Bangladesh finally reached Harare on Thursday afternoon, at the end of a tiring journey from Dhaka via Doha and Johannesburg. They will play four ODIs during their 11-day stay, all at Harare Sports Club, although persistent rain throughout the last week has already raised concerns over the first match on Sunday.”It was a long and tiring journey here and irritating to say the least with the loss of luggage,” said Bangladesh coach David Whatmore. “But it won’t take long to get ourselves ready for the series. We need to consolidate our advantage.”Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwe’s captain, was confident that his young side could upset Bangladesh. “Morale in the camp is soaring. All the players are raring to go. We are out to do well, and if the sky holds we want to do just that,” he old a Zimbabwean website. “Our preparations have gone on pretty well and I am optimistic that the boys will deliver the goods. All it takes is for the top order to click like it did in the first game against South Africa A where Elton Chigumbura batted through our innings and senior players Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza chipped in with some worthwhile knocks.”Also, the playing conditions are on our side so all we need to do is pull in one direction as a team, stick to the basics and take our chances when they come,” he added. “The other thing that might just work in our favour is that we have retained the same team that beat Bangladesh 3-2 at the same venue last year.”
One can pull out the thesaurus and combine different adjectives to describe Sachin Tendulkar’s 95 at the Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore, but nothing may convey the influence it had on the course of the run-chase. A buoyant Rahul Dravid, speaking at the post-match press conference, described Tendulkar’s effort as “absolutely incredible” and went on to add that it was “one of his best innings”.”I think he assessed the situation beautifully,” he said. “He realised there was something happening with the ball, realised we needed to keep wickets. The way he controlled the game, played positively without doing anything risky, was great to watch. He scored at a great pace on adifficult wicket in difficult conditions. I thought it was one of his best. There are so many he has played but this was really a special one.”Tendulkar’s knock was one of the three main components of India’s run-chase, with Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni complementing him admirably. “Sachin, Yuvraj and Dhoni all played critical parts in this win,” he continued. “All three played different kinds of knocks in different stages. Yuvraj’s maturity in stepping back, after playing positively initially, when he realised he needed to be there till the end shows that he’s a very good cricketer. He’s always been one and has had a lot of success in the one-day game. This tour has taken him to another level.”Dhoni was outstanding too. It’s terrific for someone new in international cricket to handle the pressure so well. He can adapt his game to the situation, knows what his team requires, and has got a good head on his shoulders. His performance over the last 6-8 months has been critical in our success.”Dhoni himself admitted felt that this was one of his best innings, putting it above his whirlwind maiden hundred at Vishakapatnam. “My 148 helped my team to win and it was at a crucial time. It was an opportunity to grab for me but the amount of pressure here was much more. This was a much better innings that way.”Dravid was candid when speaking about his decision at the toss and felt it didn’t matter at the end of the day. “Even I was unsure about the toss because we’re not used to the 11:00am start,” he added. “Playing in the evening, we had doubts about the twilight period and whether we couldsight the ball then. I don’t think toss was that important. We were chasing well so we decided to field. The new ball helped in both innings so it didn’t make too much of a difference.”While refusing to find fault with Pakistan, he thought his side had been the better on on the day. “I don’t think there was any problem with Pakistan. They played well and their batsmen put on 288. I don’t think there was any fault. We need to be given the credit for doing well.”What really heartened Dravid, though, was the improvement his side had shown in the last few months, winning 10 of their last 14 games. “Every game is different and we need to keep performing. Pakistan are not an easy team to beat at home and we need to play well to win. We’re leading 2-1 and a couple of games to go. Irrespective of the results, the strides andprogress we’re taking as a ODI team is really heartening.”
Shahid Afridi has said that he harbours ambitions of making a century while batting in the lower order and has cited Adam Gilchrist’s fantastic 113 at Sydney recently, against Pakistan, as a knock that inspired him. He added that he was not planning to change his dare-devil approach to batting, which brought him success on the tour, and hoped that he could boost Pakistan’s chances of upstaging India in the much-anticipated forthcoming rubber.”I think I’ve been selected for this tour as a bowler who can bat instead of 1999 when I was picked as a batsman who could bowl,” Afridi told the Press Trust of India. “Which means batting down the order and bowling more than before.”Afridi had a scorching run in the VB Series, where Pakistan lost in the final, with 231 runs at a stunning strike-rate of 167.39. His power-hitting proved crucial in a number of games, he even notched up the record for the most sixes in ODIs, as fielders were reduced to spectators in the big Australian grounds. “I want to continue with my style of batting which is extremely simple: hit the ball back with same force,” he added. “I like hitting the ball into stands and want to hear the cracking sound that comes out of my bat. I don’t know why but that sound [of wood] and sight of seeing the ball land in enclosures gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction.”Afridi has had success in India earlier: he scored a matchwinning 141 in the Chennai Test in 1999 and helped Pakistan clinch an epic encounter. He has tormented India regularly and has one century and four fifties against them. The last tour of India saw Afridi the opener display his destructive ability. This series, though, may see Afridi the legspinner and lower-order dynamite prove a point or two.
The United Cricket Board of South Africa has blocked Warwickshire’s bid to sign Makhaya Ntini for the 2004 season. Warwickshire have had a long association with South African fast bowlers – Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock have both played for the club over a number of seasons – but there are concerns about Ntini’s heavy workload.”We received a request from Warwickshire to talk to Makhaya about him playing for them next summer,” said a UCB spokesman. “He had spoken to Gerald Majola about the request, but as Makhaya is a bowler who will have played virtually nonstop since our tour to Bangladesh in April 2003, it was felt that it was important for him to have a rest and so the request was turned down.”Ntini has taken 123 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 29.69, including 23 scalps in this summer’s series against England. Warwickshire have had problems with overseas players this year because of injuries, with Shane Bond, Michael Clark, Collins Obuya, Waqar Younis and Corey Collymore all recruited to the staff for some stage of the summer.
Sussex are in a commanding position against Nottinghamshire at Hove afterMichael Bevan had hit his second hundred of the match. The home county hasleft the visitors to score 388 tomorrow with all their second-inningswickets in hand.The Australian left-hander, who is rated the best limited-overs batsman in the world, has shown a similar appetite for the championship. His third championship century in consecutive innings and at 174 was his highest score for Sussex (exceeding his 166 in the first innings). This summer Bevan has made 1,667 runs in all competitions. He and Richard Montgomerie have scored 558 runs in this match and have enjoyed stands of 292 and 266.Bevan’s difficult chance to Paul Johnson in the covers when he was the 140was the only chance they gave. Usman Afzaal, an occasional left-arm spinner,dismissed both batsmen. Montgomerie’s sweep lobbed the ball up to thewicketkeeper, and Bevan drove the ball to Jason Gallian at extra-cover.Thereupon Chris Adams declared leaving Nottinhgamshire seven hours to play out which they did in scoring 19. Earlier in the day Nottinghamshire had folded from 240-3 to 265-8 against James Kirtley’s quick bowling. Chris Read and Andrew Harris prevented the possibility of the follow-on. Richard Stemp’s dismissal at 344 prevented the county from winning a final bonus point. Kirtley completed the innings with 6-90.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts has shared his utter disbelief over a major report this week on Antonio Conte’s future.
The Lowdown: Conte clause emerges…
Breaking some significant news, Italian outlet Calciomercato lifted the lid on Conte’s stance over a move to Paris Saint-Germain, whilst also revealing a worrying clause in his Spurs deal.
The 52-year-old can apparently activate an option to leave at the end of this season, even though his deal expires in 2023, with Conte also refusing to rule out a switch to the French capital from N17.
It is believed that PSG contacts have started for the Italian, with Conte ‘not totally opposed’ to the idea of signing a contract at the Parc des Princes.
The Latest: Roberts in disbelief…
Reacting to this news, in an interview with GiveMeSport, Spurs legend Roberts simply can’t believe the alleged existence of such a clause which would allow Conte to quit early. He stated:
“I think they have to buy players, they have to spend money.
“But I can’t believe that we have signed a manager, given him an 18-month contract but we’ve actually signed him for six months and he walks away.
“I don’t know where the club will be after that.”
The Verdict: Who do Spurs turn to?
If the report is indeed true and a clause of that nature does exist, it is believed that former Spurs manager and fan favourite Mauricio Pochettino is the top contender to take over from Conte.
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The Telegraph claimed that chairman Daniel Levy personally has the Argentine on standby in case Tottenham’s fiery head coach does push the ejector button.
Taking this into account, some Lilywhites supporters could take comfort in that reliable update, but the thought of losing Conte may still be a worrying one for many.
In other news: Conte eyeing star with £336m release clause, Spurs could offer out ‘one of the best’…find out more here.
Robin van Persie’s mother and wife have commented that the star striker should stay in north London.
The Netherlands international is in the last year of his contract with the Emirates Stadium club, and has delayed extending his deal with the Gunners.
Arsene Wenger’s men are thought to have offered Van Persie a new lucrative deal that breaks their wage structure, but with Manchester City amongst a number of clubs circling, the Dutch hitman is yet to decide on where he will play his football next term.
However, Van Persie’s mother Jose has told her son to stay with his current employers.
“Arsenal love him and that’s a great incentive to stay. Arsenal are a fantastic club. They have no debts and Robin is idolised there,” she is quoted as saying in The Sun.
Meanwhile, the forward’s wife Bouchra has also called on her husband to remain loyal, especially as their family are settled in London.
“Arsenal showed faith in Robin when he was going through a lean time, so we should not repay them by thinking about other clubs. Our home life and our children are happy in London,” she stated.
Van Persie is thought to be weighing up a £130,000-a-week deal with a £5million re-signing bonus from Arsenal.
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Can we stop the demonisation of Randy Lerner please? As foreign owners go, he seems like one of the better ones. United fans started a new team under Glazer and yellow scarves are prominent at the Stretford End, Sheikh Mansour wants to buy the league without much success, Hicks and Gillett couldn’t have been worse, selling the team to the Boston Red Sox, who promptly gave some of Liverpool to Lebron James as part of a marketing deal, Yeung oversaw a relegation, Venky’s have done nothing yet, ‘just call him Al’ Fayed wants out, the revolving door at Chelsea keeps going round, Kroenke has no control anyway and no-one actually knows who Ellis Short is.
With that dream team of ‘fit and proper persons’, why are Villa fans complaining about Lerner? He gave the Aston Villa fans what they had wanted for years: An end to the Doug Ellis era. He appointed Martin O’Neill as manager and gave him the tools to construct an exciting lineup – trading Baros for Carew and buying Ashley Young for over nine million in his first season, for example.
Some of the signings were terrible and falling out with O’Neill was linked to that and wage inflation, but in the main, Lerner cannot be accused of denying his managers what they want. Delph (£6m), Downing (£10m) and Dunne (£5m) are three examples of solid purchases as Aston Villa remained something of a formidable side, an eleventh and three top six finishes before the ninth placed effort last campaign in what was an eventful season at Villa Park.
When it was going wrong and the club found themselves in 16th, he spent big on Darren Bent as Villa quietly only lost four of their final 15 games. Lerner should be praised for his ambition. Certainly Aston Villa are not the biggest club and there will be always other outfits ready to wave the chequebook at their stars, Ashley Young joining the red side of Manchester, while Milner and Barry went blue but surely there should be an element of faith in the new manager and chairman?
Lerner inherited the Cleveland Browns – essentially the absolute worst franchise in the NFL. Even then, he has tried to turn them into a progressive outfit, without much success in their competitive AFC North division. One tragic example was the signing of Le Charles Bentley – a much coveted lineman. Lerner spent over $30 million on him, only for Bentley to blow his knee out and retire without ever playing a down in the NFL.
Thankfully, while there have been some bad signings, some of the young players that have come through must genuinely excite the Holte End. Agbonlahor and Albrighton are established first teamers, with the likes of Delfouneso, Bannan, Hogg and Ciaran Clark needing a little more seasoning. It would have been easy for Lerner to hand his manager a chunk of his reported $1.5 billion wealth to buy in players, but largely, they have put their faith in youth and with Friedel and Reo-Coker gone, some spending will be inevitable as Villa rebuild around Darren Bent and the kids. With the Wenger driven exception in North London, which other foreign owned club has made youth development as much of a priority?
There has been no mass revolt from one of the better fanbases in the country, small pockets of disgruntled Brummies annoyed that they pinched their rival’s boss, simply because he was a Bluenose. It’s fair to say that rumours of season tickets being burnt and ripped are exaggerated. Who did Villa fans realistically want?
The fact that the stadium has retained the name without some corny sponsorship is a small sign that Lerner appreciates the tradition of English football. This is a man that spent 1983, one year after Aston Villa won the European Cup in England, gaining an appreciation of ‘sawker’ along the way. It should also be applauded that the Villains remain the only Premier League team to donate the lucrative primary shirt sponsor (to children’s hospice Acorns. Does giving up a reported 2.5 million a year sound like an owner who is out to asset strip the club?
So to sum it all up, here is a foreign chairman who spends money on players, the infrastructure of the club, knows the ins and outs of the sport and unique traditions in Britain, constructing a team who have an exciting young, largely British and Irish core and hasn’t neglected his responsibility to the community. Yet he’s being vilified because he went across town to fill their managerial vacancy.
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Really?
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Things keep going from bad to worse on the ticket pricing front. There was a time when working class fathers could afford to take their children to games, when you didn’t have to own stock in NASA to own a season ticket and when you didn’t have to be a Sheikh to be able to afford a decent seat in a decent stadium. Times change however, and the modern ticket prices often leave a sour taste in the mouth.
The news now is that Arsenal are going to be the first club to introduce £100+ non-corporate matchday tickets. These tickets will become available sometime early next year, when the VAT on tickets rises to 20%. This will take the cost of the most expensive non-corporate Emirates ticket from £98.50 (as if this wasn’t bad enough) to £100.60.
The fact of the matter is, Arsenal are pricing a huge percentage of their fans out of the market. It’s a sad situation when genuine fans are sidelined by budgetary constraints, but football is a world that is very much dominated by money. The people controlling Arsenal’s finances don’t care who is filling the stadium, as long as it’s filled and they are able to wring as much money out of it as possible. Yes, there’s the recession to contend with, but that doesn’t make the whole saga any less depressing.
The Chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation, Malcolm Clarke had this to say regarding Arsenal’s ticket re-pricing: “A £100 ticket in the present climate is ridiculous. It is proof that football is not living in the same world as the rest of us. The game has more money going into it than ever before and it is not helping fans. Football is no longer a game that is readily accessible to all sections of the community.”
It’s true that the footballing world seems to have lost touch with commonsense, decency and reality. Football is no longer the game of the working class. Those who can’t afford tickets are forced to huddle round their TVs (having ordered an expensive Sky Sports package) rather than receive the real experience.
Prior to the announcement that Arsenal’s matchday ticket prices were going to change, Arsenal were already the most expensive team to watch in England on a game-to-game basis. That they’ve raised prices once more highlights the financial disarray that the footballing world is in. I wonder if these extravagances will come back to haunt Premier League clubs in the coming years. More and more high quality live streams of football games are becoming available online for free and they are a real nuisance for the authorities to shut down. I don’t condone the watching of illegal live streams, but by pricing fans out of the market, the masses are more likely to try and find the content for free.
I’d like to think that a change will come and that it will be for the better, but let’s face it, ticket prices will continue to rise and things are likely to go from bad to worse.
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