Cobras defend small total to extend lead

Beuran Hendricks’ spell of 4-0-18-3 led Cape Cobras’ successful defence of their total of 129 for 9 against Titans at Newlands. The 13-run victory was Cobras’ sixth in seven matches and it opened up a ten-point lead at the top of the table. Titans had been progressing at just about a run-a-ball in their chase when they lost Heino Kuhn for 53 to slip to 89 for 3 in 14.3 overs. Kuhn, however, was the only batsman to make more than 20 and his dismissal triggered a slide during which they lost three wickets for 16 runs. Albie Morkel’s inability to score more than 1 off 8 balls before he fell to Sunil Narine hindered Titans’ momentum. Narine finished with 1 for 23 in four overs as Titans were limited to 116 for 6. Cobras had also struggled in their innings, after choosing to bat, with Hashim Amla’s 33 off 24 balls being the top score. Morne Morkel hit Cobras hard at the top with a spell of 4-1-11-2, but it was after David Weise dismissed Amla that the innings fell away. Cobras collapsed from 75 for 2 in 10.5 overs to 129 for 9, but that proved to be enough.There was a run explosion in Durban, where Dolphins stormed to 214 for 2 and Lions replied with 198 for 9. After winning the toss, the Dolphins top order ran riot. Morne van Wyk scored his 44 at two runs a ball, Cameron Delport smashed 82 off 44 deliveries, and David Miller was unbeaten on 60 off 44. Azhar Mahmood, who went for 12.50 runs an over, and Imran Tahir were the only Lions bowlers to take wickets. The Lions chase got off to a fast start with Quinton de Kock and Alviro Peterson scoring 30s at a strike rate of more than 180, but once they fell the only significant contribution came from Neil McKenzie, who made 61 off 32. With the lower-middle order failing to contribute, the Lions fell 16 runs short.Dillon du Preez blitzed 24 off 7 balls and then took 2 for 17 in three overs to lead Knights to a five-run win against Warriors in Kimberley. Rilee Rossouw scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 64 but Knights were struggling for momentum and had progressed to 120 for 6 when Johann van der Wath fell. Eight balls were left in the innings and du Preez faced seven of them, hitting two fours and two sixes to lead his team to 145. Warriors made a sedate start to their chase to reach 58 for 2 in ten overs, but JJ Smuts cut loose by hitting two fours and a six off the first three balls of the 11th over. Du Preez returned in the 13th and after conceding a boundary he had Smuts caught for 44 off 27 balls. Warriors then needed 40 in the last four overs but Davy Jacobs and Wayne Parnell falling in successive overs spoiled their finish.

All eyes on Delhi's Sehwag and Gambhir

Delhi: The Sehwag and Gambhir show?

By Vishal DikshitWhere they finished last season
After losing (3) more matches than they won (2), Delhi finished fourth in group B behind Uttar Pradesh, Baroda and Karnataka. Despite enforcing a follow-on against Vidarbha in their last match of the season, Delhi fell three wickets short of a quarter-final berth.Gambhir and Sehwag: searching for a way back•AFP

Big Picture
Since winning the title in 2007-08, Delhi have qualified for the knockouts only once – in 2009-10. The 2011-12 season was particularly poor for them, when they won only one match and finished second from bottom in Group B. Last season, none of their batsmen or bowlers were among the top 15 run-scorers or wicket-takers: Mithun Manhas was their highest run scorer and Sumit Narwal got them the most wickets, and both players are aged over 30. This season, they will be without Shikhar Dhawan for the beginning of the season, if not for most of it.However, that’s not to say they’ll be short on star openers – unless they make unexpected comebacks to the Indian Test team, starting with the West Indies series, they should be available for Delhi through the season. And with both likely to be trying their hardest to work their way back into top form and earn a national recall, that augurs well for Delhi.Delhi have a new coach in Sanjeev Sharma, who was promoted from assistant coach to coach because Vijay Dahiya wasn’t available due to his IPL commitments. They also have a more-than-decent pace attack led by Ashish Nehra and comprising Parvinder Awana, Pawan Suyal, Rajat Bhatia and Sumit Narwal, who will have to make up for an inexperienced spin attack. Questions remain however, over how much the 34-year-old Nehra will play; he has said he may not be able to play back-to-back matches.Coach Sharma is of the view that the conditions in Delhi will make the seamers and fast bowlers critical to the team’s chances. “In the conditions we have, especially in the months of November and December, fast bowlers perform very well,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Seventy per cent of the bowling will happen after 10-15 November, so with the wickets and the moisture in the pitches here and in other parts of north India, like Punjab, we depend on our fast bowlers.”Key players
Still a part of the India squad at the beginning of the domestic season last year, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will begin this season in hopes of making it to the national team once again. Even though Gambhir has two recent first-class hundreds, one against West Indies A and the other against Gloucestershire, his record for Essex during his short county stint, with 239 runs from seven innings at 34.14, wasn’t exhilarating.Sehwag, on the other hand, has hardly played any first-class matches since his last Test, against Australia, in February. In two innings against West Indies A he produced scores of 7 and 38 in the middle order before rain in the Duleep Trophy final didn’t give him a chance to bat. He did not opt for a county stint and neither did he go to France to work on his fitness like India’s other senior discards. A new season might be their last chance to make it back to the national team, whether in the top order or middle. There’s no saying whether, by some luck, they’d make it to the home Tests against West Indies when the team is picked on October 29. If they don’t, the runs will have to flow this Ranji season for them to state their case.Click here for the full squad.

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Gujarat: Can they find consistency this year?

By Rachna ShettyWhere they finished
Fourth in Group A, behind Punjab, Saurashtra and Mumbai.A lot will depend on youngsters like Manpreet Juneja, who had found form for India A recently•BCCI

Big Picture
All through the group stage in Ranji Trophy last year, Gujarat were in with a chance of making it to the knockouts from Group A. At crucial junctures, however, their campaign seemed to run out of steam. It’s a weakness that their new coach, Vijay Patel, is well aware of and one that he says the team has worked hard on addressing in the off-season.”Our major problem was that we lost our bowlers towards the end of the season last year,” Patel said. “But we have addressed that this year. We started preparations for this season after August, in spite of the weather in Ahmedabad, and recently played a four-day game against Baroda as part of our preparations.”Among the bowlers to watch out for, Patel pointed out pacer Bhargav Merai and spinners Samit Gohel, Chirag Gandhi and Jesal Karia. Gujarat have had some of their players – Bhavin Thaker and Avi Barot – choosing to play for other teams in the lead-up to the season. Patel, who returns to the team as a coach, replacing Mukund Parmar, brushed away the transfers, saying the side was a settled unit. “There was a lot of competition to finalise this squad,” Patel said. “Last season, whenever youngsters, like Smit Patel, were given a chance, they performed and that has only been good for us.”Players to watch
Gujarat’s batting has a good mix of seniors like captain Parthiv Patel – their leading run-getter in last year’s tournament – and Venugopal Rao, but the focus will also be on youngsters like Smit Patel and Manpreet Juneja. Juneja, in particular, hit some form in recent games for India A, scoring 193 against New Zealand A in a four-day game, followed by half-centuries against West Indies A in the four-day game in Mysore.Another key player for Gujarat is Rakesh Dhurv. The left-arm spinner was the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat last year – 36 wickets in eight games at an average of 25.55. His experience will be important in leading a young Gujarat attack.Click here for the full squad.

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Odisha: Underdogs seek to upset

By Kanishkaa BalachandranWhere they finished last season
Sixth place in Group B.Biplab Samantray is one of the more recognisable names in a low-profile team•BCCI

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One of the more low-profile teams on the Ranji circuit, Odisha struggled last season to push for a position in the playoffs. A team lacking star players won just two games, though it was a marginal improvement from the 2011-12 season in which they failed to win a single game and finished at the bottom of the table. They began last season with a rained-out draw against Tamil Nadu, lost by ten wickets to Delhi but their campaign gained mileage with two consecutive wins against Haryana and Karnataka and at the end of that round, Odisha were on top of the table in Group B.That was followed by a draw against Maharashtra, and they failed to consolidate their position. Their batting struggled in the three following games as the side failed to pass 200 in six innings. Even a target of 145 against Uttar Pradesh was out of reach as they ended their Ranji season folding for 101. Debashis Mohanty, the former India fast bowler who is the Odisha coach, acknowledged that the batting was biggest problem but added that the team played “positive cricket” in order to push for results.The team now has a new captain in Biplab Samantray, who takes over from Natraj Behera. The squad’s practice in the lead-up to their first game against Punjab was interrupted by heavy rains in the state but Mohanty said the players had begun preparations well in advance and was confident the team would be well prepared.Key players
Odisha has produced less than a handful of players who have been selected for India, but from this squad, one of the more recognisable names who could put himself on the selectors’ radar is Biplab Samantray. The middle-order batsman and medium-pacer has been a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad in the IPL. Samantray was among only two centurions for Odisha in the previous Ranji season and he ended the season with 18 wickets. Samantray has featured in the East Zone team and this season is a chance to push for higher honours, such as the India A squad.After Debashis Mohanty, the other Mohanty making waves is Basant Mohanty, the right-arm seamer. Basant was the team’s leading wicket-taker last season with 33 wickets at an average of 16.27 and a miserly economy rate of 1.91. His only five-wicket haul sent Haryana crashing to 66 in Rohtak to bring up the team’s first win of the season. More will be expected of him this season.Click here for the full squad.

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Vidarbha: Developing side aiming for glory

By Amol KarhadkarWhere they finished
Fifth in Group B, one point behind the third qualifier from the group, with two outrights wins and six draws.The more Umesh Yadav is available for Vidarbha, the better it is for the team•Getty Images

Big Picture
Vidarbha started the previous season with an outright victory against Haryana, and added another six points to their kitty in the penultimate round against Odisha. Still, the most low-profile of the three teams that hail from Maharashtra, Vidarbha was never really in contention for a spot in the knockouts. Besides the two victories, their only notable performance was against Tamil Nadu, when they grabbed three points for the first-innings lead.A look at the batting and bowling charts reveals it was a sort of miracle that Vidarbha ended up in the middle of points chart. Neither a batsman nor a bowler from Sairaj Bahutule’s team featured in the top-25 run-getters and wicket-takers. While Faiz Fazal was the only batsman to aggregate more than 500 runs, Sandeep Singh was the most successful bowler with 27 scalps.Perhaps, the numbers are enough to justify Bahutule’s claim that “playing as a unit” is Vidarbha’s biggest strength. At the same, Bahutule, who has taken over as coach after retiring from first-class cricket at the end of last year’s Ranji Trophy, realises the team needs to perform more consistently. In order to strengthen the batting unit, Vidarbha have replaced Shiv Sundar Das with his former Orissa team-mate Rashmi Parida, who is renowned for holding the innings together.Even though the Ranji league stage will only end in the new year, Vidarbha’s fortunes will be clear midway through the round robin stage, as they play all four of their home games early in the campaign. If the team doesn’t impress in its home outings, they may well be fighting to avoid relegation as they go on the road against the likes of Mumbai, Punjab and Delhi.Players to watch
Umesh Yadav will be keen to cement his place in the Test side and regain his place in ODIs with a strong showing for his home team. The more he is available for Vidarbha, the better it would be for the team since he can work in tandem with left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh, who had been rewarded with an India A place during off-season. And Rashmi Parida‘s presence might spur on not only the young home-grown batsmen but also the other import, former India batsman Hemang Badani who had a mediocre last season with Vidarbha.Team speak
“We are a developing side. The boys are getting a taste of the elite division. Hopefully this year, we won’t just be competitive but we will be contenders as well.”
Click here for the full squad.

Ronaldinho inaugura exposição e recebe homenagem no Maracanã

MatériaMais Notícias

Ronaldinho Gaúcho segue colhendo frutos após o encerramento de sua carreira e sendo retratado em grandes obras. Após entrar na Calçada da Fama no Maracanã, o “Bruxo” inaugurou o seu espaço no estádio, nesta quinta-feira, que será chamado de “Fragmentos de um Gaúcho”. Um par de chuteiras, as pegadas registradas no início do ano e uma camisa do Barcelona relembraram um dos melhores momentos dentro de campo.

Além disso, o artista mineiro Camaleão, que fez as obras de arte de Ronaldinho, também esteve presente na cerimônia de apresentação. Ele desenhou 11 quadros do craque, que ficarão expostas no Tour do Maracanã até o dia 10 de março.

– Feliz de voltar ao Maracanã recebendo esse presentão do meu amigo. É difícil até encontrar palavras para descrever essa emoção. Nunca pensei que isso fosse acontecer comigo quando eu parasse. É mais um presente – disse o craque.

– É maravilhoso ser lembrado nesse estádio. É uma das tristezas da época do Flamengo, de não ter jogado no Maracanã. Mesmo assim, ser homenageado é um presente que poucos têm oportunidade. Fico feliz – complementou.

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A estação sobre a carreira de Ronaldinho Gaúcho conta com um par de chuteiras usadas pelo jogador, uma camisa do Barcelona e as marcas dos pés do craque. Agora, ele entrou para o seleto grupo que tem o espaço no Maracanã: Pelé, Garrincha e Marta.

O artista Camaleão comentou sobre a inspiração nas obras. Ele destacou que nada foi feito pensando na carreira, mas na criação de lances em que o “Bruxo” poderia fazer dentro de campo.

– A ideia da exposição foi não focar na história, na carreira, mas sim nos fragmentos do gênio. A primeira coisa que veio foi criar lances que não aconteceram, mas que nos pés do Ronaldo poderiam acontecer – explicou.

No momento em que estava observando as obras de arte pela primeira vez, Ronaldinho ficou impressionado. Ele elogiou o trabalho do artista e até brincou dizendo que não consegue imaginar como ele fez as telas com as mãos.

– São quadros maravilhosos, emocionante e é até difícil de acreditar que ele fiz isso com a mão. Bom demais… Dever cumprido com sucesso – disse emocionado.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho soma nove títulos internacionais – sendo os principais Copa do Mundo, Copa das Confederações e Copa América, pela Seleção Brasileira; e Liga dos Campeões, Libertadores e Recopa, pelo Barcelona e Atlético-MG. E seis títulos nacionais: quatro pelo Barcelona, um pelo Milan e a Copa do Brasil pelo Galo.

Sob tensão! São Paulo perde para o Talleres e se complica na Liberta

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo está em situação delicadíssima na segunda fase da Copa Libertadores. Castigado por um segundo tempo irreconhecível, o Tricolor paulista foi derrotado por 2 a 0 pelo Talleres nesta quarta-feira e sai do Estádio Mário Kempes, em Córdoba (ARG), com a responsabilidade de vencer por três gols de diferença no Morumbi na próxima quarta-feira para evitar eliminação precoce. A outra alternativa é fazer 2 a 0 e superar o rival nos pênaltis.

Soltando as amarras
Após um início de partida truncado, o São Paulo soltou as suas amarras e trouxe boas promessas. Hernanes cobrou escanteio e, na sobra, Bruno Alves obrigou Enzo Díaz a desdobrar-se para salvar. Porém, a equipe levava perigo mesmo quando ia à frente. Everton puxou contra-ataque e, após uma jogada entre Hudson e Jucilei, Nenê finalizou com perigo, mas Pochettino travou. Hudson ainda exigiu Herrera duas vezes.

Tallerines lutam…
De volta à Copa Libertadores após 17 anos, o Talleres viu os avanços de Palacios e Daryo Moreno esbarrarem no bloqueio são-paulino na etapa inicial. Suas melhores chances ocorreram com Moreno, que aproveitou vacilo de Bruno Peres, e em uma batida de Guiñazú por cima do travessão.

… e marcam em vacilo tricolor!
A volta do intervalo trouxe um Tricolor paulista fora de ritmo. Desatenta, a equipe de André Jardine mostrava-se frouxa na marcação, permitindo contra-ataques. E o castigo veio rapidamente: após Bruno Alves cortar um lançamento, Juan Ramírez, livre de marcação, finalizou da entrada da área para abrir o marcador.

Desnorteado
Em desvantagem, o São Paulo ainda esboçou uma reação, tanto com a entrada de Diego Souza quanto no momento em que Pablo desviou cruzamento e carimbou a trave. Contudo, a expulsão de Hudson desnorteou de vez a equipe. A equipe de André Jardine ainda tentou se fechar mas, aos 41 minutos, veio o tiro de misericórdia. Pochettino recebeu passe e, após passar como quis entre os zagueiros, decretou a vitória por 2 a 0. Resta ao Tricolor paulista honrar sua força no Morumbi para não ter uma eliminação prematura.

FICHA TÉCNICA

TALLERES (ARG) 2 x 0 SÃO PAULO

Data-Hora: 06-02-19 – 21h30 (de Brasília)
Estádio: Mário Kempes, em Córdoba (ARG)
Árbitro: Wilmar Roldán (COL). Nota L!: 7,0 – Distribuiu bem os cartões e acertou na expulsão de Hudson
Assistentes: Alexander Guzman (COL) e John Alexander Leon (COL)
Cartões amarelos:Cubas (TAL), Pablo, Hernanes, Hudson (SAO)
Cartão vermelho: Hudson (SAO)
Gols: Juan Ramírez, 14/2T (1-0) e Poccetino, 41/2T (2-0)

TALLERES: Herrera; Godoy, Kenaglia, Komar e Díaz; Cubas, Guiñazú, Pochettino (Sonõra, 43/2T) e Juan Ramírez (Bersano, 26/2T); Palacios e Daryo Moreno (Junior Arias, 37/2T). Técnico: Juan Pablo Vodvoda

SÃO PAULO: Tiago Volpi; Bruno Peres, Arboleda e Reinaldo; Jucilei, Hudson, Hernanes (Willian Farias, 37/2T) e Nenê (Diego Souza, 20/2T); Pablo e Everton. Técnico: André Jardine

Donald prepared for 'massive challenge'

Allan Donald knows his main job as head coach is to turn Pune Warriors’ fortunes around after two poor seasons

Firdose Moonda27-Mar-2013While Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo will spend the next two months playing with their kids, the other member of South Africa’s coaching staff, Allan Donald, has adopted what looks like a set of problem children. Donald will spend time as head coach of the Pune Warriors squad, who he meets on Thursday, and has been tasked with changing their fortunes.Pune finished IPL5 at the bottom of the table and won only four of their 16 matches. The best they’ve performed in a season is in second-last spot after their maiden run in 2011. Since then, instead of positive results, they have racked up controversies.Their first campaign was nearly aborted because of sponsorship disputes. When it was decided they would play, Sourav Ganguly was picked as their captain and his relationship with the franchise appeared to deteriorate steadily. He was appointed their mentor for the second season.In their playing group was Jesse Ryder, who was going through a personal crisis and travelled with a personal psychologist, and Wayne Parnell and Rahul Sharma, who were involved in a drug raid at a party. In an effort to change things, they bought Michael Clarke to captain them this season but before it could begin, he was ruled out of the tournament with a back problem.Donald admits things have not been easy and knows his main job is to turn that around. “We’ve had two tired years so this season is about finding some confidence,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “In a tournament like the IPL, it’s a difficult thing to understand. How do you gain confidence and momentum?”Last year, we started pretty well and then things backfired massively. It was quite a nightmare. But we’ve looked at a bit of restructuring and I think this is still a great stage to take on a team.” Ganguly is no longer involved and Donald is taking South Africa’s conditioning coach Rob Walter, who was with Delhi Daredevils, with him to try and bring in some of the culture that has made the national team so successful.”We’ve got a good blend of younger players to mix with the leadership group but now we’ve got to get it together,” Donald said. “There’s been a bit of reworking and we seem to have good systems in place so I am looking forward to a better season.”For Donald, the way the team performs is a direct reflection on his ability as a coach, something he wants to develop over the next two months with a view to future endeavours. “Every time challenges get thrown at you, you should take them and this is a massive challenge. It doesn’t get any bigger than the IPL. Ultimately I want to become a head coach and I think this will be step in that direction.”Donald has served as bowling coach to England, New Zealand and South Africa but he has never been the head coach. Bangladesh were interested in him for the main job shortly after he joined Kirsten’s ranks and he turned them down. With Kirsten having made it clear he does not intend to stay involved indefinitely, Donald may be eyeing taking over if the opportunity comes up in the future.He will be one of two South African head coaches at this year’s tournament. The other is Ray Jennings who has been in charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the second season. Shaun Pollock, Jonty Rhodes, and Doug Watson worked at the Mumbai Indians in the past and Kepler Wessels was with Chennai Super Kings in the first season. On face value, Donald has a tougher task than any of his compatriots, especially because he has not had a break.Donald will depart just four days between the end of the South African series against Pakistan and the start of his new job. He could be in India until May 26, should Pune reach the final. Five days after that, South Africa will play Holland in a warm-up match for the Champions Trophy. Even if his stay with the IPL ends with the franchise’s last match on May 18, Donald will only have little more than a week before he has to resume his national duties.His travels will be made easier because his family is accompanying him for a longer period for the first time. His wife and two children will be at the IPL and it will be his daughter’s first visit to India which he said she is very excited about. But before he can make time to show her the sights, he wants to concentrate on mentoring Pune’s young bowlers.Donald identified recent Test debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar as one he would like to mould. “He is not express pace but he is very skilfull. There is a lot to work with there,” Donald said. Others who will hope to benefit from Donald’s experience are Ashok Dinda, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson and someone who has worked with him before, Parnell. “I always enjoy working with talented bowlers and I hope to make able to make some sort of impact.”

Hathurusingha enjoying stint as acting NSW coach

Former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusingha, who played 26 Tests and 35 ODIs, is pleased to be fulfilling his new role as the acting head coach of the Australian state side New South Wales (NSW).”It came as a surprise, but it was recognition of my contribution to the NSW team since I became their assistant coach in September last year,” Hathurusingha said. He took over for the rest of the current Australian season following the sacking of Anthony Stuart, who had been coach of the state since May 2011.”It was not the ideal situation for me because I cannot do things my way as it is in the middle of the season, but nevertheless I am honoured,” he said.NSW is the among the most successful domestic cricket teams in Australia, with a rich history of many players having represented the national team. The present side includes Australia captain Michael Clarke, his deputy Shane Watson, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Moises Henriques, Steve Smith and state captain Stephen O’Keefe – all of whom have represented Australia at some point in their careers.”It is a matter of prestige for a Sri Lankan to be coaching such a side. I enjoy working with them,” Hathurusingha said.Hathurusingha, whose CV includes being coach of Canada and the UAE, had at one point been thought of as a replacement for former head coach Trevor Bayliss, but he doesn’t mind his current position.”I was technical advisor to the NSW team (Sydney Sixes) during the Champions League in South Africa and when Trevor Bayliss went over to Kolkata Knight Riders, I more or less took over his position and we went on to become champions,” Hathurusingha said. “Even if I don’t get the job as head coach I am not worried. I am quite happy with my current position as assistant coach.”He said his chances of becoming the permanent head coach of NSW depended on the team’s performances this season. They are already out of the Ryobi one-day competition and are currently lying fourth in the Sheffield Shield table.”Many of our players are called up to play for Australia and this has affected our team performances,” he said. “My job is to help them achieve their goal of playing for Australia and also to develop players from the state to go and represent the country. I am not only helping the [batsmen] but even the bowlers. The feedback from them has been very encouraging. All of them are aspiring to play for Australia and I am delighted to be of help.”These players know how to take care of themselves individually. They are independent and once they are told something they go ahead and do it. That comes from their culture. In Sri Lanka, some of the players need to be pushed.”Hathurusingha was sacked by the previous Sri Lanka Cricket administration under DS de Silva as he had not obeyed the chairman’s orders not to return early from a tour of Zimbabwe to follow a coaching course in Australia in 2011. He left for Australia with his family and took on the job as assistant coach of NSW.”My sacking turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was disappointed the way I was asked to go. I would have loved to have coached my country but unfortunately the administrators at that time did not see it that way.”

'India need Tendulkar now more than ever' – Dravid

With the series against England level at 1-1 India need Sachin Tendulkar to deliver more than ever, the former captain Rahul Dravid has said

Siddhartha Talya27-Nov-2012With the series against England level at 1-1, and following the poor performance in Mumbai, India need Sachin Tendulkar now more than ever, former captain Rahul Dravid has said, and he has backed him to perform in the rest of the series.Tendulkar has not scored a half-century in his last ten Test innings and has managed just 29 runs in the three innings he’s played against England so far in which he’s been dismissed each time to spin. Dravid, however, said Tendulkar looked better than he did in the previous home series against New Zealand, and “who better than Sachin” to deliver in the next two games.”I thought he was a little scratchy and looked a little under-prepared against New Zealand,” Dravid said of Tendulkar, who prepared for the England series with a century for Mumbai in their opening game of the Ranji Trophy against Railways at the Wankhede Stadium. “Here, I know it seems strange to say after he’s had three failures, but he’s actually looking quite good.”He’s played a couple of straight drives, he’s played a couple of shots that when I was playing with him, you knew he was playing well if he was playing those shots.”Tendulkar, Dravid said, had also been a little unlucky in this series. “He’ll be disappointed with the shot he played to get out in Ahmedabad on a relatively flatter wicket, and then to see other people score runs. Here, he was a bit unlucky: the first ball that really spun on the first morning was the one that got him. Until then there weren’t too many balls spinning. And then he played for the spin in the second innings and the ball straightened on a track on which every ball was spinning.”India need him now more than ever. At 1-1 in a tight series, it’s going to be very important for senior players to stand up and who better than Sachin to do that.”India went in with three specialist spinners for the Mumbai Test, on a surface that turned from the outset, but Dravid said, given that the conditions in Kolkata would be different, India would be better off with a combination of two spinners and two seamers.Sachin Tendulkar has played ten Test innings without a half-century•BCCI”It’s a different kind of soil, it does not break up,” he said. “It’s black soil, red soil [like in Mumbai] tends to deteriorate very quickly and if you leave it dry, it can turn and bounce a lot more than the black soil does.”I think that’s a blessing in disguise from India’s point of view. They might have to work harder for the wins but it’ll also give their batsmen a chance to be able to put up big scores, and to be able to show they are good players of spin.”Dravid admitted Dhoni had problems using his spin resources in Mumbai, especially with the availability of two other part-time options. “He’s going to have to re-look at his combination, simply because it’s going to be difficult to manage three spinners and especially having Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag in the side who can also bowl spin.”The combination they had in Ahmedabad was the best one, where they had two seamers and two spinners. Hopefully we’ll see a normal Kolkata wicket. India have a great record in Kolkata, we’ve had a lot of success in Kolkata, because it is a typical subcontinental wicket. As it starts off, you can play your shots, there is something in it for the fast bowlers but it does spin.”Umesh Yadav will miss the Kolkata Test due to injury, and Ashok Dinda has been included in the squad having been named as cover last week. Should Dinda be picked in the XI, Harbhajan Singh, who bowled the least number of overs among India’s spinners in Mumbai, may be left out.

روما يتعادل سلبيا مع ريال سوسيداد ويتأهل إلى ربع نهائي الدوري الأوروبي

تعادل فريق روما سلبيا مع مضيفه ريال سوسيداد الإسباني، في إياب دور الستة عشر من الدوري الأوروبي، مساء الخميس، على ملعب ريالي أرينا، مستفيدا من فوزه ذهابا.

وفاز روما في مباراة الذهاب على ملعب الأولمبيكو، بهدفين دون رد، سجلهما ستيفان الشعراوي بعد عرضية من تامي أبراهام، ومارش كومبولا بصناعة من باولو ديبالا.

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شهدت المباراة إصابة الظهير الأيمن لذئاب العاصمة الإيطالية، ريك كارسدروب في الدقيقة 41، ودخل بدلا منه نيكولا زالفيسكي، صاحب الـ21 عاما، والذي يلعب عادة في خط الوسط.

وتعرض مهاجم ريال سوسيداد البديل، كارلوس فرنانديز، الذي دخل في الدقيقة 62، للطرد، بعد حصوله على البطاقة الصفراء الأولى في الدقيقة 87 بعد ارتكابه خطأ، قبل أن يحصل على البطاقة الصفراء الثانية في الدقيقة الثامنة من الوقت بدل من الضائع بعد مجادلة مع كريس سمولينج مدافع روما، لينتهي اللقاء بالتعادل السلبي.

صن داونز يتخذ قرارًا جديدًا قبل مواجهة الأهلي في بطولة إفريقيا

أعلن نادي ماميلودي صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي عن فتح مدرجات ملعبه أمام الأهلي يوم السبت في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ماميلودي صن داونز يتصدر مجموعته بـ7 نقاط، على حساب الهلال بفارق 3 نقاط، والأهلي ثالثًا بـ 4 نقاط، وأخيرًا القطن بدون رصيد.

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وتعادل صن داونز مع الأهلي في مباراة استاد السلام الأسبوع الماضي بهدفين لكل فريق، قبل أن تجمع بينهما مباراة الجولة الرابعة لإطار المجموعة الثالثة من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا يوم السبت المقبل.

النادي الجنوب إفريقي، أصدر بيانًا رسميًا عبر حسابه على تويتر، وأكد من خلاله أن الدخول لمدرجات ملعب لوفتوس فيرسفيلد بمدينة بريتوريا سيكون مجانيًا.

وكتب النادي عبر حسابه: “تعال إلى الملعب يوم السبت واستمتع بهذا الديربي الإفريقي الساخن مجانًا، لا يسعنا الانتظار لرؤيتك في المدرجات، انضم إلينا في تشجيع الفريق، ورسم المدينة بالكامل باللون الأصفر”.