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ESPNCricinfo previews the game between Rajasthan Royals and Kochi Tuskers Kerala

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2011Match factsSunday, April 24, Jaipur
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big pictureFinally Rajasthan get a two-day break. The schedule of the tournament hasn’t been awfully kind to Shane Warne’s side – they have been playing every alternate day since April 15 until they found this extra day off. Those one-day gaps between games went in travelling from Jaipur in western India, to Kolkata in the east, to Bangalore in the south where their game was rained out, to Mohali in the north. It didn’t help that they get into a habit of losing on this kind of stretch. An injury to their best player of the season, Johan Botha, didn’t help either. Or the strategy of hiding their big names – Shane Watson and Ross Taylor – while facing a huge chase, as part of some inexplicable plan. They last won on April 12, and with just five points from six games, they are now left needing to win at least five of their remaining eight matches. Even that might not be enough.

With the state of affairs thus, Rajasthan will find some relief in coming back home to their once impregnable fortress Jaipur, and also in that one extra day to take stock and rethink strategies. However, the team that they face is on a hot streak. Kochi Tuskers Kerala were welcomed into the IPL fold with two losses, but they have made a comeback with three wins in a row to move up in the table. On the field, Rajasthan won’t be expecting too much by the way of relief.Form guide (most recent first)Rajasthan LLLWW (sixth in points table)
Kochi WWWLL (third in points table)Team talkRajasthan will be desperate for Botha’s hairline fracture to heal in time for the game. He is not only a shrewd limited-overs bowler, but has also batted better than expected. Rajasthan will also need to sort out their batting order so that Watson and Taylor get to face as many balls as possible.

In their last game, Kochi brought in Muttiah Muralitharan ahead of his countryman Thisara Perera. The choice between champion spinner and allrounder seems like the only dilemma they have right now.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.In the spotlightRavindra Jadeja comes up against his old franchise, Rajasthan Royals, an attempt to move away from whom cost him a season of IPL cricket. There will be mixed emotions when he walks out in Jaipur.

4-0-50-1. Shane Warne’s figures from his last game read about as pretty as the effect his new moisturiser has had on his face. Warne doesn’t need to do this. He still does this. It can’t be just the money. The man who won almost every big contest international cricket had to offer, now has a small little fight on his hands, both as bowler and captain.Prime numbersWarne is only the third man to 50 IPL wickets. He has also conceded the most sixes in IPL RP Singh is the highest wicket-taker over-all, with 54 strikes to his name The chatter”It’s all about teamwork. We believe in our abilities. We try and execute game-plans accordingly. Everyone applauds each other’s success. It’s really great to have a group like that. We just had to be clinical in executing.”

Nathan Hauritz is preparing for the greatest challenge of his career as he gets ready to face Sachin Tendulkar and his batting colleagues at home early next month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2010Nathan Hauritz is preparing for the greatest challenge of his career as he gets ready to face Sachin Tendulkar and his batting colleagues at home early next month. The Australians fly out on Sunday for the two-Test series in India and Hauritz said he was not daunted by the prospect of leading Australia’s spin attack.Although he has taken Tendulkar’s wicket in a Test in India – on debut in Mumbai in 2004 – Hauritz was filling in for Shane Warne and the expectations were lower. As the No. 1 slow bowler, Hauritz must now play a key role in negating Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag and their team-mates, and he said it was the biggest test of his career.”I’d say so definitely,” Hauritz told AAP. “Playing against India in India in those conditions. The wickets where we are playing are not normally the traditional spin-friendly ones, but Tendulkar and those sort of guys, it will be a great challenge.”The first Test is in Mohali starting on October 1, before the teams move to Bangalore to complete the short series. Hauritz has not played since June due to a foot injury but he has the support of the captain Ricky Ponting to remain the first-choice spinner ahead of Steven Smith, who debuted in England.Smith is also in the squad for this trip and, if conditions suit, Australia might consider playing him alongside Hauritz. However, there is no doubt the Australians would expect more from the senior man Hauritz, who took his first two five-wicket Test hauls during the home series against Pakistan last summer.”The main thing is to know my game really well,” Hauritz said. “It’s going to be tough enough bowling against those players, but at the end of the day they are human and they do make mistakes. I’ve seen enough of Tendulkar’s career through the last 20 years to know how he plays and what he likes to play to spin.”I’m going to have my individual plans against those guys and if they don’t work I’ve definitely got plan B and plan C to go from there. It can be quite tough to bowl over there because the wickets can be very good to bat on and the outfield can be very fast.”The two matches are Australia’s last Tests before the Ashes, which begins in Brisbane just over a month after the Test squad members head home. The games are followed by three one-day internationals in India and the Australians also have three ODIs at home against Sri Lanka ahead of the Ashes.

As per West Ham United insider Claret & Hugh, a major update has now come to light on David Moyes’ transfer plans for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: West Ham in the mix for Nunez…

Reports have suggested that West Ham and their head of recruitment Rob Newman are in the mix to sign Nunez, who looks set to be one of the big-name transfers of 2022.

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The Irons are allegedly in contention for his signature again after they failed with a bid to bring him to east London in January, with Moyes even identifying him as a personal target.

Hammers officials have also been to Portugal since then, running the rule over Nunez last week during Benfica’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Liverpool (Daily Express).

Sharing a big update, Claret & Hugh said that a board meeting is planned, in what could be crucial to Moyes’ hopes of signing the in-form 22-year-old.

The Latest: Insider shares Nunez update…

As per C&H sources, West Ham club chiefs are set for a board meeting and crunch talks to determine the club’s summer transfer budget, coming as Moyes personally ‘plots a bid’ to sign Nunez.

The east London club’s directors will apparently discuss exactly how much West Ham will have available to spend, including on the prolific Uruguayan, who emerged as a ‘major target’ on January’s transfer deadline day.

As explained, West Ham will face stiff competition from the likes of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea for his services.

The Verdict: Big few weeks ahead?

On the pitch, Moyes’ side face a big few weeks ahead as they chase 2022/23 European qualification and Europa League glory simultaneously.

Off the pitch, the outcome of this West Ham board meeting may well be make-or-break as Moyes aims to strengthen his options going forward with the signing of Nunez.

The Scotsman and Irons supporters alike will be hoping that they are granted the funds necessary to pursue a deal, especially going by the Uruguayan’s prolific return of 24 goals in as many league appearances this season.

With such incredible numbers, it’s little wonder that members of the press have described Nunez as a ‘special’ forward.

In other news: West Ham could strike fast agreement to sign ‘world class’ Moyes target! Find out more here

According to reports by The Mirror (as relayed by football.london), former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov fears that Harry Kane will once again try to force a move away from Spurs if Antonio Conte fails to win a trophy or qualify for the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Harry Kane’s transfer saga

Kane was at the heart of a messy transfer saga during last summer’s transfer window. The England captain was Pep Guardiola’s priority target as Manchester City looked to bring in a top-quality striker. Spurs rejected City’s sensational £125m bid for the player, who had his mind set on the move after winning last season’s Premier League Golden Boot.

Kane tried to force his way out of the north London club by failing to turn up to training. However, these attempts proved unsuccessful, and the 28-year-old took to social media to confirm that he would remain at his boyhood club.

Despite Spurs’ retention of the striker, he has been relatively poor this season, having transfer market valuation drop from a peak of £135m to its current value of £90m.

The Latest: Berbatov issues Kane transfer warning

Berbatov now fears that Kane will try again to leave the club if Tottenham fail to deliver silverware or a top-four finish this season.

Speaking to The Mirror, the Bulgarian said: “In my opinion, I think we are going to see a similar situation with Harry Kane to last year.

“I am not convinced that the thought of moving to a top club to win trophies is completely out of Harry’s head.

“Yes, Conte has said that Harry is a key guy and that the team must evolve around him. But at the same time, I think that temptation is still there – and that we will see the same drama next summer.

“The only way that won’t happen is if Spurs win something or qualify for the Champions League. That’s where Kane wants to be – so let’s see if Spurs can surprise a few people by doing it.”

The Verdict: Pressure on Spurs to keep Kane

With Berbatov believing that Kane holds mixed feelings over his future at Tottenham, there is huge pressure on Conte to guide the team to a successful season in the form of a trophy or Champions League qualification. Otherwise, the England international could once again seek to leave the club.

He would be a monumental loss for Spurs. Kane has played 364 times for the Lilywhites, scoring an incredible 233 goals. Levy will not only be feeling the pressure to keep the fan favourite at the club, he might also be worrying about whether Conte will follow suit in leaving if the England captain is eventually granted a departure from N17.

With the FA Cup still to fight for, and sitting just four points off the top four with several games in hand, Tottenham still have every chance of salvaging tangible success from this season. Kane’s future at the club could depend on it.

In other news – ‘Conte is confident’: Spurs business ‘expected to be tied up very soon’ amid exit rumour

Wasim Bari, former wicketkeeper and former chief operating officer of the board, has been appointed Director of Education and Training

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2010Wasim Bari, former wicketkeeper and former chief operating officer of the board, has been appointed Director of Education and Training, a post created within the PCB as part of their revised anti-corruption measures in the aftermath of the spot-fixing controversy.The ICC, last month, had praised the PCB for adopting the ICC’s recommendations to curb corruption. In response to an ultimatum issued by the ICC to conduct a thorough far-reaching review of “player-integrity issues” within a 30-day deadline, the PCB has revised its code of conduct for players, made it mandatory for players to have their agents approved, implemented education programmes for cricketers to create awareness about match-fixing and set up an Integrity Committee to look into matters of corruption and doping.Bari’s appointment represents a continuation of the PCB’s response. “Cricket is facing new challenges but as custodian of the game we are committed to fight for its integrity and survival,” Bari said. “Players need to be trained and educated on what problems they may face while playing at international level. Pakistan is among the first boards to start implementing these codes at the domestic level. I am hopeful that with the right kind of awareness we will be able to overcome this global issue of corruption in cricket.”Bari served as the PCB’s chief operating officer for more than a year, stepping down last month. He’s been replaced by Subhan Ahmed, an administrator who’s been part of the board since 1994.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a shock move for Ousmane Dembele ahead of deadline day…

What’s the word?

According to Daily Mail journalist Sami Mokbel, the north London outfit have been “offered” the chance to sign the out-of-contract Barcelona star this January transfer window with a little over 24 hours to go.

It’s believed that the French winger is indeed a player ‘on their radar’ as sporting director Fabio Paratici looks to lock up further deals to bolster Antonio Conte’s playing squad.

The 24-year-old dynamo is free to leave the Nou Camp this month after failing to agree on a contract extension and the Catalan giants are looking for a transfer fee in the region of £16m, some four-and-a-half years after costing a whopping £135.5m.

Shock swoop

This would be an intriguing signing for Spurs and ultimately one they should not turn their nose up at, if given the opportunity, especially with Bryan Gil likely to depart on loan and Steven Bergwijn’s future up in the air, too.

Dembele has been hampered by persistent injury troubles during his time in Spain but whenever he has featured on the pitch, he has delivered. The former Dortmund sensation has directly contributed towards 54 goals from 129 appearances; a goal or assist every 139 minutes.

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By comparison, Heung-min Son’s record for Spurs sits at one direct contribution every 110 minutes. Not too different.

Remarkably, the £27m-rated wide man has earned plenty of praise during his time at Barcelona, despite not playing too many minutes. His ex-teammate Lionel Messi dubbed him a “phenomenon”, whilst club president Joan Laporta once claimed “he is better than Mbappe.”

If both Gil and Bergwijn do leave before Monday night, then Conte will certainly need reinforcements in the role as he’ll be left with very little in the attack and Dembele could be the ideal solution, particularly as he’s readily available for a transfer.

Just imagine the sort of player he could become under the Italian’s stewardship. It’s surely a mouthwatering prospect.

AND in other news, Forget Diaz: Spurs close in on £27m-rated “phenomenal talent”, Conte will love him…

Glasgow Rangers have made an offer to bring Andreas Skov Olsen to Ibrox in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Ibrox News), who claimed that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side have submitted a €6m (£5m) offer for the Bologna right winger.

Previous reports had suggested that Gers were considering a bid for the Denmark international this month, and it would now appear that Ross Wilson has pulled the trigger on a move for the 22-year-old.

Rangers’ next Prso

Following his £5.4m move to Bologna in 2019, Skov Olsen has not enjoyed the most successful spell of his career, but the forward nevertheless proved during his time at Nordsjaelland that he could make an excellent addition to Van Bronckhorst’s current options out wide.

Indeed, over his £5.85m-rated wizard scored an astonishing 22 goals and registered five assists, directly contributing to a goal every 114 minutes of league football he played that season.

Furthermore, the £28k-per-week winger also bagged one goal over two outings in the Sydbank Pokalen, as well as netting three goals and providing one assist across six Europa League qualifying matches, taking his total to 26 goals and six assists over 44 outings during that campaign.

As such, should Skov Olsen go on to rediscover such form following a potential switch to Rangers this month, Van Bronckhorst could well have the club’s next Dado Prso on his hands. The legendary Croatian centre-forward – who also operated on the right wing – boasts a similar seasonal-best record to that of the 22-year-old, scoring 19 goals and providing five assists over 42 appearances in all competitions for Rangers back in 2004/05.

Indeed, should the Gers be able to get a “groundbreaking” deal for the Danish talent over the line this month, it would undoubtedly provide their chances of going on to win the Premiership title this season with a considerable boost, an outcome which would delight everyone involved with the club.

In other news: Jordan Campbell drops huge January transfer update which will have Rangers fans buzzing

Chesney Hughes, the Anguilla-born left-handed batsman, has been awarded a three-year contract with Derbyshire

Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2010Chesney Hughes, the Anguilla-born left-handed batsman, has been awarded a three-year contract with Derbyshire. Hughes, 19, made his first-class debut in the County Championship this season and in four games has shown a lot of promise, scoring 393 runs at 65.50. He holds a British passport, and his contract with the county runs till the 2013 season.”Chesney Hughes has shown a great deal of promise from the moment he joined the club and he deserves the reward of a new contract,” said John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket. “We are delighted that he has committed to Derbyshire for the next three years as he continues to develop as a cricketer.”Derbyshire chairman Don Amott lauded Hughes’ signing, and also took the opportunity to point out positive developments off the field such as the recent opening of a new 1,800-seater stand at the County Ground.”Retaining our young talent is a crucial element in that success and I’m sure that all Derbyshire supporters share my excitement in continuing to watch Chesney develop his considerable talent for the next three seasons,” Amott added.

West Ham United have been dealt a huge injury blow to Said Benrahma after he was seen “on crutches” following his star performance in the clubs 4-0 win over relegated Norwich City.

That’s according to Roshane Thomas of the Athletic who took to his post-match Q&A to say: “Antonio (hip) and Dawson (calf) should be fine but Benrahma walked past the mixed zone on crutches. He was so good today. Would be a shame if he doesn’t play again this season.”

Benrahma answered any critics of his with an outstanding performance which saw him get two of the Hammers’ four goals as they marched towards a second successive season where they have secured European qualification.

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They remain seventh in the table but have increased the gap to Wolverhampton Wanderers to five points. It leaves West Ham’s destiny in their own hands with the club only having two games left to play.

Benrahma was given the second-highest rating of anyone on the pitch at Carrow Road by SofaScore at 8.0 with Jarrod Bowen the only player beating him, rating 8.5 after tallying two assists.

Given this performance, Moyes will be gutted as it will be a huge blow to the Hammers if they are without him for their final two games. The manager will be hoping that it doesn’t affect their chances of securing that European place.

He was substituted in the 76th for Nikola Vlasic but it represents a drop off in quality, and anyone brought in to replace the Algerian whilst he’s out injured would struggle to have the same effect.

His two goals move him into double figures for the season and he now sits on 11 proving he is one of the key forward players for the Hammers.

He joined the club from Brentford permanently in 2020 for a base fee of £20m after spending the season before on loan at the London stadium. It’s appearing that that purchase paid off with the player now scoring after struggling last season.

In his 33 appearances throughout the 2020/21 season he only scored one goal.

Moyes will be hoping it’s not too serious and that he can recover in time for next weekend’s game against Manchester City. West Ham have a real chance at pushing Manchester United all the way to the end and potentially securing a Europa League spot instead of a place in the Europa Conference League.

The last two matches will define the club’s season. Last week they were in with a chance of reaching a European final, come the end of may European football could be a distant memory. Hopefully, Benrahma’s absence won’t be the difference.

IN other news: Imagine him & Said: West Ham set to move for 22 y/o “hurricane”, he won’t cost a penny…

ESPNcricinfo previews the second ODI between South Africa and India in Johannesburg

The Preview by Sriram Veera14-Jan-2011Match FactsJanuary 15, Johannesburg
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Will Tendulkar sparkle in a game where he’s likely to overtake Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of 432 ODI innings?•AFP Big PictureThe Durban loss wouldn’t have shocked too many Indian fans, given India’s well-known batting woes on bouncy pitches. Suresh Raina struggles to handle extra bounce, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh get into trouble when seam movement is thrown into the mix, MS Dhoni is not in danger of losing his wicket but doesn’t score as fluently against such deliveries and India don’t have Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Virat Kohli has improved on this front – in 2008, Zaheer Khan troubled him with a lot of bouncers in an Irani Cup game – but India are still heavily dependent on Sachin Tendulkar to set the pace. He failed in Durban, and the rest, barring Kohli, couldn’t handle the heat.The track at the Wanderers, the venue of the second ODI, will have bounce but will it do so much as to trouble India? It will be interesting to see how Tendulkar bats. Will he take on the bowling and counter-attack or will he see out the new ball to ease the burden on the middle order? Will India open with Rohit and bring in Yusuf Pathan, who’s himself no stranger to trouble against the short ball, in the lower order? This is a big series for several India contenders for the World Cup and it will be interesting to see how the think-tank accommodates them.And what about India’s bowling? Dhoni has already indicated that these are his best bowlers and he will persist with them. Ashish Nehra has had three bad games in a row – he leaked runs in the end overs in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, and struggled with the new ball in the fifth – but his record suggests he will remain one of the key bowlers. It was Munaf Patel who shouldered the burden of bowling in Powerplays and in the final overs in the last game but Nehra was doing that job effectively till recently.For South Africa, the first ODI was a near-perfect game. In the absence of Jacques Kallis, the team lacks balance and the tail seems long. But AB de Villiers and JP Duminy paced themselves well to control the middle overs. However, concerns remain. Had one of them fallen, would the lower order have the talent and the mental strength to tackle the situation? The next four games will give us a clue.South Africa packed in four fast bowlers and all of them delivered in the first game. For a brief while, when Dhoni and Kohli were batting, India showed South Africa some of the problems they are likely to face in the World Cup on what would be entirely different tracks in the subcontinent. It also presents another interesting conundrum: is playing and beating India on bouncy tracks in this series the ideal preparation for the World Cup? New Zealand did something similar when they steamrolled India at home just before the 2003 World Cup but it was India who went on to reach the finals then. Or will we see more benign pitches in the rest of the series?Form guideSouth Africa: WWLWL
India: LWWWW
Players to watch out for…Morne Morkel: His back-bending, hit-the-deck efforts have been a pleasure to watch. With his height and his whippy release, he extracts generous bounce from short of length and will be at it again in this series. In the first Test in Centurion, he showed great maturity in following the short balls with full deliveries which got him a five-wicket haul. It remains to be seen how he reacts if India put pressure back on him by going after him.M Vijay: He was seen hanging on the back foot to a full delivery in the first ODI. In the recent past, he has shown vulnerability outside the off stump with his penchant to hang his bat out with his hesitant defensive pokes. However, he has played a few attacking games in South Africa during the IPL and in the Champions League. Can he derive confidence from his past and show us what he is capable of? Or will India replace him with Rohit?Pitch and conditionsOvercast conditions prevail at Johannesburg and the forecasts predict 72% chance of rain on the match day. The Wanderers pitch has always had some bounce on offer and it will be interesting to see if the overcast conditions persist and assist in seam movement.Team newsIndia are likely to go in with three seamers and Harbhajan. It will be interesting to see if they bring in Sreesanth, who featured in the Test series, for this game. They are likely to give Yusuf a run but he might come in from the third ODI on pitches that will have less bounce.India (possible): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 M Vijay, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish NehraWill the overcast conditions tempt South Africa to retain the same playing eleven or will they bring in allrounder Faf du Plessis?South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 and 11 Any two from Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Faf du Plessis might get a go.Stats and trivia Raina has just one half-century from the last 17 ODIs. It’s not his longest barren patch, though. From April 2006 to June 2008, he went through 19 innings without a fifty. de Villiers’ 76 was the highest ODI score by a South African wicketkeeper against India. The previous best was Mark Boucher’s 68 in 2000. de Villiers also became the 10th South African batsman to tally more than 500 ODI runs against India. Tendulkar is set to join Sanath Jayasuriya as most capped ODI players (444 games). However, he is set to become the cricketer who has played the most ODI innings. This will be his 433rd innings, and he will go past Jayasuriya who played 432 innings.Quotes”I would back Rohit Sharma as an opener ahead of Murali Vijay. Yusuf Pathan at No. 6 or 7 wouldn’t be such a bad ploy once you have considered the surface.”Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri states his wish

“It was a great honour to hear that a player of (Dhoni’s) calibre had good things to say about me, but I don’t think the selectors will change their minds now. It was disappointing not to make the team, because it’s now reasonably clear that it’s the end of my dream of representing South Africa in the World Cup.”Albie Morkel, who plays under Dhoni’s captaincy in the IPL, expresses his disappointment at not making to the World-Cup squad.