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A superb partnership between Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath gave the Yorkshire an advantage they never looked like losing, beating Glamorgan by 49 runs

Cricinfo staff31-Aug-2008
ScorecardIn a match curtailed by bad light, partly thanks to slow over-rates from both teams, Yorkshire beat Glamorgan by 49 runs, according to Duckworth-Lewis, though the difference between the two sides was far greater. A superb partnership between Jacques Rudolph and Anthony McGrath gave the home side an advantage they never looked like losing.Yorkshire decided to bat on winning the toss, under overcast skies but without any immediate prospect of rain. The crowd during the afternoon was almost 4,000 in number, and they proved to be quite vociferous.Yorkshire soon lost Andrew Gale, lbw to a ball from James Harris that cut back on him sharply, while Rudolph seemed surprisingly ill at ease to start with. Rana Naved was again promoted as pinch-hitter, and he did rather better this week than last, hitting an aggressive 24 off 13 balls, including a ferocious drive for four that almost flattened both bowler and umpire. At the other end, he hit an indignant Jason Gillespie for a six over the sightscreen and out of the ground, but was caught at slip two balls later.Then came the meat of the Yorkshire innings, and a right royal feast it proved to be. When Naved departed with the total 37 for 3, Rudolph was still on 3, scored off 14 balls, but he steadily gained in confidence, unleashing a skimming off-drive for four that took him to 10 off 18 balls. McGrath was in his best one-day form, with some thunderous strokes, most notably a six over the sightscreen off Dean Cosker, with another over long-off in the bowler’s next over. He took most of the bowling, reaching his fifty first, off 69 balls; Rudolph’s arrived shortly afterwards, off 72.McGrath treated Robert Croft brutally, hitting him for 17 in an over, and a century for each batsman was a possibility. But they fell in quick succession, Rudolph for 84 and McGrath for 73, and the Yorkshire innings finished at 230 for 6. There were two wickets each for Gillespie, Harris and Alex Wharf.For a while, the Glamorgan innings kept pace with Yorkshire’s. Robert Croft began aggressively, though enjoying a couple of narrow escapes, while his opening partner David Hemp took on Rudolph’s early role as anchor. Croft hit 25 off 28 balls before holing out to mid-on off Rana Naved, with the total 34 in the eighth over. Even at 54 for 2 in the twelfth over they were virtually level with Yorskhire. But Yorkshire’s third-wicket pair had performed brilliantly, while for Glamorgan it only went downhill from here, with a steady fall of wickets.Any remaining chances Glamorgan may have had of victory were virtually extinguished when Richard Pyrah, turning in his usual highly efficient one-day display, ran one through Hemp and bowled him out for 38; the score was now 91 for 5 in the 23rd over. Damage control was attempted by Ben Wright and Mark Wallace – 20 apiece, the latter not out – in declining light, until when the seventh wicket went down for 135 the umpires and players bowed to the inevitable and headed for the pavilion, leaving Duckworth-Lewis to determine Yorkshire’s margin of victory.The Yorkshire bowling and fielding were adequate and efficient, without being outstanding; they did not have to be, as Glamorgan did not have the resources to challenge their target seriously.

Former Premier League striker Dean Windass believes that West Ham United would be a fantastic fit for Danny Ings, and that manager David Moyes would be delighted if he could get him.

The Athletic reported earlier this month that Ings had turned down a new contract with Southampton as he wants another chance with a club challenging towards the top of the table, with the same source saying the east London outfit have registered their interest.

Ings scored 13 goals in all competitions for the Saints last season, taking his total overall to 46 goals in 100 games for the south coast outfit.

The Saints valued Ings at £20million according to Eurosport, and Windass told Football FanCast: “Listen any manager in the Premier League would take Danny Ings for £20millon. The reason why he is leaving Southampton is because he is not winning any trophies, he’s not playing in European football.

“So, the only way that he’s going to go is the top six and West Ham would be a fantastic fit and obviously Moysey would be delighted if he got him, especially for 20 million quid.”

The race for the signature of Ings is hotting up, as Eurosport reported the other day that Tottenham Hotspur were preparing an opening bid for Danny Ings, but talkSPORT’s Alex Crook said earlier this month that Southampton have no intention of selling Ings this summer.

Liverpool are unlikely to land Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus this summer, with the Germany international set to stay in the Bundesliga for this season [Florian Plettenberg via Sportsmole].

Producing the good in 2020/21, the 24-year-old registered 16 goal contributions in 45 appearances for his current employers; eight goals and eight assists [Transfermarkt].

Owing to his fine form, speculation has been rife about his future in recent weeks.

Liverpool were said to be one of the main clubs in pursuit as they search for a Gini Wijnaldum replacement, however the Reds would need to fight off competition from Bayern Munich for his signature [Florian Plettenberg via Sportsmole].

Journalist Florian Plettenberg has claimed that a switch could happen next year, though for now he looks set to remain in Monchengladbach.

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Liverpool diehards took to social media to express their opinions on the matter.

Liverpool fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool fan outlet LFC Transfer Room on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about recent developments:

“Lol that’s what we are doing”

Credit: @qwerty6012

“This club is not serious”

Credit: @skuutj

“I hate saying it but its us Broke FC.”

Credit: @UJKEM7

“This club is finished.”Credit @Sarrvish”Have to sell players in midfield??? Literally makes no sense, we’ve just lost a midfielder and he needs replacing so how do we need to sell even more?”Credit: @LewYNWA”Give Klopp what he wants”Credit: @JamieOwenWiffenIn other news, fans react to a Renato Sanches update.

Ricky Ponting says Australia’s players will be kept abreast of the security situation in India “daily, if not hourly” as they prepare to depart for their Test tour on Sunday

Cricinfo staff18-Sep-2008
Ricky Ponting met with politicians including Australia’s prime minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra on Wednesday, and Ponting says the government will continue to keep Cricket Australia updated on the security situation in India © Cricket Australia
Ricky Ponting says Australia’s players will be kept abreast of the security situation in India “daily, if not hourly” as they prepare to depart for their Test tour on Sunday. The trip is expected to go ahead as planned despite last Saturday’s series of bomb blasts that killed more than 20 people in New Delhi, although Ponting said Cricket Australia would stay on top of any new developments.”Anything could happen tomorrow, things change very quickly in the world right at the moment,” Ponting told . “Cricket Australia will continue to be in touch and the government will continue to be in touch and Cricket Australia will keep us players and the players’ association in the loop on a daily, if not hourly basis.”Ponting was speaking at Parliament House in Canberra, where he was promoting Cricket Australia’s new in2Cricket game for children and also met with the foreign affairs minister Stephen Smith. Ponting defended the decision to visit India but not Pakistan, where security concerns led to Australia cancelling a Test tour scheduled for earlier this year.”As we all know and has been outlined already, these are very different circumstances between India and Pakistan right at the moment and Cricket Australia has made that very clear,” Ponting said. “As captain of the side and as a player, right at the moment I am very comfortable to go on the advice of Cricket Australia and the players’ association.”Michael Brown, the general manager of cricket for Cricket Australia, rejected the suggestion that Australia would only go ahead with the tour for monetary reasons or to placate the powerful BCCI. “The only reasons we can’t play and participate,” Brown said, “is for security reasons and we’ll keep monitoring those as time goes by.”Cricket Australia has said that the government’s foreign relations with Pakistan and India play a part in the decision-making process. Australia’s consulates in Karachi and Lahore have been closed due to security concerns, while they remain open in India.However, the former Test player Dean Jones has slammed Cricket Australia for what he believes is a double-standard. Jones is now the executive director of the Indian Cricket League and he said while the situations in the two countries were different, Australian officials were clearly in a bind.”The reason why this is such a headache for Australia is that it can’t afford to take a stand on player safety in India,” Jones wrote in the . “I speak from quite a bit of experience in regards to India. My next trip will be my 91st.”And there is reason to be concerned about security there, particularly in Dehli, where the latest bomb went off. Through my role as an executive director of the Indian Cricket League, I know we have major headaches with security there.”

Rangers slumped to back-to-back defeats in all competitions following a hugely disappointing 1-0 defeat at the hands of Dundee United this afternoon.

The Gers were hoping to bounce back from Tuesday night’s loss in the first leg of their Champions League third round qualifying tie against Malmo, but it wasn’t to be for Steven Gerrard’s charges.

After an evenly-contested opening 45 minutes at Tannadice, the reigning Scottish champions were dominant in the opening exchanges after the break. However, a lucky bounce of the ball presented Dundee United left-back Jamie Robson with a golden opportunity to put the hosts ahead, and the 23-year-old made no mistake.

Despite Rangers’ desperate efforts to find an equaliser, their forward line looked blunt and way below its best, producing just two shots on target all afternoon.

Unfortunately for Alfredo Morelos, the Colombia international was the most underwhelming attacker in his first appearance of the new campaign.

As per SofaScore, Rangers’ star striker had just 29 touches in the 82 minutes that he was on the pitch, two fewer than goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. Morelos also lost six of his 10 duels against the Tangerines, had just one shot on target and lost possession eight times.

The £10.8m-rated forward has let Gerrard down before, although it’s usually for his ill discipline rather than poor displays in front of goal.

El Bufalo will be forgiven for his poor showing by Rangers fans given his previous exploits for the club, but they, alongside Gerrard, will be hoping for a much-improved showing next time out from the 25-year-old.

He was perhaps thrown into the starting XI too soon by the manager considering that he only returned from his homeland a few days ago, yet Morelos would still have been expecting to put in a better performance than what he did today.

In other news… Gerrard must unleash “special” 25 y/o vs Dundee Utd, he could be Rangers’ game-changer 

Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has said he has no plans of stepping down from his post before his two-year term finishes next year.

Cricinfo staff12-Oct-2008
Geoff Lawson: “I am enjoying my job and am looking forward to completing my two-year term” © AFP
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has said he has no plans of stepping down from his post before his two-year term finishes next year. Lawson was responding to reports from Pakistan that the newly-appointed PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, was unhappy with his performance.”Why should I quit as coach?” Lawson said in King City during the Canada four-nation Twenty20 tournament. “I am enjoying my job and am looking forward to completing my two-year term.”I am a professional coach and I have nothing to do with the changes in the board. I will brief the chairman on what I have done when the time comes.”Butt said Lawson had to share the blame for Pakistan’s inconsistent performances. “There is a need of improvement in the performance of the Pakistan team and Lawson has so far not succeeded,” Butt was quoted as saying in the Urdu language section of the BBC website. “The previous (PCB) management could better tell what they expected from Lawson, but in my opinion he has not shown any notable performances.”Former Pakistan players felt a homegrown coach would have helped the team better. Aamer Sohail, the former captain, felt a communication barrier was hindering Lawson, an Australian.”When you can’t put your point across what’s the point?” Sohail told . “I personally believe that you have to give your own former players an opportunity to coach the national team.”Zaheer Abbas felt the PCB would do better to hire foreign coaches to help youngsters first before fast-tracking them to take charge of the senior team.Lawson took over last August before the ICC World Twenty and has had mixed results as a coach. After the highs of reaching the final of the World Twenty20, Pakistan went on to lose Test and ODI series to South Africa and India. Pakistan beat India in the final of the Kitply Cup in Dhaka earlier this year but failed to make the finals of the Asia Cup in front of their home crowd.In between, Lawson also had run-ins on several occasions with the selection committee and with the media as well. During the Asia Cup, journalists stormed out of a heated a press conference after he asked a senior journalist to “improve his English” and told another reporter “if you are rude I’ll have to leave.”

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Josh Windass to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Yorkshire Live, who revealed that the Sheffield Wednesday midfielder has put pen to paper on a new two-year deal at Hillsborough, putting an end to the transfer speculation surrounding the 27-year-old.

Indeed, earlier reports had claimed that a number of Premier League and Championship clubs, including Valerien Ismaeal’s West Brom, were keeping a close eye on the situation of the player ahead of a potential summer swoop following the Owls’ relegation from the second tier last season.

However, with Windass now looking set to remain at Wednesday until at least the summer of 2023, a move for the former Glasgow Rangers man would now appear to be rather unlikely for the Baggies any time soon.

Fans will be gutted

With Matheus Pereira’s departure leaving a rather significant goalscoring and creative hole in Albion’s attacking ranks, the addition of a player who could somewhat replace the Brazilian’s influence within the side would appear to be a must for Ismael before the closure of the summer transfer window.

And, considering the form Windass was in for Wednesday last season, despite the fact the Owls were battling at the wrong end of the table, the 27-year-old looked to be something of a perfect fit for the Frenchman.

Indeed, over his 41 Championship appearances for Darren Moore’s side last term, the £1.8m-rated man scored nine goals, registered six assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the man dubbed an “explosive” player by his father Dean earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as the club’s seventh-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, when taking into account the £10k-per-week attacking midfielder would have been available at something of a snip this summer, in addition to his obvious ability in the final third, fans of the Baggies are sure to be gutted that Windass has signed a new deal with his current side, as the 27-year-old would have appeared to make an exciting addition to the Albion squad.

In other news: West Brom in the running for “phenomenal” £5k-p/w goal-machine, he’d be a huge coup

A round-up of the second day of the first-round matches of the Pentangular Cup

Cricinfo staff26-Oct-2008ScorecardA last-wicket stand of 61 between Usman Saeed and Shoaib Akhtar pushed Federal Areas to 322 in Karachi, but at the end of the second day Sind were in with a good chance of taking the first-innings lead. Rizwan Ahmed, the legspinning allrounder, was unbeaten on 40 as the hosts finished at 288 for 7, trailing by 34.Saeed had led the a fightback on the first day, and he frustrated Sind, adding 33 to his overnight score of 103. Shoaib was last man out for 18; the fast bowler, though, bowled only nine overs to the Sind batsmen out of the 78 they faced in the day. Shoaib’s only wicket was opener Khalid Latif, who fell for 31 after adding 60 with Khurram Manzoor.Manzoor, the Pakistan Academy captain on their unbeaten tour of Kenya and Zimbabwe, scored 59 off 132 deliveries. The rest of the batsmen failed to build on starts as well: Naumanullah scored 15, Faisal Iqbal 32, Fawad Alam 34 and captain Shahid Afridi hit a quick 21-ball 17. At 211 for 6, there was a chance Sind would fold up quickly but wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed hit five fours in a 33-ball 36 and Rizwan pushed to 40 to tick the score along. Sarfraz fell with the score on 262, but Anwar Ali and Rizwan remained unbeaten till stumps.For Federal Areas, Sohail Tanvir was the most successful, with 3 for 72 off his 20 overs. Iftikhar Anjum took 2 for 59 off 19, while Umar Amin got the wicket of Manzoor in his six, which cost 30 runs.
ScorecardThe run-fest continued for North West Frontier Province and they took three Baluchistan wickets to take firm control of the game in Quetta. Adnan Raees scored his first first-class double-century, and Shoaib Khan snr made an unbeaten 81 before NWFP declared at a commanding 550 for 5.Resuming on 293 for 2, NWFP did not lose a wicket till Riaz Kail fell for 29 – an innings that needed 77 deliveries. Raees and Shoaib added 107 for the fifth wicket. Raees was stumped by Saeed Anwar jnr after he completed his double. Umar Gul promoted himself to push the scoring; he hit two sixes in his 14-ball 21 before he was caught behind off Anwar. Shoaib, whose 81 came at a strike-rate of nearly 56 despite only six fours, pushed them to 550, with Aftab Alam making 32.Gul bowled Shoaib Khan jnr with the score on 28, and left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan removed Usman Tariq. Legspinner Yasir Shah removed Anwar. At 66 for 3, Baluchistan’s hopes will largely rest on captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

Martin Crowe has said his departure from the Bangalore Royal Challengers was by mutual consent, and that he had recommended Ray Jennings’ name for the coach’s job

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Martin Crowe (middle) said he was the first to approach Ray Jennings directly © Bangalore Royal Challengers
Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, has indicated that his departure from the Bangalore Royal Challengers was by mutual consent, and that he had recommended Ray Jennings’ name for the coach’s job.Crowe, formerly Bangalore’s chief cricket officer, said he was “pleased” at the appointment of Jennings, the former South African coach.”It was I who first suggested Ray Jennings for the role and it was I who first approached Jennings directly,” Crowe told Cricinfo. “I’m pleased both parties have agreed to his appointment.”A release from the franchise said: “Crowe, a legend of cricket, was brought in as chief cricket officer to assist the CEO and captain of the Royal Challengers in setting up the franchise from the game’s perspective. Having accomplished this in the maiden year, a joint review was conducted to assess what is required to achieve the goals that the franchise had set for itself … It was mutually felt that the franchise needed a structural change in the management.”Crowe’s departure is the latest disclosure in a series of management changes effected by various IPL teams leading up to the one-month trading window for players that starts on December 15. Bangalore had already replaced Charu Sharma, their chief executive, with Brijesh Patel, the former Indian batsman and secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), during the first season. The team struggled to produce positive results and finished seventh out of eight.Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers, who finished last on the points table, have replaced VVS Laxman, their captain, with Adam Gilchrist, the retired Australian wicketkeeper. They also confirmed the appointment of Tim Wright, the former IMG official, as their new chief executive. The Jaipur and Delhi franchises have also removed their chief executives, despite their success in the first season – Jaipur’s Rajasthan Royals were the champions while the Delhi Daredevils reached the semi-finals.

Watford mark their Premier League return with a home fixture against Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon, with Xisco Munoz’s side hoping to kickstart with three points against Dean Smith’s side.

Following automatic promotion from the Championship last term, Watford have added a number of players to their squad, with summer signings Emmanuel Dennis, Danny Rose, Josh King, Peter Etebo, Juraj Kucka and Imran Louza all hoping to play a big part throughout the season.

However, in recent Premier League seasons, we have seen Watford fail to keep faith in those who got them promoted, and it will be interesting to see how many changes Xisco opts to make from those who performed so well in the second tier last season.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the Spanish manager to line up his side at Vicarage Road today, with four players making their Watford debuts…

After an impressive second half of last season, combined with a solid Euro 2020 with Austria, Daniel Bachmann unsurprisingly starts in between the sticks against the Villans.

Kiko Femenia, William Troost-Ekong and Francisco Sierralta were all regulars in the Championship last season and will likely keep their places in defence, with Rose making his competitive Hornets debut after joining on a free transfer from Tottenham Hotspur earlier this summer.

In the absence of Will Hughes, who has been banished to the under-23s amid an ongoing transfer saga, Xisco is likely to name a much-changed midfield, with Etebo and Kucka making their debuts alongside a mainstay from last season in Tom Cleverley.

Ismaila Sarr’s performances are likely to be a big factor for Watford this season and he starts on the right-wing, with new signing Dennis earning a start on the left, although he could be pushed up front at some point in the game.

They support Troy Deeney in attack, with the 33-year-old proving in pre-season that he is fit and ready for the new campaign, and he will be looking to add to the 47 Premier League goals he has in his career thus far.

That leaves no place in the starting XI for Ken Sema, who played the second-most league minutes of anyone at Watford last season but could miss out today due to the influx of new competitors for his position out wide.

In other news… Watford transfer news is confirmed, fans will be fuming