Tag Futebol

‘If I feel he is one of your best players, why wouldn’t I want to have a conversation with him?’

Firdose Moonda14-Dec-2019Mark Boucher, South Africa’s new head coach, would welcome the availability of Kolpak players and recent retirees, including AB de Villiers, as he plots the national team’s way forward.Having worked in the franchise system for the last four seasons, Boucher has first-hand knowledge of the calibre of players available to the national side and acknowledged that the country’s talent pool could do with deepening. Asked whether he would like to be able to select players based abroad, Boucher said: “If I can answer from a coach’s perspective, absolutely. If you look at rugby, the way the Springboks won the World Cup, the experience they got from players playing overseas was invaluable. From a coach’s perspective, I’d love to have the opportunity to deepen and strengthen the squad. It will keep everyone on their toes and will bring more excellence into the game in this country.”While Boucher is not in control of the regulations around Kolpak, he may be able to have a say among recent retirees, especially those whom he has a close relationship with. Boucher played with de Villiers and currently coaches him at the Tshwane Spartans, who will play in the Mzansi Super League final on Monday. De Villiers is fourth on the tournament run-charts and has demonstrated strong strokeplay and innovation throughout the tournament. His white-ball form remains consistent and his ability unmatched.De Villiers retired from all formats of international cricket in May 2018, citing a heavy workload, but with a T20 World Cup 10 months away, Boucher was not averse to trying to convince de Villiers to come back. “When you go to a World Cup, you want your best players playing for you,” Boucher said. “If I feel he is one of your best players, why wouldn’t I want to have a conversation with him? I’ve only just got into the job, I might have conversations with quite a few players and see where they are.”He also indicated players may be allowed greater flexibility if they can add value to South Africa cricket. “You want your best players playing in the World Cup and if there’s a couple of issues you need to iron out, with media, with team-mates, and if it’s for the good of South Africa, why not, let’s do it.”

Fast bowler seeks sustained run of match fitness ahead of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2018Mark Wood hopes that a new lengthened run-up could be the secret to a sustained run of match fitness, as he prepares for the start of England’s five-match ODI series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.Wood’s ability to generate sharp pace from a short and explosive run-up has been a key reason why he has been considered a point-of-difference bowler in recent seasons, but it has also contributed to a spate of injuries, not least in his troublesome left heel, on which he has undergone numerous bouts of surgery.And now, with the World Cup looming next year, and his fitness restored after another interrupted summer, Wood hopes that a longer, smoother run-up could lead to a longer and smoother run in the England team.”It’s something I’ve worked on in the second half of the season in England and brought it here,” Wood told . “It’s a trial, something I can go back to if I want to do the step-back run-up.”I spoke to Kevin Shine, the head bowling coach, and Chris Silverwood, who’s out here, and said that off my short run-up I felt I was having to force it all the time. That meant I was putting more stress on than I needed to, having to ramp it up to get my top speed.”So pushed my run-up back, so that it felt like I could cruise into it a little more and look for more rhythm, rather than trying to be at the top end all the time, and putting more stress on my body.”Wood hasn’t had much of a chance to put any stress on his body just yet, however. England have faced monsoonal conditions since their arrival in Sri Lanka, and their planned two days of practice in Colombo was reduced to a single contest against a Board XI. It did at least give the bowlers an inkling of how the pitches might behave come the start of the series.”We’ve had a lot of rain so far. Some days are red hot, sweaty humid conditions, and quite nice to bowl in and there are some days when it’s rained a lot and it’s coming from the ground up. It’s different conditions to deal with.”The pitch didn’t feel as subcontinental like as you might think,” he added. “It’s subtropical here in Sri Lanka, not like India or the UAE. It’s more humid and a lot greener than you might expect. The one-day wickets have had a bit of tennis-ball bounce and have swung a bit for England for three or four overs, so we have to use that to our advantage.”Thanks to their plethora of allrounders, England’s one-day squad is packed with seam-bowling options, which means that Wood envisages being used in short, sharp bursts to conserve energy and mix up the modes of attack.”It is ridiculously hot, so coming from a seam bowling point of view, it’ll be two or three overs, smash it as hard as you can, then get off. The spinners are the ones who are going to attack here, but that new ball is key for us. If we can get wickets up front when it’s doing a bit, that’ll be brilliant, but if not, we’ll sit in, try to dot up and make it hard, then let the spinners attack from the other end.”Reverse swing is a traditional factor in Asian conditions, but Wood said that England may need to adapt their methods to obtain the contrast between the rough and smooth sides of the ball to unlock that particular weapon.”Being quick through air will be key with reverse swing, but this ground at Dambulla looks lush and green, so I’m not sure how much reverse there’ll be. But the Sri Lankans tend to wet one side of the ball, and keep it smooth. They know better than anyone in their own conditions, so maybe we can take a leaf out of their book.”

With tours by New Zealand and Zimbabwe A postponed, the board hopes the functioning of the High Performance unit will bridge the gap between the levels of cricket in Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam11-Aug-2017Training camps and tours for the High Performance unit are ensuring that Bangladesh’s fringe players stay fit in the absence of A-team cricket. Bangladesh A have been made to wait for cricket after visits from New Zealand and Zimbabwe A were postponed last month but Akram Khan, BCB’s cricket operations chairman, has said that Ireland A are likely to tour later this year.Currently, the senior men’s team are preparing for the series against Australia, while the HP unit is being run under new head coach Simon Helmot. The Under-19 squad have also begun training for the 2018 World Cup in New Zealand. The Bangladesh A team, however, have not played a series since the tour to Zimbabwe and South Africa in October 2015.Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has also highlighted the importance of A-team cricket for the country.”Since we haven’t been able to keep the Bangladesh A team active, we have instead ensured that our HP unit has been training properly and touring too,” Akram said. “They have toured Australia last month and will go to England next month to play against county second XIs. We were in talks with New Zealand and Zimbabwe for A team tours but they aren’t coming. Ireland A are supposed to come later this year.”The current HP squad includes eight international players. But some of the country’s top domestic performers over the last three seasons — Shahriar Nafees, Nasir Hossain, Tushar Imran – have been waiting for a higher standard of cricket to strengthen their push for spots in the senior team.Among the ten uncapped players who were in the Bangladesh A team during tours to India, Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2015, five have made their international debuts including Mossadek Hossain, Nurul Hasan and Kamrul Islam Rabbi. Players like Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Mosaddek and Taskin Ahmed have also made the senior side without much representative cricket after playing at the age-group level.Despite plenty performing players in domestic cricket, the selectors aim to pick those with the technical and mental ability to tackle the higher levels in the A side. In the previous two years in Bangladesh though, there has been a substantial gap.

Denesh Ramdin has indicated he will not be part of West Indies’ squad in the upcoming Test series against India, which begins in Antigua on July 21

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2016Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has indicated he will not be part of West Indies’ squad in the upcoming series against India, which begins in Antigua on July 21. West Indies have not announced their squad yet, but Ramdin gave his fans a “heads up” on Twitter, suggesting the “new chairman” had spoken to him of his sacking.
Courtney Browne, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, had replaced Clive Lloyd as West Indies’ chairman of selectors in June.Ramdin has played 74 Tests and has scored 2898 runs at an average of 25.87. He captained West Indies in 13 Tests before Jason Holder replaced him in September 2015. Ramdin scored 59 and 62 in his most recent Test innings, during West Indies’ 2015-16 tour of Australia, and alluded to those scores while voicing his frustration.
West Indies have not played any Tests since that tour. In their last international assignment, the ODI tri-series last month, Ramdin scored 197 runs at 28.14, with a highest of 91 against Australia in Bridgetown.

In another move to weaken the control of the previous regime, the BCCI has done away with the services of two Srinivasan aides – Dr RN Baba and MA Satish

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2015In another move to weaken the control of the previous regime, the BCCI has done away with the services of two N Srinivasan aides who were regulars in the Indian team’s travelling contingent for the last three years. Dr RN Baba and MA Satish have been relieved as media manager and logistics manager, respectively, by the new regime headed by Jagmohan Dalmiya.Since taking charge of the board, Dalmiya and secretary Anurag Thakur have been working on distancing the BCCI from Srinivasan, whose controversial regime as president ended in March. While Satish, a former Kerala first-class cricketer, was roped in to the India team’s support staff in 2011, Baba had been accompanying the team since the World Twenty20 in 2012.While Rishikesh Upadhyay has been appointed as the logistics manager for the tour of Bangladesh, administrative manager Biswarup Dey will double up as media manager during the 17-day tour.With Satish being an India Cements employee, he had to be withdrawn from the India squad midway through last year’s World Twenty20. He was replaced with Satyajit Parab, a former Baroda opener who hails from the hometown of then secretary Sanjay Patel. However, immediately after the Supreme Court issued an order in the IPL corruption scandal in January, Satish was brought back as a member of the support staff since the tri-series in Australia.Baba, despite being a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association member, continued in his role all through the corruption scandal court case since he is not employed with Srinivasan’s India Cements. Despite facing the wrath of the travelling Indian media contingent, Dr Baba had earned MS Dhoni’s praise. “I keep telling him, if the media is happy with you, then you are not a good media manager,” Dhoni had said towards the end of the World Cup.While the reported that Dr Baba used to be paid Rs 5 lakh (US$ 7805) per tour and Satish drew a monthly salary of Rs 6 lakh (US$ 9366) by the BCCI, the figures could not be independently ascertained.Since being elected in March, Thakur and Dalmiya have made a conscious effort to end Srinivasan’s control over the BCCI affairs. It reflected in appointments of BCCI sub-committees and has now filtered into the appointments of Indian team’s support staff.

The West Indies captain is hoping to take control of the match on the third day on a pitch that has offered little help to the bowlers

Mohammad Isam in Khulna22-Nov-2012Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo took full advantage of a batting paradise and got the most out of their starts, which was exactly what the West Indies openers and Bangladesh’s top seven batsmen failed to do. Darren Sammy is now hoping to extend their unbeaten 198-run third-wicket stand deep into the third day to take control on a pitch that is unlikely to aid the bowlers.”We need to get [a lead of] 250-plus,” Sammy said. “The way we bat tomorrow will determine how the Test match goes. If we bat to our full potential, we will score over 500 or 600 runs. We want to give them a 200-plus lead and take ten wickets in their second innings.”I think the wicket is getting a little slower and turning a little slower. It looks a little drier after the day’s play. Three days are left in the Test match, so there’s no hurry. It’s Test cricket, you have got to exercise your patience,” he said.Patience was exactly what Samuels and Bravo applied when they came together to bat in the first session of play. They rode out the threat posed by Rubel Hossain and when Shakib Al Hasan and Sohag Gazi bowled, they only looked for runs off deliveries that were either really short or full. Samuels never went for the extraordinary in his 282-minutes stay. He batted out 107 balls to reach the half-century and took roughly the same – 110 – to score the next fifty runs. He took out his lucky yellow scarf, but probably there were only two occasions when he needed luck – on 15 and 19 – when he survived two big leg-before shouts by Shakib.Samuels has now completed three Test hundreds this year – five overall. The impact of his measured approach, Sammy believes, is crucial to the team’s position in the Test match.”Marlon [Samuels] has been [an integral part of the team] for the last year and a half,” Sammy said. “I think he has scored over 700 runs for this year, and in all formats he has been batting really well. We have asked guys to take responsibility, and I’m happy to see him do that.”He didn’t have a score in the last game. Before he came here, he was looking to score three international hundreds. The way he went about it, that’s what we are used to from him. Bravo had a good knock in the second innings in Dhaka. He looks really good.”Bravo, too, was impressive and undertook a cautious approach from the beginning. By the time he ended the day unbeaten on 85 off 197 balls, it was his eighth fifty-plus score in the subcontinent out of his twelve such innings in his career.The two stroke-players also saw off periods where the boundaries had dried up as Mushfiqur Rahim employed the in-and-out field. It worked for Bangladesh and it was just the staying power of the two batsmen that stopped them from creating more chances. They batted at a run rate of 2.95 in the first session, 2.80 in the second and just a tad over three in the final session of play.”We as a team normally score quickly. The wicket looks easy to bat out there, the two guys have played really well. They would know the pace of the wicket, and the tempo in which they could score.”The key is to bat once in this Test match. If the pair can give us a solid start, it would be good with the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the rest of the batsmen coming in next”.

Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, is understood to have been picked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board succeeding Ijaz Butt

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2011Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, is understood to have been picked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board succeeding Ijaz Butt, though a formal announcement to that effect is awaited. Ashraf is president of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and a close confidant of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who as Patron of the board will make the formal appointment.The news has not been officially confirmed by the PCB and in fact senior officials insisted that no decision had been taken; Butt, who is on an extension of tenure, himself told reporters he was not aware of any notification and would be at his office on Wednesday morning. However, Ashraf’s name was all over the Pakistani media, including, significantly, the government-run PTV channel.Ashraf himself appeared on private TV channels and spoke at length about his plans for the PCB. His priority, he said, was to improve Pakistan cricket’s image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals. “I will work day and night to live up to President Zardari’s confidence. My top priority will be to improve Pakistan’s cricket image and stop bookies and match-fixers.”He also said he would try to improve relations with other cricket boards – including India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008. “People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties,” he was quoted as saying.Ashraf’s three-year term as president of ZTBL ended on September 3, 2011, and he is expected not to carry on in the position once he takes over his duties as PCB chairman. ZTBL is one of Pakistan’s top public-sector banks and is also represented by a team in Division One of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the domestic first-class competition. The team features several players who have played for Pakistan, including Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir and Zulqarnain Haider.Apart from being president of ZTBL, Ashraf is co-chairman of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Punjab zone. He reportedly studied with Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari in college and stayed in the same hostel.Butt, whose three-year tenure ended on October 8, had attended the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai on October 10 with an extension of his tenure under consideration.
His term was plagued with controversies, including the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore that resulted in Pakistan being denied the chance to co-host the 2011 World Cup, the spot-fixing scandal (and the problems with the ECB in its aftermath when Butt made controversial accusations against the England team), Zulqarnain Haider’s fleeing to the UK mid-way through a tour after receiving threats from bookies and, most recently, a much-publicised clash with Shahid Afridi.

Round-up of the opening day’s action in the Faysal Bank T-20 Cup 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Imranullah Aslam’s whirlwind 57 off 27 deliveries took Multan Tigers to a comfortable six-wicket victory against Peshawar Panthers in Lahore.Aslam smashed four sixes and six fours, and by the time he got out, Multan needed 44 off 67 with eight wickets in hand. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan’s 2 for 25 was in vain as Multan reached the target of 125 with 19 balls to spare.Aslam had earlier helped restrict Peshawar to 124, taking 2 for 13 with his legspinners, including the wicket of former Pakistan captain Younis Khan. Peshawar had got off to a good start, reaching 75 for 1 in the eleventh over. However, they lost too many wickets after that, four of them to run-outs.Lahore Lions held their nerve to prevail over Abbottabad Falcons by three runs in Lahore, after Abdul Razzaq had smashed a quick half-century to boost them to 165.Razzaq came in when Lahore were in trouble at 37 for 3, having lost the big wickets of captain Mohammad Yousuf and Umar Akmal. He first steadied the innings with Ahmed Shehzad, and then dominated an 80-run partnership with Raza Ali Dar that came in 44 balls. Razzaq hammered four sixes and five fours in his 60 off 30 deliveries. Left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan – who has played for Pakistan A – took 2 for 11.Lahore’s bowlers struck regularly at the start of the chase to reduce Abbottabad to 48 for 4 in the eighth over. Ahmed Said and Wajid Ali brought their team back into the game with an 82-run stand in 55 deliveries. With 36 needed off 22, fast bowler Aizaz Cheema dismissed Ali for 39, to finish with 3 for 27. Said remained unbeaten on 54 off 43, as Abbottabad finished on 162 for 7.A disciplined bowling performance from Sialkot Stallions gave them an easy seven-wicket win over Karachi Zebras in Lahore. Karachi were restricted to a mere 99, which Sialkot knocked off without fuss, courtesy Imran Nazir’s unbeaten 64.It was a struggle for the Karachi batsmen as five of the top six did not reach double figures. Only opener Ali Asad resisted with 33. Three run-outs only added to Karachi’s woes. Legspinner Adeel Malik, Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik’s younger brother, finished with 2 for 15.Despite the loss of two early wickets, Nazir almost single-handedly led the chase, hitting eight fours and two sixes on his way to 64 off 42 deliveries, as Sialkot won with more than seven overs to spare.

Daniel Vettori’s responsibilities have increased after it was decided he would bat at No.6 in tomorrow’s decider against Pakistan in Napier

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009Daniel Vettori’s responsibilities have increased after it was agreed he would bat at No.6 in tomorrow’s decider against Pakistan in Napier. The decision was made to accommodate an extra bowler on what Vettori has described as a pitch “quite different” from the ones used on previous occasions at the venue.”I just had a brief discussion with Mark Greatbatch, we’ve got our heads round it,” Vettori said. “I’ll be batting at No.6, and we’ll play the extra bowler this time. We’re tossing it up between going with four seamers, or three seamers and two spinners.”Vettori has batted at No.6 in ODIs and the promotion comes at the time when the batting line-up is in dire need of some solidity, following failures in both innings in the second Test in Wellington. “I’m excited about it in some ways and a little nervous as well,” Vettori said about his new role. “When you bat at No.6, your expectations are different and I suppose I have to take a mindset that I have taken into all my batting displays. Batting at No.6 in ODIs has helped a bit, and I realize my role a bit more. If I can do that, it gives us a nice all-round option.”In the event that New Zealand go in with four seamers, Tim Southee, who came in as a replacement for Shane Bond in the squad, is likely to play his first game of the series, while Jeetan Patel remains the spinning option. Grant Elliott, Vettori said, was struggling from a knee injury and a final decision on his place will taken tomorrow. With the inclusion of BJ Watling as opener, Daniel Flynn could be expected to drop down the order.Four of the last five Tests in Napier have ended in a draw, but Vettori felt the track this time had more to offer for the bowlers. “The curator has worked hard on putting a bit more pace in it and wants it to be a touch livelier than in the past,” he said. “He said everytime there’s a new ball taken, there’s a bit in it. We’ve played on some tough decks in the past; the balance will be a lot more even in this game.”The toss, Vettori added, would not be vital. “With the grass cover on it, it will be pretty consistent throughout the Test,” he said. “The new ball will play its part through the five days hopefully, which is what you want and then it turns into a good batting deck.”Only Ross Taylor in the top order has managed to measure up to the accuracy and persistence of Pakistan’s bowlers, and Vettori admitted his batsmen were under pressure to perform, but did not require an overhaul in their technique. “They are under a bit of pressure. Sometimes in these situations you try to reinvent your game and they just need a 5 to 10 percent improvement,” he said. “It’s not completely turning over their game, just a few key areas to improve on and if they do that it’s going to help our resolve. It goes towards bowling and fielding too, and if we rectify just a couple of key areas that will make a difference to us.”Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Mohammad Asif, have made the best use of favourable conditions on offer in the series, and Vettori said his bowlers had much to learn from their counterparts. “Asif has been so successful for the lengths he’s bowled. We need to get it fuller to utilise what movement there is,” he said. The New Zealand batsmen, Vettori said, had to contend with a varied attack. “All three seamers bring something different; the left-armer [Mohammad Aamer] who bangs it in, the line-length bowler [Asif] who bowls in outstanding areas and [Umar] Gul who mixes it up a bit, so it’s important we counter these different factors.”The Napier Test will be Iain O’Brien’s last, and Vettori was full of praise for his “go-to” bowler. “He’s been a really good servant of New Zealand cricket,” he said. “It’s only been a short Test career but most of that has coincided with my captaincy and he has done a great job, and I’ve looked at him as the go-to guy in the team and he hasn’t let me down.”

The boards were informed of the change a day before Mumbai were scheduled to fly to Lahli for the game

Shashank Kishore05-Feb-2025The BCCI has shifted the Ranji Trophy quarter-final between Haryana and Mumbai from Lahli, Haryana’s home venue, to Kolkata, a neutral venue. The development has affected the travel plans of both the teams – the game is scheduled to start on Saturday – and taken the “hosts” by surprise, since the BCCI hasn’t provided Haryana with a reason for the switch officially.Mumbai were due to arrive in Lahli on Wednesday morning. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) is now making arrangements for them to fly out to Kolkata by Wednesday evening. Haryana, like Mumbai, are expected to reach Kolkata late on Wednesday. “Yes, we have received a communication from BCCI that our quarter-final against Haryana will be played at the Eden Gardens,” MCA president Ajinkya Naik told PTI.ESPNcricinfo understands that the weather in Lahli has been clear over the past few days, and the Haryana Cricket Association was confident of hosting the match at the Bansi Lal Stadium, which had hosted all their three home games this season. ESPNcricinfo reached out to a senior HCA official, but they chose not to comment on the issue.Related

• Harsh Dubey's star on the rise, with a guiding hand from R Ashwin

• A low-key Ranji return for Rahul; Saurashtra, Mumbai, TN qualify for knockouts

• Stats – How significant was Virat Kohli's 12-year hiatus from the Ranji Trophy?

• Mumbai pick Suryakumar and Dube for Ranji quarter-final against Haryana

Like Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, too, won’t enjoy home advantage after their quarter-final against Kerala was shifted from Jammu to the MCA Stadium in Pune.In this case, though, the shift came about because the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), it is understood, was concerned about the ground conditions following a harsh winter and conveyed the same to the BCCI.JKCA had been keen on hosting the game in Mumbai or Ahmedabad but were informed that those venues would be unavailable, and a decision was made to host the game in Pune instead.The other two knockout games – Vidarbha vs Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra vs Gujarat – would be played in Nagpur (Civil Lines Stadium) and Rajkot (Niranjan Shah Stadium) respectively, as per the current norms where the group toppers are recognised as the host teams.Vidarbha’s 40 points owing to six outright wins in seven games are the most by any team in the group stage this season. Gujarat, meanwhile, have the third-highest points (32), behind J&K’s 35.