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Everything you need to know about England and Chelsea winger Noni Madueke!

Noni Madueke is an English professional football player who plays as a winger and attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England U21 side. He was born in London, England on March 10, 2002.

Madueke began his football career at Crystal Palace's academy at the age of nine, before making a move to fellow London club Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 12. He played for Spurs' U16 and U18 sides, even captaining the former, before making a switch to Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in 2018.

After playing in PSV Eindhoven's academy for two years, he made his debut for their senior team in 2020 during a 1-1 draw with VVV-Venlo. The 2020-21 season saw Madueke break into PSV's first team and become a regular starter, ending with nine goals and eight assists in 32 games. The next campaign saw him again produce impressive performances, particularly an impressive display against rivals Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield.

As a result, he began gaining interest from bigger European clubs, and on January 20, 2023, Madueke completed a €35m move to Premier League giants Chelsea on a seven-and-a-half-year contract. While he hasn't become a regular starter with the Blues, he has impressed in short spells and could make the breakthrough into the first team next season.

Madueke hasn't yet earned a senior cap for the England national team, however, he has represented them at the U17, U18, and U21 levels. The Chelsea winger scored his first goal for the U21 side in a 4-0 friendly win over France.

Here are 13 fun facts about Noni Madueke you need to know.

Early beginnings at Chelsea's rivals

While he now plays for their London rivals Chelsea, Madueke had an early beginning to his football career with Crystal Palace at the age of nine, playing three years in their academy, before moving on to another of the Blues rival Tottenham Hotspur.

At Tottenham Hotspur, Madueke was quick to move through their youth levels, captaining the U16 side and representing the U18 side at the age of 15 years old. In 2018 he would leave Spurs to join PSV Eindhoven for more first-team opportunities.

AdvertisementNigerian heritage

While Madueke was born and brought up in England and has also represented them at youth level, he also has Nigerian heritage running in his blood, inherited from his parents whose descent can be traced back to Nigeria.

In fact, he can still represent Nigeria since he doesn't have a senior cap with England, and the African nation is interested in him representing them since his academy days.

Used to be a central midfielder

While Madueke has made a name for himself as one of the most exciting prospects on the wing currently in world football. During his academy days, he used to play as a central midfielder primarily. It was only at the age of 16 that the future Chelsea winger transitioned to playing as a part of the forward line.

Who knows maybe if Madueke decides to go back to being a central midfielder, Chelsea will find the creative outlet they have been lacking in the centre of the field!

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GettyLooks up to Cristiano Ronaldo

When asked about the player he looks up to the most from childhood, Madueke like many other young footballers, named Manchester United legend and Al-Nassr ace Cristiano Ronaldo.

The English winger stated in an interview with Sky Sports that he adopted his attitude from Ronaldo and wants to be confident while also backing it up on the pitch with his performances like his idol.

It's happening again. Cristiano Ronaldo wants out, thus throwing the club's summer transfer plan into utter disarray. For Juventus 2021, read Manchester United 2022.

This time last year, Ronaldo was castigating the media for reporting – correctly – that he was determined to leave Turin.

And yet, just four days before the close of the transfer window, he joined United.

Then-Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini blamed the club's slow start to the season on the chaos caused by Cristiano's eleventh-hour exit.

"It would have been better for us if he had left earlier," the centre-half told last September.

"We paid something for it, a little bit of a shock, we paid something for it in terms of points. If he had left earlier, we would have had time to prepare better."

United must now fear the same 'Ronaldo effect'. Their pre-season preparations are going well, at least, though nobody is yet sure if that's because of Ronaldo's unavailability, or in spite of it.

Not even new boss Erik ten Hag. On the one hand, the Dutchman has insisted that Ronaldo is capable of playing the high-pressing game he wants to implement at Old Trafford. And yet, on the other, he has argued that a coach must adapt to his players.

What we do know for certain, though, is that Ronaldo has made an untimely mess at United.

As GOAL has already revealed, Ten Hag did not expect to have to go looking for a new forward this summer; he thought the search could be delayed until January at the earliest.

Ronaldo's transfer request has changed everything, though, generating nothing but further unrest and uncertainty.

Seeing Erling Haaland join Manchester City was bad enough for United but then they were beaten to the signing of Darwin Nunez by Liverpool, meaning there is a serious dearth of attacking options on the market right now.

However, there's no guarantee that Ronaldo will get the move he wants.

Indeed, the big difference between United's current predicament, and the situation Juve found themselves in last season, is that there is no obvious buyer for the 37-year-old.

Ronaldo may be renowned for his sense of timing but he and his agent, Jorge Mendes, appear to have got this call badly wrong.

The Portuguese is obviously used to getting what he wants – and what he wants is to continue playing for a Champions League contender.

United won't even be in the competition next season and as soon as it became clear that a top-four finish was beyond them, Mendes really needed to have a new club lined up for his No.1 client.

Because, right now, less than a fortnight before the start of the season, not one member of Europe's elite is presently in a position to offer Ronaldo a way out of Old Trafford.

As GOAL explains below, the top nine sides in next season's Champions League can't afford the five-time Ballon d'Or winner or, even more damningly, just don't want him…

Getty Images9Atletico Madrid

It has been reported in recent days that Ronaldo could join Atletico Madrid, which is surprising for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Ronaldo used to play for the Rojiblancos' great rivals Real and has plenty of previous with the club's fans, having most famously mocked them over his superior tally of European Cup wins with a five-fingered salute after a Juve loss at the Wanda Metropolitano a few years back.

Secondly, he would appear wholly unsuited to playing under Diego Simeone, who demands that his team defends from the front.

Thirdly, and far more importantly, Ronaldo's wage demands would represent a significant obstacle to any hopes Atletico may have of signing Real's all-time leading goalscorer.

And yet, in spite of all these hurdles, this is arguably the most feasible transfer – which tells you much about Ronaldo's lack of options right now.

AdvertisementGetty Images8Juventus

Juve's Ronaldo gamble did not pay off. He may have delivered on his end, breaking a succession of scoring records, as well as boosting the Bianconeri brand.

But Ronaldo failed to deliver Juventus a Champions League – or vice versa, depending on your viewpoint.

The net result is that, as already mentioned, the frustrated forward left the club in the lurch, giving them next to no time to find an adequate replacement.

Juve belatedly moved on in January, though, making a massive financial investment on Dusan Vlahovic, whom they believe to be a generational goalscoring talent in the same bracket as Erling Haaland.

Given the Old Lady is now partaking in some serious book-balancing – Paulo Dybala was released in unceremonious circumstances, while Matthijs de Ligt has just been sold to Bayern Munich – there is no chance of Ronaldo returning to Turin.

(C)Getty Images7Paris Saint-Germain

Could a space soon open up on the left-hand side of the PSG attack? Well, as GOAL has already reported, they are willing to listen to offers for Neymar.

However, Neymar is in something of a similar position to Ronaldo: very few sides can actually afford him, given he'd command a massive transfer fee – he only signed a new contract last year until 2025 – and demand a colossal salary.

There's also the fact that the man himself is reluctant to move right now, given he wants to focus solely on Brazil's World Cup campaign.

So, unless there's movement on the Neymar front, it's difficult to see PSG adding another gargantuan pay packet to an already bloated wage bill.

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Getty6Barcelona

Barcelona obviously had no issue signing a thirty-something goalscoring phenomenon this summer. It's just that the Catalans wanted Robert Lewandowski instead of Ronaldo.

And they got him, too. They had to mortgage the future of the club to make it happen, of course, but Barca belatedly found a way to sign themselves a superstar striker.

So, even aside from the fact that Ronaldo once revelled in scoring goals against the Blaugrana for former club Real, Xavi is now well-stacked in the attacking department going into the 2022-23 campaign, given Raphinha has also arrived from Leeds, while Ousmane Dembele has extended his stay at Camp Nou.

Barca may be renowned for making nonsensical moves in the transfer market but signing Ronaldo would be ridiculous right now, even for them.

With the teams going through to the semi-finals and as many sides exiting the competition, GOAL picks out the best and most underwhelming individual …

BackpagepixAfcon 2021

The quarter-finals concluded on Sunday night, with Senegal ending Equatorial Guinea’s journey in Cameroon.

With the last eight now over, which players flourished for their sides and who failed to deliver?

AdvertisementGetty ImagesToo Good: Karl Toko Ekambi

While Vincent Aboubakar had dominated headlines heading into Saturday’s clash with The Gambia, it was Toko Ekambi who flourished to win the game for the Indomitable Lions.

The Lyon attacker netted two second-half strikes to seal a 2-0 success and take the hosts into a mouth-watering semi-final meeting with seven-time winners Egypt.

His latest brace at the finals takes him to five goals, outscoring everyone but Aboubakar.

Getty ImagesToo Bad: Vincent Aboubakar

The tournament’s top scorer went into Cameroon’s last eight fixture seeking another strike to become the first player in the competition’s history to score in his team’s first five games.

However, Aboubakar’s finishing was far from perfect on the day, missing a series of opportunities to add to his six goals at Afcon 2021.

Undoubtedly, Toni Conceicao will hope his frontman returns to form when they face Egypt in the semis.

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BackpagePix.Too Good: Mohamed Salah

Despite Morocco being the fancied side owing to their performances hitherto the quarters, Egypt picked up a 2-1 comeback victory over the Atlas Lions.

Without Salah, it is hard to see how the Pharaohs will have found a way after falling behind after Sofiane Boufal’s sixth-minute penalty.

The Liverpool superstar equalised eight minutes after half-time and set up substitute Trezeguet in the first half of extra time.

Salah has now been involved in all but one of Egypt’s four goals in Cameroon and they will look to him to get the better of the Indomitable Lions on Thursday.

Zimbabwe’s four-run loss in the first ODI suggests the hosts will continue to competitive against an Indian side missing its senior players

The Preview by Liam Brickhill11-Jul-2015Match factsSunday, 12 July
Start time 0900 local time (0700 GMT)Big pictureIt was expected that the absence of India’s senior players might reduce the gap between India and Zimbabwe in terms of competition, and the first ODI proved to be Zimbabwe’s narrowest ever home defeat. Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s last-over mettle meant Elton Chigumbura never really had the chance to target the boundary, and India will be buoyed by their 1-0 series lead.They will, however, also have a few issues to iron out. Apart from Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny, who shored up the innings with a record 160-run stand, the batting looked docile and the performance of the middle order will be a worry. India’s bowling is in rather better order, and the spin pair of Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel will only gain in potency as the pitches tire in the matches to come.Despite another honourable loss, the margin of defeat suggests Zimbabwe will continue to be competitive. The team balance may be affected by the absence of Tinashe Panyangara, who suffered a minor side strain in the first match and will sit out on Sunday, but Zimbabwe still have the resources to run India close, particularly if their own middle order plays to potential.The new playing conditions didn’t seem to have a huge effect on team tactics on Friday. Both sides kept close-in catchers for most of the match, and India were still able to plunder 90 runs from the last 10 overs despite the presence of five fielders on the boundary. The rules appeared to make it easier to defend a total, however, so the toss may not be as great a factor in these matches as it has been in previous winter series in Zimbabwe.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe: LLLLL
India: WWLLLIn the spotlightAmbati Rayudu clearly enjoys Zimbabwean conditions. He made an emotional half-century on debut here two years ago – his 63 easing India to a six-wicket win – and started this tour in even more impressive fashion. Rayudu weathered Zimbabwe’s spirited charge with the new ball before shifting gears towards the end of the innings, finishing with a career-best 124 not out. His adhesive qualities may well be needed once again as India look to seal the series.Elton Chigumbura has undergone various incarnations in his decade as an international cricketer. He’s batted as low as No. 9 in the one-day side, but when he was shorn of his pace by a back injury in 2006 his batting contributions started to gain importance. Now Zimbabwe’s No. 4, Chigumbura has taken to the move up the order with aplomb. He started with 54 in the first T20 against Pakistan in May, and has now added two centuries in the same position in ODIs.Team newsTinashe Panyangara pulled up short with a side strain in his 10th over in the first ODI and will sit out Sunday’s game. While there isn’t a clear like-for-like replacement in the squad, Prosper Utseya may be an option, especially as he will help Zimbabwe control the middle overs of the innings, where they let things slip in the first match.Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Chamu Chibhabha, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Elton Chigumbura (captain), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Graeme Cremer, 10 Donald Tiripano, 11 Brian Vitori.India have little reason to change their playing XI, and the contingent of middle order hopefuls will be eager to capitalise on another chance to showcase their talent.India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Ajinkya Rahane (captain), 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Robin Uthappa (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Axar Patel, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni.Pitch and conditionsThe first hour will remain a challenging one for batsmen against the new ball, but the opening match showed there was profit in occupying the crease. Without the merest hint of rain about, the pitch will remain dry and is expected to ease out during the day.Stats and trivia Ambati Rayudu has been dismissed only twice in four innings in Zimbabwe and has scored 225 at an average of 112.5. In nine innings at No. 4 for Zimbabwe, Elton Chigumbura has scored 427 runs at an average of 61.00 and a strike rate of 95.73. In the eight ODIs that have been played at Harare Sports Club in the month of July, the average first innings score is 245. Chasing doesn’t seem to be an advantage either, with a 4-4 split in wins batting first and second.Quotes”If we get a chance to bat up front again early in the morning it’s crucial, with the Dukes ball that does swing and seam a bit, that we’ve got to give the bowlers a lot more respect.”
.”Obviously when you play at this level the main thing is to be consistent, and I’m going to try by all means to ride on the way I’m playing at the moment.”

Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum smashed 72 runs in the Powerplay to set up a thrilling last-ball win for Gujarat Lions over Rising Pune Supergiants

The report by Shashank Kishore29-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDwayne Smith hit nine fours and a six in his 37-ball 63 that gave Lions a headstart in a steep chase•BCCIThis match should have never gone down to the last ball. But a combination of poor shot selection and frantic running between the wickets from Gujarat Lions kept the game alive till the end. On a night when Supergiants’ No. 3 Steven Smith scored a century and Dwayne Smith countered with a 37-ball 63, it was birthday boy James Faulkner who sealed Lions’ chase of 196 with three wickets in hand. This win meant Lions consolidated their top spot in the league standings with their sixth win in seven matches.Steven Smith’s surgical placement, fast hands, quick feet and strong wrists fetched him a maiden T20 century that would have been match-winning on most nights. But it was put to shade by Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, who needed only 8.1 overs for a 93-run opening partnership. The blazing start allowed Suresh Raina (34) and DineshKarthik (33) the luxury of playing themselves in and taking the game deep.When Karthik holed out to Ajinkya Rahane at deep midwicket, Lions needed 30 off 22 with seven wickets in hand. But legspinner M Ashwin gave away only four runs in the 18th over, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja were knocked over in the 19th and the pressure mounted.With eight runs to defend, Thisara Perera was given the final over. Faulkner held his shape and swung a leg-side full toss into the square leg boundary. The next delivery was far outside off stump and the second was driven to cover for a single. Raina was bowled off the third ball and Ishan Kishan was run out off the fourth. But Faulkner kept his composure to deliver the finishing blow.The pace was similarly frenetic t the start of the chase. McCullum hammered four boundaries in the third over, from Albie Morkel. Dwayne Smith punished Ashok Dinda and R Ashwin for two fours each as Lions racked up 72 runs in the Powerplay.With his quicks and spinners leaking runs, MS Dhoni turned to Rajat Bhatia whose canny medium pace accounted for McCullum in the ninth over. Dwayne Smith was unfazed, however, swinginganything in his hitting arc to deep midwicket and long-on. With nine fours and a six, there was an air of authority to his batting until he inside-edged a Perera yorker onto his stumps. By then, the equation had been brought down to 81 off 55 balls with eight wickets left. A level-headed half-century stand between Raina and Karthik and a timely cameo from Faulkner finished the game.So Steven Smith ended up on the losing side again. That didn’t look likely when he was toying with the Lions bowlers during a 111-run partnership with Rahane after Supergiants had been put in to bat.Steven Smith made 101 off 54 balls, having built his innings with deft, back-foot flicks and powerful, front-foot drives. With Lions bowling too short and overcompensating later, Smith had straightforward choices to make. The visitors’ generosity peaked in the 10th over when T20 debutant and chinaman bowler Shivil Kaushik bowled Steven Smith off a no-ball and the resulting free-hit lofted for six.Then Rahane, like his new opening partner Saurabh Tiwary, was brilliantly run-out to leave Supergiants at 124 for 2 in the 14th over. Dhoni came in and slugged an unbeaten 30 off 18 to push the total towards 200, which should have been match-winning but Supergiants wilted under pressure.

Chases do not come easier than the 106 Middlesex asked Surrey to knock off and the hosts did not have to break sweat in ensuring success

Will Macpherson at Kia Oval03-Jul-2015
ScorecardKumar Sangakkara saw Surrey home in a small chase•PA PhotosMany very real battles took place at the Kia Oval on Friday night. Spectators battled end-of-week queues on tubes and roads to make it into the ground, then further queues to make it to the equally congested bars. Stewards battled those spectators as they grew restless and unruly, sculpting their beer snakes and shouting their chants.The crowd – barely a spare seat was visible – can claim emphatic victories in both. That they then stuck around in their thousands at play’s end to watch and cheer some of their number sprint across the outfield – battling, as ever, those unfortunate, officious stewards – suggested that they felt somewhat shortchanged by the action in the middle.Out in the middle, either side of the “mascot derby” – adults dressed as furry animals from sports club across London and perhaps the closest the crowd came to seeing actual sport – came the cricket. Chases do not come easier than the 106 Middlesex asked Surrey to knock off and the hosts were not about to break sweat in ensuring success. Middlesex were abject, for the second time in as many days, and have a seventh consecutive defeat in the format to show for it.Insights

Zafar Ansari produced the sort of intelligent containing bowling performance that explains quite why he is so highly regarded in South London and beyond. Brought into the attack with Gubbins and Malan set and just after Batty’s first over had cost 12, Ansari dried things up and picked up three crucial wickets too. He varied his flight and pace and bowled just short of a hittable length that meant his 24 deliveries yielded 17 singles and seven dots, including those three scalps.

The similarities with their defeat to Sussex across town on Thursday were striking. Once again they batted first, lost wickets frequently, failed to clear the rope enough – seven times to Thursday’s nine – and posted a target wildly under par. They did not score a boundary in the final 80 deliveries of their 120, and no batsman outside of their top three managed it. Sussex beat them with 28 balls to spare, Surrey 32.Surrey must take some credit. They fielded like hawks and bowled parsimoniously, giving Middlesex no rope. The sight of Kumar Sangakkara, 38 this year and a wicketkeeper by trade, haring round from long-off, diving full stretch and flicking the ball up to James Burke in order to save two runs off the bowling of Sam Curran just about epitomised Surrey’s effort.Middlesex’s start did not tell of the inadequacy to come. The runs didn’t flow, but wickets didn’t tumble. Paul Stirling skied Sam Curran to Zafar Ansari at cover before Dawid Malan, who pulled with disdain, shared 40 with the organised Nick Gubbins, who pulled then cut Burke for boundaries. The pair ran sharply as Malan looked to dominate but never quite could, carting Gareth Batty for a cow-bound six in his first over nevertheless.But when Ansari joined Batty in the attack the runs dried up and the rot set in. Gubbins skied the first ball of Batty’s second when trying to follow Malan to the short cow fence, taking on a strong breeze that held it up and saw him caught. Even then, a handy enough platform had been laid at 55 for 2.Eoin Morgan scratched and couldn’t settle before being bowled by Ansari as Middlesex contrived to lose six wickets for 13 runs and end all hopes of a contest. Simpson was bowled by Batty, Malan – who had acted as the innings’ glue – sent Ansari straight to long-on and Neil Dexter attempted to turn a sharp turner to leg next ball and was bowled. Ansari was outstanding, varying his lengths trickily to make each delivery tough to hit.Young bowlers – men who should not be required to bat in a game this short – Harry Podmore and Ravi Patel saw the line and were determined to limp over it, taking Middlesex to the last over with a series of singles and the occasional two before the latter was castled by Tom Curran. It had been a sorry showing indeed.In reply, Jason Roy did as Jason Roy does, but Surrey were in no hurry. He flashed through off and attempted a switch hit, while his pinch-hitting partner Tom Curran – perhaps a permanent fixture up top in this format now – sent Gurjit Sandhu over long-off for six. He then moved to 16 with a French cut off Podmore, who gained his revenge by bowling him four balls later. Roy would follow, also bowled, attempting an audacious ramp.Wise old heads Sangakkara and Gary Wilson new they needn’t rush. Sangakkara strolled to 12 off 17 before hunting Patel. There was a sweep for four, a bunt over long-on for six and a pulled four. Stirling and Malan were given a bowl as the action wound down and the crowd ramped up, both were dispatched by Sangakkara and the game was up. Middlesex can forget this competition once more but Surrey – up to sixth now – might just be on the charge.

Chris Gayle took his run tally in three NatWest T20 Blast innings for Somerset to 328 as his side beat Hampshire by eight wickets in front of a sell-out 6,500 Taunton crowd.

ECB/PA05-Jun-2015
ScorecardChris Gayle’s imperious form continued•Getty ImagesChris Gayle took his run tally in three NatWest T20 Blast innings for Somerset to 328 as his side beat Hampshire by eight wickets in front of a sell-out 6,500 Taunton crowd. The hosts reached a modest target of 168 with nine balls to spare, Gayle blasting an unbeaten 85 off 49 balls, with eight sixes and four fours, and Peter Trego 51.James Vince cracked an unbeaten 64 off 53 balls to help Hampshire to 167 for 3 after winning the toss, Sean Ervine contributing 30 at the death. But it never looked likely to be enough in excellent batting conditions.The Hampshire innings featured only two sixes on one of the smaller grounds on the county circuit. Both were hit over deep square, by Owais Shah in the 14th over and Sean Ervine in the 19th. By the end of the six overs of Powerplay the visitors were 51 for 1, having just lost Michael Carberry for 20 to a well-judged catch by James Hildreth on the square-leg boundary off Sohail Tanvir.Vince, who survived a stumping chance on 34, was never able to totally cut loose, but reached his half-century off 44 balls, with 6 fours, while Ervine provided some necessary late acceleration with a 17-ball cameo.Insights

Hampshire scored 47 runs off the final four overs yet still recorded a total that was proven to be under-par. Given that Hampshire lost only three wickets and all five of their batsman got in and got to double-figures they should have got closer to a match-winning score with the bat. Ultimately 6 overs of only 5 runs or less cost Hampshire, but so too did not having Gayle, whose brilliance made Hampshire’s score far worse than it was.

Jim Allenby was the pick of the Somerset bowlers, surprisingly bowling only three overs for 11 runs and the wicket of Shah, caught at midwicket for 16 with the total on 113. By then Hampshire had also lost Jimmy Adams for 23, including four fours, a victim for Lewis Gregory, and Somerset could feel well satisfied with their bowling efforts in bright sunshine.The home side’s reply got off to a poor start when Marcus Trescothick, having faced five dot balls in the second over from Fidel Edwards, top-edged the sixth to third-man and departed for a single with the score on six.After four overs Somerset were becalmed on 17 for 1, thanks to a lively opening spell from Edwards. But Gayle got the scoreboard moving with two sixes and a four off Chris Wood. Even so, it was only 38 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay. Trego had been dropped on six by Shah at midwicket off Wood and was soon making Hampshire pay with sixes off Danny Briggs and Will Smith.Trego, the powerful allrounder outscored Gayle to move to his half-century off 32 balls, with seven fours and two sixes, before top-edging a catch to wicketkeeper Adam Wheater off Briggs. That over had also seen Gayle dropped on 36. The West Indies star was given another life by Smith off his own bowling in the next over and promptly hit the next delivery for his fifth six.The sixth, a soaring straight hit, saw Gayle reach a 36-ball half-century after which the result was never in doubt. He ended the match with yet another maximum, punching the air in delight at another seemingly effortless display.”I’ll be having a few ciders with the lads to celebrate,” Somerset match-winner Gayle said. “It was an important win for the team in the group because now we have two victories from four games and I’m delighted to scored some more runs. The crowd pumped me up at the end and I was able to finish the game with the six they were calling for. I love the atmosphere at Taunton and I’m looking forward to another home match against Surrey before I leave. I’m sorry my time here is so short because things could hardly have gone better. It was good team performance today. We bowled and fielded well.”Hampshire director of cricket Giles White said: “The crowd came to see Gayle and were royally entertained by a fantastic innings. From our point of view, we felt we were 15 runs short because Somerset bowled particularly well and then we failed to take our chances in the field, dropping both Trego and Gayle at vital times.”

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said that their World Cup preparation has amounted to nothing after going down to Ireland by four wickets in Sydney on Thursday

Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2015Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said that their World Cup preparation has amounted to nothing after going down to Ireland by four wickets in Sydney on Thursday. He questioned the players’ approach towards the practice matches, having lost all four since arriving in Australia on January 26.Mashrafe called his side “inconsistent” and felt that some players did not take the matches seriously enough to bring positive results. He believed that they had enough time to become fitter and mentally tuned to what lies ahead in the main event.”In terms of results, we are on zero,” Mashrafe said. “We were practising to get acclimatised here but we haven’t been able to show our level of preparation. We couldn’t win despite playing well against Pakistan. We did very badly against Ireland. We are very inconsistent. I felt that though we trained very carefully and everyone got enough information about the sort of wicket they would face, but we haven’t executed properly.The BCB had arranged for a two-week training camp in Brisbane for adaptating to the conditions early. The camp included two practice matches against Cricket Australia XI on February 3 and 5, both of which Bangladesh lost. They followed that by by losing both their warm-up matches in Sydney, to Pakistan and Ireland.Bangladesh batted first in all four matches but could not bat out the 50 overs and did not cross the 250-run mark in any of the games. While there were at least half-centuries in the first three games, there were none against Ireland, who bowled them out for 189 runs.”I can’t sit here and say that our morale isn’t shaken. To be honest, if we believe in our purpose, we can do good things,” Mashrafe said. “But who amongst us took these two practice matches seriously is my real concern. Even if they took it seriously, they couldn’t execute the plans. If we perform in this vein, it will definitely have an impact in the important matches up ahead. I think we will be better prepared mentally and physically in the main matches. We have five-six days ahead of us. We can’t change our skills during this short time but we have to be mentally and physically ready.”Mashrafe said that the defeats don’t bode well for the team but could turn into motivation if taken in the right spirit. He said that their batting performance against Pakistan pleased him, but the one against Ireland showed that the team is not mentally geared up.”It would have been much better had we won any one of the practice matches,” he said. “It is not a good sign for our team, but I believe that we can turn around. I hope these defeats have hurt everyone in the team. It should. In which case, good results are a matter of time.”I was personally quite happy that we had made 240-odd against Pakistan’s bowling attack. We have the ability, no doubt about it. But we haven’t been able to prepare mentally. If we can’t settle down mentally, we will suffer badly.”Bangladesh’s preparations ahead of the World Cup have been up for debate ever since it was decided that they would not play any international cricket after wrapping up the 5-0 ODI series win over Zimbabwe on December 1. Apart from Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, all the other World Cup teams played at least two ODIs during this period. Many players, and the coach Chandika Hathurusingha, said that the scheduling would work for the team.When asked what the team management was particularly looking for in the practice matches, Mashrafe replied that it was to gauge how well the newcomers have adapted to Australian conditions during this short time. He maintained that regular players will bat or bowl in their customary roles, though before selecting the team for the Afghanistan game on February 18, he would like to have a closer look at the Manuka Oval pitch.”The specific view point was to see how everyone has progressed,” he said. “We have a lot of new players, so we had to see how they would cope in these conditions. Taskin [Ahmed] and Al-Amin [Hossain] took the new ball today because they may be required to bowl that early in some stage of the tournament. We shuffled the batting order too, to see how a batsman would react to different situations.”Those who have regularly played in a certain position or role will continue to do so. Right combination is important to know which playing XI will take the field in a certain match. But we can’t say anything without seeing the wicket. We heard that it will be flat in Canberra. We are seeing different wickets in Brisbane and here in Sydney.”

England’s newest one-day captain, James Taylor, may only be in the job for one game but he is hopeful of having a more lasting role to play in revitalising the team

Alan Gardner29-Apr-2015England’s newest one-day captain, James Taylor, may only be in the job for one game but he is hopeful of having a more lasting role to play in revitalising the team. Taylor has been appointed to lead a young and experimental side against Ireland next week and, although he is far from established as an ODI player, it serves as further confirmation of his leadership potential.Taylor conceded that England’s dismal World Cup, where they went out at the group stage, was proof they “weren’t good enough” at 50-over cricket in its modern, T20-flavoured incarnation but he believes that the players picked to face Ireland can help dispel widespread disillusionment. Taylor is one of only three World Cup squad members involved, although that is largely down to the majority being unavailable due to England’s Test tour of the Caribbean.The result is an XI that could feature six debutants, among them talents such as Sam Billings of Kent, a bequiffed wicketkeeper with a penchant for hitting sixes, David Willey, Northamptonshire’s rugged, left-arm seam-bowling allrounder, and the languid Hampshire strokemaker James Vince. The future, according to Taylor, starts now.”I think the results in the World Cup showed that we definitely weren’t good enough but we know that we’ve got the individuals to be way better than we were,” he said. “It was disappointing individuals didn’t stand up and perform like we could but we know we’ve got the talent to play against the best and perform against the best – consistently, that’s the key.”The guys around the England team are really exciting, we’ve seen how well the Test team are doing, so we know we’ve got the talent and it’s up to us to perform. There are some exciting young guys around the team and I’m leading a number of them out next Friday. I think it is a bright future for England and we’ve got to start now and be as positive as we can and get everybody behind us.”With Eoin Morgan absent at the IPL, Taylor confirmed he had not been appointed as “the one” but he has surely become used to England playing hard to get. It is six years since Taylor was named the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Player of the Year, aged 19, and four since he made his England debut, also against Ireland in Dublin.In that time, he has played two Tests and 17 ODIs – 15 of which have come since December, when he finally broke into the one-day side. Having captained Leicestershire at the age of 20, taken charge of Nottinghamshire’s limited-overs sides and led England Lions more times than some players have played for them, he will now get the chance to captain in a senior international. “I doubt it’s quite the same feeling as it would be if I was the one, if you know what I mean,” Taylor said. “But never mind that, it was still a huge thrill to hear that I’d been chosen.”Taylor was given the added responsibility in 50-over and T20 cricket at Nottinghamshire last season, with his coach, Mick Newell, identifying him as the natural successor to Chris Read. Newell’s role on the England selection panel therefore gave Taylor an advocate who knows him well.”It’s well deserved in terms of the work he’s put in, both as a batsman and as a captain with Notts and the England Lions,” Newell said. “He was a fairly obvious choice to captain this team and I’ve got absolutely no doubt he’s up to the job. He’s also the sort of person that seems to respond to extra responsibility with a better level of performance.”Morgan has only been in possession of the ODI captaincy for a few months and England have not yet signalled any intention to end his reign by eliding it into the inevitable post-World Cup perestroika but, if leadership candidates are being sought, Taylor has emerged as a leading candidate.Joe Root has carried the “Future England Captain” tag for most of the two-and-a-half years since his debut – and there have been suggestions that he could replace Morgan this summer – while Jos Buttler was named vice-captain before the World Cup. Taylor has more captaincy experience than both but he understandably wants to focus on firming up his place in the side, during what could be a period of flux.”It’s not something that I’m thinking about massively at the moment. At the forefront of my mind it’s getting in that side and getting a settled position, and scoring runs and winning games for England. It’s an exciting future, there’s some good young players around and I want to be in the mix there.”It’s something I enjoy doing, taking the added responsibility and leading from the front. I feel I’ve got a lot to offer in terms of the tactical nous behind the game but also leading with the bat – it’s something that I’ve done well when I’ve been captain, I’ve scored probably the most runs I’ve scored, so I like that added responsibility and pressure.”Having forced his way into England’s one-day side in Sri Lanka, hitting 90 at No. 3 after another captain, the soon-to-be-discarded Alastair Cook, was suspended for a slow over rate, Taylor was then shunted down the order to No. 6 as part of the last-minute changes that seemed to destabilise the World Cup campaign – and still he produced one of England’s more memorable performances, with an unbeaten 98 against Australia at the MCG. Taylor has yet to play an ODI at home but, after the trip to Dublin, England will host series against the World Cup finalists, Australia and New Zealand.He might be something of a fun-sized batsman but the fun has been distinctly lacking from England’s one-day cricket. Can Taylor help raise a few smiles this summer?”I’d love to do that. It’s up to the young guys to keep improving, keep performing on the big stage. I want to do that, I’ve done it in bits and bobs, in the World Cup and Sri Lanka. It’s something I’m excited to do, I love playing for England, love playing on the international stage. It’s real good fun when I’m out there and I want it to continue.”

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has said that West Indies cricket has been “messed up” by T20 cricket, creating a situation where playing Tests for the country did not seem to be a paramount goal for players

Firdose Moonda03-Jan-2015Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has said that West Indies cricket has been “messed up” by the T20 format, creating a situation where playing Tests for the country did not seem to be a paramount goal for players.Speaking at the Annual New Year’s lecture in Cape Town, which is also hosting the third Test between South Africa and West Indies, Lloyd said that the ICC needed to be stronger and that the game could not be ruled by only three countries – a reference to the governance and financial restructuring of the ICC cricket’s governing body, which took place last year and was based on changes devised by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and the ECB.”They [the players] earn a good wage and that’s the situation that they have. They have the choice to play Test cricket or T20,” Lloyd, who is head of the West Indies selection panel, said. “We are small islands and if you get a whole host of money, you are a king. This T20 competition has messed our cricket up.”Someone like Andre Russell, I spoke to him only a month ago and said you can get into our Test side because you are one of the best allrounders in the world. A couple of weeks later he told me he has got a bad knee and could only play one-dayers. It’s such a waste that we have a guy who could be a great cricketer who is now not thinking of playing both formats. We have contracts, probably not as exorbitant as others, but they are getting good money. It doesn’t seem playing for our country is paramount where these players are concerned.Lloyd to SA: Don’t take dominance for granted

As one of the most successful captains in cricket and a leader of a side that dominated their era, Clive Lloyd offered a few words of advice for South Africa, who are the No. 1 ranked Test team in the world. Lloyd said that South Africa will need to maintain a high standard of domestic cricket and that administrators should ensure that the game benefits from all new forms of technology and innovation.
“I am hesitant to offer advice to a nation that sits atop world cricket. My first bit of advice is not to take one’s dominance for granted the continued success of a team is to plan for the future,” Lloyd said. “The West Indies made the mistake of believing we had an endless supply of cricketers and fast bowlers. A high standard of domestic cricket needs to be maintained to ensure continued success at this level.
“The administrators and managers are absolutely necessary. The administration must ensure the cricket being played benefits from all the new innovations and technology, and nothing is done to undermine the administration of cricket.
“There has been a concept that cricket should be left to people with managerial skills. I believe strongly the involvement of cricketers is necessary.
“It is my dream that West Indies recover and beat South Africa here and recover its glory. In the future, I see a South Africa that remains strong, competitive and contributing to the development of the game. I also see a strong West Indies, bringing its particular genius to a part of the world.”

“I don’t think there is any cricketer who should strike for money now because they are well paid. We have to impart to our young people the importance of playing for your country. Money is a subsidiary of success.”Lloyd, who has had stints as an international match referee and as chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, said that the ICC should be running the game and it was important for the governing body to work out a better system of revenue distribution for all countries. The revamp of the ICC last year, based on changes devised by the Indian, Australia and English boards, gave more influence to the three boards. Lloyd also stated that policies like the use of Decision Review System (DRS) should be unanimously followed.”I agree that the ICC must be stronger. It should be like the FIFA or the IOC [International Olympic Committee] – very strong in the things they do. FIFA said when you kick the ball back to the goalkeeper he has got to kick it out. I don’t see Italy and England and France saying we are not playing. We have one team playing without DRS. If we have something it has got to be globally done. Everybody has got to work together.”We can’t have three countries ruling cricket. It can’t be done. It comes back to money. I hope one day everything will come back to normal. I think the ICC should be running cricket. They should say to the highest bidder, television company to send out a tender – saying we want 5 million for so many Test matches for the next couple of years. That money should be distributed either on rankings or equally. That money can be used to run cricket properly. Players can be paid better. If we are saying Test cricket is the highest cricket you can play, you should be paid better. We all have to sit down and work out a better system for all countries.”Lloyd gave the example of West Indies, who could benefit from the distribution of TV revenues: “Where West Indies is concerned, we have a special case. We have to fly everywhere. We can’t drive anywhere. you can’t go by boat either. It’s expensive for West Indies to hold Test series. It’s in high season and we have to compete with that. We can’t fill the stadium. We don’t have the amount of people to do so. Television would help us out in that respect. We would just play cricket and we wouldn’t have any wranglings. We have a system.”Lloyd said that the establishment of a national cricket fund, to aid retired cricketers, is imperative and the fund could be built through proceeds from one game of a Test series, or a percentage of television deals.”In spite of the big contracts a few of our players receive for various T20 tournaments, we must recognise that these are only a few players and it is imperative that a national cricket fund be established,” he said. “We should play a game in every Test series and those proceeds should go to a fund for retired cricketers. When we have television deals, a percentage of that should go to the fund. There are quite a few people who played for their country and I think they should have some remuneration.”