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Shaun Marsh built on the openers’ heroics as Kings XI Punjab roared to a score of 195, setting up their third successive win, against a ragged Rajasthan Royals outfit

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar21-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt was that kind of a day for Rajasthan Royals•AFP

You don’t dismiss Paul Valthaty off a no-ball, this month. You don’t dismiss Adam Gilchrist off a no-ball, ever. Rajasthan Royals found out just why. Siddharth Trivedi over-stepped as he got Gilchrist to chop on in the first over, and Shaun Tait cut the return crease as he sent down a thunderbolt in the second, that Valthaty guided to third slip. Both free-hits were slammed for fours, setting up a session of uninhibited brutality. Shaun Marsh built on the openers’ heroics as Kings XI Punjab roared to a score of 195, setting up their third win in three games. The Mohali crowd lapped up the entertainment, Shane Warne was reduced to sledging in vain, Elizabeth Hurley had little to cheer by the end, and Preity Zinta could barely contain her glee.Punjab were on top from start to finish, but the peak of their dominance was the third over of the game, off which Valthaty plundered Trivedi for 25 runs. A slow bouncer was pulled out of the ground, a fuller delivery was drilled straight and another length ball was redirected to cow corner. Trivedi managed to squeeze in a dot ball before sending down a badly-disguised slower one that was carved over point. And then Trivedi sent down another no-ball, full and succulent on the pads, and Valthaty tucked in for four more. Things just kept getting worse for Rajasthan, but they had it coming after the no-balls. Even Shane Warne wasn’t at his best, as Gilchrist thumped him for a six and a four off his first three balls. At the end of four overs, Punjab were going at the other-worldly run-rate of 16.75.Shane Watson, as he has so often done in recent times, came on and produced a crucial wicket, getting Gilchrist to drive to mid-on. Sanity prevailed for a few minutes as Marsh found his bearings, before he showed that there were non-violent ways to score runs as well. While Marsh finessed boundaries along the ground, Valthaty kept throwing visceral punches in all directions. Rajasthan continued to be generous, dropping him twice in the outfield off successive balls. Valthaty used the luck to wrest the orange cap back from Sachin Tendulkar, and slammed a Warne long-hop over the leg side, before someone finally held on to one of his mis-hits.Marsh had moved to 21 off 14 balls by then, and stepped up a gear to ensure there was no let-up in the momentum. Rajasthan’s medium-pacers fed him with several full and wide deliveries, while the spinners kept dropping short. Warne was the worst offender, and his lengths were shoddy enough to force Marsh to start playing some uncultured shots over the leg side. The 14th over yielded three sixes in four balls, as Punjab set their sights on 200. The projection was revised upwards after the next over, in which Dinesh Karthik looted three successive fours off Trivedi. Tait and Watson managed to pull things back in the last five overs, as Punjab lost 26 for 5, but the damage had already been done.Chasing the biggest target of IPL 2011, Rajasthan strangely chose not to open with Watson. Rahul Dravid stroked a couple of elegant boundaries before Ryan Harris yorked him. Swapnil Asnodkar came out swinging wildly without connecting with much, and Praveen Kumar nailed him with a full delivery in the third over. Watson tried to ignite the chase with four boundaries off seven balls, but Praveen got him to top-edge a pull in the seventh over. The chase was as good as over when Ross Taylor was caught in front by a Piyush Chawla wrong ‘un.

The career paths of cricketers do not always run along predictable lines and it is fair to say that Peter Trego’s is unique.

Jon Culley at Old Trafford06-May-2010

ScorecardPeter Trego rode his luck to record the quickest first-class century of the season so far•Getty Images

The career paths of cricketers do not always run along predictable lines and it is fair to say that Peter Trego’s is unique.Born in Weston-super-Mare, he made his first-class debut for Somerset at 18 and went to Sri Lanka with England’s under-19s the following winter but from there things rather petered out. Somerset let him go and a move to Kent came to nothing and for a while he was out of the game, supplementing his income from a variety of jobs by playing non-League football. He was a goalkeeper, at which his claims to fame were an appearance on Match of the Day playing for Chippenham and scoring a goal in the Conference for Margate, from a free-kick in his own half.Maybe this is why he plays cricket with the air of a man who knows he has been lucky to have a second chance, as Somerset gave him when they engaged him again in 2006. When he hits a cricket ball – and he gives it a hefty thump – you imagine he is doing so out of the joy of being on the field.Not that his ambitions are modest. He still wants to play for a senior England side and in that respect he advertised his credentials impressively enough on the third day here, hitting the fastest century of the season so far in a manner that was typical – bold, risky, fortunate and, so far as Lancashire were concerned, painfully effective.Reaching three figures in just 83 balls – his second 50 coming off a mere 26 – he set the pace in a scorching partnership with James Hildreth that has given Somerset the upper hand, even though, thanks to the gloomy weather here, time is working against a positive result.The experience was all the more difficult to stomach for Lancashire in that they dropped Trego not once but twice before he had completed his first 50. He should have gone at 22, when an ugly pull went straight to Glen Chapple, the captain, at mid on only to end up on the floor. Daren Powell was the bowler and it was not his best delivery but he did produce a much better one to find the edge when Trego was on 40. This time Paul Horton, at first slip, seemed to have the ball in his hands but again it spilled out.With those escapes behind him, Trego really let loose, doubling his boundary count to 16 as he rushed to his hundred, his first away from Somerset, all of the others having come at Taunton or Bath, including that astonishing effort of just 54 deliveries against Yorkshire last season as Somerset chased down an improbable 476 to win.Powell got him in the end, picking up his first first-class wicket for Lancashire as Trego attempted another pull through mid-wicket but miscued the ball to mid-off instead. Chapple held it safely this time, to the relief and amusement of his teammates.The partnership with Hildreth added 186 in just 32 overs. “I’ve still got ambitions to play for England in some format this summer,” Trego said afterwards.Up on the balcony, Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, may have been less inclined to chuckle, not least because by then Hildreth had also been dropped twice, if somewhat more forgivably. Second slip got his fingertips to a chance when the batsman was on 62 and there was another half-chance on 78 to square leg, where the substitute fielder, Luke Procter, flung out a hand but could not manage to hold on.The cost was not quite so heavy this time but Hildreth nonetheless moved to 99 before missing out on a hundred to enormous frustration, when he seemed to think about running the ball down to third man off Chapple’s bowling, then appeared to change his mind not quite decisively enough, consequently getting a nick that Luke Sutton pouched behind the stumps.The last three wickets did not add significantly to the total but the damage was largely done as Somerset advanced to a lead of 97 on first innings and Lancashire reflected on bowling figures that had taken a hefty hit, the price for offering too much width on a pitch that offered the batsmen a chance when the bowler strayed off line. Kyle Hogg, who had looked sharp and mean the day before and was 3 for 44 from 20 overs overnight, finished with 4 for 96 from 30.2. Chapple’s three wickets cost 146. Saj Mahmood, still off the field with a sore calf, would have got good bounce, you fancy, and been a handful if he had his direction right.Sutton, after his first-innings hundred, kept his place at the top of the Lancashire order despite 102 overs in the field but bad light hindered the home side as they set about trimming the arrears and a draw looks the likeliest outcome.

Erling Haaland has explained why his battle for supremacy with Kylian Mbappe should not be likened to the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate.

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• Argentine & Portuguese stars have dominated
• New generation coming through
• Don't focus on how others are getting on

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Manchester City striker has become a modern day sensation, with prolific spells at Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund being replicated in English football. Haaland hit 56 goals for club and country in 2022-23, edging him two efforts clear of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Mbappe when it comes to collective tallies.

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  WHAT THEY SAID

  Haaland and Mbappe are expected to become the next icons of the football world, as Messi and Ronaldo approach the end of their remarkable careers, but the Norwegian hot shot insists that he pays little attention to the exploits of a supposed rival. Haaland has told when asked about duelling with Mbappe: “That's what everyone thinks, but you have to emphasise just how crazy the things Messi and Cristiano have done. You also have to remember that they're still doing it, even if they're getting older. They're still fantastic players. But I never talk about myself being against other players, it's not my way of seeing things. I focus on myself, I only try to be better every day, to continue enjoying what I do and being the best version of myself.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While Haaland rarely focuses on what Mbappe is up to, he does enjoy watching those performing at the peak of their powers in action. The 23-year-old added: “Yes, of course, I watch a lot of football on TV. I love football, I've always loved it, and you could say it takes up all of my time, whether professionally or in my life. But there are so many games and training sessions that I have to think about recovery too.”

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  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Haaland and Mbappe are both on the shortlist for the 2023 Ballon d’Or, with seven-time winner Messi still the favourite to collect another Golden Ball after helping Argentina to World Cup glory at the end of last year.

Here's where you can watch Tigres vs Leon in the CONCACAF Champions League on TV or stream live.

Tuesday's first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) semifinals between Tigres UANL and Club Leon will be played at Estadio Universitario. If successful, Tigres would advance to the CL final for the fifth time in eight seasons.

Los Tigres easily defeated Motagua by an aggregate score of 6-0, and Los Panzas Verdes defeated Violette by a score of 6-2 after two legs. Both teams advanced to the semifinals.

Watch the CONCACAF Champions League live with Fubo

The quality of Tigres' football has varied depending on whether they are playing at home or away this year, with the exception of two away games in all competitions, where they managed to score six goals in their last two games played at Estadio Universitario. Tigres are typically the aggressors with an up-tempo style of play.

They have never lost the first leg of a CCL semifinal match, and they are undefeated at home in CCL this season.

La Fiera has had numerous chances to gain direct qualification for the Liga MX Clausura playoffs, and they seem to be hitting their stride fully in this competition.

The 2021 Leagues Cup champions have never advanced past the quarterfinals of the CCL but they have been steadily improving each year. They starred in the round of 16 in 2020–21 and lost to the eventual champions, Seattle Sounders. They had reached the last eight the previous season, and have now booked their name in the last four.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about where to watch the game on TV and where to stream it live online.

Tigres vs Leon date & kick-off timeGame:Tigres vs LeonDate:April 25, 2023Kick-off time:10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PTVenue:Estadio Universitarios

Tigres and Leon face off on the night of April 25 at the Estadio Universitarios in the first leg of the semifinal of the CONCACAF Champions League. Kick-off is set for 10 pm Eastern Time (ET), or 7 pm Pacific Time (PT).

The return leg is scheduled for May 3.

AdvertisementWhere to watch Tigres vs Leon on TV & live stream online

Fans in the United States can watch the game live on the TUDN+ network or stream on Fubo.

Fans in Mexico can watch the game on the Fox network.

Country TV channel Live stream

USTUDN+FuboMexicoFox DeportesFS+Check out GOAL's football on UK TV guideCheck out GOAL's soccer on U.S. TV guideTeam news & squadsTigres UANL team news and squad

Andre-Pierre Gignac has 11 goals versus Leon, and he notched a brace in their previous CCL clash.

Possible Tigres UANL starting XI: Guzman; Garza, Lichnovsky, Reyes, Aquino; Gorriaran, Pizarro; Lainez, Lopez, Quinones; Gignac

Position Club America players

Goalkeepers Guzman, OrtegaDefenders Caetano, Lichnovsky, Reyes, Angulo, Aquino, Lorona, Garza Garcia, TerceroMidfielders Lainez, Cordova, Gorriaran, Quinones, Pizzaro, Carioca, Fulgencio, Vigon, AyalaForwards Lopez, IbanezLeon team news and squad

Osvaldo Rodriguez is the main injury doubt for Leon who suffered a hamstring injury against Cruz Azul.

Possible Leon starting XI: Cota; Moreno, Barreiro, Frias, Bellon; Davila, Romero, Angulo, Mena; Rubio, Campbell

Position Leon players

Goalkeepers Cota, BlancoDefenders Castillo, Tesillo, Frias, Celestine, Bellon, Barreiro, RodriguezMidfielders Campbell, Mena, Moreno, Romero, Ambriz, Hernandez, Moreno, Rodriguez, DiazForwards Davila, Di Yorio, Angulo, Rubio, AlvaradoENJOYED THIS STORY?

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MatériaMais Notícias

Da apresentação como novo técnico do Botafogo até a estreia contra o Náutico pela Copa do Brasil, Paulo Autuori teve apenas seis dias de trabalho com o elenco. Com a classificação garantida em Recife, o comandante alvinegro teve um pouco mais de tranquilidade para preparar o elenco para a estreia na Taça Rio, contra o Boavista, neste domingo, às 19h. Na partida no Nilton Santos,o treinador tem mais uma chance de avançar na construção de uma identidade para a equipe, que ainda mantém traços do estilo de jogo do ex-treinador Alberto Valentim.

– Seria muita pretensão da minha pessoa eu falar que os jogadores conseguiram pegar de forma sólida os conceitos e dar continuidade ao trabalho de Valentim. Toda hora existem quebras de processo e isso atrapalha. Peguei o que estava dando certo e dei continuidade. O tempo não ajuda muito. Vamos tentar apresentar algumas coisas – afirmou Autuori em coletiva na última sexta-feira.

Desde que chegou ao clube, o treinador tem feito críticas ao calendário do futebol brasileiro, que não permite muito tempo para que filosofias de jogo sejam implementadas entre o curto espaço de tempo entre uma partida de outra. O foco do treinador nas primeiras semanas tem sido mais no fator psicológico. Nas conversas com os jogadores, tem buscado fortalecer a confiança e gerar uma mentalidade vencedora.

–Na parte emocional, alguns jogadores sentem mais que os ouros. O que eu falo é para os jogadores é terem coragem, tomarem riscos. O Botafogo tem uma história extraordinária e todos passam por momentos difíceis. É hora de acabar com isso. Temos que parar de falar das coisas pequenas – explicou.

RelacionadasMais EsportesNa prorrogação, Botafogo vence Pinheiros e entra no G8 do NBBMais Esportes29/02/2020BotafogoCortez deve estrear no Botafogo como titular diante do BoavistaBotafogo29/02/2020BotafogoBotafogo x Boavista: prováveis times, onde ver, desfalques e palpitesBotafogo29/02/2020

Foco na defesa

O pouco tempo de trabalho não vai permitir ainda ao técnico mudanças profundas na equipe. O atual treinador não tem um estilo totalmente diferente do antecessor. Os dois têm o perfil de buscar o diálogo com os atletas.Velho conhecido da torcida, em especial pela memória do título brasileiro de 1995, o técnico de 63 anos precisa apagar a desconfiança em razão dos trabalhos mais recentes, que não foram tão bem sucedidos.

A falta de criatividade tem sido um dos alvos mais frequentes das críticas ao Glorioso e vão obrigar Autuori a fazer mudanças.Uma das apostas deve ser vista já neste domingo, com a estreia do equatoriano Gabriel Cortez como titular no ataque alvinegro. O objetivo é dar mais qualidade às finalizações, diante de um rival que deve jogar muito fechado e deve oferecer poucas chances.

As falhas no sistema defensivo são outro alvo da irritação dos torcedores botafoguenses. Autuori gostou da estreia do zagueiro Ruan Renato diante do Náutico e deve voltar a utilizá-lo no lugar de Carli. Nos treinamentos durante a semana o treinador também deu prioridade às atividades que visavam reforçar o setor.

Botafogo e Boa Vista integram o Grupo A ao lado de Flamengo, Bangu, Portuguesa e Cabofriense. Classificam-se para as semifinais os dois melhores colocados.

A committee tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of South Africa’s domestic cricket structures will not look into the Ram Slam T20 competition, which will undergo a separate analysis in the hope of increasing its commercial appeal

Firdose Moonda18-Apr-2016A committee tasked with undertaking a comprehensive review of South Africa’s domestic cricket structures will not look into the Ram Slam T20 competition, which will undergo a separate analysis in the hope of increasing its commercial appeal. The committee’s focus, therefore, will be more intensely trained on the second-tier provincial semi-professional competitions, which are believed to have been neglected in recent seasons.South Africa’s domestic structure is split into two sections: the professional franchise structure which consists of six teams and a semi-professional tournament which includes 13 provincial teams and Namibia. Both divisions play a first-class, List A and 20-over competition although the franchise’s first-class fixtures are held over four days and the provincial teams play over three.”This is something that has been a serious concern for people involved in management, because we lose a lot of players who don’t want to play in the semi-professional structures,” an insider told ESPNcricinfo. “From the time players finish school to the time they get franchise contracts, they can be in limbo. We want to look at how we can incorporate those players.”Both sections will be reviewed by a different team to the one that has been appointed to conduct an investigation into the national sides which is much smaller. While the national teams committee is a four-person panel, the domestic review team includes 14 people, headed by the director of strategy at auditing firm EY, Michael Lalor. It includes CSA’s national academy coach, Shukri Conrad, two franchise coaches, Warriors’ Malibongwe Maketa and Titans’ Rob Walter, two national selectors Ashwell Prince and Hussein Manack, one franchise captain Omphile Ramela, a selection of commentators and a journalist.”Nobody really knows how they came up with this group, but we are all waiting to see what they come up with,” the source said. While CSA has not put a time frame on the review, the panel are expected to reveal their findings by mid-year and it is expected to focus heavily on the provincial structures.”One idea that has already come up is that the provinces play less 50-over cricket and more T20s. There is also some talk of increasing the number of teams and the number of contracted semi-professional players,” the insider said.Currently, the provincial sides play 10 first-class, six 50-over matches a season and four T20s a season and the imbalance could be corrected with this review. Provincial teams contract seven players but the number could increase to 10.A franchise expansion from six to eight teams has also been mooted although if that was to be approved it would only happen in the 2017-18 season and not next summer. Kimberley, East London and Potchefstroom are believed to be in the running as franchise bases.Instead, next season will be the one in which CSA hopes to increase the impact of their T20 tournament, which lags behind some of the other global leagues. The Ram Slam has routinely struggled to attract big names both because of the weakening Rand and the scheduling – it often clashes with South Africa’s own international fixtures.Next season, CSA will make national players available for the tournament and have moved a home Test against Sri Lanka from December to January to accommodate for this. They are also looking to sign several international stars and “find ways to commercialise the competition, because it can’t be done in any other format.”

Jonny Bairstow struck an unbeaten 83 as England won by three wickets on Duckworth-Lewis to take the series 3-2

The Report by Alex Winter20-Jun-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:58

Bairstow ends 18 months in the wilderness

Jonny Bairstow’s England debut saw him win a rain-affected ODI in Cardiff in 2011 and on his return to the side here, in place of the injured Jos Buttler, he produced a similar act with his best innings since that day to get England home and take a thrilling ODI series against New Zealand. His unbeaten 83 from 60 balls won what turned into a gripping decider in Durham.There were 17 needed from the final 12 balls of a rain-affected chase, with Brendon McCullum entrusting debutant Andrew Mathieson with the penultimate over. Bairstow struck two sweet drives over extra-cover before Adil Rashid guided another boundary with a dab past short third man. Bairstow completed victory with a sliced drive backward of point, eliciting an emotional celebration and delirium for England on their balcony, having been bailed out by their stand-in wicketkeeper.England’s cavalier cricket has won back the support of the British public during the New Zealand tour but cavalier turned calamitous at the start of their Duckworth-Lewis revised chase of 192 in 26 overs as they slumped to 45 for 5 at the start of the ninth over. On a fairly sluggish wicket, far more careful negotiation was required than earlier in the series, and yet England began their pursuit of 7.38 an over like a horse pulling hard in a middle-distance race.With three furlongs to run they were tailed off but Bairstow and Sam Billings began to run on. They shared 80 in 57 balls for the sixth wicket, England’s highest against New Zealand in ODIs, before Bairstow took them past the winning post with composure desperately lacking from the top order.New Zealand were in control with the required rate touching nine an over and could have killed the chase. They gave Bairstow two lives. He was dropped by wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi, having got an inside edge on 39, and that was followed by a worse miss from Mitchell Santner at third man on 56. It spoiled Santner’s effort in the field having taken three wickets in seven balls to leave England in desperate trouble.Buttler out of NZ T20

Jos Buttler has been ruled out of any involvement in the T20 against New Zealand on Tuesday after splitting the webbing on his left hand. Buttler was replaced as wicketkeeper by Jonny Bairstow in the line-up for the fifth and final ODI at Chester-le-Street having suffered the injury during a fielding drill on Friday.
The decision to withdraw Buttler was thought to be precautionary, with the start of the Ashes less than three weeks away. The ECB tweeted that there were “no concerns” about Buttler’s chances of playing against Australia. No replacement has been announced for the T20, which will complete New Zealand’s tour.

But Bairstow bit back, lifting Santner down the ground for four and striking a better lofted drive wide of extra-cover off Tim Southee. Another four raced across the turf next ball. He cleared his front leg to smear Grant Elliott down the ground and then placed a graceful drive over mid-off next ball. Elliott was also swept for six by Billings, who also played his part in reviving the chase but fell pulling Matt Henry to short midwicket when 67 were needed from 51 balls. Bairstow took over to finish the job.It was a fitting end to a superb series, which yielded the highest aggregate of runs in any five-match ODI rubber. But for much of the day the flourishing batting and clean striking that characterised the preceding four matches was largely absent as a grey day and a slower pitch created better bowling conditions.But England failed to recognise as such and played with recklessness also seen in the third ODI. Alex Hales, trying to pull a ball not all that short, was taken by an outstanding one-handed catch by Kane Williamson leaping above his head at square leg; Joe Root fell out of his ground with Santner turning one sharply past his outside edge – Luke Ronchi completing the stumping despite a fumble – and then Eoin Morgan, rather criminally with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle, slog-swept his first ball straight to deep midwicket. That left England 23 for 3 after the five-over Powerplay.Jonny Bairstow played a match-winning hand after coming into the side as a late replacement•Getty Images

Ben Stokes was never going to change tack, being at the vanguard of New England since a record-breaking century in the Lord’s Test. Unlike Morgan, he at least composed himself with six deliveries for two singles but after two boundaries in succession off Ben Wheeler picked out mid-off to the next ball trying to slap down the ground. Jason Roy also tried a little too hard and, having failed to time any of his 20 deliveries, rather curiously hung his bat out to a short wide delivery and chipped up a catch to backward point.But England recovered and ultimately New Zealand’s 283 was not enough. To get even that many was thanks to a late burst from Wheeler. The only time the run rate topped a run a ball was during the first three overs. McCullum unleashed one smash down the ground having run down the wicket but until Wheeler lifted 39 from 28 balls late on, that was the only eye-catching moment of a subdued innings far more customary of one-day cricket in England – certainly in Durham where only once in 15 ODIs had 300-plus been posted.Martin Guptill and Williamson make half-centuries from more than 60 balls and the only other partnership of note was 55 at better than a run a ball between Elliott and Ross Taylor. Elliott caressed a cover-drive off Mark Wood and lifted Steven Finn down the ground in the batting Powerplay that yielded 38 for 0 and presented New Zealand with a platform for the final 10 overs but England took regular wickets. The Elliott-Taylor stand gave the innings some impetus but both fell within an over of each other. A total of around 250 was looking likely before Wheeler popped up with three sixes, two off the final two balls from Steven Finn as the last over leaked 22.Before the late hitting, the bowlers were enjoying a day in their favour that perhaps they were due. The ball swung and seamed and spun too for Adil Rashid, who has generally has performed encouragingly throughout the series. He bowled with guile and landed his change-ups well. His second wicket came with a googly, turning one inside Elliott’s attempted heave down the ground having advanced at the bowler. He had also beaten Santner outside off with a googly to the third ball he faced and then, to the sixth, Santner advanced down the pitch and was beaten by a turning delivery past the inside edge.New Zealand’s innings had a familiar theme to begin with, after they were sent in by Morgan. Williamson was involved in another strong partnership, this time 94 for the second wicket with Guptill. Williamson passed 1000 runs in ODIs in 2015 with a 63-ball fifty but he fell bottom-edging a pull from Stokes into his stumps.Guptill scored at a similar rate. He pulled Finn in the ninth over to the midwicket fence and flicked Stokes’ second ball of his spell wide of deep midwicket. He reached fifty in 62 balls but had perhaps only timed one stroke properly – a blazing extra-cover drive off Stokes, his fourth boundary. Guptill fell edging behind trying to cut the sixth delivery of Stokes’s second spell, which bounced a little. It left New Zealand 150 for 2 after 30 overs and their run-rate had barely increased by the finish. Then came the rain, which took a couple of hours out of the game; then came Bairstow.

Over the next two days, the two hosts of this World Cup enter their final pool matches: New Zealand play Bangladesh in Hamilton on Friday, and Australia take on Scotland in Hobart on Saturday. Should both hosts win as expected, they would progress to the quarter-finals in the top two places in Pool A. That would mean if they are to meet again in this tournament, it would be in the decider at the MCG.The paths taken by the two hosts to this point could hardly be more different. New Zealand have won all five of their games, Australia three of five. The sun has shone brightly on New Zealand; Australia were washed out against Bangladesh, and the forecast for their Hobart game is worrying. Most notably, New Zealand have not changed their side yet; Australia have used all 15 squad members.Naturally, the players are focusing on their immediate challenges in this last round of games. But for observers, it is natural to look ahead at possibilities and permutations. Should pool results fall according to rankings, Australia would play Pakistan in a quarter-final. If they get through that, it could be India in a semi-final. A win there and an Australia-New Zealand final could be on the cards.”The team to beat at the moment would have to be New Zealand. But India are playing fantastic cricket at the moment as well,” Australia’s opening batsman David Warner said in Hobart on Thursday. Asked whether it was preferable to have an unchanged side like New Zealand, or to have given everyone a run like Australia, Warner said both had their advantages.”When the ball is swinging and you’ve got Brendon McCullum going off at the top of the order in New Zealand, they don’t need to change. They’ve won every game,” he said. “Three of their bowlers are in the top five leading wicket takers. Other teams probably haven’t worked out how to play their opening bowlers. I know that for us, we played a couple of loose shots with the ball swinging.”It’s how the selectors feel the right balance is. I think any team that comes up against us and sees myself and Finchy up the top, with Smith and Clarke to come in and anchor the role there, and then you see Maxwell, Watson, Faulkner, Haddin – if we’re 2 or 3 for 250 we could finish off very well like we did the other day.”Australia seem to have found their preferred line-up after some chopping and changing throughout the tournament, due to injuries, form and conditions. Of the top eight who played against Sri Lanka on Sunday, only the openers, Warner and Finch, and the No.8, Brad Haddin, were in the same positions as for their first game against England.Warner praised Shane Watson’s contribution against Sri Lanka and believed he had the “luxury to to go in and play the way he wanted to play”•ICC

The return of Michael Clarke and James Faulkner, the demoting of Shane Watson and moves up the order for Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell have altered the look of the line-up somewhat. But Warner found during a 260-run second-wicket stand against Afghanistan at the WACA that Smith was a valuable man to have coming in at first drop.”I hadn’t batted a lot with Steven Smith and it was great to bat a long time with him,” Warner said. “I think it’s great having him batting at three. The head on his shoulders is very good, he’s very smart when he’s out there. He can play that anchor role as well. Shane Watson did that for a few years as well, and it was just unfortunate he was in a bit of a form slump.”Watson’s axing from the side lasted only for that Afghanistan match, and his return at the expense of Mitchell Marsh against Sri Lanka was a success. Watson came to the crease with a strong platform built at 4 for 177 and blasted 67 off 41 deliveries to help Australia post 376, and his move down the order is likely to continue.”I think the way that Shane played the other day was fantastic,” Warner said. “He adopted that approach where he knew he could come in and play his game. I think because he was out of form, he probably had the luxury to go in and play the way he wanted to play. That’s the message he probably wanted to send to everyone, that he can still play this form of the game, it doesn’t matter where he bats. We’ve got a great balance there at the moment.”Australia will hope they are not subjected to another wash-out on Saturday – the forecast for Hobart is for a shower or two developing in the afternoon or evening.”Like any other game, you’ve got to play the best cricket you can play to beat the opposition,” Warner said of Scotland. “We need to win to finish where we want to finish. We’ve got to keep playing positive cricket. We were a bit nervous probably towards the end in the other game against Sri Lanka, but we got the job done. Now we’ve got to beat Scotland.”

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has said his side needs to improve its fielding and batting against the short ball to be competitive at the 2015 World Cup in February and March. Pakistan lost the fifth ODI against New Zealand by 68 runs in Abu Dhabi on Friday to concede the series 2-3.”We need to improve our fielding,” Waqar said after the game. “It is not up to the mark and [we] must improve a lot. We also need to work hard on short balls as we have to go to Australia and both these things need to be spot on if you want to compete in the World Cup.” The only international games Pakistan have left before the tournament are two ODIs in New Zealand on January 31 and February 3.New Zealand scored 275 for 4 in the final ODI of the series in the UAE, with their captain Kane Williamson making 97. Pakistan were dismissed for 207 in 43.3 overs in the chase. Despite the defeat, Waqar said the series had not been a complete write-off. “We did achieve what we needed but not 100%. Now we have a one-day cup back home and hope that things will be clearer after that.”Williamson hailed the series victory as a “big achievement,” especially because New Zealand were without regular captain Brendon McCullum, and fast bowlers Tim Southee and Trent Boult. New Zealand bounced back from conceding the series lead twice before winning the decider.”There is still time for the World Cup, it’s good it will be in our conditions and this series win is a big achievement,” Williamson said. “We learned from our mistakes, beat a strong Pakistan side and have shown improvement. In a series that went up and down, it was fantastic to learn from the Pakistan side and to win in such an evenly-fought series has been great.”It was important to keep adapting our plans, the personnel changed quite a lot, we had a lot of injuries. It has been a great series, an emotional series for many reasons and both teams put on some fantastic cricket.”New Zealand will travel home to host Sri Lanka, beginning with the Boxing Day Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

أعلن إيهاب جلال المدير الفني لفريق الكرة الأول بنادي الإسماعيلي، عن تشكيل لاعبيه لمباراة الأهلي في الدوري المصري الممتاز.

المباراة من المقرر إقامتها في خضم منافسات الجولة الثالثة من عمر الدوري المصري الممتاز “النيل” لموسم 2023- 2024.

ويحتضن استاد الجيش ببرج العرب كعادة مباريات الأهلي والإسماعيلي الماضية، مواجهة قمة الدوري الليلة.

تشكيل الأهلي أمام الإسماعيلي في الدوري المصري.. مثلث هجومي بقيادة موديست

ويخوض الأهلي مباراته حاملًا في جعبته ثلاث نقاط من انتصار وحيد في الجولة الأولى على المصري البورسعيدي برباعية نظيفة.

وقررت لجنة المسابقات تأجيل مباراة الجولة الثانية من عمر الدوري، ليحتل الأهلي حامل لقب البطولة، المركز العاشر في ترتيب هذا الموسم حتى الأن.

بينما يأتي الإسماعيلي في المركز الحادي عشر بجدول ترتيب المسابقة، ولديه 3 نقاط، من مباراتين، حقق الفوز في واحدة وخسر الأخرى.

ويشهد تشكيل الإسماعيلي غياب حارس المرمى أحمد عادل عبد المنعم الذي تعرض للإصابة خلال مباراة الاتحاد السكندري الأخيرة والتي انتهت بفوز الدراويش. تشكيل الإسماعيلي أمام الأهلي في الدوري

حراسة المرمى: محمد فوزي.

خط الدفاع: محمد نصر- محمد هاشم- إياد العسقلاني- حمدي النقاز.

خط الوسط: محمد مخلوف – محمد عبد السميع – عمر الساعي.

خط الهجوم: مروان حمدي – عبد الرحمن مجدي – ياو أنور.