Tag Futebol

Pakistan sounded a warning to their Asian neighbours when they defeated SriLanka by five wickets in Galle today to win the unofficial Test seriesone-nil. They came to Sri Lanka with an extremely young squad and have shownthat they have plenty of talent waiting in the wings when the seniors startto fade.Having saved the First Test Match in Dambulla by the skin of their teeth,Pakistan held the initiative throughout the last two games and, if the truthbe told, fully deserve to win the series: their batsmen showed greaterapplication, their fast bowlers were occasionally exceptional and, if thiswasn’t enough, they could count on the services of a fine wrist spinner.They were always likely to win this match after Sri Lanka had collapsed toDanish Kaneria last evening. Sri Lanka’s only hope was the overnightpartnership between Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene. They keptsuch hopes alive for 40 minutes this morning, extending the partnership to46 runs, before a wonderful rocket like throw from the deep square boundaryby Irfan Fazil ran out Jayawardene and opened the door for Pakistan.They needed no second invitation to wrap up the innings. By the time thatJayawardene had removed his batting pads, Malinga Bandara, the next man in,was walking back to the dressingroom having edged his first delivery straight to Hasan Raza at short gully.Thilan Samaraweera, obviously worried that he was going to get stranded,following the example of Raza yesterday and tried to pick up some quick runsbefore the innings closed. Unfortunately, he made the fatal mistake ofmissing a straight ball from Yasir Arafat and was trapped leg-before wicket.Dinusha Fernando rounded off the disappointment when he was run out by IrfanFazil, as he tried to pinch the strike. Sri Lanka had lost their last fourwickets for seven runs and Pakistan were required to score just 137 forvictory.Pakistan made heavy going of the target. Humayun Farhat, the wicket keeper,was promoted to open the innings, but he was trapped leg-before wicket inthe first over. Taufeeq Umar was also trapped leg-before, this time offSamaraweera, moments after the luncheon interval.Hasan Raza, the mainstay of the Pakistan batting throughout the tour, thenadded 24 runs with Salman Butt, before the young left-hander pulled lamelyto mid-wicket. When Raza was caught behind off Dinusha Fernando, Pakistanwere 67 for four and Sri Lanka may have sensed an outside chance of victory.Misbah-ul-Haq (23), who had saved the day in Dambulla, came to the rescueagain, this time with Faisal Naved (42*). The pair added 55 runs for thefifth wicket, to finally drain the spirit from the Sri Lankan’s. When Misbahwas bowled with 15 runs still required, they had already given up and it wasno surprise that the target was eventually reached courtesy of four sloppyoverthrows.Both coaches have maintained throughout this three-week tour that the endresult was of secondary importance to the identification of new talent. Bythat measure too, Pakistan have gained the most from the tour. Three playersin particular look like they can make the jump into the national team soon.Hasan Raza, still only 19 years old if you believe the statistics, standsout as the one class batsman, having scored 321 runs at 64.2. DanishKaneria is a leg spinner of great potential and claimed 21 wickets in theseries; whilst Irfan Fazil’s fast bowling was particularly impressive onthis lifeless surface in Galle.Sri Lanka meanwhile have discovered little, although they will take heartfrom the fact that the bowling academy appears to be bearing fruit, with anumber of promising young fast bowlers now emerging.Thilan Samaraweera distinguished himself with 21 wickets, AvishkaGunawardene stated a powerful case for a recall into the national squad, andthe performance of Michael Vandort was encouraging, if not compelling, withthe bat. Alas, the rest of the batting was hugely disappointing and,Samaraweera apart, no spinner grabbed the eye.Food for though then for the Sri Lankan selectors, who picked an unwieldy 22players for this three-match series. Apparently, the rationale was to giveas many players as possible an opportunity. The chances of them taking thatopportunity, however, were dramatically reduced by the ensuing sense ofinsecurity within the squad. Unfortunately, it’s back to the drawing boardfor Sri Lanka.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte could be without one of his key first-team stars this afternoon…

What’s the latest?

Spurs welcome Newcastle United to north London as both teams return to Premier League action following the international break, and the Italian will be hoping to maintain ground in the race for a top-four finish.

But ahead of kick-off, some worrying news has emerged as Sergio Reguilon could be a surprise absentee after pulling up in training on Thursday, as revealed by football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

‘football.london understands that Sergio Reguilon pulled up in training on Thursday with a problem and had to leave the session,’ he wrote.

Huge blow

Whilst not in the best of form, the absence of the Spanish wing-back would still be something of a major blow to Conte and the Spurs squad, especially as this game will be too soon for his alternative, Ryan Sessegnon, to return.

“The good news is that [Oliver] Skippy and Sessegnon are very close to being back with the team, to having training sessions with us. They are not yet ready for the game against Newcastle, but they are improving,” the Italian revealed in his pre-game press conference.

The prospect of playing the Magpies without an out-and-out left wing-back is certainly cause for concern, even more so given the fact that Conte’s system relies so heavily on attacking influence in the role.

Reguilon is amongst Spurs’ most creative options, averaging 1.3 key passes per game, a feat only bettered by frontline duo Heung-min Son (two) and Dejan Kulusevski (1.7), as per WhoScored.

Elsewhere, the former Real Madrid dynamo has been a key influence defensively too, where he has registered an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game; numbers that exceed that of Sessegnon.

If unavailable, it leaves Conte with little options.

Matt Doherty could switch across to the other flank, something he has done only three times across his last 50 competitive appearances in all competitions, whilst there could be a change in formation that sees Ben Davies deployed in his natural left-back role amongst a back four, rather than three.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

That’s something the Italian has done just once since being appointed as Nuno Santo’s successor, resulting in a 2-0 defeat to his former club, Chelsea.

Without Reguilon, Conte will be handed a late dilemma over team selection and that will surely leave him absolutely gutted, if not fuming as injuries show no sign of easing up at Hotspur Way.

AND in other news, Forget Davies: Conte must start £27m-rated Spurs “beast” today, it could be game-changing…

	Shane Warne will be wearing two hats in India © Getty Images

There has been much talk of the huge wages in the Indian Premier League but Shane Warne will certainly earn his money after being named both captain and coach of the Rajasthan Royals, the Jaipur team. Kepler Wessels, the former South African captain, will coach the Chennai Super Kings.Warne’s franchise is owned by Emerging Media who paid $US67million and their chief executive Fraser Castellino was pleased with snaring him. “We were looking for a legendary cricketer whom all players will look up to,” said Castellino. “Shane’s commitment and astute cricketing brain makes him one of the most respected cricketers in the history of the game.”Warne will be assisted by a strong support staff, which will include former Indian team physiotherapist John Gloster. “Shane Warne’s extraordinary achievements on and off the field, combined with his unique understanding of the game, has made him a living sporting legend,” Gloster said. “It is this leadership and experience that will develop the success and spirit of the Rajasthan Royals. All the players will look up to Shane’s commitment and astute cricketing brain.”The Chennai management were also happy with their choice of Wessels. “We wanted somebody who would keep the focus on cricket, be a good task master, and help us win the tournament,” VB Chandrasekhar, who is part of the management, told Cricinfo.It is understood that L Sivaramakrishnan, the former India player and currently, a commentator, had mooted the idea of roping in Wessels. Sivaramakrishnan and Wessels are part of the commentary team in Bangladesh for the home series against South Africa.Wessels and Warne join a high-profile list of names of IPL coaches, which includes Martin Crowe (Bangalore), John Buchanan (Kolkata) and Tom Moody (Mohali). Robin Singh is the coach of the Hyderabad outfit while Delhi had named Victoria’s Greg Shipperd as their coach. Mumbai is yet to select a coach.Team huntThe Chennai franchise have roped in Aniruddha Srikkanth, R Ashwin and Sudeep Tyagi, the UP fast bowler. Though they have 15 players in the roll and theoretically need just one more but they are looking to sign up six more players as they fear some of the international stars might not be available for the full tournament.The Mohali team has signed up VRV Singh and two under-22 players in Karan Goel and Uday Kaul, which mean they have 13 players and need three more players to complete the squad.Mumbai have picked Ajinkya Rahane and Abhishek Nayar from Mumbai and Maharashtra’ wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale and Baroda’s glovesman Pinal Shah.Hyderabad have already 16 players on their rolls. VVS Laxman (C), Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Zoysa, RP Singh, Rohit Sharma, N Arjun Yadav, Dwaraka Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha, D Kalyankrishna, P Vijay Kumar, Y Venugopala Rao, Haladhar Das (wk). Head coach: Robin Singh. Assistant coach: Kanwaljit Singh. Manager: Vijay Mohan Raj.

‘We managed to get a couple of early wickets and that put pressure on them’ – Jayawardene © Getty Images

Genius knows its worth. Reclining back in his chair, signs of a little belly now, Muttiah Muralitharan straightened slightly as he was asked if he was pleased to have got second use of the surface. The pitch did, after all, afford a little turn. “The wicket didn’t turn much,” he began saying, sincerely enough, before those eyes jumped alive, “it’s just that I have the ability to turn the ball.” Pressmen, baying for the Indian captain’s blood moments ago, broke into spontaneous laughter. Off the field now, but it is the joy which Murali brings.For one of his calibre, 3 for 41 was all in a day’s work. As ever, it is manner that speaks of the champion. At nets before Sri Lanka’s first group-stage match, he bounded in for an hour to right-handers from round the wicket and only round the wicket. It was evident that he was trying to get beyond the bowler who till some years ago was deemed a reluctant operator from that side of the wicket, limiting in whatever small measure his vast range, narrowing, specifically his chances of winning the lbw.Game time, and he snaffled Virender Sehwag at slip with a superb piece of bowling from round, and then trapped Mahendra Singh Dhoni first ball lbw from the same angle. Upon the second dismissal, Murali turned back and ran all the way to long-off, into the arms of Chaminda Vaas. “I have always been bowling with him,” he said later, “and we have more than a thousand wickets; in one-day cricket, we have nearly 800 wickets. So I enjoy bowling with Chaminda. I wish to thank the team, they gave both of us a break for the trip to India. If we had gone on that tour, we would have been very tired. So I am looking fresh and Chaminda is looking fresh.”As if his bowling effort was not enough, Murali also took a spectacular catch to finish the innings of Sourav Ganguly, topping it off with a swallow dive. “I have been trying to improve my fielding, because everyone in the team sometimes thinks I am too old! So I want to make a point to those people. I want to show them I can field better than anyone else.”The Sri Lankans themselves had a point to prove, having lost to India at home in two series over the past year-and-a-half. “Any side at home is stronger,” said their captain Mahela Jayawardene. “If you take us in Sri Lanka, we are much stronger than anybody. You know the wickets, you have the support of the crowds, especially when you are playing in India. You have 30,000-40,000 in most stadiums, and in Kolkata you have 80,000 shouting for you. So it is totally different. That is why when you guys asked me in India, ‘You are playing India in the World Cup’, I said ‘Yes, but not in India. We are playing in the Caribbean.'”What we tried to do over the last year or so is that we tried to play a lot of cricket away from home. We wanted to compete away from home, improve ourselves and see where we can be. The practice that we have been doing over the last 12 months has groomed us to compete abroad, get adjusted to wickets and conditions quickly, and play some smart cricket.”The Lankans in this tournament they have carried a real vibe, and while the work of their champions surprises no one, the maturity and consistency of the younger members has been impressive. “A lot of credit should go to our young guys, the way they batted in really tough conditions. We knew it was going to be pretty tough, especially against the Indian attack. That ball was doing a lot because they used a fresh wicket, it hadn’t been used during this tournament at all.”So we knew there was going to be a lot of movement. We managed to keep wickets in hand. I thought Upul (Tharanga) batted really well and Chamara (Silva) once again showed what a good cricketer he is. He batted through the middle period and got us to the 230-240 mark. It is really good to see the way we built our innings. The way we handled the situation and the way the Indian handled the situation, probably was the factor that made the difference.”Delighted as he was to defeat the neighbours in their place, Jayawardene would much rather that India stay on in the competition. “We would have loved to beat India and also see them going through to the Super Eights because they can beat some of the other teams as well. That would have been an advantage for us. So we haven’t written India off yet. I don’t think they are out of the tournament yet if my calculations are right.”Much too early, as is our wont in the media, Jayawardene was asked to compare this side with the World Cup-winning side a decade ago. “That 1996 side was an amazing team,” he said. “They just outplayed everybody. They created new waves in one-day cricket. They did a brilliant job. For us, it is all about just taking one game at a time. Things have changed. There are lots of good sides and you can’t make any mistakes. For us, it is focus and consistency. That’s the most important thing. As long as we do the hard work and keep going – that’s the main theme of this team.”

Jacques Kallis: ‘I think we had more opportunities in Australia and if we had held on to our catches, we could have done better in the Tests in Australia’ © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, believes that South Africa didn’t deserve to win any of the six Tests the two teams have played over the last four months in Australia and South Africa.South Africa had drawn the first Test at Perth but subsequently lost the next two at Melbourne and Sydney during their tour of Australia in December 2005. Australia’s two-wicket win at Johannesburg on Tuesday completed South Africa’s first whitewash at home in over a century.”Some of the Tests have been close, but I don’t think South Africa deserved to win any of them,” Ponting told SAPA. “I think we’ve been the ones who dictated the Test matches. We should have won at Perth, but South Africa put up a tremendous rearguard action to draw the match.”Sydney would be the one Test they could argue that they were probably in front of us and the weather, and the series the way it was, dictated their declaration – but still we got the runs, for two or three wickets.”However, Jacques Kallis, who replaced the injured Graeme Smith as captain for the third Test at Johannesburg, felt that the results did not reflect how closely the two series had been contested. “I think we had more opportunities in Australia and if we had held on to our catches, we could have done better in the Tests in Australia – but we’ve come a long way,” said Kallis. “We’ve made strides in Test cricket. We are still a long way behind Australia, but we are definitely moving forward.”You always want to play the best in the world. It’s been a long, hard challenge and to play against the best for four and a half months has been tough. You wake up, and you’re playing against the same guys, and you’ve got to be up and ready for the challenge and if you are not 100%, you get nailed.”New Zeland will tour South Africa for three Tests in April and May 2006. “We’ve got a new challenge with the series against New Zealand. It’ll be nice to see some black caps out there instead of the baggy green. So we’re looking forward to that challenge,” said Kallis. “There is the danger that we’ve been playing some very hard cricket, but we’ve got 10 days off, which means the guys can go away and get mentally prepared for New Zealand. It’s a huge series for us. I think it’s a series that could define our season. We’re going to be taking it very seriously – it’s a very big series for us.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Shoaib Malik played an invaluable hand in the top-order © AFP

A series which began so disappointingly for Pakistan ended in absolute delight as they thrashed India by 159 runs in the last one-day international, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, to take the series 4-2. As they had done in at least two of the previous three matches, Pakistan completely outplayed India in this one: the batsmen took advantage of winning the toss, piling up 303 on a pitch which wasn’t always conducive for strokeplay. Then, the bowlers and fielders struck repeatedly early in the piece, reducing India to 94 for 7, before they limped to 144.As has happened for much of this series, it was a team effort by Pakistan, with almost every player doing his bit. Shahid Afridi’s blistering 44 off 23 balls set the pace early in the day, while Shoaib Malik (72), Inzamam-ul-Haq (68) and the rest of the middle order ensured that a splendid start wasn’t wasted. Naved-ul-Hasan and Iftikhar Anjum then showed superb control and discipline with the new ball, and the fielding was exceptional – Yousuf Youhana twice scored direct hits to dismiss Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. It was all so good that Inzamam could afford to stay in the pavilion throughout the Indian innings, allowing Younis Khan to lead the team.As at Kanpur, Afridi got the innings going at a scorching pace. There had been question-marks raised about the pitch before the match, but it was scarcely a bother for him. Ashish Nehra had missed the Kanpur match, but here he got a taste of the Afridi medicine in his very first over. The first ball missed the outside edge, but that was as good as it got for Nehra – the next three balls all vanished to the on-side boundaries for four, the fifth was hoicked over midwicket for six, and the last one was crashed through covers. Twenty-two came off that over, and the tone was set.The Indians fought back well after that early massacre, but even after Afridi was dismissed, Malik and Youhana kept the momentum going adding 85 in just under 17 overs. Malik’s contribution once again underlined his ability to bat sensibly at the No. 3 position, while Youhana’s was another typically fluent knock.Dravid kept plenty of fielders in the ring almost throughout the innings, but the batsmen were still skillful enough to find the gaps for singles or boundaries. The partnership finally ended through a dubious third-umpire decision, with Youhana being declared out even when replays suggested he had made it to the crease in time. That only brought Inzamam to the crease, and by the time he fell, to another dubious decision, this time by Jayaprakash, Pakistan had enough runs on the board.Inzamam’s innings was another high-quality, classy knock, displaying all his characteristic strengths – the deft touches in the gaps to rotate the strike, well-controlled sweeps which spanned the arc between fine leg and midwicket, and powerful pulls and drives whenever the bowlers erred in length. In between the meaty blows, he ran excellently between the wickets as well, especially in the last few overs.

Shahid Afridi once again gave Pakistan the perfect start© AFP

Teams have chased over 300 in one-dayers before, but on a pitch increasingly lacking in pace and bounce, it was always likely to be a tough ask. And so it proved, as all Indian batsmen struggled for timing. Virender Sehwag threatened briefly, striking three fours in his 21 before steering one from Naved-ul-Hasan straight to slip. Sehwag could have been out even earlier, when he chipped the third ball of the innings straight to cover. Fortunately for him, it was a no-ball.Both Naved and Iftikhar Anjum were disciplined with the new ball, keeping it just a fraction short on the stumps and denying the batsmen the length and the width to free their arms. Tendulkar was done in by one such delivery which nipped back in and bowled him off his pads (36 for 2). Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni resisted briefly, but once Youhana’s direct hit found Dravid short of the crease, it was all downhill for India. Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Mohamamd Kaif all fell in the space of four overs, which was too much to take in for the Delhi crowd. They showed their displeasure by throwing bottles into the ground, forcing the players off the field. When play resumed, it was more of the same procession, and the match was over much before Nehra guided one to slip.For Pakistan, it was an outstanding comeback in the series, and one which should go down as one of the best comebacks in an ODI series. The Indians had plenty riding on this match – it was their last chance to level the series, and it was the last match with John Wright doing coaching duties. The result, though, wasn’t quite as they would have wanted it.How they were outPakistanSalman Butt c Sehwag b Zaheer 2 (28 for 1)
Edged one in the corridor and smartly taken by Sehwag low to his right at second slipShahid Afridi c Dhoni b Nehra 40 (68 for 2)
Slower one by Nehra angling away, thin nick gave Dhoni a regulation catchYousuf Youhana run-out (Tendulkar) 50 (153 for 3)
Called by the striker for a quick single behind the stumps. Replays showed he had made his groundShoaib Malik b Agarkar 72 (191 for 4)
Full-length delivery which swung in late, clipped the pad and then hit off stumpYounis Khan c & b Nehra 40 (282 for 5)
Leading edge while attempting to chip one to legAbdul Razzaq c Sehwag b Nehra 0 (282 for 6)
Hit a full-toss straight to long-onInzamam-ul-Haq c Dhoni b Agarkar 68 (294 for 7)
Given out caught-behind even though he had missed a wide one by a long wayKamran Akmal b Agarkar 5 (303 for 8)
Moved outside off to tickle the ball to the leg side and missedIndiaVirender Sehwag c Afridi b Naved 21 (31 for 1)
Tried to steer one to third man, but guided it to first slip insteadSachin Tendulkar b Iftikhar 9 (36 for 2)
Beaten by one that nipped back and clipped the stumps off the padsRahul Dravid run-out (Youhana) 19 (64 for 3)
Pushed to mid-on and called for a run, but caught well short by Youhana’s direct hitYuvraj Singh run-out (Youhana) 13 (84 for 4)
Sold a dummy by Dhoni, who called for a run and then changed his mind. Youhana’s direct hit did the restMahendra Singh Dhoni c Afridi b Arshad 24 (93 for 5)
Went down the pitch and played a lofted shot but found Afridi at wide long-onMohammad Kaif lbw b Razzaq 4 (94 for 6)
Rapped on the pad by one that nipped back and hit him in front of off stumpDinesh Mongia c Younis b Arshad 0 (94 for 7)
Edged one that turned away to first slipAgarkar c Youhana b Afridi 16 (129 for 8)
Pulled it straight to Youhana at long-onZaheer Khan c Younis b Arshad 7 (139 for 9)
Slogged one to short midwicket, where Younis picked off a fine low catchAshish Nehra c sub (Hafeez) b Afridi 1 (144 all out)
Edged a drive to slip

Aamer Sohail: no longer the man in charge &copyAFP

Aamer Sohail has been sacked as the chairman of Pakistan’s national selection committee. Wasim Bari, a former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has been appointed as his replacement. Bari will head a panel that also consists of Iqbal Qasim, Sultan Rana and Ehtshamuddin. Qasim is also the convenor of the junior selection committee, and will be the link between the two committees.Bari had served as chief selector earlier, but was sacked following Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2003 World Cup. Tauqir Zia, then the chief of Pakistan’s board, had out a new team in charge of Pakistan cricket, with Sohail being chief selector, Rameez Raja being the chief executive and Javed Miandad being the coach.Strong divisions surfaced within this new team, however, with Sohail and Miandad squabbling openly and Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, taking Miandad’s side. Sohail was considered close to Zia, but his pitch in the extablishment was queered when Zia abruptly quit two months ago, and was replaced by Shaharyar Khan, a former diplomat.Bari’s reinstatement is expected to affect the composition of the team, and there is even the possibility that Waqar Younis may make yet another comeback.

To say that cricket in this country tends to be a bit wary of change is to make one of the great understatements of all time. However, from the organisation of the national team down to grass roots level, changes are being made. One of the most radical is taking place on the south coast, where Hampshire are in the process of launching a public offer for investment in the company that operates its new ground – the Hampshire Rose Bowl.Chief executive Graham Walker feels that the investment opportunity will appeal to a wide spectrum from the hard-nosed businessman to the Hampshire cricket enthusiast who wants to take an active role in helping the club achieve it’s ambitions.”We know from talking to our own members that there is a significant level of interest in investing in the club,” he said. “Each of our existing 4,839 members is now a shareholder, but there is a preparedness by both existing members and potentially new members to become significant investors in the business going forward.”The actual investment will be in Rose Bowl PLC, of which Hampshire cricket is but one part. The business is more than just cricket, however. It includes the golf course, driving range, fitness centre, as well as a hospitality and outdoor event catering business which has just been acquired. The whole site consists of 150 acres, with some 40 acres available for additional commercial development, so it does have prospects.Walker is not looking for a bit of loose change here. “We’re hoping to raise £5 million, with a minimum of £2.4 million. We obviously did this after a great deal of consideration and we think it is the way forward. It allows us to accelerate our plans in terms of the development of the site as an international venue, and allows us to finish the job.”When the time is right, the company is likely to be floated. That will be a first for cricket, for although Durham formed as a limited company, like Hampshire, they are essentially a cricket club whereas Rose Bowl PLC will offer a much wider portfolio of interests. They are talking about a major leisure and entertainment venue with many attendant opportunities at the one venue.”Rose Bowl is more robust from that point of view, with the catering interest as well. That has already written a million pounds worth of business outside of the Rose Bowl complex at places like the Southampton Boat Show, polo at Windsor, rugby at Twickenham where we provide catering services.”One thing investors will be interested in as the background of those involved, and Walker is proud of a c.v. that includes ten years running the commercial marketing operation with the Football League, and more recently chief executive of Sale Sharks – the rugby club that he sold to new investors, and was commercial marketing director of the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. So he is not exactly wanting in a track record.Coupled with chairman Rod Bransgrove’s successful business background, everything appears to be in place to give the project a good start. Certainly the confidence is there, and there is no consideration of failure. It is just that the success of this public offer will determine the pace at which the Rose Bowl project can be completed. Not whether it will or it won’t be completed, just when. It is the sort of confidence that should rub off on English cricket as a whole.The offer opens at 10 am on Monday, 4th March and is open until 31st March. For a prospectus and further details, contact Graham Walker at The Hampshire Rose Bowl, Botley Road, West End, Southampton SO30 3XH or telephone 023 8047 2002.

Despite doubts over India playing Pakistan in Pakistan, the Asian Cricket Council has expressed its ‘fullest confidence’ that India will take part in the Asian Test Championship match against its neighbour scheduled to be played in Karachi in September this year.”We have no doubt the Indian tour to Pakistan this September will takeplace as scheduled and we are going ahead with the preparations for the grand event,” ACC general secretary Zakir Hussain Sayeed told PTI from Islamabad.Sayeed said both Pakistan Cricket Board and ACC were sure the Indian team would come as per the commitment made by BCCI President AC Muthiah at the ACC General Council meeting at Lahore late last month.”We are fairly certain about the visit as the Indian Government’s letter to the BCCI, which was shown to us at the ACC meeting clearly said India could play against Pakistan in all multilateral tournaments,” Sayeed said.The Indian team’s visit to Pakistan, the first in 12 years, came under a cloud after Sports Minister Uma Bharti questioned the BCCI committing itself for the Test without prior Government consent.According to the schedule announced by the ACC, India is to play the Asian Test Championship match against Pakistan from September 13 to 17 in Karachi.Both Sayeed and PCB Chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, who is also the ACC Chairman, will step down from the their posts in the continental body and hand over the reigns to Bangladesh at the forthcoming ACC AGM scheduled to take place in London on June 20.Prior to the AGM, the Asian Cricket Foundation will meet on June 16 inLondon to finalise its development programme, Sayeed said.The ACC office-bearers are elected on a rotation basis. Sri Lanka held the post first following its formation, followed by Pakistan.Sayeed said the ACC has made considerable progress in developing a special identity for the region by securing $6.5 million aid from the ICC to develop cricket in 11 countries in Asia.Besides initiating development programmes, the ACC conducted the Asian Cricket Championship and the Asia Cup limited overs matches.The highlight of the forthcoming ACC meeting would be the finalisationof the new constitution which has been prepared to synchronise with the constitution of ICC, Sayeed said.

West Brom striker Daryl Dike is expected to miss the rest of the 2021/22 season through injury, reliable journalist Joseph Masi has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Dike missing for months

The American joined the Baggies from Orlando City during the January transfer window, seen as someone who could spearhead their promotion charge.

Instead, Dike made just two Championship appearances totalling 84 minutes before picking up a hamstring injury, and he hasn’t featured at all since.

While it has been hoped that the 21-year-old could return before the end of the season, a worrying update has now emerged ahead of this weekend’s clash with Birmingham City.

The Latest: Masi provide negative update

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Masi claimed that Dike’s season looks set to be over, following an update from manager Steve Bruce in his pre-Birmingham press conference:

“Steve Bruce just held his pre-Blues presser. Daryl Dike unfortunately is unlikely to play this season. Bruce offered him the chance to do his rehabilitation in America but Dike wanted to stay.”

The Verdict: Enormous blow for Baggies

West Brom’s season has gone from promising to disastrous and this is a major setback in a campaign that is increasingly becoming one to forget.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Dike showed what a force he can be in the Championship with Barnsley last season, scoring nine goals in 14 starts, and without his goal threat, it is hard to see Bruce’s side getting back into the playoff picture.

The hope is that the youngster is back fully fit for the start of next season, at which point he will be primed to be one of the Championship’s leading strikers.