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A second death-overs meltdown in two games let Pakistan get close, but nerves were finally held and South Africa sealed a two-run win and secure a 2-1 series lead

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin02-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Hashim Amla made his fifth ODI century of the year•AFPThey fell apart again at the death but ultimately a hundred from Hashim Amla and four wickets from Morne Morkel were just about enough to sneak South Africa home in the third ODI in Dubai. A second death-overs meltdown in two games let Pakistan come within two runs, but a 2-1 series lead was secured.South Africa were exceptional for 42 overs in defending 229. Pakistan had just lost Abdul Razzaq, they needed 76 on a sluggish, boundary-shy surface: game over. But Morkel, Rusty Theron and Lonwabo Tsotsobe lost their minds, nerves, lengths and lines. Fielders began to drop catches as Wahab Riaz, of all batsmen, smashed an 11-ball 21 and, with Fawad Alam, pillaged 56 runs in the Powerplay. Ultimately, despite a panic-stricken last over from Theron, Pakistan just didn’t have enough batsmen. Alam remained unbeaten on 59, valiant but not deal-sealing.Before that, Morkel and Tsotsobe had opened with sterling spells. The visitors have made light of Dale Steyn’s absence, mainly because Tsotsobe has had a fine series. He is uncomplicated, using the natural left-arm angle well and has subtle changes in pace. If he hasn’t bowled an outstanding spell that will stick in the mind, neither has he bowled a poor one. Today was no different.Having Morkel at the other end, bowling with unspeaking meanness, helps. Morkel gave nothing away for long, not on width, not on length; both the pace and bounce added to an unceasing atmosphere. One over to Younis Khan was particularly good, five dot balls which left him nowhere to go but out, and he was, off the last ball.The first ten overs ceded 23 and one boundary. With Pakistan not going anywhere, the fielding took over. In any case Imran Farhat was as lively as a library and as awake as a morgue to scoring opportunities. The arrival of Asad Shafiq got things moving but so tightly did South Africa police the field that a run-out looked inevitable. Eventually it came breaking a labored but vital 85-run stand. Soon after, a cramping Shafiq went the same way. Morkel returned, just as mean, and dismissed Shahid Afridi. He set the tone for Razzaq, bowling short or shortish, and giving him nothing remotely full and that should have been that.Smart Stats

Hashim Amla averages 82.16 at a strike rate of 103.13 in ODIs in 2010, with five centuries and three fifties in 13 innings.

Amla scored 52.19% of South Africa’s total, which is the fifth-highest in all ODIs for them. The highest is Gary Kirsten’s unbeaten 188 out of 321 (58.56%) against UAE in the 1996 World Cup. The others are Herschelle Gibbs (59 out of 101 against Pakistan), Gibbs again (118 out of 211 against England); and Dave Callaghan (169 out of 314 against New Zealand).

This was Jacques Kallis’ first ODI duck in more than three years – the last time he scored one was in October 2007 against Pakistan in Lahore, 42 innings ago.

For Younis Khan, on the other hand, this was his sixth duck in his last 43 innings.

But if nothing else, Amla’s fifth hundred of the year, a masterful knock deserved the win. But for him South Africa would’ve been nowhere and we would’ve been lauding a match-winning spell from Shoaib Akhtar.From the start, there were two pitches, one for Amla and another, sluggish one, for the rest. He hit nine out of his side’s total 12 boundaries. Two in the first over solidified the impression that he has batted in one unbroken stretch since the first ODI. Where others couldn’t time it, he glided along, utilizing the modern batsman’s get-out clause – a dab to third man – liberally.Occasionally he improvised, but mostly he just stayed cool. That helped, given the outrageous decision that sent back AB de Villiers. An important partnership had been constructed when in Afridi’s first over, TV umpire Zameer Haider chose to give de Villiers out stumped when he was distinctly in. Others gave Amla some support but it was a one-man job.A brace of boundaries paved the way for a hassle-free fifty just before the halfway mark. Then he disappeared, quietly picking off runs here and there. He emerged once on 78, when Shafiq dropped a sharp chance at cover, and again when cutting Saeed Ajmal twice to move into the 90s.A dab to third man – what else? – brought up the hundred just before the batting Powerplay became mandatory. He then found the odd boundary, a classy drive past mid-off and a rare, ungainly pull, but most importantly he stayed unbeaten till the end, not sweating at all.Shoaib’s work thus took a back seat. Amid standard turmoil this year, Shoaib has quietly managed as impressive a comeback as any of his previous ones. He still has the pace, but the shortened run-up and seemingly permanent limp, reduces the visual a little. The smarts are very much intact.He stifled South Africa at the start, rolling in casually and mixing up some solid length bowling with excellent changes of pace; no less a man than Jacques Kallis, returning for Robin Peterson, was deceived by one. Colin Ingram could only pop another slower one back soon after.This was the 11th ODI in a row Shoaib has played since his return earlier this year for the Asia Cup , the longest, unbroken stretch he has had since 2002 (joint-second longest ever in his career). Any questions over his fitness were forgotten in later spells. He gave one run in two overs during the middle, even making the set-as-cement Amla jump around. He then came back to rattle and shake Johan Botha, only a poor last over to regret. Eleven came off that, important in the big picture.

Luke Butterworth swung Tasmania to a sensational one-wicket victory that was sealed with a six off Doug Bollinger

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2010Tasmania 125 & 9 for 167 (Butterworth 44*, Watson 5-39) beat New South Wales 97 & 190 by 1 wicket
ScorecardLuke Butterworth and Adam Maher celebrate their win in front of a frustrated Doug Bollinger•Getty ImagesLuke Butterworth swung Tasmania to a sensational one-wicket victory that was sealed with a six off Doug Bollinger at the SCG. In a match that swung as much as the ball over two-and-a-bit days, Butterworth and Adam Maher put on 31 in four overs after Shane Watson’s five-for seemed to set up the game for New South Wales.Maher was dropped by Nathan Hauritz at third slip with 12 still needed and Butterworth quickly sealed the success, finishing with a game-high 44. Bollinger was called to deliver the final over and was hit for three by Maher, before Butterworth picked up two to third man, a four to mid-on and then a six in the same direction. It ended a fine match for Butterworth, who took five wickets and top-scored in the first innings with 39.Tasmania began the day at 3 for 73, needing another 90 for victory, but they lost the captain George Bailey straight away, lbw to Trent Copeland. Copeland followed up to remove Mark Cosgrove and when Watson picked up Brady Jones (32) and James Faulkner the Tigers were in big trouble at 7 for 107.Jason Krejza added 12 and Shane Watson earned his fifth victim when Xavier Doherty failed to score. Watson had to be satisfied with 5 for 39 from 14 overs, while Copeland finished with 3 for 42 and nine wickets for the game. Hauritz did not add to his one over for the match as the fast bowlers were preferred, leaving him without an opportunity to gauge his form ahead of the first Test on Thursday.

Journalist and transfer ‘insider’ Dean Jones has made a behind-the-scenes West Ham United claim on midfield star Declan Rice’s future at the club.

The Lowdown: Rice rumours emerge…

A plethora of rumours surrounding Rice have come to light in the last week with big name transfer source Fabrizio Romano claiming he is ‘open’ to leaving this summer and has turned down a third new deal offer.

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This comes after both Jones and 90min reporter Scott Saunders first said he is more open than ever to a Rush Green exit, yet according to Claret & Hugh, there have been claims to the contrary.

The insider believes that Rice is committed to West Ham for 2022/2023 at the very least, though if there isn’t any sign of competing for silverware, he could consider his future next year.

The Latest: Jones shares update…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that the 23-year-old is set for a ‘big’ conversation with West Ham behind-the-scenes and there is ‘no doubt’ clubs will be knocking on the door.

He explained: “Declan Rice is going to have to have a big conversation with West Ham at the end of the season, no matter what happens.

“There’s no doubt that there’s going to be two or three clubs asking the question of how much would you actually sell this guy for?”

The Verdict: Interesting summer ahead…

There is little danger of manager David Moyes losing his superstar player this window given West Ham’s hard-line sale stance and the fact GSB have an option to extend his contract by a further year.

However, if Rice pushes for a possible move away, West Ham may be pressured somewhat to entertain interested clubs as to not disrupt the harmony of Moyes’ squad.

That being said, any price below £100 million simply shouldn’t be considered given his obvious quality, the fact Rice is homegrown and may only get better.

According to WhoScored, the colossal Three Lions international has averaged a fifth-best passing accuracy per game on average out of every Premier League player in the division (91.6%) – backing his composure and assurance at an impressively young age.

He’s also in high demand, putting West Ham in a position of strength to command a justifiable fee for his services.

Ideally, Moyes will have another season or two with Rice in his squad, but this summer could be a very interesting one nonetheless.

In other news: ExWHUemployee shares major West Ham player update with deal agreed! Find out more here.

Aston Villa have not been shy when it comes to new signings during the January transfer window, with four new senior players coming through the door over the past few weeks.

With deadline day in sight, it seems as though a fresh twist has emerged regarding their reported hunt for yet another new face to bring in and strengthen Steven Gerrard’s squad.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent Twitter post from BBC journalist Phil McNulty, Villa “have not made a bid” for Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who has been linked with a move to the Midlands in recent days.

The journalist added that the Villans “made an inquiry two weeks ago but have not gone back since”.

In addition, Italian journalist Romeo Agresti has recently claimed that Villa have now left the race to sign the 24-year-old.

Since joining the Italian giants back in 2017 from Boca Juniors, the midfielder has gone on to make 181 appearances for Juventus across all competitions including the Champions League, scoring three goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

The £22.5m-rated ace has also racked up plenty of international experience, with 46 appearances for Uruguay under his belt.

Fans will be raging

Having seen their club strengthen pretty much every area of their squad so far in the January transfer window apart from central midfield, Villa fans will surely not be happy to hear that the club have apparently given up on trying to sign an experienced top-level midfielder in Bentancur with deadline day fast approaching.

With central midfield being an area that Gerrard reportedly wants to strengthen this month, the club will need to move swiftly if they want to bring one in before the deadline, if they have indeed moved on from the possibility of securing Bentancur’s signature.

Also, with current Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba still out injured and Douglas Luiz being linked with a move away from the club, that further enhances Villa’s need to secure a new midfielder sooner rather than later so that Gerrard doesn’t suffer the potential consequences.

In other news – Forget Chukwuemeka: Gerrard could land his own Grealish at Villa Park with “exceptional” starlet

Yorkshire put themselves right back into the race for the County Championship title with a deserved five-wicket victory over leaders Nottinghamshire

09-Sep-2010
ScorecardJonathan Bairstow cracked an aggressive, unbeaten 63, hitting the winning runs as Yorkshire got home by five wickets•Getty ImagesYorkshire put themselves right back into the race for the County Championship title with a deserved five-wicket victory over leaders Nottinghamshire. After bowling the hosts out for 413 in their second innings, with Ajmal Shahzad picking up four wickets to take his match haul to eight for 121, Yorkshire raced to their victory target of 209 inside 43 overs thanks to a sparkling unbeaten 63 from Jonathan Bairstow.There was a brief scare when they lost their top four in the space of six overs, but Bairstow put on 97 in 15 overs for the fifth wicket with Gerard Brophy (41), before taking a single to square leg to complete the win. The victory meant Yorkshire climbed to within seven points of Notts going into the final round of matches.Notts began the day 152 ahead on 357 for 6, realistically needing another 100 runs to stand a chance of an unlikely win after being bowled out for just 59 in their first innings. Nightwatchman Darren Pattinson advanced the score to 373 before misjudging the line of a delivery from Steven Patterson to be plumb lbw shouldering arms for 27, and Notts then saw the last three wickets fall in 12 balls.Steven Mullaney was bowled by Patterson with one that kept low, skipper Chris Read castled for 47 by an offcutter from Shahzad and last man Luke Fletcher deceived by a slower ball from the England seamer to also be bowled. Notts desperately needed early wickets to put any pressure on the visitors but instead openers Adam Lyth and Jacques Rudolph put on 65 in the 12 overs before lunch to deflate the hopes of the home fans.Pattinson briefly provided some inspiration either side of a half-hour rain break, Rudolph edging to gully and Anthony McGrath gloving a vicious throat ball to Read behind the stumps. The Australian quick then had Lyth caught at first slip for three wickets in three consecutive overs and when Andre Adams bowled Andrew Gale through the gate, Notts again had a sniff.But Bairstow and Brophy took advantage of the attacking field to charge towards the finish, Brophy falling with 17 needed to an edge to slip off Adams, before Bairstow finished things off in the company of Adil Rashid. Notts now travel to Old Trafford knowing a 22-point victory will guarantee them the title, having gained more wins over the season than either of their rivals, while Yorkshire must take maximum points from their home tie with Kent and rely on both Notts and Somerset dropping points.

West Ham have had their fair share of terrible transfer business over the previous few years, especially when it comes to strikers. Think back to the likes of Mido, Marco Borriello, and Simone Zaza, who all flattered to deceive during their spells in London.

However, the Hammers’ biggest mistake may well have been their one involving Premier League icon Didier Drogba, who they had the chance to sign in 2002 before he sealed a £24m move to Chelsea two years later.

The Ivory Coast legend stated that he could have ended up at West Ham two years before moving to England as Glenn Roeder attempted to sign him for the Irons.

Drogba netted a wonderful haul of 301 goals during his storied career which took him to France, England, and Turkey, winning plenty of silverware in the process, while Jose Mourinho described him as “remarkable” during his second stint at Chelsea in 2015.

It wasn’t just his managers wholavished praise on Drogba – his former Blues team-mate Frank Lampard said that the Ivorian “was like an animal” during his Chelsea career.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that the Hammers had an absolute nightmare in not securing the services of the now 44-year-old, and their fortunes might have been totally different this century had Drogba moved to the east end of London rather than the west.

Of course, there is a degree of conjecture here, as it might have turned out like some of the other failed West Ham signings. However, considering the way that he took to the Premier League with Chelsea, the Irons might not have been relegated in 2002/03 and could instead have established themselves as a permanent fixture in the top flight.

West Ham appear to have improved on the transfer front as David Moyes has transformed their fortunes during his second spell in charge, with the team on the cusp of a top-six finish and a Europa League final spot at stake.

Nonetheless, those involved at the club in 2002 may still be having nightmares over passing up their chance to sign Drogba before Chelsea swooped for him a couple of years later, with devastating results.

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

While deals for Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne and Robin Olsen during the current January transfer window show that Aston Villa have been keen on strengthening their senior side, the fact that they then signed Kerr Smith suggests that the Midlands club are eager to add some young talent to their ranks that can grow and develop into future first-team players.

Another example of this would be if the club manage to strike a deal for Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil, who has recently been mentioned with a move to Villa Park from the Wearside club.

After working his way through the club’s youth system, Neil made his senior debut for the Black Cats back in March last year in a 1-0 League One win over Swindon Town.

Since then, the 20-year-old, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £1.4k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has gone on to make 41 appearances for Lee Johnson’s side across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing eight assists along the way.

Having been likened to a “young Paul Gascoigne” in terms of his “lovely dribbling technique” by Johnson, Neil has proved himself to be an important figure for Sunderland this season with only Ross Stewart and Callum Doyle having played more minutes in League One than the midfield talent.

This and the fact that Neil put pen to paper on a new long-term contract back in October to keep him at the club until 2025 means that it could be difficult for Villa to sign the Englishman, particularly halfway through a season that the Black Cats are attempting to win promotion back to the Championship in.

With that in mind, this could be one situation where Villa rely on their manager’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s greatest midfield players to try and lure Neil to Villa Park to give him the chance to learn under Gerrard’s management and eventually play in the Premier League.

Given the hype around him at Sunderland and the fact that he has been described as an “exciting” player by Kevin Phillips, it’s definitely worth Villa making a move to sign Neil in the summer to see if he can make the step up in his career to an ambitious Premier League side.

In other news: Gerrard can finally axe £46k-p/w dud as AVFC eye bid for “extraordinary” £9m-rated gem – opinion

ExWHUemployee has dropped an update on the situation surrounding West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on The West Ham Way, the club insider revealed that, while talks between the 34-year-old shot-stopper and Aston Villa regarding a transfer were taking place on Monday, the negotiations between the two parties subsequently broke down at an advanced stage – with the deal now appearing to be on hold.

ExWHUemployee went on to state that David Moyes’ side are actively looking to move the Republic of Ireland international on in the January transfer window, as his wages are extremely high for a third-choice goalkeeper, however, it no longer seems likely that the former Middlesbrough man will be making a move to Villa Park this month.

In his post, Ex said: “We can confirm that Darren Randolph was in talks with Aston Villa over a move [on Monday] although talks seem to have broken down at the advanced stage. The move is currently on hold and it is unclear whether Villa will look to resurrect the deal. West Ham are keen to move Randolph on, as he is on a large wage for a third choice keeper and his wages saved could be spent elsewhere.”

Moyes will be gutted

Considering just how little Randolph has featured for West Ham since his £4m return to East London in January of 2020, in addition to the fact the goalkeeper is reported to be earning a whopping £42k-per-week at the London Stadium, the news that the 34-year-old’s move to Aston Villa looks to have fallen through will undoubtedly have left Moyes gutted.

Indeed, in the last two years, the £900k-rated man has made just nine appearances for the Hammers, with only five of these fixtures coming in the Premier League.

As such, when taking into account the fact that the shot-stopper has cost the club around £4.3m in wages, in addition to his £4m transfer fee – meaning each league fixture Randolph has featured in has set West Ham back around £1.7m – it is clear for all to see that the veteran ‘keeper is not worth keeping on the books.

In fact, it would appear highly advisable for Moyes to simply offer the 34-year-old out for free this month, as, at present, Randolph has another year-and-a-half left to run on his contract – something that will only set the club back around a further £3.25m.

In other news: Jacob Steinberg reveals big January transfer twist that’ll leave West Ham fans fuming

Celtic are back in action tomorrow with another Old Firm clash, this time in the Scottish Cup semi-final as the Glasgow rivals face off for a place in the final.

Their last game saw the Bhoys pick up another three points thanks to a blistering 7-0 victory against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park.

As for Rangers, they were in action on Thursday as they took it to extra time to secure their place in the semi-finals of the Europa League, eventually defeating Sporting Braga 3-1 at Ibrox.

Looking ahead to this latest showdown, it seems as though the Hoops have been handed a big injury boost that could have a huge impact on whether or not they secure a win on this occasion.

What’s the news?

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash, Ange Postecoglou revealed in his latest press conference that Hoops midfielder David Turnbull is fit enough to play after picking up a knock in last weekend’s league game.

The midfielder had only just come back from a big injury last month before picking up this knock against Saints.

However, now that the Hoops boss has shared this news, it will be a huge weight off a lot of people’s shoulders at Parkhead.

Great news for Postecoglou

In terms of what the 22-year-old offers his side, having scored five goals and provided five assists in 21 league appearances this season, the midfielder is a creative and attacking threat from the middle of the pitch.

In those appearances, the former Motherwell star has earned himself an overall WhoScored performance rating of 7.56, making him the highest-rated player currently in the squad.

With Rangers in the way of seeing Celtic make it to the final, having a player who is able to unlock teams by creating goalscoring chances or scoring goals himself such as Turnbull could well be the difference between winning and losing.

To highlight how dangerous the Scottish international is, only Liel Abada (78) has made more shots at goal in the league than Turnbull (69), who has also completed the second-highest number of crosses (141) for the Hoops this season, behind only Jota (190).

Taking this into account, it’s safe to say that having the midfield maestro available this weekend is great news for Postecoglou and Celtic’s chances of getting to the final.

AND in other news: Hammond howler: Celtic had a nightmare on “bizarre” flop who cost £1.1m per goal

Michael Hussey is in major doubt for the World Cup after having surgery on his left leg just hours after being named in Australia’s 15-man squad

Peter English18-Jan-2011Michael Hussey is in major doubt for the World Cup after having surgery on his left leg just hours after being named in Australia’s 15-man squad. Hussey hurt his hamstring in Sunday’s ODI victory in Melbourne and initially thought the problem was minor. But scans revealed one of the hamstring tendons had torn from the inner side of his knee.”The recovery time and availability for the World Cup will be dependent on his progress with the rehabilitation programme in the coming weeks,” Australia’s physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. Hussey has been replaced for the next three games of the one-day series by Shaun Marsh, who is now a big chance of playing at his first World Cup.Australia’s first match of the global event is against Zimbabwe on February 21 in Ahmedabad, leaving Hussey racing to recover. The quarter-finals start a month later and Hussey is such an important player that he could be allowed to enter the tournament when the knockout games are approaching. Australia were in a similar situation four years ago when Andrew Symonds hurt his arm, but returned to help the side to the trophy.”It’s just happened at a bad time,” Hilditch said before Hussey had surgery. “Obviously Mike’s a key player of our squad so he’s in this squad, but a final decision whether he’s going to be fit or not will be made closer to our departure date.”Ricky Ponting hopes his little finger will be right for the start of the tournament. He broke it while fielding during the third Ashes Test in Perth and missed the Sydney match, with the surgery ruling him out of the England ODIs.”I’m hoping to be right for the start of the World Cup,” Ponting said. “My finger’s coming along okay, I guess. I haven’t been able to do anything for the last couple of weeks post-surgery, but I’ve got a bit more movement now.”The finger is still in a splint and Ponting said it would be looked at by a doctor once a week. “I’m pretty keen to get a bat back in my hands again and I’m going to be around the team, certainly this week down in Hobart for the second game,” he said.Ponting is 36 and heading to his fifth World Cup, but he said even a fourth consecutive victory would not hide the pain of the Ashes defeat. “I’m not sure if anything would erase what’s just happened,” he said. “Payback’s going to be hard to get after losing the Ashes.”Australia’s position in ODIs is much better than in Tests, where they sit fifth, and Ponting remains confident of his side’s chances. “We’re quite clearly the No.1-ranked one-day team in the world, and I think just little things like the great win that we had the other night shows that this one-day team is certainly on the right track,” he said. “We’ve got a really proud record in the subcontinent and we’ll be going there to do everything we can to win another World Cup.”