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Aaron Finch and Dwayne Bravo helped Gujarat Lions ease into the IPL with a thumping win against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali

The Report by Nikhil Kalro11-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:08

Agarkar: Kings XI could have a tough season

Aaron Finch and Dwayne Bravo helped Gujarat Lions ease into the IPL with a thumping win against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali. Barring the first over, Lions were in total control in their chase of 162; they won with 14 balls to spare on the back of Finch’s 47-ball 74.Brendon McCullum, who made a whirlwind ton in his final Test in February, was stumped by Wriddhiman Saha, standing up to the stumps to the medium-pacer Sandeep Sharma, in the first over of the chase. Sandeep, who anticipated a forward shimmy, bowled a superb outswinger to leave McCullum stranded. Finch and Suresh Raina then took the attack to the pacers, capitalising on loose deliveries to drive the chase.While Raina holed out to mid-on in the sixth over, Finch peppered the boundary with deft touch and exemplary placement, particularly behind square on the off side. He hit 12 fours.It needed a moment of brilliance from Pardeep Sahu, the legspinner, to dismiss him. Finch was drawn forward, and was beaten in the air and off the pitch as Saha completed his second stumping. The rest of the chase was a mere formality as Dinesh Karthik accrued his runs with sweeps and punchy strokes in front of the wicket to finish 41 not out.Earlier, Kings XI were given an ideal start by their openers M Vijay and Manan Vohra, who saw off the swinging new ball before getting stuck into their work. A blend of crisp drives and flicks earned the pair a half-century stand within the Powerplay. The spread fields after the sixth over did not impede Vohra, as he manufactured boundaries courtesy swift footwork off the spinners.However, the momentum shifted rapidly when Ravindra Jadeja struck twice in consecutive overs to remove the openers. Dwayne Bravo then undid Glenn Maxwell and David Miller in the space of three balls in the 12th over. The ball that got Miller – the slow, dipping yorker – made Bravo the first bowler to pick up 300 T20 wickets.Suddenly, debutant Marcus Stoinis and Wriddhiman Saha were left to rebuild. The pair were forced to use pockets of space in the large Mohali outfield to find their runs, and struggled to score quickly. Much of that was down to the efficiency of the Lions bowlers, who executed their yorkers and slower balls well. Bravo took two more wickets off consecutive slower balls in the last over, and could have had his best T20 bowling figures had Sarabjit Ladda not spilled a skier off the last ball.Only two boundaries and 36 runs were scored off the last five overs as Kings XI mustered 161. Lions then rode their momentum to consign Kings XI to their ninth loss in 10 matches.

Cristiano Ronaldo's blowing of kisses to chants of Lionel Messi's name didn't age well after his Al-Nassr side fell to a 3-0 loss to Al-Hilal.

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Al-Nassr were out-classed by Al-HilalMessi chants fill the stadium to annoy RonaldoAl-Hilal opened up a seven-point advantage over Al-NassrWHAT HAPPENED?

History repeated itself at the King Fahd International Stadium on Friday evening. Back in April, Ronaldo found himself in the eye of controversy after he made an indecent gesture following relentless Messi chants by Al-Hilal fans after a 2-0 loss. This time the taunts grew louder as the margin of defeat was bigger and Ronaldo remained an anonymous figure during a relatively quiet evening.

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However, this time around, Ronaldo was more mature in his reaction. The Portuguese soaked in the atmosphere and blew fly kisses to the stands before climbing down the tunnel at half-time, with the scores still locked at 0-0.

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Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring with a blistering header after the hour mark. But the star of the evening was former Fulham striker, Aleksandr Mitrovic, who netted twice in the final minutes of the game to seal the three points for the hosts.

Although Ronaldo did pierce the net on two occasions, he was given offside both times which further added to his frustration.

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

The defeat to Al-Hilal was a major dent to Al-Nassr's title aspirations as the former went seven points clear at the top of the table. Ronaldo will return to action against Istikloll on Tuesday in an AFC Champions League fixture away from home.

MLS announced Tuesday morning that FC Cincinnati boss Pat Noonan has won MLS Coach of the Year for the first-time ever after a historic campaign.

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FC Cincinnati's Noonan named Coach of the YearLed squad to MLS Supporter's ShieldEarned No. 1 overall seed in playoffsWHAT HAPPENED?

Commissioner Don Garber posted on social media that Noonan's 'exceptional leadership' was one of many reasons as to why he was handed the award. However, the voters – which consist of currently active players, selected media members and Front Office/Technical Staff of the clubs – were in agreement, with Noonan being handed 45 percent of the total votes.

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Cincinnati have literally started from the bottom and made their way to the top. From 2019-2021 they finished dead-last in the league standings, but once Noonan was handed the reigns in 2021, their fortunes started to change. He turned centerback Matt Miazga into the MLS Defender of the Year, and has his midfield maestro Lucho Acosta leading the way in the MVP race now, too. Heavy favorites for winning MLS Cup this season, FC Cincy have undergone a complete makeover under Noonan, and for the better.

DID YOU KNOW?

This is the fourth-straight year that an Eastern Conference head coach has earned the award and the first time that a Cincy boss has claimed it as well.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NOONAN AND FC CINCINNATI?

The Eastern Conference side's season is not over yet, with the MLS Conference semifinals set to take place this weekend. Cincy and MVP candidate Lucho Acosta take on 2022 finalists Philadelphia Union in a winner-take-all game, with both extra-time and penalties alive if needed. Noonan's squad advanced after knocking out Red Bull New York in Round One.

Craig Kieswetter has described the England team he played in as divided by cliques and changed by success

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-20154:52

Cliques within the England dressing room?

Craig Kieswetter has described the England team he played in as divided by cliques and changed by success. In an exclusive interview with ESPNcricinfo, Kieswetter also explained his decision to retire following an eye injury and his frustration with his own England career.But it is his views on the England dressing room that will gain most attention. While Kieswetter stopped short of repeating Kevin Pietersen’s claims of bullying in the England environment, he does not paint a flattering picture.Though he says he came into a united dressing room in early 2010, he believes that winning the World T20 and then the Ashes in Australia “changed people”.”It wasn’t just us competing against the opposition,” Kieswetter said. “There was a sense that some of us were competing against one another. By the time we were No. 1 in the world, it was a very different dressing room. Success changed people. Cliques developed. There were jokes made in the dressing room if you had a South African background. When we warmed up in training, we were split into sides: South Africans v English.”There was lots of talk about it in the media and here we were making it worse. It created an unnecessary divide. A sense of them and us.”It grew worse. The Test players were together so much that, when the limited-overs players turned up, it felt like you were on the outside. The Test guys hung out with each other; the limited-overs guys hung out. The spirit I experienced in those first few weeks was never there again.”Craig Kieswetter’s England career peaked at the World T20•Getty ImagesThose “first few weeks” saw Kieswetter become the second youngest England player, after David Gower, to make an ODI century and win the Man-of-the-Match award in the 2010 World T20 final. But while he started out playing with rare freedom, he feels that prolonged exposure to the England environment left him feeling “caged” as a batsman.”Of all the England teams I played in over five years, that was the one that had the best spirit,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t remember it that clearly: we played golf, we went to the beach and we drank rum. Training tended to be optional. KP was at his best. So were Broad and Swann. But we were a proper team and everyone got on brilliantly.”I started out playing with freedom; I ended up caged. I guess if I was in the current set-up I would thrive, but I had a good record as an opener and they asked me to bat at No. 6. It’s tough, but I’m disappointed with the way I responded to it.”Kieswetter also explained his decision to retire from cricket following a blow to the eye sustained while batting against David Willey. “I know I can’t play at the level I want to,” Kieswetter explains. “I liked being a swashbuckling player. And I felt I had the talent to play for England. I don’t feel that way any more. I’m not the same player. I’m not as good as I want to be and I never can be.”I can still play. I can still be okay. But when I came back at the end of last season, there was a lot of bravado and adrenalin involved. In the end I just thought, there are too many mediocre players in county cricket – and good luck to them – but I don’t want to be another one.”Read the full interview here

The rescheduling of the first Test in Adelaide has given MS Dhoni five extra days to recover from a thumb injury, and he appeared just fine in his first training session on this tour of Australia

Sidharth Monga in Adelaide07-Dec-2014The contrast couldn’t have been starker. MS Dhoni in a sleeveless top, bulging biceps in full view, flashy haircut, talking to everyone, joking around, bowling one moment, padded up the next, new-looking Spartan bats in hand. Wriddhiman Saha in a full-sleeved jersey, prim hair, keeping his own counsel, but still padded up. They stood next to each other as they waited their turns. The diminutive Saha looked smaller next to Dhoni while they talked briefly and then went to bat in adjacent nets. Unless India make the unprecedented decision to play Dhoni as a specialist batsman, only one of the two will play at Adelaide Oval on Tuesday.For the best part of last month, since the squad was selected on November 10, Saha has been thinking he will play the first Test in Australia. That looks seriously doubtful now. Dhoni had been left out from the first Test to recover from a hairline crack on his right thumb. India did not want to risk aggravating the injury because the World Cup is near. However, the first Test Dhoni was to miss was to begin on December 4.Now that Test has been rescheduled to December 9, has moved from the Gabba to the friendlier Adelaide Oval, and Dhoni has had five extra days to recover. He has come back looking fit. If you have watched India’s training sessions regularly, but didn’t know of Dhoni’s injury, you wouldn’t have guessed there was any doubt around Dhoni’s participation in Adelaide.In his first training session on this tour, about 24 hours after arriving in Australia, Dhoni did everything he does before any Test. He began by bowling a long spell of medium-pace, longer than he usually does, going round the wicket at times to simulate the left-arm quick’s angle for his batsmen. He also banged in several bouncers. He bowled for almost as long as the top six batted, in sets of three – Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara first, followed by Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma. Just before the second set got over, Dhoni stopped bowling. He put his pads on, and had a normal hit in the middle. He also spent a lot of time having one-on-one chats with Duncan Fletcher, Ravi Shastri, Kohli and Pujara.A player with a thumb injury can’t bat or bowl for so long. All signs point to Dhoni being fit for the Test, though the team remained secretive, as it usually does with any fitness issues. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, for example, has not been taking part in any training for a whole week, but the team had been maintaining nobody was unfit until revealing an injury two days before the Test. Same is the case with Dhoni now.We might not know until the toss whether Dhoni will play, but there are enough arguments to suggest he might not. If the original decision to rest him was a precautionary move, his appearing fit should not change things too much. Also, having arrived only on Saturday, has he had enough time to acclimatise, not having played a warm-up game? He did not take part in any wicketkeeping practice, but don’t let that lead you: Dhoni hardly ever keeps in training sessions during a series.Yet nothing is beyond Dhoni. He likes being in control of his side. He only rests when unavoidable. He has had five extra days to give his thumb and his tired body a rest. He might even sense an opportunity with the series beginning on the usually flat Adelaide pitch and with Australia at their most uncertain. Who addresses India’s pre-match press conference on Monday has now become a matter of interest. Not because India say anything important in their press conferences, but because the captain usually attends a day before a Test.It seems a long time ago that Kohli departed India as the captain for the first Test, talking about aggression, positivity and hope. The unfortunate events in Australia since India arrived might now bring to naught the build-up to Kohli’s captaincy debut. The last time India came to Adelaide, Kohli proved to himself that he belonged by scoring his maiden Test century. It would have been nice symmetry had he made his captaincy debut here. To add to the symmetry, seeing Kohli through to that century was a little wicketkeeper who had come in as replacement for Dhoni, who had been banned for slow over-rate in Perth. It was also Saha’s last Test.On Friday, Shikhar Dhawan was asked how different it would be to play under Kohli, and he nearly put his foot in his mouth. “Virat is, of course, doing his first Test match now, if he going to do or not I don’t know about that,” Dhawan said. “He’s a different captain than Dhoni . He’s more charged up, more aggressive.”And then he stopped, took a breath, and said, “Of course they both are aggressive in a different way. I enjoy playing under both.” If Dhoni does play, we might never know what Dhawan was going to say before he stopped himself.

The Gunners have done some incredible deals down through the years – GOAL picks out their best ever signings below…

From the dominant days of manager Herbert Chapman’s tenure in the 1930s right through to the modern era, Arsenal have signed some sensational players who have gone on to write their names into the history books.

But which transfers rank as the greatest in the Gunners' long and illustrious history.

GOAL reveals all below…

Eddie Hapgood

Arguably Arsenal’s best ever signing.

Hapgood was plucked from lowly Kettering Town by Gunners manager Herbert Chapman in 1927 for just £950 ($1,170) and went to captain Arsenal’s all-conquering side of the 1930s.

He made 440 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal and won the First Division title five times, as well as the FA Cup twice.

The left-back spent 12 years with Arsenal before the onset of the Second World War, scoring twice. 

He died in 1973, at the age of just 64.

AdvertisementGettyIan Wright

Many questioned Arsenal’s decision to spend a club record £2.5 million ($3m) to sign Ian Wright from Crystal Palace in 1991.

The Gunners had just won the First Division title and had two-time golden boot winner Alan Smith leading the line, with Kevin Campbell also at George Graham’s disposal.

But from the moment Wright opened his account with a goal at Leicester City on his Arsenal debut, he quickly silenced any of his doubters.

He went on the score 185 goals for the club, overtaking Cliff Bastin to become Arsenal’s all-time record goalscorer in 1997.

Wright won a Premier League title during his time in North London as well as two FA Cups, a League Cup, the Cup Winners Cup and the Golden Boot.

Alex James

Known as one of the finest players to have ever played for Arsenal, James arrived from Preston in 1929 for £8,750 ($10,800).

The playmaker quickly established himself in Chapman’s stellar side and scored the opening goal as Arsenal beat Huddersfield 2-0 in the 1930 FA Cup final – a victory which gave the club its first ever major trophy.

James went on to make 261 appearances for Arsenal and formed a formidable partnership with legendary attackers Ted Drake and Cliff Bastin.

The Scotland international won four league titles for the Gunners and a second FA Cup in 1936. He was forced to retire due to injury the following year.

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Sol Campbell

There is plenty of debate over who is the best free transfer of the Premier League era, but not amongst Arsenal fans.

Sol Campbell’s move across North London from Tottenham in the summer of 2001 is the stuff of legend.

Members of the media were all expecting to see goalkeeper Richard Wright unveiled when they arrived at a press conference at Arsenal’s training ground, so there was an audible gasp when Arsene Wenger walked out accompanied by Campbell – who was football's most in-demand free agent at the time.

Arsenal had taken Spurs’ captain without having to pay them a penny and they had to watch their former idol go on to win two league titles and three FA Cups during his time at Highbury.

As part of the NxGn series, Goal takes a look at the most promising young players waiting in the wings at the Catalan club

Jan Kruger – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesAbel RuizAs an 18-year-old striker who has represented Spain at U-17 and U-19 level, there are high hopes that Abel Ruiz will go on to become first-choice centre-forward for La Roja. A skillful player with good technique, he was captain of the side that won the European Championship at U-17 level a few months ago and is currently one of the brightest talents at Barca B.YoutubeOriol BusquetsHe may be no relation to Sergio, but the two players definitely share similar characteristics. Like the older Busquets, Oriol is a central midfielder who is tall and known for his great tactical understanding of the game. The 19-year-old currently plays at Barca B but made his debut for the first team in the Copa del Rey against Murcia earlier this season.TwitterAlex Collado

Alex Collado is already Barca B's best midfielder, even though he will only turn 19 next month. He has not featured yet for the first team but is highly thought of by coaching staff at the Catalan club. Good with the ball at his feet and technically adept, he is known for his ability to carry the ball forward from midfield.

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Mateu MoreyA centre-back similar to Gerard Pique, Mateu Morey is taller than the Barca defender and very good at bringing the ball out from the back. Born in 2000, he is still with the youth team after turning down several offers from elsewhere last summer – including one from Bayern Munich. He should have a bright future at Barca.

Ryan Reynolds has paid tribute to the “one and only” Rosie Hughes after seeing her register goal number 100 for Wrexham’s Women’s team.

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Star striker remains a prolific presenceHelped to secure promotion last seasonClub co-owner is a big fanWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific 28-year-old forward has made a stunning contribution to the collective cause in North Wales since linking up with the Red Dragons in 2021. She has finished as the top scorer in the Adran North on two occasions, with promotion secured to the Adran Premier League last season.

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Hughes has been showing no sign of slowing down at a higher level, with another effort added to her impressive tally in a 3-1 victory over TNS. That contest handed Wrexham their first home win of the 2023-24 campaign.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hollywood superstar Reynolds, who is co-owner of Wrexham Association Football Club alongside Rob McElhenney, is among those to have saluted Hughes’ efforts are seeing her become a club centurion. The Deadpool actor has called Hughes “the one and only” when sharing a celebratory graphic on social media.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Wrexham boast big ambition at every level under Reynolds and McElhenney, with the women’s team chasing down title glory while the men are hoping to build on their record-breaking promotion from last season by bouncing straight up into League One.

South Africa will play a Test series in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, following the confirmation of the venues and dates for a short tour comprising two Tests and three ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2014Tour itinerary

July 3 – 50-over warm-up, Moratuwa

July 6 – 1st ODI, Colombo (RPS)

July 9 – 2nd ODI, Pallekele (day-night)

July 12 – 3rd ODI, Hambantota

July 16-20 – 1st Test, Galle

July 24-28 – 2nd Test, Colombo (SSC)

South Africa will play a Test series in Sri Lanka for the first time since 2006, following the confirmation of the venues and dates for a short tour comprising two Tests and three ODIs. Cricket South Africa (CSA) has stated that the team will arrive on June 30 and begin the tour with the ODIs, followed by the Tests.The three ODIs will be played at different venues across the country, with Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium hosting the first game on July 6. Only the second ODI, in Pallekele, will be a day-night contest. The two Tests will be played in Galle (starting July 16) and Colombo’s SSC (starting July 24).This will be Sri Lanka’s first home Test series since they hosted Bangladesh in March 2013. The original schedule had specified three Tests, in addition to the five ODIs and three Twenty20s that had already been played last year. But Sri Lanka Cricket had requested the Tests be moved to 2015, ostensibly to vacate the schedule for a Sri Lanka Premier League, but space in both teams’ schedule in July has allowed a change of plans.In February, SLC and CSA had agreed to bring it forward to 2014 and one Test was dropped to accommodate ODIs.”The Test series is the one that was postponed from last year at Sri Lanka’s request and is indicative of the good progress we are making in finalising commitments with all countries in terms of the ICC Future Tours Programme,” said CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat.In the limited-overs series played last year, Sri Lanka won the ODIs 4-1 while South Africa took the T20s 2-1.

A round-up of the Ram Slam T20 matches on November 2, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2014Chris Gayle starred with the ball and bat for Lions in their Ram Slam T20 opener, taking four wickets and scoring a fifty to help the side beat Dolphins by six wickets at the Wanderers.Cody Chetty (68) and Vaughn van Jaarsveld had forged a recovery for Dolphins with a 71-run stand for the third wicket but Gayle’s introduction into the attack turned the game in Lions’ favour. He took a wicket in each over of his spell to finish with 4 for 36, breaking the Dolphins middle order by accounting for van Jaarsveld, Chetty, Jonathan Vandiar and Khaya Zondo. Prenelan Subrayen struck a few blows towards the end of the innings to lift the Dolphins total to 172.Lions began their chase with an 18-run over from Daryn Dupavillon but, by the fourth over, were struggling at 36 for 3. Gayle and Jean Symes’ 89-run stand put the chase back on track and both batsmen finished with half-centuries. While Gayle struck 56 off 38 balls, Symes finished on an unbeaten 50-ball 58 to guide Lions to a win in the 19th over.Kieron Pollard’s all-round contribution with bat and ball was the difference between the Cobras and the Titans in Johannesburg. Pollard led the Cobras final assault with the bat with 72 runs at a strike rate of 200, and was the architect of their 80-run plunder off the last six overs of their innings. He then took three wickets in two overs to derail the Titans’ chase.The Cobras were set up by Richard Levi, who faced just 34 balls for his 81 runs, but the Titans may have thought that was as bad as it got for them. They got rid of the Cobras’ top and middle order cheaply, with their slower bowlers doing the bulk of the containing. Roelof van der Merwe conceded just 14 runs in three overs while Dean Elgar took 3 for 20 and bowled a full quota to keep the Cobras quiet.That was before Pollard made his entrance. He spoilt the figures of Ethy Mbhlati and Rowan Richards and ensured the Cobras posted a run more than the Knights did in the early game.Unlike the Warriors, who collapsed in their chase of 206, the Titans looked set to get to their target of 208. Openers Elgar and Henry Davids were merciless in equal measure and shared in a first-wicket stand of 151 inside 15 overs. Again, it was Pollard who changed proceedings.In his third over, he had Elgar caught at long-on, Davids off against a slower ball and also accounted for Darren Sammy with a short ball- all in the space of seven deliveries. The Titans needed 45 runs off the last three overs but could only manage 30 in what became a tense finish.Warriors’ batting woes from the first-class and fifty-over formats have carried over into the shortest version of the game as well. Overseas signing Craig Kieswetter, who made 51, was the only batsman in their line-up who managed a score of more than 20 as they were beaten by the Knights in their campaign opener.Set a tall 206 for victory – a target built on the back of Knights’ opening stand of 78 runs and topped off by Diego Rosier’s second T20 half-century – the Warriors were never in the chase. Dillon du Preez’s four wickets dismantled them – his first pair dismissed the openers and second bored into the tail. In between that, all the other members of the Knights attack enjoyed success, except the slower bowlers, with the medium-pace of Malusi Siboto and the spin of Werner Coetsee costing more than eight runs an over.Those numbers only indicate indiscipline of the Warriors in the first half of the fixture. They used seven bowlers and none of them conceded at less than seven runs to the over, with Jon-Jon Smuts hauling in the best return of 2 for 28.Smuts’ strike pegged the Knights back after they were off to a speedy start thanks to Rudi Second and Gerhardt Abrahams. A mid-innings wobble saw them lose four wickets for 42 runs and they seemed to be losing their way but Rosier put them back on track. He shared in a 67-run stand with Obus Pienaar, which came in just 3.2 overs, to tip the Knights total over 200 and ensure they took maximum points from the first match of the campaign.