In the Ranji Trophy South Zone League match between Hyderabad and Goa atNFC Ground, Hyderabad, the last day’s play on Saturday saw Hyderabad beatGoa by 153 runs.Starting the day at 99/3 Goa had an uphill task to even stretch themselvesfor a victory. Hyderabad bowling was far too superior to let Goa chase fora victory. Goa’s innings was jostled when it lost the experienced PraveenAmre for 15 early in the day to Venkatapathy Raju, reducing themselves to114/4. Dinesh Rao went on to complete his half century but was dismissed on54 at the team score reading 162/5. Narendra Pal Singh (29.2-5-81-4) andMohammed Ghouse (17-6-43-3) ran through the second half as Goa were bundledout for 226 in 101.2 overs. Hyderabad cruised to a comfortable win andeight outright points. Goa went home with none.
2015August 24 Mark Nicholas – Clarke pulls his final few tricks August 23 Ian Chappell – Clarke second only to Taylor as captain News – Clarke’s parting plea for better Test pitches Press conference – ‘I didn’t let the emotions get to me’ – Clarke August 22 Daniel Brettig – Lyon is Clarke’s greatest legacy August 19 News – ‘I can’t wait,’ says Clarke on retirement Daniel Brettig – Clarke’s career ever so near to greatness Simon Barnes – Where’s the love for Clarke? Russell Jackson – A fan’s notes Brydon Coverdale – Gutsy in Cape Town, resilient in Adelaide Video – Clarke’s chance for glorious finale Press conference – Clarke looking to finish on a high Clickbait – The Michael Clarke highlights August 18 News – Clarke leaves behind a ‘legacy of aggressive, entertaining cricket’ – Mark Taylor Illustrated report – ‘A bloody good bloke to boot’ Gallery – Clarke’s career in photos Video – Chappell: Tactically, Clarke was second only to Taylor Video – Boycott: Australia won’t miss Clarke because of his recent form August 14 Numbers Game – The highs and lows August 11 News – ‘Baggy green culture eroded under Clarke’ – John Buchanan August 10 Video – Chappell: Not surprised Clarke’s career has been a short one August 9 Press conference – ‘Clarke will be remembered for courage’ – Sutherland August 8 Jarrod Kimber – A battle for greatness and love Press conference – ‘Been lucky enough to captain Australia’ – Clarke Video – Ponting: Clarke put his heart and soul into the game News – Clarke removes captain’s mask News – Clarke announces retirement after Ashes Video – Brettig: Clarke left with little choice By the numbers – A statistical look at Clarke’s recent poor form August 7 Video – Australia fans call for Clarke’s retirementAugust 5 News – Clarke is not retiring August 4 News – Stubborn Clarke digs his heels in
Chelsea appear to have made their first move of the January transfer window by submitting a bid for one highly-rated young winger, with BlueCo getting a reply.
The Blues’ aggressive youth-led recruitment model shows no signs of slowing down as the club continues pursuing elite teenage prospects across Europe.
Enzo Maresca’s side are currently monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt’s Niko Ilicevic, a 15-year-old attacking midfielder described as a “mega-talent” who recently impressed scouts during a Youth League clash against Barcelona.
The German Under-16 international, already influential in Frankfurt’s Under-19 setup despite his age, has reportedly attracted attention from the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Tottenham and Newcastle, though Chelsea’s systematic approach positions them favorably.
This pursuit continues a clear pattern established since BlueCo’s takeover.
Chelsea set to sign "next-gen Yaya Toure" after reaching "full agreement"
They’ve won the race for his signature.
ByEmilio Galantini
Chelsea have struck deals for an array of exciting talents in recent years, like Estevao Willian, Andrey Santos, Kendry Paez and Dastan Satpaev, among many others, while recently finalising an agreement for 16-year-old Burkina Faso talent Muhammad Zongo.
The strategy targets players years before they reach their prime, offering lengthy contracts that provide both financial control and development time.
Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola publicly endorsed the model, claiming it works “very well” despite criticism regarding squad balance and excessive youth without experience.
Now, according to French newspaper L’Equipe, they have their eyes on yet another hot property.
Chelsea get reply after submitting bid for St Etienne's Djylian N'Guessan
As per their information, Chelsea have seen an initial £7 million offer for Saint-Étienne sensation Djylian N’Guessan rejected, with the Ligue 2 club demanding at least £11 million for their 17-year-old prodigy.
The France Under-20 international represents Chelsea’s latest attempt to raid Saint-Étienne’s academy, following their £12.5 million capture of midfielder Mathis Amougou in February.
BlueCo — who own both Chelsea and RC Strasbourg — employed a similar trajectory with Amougou, immediately selling him to their French sister club with a favourable buy-back clause.
N’Guessan emerged dramatically in January when he became Saint-Étienne’s youngest debutant since 1978 at just 16 years, four months. L’Equipe also describe him as ‘one of the most promising players of his generation’.
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He made eight Ligue 1 appearances for Saint-Étienne before the club’s relegation last season, showcasing impressive ability that attracted attention during France’s Under-20 World Cup campaign in Chile.
However, relationships between the striker’s family and Saint-Étienne have deteriorated significantly.
N’Guessan refuses to extend his contract beyond June 2027 despite repeated offers from club ownership Kilmer Sports Ventures. His father, Dany N’Guessan, a former pro who played extensively in England, is reportedly pushing for a Premier League move too.
Arsenal and Brentford have also expressed interest, though Chelsea remain the most aggressive suitors, and a January transfer for N’Guessan is seen as very realistic.
Big name player has privately said that he would join Chelsea in January
Neither of the three captains from Group B teams, Ihsanullah, Abraash Khan and Charith Asalanka, were short of confidence, but it was the Afghanistan Under-19 captain who firmly said that his team has set sights on the title.Ihsanullah, the younger brother of Nawroz Mangal, drew confidence from Afghanistan’s series win against Pakistan in October 2014, and said that the Under-19 side looked up to the senior team.”We beat Pakistan in their home so we hope we can beat them and top our group. We dream of winning the trophy, ,” Ihsanullah said. “Obviously, we are inspired by the national team and wish to play for them. Our future is so bright so now we are looking for this achievement. All our national players are heroes. There’s nothing in Afghanistan but cricket is getting very big, because of them.”Sri Lanka’s Asalanka, meanwhile, was wary of the expectations with his country having never won the Under-19 World Cup.”I think all teams will have target to win the World Cup,” he said. “I will have the responsibility to bring the trophy home. If I can, it will be for the first time, and it will be a big thing. I think it is a tough group. Canada, Afghanistan and Pakistan are good sides.”Abraash, the Canada captain, said that they were keen to get past the group stage for the first time and give a good account of themselves. “Our goal is to make the second round in this tournament,” he said. I know Canada has played many World Cups in the past, I played in the last one.”We never made the second round. If we really believe in our preparations, we can make it. We don’t play that much cricket. Sometimes it is good to be an underdog. People don’t expect you to do well. We are trying to change opinions in the World Cup.”Abraash took inspiration from offspinner Nikhil Dutta who has featured in the BPL and CPL, and said that Canada’s participation in the regional tournament in West Indies held them in good stead.”Nikhil and I are from the same club. We have played in the same team, Abraash said.” It is good to see him making big strides and hopefully we can all follow his footsteps. We won one game out of six in the West Indies regional tournament. It was a good tournament to prepare for the World Cup because it is a step up for us.”Abraash also identified Davy Jacobs, who has played for Eagles, Free State and Mumbai Indians among other teams, as a key figure.”Davy Jacobs is in my club,” Abraash said. He is not with the national body but he is the head coach in the Ontario Cricket Academy. We trained with him all winter and played with him all summer as well.”
Shashank Manohar will succeed Sharad Pawar as president of the Indian board next year when Pawar moves over to the ICC. Manohar, who heads the Vidarbha Cricket Association, was today declared the BCCI’s president-elect ahead of its 78th AGM tomorrow as his was the sole nomination for that post.Pawar will step down as the board president next year when he becomes ICC vice-president; he takes over the ICC’s top job in 2010.The board had introduced the concept of president-elect by amending its constitution at a special annual general meeting last month.Manohar, a lawyer based in Nagpur, is a vice-president of the Indian board and a close confidant of Pawar’s. He was one of the senior officials working on the players’ contracts that were announced today.Tomorrow’s meeting, in Mumbai, will also discuss the nomination of a chairman for the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy in place of Ajay Shirke, who was appointed as the interim head in place of Kapil Dev. The former India captain was removed from the post after he joined the Indian Cricket League.Also on the agenda is an update on the Indian Premier (T20) League and Champions League, launched earlier this month, from the board’s marketing committee head, Lalit Modi.
Old age is going extremely well for Glenn McGrath. He doesn’t look like growing into a cranky retiree and is happy to poke fun at himself. As he left the field beaming at his stunning 6 for 50, he broke off from his ball-raising and grabbed at his lower back, pretending to be an aching grandfather. The crowd laughed as it cheered.”The boys were into me today for the number of times ‘old’ appeared in the headlines,” McGrath, 36, said. “I was having a bit of fun, I wasn’t having a go at anyone.”In two days McGrath has swept away the game’s version of the Zimmer frame and is walking proudly. England’s batsmen must wish he would limp off over the horizon as they again faltered against such a durable bowler. McGrath has 548 wickets and his opponents have severe trouble, facing a deficit of 626 runs with two days remaining.”To get that five-for, I couldn’t have hoped for a better Test comeback,” McGrath, who hasn’t played since January due to his wife’s illness, said. “When Ricky Ponting put down that chance off Ashley Giles I thought that was it, but he gave me a couple more overs than he probably wanted and I got the last two wickets.” Stuart Clark collected an impressive 3 for 21 and also exploited the conditions.McGrath’s excellent workout ended at 23.1 overs and he was given an extended rest when Ponting refused to enforce the follow-on. Looking fresh at the end of the day, McGrath said giving the bowlers a break and the widening cracks were behind the decision.”We’re only two-and-a-half days through the Test so it’s not about how quickly you can try to win,” he said. “We hit the cracks a few times and it will definitely be playing on the English batsmen’s minds. The longer the game goes the tougher it’s going to get.”However, McGrath was also quick to recognise the strengths of the surface. “To have lost 10 wickets for about 750 runs, you’d have to say it’s a pretty good deck.”
Glenn McGrath may have taken Brian Lara’s wicket 14 times in Tests, but the legendary fast bowler is deeply respectful of the the West Indian’s talents. McGrath’s dominance over Lara is almost double that of the next most successful bowler, Andre Nel, who has taken his wicket eight times.McGrath, who often nominates his batting “bunny” in the opposing team – for the Ashes this summer, he targeted Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss – but he chose his words carefully today before the second Test on Thursday at Hobart.”I think he is different now, he seems a little bit different to when I first played. I think there is more a mental aspect when I am bowling to him these days,” he said.”But once he gets set, he is still a great striker of the ball and can score very quickly, so I think a lot of times I have knocked him over, I have knocked him over quite cheaply. If I get him out early, then great, if not he sometimes goes on to make a great score.”Lara, who has scored 10,903 runs in Test cricket, needs just 25 runs to overtake the former Australian captain, Steve Waugh (10,927), and become the second all-time leading run scorer in Tests behind Allan Border.His form has been a concern, however, with a run of poor scores for the West Indies, and the World XI. However, it has been his determination to occupy the crease that has the Australians cautious of Lara.”I think on his day he still can be [as good as ever], it depends on how he is going, how much he wants it, and how things go out in the middle. He is still a dangerous batsman,” McGrath said.Lara’s Test record in Australia is 1,168 runs at 37.68, well below his career average of 53.45.West Indian opener Wavell Hinds, an outside chance of playing in Hobart after damaging a finger earlier in the tour, felt Lara was ready to produce a big innings.”Brian has been batting pretty well in the nets and is hitting them well, but he just needs some time at the wicket as he tried to do in the first Test,” Hinds said.”It did not come off, but I back him to come out and pull off a very good performance. Brian is obviously the best batsman in the world. He is a great motivator in terms of scoring runs and setting a platform for our team to follow.”
Scorecard Auckland rocketed to the top of the State Championship table with another outright victory, this time within two days, after beating Canterbury at the Hagley Oval by an innings and 60 runs. The innings victory, though, didn’t give Mark Richardson a chance to score the six runs that he needed to reach 10,000 first-class runs. Instead he left with 9994.Auckland batted into the second morning with Lou Vincent staking a claim for a national spot with a patient 90. He was supported by Brooke Walker. Once Vincent was dismissed, Andre Adams spent some useful time in the middle and blasted 56 off 49 balls, including two sixes and six fours. Hayden Shaw and Chris Martin snapped up six wickets between them for Canterbury.Canterbury started their second innings 185 runs behind and were in trouble from the outset as both their openers, Tim McIntosh and Michael Papps, fell for zero. Things soon got worse for them and it was only lower-order defiance from Andew Ellis, who batted for 69 minutes, and Shaw that extended the game late into the day. Kyle Mills achieved the first 10-wicket haul of his career, and in the process notched up 100 first-class wickets to end the game with 10 for 82. Adams also chipped in with three fine catches toward the end of the Canterbury innings. ScorecardNorthern Districts were in a deep hole at McLean Park as Central Districts batted into the second day to reach 479. Northerns still trailed by 225 with just two wickets standing at the end of the second day.After being kept on the field for 109.3 overs, Northerns’ poor fortune continued with James Marshall out for just 1. But Llorne Howell (35) and Mark Orchard(48) steadied the nerves with a 71-run stand for the second wicket. However, the middle order floundered after the solid platform. Several batsmen threw it away after getting starts and they were soon left with the danger of having to follow-on. Matt Hart made the only other sizeable score with 48. Michael Mason and Lance Hamilton were the most successful bowlers for Central Districts. ScorecardWellington, the defending champions, were staring down the barrel at 49 for 4 in their first innings, thanks to some fine bowling by James McMillan and Jeff Wilson. But they were rescured by a fifth-wicket stand between James Franklin and Jesse Ryder. Ryder had to foresake his usually attacking instincts but handled the pressure well to score 72 off 121 balls. Franklin notched up 79 and Wellington were back on track.McMillan, though, who finished with 4 for 36, struck with the new ball and restricted them to 291, helping Otago gain a 36-run lead. By the end of the day, Wellington managed to snap up the wicket of Mohammad Wasim to leave Otago at 14 for 1 when stumps were drawn.
Graham Ford is favourite to succeed John Bracewell as Gloucestershire’s coach, according to a report in today’s . Ford, who coached South Africa from 1999 until he was sacked last June, said: “There have been discussions with Gloucestershire, but with other counties as well. It’s at a sensitive stage right now, but there have been negotiations.”Ford was dismissed as South African coach after they lost five of their six Tests to Australia last year. He has since been running an academy in Durban and has served as a technical advisor to Natal, but he now fancies a move to county cricket. “The county scene has intrigued me since childhood, and I follow county cricket with interest,” he said. “Coaching over there is something I would really like to do.”If Ford does take over at Gloucestershire, his first task will be to find replacements for their two overseas players, Ian Harvey and Jonty Rhodes, who are both leaving at the end of the seaaon. Ian Ward is now available after he announced he will be departing from Surrey, although Somerset are reported to be following him with an offer of the captaincy.It is thought another name on the shortlist is Mike Gatting, but Ford is the front runner at present.
Canterbury’s success in winning the national Under-19 tournament which finished in Auckland today, was borne out with its players winning four spots in the New Zealand team to play in the ICC Under-19 World Cup tournament here later this month.Canterbury won the national tournament with 17 points, Central Districts 15, Wellington 14, Otago 11, Northern Districts six and Auckland five.Close runners-up Central Districts were also rewarded for their excellent performance in having five of their players selected in the tournament team.The New Zealand Under-19 team is: Ross Taylor (captain, Central Districts), Simon Allen (Wellington), Michael Bates (Auckland), Peter Borren (Canterbury), Neil Broom (Canterbury), Leighton Burtt (Canterbury), Brook Hatwell (Northern Districts), Stephen Murdoch (Wellington), Rob Nicol (Auckland), Iain Robertson (Canterbury), Jessie Ryder (Central Districts), Ian Sandbrook (Central Districts), Jordan Sheed (Otago), Richard Sherlock (Central Districts).The world tournament will start with an opening ceremony in Christchurch on January 14. Teams will then have warm-up games before the tournament’s opening game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln on January 19.