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Plays of the Day in the fourth ODI between New Zealand and India in Hamilton

Sidharth Monga11-Mar-2009
Virender Sehwag hit a six to reach his 100 off 60 balls © Getty Images
New Zealanders don’t forget
It’s been a month and 10 days to the day Neil Broom was bowled during the Chappell-Hadlee series while Brad Haddin seemed to have his gloves in front of the stumps. But they don’t forget such incidents in New Zealand. A banner at Seddon Park proclaimed what is still open to debate: “Haddin is a cheat.” Just as well they didn’t carry character certificates for Greg Dyer and Greg Chappell. The two gentlemen might have been forgotten, but definitely not forgiven.Brendon, Jesse and Seddon
Last time Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum opened together at Seddon Park, they added 165 runs in 18.1 overs. They were more sedate today but still managed a 100-run stand in 19 overs. Seddon Park has something in it for the openers: Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir went on to outdo the New Zealand openers, and by some margin.Not the ground to defend in
New Zealand have been adamant about wanting to chase in this series, but who would want to give the Indian batting line-up first use of batting-friendly conditions? So Daniel Vettori chose to bat at a venue where no team has successfully defended a total under lights. In the end, the toss remained the only thing New Zealand have won in this series.Six times faster
This is a man who missed a Test double-century at the MCG because he tried going for a six. But that dismissal hasn’t changed Sehwag’s mindset when approaching landmarks. Today he stepped out to Vettori, wasn’t close enough to the pitch of the ball, and still managed to hit it for six over long-off.What a time to go
After 19.2 overs, India were 76 ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. Just then it started to drizzle. Common sense would dictate that the umpires let them play out the next four deliveries, and let there be an official game. At that point, one team had outplayed the other and deserved to win the match. The umpires, though, went by the principle: when you gotta go, you gotta go. Thankfully the rain relented, but things wouldn’t have been pretty if it hadn’t.

Junior Kwebiha, the Uganda captain, has singled out earning the ODI status as his team’s main objective going into the World Cup Qualifiers set to begin on April 1 in South Africa

Cricinfo staff23-Mar-2009Junior Kwebiha, the Uganda captain, has singled out earning ODI status as his team’s main objective going into the World Cup Qualifiers set to begin on April 1 in South Africa. Uganda qualified for the tournament after finishing second in division three of the World Cricket League after table-toppers Afghanistan. The top six teams in the World Cup Qualifiers secure ODI status till 2013 and earn an immediate qualification for the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2009-10.”One of the things that is very important to us is to get ODI status and if we get in the top six we will achieve that,” Kwebiha said. “I am not saying we won’t be trying to get into the top four and qualify for the World Cup – we fully intend to do that – but to get into the top six would be a very big achievement for us and that is where we are putting our focus.”Uganda’s World Cricket League campaign included four wins – including those against Afghanistan and Hong Kong – and their only defeat came against Papua New Guinea, who, as a result of a lower net run-rate, failed to qualify.”We have taken a good look at what happened in Buenos Aires,” Kwebiha said. Despite coming second there are quite a lot of things from that tournament that we have to work on… We know that a lot of the future development of cricket in Uganda is going to depend on our performance in South Africa so it is very important to us.”Coming through the divisions, Afghanistan and ourselves are going to have to work harder because we haven’t been exposed to this level of cricket as often as the others in the tournament. We know it’s not going to be a walk in the park as some of the teams have professional players in the teams.”Kwebiha was upbeat about Uganda’s chances but said he wary of the fact that his team would have to encounter stiffer opposition, including those who it hasn’t played before.”We just have to take it a step at a time and see how it goes from there. There is an element of surprise I suppose in that the other teams will not know too much about us but then we haven’t played against them either so we are going to be just as surprised as they are. It only takes one good ball to get a batsman out and as bowlers we know we just have to put the ball in the right areas.We don’t see ourselves as underdogs really. We don’t approach events in that way. We know what our abilities are, we know what our strengths are and we will just go out there and play our own game. We are trying to get into the culture of going out there and taking control of games and playing to our strengths.”

Crystal Palace shared a safety update on Wednesday ahead of their meeting with Tottenham this weekend, and their social media post had a lot of Eagles fans talking, but not for the right reasons.

Palace confirmed that fans attending Selhurst Park on Saturday must be prepared to provide proof of either a negative lateral flow test within 48 hours of the match or a double vaccination pass.

Spot checks will be conducted by stewards outside of the ground, with the club urging supporters to arrive as early as possible.

Palace suffered a ticketing problem in Patrick Vieira’s first home game in charge against Brentford which left fans still queuing to gain entry prior to kick-off, and this latest update ahead of the second Selhurst Park fixture hasn’t gone down well.

Palace fans react

The Eagles shared the safety news on their official Twitter page on Wednesday. These Palace supporters weren’t happy at the late notice regarding the update, with others also wanting to know more about ticket details and one labelling it as ‘shocking’.

“Easy to distance in the stadium if you don’t let anyone in. Shambles.”

Credit: @DirtyDen_85

“This is totally shambolic and unacceptable. Exactly how many apps do we have to download to be able to use the product that we have spent £100’s on? This is appalling customer service, absolutely shocking. The game is on Saturday lunchtime, and you’re telling us now!”

Credit: @Cretaneagle

“What absolute chaos”

Credit: @James_Pratt_1

“Send tickets, ridiculous show, sort it out !!”

Credit: @jmyerss56

“No tickets, but as long as you have your facemask, you’ll be fine.”

Credit: @EvilSashPioneer

“Hi guys. I’m a season ticket holder and haven’t received a season ticket or any other instructions for how to get into the stadium. Do we just knock twice or do the secret handshake? What’s the plan??”

Credit: @RICH_LE_GATE

In other news: ‘Excellent’ – Lots of Palace fans go wild at news on ‘next galactico’. 

There were precious few positives for Australia to take from their embarrassing defeat against South Africa in Centurion on Sunday. In fact, there was really only one

Cricinfo staff08-Apr-2009There were precious few positives for Australia to take from their embarrassing defeat against South Africa in Centurion on Sunday. In fact, there was really only one. Callum Ferguson’s 50 from 83 balls was his second half-century in a six-match ODI career and ensured Australia at least avoided recording their lowest one-day international total after crashing to 19 for 5.Ferguson, 24, has stepped comfortably up to international level since making his debut against New Zealand in February. He has been dismissed only three times from his six ODI innings and has continued on his promising path having rounded out the New Zealand series at home with an unbeaten 55 at the Gabba, in a match when Australia were also experiencing top-order wobbles.”It is pleasing from a personal point of view,” Ferguson told after his fifty in Centurion. “It’s obviously not preferable to be 5 for 19 but it was good to be able to get through that and bat for as long as I did and knock a few around. I probably feel a bit more comfortable at this level. There’s probably a bit more self-belief there.”That’s what probably builds up more than anything and you make headway towards improvement. It was disappointing not to see the innings out, which is something I will work on. I will just keep trying to get better in tough situations and go on with starts, which I think I am making progress on.”Capitalising on starts has been an issue at state level for Ferguson in previous seasons. It wasn’t a problem this summer as he broke through for his maiden one-day hundred and added two first-class centuries in the space of three games after managing only two in his previous 40 appearances.But while Ferguson appeared comfortable in Centurion he was the only man – besides maybe Mitchell Johnson – who could be proud of his performance. Brad Haddin, who looked to be settling into the opening role with a confident 53 in the first match, was out in the first over at Centurion and he said it was hard to predict which team would prosper on any given day.”With the whole series, not just here but in Australia also, you’ve seen both teams bounce back pretty quickly,” Haddin said. “It has been stated before but it’s between two pretty even teams. We were hurt the other day so it’s up to us this game to take a bit of responsibility ourselves and fix the problems.”Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, said it was important to remove two of Australia’s top three early in the innings. “We’ve got respect for Johnson down at eight so they do theoretically bat down to eight,” Arthur said. “We see that with Mike Hussey at five now, he’s there to marshall the team toward the back end.”I think it’s crucial that we can get amongst Haddin, Ponting and Clarke pretty early. If we can get two of those early, we do expose the middle order to the newer ball which is something that we’ve wanted to do. We were able to do that on Sunday and I think we saw the result.”The series continues in Cape Town on Thursday. The scoreline is 1-1 with three matches remaining before Australia fly directly to the United Arab Emirates to take on Pakistan in a limited-overs series.

Sharon Brown is in line to take over from Ian Bankier as Celtic chairman, according to Give Me Sport.

The Lowdown: McKay’s exit; McGowan reveal

It has been a busy seven days at Parkhead both on and off the pitch. Dominic McKay left his position as CEO after 72 days in the role, with the Hoops citing personal reasons for his departure and placing Michael Nicholson in interim charge.

Stephen McGowan then claimed last weekend that Bankier is set to be replaced in his position as chairman after almost 10 years in charge.

It appears as if his replacement will be an internal one, with Brown a current non-executive director.

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The Latest: Hodge’s comments

Give Me Sport shared a story on Friday where they spoke to journalist Stuart Hodge.

Hodge said he’s ‘been hearing’ of an internal appointment to replace Bankier and cited Brown’s name.

“I’ve been hearing that it’s going to be someone who is already internally on the board that will probably replace Ian Bankier as chairman.

“That will be the political move that makes Celtic look like they appreciate the need for a refresh.

“Sharon Brown is expected to be the person in some quarters. That’s not something that’s rock solid but, just talking to people, it seems to be the thinking. So if Bankier goes, it’s like ‘the King is dead, long live the Queen’. That’s what you’re essentially looking at.

“Nothing’s really changing there – just a name, just a figurehead.

“But there needs to be a move to a 21st century sporting model. That’s it.

“I don’t see Celtic, with the current board that they’ve got, doing that and that’s the big problem at the football club.”

The Verdict: Plenty of changes

Rewind 12 months and you can appreciate the change at Celtic Park. A new manager has arrived in Ange Postecoglou, Peter Lawwell has resigned as CEO, his replacement has now left and the Hoops also now look set to have a new chairman.

Only time will tell how much of an impact Bankier’s exit will have and if Brown is the right replacement, but it could turn out to be a wise move making an internal appointment following a year of change.

In other news: Devlin’s worrying 8-word Celtic update on Giakoumakis minutes before Betis defeat. 

Charlton Athletic have entered into talks with Corey Blackett-Taylor regarding a contract extension at The Valley.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by London News Online, Nigel Adkins revealed that he is relaxed about the contract situation of the 24-year-old, whose current deal is set to expire in January, as the left winger is enjoying his time in south London after signing a short-term deal with the Addicks this summer – with the League One side having already started negotiations regarding an extension to his contract.

On the future of the former England U17 international, Adkins said: “We’ve had conversations. He’s loving his time with us. He gets well looked after, he is enjoying his football and we’ve got a real good group of players.

“Whether he is going to be fit now for the weekend…. we’re talking about players at different levels of fitness and different injury records and injury history. We’ve got to be mindful we don’t want to lose a talented player.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how exciting Blackett-Taylor has looked for Charlton so far this season, the news that the club are working towards tying the winger down to a new deal is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, having impressed in his first start for the Addicks in their 6-1 romp of Crawley Town in the Carabao Cup back in August, getting himself on the scoresheet against the Reds, the 24-year-old also was directly involved in a goal in his first league start for the club, registering an assist in the 1-1 draw with Gillingham on Tuesday.

As such, considering the Addicks’ extremely poor start to the season, it would indeed appear a wise move to offer a player who clearly has an impact when given a chance in matches a new deal, as Blackett-Taylor could well go on to prove an influential part of a Charlton Athletic side that, at present, looks as if it could be battling to stay in the third tier come the end of the season.

In other news: Ridiculous detail emerges about Charlton Athletic deal, it’ll frustrate supporters

Paul Collingwood has been confirmed as England’s captain for the ICC World Twenty20 and will lead a squad including James Foster, Robert Key, Graham Napier and Eoin Morgan as the selectors continue to unveil a new way of thinking

Cricinfo staff01-May-2009Not good enough for the IPL, but Paul Collingwood is England captain again•Getty ImagesPaul Collingwood has been confirmed as England’s captain for the ICC World Twenty20 and will lead a squad including James Foster, Robert Key, Graham Napier and Eoin Morgan as the selectors continue to unveil a new way of thinking.”I am really excited about captaining this squad as it will be in front of our own fans here in England,” Collingwood said. “At the end of the recent Caribbean tour it was well known that I wanted some time to think it over but now I am looking forward to the tournament. We have a talented squad with some new faces and there is the added incentive for everyone of a Lord’s final.”Morgan, the Ireland and Middlesex batsman, earns his first England call-up as does Napier while Foster and Key return after long periods out of the international scene. Foster’s recall for the first time since 2002 means there is no place for Matt Prior in the latest change to the wicketkeeping position.”Foster’s selection is about the pressure you put on as a wicketkeeper behind the stumps,” Geoff Miller, the national selector, explained to reporters at Lord’s. “His glovework is impeccable, and [by standing up] he creates a new kind of pressure for our bowlers, a lot of whom take the pace off the ball. And he’s improved his lower-order batting as well.”Key has been rewarded for his impressive domestic Twenty20 record with a chance to open the batting and selected ahead of his team-mate Joe Denly. Napier, who played his first match in the IPL on Friday, hit the headlines last summer when he smashed 158 for Essex and Sussex.Samit Patel, dropped from the one-day series in the Caribbean for being unfit, has been overlooked again as Miller said he still hadn’t reached his targets. “Samit hasn’t improved from when he was deselected. It’s disappointing but we have rules and regulations and are going to stand by them. We have insisted on fitness.”Tim Bresnan who was named in the Test squad two days ago also misses out, but Andrew Flintoff has been included subject to him recovering from his knee injury and Luke Wright is recalled.Collingwood returns to the captaincy less than a year after resigning alongside Michael Vaughan and just a matter of weeks since he said he didn’t want the job. Although he had some success as one-day captain – notably a series win away against Sri Lanka – he also had his fair share of problems.England’s ‘Big Seven’ at the IPL (as of May 1)Kevin Pietersen Six matches, 93 runs @ 15.50, four wickets @ 21.25, 6.53rpoAndrew Flintoff Three matches, 52 runs @ 31, two wickets @ 52.50, 9.54 rpoDimitri Mascarenhas Five matches, 39 runs @ 9.75, six wickets @ 22.00, 6.82 rpoRavi Bopara Five matches, 138 runs @ 27.60Graham Napier One match, 15 runs @ 15, one wicket @ 27, 6.75 rpoPaul Collingwood DNPOwais Shah DNPDuring the first World Twenty20 in South Africa he miscounted Andrew Flintoff’s overs during one match meaning he didn’t bowl his full quota. The following summer against New Zealand he was at the centre of controversy for not recalling Grant Elliott to the crease after he’d been run out after a collision with Ryan Sidebottom.He has spent the last two weeks unable to get a game for the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, but there were not many other realistic candidates although there was some thought they should have been adventurous and handed it to Key or Dimitri Mascarenhas. However, his non-selection in the IPL did not concern Miller.”He’s gleaned an awful lot on strategies and techniques at the IPL,” said Miller. “He’s a bright fella and we know his abilities. He’s not played in the middle but he’s been netting and practicing, and done a lot of preparation work. It’s not been about learning to bat and bowl, it’s how to invent and create, and he’s quite excited.One batsman who has continued to develop over the past two seasons is Morgan, who follows in the footsteps of Ed Joyce in swapping the Irish top for an England one. Morgan was short-listed in the 30-man squad three weeks ago while playing for Ireland in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, a decision which Ireland were understandably frustrated at, but Miller had no doubts as to where the batsman’s loyalties now lie.”He’s always had a passion to play for England. He’s always said right from the start that he wants to play for England, and has shown over the last two or three years that he’s inventive and creative and he’s proved to the selectors – and opposition too – that he’s going in the right direction, this is a mix of experience and youthful exuberance in this side, and he fits into that category so we’re quite excited about it.”Squad Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster, Robert Key, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright

Life under Ange Postecoglou for Celtic has been a topsy-turvy state of affairs.

The Hoops began their new era by exiting Europe’s premier competition and struggling to sign new players.

However, life on that front improved pretty rapidly with Celtic sealing their pathway to the Europa League group stages and signing 12 first-team bodies.

Sadly, proceedings at Parkhead have gone downhill again.

On the chalkboard

Celtic began their Europa League group stage campaign just under a week ago with a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Real Betis.

We championed the idea of James McCarthy starting in that game and after Ismaila Soro narrowly escaped a red card before being substituted, that theory looked correct.

The Irishman did eventually earn his first Celtic start in the 1-0 loss to Livingston last Sunday.

It was a bad day at the office for the vast majority of the players who pulled on a Hoops jersey but at the top of the pile was McCarthy.

It’s important not to overreact because he’s not had a full pre-season but the early signs for the midfielder don’t look good.

Reports have emerged claiming that he’s struggling with the pace and intensity of Postecoglou’s methods while it’s also thought that the Australian and his recruitment team weren’t so keen on signing the free agent.

Yet, with Callum McGregor missing due to injury against Livi, he had to play.

McCarthy was incredibly disappointing, conceding possession 15 times despite playing a relatively low-risk style.

He only managed nine passes that took other opponents out of the game, meaning his pass success rate of 86% isn’t actually that eye-catching.

The Republic of Ireland international was too safe with his methods which when they were chasing the match, isn’t ideal.

Furthermore, the £2.7m-rated international had an xG and an xA of zero, capping off a mediocre display at the office.

With that in mind, Postecoglou should consider axing him from the starting XI against Raith Rovers on Thursday evening, that’s despite previously dubbing him “first-class.”

The opposition are from the Championship but it will be important for the manager to integrate McGregor as quickly as possible.

He is set to be fit for the clash on Thursday night and judging by McCarthy’s only start for the club, he doesn’t deserve another one for a long period of time.

AND in other news, Celtic suffer another big injury setback, Postecoglou will be gutted…

Wasim Akram has tipped Pakistan to win next month’s World Twenty20 in England. Pakistan have lost just three of their 17 Twenty20 internationals so far

Cricinfo staff21-May-2009Wasim Akram has tipped Pakistan to win next month’s World Twenty20 in England. Pakistan have lost just three of their 17 Twenty20 internationals and convincingly beat Australia by seven wickets in Dubai earlier this month.”Pakistan has the best winning ratio of all the teams in the Twenty20 cricket, so if they continue to keep that consistency it won’t be difficult to win,” Akram told AFP. “I thought Australia would thrash them in the one-off T20 match in Dubai but it was the other way round and now, if Pakistan play to their potential, they can win the title.”In the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 Pakistan had finished as runners-up, going down by five runs to India in the final. For next month’s tournament, they are grouped with hosts England and the Netherlands in the initial league phase.Akram rated Pakistan’s bowling as their strongest suit, and said the batting was the only thing that could let them down. “With Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir and Shoaib Akhtar, if he is fit and going with the team, Pakistan has the best bowling attack backed by quality spin of Shahid Afridi,” he said. “I am also impressed with the talent of Mohammad Aamer who is nippy and can swing the ball both ways. He could be a revelation in the event.”Pakistan’s government had barred its country’s players from participating in the IPL, a factor that Akram thinks will work in Pakistan’s favour. “I think Pakistan has played less cricket and will be fresh, while Indian players could be fatigued after playing in the IPL.”

Flocking to Twitter, some West Ham United fans have erupted over a fresh transfer claim involving Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette.

Irons boss David Moyes has been on the look out for a new striker since the beginning of this year, even confirming that bids had been made in January.

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As well as this, the Scotsman candidly admitted that he was ‘desperate’ to sign a forward in the summer – but West Ham failed to make a transfer happen in time.

The Hammers are arguably short of options in that area given their over-reliance on Michail Antonio, but some encouraging news has emerged on their hunt.

Indeed, as per 90min, West Ham are now a ‘potential destination’ for Gunners forward Lacazette – with it also looking likely he will leave the Emirates Stadium.

What’s more, despite interest from abroad, the 30-year-old is open to remaining in London as GSB and co eye a move.

Flocking to this claim, some Irons supporters have erupted with a wide array of takes – find all of their best ones from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans flock to Lacazette news…

“take this all day long”

Credit: @stephenlott

“No way Moyes would want him”

Credit: @WESTHAM_AWAY

“Yes please”

Credit: @didsofire

“Yes plz, be great back up for Antonio”

Credit: @ElToneGSBOUT

“I’ll take this”

Credit: @isForeverFly

“I’d be all over this dependant on price.”

Credit: @Hayds_

In other news: ‘I’ve heard’…Insider drops ‘boardroom level’ claim in possible boost for West Ham and Moyes, find out more here.