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Joe Denly took advantage of a dropped catch to score his second century of theseason but Derbyshire are still in a commanding position after two days of theCounty Championship match against Kent at Derby

08-Sep-2011
ScorecardJoe Denly took advantage of a dropped catch to score his second century of theseason but Derbyshire are still in a commanding position after two days of theCounty Championship match against Kent at Derby.Denly made 142 not out after he was missed on 33 but Kent still have a lot todo to save the game after a hundred from Ross Whiteley took Derbyshire past 500for the first time in two years. The 22-year-old all-rounder ended with an unbeaten career-best 130 out of 535, while Kent pace bowler David Balcombe took six for 128, his fourth five-wickethaul in five matches.Kent faced a daunting 386 to avoid the follow-on and they slipped to 77 forthree before Denly led a recovery which saw the visitors close on 279 for four,still 256 behind. Derbyshire had started the day well-placed on 405 for six with Whiteley and JonClare both in the 70s, but Balcombe broke through with the first ball of thesecond over.Clare edged a drive to first slip which ended a stand of 142 in 22 overs andKent struck again when Tim Groenewald could not avoid a lifting ball fromBalcombe. That was the on-loan Hampshire bowler’s 30th wicket for Kent but he could notbreak the ninth-wicket stand between Whiteley and Tony Palladino which carriedDerbyshire past 500.Whiteley has delivered some impressive performances since coming into the sidethis season and his second Championship hundred was another demonstration of hisability to strike the ball cleanly. Although it was a streaky four through the slips that took him to a hundred, it was a rare false stroke in a commanding innings that contained 14 fours and foursixes.Palladino also played his part by scoring 34 out of 83 before he skied a driveto mid-off, and he was back in the action again when he struck in the fourthover of the Kent reply. Daniel-Bell Drummond was caught behind for four fending at the former Essex seamer who claimed his 48th Championship victim when he trapped Sam Northeastlbw for 12.Kent’s position would have been far worse if Denly had not been dropped by LukeSutton off Mark Footitt before Alex Blake (10) was pouched by the Derbyshireskipper off Clare in the 20th over. At that stage, Kent were in deep trouble but Denly grew in authority and played some handsome straight drives in a century which came off 128 balls and was well supported by Darren Stevens and Azhar Mahmood.Stevens made 38 out of 110 before he pulled Clare to deep square but Mahmoodcompleted a half century and was unbeaten on 60 as Kent ended the day 107 runsaway from their follow-on target.

A round-up of the latest round of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2012Karachi Dolphins won what was essentially a must-win game for them against Lahore Eagles by five wickets, at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup. Karachi put Lahore in to bat and kept them to 148 for 8, as all of their bowlers shared the wickets around. Imran Farhat with 41 was the top-scorer for Lahore, and the innings was built around his two sizeable stands with Taufeeq Umar and then Azhar Ali. The Lahore bowlers made early inroads in the chase, before two rapid half-century stands among Khalid Latif, Asad Shafiq and Sheharyar Ghani put the team on course. Eventually Karachi got home with 11 balls to spare, despite a tidy spell from left-arm spinner Mustafa Iqbal, in which he took 3 for 26.Karachi will play Lahore Lions in the first semi-final on Saturday.Sialkot Stallions finished on top of Group B, ensuring a spot in the semis, with a convincing seven-wicket win against hosts Rawalpindi Rams. After Rawalpindi chose to bat, their batsmen struggled to build on starts and score at a rapid pace. Though four batsmen got into the 20s, Rawalpindi only managed to edge past 120 because of a last-over six from No. 10 Mohammad Nawaz. Left-arm spinner Raza Hasan was the most effective of the Sialkot bowlers, claiming 3 for 20 in his four. Chasing 122, Sialkot’s top three batsmen all but closed out the game with partnerships of 50 and 55 at almost ten an over. Imran Nazir ended up the top-scorer, hitting four sixes in his knock of 59 off 34 balls, as Sialkot powered to a win with all of 27 balls to spare.Sialkot will play Peshawar Panthers in the second semi-final on Saturday.

New Zealand have stayed under the radar in their ride to the semi-finals, and Ross Taylor has now set his sights on making the final

Sidharth Monga in Colombo27-Mar-2011South Africa didn’t play a bunch of dummies who had to just turn up in Dhaka and watch Graeme Smith’s men crumble from a vantage point.One of the undesirable fallouts of South Africa’s exit from the World Cup, depressing as it was to their fans, is the focus on South Africa’s choke. The talk all around the cricketing world has been how South Africa lived up to their record of not having won a single knockout game in World Cups, of their mental brittleness in big events, of what future holds for them, and the other team that won the match has been all but forgotten.New Zealand played a game too, you know. Jesse Ryder showed a glimpse of how good a batsman he is before a charged-up New Zealand side, yelling, hollering, sledging, intimidating, pulled off the best fielding performance of the World Cup. They were a team possessed. They didn’t want to go home, they wanted to settle a score with a ground that consigned them to their lowest low. They were not a bunch of dummies.Quietly they have slipped into Sri Lanka, “warmer than Dhaka, not as hot as Mumbai”, facing a far tougher task than the one they accomplished in Dhaka, that of beating a team much more naturally talented, much more varied, playing in home conditions, used to conditions warmer than Dhaka but not as hot as Mumbai.And it’s staying under the radar that they are hanging on to. “Most of the time New Zealand play we are underdogs,” Ross Taylor, who has captained New Zealand in some of the games this World Cup, said two days before their sixth semi-final in 10 World Cups. “It’s something we almost enjoy, and we expect when we play. I know a lot of teams expect to beat us, and we enjoy the underdog tag, and we expect to beat them as well.Ross Taylor: “We genuinely believe we can go one step further and make the final”•Getty Images”I don’t think too many other people gave us a chance, which probably made other teams take us a bit lighter than they normally would, which played into our hands, but you know it’s going to be a tough game on Tuesday, one that we are looking forward to.”New Zealand have played Sri Lanka before in this tournament, and the result was not too encouraging, a defeat by 112 runs at a ground these teams will be fighting for the right to play at. Taylor sees having played Sri Lanka as an advantage, as an opportunity to have made the mistakes in a game not so big. “It’s a new game,” he said. “We are taking a lot of confidence from our last game against South Africa. We have got an advantage that we have played against Sri Lanka in the pool matches, and we did a few things wrong. Hopefully we can rectify that in the match on Tuesday.”New Zealand, in a way a team not too dissimilar to England who were demolished by Sri Lanka in the quarter-final, seek to learn from the way England played. “Watching parts of the game and analysing the way England played and where they went wrong and where Sri Lanka went wrong, but we have got a lot of momentum in our camp. We were happy with the way we fielded, and hopefully we can continue with that and put Sri Lanka under pressure.”Taylor said the side was desperate to translate the record of having made six semi-finals into something more significant. “We are proud of our history of making semi-finals, but looking at this team we want to make history and go one step further and make the final,” he said. “We genuinely believe we can do that, and we want to show that on Tuesday.”

Liverpool midfielder James Milner will stay put at Anfield beyond the summer transfer window, according to former Scotland international Alan Hutton.

The Lowdown: Milner a great servant

The 36-year-old joined the Reds in the summer of 2015 and has gone on to enjoy seven memorable seasons there, becoming a club legend in the process.

Milner has tasted Champions League and Premier League glory with Liverpool, making 285 appearances in total and providing admirable levels of professionalism.

Just last weekend, Jurgen Klopp described the veteran as an ‘incredibly important’ player, highlighting his evergreen ability, but his contract expires on June 30.

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The Latest: Hutton makes key prediction

While Milner hasn’t yet committed his future to Liverpool ahead of his contract running down, Hutton, a regular on BBC Radio 5 Live, told Football Insider that he expects him to sign new terms and stay on:

“Of course, he’ll want to play games. But ultimately I think he will be happy where he’s at. This is a team that’s fighting on all fronts. He is getting the minutes on the pitch as well.

“I think Klopp sees him as a big figurehead within that squad. If you look at his stats over his whole career, he’s played a lot of football.

“It’s not like he’s just been that kind of journeyman and gone about different clubs. He’s played a lot of football. I think he’d be happy staying at such a big club.”

The Verdict: One more year?

While there is no doubt that Milner’s very best days are behind him, he has remarkable fitness levels for his age and has shown that he can still play at the top level, earning the Man of the Match last week at Newcastle.

For that reason, it makes complete sense for him to sign a one-year extension and remain at Anfield until 2023, should he want to, enjoying one final season in a Liverpool shirt.

Milner’s influence off the pitch cannot be downplayed, with the ex-England international ensuring everyone around him performs to a high standard, and he could even take on a coaching role with Klopp after he hangs up his boots.

In other news, one Liverpool player will be offered a new deal this summer. Find out who it is here.

Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final

Liam Brickhill at Edgbaston27-Aug-2011Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final and also make the cut for the Champions League qualifier. Hoggard expressed his disappointment at the inclement weather and the widespread confusion caused by the repeated stoppages.”It was a little bit disappointing that the weather played a big part in the game,” said Hoggard. “It was going to be a good game by the looks of things, and to come off needing a six to tie off the last ball was a little bit of what dreams are made of. And getting into the super over and the six off the first ball your heart goes into your mouth and you think ‘oh dear here we go’.””I knew that it was going to be a tie because I ran up to [Wayne White] and I said ‘look they can still tie’ and he waved me away saying ‘yeah whatever’. Then it went for six and then I thought ‘what are we doing now?'””The amount of time it took to sort out the confusion, the 10 minutes sorting it out and getting your pads on, and bowling the two overs, we could’ve finished the game. But you can only do what you’re told to. That’s what we did and thankfully we managed to scrape a victory.”Lancashire were understandably glum after their defeat, captain Glen Chapple summing the match with: “It rained.” He was quick to point out, however, that while Lancashire had invested themselves in 17 Twenty20 matches to get this far, they also have the small matter of the County Championship title to chase.”This’ll have no impact on the rest of the season,” insisted Chapple. “Absolutely not. We’ll be disappointed for the rest of the day, but in terms of lifting ourselves for the four-day cricket, that will not be a problem because we’ve got three games to go with a great chance of coming out on top in that.””They’ll hurt now as you would, they’ve just lost a game and obviously they were desperate to win it,” agreed Lancashire coach Peter Moores. “By the time we get to Wednesday next week we’ll be fine, we’ll be ready to go.”Leicestershire, on the other hand, have had a season to forget in Division Two and the potential riches of the Champions League will provide a welcome distraction and allow them to re-group around their Twenty20 successes.”It’s going to be a fantastic experience for the players and the club,” said Hoggard. “It’s going to be a bit hectic at the end of the season, because it’s very close to the end of the season.”I’m going to have to postpone my Portugal golf trip, which is a little bit disappointing because I was looking forward to that,” he joked. “But there you go, that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’m not looking that far ahead. I’ve got a final to play in a couple of hours and I’ll sit down with Phil at the end of the final and we’ll have a drink and we’ll discuss it another time because we’ve got India on Monday then we go straight down to lords to play a four day game. So there’s no rest for the wicked.”

As per Portuguese newspaper A Bola, as shared by Sport Witness, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has come to light involving Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Nunez in demand…

The prolific striker seems set to be one of the big-name transfers of the summer 2022 window.

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As backed by reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano, Nunez is set to leave Benfica this year, with the Primeira Liga giants setting a price tag of €80m (£67m) for his services.

Many clubs are currently in the mix, including several Premier League sides, a number of whom even sent officials to Lisbon last week to run the rule over the Uruguay striker (Daily Express).

A Bola have now shared an update on Tottenham’s links with the 22-year-old.

The Latest: Spurs in hunt for Nunez…

According to their sources (via Sport Witness), Spurs and Antonio Conte are in the hunt to sign Nunez alongside Chelsea, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint Germain, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

In addition, they claimed that the Lilywhites – and by extension their chairman Daniel Levy – have been interested in the 22-year-old since as far back as 2019.

The Verdict: Good chance for Tottenham?

With Nunez valued at around £67m, Tottenham arguably face an uphill battle to sign the prolific forward unless they can offload surplus players like Tanguy Ndombele for a handsome fee.

That being said, if transfer chief Fabio Paratici and co manage to muster up the funds, the Uruguayan would undoubtedly be a stellar addition and provide real competition for Harry Kane.

Lauded as a ‘rapid quick’ and ‘really strong’ striker by Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi, Nunez’s stunning goal return of 24 goals in as many league appearances this term isn’t the only reason that he would be a brilliant signing.

In other news: Tottenham could strike quick agreement to sign ‘special’ £25m striker! Find out more here.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad will work with the national team as a batting and fielding consultant to help them prepare for their upcoming tour of New Zealand and the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2010Javed Miandad will work with the Pakistan team as a batting and fielding consultant to help them prepare for their upcoming tour of New Zealand and the 2011 World Cup. This is the latest of his roles in Pakistan cricket, having been captain and coach and currently also director-general of the PCB.”It is a great feeling to be back in cricket gear,” Miandad told on the sidelines of a preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming New Zealand tour. “Coaching has always been a passion for me and I can help our players. It is all about fine-tuning them and preparing them mentally for difficult conditions and situations, since they have the talent.”Miandad, however, will not be travelling with the team to New Zealand later this month. “I have full confidence in the abilities of Waqar Younis [the Pakistan coach], and if there are two men dealing with the players, it may cause a conflict,” he said. “So, I have decided not to go with the team and prefer to give coaching tips to the players in the training camp here.”I hope the wickets at Christchurch and Eden Park and other venues are conducive for batsmen. But our batsmen will have to read their bowlers carefully. Pakistan must do well in New Zealand to enter World Cup in right frame of mind.”The New Zealand series is Pakistan’s last opportunity to finalise their World Cup plans. In recent times, they have been bogged down by controversies on and off the field, prompting one-day captain Shahid Afridi to play down the side’s World Cup hopes. Miandad, who holds the record for having appeared in most World Cups (six), could prove to be a valuable addition to the team as they search for stability ahead of the marquee event.Miandad has coached the team three times in the past, each association ending in acrimonious circumstances. In January, he was involved in a war of words with Ijaz Butt after the PCB chairman indicated that Miandad was costing the board almost Rs 1 million ($11,820) for his services as director-general.

Pakistan are likely to announce a captain for the World Cup within the next few days, possibly even before the fourth ODI of the current series against New Zealand scheduled for February 1

Osman Samiuddin29-Jan-2011Pakistan are likely to announce a captain for the World Cup within the next few days, possibly even before the fourth ODI of the current series against New Zealand scheduled for February 1. Indications, for the moment, lean towards the Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq taking over from Shahid Afridi, the current ODI skipper, for cricket’s showpiece event. But the situation remains fluid and Misbah’s chances were far greater a few days ago; a comfortable win over New Zealand on Saturday, with a starring role from Afridi, will no doubt impact on the final decision.The PCB announced a 15-man World Cup squad earlier this month, but much to the surprise of almost everyone, didn’t name a skipper for the event. Afridi has been Pakistan’s ODI captain over the last year but just before the New Zealand tour began, a number of key players and team management officials raised concerns with the board over his captaincy. The development placed the board in a quandary, between players and the captain, ultimately compelling them to delay the announcement.Expectedly the decision has been slammed by a number of ex-players, most notably Inzamam-ul-Haq; the broad feeling of discontent doesn’t revolve around the personalities as much as the instability inherent in such a situation. The board and the chairman Ijaz Butt, it is believed, have no real issue with Afridi remaining captain, but such are the nature of the concerns the players and team management have, that the board has found itself having to choose sides.It is understood that players are mostly unhappy with Afridi’s regular and very public assessments of his side’s performances, mostly when they have been critical. In addition, Afridi’s statements to the ICC with reference to the spot-fixing case involving three Pakistani players have also been felt by some players in the current squad to have been incendiary and unnecessary. Though local reports suggested that a group of senior players had thrown their support behind Afridi, players such as Kamran Akmal and Misbah still hold reservations.The inability of Afridi and vital members of the team management to gel with each other has not helped matters; one important management official is thought to have pushed particularly forcefully for Misbah’s elevation to the captaincy over the last few weeks in New Zealand.The delay has allowed the board chairman to travel to New Zealand to hold discussions with Afridi, senior players and management officials before making a decision. In a meeting before the team departed Butt also advised Afridi to try and improve his interaction with players over the course of the series. These meetings will ultimately decide who is to be appointed.On paper, Afridi’s record as captain is not hugely impressive, with seven wins and 10 losses in 18 games (and one no-result). He averages nearly 36 with the bat in that time, including two hundreds in Sri Lanka, and well over his career numbers. And though the 25-ball 65 against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday was his first fifty in 12 ODIs, he has, on five occasions, made scores between 24-49, which given the way Afridi bats and the position he bats at, are often vital hands.His bowling has not been as incisive, taking only 17 wickets in that span and generally going for runs. But in pushing ODI series against England and South Africa to the final game each time, in overseeing several fightbacks in tough circumstances Afridi would seem to have built up some credit.Misbah’s case for captaincy, on paper, is weaker. He has not been part of the ODI set-up for much of the last year; in fact, he only played two ODIs in 2010 and was dropped midway through the series against South Africa. His often poor strike-rate also works against him, and if Younis Khan is in the playing XI, robs Pakistan of some power in the middle. But he has built up momentum from his Test exploits, where he has been in exceptional form with the bat and has just led Pakistan to a drought-breaking Test series win.

The BCCI has said it will remain in close contact with the IPL franchises to ensure players remain fit for national duty

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2011In the light of the injury crisis India found themselves in on the tour of England, the BCCI has said it will remain in close contact with the IPL franchises to ensure players remain fit for national duty.”During our meeting with franchises we will emphasise that they pay most attention to these problems and give instruction to the team physios on injury management to avoid injuries,” the new IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla told . “We will be paying full attention to these problems, we will keep in touch with physios, and various franchises so that any injury should be immediately addressed.”On a disastrous tour, where they were thrashed 4-0 in Tests and 3-0 in ODIs, India lost the services of Zaheer Khan on the first day of the first Test at Lord’s. After playing in the IPL, Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the first two Tests due to an injured shoulder while Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar and Yuvraj Singh sustained injuries during the course of the series.Shukla defended the IPL, saying it shouldn’t be singled out for blame for injuries caused to players, but said the board will take steps to ensure there is “perfect” co-ordination with the franchises over the players’ fitness.”In my view, for injuries I don’t think only IPL should be blamed as every team is facing such problems and lot many players got injured during the England series also, so I don’t think IPL should be solely blamed for it,” he said. “But at the same time, the management of injury problems is also on our mind and some concrete steps will be taken to minimise injury problems. There will be perfect coordination between BCCI and various franchises.”