Languishing at the bottom of the table, Deccan Chargers were dealt another jolt when VVS Laxman, their captain, ruled himself out of the rest of the Indian Premier League after failing to recover from a hairline fracture just below his right wrist.”I was very keen to play in yesterday’s (Sunday) match and the coming one. But I found it nearly impossible to hold the bat and face even a tennis ball,” he said just before a practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium after another visit to the orthopaedic surgeon.”It’s sad that I had to miss some of the matches. It is all the more disappointing since the injury came when I was getting into the groove,” said Laxman, whose right hand was encased in plaster.Laxman injured his wrist during his 52 in a losing cause against Bangalore and missed the games against Chennai and Rajasthan.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008 Start time: 2000 (local) 1430 (GMT)
The Big Picture
The Deccan Chargers’ powerful batting line-up will quickly want to forget their experience on a volatile Eden Gardens surface, as they prepare to take on a confident Delhi Daredevils outfit at their home base, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. Hyderabad will be keen to live up to their billing as one of the title favourites, but Delhi are no pushovers, and are riding on the confidence gained from their nine-wicket mauling of the Rajasthan Royals at home.After Sunday’s match, the pitch will be under scrutiny, but Kanwaljit Singh, Hyderabad’s assistant coach, felt there were no worries of a repeat act. “It will be a fair wicket, and will be good for batting,” Kanwaljit told Cricinfo, suggesting it would not be as “disastrous” as the Kolkata minefield.
Watch out for …
… a closely-fought contest. Hyderabad will be banking on their batting as they head into the contest. Andrew Symonds is the team’s fulcrum, and his only previous outing at the ground fetched him rich dividends – he hammered 89 in Australia’s 47-run win over India in the ODI last year. Adam Gilchrist showed brief glimpses of his touch in Hyderabad’s opening match, and could make a real impact. Additional reinforcements come in the form of two big hitters, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi, whose all-round prowess makes him a shoo-in for the game.Delhi have weapons of their own; Gautam Gambhir’s reputation grows with every outing, and he will be taking first-strike alongside the aggressive Virender Sehwag. Shoaib Malik can also clear the field with ease, while Dinesh Karthik can improvise effectively. Among the lesser-known names in the team, Shikhar Dhawan has displayed his attacking instincts in the domestic circuit, and looked solid at the crease during his unbeaten half-century in their first game. Besides, Delhi’s bowlers had a good outing against Rajasthan: Glenn McGrath showed he had not lost his famed accuracy, while Farveez Maharoof claimed the Man-of-the-Match award for his figures of 2 for 11. And to top it all off, they have the quality left-arm spin of Daniel Vettori at their disposal
Team news
Delhi will be bolstered by the arrivals of Malik and Mohammad Asif, but that in turn gives them a selection headache as they can only select four foreign players. They used four overseas bowlers in their opening match, and Brett Geeves, who conceded 41 runs without taking a wicket, is likely to make way for Malik.Delhi: (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir 2 Virender Sehwag (capt) 3 Shikhar Dhawan 4 Shoaib Malik 5 Manoj Tiwary 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk) 7 Rajat Bhatia 8 Mithun Manhas 9 Daniel Vettori 10 Farveez Maharoof 11 Glenn McGrath.Hyderabad now have the full mix of their buys to choose from, and Chaminda Vaas might stand to miss out if the think-tank decide to go full throttle on the batting front. It is unlikely that any other changes will be made in the squad, though Hyderabad may need to be bold and reward promise instead of experience by bringing in young Ravi Teja instead of Arjun Yadav, who has an average of 22.50 from 60 List A games.Hyderabad: (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk) 2 Venugopal Rao 3 VVS Laxman (capt) 4 Andrew Symonds 5 Rohit Sharma 6 Scott Styris 7 Shahid Afridi 8 Arjun Yadav 9 Sanjay Bangar 10 RP Singh 11 Pragyan Ojha.
Stats and trivia
Gambhir, with 227 runs, was the second-highest run-getter in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa.
Afridi, along with Shaun Pollock and Nathan Bracken, is the highest wicket-taker in Twenty 20 internationals .
Quotes
“It is a very difficult target to achieve to better his 158 at a faster rate. But it is not impossible. Certainly if I get a chance to bat higher up the order and get enough overs to play I will give it a try.” “The pressure is on them. They are playing at home and have lost one match while we won our first match. We have good confidence in ourselves and will take that confidence into the match and try to play well.”
Gloucestershire have signed Andrew Tye, one of the outstanding performers in the Big Bash League, as their second overseas player for the 2016 NatWest T20 Blast.Tye, a 29-year-old fast bowler and a team mate at Perth Scorchers of Gloucestershire’s profolic batsman Michael Klinger, was a key part of their victorious Big Bash League campaign in 2015.He took 14 wickets at an average of 18.3 and a strike rate of 16, prompting Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch to describe him as the “find of the tournament” on Twitter.Tye said: “I am delighted to have signed for Gloucestershire for the NatWest T20 Blast. I have heard great things about the club from many sources, including my Perth Scorchers team mate, Michael Klinger.”A specialist death bowler and clean-hitting lower order batsman, Tye’s form in 2014/15 saw him secure an IPL contract with the Chennai Super Kings.Despite hailing from Perth, Tye will be no stranger to English conditions, having played Second XI cricket for Somerset, Durham and Northants.He will be available for the duration of Gloucestershire’s NatWest Blast which kicks off under floodlights against Sussex Sharks in Bristol on May 20.Gloucestershire’s head coach Richard Dawson said: “I saw him last year in the Big Bash where he was very impressive in helping Perth Scorchers win the competition. We are looking to make improvements in T20 cricket this year and get through the group stages. Andrew will help us achieve that. He is a highly-skilled bowler who will significantly add to our T20 cricket.”A late bloomer, Tye only made his professional debut in 2013 at the age of 26, but he has gone on to cement his place in the team in all three formats of the game.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsInspired by Moeen Ali it took England just 24 overs to surge to an overwhelming 241-run victory on the final morning in Durban. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s last realistic hope of salvaging something, fell in the first over of the day and there was scant resistance after that as England went 1-0 up in the first Test of an overseas series for only the second time since 2004.Although South Africa were four down overnight, after the late dismissal of Faf du Plessis on the fourth evening, England might have expected to be made to work reasonably hard to extract the last six wickets but it all came surprisingly swiftly for them. In the end it was over 20 minutes before lunch when Morne Morkel was lbw to Stuart Broad with South Africa’s last seven wickets tumbling for 38 from the dismissal of du Plessis.In the field, England made a habit of setting the tone early in an innings in a bowling stint. Broad removed Stiaan van Zyl second ball of the first innings then claimed Temba Bavuma second ball of the third day and Moeen continued the theme today with his third delivery of the morning when, from round the wicket, he got one to straighten at de Villiers who was playing deep in his crease. De Villiers called for the DRS – he had to, really – but the ball was pitching in line and clipping leg stump.Moeen Ali struck in his opening over•Gallo Images
Jonny Bairstow had a fourth day of contrasting fortunes – a key innings of 79 followed by the missed stumping offered by de Villiers – so there was a heartening moment for him when he took the opportunity presented by Bavuma when he walked past a delivery from Moeen, which slid on past the outside edge. It was a simpler stumping chance as the ball did not spin sharply like the one Bairstow missed, but he took it confidently and his team-mates were quick to congratulate him.Moeen had a third for the morning when the angle from round the wicket worked again as Kyle Abbott was trapped on the back foot. His seven-wicket match haul was the second best of his career after the eight he claimed against India, at the Ageas Bowl, in 2014.Steven Finn continued his impressive work from the previous day, giving the nightwatchman Dale Steyn a working over before knocking back the off stump with a fuller delivery. Broad was the outstanding quick in the first innings, but Finn took that honour second time around.Before play, James Anderson bowled six high-intensity overs on the outfield and appears on track to return for the Cape Town Test. That would mean a likely omission for Chris Woakes, presuming all the pacemen pull up well from their exertions here, but he at least managed to open his wicket tally for the Test – a game where he has bowled consistently at good pace – when Dane Piedt popped a catch to short leg.With just two days between Tests, the extra few hours off England earned themselves will be welcomed by the fast bowlers but, barring the lack of a century and Bairstow’s two errors, it is South Africa with all the problems heading into the New Year Test at Newlands. It has been a 2015 to forget in Test cricket for South Africa, but a year of transition for England’s five-day outfit has concluded with a significant success.
Match abandoned Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe rain left the outfield too wet for play at McLean Park•AFP
The second ODI, in Napier, was abandoned without a ball being bowled, after heavy rain persisted until mid afternoon, and left the ground too sodden for play to begin. The skies had begun to clear well ahead of the game’s cut-off time of 7:19 pm, but with the outfield having received more than 24 hours of persistent rain, umpires Billy Bowden and Bruce Oxenford decided not to risk player safety.The game was called off just before 6:30pm. At that time, portions of the field still appeared waterlogged despite hours of drying withsuper soppers. Pakistan can now only draw the series at best, as the action moves to Auckland, for the final match of the tour, on Sunday.
The preparatory camp before selecting the Indian cricket team to play in the home series against Australia, will be held in Chennai from February 5 to 10.The BCCI secretary, Jaywant Lele, told PTI in Mumbai on Tuesday that the Challenger Series limited overs cricket tournament involving three teams, including the national team, would be held in Chennai from February 12 to 15.”Soon after the Challenger Series, the Indian team would be picked to play in the three Test matches,” he added. “However, the itinerary for the home series against the Australians, which is yet to be finalised, would be declared only on January 22 at Delhi,” Lele said. The probables for the series against Australia will be announced on January 29.
Rangers failed to follow up on their Europa League success with another win in the Premiership as they were held to a 1-1 draw on Sunday.
Ross Graham headed in an opener for Dundee United as he bundled the ball in from a corner, with Filip Helander unable to beat him in the air from the set-piece.
Gio van Bronckhorst’s side found their equaliser with 15 minutes to go as Calvin Bassey’s cross was fiercely met by Joe Aribo as the midfielder rifled the ball into the roof of the net.
Rangers had a number of chances to secure the win late on as Amad Diallo and Alfredo Morelos both missed big opportunities to score, with the Scottish giants ultimately being forced to settle for a point.
One player who carried his own weight and did not deserve to be on the losing side was Gers central midfielder Ryan Jack.
The Scotland international produced an outstanding individual display and was let down by some of his teammates on the pitch. He was excellent defensively and on the ball and will surely be fuming that other players in the side were unable to match his standards.
Out of possession, he was almost flawless. As per SofaScore, he won 75% of his duels (3/4) and made four interceptions and tackles combined, whilst he was not dribbled past a single time in the match. This shows that he was strong in his battles and won the ball back for the side as he did not allow United to best him in the physical side of the game.
On the ball, Jack was bright and forward-thinking. Via SofaScore, he had 105 touches of the ball and completed a whopping 82 passes. He also managed to hit five of his eight long passes and completed his one dribble attempt, whilst creating one chance and having two shots blocked.
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The midfield machine kept working hard off the ball to make himself an option in possession to then play forwards to progress the play. He was dropping into pockets in wide areas to receive the ball from Connor Goldson in an attempt to initiate attacks, allowing the Gers to create as many big chances as they did.
However, Rangers were unable to make the most of their openings and that is why they ended the match with only a point instead of three. This is why Jack will be feeling frustrated that his teammates did not capitalise on his good work, as he deserved to be on the winning team on Sunday.
AND in other news, Rangers can repeat Aribo masterclass with “constant threat” who’s “going to blossom”…
Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan will consider a return to Blackpool if he is unable to break into the first-team picture at Villa Park.
The 20-year-old spent much of last season on loan with the Seasiders, helping Ian Holloway's side gain promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Bannan now wants to try and prove his worth back in the Midlands, but is open to the possibility of returning to Bloomfield Road.
He told the Blackpool Gazette:"Although it's now over, we'll see what happens in pre-season. I am obviously going to go back to Villa and give it a go.
"But if it doesn't work out then I'll have to look at other options, maybe a loan move again.
"If that happens then even if Blackpool were still in the Championship I'd come back, because the gaffer has been absolutely brilliant with me.
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"All the boys have been great too and I've made good mates. So this would be one of the top options if I was going to come out again."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester Untied boss Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions that a mystery injury was behind Wayne Rooney's disappointing World Cup form.
Rooney failed to find the net during England's dire campaign in South Africa which was ended at the last 16 stage by Germany.
The 24-year-old struggled to live up to his pre-tournament billing as a potential Golden Shoe winner and his below-par performances have led to suggestions of fitness problems.
Rooney missed the end of the last domestic season with ankle and groin injuries but was continually declared fully-fit by England coach Fabio Capello during the tournament.
Capello's assessment of the striker, who has scored 25 goals in 64 international appearances, has now been backed by Ferguson.
"There is nothing wrong with the lad or his fitness," he told The Mail on Sunday.
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"He's relaxing on holiday in Barbados and I expect him to come back refreshed for the new season."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
You may love or loathe the transfer windows but it certainly has most football supporters fixated to the rumour mills on a daily basis. I don’t know many fans that don’t go straight to the BBC’s gossip column as a first port of call every morning, before they move on to SkySports.com. Most of what is written is complete tosh; however it doesn’t stop many buying into what they have read. I guess everyone just loves a rumour, despite how outlandish they might be.
One thing that does amuse me about those who bite at the rumours is their sheer naivety and this belief that the club have a bottomless pit of money and cannot understand why player X Y and Z won’t be playing for their club next season. There is a lot to be said for a little bit of realism and general understanding of the complexity of club finances. Sometimes players have to be sacrificed in order to raise funds to strengthen elsewhere, or clubs have a restricted budget due to incompetent owners or the need to finance new stadia. Money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore clubs have to live within their means.
So what about your club this summer? No doubt you have been taken in by some of the rumours, poured cold water over some and I’m sure there is a long list of players that you will be happy to see the club cash in on during the coming weeks. The transfer window, with the exception of City, has been somewhat constipated up to this point, although I’m sure it won’t be long before the transfer storm starts to erupt.
Who would you like to see arrive at the Emirates during the next five weeks, and equally who should be issued with their P45?
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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