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Chris Morris gave South Africa one of their most memorable ODI victories in Johannesburg on Friday night but not even the man himself thinks it has secured him a place in a side packed with allrounders but still searching for middle-order muscle.”I’m trying my hardest to cement a spot in the team,” Morris said. “I wouldn’t say I’ve leapfrogged over anybody. There are still a couple of guys who should be given an opportunity if they put in the performances but I’ve put in a lot of work on my batting. Eventually it has to pay off and tonight it was my turn to show off that I am pushing for that allrounder spot.”As a seam-bowling allrounder, Morris’ direct competitor is David Wiese, who also played in the Wanderers match but had far less eye-catching returns. Wiese scored just 21 runs off 32 balls before reaching for a wide ball and spooning a catch to short cover after a similar bowling effort to Morris’. Wiese conceded 58 runs in his 10 overs while Morris cost South Africa 52 runs in nine overs and picked up an important wicket – that of Joe Root – at the death.Ultimately Morris believes they are not competing with the bat because his “main role is to bowl.” In that department, Morris thought he was “slightly under par” but admitted that “being a hitter at the end is a bit of an advantage”.In South Africa, it is more than a bit of a positive. The team have long looked for reliable finishers and have yet to find someone who can consistently deliver, although AB de Villiers mentioned someone else who he can now put faith in at the end.”Fudgie, look he’s a big match player, he always has been, especially at domestic level, he’s proved it time and time again,” de Villiers said, referring to Farhaan Behardien, who hit 38 off 42 and shared in a sixth-wicket stand of 48 with Wiese that ensured South Africa did not implode after JP Duminy’s dismissal. “He’s started to prove that now at international level over the last year or so, playing big knocks under pressure. Unfortunately he got out but he played his game to perfection and set it up nicely for guys like Chris to finish it off.”Behardien will welcome the support, especially after his bowling was not required and he received heaps of criticism on social media for not seeing the chase through.De Villiers’ backing of Behardien can also only mean that Duminy, who ran the captain out and was then dismissed by an Adil Rashid legbreak that smacked him on the pad, is under pressure for his place, especially as his contributions dwindle.Duminy’s bowling was cast aside two matches ago, when South Africa first called on an allrounder in the XI, but that has not helped his batting. He last scored an ODI fifty seven matches ago, in Bangladesh last June, and questions over how much longer South Africa can accommodate Duminy while keeping David Miller and Rilee Rossouw on the sidelines are starting to sprout.Unlike some of his team-mates, Duminy does not seem to embrace the do-or-die moment in the same way Morris did. “As a cricketer you live for those pressure situations,” Morris said. “I kind of enjoy being put under pressure because that’s where you get tested as a character and a cricketer.”Those are exactly the kind of words a captain like de Villiers wants to hear. “Knocks like that shape a player,” de Villiers said. “It’s massive for Chris what happened. The game and sport is about confidence and now he can find a way to get a bit of confidence and self-belief.”Not that Morris needed any more of an ego boost. Last Saturday, he sold for a million dollars in the IPL – over R16 million at the current exchange rate – but it seems he still has not realised what that says about his worth.Just as Morris did not think his match-winning efforts at the Wanderers will guarantee him a place in the national side, he does not think that his price tag says too much about his ability. “I don’t think anyone can justify going for that amount of money in the IPL,” Morris said. But after his performance on Friday, the Delhi Daredevils will be able to justify spending that amount.

Adam Gilchrist: “I don’t know of any poaching attempts of current Australian contracted players” © Getty Images

Adam Gilchrist, the Australia vice-captain, says the Indian Cricket League (ICL) could be good for the game in the long run and hopes it will strengthen the relationship between players and their boards. “I don’t see it as a particularly bad news story,” Gilchrist told the media at the Sunshine Coast town of Coolum.”Competition in the marketplace is always healthy. And it’s great if that helps establish a better bond between players and the respective boards in the other countries.”Asked about Cricket Australia’s link to the ICL, Gilchrist said he wasn’t aware of any potential signings and emphasised that the relationship between the board and the players was strong. “I can’t comment on the other countries,” he said. “It may be a very different landscape there, but we are very well supported by Cricket Australia. There’s no doubt about that. Primarily they seem to be targeting retired players so I don’t know of any poaching attempts of current Australian contracted players.”Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, also agreed with Gilchrist that the ICL was better suited to retired men trying to earn a living. “These guys who have retired, they can make up their own minds,” Tait said. “Young guys like myself, we don’t think about it too much, because we are striving to play consistent cricket for Australia. But that’s their decision and there’s obviously money to be made.”So far, the ICL has attracted interest from retired players such as Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne and others from around the world who have little hope of making comebacks. The league has signed up nearly 50 domestic players in India and the future of those players is still in question after the Indian board refused to embrace the league. The ICC today said they would not recognise the league if the Indian board did not.

Australia have focused on power and speed of movement in the last few months © Getty Images

Australia are using the latest fitness techniques to get an edge over England in next month’s Ashes series. Most of Australia’s cricketers are over 30 and face a tough season, including five Tests against England in seven weeks, and the side have implemented GPS satellite tracking systems and accelerometers to measure their physical activity.Justin Cordy, Australia’s strength and conditioning coach, has devised fitness programs for each player and they have returned in excellent shape from a four-month winter break. “Skinfolds is what we are focused on … overall as a team there’s been a 15 percent change in all players,” Cordy told Brisbane’s . “Over the last four or five months, I’ve really seen these guys knuckle down with the Ashes and World Cup on the table. It’s about making them more athletic and getting excess weight off, so we can really focus on power and speed of movement. From my perspective, it was a matter of building on their [fitness] base and taking them to another level.”GPS devices are regularly fitted to players – Nathan Bracken agreed to wear one on his wrist during a one-day international final in Brisbane last season – as Australia seeks an advantage over England.”The GPS satellite tracking devices give you an idea of what distance the players cover and at what speeds,” Cordy said. “For instance, it showed that Bracken covered 15 kilometres [nine miles] out in the field in Brisbane. One of the things that came out of the technology was that there was a significant difference in training heart-rates versus playing heart-rates. It has highlighted the need at training to work harder because of the intensity of matches.”

Gerard Dros: appointed the captain for the first-ever International 20:20 Club Championship © Getty Images

Nashua Titans, the current South African Standard Bank Pro20 Cup winners, have named their 15-man squad for the six-team inaugural International 20:20 Club Championship to be held in Leicester from September 15 to17.The squad will be led by Gerard Dros, the Titans middle-order batsman. The team includes Alviro Petersen, an explosive opener who has ripped apart the bowling in domestic competition, while the bowling line-up includes Pierre de Bruyn and Ethy Mbhalati, and the young Albie Morkel, the South Africa one-day player is also selected in the team.Delighted after having qualified for the first-ever Twenty20 club championship, Alex Balfour, director of strategy for investors in cricket, said: “The fact that five of the six teams participating in the inaugural International 20:20 Championship are current or recent domestic 20:20 champions gives this tournament real credibility. We will find out who really is the best team in the world at the 20:20 format.”Richard Pybus, the newly appointed coach of the Nashua Titans, said, “Although we miss some of our national players who are on duty with South Africa and South Africa `A’, we are looking forward to bringing a young and dynamic side. It will be a wonderful opportunity for the younger players in our squad to put down a marker for the rest of the season.”Other teams include Pakistan’s Faisalabad Wolves, Chilaw Marians, English Twenty20 Cup champions Somerset Sabres. Hosts Leicestershire Foxes, and the PCA Masters XI, which will feature a number of current and past England players, will also participate in the tournament.In the first round, teams will be awarded two points for a win and one for a tie with the top two teams in each group going through to the semi-finals. Winners of these will contest the final that evening.Titans squad
1 Maurice Aronstam, 2 Gulam Bodi, 3 Pierre de Bruyn, 4 Gerald Dros (capt), 5 Francois du Plessis, 6 Paul Harris, 7 Ethy Mbhalati, 8 Morné Morkel, 9 Johann Myburgh, 10 Alviro Petersen, 11 Aaron Phangiso, 12 Brendon Reddy, 13 André Seymore, 14 Kruger van Wyk (wk), 15 Albie Morkel

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Maharashtra were overwhelmed by an innings and 238 runs in a no-contest at Mohali. Having gained a massive 443-run lead, Punjab declared overnight and wrapped up the game without facing too much resistance. Navdeep Singh, the left-arm spinner, snared 4 for 79 as the Maharashtra batting line-up, which was unstoppable in the Plate Group last season, crumbled for the second time in the game. Kaushik Aphale and Hrishikesh Kanitkar delayed the inevitable with a 102-run stand, but the rest came apart in quick time. Punjab gained a bonus point by virtue of this innings victory and extended their lead at the top of their group.
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Rishikesh Parab lead the Baroda run-chase in what promised to be a tense finish in Hyderabad. Chasing 276, Baroda needed 94 more with Rishikesh unbeaten on 56 when stumps were drawn. Earlier in the day, Baroda fought back through their bowlers as Hyderabad lost their last five wickets for just 19 with Ibrahim Khaleel, the wicketkeeper, stranded on 65. Rajesh Pawar, the left-arm spinner, mopped up the tail with a hat-trick. Having collapsed for just 93 in the first innings, Baroda put on a better display the second time around with Satyajit Parab and Pawar supporting Rishikesh in the bid for victory.
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Ramesh Powar had Bengal in a spin as Mumbai took complete control of their game in Kolkata. Powar snapped up five of the first six wickets before returning to mop up the tail. Arindam Das, Sanjib Sanyal and Saurishish Lahiri managed to compile half-centuries but it was too little in the face of Mumbai’s 552. Bengal were 14 for no loss in their second innings with an uphill task on the final day.
ScorecardRajagopal Sathish made a crucial 178 not out and defied Tamil Nadu, his former team, at Guwahati. Satish, who plays in the Chennai league, cracked 29 fours in his unbeaten effort and helped Assam whittle down the lead to just 89 at the end of the third day. Vasanth Saravanan, who also played for Tamil Nadu earlier, made 50 and his 86-run stand with Zakaria Zuffri (49) gave Assam a solid platform. MR Shrinivas, the opening bowler, finished with 4 for 105 but for most of the day Tamil Nadu were thwarted by one of their own.
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The Karnataka tailenders eked out some valuable runs in the morning session, extending their lead to 91 before their bowlers gave them a sniff of victory in Bangalore. Andhra threatened to build a big lead through Venugopal Rao and Alluri Varma, who both made half-centuries and shared a 91-run stand. But four wickets towards the end of the day gave Karnataka the distinct edge. Sunil Joshi picked up his 300th wicket in Ranji Trophy when he bowled Varma.
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Devendra Bundela, who scored a match-saving hundred against Mumbai, came up with a crucial 87 as Madhya Pradesh gained the first-innings lead at the Jamia Millia Ground in Delhi. Resuming at 207 for 4, the MP lower order fell cheaply but a 55-run lead may prove very handy. Delhi fought back through their bowlers with Ajay Jadeja and Rahul Sanghvi, the left-arm spinner, snapping up three wickets apiece. But with just one day to go, MP might have done enough to get the better of the draw.
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Lalit Patel’s five-wicket haul restricted Railways to just 200 as Gujarat took control on the third day at Ahmedabad. None of the Railways’ batsmen managed half-centuries and the Gujarat medium-pacers struck at regular intervals. Tejinder Pal Singh and Siddharth Verma made dogged 40s, but Railways didn’t have too much else to cheer.

Richard Scott got his eye in for tomorrow (TUES) evening’s Southern Electric Contracting Cup final showdown with Havant at the Rose Bowl by hitting a boundary-strewn century in Bournemouth’s one-sided draw against Bashley (Rydal) at Chapel Gate.Scott, who will open with Australian Adam Voges in the SEC final, hit 109 to push Bournemouth towards 236-9.Having profited on some wayward bowling and reached 44-0, Bashley suffered a humiliating collapse, losing six wickets for just three runs in 15 balls to Matt Mixer (4-23) and Jo Wilson (3-28).Kevin Nash and Neil Taylor salvaged a draw at 117-7.Scott dominated the Bournemouth innings after Nick Park and Voges had been snarled behind by Andy Sexton.He added 81 with third-wicket partner Charlie Holcomb (26), but had to remain watchful as Bournemouth dipped from 124-2 to 154-5 when Nash (2-47) returned to the attack after lunch.Scott powered his way to 109 before falling to Neil Taylor (3-49), but his departure let in Martin Miller, whose 46 not out swept the hosts to 236-9 after 66 overs.Andy Sexton (17) and Neil Thurgood feasted on some untidy Bournemouth bowling and had posted 44 in barely eight overs before tea.Bournemouth’s bowlers caught a tongue lashing from captain Scott at tea and proceeded to rip out Bashley’s top order in quick succession.Sexton and Thurgood perished at 44, while Brad Thompson, Richard Knowles, Ben Nolan-Stone and Neil Sexton departed with the total anchored at 47.When Andy Neal became a seventh victim at 53-7, it appeared all up for Bashley.But Nash (34 not out) and Taylor (20 not out) denied Bournemouth further success and clung on for a draw at 117-7.Havant’s match with South Wilts ended in a bore draw after the Salisbury club finished 30 runs adrift of their hosts total with five wicket in hand.Simon Barnard’s unbeaten 103, supported by Simon Greenfield (38), dominated Havant’s 199-5 off 66 overs.South Wilts progressed to 68-0 (Paul Draper 26) before losing three quick wickets to off-spinner Matt Cox (4-33).Alex Senneck carried his bat through the innings and finished with 81 not out as South Wilts closed at 170-5 (Russell Rowe 29).Similarly, once Portsmouth had piled up 300-7, all interested faded from the game as Andover finished with 218-5.A double strike by Richard Taylor checked Portsmouth’s initial progress, but Matt Keech (56), Michael Barnes (61) and Lee Savident (75) all cashed in as Portsmouth put the game beyond sight.Andover dipped to 79-3 but comfortably reached 218-5 through Toby Radford (67) and Roger Miller (53).

A fighting knock of 94 from captain Reetinder Singh Sodhinotwithstanding, Punjab found itself struggling at the close of playat 269/9 against Jammu and Kashmir in their Ranji Trophy league tieagainst Jammu.The home side, with their wider knowledge of the conditions, opted tobowl first; they struck immediately with the wicket of Manish Sharmawith the score on six. Yuvraj Singh fell soon, but the onlysignificant partnership of the innings then developed between RavneetRicket and Sodhi.Ricky fell for 68, with the score on 165. Wickets then fell at regularintervals, with Ashwani Gupta (3-72) and Jagtar Singh (2-74) cleaningup the middle-order.At stumps, Gagandeep Singh was unbeaten on 28 and Sanjay Dhull on one.Only one wicket remains to fall in Punjab’s first innings, and theywill have to bowl well to avoid losing face to a less-endowed opponent.

When Celtic spent £7m on Christopher Jullien back in the summer of 2019, hopes for the centre-back were extremely high at Parkhead.

Indeed, upon the then-26-year-old’s signing, Neil Lennon said of the Frenchman: “We are delighted to bring Christopher to Celtic. He is a quality player with great attributes.”

And, the Northern Irishman’s belief that the £4.95m-rated defender was a talented player proved to be correct over his secure the Premiership title, the Scottish Cup and the Scottish League Cup, as well as reaching the knockout stages of the Europa League.

The £23.5k-per-week man continued his impressive form over his nine Premiership outings last season, in which he helped his side keep five clean sheets, scored one goal and registered one assist, in addition to making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 3.6 clearances and winning 6.9 duels per game – with these returns seeing the 29-year-old average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.43.

However, since sustaining a serious knee injury in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United in December 2020 – a setback that was initially predicted to keep the former French youth international sidelined for around four months – Jullien has played just 16 minutes of football for Celtic, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 SFA Cup win over Raith Rovers in February.

Indeed, over the Bhoys’ last monster” – in his matchday squad, something which has left many to question whether the centre-back has a future under the Greek-Australian coach.

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And, with just 12 months of his current contract remaining this summer, in addition to having already set Celtic back around £3.5m in wages over his 142 weeks in Glasgow – 60 of which were spent on the treatment table – it would indeed appear a wise for Postecoglou cut his losses on the defender at the end of the current campaign, as Jullien is quickly becoming a rather expensive burden at Parkhead.

AND in other news: Celtic handed huge Old Firm boost as fresh update emerges, Postecoglou will be buzzing

1st dayLancashire and Hampshire tried to make up for lost time at Old Trafford on an interesting day as play finally got underway. Consistent batting from Hampshire’s middle order gave them the edge in what is now a three-day match. Jimmy Adams made 63 before being run out and Michael Lumb hit a more aggressive 64 before he was removed by Dominic Cork. Muttiah Muralitharan, in his final match of the season, dismissed former Lancashire batsman John Crawley for 47, but Sean Ervine continued Hampshire’s progress during the final session.For John Ward’s report on the first day at Scarborough, between Yorkshire and Warwickshire, click here.Rain prevented a start between Kent and Worcestershire at Canterbury2nd dayFor the second day running rain prevented any action at The Oval between Surrey and Sussex

Derbyshire’s lower order pulled them out of a hole against Glamorgan at Cardiff. Alex Wharf and James Harris did the early damage as Derbyshire fell to 34 for 4, and Simon Jones finally picked up a wicket as the innings slumped further to 67 for 6. James Pipe and Ant Botha began the fightback, but the main recovery came from Graham Wagg (61) who hit 10 hours off 57 balls. Robert Croft ended with five wickets and Glamorgan started well in reply with an opening stand of 71. However, Wagg broke through and when Gareth Rees fell for 61, Glamorgan tottered on 115 for 4 although they closed with 27 runs.On-loan seamer Mark Davies claimed a career-best 7 for 59 as Northamptonshire squandered a strong position against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. He broke a stand of 130 between Andrew Crook (70) and Rob White (71) and made short work of Lance Klusener and Nicky Boje as four wickets fell for 13 runs. David Sales hit 57, and the lower order showed some fight, but Davies wrapped up the innings.Only two overs were possible at Colchester between Essex and Leicestershire before bad light curtailed the day.There was no action at Lord’s between Middlesex and Gloucestershire.

The BCCI intends on lighting up every stadium in the country © Getty Images

The Indian board (BCCI) has decided to invest US $347million to improve domestic facilities over the next year. Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president, confirmed that the amount will be channelled to every state association and that infrastructure would be upgraded in all stadiums in the country.”In the next one year you would see a majority of BCCI stadiums having (flood) lights to play day-night cricket,” Modi told reporters. “I don’t think a single stadium would be left which would not have facilities or infrastructure of international quality. Until now, domestic associations depended on revenue from matches played in their jurisdictions to fund development programmes. But because there are so many venues in the country of over 1 billion people, matches at one place were few and far between, resulting in low revenues. Now that BCCI is earning large amounts of money, the next big step would be to put money in our own stadiums.”The BCCI, one of the richest sporting associations in the world, has funded the ongoing Malaysia tri-series, as part of their ‘offshore investments’, and spent close to $1 million on a temporary floodlight system at the Kinrara Oval.Modi was impressed by the job done in Malaysia and said the game should be spread in countries and venues outside the traditional ones. “The objective of the BCCI, and of all members of the ICC, is to promote cricket all over the world and to enhance the level of facilities that are available for international-caliber cricket,” he said. “We have to spread the game across the world. It is important for us not only to play in India but to take it to fan bases around the world.”India will host Champions Trophy next month and co-host the 2011 World Cup with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.