All posts by h716a5.icu

In a further shake-up of Glamorgan’s structures, Matthew Maynard has resigned as the county’s director of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2010In a further shake-up of Glamorgan’s structures, Matthew Maynard has resigned as the county’s director of cricket after learning that Colin Metson, an ex-county wicket-keeper and current committee member, was to be brought in above him to head Glamorgan’s coaching staff. It was believed that Maynard would then have been demoted to a lesser coaching role, but instead he opted to tender his resignation with immediate effect.”I believe my position at the club has been made untenable with the recent situation,” said Maynard, who played nearly 750 matches for the club between 1985 and 2005 and took up the role of cricket manager in 2007. “I would like to thank everyone involved with Glamorgan cricket over the last three years for their help and support. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here and would like to wish the club and the players all the very best going forward.”Maynard’s resignation comes in the same week as Jamie Dalrymple’s replacement as captain by South African batsman Alviro Petersen at the county. It has emerged that Petersen did not discuss his position with Maynard before signing his contract, and it is unclear whether Dalrymple – or indeed Tom Maynard, Matthew’s son – will remain with Glamorgan.”Decisions about overseas players and captains should be made by the cricket manager and obviously this decision [to appoint Petersen] has not been made by Matthew Maynard,” former Glamorgan captain Steve James told on Tuesday, before Maynard had announced his resignation. “I’m not sure [if Maynard will leave]. I’d be very surprised if Jamie Dalrymple stays now.”

Antonio Conte has been dealt a huge injury blow concerning Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Oliver Skipp.

What’s the latest?

In a recent statement posted on the Tottenham Hotspur website, the club confirmed that the 21-year-old – who has not featured for Spurs since the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea in January – has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

The club continued to state that the England U21 international underwent surgery in America on Tuesday morning in order to repair his pubis injury, and is now expected to return to first-team training in pre-season.

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The statement read: “We can confirm that Oliver Skipp has undergone surgery in America this morning (Tuesday 26 April) to repair a pubis injury and will be out for the remainder of the season.

“The academy graduate, 21, will now undergo a period of recovery and is expected to return to training for the pre-season period.”

Conte will be fuming

With Conte stating back in January that Skipp would only be sidelined for a fortnight as a result of his injury – before the 52-year-old went on to put pressure on the Tottenham medical team to have the midfielder ready to return to action in seven to ten days – the news that the 21-year-old will now be unavailable for selection until 2022/23 is sure to have left the Italian fuming.

Indeed, it is evident just how highly Conte rates the Spurs academy graduate, with the former Inter Milan manager stating of the youngster earlier this season:

“This player is very young. He has really a lot of space for improvement. He played with great intensity, great passion, with heart, with soul. I think it was important because, for me, he doesn’t care if he’s only 21 years old, who deserves to play.

“I think that the present and the future depends on him. If he wants to become a top midfielder, he could become a top midfielder. He has this will, this desire to become an important player for Tottenham and for the present and for the future.”

However, not only is the Spurs manager a huge fan of the England youth international, it is clear that the Italian also trusts Skipp greatly, with Conte playing the £18m-rated talent in all but one of the 14 fixtures in which he was available for selection – following the 52-year-old’s arrival in north London last November.

As such, the loss of the £50k-per-week sensation will certainly come as a huge blow to Conte and his Tottenham side, who will now be forced to chase fourth-placed Arsenal down in the league without the services of one of their brightest prospects.

AND in other news: Paratici now on course to land £25m Spurs signing, he’d be a “revelation” for Conte

Australia’s recently axed selector Merv Hughes believes Mitchell Johnson should play the Adelaide Test, and Ben Hilfenhaus was the most disappointing of Australia’s bowlers at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2010Australia’s recently axed selector Merv Hughes believes Mitchell Johnson should play the Adelaide Test, and Ben Hilfenhaus was the most disappointing of Australia’s bowlers at the Gabba. Hughes was sacked in October, leaving no specialist bowling input in the four-man selection panel, and he thinks Johnson is being unfairly maligned after the Brisbane draw.The selectors have added Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris to the squad for the Adelaide Test, which begins on Friday, and Johnson is considered the most likely man to be dropped for his 0 for 170. It was the worst match analysis in Johnson’s Test career, but Hilfenhaus’ 1 for 142 was also far from his best, and collectively the Australian attack took only 11 wickets in the match.”Ben Hilfenhaus … he was the guy up there that I expected, especially on the first day, to do a really good job,” Hughes said on the Melbourne radio station SEN. “And probably his performance, for mine, is a little bit more disappointing than Mitchell’s. Everyone is having a crack at Mitchell Johnson. Now if other bowlers have taken wickets, you can point the finger at Mitch and say ‘mate, you have got to lift your game’.”Adelaide is probably going to suit Mitchell Johnson a little bit better than Brisbane because it sort of slides on, his extra pace is going to be useful. I think we are just starting to get too critical. We are starting to expect a lot from a young man that, yes, he has got talent, but really hasn’t matured or developed into the cricketer that he can be. And by cutting him short, and leaving him out of this Test match, it’s going to dent his confidence more than anything else.”The Adelaide pitch is expected to be tough work for the fast men, and the short boundaries mean there won’t be any leeway for bowlers who drop short. Harris is easily the most experienced of the Australian fast bowlers at the venue, having played most of his career at South Australia before switching to Queensland.Neither Hilfenhaus nor Bollinger have a first-class five-for at Adelaide Oval, while Johnson has taken 31 first-class wickets there at 22.93 in six appearances, and Peter Siddle has a best of 5 for 27 despite playing only two matches there. Greg Chappell, Australia’s full-time selector, said the panel was not worried about Johnson’s Test form and realised that rotating their bowlers throughout the Ashes was an option.”Worried is not a word I would use,” Greg Chappell told the . “We obviously recognise he’s not in the peak of form at the moment, so we’re keen to see him back to that as soon as possible. Players go through ups and downs in various stages of their careers … He’s still one of our key bowlers.”We’re conscious of the fact there’s five matches in seven weeks. We were always going to look at playing horses for courses to get the best combinations for each wicket. For that reason primarily, also conscious of the fact we can’t expect to take the same bowlers through five matches in seven weeks.”

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been left thrilled by a big Ryan Sessegnon contract update out of Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites open talks…

According to recent reports, Spurs have opened talks to agree fresh terms for the electric left-wing-back following his impressive Premier League campaign in parts under manager Antonio Conte.

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A Lilywhites ‘source’, speaking to Football Insider, claims that discussions are underway over a new deal for Sessegnon who has finally been starting to justify his £25m price tag from Fulham.

Conte has apparently made it clear to Tottenham hierarchy that Sessegnon can be a huge Premier League star in future with Robinson now sharing his elated reaction to the big development.

The Latest: Robinson reacts…

Calling the 21-year-old’s career so far ‘amazing’, Robinson says that attempting to tie Sessegnon down with a new contract is definitely the right move by Spurs.

He explained to Football Insider:

“People forget how young he is. The career he has had at his age is amazing.

“For Spurs to tie him down to a long contract now is the right thing to do.

“He has been a bit-part player this season because of the injuries. But I think there is potential there for him. Conte likes to play with wing-backs which suits Sessegnon’s game.

“I think he could become a mainstay in the side.”

The Verdict: Correct call…

The homegrown ace has enjoyed scintillating performances under Conte and we believe he can only get better and better, contrary to what other pundits have suggested.

Sessegnon’s injury record will be a concern for Spurs but, if that aspect of his game can be steadily phased out, the Englishman may well go on to become a revelation.

Attracting praise from elsewhere for his showings over 2021/2022, the former Fulham sensation’s age and sky high potential indicates he can continue to grow at Hotspur Way.

In other news: Conte loves him: Paratici could now launch Spurs move to sign ‘tremendous’ £40m man, find out more here.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Ranji Trophy semi-final between Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan

The Preview by Sriram Veera02-Jan-2011Match FactsJanuary 3-6, Jaipur
Start time 09.30 (04.30 GMT)
Can Pankaj Singh produce another inspired performance to continue Rajasthan’s dream run?•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureStories of underdogs are always fun. Rajasthan, who finished at the bottom of the Plate league last year, shoved out the 39-time Ranji champions Mumbai to reach the semi-finals. Tamil Nadu have almost quietly sneaked into the semis. They played mostly at home where several games were rain-affected and in the quarters, it was bad light that left their opposition Haryana high and dry. This is not to say that Tamil Nadu have entered the final four through luck, but they certainly haven’t marched their way here.Rajasthan chose Aakash Chopra and Hrishikesh Kanitkar as their professional players and have not been let down. Kanitkar, who hadn’t hit a first-class hundred since the 2006-07 season, was chosen as the captain this year and he responded with three centuries. Chopra, who only made 65 runs from four first-class games last season, hit two hundreds this season, including a triple-ton. The third professional, Rashmi Parida, was the third-highest scorer in the league stages and under the watchful eyes of the seniors, the local Rajasthan players have blossomed. Ashok Menaria, the former Under-19 captain, came in and hit a hundred in the quarters and Vineet Saxena, an experienced player, hit a big ton against Mumbai.It’s their seamers who have really set them up this season, though. Pankaj Singh (39 wickets) and Deepak Chahar (32), the new-ball bowlers, have been potent and Vivek Yadav, the quickish legspinner, hasn’t had much to do and has picked up 12 wickets.For Tamil Nadu, S Badrinath (747 runs) and Abhinav Mukund (573 runs) have piled up the runs and the rest were beginning to join the party. The captain Dinesh Karthik, who had a horror season prior to the quarters – 115 runs from seven games, made a vital 57 in a pressure situation against Haryana. R Sathish hit a fine hundred in the same game to ensure Tamil Nadu didn’t lose in the quarters. Most of their games were played on slow surfaces and it shows in the stats: The seamers L Balaji and S Sam have picked up only 20 wickets while the spinners – R Ashwin, Aushik Srinivas and Suresh Kumar – have done the job. However, Tamil Nadu won’t have the services of their top wicket-taker Ashwin, away on national duty, and will depend on Suresh and Srinivas to step up and deliver.Watch out for…Aakash Chopra hit 301 in the final league game to lift Rajasthan out of the Plate league and didn’t contribute big in the semis as he fell to a rough lbw decision. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t contribute in that crunch game and will be a determined to turn it on here. S Badrinath sits at the top of the batting charts for this season with three hundreds and three fifties. He has the patience, the skill, and the hunger to keep scoring those runs, and the domestic run machine will be keen to prove his worth again.Pankaj Singh and Deepak Chahar have been the best in the business this season. Over the last two years, Pankaj, whose stock delivery is the away-going one, has added the incoming ball to his arsenal and reaped rewards. Chahar burst on the scene this season with a rich haul in his debut game and has impressed the onlookers with his ability to swing the ball.Pitch and conditionsThe pitch looks dry but there has been some rain in the past few days. Chopra says he is not entirely sure how it will play.Probable XIsRajasthan: 1 Aakash Chopra, 2 Vineet Saxena, 3 Hrishikesh Kanitkar(capt), 4 Robin Bist, 5 Rashmi Parida, 6 Ashok Menaria, 7 Vivek Yadav, 8 Pankaj Singh, 9 Rohit Jhalani (wk), 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Sumit MathurTamil Nadu: 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 Arun Karthik, 3 S Badrinath, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 K Vasudevadas, 6 R Sathish, 7 C Ganapathy, 8 L Balaji, 9 Suresh Kumar, 10 S Sam, 11 Aushik SrinivasStats and trivia Badrinath has hit 15 first-class hundreds in the last four seasons Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan have played each other three times in Ranji Trophy. Both teams have won one gameQuotes”We might seem stronger in the seam department but Tamil Nadu are a good team. They had many rain-affected games but they obviously have done a lot of things right to reach here. We are confident of putting on a good show”

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Memphis Depay to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by Spanish publication Sport, who claim that Barcelona are now willing to part with the centre-forward at the end of the current campaign, while the Netherlands international himself is also believed to be happy to move onto pastures new this summer.

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This is sure to come as a huge boost to Fabio Paratici and Spurs, who were reported to have made the LaLiga side an offer for the 28-year-old back in March, with it now appearing as if the Italian sporting director has something of a free run at the former Lyon forward.

Paratici must move

While it is true that, following his June 2021 switch to the Camp Nou, Depay has somewhat struggled to hold down a place in the Barca starting XI, the centre-forward would nevertheless make an extremely impressive addition to Antonio Conte’s current attacking options at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Indeed, over his 25 LaLiga appearances this season – only 18 of which have come as starts – the £42.75m-rated striker has highly impressed, scoring 11 goals, registering two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £158k-per-week forward who Marco van Basten dubbed a “special talent” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Xavi’s third-best performer in the league but also as the 11th-best player in the division as a whole.

And, with Tottenham having been desperately lacking back up to and competition for Harry Kane in recent years, the signing of a player who possesses Depay’s particular skillset in the final third would very much appear to be something of a priority for Paratici and Conte this summer.

As such, with it being reported that the 28-year-old will be available for a very reasonable €40m (£34m) in the summer transfer window, Paratici simply must take advantage of Barcelona’s willingness to sanction Depay’s sale, as the Dutchman could finally solve Spurs’ lack of depth up top.

AND in other news: “Are interested…”: Romano drops £17m transfer update, he’s perfect for Conte’s Spurs

South Africa Under-19 continued their winning streak with an easy 39-run win over Zimbabwe Under-19 in the first of two Twenty20s

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2011
ScorecardSouth Africa Under-19 continued their winning streak with an easy 39-run win over Zimbabwe Under-19 in the first of two Twenty20s despite a valiant effort from Zimbabwe opener Kevin Kasuza, who hit six fours and two sixes to top-score with 68.South Africa captain Keaton Jennings opted to bat first at Boland park, and was content to offer steady support to the more attacking Quinton de Kock during their 73-run opening stand. Both were dismissed in the same over by Zimbabwe captain Godwill Mamhiyo, and the visitors’ slow bowler did a reasonably good job of restricting the South Africans thereafter.South Africa’s innings was bookended by two savage knocks that boosted the total well out of Zimbabwe’s reach, however, as No. 3 James Price thrashed eight boundaries in his 42 and No. 10 Chad Fortune cleared the ropes four times in a brutal 11-ball 36. In between those two innings, Zimbabwe’s hydra of offspinners had the better of South Africa’s middle order, Liberty Nherera, Matthew Bentley and Brian Chari all striking twice.The Zimbabwean batsmen needed to make full use of the first six overs if they were to push South Africa close, but this was not the case as Chari fell early and Bentley and Kasuza struggled to assert themselves. Bentley managed to score at nearly a-run-a-ball before he offered a caught-and-bowled chance to offspinning allrounder Malcolm Nofal to depart for 23.The pressure to score quickly mounted on Zimbabwe’s middle order, but Kasuza settled into a fluent mode and reached his fifty off 43 balls with four fours and a six. He started to open up after reaching the milestone, hitting three more boundaries before he was caught by Jennings off fast bowler Rabian Engelbrecht for 68 in the 19th over.Zimbabwe’s chase had been a lost cause even before he was dismissed, and despite yet another positive performance from Kasuza – who impressed during the one-day series – South Africa remain firm favourites to wrap up the Twenty20s 2-0 with the second game at Cape Town on Sunday.

Ravi Bopara, who replaced the injured Eoin Morgan in the England squad, has said that he is ready to seize his opportunity.

Sriram Veera in Bangalore24-Feb-2011Ravi Bopara, who replaced the injured Eoin Morgan in the England squad and is fighting with Michael Yardy for a place in the playing XI, has said that he is not thinking about his competition and is ready to seize his opportunity.”It is a big opportunity to get back into the side,” Bopara said ahead of the game against India in Bangalore. “I have got two opportunities so far, one in the warm-up game and then in the opening match. I haven’t thought about that competition [with Yardy]. I am just trying to do my best in every practice session. If you are doing well in the nets, batting well and bowling well, I have got a good chance of making the side.”Bopara said his IPL experience will stand him in good stead and also spoke about his Ashes debacle in 2009 that cost him his place in the team. “I know what the pitch is likely to do in the subcontinent. IPL has definitely made me a better player and more confident.” It was after the 2009 IPL that he scored the last two of his three successive hundreds against West Indies, but everything went pear shaped for him in the Ashes series that followed. Bopara put his Ashes debacle down to anxiety.”I played that Ashes after scoring three successive 100s and I expected too much from myself and it didn’t work out. I have done a lot of work since Ashes not only on Test cricket but ODIs as well. Playing in different countries makes a massive difference – South African conditions, New Zealand and obviously India. I have not put too much pressure on myself now.”England struggled in their opening game of the World Cup against the Netherlands before squeaking home at the end, Bopara, who made an unbeaten 30 in that game, said England weren’t their “usual self” but can still draw positives from chasing down a big total. “293 is a big score against any side, especially in India where the wickets get slower and lower. It is harder to bat. We batted brilliantly, especially our top [order].” Bopara said his aim was to remain unbeaten and guide England through to the target. “We always knew we were going to win the game but I had to ensure that I was there till the end to finish it off. It does help the confidence. The warm-up against Pakistan also helped. Match practice is the best thing you can get.”He was also realistic enough to recognise that his breezy 30 was not enough to move him up the order. “Obviously I love to bat high up in the team. My ambition is to get higher and higher. At the moment, we are playing well at the top order and it is hard to get in there. To win the World Cup we need the guys at the top to fire.”England play India in Bangalore next and the talk has centred on the number of spinners the hosts might play. Bopara said England won’t fuss about it. “If it is a spinning deck we have got our own spinners who can cause problems. A pitch that spins is going to cause trouble for any team. It is going to cause problems for India as well. And if the conditions don’t suit spin we don’t have to worry about it. We know in places like Bangalore, there can be high totals 270-300.”It is a good wicket to bat on especially against the seamers. It slides on to the bat quite nicely. Last time I played in Bangalore it did not spin. It’s going to be a good game.”

A round-up of the action from the semi-finals of the 2010-11 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2011Jharkhand surged into the final with a comfortable five-wicket win over Vidarbha in Indore. When the Vidarbha openers had eased to 42 in 11 overs, it seemed they had justified their side’s decision to bat. But things started to go wrong for Vidarbha when Amol Ubarhande was dismissed by Varun Aaron. Himanshu Joshi followed soon, and opener Akshay Kolhar became the third man to be dismissed after making a steady 40. No one from the Vidarbha middle order stepped up to salvage the stuttering innings. Ravi Jangid tried with a patient 35 but he became one of Yaju Krishanatry’s three victims. Vidarbha ultimately lurched to 186 for 9, 25 extras contributing to their inadequate score.Jharkhand’s openers could not do much, but Ishank Jaggi and Saurabh Tiwary did their growing reputations no harm in a calculated 121-run partnership that almost sealed the game. Jaggi was the aggressor, smashing 13 boundaries in his 85 off 94 deliveries. Tiwary had dropped anchor for the afternoon, and remained unbeaten on 72 off 124. Jharkhand lost a few late wickets but made the final by the 46th over.Gujarat made short work of Haryana at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore to set up a final meeting with Jharkhand. Ishwar Choudhary led a disciplined bowling performance to skittle Haryana for 157, and Manprit Juneja and Parthiv Patel knocked off the runs with plenty to spare. Apart from opener Rahul Dewan (41), no Haryana batsman came up with anything substantial. After Amit Singh had taken two in two in the sixth over, Choudhary accounted for Hemang Badani, Joginder Sharma and Nitin Saini. The other bowlers chipped in as well, and Haryana were bundled out cheaply.Parthiv ensured Gujarat did not take the small chase easy with a quick 42. There were no early breakthroughs for Haryana, and Juneja did what Tiwary had done for Jharkhand with an unbeaten 54 off 93. Haryana used eight bowlers, but they managed three wickets between them.

Wayne Madsen was the scourge of Leicestershire again to give dominant Derbyshire a great chance of celebrating their first victory of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Wayne Madsen was the scourge of Leicestershire again to give dominant Derbyshire a great chance of celebrating their first victory of the season.The South African opener scored a century against Leicestershire at Derby last year and he completed another hundred on a day the visitors will want to forget. Madsen made 106 and Greg Smith 99 before Luke Sutton declared on 439 for 9 – a lead of 209 – leaving the visitors a tricky three overs which they survived to close on four without loss.But the odds are heavily stacked against Leicestershire saving the match, with Will Jefferson unable to open after he had to leave the field in the morning with a thigh strain. The contest had been in the balance when play began but an opening maiden proved a false dawn as Leicestershire delivered a shocking performance in the field.Madsen and Smith batted well but they were helped in no small measure by wayward bowling and shabby ground fielding which allowed Derbyshire to seize the initiative. But the day might have taken a different course if the visitors had taken a chance to break the fifth-wicket stand in the first hour.Madsen was on 54 and Derbyshire were 160 for 4, still 70 behind, when he was beaten by Claude Henderson but Tom New missed the stumping and the ball went away to add to the total of 20 byes, half of the total extras.The visitors became increasingly ragged, prompting skipper Matthew Hoggard to take the unusual step of calling his team together between overs to try and lift them. It did not achieve the breakthrough as Madsen, who reached his century off 189 balls just before lunch, and Smith batted through the first session, adding 152 runs in 32 overs.The pair stayed together for another 11 overs to take their stand to 189, beating the previous Derbyshire fifth-wicket record against Leicestershire of 170 set in 1895, before Hoggard’s men finally celebrated a wicket.Madsen had made 106 when he swept Henderson to square leg and was caught by James Taylor, but Smith missed his second century of the season when he played across the line at Nadeem Malik and was lbw.Derbyshire’s lead was only 60 at that stage but Leicestershire could make only one more breakthrough before tea, with Jon Clare caught behind off a rising ball from Hoggard.Luke Sutton drove back a return catch to Henderson as he tried to accelerate but Tim Groenewald followed his first-day five-wicket haul with a half-century that included two sixes and six fours before Sutton called a halt.With Jefferson unable to take his place at the top of the order, Paul Nixon opened with Greg Smith to negotiate an awkward 10 minutes but Leicestershire have it all to do on the last two days, with little prospect of any help from the weather.