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Shane Watson has conceded he doesn’t know where he will fit back in to Australia’s Test side after missing all six matches of the home summer due to injury

Brydon Coverdale28-Feb-2012Shane Watson has conceded he doesn’t know where he will fit back in to Australia’s Test side after missing all six matches of the home summer due to injury. Watson was on Monday named Australia’s best ODI and Twenty20 international player of the past year at Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne, a day after he made his return to the national side.He captained Australia to a one-day victory over India on Sunday in Sydney, in the absence of the injured skipper Michael Clarke, and opened the batting with David Warner. It was Watson’s first game for Australia in more than three months after hamstring and calf problems sidelined him for the Tests against New Zealand and India.In the meantime, Warner established himself as a Test opener and Ed Cowan proved a solid companion at the top of the order. Warner, Watson and Cowan are all likely to be part of the Test squad that will tour the West Indies in April but it is not clear whether Watson will resume in the opening position or will slot in down the order, which would allow him to take more of a role with the ball.”I’m not exactly sure to be honest,” Watson said. “I’ve been watching from afar how impressive this summer has been. I want to be a part of that, wherever that is. I’ve loved opening the batting, there’s no doubt about that. But I want to be a part of it because it’s been very exciting to watch from afar and I really want to play a big role in that, whatever role that is.”One possibility is that Watson could move in to the No.3 spot that is almost certain to be vacated by the out-of-form Shaun Marsh, which would allow Warner and Cowan to remain the opening combination. Whatever the case, Clarke is excited at the prospect of regaining his vice-captain, and a man who will strengthen a side that won five of its six home Tests this season.”I can’t wait to have him back,” Clarke said after winning the Allan Border Medal and sharing the spoils of the evening with Watson. “It’s great to see him back playing one-day cricket. I have absolutely no doubt that he’ll walk straight back into our Test team. He’s been a great player for a long time but his performances over the last three years have been very consistent. It’s no surprise to me that he sits here again with another two awards.”If we keep him on the park he’ll be sitting here with a few more next year as well because he’s an amazing talent. He’s one of the few players these days who can perform in all three forms of the game with the bat, with the ball, pretty good in the field as well. He makes a big difference to our team. We’ve played some really good cricket throughout this summer to be able to win this most recent Test series without him. But as captain of the team it always makes life easier when you’ve got Watto in your team.”Watson’s two awards were all the more impressive given that he has missed so much cricket recently. But despite missing the first three quarters of the Commonwealth Bank Series, he was a close second to Clarke on Australia’s ODI run tally during the voting period and continued his individual success having won the Allan Border Medal in 2010 and 2011.”A couple of months ago I was struggling physically with my body to be able to even get on the park,” Watson said. “To even think I was going to come back and have a game like we did last night and then come tonight and get a couple of awards, it’s nice to think I must have performed quite well in the first part of the year because I haven’t played much recently.”

N Srinivasan has said the BCCI convinced the other member boards of the ICC to make the DRS optional by showing them a presentation on how Hot Spot had failed during India’s tour of England

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2011N Srinivasan, the new BCCI president, has said the Indian board convinced the other member boards of the ICC to make the DRS optional by showing them a presentation on how Hot Spot had failed during India’s tour of England. In an interview with , Srinivasan said the BCCI was not a bully but brought up the issue of the DRS again at the ICC executive board meeting in Dubai because the problems with Hot Spot were apparent.”The BCCI takes positions based not just on its own interests but also on its view on cricket,” he said. “In England, everyone could see the problems with Hot Spot, so we took the matter up again. We made a presentation of the decisions that clearly showed that Hot Spot was lacking accuracy. That is what convinced the members to revert to an optional DRS.” It is learned that the BCCI’s presentation showed eight correct decisions using the Hot Spot technology and also eight errors to make its point about the technology not being close to the 100% accuracy that is sought of the DRS.”We are not at all the bullies of world cricket,” Srinivasan said, “but on the contrary we go out of our way to assist other member nations. It’s difficult to dispel the notion that we are [bullies] because it is constantly referred to, but it is not a fact.”Srinivasan has taken over as president at a difficult time for the board, which is facing criticism after India’s disastrous tour of England. He refused to accept the claims that India’s slew of injuries during the England tour was down to a packed schedule or poor player management, repeating what he had said earlier about India playing the same amount of cricket as all other countries. “If we had won on the England tour no-one would have brought up the packed schedule,” he said. “It was a tour where we had bad luck. A number of players got injured during matches. Also, cricketers are highly paid professionals and are expected to take care of themselves.”He did say the board would look at the schedule again, “critically to see if anything can be done but I don’t accept the criticism that there is too much cricket being played.” He said it would be difficult to rework the schedule because the FTP was already decided and added, “It’s not so much the IPL and the Champions League, we have now got one ICC event every year … on the whole it is a crowded calendar.”Another issue that has been raised against the BCCI is that their earnings should be taxed as they are a profit-driven private body. Srinivasan denied this and said (video) the Rs 1.89 billion ($39.68 million) surplus the board made last year would all be spent on cricketing activities.”We are not a profit-driven organisation. As a professional, I would naturally like to get the best value for the product I have. So why would I sell my media rights short? Only to that extent do we run as a business.”Beyond that all the income we have is applied to cricketing activities: 26% goes back to the players, we spend on infrastructure, 70% of our income goes to the state cricketing associations and we also give them subsidies to build stadiums, plus the National Cricket Academy has a budget of 10 crores every year.”So, the 190 crores is a surplus, not a profit. By our own charter we have to spend 85% of the money we make in a year on cricket activities. If we don’t we can keep it in a fund but that needs to be spent in five years.”The reason it is important for the BCCI to have tax exemption, Srinivasan said, is because there is a lot of infrastructure that needs to be put in place and that will get delayed if the BCCI’s earnings are taxed.”If you take the number of venues we have in our country as compared to the population and size, we should have many more stadiums. It may cost thousands of crores of rupees to have all these built and the benefit of tax exemption is this can be done quickly and cricket can be taken to all parts of India.”One criticism often made of Srinivasan is that he has a conflict of interest from being a member of the IPL’s governing council and the head of the company India Cements, which owns the franchise Chennai Super Kings. Former BCCI president AC Muthiah has filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking them to pass an interim order preventing Srinivasan from functioning as the board’s president. Srinivasan said (video) there had been no occurrence in the running of the IPL to suggest any conflict of interest.”I don’t see any conflict of interest affecting my role as BCCI chief. On the IPL’s governing council there are eminent people, all independently capable of making their minds up on things. Nothing has been done specifically for one team. Everything that is decided is common for all teams.”I don’t think anything has happened which can be a cause of concern to anyone. All decisions have been fair and everyone has taken part in them. I have not really spoken on Chennai Super Kings. I have enough propriety.”Srinivasan said his first aim as the BCCI president was to ensure a better performance from the Indian cricket team than the one they put in on the England tour, and also said he wanted to “change the perception of the BCCI”.

James Franklin blasted 68 off 38 balls to take bottom-dwellers Wellington to a comfortable win over table-toppers Auckland at the Basin Reserve

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2011
ScorecardJames Franklin blasted 68 off 38 balls to take bottom-dwellers Wellington to a comfortable win over table-toppers Auckland at the Basin Reserve. Franklin and Brendan Taylor, who made 53, helped the hosts chase Auckland’s middling total of 157 in just 18.3 overs, giving Wellington their first win of the tournament.Wellington lost a wicket in the first of their chase but Taylor, the Zimbabwe captain, scored quickly to give them a platform. When Taylor was dismissed in the 14th over, Wellington needed 51 to win off 39 balls. Franklin needed just 30; he hit three sixes and five fours in his knock to take Wellington home.Auckland’s innings had been hampered by a cluster of wickets falling at the start and then again in the end. Early strikes had left them 45 for 3 in the seventh over. They recovered to reach 150 for 5 in the 19th but five wickets fell in the last two overs, preventing a final surge. In between those spells Gareth Hopkins and Anaru Kitchen played important hands. Kitchen scored 39 off 27 balls while Hopkins hit seven fours in his 49 off 33 balls. Grant Elliott struck twice in the last over and there was also a run-out. The flurry of the wickets at the end cost Auckland a few runs and made the chase easier for Wellington.

Stuart Clark has retained his playing contract with New South Wales despite stepping back from his on-field duties to focus on his new role as general manager of the Sydney Sixers Twenty20 side

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011Stuart Clark has retained his playing contract with New South Wales despite stepping back from his on-field duties to focus on his new role as general manager of the Sydney Sixers Twenty20 side. Clark did not retire when he took up the administrative job in May, but he said he would only play for the Blues in times of crisis and would instead put his energy into his off-field role.However, he has been named in the state’s squad for 2011-12, an indication that Clark might not have played his last game for the Blues. The news was not so good for the wicketkeeper Daniel Smith, the allrounders Tim Armstrong and Scott Coyte, the spinner Luke Doran and the fast bowler Joe Mennie, all of whom were delisted.From their 2010-11 squad, New South Wales also lost Mark Cameron to Western Australia, Peter Forrest to Queensland and Nathan Bracken to retirement. The promising opener Nic Maddinson, who is currently on tour with Australia A in Zimbabwe, was upgraded from a rookie deal to a full contract, while the allrounder Sean Abbott, the fast bowler Nic Bills and the legspinner Nathan Brain were all made rookies.”The regular availability of Simon Katich for the RTA SpeedBlitz Blues will be of enormous benefit both to the team and for the development of our young players,” the Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert said, “whilst the return from injury of fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Burt Cockley is eagerly awaited.”With 10 players on Cricket Australia contracts, the Blues were in an envious position compared to other states after the recent collective bargaining talks between the players and Cricket Australia resulted in a reduced number of state deals being offered. New South Wales were able to name a squad of 29, including CA players and rookies.New South Wales squad Doug Bollinger (Cricket Australia contract), Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke (CA), Burt Cockley, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins (CA), Brad Haddin (CA), Nathan Hauritz (CA), Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes (CA), Phil Jaques, Simon Katich, Usman Khawaja (CA), Brett Lee (CA), Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O’Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith (CA), Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson (CA).Rookies Sean Abbott, Nic Bills, Nathan Brain, Timm van der Gugten, Adam Zampa.

Chief selector Kris Srikkanth has blamed India’s collective batting failure for their poor performances, and said it had nothing to do with fatigue or poor preparation in the lead-up to the series

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2011Kris Srikkanth, India’s chief selector, has blamed the collective batting failure for series defeat in England, and said the loss had nothing to do with fatigue or poor preparation.”If you see the FTP, all countries are playing cricket 365 days a year whether England or Australia,” Srikkanth said. “It is not the Indians only. The fact is that cricket is being played the whole year in whatever format – Test, ODI or Twenty20. So I don’t think that it is the fatigue factor for the performance in England.”However in the last 12 months India have played more Tests than any other team and more one-day games than anyone except Pakistan. In addition to 14 Tests and 29 ODIs over the past year, India’s players also took part in the gruelling IPL, which began within a week of the World Cup final.In the first three Tests this series, India have not managed to post a total in excess of 300, and Rahul Dravid is the only batsman to have averaged more than 40. Srikkanth said the batting had failed to perform as a unit. “The batting did not click for us. In the Indian side, if batting clicks everything clicks. We also did not do well in bowling and fielding. England bowling attack is ideally suited for the conditions.”It is a fact that our top five batsmen have not clicked in the series so far. But the same bunch of cricketers have been doing well during the last couple of years. The same combination had defeated South Africa in South Africa. It our bad luck that in this particular tour nothing has clicked for us.”India had England struggling at 124 for 8 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, but a ninth-wicket 74-run partnership between Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann played a crucial role in England getting to 221. Srikkanth said India’s failure to capitalise on the opportunity was one of the key turning points in the series. “It is a question of mental toughness and our cricketers are mentally very tough … [but] at 124 for 8, if you look at it psychologically … psychologically there we lost the battle,” he told .The BCCI has been criticised by former cricketers for its failure to prioritise Test cricket, but Srikkanth defended the Indian board. “Let us not indulge in the blame game – on the players or the administrators or the BCCI. Nobody is to be blamed and it’s not the time for that. It is just that we are going through a bad phase.”England have replaced India at the top of the Test rankings, but while Srikkanth was confident India would be able to bounce back, he said it was time to rebuild the team. “We have to learn from the series in England, look into what went wrong. We also have to identify and support new talent when the time comes,” he said.”We all have to put our heads together and plan for the future,” Srikkanth told the . “We have to start the process all over again without complaining. We have to try our various combinations to get the best team like we did before the World Cup. We even dropped Yuvraj Singh, who came back strongly into the ODI team and left a huge impact on the tournament. We want to do similar things now.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Deccan Chargers in Mumbai

The Preview by Firdose Moonda13-May-2011Match factsSaturday, May 14, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Mumbai, who seem uncomfortable chasing, could use the match as preparation for the play-offs•AFPBig PictureIt’s not quite a case of top versus bottom, but its close enough. Mumbai Indians have been table-toppers for most of this IPL season while Deccan Chargers are the basement dwellers, and were the first to be knocked out of contention for the play-offs. Expectations of a mismatch are not unfounded and it will take a particularly poor performance from Mumbai or a supreme effort from Deccan for an upset to take place.Both situations have become reality once before in this edition of the tournament. Mumbai were bundled out for 87 to lose by 76 runs to Kings XI Punjab and Deccan were able to defend 129 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Nonetheless performances like these have been rare for either side and the difference in their form is as stark as this fact – Deccan have won as many matches as Mumbai have lost: three.More victories will do nothing for their cause but Deccan will want to go out having fought as much as they can. They will need their batting to improve significantly to achieve that. Their highest run-scorer is Kumar Sangakkara with 306 runs, and they don’t have a single batsman with an average over 28. It’s time for the likes of JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan and Bharat Chipli to step up. Against the dangerous Mumbai attack, which boasts Lasith Malinga, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh, that will be a tough task.Mumbai have batting worries of their own, seeming to have problems with chasing targets. They will be expecting more from Kieron Pollard, who has been nothing more than a gentle giant. Even so, Ambati Rayudu’s continued and promising form will be pleasing and Mumbai will hope that with Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, he can carry the line-up. The Deccan bowlers, while not as menacing as Mumbai’s, have put in a decent performance throughout the tournament, with Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma leading the attack.Form guide (most recent first) Mumbai LWWWL (second in table)
Deccan LLLLW (tenth in table)Team talkIt’s unlikely that Mumbai will fiddle with their combination too much after the success they have enjoyed this season. The only area of concern may be at the top, but with Davy Jacobs still nursing an injured thumb, Aiden Blizzard will probably keep his place.Deccan have the luxury of being able to experiment and may want to bring Cameron White back in as he is one of the names being mentioned as a possible captain when Sangakkara leaves. Daniel Christian has failed to impress and may get the chop.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team Selector.In the spotlightAmbati Rayudu is only nine runs behind Sachin Tendulkar on the run-getters’ chart and has shown his desire to stay at the crease for as long as possible. His 59 off 39 balls against Delhi was his most convincing knock and he will want to prove his worth marshalling the middle order, especially after being ignored by the selectors for the West Indies tour.Pragyan Ojha was a purple cap holder in previous editions of the tournament and has 57 IPL wickets. He has only taken seven this season, but his hunger has not lessened. He enjoys a big stage and the match against Mumbai may just prove the occasion for him to excel.Prime numbers Mumbai’s best scoring batsmen have been Tendulkar, Rayudu and Rohit Sharma. Andrew Symonds, who has scored the fourth-most number of runs for Mumbai, 127, is 160 runs behind Rohit Deccan have bowled out their opposition only once in 11 matches, but all three of their wins have come defending totalsThe chatter”We don’t mind losing from time to time. But the manner in which we lost the last game to King’s XI was disappointing. I think that has motivated the team. They are very keen to get that right and play better tomorrow.”

Wahab Riaz, debuting for Kent, and Sam Northeast shared an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 66 in 26 balls to help Kent win their first Friends Life t20 victory with a six-wicket win over Glamorgan

11-Jun-2011
ScorecardWahab Riaz, debuting for Kent, and Sam Northeast shared an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 66 in 26 balls to help Kent win their first Friends Life t20 victory with a six-wicket win over Glamorgan.After being put in to bat, Glamorgan appeared in control of the contest after posting a more than competitive 154 for five in their 20 overs on a slow Cardiff pitch. Kent looked in some difficulty at 59 for two at the halfway stage, which left them needing 96 off the final 10 overs. But Riaz (32), the Pakistan seamer, and Northeast (33) held their nerve to win the game with two balls to spare.Glamorgan had got off to a rattling start with skipper Alviro Petersen, who was awarded his Glamorgan cap in the interval, and Mark Cosgrove scoring 56 from the opening six overs. Cosgrove looked in prime form as he struck Azhar Mahmood for 15 off the third over of the innings including a six over long-off. Cosgrove followed that up by stroking a straight six off Charl Langeveldt before hitting Riaz for two boundaries in his first over.But Kent fought back well to slow Glamorgan’s run rate, which was helped when Cosgrove was dismissed for 47 from 31 balls after being caught by Robert Key at extra cover off Adam Ball.Glamorgan found themselves struggling for runs against the slower Kent bowlers on a tough pitch. It was left to Petersen, who scored 65 from 56 balls, to try to bat through the innings which he nearly did until he was bowled in the final over.At the start of their reply Kent’s openers Rob Key and Joe Denly found runs hard to come by, making just 37 runs in the opening six overs. And Glamorgan appeared to be heading for their second win when the spinners Robert Croft, who went for just 21 from his four overs, and Dean Cosker tried to strangle the Kent run rate.There were signs that Kent were not going to give up when Darren Stevens hit two sixes off Cosker. When Stevens was caught at long-on off Croft, Kent were reduced to 89 for four in the 15th over.But Riaz was sent up the order and immediately had an impact by taking sixes off Croft and Will Owen. Kent were left with 33 to get off the final three overs but kept their focus as Riaz struck the winning runs.

Sri Lanka Cricket is keen on using the Umpires Decision Review System (UDRS) for this month’s Test and ODI series against West Indies

Sa'adi Thawfeeq30-Oct-2010Sri Lanka Cricket is keen on using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for this month’s series against West Indies.SLC Interim Committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said the board was working closely with the ICC and Ten Sports, who have the television and broadcasting rights, to make the necessary equipment available for the series. According to the ICC’s regulations, the decision to use the UDRS for a series lies with the hosts but in consultation with the touring team.”We are keen to have the DRS system for the West Indies tour and we are working towards making it a reality,” Ranatunga said.Ranatunga said he has been made to understand by Ten Sports that the Hawk-eye technology, which is required to implement the DRS system, isn’t freely available all the time. It has to be hired from an international company which owns it and there is also the cost factor to be considered in installing it.”The ICC has said that it is prepared to bear part of the cost and we are hopeful that Ten Sports can have the system in place,” Ranatunga said.Hawk-eye is a system which traces a ball’s trajectory, with a claimed accuracy of 5 mm, and sends it to a virtual-reality machine.It uses six or more computer-linked television cameras situated around the field. The computer reads the video in real time, and tracks the path of the ball on each camera. These six separate views are then combined together to produce an accurate 3D representation of the path of the ball.Ranatunga said a final decision would be reached by next week.West Indies will arrive in Sri Lanka on November 8 to play a full series comprising three Tests, five ODIs and a one-off Twenty20 international.

Michael Clarke, Australia’s out-of-form captain, remains so determined to end his form struggle that he asked to play for his club side in Sydney today

Peter English29-Jan-2011Michael Clarke, Australia’s out-of-form captain, remains so determined to end his form struggle that he asked to play for his club side in Sydney today. The request was rejected by Australia’s selectors and coaching staff, who wanted him with the national team to prepare for Sunday’s fifth ODI, but it showed how desperate he is to spend quality time in the middle.The summer has been difficult for Clarke, who has failed to make his mark in the Tests or one-day affairs. He also retired from Twenty20 internationals to focus on the longer forms but that tactic hasn’t worked yet either.When Clarke saw his club team Western Suburbs was due to bat today, he suggested a change of itinerary to the team management. “I was keen to go back to Sydney and have a hit there but [the selectors and coaches] thought it was better preparation for me to be here with the team, which I agree with,” he said. “Any opportunity I get to play cricket now I’ll be grabbing with both hands.”He scored only 193 runs in the Ashes and has managed 70 in the first four ODIs against England. It is a worrying sequence but those around Clarke are confident he will regain his touch before the World Cup starts next month.”I’m definitely sick of talking about it and a lot of people are sick of reading about it,” he said of his run drought. “I’ve said before the facts are there. My performances haven’t been anywhere near as good as they need to be throughout this summer.”I’ve felt like at times I’ve been hitting the ball pretty well but I haven’t been able to go on and, not just get a big score or a hundred, but even get a 50 or a 70. I’m looking for answers and for me the only way to find those answers is to train my backside off.”While Clarke is struggling with the bat, he has been making astute decisions, including bowling the offspinner David Hussey in the final overs of Wednesday’s contest in Adelaide. Australia can wrap up the seven-match series two games early if they win at the Gabba on Sunday.Clarke visited a couple of schools on Friday that were affected by the damaging Brisbane floods a fortnight ago. While he didn’t get any batting advice, he was given a special request.”A lot of the kids said, ‘please win, please win on Sunday’,” he said. “The least we can do is give our all and continue to play our best cricket. I’m confident that if we do that we’ll get a result which will not only be great for us and this series, but hopefully put a few smiles on a few kids’ faces as well.”

Manchester City have a lot going on at the moment in terms of what’s happening on the pitch over the next few weeks.

In addition to their Champions League semi-final second leg clash against Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola’s side can’t afford to drop points in the Premier League, with Liverpool breathing down their necks.

However, it seems as though things are quite busy behind the scenes too at the Etihad Stadium in terms of one potential transfer which could take place in the near future.

What’s the news?

According to a recent tweet from journalist Samuel Luckhurst, sharing a corresponding report for Manchester Evening News, City officials have been visiting Mino Raiola, the agent of Erling Haaland, in hospital to progress the negotiations which could see the striker move to the Etihad this summer.

Considering how Raiola was taken ill recently, the fact that the City officials have been in contact with the agent in hospital shows just how keen they are to seal a deal for the centre-forward.

Since Haaland joined his current club Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, the 21-year-old has been nothing short of a goalscoring revelation. With 86 appearances to his name for the German giants, the Norwegian has scored an impressive 82 goals and provided 23 assists along the way.

To further highlight how deadly a striker he is, only Robert Lewandowski (2.35) and Patrick Schick (1.82) have a higher average for shots on target per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga this season than Haaland (1.58).

Fans will be delighted

Even though City are currently top of the Premier League table prior to this weekend’s round of fixtures, there have been times this season where they have failed to find the net, notably in both clashes against Crystal Palace.

With that in mind, having a clinical figure up front such as Haaland could be just what the reigning champions need in order to continue being successful into the future, which would surely delight a lot of supporters.

If City are able to secure a deal for the Dortmund hitman in the coming weeks, this would surely be a massive coup for them and make them an even more fearsome opponent for the rest of the Premier League, and indeed for whoever they come up against in Europe.

In other news: Man City eyeing “swashbuckling” £12.5m starlet, could be Guardiola’s next Kyle Walker