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Four Atletico Madrid ultras have been charged for allegedly hanging an effigy of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr from a bridge before the derby in January.

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Atletico Madrid fans facing chargesAccused of hanging effigy near Real's training groundCould face four years in prisonWHAT HAPPENED?

The four fans are facing charges, per, after hanging the effigy of Vinicius from a bridge near the Real training ground in January. A banner was also unfurled, reading "Madrid hates Real" before the two clubs met in the Copa del Rey.

AdvertisementTwitter – AnonymousTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Madrid Public Prosecutors office is seeking four years in prison for each individual, who say they are "ideologically identified with the extreme right". Arrests were initially made in May but they have now been charged with intimidation and 'acting against fundamental rights and public freedoms'.

WHAT THE PROSECUTOR SAID

They insist that the hanging of the effigy was racially motivated, saying it was "an unmistakable sign of contempt and rejection of the victim’s skin colour and motivated by a desire to undermine his sense of wellbeing".

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Charges have been brought so the case is now set to be heard. Meanwhile, Vinicius will likely play for Real Madrid against Real Betis this weekend.

The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan

George Dobell13-Nov-2014The absence of Kevin Pietersen from the England team is “terribly sad” according to Eoin Morgan.Morgan, who has captained the England limited-overs sides on several occasions, suggested Pietersen could have “his best years ahead of him” and said he would “love to be there playing cricket for England” with him.”It’s great having played with Kev and having in the team and learning from him,” Morgan said.”It’s terribly sad that he’s not in the team at the moment considering he’s still so young and had potentially his best years still ahead of him.”I would love to be out here playing cricket for England with Kevin Pietersen but the fact of the matter is he’s not involved anymore.”While he accepted that Pietersen was not universally popular within the England camp, Morgan dismissed the importance of such factors and insisted it was more relevant that players performed on the pitch.”Not everyone is popular in a cricket team,” Morgan said. “Everyone individually commands respect through their performance and there is trust and relationships that you build.”But that’s absolutely fine. In every walk of life you make friends with people who other people aren’t friends with. Was it awkward being friends with him? Certainly not.”When asked whether Pietersen’s accusation of bullying within the England environment – a claim made in Pietersen’s recent book – was fair, Morgan was non-committal. While admitting that he had yet to read the book – “I’ve heard it’s brilliant,” he said with a smile – he accepted that there were times when the bowlers’ frustration with fielders had been obvious. But he insisted he “can’t remember if it went too far or not.””You’re certainly aware of things like that particularly when you don’t bowl and you’re a specialist fielder,” he said. “It’s a difficult one because you have a bowler who had maybe been hit for four or a catch dropped and it’s hard for him to disguise his emotion. There a bit of give and take with both sides.”I can’t remember if it went too far or not. The issue was raised and it was dealt with.”Morgan’s words are significant not just because they suggest that Pietersen was not “disengaged” – to use Paul Downton’s expression – from the entire team, but because it is quite possible that Morgan will be appointed permanent one-day captain within the next few months.If England endure a poor World Cup – and they are hardly approaching it as one of the bookies’ favourites – it would be no surprise if Alastair Cook stepped down and a successor found. Such a scenario just might offer a sliver of encouragement to those who harbour hopes of a Pietersen recall.Investec, the specialist bank and asset manager, is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. Visit investec.co.uk/cricket or follow us @InvestecCricket

The Man Utd youngster is thriving on loan at Spurs and not only was she rewarded with her senior international debut, she also marked it with a goal

For a team that saw 2023 end in such heartbreaking fashion, England have certainly started 2024 with a bang. The Lionesses flew to Spain for a warm-weather camp in February, playing friendlies after not making the UEFA Women's Nations League finals, with Sarina Wiegman hoping to try out fresh ideas, see new players and learn plenty about her squad. As the players start to return to their clubs, it certainly feels like the Dutchwoman can tick all three of those boxes.

There were bonuses, too, in the performances that England put on and the results they picked up, as they comfortably beat two strong teams in Austria, who were thrashed 7-2 on Friday, and Italy, defeated 5-1 four days later. "There are very many positives about this week," Wiegman told after the latter result.

So, who were the winners as the Lionesses kicked off 2024 in style? And who didn't fare so well? GOAL takes a look…

WINNER: Grace Clinton

The biggest compliment that can be paid to Grace Clinton after her performances for England this week is that it hardly looked like this was the camp in which she made her international debut. Awarded that first cap on Friday against Austria, she marked the occasion with a superb goal, was unlucky not to get a second, and backed it up with another terrific display in the win over Italy.

On loan at Tottenham from Manchester United this season, the 20-year-old has been in sublime form and she showed it in these friendlies, her clever footwork and ability to carve defences open making her one of the most eye-catching players across England's two games. But Clinton worked hard off the ball, too, ranking second for tackles won and third for possession among the Lionesses' squad. That she shone in two different midfield roles, box-to-box against Austria and then as a No.10 in the win over Italy, was also impressive.

"She just went out to play, played with a lot of freedom and showed her quality," Wiegman said of the youngster in a perfectly-put piece of praise. Given how well she slipped into England's starting XI, it'd be a surprise not to see more of her in the April window as qualifying for the 2025 European Championships begins.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Leah Williamson

As Wiegman says, there were tons of positives for England in this camp but there were also a couple of negatives. The first came before the Lionesses had even got together as Leah Williamson's long-awaited comeback was delayed further, a minor hamstring injury causing the Arsenal star to pull out of the squad.

Williamson has worked so hard to get back on the pitch after a devastating ACL injury that ruled her out of the Women's World Cup and this camp felt like the perfect opportunity for her England return, the friendly games removing some of the pressure. However, she'll be targeting a chance to pull on her country's colours again in April instead.

WINNER: Lotte Wubben-Moy

Every cloud has a silver lining and Williamson's absence opened the door for Lotte Wubben-Moy, her Arsenal team-mate who she will have no doubt been pleased to see get a rare opportunity to show what she can do for England. There have been plenty of calls for Wubben-Moy to receive more game time, especially given her sublime recent form at club level, and she saw significant minutes in both games this week.

Though starting from the bench against Austria, the 25-year-old came on at half time and got an assist thanks to a strong header. She then went one better in the game with Italy, scoring her first England goal with just 60 seconds on the clock, this on her first start since June 2022 and just her third overall. Her defensive work and general play in both matches was superb, too.

Asked if Wubben-Moy had taken a step forward in her thinking after the two performances, Wiegman told : "She's definitely taken a step forward because she's developing a lot and very well. That's what we see weekly at Arsenal and that's what she shows here, too." The coach did add that the competition at centre-back is "really high" but Wubben-Moy has certainly done nothing this week to harm her chances of getting more of a look-in when the opportunity presents itself.

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Getty ImagesLOSER: Fran Kirby

After losing Williamson before the camp had even begun, England suffered another blow in the warm-up for the clash with Austria when Fran Kirby felt some irritation in her knee. The Chelsea star was replaced in the starting line-up by Ella Toone and, in the following days, withdrew from the camp altogether. "We didn't want to take any risks so she's being assessed at the club," Wiegman explained. "We don't expect it to be a bad injury."

Though it doesn't sound overly-concerning for Kirby, it is another frustration for the 30-year-old in what has felt like a real stop-start period of her career. After coming back admirably from some health scares in recent years, it is these knee injuries that are now plaguing Kirby as she looks to rediscover the form that made her one of the most talismanic footballers on the planet.

Chelsea have long been excellent at looking after the playmaker and will no doubt take the necessary steps to deal with this issue. Meanwhile the Blues, England and essentially every football fan will hope that she is able to ride this storm and get back to that level that made her so wonderful to watch.

New Zealand captain Ross Taylor is expecting a green top for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Napier, starting on January 26

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2012Ross Taylor, the New Zealand captain, is expecting a grassy pitch for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Napier, starting on January 26. The pitch at McLean Park is one of the country’s finest for batting, but New Zealand may prefer playing to their strengths – pace – following their success in the Hobart Test against Australia where they played four fast bowlers.”I think there’s going to be a lot more grass left on this pitch than there has been in the past,” Taylor told . “We saw how we played in Hobart in seaming conditions. It’s not easy with the bat but it’s a nice test of our mindset.”We’ll have to wait and see. Napier’s weather is pretty good, but I’m sure whatever surface we get will be a little bit different, or a lot different, from the last one.”The previous Test at the venue, in December 2009, ended in a draw, with both New Zealand and Pakistan scoring over 450 in the second and third innings respectively.New Zealand played a one-off Test during their tour of Zimbabwe in November 2011 and managed a tense victory on the final day as the hosts fell 34 short in their chase of 366.New Zealand surprised Australia in seaming conditions in Hobart, thanks to their four-pronged seam attack comprising Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Chris Martin and Tim Southee. Taylor, however, wasn’t sure yet if they would serve up seaming pitches against South Africa later in the summer.”We’re not thinking too far ahead. They [South Africa] are pretty good on any conditions really,” Taylor said.Taylor expressed concern over his own batting form ahead of the one-off Test. He managed one half-century in four innings in Australia and began the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, with 95 for Central Districts. He hasn’t scored a half-century in six innings since.”We’ve got a lot of cricket coming up, but I thought that where my game is at the moment I wouldn’t mind spending a bit of time on my feet,” Taylor said. “It’s hard to get a gauge [on my form]. Twenty20 is all about momentum – not only how you’re playing, but how the team’s playing. With Central Districts, we didn’t play too well and I had an average campaign. There’s still a long season ahead and I still feel okay.”With the Twenty20 season on in New Zealand, Taylor volunteered to captain a New Zealand XI in the three-day match against the touring Zimbabweans, starting on Saturday, to get himself Test ready.”People say it’s easy to change up from Twenty20 to Test cricket. But I disagree. It is a lot harder than you think. It’s more a mindset change than technique.”For me, personally, you get into bad habits playing Twenty20. Little things creep into your game. That’s the good thing with a warm-up game and the nets with the red ball. You get a chance to iron out those flaws.”

ESPNcricinfo profiles the Super League teams in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2011PunjabHarbhajan Singh has a chance to redeem himself•AFPCan Harbhajan Singh bolster Punjab’s forces and help them to a good start in the season? Or can Punjab come to Harbhajan’s rescue and lead him back to the Indian dressing room soon? That is essentially the plot for Punjab this season. Harbhajan, not favoured by the national selectors, has been sent back to first-class cricket after four years. In 2007 he needed to play just one match to return to the Indian squad. This time, the wait could be a little longer.But Punjab would not mind the wait. Across his career, whenever Harbhajan found himself in a tight spot, he readily admitted to his shortcomings and recovered immediately by fighting back. Punjab need his leadership dearly also because Pankaj Dharmani, a stalwart and captain of many years, has retired. His departure has left a hole that cannot be fixed so easily. Yet there is hope in the form of Uday Kaul, Mandeep Singh, Sarul Kanwar and Karan Goel. Kaul has been Punjab’s best batsman in the last few years and even if he misses the first game or two due to injury, his application has never been in question. It is now for the trio of Mandeep, Kanwar and Goel to prove that they can apply themselves and play as a force.That is where an aggressive leader like Harbhajan can play a role. Harbhajan recently led Mumbai Indians to the title in the Nokia Champions League Twenty20 in the absence of Sachin Tendulkar. He has also fulfilled his long-standing dream of scoring a Test hundred. A hungry Harbhajan – with bat or ball – is dangerous to the opponents.Vikram Rathore, Punjab’s new coach and former India opener, reckons Harbhajan is in the right place and it would only help Punjab’s cause. “It is a great advantage to have Bhajji [Harbhajan]. He will do whatever is needed to get back to the Indian team” Rathore said. “He is a great competitor and plays hard cricket. He is keen to play and perform. With him around, the youngsters can only learn more.”Punjab’s Achilles heel is the fast bowling. Luv Ablish, their best fast bowler, twisted his leg days ahead of the first match, and is likely to miss the first two matches. Manpreet Gony has promised plenty but failed to deliver consistently. In 2009-10, when Punjab entered the last-eight stage, Gony and Ablish were in the top-10 bowlers’ list. Punjab need their bowlers to persevere in order to build the confidence of the young batting line-up.What they did last year
They failed to win a single game and finished fifth in Group B. They failed to win their only home game, against Karnataka. They let lightweight opponents like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa sneak out draws despite enjoying the upper-hand in these contests. Their bowling lacked teeth following Ablish’s injury at the start of the season. There was only one five-wicket haul in the entire season, with the bowlers’ averages resembling that of a batsman in solid touch. The irony was that their batsmen showed no spine except for the pair of Kaul (561 runs) and Kanwar (501 runs). The rest floundered, providing no platform for their bowlers to attack the opposition.Men to watch
A dashing batsman, who was part of the 2010 Under-19 Indian World Cup squad, Mandeep Singh scored a half-century on Ranji debut against Himachal Pradesh last season. He improvised with 112 against Haryana, narrowly missing another ton in the second innings. He then impressed with a century in the Duleep Trophy semi-finals, with his 114 in the first innings proving vital in North Zone reaching the final. He kicked off this season with 60 in the Irani Trophy. If he can prepare himself mentally for the hard grind in the first-class circuit, Mandeep would be a player to watch for in the next few years.BengalCan Sourav Ganguly inspire a better performance from Bengal?•Getty ImagesThe big news for Bengal is the return of Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, who is available for the entire season. How much of an impact Ganguly can make on the field is an open question though, since he has not played much competitive cricket in recent times, but having someone of his stature and experience in the dressing room could have a positive impact on their younger players. “He can be a great help in terms of telling them of how to approach the game and download his experience,” WV Raman, the coach, told ESPNcricinfo.Bengal have won just a single game over the last previous years, while managing to draw 12. In seven games last season, they amassed 2,667 runs for the loss of 62 wickets but conceded 3127 runs and took only 58 wickets. The plethora of flat tracks aside, the numbers suggest the bowling needs improvement. After taking 46 wickets between them in 2009-10, fast bowler Ranadeb Bose and offspinner Saurasish Lahiri managed just 17 in 2010-11. “What we would like to be better at this year is the spin department,” Raman said. “If that can happen, we can do far better than what we did last year.”The batting has more of a shine to it, with captain Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha leading the way, while former captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla is another consistent contributor. However, Saha has regularly found a place as the back-up wicketkeeper in the India squad, while Tiwary has been part of the one-day squad. If the pair are forced to miss parts of the season while on national duty, Bengal could find themselves struggling again.Raman said the side needs to be more patient this year and concentrate on retaining their intensity for longer periods in the field. “This is a season where the side has got a fair bit of experience as well as some promising youngsters,” Raman said. “They had last season to try and erase whatever fallacies, whatever frailties they had. Now it is payback time for the players who have been given a fair run of chances and have also been persisted with.”What they did last season
Bengal finished sixth in their group, grinding out a series of six mostly high scoring draws. Along the way they were surprised by Super League newcomers Assam, who overhauled their first-innings score of 562 for 6 by amassing 588 for 6 themselves. Then, in their last game against Railways, they folded for 201 and 134 to lose by an innings and 10 runs.Men to watch
Despite having played in one the recent one-day series against England, Manoj Tiwary will need to make plenty of runs if he is to compete with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara for a national place. Bengal will also need Ranadeb Bose, who was once considered for India as well, to bounce back from a poor season in which he took only 12 wickets at 51.58.

Geoffrey Boycott thinks it is time for Steven Finn to be given a run in the England team and has tipped him to replace Tim Bresnan in the side

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2012Geoffrey Boycott believes it is time for Steven Finn to be given a run in the England team even though that could mean fellow Yorkshireman, Tim Bresnan, missing out on playing on his home ground in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley.England’s bowling attack flopped in their innings-and-12-run defeat to South Africa at The Oval, as the visitors piled up 637 for 2, and Boycott told ESPNcricinfo he feels changes need to be made.After making his debut in 2010 against Bangladesh, Finn played 11 consecutive Tests before being dropped for Bresnan in Melbourne. Boycott believes it is now time to reverse that selection and for Finn to be given another run of games.”Finn will be in the squad for Headingley and he deserves to have a run in the side,” Boycott said. “He’s been carrying the drinks for far too long. He’s been playing well for his county and we need to find out if he can play well at Test level.”Finn has been in contention for selection in every Test since being left out for the fourth Ashes Test but has only played three more times – once in series home and away against Sri Lanka, and against West Indies at Edgbaston when James Anderson and Stuart Broad were rested.Finn has been in fine form for Middlesex this season, taking 22 first-class wickets at 20.04 and was also a key part of England’s ODI attack that beat Australia 4-0; Finn claimed eight wickets at 19.37.Bresnan’s place in the side has been much debated with his batting ability seen as the justification for his selection. He averages 39.00 from his 15 Tests and scored a best of 91 against India last year. With the ball he has claimed 56 wickets at 28.12 and took eight wickets at Trent Bridge against West Indies in May. Despite his record, and the fact that until The Oval defeat, England had won all but one of the Tests Bresnan had played in, Boycott feels Finn deserves a run in the side.”You have to find out if he can play well at Test level and you don’t get that by dropping somebody after one or two Tests,” Boycott said. “Eoin Morgan got a good chance and now Finn has to have a proper chance.”Through the same reasoning, Boycott feels Ravi Bopara is the man to occupy England’s other debated position – the No. 6 slot. Bopara was in line for a recall against Sri Lanka in April and West Indies in May but injuries on both occasions meant he was left out. He finally returned to the Test XI at The Oval but made 0 and 22, being dismissed with poor strokes in both innings.”Bopara is the right man to play,” Boycott said. “Whether he’s good enough is a different matter, but he has to have a proper go.”

Part-time spinner Liam Dawson took three late wickets to undo Leicestershire’s good start on a rain-affected day

26-Apr-2012
ScorecardLeft-arm spinner Liam Dawson took three late wickets to enable Hampshire to finish in a much stronger position than they could have expected after Greg Smith’s bright half-century for Leicestershire. On a rain-ruined first day, play did not get under way until 2pm and at the close Leicestershire had slumped to 159 for 6 from 62.2 overs despite a promising start to their innings.Hampshire were led by former Australia international Simon Katich in the absence of Jimmy Adams, who missed the match for personal reasons, and Katich had no hesitation in fielding first in gloomy conditions. But Leicestershire found batting easier than they might have anticipated as bowlers struggled to cope with a wet ball and soaking outfield.Matthew Boyce and Smith put on 34 for the first wicket, while Jacques Du Toit made just 8 but his dismissal meant Smith was joined by captain Ramnaresh Sarwan in the best stand of the day, worth 81. Smith and Sarwan took the score to 146 for 2 before a late flurry of wickets following Dawson’s introduction to the attack saw four fall for 13.Smith was first to go, bowled by Dawson after an increasingly fluent innings of 68 from 168 balls and including seven fours. That was the signal for the Leicestershire collapse to begin, Dawson striking in his next over when Sarwan’s innings of 46 was ended by a slip catch by Sean Ervine.Kadeer Ali had his off stump knocked back by left-arm pace bowler Chris Wood before Dawson won an appeal for lbw against Nadeem Malik.Dawson came on as fourth change and only because Hampshire had chosen to leave out No. 1 spinner Danny Briggs, expecting the pitch to help their battery of pace bowlers. Dawson, who bowls only occasionally, ended the day with figures of 3 for 13.

Preview of the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad

The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran07-May-2013Match factsMay 8, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big PictureIn-form teams are entitled to the odd bad day. On Sunday, Chennai Super Kings, on top with 18 points and two wins away from the playoffs, had one. Nobody would have expected the table leaders to go tumbling for 79, the lowest team score in this IPL. The captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming conceded it was good in a way that the meltdown happened now, rather than in the later stages, when qualifications for the playoffs are at stake. Super Kings have relied on their batting depth to get them this far, but the slow pitch in Hyderabad will test them.Sunrisers Hyderabad, like Mumbai Indians, haven’t lost a game at home. They have a chance at making it back to the top four. They are presently at No.5 and a win will knock Royal Challengers Bangalore down a notch. Momentum is on their side, after two consecutive wins.Form guide (most recent first)Chennai Super Kings LWWWW
Sunrisers Hyderabad WWLLWPlayers to watchKaran Sharma, the Sunrisers legspinner, has picked up five wickets from seven games this season. Not sensational numbers, but he has made a bigger impact with his economy-rate of 5.59, which is gold dust in this format. With an action similar to Zimbabwe’s Paul Strang, Sharma has emerged as one of the relatively unknown Indian players to watch out for.S Badrinath has featured in all 12 Super Kings games this season, but has been underutilised, having batted in only six innings. Badrinath has been a regular with the team since the opening IPL, but has been shunted down the order below the allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Chris Morris, unless the team is in trouble. He was promoted to No.4 against Mumbai Indians but was dismissed for a third-ball duck.Stats and trivia S Badrinath has three scores of 34 this season MS Dhoni has hit the most runs off Dale Steyn in the IPL – 76 from 42 balls. It’s the most Steyn has conceded to any batsmanQuotes”Four more games are left and it’s a pretty long tournament to maintain your standards.”
“There have been a number of games in which teams, including ours, have not scored what we felt was a par score on it. I think we have bowled particularly well on it, at times our opponents too bowled well on it. I think it is not as bad as it looks statistically. It is decently good surface.”

Two potential future stars announced themselves in Paarl as the South African Invitational XI made the New Zealanders’ bowlers work hard

The Report by Firdose Moonda in Paarl29-Dec-2012
Scorecard File photo: There was belated success for Trent Boult on a flat pitch•Getty ImagesTwo potential future stars announced themselves in Paarl as the South African Invitational XI made the New Zealanders work hard on the second day of their warm-up match. Rassie van der Dussen and Matthew Kleinveldt scored seventies before Trent Boult ensured the day was not a complete waste with two wickets in an aggressive spell in the final session.The New Zealanders declared overnight to give their bowlers a decent run but soon found the going tough on a pitch that only got flatter under sunny skies. Van der Dussen, who has played for the North West amateur team and Kleinveldt, cousin of Rory, were untroubled by all three seamers who bowled within themselves and in short spells throughout the morning.Both batsmen were strong off the front foot with Kleinveldt showing slightly more intent. They wore down the New Zealanders, who eventually had the spinners, Jeetan Patel and Bruce Martin operating from either end. The hosts went to lunch at 81 without loss before Kleinveldt brought out his more flamboyant side in the afternoon session.His half-century came in the second over after lunch while van der Dussen continued to play conservatively, although he also reached his milestone. With both set to record hundreds the New Zealanders appeared to be on a futile mission but Martin tempted Kleinveldt with flight, drew him forward and BJ Watling completed the stumping.The tourists’ most profitable period came after tea. Colin Ackermann was caught by Martin Guptill at slip off Neil Wagner. The umpires had to confer about the legitimacy of the catch after Shaun George, who was at the bowler’s end, thought it was taken off a bump ball.Boult got his first wicket when van der Dussen played an aerial shot into the covers and Dean Brownlie took the catch. Brownlie was on the field substituting for Peter Fulton, who will take no part in the Tests after injuring tendons in his knee while batting.Having suffered a severe stomach bug, Brownlie appeared to have returned to health and may even ask for special permission for bat on the third day. He was not named in the original 12 because of his illness but has progressed well since then and because the match does not have first-class status his request may be granted.In his next over, Boult produced a beauty that swung into Pite van Biljoen and upset the stumps. The New Zealanders caused a mini-collapse when Uwe Birkenstock was given what could have been seen as a harsh lbw dismissal against Martin. The ball looked to be missing leg but Birkenstock left without complaint.All the New Zealanders’ quick men returned for a final burst in the last hour and Chris Martin was the only one to have some reward. He picked up the scalp of promising wicketkeeper-batsman Bradley Barnes to an lbw that few could have argued with.The inability to bowl out an inexperienced, composite side made up of players from the amateur and under-19 competitions may see the New Zealanders cop some criticism but they should not be vilified just yet. The attack on display is unlikely to be their Test arsenal with Doug Bracewell sitting out and the pitch at Newlands should offer a little more bounce and carry than the unresponsive Boland Park strip.Luckily, it was the only lifeless part of the ground. A healthy crowd sat under the oaks to watch the match and a sponsored event, which involved some cricket and much music, took place on the lawns at the back of the stadium. In attendance were acting CSA chief executive Jacques Faul, former national assistant coach Vincent Barnes, who now works on the High Performance Programme, current bowling coach Allan Donald and many former players from the area including Henry Williams and Johnny Kleinveldt, Matthew’s father.

Queensland joined Victoria on 22 points at the top of the Sheffield Shield table on a day when 15 wickets fell at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Feb-2013
ScorecardQueensland joined Victoria on 22 points at the top of the Sheffield Shield table on a day when 15 wickets fell at the Gabba. Ten of those were in Western Australia’s first innings, which concluded for a mere 111 after the visitors had been sent in.Conditions in Brisbane were helpful to seam bowlers but not exactly unplayable, yet the Warriors were rounded up in only 51.5 overs, Adam Voges the only man to threaten a score of substance in making 38 while wickets fell around him.The Bulls shared the wickets, Cameron Gannon nipping out four and James Hopes three, Matthew Gale accounting for the in-form Shaun Marsh. Michael Hussey was a victim of Gannon, edging behind for five.Setting off in pursuit of a meagre total, Greg Moller and Luke Pomersbach guided Queensland to 83 without loss, before WA’s bowlers struck in the final session. Newly announced as a developmental tourist to India, the left-arm spinner Ashton Agar claimed another two wickets as the Bulls slipped to 5 for 100.However Hopes and Chris Hartley, captain and deputy, guided their side into the lead and an imposing position by the close.