All posts by h716a5.icu

Alastair Cook has hailed James Anderson as “the most skilful bowler in the world” and the best “England have ever produced”

George Dobell14-Aug-2014Alastair Cook has hailed James Anderson as “the most skilful bowler in the world” and the best “England have ever produced”.Anderson comes into the fifth Test of the Investec series against India requiring just seven more wickets to equal Ian Botham’s England record of 383. Cook, the England captain, admitted that Anderson might not have the pace of South Africa’s Dale Steyn but suggested his ability to swing the ball both ways rendered him almost as dangerous.”He is the most skilful bowler in the world,” Cook said. “There have been some very good bowlers I’ve played with but, for pure out-and-out skill, there is no doubt. He is the best bowler England have ever produced.”No disrespect to Dale Steyn, but the way Jimmy can swing the ball both ways – I don’t think Dale can do that quite as well as Jimmy but Dale has the advantage of being able to bowl quicker. Dale has been the No. 1 bowler in the world for quite a long time in terms of the number of wickets he takes. He always picks up wickets. And those two are in the same class.”Anderson will soon be the leading wicket taker in Test matches for England. That is quite a glowing reference. It’s an amazing achievement. If he does it in this game, it will mean England are in a very strong position.”You saw his guts and determination last week at Manchester when he was bowling when he wasn’t very well. That was extraordinary. That pretty much tells me, tells everyone, what a bloke he is and to back it up with his talent and skill means he is a very fine bowler.”Cook also confirmed that Stuart Broad would play despite sustaining a broken nose during the Manchester game.”We think he’s going to be absolutely fine,” Cook said. “You don’t get a partnership like he and Jimmy Anderson have had without being a world-class bowler. They’ve taken over 500 wickets together. Any captain would want those two in the team if possible, so it’s great news for us as a team that Broady has come through that blow.”

With Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having been reunited at Arsenal, Goal looks back at other devastating pairings…

Getty ImagesDwight Yorke & Andy Cole (Manchester United)

First brought together early in the 1998-99 season, Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole combined to devastating effect as Manchester United won the treble under Sir Alex Ferguson, albeit with their back-ups – Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – sealing the deal in the Champions League final.

Cole and Yorke started 36 matches together in that campaign, with the Red Devils losing on just one occasion. Between them, they scored 53 goals in all competitions and followed that up with 46 in the next campaign.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesFernando Morientes & Raul (Real Madrid & Spain)

During a period around the turn of the millennium, Fernando Morientes and Raul were one of Europe's most feared strike pairings, with their telepathic connection up front leading the Blancos into the 'Galactico Generation'.

Such was their close friendship, Raul was one of the witnesses at Morientes's wedding, while after Morientes was dropped for the 2002 European Super Cup following the arrival of Ronaldo, Raul wore his great friend's No.9 jersey as a show of solidarity.

Getty ImagesIan Rush & Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)

Given his legendary status at Liverpool, it is hard to believe that Kenny Dalglish went on a 10-month scoring drought during 1981, with the Scot contemplating a move into midfield as he struggled for form in the aftermath of his 30th birthday.

That all changed when Ian Rush arrived on the scene, however, as Dalglish became more of a withdrawn forward in behind Rush, and the pair ran riot. Liverpool won the title in each of their first three campaigns together, with the deadly duo scoring 59 goals between them as the European Cup was also secured in 1983-84.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesXavi & Andres Iniesta (Barcelona & Spain)

One of the greatest midfield partnerships of all time, Xavi and Iniesta changed the way the modern game is played with their precision passing for both club and country.

Together they won four Champions League titles among a whole host of other trophies at Barcelona, as well as helping lead Spain to two European Championships and their first World Cup, in 2010.

Dale Steyn has said that the manner in which T20s have evolved means that even the best bowlers will be taken for runs, but his bowling stats have been “reasonable” through his career

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2016South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has said that the manner in which Twenty20 cricket has evolved means even the best bowlers will be taken for runs, but he believed his bowling stats have been “reasonable” through his career.”I think it will be completely difficult for a batsman in T20s to be leaving a ball outside the off stump like in a Test,” Steyn told . “Here the game implies that you score runs, so no matter who is bowling, whether it is myself or (Lasith) Malinga or (Sunil) Narine, it doesn’t matter who it is, batters will make plans to score runs off every ball and try and hit boundaries. Doesn’t matter who you are but it is the format that makes that happen.”Even if I am going for a boundary in every over overall, the idea is to go for not more than six runs an over, which I have more or less maintained throughout my career. I think that is pretty reasonable for a game where teams can very easily go for 19 or 20 runs an over.”Steyn, who will turn out for Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016, has taken 178 wickets in 165 matches at an economy rate of 6.68. Since 2015, however, he has played only 10 T20 games and picked up six wickets, with an average of 50 and an economy rate of 9.09. In the IPL, he has 92 wickets from 89 games and his overall economy rate stands at 6.71. Lions will be the fourth IPL franchise Steyn will represent, after previous stints with Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.”The game is definitely changing, it is easy to score runs now and you got to understand that,” he said. “People need to start understanding that it is not the 1990s where bowlers can go for three runs an over. Honestly, on an average, bowlers can easily go for 12 to 15 runs an over in this format. If we look at the overall picture, at the average and at the economy rate, I think I am doing okay.”

Michael Klinger converted his overnight hundred into a double-century, and Tim Ludeman scored a ton too, as South Australia shut out Victoria’s chances of victory at the Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2014
ScorecardMichael Klinger converted his overnight hundred into a double-century, and Tim Ludeman scored a ton too, as South Australia shut out Victoria’s chances of victory at the Adelaide Oval. After declaring on 6 for 513 on the second day, South Australia’s bowlers reduced the visitors to 4 for 50, before David Hussey and Glenn Maxwell staged a fightback.South Australia began the day on 2 for 273, with Klinger batting on 115. Tom Cooper added only one run to his overnight 80, though, and when Callum Ferguson and Johan Botha fell in quick succession, Victoria had reduced the hosts to 5 for 286. John Hastings had taken all three wickets.Ludeman then joined Klinger and added 174 runs for the sixth wicket, driving South Australia towards 500. On 213, Klinger became Maxwell’s third wicket, but Ludeman added 51 more with Joe Mennie. Botha declared the innings soon after Ludeman got to his century.Having been in the field for 145 overs, the Victora top order failed. Chadd Sayers bowled Rob Quiney for 11 and Kane Richardson bowled Michael Hill for 1. Sayers then removed Marcus Stoinis and Cameron White cheaply too. Victoria were in serious trouble when Hussey and Maxwell began a partnership that grew to 96 by stumps.

Baroda took only 16.4 overs on the third morning to dismiss the remaining five Madhya Pradesh batsman and register a massive 246-run win at Moti Bagh

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Parthiv Patel struck 19 fours during his 189•ESPNcricinfoParthiv Patel struck a mammoth 189- his fourth fifty-plus score in the tournament- which was instrumental in Gujarat securing a first-innings lead over Jharkhand in Jamshedpur.His overnight partner Samit Gohel produced a patient 80, as the duo added 185 runs for the third wicket, but the rest of the batting line-up was not quite as potent. Parthiv struck 19 fours in his innings as he shepherded the lower order, and was finally the last man out before the declaration. Akshar Patel hung around long enough to put on a half-century partnership for sixth wicket with Parthiv. Samar Quadri, the legspinner, picked up four wickets including that of Parthiv’s.Jharkhand’s second essay got off to a slow start, as Bhavin Thakkar had to return to the pavilion retired hurt. Rameez Nemat dropped anchor to ensure Jharkhand endured no further casualties.Odisha 169 for 4 (Samantray 50*, Mallick 47*, HS Sharath 3-41) and 226 lead Karnataka 379 (Pandey 132, Mithun 43) by 16 runs
ScorecardKarnataka’s strength at the start of the day was somewhat relinquished as starting the day at 288 for 4, their remaining batsmen could manage only 91 runs. Odisha were jolted at the top but their middle-order, led by the captain Biplab Samantray who compiled his second fifty in as many matches, helped the team set up a slim lead.Karnataka’s overnight batsmen Manish Pandey, who was on 108, and CM Gautam were knocked over early by Suryakant Pradhan, but A 48-ball 43 from Abhimanyu Mithun recovered the lost momentum as he made his way to 43, with six fours and a six.Mithun and HS Sharath then had Odisha in some trouble early on. Odisha lost opener Girija Rout in the first over and their recovery efforts came up lacking. At 75 for 4, Samantray and first-innings top-scorer Abhilash Mallick came together and their unbeaten 95-run partnership for the fifth wicket helped them recover. The 22-year old Mallick missed out on his maiden first-class ton in the first innings by two runs, but having already scored 47 in the second, he has another chance to reach three figures on Sunday.
ScorecardMumbai were on the brink of registering a huge win in their maiden Ranji Trophy clash against Vidarbha. At the end of the penultimate day’s play, chasing an improbable target of 530, Vidarbha were 177 for 8 at Wankhede Stadium.Read the full report here.
ScorecardGuided by Gurkeerat Singh and Sandeep Sharma, Punjab overcame a torrid struggle to chase down a target of 135 and eventually beat Haryana by three wickets in Lahli.Read the full report here.

Luke Feldman plucked four wickets as Queensland secured their first outright points of the Sheffield Shield with a resounding 182-run victory over Victoria at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2013
ScorecardChris Lynn rushed to 60 before the Bulls declared•Getty ImagesLuke Feldman plucked four wickets as Queensland secured their first outright points of the Sheffield Shield with a resounding 182-run victory over Victoria at the Gabba.Set 325 to win after Chris Lynn helped rush the Bulls’ innings along on the final morning, the Bushrangers never seriously threatened in the chase, and rain ultimately became Queensland’s greater foe as showers circled Brisbane while the hosts’ set about securing the final few wickets of the match.Feldman, who has bowled impressively for his state in between injuries over a career in which he has represented Australia A, claimed the key wickets of Matthew Wade and Cameron White early in the innings before returning to help round up the tail.He was ably supported by Alister McDermott and Ben Cutting, who each bowled straight enough to defeat four batsmen bowled our lbw between them on the last afternoon of the match.

A controlled chase, followed by a merciless onslaught from Andre Russell, helped Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndre Russell’s astounding knock of 29 off six balls included four sixes and a four•Getty ImagesA controlled chase, followed by a merciless onslaught from Andre Russell, helped Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by seven wickets in the second semi-final of the Caribbean Premier League. They will now play Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final on Saturday.Kumar Sangakkara, playing his first game for Jamaica, anchored the 149-run chase with a measured 50 not out, after the side lost captain Chris Gayle in the fourth over with just 16 runs on the board. The Sri Lanka batsman was involved in two crucial partnerships – the first a 71-run, second-wicket stand with Chadwick Walton, followed by a 30-run stand with Danza Hyatt, where Sangakkara kept pace with the scoring rate, even as his partner struggled to an 18-ball 12.Hyatt brought his labored innings to an end with a heave to long on into the hands of Barbados captain, Kieron Pollard. That brought Andre Russell to the crease. Jamaica needed 32 from 20 and the bowling side had an even chance of winning the game. What followed, however, was pure mayhem from Barbados’ point of view.Sangakkara and Russell needed just 11 balls to race past the target. Russell faced six of those and, in a fearsome batting display, ended up scoring 4, 1, 6, 6, 6, 6 off the six deliveries.Earlier, Barbados, who were put in to bat, put together a challenging total in spite of an indifferent start. David Bernard had Dwayne Smith trapped leg before at the start of the second over and Vernon Philander dismissed Jason Holder, promoted to No. 3, in the next over.Raymon Reifer and Shoaib Malik then added 102 runs for the third wicket, the first hundred-run stand in the CPL. Malik used his feet to play Jamaica’s spinners, stepping down the track to hit two sixes off Muttiah Muralitharan and Nikita Miller early on. Reifer, who had a slow start, gained confidence gradually and began playing his shots. The pair, however, were out off successive deliveries in the 17th over, bowled by Chris Gayle.Kieron Pollard and Azhar Mahmood hit some quick runs towards the end to help Barbados post a challenging total of 148 for 6.

Bayern Munich's clash with Union Berlin on Saturday has been postponed due to extreme levels of snow falling in Munich overnight.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Bayern Munich vs Union Berlin postponedSnow fell overnight and expected throughout the day

Game to be rescheduled for later date

WHAT HAPPENED?

The two sides were set to meet at the Allianz Arena but the game will have to be rescheduled due to the weather conditions. Snow is expected to fall throughout the day and into the evening in Munich, making it impossible for the game to go ahead.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE EXPLANATION

Bayern stated that large portions of snow falling from the roof of the stadium would pose a risk to supporters and would not be safe to attend. The club also acknowledged that impact of the weather on public transport links made access to the stadium difficult, or impossible, for many swathes of supporters. The club also acknowledged that the Munich police had recommend that people do not leave their homes. Owing to these factors, the club stated that it cannot be guaranteed that the necessary security personnel will be able to reach the Allianz Arena.

WHAT BAYERN MUNICH SAID

In a statement, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, said: "We very much regret that we have to postpone the match, but the safety of our fans and the supporters of Union Berlin has absolute priority. In addition, access to the Allianz Arena is not guaranteed due to numerous road closures and various public transport cancellations. We will inform you about a possible new date as soon as possible."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN AND UNION BERLIN?

Bayern have stated that they will provide the information on the fixture's rescheduling as soon as a new date has been agreed between both clubs and the German Football League (DFL).

Despite reassurances offered by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board that he has not been sacked, Denesh Ramdin, has reiterated that he was told he would be replaced as T&T captain

Nagraj Gollapudi07-Nov-2014Despite reassurances offered by Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board that he has not been sacked, Denesh Ramdin has reiterated that he was told he would be replaced as T&T captain.He insisted that he was being “punished” for supporting the move by West Indies players to abandon the India tour last month. Ramdin said that the TTCB move was a “breach” of the agreement reached last week between the players, WICB and West Indies Players’ Association, where it was decided to set up a three-member task force to negotiate a deal between the three groups.Ramdin, the West Indies Test captain, said n a public statement issued on Thursday that things had been made “unnecessarily difficult and uncertain” for him since his return from India.Now Denesh Ramdin is sparring with the Trinidad & Tobago Cricket Board•Caribbean Premier League”I feel compelled to state that on my return from India I was restricted from attendance at a practice session with the Trinidad and Tobago team on Thursday, October 30, 2014,” Ramdin said. “Although I felt hurt and embarrassed, I knew that I should remain committed to my responsibilities.”Ramdin’s latest response is a direct contradiction to TTCB president Azim Bassarath confirmation to ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday that Ramdin remained the T&T captain. Bassarath also said that a decision over whether to replace him as captain for the regional competitions, one of the recommendations made by the selectors, would be taken at the board’s meeting this weekend.On Monday Ramdin met with Bassarath and executives of TTCB including Suraj Ragoonath (CEO), Arjoon Ramlal (secretary), Sukesh Maniam (treasurer), Patrick Rampersad (third vice-president) and Gus Logie (T&T coach). The meeting took place at the National Cricket Centre in Balmain, Couva in Trinidad where Ramdin said he was told Rayad Emrit would be his successor.”On Monday, November 3, 2014, I attended a meeting with the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board. At that meeting, I was told that since I did not demonstrate proper leadership in relation to the tour in India, I would be relieved of the captaincy and would be replaced by Rayad Emrit. I understood this to be a punishment contrary to the undertaking given by the WICB at the meeting on Friday, October 31, 2014.”I am also advised that this action is a breach of my rights having regard to the fact that the Task Force appointed by the WICB has not made any findings and has made no findings of misconduct against me,” Ramdin said.Both Bassarath and Rampersad had explained that since Ramdin was likely to be busy playing for West Indies in various international series between October and the World Cup which ends in March, the selectors had recommended that a new captain be appointed. Both men insisted a final decision on Ramdin’s future as T&T captain would be taken at the TTCB executive meeting this weekend, though a media release on the board’s website indicated otherwise.Titled “Heavy WI schedule rules Ramdin out”, the release said: “The unavailability of Denesh Ramdin for selection for nearly all of the 2014-2015 regional cricket season was the deciding factor in the decision to appoint a new national team captain. And Ramdin, the West Indies Test team captain who was among the players who recently pulled out of a tour of India, was told this at a meeting on Monday with officials of the T&T Cricket Board.”Ramdin pointed out that on October 31 he along with fellow Trinidadian and West Indies ODI captain Dwayne Bravo along with their legal counsel attended a meeting with WICB president Dave Cameron, and Emmanuel Nanthan (vice-president) and one of the WCIB directors Baldath Mahabir, who also sits on the TTCB executive board. WIPA president Wavell Hinds participated in that meeting via Skype. Also present were the Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada. “At that meeting, the WICB gave an undertaking that the WICB would not in its selection policy victimise nor discriminate against any player who had gone on the tour to India,” Ramdin said.”I have been advised that it is improper for me to speak on the issue of the recent tour to India and that I must defer to the authority and deliberations of the Task Force appointed by the WICB to inquire into that tour. However, I wish to state that the circumstances that I have endured since my return to the Caribbean have been made unnecessarily difficult and uncertain,” Ramdin said.In a release issued on Tuesday the WICB listed what it called “updates” from the various meetings between the board of directors on October 30 and November 4. It stated that Michael Gordon QC would be chairman of the task force along with former West Indies fast bowler Wes Hall and Dennis Lalor.The WICB directors also decided after a conference call today to finalise the date next week to pick the squads for the South Africa tour, which starts in December.

Despite sustaining a shoulder injury in the first four-day game of the South African domestic season, Wayne Parnell should be fit to play the upcoming ODIs against New Zealand and Australia

Firdose Moonda28-Sep-2014Despite sustaining a shoulder injury in the first four-day game of the South African domestic season for Warriors against Knights, Wayne Parnell should be fit to play the upcoming ODIs against New Zealand and Australia.Parnell pulled a muscle while bowling in Bloemfontein and was unable to bat, but the Warriors coach Piet Botha was hopeful Parnell will recover “in about 10 days.”While that would rule Parnell out of the Warriors’ second match, it should mean Parnell is fit for South Africa’s next assignment, which begins on October 21 against New Zealand. South Africa’s selectors will name their squads for the trip on Tuesday, and Parnell, who played in three of the seven matches in the recent triangular series in Zimbabwe, is expected to be part of the traveling group.Botha told ESPNcricinfo Parnell will have a further assessment of his injury on Monday, but that he does not anticipate a lengthy layoff for the player. Although Parnell was the Warriors’ most expensive bowler in the second innings and picked up just three wickets in the match, Botha said he was still happy with the left-arm seamer’s form.”He is bowling really well. He showed good aggression and was bowling fast,” Botha said. “Because of his pace, if he just a little off line, the ball can go to the boundary but he bowled really well on a pitch that was doing a bit.”Unusually, it was a bowler’s match in Bloemfontein, a venue usually known for being a batsmen’s playground. Nineteen wickets fell on the first day, the second most in the franchise era, and Botha believed that was due to conditions being rushed because of the early start to the season. “We all misread the wicket, both sides would have batted first but there was a lot of moisture around,” he said. “With everything being quite dead from the winter, the groundsmen seemed to need to add quite a bit of moisture to get it ready.”The Warriors had the Knights 32 for 8 in the first innings and bowled them out for 140, but still lost the match by 128 runs. Botha’s disappointment was that “we couldn’t finish off the tail.” Quinton Friend and Corne Dry put on 98 runs for the ninth wicket in the first innings while Friend and Rudi Second added 75 for the ninth wicket in the second knock.”Their tailenders scored all the runs for them which was frustrating. We want to improve on that in the next match,” Botha said. They will have to do so without Parnell, when they take on Titans in Benoni from next Thursday.