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Canada’s three debutants were the stars as their team opened the tri-series with a 25-run victory over Bermuda, who also relied heavily on a first-gamer

Cricinfo staff19-Aug-2008
Scorecard
Karun Jethi was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 46 and two wickets © Eddie Norfolk
Canada’s three debutants were the stars as their team opened the tri-series with a 25-run victory over Bermuda, who also relied heavily on a first-gamer. Sent in at No. 3 in the chase, Chris Douglas, 18, guided Bermuda with a promising 69 but when he fell with 71 still needed, the hosts locked down the Bermuda lower order.After being sent in at King City, Canada got away to a flyer with one of their new players, Rizwan Cheema, slamming three sixes in his 24-ball 34. It was a dangerous start for Bermuda, who were going at ten an over until Stefan Kelly broke the opening stand with the score on 53.Tight bowling from Dwayne Leverock helped slow the run-rate – he finished with 1 for 20 from his ten overs – but Bermuda struggled to get a run of wickets and Manoj David’s 48 from 82 deliveries proved a frustration. When Canada lost David, playing his first one-day international at the age of 33, in the 42nd over there was a risk the tail could undo much of Canada’s hard work.But the third of their debutants, Karun Jethi, piled on three sixes in his unbeaten 46 from 36 balls. He combined with Harvir Baidwan (21 not out) for an important 73-run stand that ensured a strong total of 260 for 7.Bermuda began solidly, if not as frantically as Canada, and a 90-run partnership from Douglas and Jekon Edness made the target seem perfectly gettable. However, Cheema proved not just a promising opener but also a handy bowler when he had Edness caught for 45.At 123 for 2 it meant Bermuda needed Douglas to anchor the innings, but a pair of wickets each to David and Jethi left too much work for Bermuda’s lower order. When Douglas departed, bowled by Jethi in the 41st over, the game slipped out of reach for Bermuda, who must now beat West Indies on Wednesday to have any chance of reaching the final.

Southampton look set to miss out on another of their summer targets, with reports claiming that Santiago Moreno is set to complete a move to Portland Timbers.

What’s the word?

Along with Leeds United and Rangers, the Saints were linked with a move for the 21-year-old by The Telegraph earlier this year.

The winger has established himself as a regular at America de Cali in recent seasons and has been likened to Sadio Mane due to his style of play, which suggests that he could have been a hit at St Mary’s.

Mane was signed by Southampton from RB Salzburg back in 2014 and made 75 appearances for the Saints in two seasons, contributing 25 goals and 14 assists before completing a £34m move to Liverpool in the summer of 2016, where he has gone on to become one of the top wingers in world football.

However, Moreno’s agent has now claimed that he is very close to joining MLS side Portland Timbers, as he told El Pais: “There are other possibilities on the table, but the one we are working on at the moment and the closest to a deal is Portland.

“‘Santi’ leaves very grateful to the fans of America de Cali, he fulfilled his dreams and understands that leaving young will also give him the opportunity to return at a good time.”

A blow for Southampton?

During his time in the Liga Dimayor, Moreno has featured 52 times for America de Cali, contributing an impressive 10 goals and seven assists.

Although he may well have been an option for the future rather than one who could’ve made an impression in Hasenhuttl’s side next season, that he was attracting so much interest suggests that he has a lot of potential, and Southampton may well rue not signing him this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

If Moreno can progress even further in the MLS with Portland Timbers, then it would not be a surprise to see his name mentioned as a potential target for top European sides again in the future, when the sense of regret for the Saints over missing out on him could well be exacerbated.

In other news… Southampton set to confirm third summer signing, fans will be buzzing

Mohammad Asif will be appearing before the IPL drug tribunal on October 11 after testing positive for the banned steroid, nandrolone, during the tournament

Cricinfo staff25-Sep-2008Mohammad Asif will be appearing before the IPL drugs tribunal on October 11 after testing positive for the banned steroid, nandrolone, during the tournament.Asif’s lawyer Shahid Karim told reporters that the fast bowler received a letter from the IPL asking him to appear before the tribunal on the said date. Sunder Raman, the IPL chief executive, confirmed the date and said the meeting would be held in Mumbai.Originally scheduled for August 30, soon after his B sample also tested positive, the hearing was pushed back after a request from Asif. A decision will be arrived at by the three-man panel set up by the IPL comprising former India opener Sunil Gavaskar, doctor Ravi Bapat and lawyer Shirish Gupte.Besides his lawyer, Asif will be accompanied by his consultant, Dr Graham Durgan, and if found guilty he is likely to be handed a two-year ban from the IPL which will apply to both domestic and international cricket.

Aston Villa left-back Matt Targett will learn a lot from new signing Ashley Young, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Following the expiration of his contract at Inter Milan, Dean Smith decided to bring Young back to Villa Park for a second spell with the club.

The 36-year-old started his career as a winger, but in recent years he has played at both full-back and wing-back for the likes of Inter and Manchester United.

Bearing that in mind, Hatfield believes Young’s arrival could have a positive impact on Targett as he looks to continue improving in that left-back position.

“Someone like Matt Targett who’s really developed, he can learn so much from Ashley Young,” the Aston Villa journalist told FFC.

“He obviously knows the role really well and obviously started as a winger but shifted back into that left-back position. So he can teach players things and he can be someone who offers that experience inside the dressing room.”

Targett was easily one of Villa’s top performers last season. As per WhoScored, he averaged 2.2 tackles per league game, second only to Matty Cash, who averaged 2.5, on the other flank.

With Young’s help, perhaps the former Southampton man could reach that next level in the upcoming Premier League campaign.

Australia’s cricket on the fourth day was not pretty but the final result – a 263-run lead – was a fine outcome on a day when India harassed them intensely in all aspects of the game

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale12-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Ishant Sharma again had success with his slower ball © Getty Images
Australia’s cricket on the fourth day was not pretty but the final result – a 263-run lead – was a fine outcome on a day when India harassed them intensely in all aspects of the game. Led by Zaheer Khan with the bat in the morning and Harbhajan Singh with the ball in the afternoon, India fought and thought, tested and pestered, and still somehow found themselves facing a tough final-day chase. At least they shortened the odds of a draw.For Ricky Ponting it was a delicate balancing act. He needed to give his men enough hours to dismiss India and the timing was even more important with the news that Stuart Clark was nursing an elbow injury. It prevented him from bowling in the morning and threatened to leave the attack thin if it carried into the final day.Australia also needed enough runs to ensure safety from a powerful India batting line-up that featured at its top Virender Sehwag, a man who frightens opponents with an urgent and potentially lethal approach to target-chasing. How could Ponting decide on a suitable total? The last time the teams met in a Test in Bangalore, Australia set a hefty fourth-innings target of 457 and India were dismissed for 239. On a tricky surface with only 240 runs scored on the fourth day, 239 could have been a good enough buffer.Luckily for the visitors, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson found the going smoother than their more fancied colleagues and built a hugely important 65-run stand late in the day. They took their cue from India’s lower order and played their shots, took some chances and reaped the benefits. Playing for survival was a risky tactic on a pitch that was gradually wearing away, as Simon Katich and his top-order friends discovered.Facing up to a fierce examination from Harbhajan, Katich looked about as comfortable as Indiana Jones in a snakepit. But if problem number one for Ponting is Clark’s elbow, problem number two is that he doesn’t have a Harbhajan in his armoury.Having had little impact in the first innings, Harbhajan, who carried most of the spin load as Anil Kumble battled a shoulder injury, found turn and bounce and exploited the breaking pitch. Michael Hussey fell to a topspinner that hit a crack, transformed into a Shane Warne-like legbreak, and hit his off stump. Katich fended a high-bouncing topspinner to silly mid off. Only when Haddin and Watson attacked and hit over the top did Harbhajan look vulnerable.For much of the innings Australia’s batsmen, led by Katich, seemed to think scoring was done by composers, not cricketers. Katich had problems getting off strike and at one stage when he and a slightly more confident Hussey were both on 10, Katich had faced 75 balls to Hussey’s 18. Sensing the tension, India attacked at every opportunity, with Mahendra Singh Dhoni often calling the shots as Kumble rested off the field.Smart statsZaheer Khan, who took 5 for 91 and made an unbeaten 57, is the first Indian in almost ten years to capture five wickets in an innings and score a half-century in the same match against an opposition other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Thirteen Indians have accomplished this feat, with Kapil Dev having done so on four occasions. Australia conceded 52 extras, their highest ever. This was the tenth occasion a team gave away 50 or more extras in an innings in India. India holds the record with 76 against Pakistan in Bangalore in 2007.Session-wise stats for the four days: 1st session, 275 runs, 8 wickets, 80.3 overs; 2nd session, 316 runs, 7 wickets, 87 overs; 3rd session, 388 runs, 7 wickets, 87 overs While batting fourth, India have won only five out of 28 matches, and lost 17, against Australia.India have not successfully chased a target in excess of 250 against Australia since 1964.Ponting was targeted by Harbhajan with men crowded around the bat and despite a couple of edgy moments he survived – at least long enough to fall to his other developing nemesis, Ishant Sharma. Ishant tried to lure Ponting with the offspinning slower ball that had earned him two first-innings wickets but Australia’s captain was alert to the ploy. However, with the next delivery Ishant tried a different style slower ball – he simply didn’t roll his arm over as quickly – and Ponting, on 17, obligingly prodded to the short midwicket placed for that purpose.Ishant’s more conventional slower one did account for Michael Clarke, who nudged a drive to short cover just as Haddin and Cameron White had done on day two. That India’s fast men succeeded might have buoyed Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, who watched on as Matthew Hayden battled extravagant swing from Zaheer and was trapped lbw for 13.Hard as it was for Hayden and friends, the 70-run first-innings advantage Australia had secured was vital. It could have been so much greater but for terrific lower-order resistance from Zaheer and his bowling mates. After Harbhajan started the batting fightback late on the third afternoon, Zaheer continued it on the fourth morning.His unbeaten 57 was his second Test half-century – his first had come against Bangladesh – and he combined in useful partnerships of 31 with Kumble and 27 with Ishant. Following India’s top-order struggles, it was a magnificent result for their final three pairs to add 128 of the team’s 360.They batted for nearly an hour and a half in the first session, grinding out 47 valuable runs that frustrated an Australia attack that had been on top for most of the previous day. Zaheer played in a more restrained fashion than on Saturday and justified his promotion ahead of Kumble, who gave him an appreciative hug when Zaheer’s fifty came up with a clip behind square leg for two off Johnson.Eventually Australia finished the job. Watson ended up with 3 for 45 when he jagged one back to trap Kumble in front and Clarke bowled Ishant to secure his second wicket. But the successes were a long way apart. Australia must significantly shorten the gap between their celebrations on the final day if they are to avoid a disappointing result.

Shields Gazette journalist Liam Kennedy has ruled out Newcastle United making a sensational move to re-sign former striker Papiss Cisse.

The Senegalese striker scored 44 goals for the Mapgies during his five seasons at St James’ Park, including a remarkable 13 in opening 14 Premier League appearance during a golden run of form which nearly saw Newcastle finish fourth.

Cisse formed an impressive strike partnership Demba Ba, and after more than five years since he left the North East to the Chinese Super League, told Sky Sports News that he wants to play in England once again.

Since leaving Newcastle at the end of the 2015-2016 campaign, as well as China, the 36-year-old has been playing in Turkey – and proved that he’s still capable of scoring goals at his age by netting 26 two seasons back for Alanyaspor, the best return of his career.

However, Kennedy told Football FanCast that he isn’t convinced the striker could do a job in the Premier League:

“That’s a non-starter, his best days are long behind him. I don’t think he had many better days than that six-month period when Newcastle came close to qualifying for the Champions League.

“I like Cisse, but realistically, is he a player that can come back to the Premier League and make an impact at 36? I don’t think he is.”

The US$70-million agreement will require the full participation of SLC in the IPL and the Champions League, for the next decade

Sa'adi Thawfeeq10-Oct-2008The Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) and sports minister Gamini Lokuge have finalised a proposal that could bring in $70 million for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) over the next 10 years but will seriously undermine Sri Lanka’s Test tour of England. The proposal, which will be presented to the BCCI, will require the full participation of SLC within the IPL and its sister tournament, the Champions League, for the next decade.The proposed deal follows the recent decision by Lokuge that the Sri Lankan players contracted to the IPL will be released from the tour of England following the cancellation of Zimbabwe’s tour to England.SLC officials admitted it would be impossible to hold the the two-Test series in England. “The series is definitely off since it has not yet been ratified by the ECB and still remains subject to its approval. So, there is absolutely no chance they are now going to sanction the series against a virtual Sri Lanka A side,” a board official said.However, the officials offered the ECB a three-match ODI series after May 25 and were also considering an invitation to play in a Stanford 20/20 tournament prior to the World Twenty20 in June.”We have a signed contract with SLC in which we agree to play two Tests and three ODIs” an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo. “We have had no other contact from SLC.”The SLCA had discussed the England tour issue directly with IPL chairman Lalit Modi in Mumbai two weeks ago, during which Modi unveiled his plans for Sri Lanka, conditional upon SLC pledging full support for the IPL and the Champions League, the only exception being Sri Lanka’s tour to England in 2011.The financial commitment will include an annual payment of between US$3-4 million for participating in the Champions League starting from 2009. India will also try to replay the cancelled 2006 tri-series featuring Sri Lanka and South Africa at some stage next year. An additional tri-series, worth an estimated $18 million, has been pledged for 2010 as well.The fine-print of the deal will be discussed at a meeting in Mumbai on October 19 between the BCCI and a Sri Lankan delegation which will include an official from the sports ministry, SLC chief executive Duleep Mendis and Graeme Labrooy, the secretary of the SLCA.The final proposal will be presented to SLC and the sports minister for ratification.

Marcus Bent has exclusively told Football FanCast that Everton would cash-in on Richarlison this summer should a sensible offer present itself.

Along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the winger, who has just won an Olympic gold medal with Brazil, has been the Toffees’ talisman in recent seasons.

Richarlison has scored an impressive 42 goals in 119 appearances for Everton, but Goal have claimed that Carlo Ancelotti is keen on reuniting with the attacker and bringing him to Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old has previously been linked with Barcelona in the past but is now on their great rivals’ radar.

Rafael Benitez has already added wide men Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray to his squad, but Richarlison’s starting place at Goodison Park is unlikely to be under threat despite those arrivals.

And whilst a transfer away from Merseyside would also appear unlikely, Bent told FFC that Everton would accept an offer in the region of £60m, £10m more than what they signed the Brazilian for from Watford back in 2018:

He said: “They’d take that straight away. It would allow them to bring in midfielders, wingers and players that will go into the new stadium. So £60m-£70m, that’s a big budget.”

Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly interested in signing Dutch winger Sylla Sow as their busy summer transfer window potentially continues.

The Lowdown: Owls enjoy productive summer

The Owls have been very productive in recent weeks, bringing in a host of new signings as they look to return to the Championship.

A total of 12 new faces have come in, either permanently or on loan, giving manager Darren Moore plenty of options moving forward.

The Latest: Sow linked with move

According to The Sheffield Star, Wednesday are now eyeing up a move for Sow, who is without a club after leaving Eredivise side RKC Waalwijk.

The 25-year-old has a total of 49 appearances to his name in the Dutch top flight, scoring seven goals and registering four assists in that time.

It is stated that Sow likely has ‘plenty of options’ from other clubs, though, so it could be hard to acquire his signature.

The Verdict: Another shrewd signing?

Sow could be another exciting signing if the Owls manage to get a deal over the line, with his pedigree speaking for itself in terms of his Eredivisie experience.

Wednesday still arguably look a little light in wide areas following the exit of Adam Reach, so the Dutchman would bring depth and quality to that position.

Indeed, he showcased his ability to beat players routinely by completing 2.7 dribbles per Eredivisie match in 2019/20. For comparison, only three Owls players had more than one per game in last season’s Championship, so Sow would add greatly to Wednesday’s repertoire in this department.

At 25, he is also young enough to keep improving, but old enough to have plenty of experience at a good level. He seems the ideal player for Moore to bring in if a deal can be struck.

In other news, Sheff Wed reportedly have their eye on another signing – find out who it is here.

Rajasthan fought well to keep Mumbai down to 293 for 8 on the first day at the Brabourne Stadium

The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi03-Nov-2008Mumbai 293 for 8 (Rahane 73, Rohit 62, Jaffer 60, Menaria 3-7) v Rajasthan
Scorecard
Rohit Sharma scored 62 as Mumbai made 293 for 8 on the first day against Rajasthan © AFP
Rajasthan fought well to restrict Mumbai, whose innings was powered by a 106-run fourth-wicket stand between Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma, both of whom scored half-centuries. However, Ashok Menaria, a part-time left-arm slow bowler making his debut, took 3-1-7-3 to keep the honours even on the first day.With the pitch suited to batting, Wasim Jaffer, Mumbai’s new captain, had no hesitation about his decision at the toss. Jaffer’s start with the bat, though, wasn’t as convincing: on 13, he fished at a Sumit Mathur delivery that seamed away but the ball eluded the slips. In the next over Jaffer shook off his rustiness with a fluent forward punch off Pankaj Singh.Sahil Kukreja, his opening partner, departed soon with a flashy pull off Mathur that went straight to square-leg. Rahane thwarted Rajasthan’s progress, getting off the mark with consecutive boundaries off Vikrant Yadav on the off side. Though the pitch was hard and offered enough bounce, the lack of any movement – in the air or off the pitch – helped the batsmen.Rajasthan’s fast bowlers kept it simple and bowled a consistent line and length, waiting for the batsmen to commit the mistake. Soon after getting to his half-century, Jaffer tried to glide one down the leg side off Mathur but the ball took a faint edge and travelled behind to Nikhil Doru.In came Amol Muzumdar, Mumbai’s captain last season and the team’s senior-most player. He was immediately rattled by the pace and slight movement from Vikrant Yadav, and edged one to Doru. Rohit was then lucky to not fall for a duck. Mathur’s first ball pitched on the seam and moved away and Rohit was squared up. The next ball darted in and he did well to bring his bat down in time. The third moved away and Rohit’s streaky drive raced to the third-man boundary.Rohit, though, overcame the early nerves. Rahane had set an aggressive tone with two boundaries in the first over after lunch, and Rohit helped himself to some easy servings and took particular fancy to Gajendra Singh’s ineffective slow left-arm spin, hitting three fours in a row. Rahane reached his half-century with a confident charge to Gajendra past the long-on boundary. A few balls later, Rohit, too, went past 50 with a square drive off the back foot for another four.Mumbai’s hopes of a big total were jolted when Rohit went for a paddle sweep; the resultant edge deflected off the keeper’s gloves to Venugopal Rao in the slips. Two balls later Sairaj Bahutule, returning to the Mumbai team after three seasons with Maharashtra, was dismissed going for a rash drive. Rahane, too, fell in a moment of impatience as he played across to a straight one from Pankaj that trapped him plumb in front. Luckily for Mumbai cameos from Ramesh Powar and Ajit Agarkar ensured they didn’t crumble easily.Jaffer admitted that Mumbai would have been happy with more wickets in the bag, but he expected them to take control soon. “The wicket is spinning and if we can get anywhere near 350 we’ve the bowlers to do the job,” he said after the day’s play.