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Ed Cowan and Jonathan Wells both scored centuries to secure Tasmania a place in the Ryobi Cup final with their win over Queensland in Hobart

15-Feb-2012
ScorecardEd Cowan and Jonathan Wells both scored centuries to secure Tasmania a place in the Ryobi Cup final with their win over Queensland in Hobart. The Tigers made light work of the highest chase in domestic one-day history at Bellerive Oval as they reached 3 for 283 in the 48th over, although they needed only 226 to make the decider against South Australia.That was the mark that would have prevented Queensland from winning with a bonus point, the only scenario that could have denied the Tigers a place in a third consecutive one-day final. As it was, Cowan and Wells steered Tasmania comfortably past that milestone as they compiled a 223-run stand, a fine achievement given the pressure of the game and the fact that they came together at 1 for 5.Cowan made 125 from 107 deliveries, his third one-day century, but he lost the chance to be there at the conclusion when he was run out in the 38th over. Wells had a couple of lives – the Queensland wicketkeeper Ben Dunk dropped him and missed a stumping off the bowling of Cameron Boyce – before he brought up his first century for Tasmania.In the 10 one-day games he had played for Tasmania until this match, Wells had a highest score of 20. But he caused problems for the Bulls and struck the winning run with a cut behind point off Boyce to finish unbeaten on 121 from 145 balls. The win means Tasmania will not only play in the final but have the chance to host it if the Redbacks lose their last game to Victoria.The Bulls gave themselves a chance of success with their strong batting performance, led by Chris Lynn and Nathan Reardon. Lynn made 98 and was denied his first one-day hundred when he was run out by the Tasmania captain George Bailey, who threw with his non-preferred left hand from inside the circle to have the bails whipped off by the wicketkeeper Brady Jones.Reardon was also run out, for 67, but some late striking from the debutant Matthew Gale allowed the Bulls to get up to 8 for 252 from their 50 overs. Joe Burns had scored 48 at the top of the order, but their efforts weren’t enough to propel Queensland into the final.

A pair of maiden one-day international hundreds from Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle helped England get their South African tour off to a winning start with a 62-run victory over the hosts

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2011
Scorecard
A pair of maiden one-day international hundreds from Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle helped England get their South African tour off to a winning start with a 62-run victory over the hosts in the first ODI in Potchefstroom. Greenway and Brindle shared in an unbroken stand of 218 for the fourth wicket – a new English record – as England reached an imposing 297 for 3 before restricting South Africa’s response to 235.England had been in some trouble early on after being put in by South Africa, losing captain Charlotte Edwards in the first over and being pegged back by the dismissals of Danni Wyatt (21) and Sarah Taylor (33) inside the first 20 overs. That was the South African bowlers’ last joy, however, as Greenway and Brindle set about laying a solid platform before going on the charge in the latter stages of the innings.Greenway reached her century from 111 balls, a rate which was bettered by Brindle, who reached the mark from just 96 deliveries. Together they hit 27 boundaries, with no South African bowler escaping punishment.South Africa’s batters put up a better show, Trisha Chetty and Alison Hodgkinson keeping the chase on track as both passed fifty and shared in a 143-run stand for the second wicket. Once they were parted the rest of the line-up folded, however, South Africa slipping from 155 for 1 to 235 all out in the space of just under 15 overs.Greenway and Brindle were both predictably pleased with their centuries. “We did quite a lot of running out there but it was great to come away with a win from out first game. It’s taken quite a long time to get my ODI century so it’s really nice to finally get it,” Greenway said after the match. “South Africa played well today and we know we need to keep playing well to win again on Sunday.””It was really nice to get out in the middle and get some runs under my belt. It’s a great feeling scoring a hundred at any time, but to do it in an international is fantastic,” Brindle said. “We want to hit our straps every time we go out there.”

Australia are confident Shaun Marsh will be fit to play the third Test against India despite being struck down with gastro

Brydon Coverdale09-Jan-2012Australia are confident Shaun Marsh will be fit to play the third Test against India despite being struck down with gastro. Marsh flew home to Perth on Sunday following Australia’s victory in Sydney and he was scheduled to speak at a media conference on Monday, but was unable to do so due to his illness.The Australian squad was due to convene in Perth on Monday afternoon ahead of the Test, which begins on Friday at the WACA, where Australia will be aiming to take a 3-0 lead. Michael Hussey, a fellow Western Australian, said Marsh would be keen to play his first Test at his home ground.”I’m sure he’s fine,” Hussey told reporters in Perth. “He’ll be at training tomorrow I’m sure with the boys and preparing as well as he can. He’ll be really looking forward to playing on his home ground. His first home Test. The WACA crowd always give the local guys a huge welcome and a louder roar than any other player, so he’s got plenty of motivation to play exceptionally well in this Test.”Marsh has had a lean time in the first two Tests, with scores of 0, 3 and 0 in the victories in Melbourne and Sydney. It was quite a change from the first three Tests of his career: he made a century on debut in Sri Lanka in September, followed by 81 in his second Test and a fighting 44 in Cape Town, where he provided the only serious support for the captain Michael Clarke during his century.However, a serious back complaint that he picked up in Cape Town sidelined Marsh for the next six weeks, and he returned to the Test side after just one Twenty20 match for the Perth Scorchers. But Hussey believes Marsh can regain his best form on his home ground at the WACA, where he has averaged 45.02 in first-class cricket.”I wouldn’t be surprised if he performs very well in this Test match,” Hussey said. “He prepares very well with his training leading up to games. It’s always tough when you have been out of the game for over a month to be able to come straight back into Test match cricket and perform straight away.”It does take a bit of time, but he has been working very hard and he’s been hitting the ball very well in the nets. So it’s just a case of him being able to get through that first half an hour of his innings and then if he gets a start, I’m sure he’ll want to turn it into a big hundred.”Marsh has been trusted with the No.3 position after Ricky Ponting’s move down to second drop, although the New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja is hovering on the fringes should Marsh continue to struggle at home. Australia’s coach, Mickey Arthur, said Marsh had been tentative in Melbourne and Sydney but that he was worth persevering with at the top of the order.

Charlie Eccleshare has dropped an update on three outgoing Tottenham Hotspur transfers in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that Antonio Conte is looking to move all three of Steven Bergwijn, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele on at the end of the current campaign.

Eccleshare then went on to state that, in order for Fabio Paratici to finance the large number of incoming signings Tottenham are hoping to bring in ahead of 2022/23, the club will be willing to accept lower offers for the aforementioned trio this summer.

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In his tweet, the journalist said: “Expect to see Spurs accepting lower fees than previously on players who want to move on, in order to finance the large number of players they want to bring in. Bergwijn, Lo Celso and Ndombele all fitting into that category.”

Supporters will be buzzing

While some Tottenham supporters may well be disappointed at Conte’s decision to call time on the £27m Bergwijn’s stay in north London, the same will not likely be felt regarding Lo Celso’s and Ndombele’s departures from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Indeed, over Ndombele’s nine Premier League appearances this season, the £63m signing was well below-par, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of just 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 25.6 passes and winning 3.6 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week midfielder average a quite horrendous SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Spurs’ joint second-worst player in the top flight.

Meanwhile, over Lo Celso’s own nine league fixtures this term, the £55m signing was equally disappointing, scoring no goals, registering no assists and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of just 0.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 13.9 passes and winning 2.7 duels per game.

These returns saw the £100k-per-week Argentina international average a SofaScore match rating of 6.72, ranking him as Conte’s joint sixth-worst performer in the Premier League.

As such, while it would appear extremely unlikely Tottenham will recoup anywhere near their combined £145m outlay on the three outbound players, the news that Paratici is looking to bring in a number of fresh faces this summer, as well as shipping out a large chunk of the club’s deadwood, is certainly an update that will leave Spurs supporters buzzing.

AND in other news: Antonio Conte could land the next Dembele as Spurs plot bid for “unreal” £68m signing

The IPL governing council has all but cleared the participation of ten teams in the fourth edition of the league, which starts a week after the World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jan-2011The IPL governing council has all but cleared the participation of ten teams in the fourth edition of the league, which starts a week after the World Cup. There is only one precautionary measure the IPL will take before the player auction: to check if the players, who represented Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab in the past editions, have received their dues from their respective franchises.”It was decided that before the auction takes off it is necessary to check if the payments to the players [from the two franchises] have indeed been made because that was one of the three conditions set by the court,” an IPL official told ESPNcricinfo. The reasoning behind that move was that the board did not want to find itself at the receiving end later, in case both Rajasthan and Punjab failed on their word given to the court.On their part, the two franchises have confirmed they cleared all dues well before the deadline date, which is before the auction day on January 8. The two-day auction will be held in Bangalore over this weekend where 350 players will go under the hammer.The clearance means the BCCI has decided to suspend its legal battles with both Rajasthan and Punjab, the two franchises it had terminated last year for alleged violations. It also rules out any move by the board to approach the Supreme Court to overturn the Bombay High Court’s stay on the termination.

West Ham are plotting a move for Lyon midfielder Thiago Mendes in the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Brazilian football journalist Jorge Nicola, the Premier League club “intends to make a bid” for the 30-year-old. Nicola claimed that David Moyes was impressed with the player’s performances for Lyon against the Hammers during their Europa League quarter-final tie this month.

With multiple clubs circling around the in-demand Declan Rice, Mendes would be an excellent replacement for the very possible departure of the Englishman.

Mendes would be a dream Rice replacement

West Ham have had a wonderful season so far, with Moyes leading his team to a European semi-final and the chance to secure a top-six spot domestically. He isn’t done there, however, and it seems that he wants to strengthen his squad.

The Brazilian is valued at £9m, and with just one year left on his current contract, the Hammers may well grab themselves a bargain.

Mendes has scored more goals (two) than Rice (one) this season, and although defensively the England midfielder seems to have the upper hand, it is not by much.

Mendes has made 44 tackles compared to 67 by Rice, and while the Lyon player has made 88.4% of his passes, the Englishman has made 90.3% of his.

Rice has played more games than the 30-year-old this season, so his stats are likely to be slightly better. Nonetheless, in terms of value for money and the chance to invest in other areas of the squad, signing Mendes would appear to be excellent business by the Hammers.

He has been described as “smart” by Lyon coach Peter Bosz, and with a few years left in the tank, these statistics show just how good he can be when compared with Rice.

If the 23-year-old is to be lured away from the London Stadium, the Irons could land a dream replacement in Mendes, a player who already appears to have Moyes’ approval.

AND in other news, West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”

Offspinner Anisa Mohammed capped off a fine series with her third matchwinning effort as West Indies completed an easy win in the final ODI against Pakistan to seal the series 3-1

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2011
Scorecard
Anisa Mohammed celebrates one of four wickets against Pakistan at Arnos Vale•West Indies CricketOffspinner Anisa Mohammed capped off a fine series with her third matchwinning effort as West Indies completed an easy win in the fourth and final ODI against Pakistan in Kingstown to seal the series 3-1.West Indies elected to bat and started solidly with openers Stafanie Taylor and Juliana Nero putting on a 52-run partnership. Left-arm spinner Sadia Yousuf then struck to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession. West Indies struggled to recover from that double blow and slumped from 65 for 2 to 81 for 6. Shaquana Quintyne (23) and Mohammed (25) resisted briefly down the order to push West Indies to 154 for 8 in their 50 overs. Yousuf and Nida Dar were the most successful Pakistan bowlers with three wickets apiece.Rain during the lunch break meant the start of Pakistan’s chase was delayed by 30 minutes and their target was reduced to 148 runs in 45 overs (D/L method). However, their batsmen struggled against some tight bowling from the hosts. Only four managed to reach double figures with opener Javeria Khan top scoring with 20. Mohammed picked up four wickets including the last wicket to fall. She was well supported by Pearl Etienne, Shanel Daley and Taylor, who picked up two wickets apiece, as Pakistan were routed for 97 in just under 42 overs to give West Indies the series win.West Indies and Pakistan will now play four T20 games with the first one in St Andrew’s on September 6.

Tim Nielsen has stood down as Australia’s coach after helping the side to a series victory in Sri Lanka

Daniel Brettig and Brydon Coverdale20-Sep-2011Tim Nielsen has stood down as Australia’s coach after helping the side to a series victory in Sri Lanka. Nielsen, who took over from John Buchanan in 2007, made the announcement after Australia played out a draw in the final Test at the SSC in Colombo, saying he accepted it was time to go as part of the fall-out from last summer’s 3-1 Ashes defeat.His decision means Australia will have an interim head coach – possibly one of the assistants, Justin Langer or Steve Rixon – for their upcoming tour of South Africa. Nielsen faced the prospect of having to reapply for the job as head coach after the Argus review recommended a more wide-ranging brief for the team’s mentor.Nielsen said the past month since the release of the review had been exceptionally taxing, and felt hurt that he was asked to re-apply for the job given how closely CA had seen him work over the past four years.”It has been a tough month,” Nielsen said. “I feel as though through something totally independent and external to what I do, I feel as though my role has been changed and my job has been spilt to other applicants. I understand that, I can understand where they’re coming from, we are trying to improve our sport.”The only thing I’m a little disappointed in is that my role as Australian cricket coach doesn’t just cover Test match cricket. We’ve maintained our No. 1 ranking in one day cricket over the last four years while I’ve been here, we’ve improved our T20 cricket and made some dramatic changes there to play in the last World Cup final. I feel as though we’re on the right track.”All of this has been brought to a head by the fact we played a very good cricket side in England last year and they outplayed us and beat us, and that happens sometimes. For 15 years before it was Australia doing it to other teams, and they had to lick their wounds. Now we’ve had a look at how we’re going to improve and move forward, and the result is this.”I feel as though whoever is given the opportunity is going to get a group of players who are in form, who have had some success, and I hope by it happening now, the place is in a better position than it was, maybe three or four months ago when it all happened.”Criticism of Australia’s coaching process seemed to reflect directly on Nielsen, though this was fervently denied by CA after the review was released. Nielsen also noted that many of the recommended changes to the structure were those that he had pushed for himself as coach.”There’s that personal side to it, no doubt. That’s the hard part, and that has played a little bit of a part in my thinking,” Nielsen said. “I feel like I’m doing an interview for the job every day for the last four years. Because they’ve changed some structural things, and things I can honestly say I’ve been talking about and championing for a while.”I would’ve appreciated an opportunity to work in the new system and the new role moving forward, but when you get beaten like we did by England, a very good cricket side, there is always fall-out, and we had to make some changes, and they’ve done that. I don’t hold any grudges about that, but I also would’ve backed myself to do the job, given the opportunity. Because of those things it is just the right time I believe.”The new position will be a more senior role, and will involve setting the direction of all coaching at elite levels within Australia. Nielsen, 43, has decided not to put himself forward for the new job, despite Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland saying less than a fortnight ago that he hoped Nielsen would be “a front-line applicant”.”Tim has been national coach during a period in which we have had a long list of great champions leave the game and has been a strong support for new players coming into the side over that period,” Sutherland said. “I was delighted when he agreed to renew his contract last year and had encouraged him to apply for the new, expanded and redesigned head coach role that the CA board approved last month after the tabling of the Australian Team Performance Review.”However, I have spoken to Tim and understand and respect his decision to now begin a new chapter in his professional life. He has contributed greatly to Australian international cricket in roles as assistant national coach, head coach at the Centre of Excellence and during four years as national coach. We all wish him well in the future.”Nielsen, a former South Australia wicketkeeper, took on the head coach role after spending three years as an assistant with the national team under Buchanan, and then becoming head coach at the Centre of Excellence. He guided Australia through 15 Test series, nine of which the team won.He now intends to move into another, yet to be announced cricket role, though it will not be with CA.”I’m a cricket coach, I’m a cricket person,” Nielsen said. “I wasn’t good enough to play cricket for Australia so I’ve been living the dream as players talk about, as coaches talk about, this has been the greatest job I could do and I’m very proud of the fact I’ve been able to do it for four years, which I feel is a long time in international sport. I certainly will be looking at other opportunities and considering anything that’s out there to use my skills and maintain contact with the sport I love.”We’ve had some tremendous times, some really positive wins as a group, and we’ve had some tough times. That’s the nature of international sport, that’s the nature of what I do. It’s basically got to a stage where we’ve sat down as a family and said are we willing to put ourselves in these positions, are we willing to put ourselves under this sort of pressure.”In the end I thought it was best for myself and for the team that I move on now to give whoever takes over the role to start in a really positive environment, which I believe we’ve set up over the past two to three months and been displayed here over the past six or seven weeks.”

Alisson Becker was frustrated that red smoke clouded his view during the first half of Liverpool’s FA Cup semifinal clash with Manchester City. 

The lowdown

Liverpool scored two goals in the first 17 minutes against Pep Guardiola’s side, with Ibrahima Konate netting a header from a corner before Sadio Mane charged down goalkeeper Zak Steffen and bundled the ball home.

The Reds were attacking the City end during the first half, with their own supporters watching from the opposite end of Wembley.

Fans threw red ‘pyro’ towards the pitch in celebration, and it left Liverpool’s starting ‘keeper Alisson ‘completely wreathed in red smoke’, potentially causing a distraction and restricting his visibility.

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The latest

The Liverpool Echo’s chief LFC writer, Ian Doyle, said Alisson wouldn’t be ‘too impressed’ with the obstruction caused by the flare.

And The New York Times’ Chief Soccer Correspondent, Rory Smith, made a similar observation, noting that the 29-year-old ‘doesn’t look desperately happy’ about the situation.

The verdict

Alisson actually endured a tricky first half, even as Liverpool stormed into a three-goal lead.

He misplaced eight passes during the first 45 minutes, including six of the 10 long balls he attempted (via SofaScore).

Liverpool writer Paul Tomkins insisted that, while the £150,000-per-week Brazilian was an ‘incredible goalkeeper’, his kicking had not been ‘as consistent lately’.

It’s hard to say whether the smoke was a significant factor, but it certainly can’t have been an assistance.

In other news, Liverpool are keen on this Real Madrid ace with PL experience.

Michael Hussey secured his Test spot with a much-needed century and Mitchell Johnson found some bowling menace as Western Australia dominated Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2010Victoria 141 & 0 for 43 need 407 runs to beat Western Australia 368 & 3 for 222 dec (Hussey 118, Robinson 62)
ScorecardMichael Hussey showed aggressive intent during a hugely important innings•Getty ImagesMichael Hussey secured his Test spot with a much-needed century and Mitchell Johnson found some bowling menace as Western Australia dominated Victoria at the MCG. The innings was Hussey’s last chance to prove to the selectors he was worthy of a spot and he followed his first-innings 0 with a smooth 118 that took the Warriors to 3 for 222 declared.Johnson, who scored 121 on day two, had already ensured a quick end to Victoria’s innings by racing to an impressive 5 for 35 off 14 overs as the hosts finished at 9 for 141 due to Andrew McDonald’s broken hand. The fourth-ball loss of Michael Swart brought Hussey in and he started in an attacking mood.The free approach paid off and he brought up his century with a top edge over the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade. He was mostly assured throughout and played some strong drives, cuts and pulls to shake off his early-season problems.There were 15 fours and two sixes in his display, which lasted 160 balls and ended when he hooked to deep square leg. Wes Robinson was run out for 62 before tea while Marcus North was unbeaten on 23 when he declared, setting Victoria 450.At stumps they were 0 for 42, with Michael Hill on 21 and Rob Quiney on 20. Quiney’s 54 was the stand-out performance in the first bat but the innings ended in a hurry. Johnson gained 4 for 5 in his final five overs, with the last five batsmen falling for 15.