Calls for Khawaja to open grow louder after a roaring start to the Shield season

Alex Malcolm09-Nov-2021Usman Khawaja believes he can bat anywhere in Australia’s top-order if he were to get an Ashes call-up but he says a middle-order place would make more sense than opening.The Queensland captain has started the Sheffield Shield season in exceptional form, with back-to-back centuries, and calls for him to return to the Test side for the first time since the 2019 Ashes series have been growing louder and louder.Khawaja has another chance to impress selectors at the Gabba on Wednesday when Queensland host Western Australia in a Shield clash, but he is already expected to be named in Australia’s extended Ashes squad ahead of the three-day intra-squad trial game scheduled for December 1-3 in Brisbane. The team for the Ashes opener will be selected from there.There have also been calls for Khawaja to open in the first Test at the Gabba. However, Khawaja himself downplayed that suggestion given he has opened just three times in 29 first-class innings since the 2019 Ashes tour for returns of 30, 4 and 2. His last 14 innings have been played exclusively at No.4 for Queensland.”If you’re talking about me opening, and what not, but I’ve been batting four for Queensland for the last two years,” Khawaja said. “So for me batting, if there’s a spot at five it’s as likely as opening the batting. It probably makes more sense in some respects. So for me, I think I’ve talked to selectors about it, I’ve told them I can bat anywhere along the order.”Khawaja does have an outstanding record opening the batting in Test cricket from a small sample size. He’s opened in seven innings across five Test matches in Australia and the UAE, scoring two centuries and two half-centuries at an average of 96.80. One of those centuries was in a pink-ball Test under lights against South Africa in Adelaide in 2016.He last opened in a Test in Sydney in 2019 before losing his place in the side during the 2019 Ashes after Marnus Labuschagne took his spot at No.3 following three consecutive half-centuries, having come in as Steven Smith’s concussion replacement at Lord’s.Khawaja is flattered by the support and well wishes he has received from people who want to see him back in the Test side, but he is content even if he isn’t recalled.”It’s just lovely to see all the support I’ve been getting from, you know, online, social media, just people coming up to me,” Khawaja said. “It’s nice to see, but for me, honestly, I guess I’ve been through the grind.”I played Test cricket. I haven’t. I’ve been playing professional cricket now for 14-odd years. I’m in a really good spot. And I have a lovely family, a beautiful wife, and a beautiful daughter. I’m really enjoying my life at the moment. I’ve got a lot of things to be grateful for.”I’d love to play for Australia. If it happens, if it doesn’t, honestly, it’s not in my thinking because I’m out here trying to score runs for Queensland.”Khawaja couldn’t resist the urge to poke fun at some criticism levelled at him by former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who told Channel Nine he didn’t think Khawaja was a good enough player at Test level to warrant a recall.”To me, it’s water off a duck’s back honestly, as Chappelli will have his opinions,” Khawaja said. “I guess you just have to, as a player, just concentrate on things you’re good at. I mean Chappelli is not even the best player in his family. So if I’m going to take advice I might take it from his younger brother maybe [laughing], who I get along with very well too, GC [Greg Chappell]. He’s a legend.”Khawaja was excited about the announcement that Australia will do a full tour of Pakistan early next year, given Khawaja was born there and recently played in the Pakistan Super League in the UAE.”It’s amazing, fingers crossed everything goes well,” Khawaja said. “I know CA is going to send a couple of people over in the not too distant future to just have a view of Pakistan.”It’s massive for Pakistan cricket, something they haven’t had for such a long time, a country that absolutely loves cricket. Even though [I was] born in Pakistan, for me, it’s just about spreading the beautiful game of cricket.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Na tarde desta quinta-feira, o Grêmio acertou a venda do goleiro Marcelo Grohe para o Al Ittihad, da Arábia Saudita. Além do seu titular, o Tricolor perdeu Bruno Grassi para o Criciúma e agora busca um novo arqueiro, já que tem apenas Paulo Victor no plantel.

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Um dos nomes que ganharam força em Porto Alegre foi do goleiro Everson, que disputou o último Brasileirão pelo Ceará e se destacou com defesas brilhantes.

Em contato com a reportagem, o empresário do atleta, Edson Neto, revelou que o Tricolor chegou a apresentar uma oferta, mas foi recusada pelo Ceará.

‘O Grêmio apresentou uma proposta, mas o Ceará não aceitou. Não sei se vai chegar outra (oferta), mas o que posso dizer é que vou tentar o melhor para a carreira do meu cliente sempre’, afirmou.

No clube desde a temporada 2015, Everson se notabilizou por belas defesas e cobranças de faltas. Em uma delas, no último Brasileirão, diante do Corinthians, o camisa 01 marcou um belo gol na vitória por 2 a 1.

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن وجود مفاوضات بين نادي باريس سان جيرمان ومدرب من الدوري الإيطالي، لخلافة كريستوف جالتييه.

وتحوم التكهنات بقوة حول مستقبل جالتييه مع باريس سان جيرمان، خاصة بعد الخروج من بطولتي دوري أبطال أوروبا وكأس فرنسا، وكثرة الهزائم في الدوري الفرنسي رغم تصدرهم البطولة.

وذكرت شبكة “RMC Sport” الفرنسية أن هناك مفاوضات بالفعل بين مسؤولي باريس سان جيرمان من جهة، ومدرب روما جوزيه مورينيو، من جهة أخرى، لبحث إمكانية خلافة الأخير لـ جالتييه حال الإطاحة به.

وأوضحت أن مورينيو أبقى نفسه بعيدًا عن تلك المفاوضات إلى حد كبير، حيث ترك الأمر بالكامل إلى وكيل أعماله خورخي مينديز، الذي يتعامل مباشرة مع المدير الرياضي لنادي باريس سان جيرمان لويس كامبوس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جالتييه عن معاقبة باريس سان جيرمان لـ ميسي: الوقت ليس مناسبًا للتحدث

وأشارت إلى أن باريس سان جيرمان يرى أن مورينيو هو الأنسب لقيادة الفريق الفرنسي خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وأفادت بأنه من جهة أخرى، سيكون من الطبيعي أن يكون مورينيو يشعر بالإحباط بشكل متزايد بسبب نقص الميزانية المخصصة له في روما.

ويمتلك باريس سان جيرمان ميزانية مالية غير محدودة، ويأمل في الحصول على مدرب ذو شخصية قوية على مقاعد البدلاء.

Ian Bell has acknowledged that England’s top-order batsmen will have to perform far better if they are regain a footing in the ODI series against India. England suffered their second crushing loss in succession in the third ODI on Saturday to allow India to take a 2-1 lead with two games to play and Bell knows that, with England having been bowled out for totals of 158 and 155, they will need to improve substantially if they are to prevent India securing a series victory in Wednesday’s game in Mohali.It is no coincidence that England won the first game of the series following a dominant performance from their top-order. Bell and Alastair Cook posted an opening stand of 158 within 28 overs to allow the middle-order to accelerate in the later stages of the innings.While Bell accepted that India’s opening bowlers had performed admirably in the last couple of games, he stressed the need for one of England’s top-order to bat through most of the innings to provide a platform for the middle-order. He hopes that the cooler conditions in Mohali might benefit England.”If we are going to get 150, that’s not going to challenge India at all in these conditions,” Bell said. “We need to get runs on the board and get a senior batsman batting for the majority of the overs.”We haven’t done that in the last two games and if we do that we can push India. In the final two games we need to get into a position to hurt India at the back end of the innings.”Their opening bowlers are very good,” he added. “They have plenty of skills and swing the ball both ways. They have made us work really hard. But we need a foundation for our big hitters in the middle to get us going.”It’s a little bit more familiar here than the last couple of games and obviously that’s nice. It’s been very nice here, very English really. That sure helps everyone.”The situation also presents the first significant test of Ashley Giles’ new career as an international coach. While Giles’ first series as England’s limited-overs coach was always likely to prove demanding – England’s limited-overs record in India offered little room for optimism – the extent of the last two defeats has been alarming.But, while Giles will consider changes to the England side ahead of the fourth match, he is also keen not to over-react. He knows, both from the ups and downs of his time as an international player and from his time as director of cricket at Warwickshire, that a calm appraisal of such adversity is infinitely preferable to any hint of panic or knee-jerk reaction.”I never, or probably only a couple of times, stamped my feet when I was at Warwickshire,” Giles said. “If the coach is on an emotional rollercoaster you end up with a team that is second guessing what your reaction will be if you win or lose. That’s not how I want to be.”Honesty is the important thing. You have to analyse where you’ve gone wrong, look at your personnel, pull those things together and ask ‘are we getting it right? Is this the right mix? Are they the right people?’ That’s the unemotional way of looking at it.”The hairdryer treatment works occasionally but not very often, not if you’re in it for the long term. If I did that after my third game, there would be a lot of worry.”However, Giles did provide the strongest hint yet that there may be changes to the England side. Concern over Craig Kieswetter’s form – though it has not been much worse than Eoin Morgan’s – has raised the possibility to him making way for his Somerset team-mate, Jos Buttler, though doubts about the latter’s wicketkeeping could count against him.While England’s batting has been their main downfall in the last couple of matches there will also be a temptation to make some changes to the bowling attack. Jade Dernbach has conceded his runs at a cost of an average cost of 7.79 an over in the series to date and, after 21 ODIs, concedes more runs per over than anyone to have bowled over 1,000 ODI deliveries: an average 6.28 runs per over. Mohali may provide an opportunity to take a look at Stuart Meaker.”That statistic is tough on Jade because he’s played a lot of cricket in India and it’s a hard place to come and play,” Giles said. “But again you have to adapt. What the Indians have done very well is hold lengths and lines, so you have to go at them to try to score. Really that’s what we’ve got to do.”Perhaps the most obvious message to England in the series to date is how much they miss Jonathan Trott. England won 12 out of 13 ODIs involving Trott in 2012 and, in that time, were never dismissed for under 200. In three out of four games without him, however, they have failed to reach 200 and been defeated in all three. Rested for this part of the tour, he returns to the side in New Zealand.In his absence, England might promote Joe Root to bat at No. 3. Root has faced more deliveries than any other England batsman in the last two games and might offer stability at the top of the order and provide Morgan and Kevin Pietersen with some protection from the newer balls. Long-term, though, Root is the only member of the top five unlikely to feature in England’s Champions Trophy side, so Giles is expecting more from his experienced players.”Changes are something that myself, Alastair Cook and the coaches will talk about,” Giles said. “We’ve got options and part of this trip is to look at those options, because we’re missing some senior players. This is where you find out about people, under pressure.”This group has been very refreshing and what we want to avoid is them just feeling beaten up. We have to pick the best team to win the next game of cricket. That will be a hot topic over the next day or two.”

Sylhet Royals blazed their way to a six-wicket win after they chased down 198 against Rangpur Riders with an over to spare

Mohammad Isam07-Feb-2013
ScorecardSylhet Royals blazed their way to a six-wicket win after they chased down 198 against Rangpur Riders with an over to spare. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Mushfiqur Rahim paved the way with quick-fire half centuries before Elton Chigumbura brought out the crucial blows to complete the victory.The seventh win in nine games all but confirmed their qualification in the last four while Rangpur slide further down the pecking order.With 29 runs required from the last three overs, Chigumbura hammered Murad Khan for two sixes off the last ball of the 18th over which cost 17. It left the Royals to take 12 off 12 balls which was brought down further by yet another clubbed six by Chigumbura which leveled the scores and left a comfortable finish.Most of the credit, however, goes to Chanderpaul who drove and hacked the ball to hit six boundaries and two sixes in his 29-ball 51. He and Paul Stirling added 48 for the first wicket but Stirling’s dismissal in the fifth over didn’t deter Chanderpaul as he and Mushfiqur took the score to 75 off the Powerplay.The second wicket pair added 45 before Mushfiqur added another 46 for the fourth wicket with Nazmul Hossain Milon. The Bangladesh captain struck five fours and two sixes and was the real impetus as he brought down the asking rate to a manageable region for the Royals. The target fast came within reach and, as soon as Chigumbura joined Mominul Haque at the crease, it was always going to be Royals’ game to lose.The chase overshadowed Shamsur Rahman’s unbeaten 98 as the Riders opener completed his fifth half century in the tournament. He struck eight sixes in his 50-ball innings but could not quite reach three figures after he gained just a single ball in the final over. Shamsur faced just nine balls in the last five overs after reaching 90 at the end of the 15th over.It was a stunning knock from Shamsur, peppering the leg-side boundary with flicked, pulled and slog-swept sixes while also using the straight boundary on two occasions. But it would not count for anything as the limitations of the Riders bowling attack were exposed quite badly.

England Lions continued their difficult start in Australia with a third-straight warm-up defeat as Victoria eased home by eight wickets at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2013
ScorecardRob Quiney guided Victoria’s run chase with 76•Getty ImagesEngland Lions continued their difficult start in Australia with a third-straight warm-up defeat as Victoria eased home by eight wickets at the MCG.The Lions never recovered sufficiently from a poor start which left them on 3 for 18 and could only post 173. Scott Boland took 4 for 29 and Fawad Ahmed also impressed with 2 for 21 from nine overs. Victoria cruised to their target with more than 12 overs to spare, Rob Quiney leading the way with 76 to following the hundred he scored in the first of the warm-up matches.After putting the Lions into bat, Victoria’s seamers made early inroads with the first three wickets all falling to catches by the wicketkeeper. A recovery of sorts was started by James Taylor (31), who scored a hundred in the previous match, and Gary Ballance, who finished as top-scorer with 57, but the batsmen rarely dominated.Ahmed removed Taylor and Ben Stokes, the Durham allrounder, was run out to leave the Lions 5 for 95 in the 31st over. Ballance added 46 with Rikki Clarke (32) but when Ballance was lbw to Clive Rose it meant there was no late flourish to the innings. The last four wickets fell for 11 runs in four overs.Victoria made a brisk start to their chase with Quiney and Peter Handscomb adding 83 for the first wicket and another half-century stand followed for the second wicket. The Lions bowlers have failed to impress during the warm-up matches and again did not make much of an impression although Chris Wright and Craig Overton were economical.The Lions now travel to Hobart where the five-match one-day series against Australia A begins on February 16.

MatériaMais Notícias

Grandes contratações não são garantia de sucesso de um time. São fartos os casos de equipes que se reforçaram bem e acabaram a temporada sem títulos. O contrário também acontece: times modestos que “dão liga” e, bem dirigidos, têm um inesperado sucesso. Mas, a poucos dias de começar a temporada, é evidente que Flamengo e Palmeiras se mostram cada vez mais distantes dos seus concorrentes. Com dívidas equacionadas, boas receitas e administração correta, o primeiro e quarto clubes de maior torcida do país largam como os maiores favoritos em quatro competições: estadual, Copa do Brasil, Brasileiro e Libertadores – aqui, é óbvio dizer, com concorrência maior. Não significa que a dupla tem garantia de troféus em 2019, mas sem dúvida estão mais perto deles do que seus maiores rivais – alguns deles também qualificados a buscar títulos neste ano. Com elenco pronto e bons reforços pontuais contratados, o Palmeiras deve ter no Flamengo um rival ainda mais forte, com as chegadas de bons jogadores como Gabriel Barbosa e Arrascaeta – o zagueiro Miranda pode ser o próximo, reforçando uma área ainda carente do Rubro-Negro. Com rivais perdidos nas finanças e erros administrativos, os dois times têm uma rara chance de estabelecer um domínio muito raro no futebol brasileiro.

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Kent were all out for 218, handing the visitors a four-run first-innings lead

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay12-Apr-2025Middlesex have batted themselves into a commanding position at the end of day two of their Rothesay County Championship match with Kent at Canterbury, reaching 222 for 6 at stumps, a lead of 226.Stephen Eskinazi gave them a platform with 57 before Ben Geddes cashed in after being dropped twice to make 73 not out.Earlier Kent were all out for 218, handing the visitors a four-run first-innings lead. Grant Stewart made 56 and Harry Finch 52 but their 101-run partnership was broken in the second over of the morning session. Blake Cullen had Middlesex’s best figures with 4 for 60, while Ryan Higgins took 3 for 37.Kent were still 50 in arrears at the start of Day 2 but after passing 50 in the first over, Stewart swished Ryan Higgins to Zafar at midwicket. Finch punched Roland-Jones through the covers to bring up his 50 but Higgins pinned him lbw in the next over.Jas Singh and Kashif Ali almost got Kent to parity, until an eventful 83rd over. Kashif was on 16 when he hooked Cullen, but Brookes reacted a split second too slowly and the chance went down. However, he was run out off the very next delivery, when Singh drove Cullen through the covers and Zafar Gohar’s throw allowed Cullen to break the stumps with Kashif a centimetre from making his ground. Cullen then bowled Singh middle stump to give Middlesex a slender advantage.Nathan Fernandes’ run of single-figure scores this continued when Nathan Gilchrist had him lbw for one in the fourth over.Max Holden, lucky to get off the mark with a tailender’s swipe at Stewart, nicked Gilchrist to Daniel Bell-Drummond at third slip for five in the next over, but Eskinazi and Leus du Plooy steered them to 33 for 2 at lunch and looked well set for an hour after the resumption until the latter edged Stewart to Jack Leaning for 26, breaking a 56-run partnership.Joey Evison struck with his second ball, bowling Higgins off stump for 15 and Ben Geddes nearly went in the same over but Tawanda Muyeye couldn’t cling on at first slip.Eskinazi clipped Evison for a single to reach 50 but was lbw to Singh in the 42nd over and there was further encouragement for Kent members, during an otherwise interminable afternoon session, when Michael Cohen came on as a sub fielder after missing the entire 2024 season with a back injury.Middlesex, however, were 147 for 5 when tea was finally taken at 4.23 pm and the game began to drift away from the hosts, with Gilchrist unable to take a return catch off Geddes, who subsequently straight-drove Evison for four to reach his 50.Jack Davies joined him in making batting look easy on a track that had looked treacherous on day one until Leaning got him for 27, caught by Bell-Drummond at first. Cullen then came in for three deliveries before the players came off for bad light.

تألق الدولي المصري محمد صلاح لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول، خلال مباراة الريدز وليستر سيتي ضمن الجولة 36 من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

محمد صلاح صنع 3 أهداف، هدفين لـ كورتيس جونز في الشوط الأول، وفي الشوط الثاني صنع بالكعب هدفًا رائعًا لـ ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد.

وتمكن النجم المصري من المشاركة في 88 دقيقة، وكانت أهدافه المتوقعه 0.94، لكنه لم يتمكن من التسجيل في مرمى إيفرسن.

سدد محمد صلاح 3 تسديدات منهم واحدة بين الـ3 خشبات تصدى لها الحارس الدنماركي، بينما أنقذ الدفاع تسديدتين للفرعون المصري وخامس هدافي ليفربول عبر التاريخ.

وصنع أسطورة ليفربول فرصة هدف محقق لكن جاكبو لم يتمكن من تسجيلها، بينما لم ينجح في المراوغة رغم المحاولتين خلال الـ88 دقيقة.

ولمس محمد صلاح الكرة 60 مرة، ومرر 30 تمريرة بينية بدقة 38%، وصنع تمريرات افتتاحية 4 مرات، وأرسل 3 عرضيات منهم واحدة فقط صحيحة.

وفاز محمد صلاح بصراع واحد فقط من أصل 11 صرع أرضي، ولم ينجح في أي صراع هوائي، وفقد الاستحواذ 19 مرة. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح أمام ليستر سيتي في الدوري الإنجليزي

Ricky Ponting led Tasmania to a what appeared a decisive lead after Luke Butterworth razed Western Australia’s first innings for 97 on day two

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2013
Scorecard
Ricky Ponting led Tasmania to a what appeared a decisive lead after Luke Butterworth razed Western Australia’s first innings for 97 on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA ground.Resuming at 6 for 54, the Warriors could make nothing of Butterworth, who now has 35 wickets at 17.02 in the Shield this season. They had a chance of restricting the visitors when the Tigers quickly slipped to 2 for 10, but Ponting forged the biggest stand of the match with Alex Doolan to stretch the lead.Ponting’s innings was aggressive, featuring two sixes, as the ball continued to zip around for the WA bowlers. Ryan Duffield enjoyed most success with his left-arm swing.Steady contributions down the order frustrated WA’s efforts to start a rush of wickets, and Jason Krejza will hope to add to his side’s advantage when he and the last man Adam Maher resume on day three.