The return of FC Hollywood? Bayern Munich are in a MESS all of their own making

The Bavarians have descended into total chaos ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City

At the height of the speculation surrounding David Alaba's future at Bayern Munich in 2020, Thomas Muller was asked if he felt there was a danger of the protracted contract talks affecting the Austrian's performances. "David is still his own man on the pitch and is not influenced by it," the veteran forward insisted in an interview with .

Then, Muller made a rather amusing admission.

"It's also interesting for the audience: it's nice when there's a little bit of drama at the club," he argued. "I used to enjoy reading about that stuff – FC Hollywood – and now you can watch it live!"

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That particular episode didn't end well for Bayern, as Alaba eventually left for Real Madrid on a free transfer. However, in the grand scheme of things, the defender's departure wasn't outrageously disruptive.

It was certainly nothing compared to the current chaos engulfing the club.

Since the turn of the year, there have been dismissals, dressing-room dust-ups and dismal defeats, prompting talk of the real return of FC Hollywood after years of relative stability.

Consequently, there is now a very real fear that a season that began with talk of a treble might actually end with Bayern failing to win the Bundesliga for the first time since 2012.

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    FC Hollywood: The origin story

    The FC Hollywood nickname was coined during the 1990s – arguably the most turbulent period in Bayern's history, a time when superstars such as Lothar Matthaus, Jurgen Klinsmann, Stefen Effenberg and Mario Basler were making headlines on and off the field, and Munich became something of a coaching merry-go-round.

    However, player power has long been a feature of the club.

    At the tail end of the club's first golden era in the 1970s, a dressing-room coup led to the dismissal of coach Gyula Lorant. The players wanted his assistant, Pal Csernai, to take over on a permanent basis, but club president Wilhelm Neudecker turned to Max Merkel.

    The players revolted once again, though, unanimously voting against the Austrian's appointment (16-0).

    A humiliated Nuedecker resigned, replaced at the helm by Willi O. Hoffmann, while Csernai continued as coach, even if it was Paul Breitner, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness who were really calling the shots. "For the first time in the history of German football, a few players took over an entire club," Thomas Huetlin wrote in his book 'Gute Freunde'.

    A squad has never quite wielded the same level of power since, but there remains the belief that the manager is the weakest person at Bayern. And recent events have done little to alter that perception.

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    Nagelsmann's time in the spotlight cut short

    The timing of Julian Nagelsmann's sacking shocked the football world, with the announcement coming late on a Thursday night during the recent international break.

    Sure, Bayern's Bundesliga form had been surprisingly shaky and they had just dropped to second in the standings, behind Borussia Dortmund, after a 2-1 loss at Bayer Leverkusen, but the Bavarians had just made it eights wins from eight in this seasons Champions League by comprehensively beating Paris Saint-Germain home and away to progress to the quarter-finals.

    To those that had been following Bayern closely, though, it was clear that all was not well behind the scenes.

    Nagelsmann had never hidden his desire to coach Bayern. Even during his time in charge at Hoffenheim, he admitted that it was his dream job. It was an impressive show of ambition, evidence that he felt he would have no problem thriving in such a high-pressure environment.

    However, at Bayern, there was a feeling among certain figures that Nagelsmann enjoyed the spotlight a little too much; that he believed he was the star of the show.

    Some players were reportedly of the opinion that the manager was quick to take credit for himself, but slow to attribute any to his squad.

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    'The most brutal thing I've experienced in my career'

    Furthermore, while Nagelsmann built a good relationship with Joshua Kimmich, arguably the most important player to his tactical approach, that in itself became a bone of contention, given the coach did not have anything like the same rapport with club captain Manuel Neuer.

    Indeed, Nagelsmann's decision to sack Toni Tapalovic, Neuer's long-time goalkeeping coach, caused a huge amount of tension.

    even claimed that the January dismissal, which was made with immediate effect and described by Neuer as "the most brutal thing I've experienced in my career", was related to the belief that private discussions between members of the coaching team were being fed back to senior figures in the playing squad.

    Nagelsmann went on another mole hunt in March after tactics sheets appeared in the press. "It bothers me a lot," Nagelsmann told reporters at the time. "The person who leaks something like that harms every single player.

    "What is the person who is passing this on looking for? What does he expect? I don't see what his motivation can be, other than to make it easier for the opponent.

    "Moles are a protected species. Every time you drive through the countryside you see 80,000 moles and you can't get rid of them. It's very, very complicated to find them.

    "I'm trying to find out what the reason is. It's always important for me to be able to look in the mirror at night, to treat my players and my fellow coaches well. I hope this person can't look in the mirror because it's not fair."

    By that stage, it was clear that Nagelsmann was feeling the strain.

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    Nagelsmann's pays the price for 'lazy' displays

    After a 3-2 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach in February, Nagelsmann launched an extraordinary tirade against the match officials in full view of journalists waiting in the mixed zone as he made a beeline for the referee's dressing room.

    Just over a month later in Leverkusen, he accused his players of being "lazy" and having a "zero percent work rate".

    Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic also took aim at the squad, admitting, "I've rarely experienced so little drive, so little mentality, so little fight and so little assertiveness."

    What he didn't say at the time, though, was that he felt Nagelsmann was to blame. Indeed, the Leverkusen loss was viewed as the final nail in his coffin, definitive proof that the manager was incapable of motivating his players to perform as impressively in the Bundesliga as they were in Europe.

    Nonetheless, Bayern have copped an awful lot of criticism for the way in which they handled Nagelsmann's sudden exit. His representatives have claimed that their client only found out he had been fired through the media, and while Bayern continue to insist otherwise, they have acknowledged that there was no face-to-face meeting before the decision was announced because their former manager was still on a skiing trip at the time.

    Furthermore, while both Salihamidzic and CEO Oliver Kahn have insisted that the decision was motivated solely by results, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain's interest in hiring long-time target Thomas Tuchel obviously also played a part in Bayern's sudden switch of coaches.

Estádio Monumental de Lima: casa do Universitario, maior da América do Sul e com acesso difícil

MatériaMais Notícias

O maior estádio da América do Sul será o palco da final entre Flamengo e River Plate (ARG), no dia 23 de novembro. A Conmebol confirmou a mudança da decisão da Copa Libertadores para Lima, capital do Peru, nesta terça. Nesta manhã, o Estádio Monumental, casa do Universitario e com capacidade para 80.093 lugares, foi confirmado como palco da final disputada em jogo único.

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A PRIMEIRA VEZ DO FLAMENGO

O Flamengo jamais atuou no Estádio Monumental de Lima. Inclusive, faz tempo desde a última vez do time da Gávea esteve na capital peruana. Foi em abril de 1967, em amistoso contra o Allianza Lima e o Rubro-Negro perdeu por 4 a 2. Os gols do Fla, comandado por Flávio Costa, foram de João Daniel e Fio Maravilha.

No país, o retrospecto do Flamengo é positivo: 16 vitórias, quatro empates e três derrotas. A última atuação do Rubro-Negro no Peru foi pela Libertadores de 2008: 3 a 0 sobre o Cienciano, em Cuzco, no Estádio Garcilaso de la Vega.

A CASA DO UNIVERSITARIO

A pedra fundamental do Monumental de Lima foi colocado em 16 de janeiro de 1991, mas o estádio só foi inaugurado no dia 2 de julho de 2000. A casa do Universitario, apesar de ser o maior palco da América do Sul, com capacidade para 80.093 lugares, não costuma receber os jogos da seleção peruana, que costuma atuar no Estádio Nacional, capaz de receber 50 mil lugares.

O Monumental receberá pela primeira vez uma final de torneio internacional . O estádio, por outro lado, já recebeu uma série de eventos não relacionados ao futebol, especialmente show. Paul McCartney, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Rod Stewart… A lista é extensa.

DISTANTE DE MIRAFLORES E ACESSO DIFÍCIL

O Estádio Monumental fica no Distrito de Ate, que fica na área leste da cidade, distante de Miraflores, distrito mais conhecido e principal destino turístico da capital peruana. Deste local, em dias normais, este trajeto costuma durar cerca de 35 minutos, sendo preciso pegar dois ônibus. Por aplicativo, a corrida custaria cerca de 35 reais. O trânsito de Lima, em dias de semana, é intenso.

A decisão da Libertadores, contudo, será no sábado, o que pode facilitar a vida do torcedor nesta questão, além da estrutura a ser preparada para o evento.

O que não deve ser fácil é a chegada e saída do estádio, uma vez que apenas a Javier Prado Este é a única que dá acesso ao local e, em dias de partida do Universitario, por exemplo, costuma ser problema para quem chega de carro.

Andy McKay retires from cricket

New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay, who played one Test, 19 ODIs and two T20Is, has retired from all forms of cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015

Andy McKay took 27 wickets from 19 ODIs•AFP

Former New Zealand fast bowler Andy McKay has retired from all forms of cricket. McKay played one Test for New Zealand, against India in 2010, as well as two T20Is and 19 ODIs, taking a total of of 30 wickets.McKay, 35, hinted that he had taken the decision to spend more time with his family, and according to , he will be moving on to become the clinical lead manager of a physiotherapy practice in Wellington.”You sort of live in a bubble (during festive seasons) and it feels like you’re in a separate world almost,” McKay said.”You can see all these people are on their Christmas holidays but you’re there at work. You sort of get a taste of what it’s like, but it’s a sort of bubble experience.”Mckay spent the majority of his 57-match first-class career with Wellington, who he joined in 2009. Overall, he picked up 186 wickets from 57 first-class matches at an average of 31.88, and also snared 84 scalps from 52 List-A matches.”Coming to Wellington, and I’ve told the guys that this was the best move I ever made in my career. I was 29 and just a run-of-the-mill first-class cricketer,” he said.Though he was not part of the initial squad for the World Cup in 2011, McKay was called up for the semi-final against Sri Lanka after Kyle Mills got injured. New Zealand eventually succumbed to a five-wicket defeat, but the match nonetheless remains a career highlight for McKay.”It was pretty special to play that game,” he said. “I got there two days before the game and Dan (Vettori) said ‘Andy, just be prepared to play’. I thought I was just going as cover and to have the best seat in the house to watch it.”It was down to me and Woody (Wellington team-mate Luke Woodcock) as to who was going to play. Woody had played the quarter-final and we knew they were either going to pick a seamer or a spinner and we finally found out about an hour before the toss.”

Crescendo na hora certa, Flamengo recebe o Troféu Osmar Santos das mãos do LANCE! pela primeira vez

MatériaMais Notícias

A vitória do Flamengo por 1 a 0 sobre o Santos coroou a campanha irretocável que levou o clube ao seu primeiro Troféu Osmar Santos (taça que o LANCE! entrega à equipe que termina o primeiro turno na liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro). Neste sábado, o Rubro-Negro manteve o 100% de aproveitamento como mandante.

Foi o nono triunfo em nove partidas do Rubro-Negro como mandante. Ao L!, o meia Everton Ribeiro não escondeu a importância de a equipe ter terminado o primeiro turno na liderança:

-Ah, é sempre bom estar na frente. Sabemos que é simbólico, mas importante, mostra que estamos no caminho certo. Mas temos ainda um turno inteiro pela frente.

O camisa 7 deu a “receita” de como o Flamengo tem de ratificar seu favoritismo na sequência do Brasileirão:

– Temos que continuar nesta mesma intensidade, no mesmo foco. E, no final, poder, aí, sim, levantar o troféu (do Campeonato Brasileiro).

Everton Ribeiro foi um dos nomes fundamentais para levar o Flamengo à conquista do Troféu Osmar Santos. A equipe de Jorge Jesus chegou a ficar oito pontos atrás do Palmeiras (que, durante as primeiras rodadas, ostentou uma invencibilidade) e teve a concorrência do Santos e também teve o Santos à sua frente.

Contudo, o Flamengo cresceu no momento certo. Com as investidas de Everton Ribeiro e Arrascaeta, a qualidade de Bruno Henrique e o inspiradíssimo Gabigol, o Rubro-Negro segue firme na primeira colocação do Campeonato Brasileiro.

ÍCONES

Criado pelo maior jornal esportivo do país há 15 anos para alavancar ainda mais a acertada opção de fazer do Brasileiro não mais um torneio de mata-matas, mas em pontos corridos como ocorre nas principais competições nacional do planeta – o que só veio a acontecer a partir de 2003 – o Osmarzão, como foi apelidado pelo torcedor, é a principal honraria que o campeão do turno recebe.

O Corinthians é o maior vencedor. Dos 16 “Osmarzões”, levou quatro. E o futebol paulista impera, pois em nove oportunidades um time da Terra da Garoa venceu o primeiro turno (veja a tabela ao lado).

As escolhas dos nomes para os troféus do primeiro e segundo turno pelo LANCEForam uma forma de homenagear dois grandes ícones do futebol brasileiro. Osmar Santos, é um dos mais populares narradores esportivos de todos os tempos, com muito sucesso no rádio e na TV. Já João Saldanha – que foi técnico do Botafogo e da Seleção – é considerado pela maioria absoluta dos especialistas o maior comentarista esportivo do futebol.

OS CAMPEÕES DO TROFÉU OSMAR SANTOS

2004 – Santos (41 pontos e 59,4% de aproveitamento)
2005 – Corinthians (42 pontos e 66,7% de aproveitamento)
2006 – São Paulo (38 pontos e 66,7% de aproveitamento)
2007 – São Paulo (39 pontos e 68,4% de aproveitamento)
2008 – Grêmio (41 pontos e 71,9% de aproveitamento)
2009 – Internacional (39 pontos e 68,4% de aproveitamento)
2010 – Fluminense (38 pontos e 66,7% de aproveitamento)
2011 – Corinthians (37 pontos e 64,9% de aproveitamento)
2012 – Atlético-MG (43 pontos e 75,4% de aproveitamento)
2013 – Cruzeiro (40 pontos e 70,2% de aproveitamento)
2014 – Cruzeiro (43 pontos e 75,4% de aproveitamento)
2015 – Corinthians (40 pontos e 70,2% de aproveitamento)
2016 – Palmeiras (36 pontos e 63,2% de aproveitamento)
2017 – Corinthians (47 pontos e 82,5% de aproveitamento)
2018 – São Paulo (41 pontos e 71,9% de aproveitamento)
2019 – Flamengo (42 pontos e73,7 de aproveitamento)

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Kannemann pode aumentar a lista de desfalques do Grêmio

MatériaMais Notícias

O Grêmio pode ganhar uma dor de cabeça para o jogo do próximo domingo, diante do Goiás. Trata-se do zagueiro Kannemann, que sentiu um problema no tornozelo esquerdo e não tem presença confirmada para o fim de semana.

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Caso o argentino não possa atuar, este será o terceiro desfalque do setor defensivo em pouco mais de uma semana. Antes dele, Leonardo e Pedro Geromel apresentaram lesões.

Se Renato Gaúcho não tiver Kannemann, o substituto imediato é Paulo Miranda, que vai formar dupla com David Braz, contratado na janela do meio do ano.

Momento da lesão

No treino da última quinta-feira, o defensor tentou bloquear um chute de Michel, que pegou na ponta do seu pé. De maneira imediata, Kannemann caiu no chão e foi atendido pelos médicos. Pouco depois voltou ao treino, mas nesta sexta-feira ficou de fora dos trabalhos.

Provável Escalação do Grêmio: Paulo Victor; Galhardo, Paulo Miranda (Kannemann), David Braz e Bruno Cortez; Michel, Matheus Henrique, Alisson, Jean Pyerre e Everton; Diego Tardelli.

كلوب يوضح سبب غياب محمد صلاح عن تشكيل ليفربول الأساسي أمام لاسك

أوضح مدرب ليفربول يورجن كلوب، سبب التغييرات في تشكيل الفريق لمباراة لاسك لينز بالدوري الأوروبي. 

وشهد تشكيل ليفربول أمام لاسك لينز، عدة تغييرات بما في ذلك تواجد محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء، والدفع بـ دواك أساسيًا.

ويلتقي ليفربول ولاسك لينز، ضمن مباريات الجولة الأولى لدور المجموعات للدوري الأوروبي.

وقال كلوب في تصريحاته إلى “TNT Sports”: “قدرتنا على إجراء العديد من التغييرات ولا يزال لدينا هذا الفريق الجيد على أرض الملعب، علامة على جودة الفريق”.

وأضاف: “كان بإمكان اللاعبين الذين لعبوا يوم السبت اللعب مرة أخرى، لكننا في وقت مبكر من الموسم وعلينا التأكد من أننا نستخدم الفريق الكامل لهذا الموسم، أردت فريقًا اليوم يريد إثبات نقطة ما، نريد حقًا أن نقدم كل ما لدينا في هذه المسابقة”.

وعن دواك البالغ من العمر 17 عامًا، والذي بدأ أول مباراة له، أفاد كلوب: “أريد أن أرى أنه يستمتع بالمباراة، سنرى مدى قدرته على المساهمة، لكننا لدينا شعور إيجابي حقًا”.

Pollard, Starc fined for altercation

Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc have been fined for their heated altercation during the match between Mumbai and RCB at the Wankhede Stadium on May 6

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-20149:59

‘Pollard, Starc should have been banned’

Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc have been fined for their heated altercation during the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium on May 6. Pollard lost 75% of his match fee while Starc was penalised 50% by match referee Andy Pycroft.Both players admitted to level 2 offences under the IPL’s code of conduct, under which the penalties for a first offence range from a fine of between 50-100% of match fee and/or a suspension of up to two matches.Pollard was charged under article 2.2.7 of the code, which deals with, “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a player, team official, umpire, match referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match.”Starc was charged under article 2.2.11, which deals with, “where the facts of the alleged incident are not adequately or clearly covered by any of the above offences, conduct that either: (a) is contrary to the spirit of the game; or (b) brings the game into disrepute.”The incident occurred in the 17th over of Mumbai’s innings. Starc bowled a bouncer at Pollard, who was beaten as he attempted a hook. Starc went up to the batsman and spoke a few words and Pollard’s reaction was to wave him off. As Starc ran in to bowl the next ball, Pollard pulled out of the delivery by backing away outside leg stump just as the bowler was approaching his jump. Starc did not abort the delivery, though; instead he followed the batsman and bowled the ball in anger close to Pollard’s legs. Pollard responded by swinging his bat hard – appearing to threaten to throw it at the bowler – and it slipped out of his hand and fell on the leg side. Both players were visibly angry and continued to exchange words.Starc later ran Pollard out, but before swatting the bail off he taunted the hopelessly stranded batsman, asking him to try and make his crease.Both captains of Mumbai and RCB, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, were fined for slow over-rate offences during the game. Rohit had already been penalised for a poor over-rate during Mumbai’s match against Sunrisers, so he was fined INR 24 lakh, while his team-mates were fined the smaller amount between INR 6 lakh and 25% of match fee. Kohli was fined INR 12 lakh because if was his first offence of the season. Royal Challengers bowler Varun Aaron was reprimanded for violating the IPL’s clothing regulations.

ICC to meet on World Twenty20 security

The ICC will, next week, meet key stakeholders in the World Twenty20, to be held in Bangladesh in March-April, to discuss security-related concerns following the spate of violence in the country over the past few months. The meeting, to be held in Dhaka on January 20, will be attended by security consultants from various participating countries, the ICC’s security manager Sean Norris – who will coordinate the meeting – and senior officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and representatives of the national government.The World Twenty20 is the third and last of a series of international cricket events in Bangladesh over the next few months, all of which are still to be finalised. A decision on the Sri Lanka tour is expected over the weekend while there is a question mark over Pakistan’s participation in the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held before the World T20.The concerns from the teams have emanated from the steady violence throughout Bangladesh from last October till a week after the general elections which concluded on January 5. It has already impacted cricket: the touring New Zealand side skipped a training session late October due to the strike called on October 27 and, in December, the West Indies Under-19 team left a tour of Bangladesh midway following an explosion near the team hotel in Chittagong.The general elections, held on January 5, seemed to have stemmed the violence; the last week has been calm with few incidents reported and it is understood that the BCB will stress at the meeting that conditions are likely to return to normal. Norris has arrived in Dhaka and has visited a few of the stadiums, including the Fatullah Cricket Stadium where he went on Wednesday.At the meeting, the advisors will be shown the presentation of the security framework put in place by the Bangladesh government, BCB and the ICC. “We have sent a security plan to the participating nations. We will present it at the meeting, and if anyone has queries, we will answer to that,” BCB’s acting chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said. ESPNcricinfo understands that the BCB will be coordinating with a cell at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for the overall security of all three upcoming events.Paul Marsh, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, said that the players were concerned about the risk element and hence it was absolutely necessary to get an independent and clear view. FICA has appointed ECB security consultant Reg Dickason’s company Eastern Star International as an advisor. Dickason will double up as the independent expert at the ICC security meeting next week and submit his report to FICA.FICA, March told ESPNcricinfo, was interested in getting a threat assessment of the tournament from an independent security agency on behalf of the players and the individual player associations.”There is still time between now and the event but what we are asking is to get an overview on the situation in Bangladesh at the moment,” Marsh said. “The ICC and BCB will, I am sure, put forward an international view at the meeting which will be considered by our advisor. But it is our advisor who will recommend us as to whether it is safe or not to go.”

Derbyshire allow Redfern to leave

Derbyshire have released batsman Dan Redfern by mutual consent, despite the 23-year-old still having two years left to run on his contract

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2013

Dan Redfern lost his place in the Derbyshire side during the second half of last season•Getty Images

Derbyshire have released batsman Dan Redfern by mutual consent, despite the 23-year-old still having two years left to run on his contract. Redfern lost his place in the first team last season, as Derbyshire were relegated in their first Division One campaign in a decade.A graduate of the club’s academy, Redfern enjoyed his best season in 2012, scoring 792 runs at 37.71 – including his maiden first-class centuries – as Derbyshire won promotion as Division Two champions. He signed a three-year contract extension at the end of 2012 but suffered from injuries and a loss of form.”Dan’s been with the club since joining the academy in 2004 and we thank him for his efforts during that period,” Derbyshire’s head coach, Karl Krikken, said. “However, in recent times, he’s had a number of issues – both on and off the field – which made last season in particular a challenging time for both him and the club.”While it’s always difficult to see players leave, both Dan and the club feel a new challenge is the best route forward.”Having made his debut as a 16-year-old in 2006, Redfern was part of a talented crop of young players to emerge under Krikken’s guidance of the academy. He was a member of England’s team at the 2008 Under-19 World Cup and became a regular in Derbyshire’s Championship side from 2009 onwards. This year, however, he managed just two half-centuries, averaging 16.80 from eight first-class appearances.Redfern said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Derbyshire and I thank ‘Krikk’ and the team for their support. The decision to move on is tough but a fresh start will open new opportunities for me in the next stage of my career.”

Nepal, Netherlands start with wins

A round-up of Friday’s Group B games in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2013
ScorecardAfghanistan, the favourites to win Group B at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, suffered a comprehensive defeat to their closest rivals, Netherlands, who romped home with seven wickets and 43 balls to spare. Having won the toss and decided to bat, only two Afghanistan players – Mohammad Shahzad and Najibullah Zadran – made it into double figures in a meagre total of 90. None of the Netherlands bowlers conceded more than 5.50 runs an over, with Mudassar Bukhari, Paul van Meekeren, Pieter Seelaar and Ahsan Malik all claiming two wickets. Captain Peter Borren then thrashed 38 from 15 balls after two wickets for Mohammad Nabi had briefly checked the run chase.
ScorecardGeraint Jones’ experience helped guide Papua New Guinea to a high-scoring four-wicket victory against troubled Kenya as they chased down 177 with 14 balls to spare. Jones hit 44 off 32 balls, but it was Kila Pala who top-scored with 46 off 30 deliveries as PNG, whose warm-up victory against Ireland now looks less of a fluke, always kept themselves ahead of the rate. Steve Tikolo, drafted back in for this tournament in a desperate measure by Kenya, opened the bowling and conceded 28 off two overs as the PNG openers cut loose during the Powerplay. Although they both fell inside the first six overs, PNG did not let the momentum go to waste. Tikolo had earlier produced his own hard-hitting display with a rapid 38 and Collins Obuya’s unbeaten 53 set up what appeared a commanding total, but Kenya’s bowling proved well below what was required.
ScorecardNepal began their campaign with a huge victory over Denmark, but they will be concerned that they lost five wickets in the chase of a low target, and had to depend on their captain Paras Khadka. Nepal’s bowlers shot out Denmark for 79 in 19.4 overs, with Sagar Pun taking 3 for 12 and Basant Regmi 2 for 8. Only three Denmark batsmen made it into double figures. Nepal’s chase got off to a horrific start though, with two wickets falling before they had scored. Khadka then dominated a 67-run partnership for the third wicket by scoring 48 off 34 balls. After he was dismissed, Nepal lost two more wickets with the score on 68, before they achieved the target in 13.1 overs.
ScorecardA collection of nugget-sized scores from Bermuda’s batsmen allowed them to post 149, after which Janeiro Tucker and Jacobi Robinson took three wickets each to sink Scotland. Bermuda lost wickets regularly after choosing to bat, and only three batsmen made it past 20. Opener Dion Stovell top scored with 29, and Lionel Cann contributed 27. Scotland were comfortably placed in their chase, with three of their top four batsmen getting starts and passing 25, but the rest of their batting line-up fell away tamely. From 109 for 3 in the 15th over, Scotland were eventually dismissed for 131 in 19.5 overs, with Tucker and Robinson doing all the damage.

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