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Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka batsman, has called for stability in the team after they gave themselves a chance of staving off a Test match and series defeat by Australia in Pallekele. While he acknowledged the team’s poor performances with the bat so far in the series, he said the batsmen needed to be given extended runs without the constant fear of being dropped. Only that, he said, could bring positive results – Sri Lanka have not won a Test match since the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan..”The first thing is the guys have to be pretty solid in their minds about what their roles are,” Sangakkara said. “They’ve also got to be comfortable in the fact they’re here because they’re good enough and also that they’re going to be given a nice, long-lasting run to prove what they can do. No-one comes here easily, everyone’s done the hard work in the A side or in first-class cricket to get to this level and earn a Test cap for Sri Lanka.”But it’s hard for batsmen to play looking over their shoulders; they need to be told ‘we trust you enough to go out and do the job for the country’ and these guys will respond to that. I think [Tillakaratne] Dilshan’s done that pretty well. You’re seeing slow results, but at all times the senior guys have to keep putting their hands up and performing; that’s what’s going to allow the newcomers to perform even better.”Sri Lanka started the fourth day in Pallekele 237 runs behind after a first-innings surrender for 174. By the close they were 223 for 2, just 14 behind, with Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in occupation on the cusp of the second new ball.”It was important we showed some character in this innings,” Sangakkara said, “especially since the last three innings we’ve had opportunities to try to win Test matches but we haven’t done that with our batting. Today was another opportunity for the guys to go out there and graft the runs and if we get a good start again tomorrow morning we can put some pressure back on the Australians.”Under a new captain in Michael Clarke, Australia brought an inexperienced bowling attack to Sri Lanka, but Sangakkara expressed genuine respect for the way the visitors have gone about their work, forcing the hosts to accept that hard graft was the only path to runs.”It’s pretty disappointing but we can’t point the finger at anyone else but ourselves [about the batting so far]. Test matches are usually won or lost on first-innings totals; very rarely do you see huge comebacks in the third and fourth innings. As a batting side we’re going up against an Australian attack that’s come out here and showed us how disciplined and well planned they are in their bowling. We’ve got to be up for the fight.”It is not just a case of batting a session or batting two sessions, it is about batting five, six, seven sessions against these guys to build up good totals. It’s hard to allow bowlers to dominate the course of things throughout, but they’ve done a really good job of bowling straight, bowling great areas and bowling to their fields. This is not a side against whom you can score a hundred in a session or two, it is a case of pushing the Australia bowlers into their third or fourth spells, tiring them out and then grafting your runs.”The DRS caused some more headaches for both sides on the fourth day, as Tharanga Paranavitana was first the beneficiary then the victim of its vagaries. In both instances replays suggested there might have been a deflection to the keeper but there did not appear to be conclusive evidence of an edge; however, while Paranavitana survived the first review, the second not-out decision was overturned. Sangakkara said technology was not yet 100% accurate, and therefore a state of compromise had to be reached between those providing technology and those compelled to use it.”We’ve all seen technology; we’ve seen the good and the bad of it. We’ve seen Hawk-Eye not picking up the turn of the ball, depending on the distance between where the ball pitches and where it hits the pad; you’ve seen Hotspot sometimes fail in the India-England series, so the debate will go on.”Today we saw Paranavitana given not-out on the field and the decision overturned by the third umpire, so that’ll probably be another point of debate. I think everybody’s got to come to a middle ground, where you’ve got to accept that it’s not 100% if you’re using it and be comfortable with that, or go back and say we’ll wait until technology is 100%.”

India’s own Rocket Man has finally turned up on the tour during which the sun has gone down fairly rapidly on India’s No.1 Test ranking

Sharda Ugra in Northampton03-Aug-2011The Indians have nearly sold out their two-day practice match at the County Ground in Northampton on August 5 and 6, but they still won’t be the town’s biggest act this summer.Like India’s chances of a series victory in England that too has, in fact, come and gone.On June 25, nearly 15,000 packed into an open-air Elton John concert, live from the outfield, at the venue where India will attempt to repair form and reputation this weekend. John was on his Rocket Man world tour and, among many of his other hits, he also sang “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” The Indians could well adopt it as their theme song when they take to the ground on Thursday after a thumping defeat in the Nottingham Test.In what is an outside chance of a complete turnaround, India’s own Rocket Man has finally turned up on the tour during which the sun has gone down fairly rapidly on India’s No.1 Test ranking. Virender Sehwag’s arrival in England on Wednesday coincided with the double-whammy that both Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh are out of the Test series, both injured during the Nottingham Test.When, after the Lord’s defeat, MS Dhoni said that all that could go wrong did go wrong during that Test match, he didn’t know he was presenting himself as the ultimate optimist. Lord’s was merely a prelude to the tailspin that was Nottingham.It has been a downhill series: India’s strike bowler pulled up with an injury in the first session of the first Test and their strike batsman has arrived at a time when the series can only be saved.It is not a bad target for a counter-attacker like Sehwag to sink his teeth into. At the same time it could be just what Gautam Gambhir needs to feed off as he pushed for a return in time for Edgbaston a week from now.The two-day practice match could be just the tonic India need, but only if its convalescing cricketers are recovering at the speed they need. Sehwag is coming cold off shoulder surgery, Gambhir off a still-swollen elbow while airlines now only let Zaheer onto a plane if his hamstring is strapped up in bubble wrap and marked fragile.The Northampton County Cricket Club is promising a turn for the better for the visitors. Their hospitality and weather will be warm. Their pitch will be … okay never mind. At least Zaheer has also been promised a better return to Northampton than when he played for Worcestershire in 2006. The track has changed from its subcontinental avatar to a green but they say generous seamer.Deputy head groundsman Paul Taylor says it is far from Nottingham redux. Taylor was quick to point out that the grass cover was “different to Nottingham’s. It has a more even covering, there won’t be tufts of grass.” Northants Cricket CEO Mark Tagg pointed out that the county ground had received ECB commendations for the quality of their pitches following a complete overhaul in the middle of the last decade. Taylor says, “We used to have pitches rather like subcontinental tracks. Grassless, where on windy days you could see dust flying, which helped our spinners.” That was the time Anil Kumble became the highest wicket-taker of the 1995 county season with 105 wickets for Northamptonshire, 64 at home, 41 away. Until recently, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann turned out together for the county until 2005.Over the last five years following renovation, however, the pitch has changed character and now suits the quicker men. The overseas players expected to turn out for the practice match over the weekend is left-arm swing man, Chaminda Vaas, so Zaheer will at least have good company. Taylor says, “This wicket is very different from what Zaheer would have experienced with Worcester. It did not carry through much then, but this is a wicket is now true.” As far as the batsmen go, Taylor says that considering Northampton’s own progress – they lead the Division 2 county table – the top batsmen have not really prospered but, “it is the Nos. 7 to 9 that are averaging 55, I would say if you get in, you can score very quickly indeed.”At Lord’s and Nottingham, India’s new generation batsmen have struggled precisely in that simple skill: getting in and staying there. There is however something they must leave behind, according to former captain Sourav Ganguly: the debris from the past two weeks. When he was asked by TV channel what he would have said to his players if he were still captain, Ganguly said, “Get away from the game in the next two days. Every individual player, get away from the team. Take a walk down the road, have a dinner on your own and evaluate, where do I stand? How have I done in this series, where can I get better?… Talk to yourself and say how can I get better? Because that’s the only way the team can get better.”Ganguly’s is sound advice but unlike Nottingham, where the team lived in the city centre, in Northampton the team hotel is closer to a motorway out of town and a golf course. Naturally, there were few sightings of solitary Indian players walking around in deep introspection on Wednesday evening. There’s a far better chance that they took turns in walking up to Sehwag and saying by God, it was good to be seeing him again.

In a fascinating chase, with their choking past hovering over them, South Africa held their nerves to clinch a thriller in Nagpur

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera12-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDale Steyn took some tap in his first five overs, but came back to finish with a five-for as India collapsed from 267 for 1 to 296 all out•Getty Images

In a fascinating chase, with their choking past hovering over them, South Africa held their nerve to clinch a thriller in Nagpur. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla set it up, AB de Villiers pushed them close, JP Duminy and Johan Botha pumped in oxygen with big hits, Faf du Plessis held one end up and Robin Peterson shoved them past the line in the final over.They needed 13 to win and there would have been the temptation to give the ball to Harbhajan Singh, who had one over left and had given away just five in his last, but MS Dhoni plumped for Ashish Nehra. Peterson inside edged the first to the fine-leg boundary, walloped the second over wide long-on for a game-breaking hit, ran madly to get two of the third before sealing it with a scorching cover drive.India were left ruing their sensational collapse in the batting Powerplay, when they lost four wickets for 30 runs, and crumbled from 267 for 1, in the 40th over, to be bowled out for 296. Later, Dhoni had strong words about that collapse: “You don’t play for the crowd, you play for the country.”The chase had several enthralling moments: Kallis sweeping from the rough, de Villiers’ skilful inside-out hits with the turn, Harbhajan giving de Villiers some lip, Dhoni’s smart run-out of Kallis, Gautam Gambhir’s dropped catch, du Plessis’ calming influence even as the C-word hung in the air, and Peterson’s stunning blows.The game itself swung crazily on each of those moments. South Africa had just lost Amla to a delivery that reared up alarmingly from Harbhajan when Kallis deployed the sweep and the paddle scoop against the same bowler to settle the nerves. South Africa were 144 for 2 at the end of the 30 overs at the end of those sweeps and the game hung in the balance.Dhoni got into the act to run out Kallis. The throw from Harbhajan was dying away from the off stump when Dhoni lunged across, collected and swivelled to break the stumps. With Kallis’ fall, South Africa needed 124 runs from just over 14 overs and de Villiers immediately took the batting Powerplay.The game turned again in the 40th over, Zaheer’s ninth, when South Africa looted 17 runs. de Villiers ragged a reverse-sweep to the fine-leg boundary, whiplashed another over point before Duminy walloped a slower one for a straight six to leave South Africa leaving 79 runs from 60 balls. It was then Harbhajan shoved the game into a thrilling climax.Harbhajan had been giving de Villiers lip ever since he was hit for a six in the 32nd over. Eyeballs bulged, the motormouth worked over time and de Villiers would walk away, shaking his head. That contest was consummated when Harbhajan returned in the final Powerplay over, the 41st of the innings. de Villiers struck the first blow, with an audacious reverse whack over backward point but slog swept the next one straight to midwicket to leave South Africa still needing 74 from 57.The quarter-final scenario

India’s defeat means they aren’t yet entirely certain of making the last eight, though they should still make it barring a miracle.
There’s a small chance of their being eliminated if the following results happen: England beat West Indies, who in turn beat India; Bangladesh win both their remaining games, while South Africa beat Ireland. In such a scenario, South Africa, Bangladesh and West Indies will be ahead of India on points, while England will be level with them. That’ll bring net run rates into play, and it’s here that India have a reasonably comfortable cushion – their NRR of 0.768 is well ahead of England’s 0.013. India will have to lose their match by about 95 runs, and England will have to win by about the same margin for their run rate to move ahead of India’s.
For South Africa, the win has considerably eased the pressure on them. A defeat would have left them with two must-win games – including a potentially tricky one against Bangladesh in Mirpur – but this result against India means they’ll have to mess it up really badly from here to not make it to the quarter-finals. All they need is a win in either of their last two games, against Ireland and Bangladesh.

Things got tighter in the 43rd over when Harbhajan slipped a quick delivery down the leg side, past the advancing Duminy, and though Dhoni fumbled the take, he recovered to finish the stumping. India tightened the screws further when Munaf Patel trapped Morne van Wyk lbw in the 44th over, just moments after Gambhir dropped van Wyk at deep midwicket.In the 48th over, Botha swiped Munaf through midwicket and crashed a six over the straight boundary to push South Africa ahead but fell off the next ball, miscuing a slower one over cover where Suresh Raina, the substitute fielder, took a tough catch. Zaheer gave away just four runs in the 49th over but Petersen settled the issue in the final one.India lost the game in a manic self-destructive display in the batting Powerplay that they took in the 39th over. India were strolling at 253 for 1 but lost four wickets for 30 runs in the Powerplay and their last nine for 29 to collapse to 296.In a sweet moment of redemption, it was the pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, who bled runs with the new ball, who did the damage during this manic phase. Sachin Tendulkar fell to an across-the-line hoick, his first ugly shot of the day, in the 40th over to Morne Morkel. Steyn had a double strike in the next over: Gambhir backed outside leg and scooped a slower one to mid-off and Yusuf Pathan blasted to cover. Things got worse when Yuvraj Singh swung a full toss to long-on off the final delivery of the Powerplay, and it turned chaotic when Virat Kohli gave a tame return catch to Peterson. In the space of a few minutes, the game had spiraled out of India’s control and returned to balance. Steyn even went on to complete a five-for, something that was scarcely believable when he was leaking runs with the new ball, when he cleaned up the tail.Until that stunning phase of play, it was all India. Until then, even 375 seemed a possibility. If Virender Sehwag pumped in the adrenalin, Tendulkar oozed class. There was not a single shot that looked risky and yet he played all the shots, even a hooked six, a shot that he doesn’t play too often these days. Tendulkar faced just 20 balls in the first ten overs but had raced away to 35, and his fifty came off 33 balls. It was in the eighth over, from Morkel, that he really got going with an awesome thump through the covers, which was followed by a gorgeous straight drive. Like always, he held his pose even as Morkel was down on the mat. It was a moment that perfectly caught the one-sided battle.When Steyn fired a bouncer in the 10th over, Tendulkar unfurled a stylish hook to deposit it beyond the backward square-leg boundary. When Jacques Kallis bowled a slower one, Tendulkar glided forward and across to whip the off cutter past mid-on. Unlike Sehwag, who kept backing away to the leg to try hit everything to the off, and fell in the process, Tendulkar played the spinners as per the demands of the ball but of course on his own terms. It should have been his night but cruelly it was his shot that triggered a stunning implosion, which proved the difference in the end.Match Timeline

David Warner and Brett Geeves have been told they could face charges of bringing the game into disrepute if they repeat a very public Twitter quarrel in which Warner accused Geeves of racial vilification. The men have been reprimanded by Cricket Australia and apologised publicly, and to each other, for the ugly back-and-forth that came after the Big Bash preliminary final between New South Wales and Tasmania.Geeves, the injured Tasmania fast bowler, began by tweeting: “Any young children that saw D Warners reaction after hitting Hilf for biggest 6 ever – take that as an example of humility gone wrong.”Warner replied with: “@brettygeevs don’t know what kids would b following u but remember what u said to hughy that’s right, lucky u were not playing, c***,” and then a further message that said “@brettygeevs got to hate it when ur own squad don’t like you bahahahaha”.Geeves came back with: “@davidwarner31 it’s a z. I get the feeling my name isn’t the only one you have trouble spelling.”Warner continued with: “@brettygeevz u want 2 talk humility u were lucky one player refused to follow up on your racial villification slur u made on the field.”A Cricket Australia spokesman said the incident in question had happened several years ago during an interstate match and had been addressed at the time by mediation. The Geeves and Warner incident again highlights the hazards of social media for players, which was in the news earlier this week when the New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder vented his frustration at a team-mate for running him out.

Leeds United could make a move to bring both Brenden Aaronson and Brennan Johnson to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, transfer insider and journalist Dean Jones revealed that, should Leeds avoid relegation from the Premier League this season, Victor Orta could sanction a move for both RB Salzburg’s Aaronson and Nottingham Forest’s Johnson in the summer transfer window.

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Speaking about the Whites’ interest in the duo, Jones said: “I think they could get both if they stay up because they’re going to be ambitious and they know that the squad needs strengthening in all areas. So, stay up and I think they’ll go for both players.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering how impressive Aaronson and Johnson have been for their respective sides this season, Jones’ suggestion that Orta could launch a bid for both players this summer is sure to be news that will have the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over Aaronson’s 23 Austrian Bundesliga appearances this season, the £18m-rated attacking midfielder has been in fantastic form for Matthias Jaissle’s side, scoring four goals, registering four assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots, making 1.7 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £19k-per-week 21-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.88, with the forward – who is reported to be available for a figure of around £20m this summer – playing a key role in Salzburg’s title-winning campaign.

Meanwhile, over Johnson’s 45 Championship outings this term, the £900k-rated forward-thinking midfielder has been in electric form in the Nottingham Forest attack, bagging 15 goals, providing ten assists and creating 15 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per fixture.

These metrics have seen the £2.5k-per-week 20-year-old – who is also reported to have an asking price of £20m this summer – average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Steve Cooper’s fourth-best outfielder in the second tier.

As such, should Orta go on to land the £40m duo this summer, it is clear for all to see that Jesse Marsch would be gaining two exceptionally talented young midfielders, both of whom would undoubtedly help to fire Leeds back towards the top half of the Premier League table next season – if, that is, the Whites avoid the drop come the end of the current campaign.

AND in other news: Leeds must launch bid for “unplayable” £59m-rated “monster”, Marsch “would love him”

Amol Muzumdar is back in Mumbai to play the Ranji Trophy, even if it is as the captain of Assam

Tariq Engineer24-Nov-2010Amol Muzumdar is smiling, unable to help himself. He’s back in Mumbai to play the Ranji Trophy, even if it is as the captain of Assam. “It’s great to be back,” he told ESPNcricinfo during practice at the Mumbai Cricket Association ground [in Bandra, a suburb of Mumbai] two days before the defending Ranji Trophy champions were due to take on the Super League newcomers.He was greeted like an old friend as he walked through the clubhouse, catching up with the Mumbai players and indulging in some good-natured ribbing with Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar. It was only when he walked into the visitors’ dressing room that the reality of the situation sank in.Muzumdar was once the man for all seasons for Mumbai. For 16 years, he plied his trade at the heart of India’s most demanding domestic side, winning eight Ranji Trophy titles and becoming the team’s leading run-scorer. But in August last year, he decided to leave the city he grew up in for Assam – then in the Ranji Plate division – after not being selected for the Buchi Babu tournament.”Yes, I said I could never imagine playing anywhere other than Mumbai, but things change. The way things unfolded, it made sense for me to leave.” Assam, he said, were desperate to get out of the Plate league, and they thought he was the person to help them do that. He admitted this game had “a different feeling” for him, but said he prepared for it like he would any other game. “I just try to play good cricket.”In his first season as Assam captain, Muzumdar helped his young side earn promotion to the upper tier, where, as it happens, they were drawn in the same group as his old team this season, along with other domestic heavyweights such as Delhi and Bengal. “The group has five Ranji Trophy champions. If we can survive in this group, then we belong here.”Assam have made a good start to their season, picking up six points from three games, and surprising Bengal by overhauling their first innings score of 562 for 6 in the last game. Yet Muzumdar has told his new team “they are here to learn” from the way Mumbai plays cricket. He said some of the players feel like they have accomplished their goal just by making it to the Super League – a far cry from Mumbai, who consider a season without a Ranji Trophy championship a failure. “Having to explain the difference between big dreams and small dreams is in itself a challenge.”The smile was widest when talking about his many happy memories of playing here. Naturally, they all involve winning. The sight of Ravi Shastri lifting the Ranji Trophy in his first season in 1993-94, after the city had gone 10 years without winning the tournament, is one that will always stay with him. “It was my debut season and I was happy to make some contributions,” he said. Muzumdar is being modest. What he calls “some contribution” includes making 260 on debut, still a record for the highest score by a debutant in first-class cricket, and a tournament average of 164.66. Not bad for a 19-year old.He also mentioned the 2006-07 season, his first as captain, when Mumbai were in danger of not even making it to the knockout stage. “There will never be another year like that. It was up and down, like a rollercoaster. We lost our first three matches, no points on the table. We had to win the next four matches with four bonus points. We won the next four matches with four bonus points to reach the semi-finals. Then being bowled out for 233 in the first innings [against Baroda]. Being 0 for 5 in the second innings.”There was so much pressure,” he says shaking his head. “It puts a big smile on my face to think about it.” In the end, you can take the cricketer out of Mumbai, but you can’t take Mumbai out of the cricketer.

Durham have released fast bowler Luke Evans in the hope he can find first-team cricket elsewhere

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2010Durham have released fast bowler Luke Evans in the hope he can find first-team cricket elsewhere.Evans had been recalled to the North East from a spell on loan to Northamptonshire at the beginning of the 2010 season but a lack of first-team opportunities means he is set again to leave the county.Evans, 23, is a product of the Durham Academy and made his first-class debut against Sri Lanka A in 2007 and was offered a professional contract in 2008. Last season he played just a single game for Durham after picking up five wickets in two games for Northants.Though reluctant to leave, Evans is keen on the opportunity of finding a club to play regular first-team cricket. “Obviously I’m sad to be leaving the club where I’ve grown up and developed as a player but if I’m going to continue to progress I need to be playing regular first-class cricket and I’m currently considering options where there may be more opportunities,” he said.”I would like to thank all the coaching and playing staff for their help and advice over the years and of course, to the Durham members who always showed their support. To everyone, on and off the field, I offer the best of wishes for the future.”Durham coach, Geoff Cook, said that it was only the depth of Durham’s fast-bowling reserves – which includes Liam Plunkett, Steve Harmison, Mark Davies and Graham Onions – that held Evans back.”Luke really benefited from a short loan spell during the season, it gave him a real chance to showcase his talent as well as a real hunger to play first -team cricket,” he said. “The depth of our bowling attack has meant that he hasn’t had the chance to play for us a great deal in the four day game. I’d like to thank Luke for his contribution and dedication to Durham and wish him all the best.”

As per Football Insider, Liverpool are on the verge of completing the signing of Celtic youngster Ben Doak, with just the paperwork left to finalise.

The lowdown: Two in?

The capture of the 16-year-old sensation has been widely reported but is yet to be confirmed by the club as assistant sporting director Julian Ward prepares to take over the chief recruitment role from Michael Edwards this summer.

Having failed to seal the capture of Fabio Carvalho in the final hours of the January transfer window, the Reds are believed to have wrapped up the deal for the Fulham playmaker, with the reliable James Pearce suggesting a deal for the Portuguese starlet is as good as done.

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Now, it seems as though the Anfield club are set to clinch another exciting young talent.

The verdict: FI delivers fresh update

According to Football Insider’s Liverpool source, a deal for Doak is ‘nearly in place and the paperwork is set to be completed soon’ ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report also claims that Liverpool will pay around £600,000 in compensation for the teenager who made a senior debut for Celtic earlier this season before featuring in a 3-0 rout over Rangers.

Capped ten times by Scotland at youth level, Doak is expected to sign an initial three-year deal at Anfield until 2025.

The verdict: Planning for the future

Whilst Jurgen Klopp’s side continue to flourish in the here and now, there has certainly been a concentrated effort to prepare for the next generation of Liverpool stars in recent months.

Captures such as Carvalho and Doak should hopefully follow in the footsteps of the likes of Harvey Elliott and Kaide Gordon, both of whom arrived on Merseyside as hot prospects and have since enjoyed senior exposure.

Labelled as ‘fantastic’ by Ange Postecoglou, Liverpool saw off interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester City to land the Scottish teenager and will no doubt be relishing the chance to see their efforts rewarded in the academy setup and beyond.

In other news, Spanish source claims Liverpool want La Liga star. Read more here.

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan moved into overdrive on his Worcestershire debut after opener David Wheeldon got stuck in the slow lane at Derby

Cricinfo staff21-Jul-2010
Scorecard
Tim Groenewald had Worcestershire in early trouble before Shakib Al Hasan launched a counterattack•PA PhotosBangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan moved into overdrive on his Worcestershire debut after opener David Wheeldon got stuck in the slow lane at Derby. Shakib raced to 90 off 82 balls while Wheeldon batted for just over three hours for 20 on his first Championship appearance of the season.Tim Groenewald took three wickets to reduce Worcestershire to 66 for 4 but Shakib and James Cameron, with a career-best 89, carried the visitors to 279 with Derbyshire closing 236 runs behind on 43 without loss.There had been plenty of movement for the seamers after Vikram Solanki elected to bat on a pitch which had been uncovered during the rain affected 40-over match against Gloucestershire the previous night. With the ball also swinging in the humid air, the batsmen had to struggle forsurvival and Wheeldon was beaten numerous times although Daryl Mitchell was the first to go when he got an inside edge into his stumps in the ninth over.Solanki hit five fours before he mistimed a pull at Steffan Jones and Groenewald claimed his second victim when Moeen Ali was caught behind down the leg side in the penultimate over before lunch.Wheeldon had scored 12 runs from 82 balls in the morning and he continued to play and miss repeatedly after the interval but Alexei Kervezee was next to go when he was lbw to a Groenewald inswinger.Shakib attacked from the start and quickly passed Wheeldon whose laborious vigil ended when he top-edged a hook at Garry Park after facing 127 balls in 45 overs. Worcestershire then slammed on the accelerator as Cameron ,who was playing in only his third first-class match, and Shakib plundered 101 in just 16 overs.Shakib reached 50 off 49 balls and then launched a punishing assault on Robin Peterson, hitting the South African left-arm spinner for 22 from seven balls while Cameron brought up the century stand by driving Greg Smith’s off spin over the long-on boundary.But in the same over, Smith ended Shakib’s entertaining innings which contained 16 fours when he got one to spin to have him caught behind three overs before tea.Cameron reached his half-century from 67 balls and although Peterson trapped Ben Cox lbw for 17, he came in for some more harsh treatment after Richard Jones had been smartly caught at slip off Smith who ended with impressive figures of 2 for 33 from 18 overs.Cameron passed his previous highest score of 75 by driving Peterson for six and the Zimbabwean then hit the next two balls over long-off but his chances of a century were hit when Matt Mason was run out off a misfield.Peterson had the last word when Cameron was caught at long-on going for his fifth six which left Derbyshire with 11 overs to negotiate. Although Chris Rogers survived a strong lbw appeal against Mason, he and Wayne Madsen played out the day with few alarms.

يستعد منتخب غانا لخوض غمار بطولة كأس العالم 2022 في قطر خلال الفترة المقبلة، وهي مشاركتها الرابعة بعد كل من 2006، 2010 و2014.

لم تتأهل غانا إلى مونديال روسيا في 2018 بعد احتلالها المركز الثاني خلف منتخب مصر في تصفيات قارة إفريقيا وقتها، ووصلت إلى قطر بعد مباراتين بالتعادل 0-0، 1-1 أمام نيجيريا.

وتلعب غانا في المجموعة الثامنة والأخيرة من بطولة كأس العالم 2022 مع كل من البرتغال، أوروجواي وكوريا الجنوبية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. غانا تعلن عودة توماس بارتي إلى آرسنال

مباريات غانا في كأس العالم 2022

الجولة الأولى.. البرتغال – 24 نوفمبر في السادسة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

الجولة الثانية.. كوريا الجنوبية – 28 نوفمبر في الثالثة عصرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

الجولة الثالثة.. أوروجواي – 2 ديسمبر في الخامسة عصرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

وتواصل “btolat.com” مع المتحدث الرسمي باسم الاتحاد الغاني لكرة القدم، هنري أشانتي، للحديث عن استعدادات النجوم السوداء قبل كأس العالم..

كيف ستستعد غانا لخوض كأس العالم 2022؟

“سنخوض مباراة واحدة فقط أمام سويسرا في 17 نوفمبر في أبو ظبي، ستكون ودية واحدة لأنه لا يوجد وقت كاف، بسبب قصر الفترة الزمنية قبل أول مباراة لنا أمام البرتغال”.

ما هي توقعات الاتحاد الغاني من اللاعبين في المنتخب في تلك المجموعة الصعبة؟

“نتوقع أن نتأهل من تلك المجموعة، نحن نعلم أن الأمر لن يكون سهلًا لأنه لا يوجد فريق سهل في الوقت الحالي، لكن لدينا حافز كبير بسبب ما فعلناه في 2006 و2010، لقد فعلناها من قبل ويمكننا أن نفعلها مرة أخرى”.

متى ستعلن القائمة النهائية؟

“سنعلن في البداية قائمة أولية للاعبين ثم قائمة نهائية قبل مباراة سويسرا الودية”.

هل هناك لاعبون تتوقعون أن يتألقوا في كأس العالم مع غانا؟

“إينياكي ويليامز، سيكون إضافة رائعة بالنسبة لنا، فهو لاعب مميز ونتمنى أن يقدم لنا كل ما لديه في تلك البطولة”.

والإصابات؟

“حتى الآن، لا توجد أي إصابات ولكن سنصلي من أجل جاهزية جميع لاعبينا قبل وأثناء كأس العالم”.

هل ترون أن مباراة أوروجواي في المجموعة فرصة للانتقام مما حدث في كأس العالم 2010 والصعود على حساب غانا بركلات الترجيح؟

“مباراة أوروجواي ليست انتقامية، مختلفة تمامًا، كل شيء قد تغير منذ ذلك الوقت سواء في غانا أو أوروجواي”.

تردد أن الاتحاد الغاني سينظم يومين من أجل الصلاة للمنتخب عن طريق المسلمين والمسيحيين في البلد.. حدثنا عن الأمر

“نريد أن نوحد الشعب الغاني بمختلف متعاقداته الدينية، ليدعموا النجوم السوداء قبل كأس العالم، كلنا نصلي لله كل يوم فلماذا لا نصلي من أجل المنتخب قبل تلك البطولة؟!”.