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Milan have made some premium player sales this century!

One of the most iconic football clubs in the world, AC Milan have left a permanent mark on the beautiful game.

The Rossoneri is the birthplace of some of the greatest footballers to have walked the earth.

Talk about Paolo Maldini or Franco Baresi, two of the greatest defenders ever.

Or Ronaldinho and Kaka, two of the all-time great Brazilians to have played in Europe.

Or, Alessandro Nesta, Cafu, Marco van Basten, Andriy Shevchenko, Ruud Gullit…..the list is almost endless.

Despite having such legends feature for them, Milan have had to let go of many such great players when other clubs agreed to pay a premium fee for them.

Which players form part of Milan's most expensive sales, though?

Let's take a look!

Milan most expensive sales by season

Season

Biggest sale

Fee

Total sales

2022/23

Jens Petter Hauge

€10M/£9M

€13.05M/£11.75M

2021/22

Diego Laxalt

€3.50M/£3.15M

€5.50M/£4.95M

2020/21

Lucas Paqueta

€23.44M/£21.10M

€51.39M/£46.25M

2019/20

Krzysztof Piatek

€24M/£21.60M

€59.23M/£53.31M

2018/19

Leonardo Bonucci

€35M/£31.50M

€88.10M/£79.29M

2017/18

Mattia De Sciglio

€12M/£10.80M

€34.48M/£31.03M

2016/17

Stephan El Shaarawy

€13M/£11.70M

€25.15M/£22.64M

2015/16

Ricardo Saponara

€4M/£3.60M

€11.16M/£10.04M

2014/15

Mario Balotelli

€20M/£18M

€28.20M/£25.38M

2013/14

Kevin-Prince Boateng

€10M/£9M

€17.40M/£15.66M

2012/13

Thiago Silva

€42M/£37.80M

€88.50M/£79.65M

2011/12

Marco Borriello

€10M/£9M

€22.30M/£20.07M

2010/11

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

€14M/£12.60M

€25.93M/£23.34M

2009/10

Kaka

€67M/£60.30M

€80.66M/£72.59M

2008/09

Alberto Gilardino

€14M/£12.60M

€47.20M/£42.48M

2007/08

Massimo Donati

€4.50M/£4.05M

€11.11M/£10M

2006/07

Andriy Shevchenko

€43.88M/£39.49M

€57.33M/£51.59M

2005/06

Jon Dahl Tomasson

€7.50M/£6.75M

€12M/£10.80M

2004/05

Martin Laursen

€5.30M/£4.77M

€12.20M/£10.98M

2003/04

Jose Mari

€9M/£8.10M

€12.85M/£11.57M

2002/03

Francesco Coco

€22.50M/£20.25M

€40.60M/£36.54M

2001/02

Cristian Zenoni

€15.50M/£13.95M

€33.50M/£30.15M

2000/01

Roberto Ayala

€5M/£4.50M

€8.55M/£7.70M

TOTAL

€786.4M/£707.7M

*All figures are taken from Transfermarkt unless stated otherwise.

Milan top 10 most expensive player salesGetty10Mario Balotelli | €20 million/£18 million | Liverpool | 2014

After joining Inter Milan's under-19 team in 2006, Mario Balotelli was promoted to their first team in 2007.

Over the course of the next three years, the Italian striker made 59 appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring 20 goals.

Newly rich Manchester City came calling in 2010, signing him for €29.50 million (£26.55 million). After helping City win the FA Cup in his first season, Balotelli assisted Sergio Aguero's iconic Premier League title-winning goal in the 2011-12 season.

In January 2013, he joined Milan in a €20m (£18m) move, scoring 26 goals in 43 appearances for them before returning to the Premier League, this time with Liverpool who agreed to pay €20m (£18m) for the Italian forward.

AdvertisementGetty Images9Suso | €21 million/£18.90 million | Sevilla | 2020

A product of Liverpool's academy, Suso joined the Reds in 2012 and after making just 14 appearances in three seasons, including a season-long loan at Almeria, he moved to Milan in a €1.30 million (£1.17 million) transfer in January 2015.

Suso established himself at Milan, making 126 appearances for them over five years, scoring 21 goals.

His best run at the club came in the 2016-17 season when he scored seven goals and assisted nine, helping Milan win the Supercoppa Italiana late in 2016.

In January 2020, the Spaniard moved to Sevilla on a loan before they signed him for €21m (£18.90m) later that summer.

AFP8Zlatan Ibrahimovic | €21 million/£18.90 million | PSG | 2012

After spending his youth at Malmo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to Ajax in 2001 for €7.8 million (£7.02 million).

Three seasons, 71 games and 35 goals later, Juventus came calling, signing the Swedish striker for €16m (£14.40m). At Juventus, Ibrahimovic scored 23 goals in 70 appearances over two seasons before Inter signed him for €24.80m (£22.32m).

After winning three league titles with Inter, the forward to Barcelona in a €69.5m (£62.55m) move in 2009.

However, Ibrahimovic could only survive one season at Camp Nou, and went to Milan on loan in 2010 before signing for them permanently for €24m (£21.6m) in 2011.

Just a year later, Paris Saint-Germain signed Ibrahimovic in a mega transfer worth €21m (£18.9m).

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Getty7Francesco Coco | €22.50 million/£20.25 million | Inter | 2002

A product of Milan's youth academy, Francesco Coco made his debut for the senior team in 1995 and went on to feature for them for seven years, three of which were on loan to different clubs.

The Italian left-back made 56 appearances for Milan as he was loaned to Vicenza, Torino and Barcelona before Inter came calling in 2002.

Inter chose to sign him for €22.5 million (£20.25 million) in July 2002.

Coco went on to make just 26 appearances for Inter over five years, which included two season-long loans to Livorno and Torino.

The arguments presented by Gurunath Meiyappan’s legal team asking for leniency, which were not accepted by the Supreme Court

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2015The Lodha committee was tasked with fixing the sanctions on Gurunath Meiyappan, Raj Kundra, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals. Here’s the case made to the committee for a lenient punishment by India Cements Limited (ICL) and Jaipur IPL Cricket Limited’s (JIPL) lawyers, and the committee’s responses.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Arguments by lawyers of India Cements and Jaipur IPL for a lenient punishment

No.ArgumentsCounter arguments by the Lodha Panel1The company (CSK only) has a long history of contribution to cricket and cricketersThis argument cannot be accepted because the act of Team Officals has affected the purity of the game and the contribution, if any, by the franchises has also been wasted because millions of people who are true lovers of the game feel cheated2There are no previous antecedents in regards to the companies giving room to any suspicion against its team officialsNo urgent action was taken by the franchises against the Team Officials. The order of suspension passed by the BCCI is not action by the franchise against its Team Official. Each franchise is under an obligation to ensure that each of its Team Officials comply with the regulations, in particular the Anti Corruption Code
3If the companies are suspended, the entire IPL league as well as all the stakeholders, including players and fans, would stand to loseDisrepute has been brought to the game of cricket, the BCCI and the IPL to such an extent that now doubts abound in the public consciousness about whether games are clean or not4Findings, if any, are against the Team Officials in their personal capacity and liability should not be imposed on the franchisesIf those who indulge in corrupt practices are an integral part of the franchises in view of them being an owner/Team Official, the arguments that these acts were personal does not merit acceptance if the actions of these individiuals affect the image of the game, the BCCI and the IPL5The company (CSK only) has suffered immense loss of value already and the market capitalization has fallen and the share prices have fallen tremendously since the 2013 IPL
Suffice to say that such loss is too small in comparison to the loss caused to the reputation of the game, the BCCI and the IPL 6The company (RR only) has been highly celebrated as a nursery for players. The Rajasthan Royals have scouted and nurtured talent in the country and the world. They have provided players a platform to showcase their talents and strengthen the team with the objective of winning matches for Rajasthan Royals
The company claims that it is highly celebrated as a nursery for players. But the fact remains that three RR players were arrested and charged with spot-fixing in the 2013 IPL season. The committee can also take notice of the fact that there has been allegations of approach to one of its players for corrupt practices in 2015 IPL season as well. This shows that all is not well with the company in handling Anti-Corruption Code issues

Gurunath MeiyappanHaving rejected all the arguments presented by India Cements Ltd and Jaipur IPL’s lawyers, the Lodha Panel announced the following sanction on the two companies.””The period of suspension shall commence from the date of this order.

South Africa recorded their first ever women’s T20 victory over England to level the three-match series at 1-1

Firdose Moonda at Newlands19-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDane van Niekerk marshaled South Africa’s chase with 63 from 43 balls•Getty ImagesSouth Africa recorded their first ever women’s T20 victory over England to level the three-match series at 1-1. In a rain-interrupted innings, South Africa, anchored by Dane van Niekerk’s second successive fifty, held their nerve and paced their chase well to ensure Sunday’s fixture will be a decider.After England defended 147 in Paarl a day ago, they would have thought they had enough when they crept over that total at Newlands. Sarah Taylor formed the spine of the innings, as she did in the first match, but she also had greater support. She shared in a 61-run second-wicket stand with Charlotte Edwards and a 63-run fourth-wicket partnership with Heather Knight but South Africa, helped by wayward bowling and clumsy fielding from England, were not overawed.Van Niekerk, who was dropped on 6 and 22, set the tone when she dispatched a loosener from Anya Shrubsole and then punished Danielle Hazell, who erred in length. She was almost run out, too, when Trisha Chetty sent her back even though she had advanced more than halfway down the wicket from the non-striker’s end. The throw from Hazell came in at the striker’s end instead but quick work from Taylor ensured Chetty was out.If van Niekerk was shaken by it, she did not show any signs and struck the first six of the innings with a slog sweep. She hit the ball with power and fine placement and beat short third man with a delicate lap to enter the 40s. Her fifty came via a pull off the 34th ball she faced. That shot also took South Africa halfway to the target.They were well placed on 80 for 1 after 10 overs and England could not pull them back. Jenny Gunn was punished for width but, just as South Africa seemed to get away, Rebecca Grundy struck. She beat van Niekerk, who had come down the track, and Taylor whipped the bails off.The first rains fell at the end of that over but South Africa, at 108 for 2, were well ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern and Marizanne Kapp had already showed her intent to finish things off fast with two furious pulls.The delay was short and Mignon du Preez and Kapp kept South Africa above the required rate, so that when the second interruption happened, four over and two balls later, South Africa were still ahead despite Kapp’s dismissal. More rain followed and the players did not get back on but South Africa’s batsmen had earned their first win over England after 14 attempts.It was just reward for their more disciplined effort with the ball than England, which started when South Africa made an early breakthrough, Tammy Beaumont caught at slip. That brought together England’s most experienced pair, Edwards and Taylor. The latter immediately picked the right bowler to begin showing her class against, taking two fours off Marabata Klaas’ first four balls, before Edwards added a third to get England going.From there, Edwards was the aggressor. She was strong through the covers and against the full delivery but could not assert herself against the spin. She only faced one ball from van Niekerk before trying a reverse sweep against Suné Luus only to be bowled. Two overs later Luus took a good catch of her own bowling to send Amy Jones on her way and South Africa had created some pressure.They gave away just one boundary between the 10th and 14th over and should have had Taylor out too but the chance to long-off was put down. With six overs to go, England were stumbling on 92 for 3 but Taylor was still there.Her fifty came off 44 balls, picking up a Luus full toss and sending it over cow corner. Heather Knight took that as the cue to get going and danced down the track to hit Luus in the same area, but for six. Taylor showed off the reverse-sweep and Knight the slog sweep before Ismail ended their stand when she had Knight caught at deep midwicket.Two runs-outs in the final over, including Taylor, kept England below 160 and South Africa had done enough to make history.

Nicolaas Scholtz will lead Namibia in the World T20 qualifiers to be held in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2015All-rounder Nicolaas Scholtz will lead Namibia in the World T20 qualifiers to be held in Ireland and Scotland from July 9 to 26.Namibia will play their first group stage match against Ireland in Stormont, Belfast on July 10. Before that they will play two warm-up games against Scotland (July 6) and Canada (July 7) after arriving in the UK in the last week of June.Namibia find themselves in the same group as Ireland, USA, Nepal, Hong Kong, Jersey and Papua New Guinea.Namibia squad: Raymond van Schoor, Gerrie Snyman, Craig Williams, Sarel Burger, Gerhard Erasmus, Nicolaas Scholtz (capt), JP Kotze, Christopher Coombe, Bernard Scholtz, JJ Smit, Stephen Baard, Christiaan Snyman, Zhivago Groenewald, Jason Davidson, Louis Klazinga

Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo gave his Instagram followers a sneak peak of his strict training regime with a video of his gruelling workout.

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Ronaldo in insane shape for 38Currently on break from SPL actionBut hitting the gym with gruelling workoutWHAT HAPPENED?

The Saudi Pro League is currently on a break due to the upcoming 2023 Asian Cup, but that hasn't stopped the Portugal superstar from putting in the hours at the gym. Ronaldo has been known for his commitment to maintaining his incredible physique throughout his career, with the latest evidence coming in his recent Instagram story. In it, the 38-year-old could be seen working out topless using gymnastic rings, in what looked a gruelling workout.

AdvertisementWHAT RONALDO POSTEDIG:cristianoIG:cristianoGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ronaldo is undoubtedly in insane shape for a 38-year-old. It shows that his high standards have never dropped despite stepping down a level to play in the Saudi Pro League over a year ago. This was shown by another stellar calendar year for the Al-Nassr and Portugal star, who topped the globe's scoring charts for 2023 with an incredible 54 goals to his name for club and country.

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Training will no doubt continue at the Ronaldo abode as he gears up for a return to Pro League action in mid-February. Before that, though, the Portuguese talisman will face eternal rial Lionel Messi in an eagerly-anticipated friendly contest on February 1.

Karun Nair’s unbeaten 310 and KL Rahul’s 188 powered Karnataka to 618 for 7 and a lead of 484 runs over Tamil Nadu

THE REPORT BY AMOL KARHADKAR IN MUMBAI10-Mar-2015
ScorecardKarun Nair notched up his maiden triple century, the second-ever by a Karnataka batsman•PTI At the end of the second day’s play, Karnataka were sitting comfortably with a lead of 189 runs. Karun Nair had said after the second day that Karnataka would want to bat the whole of the third day to put the remotest possibility of a Tamil Nadu comeback to rest.The young batsman walked the talk. Not only did he remain unbeaten and help his team amass a lead of 484 runs, he also notched up his maiden triple century: the second-ever by a player representing Karnataka after KL Rahul. As he converted a long innings into a marathon knock, records were regularly erased.The most important landmark of the day was raised with a reverse-sweep off Malolan Rangarajan 18 minutes before the close of play that made Karun only the second player, and the first in independent India, to score a triple century in a Ranji Trophy final. He was unbeaten at the end of the day’s play, ten runs short of erasing Gul Mohammed’s record of 319 runs, incidentally registered on the same day in 1947.The day in stats

Karun Nair’s unbeaten 310 is the second-highest individual score in a Ranji Trophy final. He needs another 10 runs to move past Gul Mohammad’s 319 for Baroda v Holkar at Vadodara in the 1946-47 season

The top-five individual scores in a Ranji final currently are: 319 by Gul Mohammad, 310* by Karun Nair, 288 by Vijay Hazare [for Baroda v Holkar at Vadodara in 1946-47], 278 by Vijay Merchant [for Bombay v Holkar in Bombay in 1944-45] and 265 by Ashok Mankad [for Bombay v Delhi in Bombay in 1980-81]

Karun Nair is 28 runs shy of overhauling KL Rahul’s 337 against Uttar Pradesh, which is the highest individual score for Karnataka.

Karun Nair and KL Rahul’s 386-run partnership is the highest for the sixth wicket in a Ranji final. They eclipsed 256 by Mohinder Amarnath and Surinder Khanna for Delhi against Uttar Pradesh in 1977-78

The pair fell short of overhauling the best partnership for the sixth wicket in the Ranji history, a record held by Wriddhiman Saha and Laxmi Shukla who added 417 runs for Bengal against Assam in Kolkata in 2010-11.

Karun and Rahul, the two overnight centurions, began the day on the cusp of individually overtaking Tamil Nadu’s first innings total. While Rahul was three runs behind TN’s 134, Karun required four runs. Once both the openers saw off the first half an hour, they were set for a record-breaking spree.Rahul continued to hobble while running between the wickets, due to his left hamstring which he had strained on the opening day, but that didn’t deter him from continuing his march towards a double. While Rahul had raised his hundred and 150 before Karun, the latter accelerated the scoring to raise his double-century with a flick off Rangarajan square off the wicket for a single three balls before lunch.Soon after lunch, Rahul’s tired lofted drive off the offspinner landed straight into Vijay Shankar’s palms at long-on. That ended a gargantuan 386-run stand – the best for the sixth wicket in a Ranji final but 31 runs short of the all-time record for the sixth wicket [417 by Wriddhiman Saha and Laxmi Shukla for Bengal against Assam in Kolkata in 2010-11].Tamil Nadu’s misery compounded as left-arm pacer Prasanth Parameswaran limped off the field after hurting his leg while trying to stop a drive on the boundary line. Shreyas Gopal, who replaced Rahul at the wicket, couldn’t make use of the batting-friendly conditions, gliding Aswin Crist behind the wicket down the leg side.Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka captain, then provided Karun with support to shatter records. Karun went past GR Viswanath’s 247 against Uttar Pradesh in 1977-78 with a pull off Vijay Shankar to register the highest score by a Karnataka batsman in a Ranji final.Then, as he marched towards the triple century, Tamil Nadu’s part-timers were more tired than Karun. With a plethora of records in sight and the fate of the match all but sealed, Karun said he would look to extend the Karnataka innings as long as possible. If he lives up to his word again, the penultimate day of the final may turn out be an even bigger delight for the statisticians.

The England midfielder played a decisive role as the treble winners came back from the dead to make it five Champions League wins out of five

Never write Manchester City off, even in games they barely need to win. That was the lesson here as the treble winners overcome a shabby first-half display and hauled themselves to a 3-2 victory that clinched top spot in their Champions League group.

Pep Guardiola's side were unrecognisable in the first half as they lacked concentration and shipped two goals for the first time in a game all season, with Belgian striker Lois Openda capitalising on woeful defending from Manuel Akanji and Ruben Dias.

City were 45 minutes from losing a first Champions League home game for five-and-a-half years but Guardiola must have given them a rollicking at the break as they came out a different side and Erling Haaland pulled a goal back – his sixth against Leipzig in 2023 – and then Phil Foden and substitute Julian Alvarez followed suit.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Stefan Ortega (5/10):

Beaten too easily for Openda's second goal.

Kyle Walker (5/10):

Out of position for the second goal and his usual leadership was lacking.

Ruben Dias (3/10):

A stinker from the Portuguese, who was barged off the ball for the second goal and risked picking up a yellow card, which led to Guardiola hooking him at half-time.

Manuel Akanji (4/10):

Misjudged Blaswich's long kick for Openda's opener, a rare error from the usually switched-on Swiss.

Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

Could have done more to close down Openda for the second goal but made amends by setting up Foden's equaliser.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

Provided the foundation for the fightback.

Rodri (5/10):

Way below his usual high standards.

Rico Lewis (6/10):

Missed a big chance to score in the first half. Kept the faith in the second.

Getty ImagesAttack

Phil Foden (8/10):

Recovered from a flat first half to play a hand in every goal. The sign of a top class player.

Erling Haaland (6/10):

Scored his 12th goal in his last eight games against Leipzig to pull City back into it but missed big chances either side of that.

Jack Grealish (5/10):

Not the best return after missing the Liverpool game although he also sustained a knock to the head. Upstaged by his replacement Doku.

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Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Nathan Ake (6/10):

Came on when City were trailing 2-0 and they were 3-2 up by full-time. Enough said.

Jeremy Doku (8/10):

His pace and trickery sent shivers down Leipzig's spine and was a key factor in the turnaround.

Julian Alvarez (8/10):

A bundle of energy and excitement and completed a fightback which he played a big role in sparking.

Sergio Gomez (N/A):

Came on in the 92nd minute.

Pep Guardiola (8/10):

His half-time talk breathed life back into City and his substitutions finished the job.

A pair of teenagers and a trio of New York Red Bulls headline Goal's selections as the best values, based on salary, in Major League Soccer

Salaries in Major League Soccer continue to rise, and have seen a considerable spike since the infusion of targeted allocation money in the past two seasons. That has led to a near doubling of the number of million-dollar salaries in the league, and a sizable jump in the number of players making more than $500,000.

That doesn't mean there still aren't some super-sized bargains to be had. Players signed via homegrown player deals and those who enter the league via the MLS draft continue to give MLS teams a steady stream of bargains, several of which make up the squad chosen by Goal to be part of the MLS Bargain XI, the best values in the league.

Here is the 2018 MLS Bargain XI, with salaries based on guaranteed compensation as released by the MLS players union last week .

Greg BartramGK Alex Bono, Toronto FC, $102,200The 24-year-old goalkeeper is in the midst of his second full season as Toronto FC's starter and is continuing to show improvement, building on his MLS Cup-winning 2017 season. His exploits in TFC's CONCACAF Champions League run turned heads, and he has also broken into the U.S. national team picture. Still playing on his rookie contract, Bono should be securing a new contract soon, assuming he doesn't head to Europe via transfer.AdvertisementRB Julian Gressel, Atlanta United, $111,250A midfielder who has thrived this season since being moved into a right wing-back role, Gressel has carried over the success from his MLS Rookie of the Year award-winning 2017 into the 2018 season. He has been one of the key reasons Tata Martino has seen his team enjoy such success playing in a 3-5-2 formation. The 24-year-old German-born standout should be drawing attention from scouts and will have a strong case for a new contract this winter.Mark J. RebilasCB Tim Parker, New York Red Bulls, $115,935How is Parker so underpaid? He's still playing on his original rookie contract, which expires at the end of this season. He is in line for a big payday this winter, either in Europe or in a new MLS deal. The Vancouver Whitecaps traded him rather than making him one of the league's highest-paid defenders. Since joining the Red Bulls, Parker has been outstanding and has helped his new team forge the best defense in club history.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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CB Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls $73,125A repeat selection on the MLS Bargain XI, Long has followed up his breakout 2017 season with a strong start to 2018. His skill on the ball, coupled with an improving defensive skill set, make him one of the league's most underrated defenders. It shouldn't be long before the 25-year-old central defender secures a new contract with the Red Bulls.

Australia’s selectors appear to have been wrong-footed by a bone dry SCG surface forcing them to consider the recall of Shane Watson and the inclusion of the left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty for his first game of the World Cup

Daniel Brettig07-Mar-2015Australia’s selectors appear to have been wrong-footed by a bone dry SCG surface for their pivotal meeting with Sri Lanka, forcing them to consider the recall of Shane Watson – only one match after he was dropped – and the inclusion of the left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty for his first game of the World Cup.The captain Michael Clarke was told by the coach Darren Lehmann and his fellow selector Mark Waugh that the panel was reserving judgment on the composition of their XI, opening up the possibility of including Watson for his bowling expertise on slower surfaces and Doherty as the squad’s only slow bowling option. The spin bowling coach John Davison was working prominently with Doherty on match eve.Late-season Sydney surfaces have a tendency to tire, and the strip being prepared for Sunday has the look of one that will spin and also get slower as the night goes on, even if the ground staff were seen sprinkling grass clippings onto the surface and rolling them in during mid-afternoon.”Looking at the wicket today [and] if we had to play today, the toss would be crucial,” Clarke said. “But a day of sun on the pitch, and a bit of rolling tomorrow, might be a little bit different. Generally under lights at the SCG the ball can skid on a bit more, outfield looks magnificent so think it’s going to be a fast outfield, it’s just how much the wicket slows up and that’ll be dictated by how hard the pitch is tomorrow, I think.”If we turn up tomorrow and the wicket is rock hard, I think it’ll be a really consistent pitch for both teams. If it’s still a bit tacky like it’s today then I’d really want to bat first if I was playing today. It looks like spin is going to play a part. Looks quite dry and certainly hasn’t got as much grass on it as I’ve seen in past one-day matches at the SCG.”Australia’s apparent unhappiness about the surface illustrates how pitch preparation in the country does not run according to the whims of the home side. Contrast this with the last time Australia met Sri Lanka in a World Cup, in Colombo during the 2011 tournament, when a strip described as “rolled mud” by the visitors seemed tailored to Sri Lanka, though a washout prevented them from taking full advantage.Should Watson play, it would be a major change from the strategy that appeared to have been established when he was left out against Afghanistan. While the omission of Watson was criticised by his former captain and friend Ricky Ponting, it suggested that a top order of Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith and Clarke would be the norm for the rest of the tournament.However, it is now plausible that Watson will be included for Mitchell Marsh, who complained of foot soreness in Perth and is not known for his ability to extract wickets on slow pitches – something that was apparent during his brief spell against New Zealand at Eden Park when he was used and Watson was not.Irrespective of the team he is given, it will be Clarke’s responsibility to name the batting order, and he suggested Watson would not have to bat at No. 3 if included, following Smith’s successful return to the position at the WACA Ground where his composure helped allow Warner and Glenn Maxwell to spread their wings.”I think he [Watson] can bat anywhere,” Clarke said. “I think he’s shown at the top of the order he’s been extremely successful. He averages over 40 in one-day cricket and he’s striking at about 90 so I think he’s skillful enough to bat anywhere in the order, but I think he’s shown he loves batting up the top in all forms of the game.”As for Clarke, an extra session of throw-downs with the batting coach Michael Di Venuto underlined how much he was striving for some semblance of batting touch ahead of a match that will dictate who finishes second in group A and wins a more favourable draw. Defeat for Australia may mean an away semi-final against New Zealand in Auckland rather than a home date in Sydney, something Clarke will be eager to avoid.”I feel I’m fitter and healthier than I’ve been in a long, long time,” he said. “I have that hunger to be successful and help Australia go as far as we possibly can in this World Cup. I’ve copped a fair bit of criticism over the last few months, so I’m excited about what lies ahead. I feel I’m at my best and ready to have this team have success.”

Sean Ervine made the best of a placid Canterbury pitch to ease Hampshire into the driving seat on the opening day of their Championship Division Two clash with Kent

Press Association15-Aug-2014
ScorecardSean Ervine’s unbeaten 75 helped resurrect the Hampshire innings•Getty ImagesSean Ervine made the best of a placid Canterbury pitch to ease Hampshire into the driving seat on the opening day of their Championship Division Two clash with Kent.The 31-year-old Zimbabwean scored an unbeaten 75 from 110 balls to resurrect a Hampshire innings that, at 187 for 5, had threatened to seriously underachieve. With Chris Wood adding 61 from No. 8, the visitors recovered to reach 343 for 7 at the close.Kent marked the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I by using a 1914 half crown for the toss, which Hampshire won and chose to bat first. On a docile wicket the visiting opening pair of Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry suffered little or no consternation in posting 71 for the first wicket.Carberry steered a couple of his seven boundaries down through third man off thick edges, but otherwise looked untroubled until the introduction of offspinner Adam Riley, who struck with his fourth ball. Looking to whip a length delivery through midwicket, Carberry missed and was sent packing lbw for 39 but, despite a short break for rain, Hampshire were still sitting pretty at lunch on 90 for 1.Kent regrouped in the interval and, with the first ball after the break, Mitch Claydon found the inside edge of Adams to dismiss the left-hander to an athletic take by wicketkeeper Sam Billings – the first of his four catches.Kent made further mid-session progress when Doug Bollinger had James Vince caught at the wicket when attempting a back-foot force then Will Smith, having reached a 108-ball 50 with eight fours, played around one from Riley to go leg-before. Without addition to the total Liam Dawson nicked another catch to Billings to make it 187 for 5 but Ervine, resolute and punishing when anything short was on offer, stroked six boundaries on his way to a 59-ball 50.Soon after posting their first batting bonus point Adam Wheater feathered one off Bollinger to give Billings another top catch and leave Kent believing they might polish the innings off in good time. Ervine had other ideas however, and he dug in together with Wood to add a workmanlike 124 for the seventh wicket inside 28.3 overs.Wood hit six fours in his 74-ball half-century in a responsible stay in tandem with Ervine that left Kent wondering where their next wicket may come from.It was veteran Darren Stevens who finally proved to be Kent’s partnership breaker having Wood snaffled at slip by Ben Harmison to bring in Matt Coles – the former Kent allrounder – to face the handful of nervy deliveries before the close. Though Coles failed to get off the mark, he survived through to stumps with Ervine to send their side into day two of the 163rd Canterbury Cricket Week fixture with power to add.