Tag Futebol

New Zealand last got their hands on the trophy in 1999

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2020New Zealand captain Sophie Devine is putting a positive spin on the two-week quarantine period that her team will have to undergo on their tour of Australia. Devine said the isolation will allow the players to spend time together ahead of the limited-overs series starting September 26, and said they were “in a really fortunate position” to be able to get back on the park so soon.”It’s one of the silver linings of this trip,” Devine told NZC just before New Zealand departed for Australia. “It’s not very often that we get to go on an overseas tour and have two weeks preparation leading into the first game. It’s normally a week.”This will be the first time that both teams will play any competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup in March. While men’s international cricket resumed two months ago with West Indies touring England, this marks the first occasion of a top women’s series taking place since the coronavirus-induced pause in world cricket.”We’re really excited to be spending time as a wider group of 17 players… as we’ve been stuck indoors for the last couple of months,” Devine said. “We now have to be at our best to beat the Australian side in Australia.”Australia are the current holders of the T20 World Cup, but Devine put the sides on the same page, with neither having played competitive cricket in the recent past.”Though the lockdown has been different on either side of the Tasman [Sea], none of us have played cricket for quite a while,” Devine said. “So I think it’s a really nice opportunity for us to go out there and hit the Aussies hard.”Australia have dominated bilateral ODI contests against New Zealand over the last two decades, with New Zealand having last won the Rose Bowl (the trophy for ODI series between the two teams) in 1999.”The aim is to certainly to bring back the Rose Bowl,” Devine said. “It’s been close to 20 years now [since] we’ve had it on our side of the Tasman, so that’s going to be a massive motivation for us to go out there and pinch the Rose Bowl back.”

The India batsman is set to play for Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming IPL season

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Aug-2020India batsman Karun Nair has successfully recovered from Covid-19 and is set to travel with the Kings XI Punjab team to the UAE next week to take part in the IPL. ESPNcricinfo understands Nair tested positive for the coronavirus recently, but tested negative on August 8.It is understood Nair went into self-isolation for more than two weeks before clearing the test. Nair will now undergo three further tests as part of the protocol the Kings XI management has laid out for the contingent travelling to the UAE. Only those who clear the testing process will board the flight on August 20. Nair will be part of a small group in Bengaluru that will board a charter flight that will pick up a wider set of players and staff from Delhi.Nair has played 14 games for Kings XI across the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, scoring 306 runs, including two fifties, at a strike rate of 134.80.Nair is the first high-profile Indian cricketer to have had Covid-19. The pandemic has severely affected India, which has had more than 2 million cases so far, the third-highest total globally behind the USA and Brazil. The pandemic has led the BCCI to shift the 2020 IPL season to the UAE.Nair is the second person associated with the IPL to have been affected by Covid-19 after Rajasthan Royals announced on Wednesday that their fielding coach Dishant Yagnik had tested positive for the coronavirus.The IPL has laid out rigorous, mandatory testing processes including multiple tests and a week-long quarantine period upon reaching the UAE before teams can start to train. Also, as per the local government norms, any person entering the UAE would need to carry a negative test result taken in the previous 96 hours.

Foakes’ half-century rallies Surrey from 38 for 3 but they still trail by 156 runs

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2019A classy 57 by Ben Foakes stood out in testing batting conditions on a weather-affected second day at Guildford, in which Surrey reached 188 for 5 in reply to Somerset’s 344.Only 36.2 overs were bowled before bad light and rain cut short proceedings from shortly after 2pm until 5.30pm, when a further 18.4 overs were possible, but Foakes’ half-century rallied Surrey from the depths of 38 for 3 in a fourth-wicket partnership worth 81 in 22 overs with Scott Borthwick.Borthwick’s two and a half hours of resistance eventually ended, after a 118-ball 36, in that tricky final session when he nicked a push-drive at a ball from Craig Overton. All-rounder Ryan Patel, however, contributed a punchy 40 not out from 69 balls, as sunshine warmed the early evening’s play, while Will Jacks hung on to remain unbeaten on 13.Foakes hit ten fours in a fine 70-ball effort, before edging the pacy Jamie Overton to keeper Steven Davies two overs before the players left the field 5.2 overs into the afternoon session. Overton had figures of 2 for 20 from 6.2 overs when the players left the field but Patel took three fours in an over off the fast bowler when play resumed – two thumping square cuts and a rasping extra cover drive – to spoil his figures somewhat.The Overton twins and Jack Brooks had all earlier struck with the new ball in the day’s opening hour, after Surrey had resumed their first innings on 0 for 0. Overcast conditions encouraged a five-pronged Somerset seam attack but Mark Stoneman started brightly, hitting three offside fours and a pick-up six off Craig Overton.After reaching 21 from 22 balls, though, left-hander Stoneman played no stroke at a ball from Brooks which swung in wickedly late to pluck out his off stump.Burns, who laboured for 39 balls to make just 2, then drove loosely at Craig Overton to give Marcus Trescothick a sharp catch at second slip and Dean Elgar soon joined his captain in the pavilion when he was out for 1 to Jamie Overton’s first ball of the match.Having replaced his brother in the attack, Overton swung a good length ball back into Elgar’s pads and won the leg-before appeal. It was also his first ball in championship cricket this season for Somerset, although he took six wickets in the second division for Northamptonshire late last month during a short loan spell.Foakes counter-attacked with some high-quality strokes, including one powerful pull for four off Jamie Overton and, later, there was another meaty pull to the boundary when Jack Leach’s left-arm spin was introduced just before lunch.Borthwick, by contrast, was more circumspect in the testing conditions but he did drive Tim Groenewald through extra cover for four with a flourish in the morning session.On 23 when bad light and then rain intervened, he hit one more lovely cover driven four off Brooks before being dismissed, leaving Patel and Jacks to make sure Surrey did not lose another wicket before stumps. Craig Overton, who finished the day with figures of 15-8-26-2, was the pick of Somerset’s bowlers.

Sri Lanka’s No. 3 also said they wouldn’t have crashed if they had played to a better plan

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo24-Nov-2018Sure Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid were bowling aggressively either side of tea, but did Sri Lanka’s batsmen really have to play the attacking shots they did? Could they not have hunkered down, left the deliveries that weren’t on target, and seen out that testing passage of play?If you are wondering something along these lines after watching Sri Lanka lose their last eight wickets for 67 runs, you are not alone. Sri Lanka’s No. 3, Dhananjaya de Silva, who made 73 before the collapse, has asked the same quesitons. It was de Silva’s wicket, with the score on 173, that had precipitated the almighty fall.”When we were 173 for 1 and then I got out, I don’t think the others were able to take the game forward as much as they could have,” de Silva said. “When they tried to attack us, we went to our attacking shots. I don’t think that was a good option at the time.”Among those who fell playing attacking shots were Angelo Mathews, who edged a hook to the wicketkeeper, Niroshan Dickwella, who was caught down leg trying to glance Stokes to the boundary, and Kusal Mendis, who tried to pull out of a late cut against Rashid, but managed only to send the ball off the face of the bat to Stokes at slip.”Our batting was very weak. But even more than that they bowled really well with a plan. They dried up the boundaries and bowled aggressively. If we had played to a better plan, we wouldn’t have crashed like this.”Poor “option-taking” has been a buzzword for Sri Lanka right through the series, in which batsmen who have got themselves in on tough pitches have failed to contend with the various challenges England’s attack has posed. Sri Lanka’s coaches have tried to hammer in lessons about playing to the situation over the past few weeks, but this wisdom has not been absorbed, de Silva said.”Taking the wrong option at the wrong time is what has cost us. The batsmen should put a price on their wicket. When you play Tests, you have to spend time and try and tire out the opposition. Then only the runs start to come. We have to think about all of that. The batsmen have to come up with those solutions themselves. No matter what someone else tells us, it’s the batsmen’s own mistake. They have to figure it out.”

Given Lions’ desperation for stability following a season in which they have lost five players to corruption-related bans, Cook’s all-format appointment comes as an obvious choice

Firdose Moonda07-Aug-2017South Africa’s discarded Test opener Stephen Cook is set for a bumper summer at home. Not only has Cook been included in the South Africa A side to play India A in a bid to reclaim his Test place, but he will also captain his domestic franchise, the Lions, in all three formats.At face value, that may present an immediate contradiction. If Cook is able to get back into the national team, he will leave his franchise without a leader. Considering Aiden Markram is the favourite to take over from Heino Kuhn as Test opener, and the Lions’ desperation for stability following a season in which they lost five players to corruption-related bans, Cook is an obvious choice. He has led the team in first-class cricket before, but had not been a regular member of the white-ball teams. Now though, he has been confirmed as a participant in all three formats.”We have been impressed with the manner in which Stephen has been able to head up the team […] it is aligned to our brand and is themed with discipline, diligence and a fighting spirit,” Dr Oupa Nkagisang, chairman of the Lions’ board said. “We are clear in our goal to improve on the performance of last season and to put the loss of experienced players behind us. On paper, we have a talented squad that can go head-to-head with the best out there and we are relying on Stephen and the coaching squad to ensure that the performance on the field resembles that.”The Lions went without a trophy last season and have struggled for consistency amid a glut of player departures. Apart from those who were involved in the Ram-Slam corruption saga, Lions also lost Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris to the Titans since both live in Pretoria; and Temba Bavuma has returned to his home in the Cape. For the coming season, they have acquired the services of Omphile Ramela and Beuran Hendricks from the Cobras, and Craig Alexander from the Dolphins. Cook hopes Lions’ transition phase is ending.”We have had time to recover from the movement of players and just seeing the incredible players coming through our ranks, the time is right for us to execute our skills and be a formidable opponent,” he said.Still, the Lions have some uncertainty over personnel as they enter the home summer. Their coach Geoffrey Toyana applied for, and was interviewed for the position of South Africa head coach, until Ottis Gibson’s name was mentioned. Up until that point, Toyana was considered to be the favourite for the post. Toyana has been with the squad during the pre-season, but he may still be lost to the Lions given he could become the national assistant coach. The Lions have recently appointed a batting coach, Justin Sammons, and there is talk the national under-19 coach, Lawrence Mahatlane, may be on their radar as well.

Australia captain Steven Smith has hinted that David Warner could have a fluid batting position in the World T20 despite his recent success at No.4

Arun Venugopal in Kolkata12-Mar-2016Australia captain Steven Smith has hinted that David Warner could have a fluid batting position in the World T20 despite his recent success at No.4. Australia experimented with Warner in the middle order in the T20I series against South Africa and reaped instant rewards. In the second T20I, he smashed 77 off 40 balls in Johannesburg and was involved in a record 161-run stand with Glenn Maxwell as Australia nailed a chase of 205. Warner’s role in the decider in Cape Town was also crucial, as his 27-ball 33 complemented Smith’s knock in propelling the team towards the target of 179.Australia tried out three different opening combinations in South Africa using Aaron Finch, Shane Watson and Usman Khawaja with varying degree of success. Smith also suggested that the batting order could be altered to facilitate a left-right combination in spin-friendly conditions. By Khawaja’s own admission, he isn’t a certainty in the playing XI but Smith asserted that Australia’s batting order wasn’t cast in stone. “We have obviously got a lot of guys that can bat at the top of the order and he [Warner] has fitted in quite well at No.4,” Smith told reporters at his arrival press conference in Kolkata.”That doesn’t mean he’s going to bat at No.4 in this tournament. I think for us it’s about being flexible and summing up the conditions and who we are playing against and try to match up as well as we can. But he certainly did a very good job at No.4 as well.”Australia have tried out a number of players before eventually settling on the fifteen they have for the World T20. There is a fair bit of inexperience in the squad as well with Peter Nevill, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa having a collective experience of six T20Is. Smith, however, reckoned a “squad mentality” would help overcome such limitations and that the 2-1 series victory in South Africa was perfect preparation ahead of the World T20.”We feel pretty settled. We have got 15 guys that can give this tournament a real shake, and I thought we played some pretty good cricket over in South Africa to win that series there,” Smith said. “South Africa produced some wickets that sort of replicated these conditions as much as they could which was nice and guys have stepped up and are in good form.”We’ve got a good squad together and it’s going to take squad mentality for us to do well in this tournament. Selecting the best XI comes down to a lot of different things – who we think is going to be best suited for each opposition at each ground we play at. I think we’ve got 15 guys that can all do a job in these conditions.”Smith also defended the inexperience in his spin attack and was particularly pleased with Zampa’s evolution as a leg spinner. Zampa is yet to take a wicket in two T20 internationals but he bowled economically in South Africa, giving away only 6.12 runs an over.”I don’t think our young spinners are a weakness at all. They are very confident in the skill sets and they have proven themselves and have bowled really well in the big games,” he said. ” I think he [Zampa] has improved a lot over the last couple of years. I thought he bowled beautifully in South Africa, thought he bowled really well in the ODIs he played in NZ as well.”I’ve seen him play for a long time. I know his skill set very well. That helps a little bit when you’re captaining someone you’ve pretty close to. He’s got a lot of variations, he reads the batsmen very well which is very important in this format of the game and he is very confident in his skill sets. Hope he can have a good tournament for us.”

The 11,337 people who showed up at the ANZ Stadium tonight in western Sydney were treated to the Chris Gayle Show

Alex Malcolm23-Dec-2011
ScorecardThe 11,337 people who showed up at the ANZ Stadium tonight in western Sydney were treated to the Chris Gayle Show. In a brutal display of power hitting, Gayle clubbed an unbeaten 100 off 54 balls to help Sydney Thunder chase down 156 against Adelaide Strikers. The West Indian smashed three fours and 11 sixes, breaking his own record for the number of sixes hit in an Australian domestic T20 innings.In reality the match was a tough sell. The Strikers travelled without their biggest star Kieron Pollard, out of the tournament with a hamstring injury, while the Thunder’s captain and first match centurion, David Warner, is away on national duty.The Strikers did cause some concerns though. Gayle faced just six deliveries between the 12th and 16th overs. The Strikers removed Ben Dunk for 8 when he holed out needlessly off Johan Botha with 59 needed from 45 balls. Craig Philipson then faced eight deliveries for just two runs, seven of them consecutively. Such was the demand for Gayle, that Philipson was booed by his own crowd when he could not get off the strike.Eventually, Philipson was bowled by Aaron O’Brien, the left-arm orthodox spinner, who took 3 for 26 in an impressive spell. But the 15th over was O’Brien’s last.By the conclusion of the 16th over, Strikers captain Michael Klinger had a problem. Both O’Brien and Kane Richardson were bowled out, whilst Botha and Alfonso Thomas each had only one over left. Klinger’s fifth bowler, Bryce McGain had conceded 21 in two earlier overs with Gayle smashing him into the stands three times.Klinger instead gambled with the very part-time offspin of Cameron Borgas and Gayle made him pay. He smashed three consecutive sixes, one which travelled 105m, to take the required run-rate from nine-an-over down to five, and the victory was a mere formality from there. Klinger looked helpless, probably wishing he could have placed fielders in the stands.All that was left was for Gayle to bring up his first Twenty20 hundred in Australia, and his sixth in the format worldwide.Given Gayle’s performance it was unlikely that any target the Strikers set would have been defendable, however, 155 was never going to be enough.Adelaide slumped to 4 for 52 in the ninth over and never really recovered. A brief salvage effort was mounted by Botha (41) and Borgas (24) so help steer the Strikers to a middling total. But they struggled to conquer a versatile Thunder attack. Teenager Sean Abbott was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 20 while Fidel Edwards generated good pace collecting 2 for 35.In the end though, the night was all about one man.

Rahul Dravid believes day/night Test cricket can be part of the future having experienced first-hand MCC’s experiment with pink balls in Abu Dhabi

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2011Rahul Dravid believes day/night Test cricket can be part of the future having experienced first-hand MCC’s experiment with pink balls under floodlights in Abu Dhabi. Dravid hit 106 in the second innings against Nottinghamshire and was impressed with his first sighting of the different coloured ball as MCC continue their trials into floodlit first-class matches.Dravid’s first attempt ended with a second-ball duck on the opening day when he was trapped lbw by Luke Fletcher but he had much more success second time around. It was a valuable experience for Dravid, who is also part of the MCC World Cricket Committee which is pushing for day/night Tests.”There is definitely a future for day-night Test and first-class cricket,” Dravid said. “I think there are a few further tweaks that need to be made, and it would be beneficial to play some more trial matches at different venues and in different conditions, but as with any new innovation administrators and the players will need to take a leap of faith at some point.”When the pink ball was first used in the corresponding fixture last year there was criticism about the colour of the seam which has been modified by the manufactures Kookaburra. Dravid said for the most part he had no problems picking up the ball although, a little like day/night one-day cricket, the twilight period was a little tricky.”The 30-40 minutes when the natural light starts to fade, and the lights begin to take effect are challenging, and batting does become a little bit more difficult – but once you get through this period sighting the ball is quite easy,” he said. “If you are established at the crease it is not such a problem, and for a new batsman starting his innings, it is really just something to keep in mind. With practice players will learn to adapt to the challenge, and tactics will start to come into play, which can only add interest.”

James Anderson hopes his return to the England team can help turn around their poor one-day form which has left them in a must-win situation heading into the fourth ODI at Adelaide

Andrew McGlashan in Adelaide24-Jan-2011James Anderson hopes his return to the England team can help turn around their poor one-day form which has left them in a must-win situation heading into the fourth ODI at Adelaide. Anderson arrived back in Australia at the weekend following a post-Ashes break back home that left the visitors with a second-string attack.Along with Anderson’s absence for the first three matches, Stuart Broad is also out injured while Graeme Swann hasn’t played the last two games due to a knee problem and has also suffered a back spasm. Tim Bresnan has now been forced out of the series with a calf strain so Anderson’s return will be a timely boost for the squad. However, he still has to show he’s over the effects of another long journey before taking his place.”To be honest we’ll just see how the next couple of days go,” he said. “I’ll practice tomorrow [Tuesday] and if I come through practice I’ll certainly be putting my name forward for selection.”I’d like to think I bring some energy with both my bowling and fielding. I don’t think we are that far away having seen the first three games. We aren’t far away from a win and turning the momentum around.”Energy has been a buzzword for England in this series. It’s one of the reasons Matt Prior was recalled to the World Cup squad because of the part he plays in the fielding unit and it was noticeable on Sunday, at the SCG, how Paul Collingwood, who replaced the injured Kevin Pietersen, tried to get under Australia’s skin.The end result, though, hasn’t proved very effective although the depleted bowling attack has done a reasonable job only to be let down by some poor batting in the last two matches. But despite the scoreline, and the prospect of conceding the series very early, Anderson insists the squad are as buoyant as when he departed in the afterglow of the Ashes.”I know we are 3-0 down but the dressing room seems just as positive as when I left,” he said. “They are still in good spirits. We know we are just one game away from turning the momentum around. We are looking to Wednesday to be a good all-round performance with both bat and ball.”Anderson has twice benefited from England’s rotation policy, firstly last winter when he missed the tour of Bangladesh and now this latest break. He was the stand-out bowler during the Ashes, sending down 213 overs in the five Tests for 24 wickets, so was grateful of the down time and believes the current injury problems show how important it is to factor in these periods of rest.”It was nice to get a break. My body certainly needed it after the Test series,” he said. “As you’ve seen we’ve got a couple of injuries at the minute. It’s crucial that we go into the World Cup with a full-strength squad. The management have made good decisions in the past resting players so I’m sure they are going to do exactly the same leading up to the World Cup.”England will again have to consider the balance of their side at Adelaide because, for two matches running, they have not had the ideal attack for conditions. In Hobart they were a quick bowler short then they strengthened that department on a slow pitch at the SCG where James Tredwell could have been useful.Spin is likely to play a role in this match, but Anderson has fond memories of what a swing bowler can do following his Test performance. His first-morning burst when he removed Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to leave Australia 3 for 2 set England on their way to victory. They are desperate for something similar again from their leading bowler.

Babar, Rizwan add 150 for first wicket, before Shaheen Shah Afridi stars with three wickets

Valkerie Baynes16-Jul-2021Liam Livingstone scored England’s fastest T20I century in vain as Pakistan won a thrilling contest by 31 runs to go 1-0 up in their three-match series at Trent Bridge.Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided Pakistan to their highest T20I total of 232 for 6 with a 150-run opening partnership, Pakistan’ssecond-highest for any wicket in this format.It meant England had to better their highest T20I score while chasing and Livingstone did his utmost to try and get them there, his 42-ball hundred beating Dawid Malan’s 48-ball century against New Zealand in 2019. But with his dismissal, they fell short, bowled out for 201. Livingstone struck nine sixes and six fours but, after Pakistan had reduced England to 48 for 3, their bowlers continued to take wickets at regular enough intervals to dent the hosts’ run-rate, which had been superior for significant periods. Shaheen Shah Afridi was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 30 off 3.2 overs and he was excellent in the field.Pakistan didn’t get off to a blazing start. On the contrary, by the end of the powerplay, they were 49 for 0 and it wasn’t until the 12th over that they struck their first six. They went on to score 12 in all, equalling Pakistan’s record against Bangladesh in 2007.Rizwan was still scoring at a run a ball by the end of the eighth over but the 12th over – when he and Azam each struck sixes off Matt Parkinson in the space of three balls – signalled an acceleration. Pakistan ended up scoring 152 runs of the last 10 overs, their middle order maintaining the momentum even after Azam fell for a 49-ball 85 and Rizwan for 63 from 41.

Azam on a roll

His 158 had set Pakistan up to avoid being swept 3-0 in the ODI series before James Vince and Lewis Gregory trumped his effort, and Azam continued his fine form. He struck three consecutive fours off David Willey in the third over of the match, steering him through the covers before advancing down the pitch to send the ball over long-on and then flicking through midwicket with imperious timing. On the last ball of the over, he survived an England appeal for lbw and their subsequent review when he was given not out, replays showing the ball was missing leg stump.Eoin Morgan brought Livingstone on in the ninth over, but it backfired when he conceded 11 runs, including back-to-back fours to Rizwan. The 12th over, bowled by Parkinson, went for 18, Azam cracking a shot over the midwicket boundary and Rizwan going flat and hard in the same direction. Azam went over the fence at long-on twice more, off Parkinson and Gregory, amid a total of eight fours. He finally fell swinging at a wide, full delivery from Willey which Jonny Bairstow took behind the stumps. Initially given not out, England’s review was successful when UltraEdge revealed a clear spike for bat on ball.Sohaib Maqsood contributed 19 runs off seven balls, Fakhar Zaman 26 off just eight – including three sixes off Saqib Mahmood in the 18th over – and Mohammad Hafeez 24 off 10 to keep Pakistan tracking in the right direction.

Catches, winning matches and all that

England were well ahead of the required run-rate at the end of the powerplay, having scored 20 more runs than Pakistan to that point, but wickets were the problem and some excellent fielding from the visiting side was responsible.Afridi’s gem of a return catch sent Malan packing for just 1, as he dived forward on his follow-through to grab the ball low to the ground. Imad Wasim’s take to dismiss Bairstow, also off Afridi, was straightforward in comparison, but then came Haris Rauf’s miraculous effort at cow corner to remove Moeen Ali. Having skied Mohammad Hasnain in that direction, Moeen could only watch as Rauf – and Maqsood – were lucky not to be injured as they both ran for the ball. Rauf ended up in Maqsood’s lap as he leapt with two hands and both fell to the ground, Rauf crucially holding the ball to leave England wobbling on 48 for 3.

Livingstone lights it up

Jason Roy looked the man most likely to go big for England, racing to 32 off just 13 balls as wickets fell around him. But when Roy was out edging Shadab Khan to Azam at deep point, Livingstone stepped in. Playing just his sixth international T20, Livingstone raced to a half-century off just 17 balls, England’s fastest fifty in T20Is.His striking was immaculate and power immense as he pummelled nine sixes in all. Having seen Hasnain tip his leading edge off Rauf over the rope at third man, he then sent Rauf into the stands over deep square leg. Livingstone punished a couple of Shadab long-hops before punching him down the ground twice more. His drive into the stands at cow corner off Rauf took him to 97 off 41 and within reach of the England record. Livingstone’s almighty drive over long-on off Shadab to bring up his hundred was to be his last. He skied the very next ball in the same direction but picked out Afridi on the boundary’s edge. Needing 44 off the last three overs, the task proved too much for the England tail.With Eoin Morgan having said that England would use this series to assess fringe players ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year, Livingstone showed there is nothing “fringe” about him.