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10 players have represented both eternal rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.

When it comes to rivalries, there are very few that can match the intensity and extent of animosity between Manchester United and Liverpool.

Despite the footballing rivalry between the two Northern powerhouses, there are some players who actually played for both clubs in their career.

GOAL takes a look at the a list of stars who have been part of both clubs.

Fred Hopkin

Hopkin joined Manchester United in 1919 and scored eight goals in 41 appearances in his first season at the club.

After a rather underwhelming 1920-21 season, Hopkin joined Liverpool for £2,800 in May 1921, and went on to make 360 appearances for them over the next decade.

In less than a year after joining the Merseyside club, Hopkin celebrated a league title in his first season at the club, followed by a repeat of the same in the next season.

AdvertisementTommy Reid

Scottish centre-forward Tommy Reid was brought to England by Liverpool in 1926, with the Reds paying a fee of £1,000 to sign him at that time.

Reid spent three seasons at Liverpool, scoring 30 goals in 55 appearances before joining Manchester United in January 1929.

He spent just over four seasons at United which turned out to be the best goalscoring years of his career as he netted 63 goals in just 96 appearances for the Red Devils between 1929 and 1933.

Tom Miller

One of the great Scottish strikers in the the late 1920s and early 1930s, Tom Miller was signed for Liverpool in 1912 by manager Tom Watson.

His career, along with the rest of the footballing fraternity at that time, was interrupted during the World War I and he returned to Liverpool in 1919. Between 1912 and 1920, Miller scored 56 goals in 146 appearances for the Merseyside club.

Bitter rivals Manchester United signed Miller in September 1920 and played for the Red Devils for one season.

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Tom Chorlton

Another Tom Watson signing, this time in 1904, Tom Chorlton took some time to establish himself as a starter at Liverpool.

In the 1909-10 season, Chorlton didn't miss a single game for Liverpool becoming the only player to achieve that feat.

An expert penalty taker, he scored eight goals in 121 games for the Merseyside giants before joining Manchester United in 1912. Over the next two years, he could make just four appearances at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have broken the transfer record a number of times in the last three decades, but which players have been their best signings?

Getty Images1Eric Cantona – 1992 – £1.2 million from Leeds UnitedManchester United started the Premier League era with a couple of marquee signings, bringing in Dion Dublin from Cambridge United and Eric Cantona from Leeds United. Dublin was Alex Ferguson's second-choice in the transfer market, bringing him to Old Trafford after Alan Shearer moved from Southampton to Blackburn Rovers. He scored just two league goals for the Red Devils before leaving for Coventry City in 1994. On the other hand, Cantona was a revelation for the club, reaching double figures in the Premier League in four of his five seasons, picking up four league titles and two FA Cups along the way.AdvertisementGetty2Roy Keane – 1993 – £3.75m from Nottingham ForestRoy Keane became the most expensive player in English football when he joined United as a 21-year-old and was the face and heart of the team for the next 13 seasons. He played 480 times for the Red Devils winning seven league titles as well as the Champions League in 1999. The Republic of Ireland midfielder was the team's captain for their European success, but missed the final due to suspension after picking up a yellow card during a career-best performance against Juventus in the semi-final.Getty Images3Andy Cole – 1995 – £7m from NewcastleAndy Cole was an immediate success at Manchester United after signing in January 1995. The England attacker ended the season in double figures in the Premier League despite playing just 18 times in half-a-campaign. He went on to score 121 times in all competitions for the club, finishing with five league titles and a Champions League medal.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images4Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 1996 – £1.5m from MoldeOle Gunnar Solskjaer would go down in Manchester United history for one single moment, but scored almost 100 Premier League goals as he became the world's best 'super sub' under Alex Ferguson. He was signed by United after local rivals Manchester City were not willing to take a chance on him, and ended up coming off the bench to score the winner in the club's miraculous comeback in the 1999 Champions League final.

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s teenage legspinner, believed “100%” that his team were on course for victory over England after they had claimed six wickets in the first 10 overs of their contest at Delhi. Instead, England recovered to post 142 for 7 and close out a victory that confirmed Afghanistan’s elimination from the tournament.”We thought we had our game at 100%,” Rashid said. “But they played good cricket at the end, and that’s why they took the game away from us.”After selecting four spinners and a solitary quick bowler in Shapoor Zadran, Afghanistan had designs on keeping their opponents to below 100. England had slipped to 57 for 6 and 85 for 7 before Moeen Ali and David Willey revived the pre-match favourites with an unbroken 57-run stand, allowing them to survive going toe-to-toe with Afghanistan.”We planned to play simple cricket and see what happened,” Rashid said. “On that time, we thought we have to restrict them to under 100, we tried our best to restrict them under 100, but unfortunately they played good cricket, especially Moeen Ali, so they made it to 140.”In reply, Afghanistan stuttered to 13 for 3 after three overs, which included the dismissal of their star batsman Mohammad Shahzad, for 4. Despite losing regular wickets, they still managed to take the game to the wire, Shafiqullah’s unbeaten 35 from 20 balls capping a spirited fightback that meant England could not be sure of victory until the final few deliveries.”We didn’t start well, but we did well in the middle, we took responsibility,” said Rashid, who was promoted to No. 5 and made 15 in only his fourth T20I innings. “It was a good game, a close game, we will learn from it and in the future we will not repeat the same mistakes.”Afghanistan may not be able to qualify for the semi-finals after three defeats from three in Group 1 but they will have one more chance to finish the tournament with victory over a Full Member when they take on West Indies in Nagpur on Sunday.

Fidel Edwards’ ferocious bowling spell made good a rapid century from Adam Wheater and left Hampshire anticipating a first Championship win of the season

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove08-Jun-2015
ScorecardAdam Wheater’s century gave Hampshire control before Fidel Edwards rounded off a satisfying day•Getty ImagesA pumped-up Fidel Edwards made ferocious use of the Hove slope to take four cheap post-tea wickets and give Hampshire every opportunity to achieve their first victory of the season and escape their position at the foot of the table as a consequence.Hampshire established a first innings lead of 141 thanks to their first century of the season, brought up by Adam Wheater in 82 balls, an innings including back-to-back reverse sweeps, top edges over the slips and some punchy drives. Of those 82 balls, 16 brought boundaries.Edwards was just as eye catching as the second day drew to a close. Before a ball had been bowled, the West Indian marked his run-up and ran through all the way to Luke Wells, who was busy, head down, marking his guard.Edwards mimicked the tall left-hander before rubbing his hands in the debris in an almost auspicious fanfare. Still on zero after 10 balls, having been pushed back by some superb short-balls from Edwards, Wells was hesitant in coming forward to his 11th and nicked to Will Smith at third slip.Machan then miscalculated the pace and length to pull Edwards onto his off-stump before Michael Yardy fell to an lbw decision that he was not in agreement with.Just as the first audible grumbles were coming from the home faithful, three of their own came and steadied. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash stemmed the flow with 71 for the fourth wicket, before Joyce uncharacteristically flirted with one from Berg through to Vince.But Nash was then joined by Wright, and both looked like seeing the day off before Edwards was reintroduced in the 37th over and produced a blistering spell of hostile bowling that would have made even the most adept of batsmen question their life choices.Wright had a short leg, deep backward square, fine-leg and, after top-edging a hook, then also a back-stop for company, as Edwards began pushing off from that nourishing Cromwell Road End. Nash, at the non-striker’s end for the first assault, was on back foot when he faced Edwards and was subsequently trapped in front by a full ball that fizzed through the air.In came Steve Magoffin, unlucky enough to have only taken one wicket, and rueing his luck once more as he had to see off what remained of Edwards’ fire. After five balls that must have felt like an eternity, he met Wright halfway down the pitch and punched gloves in relief.Edwards walked back with him and offered a pat on the back.They’ll meet again first thing in the morning.Wheater’s rapid hundred was seemingly an innings that had been earmarked for James Vince, who reconvened in the morning on 52, added 24 runs and then flayed Matt Hobden to Ed Joyce in the cordon.He was more than ably assisted by Gareth Berg, who is having one of his best games of his career. He fell one short of his first hundred in four years, urging No 11 Jackson Bird to hurry back for a second, only to find himself a good foot short of his ground with a direct hit from Hobden throwing from square leg.Together, Wheater and Berg put on a record eighth-wicket stand for Hampshire against Sussex, beating a previous best of 135 set by Nic Pothas and Shane Warne. The new record, 165, came off 153 deliveries, was superb in the context of this game and, barring a herculean effort from Sussex’s lower order, may have already determined the outcome of this match.It was a pretty wayward effort with the ball from Sussex, who have had to shuffle their pack more than they would like because of injury and availability.As Wheater and Berg played their respective hands, Ed Joyce seemed unsure who to turn to. Fynn Hudson-Prentice on debut was expensive and, as such, ended up bowling as many overs as Luke Wells – a part-time off-spinner who was bowled ahead of the 19-year-old for four overs when Gareth Berg was fresh to the crease. It was only when Wells went for 35 in those four that Hudson-Prentice was reintroduced. That first over back in the attack disappeared for 12, as a now settled Berg picked him off.The predicament for Mark Robinson is an unfortunate one. For years, he has cultivated something of a fast bowlers haven at Hove. Like India to gap year students, befuddled or disenchanted quicks have “found themselves” on the coast. The most notable in recent years has been Chris Jordan, whose newly found inner peace has seen him scale to international cricket, hence his unavailability until the end of the ODI series with New Zealand.Unleashed down the hill from the Cromwell Road End after time on the sidelines at Surrey, with a reworked gym programme and some technical refinement, he is a poster boy for Hove’s healing properties, so much so that his friend and former Surrey teammate George Edwards sought his opinion on pastures new, and life at Sussex, before eventually moving on from the Oval to Lancashire. “You look at what he’s done there and it’s pretty incredible,” commented Edwards at the beginning of the season.Ajmal Shahzad is the latest to experience a renaissance by the sea, on a roll with 22 wickets at 17.86 before an injured pectoral muscle during an impressive spell on day one of Sussex’s match with Middlesex. That was back on May 10 and, while it was thought he would be back in two weeks, the recovery has taken a little longer. It is thought that he will make his return in the seconds tomorrow.Then there’s the less fortunate Tymal Mills, diagnosed with a narrow spinal chord just a month into the season which requires constant assessment and a lightening of his workload. Rotten luck all round.

An oddly familiar face peered down the SCG net containing Aaron Finch on Monday, his fiery red hair accentuated by the choice of a cap of the same colour. After a few minutes of speculation, the figure was proven to be Andrew McDonald

Daniel Brettig in Sydney24-Mar-2015An oddly familiar face peered down the SCG net containing Aaron Finch on Monday, his fiery red hair accentuated by the choice of a cap of the same colour. After a few minutes of speculation, the figure was proven to be Andrew McDonald, the former Australia allrounder and soon to be coach of Leicestershire.Apart from everything else in his quite impressive CV, McDonald is a longtime friend and team-mate of Finch for Victoria, and a past source of technical and tactical advice for the younger, squatter opening batsman. Together they have shared considerable success at the domestic level, and it may be argued that Finch is enjoying the sorts of international opportunities McDonald was unlucky – largely through injury – not to have had himself.Australia’s World Cup campaign has been punctuated by knowledgable visitors, from Geoff Marsh and Ian Healy to Steve Waugh and even the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. But McDonald was there at the behest of Finch alone, his diminishing returns at this tournament providing all the necessary impetus to call in a pair of eyes capable of making sharp observations allied to reassuring words.”It was just a good opportunity, he’s someone I’ve worked with a lot over the last couple of years – for about 10 or years now on my game – and he’s someone I feel comfortable with,” Finch said of McDonald. “And just a different voice and someone I really trust with my game and just to touch base with him was something I really needed.”He’s just someone I really trust, he’s one of my best mates and he knows a lot about the game. He’s been around my batting for a long time and I thought it was a good opportunity to get him up here for a day and have a hit. I feel like I’ve been batting nicely, it’s nice to go back to a couple of checkpoints and make sure that I’m on top of my game and feeling good and hitting the ball nicely.”That’s all I can ask and whatever will happen on Thursday will happen. I’m not someone who over-analyses it a hell of a lot.”That McDonald was there spoke for two things. The first and most obvious point was that Finch has been struggling, from the moment his over-eager attempt to repeat a six off Tim Southee resulted in his off stump being plucked out at Eden Park. The second is that the Australian team’s coaching staff are not given to offering technical advice of too detailed a variety, particularly when it comes to batting.Head coach Darren Lehmann and his batting assistant Michael Di Venuto were uncomplicated figures when they played, and have maintained that sort of visage as mentors. Di Venuto’s advice in early summer that Steven Smith was “not out of form, just out of runs” proved to be the right words at the right time, but there have been other moments and other players who need more.Helpfully, though, neither Lehmann nor Di Venuto are uncomfortable with others coming in to help at times, as evidenced by the use of Marsh, Healy, Waugh and numerous others. As Lehmann has often said “you’d be silly not to” keep an ear out for numerous sources of wise counsel.Finch is helped by the fact that since the Auckland defeat, a reshuffled Australian batting order offers more of a top order buffer zone should the hyper-aggressive openers charge too quickly into the bend. Smith and Michael Clarke at Nos. 3 and 4 can play at multiple tempos, while Shane Watson’s floating commission at No. 5 or 6 sits easily alongside the more outlandish hitting of Glenn Maxwell.”When you’re under pressure you go back to your basics and I think we’ve got some really good ‘basic’ players,” Finch said. “We’ve got a lot of guys with flair, but when they’re under pressure they’ve still got a really good defence to fall back on, a really structured game.”When you look at guys like Steve Smith and Michael Clarke they’re quality Test players and that’s what you tend to fall back on and let the other guys. Guys like Maxwell play with the flair. But saying that, we’re not going to be holding back. We’re an aggressive team with bat and ball. It’s going to be a good opportunity to do it on the biggest stage.”Finch knows that whatever work he does this week, Thursday may also depend on a moment’s fortune. He was dropped before scoring when he made a hundred against England on the tournament’s opening afternoon. Against Pakistan he tried to give himself some luck by chancing an lbw referral for a ball striking middle stump, and must hope things will turn during the semi.”I referred one on middle stump, didn’t I?” Finch said with a rueful grin. “You never know. You hit a couple in the middle at the start of the innings and things seem to flow on sometimes and you get a bit of a roll on. It’s just one of those things – and when you’re not hitting them so well, to get down the other end so Davey [Warner] can take a bit of the strike.”Just try and work your way into an innings in a bit of a different way, as opposed to boundaries and trying to score quickly. It’s just one of those things. It’s not far away. I feel great, it might just be that one shot early in your innings that gets you going to make a big one.”Should Finch find his form on Thursday, it will be another feather in the red cap of McDonald, and a hopeful sign for his looming entrance into the coaching game.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League quarter-final matches on November 26, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2014Azeem Ghumman’s final-innings century was in vain as Hyderabad Hawks were dismissed 19 runs short of victory in the quarter-final against Habib Bank Limited at Mirpur Cricket Stadium. Chasing 286, Hyderabad crumbled to 79 for 6 in 24 overs. They were then steadied by a 98-run stand between Lal Kumar and Ghumman, but three more wickets went down for 30 runs and Hyderabad were sinking at 207 for 9. Ghumman, however, found support in last man Babar Khan, who made 28, and the pair took Hyderabad to 267 before Ghumman fell for 121 off 156 balls. Umar Gul and Abdur Rehman took three wickets apiece for HBL.HBL’s victory came despite a disastrous first innings after they were sent in to bat. They were shot out for 128 in 43.1 overs with Mir Ali taking 5 for 39 for Hyderabad. Rameez Aziz was HBL’s top scorer with 49.Hyderabad went on to claim a first-innings lead of 138, with ten out of their 11 batsmen getting starts. No one went on to make a half-century, though, and their top-scorer was No. 11 Naeem-ur-Rehman, who made 43 off 39 balls. Abdur Rehman and Ashiq Ali took four wickets each for HBL.HBL’s victory was set up by a strong second-innings performance led by Bilal Shafayat’s unbeaten 201 off 257 balls, which included 30 fours. Rameez contributed 80 as HBL declared on 423 for 5, setting Hyderabad a target of 286. It didn’t look like they would come close, but they fell just short in the end.Strong bowling performances from Atif Maqbool and Tabish Khan set up Sui Southern Gas Corporation’s 235-run victory against Pakistan Television at National Ground in Islamabad.SSGC were dismissed for 266 after choosing to bat, riding on half-centuries from Usman Tariq, Mohammad Waqas and Tariq Haroon. Waqar Ahmed took 5 for 53 for PTV. Maqbool then ranthrough the PTV batting lineup, taking 6 for 82 to dismiss them for 222 in 67.5 overs. Hasan Raza made 59, but six other batsmen failed to convert their starts.SSGC’s batting built on the 44-run lead and piled up 373 in the second innings. Three of the top four batsmen made half-centuries and there were useful contributions from the lower order too. Awais Zia top scored with 79. PTV used as many as nine bowlers; Nawaz Ahmed took 3 for 60. Chasing 418, PTV were shot out for 182. Rehan Afridi made 70, but no one else contributed substantially as Tabish claimed 5 for 55 to wreck the chase.

Benoni’s Willowmoore Park’s status as an international venue could be under the microscope after a domestic one-day cup match between Titans and Knights was abandoned because of a dangerous pitch. This is the second time in five years a fixture has been called off at the venue, meaning CSA’s board can recommend that the ground not be included in the roster of international matches in the season that follows.According to CSA’s administrative conditions clause 5.3, if a playing surface is deemed unsuitable for play, “CSA would have a range of options available to deal with its findings on the pitch in question, including the deduction of points from the home team, the imposition of a fine not exceeding R150,000 or both. A further option available is a recommendation to the Board that the ground in question be excluded from the next season’s roster of International and/or Test matches.”Titans, who use Willowmoore Park as one of their two home grounds, have already been punished with points for the game awarded to Knights. Play was stopped after 19 overs with Titans on 45 for 3. At that stage, the umpires had already seen at least four incidents of inconsistent bounce and, in consultation with the match referee and captains, opted not to continue with the game.”The new balls were jumping up and rearing quite badly and then it just got worse. By the 13th over, it was really bad,” Barry Lambson, the match referee, told ESPNcricinfo.Lambson went on to describe how medium-pacer Malusi Siboto hit both Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn on the arm before the first drinks break. “The umpires consulted but we carried on,” Lambson said.”After drinks, Theunis de Bruyn got a ball at about ankle height and then the next ball just took off. The same thing happened to Dean Elgar – one kept low and then the next one he had to swerve out of the way. The umpires consulted again and we decided it was too dangerous to continue. Someone could have been badly injured and we didn’t want to wait for that. Bowlers who are not that quick where getting it to rear up. Imagine what Marchant de Lange could have done later.”Lambson has compiled a report which will be submitted to CSA – the board will decide on further action.Under consideration will be that the groundsman informed the officials that he prepared the pitch in the “normal way”, according to Lambson, and that little more than a fortnight ago Willowmoore Park hosted a fist-class match on what Lambson described as a “great wicket”.However, the venue has been problematic in the past too. In 2009, a four-day match was called off after seven overs because of unsuitable pitch. On that occasion, it was found that the surface had been overwatered and the bowlers were creating dents in the pitch. The points for the match were shared, which Titans coach Rob Walter would have preferred to see happen this time as well.”If we’re affected from a points point of view, that would be unfair. We just rocked up to play a game of cricket,” he told journalists in Benoni. “The four-day wicket was great, and a few days later this happens.”While Willowmoore Park is not a regular host of international matches, with its last men’s ODI played in March last year, it a common venue for practice matches for touring teams. Last year, unseasonably high rainfall meant it could not stage India’s practice match.It is not due to host any international games this summer but is scheduled for a significant number of domestic cricket games and one fixture involving an international side, which organisers will want to ensure it is properly prepared for. The ground will see two domestic twenty-over matches staged on November 21 and 26, the warm-up match between a South African Invitation XI and the touring West Indians in December, two domestic four-day games next January and March, and another one-day cup match on February 1.

USACA put on notice

Cricket’s ongoing power struggles in the United States have resulted in USACA being placed officially on notice for failing to meet the ICC’s membership criteria. Disputes between USACA and the American Cricket Federation mean the former body cannot claim to be the sole organisation representing the game in the USA. This has resulted in a warning that the board could be suspended if the matter is not cleared within the year.
“They are up to be put on notice, however that issue is going to be discussed at the governance committee meeting and by the ICC board on Thursday before the annual conference,” ICC global development head Tim Anderson said. “USACA have been suspended in the past but these criteria weren’t in place then. This is a new process that hasn’t been tested yet. That’s one of the things the governance committee has to talk about.”

Wally Edwards and Giles Clarke turned on the charm at the MCG on Tuesday as they attempted to reassure Associate and Affiliate nations that the “Big Three” will lead cricket with more benevolence than belligerence.Edwards and Clarke spoke on behalf of the boards of Australia and England at an informal meeting ahead of the official Associates & Affiliates gathering in the Jim Stynes Room. Alongside India’s BCCI, they have hatched plans for the game’s strongest nations to lead the rest.The third member of their triumvirate, the barred BCCI president and yet ICC chairman-elect N Srinivasan, was not at the MCG, relying instead on his colleagues to articulate the new landscape they have created together, stressing meritocracy and closer bilateral links between nations.Edwards told members that the path was now open for cricket’s second- and third-tier nations to earn their way up the ladder through success on the field and sound governance off it. Tim Anderson, the ICC’s head of global development, said the management of the governing body in Dubai had grown more at ease with plans for the next eight years after working at turning broad resolutions into more detailed blueprints.”ICC management didn’t have a large role in the proposals when they were first put up four or five months ago, but as we’ve moved through this phase we have been able to get more involved and talk to our full members about what’s important, and as far as I can gather a lot of that’s been taken on board,” Anderson said.”I’ve had conversations with CA, ECB and the BCCI over the past couple of months along with our own development committee, and all of those discussions have been really positive about what the future might look like. I feel pretty good about the future even though there are some changes to come. The fact that our full members seem to be engaging more and more with other countries is a very good thing.”Among the major concerns raised by Associate and Affiliate members are changed financial modelling, which will offer nations a reduced percentage of ICC revenues when lined up against the previous plan, even if the next set of television rights is set to fetch an appreciably larger price and thus an increased injection of cash for all.According to an insider, the ICC is showing a “lack of care for Associate cricket,” underlined by their narrower focus on the tier below Test members. The High Performance Program will, for the next few months, concentrate on the four teams participating in next year’s World Cup – Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan and the UAE – leaving the rest wondering how they will keep cash flow going and whether their teams will get sufficient game time.They have managed to attain some certainty in terms of the new financial model. Associate and Affiliate members will receive a total amount of US$225 million but it will be divided according to a new model. Half of that money (US$112.5 million) will go to top performing Associates but it is yet to be decided who those teams will be while. The other half will be shared among the rest. There is also the possibility of another tier of Associate countries who will be classed as high-performing countries, who may not benefit from the high performance program but will receive additional financial support.”Change is difficult at any stage, and we go through a process of change every eight years given our new rights and events cycle, different structures and funding models come through,” Anderson said. “I think what’s been good for this group today is Wally Edwards and Giles Clarke came in and spoke to them this morning and talked to them about the background of some of the changes.”Some of them who were involved in our committees have a broader understanding of what’s been happening, but this has really helped get their head around what’s going on and maybe more why it’s happening. I think they understand that the rights for world cricket are going to be sold very well, the international game’s in a good place and we expect our media rights will go for significantly more than they have in the past, which will mean more money will flow down.”I would imagine that coming into this meeting there would have been uncertainty, but now there’s a bit more comfort with what’s going on.”Also a source of disquiet is the plan to reduce the number of competing teams at the World Cup from 14 to 10 from 2019, though two qualification places will still be open. “One of the things they are perhaps understandably worried about is the World Cup and why are we going from 14 teams to 10 teams,” Anderson said. “As a member that’s a fair enough question, and in isolation I can understand where they’re coming from – you don’t want to lose something because you don’t want to lose something.”As a package though if you look at the opportunities coming in T20, opening up Test cricket and a big shift is the fact that up until now Full Members have by right received an automatic spot in the World Cup. At 2019 that won’t happen anymore. If they play well at the next World Cup they can put forward a case to say it should probably be more than 10, and if I were them I’d do the same thing.”Thirdly the game’s smaller nations have wondered aloud about a wider philosophical shift from expansion to consolidation, with Edwards, Clarke and Srinivasan eager to improve the performances of numerous existing Full Members. However Anderson suggested that targeted expansion into cricket’s major untapped markets – namely China and the USA – was now more likely than before.”There might be more of a focus on that moving forward as opposed to having a wide strategy to try to grow everybody, to really target some of those key countries and say ‘We really want to have a go there because we think they’ll make a big impact moving forward’,” he said. “Even though there’s been a lot of talk about China and the USA, there hasn’t necessarily been a huge amount of investment or events haven’t been put in those places.”I’m not sure the action has backed up some of the words, but moving forward I think that’s one of the things that’ll probably happen.”The three Associate and Affiliate positions on the ICC board will be taken up by Imran Khawaja of Singapore, Neil Speight from Bermuda and Francois Erasmus of Namibia. There was no room for Keith Oliver from Scotland which is believed to have caused consternation among the European Associate and Affiliate members who were lobbying for Oliver to get a position on the board. Oliver was instrumental in winning the right for Associate nations to have a pathway to play in international and many Associate members believed he would continue to champion their cause.The day was rounded off by the first installment of the two-day Chief Executives Committee meeting, at which recommendations from the cricket committee’s discussions in Bangalore were to be discussed. The Associate and Affiliate nations also discussed their situation with regard to the Big Three administrative and revamp of the ICC and arrived at the conclusion that “rebellious” postures would not help their cause at a time when “logical” thought was required.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have made one of their best starts to the tournament and with the likely return of Chris Gayle they will look to keep up with the marauding Punjab at the top of the table

The Preview by Devashish Fuloria23-Apr-20145:10

Agarkar: Target Bangalore with pace

Match factsRoyal Challengers Bangalore v Knight Riders Kolkata, Sharjah
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Start time 1830 (1430 GMT, 2000 IST)The hunted: Gautam Gambhir has started the season with two ducks•BCCI

Big PictureRoyal Challengers Bangalore have made one of their best starts to the tournament by winning their first two matches comprehensively and with the likely return of Chris Gayle, who missed the first two games due to a sore back, they will look to keep up with the marauding Kings XI Punjab at the top of the table. But Kolkata Knight Riders, the team that gave Royal Challengers a historic mauling on that fateful night six years ago at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, do have a decent spanner, in the form of their bowling attack, to throw in Royal Challengers’ works.How Sunil Narine and Co bowl to the glitzy batting stars could well define the outcome of the match. Although the trio of Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and AB de Villiers have all had one good innings under their belts, Narine has the ability to run through line-ups like he did in the first game against Mumbai Indians and other Knight Riders bowlers have a wealth of experience at this level. In fact, the bowler who has taken most wickets in Knight Riders v Royal Challengers matches – Vinay Kumar, 13 – has switched sides to move east. The odds, though, are still in favour of Royal Challengers given Knight Riders’ unreliable batting order.Like The Dakar, the Indian Premier League is a long and gruelling race and it is just entering its second and last week of the desert phase. Where teams stand at the end of the league stage may still be decided by what happens in India in the month of May, but it won’t hurt to make the most of what is on offer in the Gulf.Watch out for …While their batting line-up almost always hogs the attention, Royal Challengers’ bowlers have had a solid part to play in the team’s victories. In 40 overs, they have given away 260 runs, which means they are the most economical attack so far. The man leading their bowling charts is Yuzvendra Chahal, the young legspinner from Haryana. He has had a good start to the tournament but can he keep up the consistency?Gautam Gambhir was the pillar of Knight Riders’ title win in the 2012, but with two ducks in two matches, he has often left the team in peril. Luckily for him, two of the team’s fresh domestic recruits have hit the ground running, but as the past results have shown, the team’s fortunes are intertwined with Gambhir’s batting form.Stats and trivia In the first two matches, Parthiv Patel has hit more boundaries than the combined number for the rest of the Royal Challegers batting line-up Knight Riders have won six out of their 12 matches against Royal Challengers

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between South Africa and Australia in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale19-Feb-2014Match facts February 20-24, Port Elizabeth
Start time 1030 local (0830GMT)0:00

‘Is there an anti-Mitch pitch?’

Big Picture “I truly believe that the wicket played a big role in the success that he had. The stats, even in the Ashes, say that he picked up a lot of lower-order wickets.” So said Graeme Smith of Mitchell Johnson after the Centurion Test. Perhaps to Smith denial is just a river in the north of his continent. Johnson picks up a lot of lower-order wickets, but he picks up a lot of wickets full stop. Top, middle, bottom. Notably he removed Smith and his opening partner Alviro Petersen in both innings in Centurion. And while Port Elizabeth may offer up a slightly less helpful pitch, Johnson showed during the Ashes Test in Adelaide that he is more than capable of extracting life out of a seemingly unresponsive surface.And, let’s face it, it’s all about Johnson at the moment. If he keeps going in his current direction, he will bowl Australia to yet another series win in South Africa. If his pace slips or he loses consistency, South Africa may find a way back into the series. If that seems too simplistic, it can be conceded that there are other factors at play. It is just that Johnson has the power to render most of them irrelevant. Not all of them, though. What he cannot significantly impact is South Africa’s own bowling, and they need a lift from Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel. Where South Africa could fight back is if they keep Australia’s runs low.South Africa in recent years have displayed a remarkable ability to avoid clumps of losses, but last time they were defeated in two consecutive Tests it was by Australia, in South Africa five years ago, during a series in which Johnson had a major impact. It was also the last time they lost any Test series, anywhere. Unless they turn things around in Port Elizabeth, that drought will be broken.The decision for South Africa is whether to go with Wayne Parnell or Dean Elgar•Getty Images

Form guide (last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa LWDWL
Australia WWWWWIn the spotlightAB de Villiers showed in Centurion why he is the No.1-ranked Test batsman in the world. He was the only South African who consistently looked comfortable against Johnson, top scoring in both innings and almost reaching a century in the first. But batting at No.5 means de Villiers may run out of partners if Johnson continues to terrorise the lower order, so it will be interesting to see how South Africa use him through the rest of the series, and whether his wicketkeeping duties will have any adverse effect on his batting.Alex Doolan might have missed out on a century on debut but his work with the bat and in the field showed that he belongs at Test level. Composed at the crease and classy in his strokeplay, Doolan gradually became more confident during his second-innings 89 but also showed a willingness to leave the ball and make the bowlers come to him. At short-leg he was outstanding in the second innings, clutching two reflex catches that would have had some players flinching. All in all, it was an encouraging start.Team news Ryan McLaren has been ruled out after being concussed by a Johnson bouncer and that leaves South Africa with the choice of another bowling allrounder or a specialist batsman to replace him. Wayne Parnell would be the closest to a like-for-like swap but Dean Elgar would bolster a batting line-up that was bruised and browbeaten by Johnson in Centurion. There is also the possibility that both Elgar and Parnell will come in and the spinner Robin Peterson could be left out. South Africa have also added Quinton de Kock to the squad as cover for Alviro Petersen, who has a viral infection.South Africa (possible) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen / Quinton de Kock, 3 Hashim Amla 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 JP Duminy, 7 Dean Elgar, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Vernon Philander, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.Australia are unlikely to make any changes given that Shane Watson is still unavailable due to his calf problem and the two batsmen who came in to the side in Centurion, Shaun Marsh and Alex Doolan, both performed beyond expectations.Australia (probable) 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Alex Doolan, 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Nathan Lyon.Pitch and conditionsThe Port Elizabeth pitch is renowned for being on the slow side but a thick covering of grass remained a couple of days out from the Test, giving some hope that there could be assistance for the fast bowlers. The forecast suggests there could be rain at times during the match with temperatures generally in the mid 20s.Stats and trivia Since he was recalled for the first Ashes Test in November, Johnson has taken 49 wickets at an average of 13.14 from six Tests with a strike-rate of a wicket every 27.1 balls Johnson is only the second Australian after Shane Warne to reach the double of 250 Test wickets and 1500 runs Only once since South Africa’s readmission have they played Australia in a Test in Port Elizabeth, the famous 1997 match that Ian Healy won with a six Remarkably, Australia have won six consecutive Tests and lost six consecutive Tests in the past 12 months – the losses having come in India and EnglandQuotes “We’ve lacked a bit in real competitive cricket coming into this series. It’s a quick turnaround and we have to adjust well to play winning cricket in Port Elizabeth.”

“I think if the wicket stays like it is it will be a three-dayer, expecially with two fantastic bowling attacks. So I don’t think it will stay like that.”