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Coach Andy Flower hailed Paul Collingwood’s “bulldog spirit” after his role in England’s latest great escape at Newlands

Andrew McGlashan08-Jan-2010Coach Andy Flower hailed Paul Collingwood’s “bulldog spirit” after his role in England’s latest great escape at Newlands, saying that it typified the fight of the team. Collingwood added 112 in 57 overs with Ian Bell for the sixth wicket, but England still needed Graham Onions to block out the final over – in a repeat of his heroics from Centurion – to secure the thrilling draw.For Bell, his five-hour 78 was a breakthrough innings after he responded to a pressure-cooker situation with a composure not previously seen at the highest level, but Collingwood’s innings was his third match-saving contribution in the last seven months following his efforts at Cardiff and Centurion. He was given a serious working-over from Dale Steyn in a gripping hour after lunch, but resisted everything the paceman could throw at him during an electric spell.”He’s a typical British bulldog,” Flower said. “He’s a great fighter, great to have in the changing room, lots of energy and what we have seen is he’s been using some of the experience gained over the years to help him through these situations.”When you talk about consistency of selection, that is one result of it – you get hardened cricketers from this exposure to playing the best sides in the world. We want to go on to greater things with this England side, so we’re happy to have fight as a characteristic in our dressing room. But it’s also something I think English cricketers will inherently have, because they’re playing for their country.”Flower was also impressed by Bell’s contribution, which followed his 140 in the second Test at Durban, and his career appears to have turned a corner. “His big hundred in Durban, that contributed to getting us into a winning position, and then a match-saving innings yesterday certainly will make him feel personally more confident,” he said. “It was good for us to see that he can perform like that under pressure again.”However, as the team began a few days off in Cape Town, Flower remained a realist and knows England avoided defeat despite other periods of sloppy batting. In the first innings, the top six all contributed to their own downfall while Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss also played weak shots second-time around. With a series to win in Johannesburg next week, he knows those mistakes can’t be repeated.”One of the most obvious areas where we can improve is losing some of those soft dismissals that we had in the first innings,” Flower said. “If we’d got a proper first-innings score, we would have been able to put them under more pressure in their second innings.”Of England’s batsmen it is Kevin Pietersen who is struggling the most after a barren Test at Newlands in which he followed his second-ball duck in the first innings with a sketchy 6 on the fourth day. Despite his81 at Centurion, which played a key role in that draw, there is still something missing from Pietersen’s game and his footwork appears out of sync. It is a sign of England’s collective resolve that his shortcomings haven’t proved costly, but Pietersen’s form is now a cause for concern.”All players have dips occasionally, and he’s no different,” Flower said. “He’s got a superb record. He’s had a dip just very recently and this last Test wasn’t a good one for him personally.”What we’re looking for is for him to get back into his normal, confident form and I’m pretty confident he’ll do that. We always tweak things in our techniques, all through your career. Even the real greats like Tendulkar will be doing that. But I’m pretty sure he’ll be back at his confident best very soon.”Flower also backed his bowlers after the ball-tampering row that emerged on the third day following TV pictures of Stuart Broad standing on the ball. “If they wanted to raise it, they should have done it formally,” he said of South Africa’s approach. “But relations are fine. They are two competitive units battling it out, so you expect a little bit of toing and froing.””Our bowlers have shown a lot of skill with reverse-swing. The abrasive pitches here have helped get the ball into condition to do it. We’ll be going about things in exactly the same way.”

Two days after announcing that they had signed Shahid Afridi, South Australia have scored another coup by adding the West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard to their Twenty20 line-up for this summer

Cricinfo staff29-Oct-2009Two days after announcing that they had signed Shahid Afridi, South Australia have scored another coup by adding the West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard to their Twenty20 line-up for this summer. Pollard and Afridi will add significant power to South Australia’s batting order as they aim to qualify for next year’s Champions League Twenty20.The recruitment of Pollard is a win for South Australia after New South Wales expressed their interest in signing him. The Blues were alerted to Pollard’s devastating potential when he brutalised them midway through the Champions League with to drive Trinidad and Tobago to victory.Jamie Cox, South Australia’s high performance manager, said the Redbacks had been keen on Pollard for some time. “We have been talking with Pollard for a while, even before his match-winning efforts in the Champions League and we were thrilled to secure his signature on Tuesday night,” Cox said.”The addition of both Shahid Afridi and Kieron Pollard will add an explosive dimension to the Redbacks KFC Twenty20 Big Bash campaign this summer. Pollard’s addition to the Redbacks squad will provide fans with a fantastic opportunity to watch one of the most exciting ball-strikers in the game today.”NSW coach Matthew Mott said Pollard’s decision had to be respected.”We spoke to him couple of times. And there was a good feeling about it,” Mott told Cricinfo. “But I guess it’s never sealed unless you get the signature on paper. Whenever managers get involved, it’s not easy and straightforward. I have no hard feelings. You can’t blame the player.”He and his managers must have weighed up their options. It would obviously have been good had we got him as we were very impressed with how he played in the Champions League, especially in both matches against us. Even in the final, his temperament stood out but that’s that; we have to move on.”Pollard, 22, struck the most sixes in the recent Champions League and adds another valuable medium-pace bowling option for the Redbacks. The states are allowed to sign up to two international players for the Big Bash and have until December 24 to confirm their recruits.

Leeds United have now opened contract talks with Kalvin Phillips amid Manchester United eyeing up a summer move for him.

What’s the story?

Football Insider recently revealed that “a source with knowledge of Phillips’ situation” had claimed “the player is very keen on signing an extension with the club he has spent his entire career.”

And now, The Daily Star have claimed that with United having turned their attentions towards the midfielder and plotting a potential £60m move for him next summer, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have taken the first steps to tying him down to a new contract at Elland Road.

It’s added: “Phillips, 25, is under contract at Elland Road until 2024 and has not agitated for a move. But Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani knows a lucrative move to a bigger club could appeal to Phillips in the not too distant future and is keen to tie him down to a new and improved deal.”

Fans will be delighted

Such is the importance Phillips has on this Leeds side, former Whites man Andrew Hughes said: “The only way to get someone who can cover and do the same job perfectly is to spend £50m, at least. That’s what a player like him costs. Rather than talking about how other players match up, you just have to accept he’s very special.”

As per WhoScored, Phillips ranked in the top three for both tackles and interceptions made per game in the top-flight last term for Leeds, while he also figured highly for key passes per match, sitting in fourth.

But just as important as he is on the pitch to Bielsa’s side, Phillips represents everything that is Leeds United, having come through the club’s academy system and progressed into an England star too.

It’s no surprise then that United would be interested in the 25-year-old, but this latest update on contract talks being started for their talisman is sure to have Leeds fans buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have another exciting starlet on their hands…

A round-up of the 13th day’s action at the KPL Cup

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2009Bangalore Provident (Rural) cemented their place in the KPL Cup semi-finals with a ten-run win over Mysore Maharaajas. Mysore needed to win this game to entertain hopes to making it to the knockout stage, but a target of 156 proved beyond their reach. Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban), who lead the points table, take on Belagavi Panthers in the first semi-final tomorrow while Bangalore Provident battle with Bijapur Bulls in the second.Asked to bat, Bangalore Provident were dented early, the first wicket falling in the second over. But Thilak Naidu (43 in 42 balls) and Amit Verma (41) led the recovery with a 75-run stand, and Balachandra Akhil then blasted 41, including four sixes, in just 20 balls to help steer Bangalore Provident to a competitive score in a crunch game.Mysore Maharaajas were under pressure from the outset, for they had to chase down the target in under 16 overs to get their net run-rate to a level which would ensure their qualification into the final four. But they were in the hunt at 85 for 1 in the 10th over before left-arm spinner Sarfaraz Ashraf (4 for 16) and Akhil (2 for 27) combined to cause a collapse, where Mysore lost six wickets for 16 runs to be shut out of contention. A 27-run tenth-wicket stand gave Mysore a glimmer of hope of winning the game, if not progressing to the next stage, but a last-over run-out sealed their fate.Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban) continued their successful run in the KPL Cup, and rounded off their league phase with an emphatic eight-wicket win over Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The game was effectively a dead rubber, for Davangere, now at the bottom of the points table, had failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Bangalore had already sealed a place in the final four, and are table-toppers with six wins in seven games.Bangalore’s performance today centered around a disciplined bowling display which helped restrict Davangere to 118 for 5. Mohanram Nidesh made 54, rescuing his team from 40 for 4 but his effort was in vain. David Mathias (2 for 12) and Narayanan Prasad (1 for 12 in four overs) ensured the scoring was kept in check and the target, well within reach.Robin Uthappa was the star with the bat, striking six fours and four sixes in his 32-ball 69, and was supported by opener Nishant Shekawat (28 in 26). Uthappa’s blazing innings meant Bangalore reached their target with close to seven overs to spare.

So many achievements were notched up that the talk was not so much of records broken but what to do about a Taunton square on which run-scoring has become even easier than in past seasons

The Bulletin by Jeremy James at Taunton 20-Aug-2009
ScorecardThis was a statistician’s delight. So many achievements were notched up that the talk was not so much of records broken but what to do about a Taunton square on which run-scoring has become even easier than in past seasons. That in itself scarcely seemed possible and yet Sussex gained the largest total in their history, 742 for 5, before finally declaring at tea.Needless to say, wicket-taking was no less taxing a task when Somerset went in – not least because Marcus Trescothick, whom many followers of the game would have liked to have seen batting for England at The Oval, was at the crease. The particularly salient feature of the Sussex first innings was that Murray Goodwin made his highest first-class score, an unbeaten 344, which was the sixth largest innings in the history of the county championship.Astonishingly, Goodwin scored more runs than he had done in 19 previous first-class innings this season, which had realised just 282 in all. It was his seventh double-century for his adopted county, which illustrates what a performer he has been. Almost overlooked at the end of another one-sided day on this ground was that Carl Hopkinson had made 139, going to both his half century and his century with sixes.Hopkinson also struck 17 fours, his partnership with Goodwin realising 244 runs in the post-lunch session alone and 363 in all, the highest for the county’s fourth wicket. This led to Sussex exceeding their previous record total of 705 for 2 against Surrey at Hastings in 1902, when two of the great names in their history, CB Fry and Ranjitsinhji, made a century and an unbeaten double-century respectively.Goodwin’s 344 came at almost a run a ball – 351 deliveries all told – and included 43 fours and three sixes that were struck in one over off Max Waller, the ball peppering the Colin Atkinson pavilion. When Hopkinson was bowled by Arul Suppiah, Dwayne Smith came in, smote one four and promptly played on in the same over. A few runs later and Sussex left Somerset needing 593 to avoid the follow on.What joy it is, then, to bat at Taunton. Goodwin was averaging 17 runs per innings before journeying west. The abiding concern for Somerset is that they will not win the first-division championship for so long as this kind of total continues to be piled up, especially now that Andrew Caddick is well past his prime and that Waller and his fellow legspinner, Michael Munday, are at a formative stage of their development. Digging up the square, though, is a project that will take months and years to have an effect.Little changed when Somerset batted. Nothing was more inevitable than that Trescothick would make a sizeable score while England were struggling against Australia, and so it proved. He and Suppiah put on an unbroken 126. There are those who feel that the England selectors are being inflexible in insisting Trescothick must tour if he is to play Test cricket in the English summer, and if the Ashes disappear out of sight, the more they will be seen to have a point.

Ernest Crossan, who was the oldest living New South Wales player, has died at the age of 94

Cricinfo staff11-Aug-2009Ernest Crossan, who was the oldest living New South Wales player, has died at the age of 94. Crossan made his first-class debut for the state in December 1937 against Victoria at the MCG and went on to finish with four first-class appearances.He was the last remaining New South Wales player to have represented the state before World War II. David Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket New South Wales, said Crossan’s death marked the end of an era.”He was the last link to an era of great players, including former Australian representatives, Stan McCabe, Bill O’Reilly, Bert Oldfield, Sid Barnes, Arthur Chipperfield and Jack Fingleton, who all played alongside Ern in his debut match in 1937,” Gilbert said.Crossan’s death has left Harold Stapleton as the oldest living New South Wales player. Stapleton, also 94, played one match for New South Wales during the 1940-41 season.

Many Wolves fans have been left blown away by some news on the vaccination of their players.

As per The Athletic’s Tim Spiers, all of the squad have been vaccinated, despite just 43% of players in total in the Premier League being double jabbed as of September (The Athletic).

In the fight against the global pandemic, it is certainly good news that every Wanderers player has protected themselves and others from the virus, reducing the risk of them catching and spreading it, and of course potentially having to miss a few games in self-isolation.

Nonetheless, the Molineux faithful will now be hoping that the rest of the top flight follow suit, so that football can return to some form of normality as soon as possible.

Wolves fans on vaccination news

These supporters of the Midlands club showed their appreciation as the news was shared by Spiers on his official Twitter page, with one even going as far as to claim that they were ‘exceptionally proud’:

“Demonstrates the trust the players have in the club’s medical staff… Proves we have the best in the business…”

Credit: @Kingwolf84

“Good, good boys we’ve got”

Credit: @ThisIsTomFair

“Extremely proud of Wolves off the field once again”

Credit: @IanYoungEdi

“I love Wolves”

Credit: @LrdHighSummoner

“My squad”

Credit: @NunoSon

“As a Wolves fan, this makes me exceptionally proud. COYW”

Credit: @TallEddie

In other news, find out what this WWFC target has said about his future here!

Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly eyeing up a move to try and sign towering striker Umar Sadiq.

The Lowdown: Sadiq on form

Sadiq is a player on form and full of confidence, scoring six goals and making a further three assists in just eight games in La Liga 2 for Almeria so far this season (Transfermarkt).

He is well on course to beat his very impressive stats from last term in the division, when he scored 20 times and supplied seven assists in 37 matches in total (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Tottenham interest

As per Fichajes, Spurs have now been following Sadiq through a Big Data consulting company, and receiving reports of his performances.

They see the striker as a potential replacement for Harry Kane, but he currently has a release clause of €60m (£51m).

However, Almeria would reportedly be happy to sell him for €30m (£25.5m), thus presenting the North London club with a potential bargain.

The Verdict: Not a replacement

Although Sadiq does play in a lower division, his goal scoring record should certainly not be sniffed at.

With a six-foot-three-inches frame as well, the Nigerian should have little problems in adapting to the physical nature of the Premier League, and would offer Nuno Espirito Santo’s team a threat in both boxes.

If they can get the 24-year-old for £25.5m, it could turn out to be a real bargain in the future, but his inexperience at the highest level would make it a risk to bring him in as a direct replacement for Kane – perhaps he can be the deputy the Lilywhites have been searching for?

In other news, find out what big Dusan Vlahovic to THFC claim has been dropped here!

West Indies opener Omar Phillips acknowledged he had missed one of the easiest opportunities to reach triple-figures in international cricket

Cricinfo staff11-Jul-2009West Indies opener Omar Phillips – who made a solid 94 – rued missing a century on debut on the third day in Kingstown, and acknowledged he had missed one of the easiest opportunities to reach triple-figures in international cricket. “It was one of the easiest hundreds you will ever get at this level and I was really disappointed,” Phillips said at the end of the day’s play. “The hundred was in the bag for the taking but that’s the way cricket plays, to carry on from here is the hardest step because the next innings starts from zero.”Phillips’ innings had laid a strong foundation for a sizable lead before Bangladesh struck back to limit the damage to 69 runs. Fast bowler Rubel Hossain and offspinner Mahmudullah – both on debut – grabbed three wickets each to undermine a strong batting effort early in the day from the hosts. Phillips displayed sound technique and determination in his 177-ball knock which included seven boundaries, and was supported well by nightwatchman Ryan Austin in a dogged stand of 79. He then proceeded to add 48 for the third wicket with Travis Dowlin, and left his team in a position of control when he was dismissed with the score on 176.His departure for 94, when he played a loose shot off Rubel to short cover, Phillips said, was a consequence of a change in tactics after he had reached the 90s. “I changed my game plan a little going into the 90s, you always hear talk about the nervous 90s but I should have continued the way I was going at the time,” he said.Phillips, who represents Combined Campuses and Colleges in the domestic circuit, also said that his achievement would bode well for his first-class team. “It sends a good message to the public that you don’t necessarily need to represent your country, you can play for CCC which is a team of a lot youngsters around the Caribbean and you can also play cricket and further your education which is a good thing.”The teams ended the third day on almost even terms, and though West Indies still retain a lead of 43 going into the fourth day, they will be wary of the fact that they’ll be batting last on a turning track against an opposition whose main strength is spin.

Six teams will take the first step on the road to qualification for the 2015 World Cup on Sunday when the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 gets underway in Guernsey

Cricinfo staff15-May-2009Six teams will take the first step on the road to qualification for the 2015 World Cup on Sunday when the ICC World Cricket League Division 7 gets underway in Guernsey.The hosts begin as one of the favourites for the tournament, although it is difficult to predict who will finish in the top two and gain promotion to Division 6 in Singapore later this year. The other competing teams taking part in this competition are Bahrain, Gibraltar, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname.With the attention of the world’s biggest international sides very much on preparations for the ICC World Twenty20 this summer, some of the leading names in world cricket have revealed that they did not know the game’s lower-ranked teams are already setting out on the road to qualification.”It’s amazing to think that teams are already starting their bid to qualify for the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia, even though the tournament is still six years away,” said Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain.”Having teams like Bahrain, Guernsey and Japan vying for places in the tournament shows the growing interest in cricket around the world and it’s great to see that there’s a commitment to the sport outside the leading countries.”It’s fantastic for the game that all these teams have a shot at playing at the highest level and I wish them the best of luck in their efforts.”Like Vettori, Nathan Bracken, the Australia fast bowler, was similarly impressed by the enthusiasm of these less-established nations.”When I came to the ICC Awards in Dubai last year I watched a programme on the plane about how 12 teams were playing a tournament in Jersey to try and qualify for the 2011 World Cup,” said Bracken. “Just by watching the footage of teams such as Afghanistan, you could tell how much it meant to the sides to win and they all seemed to play with the same intensity that you would find in a top international match.”Having been lucky enough to play in a World Cup-winning side, having the chance to play in that tournament is one of the highlights of your cricketing career, and I am sure that all players from the smaller countries want to follow the successful example of Kenya and Ireland at previous events and experience what it is like to play at the highest level.”I am sure most people didn’t even know that teams like Nigeria and Suriname even played cricket at international level so having a global qualifying structure that involves so many countries trying to take part in the 2015 World Cup is a great opportunity to raise the profile of the sport in different parts of the world and hopefully encourage more people to play the game.”It will be very exciting for our guys to have the chance to play a World Cup on home soil in front of our own supporters. I remember watching the last tournament to be played in Australia in 1992 and I am sure all of the players taking part in the event in Guernsey will be hoping to progress through as many qualification rounds as possible and perhaps even make it to 2015.”One person who will be in Guernsey, who knows more than most about what it takes to appear in a World Cup final, is Steve Bucknor, who recently retired from ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires after a long and distinguished career. Bucknor, who has stood in every final since 1992, has agreed to be part of the umpiring team at the event with the aim of passing some of his vast knowledge and experience to some of Europe’s up-and-coming match officials.The matches for the tournament begin on Sunday, with the group stages concluding on Saturday May 23. The top two sides gain promotion to the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Teams that finish third and fourth will play in Division 7 again in 2011, while the bottom two sides will be relegated to Division 8 in 2010.