All posts by h716a5.icu

New Zealand’s one-day woes continued into a ninth straight game as their batting failed to cope with moist early-morning conditions, before Gautam Gambhir collared them again

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga04-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
M Vijay was not at his most fluent, but barring that India had few worries in Vadodara•AFPNew Zealand’s one-day woes continued into a ninth straight game as their batting failed to cope with moist early-morning conditions in Vadodara. Zaheer Khan, coming back after injury, and Munaf Patel swung and seamed the ball all right, but New Zealand will look back at how unremarkable their response was. With the pitch easing out in the afternoon, Gautam Gambhir made the chase look ridiculously easy, becoming only the eighth captain to score centuries in back-to-back ODIs.From the time he won the toss and put New Zealand in, Gambhir hardly put a foot wrong, keeping his perfect captaincy record and India’s unbeaten home season intact. New Zealand’s openers gifted their wickets, the middle order went into a shell, and even though James Franklin and Nathan McCullum added 94 for the eighth wicket, it was never going to be enough. Not with Gambhir making room and peppering the off side with drives and cuts, bringing up his fifty in 30 balls, out of India’s 64 then.Watching Gambhir bat, the struggle New Zealand went through early in the morning seemed far away. Brendon McCullum, making a comeback himself, laid out a welcome mat for Zaheer, guiding a widish delivery straight to second slip. Martin Guptill ran himself out soon after.Between those dismissals, Williamson set the template for the day. His front foot went across to the first ball he faced. It swung in enough down the leg side to be called a wide, but Williamson had fallen over trying to correct the movement. Neither Williamson nor Ross Taylor could get rid of that tendency during their short stays. Taylor’s wicket, though, came in a tame fashion as he tried drive Zaheer on the up. The shot was played away from his body, and an inside edge ensued.Taylor’s No. 4 position has been a matter of debate, with arguments that he should take more responsibility and bat at No. 3. Williamson’s inability to counterattack only seemed to highlight that notion. For the third game running, he got off to a slow start, and did little to hit Munaf off his plan.Munaf loves to bowl back of a length, just outside off, and wobble the ball slightly either way. He tends to get a bit rattled when somebody uses that predictability to come down and hit him. In this series, though, no one has come close to doing that. And once Williamson allowed Munaf to do what he wanted, that lbw call seemed a matter of time with the batsman regularly falling over.Modern captains tend to go into the containment mode once the 15th over ends irrespective of how many wickets they might have got. Gambhir, who had put New Zealand in, was refreshingly old-school. When he saw R Ashwin turn the first ball, he set Test-match fields for Scott Styris and James Franklin. Yuvraj, at leg slip, soon came into action taking a sharp low catch to send Styris back. Daniel Vettori did a B McCullum, guiding Yusuf Pathan straight to slip for another sharp catch for Yuvraj, who later returned to leg slip to get rid of Gareth Hopkins too.Having fallen behind the over-rate, though, Gambhir omitted to use four of Zaheer and Nehra’s overs. Facing part-time spinners on a pitch that had eased out a bit, Franklin and N McCullum had little trouble building a partnership. It was almost as if Gambhir was not concerned at all by their stand.The way he turned out with the bat, Gambhir need not have worried either.After having been at the wrong end of Gambhir’s off-side play in Jaipur, New Zealand tried to cramp him up, and found that Gambhir was equally adept at scoring through the on side. He flicked the second ball he faced fine for a boundary. In Kyle Mills’ next over, he picked the gap between mid-on and midwicket. In Mills’ next, Gambhir started making room and went into his favourite off side. He capitalised on the correction on the next delivery, moving to 23 off 11.Andy McKay got the same treatment: wide ball, four; too straight, four; wide again, four. With time, Gambhir’s favourite chips over extra cover and midwicket came out too. He might have seemed to slow down after reaching his fifty, but he took only 58 further deliveries to get to the hundred.M Vijay didn’t struggle like he did in Jaipur, but had to stay content with being the lesser partner in the opening stand. And like he did in Japiur, Virat Kohli came out and scored a half-century in the company of his captain as India cantered home.

Crystal Palace will no doubt be looking to return to winning ways, after sustaining losses to Chelsea and Leicester City, respectively.

Both losses saw the Eagles deploy two different formations, as they temporarily stepped away from their 4-3-3 system.

When they played Leicester City in their most recent league game, Palace attempted to gain a numerical advantage throughout the centre of the pitch by deploying a 4-2-3-1 system against Brendan Rodgers’ 4-3-3 shape.

And in the FA Cup semi-final, Vieira looked to nullify Chelsea’s attacking threat by the means of a 3-5-2 system.

Across both fixtures, Vieira’s side conceded four goals and scored just one. That is a sure-fire sign for the return of the system that had seen them pick up 11 points from a possible 15, across their last five games.

On the chalkboard

One player who has drastically struggled for minutes this season is the 23-year-old talent, Ebere Eze, someone dubbed “special” by the Coaches Voice.

Eze has made just seven appearances in the Premier League this season, after struggling for fitness as a result of an achilles tendon problem that he sustained at the end of the last Premier League campaign.

Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Chelsea saw him play a full 90 minutes for the first time this season, with Eze now reported to be fully fit by Crystal Palace correspondent, Mark Wyatt, and ready to make his claim as an Eagles regular.

The game against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side is the perfect opportunity for the England starlet to make his presence known and get back to the form that saw him chip in with ten goal contributions in 34 Premier League appearances for Palace last season.

Vieira can give the £37k-per-week livewire creative freedom up top, with a simple tweak to his usual 4-3-3 formation.

Quite simply, a switch to a 4-3-2-1 system (replacing the two wing positions with two attacking midfielders) would suit Eze’s game down to a tee.

The £18m-rated star played his best football as an attacking midfielder for QPR in a 2019/20 season that saw him bag eight assists.

This slight tweak could help him reach these numbers once again in a move that could, quite simply, terrify Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

In other news: Vieira eyes CPFC move for “sensational” £14k-pw maestro, it could be bye-bye Gallagher…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Ben Brereton Diaz to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed on a recent episode of The West Ham Way Podcast that David Moyes is interested in a deal to bring the Blackburn Rovers centre-forward in during the current transfer market.

However, the Hammers insider then went on to state that the Championship side are unlikely to want to part with the Chile international this month due to their lofty position in the second-tier standings – as selling the 22-year-old for a figure of around £20m would not be worth missing out on a shot at the Premier League.

On West Ham’s interest in Brereton Diaz, Ex said: “We like Diaz at Blackburn. I broke that [story] a month or so ago. [The fact that no move has materialised yet] doesn’t mean it wasn’t true, it just means that Blackburn – because they are right at the top of the Championship, having not been in the Premier League for years – why would they want to sell him at this point? You’ve got to factor that in.

“Getting up to the Premier League is worth more than £20m. If you get back into the Premier League the finances are huge. So these clubs will wait until the summer to see where they are before they make a decision on these players.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Brereton Diaz has been for Blackburn this season, in addition to the fact that West Ham are currently extremely short in depth at centre-forward, the news that the Hammers may not be able to get a deal over the line for the 22-year-old this month is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his 26 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £9m-rated striker has been in remarkable form for Rovers, having already scored an astonishing 20 goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £6.5k-per-week player who Tony Mowbray dubbed an “extraordinary” talent average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Blackburn’s eighth-best performer in the second tier.

As such, with Moyes in desperate need of backup and competition for Michail Antonio in East London – with the injury-prone striker currently being the 58-year-old’s only option as an out and out centre-forward – a player who possesses the clear ability to find the back of the net such as Brereton Diaz would appear to be the perfect signing for the Scottish manager this month.

However, following Ex’s latest update, it would appear that, should Moyes indeed wish to pursue a deal for the 22-year-old, he will have to wait until the summer – something that will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the manager and his side.

In other news: Moyes can repeat Lingard trick with swoop for £6m “fighter”, he’d be “perfect” for WHU

Newcastle United are plotting a last-gasp move for West Ham United defender Issa Diop on transfer deadline day, with a first bid already being made.

What’s the story?

The Magpies look set to make a number of new signings on the final day of the January transfer window, with Dan Burn and Matt Targett among those being touted with nearing a switch to Tyneside.

But now, journalist Ryan Taylor has revealed that Eddie Howe’s side have got their sights set on Diop, and that their first offer has been made for the Frenchman, although it is expected to be rejected.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “#NUFC have also tabled first offer for Issa Diop, expected to be rejected.”

Howe needs him

With a whopping 43 goals conceded in the Premier League this season – the second-worst defensive record in the entire division behind only fellow relegation battlers Norwich – it’s no surprise that Howe has identified the centre of defence as one of the big areas to strengthen this month.

While Burn’s arrival from Brighton would go a decent way to addressing that, the man-mountain defender has predominantly played as a full-back for the Seagulls, so it’s really Diop’s potential arrival that would make the biggest marked difference for Howe.

Despite his young age, the Frenchman has built up considerable experience in the Premier League, playing 91 times in the competition since arriving at the London Stadium.

Standing at a towering 6 foot 4, Diop has reserved his best performances this season for West Ham in the Europa League, where his average match rating of 7.16 is actually good enough to rank him in the top 40 players in the entire competition as per Whoscored.

Still only 25, the defender has a habit of turning up in the big games, something Howe will love, with former Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho raving about him a few years ago.

Speaking after watching him overpower United, he said: “(He had a) fantastic match. Congratulations to the scout that found a 21-year-old kid Diop – a monster who dominated in the duels.”

Diop then enjoyed another superb outing against United, this time more recently in the Carabao Cup victory over the Old Trafford side earlier this season, with coach Stuart Pearce raving: “But I thought Diop was absolutely magnificent. The longer the game went on the more of a colossus he looked at the back and he’s still in relative terms, a very young man for a central defender so we’re absolutely delighted to have Issa at this club.”

The £16m-rated star is exactly what Howe needs to strengthen the centre of his defence at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, David Ornstein has dropped an exciting transfer update on Newcastle United live on Sky Sports…

Matabeleland Tuskers earned their second win in the Metbank Pro40, edging past Southern Rocks by five runs in a thrilling encounter at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Oct-2010
ScorecardMatabeleland Tuskers earned their second win in the Metbank Pro40, edging past Southern Rocks by five runs in a thrilling encounter at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.Mbekezeli Mabuza was the hero for the for Matabeleland Tuskers, starring with bat and ball to help his side over the line. He made an unbeaten 46 before delivering the crucial last over which sealed the win by restricting Southern Rocks to just four when 10 was needed for victory.Mabuza had earlier on shared century stand with wicketkeeper Adam Wheater, who again top scored with 69, to help Matabeleland Tuskers recover from a 79 for 5 in the 18th over to reach 218.Wheater got the bulk of his runs with the slog sweep and raced to his fifty from 52 deliveries, smashing three fours before becoming one of left-arm-seamer Tendai Chisoro’s four victims. Mabuza found another partner in Bradley Staddon and the two shared in a seventh-wicket stand of 36 as Mabuza finished unbeaten on 46 from 66 balls with Staddon contributing a breezy 20 off 11.In their chase Southern Rocks failed to capitalise on an ideal start from their openers Tendai Chitongo (73) and Steve Marillier (55) who put on 102 runs for the first wicket before left-arm-spinner Williams induced Marillier to hole out in the deep.Offspinner John Nyumbu picked up three quick wickets to peg back the visitors and Mabuza reduced them to 189 for 6 with four wickets but Southern Rocks were still in hunt by the final over before Mabuza sealed the win.

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side return to Premiership action this evening, with a testing trip to Hearts on the cards for the 56-year-old’s Bhoys side.

And, while the Hoops head into the fixture on a run of 11 games without defeat in all competitions, the Greek-Australian Hoops boss once again finds himself short of options in a number of positions within his first-team squad – something that has so often been the case for Celtic this season.

Indeed, Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull are currently both sidelined due to hamstring injuries, while Callum McGregor, Liel Abada and Yosuke Ideguchi were also brought off in last weekend’s 2-1 Scottish Cup victory over Alloa Athletic after picking up knocks.

Furthermore, both Daizen Maeda and Tom Rogic are also unavailable for the trip to Tynecastle as a result of being called up for international duty with Japan and Australia respectively.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Bhoys, as the club’s Portuguese sensation, Jota, appears to finally be ready to make a return to the starting XI tonight, having played eight minutes of the 2-0 win over Hibernian last week, as well as getting a little over half an hour of game time under his belt against Alloa on Saturday – following his own recovery from a hamstring injury.

Postecoglou must unleash Jota

The £4.95m-rated forward’s return to fitness could hardly have come at a better time for Postecoglou, not only because of the sheer amount of players the 56-year-old has missing but also because this evening’s opponents boast the third-best defensive record in the Premiership.

And, considering just how deadly the 22-year-old has been over his 12 league outings in the current campaign, the Portugal U21 international is undoubtedly a player who could break Hearts at Tynecastle.

Indeed, the £7.1k-per-week forward has already bagged five goals, provided four assists and created two big chances for his teammates in the league, as well as taking an average of 2.8 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Celtic fans “love” average a rather astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.31, ranking him as the joint seventh-best player in the whole of Scottish top flight so far this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Postecoglou simply must unleash the winger from the off this evening, as the Hoops’ chances of leaving Edinburgh with all three points will undoubtedly receive a substantial boost if Jota is included in the starting XI.

In other news: Ange must now axe “arrogant” £15k-p/w Celtic flop by landing “incredible” £5k-p/w gem

Dwayne Bravo has maintained that Trinidad & Tobago are still the best Twenty20 team in the West Indies though they crashed out in the semi-finals of the recent Caribbean T20

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies allrounder, has said Trinidad & Tobago are still the region’s best Twenty20 team despite crashing out in the semi-finals of the recent Caribbean T20. T&T, who thrilled audiences with their run to the Champions League final in 2009, were favourites to win the domestic Twenty20 competition but fell five runs short against Guyana despite a 20-ball 55 from Bravo.”It was unfortunate that we did not go on to win,” Bravo told the . “In a tournament like this, you are going to have a bad game. Our bad game was against Guyana and they went on to win but I still honestly believe that Trinidad and Tobago is the best (T20 team) in the Caribbean.”T&T, who took out their frustration at missing out on a lucrative Champions League spot through a ten-wicket thrashing of Jamaica in the third-place play-off, had reached the semi-finals after winning all three league matches. “Our preparation was spot on and until we lost in the semis we played good cricket,” Bravo said. “We were consistent and we were winning our games by large margins. I can’t point fingers at this moment but I thought we had a good tournament.”Though his home team won’t be in South Africa for the Champions League, Bravo is likely to be involved in the tournament, representing either IPL finalists Mumbai Indians or Australian Big Bash winners Victoria.

Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United side ensured they got 2022 off to a winning start against Burnley on Sunday afternoon, with goals from Jack Harrison, Stuart Dallas and Dan James being enough to secure an impressive 3-1 win at Elland Road.

The victory sees the Whites move eight points clear of their relegation rivals, however, aside from the positive result, Bielsa will also be delighted with the performances of a number of his players on the day, none more so than makeshift right wing-back Dallas.

Dallas stole the show vs Burnley

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch against the Clarets, the 30-year-old defender was absolutely everywhere for Leeds, not only scoring the club’s second goal of the game with a spectacular curling effort from the edge of the box, but also putting in the hard graft for his side, making five tackles, three interceptions, two clearances and winning seven duels – totalling a whopping 10 defensive actions.

And, while the £3.6m-rated man was rather sloppy with his passing, completing just 19 of his 37 attempted passes – a success rate of just 51% – he nevertheless made up for it in other areas of his game, enjoying 70 touches of the ball – the second-most of any player who featured in the match – completing one dribble, two long balls and taking four shots at the opposition goal.

These returns saw the £53k-per-week Northern Ireland international receive a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7 – ranking him as Bielsa’s joint-best performer in the match.

Indeed, Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross was also clearly impressed by Dallas’ display on Sunday afternoon, awarding the right-back an eight in his own player ratings, as well as stating of the defender’s display: “Battled well throughout the match and was crucial with his ball-winning challenges to deny Burnley any foothold in the first half of the game. Always marauding and asking questions of the visitors with his runs from deep. Stunning shot to get Leeds back in front in his 250th appearance.”

As such, it is clear for all to see that Dallas well and truly stole the show against Burnley, with the 30-year-old playing a huge role in helping his side secure a much-needed three points against their relegation rivals.

In other news: Forget Raphinha: £29k-p/w dud who lost 100% duels should’ve played his last Leeds game

Stuart Taylor has dropped an update on the future of Jamie Hamilton amid the midfielder’s links with a move to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side in the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hamilton Academical manager stated his belief that the 19-year-old’s links with a transfer to Celtic this winter are nothing but pub chat in a big twist to their supposed pursuit of the player.

Although he did go on to admit he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bhoys were keeping a very close eye on the centre-back ahead of a potential swoop in the future.

On the Hoops’ reported interest in the youngster, Taylor said: “Nobody has spoken to me directly, but that would be normal. Other clubs don’t always go to the manager. But I’ve certainly not spoken to Allan [Maitland, the club chairman] in the last 24 hours about outgoings.

“I do expect there will be interest in Jamie and I expect there will be interest in a lot of our players, especially the younger ones. But going on websites it’s very easy to punch in names of teams and players, and it goes under the category of what I’d call ‘pub chat’.”

Postecoglou must move

While it would appear from Taylor’s latest comments that Celtic are yet to make an approach for the defender in the January transfer window, considering the sheer amount of potential Hamilton quite clearly possesses, it would appear highly advisable for Postecoglou to do so before another interested party does.

Indeed, despite having only turned 19 last year, the Scotland U21 international has already established himself as a first-team regular at the rather aptly named Fountain of Youth Stadium, making 16 Championship appearances so far this season, in addition to a further four outings in the League Cup.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/?post_type=web-story&p=664142″ title=”Check out the latest Celtic news!”]

Furthermore, the £360k-rated man highly impressed in the club’s 1-1 draw with Rangers last February, with then-Hamilton manager Brian Rice stating of the centre-back’s display:

“I think you saw in young Jamie Hamilton today. Absolutely outstanding for an 18-year-old, absolutely fantastic. He needs the help of the experienced lads. It’s trying to get the blend right. I think we are nearly there. Jamie has certainly improved with Aaron Martin alongside him, Lee Hodson, talking to him.”

As such, with the likes of Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Newcastle United and Burnley also reported to be interested in the youngster this winter, should Postecoglou wish to give himself the best possible chance of landing Hamilton, he simply must act as quickly as possible – as the 19-year-old will not likely be an Accies player much longer.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “explosive” £12.5k-p/w Celtic flop with Jan swoop for 22 y/o gem

Derbyshire’s return to Leek after a gap of 18 years ended in defeat when the fastest century of the season from Ryan ten Doeschate carried Essex to a five-wicket victory

Cricinfo staff03-May-2010
Scorecard
Derbyshire’s return to Leek after a gap of 18 years ended in defeat when the fastest century of the season from Ryan ten Doeschate carried Essex to a five-wicket victory. Although the Falcons rattled up 299 for seven – their highest total in a 40 over match – ten Doeschate tore the game from their grasp after the Eagles had slipped to 64 for 4, chasing a revised target of 247 from 30 overs.The Netherlands allrounder blasted seven sixes and five fours in a 59-ballhundred as Essex swept home with 16 balls to spare. Chesney Hughes had scored his first half century for Derbyshire and Wayne Madsen top scored with 66 in the county’s best 40 overs score for 25 years, but ten Doeschate turned a daunting chase into a stroll. He shared stands of 97 in 11 overs with Jaik Mickleburgh and 87 in just six overs with James Foster to end with an unbeaten 109 from 62 balls.Derbyshire had won their last game at the Staffordshire Moorlands ground in1992 and they made an impressive start after the Eagles had put them in. Hughes launched the innings with some muscular blows, pulling Chris Martin for six on his way to a 34-ball fifty that also included eight fours.It took a direct hit from Tim Phillips at mid on to run out the 19 year old for 55 but Chris Rogers and Madsen maintained the momentum by adding 59 in eight overs. A diving catch by Mickleburgh at deep square leg removed Rogers for 41 but Madsen dominated the bowling as the Falcons passed 200 in the 28th over.Madsen struck two sixes and five fours in his 66 which came off 54 balls before he reverse swept Grant Flower and Graham Napier took a leaping catch at short third man. But the Falcons middle-order all made useful contributions led by 43 from Garry Park as 88 came from the last 10 overs.Robin Peterson and Lee Goddard added 37 in three overs to set the Eagles ademanding target which was revised after rain in the tea interval.Essex started badly, losing Alastair Cook in the second over when he edged a drive at Tim Groenewald and Billy Godleman also went for four in the fifth over when he miscued a drive to mid off.When Mark Pettini skied Tom Lungley to mid on four balls later, Essex were 27 for 3 but ten Doeschate turned the game on its head with a repeat of hishundred at Derby in the final County Championship game of last season when Essex clinched promotion.He peppered the small boundaries and the umpires had to call for a new ballafter one of his sixes sailed out of the ground. The only chance he gave was a fierce return catch to Steffan Jones on 87 and he reached his hundred by lifting the Welsh paceman onto the pavilion roof, his eighth six sealing an impressive win with 16 balls remaining.