All posts by h716a5.icu

Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in Mohali

Jamie Alter at the PCA Stadium in Mohali24-Mar-2010Hit me baby just one time
Free hits were made for Twenty20, but none of the offerings from Sreesanth were accepted by Rajasthan’s batsmen. Wayward in his bowling, Sreesanth sent down a no-ball on his very first delivery of the match but Naman Ojha was beaten on the free hit, which was a clever bouncer. Sreesanth’s second free-hit delivery was another short ball that cramped Faiz Fazal and yielded just a single. Two free hits for just one run. Talk about getting out of jail.Nothing like a decent start
It wasn’t massive, but Rajasthan’s top order at least got a start. Their opening stands in four previous matches were 0, 14, 27, and a 0. But Michael Lumb – after a first-ball duck in the previous match – was quickly into his stride and helped add 35 with Naman Ojha in 3.4 overs. Lumb went on to score the best contribution by a Rajasthan opener this season, a 30-ball 41, after which the No. 3 Fazal collected 45 cool runs. Not outstanding, but some of the cobwebs had been brushed away.Oh, brother
A few Indian newspapers had hyped up the rivalry between the Pathan brothers ahead of the clash of the basement teams. Round one went to Yusuf Pathan, and he had his sibling to thank. Off the fifth ball of the ninth over, Yusuf heaved at a slower ball from Shalabh Srivastava and top-edged it high into the sky. Irfan ran around from long-off, settled under the steepler, but dropped the catch.En Voges
For the second match running Adam Voges provided vital ballast to Rajasthan’s middle order. After 14 balls he had 29, a superb strike rate in Twenty20, and then allowed Fazal to take strike. Fazal reciprocated with a few lovely boundaries off the back foot, and after he departed for 45 Voges gave further evidence of how crucial a player he is. He steered the third-last ball expertly behind point for four, stole two off the next ball, scampered back to strike even as the non-striker was run out, and smashed the final ball over midwicket for four. The last over cost 13, Voges’ 45 came off 24 balls, and his efforts gave Rajasthan a good total to defend.Eyeball to eyeball
The IPL isn’t all fun and music and big hits. Two instances during the game showed that Twenty20 is serious business. Sreesanth started out erratically, but when he dismissed Ojha for 13 he gave the batsmen a proper send-off, walking down the track and glaring at the batsmen ever after he’d left the middle. Then, during Punjab’s chase, Munaf Patel began a glaring contest with Ravi Bopara, who is never one to back away. Bopara had collected a pair of triples during Munaf’s second over, which cost 15, and the bowler didn’t like it one bit. What began as a customary mumble in frustration, with Munaf continuing the eyeball confrontation to Bopara, ended with Munaf being told to go play in traffic – well, you know what I mean – as he loped off into the outfield.Munaf dismantled
Munaf’s third over confirmed the direction his career has taken. After trying to dismiss Bopara with his chatter after an expensive second over, Munaf was taken to the cleaners in his third by Manvinder Bisla. His definition of a sighter was a slogged four which sent the ball flying over midwicket for four, the next ball was clubbed for six, and that was followed by two more fours as Munaf’s figures took a beating.Actions speak louder than words
When Munaf came back to bowl his final over, the 13th of Punjab’s innings, his captain had put a lot of faith in him. This time he silenced himself and delivered. A clever slower ball got Bopara chipping to mid-on and the second produced a loose shot from Mahela Jayawardene. It was lobbed back over Munaf toward Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who charged in and hit the stumps with a direct hit to run out Irfan. Thankfully for Rajasthan, Munaf had let the ball do the talking.Value for money
Can you ever keep Yusuf Pathan out of the game? It was another disappointing outing with the bat, but when Shane Warne tossed Yusuf the ball for the 15th over he struck and added another in his second over. Yusuf has been able to spin the ball and restrict the batsmen with disciplined control, ultimately curbing the scoring by picking wickets. What he may be failing to deliver with the bat, he’s making up for with the ball.

Antonio Conte could make one of his first major mistakes at Tottenham Hotspur after an intriguing claim emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, Spurs centre-back Joe Rodon is believed to be growing frustrated by his lack of game time, having failed to break into the starting lineup under any of Jose Mourinho, Nuno Santo or the recently-appointed Italian.

And as a result of his lack of minutes, he is one player who could look to depart Hotspur Way in January.

“Rodon has played more times for Wales than for Spurs and he is believed to be growing frustrated with his lack of game time,” he claimed in a recent Q&A with supporters.

“The centre-back is understood to be open to a loan move in January in order to get time on the pitch but much could depend on whether Spurs bring in a new centre-back, particularly if Cristian Romero’s injury proves to be serious.”

Since then, the reliable journalist has revealed that top-flight rivals are huge fans of the Wales international. “I think Brighton like him a lot. Whether Brighton look to bring him in, I think four, five months at a team like Brighton, or any team – I’d say he needs Premier League now – would be big,” he added, via his YouTube channel.

Conte catastrophe

This would be quite an error from Conte, who as Gold also states, has only started Rodon twice – the second of which saw him last just 54 minutes on the pitch before being replaced.

The 6 foot 4 colossus has never put a foot wrong since joining in an £11m deal from Swansea City over a year ago.

“You look at Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and there are elements of both in Rodon’s game,” once claimed Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe, whilst he led the squad for interceptions per 90 minutes (2.6) last season and had the best passing accuracy bar Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, too.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

That skill set should make him a seamless fit for Conte’s system as he’s evidently a trustworthy ball-playing option, especially one that plays regularly for his country.

Furthermore, the 52-year-old is without key summer signing Cristian Romero for an indefinite amount of time, so who knows when the Argentina international will return.

Another injury to his back-three could seriously harm the squad, even more so if Rodon is allowed to leave in January when in reality, he has the merits to be starting every week.

Earlier in the year, the 24-year-old defender was dubbed “flawless” and a “special player” for his Wales displays by journalist Ian Mitchelmore, and it’s surely a case of getting him to that standard in the Premier League.

Both Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez, who are likely to start, were part of Spurs’ defensive problems last season and Conte has even opted for full-back Ben Davies in the middle too.

It just does not make sense to offload the £18m-rated Rodon in January and doing so could hand the former Chelsea boss his first grave mistake in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout.

AND in other news, Spurs unlikely to land key transfer target liked by Conte in January…

Brendon McCullum has said the heated exchanges between players, like the one between Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris in the first ODI in Napier, were likely to continue for the remainder of the series

Cricinfo staff04-Mar-2010Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, has said the heated exchanges between players, like the one between Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris in the first ODI in Napier, are likely to continue for the remainder of the series. Johnson and Styris bumped shoulders and appeared to clash heads in the 46th over of New Zealand’s chase, and were fined by the match referee as a result. But McCullum said the nature of the trans-Tasman rivalry made for an intense atmosphere on the field.”Australia is playing New Zealand, so it’s always going to be testy,” McCullum was quoted as saying in the . ”Both teams are playing for their countries, trying to win for their countries, and we’re always going to have banter out in the middle. What we saw [between Johnson and Styris] was two guys who are extremely passionate in trying to pull through for their country.”Both players had a talking to from the match referee, so that might suggest it went a little bit too far, it probably bordered on just stepping over the mark, but once we get out there again I’m sure the fight will come to the fore in both teams again.”I don’t think it’s a bad thing, to be honest. It shows everyone watching how much it means to us.”McCullum said Australia’s defeat in the first ODI, by two wickets, could prompt them to be more aggressive in the second game at Eden Park in Auckland. ”I guess that’s the way Australia always come out – they play hard but they try to push the rules as far as they can,” McCullum said. ”They’re obviously going to come back twice as hard now and we’re just going to have to step up again.”We want to be as aggressive and uncompromising as we can – in terms of our skill set. Any of those other things, we don’t try to instigate.”Michael Hussey, the Australian batsman, said his team was quite focussed on the cricket. ”I didn’t really see it, actually. I was stuck out on the boundary,” he said. ”It seemed like they bumped into each other but it’s been dealt with now. Most things that happen out in the middle, it’s best if they’re just left out in the middle. We’re certainly at our best when we’re just concentrating on our cricket.”However, Hussey added that outbursts similar to Johnson’s would continue. When asked if Johnson’s actions were out of character, he said: ”He’s a pretty passionate sort of guy, he plays the game hard, and out in the middle there are always going to be emotions. It’s happened throughout the history of the game and I’m sure it won’t be the last time. Fast bowlers are always pretty emotional sorts of guys. New Zealand’s approach hasn’t surprised us at all.”

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted with their verdicts as a transfer claim emerged involving Barcelona gem Ronald Araujo.

The 22-year-old, who is currently a regular in the Catalans’ backline, has already impressed his new boss Xavi with his ‘excellent character’ and positivity in training (Heavy).

Indeed, Araujo’s form over this past year has also garnered praise from club legends like Gerard Pique, with the World Cup-winning defender saying that the Barcelona youngster will be a top centre-half for the next ’10 or 15 years’.

Steadily earning a name for himself in La Liga, his performances have also attracted attention from some of the Premier League’s biggest names, including Liverpool. According to ESPN correspondents Moisés Llorens and Samuel Marsden, the Reds and FSG have sent representatives in an approach to the player amid his contract dispute at the Camp Nou.

His current deal expires in 2023 and Barcelona apparently see Araujo as ‘key to the future’ of their club, but they are aware the ‘greats of the Premier League’ pose a real transfer threat. This is where Liverpool and Chelsea come in, with both clubs said to be ‘on the prowl’.

Liverpool fans erupt…

As FSG make their first move for Aruajo by sending emissaries to Catalonia, it’s little wonder this news has prompted many Liverpool fans to erupt on Twitter.

The Uruguay international, who Pique also called ‘physically strong, fast and powerful’, is a valuable commodity with plenty of sell-on value and a winding-down contract.

Liverpool’s stance in potential negotiations is strengthened by his precarious situation, and Barca could feasibly be put under a bit of pressure to sell if he continues to delay a renewal.

Lauded as a centre-back who ‘has everything’ by Pique, Araujo would surely strengthen Liverpool’s backline.

Here’s what these Reds supporters thought of this development:

“Ello, Ello, here we go.”

Credit: @SportsEnthusi17

“ain’t no way lol.”

Credit: @zak_tyrese

“Only watched him a handful of times but I’ve been impressed ngl.”

Credit: @AdxmLFC

“Uhm yes please”

Credit: @calcio_danny

“OMDSSSS please make it happen”

Credit: @Affanisntalive

“If it happens I’ll be madly happy!! Liverpool needs Uruguayans again!!”

Credit: @AndresStein05

“I’d have this guy over Gomez any day of the week. Gomez is good but he’s older and injury prone. Araujo would be an insane option”

Credit: @LFCDunc

In other news: This transfer claim also had numerous Liverpool fans excited

Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has been virtually ruled out of tomorrow’s game against India

Cricinfo staff04-Jan-2010Sri Lanka opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has been virtually ruled of tomorrow’s game against India because of a groin strain. He suffered the injury during his match-winning 104 in the opening fixture of the tri-nation tournament in Bangladesh, against the hosts.Sri Lanka entered the competition with a depleted team and have now been dealt a further blow with Dilshan’s injury. The injury came in the 34th over when Dilshan clipped Abdur Razzak to deep square-leg and turned for the second run. He pulled up in pain and it was revealed later that it was a groin injury.”We have had eight players injured in the last 60 playing days,” captain Kumar Sangakkara said. “It’s rather unfortunate, but we can do nothing about it. He [Dilshan] has pulled up an abductor muscle in the groin region. Hopefully, he can come back into the game at some point in the tournament. Hopefully, others will grab the chances.”Dilshan batted on with a runner to complete an assured century and guided Sri Lanka to a facile win. Dilshan, who scored ten centuries in 2009, has been the main batsman for Sri Lanka and they are likely to find it difficult to overcome his absence.In the recent past, Sri Lanka missed the services of Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, ThilanThushara, Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara due to injuries at various points.

Aston Villa are considering moving for Rangers manager Steven Gerrard to replace Dean Smith, according to The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Previous Gerrard links

This isn’t the first time that the former Liverpool captain has been linked with a move to the Midlands. Back in April, sources suggested that Christian Purslow had a ‘strong interest’ in the 41-year-old.

Gerrard led Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title since 2011 last season, and with Smith now sacked by the Villa board, the Liverpudlian appears to be one of the frontrunners for the vacant role.

He is under contract at Ibrox until 2024, but reports elsewhere have suggested that Villa would be willing to pay compensation for a new manager.

The Latest: Gerrard under consideration

The Telegraph shared a story on Sunday evening suggesting that Gerrard and Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhuttl are under consideration.

The pair are thought to be high on the club’s wish list when it comes to a new manager, with Gerrard sharing the same agency as £80,000-per-week Villa defender Tyrone Mings.

The Verdict: A solid target

Purslow knows Gerrard well from their days at Liverpool, and it seems as if Villa have been keeping a close eye on his time in Scotland.

Labelled as ‘magnificent’ by Sir Alex Ferguson for the job he’s done in Glasgow, the 41-year-old has averaged an impressive 2.15 points per game in his 192 matches in charge of Rangers. He also likes to play an attacking 4-3-3 system, a formation which could suit Villa’s big-money signings Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia.

Villa want a new man in place before the Premier League resumes after the international break, so it’ll be interesting to see how the links to Gerrard play out. Based on his managerial career so far, he seems like a solid target from the Villa Park hierarchy.

In other news: Five-honour boss also in NSWE’s Villa’s thoughts; he’s ‘one of the best’. 

Everton have suffered a potentially significant blow in their pursuit of Porto forward Luis Diaz after they were priced out of a transfer.

What’s the story?

The Toffees were heavily linked with the 24-year-old over the summer, and it was claimed that they wanted to sign him as part of a deal which would have seen James Rodriguez move in the opposite direction and return to the Estadio Dragao.

However, no agreement was ever reached, and Rodriguez ended up joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan after being deemed surplus to requirements by new Everton manager Rafael Benitez.

A Bola (via Sport Witness) are now claiming that Porto’s hierarchy are determined to receive a record-breaking fee for Diaz, eclipsing the €50m (£42.2m) they collected from Real Madrid for Eder Militao.

That fee is currently out of Everton’s reach due to their financial restraints, while Newcastle United, the other potential suitors for Diaz’s signature, would have no problem splashing out such a sum.

Benitez will be gutted

News that the Blues will no longer be able to compete for Diaz’s signature will leave Benitez feeling gutted, given the quality of the Colombia international.

The creative talent played a pivotal part in the Dragons’ domestic double in 2019/20 and has taken his game to new heights in the opening weeks of the current campaign, bagging a remarkable 11 goals in 16 appearances.

After firing Sergio Conceicao’s charges to a crucial Champions League victory over AC Milan in October, Diaz was showered with praise by his teammate Sergio Oliveira, who said: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level. The best for him will also be the best for us as a team.”

His impressive performances at club level have earned Diaz 30 caps for his country, and the youngster featured heavily for his nation in last summer’s Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.

Therefore, Benitez will be hugely disappointed that the 24-year-old won’t be pulling on an Everton shirt any time soon.

Injuries to Richarlison have forced the Spaniard to field the struggling Alex Iwobi and inexperienced Anthony Gordon on several occasions this season, hampering the Merseyside outfit’s progress.

Whether Marcel Brands is able and willing to dip into the market over the winter in order to strengthen Benitez’s forward line remains to be seen, but attacking reinforcement are certainly needed at Everton.

In other news… Brands could find Rafa’s next Pablo Aimar at Everton in “very clever” £22.5m-rated ace 

Many Southampton fans have slammed the performance of Jan Bednarek in their 1-0 win away to Watford in the Premier League on Saturday.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men picked up a vital three points thanks to a lovely finish from Che Adams on the 20-minute mark, but a lot of Saints supporters were still unimpressed with the Poland defender’s performance.

The 25-year-old lost out on three of his duels and failed to block any shots, while he also lost possession of the ball on 12 different occasions in the match (SofaScore). In the closing minutes, he was turned all too easily by Ashley Fletcher, whose shot was brilliantly clawed away by Alex McCarthy to preserve victory for Southampton (Sky Sports).

It has led to some fans calling for summer signing Lyanco to come into the starting line-up instead of Bednarek, as they want to see more of their new recruit.

Southampton fans on Bednarek’s display

These Saints fans on Twitter were left slamming the Pole’s performance, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that the defender was a ‘liability’ at Vicarage Road:

“Lyanco surely has to start from now on. Bednarek is becoming a liability at the back, if it wasn’t for the likes of Salisu and Tino mopping up for him.”

Credit: @EthanEvansSJ

“Bednarek is all over the place. No positioning awareness, just ball chasing”

Credit: @LH_SFC

“Bednarek’s form since that 9-0 to Manchester United has been absolutely awful.”

Credit: @andrew2021k

“Such a poor header from Bednarek”

Credit: @great_state

“Good half, Bednarek showing why Lyanco should be playing though. Switching off at vital moments! Top hit from Chele but should be 3 up!”

Credit: @Too_Jazzee

“Maya Yoshida wouldn’t have gotten away with half the errors that Jan Bednarek makes on a weekly basis.”

Credit: @_ScottWinter_

In other news, find out what Ralph Hasenhuttl comments have left these Saints unhappy

Thirty-six teams, 32 matches and three days of non-stop cricket action would be the best way to describe the 17th edition of the Glucofit Cricket Sixes organised by the Old Wesleyites Sports club

Cricinfo staff19-Oct-2009Thirty-six teams, 32 matches and three days of non-stop cricket action would be the best way to describe the 17th edition of the Glucofit Cricket Sixes organised by the Old Wesleyites Sports club.The final day started off with Lumbini Mv, Mahanama College Colombo, Jaffna Combined Schools and Ananda College Colombo already comfortably in the quarter-finals from their merits on day one and two. However none of them could capitalise on moving forward as they fell prey to seasoned campaigners.Lumbini Mv lost to Nalanda College by 32 runs, the favorites from yesterday Jaffna Combined schools lost by two runs to underdogs Richmond College Galle, while Mahanama and Ananda Colleges were undone by St. Joseph’s College and St. Sebastian’s College respectively. The two semi-final matches were electric with four of Sri Lanka’s best schools taking part.The first game between Nalanda and St. Joseph’s was expected to be a one-horse race for the Nalandians. However the Joes had other plans, batting first and racing to 86 for 2 courtesy of a brilliant half-century by Chatura Kumara. Nalanda were never in the hunt and every time they did try to get away with the game, the Josephian bowlers held their nerves and clawed right back, ultimately winning against all odds by a good 35 runs.The second semi-final was a blockbuster with St. Sebastian taking on the in-form Richmond College, who, up that point, did everything right. However inexperience showed as they chased down a mere 55. The boys from the south self-destructed with three run-outs in quick succession to ultimately lose by 13 runs.The final was yet again expected to be an easy victory for St. Sebastian’s given their consistency in the tournament; however the Joes went about their business as usual initially restricting the Sebastian’s to 61 for 2 with some very good bowling and fielding. The highlight in that inning was that both wickets to fall were run-outs.St. Joseph’s started off shakily losing Roscoe Thatil and Chathura Kumara in the first over, but thanks to sensible batting by Jayathilake (28*) and Jayasinghe (21*) the boys from Darley Road managed to win the Glucofit Sixes 2009 in style.Thatil walked away with the best bowler and player of the tournament awards. St. Sebastian’s wicketkeeper PD Dias was adjudged best fielder and even though Chathura Kumara failed in the final he was still the best batsman with most runs and most sixes in the competition. MAS Jayathilake bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his all-round performance in the final.

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has dropped a worrying update from behind-the-scenes at Newcastle United amid continued speculation over Steve Bruce’s future.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days had suggested that Bruce was set to be axed ahead of this weekend’s Premier League game against Spurs, but with just a couple of days to go now before Sunday’s clash, no action has yet been taken.

And now, Edwards has revealed that those behind-the-scenes at the club are beginning to worry about the situation and what is likely to happen.

Initially on Twitter, he said: “Mood darkens around St James’ Park with lack of clarity over Steve Bruce’s future.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Telegraph, he added: “Worryingly, training ground sources have said the mood has darkened in the last couple of days, with coaches fearing they are about to lose their jobs and players lacking focus because of the lack of clarity.

“Both players and staff are taking a day off on Thursday and that surely represents the moment to reveal whether Bruce is going to stay on or not.”

Fans will be worried

When the takeover was confirmed, Newcastle fans would surely have been hoping, if not expecting, Bruce to be gone and a new man (if temporary) in charge for the game against Spurs.

The clash against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seemed like the perfect stage for a fresh new era, especially with it being at home to St James’ Park – having Bruce in the dugout for a game of such significance in the club’s history was almost unthinkable.

But according to Edwards, the lack of action over Bruce has those inside the training ground feeling like they have been left in the dark, unsure of where they stand with the new regime.

That is hardly the kind of preparation and feel-good momentum anyone would have wanted heading into the first game of the PIF era.

The longer the new owners leave it to relieve Bruce of his duties and make it clear what their plans are – either appointing a new manager straight away or confirming Graeme Jones as some sort of caretaker boss – fans will be worried.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment…