Tag Futebol

A year on from cricket’s most shocking and deadly event, match-referee Chris Broad, who survived the harrowing Lahore terror attack, said the sport’s hierarchies cannot afford to become complacent

Richard Sydenham03-Mar-2010A year on from cricket’s most shocking and deadly event, match-referee Chris Broad, who survived the harrowing Lahore terror attack, said the sport’s hierarchies cannot afford to become complacent regarding security. If they slack in their efforts, Broad fears the terrorists will return.Broad, 52, was caught in the now infamous terrorist ambush on March 3 last year, when the match officials’ bus and that of the Sri Lanka team, en route from their hotel to the Gaddafi Stadium was shot at by masked gunmen. The driver of Broad’s vehicle was killed and reserve umpire Ahsan Raza took a bullet, but has now recovered. Several Sri Lanka players were injured in the attack. Broad later said that the passengers in his bus were left “like sitting ducks” and he felt let down by security that had been assured them.”The third of the third ’09 will be with me until I die,” Broad told Cricinfo. “It was an unhappy day, not only for me but for the rest of the playing control team over there and the Sri Lankan team. It will be cricket’s 9/11. It was a sad day for us and for Pakistan as a country because they wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to foreigners but that’s the problem they have at the moment.”While Pakistan are now forced to play their home matches overseas because of that attack and frequent bombings throughout the country, the rest of the cricket world is also now more vigilant than ever to possible attacks.This month’s IPL is set to go ahead in India, after organisers opted to take the event to South Africa last season because of lack of adequate security due to a clash with the country’s general elections. This third season, though, has not been without player security fears.”I’m encouraged by the way that the boards I have dealt with (since) have acted regarding security,” Broad said. “I was in India in October-November and they had certainly changed their attitudes regarding security not only for players but for officials also. The concern is that we don’t want those attitudes to relax as that is the time when the terrorists would strike.”Hopefully the boards will continue to improve what we have in place now and ensure that all people involved in international cricket are safe and secure. I say that only because I don’t want the terrorists to beat us.”Broad does not know if he would ever return to Pakistan and said he would need to have all the facts regarding security, if international cricket were to return there in his time as a match official. He does, though, have sympathy for the country’s plight and that of the cricket board. Ironically, having visited Pakistan as player and official, the ill-fated visit was his most enjoyable one until the attack.”I have been to Pakistan four or five times and it was one of the most enjoyable tours I’ve ever had there. The organisation had been very good and socially it was very acceptable as there were more restaurants opening up, the cleanliness within the country was improving. It was a very enjoyable time and it’s just terrible that was soured by what happened.”It’s going to be difficult to overcome because terrorism in the world seems to have a foothold. But we have to support the Pakistan people and cricketers as much as we can, though unfortunately, at this moment in time, it’s difficult to take [international] cricket back to that country. It’s something that is very sad but very true.”The main issue is they have got to sort out these bombings and terror attacks within their own country. I know it is not the Pakistan Cricket Board’s responsibility but it is something that needs to be done and the wider community has to help as much as it can. Otherwise it would be extremely sad to see cricket die in that country.”So, on the anniversary of the attack, does Broad still have nightmares? He revealed in an interview last year that he suffered flashbacks in a cinema on hearing gunshots in a movie.”Time is a great healer, I don’t think about it too often these days but the memories are always going to be with me. The memories are still extremely vivid and they are memories I wish I had never had.”Cricket has not only changed dramatically since I was an England player [in the 1980s], so much has changed in terms of security just in the seven years I have worked for the ICC. It’s a different world to when I was a player.”

After Alyssa Healy and Tahlia McGrath lifted Australia to 155 for 6, Bangladesh folded for 78

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2024Tayla Vlaeminck capped her comeback tour in impressive fashion as Australia wrapped up a successful visit to Bangladesh with a 77-run victory in the third T20I.Fast bowler Vlaeminck took a career-best 3 for 12 from her four overs as Bangladesh were dismissed for 78 after Australia had posted 155 for 6. The win ensured Australia completed a clean sweep of the three ODIs and three T20Is on their tour.It was Vlaeminck’s only second match back after two years out of the team due to a recurrent foot stress fracture and then shoulder surgery. She removed Ritu Moni in the fourth over and returned to claim Fahima Khatun and Shorifa Khatun in the space of three balls in the 11th.Australia’s bowlers shared the other success around with all seven used claiming at least one wicket.Captain Alyssa Healy put Australia on track for victory early in the tour finale with 45 from 29 balls while Tahlia McGrath scored an unbeaten 43 from 29 balls batting at No. 5.The visitors returned to their more conventional batting line-up for the final outing having experimented in the second match. But Healy and Beth Mooney could not race away in the powerplay and Bangladesh chipped away to leave them 98 for 5 in the 16th over with Mooney, Ellyse Perry and Ash Gardner all kept below a strike rate of 80.However, McGrath and Grace Harris ensured a powerful finish as they added 57 off 27 balls, which gave Australia more than enough to defend.Australia now have a lengthy break from international action before facing New Zealand in September ahead of the T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Bangladesh.

Captain keen to make up for lost time as tour to West Indies looms in December

Valkerie Baynes16-Nov-2022England Women are set to be bolstered by the return of Heather Knight for next month’s tour of West Indies, after England’s captain declared herself fit again following hip surgery.Knight was sidelined for a large chunk of the home summer after injuring her hip during the first of three T20Is against South Africa in July. She missed the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham – where England finished a disappointing fourth – after a flare-up ruined her bid to play some part in the event and left her on crutches in constant pain.It was at that time she decided to have an operation to repair torn tissue and damaged cartilage, and remove a piece of bone in her right hip joint which meant she missed India’s subsequent visit to England, the Hundred and the current WBBL. But Knight has come through a tough rehabilitation process to be ready to fly to the Caribbean for three ODIs, starting on December 4, followed by five T20Is.”It feels like it’s been a long old rehab but I’ve just come good the last couple of weeks and am getting back to pretty much full training now,” Knight told ESPNcricinfo. “Fielding has probably been the one thing that’s been a little bit niggly and a little bit of pain, but I’ve had a really good couple of days so I’m fit to go to the West Indies, which is great.”It’s just the last couple of weeks, certain positions that the hip didn’t really like, but the last few days it’s been good as gold so I’m ready to get back and play.”Related

• Heather Knight hopes hip surgery will 'extend career' as she targets winter return

• Sciver pulls out of India series to 'focus on mental health and wellbeing'

• Captaincy takes Amy Jones right out of her comfort zone

• Ashley Noffke in contention to be named England Women head coach

Not only was the operation a success, Knight explained that it had slightly changed the shape of her hip joint to give her more freedom of movement.”It’s actually a much healthier, better hip joint than it was,” she said. “It hadn’t been an issue that was on the radar, but I played in one of those T20s against South Africa and it flared up really badly and I knew it was something new that was not good.”As the Commonwealths got closer I had a bit of a flare-up. Basically that got worse and worse and I was in pretty much constant pain which obviously wasn’t very pleasant and was quite wearing. I was still hopeful that I was going to play because these things can clear up pretty quickly but, as I got worse and worse and ended up on crutches, I pretty much knew that Commonwealths were a no-go.”Knight is thrilled that she can return to action against West Indies, with the ODIs forming part of the ICC Women’s Championship, in which England are yet to get off the mark following their 3-0 defeat by India in September. The five T20Is to follow will play a key part in England’s preparation for the T20 World Cup in South Africa in February.Despite being “gutted” at spending so much time out of the game, Knight made good on her aim to make the most of it, enjoying seeing family and loved ones, travelling and moving house.”Sometimes when you’re a cricketer you forget the other side of your life and here you are, outside of cricket,” she said. “It was slightly strange watching but I just tried to make the most of it and knuckle down with the rehab and work on a few other things that could hopefully prolong my career a little bit more. “It’s certainly been a tough grind, particularly the last month trying to get back into it and all the rehab you have to do. I don’t think you realise until you’ve gone through a serious injury the sort of hard work you have to do on a day-to-day basis to try and get back.”I’m really grateful for the support I’ve had from the medical team. They’ve been outstanding and got me in a position that, obviously, I had to work very hard to get to, but a position where I could get back playing for England. I feel like I’ve lost a bit of time and I’m ready to get out there and get back playing cricket.”For Knight, the hardest part was not being able to contribute for her team, particularly at a home Commonwealth Games.”I felt like I could have played a really big role and helped us be successful,” she said. “It’s always tough missing out but those were the unfortunate cards that I was dealt.”During Knight’s absence, England gave opportunities to a clutch of emerging players, including teenagers Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp, who thrived alongside fellow youngsters Issy Wong and Lauren Bell, debutantes earlier in the summer.The youth policy is the legacy of Lisa Keightley, England Women’s head coach who left the post at the end of her tenure in September with the naming of her successor imminent. It also has Knight facing the prospect of returning to a side containing a number of players that she has yet to captain.Nat Sciver skippered England through the Commonwealth Games before spending time out of cricket herself for mental-health reasons. Amy Jones led the side through the three ODIs and a 2-1 T20I series victory against India, a role Jones freely admitted took her out of her comfort zone.Sciver is back training with England and “going good”, according to Knight, who acknowledged that Sciver stepping back from the game had been a courageous move, even though players are increasingly doing so to look after their mental wellbeing.”It’s a really good decision and brave decision by her,” Knight said. “I still think it’s a tough decision but people like Nat taking time out and being very open with reasons, it’s only a good thing.”It’s also a bit of an eye-opener to try and not let it get to that stage for a lot of players and making sure that we’re doing everything we can and managing ourselves better to try and not get to that stage. We have a lot of support medically to try and do that as well, but certainly it’s a topic that people are more comfortable talking about, in my experience, and being a bit more willing to be vulnerable when things are tough and you need to take that time.”As franchise cricket increases and the amount of international cricket that we have increases, as players we have to find a way to find little pockets to get fresh and I think we’re all learning that. I think the place Nat got to, where she felt she had to take a break, it’s trying to learn and find ways to manage players and support them as best I can as captain, but also decisions above me in terms of workload management and trying to get players that are at their best for England at the right time.”As draining as a failed Commonwealth Games campaign clearly was on many players who had hoped – and expected – to be among the medals, Knight is backing her side to enter the T20 World Cup without any scars.”The Commonwealths certainly were a disappointment but you’ve got to remember you lost a T20 semi-final by four runs, one that could have easily gone our way, and then you’re in a gold-medal match,” Knight said. “There’s a lot of things we could have done better, but it’s also remembering the good things we’ve done and it’s not the end of the world. We’ve had a lot of success in T20s.”We lost to India by four runs and T20 can sometimes swing like that. But I think we’ll take a lot of learnings from it, particularly the young girls playing in their first global competition. That experience will be great for them, they know what it’s about, they know the different pressures of tournament cricket and how it can affect you and how you can deal with that and hopefully take it forward into the World Cup.”The girls winning that T20 series against India was brilliant, with the side we had. I think we had an average age of maybe 23 or 24, so a really good achievement to beat India 2-1 in that series after the Commonwealths.”

Sussex seamer played more than 350 games in 17-year professional career

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2021Mitchell Claydon, Sussex’s Australia-born seamer, has announced his retirement from professional cricket at the end of this season.Claydon, 38, was born in New South Wales but used his British passport to play county cricket, with spells at Yorkshire, Durham, Kent and Sussex, and also played domestic cricket in New Zealand. He was part of the Durham squad that won three County Championships and a Friends Provident Trophy, and won promotion with Kent in 2018.Claydon was an excellent death bowler with a good yorker in one-day and T20 cricket, and has taken 310 first-class wickets at 31.90 with the red ball. He is expected to stay in the game as a coach, and already has experience working with Sydney Sixers as an assistant coach.”After 17 years as a professional cricketer, I have decided that 2021 will be my last,” Claydon said in a statement. “I’m so proud that my shocking rig has got me through 371 games – over a hundred in each format – but all the overs are taking their toll, and everything is starting to hurt. I’m committed to finishing the 2021 season and ending on a high.”Big thanks to Canterbury, Central Districts, Durham, Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex for giving me the opportunity to play the game for a living all these years and all the coaches and support staff at those clubs for their help.”I’d like to give a special thanks to my family both in the UK and back home in Australia. I’ll miss life in the changing rooms more than anything. The fun I’ve had with so many people over the years will provide me with fantastic memories for the rest of my life.”Claydon has only played sporadically for Sussex since signing for them in 2019, appearing in four first-class matches and two T20s. He is yet to make a first-team appearance in 2021. He was banned for nine games following a ball-tampering controversy last year in which he applied hand sanitiser to the ball, which also saw the club docked points.

ECB confirm allrounder has been tested for Covid-19

Matt Roller02-Jul-2020Sam Curran is self-isolating in his room at the Ageas Bowl after feeling sick on Wednesday night.Curran made an unbeaten 15 on the first evening of England’s intra-squad warm-up match, but took no part in the game after suffering from “sickness and diarrhoea overnight”, according to an ECB statement.The statement added that Curran was feeling better on Thursday afternoon, but confirmed that he would play no further part in the ongoing warm-up match. He has been monitored by the team doctor, Mark Wotherspoon, who was wearing full PPE during the assessment, and was tested for Covid-19 during the lunch interval.The news will come as a concern for England so close to the first Test. There is no suggestion, at this stage, that Curran has come into contact with the virus, especially within the bio-secure arrangements at the Ageas Bowl, which make it one of the most low-risk environments in the country.However, his illness will undoubtedly be a source of frustration given that he has been unable to bowl in this warm-up match after going so long without competitive cricket. Indeed, it is now difficult to see how will play next week, not least with so many other seamers in contention.The results of Curran’s Covid-19 test are expected back on Friday, although the protocols in the event of a positive result are not at this stage being divulged by the ECB. However, he would be likely to go into a seven-day self-isolation – it is unclear whether that would take place within the team bubble or at home – and Public Health England would also be notified.The remainder of the England players and management are due to be tested again for Covid on Sunday. At this stage, that testing date is unlikely to be brought forward. An ECB spokesperson confirmed that the West Indies camp and other stakeholders within the team environment had been notified.Amar Virdi, the offspinner, was a late addition to Team Buttler – although he was officially replacing Jofra Archer, who experienced soreness from new bowling boots – having initially missed out on the squad. He came on to bowl shortly before the close on the second day and took the final wicket to fall.The ECB is expected to issue a formal update on Olly Stone’s availability on Friday. Stone has played no part in the warm-up match due to a niggle in his left hamstring.