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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirender Sehwag’s half-century was his slowest in the IPL•Indian Premier League

In stark contrast to the silence that accompanied the listless defence against Kings XI Punjab, the Eden Gardens faithful responded passionately to a charged performance from Kolkata Knight Riders, which derailed Delhi Daredevils’ chase to secure an invaluable 14-run victory. At the heart of the turnaround was Sourav Ganguly, who scored a half-century to build a challenging total, after which he fielded like few believed he could: the direct hit that ran out Gautam Gambhir ended a threatening 99-run partnership and turned the game Kolkata’s way.The result took them level on 10 points with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the fourth-placed team.It nearly didn’t happen for Kolkata though. Virender Sehwag, who was reprieved on 7 when the umpire failed to hear or see an edge, threatened to deliver Delhi their seventh win. His partnership with Gambhir put Delhi on course and he completed a 34-ball half-century, his slowest in the IPL. It was greeted with silence by Eden Gardens. Delhi needed 48 off 32 balls with seven wickets in hand when Ajit Agarkar’s inswinger crashed into Sehwag’s stumps, and the slide had begun.Ajantha Mendis, chosen ahead of Shane Bond because of a dry pitch, had Kedar Jadhav caught at cover – Ganguly jumping to intercept a hard drive – in the 17th over. The next, from left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, was pivotal. He bowled Farveez Maharoof with one that pitched middle and hit off, before reacting athletically to run out Rajat Bhatia three balls later.The decisive blow was struck by Ashok Dinda in the penultimate over when Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata’s last threat, pulled to Brendon McCullum at midwicket. His exit left Delhi needing 30 off 10 balls, a task too hard for Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra. It was fitting that Dinda landed the last blow, for he had struck the first during an astonishing opening over. He hurried David Warner with four skiddy deliveries, cramping him for room, before beating him with the fifth – a quick one that uprooted offstump before Warner had brought his bat down. Delhi knew then that they were in for a scrap.Unlike Ganguly, who used the pace of Dinda, Agarkar and Angelo Mathews, Gambhir instructed his bowlers – from Maharoof to Rajat Bhatia – to take the pace of the ball. It didn’t work immediately for Kolkata made their best score at the end of ten overs this season – 88 – and had all wickets intact.Chris Gayle, who had scored 40 off 21, fell soon after though, missing a swipe against Bhatia, and Ganguly followed in similar fashion against Vettori. Brendon McCullum was run out cheaply too and Kolkata scored only 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 to reach 130 for 3.The innings needed acceleration and it was provided by Mathews and Tiwary. Mathews had been dropped Bhatia on 10 – a caught and bowled opportunity – and he made Delhi pay with two well-aimed blows over long-on. Tiwary joined in the hitting right at the end, and they boosted the innings by taking 18 runs off Mishra’s last over. Their partnership was worth 70 in 6.5 overs, and it helped set Delhi a testing target in a match vital to Kolkata’s semi-final chances.

Suresh Raina, who recently overtook Adam Gilchrist as the leading scorer in all IPL matches, has credited his Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni for his current form

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010Suresh Raina, who recently overtook Adam Gilchrist as the leading scorer in all IPL matches, has credited his Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni for his current form.”I have been hitting the ball well after having a good season. The confidence comes from the faith my skipper Dhoni has in me,” Raina told the . “He has given me the freedom and authority to play my own game. All he says is play your game and keep it simple. That trust, that backing has brought out the best in me.”When I walk in to bat, I asses the situation and play accordingly. Like anyone else, I am also a huge admirer of Sachin Tendulkar and try to learn from him. That is one big reason why I stick to playing proper cricketing shots. One has to understand that its just not possible to smash every ball out of the park. You can score runs at a good rate playing normal cricketing shots which is what I try to do.”This season Raina has again been in great form with the bat, scoring 463 runs at 42.09 and a strike-rate of 140.72 which places him at fourth highest for 2010. He also attributed this success to “a positive attitude and a clear mind” as well as senior team-mates in the Chennai camp. “When you spend time with quality players like Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey it adds to your wisdom,” he said. “It is a great learning curve. I have had the good fortune of receiving the full support of all the senior players.”In Twenty20 cricket, your shot-selection has to be precise. You cannot afford to be double-minded. The clarity of thought is important. I bat at No. 3 and that is a very crucial position. I make sure that my body language is good and I like to dominate the bowling with controlled aggression. As a senior pro, my job is to stay there till the end and win matches for my team. That is what the aim is and that is what I try to do to the best of my ability.”Raina also holds the record for most catches, 26, for a non-wicketkeeper, and his athleticism in the field has earned him many plaudits. “Fielding is a very important aspect of the game. A run saved is a run scored. It is all the more important in T20 where good fielding and catching can make a huge difference,” said Raina. “To be a good fielder you got to be swift and agile. You’ve got to have a good presence of mind if you are fielding in the deep. Again one has to enjoy fielding if you really want to excel in this department.”I was lucky to have Robin Singh as my coach when I went to England as a 17-year old and he helped me to take my fielding seriously. He told me that fielding is as important as batting or bowling. Even if you fail with the bat and ball, you can still contribute with a good work in the field. It can also serve as grace marks when there is a tie between two equally good batsmen.”Chennai will compete their second IPL final, against the form team of the season at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai today and Raina termed it a great opportunity. “We tripped in the first edition. We are all eager and excited. We will have to play really well if we are to win our first IPL title.”

Stuart Robertson, the ECB marketing man who devised Twenty20, has warned that too much of the shortest version could result in overkill

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010

Stuart Robertson, the ECB marketing man who devised Twenty20, has warned that too much of the shortest version could result in overkill. Robertson, who was the brain behind Twenty20 cricket when the ECB was looking to boost revenue and attendances back in 2000, also urged organisers to limit the format to domestic tournaments.”Twenty20 was always designed as a game for counties or states or provinces and it was devised to address the declining audiences at domestic level [in county cricket],” Robertson, now Hampshire’s corporate director, told . “I don’t mind Twenty20s being used as a curtain-raiser for an international series, to have one or two to whet the appetite for more cricket coming up, so long as they don’t overdo it. If nothing else gives there is a risk of there being too much Twenty20.”Robertson believed Twenty20 was a good way to spread cricket into smaller nations. “After we [England] got over the shock of our national side being beaten by Holland, I realised that in the future if this is the game to take cricket into new markets such as Holland then it’s absolutely brilliant,” he said.Despite the massive fan following that Twenty20 enjoys the world across, Robetson was cautious of big international names to cut short their careers to focus on lucrative tournaments such as the IPL.”If international players are coming out of their careers a bit prematurely then there would be a bit of an issue with it,” he said. “But if it’s guys like [Shane] Warne and [Adam] Gilchrist and [Andrew] Flintoff, who are a bit injury-laden and coming to the end of their careers, and want to keep going in Twenty20 and get a bit of reward then that’s fine.”

أعلن كمال شعيب المستشار القانونى لرجل الأعمال ممدوح عباس رئيس نادى الزمالك السابق، إتخاذ إجراءات قانونية جديدة، خلال الفترة الحالية.

ويأتي الإجراء القانوني ضد كل من يزج باسم ممدوح عباس في أي تصريحات مسيئة للشخصيات العامة بالوسط ورموز الدولة، حسب البيان الصحفي.

الزمالك يحدد موعد مباراة الإياب أمام فلامبو في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأوضح كمال شعيب في بيانه، أن البعض يخطط لتوريط ممدوح عباس في الإساءة لرموز الدولة عبر إرسال رسائل نصية لعدد من رموز الدولة والشخصيات العامة تتضمن عبارات سب وقذف وإساءة مباشرة مستخدمين في ذلك البرامج التكنولوجية الحديثة بحيث يحمل رقم الهاتف المرسل منه الرسائل اسم ممدوح عباس.

وأكد شعيب أن هذه الحيل هي مخططات واضحة للجميع لتوريط ممدوح عباس في الإساءة للشخصيات العامة بالدولة المصرية على غير الحقيقة، فهو رجل أعمال وطنى يحترم كل الشخصيات العامة ورموز الدولة.

يذكر، أن ممدوح عباس سبق وأن حصل على حكم قضائي بالحجز على أرصدة نادي الزمالك في البنوك، للحصول على أمواله التي تدين بها القلعة البيضاء له.

Some Manchester City fans have slammed the news that Newcastle United will make a formal complaint about refereeing standards.

The Telegraph are reporting that Newcastle are set to submit a formal complaint questioning the quality of refereeing from their last three games.

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Eddie Howe’s side will ask for clarity over controversial decisions that the Magpies suffered in their recent defeats to Leicester, Liverpool and the Sky Blues.

Howe has become increasingly frustrated by these decisions and has asked staff at the club to package together a set of clips to illustrate how these controversies have contributed to their recent defeats.

However, one single controversial decision, namely when Ederson clattered into Ryan Fraser in the penalty area at 2-0, would not have greatly affected the result on Sunday as Pep Guardiola’s side beat Newcastle 4-0 away from home, after the stellar performances of goalscorers Rúben Dias, Joāo Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling lit up St James’ Park.

These Man City fans react to Newcastle’s complaint

Twitter fan feed City Xtra relayed the news of the complaint on social media. Lots of City fans met this with disdain, while others responded with sarcastic comments and one called it “weird behaviour” from the Magpies.

Here’s what these fans had to say regarding Newcastle’s intentions to make a formal complaint over refereeing:

“Richest club in the world complaining”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

“4-1 loss wouldn’t have made any difference in their standing lol”

Credit: @kunsologist

“I’ve always found it a bit weird when all managers talk about in their post match interview after a 0-4 thrashing is a penalty that they should have got. If Pep did that I’d be absolutely furious. There’s a time and a place, you need to apologise for your own performance first”

Credit: @mcfcIeo_

“City should make these types of complaints almost every game. We just trying to be as perfect as we can be, not to give the referees much to do us over.”

Credit: @jgedeon1717

“Maybe they should make a formal complaint to their defence about the standard of defending in their last three games vs Leicester, Liverpool and Man City.”

Credit: @RCorless33

“Weird behaviour”

Credit: @Kafkaesque_10

In other news: Man City lead race for ‘outstanding’ predator; Guardiola is ‘in love’ with him

Tottenham Hotspur return to Europa Conference League action as they head to Slovenia to face NS Mura later this evening.

Three weeks ago, Antonio Conte picked up a win in his first game in charge in the competition when his side narrowly defeated Vitesse in a game full of goals and red cards.

He’ll be hoping that it’ll be a little different this time, having drawn to Everton and beaten Leeds United in the Premier League since.

We’re well on our way to seeing what a Spurs side truly looks like under the 52-year-old and a game against the Group G minnows tonight could be the perfect opportunity to get a serious scoreline on the board, with Mura yet to win or draw from four matches.

Spurs have a trip to Burnley to contend with on Sunday, so Conte has an interesting decision to make in terms of team selection and having already hinted at rotation, there’s a good chance we do not see several of his usual starting XI.

Harry Winks was part of the lineup at the weekend but that was only because of Oliver Skipp’s one-game suspension and he is surely in line to face the axe today.

The 25-year-old has hit a career crossroad at Spurs, having been frozen out by former managers Jose Mourinho and Nuno Santo, and whilst Sunday’s inclusion shows some sort of faith from Conte, it would be wise to drop him against Mura.

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He failed to grasp the rare opportunity to impress – it was a lot of sideways and backwards passing without much influence on the game defensively or in the final third. Skipp, however, is amongst the three-most prolific tacklers in the squad, by contrast.

SofaScore graded the Englishman a 6.7, which was the second-worst of any Spurs player to feature, whilst he lost possession a disappointing 14 times from his 63 touches, with none of his passes being a key chance created. He was also dribbled past twice by Leeds, too.

There have been reports suggesting that Winks is seeking an exit in January and it would be wise to finally part ways as he just doesn’t seem good enough anymore.

It was a long, long time ago that ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino dubbed him “perfect” and likened him to Spain’s legendary duo of Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Since then, Lilywhites legend Graham Roberts told Football FanCast that Winks had “become an average player”, whilst BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton claimed he “looked a shadow of himself” during coverage last month [21st October, 18:40pm].

The £18m-rated midfielder has no place in Conte’s starting XI, even if it’s against a side as small as Mura. His time at the club is surely coming to an end, so it would be wise to try out and look at alternatives.

AND in other news, Fabio Patatici could seal “massive signing” to kickstart Conte era in 31-cap “absolute monster”…

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.

The agent of reported Aston Villa January transfer target, Julian Alvarez, has recently visited England.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with Argentinian media outlet Ole, the River Plate vice-president, Jorge Brito, revealed that the 21-year-old’s representatives recently travelled to England amid the striker’s links with a move to Aston Villa.

Indeed, a recent report by the same publication revealed that Villa have been monitoring the situation of the Argentina international ahead of the January transfer window, while the likes of AC Milan, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur are also believed to hold an interest in the striker – who is thought to have a £21.5m release clause in his River Plate contract.

Speaking about the interest surrounding Alvarez, Brito said: “The objective, now his representatives have returned from England, is to talk to reach a good agreement and that Julian stays.”

Gerrard’s next Morelos

It is easy to see why Villa, as well as a number of Europe’s other leading clubs, are keeping a very close eye on Alvarez, as the centre-forward has been in remarkable form for River Plate so far this season.

Indeed, over his 16 Liga Profesional appearances in the current campaign, the £18m-rated man has scored a whopping 15 goals, registered five assists and created eight big chances for his teammates – averaging a rather incredible 1.25 direct goal contributions per game.

These returns have seen the player who Golazo Argentino dubbed a “phenomenon” average an extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.84, ranking him by far and away as the best performer in the top flight of Argentine football.

Furthermore, Steven Gerrard has already proven he can get the best out of a South American centre-forward in the UK, with Colombia international Alfredo Morelos scoring 83 goals and registering 37 assists over his 158 appearances – an average of 0.76 direct goal contributions per game – under the 41-year-old at Rangers.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Christian Purslow to do all he can to secure the signing of Alvarez this January, as the 21-year-old very much appears to possess the potential to become Gerrard’s next Morelos at Villa Park.

In other news: Gerrard can become an instant hit at Villa by axing “unstoppable” £11.7m-rated flop

أعلن المدرب الإيطالي كارلو أنشيلوتي، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، قائمة فريقه المُستدعاة لخوض مباراة ريال بيتيس في الدوري الإسباني.

ريال مدريد يستقبل نظيره ريال بيتيس عصر السبت على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”، وذلك ضمن لقاءات الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإسباني، وتنطلق في تمام الساعة الرابعة والربع بتوقيت القاهرة.

اقرأ أيضًا – بالمواعيد | مباريات ريال مدريد في سبتمبر.. ديربي ضد أتلتيكو وضربة البداية في دوري الأبطال

وشهدت قائمة النادي الملكي عودة الإسباني ناتشو بعد تعافيه من الإصابة، فيما يغيب مواطنيه ألفارو أودريوزولا وفاييخو للإصابة.

ويدخل ريال مدريد مباراة الغد وهو يتواجد في المركز الأول بترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 9 نقاط، وهو نفس نقاط بيتيس الذي يأتي في المرتبة الثانية بفارق الأهداف. قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة ريال بيتيس في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا، لونين، لويس لوبيز.

خط الدفاع: داني كارفاخال، ميليتاو، ألابا، ناتشو، روديجر، ميندي.

خط الوسط: توني كروس، مودريتش، كامافينجا، فالفيردي، فاسكيز، تشواميني، سيبايوس.

خط الهجوم: إيدين هازارد، بنزيما، أسينسيو، فينيسيوس، ماريانو.

📋✅ ¡Nuestros convocados para el #RealMadridRealBetis! pic.twitter.com/CZlsGPSmvx — Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 2, 2022

Richard LeTang has said that he will respond favourably to West Indies coach John Dyson’s requests for pitches with pace and bounce

Cricinfo staff24-Jul-2009

Richard LeTang, the head curator at Windsor Park, has said that he will respond favourably to West Indies coach John Dyson’s requests for pitches with pace and bounce. The first two ODIs of the three-match series against Bangladesh will be played in Dominica on Sunday and Tuesday, and Dyson hoped the pitches would nullify the Bangladesh spinners and aid the West Indian pacemen.”(Dyson) is going to get exactly what he asked for, it’s going to give you some serious pace and bounce,” LeTang told DigicelCricket.com. “The spinners will have to work hard.”Despite the promised pace and bounce, LeTang believes a total of 300 would be achievable on the pitch, which awaits its first taste of international cricket. “Three hundred is gettable here because we have a fast outfield,” he said. “I think it is the fastest in the Caribbean and also the fastest drying outfield in the Caribbean.”LeTang believed the captains – Floyd Reifer and Shakib Al Hasan – would have to use their initiative but was in no doubt about what the decision at the toss should be. “This Windsor Park ground has been one that changes, but when you come and you win the toss it’s an advantage to bat first,” he said.The third and final ODI will be played in St Kitts on July 31 and will be followed by a Twenty20 clash on August 2 at the same venue.