All posts by h716a5.icu

Ed Cowan has argued that critics of his and Ricky Ponting’s contributions to Australia’s Test series in the West Indies are not looking far enough beyond the skeletal facts of the scoreboard

Daniel Brettig at Windsor Park26-Apr-2012Ed Cowan has argued that critics of his and Ricky Ponting’s contributions to Australia’s Test series in the West Indies are not looking far enough beyond the skeletal facts of the scoreboard. All of Australia’s top seven batsmen have fought battles within themselves to find effective ways of scoring runs in the Caribbean on a series of slow pitches often aiding spin, and Cowan argued that their collective efforts were worthy of more praise than derision.On day three of the Dominica Test, Cowan and Ponting made 55 and 57 respectively, pushing the visitors lead to 310 with four second-innings wickets in hand on a surface offering generous turn and sharp bounce to West Indies’ spin bowler Shane Shillingford. Their contributions meant that every member of the Australia Test team for the series had offered at least one performance of note, though there will be more than six months of speculation about the batting order between now and Australia’s next Test, which is in Brisbane against South Africa.”I try not to read too much of it [the criticism] but if you’re in the Australian cricket team and you’re not consistently getting big scores, of course you are going to be under pressure. You don’t need to be a genius to work that out,” Cowan said. “The only disappointing aspect is I think you guys here on the ground would appreciate how hard batting has been through the series but people [in Australia], because of the time zone, probably haven’t watched a lot of cricket.”They click on a link to see the score in the morning and they go ’28, oh … Ponting 30, these guys are struggling’. Well, it’s bloody hard work and you need to see the ball spitting and turning the way it is to appreciate that. And if you’re just judging people’s from by looking at the scorecard, then you’re not doing the game full justice. I’m satisfied to overcome that hurdle of the mid-20s, a nothing score, to get a 50 on what is a challenging wicket.”I was saying in the change-room when Ricky got his 50 that every one of the top seven has got a fifty on tour. It means we’re contributing. As I just alluded to, 50 on a wicket like that can be as good as a hundred. Sure the runs don’t show on the scorebook but over 300 to chase is a hell of a lot of runs. The contributions from the guys, they haven’t been huge admittedly, which provides a little bit of ammunition if you’re looking for it, but at the same time it has provided scores that are putting pressure on them [West Indies] to respond. As we’ve seen they’re really heavily reliant on Shiv [Chanderpaul] to perform. He’s probably due not to. We’re confident we’ve got heaps of runs on the board already.”In less than a year, Cowan has gone from a state batsman who sees very little of Ponting outside of watching him bat on television to becoming a regular batting partner for the former Australia captain with both Tasmania and Australia. He said their relationship as batting partners had developed strongly in that time.”I really love batting with Ricky. I feel, maybe because we are both playing for the same domestic team, there’s the same kindred spirit there,” Cowan said. “He’s been a huge help to me, because I feel like the other guy really cares what I’m doing at my end and that’s how really good partnerships and bonds and batting friendships can develop. That’s developing, I probably need to stop trying to run him out occasionally, but so far, so good.”The spirit of kinship between all of Australia’s players was enhanced before play by a brief Anzac Day ceremony in which Cowan spoke of the sacrifice made by the nation’s soldiers in past wars, before the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade recited the Ode of Remembrance. Cowan said the address had tried to give the team some idea of how grateful they should be not to have to live with the painful uncertainty brought by times of war.”It was an awesome honour to present an Anzac Day address to the Australian cricket team. That was a thrill in itself,” he said. “What I did say was how important the day was for our generation, having not lived through a war and not been crippled by that fear of not knowing if your mates or your brother or your son’s going to return, and how thankful we need to be for those who did live through that.”Then I recounted a quick story of a guy called Stan Bisset, who was on the 1939 Wallabies [rugby] tour before he led a battalion up the Kokoda trail [in Papua New Guinea] three years later, and told a story of what I thought was extreme loyalty and mateship he showed to his men, and how grateful we should be that we aren’t faced with the same choice of having to risk our own lives to save those of our mates.”

Even as Royal Challengers Bangalore threatened to implode at 133 for 6 in a chase of 178, Chris Gayle hit seven fours and seven sixes in his 96 off 56 to guide them home

The Report by Abhishek Purohit11-Apr-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:19

Agarkar: If you drop Gayle, you will always pay for it

Royal Challengers Bangalore kept losing wickets at one end. Chris Gayle kept hitting fours and sixes at the other. Even as Royal Challengers threatened to implode at 133 for 6 in a chase of 178, Gayle turned down a few singles and hit a few more sixes. Four short of a hundred, and with seven needed for victory, the man who prefers not to run ran himself out scrambling and diving for a rare second. Royal Challengers still got home with an over to spare, such had been the impact of Gayle’s seven fours and seven sixes in his 96 off 56.Gayle was put down twice; the first was a tough chance for Morne Morkel diving forward at deep square leg with Gayle on 33. The second was a much simpler catch for the same fielder at the same position with Gayle on 63. Yusuf Pathan was the bowler to suffer on both occasions.Before he dropped the match, Morkel had worked up testing pace and bounce to take out Gayle’s opening partner Virat Kohli on the pull for 13. Morkel and Sunil Narine kept Gayle and Kohli quiet at the start, and the Kolkata Knight Riders spin army started to take toll on a helpful surface. Dinesh Karthik and Mandeep Singh fell trying expansive strokes against Pathan to leave Royal Challengers 56 for 3.AB de Villiers came in and targeted Knight Riders’ newest mystery spinner KC Cariappa. The South African had already cracked five boundaries in 12 balls and Royal Challengers appeared to be back in the game when he walked past a flatter one from Cariappa. The asking-rate was almost 12 when Shakib Al Hasan’s flight lured Darren Sammy to his fall in the 15th over.Gayle had gone about his innings in typical fashion till now. He had been troubled by Narine’s offbreaks, he had mishit a few, but he had also swung some deep into the stands. The over after Sammy fell, Gayle pulled and lofted Pathan for successive boundaries. It was the same over in which Morkel was to put Gayle down decisively.Uncharacteristically, Gayle now started to push for twos. Abbott was run out off the first such attempt. Gayle responded by turning down singles off the next two balls, yorkers from Shakib. Forty-four needed off 21. Shakib missed the yorker twice in succession. Six, and six more.Gayle was properly cruising now. Narine was pulled and swept for consecutive fours and two runs taken off the third. With seamer Harshal Patel on strike for the last two balls of the over, Gayle pushed him to try and hit at least one for six. Harshal succeeded on the second attempt.Gayle could have reached his century two balls later off Morkel had Manish Pandey not managed to jump at deep midwicket and throw a flat hit back in. He saw what had happened in the deep and tried to regain the strike but could not beat Pandey’s throw. He had done enough to ensure, though, that Royal Challengers beat the defending champions.That had looked improbable with the way Royal Challengers had gone in their season opener. Misfields, missed chances and overthrows in a nervy fielding performance had helped Knight Riders gallop to 177 for 6. Gambhir and Robin Uthappa put on 81 upfront inside 11 overs, with the Knight Riders captain making it successive fifties at the start of the season. Knight Riders were jolted by the fall of Suryakumar Yadav and Pandey off successive deliveries in the 17th over but Andre Russell blasted an unbeaten 41 off 17 to propel them to what they thought was a good enough total. However, probably no score is sufficient in this format if Gayle lasts as long as the 19th over of a chase.

While champions Manchester City ran away with the league title in 2020-21, there were plenty of individuals from other clubs who shone this season

Manchester City claimed the Premier League title ahead of Manchester United, while Liverpool and Chelsea ended up in the Champions League places at the expense of Leicester City. But which players stood out enough to guarantee a place in Alex Keble's Premier League team of the season? Getty ImagesGK: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa’s goalkeeper was probably the signing of the summer. Martinez equalled Brad Friedel’s record of 16 clean sheets for Villa in a single top-flight season, helping transform Dean Smith’s side from one of the leakiest in the division to one of the strongest.

Martinez ranks third in the Premier League for shots saved (15) and second for ‘prevented goals’ (9.71), a statistic that measures a goalkeeper’s saves against the expected goals (xG) of the opposition shots.

But Martinez’s influence goes far beyond shot-stopping. His unrivalled skill in catching shots and crosses – where others would parry or punch – has completely reshaped Villa’s tactical organisation.

Martinez’s sticky gloves allow Villa to reset and get back up the pitch, hence their strength on the counterattack.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)

Nobody typifies Manchester City’s season like Cancelo, an intelligent and versatile footballer who nominally played as a left-back or right-back throughout 2020-21, but in reality popped up all over the pitch.

His influence as an inverted full-back has been startling and progressively courageous; at times this season he has advanced in the right half-space like Kevin De Bruyne.

The key to City’s title win was their tactical unpredictability, created by Pep Guardiola through the rotation of full-backs. Depending on the configuration he chose, City could line up with three at the back, dual overlapping full-backs, two extra bodies in midfield, or an extra playmaker in the number 10 position.

Cancelo is the only City player who could perform any of these roles, and from either side too.

Getty ImagesCB: Wesley Fofana (Leicester City)

Leicester City’s 20-year-old centre-back has been a revelation.

Brendan Rodgers probably did not expect to be able to rely on Fofana in his debut campaign quite like he has, but his aggression and anticipatory skills have already made him one of the most revered centre-backs in the Premier League.

Tellingly, Fofana ranks fourth in the division for interceptions (2.2 per game), a stat normally dominated by defensive midfielders. This speaks to Fofana’s tendency to step out from the back and boldly shut down the opposition play, an eye-catching feature that works particularly well in a back three.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesCB: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)

Almost every player who joined the Premier League from abroad last summer has endured a difficult debut campaign in England, which is perfectly understandable given the country has been in lockdown for so much of the last year.

It is even more remarkable, then, that Ruben Dias has been rock solid for Manchester City.

Dias started the most Premier League games (32) of any City outfield player, his power and athleticism not only keeping Aymeric Laporte out of the side but also drastically improving John Stones.

After the fallow year without Vincent Kompany, City have found their defensive leader for the next decade.

Luke Shaw has been labelled the "most unreliable player to ever wear a Manchester United shirt" after leaving the pitch before half-time at Luton.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Shaw injured at Aston VillaReturned in time to start Luton gameWent down tunnel before half-time whistleWHAT HAPPENED?

Shaw went off at half-time as a "precaution" during United's 2-1 win at Aston Villa last week, but recovered in time to return to Erik ten Hag's starting XI at Kenilworth Road on Sunday. However, the England full-back tweaked something with seconds to go until the interval, and signalled to the bench before making his way down the tunnel, with Victor Lindelof brought on as his replacement in defence.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

Fans took to social media after the incident to criticise Shaw, who also missed the majority of the first half of the season due to injury. One account named @zeeshankxz wrote: "Luke Shaw subbed off. The most unreliable player to ever wear a Manchester United shirt. Protected by the fans like he is something special. The sooner we move on the better."

Another account, called @TenHagEra, said: "Love him as a footballer and a person, but we might have to buy a Luke Shaw replacement with all these reoccurring injuries.."

With the 28-year-old's latest injury having yet to be specified, fan account @BillyMeredithMU simply asked: "What's wrong with Luke Shaw?"

The same account then added in a separate post: "Left Back needs to be a priority next season. Luke Shaw isn’t reliable at all."

Meanwhile, @UtdXclusive asked: "If Luke Shaw wasn't 100% fit why risk making the injury worse?"

WHAT TEN HAG SAID

United went on to win the game 2-1 without Shaw, and Erik ten Hag confirmed after the final whistle that it wasn't just a "knock" that forced the left-back off. The Dutch coach added to BBC Radio Five Live when quizzed on the severity of Shaw's injury: "I can’t tell. We have to wait minimum until tomorrow to see what’s going on. Clear, when you come off, it doesn’t look great."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Shaw was one of the most important players in the United squad last season as Ten Hag guided the team to a third-place Premier League finish and Carabao Cup glory in his debut season at the helm. However, the Red Devils have only been able to call upon Shaw for 14 appearances to date in the 2023-24 campaign, and he might be facing another spell on the sidelines after this new blow.

GOAL asked several MLS All-Stars about Lionel Messi adjusting to the U.S. and how players will defend him.

Lionel Messi has arrived in MLS. It's still hard to really believe, isn't it? On Friday, he'll put on an Inter Miami shirt for the first time for his debut in the Leagues Cup, kickstarting an American adventure that still feels surreal.

And it isn't just surreal to the American public, who are now preparing themselves for the Messi era. It's also come as a major lift to players across MLS, who will now get a chance to play with and against a player that many consider the greatest of all time.

Players across MLS are thrilled by the idea of facing off with the Argentine star, with many of the league's younger stars growing up idolizing Messi. Some of MLS' more decorated players, meanwhile, are excited about the idea of seeing another world-class star help elevate the league to a new level.

It won't be easy, though. Life in MLS has its challenges, even for Messi. He'll need to make some major adjustments if he wants to thrive in a league that is unlike any other in the world.

Ahead of the MLS All-Star Game, GOAL caught up with several players to discuss Messi's arrival and what it takes to adjust to life in MLS.

Getty Images'A pinch-me moment'

John Tolkin grew up idolizing Messi. As a left-footer himself, the New York Red Bulls and U.S. men's national team fullback studied the ex-Barcelona star growing up. In his youth, Tolkin was drawn to lefties, and what better left-footer is there than Messi?

Now a 20-year-old homegrown MLS star, Tolkin has a very real chance of facing the player he grew up idolizing. The Red Bulls host Inter Miami on August 26, and there's a very real chance that he goes head-to-head with Messi at some point in that match.

"I expect packed stadiums and a lot of security and a lot of pitch invaders," joked Tolkin. "It's pretty insane. My Instagram and Twitter feed, you can't miss that he's here. I think it's so good for the league and for the country just to try and grow soccer as it is.

"If I'm able to step on the field with him, that'll definitely be a pinch-me moment and I definitely won't believe it for a pretty long time. At the same time, though, I want to beat him! That would be pretty cool to say: I beat Messi."

AdvertisementGettyGetting stuck in against a god

Despite what he said above, Tolkin isn't planning on just standing there starstruck when the whistle blows at Red Bulls Arena. No, he's there to compete.

Several European stars have received harsh welcomes to MLS. David Beckham, Messi's new boss at Inter Miami, was famously clattered by Jesse Marsch, sparking a melee between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. Messi will, no doubt, get a welcome-to-MLS moment, at one point or another, from a player on a far smaller salary than him.

Tolkin isn't going to be two-footing Messi any time soon, though, and the hope is there are no brawls like the one between Beckham and Marsch. However, the Red Bulls fullback does say he plans on doing whatever it takes to slow Messi down.

"He's like a god," Tolkin begins with a laugh, "but I want to get stuck in, you know what I'm saying? I've really been thinking about that, how to approach that, but in the end, I want to win. If I have to make a tackle or a tactical foul here or there, it's going to happen!"

Twttier.comAn easy adjustment to American life

One of the aspects of MLS that is so enticing is the draw of American life. For superstars of Messi's caliber, the U.S. is a place where he can find some form of normalcy. We've already seen one example of that, as Messi was recently spotted at a Publix grocery store in a scene that would have looked much different in Europe.

While life in the U.S. can be so different than life in Europe, it can also offer players a unique feeling of home. That's what Atlanta United star Giorgos Giakoumakis has experienced since arriving from Celtic earlier this year.

"The Greeks and Americans have many things in common," he said. "We share the same cultural things and everything from the lifestyle and their sense of humor about everything. You can imagine that I even struggled a little bit when I was back in Scotland, but here I don't feel that.

"The people of the club also played their part because they helped me so much, so much. I will always be grateful to them because coming to other parts of the world is never easy. Even if you share the same culture, it's not easy, but they made it really easy for me and my family."

Messi will benefit from those same aspects of American life. Miami, in particular, has a large South American population that should make the Argentine feel right at home. MLS, as a league, also has such a strong Argentinian influence that many clubs even hold asado barbecues for team bonding.

Giakoumakis, meanwhile, has only limited experience with Greek cuisine in America as he's taking his time to enjoy the other food the U.S. has to offer.

"I can tell you maybe yes. [the Greek food in the U.S. is good], and maybe you're gonna ask another Greek guy and he says no," the Atlanta United star said. "I don't think the quality is the same, like the proper Greek, but that's something really objective! I feel that I don't need to try Greek food across the country because I'm here to try something different, but wherever I'm back in Greece, I'm going to eat only Greek food. That's a fact!"

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyGet ready for the travel

Ask any player, past or present, that has arrived in MLS what their least favorite part of it was and you'll likely get the same answer. They're going to say the travel.

It's something that makes MLS unique because no other league in the world has to deal with anything like this. The trip from Miami to Vancouver, for example, is twice the distance from London to Moscow. North America is a big continent and, for many players, the travel schedule can be overwhelming.

Fortunately for Messi, the league has gotten better with travel. He surely won't be sitting in economy seats next to the general public. Still, there's no way to make six or seven hour flights an exciting part of the job.

"Oh, it's the travel," Giakoumakis said. "Not that much nowadays, but before, they didn't have any charters so they had to fly for like four days when they were playing away games! Especially like Atlanta to LA, it's a long flight."

Messi is obviously used to long flights, having spent his entire career flying from Europe to South America for international games. Miami's location probably played some part in his decision, as it'll make the trips back to Argentina much easier as he looks to prolong his international career.

It's not just the travel that will surprise Messi, though, but what he walks into once he lands.

Craig Overton took four wickets as Durham slumped to 125 all out before fifties from Craig Meschede and Craig Kieswetter put Somerset in charge

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street09-May-2012
ScorecardPaul Collingwood fell for 4 as Durham struggled after being put in to bat by Somerset•Getty ImagesThis was just the sort of pitch where one might have imagined that Durham’s know-how would have seen them through. Though bottom of the table, Durham have an average age of 31; Somerset, down to 11 fit players, average only 23. It was just the time for some gnarled old pros to provide a few home truths to the young shavers on a lively pitch that seamed throughout the day, but it did not turn out that way.Somerset, fielding what must be one of the youngest sides in their history, bowled intelligently and then turned the game in their favour with some spirited counter-attacking after tea, amassing 155 in the final session at not far short of a run a ball. Peter Trego, at 30 the oldest player in their side, set the tone as he drove pretty much everything that was pitched up to make 40 from 35 balls before he was betrayed by one that kept low from Ruel Brathwaite. That is how Trego can play, but what followed was even more striking as Craig Kieswetter and Craig Meschede took the cue with half-centuries of attacking intent.Meschede, a 20-year-old South African, twice slapped Mitchell Claydon for three boundaries in an over and included 13 fours in his 62 before Callum Thorp had him caught at first slip. Kieswetter, unbeaten on 60 at the close, has the chance to cause further damage – although judging by the weather forecast perhaps not until Friday.Meschede set new first-class bests with the bat and ball, taking three wickets earlier in the day in a Durham innings in which he was overshadowed by the youngest player of all, Craig Overton, barely 18 and playing only his second Championship match, who returned figures of 4 for 38 and reacted with a frisson of excitement every time the ball slipped past the outside edge.Overton, a gangling young Devonian with a nice high action, hit the seam regularly and as he and Meschede shared the last five wickets, delighted in high fives with smaller colleagues who could not quite reach. Somerset, short on resources, must steel themselves and use him wisely.Durham, not helped by two rain-wrecked matches in London, have been so bereft of batting form that no batsman in their top six has yet reached 50. Included in a familiar crash was Paul Collingwood, whose commitment to extending his Durham career with his England days now seemingly spent is an admirable show of loyalty to a county game that needs such gestures, but who so far is struggling to gain much reward. He got off the mark with a streaky boundary against Trego, but was out third ball and now has 37 runs in five attempts. Durham needed something better, especially after Dale Benkenstein had pulled out at the last minute after dislocating a shoulder in the warm up.Phil Mustard, coming in at 92 for 5, must suspect that he has transmuted into Chris Read, another wicketkeeper/captain who is well used to rescuing an innings on the rocks. But a spliced pull shot against Meschede ended his thoughts of a revival and Durham’s last seven wickets tumbled for 35 runs in 9.3 overs. The Eleven Fit Men of Somerset, barely more than could be squeezed on to Uncle Tom Cobley’s horse, were cock-a-hoop.Celebrations looked premature when Somerset lost four wickets for 45 in return. Graham Onions, true and straight, took wickets in his first two overs with lbw decisions against Arul Suppiah, first ball, and Alex Barrow; Lewis Gregory, who had batted soundly, pulled Callum Thorp to mid-on; and James Hildreth was late on the shot as Mitch Claydon bowled him middle-and-off. At tea, it had the makings of a 20-wicket day and equality at the end of it, but Somerset’s gusto changed all that.

The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) is set to launch its own investigation of Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 after the criminal trial into alleged spot-fixing in London exposed more tainted matches

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court01-Nov-2011The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) is set to launch its own investigation of Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010 after the criminal trial into spot-fixing in London exposed more allegedly tainted matches. More players are set to come under scrutiny.Recovered text messages exposed during the trial at Southwark Crown Court revealed four more Tests appear to have been affected by spot-fixing on the tour – not just the one at Lord’s.The ACSU has not been able to conduct much of an inquiry since the case brought against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir meant that most or all of the evidence was held by the Crown and police. Once the trial is over, however, there will be a debriefing between British prosecution services and the ACSU on what can and cannot be disclosed to use in future cricket investigations.Former captain Butt and fast bowler Asif were found guilty by a jury on Tuesday of two charges relating to the bowling of three pre-determined no-balls during the Lord’s Test. Two of those no-balls were delivered by Amir and one by Asif. Amir, who had pleaded guilty before the trial began, will appear at a Newton Hearing at the end of this week.The latest evidence is likely to be of interest to the ACSU as they were not granted access to it while the criminal case was ongoing. Evidence relating to the first Test against England at Trent Bridge, the second at Edgbaston and the third at The Oval was heard during the trial, though not in front of the jury, as all parties agreed it may impact on a fair trial for Butt and Asif. Evidence was also linked to the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and Australia.The text traffic recovered by Canadian police specialists from agent Mazhar Majeed’s mobile phone connected Pakistan players such as Kamran Akmal and Amir to alleged spot-fixing and links with bookmakers, as well as suspicious conduct at the very least.On July 12, the eve of the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and Australia, Majeed received a text from a UK number thought to belong to an underground bookmaker which read: “Bro, just spoke to Sanjay. Bowling first, they should bowl in tandem first for at least first eight overs. Give away a minimum of 47 runs, in first 10 overs please.” Shahid Afridi was the Pakistan captain for that Lord’s Test, not Butt, but there is no inference that Afridi was involved in any wrongdoing.On July 17, when Butt was given the captaincy after the resignation of Afridi, a text from a number belonging to a suspected Indian bookmaker read: “Congratulations on captaincy of Salman Butt”. There is no evidence surrounding the second Test against Australia at Headingley, Butt’s first as captain, which Pakistan won.On July 28, the eve of the first Test between England and Pakistan at Trent Bridge, the same Indian number, code-named ‘Raj’, texted Majeed: “Got any idea of the wicket, looks like enough grass left?”On July 29, the first day of the Nottingham Test, Majeed messaged ‘Raj’ saying: “It is hard to do this but they will try. Two edges gave away eight in first over today so not always in their hands. They will make sure they try though.” He followed that up with: “If they do it they will want to be paid.”On July 30, day two of the Trent Bridge Test, Majeed texted a UK number suspected to be one of his bookmaker contacts. He said: “Boss, you can see they have done it.” And later he said to the same contact: “Kamran’s one will still be on if another wicket.”On the same day ‘Raj’ messaged Majeed: “I’m very shocked and speechless about what the boys have done today. I am not able to understand what they in store. At this rate they will ruin our lives. Despite my request – one run in last ball of 100th over – nothing happened.”Majeed replied: “I cannot explain boss. I’ll find out tonight.”On August 5, the day before the second Test at Edgbaston, Majeed was in touch with an unknown Dubai number, again suspected to be an illegal bookmaker: “Are you ready to speak in 20 mins? Maz.”Then on the same day, the UK bookie messaged Majeed with: “Is your Pakistan man ready for a small one tomorrow?”On August 6, the first day of the second Test at Edgbaston, there were several calls and texts from Majeed to an Indian number and also to a Dubai number. At 6pm, he texted ‘Raj’: “Is market on tomorrow, shall I prepare anything tomorrow?” The reply came: “Not tomorrow bro, position is not right.”On August 7, day two at Edgbaston, Majeed texted ‘Raj’: “Bro, now Butt is out, anything we do is far too risky, let’s see the position on Day 4.”On August 17, the day before the Oval Test, Amir texted a number thought to belong to a Pakistani bookmaker at quarter past midnight: “Sending him bank details and asking why someone needed them at that time.”Amir then sent two texts to another number in Pakistan saying: “How much and what needs to be done?” Adding, “This is going to be too much.” The Pakistan contact replied to Amir: “So in the first 3, bowl however you want, and the last 2, do 8 runs?”On the same day, before the third Test, ‘Raj’ texted Majeed: “Umar Akmal – playing?” And Majeed instantly replied: “Yes. Malik not playing”.After midnight on August 18, the first day of the Oval Test, there were numerous texts and calls between ‘Raj’ and Majeed, plus calls between Majeed and Butt, according to the prosecution at the trial.Butt’s defence was that he would often discuss equipment with his agent Majeed or talk about dinner plans. Butt’s legal team also produced a witness statement from a shop assistant at The Oval to say Butt did go to the shop at the ground to buy two pairs of trousers because he was not happy at how Majeed had not arranged for new trousers with Adidas.After an eight- and a seven-minute call between ‘Raj’ and Majeed, ‘Raj’ messaged back: “Kami (Kamran Akmal) and Aamer (Amir) minimum 13 off first 3 overs after Kami gives an indication by change of gloves with no wkt. It starts from round of overs, say 35 or 40, whichever is first after they come in together. Next 7 overs, maximum 15 runs.”

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has counselled the national selectors to be patient with fledgling spin bowler Nathan Lyon, and said that Lyon has plenty of development ahead before his talent can bloom fully

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele06-Sep-2011Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has counselled the national selectors to be patient with fledgling spin bowler Nathan Lyon, and said that Lyon has plenty of development ahead before his talent can bloom fully.Lyon, 23, scooped 5 for 34 in his first Test innings but struggled a little in his second, when, according to Haddin, fatigue affected his work. Until this year’s Australian winter, Lyon had never put his body through the rigours of pre-season training, and his slight, wispy frame can only grow in strength and durability.”I think it’s important that we’re patient with him,” Haddin said. “We can’t expect all these spinners to come in and be world-beaters. We’ve just got to make sure we’re clear in what we expect from them and what he expects from himself.”He’s only five games into a first class career but [from] what we’ve seen, he has got good shape on the ball. He is a work in progress so he’s only going to get better and better as time goes on. We all know we’ve got to be patient with the spinners and give them an opportunity to develop.”Haddin said Lyon’s drift was comparable to that of the England offspinner Graeme Swann, but also felt he had some distance to go before he was a fully-formed cricketer.”I think Nathan has obviously got something pretty special in him but he’s obviously got a bit of work to do on his bowling and he knows that,” Haddin said. “It was good that he got the rewards in the first innings; get that first ball out of the way, get his wicket and get into a spell.”From keeping to him, he’s got similar drift to what Swann has. He’s got quite a nice little shape on it … I think he’s got something there that’s going to be pretty good for Australian cricket.”Most of Lyon’s spin bowling apprenticeship took place in the Futures League second XI competition with the ACT, in three-day matches with over restrictions. The questions asked of physical recovery were less taxing; something Lyon discovered when he made his first-class debut for South Australia towards the end of last summer.”He obviously got a bit tired and that could come from the fact he actually hasn’t played that much four-day cricket at all,” Haddin said. “He’s just got to make sure he’s doing what works for him. Whether that’s going outside off stump or going tight into the stumps, because he’s got that natural drift.”I think in the future he’s going to be someone that’s very handy to us but he’s got to develop. We’ve all got to be sure we’re patient with that and not pushing him too quick or expecting him to jump over mountains straight away.”By contrast, Lyon’s childhood friend Trent Copeland looked ready for the physical and mental rigours of Tests, bowling with tremendous consistency throughout the Galle Test without much reward in the wickets column.”With Trent I thought we got exactly what we would have expected over the last two years. Seeing him for New South Wales, he’s very consistent in what he bowls,” Haddin said. “He knows he’s not going to blast anyone out but what he can do is shut a scoreboard down and build pressure from one end so you can roll the other guys from the other end. He did a good job there.”Haddin enlarged upon the tactical battles between Copeland and Sri Lanka’s batsmen, who sought to decrease his effectiveness by batting well down the pitch.”They were batting out of the crease and starting to walk into his line,” Haddin said. “The one thing Trent’s very good at is building pressure and he knows exactly where he wants to put the ball. We wanted to make sure we blocked that end, so we thought the best way sometimes was for me to go up to the stumps to stop them walking into his line, working the ball on the legside to get some pace on the ball.”It seemed to work for the last Test, whether we do the same for this Test, I’m not too sure. Because, especially with the old ball, the wicket was so dead, it just took one of their scoring options out of play and allowed us to build some pressure from that end.”

We independently choose all products featured on our site. We may earn a commission when you purchase something through the links provided.

Course-ready gear with a touch of football class

Joining forces ahead of The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool, Admiral Sportswear and Swedish golf specialists Macade present a collection of course-ready pieces inspired by their dual sporting expertise.

Blending Macade’s golf performance with the Admiral archive of patterns and designs, the collaboration is led by a Home & Away shirt, the former in a subtly striped Aubergine design and the latter in a two-tone Khaki/Blue colourway with orange hints highlighting the dress-code meeting collar. 

The collaboration also takes into account longer days out on the course with a classic taped seam Admiral ¼ zip – matching shorts are, of course, on offer as well. 

The last stop before the Clubhouse drinks is the Green Zip Jacket, the design of which is inspired by an archival Admiral piece produced for the US Golf Association in the 1970s. It’s no Masters-winning jacket, but the cut, colour, and subtle branding make this as good as any trophy lifted this week. 

The collection landed on July 16, in perfect time for a debut at The Open, and now you can get your hands on it too. Exclusively available at Macade Golf, the collaboration ranges from £30.00- £95.00. Here’s a closer look at some of the items available:

Shop: Admiral x Macade

Available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

Advertisement

One size.

Available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Available in S, M, L, XL, and XXL.

South Africa Under-19s registered a comprehensive win against England Under-19s in the fourth one-dayer of the seven-match series, winning at Arundel by 150 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2011
ScorecardSouth Africa Under-19s registered a comprehensive win against England Under-19s in the fourth one-dayer of the seven-match series, winning at Arundel by 150 runs to take a 2-1 series lead after the third game was washed-out. The South Africa innings was propelled by fluent knock of 124 by No 3 batsman Gihahn Cloete. Cloete was well supported by Quinton de Kock, who made 66, and Shaylin Pillay with 42, before some hard-hitting from the lower-middle order carried the team to 298 for five. The South Africa bowlers then produced tidy, incisive spells to bowl out England for 148 in 38 overs. First-change bowler Corné Dry was the pick, claiming 3 for 17 in a five-over spell. None of the England batsmen provided much resistance, No 8 batsman Peter Burgoyne top-scoring with 28.