سيتي ريال مدريد الفائز باللقب 15 مرة في مرحلة المجموعات بدوري أبطال أوروبا، بينما يتعين على توتنهام ونيوكاسل مواجهة باريس سان جيرمان حامل اللقب”.

وأتمت ديلي تلجراف: ”يواجه ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد عودة مثيرة إلى أنفيلد بعد أن أوقعت القرعة ريال مدريد في مواجهة فريقه السابق ليفربول في المرحلة الأولى من دوري أبطال أوروبا. ومن بين المواجهات الأخرى، مواجهة نابولي بقيادة كيفن دي بروين ضد مانشستر سيتي، حيث تحتوي البطولة على ستة فرق إنجليزية، وهو رقم قياسي”.

Adelaide Strikers 125 for 5 (Wolvaardt 39, McGrath 38, Hancock 3-23) beat Brisbane Heat 122 for 8 (Kerr 30*, Wellington 3-16)Adelaide Strikers claimed back-to-back WBBL titles after their star-studded attack superbly defended a low total to thwart Brisbane Heat in a nerve-jangling final.Strikers had been limited to 125 for 5 at the Adelaide Oval after being shackled by disciplined Heat bowling and inventive captaincy from Jess Jonassen.But on a slow surface under lights, the final was on a knife’s edge when Heat slumped to 62 for 4 after seamer Tahlia McGrath dismissed Mignon du Preez and Laura Harris on consecutive deliveries in the 13th over.Strikers appeared set to rue missed chances to dismiss Amelia Kerr and Charli Knott in the 16th over. But seamer Megan Schutt dismissed Knott and Jonassen as Heat were left needing 13 runs off the final over.Legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington dismissed Georgia Voll on the third delivery before Mikayla Hinkley hit a first ball six as Heat required five runs off the last two deliveries.But Hinkley fell next ball and Wellington cooly denied Nicola Hancock’s attempts at a match-winning six as a crowd of 12,379 fans erupted in jubilation.Strikers’ remarkable victory thwarted Heat, who were playing their third game in five days. A late season slump had cost them a home final, but third-placed Heat reached the final after beating Sydney Thunder and Perth Scorchers on consecutive days at the WACA.But a well-rested Strikers, who had the week off, finished stronger to clinch a title defence with a 10th win from their last 11 games.Much of the pre-match talk had been centred around Strikers’ strong attack against Heat’s powerful batting line-up. But that battle had to wait after McGrath elected to bat in good batting conditions.Much like during the two finals at the WACA, Heat exploited bounce in the surface with Hancock bowling in-form Katie Mack in the second over.But McGrath countered with a superb cover drive boundary to get off the mark in style as she peeled off a trio of fours in her first nine balls. Her assertiveness ignited opener Laura Wolvaardt, who hit three boundaries in a row off Jonassen capped by a horror misfield in the outfield by Voll.Megan Schutt came to the fore at the death•Getty Images

Strikers recovered to reach 34 for 1 after the powerplay as an intriguing tactical battle was playing out. Six different bowlers were used in as many overs to start the match as Jonassen kept rotating her bowlers in one-over spells in a bid to unsettle the batters.The tactic eventually did the trick as Heat pegged back Strikers before Hancock produced an innings-changing over in the 10th over. She bowled an unrelenting back of a length line which left McGrath rattled after top-edging into her helmet and requiring medical attention.In the last delivery before drinks, Hancock hit the top of McGrath’s off bail after the batter charged down the pitch as Heat gained a stranglehold.Strikers only mustered 54 runs in the last 10 overs with Wolvaardt unable to rediscover her earlier rhythm and she was left frustrated on 39 after being stumped off Jonassen.In a bid for a late rally, Strikers took the power surge but Bridget Patterson fell on the first ball of the 17th over as their innings withered away.Heat had one hand on the title, but needed to get past an attack rated as the WBBL’s best. Opener Grace Harris particularly relished an early boundary against Schutt who she had delivered a barb to in the match’s lead-up.Strikers’ hopes sank when Harris, who ignited Heat in the Perth finals with belligerent batting, was dropped on 13 by Madeline Penna at first slip off returning quick Darcie Brown.But Harris fell shortly later when she holed out after failing to connect on a short delivery from offspinner Jemma Barsby. On a turning surface, Wellington proved a handful and dismissed opener Georgia Redmayne in the eighth over as Strikers clawed back.Heat were unable to get the ball away in the middle overs as the pressure heightened when du Preez and Harris were bowled on consecutive deliveries by McGrath.Having been badly dropped by Mack at deep midwicket in the 16th over, Knott fell shortly after to Schutt as the twists continued until the final ball.