Ricky Ponting is prepared to experiment with his bowling line-up in the final World Cup warm-up match against England on Friday as he tries to discover his best combination. Australia were unable to dismiss Zimbabwe on a slow pitch in St Vincent, where they broke a five-match losing streak with a 106-run win, and the attack was the main problem during the batch of losses to England and New Zealand.”We’ve got to keep the bigger picture in mind,” Ponting told AFP. “If we are not completely convinced as to what our best 11 is, we might have to give the five, six or seven bowlers the seven or eight overs, rather than five bowlers 10 each. We’ll see how that game pans out.”Brad Hogg’s role is again a worry after he completed his sixth game without a wicket and picked up figures of 0 for 36 off eight overs. Hogg has said he is bowling as well as he ever has and Ponting has told him to relax.”In the last three or four overs against Zimbabwe he did that,” Ponting said. “He’s Australia’s best one-day spin bowler. There’ll be a lot of opportunities for slow bowlers in this tournament.”Brad Hodge, the part-time offspinner, chipped in with a wicket during his six overs while Michael Clarke, the left-arm slow bowler, is expected to play a significant part in the tournament. Australia’s balance has been severely disrupted by Andrew Symonds’ arm injury, although he has started to throw.”I thought Hodge did a good job for us,” Ponting said. “We’ve got Michael Clarke, who will be able to do a job for us at some stage. If we get Symonds back I hope he’s going to be a big part of that slow-bowling brigade. We feel that we’ve got basically all the bases covered on what we need in a World Cup.”Despite not knowing his preferred line-up, Ponting’s goals are high. “I want to win every game we play while we are here,” he said. “Hopefully we can go through winning every game. For us, it’s important to get a bit of a winning feeling back around the team. We’ve lost five games in a row and that’s something this group of players is not that used to.”
Phil Jaques, the New South Wales batsman, embarked on a mystery tour of South Africa today after answering an injury SOS from the national team. As an insurance policy for Ricky Ponting [stomach] and Andrew Symonds [hip], Jaques left for South Africa on a trip that could offer endless opportunities or none at all.The worst-case scenario is he will return to Australia after watching the second and third ODIs against South Africa in Cape Town on Friday and Port Elizabeth on Sunday, but if he grabs a chance his stay could be extended to include the three-Test series. Jaques is not concerned by either situation.”At this stage I am there for the two games just as cover, so we’ll wait and see what happens,” Jaques said in . “I’ll be over there so I’ll be preparing to play regardless.”Jaques has appeared in only one limited-overs international – he scored 94 in Melbourne during the VB Series – and he was not required for the home finals or the initial touring squad. Simon Katich’s form blocked his way at the top of the order but Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, was also concerned with Jaques’s fielding.An old shoulder injury takes some power away from his throwing, but Jaques said he has always focussed on improving his skills and is comfortable in the slips. “It obviously doesn’t come as naturally to me as to some other blokes, but I’ve been working hard doing the hours in the training park, coming in early and staying late,” he told the paper. “I won’t feel any pressure with regards to the fielding.”With four centuries in the ING Cup one-day competition this summer, Jaques has been in tremendous form and he is ready for any vacancy. A spot in the middle order, where he has played for Yorkshire, is likely if he steps in for Ponting or Symonds. “If you can open the batting you can bat anywhere, so I’ll be going about my business and if there is a spot I’ll take it,” he said. “I’m just going to go out and enjoy it and take every opportunity that I can.”
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the Pakistan fast-medium swing bowler, has signed with Sussex for the 2005 season. He will join Mushtaq Ahmed at Hove, but will not arrive until June because of Pakistan’s tour of the West Indies. Matthew Nicholson, the New South Wales fast bowler, is a possible short-term replacement.Naved, 27, told “I have always aspired to play in England. This chance with Sussex will provide me with a great opportunity to learn and improve. I heard from greats like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis that a bowler improves by playing in England. I would love to polish my talent there.”Naved has played in three Tests, but has made more of an impact in the one-day arena, where his 22 ODIs have brought him 33 wickets at 30 apiece. He has proved an effective performer with the new ball, and was one of the few positives to come out of Pakistan’s tour to Australia during December and January.Recently, he has taken on added responsibility within the Pakistan attack because of the injuries to Shoaib Akhtar and poor form of Mohammed Sami. He is an ideal type of bowler for a county side, with the stamina to run in all day and exploit any hint of movement. As with many Pakistan seamers, he is a good exponent of reverse swing.
Mohammad Kaif will miss the forthcoming VB Series against Australia and Zimbabwe.Kaif damaged a thumb while playing for the India A team and will not recover in time to take any part in the triangular competition. A replacement will be named by the selectors within a couple of days.Kaif visited orthopaedic surgeon Dr Anant Joshi, and was immediately declared unfit. He was only named in the one-day squad because India’s physio had said that he would recover by the start of the series.
Cricket fans take a bow. Cricket Victoria salutes you for your contribution to what has emerged as one of the most successful Test Matches ever staged in Melbourne.Approximately 178,000 people went through the turnstiles, nearly 1000 attended Cricket Victoria’s Boxing Day Breakfast, while corporate hospitality sales reached near-record levels.Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Victoria, Mr Ken Jacobs said the result was a tremendous one for Victorian cricket. "Its been a very successful five days of Test Match cricket, with the attendance figures reinforcing the position the Boxing Day Test holds amongst the top of Australia’s sporting events.Jacobs said the events accompanying the Test Match added to whole spectacle. "Cricket Victoria hosted a magnificent Volunteers Breakfast Awards function on the morning of the third day’s play at which ICC CEO Malcolm Speed was guest speaker, while the on-field entertainment showcased our junior development programs as well as some of our former Test legends. Victoria’s successful Under 19 side was lauded at the lunch break on day three and of course everyone enjoyed the contribution of the Barmy Army throughout the match".Jacobs added, "I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the cricket fans who attended the match. In particular I’d like to congratulate the Victorian fans who year in year out, turn up in their tens of thousands and contribute to make the Boxing Day Test the spectacle it is. Its economic value to the City of Melbourne cannot be underestimated and we are extremely proud of the contribution this match makes to Melbourne on an annual basis".
Riding on a fine unbeaten 158 by the in form opener Jai P Yadav,Central Zone ended with 342 for three at stumps on the opening day oftheir Duleep Trophy match against West Zone at the VCA stadium inNagpur on Thursday.It was a good toss to win for Central Zone skipper Amay Khurasiya andYadav and Amit Pagnis (62) gave their side a splendid start by puttingon 131 runs off 29.2 overs. Pagnis was then out to Hrishikesh Kanitkarafter facing 92 balls and hitting eleven fours. Kanitkar struck againin his next over when he bowled the dangerous Khurasiya for just one.But Yadav and Md Kaif prevented a collapse by some confident batting.After scoring 46 however, Kaif retired hurt, He faced 89 balls and hitfive fours. The experienced Gagan Khoda was out quickly, leg before toZaheer Khan for four. But Yadav continued to bat with ease and he andRaja Ali took the score from 244 to 342 off 25.4 overs. By close,Yadav had faced 272 balls and hit 22 fours and a six. Raja Ali, whohad dominated the unbroken fourth wicket partnership, was on 54 atstumps. He has so far faced 93 balls and hit six fours and a six.Kanitkar picked up two wickets but was expensive, conceding 70 runs inhis 13 overs.
Manchester United are stuck in limbo right now when it comes to their managerial saga.
It’s quite apparent that interim head coach Ralf Rangnick will be leaving his post in the summer and moving upstairs, but who will replace him at Old Trafford is anyone’s guess.
What’s the word?
Mauricio Pochettino is still believed to be among the favourites for the job but the man everyone appears to be talking about right now is Erik ten Hag.
The current Ajax boss has reportedly been interviewed by the club but now their pursuit of the Dutchman seems to be going up a notch.
That’s according to Sky Sports who claim that groundwork is being done in order to smooth over an announcement should everything be negotiated sufficiently.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A report on Wednesday reads: “Sources close to Ten Hag and the Dutch club have suggested that dialogue has taken place over the financial element as well as how to handle a possible announcement – should the process progress that way – in terms of timing and presentation, given Ajax are in a tight title race.”
Great news for Man UnitedAlthough this doesn’t officially confirm whether ten Hag is on his way to the Theatre of Dreams, it does hint that the Ajax manager is considerably high up on their list of managerial targets.If they are already discussing the intricate details as listed above then it can only bode well for their pursuit of the 52-year-old.But why is it good news that they’re targeting him? Well, he’s one of the brightest coaches in the game right now, completing some quite wonderful achievements over the last few years.Possessing a clear winning mentality, ten Hag knows what it takes to win a major trophy, securing the Eredivisie title twice and taking home the nation’s domestic cup competition on two occasions too.Furthermore, he ranked fourth in a list of the best managers in world football for 2019, further demonstrating his enormous potential at the elite level.However, it is in the Champions League where he has arguably caught the eye the most, steering Ajax to the semi-finals in 2018/19 as serious underdogs.They almost made it to the final as well, but for Lucas Moura’s goal in the dying embers of the second leg.Also capable of taking talent to the next level, namely the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Dusan Tadic, Donny van de Beek and Matthijs de Ligt, everything would appear to bode well for a potential move to Man United.AND in other news, “Man Utd will sign..” – Romano drops huge transfer update, supporters surely buzzing…
Younger brothers often want to be like their older siblings, although the desire typically disappears before adulthood. But for the past four years David Hussey has craved the chance to emulate his big brother Michael and burst into the Australia cricket team. Finally, he has an opportunity to do so.Hussey’s call-up into the Twenty20 squad for Friday’s international against India is much-deserved, and any thought that his surname helped him get there would be severely misguided. It has been anything but easy living in the shadow of Mr Cricket, who made his first-class debut at 19 and had such an impact at Test level that his average is second only to Don Bradman.It is unfair to compare the brothers, as they have grown into fundamentally different people since their childhood days playing backyard cricket in the outer Perth suburb of Mullaloo. Michael, a left-hand batsman, is an obsessive planner whose mind is constantly racing with instructions to himself; the right-handed David is more laid-back and once while standing in as Victoria’s captain admitted at the toss that he hadn’t even checked his team sheet to see who was playing.Perhaps he was still overwhelmed at leading his adopted state after several years earlier venturing 3500 kilometres from Perth to pursue his career in Melbourne. It took consistently high scoring at the Prahran club before Hussey was given a chance by Victoria at the age of 25. Similarly, ridiculous aggregates in county stints at Nottinghamshire and sporadic flashes of brilliance in Australia were ignored by the national selectors until he found greater consistency.Enough was enough after 911 runs at 53.58 for Victoria last season, 643 at 64.30 so far this summer, as well as 237 runs at 47.40 and a strike rate of 153 in this month’s Twenty20 tournament. Merv Hughes, the Melbourne-based selector, has seen plenty of Hussey and knows he is arguably the prototype Twenty20 cricketer.His aggressive batting is complemented by offspin that is superior to most part-timers, and he is one of the most gifted fieldsmen in the country. A strong bottom-hand batsman, Hussey is sometimes in such a hurry to score that it’s like he has just remembered his car is in a tow-away zone and he knows he’ll have to walk home if he doesn’t finish the game as soon as possible.He loves to get on the front foot and lean in to drive to either side, but he is equally unafraid to swing the ball over midwicket. Hussey’s strike-rate of 141 in 44 Twenty20 matches is remarkable, and he brings the same gusto to the longer forms. His greatest moment came in 2003-04 when he guided Victoria to a fourth-innings chase of 455 against New South Wales and his unbeaten 212 came from only 218 balls.Since that moment the younger Hussey – he is now 30 – has been talked about as a potential international player. Victorian fans were often parochial in their calls for Dean Jones to be recalled to the national set-up and their bewilderment at Hussey being overlooked until now is not surprising.Fittingly, his debut in Australian colours will come at his adopted home ground, the MCG. Hussey has come a long way from Mullaloo, physically and chronologically, and Australia could not ask for a more exciting pair to become the first brothers to represent the country since Steve and Mark Waugh.
Rebecca Rolls has called for more Twenty20 cricket for the women’s game. Rolls, the New Zealand keeper, believes that the short form of the game is a good promotional tool for the women, and can enhance the game. She says that the women’s game should follow the example of Australia, where women’s state teams have played before the men to raise public awareness in front of decent crowds.”We can improve our game by increasing accessibility for young girls by playing in lots of different locations in a country hosting a series, by getting in front of the general public through media and as has recently been done in Australia, perhaps playing Twenty20 curtain-raisers before a men’s game.”Rolls is aware, however, that any crowds coming along to any such Twenty20 match who are watching the women’s game for the first time must expect different styles of cricket to the men.”I think it’s important to recognise the differences between ours and the men’s game and emphasis the strengths women have such as shot placement, bowling variations and other intricacies, in the absence of brute force, speed and power the guys possess.”[We] can become even more attacking in our batting, field settings and tactics, and smarter with our bowling. Recent introductions of Twenty20 games have promoted this and I believe it’s a game we should play more of.”The White Ferns are already scheduled to play two Twenty20 matches when they head to England this summer, rather than the customary single match. This is, in part, to make up for the lack of Test cricket. New Zealand do not play Test matches, and there are rumours that this form of cricket may be scrapped for all countries.The Twenty20s won’t be followed by any men’s matches, but their profile will be raised on television, with Sky committed to covering both as well as the first one-dayer. All of these matches will be hosted by Taunton, the newly anointed home of women’s cricket.In the meantime, New Zealand will face England in the women’s quadrangular series, where they will also play Australia and India in Chennai. The tournament, which brings together the world’s top four countries, will be helpful preparation for the 2009 World Cup in Australia.New Zealand will attend a 10-day training camp in Christchurch before they depart. They will also play practice games against New Zealand A (7 and 9 February) and Australian Youth side (11 February) before departing for Chennai on 14 February. They open their campaign against Australia on 21 February.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has not ruled out scrapping Zimbabwe’s one-day tour in April, nor of seeking compensation from the Zimbabweans after the cancellation of two Tests following Zimbabwe Cricket’s decision to suspend itself from Test cricket.Zimbabwe’s board announced that it would only play ODIs three weeks ago after bitter infighting left it struggling to raise a side. A series of humiliating defeats had also raised questions as to the country’s international status. The first casualty of the manoeuvre was Zimbabwe’s proposed tour of the Caribbean, but ZC did state that it still intended to proceed with the five ODIs against West Indies which were originally scheduled.Since the announcement, there has been speculation that the WICB would cancel the whole tour, but speaking to Cricinfo, Roger Brathwaite, the WICB chief executive, explained that no decision had yet been made.”This is under consideration,” he said. “However, we are continuing to monitor the situation in Zimbabwe as to the likely strength of the team they would send.”Brathwaite admitted that alternative opponents had been sought to replace Zimbabwe but none were available at the right time.Under the terms of the Future Tours Programme, the WICB would be within its rights to seek compensation from Zimbabwe for the cancelled Tests. “The FTP agreement between the member countries makes provision for situations such as this,” he said. “However, until we have a bit more clarity on the situation in terms of responses from our sponsors, media partners etc, I am unable to say if we would seek compensation under the agreement.”Zimbabwe Cricket were unavailable for comment.