Tag Futebol

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, has broken his silence on Andrew Hall’s retirement from international cricket, saying that he plans to speak to Hall soon.”I haven’t spoken to him [Hall], but I will do so in the next day or two,” Smith told . “He has his reasons, and it’s for him to explain them.”He’s been a wonderful performer whenever South Africa have needed him, maybe he felt that he didn’t consistently get a good run in the team. Even when he was in the squad but not in the team, he was a great guy to have around. It’s sad to lose him.”Smith also spoke about the absence of senior players, specifically Jacques Kallis, from the Twenty20 squad. “When you lose players who’ve been around for a while your team dynamic does shift.”Jacques has always been a reliable performer for South Africa. You know that he puts in his preparation and that he’s going to be up for the performance on the day. It is weird not to have him around.”South Africa take on West Indies in the opening match of the Twenty20 World Championship in Johannesburg on September 11.

As had been widely rumoured in recent days, Will Jefferson has signed a three-year contract with Nottinghamshire starting in 2007.Jefferson agreed to part company with Essex at the end of the summer last month after failing to secure a regular place in their side during an injury-prone season.”It was important for us to find a more than adequate replacement for Darren Bicknell when he retires at the end of this season and I’m delighted to have it done and dusted at this early stage,” explained Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket. “I’ve been very aware of Will for the past four years because he always seemed to make a habit of scoring runs against us for Essex.”He is a well-established player with plenty of first-class experience and although this season has been very frustrating for him, I can see his career really kicking on when he joins us next season.””I’m absolutely thrilled about being given this opportunity and I’m really looking forward to justifying the faith Mick Newell has shown in me,” said Jefferson. “I’m desperate to get going with Notts and although I’m not playing at all at the moment, I’ll be ready when the time comes. I always seem to have done well at Trent Bridge and I honestly believe that it is an environment in which I can excel.”Derby-born Jefferson, who is 26 and at 6’10” is one of the tallest first-class cricketers ever, has made 11 hundreds in 67 first-class matches with a top-score of 222 against Hampshire in 2004.

A dramatic change in the composition of the national selection panel is on the cards after the review committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India recommended that the system of picking one selector from each zone be done away with. The review committee believed that this would greatly reduce the chances of players being picked on regional bias rather than merit.According to sources close to the action in the meeting on Tuesday, Greg Chappell, the coach, was also strongly in favour of this move, and suggested that the best men ought to be picking the best possible XI to play for the country only on merit.The review committee made several recommendations that will be taken up at the next working committee meeting of the board, to be held early next month – a salient one being that the selectors are considering a two-captain format, splitting the captaincy of the Test and one-day teams. The review committee believed that this would pose no problems for the players, forseveral senior members of the side had anyway played under more than one captain in their time.Another aspect the review committee took strong exception to was the behaviour of certain members of the team on and off the field, and spoke of specific instances of misbehaviour during the tri-series in Sri Lanka. There is concern that the team as a whole could be affected if this behaviour went unchecked. “Discipline is a top priority, both on and off the field,” the source revealed. “Indiscipline will not be tolerated at all, and Harbhajan Singh’s recent outburst against Chappell – where he slammed him for double standards and instilling a sense of fear andinsecurity – will be viewed seriously. At the very least, a reprimand from the board president is on the cards.”

It is also learned that Chappell brought up the sensitive issue of confidentiality, especially in matters of team selection, strongly in the meeting. He is believed to have stressed the need for selectors and officials not to take feedback he has given about a specific player back to the same player. Also he is believed to have told the review committee that he was concerned about the fact that the team was not always fielding the best possible eleven, for whatever reason.It has also come to light that Chappell told the panel that he had sent a detailed email on Sourav Ganguly only in keeping with his aim to make the Indian team one of the best sides in the world. He believed that he needed to clearly communicate to the board his continued vision and “commitment to excellence” for which he was hired in the first place.Switching over to the other side, it is learned that Ganguly brought written documentation to answer each and every question Chappell raised in his email to the board. However, after Ganguly had made his points to the panel, they returned the copies of the papers he had brought, to avoid any chance of a leak going out from the board’s side.While Ganguly was largely calm and composed as he went over one point after another, it is understood that he became a touch emotional when it came to the allegation that he was running away from fast bowling. “What will the public think of me?” he asked, and went on to cite the example of the Melbourne Test of 2003, when he came up the order and batted at No. 4in an attempt to give Sachin Tendulkar, who was struggling a bit for form, some breathing space in the middle order.Ganguly also admitted that he had made an error in judgment when he spoke to the media about being asked to step down from the captaincy, after the third day of the Bulawayo Test. In the same vein, though, it is learned that Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the BCCI, asked Chappell to refrain from sending emails and text messages to friends connected withcricket, and friends in the media.The review committee also recommended that there was no need, at this juncture, to hand long-terms contracts to the likes of Ian Frazer and Charles Krebs, who have been enlisted to help the team on a series-by-series basis.

Sourav Ganguly is one of the great Asian captains of all time – a bristling competitor who is passion and spirit personified, not least to the youngsters whose corner he fights so fiercely. Under Ganguly’s courageous stewardship, India has grown in self-belief, and in two towering Test series against Australia, the team has begun to live up to the nation’s immense burden of expectation.As a strokeplayer, Ganguly extracts immense power and timing from his slight frame. He shows a hint of uncertainty when facing up to the short ball, but his courage has never been in doubt. That was never more clearly demonstrated than at Brisbane in the first Test of India’s epic drawn series against Australia last winter.Ganguly rode out a furious assault, led by Jason Gillespie, to record a brilliant 144. From that moment on, India’s benchmark for the series had been laid.It was typical of Ganguly’s style. He would never ask anything of his players that he could not deliver himself, and that will be his proudest legacy.

One Test cap Hamish Marshall smashed an unbeaten 183 against London New Zealand Cricket Club on Sunday to lead a Wanderers side boasting four New Zealand first-class players to a 35-run victory over the expat Kiwi club at Harefield in Middlesex.Wanderers posted 268 for four before dismissing a hard-charging LNZ side for 233 with five overs remaining.Asked to bowl first, the London Kiwis started well enough, with Sean Martin (one for 56) trapping former Test opener and Wellington captain Matthew Bell lbw for four. Wellington middle-order batsman Luke Woodcock also departed cheaply, having his leg stump knocked out of the ground by fired-up former Otago and New Zealand paceman Aaron Gale (one for 46), who has been in fine form as a stand-in player for the Harefield Cricket Club in recent weeks.But Marshall, whose sole Test innings was an undefeated 40 against South Africa in December 2000, was in no mood to follow suit, settling in comfortably on a pitch that had looked difficult for batting. None of the LNZ bowlers escaped punishment as Marshall quickly upped the tempo in an innings that lasted only 134 balls, but included 29 fours and three sixes.It was an innings of the highest quality from Marshall, whose failure to post a first-class or one-day century in New Zealand domestic cricket has seen him slip from international contention. Wellington batsman Leighton Morgan made 24, departing just before the declaration.In reply, LNZ started well with openers Michael Singleton and Matt Rheinholdt (53) posting 55 in quick time, before Singleton was the first to go, bowled for 23. Canterbury club player Sam Foley (40) combined with Rheinholdt to take the Kiwis through to 99 before left-arm spinner Woodcock found an edge from Rheinholdt that was nicely held by Marshall at slip. Foley then mis-timed a pull shot to be the first of three LNZ batsmen to fall caught and bowled.The LNZ middle order then crumbled in the face of an all-spin attack, with Isaac Southwell’s 29 the only contribution of note before Gale (18 not out) and Steve Deane (37) combined in a scintillating last-wicket stand of 55 that took the expats to within sight of an unlikely victory. But Woodcock (five for 70) had the last laugh, bowling Deane to clinch his fifth wicket of the day and seal the victory for Wanderers.

Veteran fast bowlers Allan Donald and Steve Elworthy have both been included in the South African squad to tour Australia at the end of the year, but there is no place for Daryll Cullinan.Donald has not played in an international match this summer, but has been included on the basis of his vast experience and, as selection convener Rushdi Magiet put it, "he’s a great motivator". South Africa’s senior fast bowler missed the two-Test tour of Zimbabwe in September after being struck down with flu and was then kept out of the Indian tour after straining a stomach muscle, but, according to Magiet, has now been passed fit to tour.Elworthy, meanwhile, forced himself into the squad by sheer weight of wickets in domestic cricket this season. The 36-year-old "crashed the door down, said Magiet who added that the experience of both Donald and Elworthy would be an asset to the side.An experienced player not going, however, is Daryll Cullinan who has played only one-first class match this summer after undergoing knee surgery. Magiet said Cullinan’s lack of cricket together with his poor record against Australia had precluded him. Magiet added that there were "other factors" in his exclusion, a reference, presumably, to the rivalry that emerged between Cullinan and Shane Warne during South Africa’s last two tours of Australia.Jonty Rhodes has also not been included for the Test section of the tour, but he will join the squad for the one-day series. Although Rhodes has a full contract with the United Cricket Board, he has repeatedly said that he is not available for Test cricket and it appears to be the case that the selectors have chosen not to force the issue. Why this should be the case is not known.Magiet did confirm, however that the selectors had spoken to Rhodes "about three to four weeks ago", but had not been able to persuade him to change his mind.A minor surprise is the inclusion of Justin Ontong who has previously been regarded as a one-day player. He has been included, said Magiet, as an extra batsman.The 15-man squad will be supplement by Rhodes, Justin Kemp and Charl Langeveldt for the on-day series with the players to be sent back to South Africa being announced at the start of the third Test in Sydney.SquadShaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher (vice capt), Nicky Boje, Boeta Dippenaar, Allan Donald, Steve Elworthy, Herschelle Gibbs, Nantie Hayward, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Jacques Rudolph.Jonty Rhodes, Justin Kemp and Charl Langeveldt to join the squad for the one-day series.

Haryana

Haryana will hope their new captain will lift their spirits and results•Associated Press

Where they finished last season
Second from bottom in Group BBig picture
Last season, only two Haryana batsmen averaged 30 or over in the Ranji Trophy. But six of their bowlers sent down 50 overs or more and averaged under 25. Such numbers come with the territory – in this case their home ground, the Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli, which hosts the most seam-friendly pitches in India. The five matches Haryana played in Lahli last season produced three 200-plus totals in 17 innings.Results, as they tend to be on pitches of that nature, were a lottery, with Haryana winning two of their home games and losing one. There were two draws, but only because of poor weather that ruled out a fourth day against both Vidarbha and Delhi.Performances away from home, perhaps, were a better gauge of Haryana’s quality: they lost all three of their matches on the road, to Punjab, Gujarat, and bottom-placed Saurashtra.Given that Haryana begin their 2015-16 season with three away games, against three formidable opponents – Maharashtra (semi-finalists and finalists in the last two seasons), Delhi (who topped their group last season) and Karnataka (gunning for a hat-trick of titles) – they will have to find some way to compete in unfamiliar territory.Their task is made harder by the absence of Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma – both part of India’s limited-overs squads for their series against South Africa – and Joginder Sharma. This will leave a bulk of the bowling burden to be borne by Harshal Patel and the spinners Jayant Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.Batting is usually the bigger worry for Haryana, and the acquisition of Virender Sehwag – he will also captain them – will be accompanied by both excitement and anxiety. Over the last couple of years, there has been a perceptible dimming of his powers, but are they still at a level that can cause fear among domestic attacks? Almost 37, and with no realistic prospect of an international comeback, how much enthusiasm can he sustain over a domestic season with barely any breathing room?Surendra Bhave, their coach, isn’t too worried. “I don’t have to say what sort of impact [Sehwag] would have on any cricket team,” he says. “He has been wonderful so far. Every player he has spoken to personally. He’s a very good mentor also. He’s doing an excellent job. Coming from him, it makes a lot of difference, coming from a great achiever.”Players to watch
Yuzvendra Chahal recently earned a call-up to the India A T20 side against the South Africans thanks to his performances in the shortest format, particularly the IPL. But in a career that began in 2009, Chahal has only played 17 first-class matches (32 wickets at 40.06). If he gets an extended run in the Haryana side in the absence of Amit Mishra, can Chahal show that his legbreaks belong in the longest format as well?Himanshu Rana will only turn 17 on the day the Ranji season begins, but has already shown glimpses of what could be a special talent. His coach Surendra Bhave calls him a “cracking player”. On his debut last season, Rana made 80 against Delhi, and followed it up with a 149 that set up an innings win over Rajasthan. He topped Haryana’s batting averages last season, and his side will hope he can shore up their often brittle top order again.Preparation
Apart from a pre-season camp and practice matches in Lahli, Haryana also geared up for the season by playing the KSCA tournament (four-day matches) in Karnataka and the Buchi Babu tournament (two-day matches) in Chennai.Squad
Virender Sehwag (capt), Chaitanya Bishnoi, Sanjay Budhwar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Dagar, Rahul Dalal, Rahul Dewan, Ashish Hooda, Sanjay Pahal, Harshal Patel, Himanshu Rana, Sachin Rana, Nitin Saini (wk), Guntashveer Singh, Priyank Tehlan, Jayant Yadav.In their own words
“The data shows that teams which play well at home usually do very well in domestic cricket. But we would like to look at it in a thorough manner and start winning outside also, which is very crucial for us.”

The BCCI ombudsman, Justice AP Shah, has asked India offspinner Harbhajan Singh to respond to an allegation of conflict of interest related to his links to a sports apparel company that sponsors various state teams in domestic cricket. On January 16, Justice Shah forwarded a complaint from Mumbai-based activist Niraj Gunde to Harbhajan and asked the player to respond to the allegation by January 30.”It is widely reported that Mr. Harbhajan Singh had started a company by name of Bhajji sports, which is a sports apparel company,” Gunde wrote in an email to Shah on January 14. The same e-mail, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, was copied to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI manager, game development. “Further, news reports have indicated that this Bhajji sports is sponsoring upto 6 Ranji Teams (Member Associations of the BCCI),” Gunde wrote.According Gunde, Harbhajan has specifically violated the sub-clauses C and D dealing with conflict of interest in the three-page document prepared by Manohar, in which the BCCI president listed various guidelines that would help administrators, match officials, players and board staff avoid involvement in conflict of interest.For the current players, Manohar wrote:A. Current Cricketers shall declare the name and details of his/her Player Agent or the Player Management Company.
B. Current Cricketers shall not have any business interest in a Player Management Company.
C. Current Cricketers shall not have any conflict arising with the BCCI sponsors including the apparel sponsor.
D. Current Cricketers shall not accept any Controlling position in any Commercial Organization having a contract with the BCCI or its State Unit.
“It is very clear from the above context, Mr. Harbhajan Singh is conflicted in C & D of the code,” Gunde concluded in his e-mail to Shah.This is the second complaint that the BCCI ombudsman has received over the last week, with the first one raising an allegation of conflict of interest against former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who has been asked to respond by January 28. The complaint against Ganguly, which was also filed by Gunde, alleged the former India captain has a commercial tie-up with the RP Sanjiv Goenka group, which has a stake in the Atletico de Kolkata football club in Indian Super League (ISL) and, in December, secured the rights to run the Pune franchise in the IPL.

A fresh hearing will take place to decide Shoaib Akhtar’s fate after the two-member appellate tribunal looking into two charges of indiscipline against the fast bowler set one charge aside while handing the other back to Talat Ali, the team manager.”The charge of not appearing before a disciplinary hearing has been set aside,” Ahsan Malik, PCB’s director of communications, told Cricinfo. “The other charge, of leaving the camp without permission, has been remanded back to the manager Talat Ali. He will now issue a fresh notice and there will be another hearing.”The appellate tribunal, comprising of Mueen Afzal, a member of the board’s ad-hoc committee and Imtiaz Ahmed, the former Test wicketkeeper, was set up by the PCB after Shoaib appealed against his Rs 300,000 (approximately US$5000) fine for leaving the training camp without informing the management as well as failing to turn up for the disciplinary hearing.The date for the next hearing has not yet been specified.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

An action-packed day of Test cricket ended with Sri Lanka edging the honours, as South Africa were bowled out for 361 in the last over of the evening. Fifty-six fours, two sixes, and ten wickets meant there was plenty of entertainment on offer for the crowd at the P Saravanamuttu Stadium, the venue where Sri Lanka had played their first Test match 25 years ago.The day was clearly split into three parts: the first one belonged to Sri Lanka, as their seam attack, bolstered by Chaminda Vaas’s return from injury, struck three times within the first hour. South Africa then hit back in the afternoon session, as Ashwell Prince (86) and AB de Villiers (95) combined in a magnificent 161-run stand for the fifth wicket, getting their runs at more than four an over and making even Muttiah Muralitharan look ordinary. That was too good to last, however, as Sri Lanka fought back in the final session, nailing six wickets, though Shaun Pollock’s entertaining unbeaten 57 kept them in the field the entire day. Muralitharan finished with yet another five-for – the 55th of his Test career – but it cost him 128, with the runs coming at nearly four an over.The conditions at the ground had a huge role to play in the kind of action on view: the pitch, while being a good batting strip, had more pace and bounce than the one in the first Test, helping the bowlers but also ensuring that the ball came on to the bat and facilitated strokeplay. The outfield was fast too, so that almost every time the batsmen pierced the gaps, the ball sped away to the fence.Asked to bowl first after losing the toss, Sri Lanka got off to a sensational start: Vaas celebrated his return to the side with a second-ball dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs, trapping him in front with a typical delivery which swung back in after pitching on middle and leg. It was the 12th time Vaas nailed Gibbs in international matches – his three dismissals in Tests have all been for ducks, while in the nine ODI innings in which Vaas has dismissed him, he averages 3.11.Andrew Hall was a walking wicket from the first delivery – he played and missed at six out of eight balls from Malinga, before finally edging the ninth to second slip. Jacques Rudolph left soon after, beaten for pace and movement by Malinga, and at 31 for 3, the innings was in danger of crumbling just like it had in the first innings of the first Test. Prince then began the recovery with Amla, who played with excellent poise and assurance for his 40, clipping the ball sweetly off his pads and defending solidly. The real resistance, though, started after Amla fell.de Villiers, especially, was intent on taking charge from the moment he walked to the crease. His first scoring shot – off the second ball he faced – was a beautifully timed punch down the ground off Muralitharan, and that set the tone for what was an innings highlighted by superb footwork, crisp cuts and drives through the off side, and splendid shot-selection. His handling of Muralitharan was quite exceptional: before the series, he had bravely commented about how Muralitharan could be rattled by an attacking batsman, and here he walked the talk, either going down the pitch to smother the spin, or going right back and playing with the turn. He used the sweep shot to good effect too, and in all scored 31 from 51 balls off Muralitharan. The other bowlers were even easier to handle, with the listless Maharoof being repeatedly creamed for cuts and square-drives.Prince started off more circumspectly, content to defend and nudge the singles, but gradually he opened out too, playing some rasping drives down the ground and through cover when the bowlers offered width. Muralitharan’s threat was negated by some twinkle-toed footwork, which allowed him to either make room and drive through the off side, or work him off his legs for runs. He offered one chance, when on 69, driving through Sanath Jayasuriya’s hands at gully, but other than that one lapse, the knock was quite blemishless.With the score reading 231 for 4 at tea, South Africa were on the ascendancy, but things went pear-shaped after the break, as Prince went second ball after tea, edging a cut. de Villiers fell in the nineties for the fourth time in his brief career, unluckily given out when bat had only made contact with ground.Muralitharan and Maharoof then made further inroads, before Pollock stamped his presence on the game. Back in the side after missing the first Test due to the birth of his second child, Pollock celebrated by carting the ball to all parts en route to an entertaining knock, hoicking Muralitharan over midwicket for six, and top-edging over the wicketkeeper for another. Makhaya Ntini gave him excellent support in a last-wicket stand that fetched 34 and frustrated Sri Lanka late in the evening. Ntini’s dismissal in the last over of the day ensured, though, that Sri Lanka won’t have to take the field again on the second morning.

Herschelle Gibbs lbw b Vaas 0 (0 for 1)
Andrew Hall c Dilshan b Malinga 0 (4 for 2)
Jacques Rudolph b Malinga 13 (31 for 3)
Hashim Amla lbw b Muralitharan 40 (70 for 4)
Ashwell Prince c P Jayawardene b Muralitharan 86 (231 for 5)
AB de Villiers c P Jayawardene b Malinga 95 (256 for 6)
Mark Boucher b Muralitharan 32 (273 for 7)
Nicky Boje c Sangakkara b Maharoof 11 (307 for 8)
Dale Steyn c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 6 (327 for 9)
Mahkaya Ntini c Maharoof b Muralitharan 13 (361 all out)