Nicky Peng helped save Durham from potentialembarrassment on another hard-fought day at Derby.The 18-year-old right-hander played responsibly for 31overs to steady Durham who were wobbling at 139-5 inreply to Derbyshire’s 318.With Andy Pratt, he took his team past the 169 theyneeded to avoid the follow-on before wickets inconsecutive overs tilted the game back towardsDerbyshire.Peng pulled a Richard Illingworth long hop tomid-wicket and Pratt was caught behind off Tim Muntonto raise Derbyshire’s hopes of a sizeable firstinnings lead.This was one of Derbyshire’s best days of a so fardisappointing season and they start the third day witha lead of 117 and three wickets left to take.Their first score of over 300 at Derby since lastAugust was due to some spirited lower order battingand a wild over from Steve Harmison who gave away 10extras including one ball which went for four wides.A total of 48 extras was second highest score in theDerbyshire innings but Durham looked comfortable withMichael Gough and Martin Love at the wicket.But Gough played on to Nathan Dumelow and MartinSpeight played across Graeme Welch after strugglingfor 13 overs for 14.Love passed fifty for the fourth time this seasonbefore he was lbw pushing half forward at Illingworthand when Danny Law top-edged a pull, Durham were introuble.But Peng and Pratt played sensibly although Derbyshirewill still expect to strengthen their positiontomorrow as they push for their first victory sinceAugust when Durham were beaten at the County Ground.
The inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be played in Dubai and Sharjah, from February 4 to 24, 2016. The PCB announced the venues in a release on Thursday, ending speculation over whether the UAE can accommodate both the Masters Champions League and the Pakistan T20 tournament in the February window.In August the PCB had said the PSL would be held in Doha, Qatar, as it had learned that the organisers of the Masters Champions League, a tournament for retired international cricketers, had already booked the stadiums. Now it is confirmed that the Masters Champions League will be held in Abu Dhabi concurrently, with the other two venues will be reserved for the PSL. This solution was offered by the Emirates Cricket Board. The PCB had listed the UAE as its first-choice host given it has been the Pakistan team’s virtual home since 2009, when the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.”The PSL has already floated tenders for broadcasters and producers,” Najam Sethi, the chairman of the governing council of the PSL, said. “This will be followed by a tendering process for sponsorships in the second week of October. Franchise owners will be inducted between mid to end November, after which the foreign and local players will be drafted and teams constituted.”The tournament will consist of five teams, one each from Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Islamabad. According to the PCB release, the PSL will offer up to $1 million in prize money, and “the latest tally of foreign player signing consents standing at an impressive 132. The players will be selected through a draft process in December.” The teams will each have a purse of $1 million from which they can build their squads and support staff.Sethi said: “There is a pool of top coaches also, from which franchise owners will be able to pick and chose.”
Michael Edwards is now reportedly holding internal discussions about signing a replacement for the injured Alexander Isak for Liverpool in the January transfer window.
Liverpool discussing Isak replacement
Isak’s injury couldn’t have been timed much worse. Liverpool are already without Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah through injury and AFCON duties, which mean that Isak’s injury has left them scrambling for attacking options.
Arne Slot was far from happy with Micky van de Ven’s challenge, which injured Isak in the process of the Swede’s second Premier League goal for the club last weekend, telling reporters: “It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months. It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.
Liverpool now in "talks" to sign £85,000-a-week Semenyo alternative in January
The Reds look set to miss out on Semenyo.
3 ByTom Cunningham
“This was, for me, a reckless challenge. I’ve said a lot about the tackle of Xavi Simons (who was sent off dragging his studs down the calf of Virgil van Dijk) which for me was completely unintentional.
“I don’t think you will ever get an injury out of a tackle like that. But the tackle of Van de Ven, if you make a tackle like that 10 times, 10 times there is a serious chance the player gets a serious injury.”
The Dutchman has now been left to find attacking solutions just as the January transfer window arrives. To that end, it remains to be seen just how busy Liverpool will be.
Given Isak’s injury, an attacking additions seems like a must if the Reds are to turn their season around, but a move for Antoine Semenyo now looks off the table.
Liverpool had been chasing his signature alongside the majority of the Premier League’s top clubs, but the Bournemouth star has reportedly chosen a move to Manchester City in January instead.
Back to square one, Edwards is now reportedly discussing the possibility of signing Goncalo Ramos next month, according to Caught Offside.
Edwards discussing Goncalo Ramos deal
The Reds are reportedly eyeing a six-month loan deal for the PSG forward, who has started just eight of 16 Ligue 1 games for the French side so far this season – scoring four goals in the process.
Whether PSG allow the Portugal international to leave on loan is the big question. Whilst he’s not first-choice, Liverpool will know themselves just how important squad depth is for sides competing for several honours.
Manager Luis Enrique is certainly fond of Ramos too, having told reporters back in May when the forward netted a hat-trick against Montpellier: “He’s a wonderful player, capable of very high performances.
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“If he plays a minute, he plays it very well. If he’s not on the pitch, he still helps the team. And today, he came into the starting eleven and scored three goals. So he’s a player who always performs at his best, and I would call him a guarantee.”
When it comes to replacing Isak whilst he remains sidelined, Ramos should be at the top of Liverpool’s shortlist given his experience at the top level.
The Sri Lanka selectors have kept Marvan Atapattu on the tour of Australia to minimise disruption for the team, but will take “the necessary disciplinary action” when they return home. SLC issued the statement on Tuesday, following a committee meeting, which said they felt “distressed and disappointed”.Atapattu, then, will be considered for the second and final Test which begins this Friday in Hobart. His tour was in jeopardy when he called the selectors “muppets headed by a joker” in a press conference during his first Test since 2005, in Brisbane this week. Whether he will now be considered for the home Test series against England which follows remains to be seen.SLC said in their statement: “Sri Lanka Cricket does not wish to disrupt the ongoing tour of Australia, especially as the second Test in Hobart will commence on November 16. However, Sri Lanka Cricket is very distressed and disappointed about the statements made by Marvan Atapattu on the selectors and Sri Lanka Cricket – and will take necessary disciplinary action on his return to Sri Lanka.”The captain Mahela Jayawardene had joined Trevor Bayliss, Sri Lanka’s coach, in support of Atapattu. “He’s worked really hard in the three to four weeks he has been with us,” Jayawardene said. “His contributions at team meetings, in the dressing room and off the field have been brilliant.”Bayliss added: “The way he batted in this match, he was one of our better players in the first innings. He’s batted well in the warm-up games as well and he is an important part of the set up at the moment. The comments he made didn’t have any effect on his involvement in the team whatsoever.”
Vijay Dahiya, the veteran Delhi wicketkeeper who played two Tests and 19 ODIs for India, has retired from all forms of cricket after a 15-year career. In a sudden decision, Dahiya informed the Delhi District Cricket Association of his retirement just four days after he sat out Delhi’s Ranji Trophy match against Baroda at the Feroz Shah Kotla.Speaking to , Dahiya, 33, said that a hand injury forced the decision midway through the domestic season. “I know what I am doing but my hand just gave away. I know my body well and I am happy that I came back and proved a point to my critics. And I am leaving when the team is on a high,” he said. “I can rest and then come back but then I will not be fair on this young boy [Puneet Bisht, the rookie ‘keeper] too because then even I am not letting him settle also.””I don’t like to sit out and I just wanted to be part of action before I called it quits. So I thought, let me just field and walk back to the dressing room one final time along with my team-mates,” he added. “I always wanted to leave on my terms. Why should I let anybody take away that liberty from me?”Dahiya made his first-class debut against Punjab in 1993-94, and was an integral part of the North Zone team which lifted the Duleep and Deodhar Trophies in 1999-2000, and also captained Delhi for some time. He was called up to the Indian ODI side in late 2000, and was one of five wicketkeepers used by the selectors in a 16-month period. In an ODI against Australia at home in March of 2001, Dahiya slammed a a 39-ball 51 to help set up a match-winning total. It was his only ODI half-century, while in the two Tests he played against Zimbabwe in 2000, he only got the opportunity to bat once.Dahiya took a break from the game last year – he informed the DDCA that he “need not be considered” for selection so as to make room for a younger player – but returned this year. He began his Ranji season with a fine 152, his highest first-class score, against Tamil Nadu that bailed Delhi out of trouble, and effected a stumping against Uttar Pradesh’s Praveen Kumar that helped his side gain a vital first-innings lead. He informed Arun Jaitley, the DDCA president, about his decision on Sunday, but there was no press conference or benefit match.
Ehsan Mani, the ICC president, said on Wednesday that Asia could only host the 2011 World Cup if Australia didn’t make a bid for organising the mega event.”The ICC has decided under a rotation policy that every third World Cup would be held in Asia. In 2011 it’s the turn of Australia to host the event but they’ve not yet decided on what to do. If they say no then Asia can bid for the tournament,” said Mani.The next World Cup is due to be held in the West Indies in 2007 and Mani said the ICC had sent all the relevant documents and papers for the 2011 edition to the Australian cricket board who’ll now take their time and convey their decision to the ICC. James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s (CA) chief executive, said last week his board had not decided about hosting the World Cup while the Indian and Pakistan boards have indicated their willingness to organise the coveted event. Of the eight World Cups, Asia has hosted two – in 1987 when Australia won – and in 1996 when Sri Lanka won.Mani said even if Asia could not host the World Cup in 2011 it would automatically do so in 2015 under the rotation policy. “India has shown its interest and so has Pakistan. But personally if possible I would like to see the 2011 World Cup being hosted jointly by the four Asian Test-playing nations – Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It would be something to look forward to and give the game a big boost,” he stated.Mani said no deadline had been set for Australia to confirm their willingness to host the tournament. He added that the ICC would handle all the finances of the World Cup while the host country would be providing the facilities and technical support, saying, “We expect from the World Cup hosts to provide the best playing facilities, good coordination with the local authorities, assuring anti-piracy and exemption from taxes. Prevention of ambush marketing, sponsorships and related issues are handled by the ICC.”Taxes have been a major issue when it comes to India hosting international events as nearly 44 World Cup 1996 cases are pending in the country’s supreme court.
Matthew Hoggard was left rueing England’s misfortune with the weather at the close of the second day’s play, after a bold overnight declaration backfired to allow South Africa back into the game. By the close, they trailed by just 105 runs, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century from Herschelle Gibbs."That was a change of fortune with the weather," said Hoggard. "When it was overcast, the wicket was doing things, but then 20 minutes [after we declared], the sun came out. It’s evenly poised now, but if South Africa get past our score, it’ll be a bit of a dogfight in the last innings. But hopefully we’ll get four quick wickets and put the pressure back on them."A tough day for England’s bowlers was made even more arduous when Steve Harmison pulled up in the middle of his 13th over, suffering from pain at the top of his left calf. "Harmo’s been our leading bowler all year, so it was a massive blow," admitted Hoggard. "But we just had to pull our socks up and get on with it."I wasn’t too tired by the end," he insisted, adding that he had picked up four wickets despite bowling as badly as he has done all tour. "My energy levels were good, but unfortunately the fluid in my body disappeared and I was shuffling in with cramp. The altitude doesn’t help, and it’s been a long day with an extra half-hour at the start and half-an-hour at the end, but it was the worst I’ve bowled all tour, so to get four wickets, I’m quite happy."Hoggard had some words of encouragement for James Anderson as well, who came into the Test as a late replacement for Simon Jones, and bowled without much rhythm, having not had any opportunity to play competitively for more than a month. "He bowled a few wides at the end of his spell, but it’s hard to come straight from the nets, so he’s done really well and there are no worries about how he bowled. I tried to impart my words of wisdom, for what they’re worth, and tried to keep his spirits up."The afternoon session included a controversial catch at slip for Marcus Trescothick, who removed Boeta Dippenaar for a duck, even though some commentators openly questioned whether the ball had carried. But Hoggard had no doubts. "Tres says it went straight in and he got his fingers underneath the ball, and really you’ve got to take the fielder’s word for it. He’s a very honest lad and wouldn’t cheat, especially with the cameras about."There was also some puzzlement as to why Ashley Giles only bowled only seven overs, despite England being a seamer short. "It wasn’t a tactical thing," said Hoggard, "but the ball was doing a bit for the seamers. If you get the ball in the right areas there’s something in it, but when the sun comes out, there’s not as much around."We knew it was going to be a hard series," said Hoggard. "South Africa are a competitive side, and we have to keep playing well to beat them. But we’ll put our feet up tonight, and come out refreshed tomorrow."
David Gilbert, CEO, Cricket NSW is pleased to announce the following selections for NSW Under 15’s team to compete in the Australian Female Under 15’s Championships, being held in Victoria from 15-19th December 2003.Martin Garoni, a Regional Cricket Officer with Cricket NSW, is very excited in being the newly appointed NSW Under 15’s coach. Martin says he is "looking forward to taking the team to the Championships in December. The team chosen seems to be well balanced with many exciting young players chosen."Alyssa Healy has been honoured by being chosen as Captain, a remarkable achievement for the 13 year old. It looks as though she is following in the footsteps of her famous uncle, Ian Healy, as a wicketkeeper who will also be opening the batting.The team is as follows: Alyssa Healy (Captain) Epping Ashleigh Campbell (Vice-Captain) Elermore Vale Ashleigh Corby, Bathurst Sarah Coyte, Mount Annan Rhiannon Dick, Revesby Ashleigh Endacott, Castle Hill Alex Julien, Roseville Lucy Kensit, Surry Hills Corinne Loader, Ingleburn Erin Osborne, South Tamworth Ellyse Perry, West Pymble Renee Rollason, Bega Melissa Van Der Reyden, Bligh Park Coach: Martin Garoni Manager: Sally CurryNSW will also be sending the following 6 players to the Championship in the Combined Victoria/NSW Invitational Team: Mary-Anne Germanos, Burwood Meghann Lanning, Thornleigh Brodie Neems, Hamlyn Terrace Connie Osbourne, Bolwarra Heights Melissa Penman, Revesby Hannah Perry, Bateau Bay
If it stops raining here by tomorrow morning, the second tri-series final will go ahead as scheduled, according to Sydney Cricket Ground curator Tom Parker.”If the rain stopped at 9am tomorrow it would help us immensely,” Parker said on the eve of the second final between South Africa and New Zealand.”What we need is the rain to stop – we need that something terrible.”However, that looked unlikely, with the forecasters predicting thunderstorms tomorrow.If the rain continued through the day, Parker said it would then be up to the match referee and umpires to decided on a cancellation.There must be 25 overs per side to constitute a game, meaning play can start as late as 6pm.If the match was called-off, Sunday’s scheduled third final would be the deciding match in the series.The forecast for Sunday is for the sun to break through.Parker admitted he’d been through the toughest week of his life as a groundsman with his staff working around the clock for the past two days to get the pitch ready.Groundstaff have been working under a marquee which measures 30 metres by 10 metres and Parker said the tent had kept the pitch dry.”It’s the hardest job I’ve had – it’s something unique making a wicket under a marquee.”He said there was no danger of the pitch being under-prepared.”There’s no way it’ll be dangerous at all. If anything it’ll play a little slow and a little low – I term it playable at this stage,” Parker said.”Everything’s up to scratch at the moment but it’s been a big battle for us over the past few days.”We’ve been working 24 hours a day to get a wicket ready. At the moment the wicket itself is very dry and very flat and devoid of grass.”
An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 67 between Craig Light and Mark Lavine lifted North West out of a spot of trouble on the rain-curtailed first day of this match, after the home side, put into bat, had collapsed from 40 without loss to 76 for four.Lavine, with a typically belligerent 48 off 52 balls, including five fours and two sixes, and Light, with a far more sedate 19, took the home side to 143 for four after heavy rain had ensured that play would only start at 3pm and just 48 overs of a scheduled 104 would be possible.Riaan Niewoudt, who made 35 on his first class debut, and Gary Outram put together a solid first-wicket stand of 40, but that was where the wickets began to tumble, with the much-vaunted Northerns pace trio of Steve Elworthy, Greg Smith and David Townsend all chipping in. Smith was the most successful, ending the day with two for 19 from 12 overs.North West currently lie fourth in their section of the competition and will qualify for the Super Eight phase if they prevent Griquas, struggling against Boland on day one, from overtaking them. Lavine’s efforts mean they are within seven runs of a first batting bonus point, with 52 overs left to pile up points. Should he stay in for any length of time on Saturday, a good number should come their way.