All posts by h716a5.icu

Australia captain Steven Smith became Supergiants’ latest casualty when he was ruled out of the rest of the 2016 IPL with a wrist injury

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-20162:28

Nannes: Would pick Samuels to replace Smith

Another day, another injury for Rising Pune Supergiants. Australia captain Steven Smith became their latest casualty when he was ruled out of the rest of the 2016 IPL with a wrist injury. Supergiants had earlier lost Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis and Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh to injuries.”Steve has been struggling with pain in his right wrist for the last week during his stint in the IPL,” Australia’s sports science and sports medicine manager Alex Kountouris said. “We have been working with his IPL franchise Pune to monitor this, and unfortunately it has not resolved. As such, he will return home from India for further assessment and treatment ahead of the tour of the West Indies.”From the information we have so far, this doesn’t appear to be a serious injury but we are keen to give him the time to recover and rehabilitate before heading to the West Indies at the end of May.”Smith did not miss a match because of the injury while he was in India. In the absence of two other big names, he was the mainstay of the Supergiants batting, bringing up his maiden T20 century too.Supergiants, languishing in the bottom third of the table with just two wins out of eight games, are waiting to get Australia batsman Usman Khawaja into the country. Khawaja was signed after the loss of Pietersen and du Plessis. No replacement was named for Marsh. They are scheduled to play next on May 5, against Delhi Daredevils in Delhi.

The Al-Nassr superstar did what he does best on Friday, scoring twice to secure Roberto Martinez's side's place in Germany next summer

Portugal sealed their qualification for Euro 2024 with their 3-2 win over Slovakia on Friday, but they didn't exactly have it all their own way in a thrilling encounter.

Goncalo Ramos scored a header from a superb Bruno Fernandes cross to open the scoring, before Cristiano Ronaldo notched from the penalty spot after a penalty was awarded for handball. Ronaldo should have added his second and his country's third before half-time, but he somehow missed an open goal from six yards out.

Slovakia pulled a goal back with conditions worsening due to heavy rain, as David Hancko's long-range shot was deflected into the bottom corner by Antonio Silva. Ronaldo, though, hit back just three minutes later, tapping in another exceptional Fernandes cross at the back post.

Stanislav Lobotka scored a wonderful goal to reduce the arrears again, sending a dipping, 25-yard effort into the top corner, although Portugal managed to hold out and seal a precious win. The Euros now beckon.

GOAL rates Portugal's players from Estadio do Dragao…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Diogo Costa (5/10):

Beaten all ends up by Hancko's deflected strike and could not get close to Lobotka's unbelievable goal.

Joao Cancelo (5/10):

Some superb work down the right flank but his end product left something to be desired. Summed that up with a slaloming run ending with a wild effort.

Ruben Dias (6/10):

A leader at the back, constantly organising. Made some good tackles and was never beaten in the air, although Lobotka's goal came from his position.

Antonio Silva (6/10):

Stood up well to Slovakia's aerial threat. Unlucky to see his attempted block send Hancko's shot into the bottom corner.

Diogo Dalot (6/10):

Barely drove up the flank, instead opting to pass as opposed to running. Never beaten down his side, though.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield

Joao Palhinha (6/10):

Swept up behind Silva and Fernandes. A composed operator that keeps the midfield ticking. Unfortunate to be booked for a fantastic challenge in midfield. Subbed late on.

Bernardo Silva (6/10):

Some very clever interplay in midfield. Continually played the ball forward, always having his head up. Subbed late on.

Bruno Fernandes (7/10):

Superb cross for Ramos' header and added another when assisting Ronaldo's second, and Portugal's third. Somehow missed a header of his own from four yards that would have capped a great performance.

Getty ImagesAttack

Cristiano Ronaldo (7/10):

Scored his 124th goal for his country from the penalty spot. Somehow missed with the goal gaping on the stroke of half-time but made up for it with his second, tapping in Fernandes' cross.

Goncalo Ramos (7/10):

Scored an excellent header from Fernandes' cross. Hit the post as well and ran Slovakia ragged at times.

Rafael Leao (6/10):

His cross won Portugal's penalty. Got down the left flank continually but struggled to create himself a goalscoring chance.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty ImagesSubs & Manager

Joao Felix (6/10):

Replaced Leao. Had a big chance late on but could not quite reach Fernandes' superb cross.

Ruben Neves (6/10):

On late on.

Otavio (6/10):

Came on with minutes left.

Diogo Jota (5/10):

Replaced Ramos late on. Should have scored late on but saw two shots well saved by Martin Dubravka.

Roberto Martinez (6/10):

Not as comfortable as he would have liked, but Martinez got his key selections right, and can now start preparing for the Euros.

Raphael Varane is being linked with a January move to Bayern Munich and could follow Harry Kane out of the Premier League.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Bayern Munich consider Raphael VaranePermanent deal an 'interesting' optionDefender out of favour at Man UtdWHAT HAPPENED?

Manchester United defender Varane is reported to be the subject of 'internal discussions' at Bayern Munich as the January transfer window nears. Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg suggests the Bundesliga champions are put off because of a £14.9 million ($18.6m) salary, but still consider the Frenchman an 'interesting' option and will continue to monitor his situation. A loan is not thought to be on the table and a proposed transfer fee would be up to £26.3m ($32.9m)

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Varane joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United to much fanfare in the summer of 2021, paraded on the Old Trafford pitch before the opening Premier League game of the season against Leeds. But the four-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid has often struggled with injuries since moving to England and in recent months has fallen out of favour with current manager Erik ten Hag. Indeed, Varane has only started one Premier League game – the home defeat to Crystal Palace – since going off injured at half-time against Nottingham Forest back in August. Ten Hag has preferred Harry Maguire and even Jonny Evans at times this season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kingsley Coman and Dayot Upamecano are the existing French players in the Bayern squad, while Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard left the Allianz Arena in summer. French stars also account for three modern Bayern legends in Franck Ribery, Bixente Lizarazu and Willy Sagnol.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

WHAT NEXT FOR VARANE?

The big challenge for Varane in the short-term is to win back his place at Manchester United. There are six weeks until the January transfer window opens, but the Red Devils letting him go at this point would risk leaving them short defensively in the second half of the season.

A round-up of the National Cricket League matches that ended on February 22, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2014Khulna Division captain Ziaur Rahman’s eighth first-class hundred paved the way for the team’s nine-wicket win against Sylhet Division.Ziaur struck nine fours and 13 sixes during his 167, as Khulna ended their first innings at 352 with a lead of 229. Earlier, Dolar Mahmud and Rajibul Islam had notched four scalps each to run through Sylhet for 123 in their first essay.Sylhet would’ve hoped for a better outcome in the second innings, but while most of their batsmen made starts, none could produce a fifty. Nahidul Islam and Murad Khan shared eight wickets between them to bundle Sylhet out for 245, leaving Khulna just 17 to get a victory. The side achieved the target in 8.4 overs for the loss of one wicket.

This was a day dominated by two batsmen but Middlesex need only cast an eye over Nottinghamshire’s statistics so far to be reminded that the key to success in Championship cricket lies with the bowlers

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge14-Jun-2014
ScorecardEoin Morgan finished the day unbeaten on 174 and within reach of his highest first-class score•PA PhotosThis was a day dominated by two batsmen but Middlesex need only cast an eye over Nottinghamshire’s statistics so far to be reminded that the key to success in Championship cricket lies with the bowlers. Going into this match, Chris Read’s team had five batsman with 500 or more Division One runs so far compared with Middlesex’s two, yet none with 20 wickets or more against Middlesex’s three.It provides much of the explanation for why Middlesex have won four matches and Nottinghamshire only two thus far and why Middlesex, with Steven Finn (30 wickets), Tim Murtagh (24) and Toby Roland-Jones (23) to call upon, look a more optimistic bet for the title. If those bowlers can underscore the work done by Chris Rogers and Eoin Morgan that only emphasised the ordinariness of the home side’s attack in several phases of the day, then Middlesex’s title ambitions will be further reinforced.Morgan’s unbeaten 174 gave him back-to-back hundreds following his 103 against Lancashire a month ago, which ended a drought of five years without one century in the Championship. This was his highest score in Championship cricket and his career-best 209 for Ireland might be under threat if he can negotiate the opening overs of day two against a new ball 16 overs old.Rogers, with whom he shared a third-wicket stand of 272 that is a Middlesex record against Nottinghamshire, sees Morgan this season making clear progress in his four-day game following his decision to forego his annual stint in the IPL.”A couple of years ago when he played some four-day cricket for us I still felt there were areas of his game that needed improving, particularly his defence,” Rogers said. “But his he has come back this year I have been very surprised at how that has improved.”His game is in excellent order at the moment and he just has that ability to take teams down once he gets in as he did today. He can hit 360 degrees around the field and that is a rare skill.”I think England would benefit from having a positive player like him in the Test side but he has to earn it now by putting together consistent performances in the way Sam Robson did.”Rogers himself was in a familiar groove here, dominating the Nottinghamshire attack until, within 20 runs of a double-hundred, he went for the uppercut against Andre Adams and found James Taylor lurking at deep point. Nonetheless, it is fair to say that the Australia opener knows how to score runs against Nottinghamshire bowling. In his last seven first-class innings against the county, he has hit 526, only once scoring fewer than 50.Fours zipped off the bats of both men as the help Nottinghamshire had hoped to draw from the conditions on a cloudy, muggy morning failed to materialise. Rogers hit 26 fours, Morgan has 27 and two sixes, both off Samit Patel’s left-arm spin. Naturally, there were some shots to admire but Nottinghamshire offered too many opportunities for them to tuck into. Adams had bowled Dawid Malan with a lovely delivery that straightened to hit the top of off-stump and Harry Gurney had Neil Dexter caught at first slip soon afterwards but moments in which the bowlers had the upper hand were rare.If Nottinghamshire’s bowling looked below par at times then their fielding was none too clever either. Wessels spilled the biggest chance, offered by Morgan off Gurney on 20. Wessels had bruised his hand taking his first catch and left the field for attention immediately but Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire head coach, said it did not excuse the drop.There was no forgiving Patel, either, when he missed Rogers on 89 at second slip off Peter Siddle, even though it was a more difficult one, to his left and travelling.Nottinghamshire fought back a little with the second new ball, which Siddle in particular made better use of than the first one, dismissing Joe Denly via a catch at second slip and uprooting John Simpson’s off stump.The Championship pennant has not been hoisted at Lord’s since 1993, the last of seven titles won during Don Bennett’s tenure as coach. The flags at Trent Bridge flew at half-mast to mark Bennett’s passing this week at the age of 80 and the players of both sides honoured his memory with a minute’s silence before play began. It might just have been a moment of inspiration for the visiting side.

South Africa will play their first four-Test series in six years when they host England in 2015-16

Firdose Moonda17-Nov-2014South Africa will play their first four-Test series in six years when they host England in 2015-16. The tour is scheduled to include four Tests, five ODIs and two T20s and will run from December 11 to February 21.England will play two three-day warm-up games before kicking off with the Boxing Day Test, which returns to Durban after being moved to Port Elizabeth for this season against West Indies. St George’s Park does not get a Test at all in the 2015-16 period, with Newlands retaining the New Year’s Test, Johannesburg’s Wanderers back on the Test calendar after missing out this summer, and SuperSport Park in Centurion the other Test hosts.The five ODIs take cricket to Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth as well as Centurion, Johannesburg and Cape Town, with the latter two cities also staging the T20s.The Test venues are exactly the same as they were the last time England where in South Africa in 2009-10. That series, memorable for England hanging on nine wickets down in Centurion and Cape Town, was drawn 1-1 and was also the last time South Africa last played in a four-Test series.England 2015-16 tour itinerary

December 11: England arrive in SA

December 15-17: SA Invitation XI v England, Potchefstroom

December 20-22: SA Invitation XI v England, Pietermaritzburg Oval

December 26-30: 1st Test, Kingsmead, Durban

January 2-6: 2nd Test, Newlands, Cape Town

January 14-18: 3rd Test, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

January 22-26: 4th Test, SuperSport Park, Centurion

January 30: 1-day tour match, Diamond Oval, Kimberley

February 3: 1st ODI, Chevrolet Park, Bloemfontein

February 6: 2nd ODI, St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth

February 9: 3rd ODI, SuperSport Park, Centurion

February 12: 4th ODI, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

February 14: 5th ODI, Newlands, Cape Town

February 17: T20 tour match, SA Invitation XI v England, Boland Park, Paarl

February 19: 1st T20, Newlands, Cape Town

February 21: 2nd T20, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Since then, the teams have only met in one other Test rubber, in 2012, when South Africa took the Test mace off England. Their last Test series defeat to England came at home in 2004-05.”England are the best supported team away from home and once more we look forward to welcoming their legion of fans together with their players and team management. The well-known ‘Barmy Army’ always adds charm to the on-field competition,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA CEO said. “The tour has already drawn huge interest and promises to be the highlight of our summer with four Test matches being played.”While South Africa are currently clear at the top of the Test rankings, despite briefly being overtaken by Australia, England are down in fourth after losing 5-0 in Australia and 1-0 at home to Sri Lanka before beating India. They have a concentrated period of one-day cricket before the World Cup but will then play 17 Tests in nine months up to the end of the South Africa tour.England’s managing director, Paul Downton, said: “Any tour of South Africa is special and as the Proteas currently set the benchmark in Test and ODI cricket it will be a real challenge which our emerging team will relish. We can be assured of fantastic support in South Africa from the thousands of loyal supporters who always follow us around the country – particularly at the Boxing Day Test in Durban and the New Year Test at Newlands in Cape Town.”

Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has affirmed the promise of batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Dec-2013Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore has affirmed the promise of batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka. Sharjeel stroked a run-a-ball 61 in Sharjah to set Pakistan’s commanding total in motion, before Maqsood consolidated his team’s advantage alongside Mohammad Hafeez in the middle overs, hitting 73 from 68.They were impressive hands from Sharjeel, on debut, and Maqsood, in his sixth ODI, and although Whatmore was careful not to overstate their potential, he lauded their hunger, as well as their intent at the crease.”It was a very good innings by Maqsood. He’s somebody that’s shown the selectors and myself that he wants to play,” Whatmore said. “When you lose eight to ten kilos in a relatively short space of time, that’s a big effort. Just on that alone I reckon it was worth selecting him. He’s rewarded us with some terrific performances.”Sharjeel debuted yesterday, but in my pre-match talk at the ground, I completely forgot it was his debut because I got the feeling he’s been around so much recently in the T20s. We eventually all congratulated him and he showed the sort of potential that he has. I’m not going to say he’s going to be a great player, but he’s got the potential to be a very good contributor. I’m pleased with that.”Sohaib Maqsood happens to tell me Sharjeel is his childhood friend. During Sharjeel’s innings, Maqsood sat next to me and gave some useful predictions about this kid. They were both very true – on the money. It’s good that each of these guys know each other’s games.”Whatmore also praised Hafeez for his 122, which held the Pakistan’s innings together. Hafeez struggled for batting form in home and away series against South Africa, and had not crossed 35 in his eight previous ODI innings.”Hafeez was really keen yesterday to get back amongst the runs,” Whatmore said. “He’s been a very good contributor in some ways. He had a lean patch against South Africa and was very keen to get back into runs – you might have seen his celebration after the hundred. To me, Hafeez is an automatic selection because he is a multi-dimensional player – the sort we need more of in Pakistan.”Whatmore said the option of batting Hafeez lower down his customary No. 3 had been brought up within the team but he expressed confidence that Hafeez could contribute from anywhere in the side.”There has been some discussion about dropping him down the order, particularly when he wasn’t getting runs against South Africa, which was a disappointment for him, more than anything else. But he knows what I think and I speak to him directly. I think he’s got many, many more years to serve the country and whether he does it successfully at number three or whether he does it successfully lower in the order is something somebody else will have to agree on, because I finish in the next few weeks. He’s certainly a valuable player for Pakistan.”

Chelsea’s need for new players was identified further this weekend as the Blues lost out to Champions League chasing Arsenal.

In a massively below par performance from Mauro Sarri’s men, the Blues were seen off with ease by the Gunners, and the comments following the game from Sarri suggested all is not too well within the Chelsea camp at the moment.

New players are a must then it would seem at the Bridge, and we at the Tavern think that the club need to use the next 10 days wisely and move certain players on while bringing in talent of the relevant quality to improve their squad.

And one man we feel has to be top of the shopping list is Inter Milan ace Mauro Icardi, who is once again having a superb season over in Serie A.

The Inter man, who is valued by Transfermarkt at a whopping £100m, is one of the hottest properties in world football when it comes to striking talent, and if Chelsea could sign him, it would send quite the message to the rest of the league and beyond.

Icardi is truly world class, and on his day is as good as anyone in world football.

Quick, a lethal finisher, and of the right age to spend his prime years in the Premier League, we think Icardi would be the most perfect signing possible for Chelsea in the coming 10 day period before the end of the window.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Sri Lanka inflicted a number of statistical wounds on India during their bonus-point victory at Sabina Park, a result Virat Kohli called a “reality check” for his side

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2013Sri Lanka inflicted a number of unsightly statistical wounds on India during their bonus-point victory at Sabina Park, a performance Virat Kohli called a “reality check” for a team that had suffered two defeats in the Caribbean after winning the Champions Trophy in England. India’s chances of making the tri-series final are now diminished, because they need to win both remaining matches and hope West Indies beat Sri Lanka to avoid needing a bonus point.*”We have to analyse what we did wrong. We have two more games to go,” said Kohli, who was standing in for MS Dhoni in his first ODI as captain, after the 161-run defeat. “This is going to hurt the guys a little bit.”India’s bowlers did not challenge the Sri Lankan openers after Kohli had won the toss; the upshot was a 213-run opening stand and the first time that a team batted 50 overs in the first innings of an ODI without losing more than one wicket.”It was a tough day at the office. We were not up to the mark with the ball,” Kohli said. “The Sri Lankans batted really well, and we did not. To chase down 349, you need a quick start, we were not able to do that, that did not give us momentum.”India were dismissed for 187 in the 45th over, managing only 13 more than Upul Tharanga’s individual contribution to Sri Lanka’s 348, with Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 49 being the top score.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews had been dismayed at losing the toss but was thrilled with how the match played out. “We needed that, especially after losing the toss, we were on the back foot. Mahela showed his class. Upul struggled a bit initially but batted through and was brilliant later.”We needed to get that 250, bowlers never let us down if we score 250. Hats off to Mahela and Upul. I am doing my bit the way I can.”The unbeaten 174 was important to Tharanga because not only was it his best ODI score, but it had come after he was recalled to the squad due to an injury to Tillakaratne Dilshan. Tharanga had been sidelined since January.”We needed to get a start because we lost the toss on a sticky wicket,” Tharanga said. “The first ten overs were crucial. They [India] bowled well upfront. So we had to ride that, and then we put the pressure back on them.”*0650 GMT The sentence had said that India needed to win at least one of their remaining games with a bonus point. This has been amended.

Nondescripts beat Colts by seven wickets to enter the final of the Premier Limited Overs competition

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Tharindu Kaushal took four wickets for Nondescripts•ICC/GettyNondescripts Cricket Club’s rising stars launched their team into the final of the Premier Limited Over Tournament, as they raced to a seven-wicket win over Colts Cricket Club at the Premadasa Stadium. Offspinner Tharindu Kaushal scalped 4 for 33 – his best haul of the season – to help dismiss Colts for 174, before Angelo Perera struck an unbeaten 64 to take Nondescripts home in less than 30 overs. Colts had been the only unbeaten side during the tournament’s round-robin phase.Seamers Kosala Kulasekara and Lahiru Madushanka had struck early blows for Nondescripts after they had sent Colts in. Colts were 65 for 4 in the 14th over before Milinda Siriwardene led a small recovery, scoring 59 from 86 balls. But he was poorly supported by the middle-order, with none of the batsmen managing more than 20 as Kaushal ran amok. No. 9 Ishan Jayaratne made 27 – the second-highest score in the innings – before Colts were bowled out in the 48th over.Nondescripts’ chase was promising from the outset, as tournament top-scorer Niroshan Dickwella and new Sri Lanka A captain Upul Tharanga put on 60 for the first wicket. They lost three quick wickets after that, but Perera walloped five sixes and four fours in his 50-ball knock, making light work of the target.The second semi-final between Sinhalese Sports Club and Ragama Cricket Club will be played at the Premadasa on Monday. The final is scheduled at the same venue on December 28.