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Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, one of the co-owners of the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise, is planning to go to court next week in a late bid to revive the team

Tariq Engineer03-Feb-2012Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, one of the co-owners of the terminated Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise, is planning to go to court next week in a late bid to revive the team. The Kochi franchise was annulled by the BCCI in September 2011 for their failure to provide a fresh bank guarantee to the board.”Monday or Tuesday we will file a case in court,” Prashanth Mishra, a Rendezvous official, told ESPNcricinfo. “We want to be a part of IPL season 5.”However, since the termination the BCCI has not only cashed the existing bank guarantee, worth approximately $30.39 million, but has also included a number of former Tuskers players in Saturday’s player auction. That means even if the court were to grant a stay on Kochi’s termination, they would still be without players.When asked why the company had waited so long before deciding to file a case, Mishra said their intention had always been to try and get the team reinstated, but that it took them longer than expected to get a new bank guarantee in place. “We wanted to make sure we have no problems in terms of funds, so that we can run the franchise for many years to come.” He also said it would be inappropriate to discuss their plans on how they would sign players at this stage, but did say the owners were resigned to losing some of their key players from last year.The company is banking on the court following the precedents set in the cases involving the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, which were both terminated by the BCCI in 2010. The franchises’ respective owners went to court fairly soon after, with the Bombay High Court granting a stay on their termination and allowing them to play in the 2011 tournament while their cases were referred to arbitration. Rendezvous had wanted to file a petition before the auction, in order to prevent their players from being sold to other franchises, but Mishra said they were unable to get it done in time.Should Rendezvous go to court as planned, it will be the latest in a list of cases filed against the BCCI over the IPL, following the Royals and Kings XI Punjab and the former IPL chairman, Lalit Modi, who went to court repeatedly in a bid to halt the board’s disciplinary procedures against him, although unsuccessfully.In order to bolster their efforts, representatives from Rendezvous have met the chief minister and sports minister of Kerala to ask for support in their efforts to save the franchise. They have also approached the Kerala Cricket Association for their support. “[Rendezvous] is confident that it will be successful in getting the team to play this season,” the company said in a statement, “and we would like to promise the state of Kerala that we will take any possible steps to keep the team alive.”

Hampshire and Warwickshire’s relegation and promotion hopes still remain in the balance after an arduous second day’s play in their County Championship Division One clash at the Rose Bowl

13-Sep-2011
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Shivnarine Chanderpaul ground Hampshire down with 171•AFPHampshire and Warwickshire’s relegation and promotion hopes still remain in the balance after an arduous second day’s play in their County Championship Division One clash at the Rose Bowl.Hampshire’s slim hopes of surviving in the top division of English first-class cricket are now dependent on them claiming maximum batting points and forcing an unlikely win over high-flying Warwickshire after fellow basement battlers Worcestershire gained a solitary batting bonus point in their clash with Durham.Title-chasing Warwickshire, meanwhile, for whom a win would guarantee the championship, will now have one eye on the progress of top-of-the-table rivals Lancashire, who could yet pip them to the title if they can defeat Somerset and Warwickshire fail to see off their hosts.Away from the calculations at both ends of the table, on the pitch at the Rose Bowl on the second day, Warwickshire, resuming on 296 for 3, went past 300 to gain their third batting point. However, they lost their fourth wicket soon after, when skipper Jim Troughton nicked Dimitri Mascarenhas behind to keeper Michael Bates with the score on 303.Bates was again in the action when young seamer Chris Wood drew an edge from keeper Tim Ambrose to leave the Bears on 345 for 5. And Wood struck again just 12 runs later, when he forced former England man Rikki Clarke to play on for just 8.But while Hampshire launched a spirited fightback, overseas star Shivnarine Chanderpaul remained an immovable object at the other end, moving serenely and unhurriedly to his 150, thanks to three sixes and a staggering 20 fours. A short but heavy downpour after lunch briefly threatened to leave both sides stymied, but play finally resumed just after 2.30pm, after which Chanderpaul was finally dismissed, falling lbw to Liam Dawson for 171.That brought Chris Metters to the crease with allrounder Chris Woakes and the pair formed a frustrating partnership, which led the Bears from 409 for 7 to 478 for 8 when Woakes finally fell for a brisk 62 from 99 balls, caught by Jimmy Adams off young spinner Danny Briggs. The last two wickets fell quickly, Metters falling to Wood, after the paceman had helped to run out on-loan quick Chris Wright, to close the visitors’ innings on 493.Hampshire, knowing they must score at least 344 to avoid the follow-on and even more if they are to bag the win they need – began in fine form, opener Adams and Dawson moving without alarm to their half-century partnership inside 17 overs, before finally closing the day on 57 without loss.

Queensland’s bowlers defended a mediocre total grandly to shut out New South Wales and maintain the Bulls’ unbeaten start to the summer in the domestic limited overs match in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2011
ScorecardAlister McDermott formed part of an impressively even Queensland attack•Getty ImagesQueensland’s bowlers defended a mediocre total grandly to shut out New South Wales and maintain the Bulls’ unbeaten start to the summer in the domestic limited overs match in Brisbane.The Blues would have considered themselves well placed when the hosts were bowled out for 221, the left-arm quick Mitchell Starc claiming 5-39 with a combination of speed, swing and bounce.But the Bulls maintained the fine balance between flair and determination that has hallmarked the team under the coaching of Darren Lehmann this season when they defended the target.The left-arm spinner Brad Ipson shared the new ball with Alister McDermott and claimed the first wicket when Daniel Smith drove too hastily. McDermott followed up with the wicket of Tim Cruickshank, bowled while attempting to pull, and the rest faded away.Some late hitting by Starc allowed him to claim the match award, but the smiles were all Queensland’s.

Andrew White’s unbeaten century led a fighting Ireland to a first-innings lead on the second day against Namibia at Stormont

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew White’s unbeaten century led a fighting Ireland to a first-innings lead on the second day against Namibia at Stormont.The bowlers had dominated the first day with 14 wickets falling and Namibia the happier of the sides but White found the right moment to produce his fifth first-class century. Things didn’t start well for the home side as Kevin O’Brien added just six more to his overnight total before falling. O’Brien is captaining the weakened Ireland side but the responsibilities of leadership clearly didn’t inhibit his aggressive style as he struck four fours and a six in his 38-ball stay.At 85 for 5 Ireland were in something nearing crisis when John Mooney joined White. Mooney was typically combative and the pair began laying the foundations for recovery. They added 69 with Mooney making 44 from 58 balls before driving crisply towards extra cover, where Gerhard Erasmus pulled off an excellent diving catch.When Stuart Poynter was bowled second ball it looked like the recovery was stalling but George Dockrell rode to the rescue. In his short Ireland career he has repeatedly impressed with the ball – collecting his first five-wicket haul on the first day – but this was the first time he’d shown talent with the bat.Dockrell dug in to support White and made his first first-class half century. His 53 came from 96 balls with eight fours and he helped add 100 runs for the eighth wicket with White that took Ireland into the lead. Eventually he fell sweeping but his job was done. White, at the other end, found enough support to register his century and finished unbeaten on 123, having faced 213 balls.In a batting line-up missing a clutch of first-choice players due to county commitments, his innings was vital. It looked as though Ireland would follow their fighting batting with quick wickets when Graeme McCarter jagged one back to a shotless Pikki ya France but Christ Viljoen and Stephanus Ackermann held fort in contrasting styles.Ackermann shut up shop – making 7 from 61 painstaking deliveries – while Viljoen blazed merrily. He made 48 from 49 balls to bring Namibia back ahead before the day was out.

County Championship Division Two leaders Northamptonshire were left frustrated as the second day of their top-of-the-table clash against Glamorgan

30-May-2011
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County Championship Division Two leaders Northamptonshire were left frustrated as the second day of their top-of-the-table clash against Glamorgan at Wantage Road was washed out without a ball being bowled.Rain fell persistently throughout the day and umpires Richard Illingworth and Rob Bailey decided to abandon the prospect of play for the day at 3pm.Northamptonshire will look to press home their advantage tomorrow when they resume on 325 for 3 with centurion Rob White unbeaten on 101 and wicketkeeper David Murphy on 12 not out.Glamorgan will try to finally make inroads into the Northamptonshire batting line-up after being made to toil on the first day, with only paceman Chris Ashling (2 for 74) having any success.

Jack Brooks took four wickets as Northamptonshire romped to an innings victoryover Kent on the third day of their County Championship Division Two matchat Wantage Road

16-Apr-2011
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Jack Brooks took four wickets as Northamptonshire romped to an innings victoryover Kent on the third day of their County Championship Division Two matchat Wantage Road.Northamptonshire added 51 to their overnight score before being bowled out for480 with their captain Andrew Hall eventually departing for 146 off 297 ballsand Simon Cook taking 3 for 72.Brooks then ripped through the Kent top order on his way to 4 for 36 asKent were skittled out for 119 to go down by an innings and 159 runs.Northamptonshire started the day on 429 for 7, 227 runs ahead of theiropponents, with with Hall resuming on 141 and James Middlebrook on 50. Hall added five to his overnight total before his brilliant innings came to an end when he was superbly caught by substitute fielder Ashley Shaw at mid-wicket off the bowling of Robbie Joseph.Lee Daggett made 14 before he walked after edging edged Cook to Kentwicketkeeper Geraint Jones. Cook then ended the innings when he forced Brooks to nudge him to James Tredwell at first slip for a duck.That left Middlebrook unbeaten on 74 off 122 balls with his knock including sixfours and four sixes. Trailing by 278, Kent’s second innings got off to a catastrophic start when Joe Denly (five) edged Chaminda Vaas to wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien in just the thirdover.Captain Rob Key followed him cheaply in the next over after scoring just twowhen he slashed Brooks recklessly to Hall at first slip. And the visitors were left floundering on 15 for three when Brooks’ searing delivery clipped Sam Northeast’s off stump to send him back for seven.Amazingly, it was 25 for 5 at lunch with Brooks on fire again when he forcedJones to edge to edge behind for three before Vaas took out Martin vanJaarsveld’s off stump.Kent’s woes continued in the third over of the afternoon when Darren Stevenswas trapped lbw by Brooks off the first delivery he faced. Daggett was brought into the attack in the 22nd over and he ended Alex Blake’s resistance on 18 by forcing him to fend to David Sales at second slip.Stephen Peters then took a superb one-handed catch at short mid-on to dismissMatt Coles off Daggett before Middlebrook pinned Cook lbw, both batsmen fallingfor 13.Victory for Northamptonshire was then secured when Tredwell, who made abattling 35, launched Alex Wakely straight to Middlebrook at point.

Michael Clarke is prepared for even more criticism in his latest role, but he knows captaining Australia is about achieving good results rather than winning the popular vote

Peter English30-Dec-2010Michael Clarke is prepared for even more criticism in his latest role, but he knows captaining Australia is about achieving good results rather than winning the popular vote. Clarke, who takes over from the injured Ricky Ponting for the SCG Test, is an easy target for critics who snipe about his A-list lifestyle and accuse him of being soft.The off-field matters are not a cricket concern, but everything has been magnified since he has moved to No.4 and entered a worrying form slump. “Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion,” Clarke said after becoming Australia’s 43rd Test captain. “It’s great to see the board and Cricket Australia continue to support me and give me this opportunity. For me it’s about doing whatever I can to help this team win this Test match and level this Ashes series.”While he polls poorly in tabloid newspaper surveys, Clarke is a hugely marketable figure among higher demographics for his style and sporting ability. “It’s part and parcel of what we do now as a professional cricketer,” he said. “You spend a lot of time in the media, so for me I’ve copped criticism throughout my whole career, and it’s no different now.”Clarke, 29, was anointed for Test captaincy before he had played a first-class game, but the last six months have been particularly rocky for someone who was preordained as a leader. He has managed only 322 runs at 21.46 in eight Tests after shifting from No.5.With the associated waves of criticism, his failures made it seem like he subconsciously didn’t want the job he had been groomed for. This week there is no choice. It is Clarke or nobody. Everyone has to get used to the idea that a boy from Sydney’s western suburbs, who now lives across from Bondi Beach, is holding the second-most treasured job in Australia. Clarke has captained the country in 36 limited-overs matches and Ponting said he had already been “a great leader”.There have been regular gripes, in public discussions and private whispers, about Clarke’s high-flying activities and speculation about his influence on young team-mates. He and Simon Katich had a dressing-room fight early in 2009 and older players such as Matthew Hayden, who is on the Cricket Australia board which approved the nomination, have highlighted his Generation Y behaviour. All but two of the men he will lead at the SCG will be in their 20s. He is the captain of the future.Ponting said there was no issue about Clarke being popular among the squad and believed he was capable of handling the extra pressure. “All this dressing-room stuff that’s been in the media and in the papers hasn’t ever been around our rooms at all,” Ponting said. “Everyone he’s played with, and who will play under him this week, he’ll have their total support.”Like Ponting, Clarke has been struggling for runs in this series, and he has been told he must first concentrate on his own game before worrying about the direction of the team. “When it’s your turn to get out there and do the job with the bat or to do whatever you need to as captain, you pay full attention to that,” Ponting said. “It’s nothing new for Michael. He’s been there and done that and he’ll enjoy the week.”Clarke has been Ponting’s deputy since the West Indies tour of 2008 and while the 36-year-old will be on hand to offer advice in Sydney, he won’t be telling his replacement what to do. “Michael and I have worked together very closely for a number of years now, so he’s going to do things his way and that’s the way I want him to do it,” Ponting said. Both players hope Clarke’s elevation is temporary.

Arsenal are one of three top clubs who are reportedly interested in signing Leicester City’s Belgian sensation Youri Tielemans.

That is according to none other than Fabrizio Romano, who has boosted the Gunners’ hopes in securing the 25-year-old, having stated on Twitter that “Arsenal are discussing Tielemans internally since January.”

As if the reliability of Romano was not enough, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has entered the rumour mill with a report which will surely have Arsenal fans excited.

On Twitter, alongside a link to his latest report, Ornstein said: “AFC decision makers all keen to sign Youri Tielemans + agent dialogue encouraging so far.”

Whilst Arteta will be keen to wrap up a deal for the 25-year-old in order to improve the Gunners’ depth issue in midfield, fans may well be excited at the Belgian’s resemblance to Cesc Fabregas.

With the strength of his link-up play, defensive astuteness and ability to contribute with attacking returns, Tielemans may well provide a modern-day influence to Arsenal similar to what the Spaniard exerted in the Emirates Stadium’s early years.

The Belgian, who has been dubbed “scary” by Sam Dean and a “genius” by Roger Bennett, is capable of fitting into the one-touch possession focus that Arteta looks to employ at Arsenal. Also, he is more capable of progressing the ball than the likes of Thomas Partey, who is evidently more defensive-minded than the Belgian.

Partey’s match average of 12.8 touches in the attacking third, in comparison to Tielemans’ average of 19.86, is demonstrative of what kind of style those players would bring to the team.

In the context of styles, Arteta will have surely taken influence from Pep Guardiola’s ideology at Manchester City, in which he ensures that he has a different style for each position. For instance, on the right wing, he has an inverted winger in Riyad Mahrez, an inside forward in Gabriel Jesus and a wide man in Raheem Sterling who can help to spread the play.

Arteta can look to implement this throughout the Arsenal engine room with a player like the £40m-rated Tielemans, who can offer the b0x-to-box midfielder element that the Gunners have been missing.

In other news: “Arsenal are..”: Romano drops exciting transfer claim that’ll leave supporters buzzing