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Lancashire have moved another Championship fixture away from Old Trafford due to the wet summer

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Aug-2012Lancashire have moved another Championship fixture away from Old Trafford due to the wet summer and the impact on producing enough high-standard pitches on the new square.Their final match of the season, against Surrey from September 11-14, will now be played at Aigburth, Liverpool, after the same switch was made for the Durham clash at the end of August.The Surrey game starts the day after the Twenty20 international against South Africa at Old Trafford – while the ground also hosts England Women in as part of a double-header – and the club have felt it prudent to not risk the quality of Championship pitch for what is shaping as a likely relegation tussle.Mike Watkinson, the director of cricket, said: “The period of extremely wet weather, which forced us to move the Durham game to Liverpool, hasn’t sufficiently improved to re-establish the grass cover on the newer pitches on the square. We have also got the International T20 matches the day before.”Taking these factors into consideration, and the fact that we have made a significant investment in the facilities and pitches at Liverpool, we felt that this was the correct decision. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but I am sure that our members and supporters will understand the need to prioritise cricket.”The club added that the pitch used for last week’s England Lions-Australia A match at Old Trafford – which was the same surface that will be used for next year’s Ashes Test – had received “excellent” feedback from players and officials.

Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach from South Africa, has said that Thisara Perera reminded him of former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener

Sa'adi Thawfeeq19-Jun-2012Graham Ford, the Sri Lanka coach from South Africa, has said that Thisara Perera reminded him of former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener. Perera’s outstanding performances with the ball in the ODIs against Pakistan earned him the Man-of-the-Series award.”The way he hit the ball the other day he reminded me very much of Lance,” Ford said. “He is only 23 and is going to develop and get better and more effective. The more times he handles situations the better he will be. He is a wonderful striker of the ball and he’s got the same sort of power that Lance had. He is an all-round cricketer just like Lance and contributes in all areas.”It’s very exciting for Sri Lanka cricket to have a young man coming through the ranks and he should be around for a long time and hopefully winning games with his performance in all aspects of the game.”Klusener, reputed for his big hitting in the late stages of an innings, was a left-hand bat and right-arm medium-pace bowler like Perera is. Perera has already developed a reputation for being a finisher with the bat in ODIs. He took 11 wickets at an average of 15.54 against Pakistan which included a hat-trick in the fourth ODI, making him only the fourth Sri Lanka bowler to achieve the feat after Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof.Ford had earlier said that Perera, who has been selected for the upcoming Tests against Pakistan, could establish himself in the Sri Lanka Test side.Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, also heaped praise on Perera. “He is still young and we knew he has a lot of potential,” Jayawardene said. “The more games he gets under his belt he’ll improve as a genuine all-rounder but he had to work really hard on his bowling in the last six month to get to where he is now. He is one of those guys who worked really hard whether it’s fielding, batting or bowling. A lot of credit to him, a great series, hopefully he’ll continue to do what he has done for us in the future.”Perera, whose performances helped Sri Lanka take the series 3-1, said he had done some bowling drills with Champaka Ramanayake, the Sri Lanka fast bowling coach. “I have been selected as a bowling all-rounder so my first priority is as a bowler,” Perera said.

يغيب مدرب فريق برشلونة، تشافي هيرنانديز، عن المباراة المقبلة في الدوري الإسباني ضد فالنسيا.

ويستضيف ملعب “سبويتفاي كامب نو” مباراة الفريقين يوم الأحد المقبل، في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من الليجا.

ولن يتمكن تشافي من حضور مباراة برشلونة المقبلة ضد فالنسيا لحصوله على بطاقة صفراء في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد ألميريا.

ويلتقي الفريقان في الوقت الحالي في الجولة الثالثة والعشرين من الدوري، حيث تشير النتيجة إلى تقدم ألميريا بهدف دون رد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أنشيلوتي يعترف بعد التعادل مع أتلتيكو مدريد: منافسة برشلونة أصبحت أكثر صعوبة

وحصل تشافي على بطاقة صفراء بسبب اعتراضه على قرار الحكم، وهو ما يعني غيابه ضد الخفافيش لتراكم البطاقات.

ولا يقتصر الأمر عند هذا الحد، حيث يفتقد برشلونة خدمات اثنين من لاعبيه للسبب نفسه، وهما جافي ورافينها، حيث حصل كل واحد منهما على بطاقة صفراء أمام ألميريا.

The fast bowler Pat Cummins is aiming to be part of Australia’s tour of the West Indies but has all but been ruled out of the Commonwealth Bank Series due to his heel injury

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2012The fast bowler Pat Cummins is aiming to be part of Australia’s tour of the West Indies but has all but been ruled out of the Commonwealth Bank Series due to his heel injury. Cummins, 18, starred in Australia’s Test victory in Johannesburg in November but has not played since then, and he is expecting to resume bowling in the next two weeks.However, it could be as much as a month until he makes his comeback to competitive cricket, which is likely to come through Sydney’s grade competition rather than for New South Wales. The limited-overs portion of the West Indies tour begins on March 16, and Cummins hopes he will be available for the five ODIs.”The main thing everyone has said is don’t rush and try and race back for something and then end up doing it again and you’re out for another three months,” Cummins told the . “It’s a bit out of everyone’s hands, it’s just how it recovers. Just playing it by ear and when it’s ready it’s ready. I’d love to be on that West Indies tour.”I’ve done about four or five runs now and it’s pulled up brilliantly the next day. It’s pain-free every run and the next day it’s not swollen so it’s good signs at the moment. [It] probably takes another three or four weeks to build up to game practice. After that four weeks, hopefully 10 overs should be right for one-day cricket.”His success in the Wanderers Test made Cummins an appealing prospect for the home summer, but Australia’s strong pace-bowling resources meant they managed without him and won five of their six home Tests. Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc carried the fast-bowling load.

أعلن مجلس إدارة نادي إنبي برئاسة أيمن الشريعي، تعيين تامر مصطفى مديراً فنياً للفريق الكروي خلفاً لـ طلعت يوسف.

وكان “بطولات” قد كشف عن اعتذار طلعت يوسف عن استكمال مهمة تدريب الفريق البترولي.

ووفقاً للصفحة الرسمية لنادي إنبي على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك: “رسمياً، كابتن تامر مصطفى مديراً فنياً للفريق الأول بنادى إنبي، بعد قبول اعتذار كابتن طلعت يوسف عن تولى المهمة الفنية”.

طالع  | إنبي يكشف لـ “بطولات” مدة عقد تامر مصطفى وسبب رحيل طلعت يوسف

ويحتل إنبي المركز السادس عشر في ترتيب جدول الدوري المصري برصيد 13 نقطة.

ويستعد فريق إنبي لمواجهة نظيره سيراميكا كليوباترا، مساء غد الأحد، في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة عشر لمسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

Despite another session being lost to rain, and the best efforts of Rahul Dravid, England surged again at The Oval as India were left in tatters on 103 for 5 in reply to the hosts’ massive 591 for 6

The Report by Andrew McGlashan20-Aug-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGraeme Swann played a major role on a wearing pitch as he worked through India’s brittle line up•Getty Images

The whitewash is well and truly on. Despite another session being lost to rain, and the best efforts of Rahul Dravid, England surged at The Oval as India were left in tatters on 103 for 5 in reply to the hosts’ massive 591 for 6. Ian Bell carried his serene maiden Test double to 235 then, after a three-hour delay, Virender Sehwag was removed in the first over of India’s reply and a succession of team-mates, including Sachin Tendulkar, followed him with Graeme Swann making a major impression with three wickets.England would probably have carried on their run-glut towards 650 – or even consecutive scores of 700, something that has never been done – had the weather not closed in at lunch and, despite a damp outfield, it was a fairly straightforward decision for Andrew Strauss to let his bowlers loose during a long final session. After a quiet time this is looking like Swann’s match with substantial turn already on offer out of the footmarks. If he is the matchwinner it really will be the complete series for England.Having seen Swann’s first ball turn from RP Singh’s followthrough Tendulkar tried to counter the threat by sweeping. It took Swann a little time to settle, but the sweep proved Tendulkar’s downfall when he gloved a chance over the wicketkeeper’s head and James Anderson jogged round to hold the catch.Suresh Raina was given a torrid time by pace and spin and couldn’t open his account before being brilliantly stumped by Matt Prior for a 29-ball duck – the joint longest by an India batsman – as Swann spun one sharply past a lunging prod. The foot was on the line, but it was a brave decision from the third umpire Steve Davis. To cap Swann’s best day of the series he had nightwatchman Ishant Sharma caught at short leg two overs before the close.Smart stats

Ian Bell’s 235 is the highest score in India-England Tests at The Oval and the seventh-highest individual score in Tests at the venue. It is also Bell’s highest individual score surpassing his 199 against South Africa in 2008.

England scored over 500 for the third time in the series. They have made more 500-plus scores (4) in only one previous series (Ashes 2010-2011).

Amit Mishra conceded 170 runs in the innings without picking up a single wicket. He is fifth on the list of Indian bowlers who have conceded the most runs in an innings while going wicketless.

England’s average of 59.76 in the series so far is the second-highest for them in series of four matches or more. Their highest is 65.63 against Pakistan in 1962.

Bell’s double-century is the 18th 200-plus score at The Oval making it the Test venue with the most 200-plus scores. Adelaide is second on the list with 17 such scores.

England have now scored three double-centuries in the series so far. This brings it level with the 1938 series against Australia when they scored three 200-plus scores.

Suresh Raina scored a duck off 29 deliveries. He is now level with Irfan Pathan on the list of Indian batsmen who have had the longest ducks in terms of balls faced.

Sachin Tendulkar’s average of 26.00 in the series so far is his lowest in a series of four matches or more.

India’s problems were compounded by Gautam Gambhir suffering concussion following the blow he took to the head while dropping Kevin Pietersen on Friday which meant India had to shuffle their line-up again. However, even if Dravid had remained at No. 3 he wouldn’t have had a long wait. There he was at the close, defiant on 57, with another mountain to climb.Sehwag at least avoided a third golden duck after his king pair at Edgbaston but didn’t go much further. After two sighters outside off stump he played a pair of trademark back-foot drives off Anderson who responded with a delivery that nipped back to trap Sehwag lbw in front of middle and leg. It meant the sum total of his series was eight balls, eight runs and three dismissals while, for the fourth time in the series, India had lost a wicket in the opening over.When it comes to changing India’s batting line-up Tendulkar never shifts so it was VVS Laxman at No. 3 where he hasn’t been comfortable during this series. He received an excellent delivery from Stuart Broad that seamed away to take the outside edge as England’s quicks extracted far more life from the surface than India’s bowlers managed. And so, for the seventh innings in a row, there was a standing ovation as a batsman walked to the middle.Tendulkar didn’t settle during his innings, seemingly always distracted by problems with the sightscreen and troubled by the pace bowlers. He ducked into a bouncer from Broad (although responded with a flowing on-drive), offered a return chance to Tim Bresnan who couldn’t hold on with his left hand and was very late on another delivery from Bresnan that wasn’t far from being lbw. For once, though, it was spin not pace that ended the latest attempt at 100 hundreds.Amid all this Dravid held firm. If anything, he started his innings with more positive intent than is often the case. That meant positive in defence, too, which sends an equally important message to bowlers, not that boundaries were in short supply as he hit nine in a fifty that came from 93 deliveries.Dravid apart, none of India’s batsmen have shined whereas each of the opposition have played their part and here it was Bell’s turn to join the double-hundred club, the first time England had made three in a series since 1938. His 20th boundary took him to his milestone and celebrated with a dismissive pull through midwicket. He continued to have few problems as he eased along against defensive fields until missing an aggressive sweep against Raina.Although the game had already been taken well away from India, Sreesanth at least bowled with a bit more verve during the morning session and showed the passion that has been lacking from India’s performances. When Anderson jabbed to second slip he was given a long stare by Sreesanth and he also accounted for Eoin Morgan who edged behind for 1, playing away from his body which is still an area of concern with Morgan’s game at Test level.At least Morgan’s failure meant Ravi Bopara didn’t have to spend another day watching his team-mates pile on the runs even if 487 for 5 didn’t exactly represent a pressure situation. As at Edgbaston he looked jittery, but the nerves were settled a little as he clipped a boundary to fine leg and cut the medium-pace of RP Singh through point.However, he should have been run out on 38 when there was confusion with Prior over a single to backward point but the throw from Sehwag to Amit Mishra was poor. Mishra, meanwhile, continued to struggle with figures of none for 170. A poor piece of fielding and a set of horror bowling figures were two apt ways to sum up India’s series. It will take a huge effort to avoid 4-0 from here.

BBC pundit Danny Mills has suggested that Manchester City could agree on some kind of deal with fellow Premier League rivals West Ham for the signing of Declan Rice this summer after a ‘bizarre’ new contract development.

The Lowdown: Midfield duo set to depart

It was reported by the Daily Mail earlier this week that Ilkay Gundogan has been told by the Sky Blues hierarchy that he is free to leave the club at the end of the season despite still having just over one year remaining on his current contract.

Cityzens captain Fernandinho has also recently announced that he will be departing the Etihad upon the expiration of his contract, which will leave Pep Guardiola a little bit light in the midfield area heading into next season.

Irons star Rice is someone who the Manchester outfit have been linked with for a while now, and as a result of their maestro being in high demand, the Hammers offered him a new eight-year deal to try and keep him at the London Stadium.

However, it’s claimed that this massive offer has been turned down by the player, causing even more speculation about where his future might lie.

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The Latest: An ideal replacement

Mills believes that the City boss will already have someone lined up to replace the departing duo and thinks that it could well be Rice he’s set his sights on.

He told Football Insider: “Declan Rice would be the obvious one for that.

“You would presume he’s turned down that bizarre eight-year contract from West Ham.

“City’s recruitment is usually pretty good. They will have known for a while that Fernandinho was going to leave, especially with his age. Gundogan, likewise.

“I don’t think there are too many youngsters coming through in that position. They’ve got a lot of attacking talent in that number 10 role.

“So it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve got somebody lined up. You don’t tend to hear too much about their transfer business and then it’s done.

“It’s like Haaland, we were all assuming and then he signed one week and it was done. They’re good at keeping their business quiet until it’s announced.

“If it’s not Rice it could easily be someone else from abroad that they’ve got their eye on and think will fit into what they do.”

The Verdict: One for the future

If it does turn out to be the 29-cap international that City are after, he could prove to be a great signing for them in the long-term, especially considering that he’s only 23 years old and is already dominating on the domestic, European and international stage.

Rice, called ‘incomparable’ by David Moyes, has yet again been a standout performer for West Ham this season, where he’s averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, and 1.3 clearances per top-flight 90 minutes, via WhoScored, showing the grit and determination he constantly has to win the ball back for his side.

Man City are on course to get their hands on yet another Premier League trophy this Sunday if they manage to secure a victory against Aston Villa, and if winning plenty of silverware is something that Rice wants to achieve in the imminent years of his career, then the Etihad might just be the perfect next destination.

In other news… an ex-BBC pundit has claimed that one City star’s rumoured exit could be a ‘done deal’.

تخطط البرازيل لإحضار جوزيه مورينيو كمدير فني جديد لها وفتحت محادثات مع مدرب روما بعد تجاهل كارلو أنشيلوتي.

منتخب البرازيل الفائز بكأس العالم خمس مرات كان أحد المرشحين للفوز بالبطولة هذا العام في قطر، لكن فريق تيتي ودع البطولة في وقت مبكر من ربع النهائي أمام كرواتيا بركلات الترجيح.

ثم استقال مدرب البرازيل بشكل مثير بعد ساعتين فقط من الهزيمة المفاجئة، لينهي فترة ست سنوات قضاها في تدريب المنتخب.

رحيل تيتي ترك دورًا شاغرًا على رأس إحدى أعظم الدول الكروية ويعتقد أن مورينيو يُنظر إليه على أنه شخص يمكنه تولي المسؤولية.

رئيس الاتحاد البرازيلي لكرة القدم إيدنالدو رودريجيز أرسل ممثلاً إلى أوروبا بهدف إيجاد أفضل المدربين الأجانب المتاحين.

كان ينظر إلى أنشيلوتي – الذي يخضع لعقد مع ريال مدريد حتى عام 2024 – على أنه خيار للبرازيل لكنه لا يريد ترك العملاق الإسباني قبل ذلك ما لم يتم إقالته.

والآن، ذكرت صحيفة “La Repubblica” أن البرازيل فتحت محادثات أولية مع الوكيل خورخي مينديز بشأن انتقال مورينيو.

في عام 2017، عندما كان مورينيو مديرًا فنيًا لمانشستر يونايتد، اعترف المدرب بأن إدارة البرازيل في المستقبل ستكون “مثيرة”.

وقال في ذلك الوقت: “أعتقد بعد متابعة مانشستر يونايتد أنني بحاجة إلى وظيفة أسهل من مانشستر يونايتد، ويجب أن يكون تدريب المنتخب البرازيلي أكثر صعوبة”.

مضيفًا: “من الواضح أنه سيكون مثيرًا، أي مدرب يريد العمل مع أفضل الأندية ومع الأفضل، من الواضح أن المنتخب البرازيلي هو قائد النجاح، من الواضح أنه يتمتع بالموهبة، بغض النظر عن الجيل، الموهبة تظهر دائمًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد ترك هولندا.. فان جال يفتح الباب أمام تدريب البرتغال

وأفاد: “لكن يجب أن أعترف أنه يجب أن يكون الأمر صعبًا، ففي كل برازيلي يوجد مدرب، وفي كل صحفي يوجد مدرب أفضل من المدرب، أعتقد أنه يجب أن يكون بلدًا صعبًا للعمل فيه، ولكنه أيضًا بلد شغوف”.

كان هناك الكثير من التكهنات حول مستقبل مدرب روما، حيث كان وطنه البرتغال مهتمًا أيضًا بالتعاقد معه بعد إقالة فرناندو سانتوس.

تشير آخر التقارير في إيطاليا إلى أن روما لا يريد أن يغادر مورينيو النادي، والمدير الفني متعاقد معه حتى عام 2024.

في الأسبوع الماضي، ذكرت صحيفة “كوريري ديلو سبورت” أن مينديز التقى برئيس الاتحاد فرناندو سواريس جوميز دا سيلفا لمناقشة خطط مورينيو الحالية.

يحظى روما باهتمامه في الوقت الحالي لكنه يأمل ألا يقف النادي في طريق رغبته في إدارة المنتخب بحلول يونيو 2023.

وسيتحدث مورينيو مع مالكي روما لإيجاد حل، ويعتقد البرتغاليون أنه من المرجح أن يطلب إعفاءه من عقده مع النادي قبل عام لتولي مسؤولية البرتغال.

Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez continues to be a player that Aston Villa ‘like’ ahead of a possible move, according to journalist Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Gomez linked Villa move

The 24-year-old has found himself largely out of favour at Anfield this season, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate all preferred to him in the Premier League.

For that reason, it could be that Gomez leaves Liverpool at the end of the campaign, in order to be a first-choice centre-back elsewhere and secure his place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

Villa have been the club most strongly linked with a move for the Englishman, as Steven Gerrard looks to make summer reinforcements.

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The Latest: Preece provides update

Responding in a Q&A for The Birmingham Mail, Preece claimed that Villa’s interest in Gomez is still undoubtedly there:

“It’s one Villa like. Gerrard really keen on that but it’ll be down to Gomez himself to force a move out of Liverpool this summer. Two years left on his Anfield deal so a decision needs to be made.”

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The Verdict: Primary summer target

Gomez is someone who Villa should be looking at as one of their main transfer targets, considering the quality he possesses, having been hailed as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp in the past.

Granted, the defender has suffered some serious injuries over the years but he is fit again now and there is no shame in not being able to start regularly for a truly great Liverpool team.

With the World Cup looming, Gomez will be desperate to make Southgate’s squad and a switch to Villa Park could aid that, with Gerrard bringing him in as a guaranteed starter who could help improve the defence.

In other news, an exciting Villa transfer claim has emerged. Read more here.

Glasgow Rangers earned all three points in the Scottish Premiership at Saturday lunchtime to set themselves up nicely for their UEFA Europa League clash.

Scott Wright and James Tavernier ensured of the win in the end, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team did make it hard for themselves, as Leon Balogun was given a straight red card just shy of the half-hour mark, as they conceded to Ross Tierney just a few minutes later.

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As such, The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the visitors on the day, with these three perhaps looking over their shoulders regarding their places in the XI on Thursday:

Glen Kamara

With a 6.6 overall rating, Kamara ranks in third here as both Balogun and Amad Diallo did not play 45 minutes.

Criticised for his role in Motherwell’s goal, the Finland international lost the ball cheaply eight times in total, while he also lost three of his duels, made no clearances and did not block any shots on his goal.

Calvin Bassey

Coming on for Diallo in a defensive change after Balogun’s sending off, Bassey did not shower himself in glory with a 6.5 rating.

The 22-year-old lost one of his two duels, made no interceptions or tackles, blocked no shots and gave the ball away twice, making one foul in the process.

Borna Barisic

Barisic ranked as the Teddy Bears’ worst performer with a 6.3 rating given.

The left-back was unsuccessful in six of his duels, while he also failed to block any shots, was dribbled past twice and lost possession a mammoth 27 times, the second-most of any player on the pitch.

In other news, find out what ‘huge blow’ for the Gers has now emerged here!