All posts by h716a5.icu

In the aftermath of another batting collapse, Mohammad Yousuf has admitted his side may need the services of a specialist coach to help stem the rot of their recent performances

Osman Samiuddin in Sydney07-Jan-2010In the aftermath of another batting collapse, Mohammad Yousuf has admitted his side may need the services of a specialist coach to help stem the rot of their recent performances. Pakistan slumped to 139 all out to lose the second Test at the SCG against Australia by 36 runs on a surface that was placid enough for tailender Peter Siddle to have lasted over three hours earlier on the fourth day of the Test.It was the third time they have faltered in low chases recently, losing by 50 runs to Sri Lanka last July chasing 168 and by 32 runs to New Zealand at Dunedin chasing 251. In all three Pakistan were comfortably placed at various stages, before crumbling towards the end. As a batting side, in their last 16 innings, they have crossed 350 only twice now.The trend has prompted Yousuf to complain about the amount of Twenty20 cricket Pakistan plays, blaming the format for his batsmen’s inability to adapt to Test cricket. Pakistan began their chase against Australia aggressively, but then lost wickets in a bundle of rash strokes, Yousuf included. They did much the same in the first innings, throwing away wickets and the chance of an insurmountable lead.”I have said before as well, we are not building temperament of how to build an innings and a chase,” Yousuf said. “Everyone plays Twenty20, but they all change when they come into Test cricket. Ours don’t change. Our momentum stays the same.”Pakistan’s middle order has struggled since the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq late in 2007. Younis Khan’s periodic absences at one down have further deprived the side of solidity, at least on the tours to New Zealand and Australia. Faisal Iqbal has failed and further down the order so have Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal with the bat. Yousuf and the management have tried to bring Younis out to Australia but the request has been turned down by the board.Yousuf was scathing in his assessment of the batting, though he didn’t name anyone in particular. “Nobody wants to play Test cricket with their hearts, that much is clear,” he said. “Five days and a three-hour game is a big difference. Twenty20 is an easy game, there is no pressure. You only do what we did here – this was it wasn’t it? This was Twenty20 what we didtoday wasn’t it?”Pakistan have three coaches with them in Australia, though two of them – Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed – are more involved with the bowling attack. Surprisingly, there is no one to look after the batting of a side with such little Test match experience. Javed Miandad worked with them briefly before the Champions Trophy but that wasn’t a long-term arrangement.”What I can see is that we need batsmen, we really need batsmen with temperament,” Yousuf said. “Our big names in Pakistan have to see how we can do this. There should be a batting coach. You have a fielding coach, bowling coach, all are there so why not a batting coach?”

Flocking to Twitter, many Liverpool fans have erupted over news on midfielder Curtis Jones and his eye injury sustained prior to the international break.

The 20-year-old has been out of action since picking up the issue in training before Liverpool’s encounters with Atletico Madrid and West Ham United (liverpoolfc.com).

Described as a ‘freak injury’ by Doctor Jim Moxon, little is known on the specific timescale in which Jones will recover from his eye problem and return to the fold under manager Jurgen Klopp.

The club, however, have now confirmed in a statement that the Englishman ‘will remain out of action’ for ‘at least a few weeks’ as he continues his recovery.

Jones had been making sporadic cameos for the Reds in midfield this season, averaging an incredible 94.1% pass accuracy over his three Premier League starts (WhoScored).

That’s a higher number than any Liverpool player with more than two top flight starts (WhoScored), potentially highlighting his notable composure and poise when called upon.

Liverpool fans baffled…

As such, whilst taking into account the plethora of other injury issues sustained throughout the squad in recent weeks, it’s little wonder supporters have erupted over this update.

One fan even called it ‘really worrying’ as they question Liverpool’s fitness problems so far over 2021/2022.

Find all of their best verdicts down below:

“We have awful luck with injuries”

Credit: @kat_lfc13

“What kind of eye injury is it? He was supposed to be back in a week and now he’s out for weeks”

Credit: @agarwalkaus

“This is really worrying.”

Credit: @PsychoRelic_

“Could not write it..”

Credit: @Shanebirt

“how”

Credit: @joelmceniry

“That’s a bit strange ..”

Credit: @CzToon

“Some eye injury been out for nearly a month crazy”

Credit: @jasonbehan1

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Yesss’, ‘Oh boy’…Liverpool fans rejoice as club drop ‘beautiful’ three-word message, find out more here.

South Australia were set 351 for victory after declaring their first innings 152 behind Western Australia in the hope of manufacturing a result

Cricinfo staff20-Dec-2009Scorecard
Shaun Marsh’s double of 82 and 108 not out may help his national prospects•AFPSouth Australia were set 351 for victory after declaring their first innings 152 behind Western Australia in the hope of manufacturing a result in Adelaide. After a slow second day, things livened up on the third with the Redbacks stopping at 6 for 249 at lunch, with Michael Klinger unbeaten on 109, before Shaun Marsh raced to a timely century as the Warriors posted 2 for 198.The hosts were 0 for 30 after 15 overs at stumps, sitting in the opposite position to last week when they lost to Victoria after controlling the first three days. They can forget that embarrassment with another 321 runs on the final day.Marsh, who scored 82 in the first innings, has been mentioned as a possible batting candidate for the Test team, which may lose Ricky Ponting for Melbourne, and his unbeaten 108 will be noted even though it came in setting up the declaration. The captain Adam Voges chipped in with 58 after Peter George had taken both the wickets to fall.Klinger’s marathon crawl continued during the first session as he moved from his overnight 64 to 109 at lunch. He spent 287 balls and almost six hours working on his innings and it was hard to tell whether he was responsible for holding the game back or keeping his side in it. The captain Graham Manou changed the tempo of the match with his declaration and has a chance to push for six points.

New Zealand Cricket has gone back to its roots with the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield as the trophy for the men’s first-class competition this summer

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009New Zealand Cricket has gone back to its roots with the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield as the trophy for the men’s first-class competition this summer. The shield was first introduced in 1906 and was replaced from 1974-75 by the Shell Trophy, which was itself succeeded by the State Championship in 2001-02.But the loss of State Insurance as sponsors for 2009-10 has prompted a return to the Plunket Shield, which has been on display at the New Zealand Cricket Museum in Wellington. The NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said he was excited at the prospect of dusting off the trophy.”The Plunket Shield has a strong place in our cricket history,” Vaughan said. “The reintroduction of the Plunket Shield allows us to acknowledge the traditions of the game and at the same time appropriately celebrate and promote our four-day first-class competition. For the first time in a decade we find ourselves in a different sponsorship environment – and this gives us the opportunity to restore real history and heritage back into our first-class competition through the Plunket Shield.”The Plunket Shield has been the historical foundation of domestic cricket in New Zealand for over a century – and New Zealand Cricket is committed to retain the Plunket Shield for our four-day first-class competition into the future. The naming rights for this competition are not for sale. We look forward to some great performances in the four-day competition and we hope cricket enthusiasts will get out and strongly support the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield.”The shield was last won in 1974-75 by an Otago side captained by Glenn Turner. He said it was pleasing to see the prize back up for grabs 35 years later.”The Plunket Shield was our only first-class competition at that time,” Turner said. “There was no one-day game, and just five rounds of three-day matches, so the competition was intense. The Shield was a real symbol of inter-provincial rivalry. The four-day game remains the pinnacle of our domestic cricket, so it will be great to see it back as the focus of the competition.”The season kicks off next week with the first round of four-day games. The six teams play five rounds before Christmas and a further five rounds in February-March.

Few people knew better than his wife Huma what made Wasim Akram the player he was, and they shared many psychotherapy sessions to get the best out of him

Kanishkaa Balachandran26-Oct-2009Wasim Akram is best remembered for his achievements as a bowler, picking up 400-plus wickets in Tests and ODIs for Pakistan. He also had one of the most demanding jobs in world cricket as captain of Pakistan, which he served over several stints. There were many hurdles in his career – match-fixing allegations, an often volatile dressing-room atmosphere, a strong professional rivalry with Waqar Younis and a spate of injuries – and he credited his wife Huma, a qualified hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, for getting him through those difficult moments.Huma, who died in Chennai on Sunday after suffering multiple-organ failure, had degrees in psychology, English Literature and European History, worked with some of the leading hospitals in Pakistan and even worked informally with Akram’s former Pakistan team-mates Saqlain Mushtaq and Saeed Anwar.In his autobiography , released in 1998, Akram dedicated an entire chapter – “Coping with the mental pressure” – to Huma describing their therapy sessions.”She has been a rock to me in so many ways, not least in getting me mentally strong for challenges on the field,” Akram wrote in the introduction. “You can’t perform on talent alone at the highest level, and Huma has helped channel me into the right psychological areas that allow me to do justice to my abilities.”Huma admitted that she knew nothing about cricket when she met Wasim and didn’t know a great deal more during their marriage. However, she saw that as an advantage because it allowed her to focus entirely on the mental angle and not get sidetracked by the technical aspects of the game. She used indirect hypnosis, employing relaxation techniques that are part of hypnotherapy. She said her most productive sessions came the night before a match – but only if he requested it.”I’ll ask him to imagine a previous situation in a game when he’s been successful, and suggest he incorporates that into the following day’s play,” Huma wrote. “Never talk about the opposition or your team-mates, home in on yourself and your successes. That was particularly vital in those awful weeks after the Sharjah tournament at the end of 1997.” (Akram had missed a lot of cricket that year due to a serious shoulder injury and Pakistan’s failure to qualify for the finals of that four-nation series in Sharjah forced him to resign as captain.)”It’s never a case of saying directly, ‘Close your eyes’, it’s more a matter of coaxing gently. I’ll say, ‘If you’d like to relax now, and think of a place where you’re comfortable and happy. Then, if you would, tell me about a time you performed well.’ Wasim will be wide awake at this juncture, but I’ll be hoping that he’ll be visibly realising. The place which I want him to visualise doesn’t have to be a cricket ground; he’s very fond of the sea, or the woods, indeed anywhere out in the open, enjoying fresh air.”Huma recalled one such session in England before the Benson & Hedges Cup final at Lord’s in 1995, when Wasim’s county Lancashire were playing Kent.”Wasim was very tense for some reason. So we worked in the team hotel and I asked him to summon up an image that he liked. ‘The sea and the wind coming towards me,’ he replied. I said, ‘Would you tell me please what you want to do tomorrow?’, and he answered, ‘I want to get five wickets. I want to be the best allrounder in the world.’ After about 20 minutes he was so relaxed he could barely lift his arms, and his eyes looked very heavy. Then I said, ‘If you would like to wake up slowly, please’ and he slept like a baby that night. There isn’t a happy ending to this story though. Wasim injured his groin the next day and was expensive when he bowled, but I’d done my job! He’s the one who has to bowl the overs!”She also detailed an aspect of a cricketer’s life that doesn’t usually get talked about – the pressures of work. “Until the shocking match-fixing allegations caused Wasim such heartache, he had managed to ensure he wasn’t taking the game home with him. In the past he has got down at times, but I’ve worked hard with him to channel the positive aspects of his career into productive repetition.”Huma then went on to explain the positive effects she noticed. “If he has a bad day, he’ll talk to me about it – but only if he brings the subject up – and then moves on. He no longer broods on failure. He always strives to go one better, wanting five wickets next time rather than four, or relishing his professional rivalry with Waqar Younis. Wasim works better under pressure, turning out good performances when the team really needs him. Captaincy has brought that out of him even more.”Shortly after this book was released, Akram was reinstated as captain and led his team on a successful tour of India and to the final of the 1999 World Cup.

BBC Sport’s Adam Pope has revealed that Leeds United star Raphinha “should be fit” for this weekend’s Premier League clash against Norwich City.

What’s the story?

The Brazilian hobbled off during his side’s 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend, and there no doubt would have been real fears about how long he could potentially be out for.

The former Rennes man himself moved quickly to allay those doubts after that match, and while he was not involved in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat against Arsenal, he looks set to be good for the trip to the Canaries on Sunday.

Writing on Twitter after the game against the Gunners, Pope said: “Shackleton & Raphinha should be fit for Norwich. No injuries forced the substitutions. Klich for Forshaw as MB felt he’d take advantage of the offensive play in the 1st half. Gelhardt on for Roberts because he wanted to try out Joffy with Rodrigo.”

Huge boost for Bielsa

Make no mistake about it, Raphinha has emerged as one of Leeds’ best players, if not their best.

He ranked fourth for goals and first for his assists among his teammates last season, and his willingness to take players on and try and make things happen for his side was reflected by him averaging the most dribbles of any Leeds player with 1.9 per game.

Raphinha’s displays had Leeds teammate Patrick Bamford hailing him after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace back in February, with the England international telling Sky Sports: “I think, to be honest, he has been a steal for Leeds. I am surprised. As soon as he came in, you saw him in training, you know sometimes with players whether they are good or they are top class, and he really was. He stood out straightaway.

“I am surprised that bigger teams, more established Premier League teams I should say, haven’t taken a punt on him because he really is someone special, and he is young.”

Given Leeds’ wretched start to the Premier League season – they’ve managed just one win all campaign – having Raphinha available for a crunch game against fellow strugglers Norwich is a massive boost for the White.

Those three words that he “should be fit” will undoubtedly leave many supporters around Elland Road absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has given Bielsa a headache…

Sri Lanka Under-19 took the upper hand in the five-match series, with a comprehensive win in the third ODI at the Gardens Oval

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2009
Scorecard
Sri Lanka Under-19 took the upper hand in the five-match series, with a comprehensive win in the third ODI at the Gardens Oval. Four wickets from left-arm fast bowler Charith Jayampathi along with a near run-a-ball fifty from Kithruwan Withanage was enough to ensure the five-wicket win against Australia Under-19.Put in by Sri Lanka, Australia never really got going, with wickets falling at regular intervals. The visitors bowled with purpose with Jayampathi striking at crucial moments. No. 10 Luke Doran emerged as the highest scorer with 26, as the hosts were bowled out with five balls to spare.It wasn’t the best of starts as well for Sri Lanka during their reply, as Sean Abbott made early inroads. He removed the top three in quick time to leave the visitors struggling at 3 for 34. However, Withanage and Rumesh Buddhika took up the responsibility of repairing the innings and they did it in style, putting on 92 for the fourth wicket. While Budhhika managed three boundaries during his 68-ball 32, Withanage smashed 10 during his stay.The partnership effectively sealed the match and Danushka Gunathilake (24) then saw them through.Sri Lanka have a 2-1 lead going into the fourth encounter on Friday.

Jesse Ryder’s contributions, after being a phantom through the two Tests, had played a big part in putting the smiles back on New Zealand’s faces

Jamie Alter in Colombo04-Sep-2009″The party’s on Jesse Ryder tonight, that’s for sure!” bellowed Tony Greig into the Colombo night as an expressionless Ryder left the dais with the Man-of-the-Match and Man-of-the-Series awards. It was a significant moment: Ryder walking back towards his cheering and clapping New Zealand team-mates, shoulders drooped, unfazed by defeat or victory. His contributions, after being a phantom through the two Tests, had played a big part in putting the smiles back on New Zealand faces.He backed up a decent score and two sensational pieces of fielding on Wednesday, with a brutal 52 and another catch tonight. Such moments and contributions were what it took, along with a few personnel and wardrobe changes, to inject life into what had been, until two evenings ago, a lacklustre time in Sri Lanka for the visitors. “Yeah, it was good to hit a few off the middle,” Ryder said after the match. “I’ve struggled a bit since I got here, so it was good. Baz [Brendon McCullum] got the team off to a good start, and our bowlers backed it up after that.”New Zealand were in control from the outset, with Ryder and Brendon McCullum launching a high-spirited and overdue partnership at the top of the order – New Zealand’s second-highest in Twenty20s. Impressively, their new-ball pair also played their part, and Nathan McCullum’s under-rated offspin cut short Mahela Jayawardene on 41 and Angelo Mathews for 1, all in a killer 11th over. After being reduced to 11 for 3, including the first-over dismissal of their standout Twenty20 batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka were always up against the odds.Daniel Vettori termed the series win as incredibly satisfying and paid tribute to the start provided by the openers, who returned to form in style. “It started from the partnership of [Brendon] McCullum and Ryder – it’s so important in this format of the game that your openers or top three get you off to a great start, and I couldn’t really ask for too much more from those two,” he said. “Bowling is a lot easier when you have 170 on the board, but you still have to back that up and I thought the guys did that brilliantly.”Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara briefly threatened to make a fist of things during a 67-run stand in 43 balls, with Ian Butler bearing the brunt. The two veterans played with immense confidence; Jayawardene was particularly innovative, illustrated by a padde-pulled six between fine leg and deep-backward square leg off Butler. That stand resuscitated Sri Lanka’s hopes of chasing down 171 but it wasn’t to be.Vettori introduced Nathan McCullum in the 11th over, and the offspinner struck twice during it. Nathan McCullum, elder brother of Brendon, has been a steady bowler in Twenty20s and his figures of 2 for 18 tonight took his bowling average to 15.62 after ten matches. He presented further credentials as a clever bowler and thinker, varying his pace in the first over, dismissing Mathews with a ball that dipped and beat the batsman in flight. “Nathan McCullum took that advantage away from Sri Lanka, and we probably cruised from there on,” Vettori said. “Whenever we’ve given him a chance he’s impressed. He was probably our best bowler at the World Twenty20 and he made a difference here too. It’s good to have players like that.”Another player Vettori was pleased to have was Shane Bond, who took three wickets, the first of which was retribution for a hammering in his first over on international return two days ago. Bond took out Dilshan in his first over this time and nipped out two at the end. “Our death bowling was particularly impressive and Shane showed how he’s coming along,” Vettori said. “He’s only had one bad over out of seven. The way he’s handled himself, I think he’s only going to get better and better. He was very impressive at the death. “With the 50-over contest four days away, New Zealand are bristling with confidence. It would be a mistake to brush off their 2-0 series win as an irrelevance before the tri-series, also featuring India, on Tuesday and the Champions Trophy later this month. This achievement may have well set the tone for things to come. Sri Lanka, especially, should dismiss this loss at their own peril.Sangakkara said his team will have to fight to regain lost momentum after they were defeated in both Twenty20 contests. “We gave them too many runs in the field, and it was not the greatest of starts,” he said. “Apart from that we gave it our all, I have to say they outplayed us. There are a lot of things to work on going into the one-day series. Our bowling has been very good in the recent past, but they had one off-day today. Our batting unit needs to start firing.”

Flocking to Twitter, these Sheffield Wednesday fans were left less than impressed with the performance of defender Chey Dunkley as their side succumbed to a 1-1 draw away to Cambridge United.

Darren Moore’s side, looking to get back into contention for a Championship promotion spot, haven’t exactly got off to the best start this season and currently lie ninth in League One.

Indeed, they sit eight points off second and an automatic qualification spot with Sunderland also holding a game in hand over The Owls.

If Wednesday are to regain their English second tier status, a swift turnaround is surely needed, with some supporters feeling Dunkley was one of the main culprits to blame from their side’s draw at the Abbey Stadium.

Despite racking up a 7/10 rating on SofaScore, the 29-year-old also lost possession 14 times and won just two out of his five ground duels up against Cambridge last night.

Taking this into account, some Wednesday fans feel he certainly didn’t have his best night overall.

Find all of their verdicts on Dunkley’s display down below.

Wednesday fans hammer Dunkley display…

“#swfc drop down to 9th in

table after tonight’s 80 minutes drab performance. Came alive in last 10 but overall poor. Glad to finally come back from losing to gain a point. We need Hutchinson back ASAP. Dunkley was a liability at times.”

Credit: @VitalWednesday

“Awful. Players look like they’ve never met. No idea of the style or system. Dunkley is terrible. Moore isn’t a football manager. Awful.”

Credit: @EndeavourFP

“Wing, Johnson, dunkley not good enough, just to name a few”

Credit: @Coa17Jor

“I’ve genuinely seen U10s pass and control a ball better than Dunkley, Iorfa, Patterson, Wing and Johnson. How can they be so poor as pros??? I mean Dunkley and Iorfa can barely kick a balk straight and keep it in play!”

Credit: @RocketOwl1986

“Iorfa & Dunkley… not a patch on Hutchinson. Both donkeys who can’t even play the ball out the back.”

Credit: @bensaavage

“Just gonna say: Defence needs sorting. Either Hutch or Gibson when back fit need to replace Dunkley. Donkey of a player Relieved to get a point from a debut goal from FIZZ. top class player. On to the next. P.S – demand Moore to be sacked all you like – it ain’t gonna happen.”

Credit: @BreeseCallum

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson has revealed the extent of an injury picked up by the Black Cats centre-forward Nathan Broadhead on Tuesday evening.

What’s been said?

In comments cited by the Sunderland website, the 40-year-old boss revealed that the Everton loanee was withdrawn in the club’s 5-0 demolition of Cheltenham Town on Tuesday evening due to a hamstring injury, as well as suggesting that the 23-year-old could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines if his upcoming scan reveals muscle damage.

Speaking about the condition of the forward, Johnson said: “The good news is that Nathan has felt better having slept on it, and he will have a scan before the Portsmouth game.

“He was really frustrated having to come off after playing so well on the night – he performed magnificently. The reality of the issue is that it could be anywhere between two and six weeks if there is muscle damage.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering how bright Broadhead has looked for Sunderland since his season-long loan switch to the Stadium of Light back in August, the news regarding the potential absence of the striker is sure to have left Sunderland fans gutted.

Indeed, while the £450k-rated man is yet to score over his four League One appearances for the club – only one of which has come as a start – the youngster has nevertheless demonstrated his ability in Sunderland’s Carabao Cup campaign this season.

The Wales U21 international particularly impressed in the 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic, scoring one goal, completing both of his two attempted dribbles, making two key passes and winning five duels over his 90 minutes on the pitch, with these returns seeing the striker receive a SofaScore match rating of 7.8.

As such, should the man who Everton U23 manager David Unsworth claimed is “one of the best” players he’s ever worked with be ruled out for a number of weeks, it would undoubtedly come as a blow to Johnson, who will require his strongest players to be available as often as possible if he is to maintain his team’s automatic push for promotion this season.

In other news: “Athletic” £450k-rated Sunderland beast who won 100% duels ran the show vs Cheltenham