Afghanistan’s cricketing fairytale just keeping rolling along, and in front of hundreds of supporters they beat Nepal to reach the final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup
Cricinfo staff29-Apr-2009
Man-of-the-Match Aimal Wafa is lifted from the field after Afghanistan’s win•Asian Cricket Council
Afghanistan’s cricketing fairytale just keeping rolling along, and in front of hundreds of supporters they beat Nepal to reach the final of the ACC U-19 Elite Cup. To put the result into context, Nepal have won every staging of this tournament since 2000, and until yesterday’s loss to Hong Kong, had not lost an U-19 match in all that time.Nepal batted on winning the toss, but while the first two overs produced 23 runs, two wickets fell and thereafter the innings struggled for any momentum. Only Prithu Baskota looked to take the attack to the bowlers, hammering three sixes on his way to 81. Some late hitting helped Nepal to 186 for 8, with 73 coming off the last ten overs after they had been 113 for 6.Afghanistan also wobbled early on, and at 54 for 3 in the 16th over, Nepal appeared to be back on track. But Man of the Match Aimal Wafa (61*) and Asgher Hotak (478) came together at 84 for 4 and not only consolidated but also kept up with the required rate, adding an unbeaten 106 for the fifth wicket to see their side home.There was less drama in the other semi-final where Hong Kong beat Qatar by 23 runs, despite only making 161 themselves.
Phillip Hughes might possess Test and first-class averages nudging 70, but he still admits to nerves on the eve of Australia’s Ashes squad announcement
Alex Brown18-May-2009
Phillip Hughes has spent the last few weeks scoring hundreds for Middlesex•Getty Images
Phillip Hughes might possess Test and first-class averages nudging 70, but he still admits to nerves on the eve of Australia’s Ashes squad announcement. Hughes will be confirmed as Simon Katich’s opening partner when Andrew Hilditch names the 16-man touring party on Wednesday, but is loath to pre-empt the selectors’ decision.”You still love to see the team and know that you’re there,” Hughes told Cricinfo. “You don’t want to take things too lightly. Obviously I’d love to see the team and see myself in it.”Hughes has been in superb touch for Middlesex of late, producing his fourth century of the English summer on Sunday in a limited-overs match against Somerset. His innings of 119 from 112 deliveries propelled Middlesex to their highest ever one-day total, and followed a sequence of three centuries in as many first-class fixtures, culminating in an astonishing record of 574 runs at 143.50.Hughes’ sublime efforts on the county scene have hardly surprised Australian audiences, who marveled as he reeled off consecutive innings of 75, 115 and 160 in his maiden Test series in South Africa. In his 24 first-class appearances to date, he has compiled ten centuries, and will be heavily relied upon to lead the Australian batting order in England.When Australia surrendered the Ashes urn in 2005, Hughes was completing his year 10 studies at Macksville High School on the north coast of New South Wales. Now, he is set to re-unite with Katich at the top of the order, and will look to continue the form that helped guide Australia to a surprise 2-1 victory in South Africa.”I’ve obviously spent a fair bit of time with Simon at New South Wales over the last 12-18 months,” Hughes said. “We’ve formed a good relationship on and off the field. That really helps, when you get along like that. We’ve batted in the middle together for a while now, and it’s always great when you go to that next level … to go out and open the batting with him. It definitely did help a little bit.”Hughes has used his time with Middlesex to develop an understanding of local pitch conditions – his only previous trip to England was for a three-week carnival with the New South Wales under-17 team – and develop a mental dossier on some of the England players he will face, not least his Middlesex team-mate, Andrew Strauss.He has also taken the opportunity to speak with Justin Langer, currently on duty with Somerset. Like Langer, Hughes is a prolific left-hand opener with an unfashionable technique, and the elder has taken his successor under his wing.”I’ll be catching up with him again and we’ll be going for dinner,” Hughes said prior to Sunday’s one-day match. “He’s a great guy and he’s been great for me. We met up earlier on this trip to England, and spoke a bit during the South African series. He asks me about England, how I’m enjoying it, and just about general life. The big thing he tells me is to be myself. He says that this is the technique that got you to this level, so keep being yourself and keep enjoying it. It’s great to talk to Justin.”Blog with Alex Brown on the Ashes squad between 10.30am and 12.30pm (AEST) on Wednesday
أعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” عن جداول جميع مباريات مرحلة المجموعات من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2022/2023.
ستقام مرحلة المجموعات في الفترة بين 6 سبتمبر وحتى 2 نوفمبر، وذلك على غير المعتاد، بسبب كأس العالم في قطر الذي سيقام من منتصف نوفمبر ولمدة شهر.
ريال مدريد يتواجد في المجموعة السادسة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، بجانب سلتيك الأسكتلندي، ولايبزج الألماني، وشاختار الأوكراني.
طالع أيضًا | مجموعة الموت.. تعرف على مواعيد مباريات برشلونة وبايرن ميونخ في دوري أبطال أوروبا مواعيد مباريات ريال مدريد في دور المجموعات بـ دوري أبطال أوروبا
الجولة الأولى، 6 سبتمبر، أمام سلتيك الأسكتلندي، على ملعب سلتيك بارك، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
الجولة الثانية، 14 سبتمبر، أمام لايبزج الألماني، على ملعب سانتياجو بيرنابيو، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
الجولة الثالثة، 5 أكتوبر، أمام شاختار الأوكراني،على ملعب سانتياجو بيرنابيو، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
الجولة الرابعة، 11 أكتوبر، أمام شاختار الأوكراني، على ملعب أوليمبسكي الوطني في كييف، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
الجولة الخامسة، 25 أكتوبر، أمام لايبزج، على ملعب ريد بول أرينا، في تمام التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
الجولة السادسة، 2 نوفمبر، أمام سلتيك، على ملعب سانتياجو بيرنابيو، في تمام السابعة إلا ربع مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.
O líder da Série B, América-MG, perdeu a chance de aumentar sua vantagem em relação ao segundo colocado, Internacional, na noite desta sexta-feira. O Coelho perdeu por 2 a 1 para o CRB, fora de casam e acumulou sua segunda derrota consecutiva na competição. A equipe alagoana, por outro lado, conseguiu sua segunda vitória seguida e colou de novo no G4, na sexta posição, com os mesmos 28 pontos de Ceará (quarto colocado) e Guarani (quinto).
Jogando em casa, o CRB foi para cima no primeiro tempo. Demorou, mas conseguiu abrir o placar aos 37 minutos, com Chico, de cabeça. Se demorou para abrir, não custou para ampliar. Um minuto depois, o mesmo Chico fez linda jogada pela esquerda e fez o segundo dos mandantes.
Na etapa final, o América tentou reagir. E pareceu que conseguiria, pois achou seu gol logo aos cinco minutos, com Ernandes. Mas o gol acendeu a luz de alerta da equipe da casa, que se fechou bem e não deu muitas chances para o Coelho buscar o empate. Antes do fim, Bill e Zé Carlos levaram cartão vermelho e iniciaram uma briga generalizada fora de campo. Os policiais e jogadores de ambas as equipes demoraram para conseguir conter os ânimos. Sem muito tempo para ser jogado após a confusão, o placar de 2 a 1 não foi modificado.
A equipe alagoana conseguiu sua segunda vitória seguida na Série B, chegando aos mesmos 28 pontos de Ceará e Guarani, times que estão na frente pela briga no G4. O América ainda é o líder, com 36.
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According to The Sun, Brighton have joined West Ham United in the race to sign Mohamed Bayo from Clermont in Ligue 1.
The Lowdown: Hammers eye Bayo
The Hammers have been linked with a move for the Guinea international, who has impressed for Clermont this season and last.
However, it seems they may have competition from another Premier League club for the in-demand 23-year-old.
The Latest: Brighton also want Bayo
As per The Sun, Brighton are also looking to sign Bayo.
Clermont are said to be looking for £10m for the Guinean, with French club Bordeaux also said to be interested in his services.
The Verdict: West Ham need him
As it stands, David Moyes only has Michail Antonio as a realistic option at centre-forward. The Jamaica international has been in fantastic form this season, scoring six goals in eight games in all competitions (Transfermarkt), but if he were to become unavailable for a significant amount of time, there would be no natural replacement for him.
If Bayo were to make the move to the London Stadium, he could well be a fantastic option for Moyes. Last season, he scored 22 goals in 38 Ligue 2 games, and has already found the back of the net five times in eight outings this term upon Clermont’s maiden Ligue 1 campaign, while also providing two assists.
It remains to be seen who wins the race for his signature, but based on those figures and the lack of covef for Antonio, a player like him is very much needed for West Ham.
In other news, many West Ham fans loved this Declan Rice news.
With just three weeks left for the IPL to begin in South Africa, the eight teams have begun a race against time to get their player combinations and practice bases in place
Nagraj Gollapudi28-Mar-2009
Not surprisingly, there has been a rush among the franchises to be based in prime locations like Kingsmead in Durban which has a sizeable Asian fan base•Keith Lane
With just three weeks left for the IPL to begin in South Africa, the eight teams have begun a race against time to get their player combinations and practice bases in place.Rajasthan Royals, the IPL champions, were the first off the blocks and have tied up with Cape Cobras and Western Province to use Newlands in Cape Town as their practice location. Kolkata Knight Riders are eyeing Bloemfontein, and Mumbai Indians are hoping to cash in on the Asian support base in Durban, which is hosting 16 IPL matches.In fact, there was such a rush among the franchises to be based in prime locations like Durban and Pretoria, which also has a sizeable Asian fan base, that Lalit Modi, the IPL chairman, told a TV channel in South Africa: “The franchises are fighting with me to get a base to organise their camps and that is our priority.”Most of the teams have also confirmed that they will be holding preparatory camps in South Africa from the first week of April. Shaun Pollock, mentor to the Mumbai Indians, told Cricinfo the camp will begin on April 8 in Durban. But Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils are taking a different route. “We will have a 10-day camp starting March 31 or April 1 in Chennai,” Rakesh Singh, the marketing head of India Cements, which owns Chennai Super Kings, said. “We are having a preparatory camp for Indian players in Delhi from April 1 and we will leave for South Africa on April 7,” T A Sekhar, who heads the cricketing operations for Delhi Daredevils, said.Franchise officials are looking through the tournament schedule that was officially released on Friday and also engaged in commercial meetings with the IPL in Mumbai and Delhi. Most of them are also approaching a final decision on how many players they can take to South Africa , 20-29 in many cases.The franchises hope the event will be well worth the extra effort but they admitted that the absence of the home-and-away concept, which was such a success in India last time, might take some sheen off the contests.”There is no option and we can’t do much about it,” Joy Bhattacharya, team director of Kolkata Knight Riders, said. “There is no concept of home-and-away games because the weather conditions don’t permit it as in places like Port Elizabeth it gets colder during these months so that has to be factored in, too. And if given a choice, all eight teams would have liked to play at Durban and Cape Town (due to the strong Indian fan base).””It is an advantage to have a home base as you are playing seven matches on a particular surface and then you also have control over preparation (of the pitch),” Amrit Mathur, the chief operating officer of the Delhi franchise, said. “There is a certain merit in the home-and-away concept as there is identity of your team along with your supporters who will rally behind your team. Now it becomes uncertain, but every team is affected by the same factor.”There is also considerable interest in how many matches the England players, who are making their IPL debut, can squeeze in, considering that they will be available only till May 1, after which they leave for the home series against West Indies. For instance, if Bangalore Royal Challengers get Kevin Pietersen, their captain, to stay on till May 1, they will be able to squeeze in seven matches for their star catch. Andrew Flintoff, the other England star, will get to play six matches for Chennai, while Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah play five games for Delhi.AdaptabilityWith the pitches and conditions at the eight venues something to ponder for a few team managements, there is also talk of recruiting local help on a short-term consultancy basis. “For instance, Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, could be one of those tapped for such a role,” a franchise official said.”The type of pitches is dependent on the weather conditions and the moisture, but it is very difficult to predict their nature,” Jennings said. “At this point of time last year, it was raining and it would be different in two weeks’ time.”There’s one other major concern for some of the teams – how quickly their Indian stars will adapt to the new conditions. “We have got seven Indian players who will be part of the XI and who are right now playing in different conditions in New Zealand,” Delhi’s Amrit Mathur said. “So the challenge is to see how well and how soon those players adjust.””Kevin is going to be crucial, especially his attitude on the field and that is why he was made the captain,” Ray Jennings, Bangalore’s new coach, said. The franchise has announced that Jacques Kallis would take over from Pietersen, but Jennings said that the final call will be taken later. “Kallis is one of the options to take over but we’ll have to see how he stands up in the first six games,” he said.The other significant decision that confronts the franchises is how many players they will fly across to South Africa, because they have been informed by the IPL that the league would bear the ticket costs of only a specific number of players – the number is still being finalised.”We have been given the assurance from the IPL that they will take care of the incremental costs; this was told to the franchise owners when the decision to stage the event was finalised,” Chennai’s Singh said. “Suppose I spent X amount of money last year and the expenses are X + Y this year, Y is what IPL has told us they will take care of. The understanding is the IPL will pay for the return ticket for certain number of players.”Jennings has asked the Bangalore franchise to send 20-25 players for his team training camp that starts on April 5. “We are taking almost 24 to 25 players to the camp,” Kolkata’s Bhattacharya said. “We will arrive initially with 11-12 players and then four players will join us in two subsequent batches and later on some of the guys on international duty will join us eventually. Before the tournament begins we may cut it down to 20, not including the support staff.”Chennai’s Singh said MS Dhoni, the team’s captain, and Stephen Fleming, the coach, will decide on a final number. “We have announced 29 players and if they want all of them we have no issues with that,” he said. Mumbai Indians have already sent a bunch of their Indian domestic players to South Africa to train under Pollock in Durban.”We intend to take 22 players,” Delhi’s Sekhar said. “In any case there will be seven Indians and four foreigners. There will six other foreigners as back-up so you need that for the Indians also.”
An update has emerged on Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.
What’s the talk?
According to The Times, the Gers head coach is one of the leading candidates to take over at St. James’ Park, with Steve Bruce on the verge of being relieved of his duties.
The report claims Villarreal’s Unai Emery and Belgium’s Roberto Martinez are the other two names the Premier League side are looking at alongside Gerrard.
Worry
This major update on Newcastle’s manager search will surely leave Rangers fans feeling worried, especially after Gerrard’s recent comments on the situation.
When asked about links to St. James’ Park, Gerrard admitted that he is not a fan of the speculation, but refused to rule out an exit from Ibrox. He said:
“I don’t react or get involved in any speculation, especially when someone I have the utmost respect for is sitting in that job. Steve is a great character, someone I’ve got a personal relationship with. Sitting in this position, I wouldn’t like people to speculate about my job, so I certainly won’t be getting involved in speculation towards his.
“It’s interesting what’s happening at Newcastle. If anyone deserves a break, it’s the Geordie fans, so I’m sure the excitement levels are very high. Everyone connected in the game is looking on with interest.”
These quotes do not indicate that Gerrard is eager to quit Rangers, but they also do not rule out the possibility of a switch to the English side. This latest report from The Times now appears to amp up the speculation, with the ex-Liverpool man being a ‘leading candidate’ for the role, rather than just another one of the names linked with the job.
Newcastle could, therefore, be seriously interested in prying him away from the Scottish giants. This is why Rangers fans will be worried about what this means for the Liverpudlian’s future, with the Magpies potentially preparing to make a move for him if they pull the plug on Bruce’s time on Tyneside.
Gerrard has won 2.15 points per game on average throughout his time in Glasgow, managing the club in 186 matches to date. He led them to the Scottish Premiership title last term which prevented Celtic from reaching 10-in-a-row and these achievements highlight why supporters have a right to be concerned by rumours surrounding his future, as he has proven himself to be an excellent manager in Scotland.
AND in other news, 100% dribble success: Rangers gem with four key passes stole the show vs Hearts…
Taking into account how Liverpool are unbeaten across all competitions at this point in the season and having scored more goals in the Premier League than any other side, it’s safe to say the Reds have a number of talented players in their squad.
One player that has been a regular figure for the Merseyside club over the past few years is Roberto Firmino, who has been with the Reds since the 2015 summer transfer window after he signed from German club Hoffenheim for a fee of £21.3m.
Since then, the 30-year-old, who is currently earning £180k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made a total of 298 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions in which he has managed to score 90 goals and provide 69 assists along the way.
Regarding Firmino’s market value, it has taken a bit of a drop recently.
In December 2019, the Brazilian’s value according to Transfermarkt was at its highest point in his career at £81m. Now just under two years later, it currently stands at £36m, marking a very significant drop – 55.5%, to be precise.
In terms of what could have led to Firmino’s market value taking such a big drop, he has only managed to score nine goals and provide seven assists in his last 36 Premier League appearances, whilst the fact that former Liverpool star John Aldridge labelled him as a “problem” may well highlight why his overall market value has decreased.
Despite this, with Klopp previously sharing his praise for Firmino reiterating just how important he is for the team even if he doesn’t score a plethora of goals every season, this shows just how highly thought of he at Anfield.
On a more positive note, the fact that Firmino has managed to score three goals in just six appearances across all competitions so far this season, starting just one of the games, shows that he has been a rather useful impact sub for the team when called upon.
Moving forward, as long as Firmino keeps playing games for Liverpool this season and managed to score goals and provide assists wherever he can, while this may not get his market value back to where it was a couple of years ago, it should certainly stop it from dropping down even further than it already has done.
In other news: Edwards could seal Liverpool masterstroke by signing “magical” £31.5m-rated ace – opinion
تحدث البرازيلي نيمار دا سيلفا بعد تتويج فريقه باريس سان جيرمان بكأس الأبطال الفرنسي على حساب نانت.
وحقق باريس سان جيرمان فوزًا برباعية دون رد وسجل نيمار هدفين وأحرز ليونيل ميسي هدفًا وكذلك سيرجيو راموس.
وفي تصريحاته لـ “أمازون برايم”، قال نيمار: “كانت مباراة جيدة، لعبنا بشكل جيد، تهانينا للفريق بأكمله، إنها مباراة تمنحنا كأسًا، أردنا الفوز، ولقد فعلنا ذلك”.
وعن مستوى زميله ميسي بعد موسم أول سيء مع الفريق الباريسي، أفاد نيمار: “ميسي جديد؟ لا أصدق، يتحدث الناس كثيرًا … لكن دون معرفة حقيقة ما يجري في الداخل، نراه كل يوم، ليو هو ليو وسيظل كذلك دائمًا، سيظل دائمًا لاعبًا يصنع الفارق”.
وأتم نيمار تصريحاته: “آمل أن نستمر على هذا المنوال طوال الموسم وأن يسير كل شيء على ما يرام بالنسبة لي، ليو وكيليان (مبابي) إذا كان الثلاثة منا جيدين، فسيكون باريس سان جيرمان جيدًا (ضاحكًا)”.