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England 121 for 3 (Trott 52*) beat South Africa 119 (Petersen 51, Anderson 5-23) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJames Anderson wrecked South Africa’s top-order•AFP

South Africa’s batsmen veered from the sublime to the ridiculous in the space of three days, as England demonstrated the staggering extent of their inconsistency in one-day cricket by following one of their heaviest thumpings with arguably their most dominant display of the year.Led by James Anderson, who overcame a knee complaint to produce the first five-wicket haul of his one-day career, England routed South Africa for 119, their lowest-ever total in a home ODI, before knocking off the required runs in 31.2 overs and for the loss of three wickets. In so doing, they claimed a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, and ensured at least a share of the spoils with the final match coming up in Durban next Friday.Even by England’s recent rollercoaster standards, this was quite a turnaround in fortunes. At Newlands on Friday, they had lost a vital toss in perfect batting conditions at Newlands, and looked on helplessly as South Africa rampaged to 354 for 6, the highest total in 43 matches between the countries.At St George’s Park this morning, however, their lack of balance in the absence of Jacques Kallis was ruthlessly exposed. Graeme Smith was very content to bat first after winning the toss once again, but Andrew Strauss admitted he had been tempted to bowl anyway, on a grassy pitch and under some appreciable cloud-cover. Sure enough, his seam bowlers, led by Anderson, made full use of the conditions.As is so often the case, the early scalp of Smith was to prove critical to the momentum of both sides. After serving up a first-ball wide, Stuart Broad found a fuller length with his second legitimate delivery, and trapped Smith lbw for 2 as he fell across his stumps. Though Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were subsequently served up a range of short balls to get their respective innings up and running, the need to pitch the ball up was soon drummed into the bowlers, with devastating effect.Amla came into this game with a brace of half-centuries to his name, but he couldn’t build on that record, as Anderson kept the ball right up to the bat, and Graeme Swann was perfectly positioned to intercept a wristy flick to short midwicket. Four overs later, JP Duminy gifted Anderson his second scalp, as he misjudged the pace of a slower-ball bouncer, and looped a gloved pull into the grateful hands of Matt Prior behind the stumps.De Villiers, South Africa’s form batsman following his scintillating 121 at Newlands, betrayed his team’s uncertainty with a sketchy innings that might have ended on 9 from 19 balls when he drove loosely at Broad but bisected the two men lurking in the covers. Instead, he was nailed lbw in Tim Bresnan’s first over of the match, a full-length delivery that Hawkeye suggested would have taken out leg stump.Jonathan Trott’s second half-century guided England home•Getty Images

Luke Wright, one of England’s best bowlers of the series to date, loosened the shackles a fraction as Alviro Petersen and Mark Boucher clubbed him for two fours each in consecutive overs, en route to a 23-run stand for the fifth wicket that seemed to have steadied South Africa’s jitters. But then, back came Anderson for another spell, and after a run of 15 consecutive dot-balls had been broken by a single to fine-leg, he struck with the fifth ball of his new spell, a beautiful full-length outswinger that took the edge of Boucher’s off stump.Ryan McLaren, struggling for form and smarting after a first-ball duck in the run-glut at Newlands, then deepened South Africa’s gloom by taking on a hint of width from Anderson, and smearing a sharp chance straight to Paul Collingwood at backward point. Strauss, in the mood for wickets, sensibly allowed Anderson to complete his quota of overs, and he was rewarded with the scalp of Johan Botha, who flinched at a beautiful lifter outside off, and grazed an edge through to Prior.Anderson’s spell duly came to an end after 27 overs – 10-2-23-5 – and with South Africa reeling at 85 for 7, all that remained was the mopping-up of the tail. Petersen, who has cemented his place in South Africa’s middle-order with scores of 64 and 51 not out in his previous two innings, demonstrated a cool head for a crisis with his third half-century in a row. But he couldn’t bat at both ends at once, and Collingwood, whose bowling has been a revelation on this tour so far, duly claimed the 100th wicket of his career as Strauss pulled off a blinder at backward-point, before nailing Morne Morkel lbw from round the wicket four overs later – a marginal decision that Hawkeye nevertheless suggested was correct.A mowed four through cow corner carried Petersen past fifty, but with just the dubious talents of Charl Langeveldt alongside him, he was obliged to chance his arm, and with one ball remaining of the 37th over, he advanced down the pitch to Broad and took on the long-on boundary. But Wright at mid-on timed his leap to perfection and plucked a stunning full-stretch chance with the fingertips of his right hand. It was an effort that summed up England’s day.The only way South Africa were going to get back into the contest was by claiming quick wickets, but Strauss and Jonathan Trott repelled them with a 74-run stand for the first wicket, with Trott in particular displaying some excellent timing as he anchored the chase with an unhurried half-century. England’s response wasn’t entirely plain-sailing, however, and in an interesting precursor to the Test series, Morkel troubled Strauss with some kicking bounce outside off from round the wicket. He could even have got his man for 12, but a huge appeal for caught-behind was turned down by umpire Jerling.It was eventually left to the spinner Botha to make the breakthrough, as he cramped Strauss for room on the cut and pinned him lbw for 32, and Botha made it two in two overs when Kevin Pietersen ended a frantic mini-innings with a clip to midwicket, only moments after being badly dropped by Morkel at fine leg. Collingwood, for once, failed to make an impression as McLaren had him caught behind for 2, but Eoin Morgan joined Trott to guide England to the finish in an unbroken 38-run stand.

Shane Bond has said New Zealand will review their notes from the Champions Trophy semi-final ahead of the series against Pakistan

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2009

While a one-off victory does not always indicate future form, Shane Bond has said New Zealand will review their notes from the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final ahead of the series against Pakistan.The two sides meet for the first of three ODIs on November 3 having recently completed a close tussle in South Africa, where New Zealand came out on top by five wickets. Both teams will play each other in the UAE before heading back home for three Tests, and Bond, the rehabilitated fast bowler, is targeting the limited-overs fixtures.”We’ll redraw the stuff we had last time on them,” he said. “It worked pretty well in terms of the bowlers, we knew what we had to do. Obviously this time we’ll have to adapt to the surface which will be flat and slow like Pakistan conditions.”New Zealand’s batting has not been noticeable for anything outstanding of late, and the absence of an injured Jesse Ryder has been a serious blow. This put more emphasis on the bowlers, said Bond. “The bulk of the experience is now in the bowling line-up. In terms of being a bowler coming back into the team we have to lead from the front and do well which puts pressure on us but we quite enjoy that. If we don’t lead we can’t rely on the inexperienced blokes to do it all the time.”Bond was confident that he had quickly adapted back to the pace of international cricket after nearly two years on the sidelines due to his ICL deal. Bond, 34, collected six wickets at 40.33 in New Zealand’s Champions Trophy campaign. Although at times expensive, most notably when his nine overs against Sri Lanka cost 82 runs, he also proved that he remains a potential matchwinner, as when he grabbed 3 for 21 from ten overs against England. It has been just short of two months since Bond’s comeback to the New Zealand team, having previously not played an international match since late 2007.His captain, Daniel Vettori, has already said Bond will not be rushed back into Test cricket. New Zealand conclude their UAE tour on November 13, after which the players join their domestic sides for the first-class competition. Bond will have an opportunity to acclimatise when Canterbury play Otago from November 17.”It’ll be quite nice to get a full run of cricket in this series and then get back and get into some four-day cricket as well. I’m expecting the more I play the better I’ll get. I haven’t hit top form but it’s not far away,” he said. “Everyone goes on about the speed, I’m happy with the pace I’m bowling. The more I bowl the more consistent I’ll get. I haven’t put in a consistent performance yet. I’ve been good in the odd spell then I’ve come back and haven’t been as sharp as I’m supposed to be.”

Daniel Vettori, is looking forward to the relative peace and quiet of the UAE following a turbulent week at home, which culminated in the resignation of coach Andy Moles

Cricinfo staff29-Oct-2009New Zealand have arrived in Abu Dhabi for the limited-overs series against Pakistan and their captain, Daniel Vettori, is looking forward to the relative peace and quiet of the UAE following a turbulent week at home, which culminated in the resignation of coach Andy Moles.”If anything it’s exciting to get out of New Zealand, get away from the scrutiny for a little bit, and come here and do what we do best,” Vettori was quoted as saying by . “It’s difficult from the perspective of having to front it all, I suppose, as captain and a selector as well. It means the focus has been on me for the explanation, so coming here takes a bit of heat off that.”Having taken up the coaching job less than a year ago, Moles resigned after holding mediation talks with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), following reports that senior players were unhappy with the lack of technical and tactical support being provided by him. It was agreed Moles would step down, after a review of the team’s performance in Sri Lanka and at the Champions Trophy suggested that changes should be made.The sudden developments left NZC with no time to appoint a new coach, or even an interim one, but they were confident Vettori’s leadership would hold the team in good stead against Pakistan. Partly fulfilling the role of coach is the latest addition to Vettori’s roster of responsibilities which includes the duties of captain, selector and key allrounder. Vettori, however, didn’t think it would be much of a burden.”I don’t feel like I have to pick up any slack in terms of coaching the side or anything like that, but it’s about coming over here and getting the job done,” he said. Vettori also has no deputy after NZC relieved Brendon McCullum of the vice-captaincy in order for him to focus on his batting but did not name a replacement. New Zealand, however, still have their assistant coaches, Mark O’Donnell and Shane Jurgensen, and manager Dave Currie, who will have an enhanced role in the team set-up.The Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam, however, said New Zealand “could find the going tough without a coach”. “From where I see it, it is very important for an international cricket team to have a full-time coach,” he told the . “It could be tough for him [Vettori]. I mean, the whole idea of having a coach is to ensure that the captain is spared from any headaches and can focus on leading his players on the field in the best possible manner.”New Zealand and Pakistan clashed in the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa, a contest that New Zealand won by five wickets. Vettori hoped to build on that success during the upcoming three-ODI and two-Twenty20 international series and wanted his team to display more consistency.”I think you could say we’re mercurial sides,” Vettori said. “Inconsistency probably plagues both teams and you look at both teams and say there are some really talented players and guys who can win games but how often are we consistently doing that? We know we’re going to battle hard against Pakistan and we need those key players to step up to either win games or nullify Pakistan’s key players.Several of New Zealand’s key players, though, are out with injuries or are recovering from injuries but Vettori said there was “a little bit of confidence in the side” despite that and they believed they were “good enough to win”.Jesse Ryder, Daryl Tuffey and Grant Elliott did not travel to the UAE while, among those who did, Kyle Mills has a shoulder niggle and Vettori and Jacob Oram are recovering from hamstring problems. “I think New Zealand teams unfortunately have dealt with that on numerous occasions and they understand how to get up for them,” Vettori said. “I think we’ve shown ourselves to be a resilient side and it creates opportunities and also gives the likes of Scott Styris, who is an extremely experienced guy, to come back into the side and prove his worth.”If those guys perform, it means we’ve got a strong squad to pick from. That’s been one of our biggest disadvantages that we don’t have a big pool of players who consistently compete on the world stage and, when injuries take over, we’ve struggled. Hopefully there’s a little bit of silver lining for us.”

Getting the little things right in order to maximise the opportunity for victory is something Daniel Vettori has stressed repeatedly over New Zealand’s stay in Sri Lanka. Today, having lost the toss on a notorious batting track at a ground where, since 2000, Sri Lanka averaged a staggering 453 in the first innings, New Zealand began well but then let slip. In the build-up to this Test they had talked about goals for the SSC, but after a tough first day those goals became something to talk about instead of doing.If the morning session was shared by the two teams largely due to Chris Martin and Iain O’Brien, who really tightened their lines from Galle, then the final was highlighted by a dip in control. The only bright spot was Vettori crossing 300 Test wickets, the first left-arm spinner to do so, but it seemed that after that landmark New Zealand’s intensity waned.Vettori put up his poker face when addressing the day New Zealand had, saying it “wasn’t a bad day”. “Two more wickets in it would have made it a good day for us. It’s a flat wicket, everyone knew that, and [Mahela] Jayawardene and [Thilan] Samaraweera gave us another lesson on how to bat on wickets like this. They showed an immense amount of patience and batted long sessions and in a lot of ways I hope our batsmen take a leaf out of their book.”With their figurative fortress here, and a real-life one in Galle, it is understandable why Sri Lanka have won 14 of 20 home series since the turn of the millennium, losing just four. Fast bowlers have not been known to wait in line for service at the SSC, where phrases such as “road” and “comatose” often pop up and tend to sum up the reputation the venue has. Bowling here was always going to be tough for the fast-medium contingent, especially one that first played a Test in Sri Lanka just last week, and the three seamers employed on day one found out the hard way. Between Galle and Colombo, Vettori demanded more from his bowlers. The results weren’t entirely disappointing but the lack of diffusion told.”Apart from the period after tea, we had about three quarters of an hour when we backed off and gave the momentum back to them,” said Vettori. “Iain O’Brien bowled very well, Jacob Oram was pleasing; myself, being able to bowl and contain and try and take wickets. Not a bad effort but we’d have liked to put two more wickets into that.”Having had Sri Lanka at 115 for 3, New Zealand allowed Sri Lanka to progress – first dourly, then leisurely – to 262 without further loss. “We definitely would have liked to cashed in and we acknowledge that the batsmen to come aren’t of the quality of the top five,” said Vettori, “And we wanted to try and get into the middle order like in the first Test. But we had two quality batsmen at the top of their game.”Top of the game they were, with Jayawardene looking ominous on 79 from 210 deliveries at stumps. He took his time to settle the situation and then, with an obdurate display bound to rankle New Zealand overnight, he took control. “It looks very easy for him,” said Vettori. “The good thing about him is that he doesn’t take many risks. On a wicket like this quality batsmen know they have to make runs and you can almost sense from him that he wants to come out and score a hundred. In the two innings of substance he’s played he hasn’t taken risks and he’s so determined to do well.”Knowing how to win in tight situations is an art, and the more often you are in that position, the more often you should be able to win. Sri Lanka pulled it off today. New Zealand knew what they wanted to do, but didn’t quite know how to go about doing it.

It was a no-contest at the Maple Leaf North West Ground as Kenya crashed to 113 and lost heavily by nine wickets to the hosts Canada in a match which lasted just 49.3 overs

Cricinfo staff20-Aug-2009
ScorecardRizwan Cheema scored an unbeaten 76 off 38 balls•Eddie NorfolkIt was a no-contest at the Maple Leaf North-West Ground as Kenya were dismissed by the hosts for 113 and lost by nine wickets in a match which lasted just 49.3 overs. Khurram Chohan, the right-arm seamer, took four early wickets to reduce the visitors to 37 for 5, a position from which they never recovered. Rizwan Cheema then hit a blazing 76 off 38 balls to seal the win in 16.2 overs.Chohan got into the act in the sixth over of the Kenya innings when he sent back Alex Obanda and Steve Tikolo in the space of three balls. He then dismissed Seren Waters and Collins Obuya to reduce the visitors to 37 for 5 in the 12th over. Maurice Ouma resisted with an unbeaten 43 but it turned out to be a solo act as he ran out of partners in the 34th over.Canada lost the early wicket of Hiral Patel, before Cheema and Abdool Samad batted in fifth gear. Samad finished with an unbeaten 30 while Cheema, who smashed ten fours, sealed the win with his fourth six.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após anunciar as chegadas de Robinho e Richard, o Fluminense está próximo de um novo reforço. Trata-se de Romarinho, jovem atacante do Globo-RN. O jogador de 23 anos enfrentou o Tricolor na primeira fase da Copa do Brasil e agradou o técnico Abel Braga, que pediu sua contratação. Marconi Barreto, presidente do clube de Ceará-MIrim, confirmou que o acordo está perto de ser concretizado ao “Novo Notícias”, jornal do Rio Grande do Norte.

-É uma negociação importante para o clube e também para o Romarinho. Gostaríamos muito que ele jogasse as semifinais, pois continuamos em busca do título da Série D. Mas acho pouco provável que ele volte a jogar pelo Globo – confirmou o mandatário Marconi Barreto, que também é prefeito da cidade.

José Romário da Silva Souza é um dos destaques do Globo-RN, semifinalista da Série D do Brasileirão. O clube deseja que o atacante dispute as fases finais do torneio, mas a vontade do jogador deve ser decisiva para o acerto com o Flu.

Com passagem pelas categorias de base do ABC, Romarinho começou a se destacar no Globo-RN em 2015. Na última temporada, chegou a defender o América-RN, mas foi pouco utilizado e não marcou gols. O atacante é o maior artilheiro da curta história do Globo-RN, fundado em 2012, com 24 gols.

Scorecard
A low-scoring opening day at the WACA ended with Australia Under-19 inching towards a lead over India Under-19 thanks to a fine display in the field. Right-arm fast bowler Kane Richardson’s five wickets bundled India out for 165 in 44.2 overs before the hosts finished the day five down for 136.India captain Ashok Meenaria’s decision to bat didn’t come off well, and he soon found himself battling for survival as wickets fell around him. Richardson took two wickets inside five overs and his fellow new-ball operator Jackson Coleman, on debut, also added to India’s early wobble. Meenaria added 56 with Harpreet Singh (24) but his dismissal for 51 was followed by a collapse of three wickets for no runs as Richardson returned to rock the lower middle order. A brisk 32 from Harshal Patel got the total beyond 150, barely.Australia were given a 61-run opening stand but suffered a collapse themselves. The offspinner Kundan Singh, 16, took three wickets to give India some hope before stumps were drawn. Tim Beaton, who took a fancy for the Indian attack in the first game in Hobart, contributed a solid 71 from 96 balls to lift Australia.

This season has started quite well for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side, having won four out of their opening six Premier League games of the season as well as both of their opening Champions League group matches.

However, a tough test is facing them this weekend with the arrival of Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday.

Henderson was quiet in midweek

One player who has been a regular figure in the team for Liverpool so far this season is club captain Jordan Henderson, having played in every game for the Reds across all competitions except for their opening league match of the season against Norwich City.

However, with Pep Guardiola’s side set to try and secure a consecutive league win at Anfield after beating them 4-1 last season, we feel that Klopp should consider dropping the skipper tomorrow to give the Reds a better chance of avenging February’s defeat.

Henderson, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, has made 400 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring 31 goals and providing 52 assists in the process.

So far this season, his performances in the Premier League have only earned him an overall season rating of 6.79/10, making him one of the lowest-rated Liverpool players so far this term according to WhoScored.

Looking at the Porto game in particular, Henderson failed to win any aerial duels on the night and lost possession on 13 occasions, while three of his four shots were blocked, according to SofaScore. That shows that he may not be the best option to start the City game in our view, especially given how the champions currently top the possession charts in the Premier League.

However, with Klopp recently revealing that Reds midfielder Thiago Alcantara will be out for the game through injury, perhaps this could allow Henderson to keep his place in the team.

Either way, it’s safe to say whoever the manager chooses to start against Guardiola’s side, either in midfield or any other position, must be at their best to overcome City, who boast the best defensive record in the league at the moment with just one goal conceded.

In other news: Klopp could finally replace Coutinho for Liverpool with “talented” £40.5m-rated beast

أعلن نادي بوروسيا دورتموند المنافس في بطولة الدوري الألماني عن مدة غياب مهاجم الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، سيباستيان هالير، بعد إصابته بورم سرطاني في الخصيتين.

وكان هالير قد شعر ببعض الآلام في موضع الإصابة بعد الخضوع لعملية جراحية لإزالة الورم السرطاني، وحدد نادي بوروسيا دورتموند شهرين على الأقل لعودة اللاعب من جديد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جماهير اتحاد جدة تطالب الإدارة برفض بن شرقي

وتحدث المدير الرياضي لنادي بوروسيا دورتموند، سيباستيان كيل، عن حالة هالير، وقال: “ما زال الجهاز الطبي يدرس البرنامج العلاجي الذي سيسير عليه اللاعب”.

وكان مهاجم كوت ديفوار قد انضم إلى بوروسيا دورتموند في الصيف الحالي ولمدة 4 سنوات ولكنه يبدو أن بداية مشواره مع الفريق الألماني لن يبدأ الآن.

وتابع كيل: “هناك خيارات يتم دراستها في الوقت الحالي من أجل اختيار البديل المناسب خاصة وأن جدول مبارياتنا مضغوط حتى شهر نوفمبر”.

Sri Lanka’s itinerary for a three-match trip to Pakistan has been revised once again, at the request of the Sri Lankan cricket board.The three ODIs will now be played in Karachi and Lahore, with the port city hosting the first two ODIs back-to-back. “We have received a request from SLC for the change and it has been agreed upon,” Salim Altaf, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo.In the new schedule, Sri Lanka arrive in Karachi as planned on January 18. Karachi’s National Stadium then hosts the first two ODIs on January 20 and 21. The third ODI will be played in Lahore on January 24 before the visitors return home a day later, to complete a quickfire week-long trip. Faisalabad – or Multan – thus miss out as a venue.Altaf gave no reason for the latest change but it is likely that the confirmation of a five-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and India has been factored in. The two agreed yesterday to India’s tour, which will include a Twenty20 international as well.Sri Lanka will return after the Indian series to play two Tests in Pakistan, likely to be towards the end of February.