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A round-up of the action from the second day of the sixth round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2011Saeed Bin Nasir scored his maiden first-class double-century to carry Karachi Whites to an imposing 440 for 7 against Multan at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi. Nasir had begun the day on 103 not out, with the score on 222 for 6. He was well-supported by the lower middle order and kicked on to hit 251, in an innings that included 32 fours and a six. Captain Akbar-ur-Rehman declared soon after Nasir got his 250, and then Tabish Khan knocked over an early wicket to complete a fine day for the hosts.In a match that followed a similar pattern, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) declared on 491 for 8, before making early inroads against Lahore Ravi at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. For SNGPL, Usman Arshad built on the platform set by Naeemuddin on the first day, and hit a solid 158 before finally being run out. Captain Azhar Shafiq hit a half-century, while Bilawal Bhatti got a few boundaries away to set up the big total. Lahore Ravi lost Abid Ali to Asad Ali cheaply, before the other opener – Hamza Paracha – had to retire hurt, leaving the hosts in some trouble.Irfan Haider’ maiden first-class hundred in his third match carried Lahore Shalimar to 348 against Hyderabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Haider went from overnight score of 111 not out to 148, while Tanzeel Altaf hit a handy cameo. The Hyderabad bowlers shared the wickets around, but most of the damage on the second day was done by left-arm spinner Imran Chandio – he cleaned up the tail with three wickets. Hyderabad were in some trouble at 48 for 3, before a century stand between Rizwan Ahmed and Lal Kumar steadied them. However, the pair were dismissed in quick succession before stumps, after having made half-centuries. These strikes gave the hosts the edge going into day three, as Hyderabad still trail by 143.Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) took an unlikely first-innings’ lead against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar, after skittling out the hosts for 124. Peshawar had begun the day on 34 for 2 and would have been demolished for much less had it not been for opener Israrullah’s patient 75. Only one other batsman got into double figures as they conceded a 40-run lead. The new-ball pair of Yasir Arafat and Rahat Ali picked up three wickets apiece, while Yasir Ali snagged four. Wickets continued to fall quickly when KRL came out for their second innings, but they managed to a relatively respectable 124 for 4 by stumps, to extend the lead to 164. Bazid Khan went to stumps three short of a half-century.United Bank Limited (UBL) were propelled to a competitive 273 against Quetta at the National Ground in Islamabad, courtesy an unbeaten knock of 130 from Tahir Mughal. This was Mughal’s maiden first-class ton – it came in his 109th match and rescued UBL from wobbly overnight score of 123 for 4. Quetta were steady in reply, getting to 136 for 1 at stumps. They lost opener Badir Ali for just 7 after he had consumed 68 deliveries, but Bismillah Khan was solid, finishing with 73 not out.

New Zealand Cricket’s journey towards the unconventional has continued with the appointment of a little-known Australian lawn bowls administrator as their new national selection manager

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2011New Zealand Cricket’s journey towards the unconventional has continued with the appointment of a little-known Australian lawn bowls administrator as their new national selection manager (NSM). Kim Littlejohn, who has spent the past seven years with Bowls Australia, was preferred ahead of the interim selection manager, Mark Greatbatch, along with other former cricketers including Ken Rutherford and Glenn Turner.It was a bold move from an appointment panel led by the NZC’s director of cricket, John Buchanan, who in June announced the disbanding of the existing selection panel in favour of a two-man panel made up of the NSM and the national coach, John Wright. Buchanan said the new role was very different to the traditional selection role and required a specific skill set.”A key part of the role will be accessing and utilising the wealth of knowledge that already exists within cricket, including first-class coaches, high performance staff and New Zealand’s cricket experts – in that respect it is more inclusive than previous models,” Buchanan said. “The selection panel agreed that Kim was the right fit for the role.”Kim brings extensive experience from Bowls Australia where his operational skills and understanding of high performance sport were highly regarded. Although he is new to cricket in New Zealand I am confident his will mean he has no issue getting up to speed with new selection system, performance focused management, people management, and cultural change.”It is worth noting that Mark Greatbatch provided invaluable input and expertise during his time in the acting NSM role. However, the selection panel decided that Kim was the candidate who best matched the requirements of the role with the appointment also endorsed by John Wright.”Greatbatch declined to comment on the decision on Friday. Earlier in the week, before the appointment was confirmed, the former selector Dion Nash said he held some concerns about the way Buchanan appeared to be experimenting with New Zealand’s setup.”You can feel it’s a changing of the guard. It’s not surprising,” Nash told the . “My only reservation is that I feel like we’re being exposed to a huge experiment. To me it’s uncharted territory.”We’re putting a lot of faith in John Buchanan and the new system, which is not to say it’s a bad thing, but it is quite experimental. The shame for me would be if someone who deserved to be picked, wasn’t picked.”Littlejohn has been the high performance manager and national team manager with Bowls Australia, and he previously worked as operations manager for Baseball Victoria. He started his career as an investment banker, but he does have some cricket in his background, having played in the club competition in Western Australia and coached with Melbourne University.Under the new structure, Littlejohn will be responsible for the selection of national teams for both men and women, and the under-age sides, and he will be advised by the six domestic first-class coaches. However, Wright has the final say on selection, which fits with Buchanan’s push for more accountability.Littlejohn will begin in his new role on September 19. The appointment panel consisted of Buchanan, the former fast bowler Shane Bond, and the NZC board member Brent King.

Mohammad Nabi played out 153 balls, and along with Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari took Afghanistan to a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2011
ScorecardMohammad Nabi was resolute as Afghanistan drew with UAE•ICCUAE were on course for their second win in the Intercontinental Cup when they had Afghanistan six down with more than 40 overs to get the remaining wickets at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium. But Mohammad Nabi played out 153 balls, and along with Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari took Afghanistan to a draw.It was always going to be a matter of survival for Afghanistan, as they were left chasing 363 in a little less than a day. Given the way Afghanistan’s lower order had collapsed earlier in the game, all odds were on a UAE win when they had the visitors 82 for 6 in 36.1 overs. Nabi had scored a century batting up the order in the first innings, but only came in at No. 7 in the second by which time Afghanistan were 71 for 5. He only got 35 runs but it was the time he spent at the wicket which mattered.For company, Nabi had first Stanikzai who used up 53 balls for his 10, and Shenwari who played a remarkably patient innings of 6 off 78. They ended up reaching 131 for 7 by the end of the day leaving them just behind UAE in the Intercontinental Cup table.UAE had started the day on 213 for 5 with their main dilemma being when to declare. Afghanistan, though, took the option away from them, running through the tail and bowling the hosts out for 228. They could not carry any momentum from that late fightback into their innings, and were reduced to 30 for 3. Javed Ahmadi followed up his 80 in the first innings with 49 in the second but he was only one of the top six to make a contribution. Afghanistan shuffled their batting order, with Mirwais Ashraf and Hamza Kotak moving up the order. Ashraf negotiated 70 balls for his 10, but Afghanistan still needed a rearguard from the lower order.

Andy Flower, the England team director, has praised Alastair Cook for the way he has handled the dual challenges of batting and captaincy

Andrew McGlashan10-Jul-2011Andy Flower, the England team director, has praised Alastair Cook for the way he has handled the dual challenges of proving himself as a one-day batsman and captain in the 3-2 series win against Sri Lanka. The silverware was secured with a tight 16-run win at Old Trafford where Cook also took his personal contribution to 298 runs.Apart from the volume of runs, which included a career-best 119 at Lord’s, the impressive feature was the strike-rate of 96.75. That number was boosted by his 75-ball 95 at Trent Bridge as Cook provided evidence that he is making strides towards evolving into a effective one-day batsman to supplement his record-breaking Test credentials.Cook had to face some strong criticism both before and during the series but refused to be drawn into any war of words and constantly said performance on the field was the most important factor. The five matches helped Cook build on the positive impression he made as captain last year when he filled in for Andrew Strauss.”He had some tricky decisions to make throughout the series, and he was under pressure from a number of quarters,” Flower said. “I thought he handled that pressure really well, and made some really good decisions out there today.”He had to be very flexible, and he was. We saw him handle pressure well out in Bangladesh too, which isn’t an easy tour. He grew there as a leader, and without doubt this series will have helped him grow too.”Cook showed hints of innovation in his batting, with some dabs and scoops against the spinners, but on the whole relied on the strong shots that have brought him success in Test cricket. A comparison has been made about how Cook needs to perform a similar role to Mahela Jayawardene in the Sri Lanka team and Flower believes he has shown he can do that.”Graham Gooch has worked very closely with him on his batting for a long time – because obviously one-day cricket is very different to Test cricket,” he said. “I think he’s adapted well. It might not look as pretty as a Jayawardene, but it’s been even more effective in this series. He should feel very proud of his contribution with the bat, and how he’s handled some of the pressure he’s been under.”However, not all England’s batsmen enjoyed such a productive series. Kevin Pietersen’s lean time in ODIs since 2008 continued with 85 runs in four innings, while Ian Bell didn’t look at home at No. 6 where he made 81 runs at a strike of under 70. In an column during the series Bell admitted it was a role he was uncomfortable with, but Flower hinted it’s one he will have to get used to.”Ian Bell’s job, or anyone else’s job when they’re picked for England, is to perform,” Flower said. “Whether they’re happy or not is by the by. They are given a job, and they have got to do it. He’s had a tough series. He wasn’t the only one – not everyone can succeed at the same time.”Flower, though, will hope that Bell’s problems in the one-day arena don’t impacted his prolific Test form of 2011 when he has averaged over 300. Thoughts now turn to the four-match series against India which starts on July 21 and the one-day success means England remain buoyant.”It’s always important to win, and we’re always under pressure to do so when representing England,” Flower said. “The bottom line is we did it, we didn’t lose the series. It’s a good confidence-builder for those guys that they held themselves so well under pressure.”

Mark Ramprakash’s milestone of reaching 35,000 first-class runs was overshadowed by Alviro Petersen’s double century

25-May-2011
ScorecardMark Ramprakash’s milestone of reaching 35,000 first-class runs was overshadowed by Alviro Petersen’s double century as Glamorgan ended day two in control of their County Championship clash with Surrey at the Oval.In response to the visitors’ 419, Surrey ended the day 179 runs adrift with four first innings wickets intact having found themselves in trouble at 18 for 2. Jason Roy fell leg before to Chris Ashling, who struck again two overs later when Rory Hamilton-Brown was caught at the third attempt at third slip for 12.But thanks to Ramprakash (67), Surrey recovered to 113 for 3 at tea, having also lost Zander de Bruyn, who became Alex Jones’ maiden first-class scalp when he was caught and bowled off a leading edge.Ramprakash cut Will Owen for four to go 39th in the all-time list of first-class run-makers, overtaking Brian Close and, five balls later, went past the 35,000-mark by despatching Owen to the rope at extra cover.He raised his 69-ball half-century with a cut four off Robert Croft and added 90 in 24 overs in tandem with Steve Davies before driving loosely at Ashling to be bowled via an inside edge for 67. With support from Tom Maynard, Davies then shared another half-century partnership and moved to his own fifty in 94 deliveries.With 11 overs to go, Mark Wallace, leading Glamorgan in the absence of Petersen, who did not take the field after his marathon knock, appeared to be running out of ideas when Davies slashed at Owen and was caught at first slip. The Welshmen were given a further boost when Maynard shouldered arms to Owen in the penultimate over.Earlier, Glamorgan lost their last six wickets for 64 runs to leave their card looking decidedly top-heavy. Tim Linley could have picked up six wickets in the first half hour, but two chances went to ground and another flew at a catchable height in-between second and third slip.In the third over of the day, Maynard pulled off a brilliant catch at third slip to see the back of nightwatchman Owen. Four overs later, Wallace was snapped up at first slip before Croft, who was caught down the leg side, started his 41st birthday with a second ball duck.Resuming on 178, Petersen duly became the fourth Glamorgan batsman to make a double century against Surrey when he cut Chris Jordan for four in the 113th over. It had taken the Glamorgan skipper seven hours 40 minutes, 326 balls and it included 23 fours and six.Just before lunch, Jordan struck twice in the space of three deliveries when he accounted for Dean Cosker, who was caught at first slip, and Petersen (210), with one that nipped back off the seam.

Victoria did just enough to pick up a one-run victory and seal a berth in the finals of the Ryobi Cup, but not before Steve O’Keefe had given them a real scare with his aggressive 49

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2011
ScorecardVictoria did just enough to pick up a one-run victory and seal a berth in the finals of the Ryobi Cup, but not before Steve O’Keefe had given them a real scare with his aggressive 49. O’Keefe brought the equation down to two required off three balls, but was out caught and bowled by Dirk Nannes to give Victoria the win. O’Keefe’s 49 had come off just 40 balls, and brought NSW back into the game after they were struggling at 207 for 8 in the 37th over in response to Victoria’s 281.O’Keefe added 36 runs for the eighth wicket with No. 9 Scott Coyte, but when Coyte was bowled by 20-year-old fast bowler James Pattinson the equation still favoured Victoria, with NSW needing 38 off 22 balls with two wickets in hand. O’Keefe went on the attack, but just when it looked like he had done enough to secure a comeback victory, he became the last man out.Victoria’s innings had been built around Matthew Wade’s century. They scored quickly in their first 20-over innings, with Aaron Finch getting a brisk 68, and Wade batting through to finish on 45 at the innings break with Victoria on 125 for 2. NSW decided to preserve wickets and got to 104 for 1 in their first 20. Victoria maintained their run-rate after resuming their innings, and Wade carried on to score 101 off 113 balls, Robert Quiney and Evan Gulbis added some quick runs in the middle order to help Victoria reach a strong total.NSW’s second stint at the wicket started with a couple of wickets falling quickly, but Moises Henriques and Simon Katich added 42 in good time to put them on course. Henriques’ wicket sparked a mini-collapse and it took O’Keefe’s efforts at the end to make a match of it. Offspinner Glenn Maxwell was the most economical of Victoria’s bowlers, giving away just 30 runs in his eight overs.

Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka allrounder, will miss the upcoming IPL as he will be out of action for eight weeks due to the injury that also caused him to miss the World Cup final against India

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2011Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka allrounder, will miss the upcoming IPL because of the leg injury that also caused him to miss the World Cup final against India in Mumbai. He is expected to be out of action for eight weeks. Mathews has a $950,000 contract with Pune Warriors, having played for Kolkata Knight Riders in previous seasons of the IPL.”I have pulled a muscle,” Mathews said in Colombo after the Sri Lankan team returned from India. “I am finding it difficult to walk, it will take about eight weeks to heal.”Mathews left the field during the semi-final against New Zealand with a minor quadriceps muscle injury, and his movement was hampered when he came out to bat with a runner. He played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s campaign, as back-up seamer and middle-order batsman, and Sri Lanka missed his all-round skills in the final, which they lost by six wickets. His place in the squad was taken by offspinner Suraj Randiv.Mathews will now aim to be fit in time for Sri Lanka’s tour of England from May to July, which includes three Tests and five one-day games.

Arsenal may have found their next Aaron Ramsey in youngster Charlie Patino.

The 18-year-old attacking midfielder, who is capable of “mazy” runs with the ball, as per The Athletic writer Art de Roche, has impressed for the Gunners’ academy sides and could be set for a first-team breakthrough under Mikel Arteta.

Comfortable operating anywhere along the spine of the team, the teenager bears similarities to Ramsey, who was eased into the first-team during the 2008/09 season. Arsenal will be hoping that Patino can have a similar impact and go on to become a key player for the club over time.

Arteta has shown a willingness to give youth a chance, as evidenced by the frequent inclusions of Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and more recently Eddie Nketiah in his line-ups.

Also, with the Gunners lacking depth across the engine room, amidst links to Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, Arteta may have an in-house option in Patino from the Hale End production line.

The 18-year-old is clearly on the cusp of first-team action, having been eased in as early as December against Sunderland in the Carabao Cup. In his ten-minute cameo that night, the England under-19 starlet 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Whilst his integration into the first-team has been gradual, it is surely only a matter of time before we see Patino handed his debut in the Premier League.

In 15 appearances for the under-23s this season, the 18-year-old has demonstrated an ability to score and set up goals, having notched one assist in Premier League 2, although his game seems to be much more well-rounded.

It is worth noting that six of those appearances have been from a central midfield position, while three have been as a defensive midfielder.

At this moment, it is difficult to accurately quantify the 18-year-old’s potential based on the lack of availability regarding in-depth statistics, but having featured twice for the senior team this season and demonstrating versatility within his game, it is surely only a matter of time before we see more of the Arsenal youngster, who could be a new version of Ramsey at the Emirates Stadium.

In other news: “Arsenal are..”: Romano drops exciting transfer claim that’ll leave supporters buzzing 

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.”

Leeds United sent scouts to watch Timo Hubers in action this weekend, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Football Insider claim that the Yorkshire giants were in attendance as FC Koln defeated Arminia Bielefeld in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon.

The 25-year-old centre-back played the full game but conceded an own goal in their 3-1 win, though he seemingly impressed. He registered five clearances and three interceptions, whilst he also won seven duels, per SofaScore.

United are in the market for a new central defender and the club have stepped up their interest in the 6 foot 3 German colossus, who is also believed to have a £6.7m release clause at the RheinEnergieStadion.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Marsch mission

After the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, only rock-bottom Norwich City (69) have leaked more goals than the Whites (68), so it’s abundantly clear that manager Jesse Marsch needs to bolster his backline heading into next season.

Their fortunes defensively have gradually improved but he is still light on solid and reliable options, so Hubers represents a cheap but viable option.

Indeed, journalist Pete O’Rourke believes he’d be an ideal signing for the former RB Leipzig boss. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a talented young player from Koln as well, so he definitely fits the bill for Leeds United because they’ve been forced to have a bit of a makeshift central defence this season.”

Hubers has been Steffen Baumgart’s standout player with Koln on the cusp of qualifying for a place in Europe, having averaged a squad-high average WhoScored rating of 7.09.

Only one other player is winning more aerial duels per game than the 25-year-old (2.5), whilst he leads the way for interceptions (2.7 per game) and isn’t far behind for tackles either (2.1 per game).

Once lauded for being an “exemplary” professional by Hannover 96’s sporting director Gerhard Zuber, it certainly appears as if Hubers would be a player that Marsch would love to sign heading into next season, one that wouldn’t take too much out of the transfer kitty.

After sending scouts to watch him excel, it seems only right that the German titan is amongst their top targets this summer.

AND in other news, Orta had a Leeds disasterclass on “outrageous” £50m dynamo, he’s better than Rodrigo…