Tag Futebol

Ashwell Prince, recently appointed South African captain in place of the injured Graeme Smith, understands that his first assignment is not short of challenges. With Smith, Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock missing in action, Prince has singled out July 27, the first day of the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka, as a day of reckoning.An excited Prince, 29, said he was honoured to be named the first coloured captain of South Africa. “I am inexperienced when it comes to captaincy, but obviously I’m delighted that I’ve been given the chance,” Prince told SuperSport.com. “I’m sure the United Cricket Board could have looked at other candidates. Those candidates have a lot of experience, and I will have the opportunity to draw from their experience.”With just 21 Tests under his belt, Prince’s first-class captaincy career is limited: at the helm for eight SuperSport Series matches for former Western Province Boland over two seasons ago, he won three, drew one and lost four. In addition, he captained South Africa A to a seven-wicket win.The last time South Africa toured Sri Lanka, in 2004, they lost both the Test and one-day series. The troika of Smith (ankle), Kallis (elbow) and Pollock (paternal leave) has left a 251-Test experience gap, but Prince put faith in his side.”Missing three premier players will have a huge effect on our team, but we have a good young side,” he said. “We have a good pace attack with Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn and André Nel, and Nicky Bojé will play a role in conditions favourable for him. I wouldn’t like to put too much pressure on one bowler to take lots of wickets. There is a nice balance in the attack, and we must spread the load… to get 20 wickets.”Prince was quick to recognise a rejuvenated Sri Lanka, who finished a successful tour of England earlier this month. “Sri Lanka are playing very good cricket, having beaten England 5-0 in the one-dayers after doing well to come back from 1-0 down to draw theTest series,” he said. “On home ground they will be much more formidable, so it’s going to be a tough tour. The most important thing is to get the best out of the guys, and to get them to perform in those conditions.”

Former Test quick Paul Wilson had injury added to his costly insults when his jaw was broken in the Pura Cup cricket match between Western Australia and South Australia at the WACA today.The big West Australian, who moved from Adelaide last season, suffered the injury after failing to avoid a Mick Miller bouncer as South Australia seized control on the second day of the match.The incident happened soon after Wilson was fined half his match fee for abusive language towards SA batsman John Davison on the opening day.South Australia claimed first innings points after Western Australia managed a paltry 178 in reply to the visitors’ opening dig of 327.The Redbacks were 4-101 in their second innings, a lead of 250, with Mark Higgs (33no) and Mick Miller (13no) at the crease.Wilson’s forgettable match continued when he turned his head as Miller’s delivery struck him plum under the helmet grille.The No.11 fell to the pitch before retiring hurt and ending WA’s first innings.The former Redback was taken to hospital for X-rays, which found a hairline fracture to the left side of his jaw.He will not bowl for the rest of the match and a decision on whether to have a plate inserted was to be made tomorrow.To add to WA’s woes, Darren Wates was also carrying a side strain and wasn’t expected to bowl in the Redbacks’ second innings.The Warriors were forced to use part-timers Michael Hussey and Chris Rogers as their first and second change bowlers.South Australia’s second innings had started disastrously with openers David Fitzgerald (1) and Shane Deitz (4) both out before the score was in double figures.Greg Blewett (14) and Andy Flower (32) set about resurrecting the innings before allrounder Peter Worthington (2-28) produced an in-swinger which rattled Blewett’s stumps.Evergreen Jo Angel (2-32) grabbed the vital wicket of ex-Zimbabwe captain Flower just before stumps.Earlier in the day, the Warriors began their reply to SA in a hurry and opener Rogers (5) was soon heading back to the pavilion after quick Shaun Tait (4-61) sent a ball crashing through his defences.The innings skipped along to 66 before Paul Rofe (3-31) deceived Michael Hussey (20) and removed Marcus North (0) soon after.Goodwin had a life on 55 prior to lunch before Shaun Marsh (15) chopped a Tait delivery onto his stumps after the interval.Ryan Campbell’s (13) short stay ended quickly and Goodwin fell 11 runs short of a well-deserved century when his entertaining 92-ball knock ended on 89.The controversial former Zimbabwe Test batsman hit 16 fours before he bunted a ball to Higgs in gully off Miller’s (2-43) bowling.Worthington (1) did not add to the total while Wates (10) was Miller’s second scalp.Angel (5) became Tait’s fourth victim before Beau Casson (10no) ensured the visitors could not enforce the follow-on with a hesitantly taken single.

Oxford’s Amit Suman and Paul McMahon added 39 unbeaten runs for the ninth wicket, as Surrey were denied victory in The Parks. After being set an improbable 350 for victory, Oxford slipped from 98 for 2 to 115 for 8 as Ian Salisbury and Jimmy Ormond tore through the middle order, but they were unable to seal the win.At Chester-le-Street, Durham’s students also pulled off an improbable draw with two wickets in hand, after Gavin Hamilton had picked up his first three wickets since his move from Yorkshire. Their captain – the man in white, Will Smith – was at the heart of their resistance with 48, and at 127 for 5 with time running out, they were in control of their own destiny. Three quick wickets caused a panic in the dressing-room, but Durham left their push too late.And there was another draw down at Taunton, where Loughborough and Somerset batted each other to a standstill. Jamie Cox’s 172 gave Somerset a first-innings lead of 75, but the students batted resolutely in their second outing. Richard Clinton was forced to retire hurt, but Chris Nash’s unbeaten half-century secured the stalemate.No such luck for Cardiff, who slumped to defeat by an innings and 224 runs against Worcestershire at New Road. From 5 for 2 in their second innings, there wasn’t much hope of salvation, and they duly folded for 164. Cambridge fared slightly better at Fenner’s. Their second-innings 245 included eight scores in double figures, including Chris Wright’s 57, but they couldn’t avoid a 153-run defeat against Essex.And at Headingley, Yorkshire crushed Bradford/Leeds UCCE by 481 runs. Jonathan Siddall contributed a brave unbeaten 75, but he couldn’t find lasting support from his team-mates, as Bradford/Leeds were bowled out for 172.

With the new 2003 cricket season creeping ever closer The thoughts of everyone at Somerset County Cricket Club are firmly focussed on the start of the new cricket season in April, and none more than Giles Clarke the newly appointed Chairman of the Club.Looking ahead to the new season Mr Clarke has sent the following message to all website readers:"As a Life Member I would normally be looking forward to a new season anyway but as your Chairman, my expectations and excitement are heightened by the honour bestowed upon me.Of course, results on the field determine satisfaction but I believe also that the way Somerset play their cricket is important too. The safe, disciplined, professional approach of playing cricket has to be garnished with a bit of style or, if you like, entertainment.As your Chief Executive is prone to say, the manner in which Somerset lose is almost as important as Somerset winning. He may be right because I know how demoralising it is to sit there and watch our beloved Somerset steamrollered by the opposition without seemingly a whimper. If and when we lose, Somerset need to do it with all guns blazing.I must say that I have been mightily impressed in the way Kevin Shine and his coaching team have been preparing our players this winter. Without wanting to dwell on this matter, after last season, confidences had to be re-built and individual techniques re-honed.Someone asked at the AGM whether or not the players really felt they had let the Club down last year. I think your Chief Executive was right in reply saying although it may not have showed in what the players said or the way in which they portrayed themselves, they were acutely embarrassed. Anyway, from what I have seen and been told our players really are up for putting matters right. They will need on occasions the rub of the green to be successful – that is cricket – but it will not be for the want of trying if success doesn’t come.Off the field I am leading a small team looking at how our wonderful County Ground can be expanded. Somerset needs to be in there pitching to host International matches. Then, of course, there is the matter of expanding Somerset’s income base. There isn’t a problem managing efficiently the levels of income so far achieved and frankly, wearing my entrepreneurial hat, Somerset is a well run professional Club. But we do need to up the levels of income if Somerset are to survive. This will have mine and my Deputy, Andy Nash, full attention.So, the season is nearing and welcome to our website. Visits to it last year topped 1.5 million in the month of August so there is a high level of interest in our Club. There will be a Newsletter issued mid March in which I hope to expand on some of the plans I feel Somerset ought to aspire to. In the meantime, start to smile. The season is almost upon us."

I had so much hope for English cricket just a little while ago. Then the wheels came off. I had said what a cracking summer we were going to have, especially with the NatWest Series comprising of teams of the quality of Australia and Pakistan. I expected England to compete on even terms with them, but that was not the way it turned out.They were the champions and runners-up from the last World Cup, but even so, this was not what England expected. I went to the England-Pakistan match at Lord’s – not as a player, and not in the corporate hospitality areas. I went as Joe Public, sitting in the crowd on the top deck of the Compton Stand. It was a great experience. I like the atmosphere created by the Pakistanis, even if I did get a headache from the all the noise. At least, I presume the headache came from all the noise and not the half of lager I allowed myself – all a trained athlete should consider, you understand.England should have won that match, along with others in the competition, but managed to lose them all. We were promised a new plan after the last World Cup debacle, but it does not seem to have happened. I was pleased for Owais Shah, though. He has been batting out of his skin this season and deserved his chance and then deserved to succeed. I am pleased to say he got what he deserved on both counts.I kept on thinking that Australia were steamrollering everyone else in that series, but just before it started, we at Middlesex had beaten them. Mind you, it was the same Middlesex, give or take a couple of players including me, who then lost to Herefordshire in what we now call the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy. What a dreadful experience that was! All credit to the Herefordshire lads who deserved to win, but I can honestly say that fielding in front of all those home supporters was easily the worst three hours I have spent on a cricket field.I had some rather good figures in that game, and it has all been going well in the CricInfo Championship where, I hope the selectors notice, it has all been going pretty well too. There we are sitting on top of our division with the name Tufnell regularly featuring in the bowling statistics. I keep on bowling and batsmen keep on getting out. Lovely job!We would have been even further in front if the rain had not stopped us when we were on the brink of beating Nottinghamshire. They were a couple of runs in front with just two wickets to fall when following on. Then it rained. We were robbed as surely as if Robin Hood had still been around.It gave me a chance to watch a bit of the Test. How disappointing was that? Wonderful cricket played at the gallop, but such a shame for England. Obviously Australia are the best in the world and we knew they were, but Edgbaston just went to show that it’s going to be a long, tough summer. But let’s not panic, let’s stand up and fight. We’ve been one-nil down before, like in Sri Lanka where everyone said how tough it is to play, but we came back to win. Now we’ve got to turn this one round like we did then.It will be tough, because this Aussie side is amongst the best I’ve ever seen. It’s only the second time they’ve got the three quicks all together in a Test that makes it a pretty formidable attack, and backed up by a bloke they said was knackered. He was too fat, eats too many pizzas, had had several injuries and too old. But I’ve heard all that before (and not only about Shane Warne) and I reckon he’s still one of the very best. It makes a fantastic bowling attack.Even so, we’ve got to stay strong and work it out. I didn’t think we bowled at the top of our form. Conditions should have suited our guys, but you get days when it doesn’t go right. At the end of the day, we have to put that behind us, learn from our mistakes and introduce a bit more discipline. On the bating side, we have to build partnerships and get some runs on the board and go to Lord’s to turn it around.It won’t be easy with Captain Poppadom out again. It will be blow to Nass and a worry after just coming back from a broken thumb. He’ll start thinking “Blimey, what’s going on here?” I don’t know who you pick as captain. Perhaps Trescothick would be a good shout, but he’s in such good form you might not want to risk it. It’s a hard job, so perhaps it should go back to Athers. Or Goughie perhaps. Yes, give it to Goughie!

Pakistan ended England’s interest in the Costcutter U15 World Challenge by winning their semi-final at Chelmsford by 58 runs.In search of 191 for a place in Thursday’s showpiece final at Lord’s England lost bost openers inside the first 8 overs. Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel compiled a stylish 48 but when he fell in the 29th over his side were marooned still 100 short of their victory target with only 4 wickets left.There was still time of the sizeable crowd to witness an astonishing phenomena as Pakistan’s ambidextrous bowled Muhammed Naeem demonstrated that he could bowl with both arms. During the course of the same over he bowled left arm around the wicket to the right-handed Nick Swetman and then right arm over the wicket to the left-handed Tom New.A partnership of 32 for the 7th wicket threatened to give England an outside chance in the last ten overs but then three suicidal run-outs effectively ended their hopes.Earlier England kept a tight grip on the Pakistan run-rate with only 41 being scored in the opening 15 overs, although an injury to Muhammed Fahim hampered his progress. He batted with a runner from the fourth over until his departure 17 overs later.Shahid Yousaf top-scored with 42 before being needlessly run out following a mix-up with partner Zulqarnain, who went on to hit 36. A late flurry from Naeem lifted the total to 188-7 by the start of the final over but then Nick Swetman took 3 wickets in four deliveries to finish with 4-39 and dismiss Pakistan two balls short of their full allocation for a total of 190.Ultimately that proved too many for England and in the final Pakistan will face the winners of Tuesday’s other semi-final between the West Indies and South Africa at Hove.

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.

Brett Lee is hopeful that the ankle trouble that forced him to miss the World Cup will help him play at the highest level for longer. Lee expects to be bowling within two months and hopes to play in Australia’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in September.”Having a bit of a layoff is good for the body,” he told . “I’ve missed a little bit of time with cricket. I had 19 months when I was on the sideline carrying the drinks [in 2004-05], and now this. Although I’m 30 I still feel like I’m 27 as far as bowling age. The body still feels really young.”Lee injured his ankle while training during the Chappell-Hadlee Series in New Zealand in February and underwent surgery to remove bone fragments and scar tissue from his ankle and have his ligaments reattached. “The ankle’s good – it’s been about three weeks since the operation now and it’s full steam ahead,” Lee said in .”I’m back doing cardio work, I’m not back running as yet, that will be early next month. In July, I should be back bowling. There’s no reason why I won’t be playing the next match Australia does.”With the cancellation of the Zimbabwe tour, Australia’s next engagement is the Twenty20 competition in South Africa. It is hardly the World Cup, but Lee will simply be glad to be back on the field after a frustrating few months.”Initially it took me a while to get over the disappointment of missing the World Cup,” Lee told . “Once I pushed that aside, I definitely know that this is going to help me long-term. I see it putting another year and a half hopefully on my career. It gives a chance for my muscles and bones to relax and get a bit of time off. I want to be the fittest I’ve ever been, and there’s no reason why I can’t be.”

The D’Artagnan of world cricket is the apt phrase employed by former New Zealand captain Walter Hadlee to describe the renowned English batsman Denis Compton, whose life’s innings has ended at 78.Hadlee first crossed swords of willow with Compton 60 years ago, and the association was resumed on New Zealand’s memorable 1949 tour and twice on English team visits here. “It was almost impossible to set a field for Denis Compton,” said Hadlee. “I found I could set tight fields for Hutton, Washbrook, and Edrich, but Denis confounded us because he was so innovative. He would shape up towards cover, and then sweep the ball to fine leg. He was a delight to be on the field with, and we were always sorry to get him out.”Compton was the first of the post-war sports stars, and his brilliant batting for Middlesex and England did much to restore public spirits ravaged by the global conflict. In his golden summer, 1947, he made 3800 runs, including 18 centuries, and shared many big partnerships with Bill Edrich. “The wonder of it is that he scored all those runs with just one bat,” said Hadlee. “I have seen that bat, and there were no marks down the edges – just criss-cross marks across the face.”For all his fluency of stroke, Compton had one flaw as a batsman – he was a poor runner between the wickets. In fact, when he called for a run it was usually the basis for negotiation,according to a county colleague. “He might well have been the originator of the ‘yes-no-come-wait-sorry’ call,” chuckled Hadlee. There is a story that Denis ran out his brother Leslie in the latter’s benefit match.Compton was also inclined to be forgetful. In 1949 he arrived at the Oval for the fourth Test and discovered he was minus his cricket boots. So he fielded in sandshoes. Experienced Canterbury left-arm spinner Tom Burtt claimed Compton’s wicket five times, but, as Hadlee recalled, “after he got 100 anyone could get him.”He was England’s youngest cap when he was chosen for his Test debut, against New Zealand, in the third 1937 match at the Oval. Although only 19, he batted with assurance and was unlucky to be dismissed on 65.”Joe Hardstaff, batting at the other end, drove a ball which glanced off Giff Vivian’s fingers and on to the stumps,” said Hadlee. “Compton, backing up, was caught out of his crease.”The exceptional Englishman scored centuries in both the first and second Tests against New Zealand in 1949, plus a scintillating 148 for Middlesex against the tourists. Twice he played Tests on Lancaster Park, one in 1947 and the other in 1951, when he scored 79, and added to his reputation for affability by cheerfully signing autographs when fielding on the boundary.In the field he was fast, with a good throw, although bad knees slowed him down later. He had a sharp eye in the slips, but could field well anywhere.A more than useful left-arm bowler, he often broke a difficult partnership with a Chinaman or a wrong’un.Walter Hadlee remembers Compton as a man forthright in his views, but nonchalant and easy-going of demeanour. “He was a very special man,” he said.

On his disappointment at getting out with a century in sight.
It was pretty hot and humid out there – it’s got to be up there with the hottest conditions I’ve ever played in – so there was a lot of fluid loss that I’d had to fight through. I’d done the hard part, so it was a bit disappointing to give it away. I guess I was caught a little in two minds, but then again, I was pleased to spend some time in the middle.On England’s early batting collapse.
It was a timely innings to a certain extent, as there was some extremely low bounce on occasions, and when that’s the case, clumps of wickets can fall at any time. But once you’re in it’s not so bad, as we proved with some useful partnerships between myself, Rikki [Clarke] and Gareth [Batty].Those conditions can be pretty exhausting. But that’s something we know we are going to face all over the world – here, in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Australia as well. But we’re trying to become a fitter cricket team, and if we do that, then we’ll be better prepared to cope.On keeping wicket in these conditions.
Well, I guess if you break 90 overs a day down into three sessions, then that’s not too bad – 15 overs an hour with the spinners operating as well, it isn’t a massive ask. I’m enjoying keeping to the spinners, in fact. I imagine that, come the Tests, a lot of overs are going to be bowled by Gareth and Ashley [Giles], and obviously when we’re batting we’ll see a lot of overs against us as well. It’s something we worked at, and it’s all part of the gameplan.On England’s tough fitness programme.
We tend to go to the gym every other day for weights sessions, and the pool is always there to improve your flexibility and to get your body temperature down. And then, of course, there are the ice baths … Nigel Stockill [the physiologist] has got us working hard. But we hope to be the best cricket team in the world by 2007, and as well as that, we hope to be the fittest. If we are the fittest, then we know we’re giving ourselves every chanceOn taking over the wicketkeeping duties from Alec Stewart.
Everyone knows that, whoever is to be the long-term replacement for Alec, he has to start making big runs straight away. Whether it’s at No. 6, 7 or 8, he has to be a focal allrounder – those are big shoes to fill. And from my point of view it’s going well so far. My aim in first-class cricket is to be as good as any top six batsman out there, but I’ve batted at 7 all my life and I feel comfortable there.I’ve only had two warm-up games, so it’s hard to tell whether I could be a No. 6 just yet. But I hope to develop my game to a point where, if the selectors ask me to bat at 6, I’ll be able to do a job. The Australian side sets all the standards at the moment, and with Adam Gilchrist averaging 50-plus at No. 7, I don’t think there’s any hurry to push me up the order. At the moment I aim to stay there and make big partnerships with the allrounders Flintoff, Clarke and Collingwood. That’s the structure of the side that we want.On his technique against the spinners.
My feet movement felt good today. That was something that was prevalent at the [ECB] academy. Rod Marsh had simple rules – if you can get down on your feet and take the guy on the full toss or half-volley, then do so. If not, then wait for him to drop short and then play him off the back foot, or just defend it.But with Duncan [Fletcher] there’s a very different way of playing spin, with his theories on sweeping and forward presses. These are the bits and bobs I’d like to incorporate into my game, because out here especially, the sweep is so important. You have to be quick on your feet and disrupt the bowler’s rhythm. I’ll let him talk you through it one day!