Rahul Dravid’s decision to test out his one-day bowling options was justified as all three fast bowlers got among the wickets. A good day was then capped with half-centuries by both the openers as India eased to a seven-wicket win over Scotland at a sold-out Clydesdale Cricket Ground.Guided by an 82-run partnership between veteran Gavin Hamilton (44) and Neil McCallum (41), Scotland recovered from four early blows to reach 203, but a rain-revised target of 209 proved far too easy for India, who improved their one-day record to 6-1 after that horrible run at the World Cup. This was not one of the more convincing wins of the season for India, but with runs and wickets from their fringe players, such as Gautam Gambhir who made an unbeaten 85, it is a gentle feeler for a year that still holds 20 ODIs.With Paul Hoffmann, in his last game, and John Blain giving no room to free the arms, Robin Uthappa and Gambhir had to rein in their naturally flamboyant ways. Uthappa, who has not played an ODI since the World Cup, was away with a four to fine leg but struggled to work the ball into the gaps despite taking guard over a foot outside his crease. There were more than seven overs between India’s first and second boundaries but Uthappa finally found his footwork, and his confidence showed in bludgeoned drives and one spanking six in an opening stand of 104.An inswinger from Craig Wright beat Uthappa’s defence on 55 and Dinesh Karthik came and went for 14 but Gambhir, whose only opportunities in England have come in the tour games, pressed on. It was not pretty; he felt his way through the early overs before driving his first four through the covers in the tenth. There were repeated wafts outside off stump in between firm drives through midwicket and mid-off as Gambhir did his part to whittle away at the target.His half-century was raised from 76 balls and he continued in the same grafting manner, though there was a pleasing straight six to raise the 50 stand with Yuvraj Singh, who injected some oomph into the chase with a 28-ball 38. Dravid, no stranger to these parts having represented Scotland in the county circuit, drew cheers from the crowd in an unbeaten ten-run knock as India crossed the finish line in the 40th over.
India’s pace bowlers were far from threatening but they did not need to be against a shaky top order. Ajit Agarkar managed gentle swing to get rid of Navdeep Poonia, while RP Singh – who ambled in to bowl but still put in enough in his delivery stride to produce good lift and carry – nipped out Fraser Watts and Majid Haq. Munaf Patel, returning after a back muscle problem sent him home from Bangladesh in May, mixed wides with accurate, lifting deliveries and succeeded in getting the crucial wicket of Ryan Watson, the free-stroking Scotland captain.There were erratic moments, however, as 15 wides in the first 21 overs indicate, and though Munaf might be well enough to return to the line-up, his fielding efforts were by no means adequate. These lapses, and one tough drop by Yuvraj off McCallum after the first rain interval, allowed McCallum and Hamilton to launch a period of Scottish dominance against the spinners.The sweep, mostly to deliveries on and outside off stump, fetched easy singles and doubles and forced the spinners to change their line. Hamilton was confident driving down the ground, while McCallum was at ease working the ball to leg. McCallum celebrated his reprieve by thumping Ramesh Powar out of the ground and later raised the 50 partnership off 74 balls with a streaky four past gully.Piyush Chawla tossed it up and was twice swept to the fine-leg boundary but at 131 for 5, Mahendra Singh Dhoni snapped up a thick under-edge to get rid of a leaden-footed McCallum. Chawla caught Colin Smith shuffling across the stumps (146 for 6) but Hamilton and former captain Wright, with a career-best 38, helped Scotland get close to 200.
Charles Coventry has become the latest player to turn his back on Zimbabwe after he reportedly fell out with coach Kevin Curran and team manager Andy Pycroft, declaring that he will never play for Zimbabwe as long the duo are involved in cricket.Coventry, who is playing in the Southern Electric League in Hampshire, said he had a spate with Curran and Pycroft during Zimbabwe’s tour of West Indies in May. “I had a falling out with the coach and the manager and have realised that there is no future for me in Zimbabwe cricket. I also decided that I will not be coming back to Zimbabwe Cricket as long as Pycroft and Curran are involved due to personal reasons.”Even though he did not go into detail, reliable sources say it was so bad that Coventry walked out of the team before Zimbabwe took on Bermuda and Canada and headed for England.Coventry said he took the decision so that he could stop worrying about the future, and even the prospect of playing in next year’s World Cup in West Indies is not enough to make him change his mind. “My time of worrying and feeling like I do not know what is going to happen tomorrow is over,” he told Cricinfo. “I decided to it be in my best interests to leave before I do or say something that I will regret. Also financially it is not worth staying with Zimbabwe Cricket as I could find another job that can earn me better money.”A talented batsman with a love for big shots, Coventry attracted the attention of the Zimbabwe selectors after his exploits at the 2002 Under-19 World. He was called up for Zimbabwe one-day series against India and made his ODI debut against England in June 2003. He has represented Zimbabwe 11 ODIs and two Tests, both against India last year.
Jacques Rudolph, the young left-handed batsman, will lead the South African A team when it tours Sri Lanka in September to play a two-day warm-up match and two four-day games before an international one-day tri-series also involving New Zealand A. The tour gives Rudolph and excellent opportunity to prove himself once more and stake a claim to return to the South African team.”Apart from the experienced players in the side, this squad is blessed with talented young players that we can build our future with,” said Haroon Lorgat, the national convenor of selectors, on the board’s official website. “Some of these players know the demanding conditions in Sri Lanka and I am confident that this tour will deepen their experiences even further.”Loots Bosman and Robin Peterson will replace Paul Adams and Hashim Amla for the tri-series. The only debutant in the squad is Johan Botha, who appeared for South Africa in the 2000 Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka.South Africa A won the two four-day matches 1-0, and the three one-dayers 2-1 against Sri Lanka A when the teams met last in South Africa in September-October 2003. The squad departs on August 31.The squad:Jacques Rudolph (capt), Thami Tsolekile (wk), Paul Adams, Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Zander de Bruyn, Jean-Paul Duminy, Albie Morkel, Justin Ontong, Andrew Puttick, Dale Steyn, Alfonso Thomas, Johan van der Wath, Monde Zondeki.
Sri Lanka’s top order let their side down to fall 19 runs short of a modest target set by West Indies in the Super League match at the Fatullah District Stadium.Sri Lanka won the toss and put West Indies in. Accurate bowling restricted progress and it wasn’t until the 29th over that they reached the 100 mark. Despite having wickets in hand, West Indies were unable to up the tempo in the closing overs, and finished on 200 for 7 after 50 overs. Captain Denesh Ramdin top-scored with 51.Sri Lanka’s top order have struggled for runs in this tournament – and today was no exception. The first four batsmen were back in the pavilion for 21 as fast bowler Lionel Baker’s extra pace and bounce created chaos. Chamith Kulasekara and Suraj Mohammad rallied to take Sri Lanka to 164 for 7 with four overs remaining. But then Baker returned to dismiss Kulasekara for 64 and Mohammad for 37, to swing the match decisively back in West Indies’ favour. Baker fittingly picked up the final wicket in the last over of the match to finish with figures of 6 for 39 as Sri Lanka were all out for 181.Baker, the Man of the Match, was pleased to find his rhythm with the ball. “It’s a great feeling to win today and it is good to start the Super League in good form,” he said.Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s coach, the former Test legspinner DS de Silva, was critical of his side’s batting display. “If we are going to succeed in this tournament, the top order batsmen must make runs together. At the moment our batting has been failing and today it cost us the match.”
Takashinga return to Murare Sports Club this Sunday – three weeks after their day of infamy – to contest the semi-finals of the league knockout competition. Awaiting the outcome of a ZCU disciplinary hearing set for Thursday 21 February for their conduct during the earlier game, this match should provide compulsive viewing for the Mutare public. Spectators are advised to keep clear of war zones this time – in the last game Odzi farmer Logie Slabbert and his wife Estelle were relaxing in deck chairs near the boundary rope when a Takashinga fielder pursued a ball over the top of Estelle, smashing chairs and bodies everywhere. Reality TV would have paid handsomely for copyrights. Missing the reliable all-rounder Richie Sims and three Test stars, Manicaland are wobbling and vulnerable after losing their Logan Cup game against CFX Academy last weekend.Alan Walsh – the umpire at the centre of the storm in the previous game – is away on leave, so Manicaland Umpires Chairman Kevan Barbour has requested a `neutral’ umpire to drive down from Harare for the game. His concern is that numbers will plummet in his association if he asks members to stand in volatile `unprotected’ games of this nature. That it has come to this is unfortunate but reflects the times in which we live. There will be substantial financial rewards at stake for the winner – another factor likely to increase on-field tension.Losing with four sessions to spare in the four-day game last weekend, Manicaland will need to dig deep to stay with Takashinga. Positives are the form of captain Neil Ferreira and the returning form of left-arm seamer Justin Lewis. Ferreira hit 106 (14 fours) and Kingsley Went 57 in Manicaland’s first innings. Andre Soma and Tino Mawoyo managed just 30 runs between them in four innings – a disappointing return for batsmen of such obvious quality. After a first-innings failure Naeem Sheth top-scored (40) in the second after recovering from a clash of heads with Mawoyo as the pair converged on a catch in the CFX second innings.Happiest man on the field for all three days was pint-sized twelfth man Marvin Vogel. A 16-year-old leg-spinner from Mutare Boys High, his enthusiasm whilst rushing drinks or equipment onto the field was enjoyed by everyone. His best moment came at Friday midday when Naeem Sheth left the field to attend prayers at the local Mosque – an hour’s uninterrupted fielding in first-class cricket.Adiel Kugotsi was another to have a quiet game. Managing only 10 runs in two innings with bowling figures of 3-0-16-0, his moment of glory came early in CFX’s first innings when he effected a stunning direct throw run-out from the covers. In his O-level year at Mutare Boys High, he hopes to earn a living one day from cricket.There was excitement off the field on Saturday afternoon when security guards employed by the cricket association apprehended a suit-wearing thief in the process of removing a pair of track shoes from the change rooms. Unlike the other first-class grounds in the country, Mutare Sports Club is not security fenced and occasionally plays host to unusual visitors.
After the excitement and tension of the Shell Trophy match between these teams their contest in the opening round of the Shell Cup was an anti-climax. Auckland won by 109 runs as Northern Districts never looked like getting remotely close to the target of 242.The decisive passage of the game was the last ten overs of the Auckland innings when Tama Canning and Andre Adams led an assault on the previously frugal ND attack. Almost a hundred runs were added in this period to put the game well beyond reach.ND’s reply was dogged by the regular fall of wickets, the biggest partnership being twenty-eight for the ninth wicket between Bailey and Martin. Five Auckland bowlers took two wickets each. All except Canning were accurate and economical, and he owed his team nothing after his decisive performance with the bat. Morgan went wicketless, but was every bit as tight as the rest.The strong performance of slow left-armer Mark Haslam in both forms of the game should be acknowledged as his opportunities have been few, and far between, since the emergence of Brooke Walker.Auckland won the toss and chose to bat after rain delayed the start by ten minutes. The opening partnership between Aaron Barnes and Llorne Howell was worth forty-six, achieved at a four an over. Little advantage was taken of the fielding restrictions in the first fifteen overs, even with off-spinner Grant Bradburn opening from the Members’ End.A six and a four came from the first two balls of the ninth over, bowled by Simon Doull, who was still suffering the effects of a painful knock in the groin, sustained as he fell before the over began. Doull collects unusual injuries. Last year he received a finger in the eye during a high five celebration at Taupo.The dismissal of Barnes, caught at slip by Bradburn off Aldridge, was the first of three in rapid succession. Vincent was Aldridge’s second victim, to an outstanding slip catch by Bailey. Yovich caught Howell, moving back quickly from mid-on to make a tricky chance look easy. Howell did not field after aggravating a finger injury.Dion Nash – playing as a batsman only – and Blair Pocock were the fourth wicket partnership. They made staying together the first priority, knowing that the big hitters to come in the Auckland batting order had to come in late enough to be able to attack freely.They did their job well, putting on 102. Boundaries were few against a tight ND attack, but the platform was in place when Pocock was dismissed. The pace seemed slow at times, but later events fully justified their approach.Canning and Adams both faced nineteen deliveries. Canning scored thirty-two including a six and three fours. Adams was thirty-six not out with two sixes and two fours.Nash played the supporting role, unusually for him. It was an invaluable effort as he first steadied the innings and later gave the strike to his partners unselfishly and efficiently.Tait (10-1-29-1) and Bradburn (10-0-28-1) both bowled their spells straight through, demonstrating how they have almost 200 Shell Cup wickets between them. Tait’s mid-innings spell was especially commendable and would have been match winning more often than not.So Auckland takes two points to become early joint leaders with Canterbury. ND will believe that it has got its bad game out of its system early on. It will be a major surprise if it does not challenge strongly for a top three place.ND entertain CD in the Shell Trophy in Taupo from Wednesday, returning to Hamilton for a Shell Cup match next Sunday. Auckland travels south for games against Canterbury.
Wolves are reportedly eyeing up moves for Matheus Luiz Nunes and Joao Palhinha, amid doubts surrounding the futures of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho.
The Lowdown: Influential pair could leave
Many Wanderers players have impressed throughout what has been a positive season, with Neves and Moutinho undoubtedly two of the key figures.
The Portuguese duo have been superb in the middle of the park, often dovetailing beautifully and starting 53 Premier League matches between them.
It could be that both move on this summer however with Neves linked with an exit and Moutinho’s contract ticking down, which would of course leave a gaping void in Wolves’ midfield.
[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]
The Latest: Ornstein makes key claim
According to The Athletic‘s ever-reliable David Ornstein, Sporting CP duo Nunes and Palhinha are being looked at as possible replacements to Neves and Moutinho, with the pair valued at £50.4million combined by Transfermarkt.
[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]
The Verdict: Key summer at Molineux
Losing both Neves and Moutinho would be a bitter pill to swallow for Wolves, but sadly, it does feel increasingly as though that could be the case.
Bruno Lage would then face the unenviable task of plugging the gap this summer, with those brought in simply having to provide a similarly positive influence for the manager’s success to continue.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Nunes and Palhinha could be those figures, with the pair both still young 23 and 26, respectively, and their Portuguese roots meaning they could fit in seamlessly at Molineux.
Palhinha has shone in a No.6 role for Sporting this season, averaging an 86.5% pass completion rate, while Nunes is more attack-minded, averaging 3.3 dribbles per game in the Champions League.
In other news, Wolves are reportedly ‘planning for life’ without one player. Find out who it is here.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDevendra Bishoo nearly pulled off a stunning heist in the last over•Caribbean Premier League
Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel huffed and puffed and just scraped through to their first win of the season by three wickets in a low-scoring encounter against Guyana Amazon Warriors. Requiring five in the last over, T&T nearly found a way to lose as legspinner Devendra Bishoo picked up his second wicket of the over with the penultimate delivery, but on inspection a no-ball was called by the third umpire because the bowler had overstepped. With one to get and two balls still remaining, Kevon Cooper smashed the free-hit for six to win it for Red Steel.Cameron Delport had got Red Steel off to a brisk start in the chase of 119, making 22 out of a first-wicket stand of 23 with Jacques Kallis. Darren Bravo and Kallis then added 38 in 44 balls, but both got out in quick succession. Again a partnership built, with Dwayne Bravo and Kamran Akmal adding 31, and Red Steel were comfortably placed at the end of 15 overs – needing 20 to win off 30 balls.Kamran played an inspired cameo – 30 off 17 – but was dismissed in the 16th over with Red Steel still requiring 13 for victory with four overs remaining. However, three frugal overs ensued, including a tight 18th over by Bishoo, in which he took one wicket and conceded just one run. Tasked with defending five off the last, Bishoo conceded three singles and took a wicket in his first four balls, and also had Cooper stumped off the fifth. That delivery, however, turned out to be a no-ball, too large an error in a game of small margins.Amazon Warriors had made a poor start to the game after choosing to bat, losing two wickets in the third over. Lendl Simmons and Brad Hodge began rebuilding with a 35-run stand, before Hodge was caught and bowled off Samuel Badree for 19. Sunil Narine came out to bat at No. 5 but couldn’t get going, eventually holing out to long-on for 14. Simmons was bowled just after he reached his half-century as Amazon Warriors slumped to 104 for 7. They were soon bowled out for 118. Dwayne Bravo produced his career-best bowling figures of 4 for 18, while Kallis and Cooper took two wickets each.
Sri Lanka’s champion allrounder Sanath Jayasuriya said that whoever tries to emulate his feat of scoring 12,000 runs and 300 wickets in ODIs will have to work really hard for it and also have luck on his side.”It’s tough to get 300 wickets and score over 12,000 runs. Its hard work and a lot of sacrifice in your career. It’s not easy. Somebody who wants achieve that feat willhave to work really hard and be lucky,” Jayasuriya said after taking four wicketsfor 31 runs as well as the Man-of-the-Match award in the second one-day internationalagainst Bangladesh.Jayasuriya who started the match with 296 wickets from 396 matches said: “I neverthought of getting the four wickets today. But I am extremely happy with myachievement.”His great moment came when he snapped up the final Bangladesh wicket by having lastman Syed Rasel caught by Jehan Mubarak at mid-off. “I am not a big wicket-taking bowler. When I bowl I am not looking at taking wickets but I try to bowl my ten overs for less runs and try to keep it as tight as possible. I just want to do the basic things for the team. If I am lucky I will getwickets,” the 38-year-old allrounder said.”Some of my best bowling had been in the 1996 World Cup against England and against India in the semi-finals. I also took crucial wickets in the 2007 World Cup. Sometimes if you fail to score runs but can contribute with the ball it is good for the team and it also gives me a lot of confidence.”I went through a rather lean patch in my bowling and when I was in India the lasttime I got some help from Bruce Yardley [the former Australian offspinner andformer Sri Lanka coach]. That worked really well for me.”Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene recognising Jayasuriya’s achievement said:”It’s a great achievement when you look back and see that no one has done it. Sanathhas done it in a very quite manner. He hasn’t taken a lot of credit for the work hehas done for Sri Lanka cricket.”Batting-wise a lot of people have recognised him, not many have recognised hiscapabilities with the ball. He’s made a huge difference to our team over the last10-12 years with his bowling. That’s why we’ve got a very good balance in our team. We have three guys with over 300 wickets in our line-up. We got another two young guys who are doing well. It’s a very good combination to have.”Jayawardene stated that his team made some mistakes in this match which they won byfive wickets to take a winning 2-0 lead in the 3-match series.”We made a few mistakes today. We dropped a few catches and batting wise we lost afew wickets. We need to iron out all those mistakes and be very professional in ourgame. When we have a target like this the tendency is to finish it off quickly. Wewere not sure about the weather also. It was drizzling a bit and we didn’t want totake it to another day. The wicket was not coming that well in the latter part andit was a bit difficult to play shots. We probably should have been a bit morepatient with our approach,” Jayawardene said.Bangladesh coach Shaun Williams expressed disappointment in their batting and saidthe main problem was that the batsmen were unable to cope with the bounce.”It was disappointing again we need to find a way to bat better. You need to givecredit to their bowlers. They are doing exceptionally well. We are not playing aswell as we need to. We are struggling to cope with bounce and the Sri Lankan fastbowlers are really exposing that,” Williams said.”If we are to move forward as a batting side we need to come out with a way to overcome it. The only way to do that is when you go back home you need to have pitchesprepared in a way that prepares us better to face the bouncing ball. Even in theTest matches the extra bounce was the major problem.”Having lost the Test series 3-0, the Bangladesh team is trying hard to avoid anotherwhitewash in the one-day series.”We are putting every effort into and making sure we post a score. If we do that wegot a good chance. We can be confident we can bowl well. We bowled quite well in thefirst two matches,” Williams said.The third and final match is scheduled for July 25 at the same venue, the RPremadasa Stadium.
Zimbabwe A 276 for 7 (Mufambisi 67, Hove 64) v Bangladesh ATafadzwa Mufambisi and Tinashe Hove scored half centuries to give Zimbabwe A a fine start on the first day of their third and final four-day Test against Bangladesh A at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.Mufambisi, who came in at No. 6, rode his luck to top score with 67 from 129 deliveries and dispatched nine fours while opener Hove was second best with 64 runs from 148 balls as Zimbabwe A, who won the toss and elected to bat, closed the first day on 276 for 7 in 90 overs.Mufambisi was given the benefit of doubt when yet to open his account when he drove left-arm spinner Enamul Haque (jnr) to mid-off where the fielder juggled with the ball but eventually held onto it – but umpire Kevan Barbour gave the batsman the benefit of doubt.Hove put on 68 for the second wicket with Friday Kasteni (38) and then went on to share in a 71-run stand for the fifth wicket before Hove, who seemed on his way to a big score, was run out going for a single that was never there.Shakib Al Hassan and Haque picked up two wickets each, but the latter, who has given the home batsmen a torrid time in this series, looked ordinary.