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ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2015Umesh Yadav dismissed Suresh Raina for 8 in the fourth over even as McCullum kept hammering from the other end•BCCIBrad Hogg then left Super Kings in trouble as he removed McCullum and Faf du Plessis in the sixth over, leaving them on 69 for 4•BCCIMS Dhoni was undone by a Piyush Chawla delivery that kept surprising low and Super Kings slipped to 72 for 5 in the seventh over•BCCIRavindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo then put on 57 for the sixth wicket to steady their innings and take them past 125•BCCIJust as Bravo looked to up the ante he was outsmarted by Andre Russell with a slower ball, for a 32-ball 30•BCCIA late blitz from Pawan Negi, with his 27 off 13, helped Super Kings to finish on a competitive 165 for 9•BCCIGautam Gambhir struck two fours during his 19 but was caught at the deep third man off Mohit Sharma, after he put on 33 runs with Robin Uthappa for the opening stand•BCCISuper Kings picked up Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav in a space of six balls but Uthappa teamed up with Russell for the fourth wicket, with the required run rate approaching 10•BCCIRussell struck four sixes and as many fours for his 32-ball 55 while Uthappa was unbeaten with his 58-ball 80 as the home side cruised to a seven-wicket win, with their stand of 112 runs•BCCI

South Africa were not awful on the opening day, but from a position where they had Australia in significant trouble the attack could not ram home the advantage and back Graeme Smith’s decision to bowl

Firdose Moonda at Centurion Park12-Feb-20140:00

Cullinan: Bowlers did not back captain’s decision

At the start of the third over after tea, Morne Morkel presented Steven Smith with the equivalent of ice-cream to a child: a short, wide delivery. There was no third man. Smith gave himself a bit of room, flicked his wrists and ramped the ball to the vacant area. He looked a man in complete control of what he was doing; Morkel, Graeme Smith and South Africa, the opposite.There was nothing they could to about that shot. They did not have a man stationed there, the ball invited it the stroke, the batsman trusted himself to play and it was well-placed. For much of the rest of the afternoon that is what South Africa dealt with from Smith and Shaun Marsh. The pair played meticulously crafted innings on a pitch that became easier to bat on against an attack that did not appear to have as many plan b’s as they said they would.The evidence was there earlier. Before lunch, South Africa used all five frontline bowlers including the specialist spinner. Dale Steyn had bowled four overs, changed ends and bowled some more and there was an instance in which this website’s Jarrod Kimber swears a field was set for a Morne Morkel’s off-side and leg-side plan at the same time.Despite that, they used the short ball well and it earned them two of the three wickets they took in that session and the key one they took afterwards of Michael Clarke. After reducing the opposition to 98 for 4, South Africa had done their bit to justify both Smith’s decision to bowl first, despite his slight uncertainty, and his signal to show intent.Dale Steyn made an impact on the opening day of the Test, but he was hampered by the effects of a stomach bug•Getty ImagesSmith is the captain who has bowled first the most in Test history after winning the toss – 19 times – although he has captained in many more matches than the other skippers. He has taken to doing it more since November 2011 than he did before then, which is the time Gary Kirsten took over and South Africa’s attack began to build the reputation they currently have.Since then, Smith has fielded first five times of the 13 tosses he has won, compared with 11 times in 46 correct coin calls earlier. That’s 14% more of the time and with the bowlers’ recent records, who can blame him? On six of the last seven occasions Smith has won the toss and put his opposition in, South Africa have won the match. That includes two instances at Centurion Park.South Africa bowled India out for 136 in 2010, on a day when rain meant they could only get 38.1 overs in. They bowled Sri Lanka for 180 a year later. They won both matches by an innings.The difference is that this time their opposition was neither India nor Sri Lanka and although Australia’s batsmen had given the impression South African pitches worry them, there was minimal sideways movement to bother them. They also lasted long enough to take advantage of the easier conditions that came as the strip baked in the Highveld heat.That was when Marsh, who was a master at leaving early on, and Steven Smith’s patience paid off. They were able to build something because South Africa could not tear it down.Robin Peterson did not help. He was warned he would be targeted and he did not seem to be doing anything to guard against that. He lacked control and battled to find a proper line. Vernon Philander did not help. His usually miserly fourth stump line and teasing length gave way to a few too wide and a few too short. Ryan McLaren did not help. He offered consistency but nothing special. But what hurt South Africa most was probably Steyn’s illness. Although he bowled more overs than anyone else, he could not reach maximum speed.The sole remaining option was JP Duminy and he was only brought on half an hour after tea in the 63rd over. He stayed on until the second new ball, a 10-over spell in which he posed little threat because he tossed it up generously. That meant the spinners between them conceded 68 runs in 20 overs, without taking a wicket, easily South Africa’s biggest liability on the day.By the time the new ball was available, Steyn and Morkel were interested only in seeing the day out. The eight overs cost 34 runs, with Australia scoring at a quicker rate than they had all day. Fair to say South Africa had had enough by then but that does not mean they will not have refuelled come the morning.Without repeating often stated facts as many times as a Katy Perry song on commercial radio, it is worth reminding you that South Africa’s attack cannot be written off. Two examples are enough to jog the memory: The Oval 2012 and the Wanderers 2013.In the former England went from an overnight score on day one of 267 for 3, with Alastair Cook on an unbeaten century and found themselves 385 all out the next day before South Africa piled on the 637 for 2 and won by an innings. In the latter, India ended the first day on 255 for 5 and lost their remaining batsmen for 35 runs to finish 280 all out, before South Africa pulled off a draw.Steyn made the breakthrough in the first instance and Morkel cleaned up while Morkel struck early in Johannesburg to allow Philander to rip through the tail. Do not be surprised if the trio concoct something similar this time.

Davy Jacobs and Warriors are focusing on the four-day game this summer after two seasons of T20 success.

Firdose Moonda02-Oct-2012When Davy Jacobs returned home from the 2012 IPL, where he played one match for the Mumbai Indians, he did not think he would ever play cricket again.A recurring hip injury had recurred once more and his constant putting off of surgery could not be put off any longer. The first signs that something was wrong came after the 2010 Champions League, when his performance and captaincy of the Warriors saw him earn the IPL contract. Jacobs felt pain in his hip joint but was able to continue playing. The niggle came back during his first IPL, then again through the home summer and the next IPL and Jacobs had to seek treatment.Doctors warned him that he would need a lengthy recovery period and even then, resuming life as a sportsman may not be an option. A few months later, Jacobs was finally ready to take the field again in a first-class match – his first in three seasons – as he tried to limit himself to T20s before that. He returned with a hundred and captained the Warriors to massive upset over the defending champions, the Titans.”It was really special for me because I really thought I was done after the last IPL,” Jacobs told ESPNCricinfo. “When I eventually had the operation it was everything short of a hip replacement. They shaved off bone, the cartilage was gone, it was tough. I was just grateful to be back in the nets a few weeks ago and it was amazing to go to practice. Now, to score a hundred, and be part of a partnership of 200, that was really special.”Both Jacobs and his opening partner, Michael Price, scored centuries in a stand of 201 in the team’s second innings. The Warriors had a lead of 60 before that but their contribution took the match out of the Titans reach. It also showed Jacobs that the team were putting their pre-season plans into action, after they made a conscious decision to target the first-wicket stand as an area of improvement.”It was something we identified as a problem for us in the past and we wanted to find solutions,” Jacobs said. “We thought we would try with me going up the order again after I batted lower down before and try to set up the game from there.”With Jacobs fit and in a familiar position, half the concerns were eased. The other half smoothed out with the inclusion of Price, who returned to cricket in 2009 after retiring at the age of 25. Price played for the Eastern Province amateur side and never quite made it when he decided to call time on his cricket days. In his comeback season, he averaged 47.65 and has scored over 700 runs a season since then. “He is very organised, he knows his game well so we’ve got that area covered now,” Jacobs said.The opening partnership is just one of the things the Warriors hope to get right as they shift focus away from twenty-over cricket, as it has been for the past two seasons, and onto first-class cricket. “Three years ago we made an obvious decision to target the T20 format. It was when the Champions League had just started and we wanted to play in that competition and we did,” Jacobs said. “Now, we’ve gone the other way. The bulk of our planning in the offseason was towards four-day cricket and it’s a priority for us this season.”The Warriors competed in the 2010 and 2011 Champions League but ended last and second last in the first-class competition in the same period. They also lost, rather than drew, more games than any other team.The players they produced for the national team reflected those biases, with Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Rusty Theron (currently recovering from a stress fracture) in shorter versions of the game but none of them making the step up. Jacobs hopes the Warriors will soon produce players who can represent South Africa in all formats, especially as Test stalwart Ashwell Prince forms the core of their line-up.”Colin Ingram has done well for a while and he would like to make the step up, the same for the Smuts brothers, they are exciting players,” Jacobs said. Ingram has yo-yoed in and out of national sides and that could change with consistent performances this season.Others to watch include Gurshwin Rabie, the seam-bowler who took six wickets in the match and Basheer Walters, the quick who enjoyed a five-for. “We’ve got quite a lot of exciting guys around so there’s a lot to look forward to this season,” Jacobs said.

The Sri Lankan left-arm spinner kept his head, and his line and length, in the face of the onslaught from the Indians

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2009On landing in India, Kumar Sangakkara singled out Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka’s best bowler, citing form as the criterion. It may have been intended as a red herring for India but, by placing Herath above Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, Sangakkara had clearly set Herath a stiff challenge.Today Herath took a few steps to meeting that challenge. He bagged his fourth five-for, and his first on foreign soil. It was an important contribution – India had posted a record first-day score, and on the way had exposed the visitors’ three-spinner combination on a pitch that has remained slow.Yet Herath had to earn that haul. On Tuesday, he was greeted by Gautam Gambhir with three boundaries and his first six overs went for 42 runs. He went wicketless through the day despite trying every variation. Things didn’t get much better this morning; Rahul Dravid hit his third ball over his head for six, continuing the sort of aggression he’d shown during his 177 in Ahmedabad last week, and Sangakkara removed Herath from the attack after a four-over spell before lunch.Enter Murali and Mendis. What would normally have proved a double-ace combination proved a flop as the Indians showed they’d done their homework on the duo’s tactics and planning. In a week’s cricket played so far Murali has bagged only three wickets and gone wicketless in the second innings at Motera. His stocks slumped further in Kanpur – he was the most expensive bowler in the Indian first innings.As for Mendis, he was included in the playing XI for this Test after much deliberation as the Sri Lankan think-tank thought the Green Park pitch would start disintegrating soon. It was clearly a decision loaded with risks – Mendis is no more the mystery for the Indians that he was last year – and, with India unlikely to bat again to any consequence, it could be seen as having backfired.The problems at Green Park were the same for Murali and Mendis: neither maintained a tight line, deviating as soon as the batsman charged him. On an unhelpful pitch persistence is key to a spinner’s success, but Murali and Mendis appeared easily rattled.Luckily Herath kept his head. Varying his delivery point from the popping crease, he never stopped giving flight to the ball and, as he grew in confidence, the ball started dipping. Once the wicket started to take turn in the second session he got it to break nicely, and force the batsmen on to the defensive.First VVS Laxman, one of the best players of spin, got distracted by Herath’s teasers. Aware of Laxman’s preference for leaning into his drives Herath pitched it a few inches behind the good-length spot, luring the batsman forward. All the while he was not afraid to flight while using the arm ball (his stock ball) sparingly but smartly to keep Laxman rooted to the crease.He tied down Laxman with a maiden – one in which two leg-before decisions were turned down. The next over Laxman charged Herath but only managed to give an easy catch to the cover fielder.The rest followed in quick succession and soon India were back in the pavilion. Herath’s hard work impressed even his opponents. “He had to bowl on the first day when nothing was happening, but he stuck with it, persisted and finally reaped rewards.” Gambhir said. The man himself remains confident. “When I started this series, personally I wanted to get a five-wicket haul in India. That was one of my targets and I am glad that I have achieved that,” Herath said.

The last day’s play at Headingley in August 1975 promised to be a thriller … until it was discovered the pitch had been vandalised

Martin Williamson19-Aug-2005The fourth day’s play of the third Test at Headingley in August 1975 ended with the match balanced on a knife-edge. Australia, chasing a record 445 to beat England, and so retain the Ashes, had reached 220 for 3, with their opener Rick McCosker still there, within one hit of a maiden Test hundred. England still had their noses in front, however, with only Doug Walters, never happy on English pitches, and the incapacitated Ross Edwards of the mainline batsmen remaining. But the pitch was benign, and any one of three results were still possible.The last day – a Tuesday, in those days of rest days on a Sunday – dawned cloudy, but when George Cawthray, the groundsman, pushed back the covers, he was greeted with the sight of a pitch which had been vandalised. Several lumps of soil had been gouged out of the surface just short of a length at the Rugby Ground End. While Cawthray later admitted that he could have repaired those sufficiently to allow play to recommence, what sent a chill down his spine was that the holes had been filled with about a gallon of oil. Cawthray found the solitary nightwatchman, who had not heard anything unusual, and then summoned the police.As the players, officials, and keen early spectators arrived, the first signs that all was not well came when they were greeted by the sight of slogans daubed on Headingley’s perimeter walls: “George Davis is innocent.” Inside, the number of policemen and officials clustered round the pitch soon brought home the reality.Tony Greig and Ian Chappell, the two captains, inspected the pitch and agreed that it couldn’t be used. The umpires briefly considered a suggestion that the adjacent strip could be mown, but with no guarantee that it would play as the one used for the first four days had – slow, low and with little turn – that idea was quickly dismissed.Television viewers tuning in for the start were greeted by a sombre-looking Peter West. The reason for the lack of his usual genial grin immediately became obvious as he announced that the match had been abandoned. The details given were sketchy and brief. And whereas today endless replays would be shown, and petro-chemical experts dragged in to explain exactly what kind of oil had been used, in those more genteel times of 1975, the BBC reverted to transmitting a picture of a cricket ball with a two-line explanation as a caption.By lunchtime, the grey clouds had given way to a more persistent drizzle: the match would have been abandoned by tea-time anyway.A rumour began to circulate that there would be an extra Test – a fifth – slotted in after the Oval finale. But although the idea was discussed by the two boards, it was soon dismissed. The only spare date was for a match starting on September 11, and the Australians, who all had fulltime jobs back home, were committed to return before then.

© The Cricketer
And what of the George Davis, the man in whose name the pitch had been dug up? Largely unknown until then, he was a 34-year-old London minicab driver who had been sentenced in 1974 to a 20-year sentence for armed robbery. Protestors had been campaigning for his release for about a year, and in 1976 he was freed after Merlyn Rees, the home secretary, decided that his conviction was unsound. But two years later he was found guilty ofattempting to rob a bank and sent to prison for 15 years. Released in 1984, he again returned to prison in 1987 when caught trying to steal mailbags.Interviewed on the evening of the incident, Colin Dean, Davis’s brother-in-law, who was later convicted of being involved, told the BBC that the act had been carried out to bring the subject to the public’s attention. “We can get the Ashes back anytime,” he argued. “What have we done? Dug a little bit of ground up. Is it sacred?”Dean and three others – two men and a woman – were eventually taken to court and charged with vandalism. Three received suspended sentences and one, Peter Chappell, was jailed for 18 months.The fourth Test at The Oval ended in a draw, even though it was extended to six days, and so Australia, led by Ian Chappell for the last time, retained the Ashes. McCosker, stranded on 95 at Headingley, did manage to score a Test century at last.In the aftermath of the incident, security at major matches was reviewed. But just in case anyone thinks that this kind of thing couldn’t happen today, it’s worth noting that in May 2004 vandals scaled the walls at The Oval and dug holes just behind the crease at the Vauxhall End, delaying the start.Footnote
Picking on innocent pitches appears to have been all the rage in the hot summer of 1975. In the same issue of The Cricketer which reported on the Headingley vandalism, there was a story about police in Staffordshire being summoned to deal with a man who had repeatedly driven his car across the square at Silverdale CC. He was thought to have been protesting at balls being hit into his garden, which adjoined the ground.

Scott McTominay has insisted it's "not the time to panic" for Napoli after seeing precious points dropped in the Serie A title race.

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• Conte's side remain top of the table
• Lead has been cut to just one point
• Scotland international calls for calm

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  With just two games left to take in this season, Antonio Conte’s side remain at the summit of the Italian top-flight table. Their lead has, however, been cut to just one point – with title holders and Champions League finalists Inter breathing down their neck.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  McTominay did his best to keep Napoli out in front when registering two assists in their latest outing. The former Manchester United midfielder did, however, see Genoa hit back on a couple of occasions to leave Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw.

• WHAT SCOTT MCTOMINAY SAID

  Scotland international McTominay told after seeing Napoli held on home soil: “We have to stay calm, this is not the time to panic. Genoa are a strong team, they scored two good goals and we have to look at what we did wrong there. It’s important to stay calm, keep doing what we’re doing, then see where the end of the season gets us.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  McTominay added when asked if he expected to be in a title race during his debut campaign in Naples: “It’s tough, it’s tight, there are two or three top teams and it’s anyone’s to win. We just have to concentrate, keep calm, this is not the time to panic, so we keep training and attack the next game.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Tchê Tchê mostrou muita categoria ao longo do treinamento do Botafogodesta quinta-feira. O volante, durante uma atividade, efetuou uma cobrança de falta no ângulo. O momento foi registrado e compartilhado pelo clube nas redes sociais.

O gol marcado pelo jogador vem gerando muita repercussão na web. O volante chegou ao clube em abril do ano passado como uma das primeiras contratações da Era Textor e tem contrato válido até dezembro de 2024.

+Carlos Alberto é demitido após acusação de agressão: veja as movimentações da imprensa esportiva em 2023

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Tchê Tchê 🎯🦉⚽️ #VamosBOTAFOGO pic.twitter.com/3d1htarzOF

— Botafogo F.R. (@Botafogo) February 9, 2023

+Gabriel Pires, do Botafogo, recebe propostas de dois clubes do exterior

Desde que chegou ao clube, Tchê Tchê vem sendo constantemente utilizado por Luís Castro. O volante, que estava com problemas físicos nos últimos dias, deve retornar aos gramados nos próximos jogos da equipe na temporada.

O Glorioso entra em campo no próximo sábado, diante do Bangu, às 19h, no Luso Brasileiro, em partida válida pelo Campeonato Carioca.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed new £29.5 million signing Jeremie Frimpong is being considered as a temporary replacement for Mohamed Salah, who is set to miss a chunk of the 2025-26 season due to the Africa Cup of Nations. The Dutchman has admitted the Egyptian’s absence influenced transfer plans as the right-back could shift from defence to attack.

• Frimpong can fill in for Salah temporarily
• Egyptian expected to miss six games during AFCON
• Slot confirms Frimpong can play right wing if needed

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Frimpong joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen this summer in a deal worth nearly £30m. While initially signed to bolster the right-back slot following Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure, Slot now sees him as a versatile option to cover for Salah. The Egyptian is set to miss several games in December and January due to his AFCON commitments with Egypt.

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  WHAT SLOT SAID

  When asked whether he has been shaping his squad with the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in mind, Slot said: "Yes, we definitely thought about that. We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back, but I also think and feel he can play as a right-winger.

  "I, we, did think about the fact that we're going to miss Mo, I think as a maximum for six games – but that's quite a lot in the Premier League, especially if you see how well he did last season. Signing Jeremie Frimpong was for multiple reasons but one of them was also that he could replace Mo if Mo is not there. There are other options for me to replace Mo with as well – but Jeremie is definitely one of them."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Salah could miss up to six matches if Egypt go deep in the tournament. That includes key Premier League games against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolves, Leeds United, Fulham and possibly a major clash against Arsenal. Frimpong’s versatility could prove vital in maintaining Liverpool’s attacking rhythm during that crucial period.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  With AFCON set to start on December 21, Slot will need to finalise his backup plans early. Frimpong is expected to get minutes in advanced roles during early matches as Liverpool will be keen on affording the Dutchman some minutes before the start of AFCON. Salah’s absence may also offer opportunities to other wide players in the squad.

Alejandro Garnacho has hinted that a move away from Manchester United could be on the cards, with Cristiano Ronaldo figuring in a training video.

Red Devils open to offers for tricky wingerArgentina international is working hardHinted at being ready for new challengeFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Argentina international Garnacho is seeing questions asked of his future at Old Trafford after reportedly being informed by Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim that offers will be listened to in the summer transfer window.

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Garnacho is only 21 years of age and a product of United’s fabled academy system. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022-23 – on the back of winning the FA Youth Cup – and has reached 144 competitive appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 26 goals.

DID YOU KNOW?

For a while, Garnacho looked like being the man United’s future ambitions would be built around. A fresh start now appears to be on the cards, with the tricky winger – who plays alongside Lionel Messi at international level and has always idolised Portuguese GOAT Ronaldo – hinting in a “getting ready” social media post that something is brewing.

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In his video, which sees the talented forward working through a rigorous tracking regime, Garnacho makes a point of including a motivational message from CR7 that sees the United icon say: “No secrets, don’t exist, secrets. Dedication and hard work, you know? To be able to work 100 per cent all the time. This is my secret.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Se a avaliação de Arturo Vidal gerou preocupação no Flamengo nesta sexta, na reapresentação do elenco após o título da Copa do Brasil, a notícia a respeito do volante Thiago Maia foi mais positiva. Com uma inflamação no joelho direito, o camisa 8 iniciou tratamento, mas, na avaliação interna, não preocupa para a decisão da Copa Libertadores.

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+A programação do Flamengo até a decisão única da Libertadores

A informação foi inicialmente publicada pelo portal “ge” e confirmada pelo LANCE!. Desta forma, Vidal e Thiago Maia serão dois dos atletas que não viajam com o grupo nesta sexta-feira para Belo Horizonte – onde o Flamengo enfrenta o América-MG no sábado, pelo Brasileirão.

Dorival Júnior também ficou no Rio de Janeiro e comanda atividade com os titulares no Ninho do Urubu antes de se juntar à delegação em BH. O foco do Flamengo está na decisão da Libertadores contra o Athletico, em 29 de outubro, no Estádio Monumental de Guayaquil.