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In an age of hyperbole and a time of superlatives, it is gratifying to come across a sporting contest that requires neither sensationalism nor propaganda. The Test series between England and South Africa features six of the world’s top 10 Test bowlers and eight of the top 17 Test batsmen. It will decide which team is ranked No 1 in the world. As Tony Blair so nearly said, now is not the time for soundbites, but the hand of history is upon our shoulders.This is the series that world cricket required. At a time when the lure of the longest format has been compromised and questioned, the global game should rejoice at the sight of two fine sides contesting a meaningful series in front of packed houses. Cricket has many issues, of course, but this encounter should remind us all that, at its best, Test cricket remains as entertaining, as captivating and as rewarding as ever.That it is squeezed in between ODI series and forced to fight for media space alongside the Olympics, The Open golf championship and a multitude of other sporting events tells you much about cricket’s current challenges. This series deserves better. But, in a sport which has grown so used to compromises that it would pawn its soul if only a buyer could be found, it is telling that such a contest has been condensed and pushed to the margins.Plenty of fine teams have toured England over the years. Sometimes, as was the case with West Indies and Australia for many years, they succeeded with dispiriting ease. But, arguably anyway, you have to go back to 2005 to find a time when an England team has taken on such good-quality opposition in such an open series. With skilful bowlers of all types, eye-catching batsmen, at least one great all-rounder and some of the toughest batsmen currently playing the game, spectators will not require cheerleaders, fireworks or music to enhance their enjoyment. This series is about cricket, not marketing.The only problem with such a high-profile clash is that the result may be seen as all important. There is a bigger picture here, though, as the supporters of South Africa and England will understand. South Africa were barred from international competition from 1970 to 1991; England supporters became inured to embarrassment after some grim years in the 1980s and 90s. For both teams, these are golden days that many feared might never have returned. Win lose or draw over the coming few weeks, that is worth remembering.That is not to say that the result does not matter. It matters plenty. While England may have been able to dismiss the reverse in the UAE as an aberration – they will have another opportunity to answer the questions about their ability in Asian conditions soon enough – their long-term hopes of creating a legacy by which other England sides will be judged may be fatally wounded if their proud home record is also tarnished. As things stand, they have won just one of their last three Test series. If that becomes one in four, any claims of supremacy will ring hollow. The rankings state they are No. 1; now is the time to prove their worth.England do not, perhaps, have the flair of their South African rivals. But they make few mistakes. They are professional. They are well drilled, well led and able to prey on any weakness of their opponents. In England, at least, they also have an excellent record. They have won seven successive series and lost only two since 2001; one to India in 2007 and one to South Africa in 2008.Led by the eminently calm and sensible Andrew Strauss, England have done nothing different in recent days. They always want to win. They always prepare professionally.”There will be an extra bit of spice because it’s the two best teams in the world,” Andrew Strauss, England’s captain, said. “But every series I’ve played against South Africa has always been keenly contested and I don’t think this will be any different.”It will be a good gauge for us. The rankings say we are No.1 and we have to go out and prove that now. It is going to be a stern challenge, but we always expect the opposition to be hard to overcome.”We have had our normal preparations. Everything on the surface looks fine. Our preparation has been solid and now it’s a case of moving from preparation mode to game mode.”England’s only selection decision will be the decision over whether to pick Tim Bresnan or Steven Finn. Graham Onions, who has a minor hamstring strain, is most unlikely to be risked and did not train on Wednesday. Whoever they select, Strauss was quick to credit the attack as one of England’s key strengths.”I am very comfortable with our bowling attack,” Strauss said. “It’s a match for any side in the world. They have proved that continuously over the last three or four years.”Their record speaks for itself. We haven’t needed that fifth bowler while taking 20 wickets pretty much continuously over the last 24 months or so. In some ways Ravi Bopara coming into the side gives you opportunity for a fourth seamer although he’s not an out-and-out bowler clearly. But our three seamers and Swanny have always done a good job for us.”England do have two potential weaknesses, though. The first is their catching which, in the slips and gully region, has been distinctly fallible over recent times. In a series which could be decided by small margins, that could prove crucial.The other issue is the on-going distraction caused by the fall-out between Pietersen and the ECB. Omitted from England’s World Twenty20 preliminary squad despite his insistence that he is available for all three formats – albeit it not on a permanent basis – there is legitimate concern that Pietersen’s dissatisfaction could cause discomfort in a dressing room that has been stable and focused for several years.But, while some of his team-mates are biting their tongues hard to avoid losing their tempers with Pietersen’s vacillating moods, Strauss insisted that he had no concerns and said he remained hopeful that a compromise – a controversial word in itself in this situation – could be reached whereby Pietersen’s return to all formats could be brokered.”The conversations that Kevin has been having have been between himself, his representatives and the board,” Strauss said. “The players haven’t been involved, the management haven’t been involved and that’s the way we’d like it to remain. It hasn’t been a distraction for us. It hasn’t entered our thinking and that’s enabled us to concentrate on preparing properly for this game. Kevin is determined to do well in this series. I haven’t seen any signs in his preparations to suggest he is anyway distracted.”

Sri Lanka have recalled fast bowler Dilhara Fernando to the squad for the second Test against Pakistan, which begins at the SSC on June 30

Sa'adi Thawfeeq27-Jun-2012Sri Lanka squad for second Test

Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vc), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Parnavithana, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Dilhara Fernando, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis

Sri Lanka have recalled fast bowler Dilhara Fernando to the squad for the second Test against Pakistan, which begins at the SSC on June 30, as a replacement for the injured Chanaka Welegedara. The selectors were short of options, with several back-up seamers nursing injuries.Fernando’s last Test appearance was the Boxing Day match against South Africa in Durban in 2011. His inclusion is the only change to the Sri Lanka squad that won the first Test in Galle by 209 runs.”Fernando has recovered from a shoulder injury and we have included him in the 15, but I am not sure whether he will play,” chairman of selectors Ashantha de Mel said. “The team management will take a call on who should support Nuwan Kulasekara.”Nuwan Pradeep bowled impressively but he has a history of injuries so I don’t know whether he will play back-to-back matches. If Pradeep is rested his place is likely to go to either Thisara Perera or Fernando.”De Mel said the two other bowlers who would have been in contention, Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga, were both nursing injuries.”Lakmal has a serious ankle injury and he is out for at least six months, and Eranga is having a nerve problem in his back,” De Mel said. “We have sent Dhammika Prasad to South Africa with the Sri Lanka A team to gain fitness and to bowl many overs in the four-day unofficial Test matches. These bowlers cannot play an entire Test series without breaking down or getting injured.”

Victoria continued to recover from their disastrous start to the season, with an emphatic win against Tasmania making it two on the trot, after having suffered reversals in their first three games

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2011
ScorecardRob Quiney was one of several Victoria batsmen to have a good game•Getty Images

Victoria continued to recover from their disastrous start to the season, with an emphatic win against Tasmania, making it two on the trot, after having suffered reversals in their first three games.Tasmania’s call to field first ran into rough weather quickly as Rob Quiney and Aaron Finch rolled along to fluent half-centuries in raising an opening-wicket stand of 119. Finch hit eight fours in his 65, while Quiney reached the boundary seven times and cleared it a couple of times while making 72. With the platform in place, the middle order went after the bowling, with David Hussey smiting fives sixes and four fours in 76 off 48 balls. Brad Hodge weighed in with a chirpy 41 and the lower middle order contributed some quick cameos to set up Victoria’s final score of 6 for 321.Tasmania’s chase got off to a poor start with Nick Kruger being run out for a diamond duck. His opening partner Rhett Lockyear was also run out early, and the chase was as good as over when Glenn Maxwell and Clint McKay struck once apiece in their opening spells. James Faulker fought back with a half-century, before a free-spirited Tom Triffitt (72 off 50) reduced the margin of defeat. Jayde Herrick made four breaches through the middle order, as Tasman subsided for 247 in the 47th over.

Michael Clarke has not lost a series since taking over as Australia’s captain after the World Cup, but he is still not a fully satisfied man

Firdose Moonda in Durban29-Oct-2011

Michael Clarke has not lost a series since taking over as Australia’s captain after the World Cup, but he is still not a fully satisfied man. Instead of grinning after his 2-1 triumph over South Africa, he frowned and even gave way to a grunt when asked to assess his stint as captain after his third, successive away series victory.”We set out to win every game,” Clarke said. “We didn’t do that in Sri Lanka and we didn’t do that here.” The place they did do it was Bangladesh, just a few weeks after they were unable to defend the World Cup they had held since 1999. That clean sweep was not unexpected but Clarke is not a man of half measures and he wanted to accomplish the same even where doing so would be more challenging.After Australia blitzed through an undercooked South Africa in the first match, it seemed they were on track for all three wins. South Africa, however, wrested back a victory with an equally commanding performance in Port Elizabeth. To bounce back from that comprehensive beating to win the series left Clarke feeling good about his team, even if he wasn’t 100% satisfied. “Tonight’s another indication of how we’ve been working our backsides off to be the best we can be.”Under cloudy skies, with moisture in the air and an unusually slower and lower pitch, both sides had to make adjustments to their approaches with the bat. South Africa struggled through the middle periods, with JP Duminy in particular unable to play shots freely. “The wicket was very dry and there was more grass cut off it,” Clarke said. “I think it was probably ready to play on two days ago and the groundsman did that in preparation for rain.”With only Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis able to adapt, South Africa ended with a below-par total. Clarke said it was not just the surface that inhibited the hosts, but the quality of the bowlers they had to face. “Xavier Doherty bowled really well throughout the series and he probably didn’t get as many wickets as he deserved,” he said. “But he got two big wickets and really slowed the scoring down.”Clarke also singled out 18-year-old Patrick Cummins for coming back after being hit for 16 runs by Hashim Amla, to end with an economy-rate of under five. “To get off to a start like that and pull it back like that showed a lot of character,” Clarke said.Australia’s discipline, exceptional change of pace and tight lines and lengths proved the difference between the two sides, as South Africa’s seamers were unable to tie Australia down in the same fashion. Johan Botha was, by some distance, the best South Africa frontline bowler and was able to dictate the passages of play in which he bowled. His sensational first spell, in which he generously flighted the ball and sent through a good mix of quicker and flatter balls, saw him rewarded with the wicket of Ricky Ponting. He conceded twice as many runs in his second spell but still ended with figures that were worthy of a victory, although he was not on the winning side.Gary Kirsten, South Africa’s coach, also believed the match was decided with the ball. “It boiled down to who bowled better. We were probably just one wicket out,” he said. “If we picked up another wicket and they still needed 70 or 80 runs we would have been in there. All our batsmen felt they really struggled to score freely.”A low-scoring encounter may tell the same tale, but there was evidence that the pitch did not play as poorly as South Africa’s middle order made it look. Shane Watson got Australia’s chase off to a rollicking start and was able to time his shots with ease. After recovering from back spasms, Watson performed with both bat and ball and said his aggression upfront was part of the game plan. “I know my role at the top of the order is to make it easier for the guys coming later on,” he said. “I felt I hit the ball well and I was disappointed not to go and get a bigger score.”It was Michael Hussey who steered Australia home after some wobbles which could have turned into something more serious. Clarke said although there were nerves jangling in the change-room, knowing that “Mr Cricket” was at the crease eased them. “Huss is certainly a freak,” he joked. We’ve seen it a number of times in all forms of the game. He manages to find a way to be there at the end and to get us home.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo enfrenta a Ponte Preta na quinta-feira, às 19h30, por uma vaga nas quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. O técnico Maurício Barbieri, em sua primeira decisão no comando da equipe, não deve contar com Juan, Rhodolfo, Diego e Felipe Vizeu. No treino desta terça, o quarteto fez um trabalho separado dos demais jogadores no Ninho do Urubu e pode ser baixa no Flamengo outra vez.

Juan é o desfalque mais recente. Com dores nas costas, o zagueiro seria titular contra o Internacional, mas foi cortado da partida na manhã de domingo. O camisa 4 ainda não deve ter condições de atuar contra a Macaca e Léo Duarte, de 21 anos, formará outra vez a dupla titular com o experiente capitão Réver.

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Diego sofreu uma lesão no joelho direito há dez dias e o departamento do Flamengo está o tratando com cautela, sem acelerar seu retorno aos jogos. A expectativa é de que o camisa 10 esteja recuperado para o confronto com o Emelec, no Maracanã, no próximo dia 16. Se derrotar o clube equatoriano, o Rubro-Negro garantirá a classificação para as oitavas de final da Libertadores.

Rhodolfo e Felipe Vizeu se recuperam de diferentes lesões musculares. Os dois ainda não atuaram pelo Flamengo no Campeonato Brasileiro por conta disso.

Berrío segue processo de recuperação sob comando do preparador físico Fábio Eiras. #CRF pic.twitter.com/dw8IF7vP4A

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) 8 de maio de 2018

Quem também está entregue ao departamento médico é o colombiano Orlando Berrío. O atacante sofreu uma grave lesão no joelho direito e foi operado em 2017. Segundo a previsão inicial, seu retorno aos gramados só se dará daqui a dois meses, mas Berrío já está trabalhando com bola no Ninho.

ScorecardA commanding performance by South Africa’s spin bowlers, bounce from Morne Morkel and a clinical showing with the bat gave them a convincing victory over Zimbabwe in their first warm-up match in Chennai.South Africa had what Zimbabwean coach Alan Butcher called an “inadequate total” to chase and went about it in authoritative fashion. They reached the target of 153 inside 24 overs and only lost two wickets in the process. Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith laid the platform with a first wicket partnership of 69.Amla reverted back to the wild side of himself that he displayed in the first few ODIs against India in January, even though he previously indicated that he would steer away from such extravagant play. His first boundary came off the first ball, a flashy shot that Brendan Taylor should have caught at first slip but let through. That served only to spur Amla on and he played some flashy shots to complement a few beautiful boundaries in his 45. He became South African’s first wicket, falling to Ray Price.Smith was far more controlled and made particularly good use of the cut shot in his 41. South Africa’s standout batsman was Jacques Kallis, who looked in dangerous form in his first innings since returning from injury. Kallis has been out of action for six weeks but returned looking as good as ever. “It was a nice knock for him and will be good for his confidence,” Smith said. “Now we will look to build him up to the next stage, which will be bowling.” Kallis played no part with the ball, although he did field.Zimbabwe’s bowlers were taken apart but Butcher was satisfied that they “did an okay job.” They used three spinners, including Prosper Utseya, who they opened with, and Butcher said that the strategy of opening with a spinner is one they will in all likelihood continue with. “Our spinners have been out best bowlers over the last year or so and in these conditions it will suit us to open with a spinner, as we have been doing. I’ll be surprised if other sides don’t do the same at some stage in the World Cup.”Zimbabwe’s woes were more about their batting than their bowling and they were bundled out for 152 by a rampant South African outfit. Their opening partnership puzzle looks to be solved with Taylor and Charles Coventry putting on a solid 49 for the first wicket. Captain Elton Chigumbura was disappointed that the team could not build on that “good start.”Morne Morkel removed Coventry and Tatenda Taibu with successive balls to start the Zimbabwean collapse. Morkel was the only South African seamer to take wickets and Smith was particularly impressed with his performance. “Even on a slow, dead wicket, he was still hitting us pretty hard in the slips. He has some good performances back home and it’s nice to see him being consistent.”Dale Steyn was unconvincing in his first spell, bowling slower than usual while not receiving any assistance from the track. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was injured after bowling just two overs. He suffered a mild sprain to his right knee while fielding at fine leg. Team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee said they “didn’t want to risk using him” in the rest of that match and he will be reassessed on Sunday morning.South Africa’s spinners did the rest of the damage, with Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson introduced in successive overs. Tahir’s appearance on the international stage was widely anticipated and when he came on in the 14th over, he was met by a loud cheer from the local crowd. He went wicketless for four overs, while Robin Peterson was the man succeeding at the other end.Petersen removed Greg Lamb and Elton Chigumbura with the second and fifth balls of his second over while Brendan Taylor weathered the storm with confidence. He became the first of Tahir’s three victims. Butcher said believes Tahir will “have an impact” in the tournament and Chigumbura praised his “good lines and good areas.”With Zimbabwe at 95 for 6, South Africa should have wrapped up the tail quickly but Sean Williams and Regis Chakabva resisted for a while. Morne Morkel broke their partnership while Tahir mopped up the bottom order. “He was a little bit excitable upfront, but then he calmed down and got some wickets,” Smith said.Both captains were surprised by the pitch, with Chigumbura saying his batsmen “expected it to turn more and played the wrong lines.” Smith said “it was not a great wicket and a bit underprepared” but he expects it to be ready for the main tournament.Chennai’s first match of the tournament is in eight days time but it will play host to a warm-up game between India and New Zealand on Wednesday. South Africa’s play their second warm-up game in Bangalore on Tuesday and Zimbabwe take on Ireland in Nagpur on the same day.

أثار جناح منتخب البرازيل، نيمار دا سيلفا، التكهنات حول إمكانية مشاركته من عدمها في بطولة كأس العالم المقبلة في عام 2026، والتي ستقام في 3 دول وهي أمريكا، كندا، والمكسيك.

وتستضيف الدول الثلاث البطولة في يونيو ويوليو 2026 مع مشاركة 48 فريقًا لأول مرة في تاريخ كأس العالم، بعد أن كانت تضم 32 منتخبًا فقط في النسخة الحالية في قطر.

اقرأ أيضًا.. خاص | محمود الخطيب يسافر إلى قطر لحضور نهائي كأس العالم 2022

وخرجت البرازيل من دور الـ8 من مونديال قطر على يد كرواتيا بركلات الجزاء الترجيحية، بعد التعادل 1-1 في الأشواط الأصلية والإضافية.

ولكن هل يستمر نيمار مع منتخب السامبا حتى بطولة 2026، هذا ما كشف عنه البرازيلي في حواره مع صحيفة “ليكيب” الفرنسية، وقال: “الآن سيكون من التسرع قول شيء ما”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “لكن لا يمكنني ضمان تواجدي في كأس العالم 2026 مع البرازيل”.

Pakistan’s latest Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, enjoyed a fighting start to his reign in charge, helping his side draw against South Africa but he insists Pakistan can go one better in the second Test

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2010

Pakistan’s latest Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, enjoyed a fighting start to his reign in charge, helping his side draw against South Africa in Dubai, but he insists Pakistan can go one better in the second Test.Pakistan have not won a Test series since beating West Indies 2-0 at home four years ago. The intervening period has been punctuated by well-documented controversy and the occasional flash of brilliance. Now with Misbah at the helm they are looking to add some consistency.”We needed a Test like the one in Dubai, fighting our way and proving our worth,” he told reporters. “Our confidence is high and we will do our best to win the second Test. We weren’t playing much Test cricket, so playing the world’s second-ranked team in Tests was a challenge and after drawing the first Test we now have a belief that we can win.”It would be a remarkable turnaround after the series began with the fleeing of wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider to London, but standing in the way of any success is a South Africa side desperate to live up to their billing as favourites.Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, is keen on finishing the tour on a high after winning both the Twenty20 and one-day series and his side had looked primed to win the first Test until Pakistan’s top order resisted so strongly on the last day. After slugging on a flat pitch in the desert heat Smith hopes conditions in Abu Dhabi will be more forgiving for the bowlers.”For us it has been a successful tour so far in terms of the end result and we would love to add the test series to that,” said Smith. “It is hard work in these conditions for five days and you need to be able to string a lot of good things together. If we can get onto the plane on Wednesday night with another trophy it will be nice.”Getting 20 wickets is the big challenge in these conditions and hopefully our batting unit can lay the platform for us to do well. Again the pitch is an unknown. It looks pretty similar to Dubai but maybe there are a few cracks on there that might open up in the heat.”

Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised the Pakistan government for failing to put a check on the various crises affecting cricket in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010

Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised the nation’s government for failing to put a check on the various crises affecting cricket in the country. Several Pakistan cricketers were punished in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and, most recently, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were provisionally suspended by the ICC over suspicion of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy during the tour of England. Sohail called on the patron-in-chief of the PCB, the Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, to step in.”The government must realise it [cricket] is not just a sport in Pakistan, a country where there are so many religious, political and other divisions,” Sohail told . “In a country where people are facing so many crises and problems, the government must realise cricket has always served as a unifying factor.”The chief patron must wake up to the reality and the seriousness of the crisis. Good governance is all about recognising the potential of cricket to unify the people and give them happiness and joy in their lives.”Sohail, not for the first time, was critical of Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, over the current state of affairs. Sohail had served as the director of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy, before quitting in July 2009, because of differences with Butt.”I am really surprised that a seasoned political party like the Pakistan Peoples Party has still not realised that things are not moving forward with this present set-up and chairman,” Sohail said.Pakistan recently announced their team for the tour of the UAE, where they will face South Africa in each of the three formats. Misbah-ul-Haq was included in the team and, in a surprising move, made captain for the Test series. Younis Khan, whose ban after the Australia series was overturned, wasn’t picked. “For no rhyme or reason Ijaz Butt refuses to give clearance for Younis to be in the Pakistan team. If Younis has committed a major crime or indiscipline then it is the duty of the board to let the people know so that this chapter is closed once for all,” Sohail said.”Enough is enough and I don’t think any former chairman of the board has faced so much criticism and opposition for his manner of running cricket affairs. Yet the government appears to be blind to popular public opinion even though it preaches democracy.”

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has now dropped a ‘very worrying’ Everton claim on Dele Alli.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

Alli has largely been out of favour since moving to Goodison Park from Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, with his 32-minute cameo in the 1-1 draw at home to Leicester City his first appearance for five league games (Transfermarkt).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-4/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The move to Merseyside should have helped reignite his career, but instead he has been linked with a shock move away in the summer just months after joining.

The Latest: Bridge claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Bridge has now claimed that Alli’s situation at the Toffees is ‘very worrying’, and questioned why his form has dropped so much from what he was showing at Spurs a few years ago:

“I don’t know the answer anymore, he’s not a kid. It’s very worrying. I couldn’t tell you what’s happened. Everyone has got an opinion as to why he’s not playing well.

‘He’s been clubbing too much, he’s this, he’s that’. Well, some of the best players in the world have a good social life. Something’s happened, or too much too young, and his body can’t do what it used to. One day we might know, or we might never know.”

The Verdict: Patience needed

Alli seems like the kind of player that needs an arm around him, and Frank Lampard could help do that, given he too was an English midfielder.

The Blues should not look to pull the trigger on him straight away, and instead give him next season to find his feet.

There was a sign against the Foxes that Alli was enjoying his football again, as he put in the cross that eventually led to Richarlison’s injury-time equaliser, while he also won three of his duels and made two interceptions and one key pass (SofaScore).

Nonetheless, Lampard needs to start easing him back into the team, and hopefully the now 26-year-old can find some form again.

In other news, find out which ‘dazzling’ defender EFC are now eyeing here!