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Sri Lanka have left out wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Chandimal and spinner Ajantha Mendis from their 15-man squad for the Pakistan Tests starting next week

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2014Sri Lanka have left out wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Chandimal and spinner Ajantha Mendis from their 15-man squad for the Pakistan Tests starting next week. Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep returns to the squad after missing the recent South Africa Test series due to injury and youngster Niroshan Dickwella keeps his place as wicketkeeper after an impressive debut earlier this week. Lahiru Thirimanne remains the vice-captain, though he was dropped for the previous Test against South Africa.Chandimal had lost his place in the XI for the second Test against South Africa after a poor outing in Galle, prompting a surprise call-up for the 21-year-old Dickwella, who had been in England with the Sri Lanka A side before having to dash back to Colombo to make it in time for his Test debut. Chandimal has joined the A squad in England. Prasanna Jayawardene, who was the first-choice wicketkeeper till he got injured before the second Test against England in June, was still not 100% fit.Mendis’ exclusion was not surprising after being the least impressive of Sri Lanka’s three spinners in the SSC Test when they were denied victory by a superb stonewalling effort from South Africa. Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews had bluntly said, “He had a quite a bad game,” after a wayward Mendis had match figures of 0 for 85 on a surface made for spinners.Fast bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga have been included, but subject to fitness. Eranga had split his webbing in Galle and was left out for the SSC Test, while Lakmal had complained of soreness in his foot after the SSC Test.The first of two Tests against Pakistan begins in Galle on August 6.Squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thrimanne (vice-capt), Kaushal Silva, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Shaminda Eranga (Subject to fitness), Suranga Lakmal (Subject to fitness), Chanaka Welegedara, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep

Unbeaten fifties from Khurram Manzoor and Kamran Younis and a three-wicket haul from pacer Mohammad Talha helped Port Qasim Authority beat Khan Research Labs for their third win of the Ramadan T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2013
ScorecardKhurram Manzoor was awarded Man of the Match for his unbeaten 85•PCBUnbeaten fifties from Khurram Manzoor and Kamran Younis and a three-wicket haul from pacer Mohammad Talha helped Port Qasim Authority beat Khan Research Labs for their third straight win in Group B of the Ramadan T20 Cup. The win puts PQA at the top of Group B with one league game left to play.Put in to bat, PQA struggled early in their innings, losing their openers to pace bowler Rahat Ali and left-arm spinner Nauman Ali. Those were the only breakthroughs that KRL bowlers could create for the rest of the innings, however, as Manzoor and Younis went on to add 153 runs for the third wicket off just 100 balls. Younis got to his 50 off 37 balls, while Manzoor scored 50 off 44 balls. Manzoor accelerated towards the end of his innings, scoring 85 off 60 balls, with nine fours and three sixes, while Younis scored a 53-ball 70 with eight fours and a six.KRL’s reply was largely centred around Mohammad Yasin’s unbeaten 63-ball 80, but the opener did not get much support from the rest of the batting order. Talha took some early wickets to peg the chase back and the lack of partnerships meant that KRL could only manage 151 for 6 off their 20 overs.

Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth, which starts on Friday

Firdose Moonda08-Jan-2013Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth, which starts on Friday, after suffering a recurrence of the hamstring injury that had him in doubt for the first Test. Rory Kleinveldt will replace him.Philander bowled 30 overs in the Cape Town Test and took seven wickets. His six overs in the first innings saw him claim his eighth Test five-for. He had to leave the field after his final five-over spell on the third day when he felt pain in his left hamstring.The same injury forced him to pull out of a first-class match two weeks ago and he required a two-week rest period but was ready for the first Test. With the second niggle coming so soon after the first, team management have decided not to risk Philander.”Vernon’s hamstring strain will require a seven to 10 day recovery period at the very least,” Mohammed Moosajee, South African team manager – who is also a medical doctor – said. “Although he is responding to treatment received over the past few days, we feel it’s unlikely that he’ll recover in time for this week’s Test match. With the Pakistan series less than a month away, it’s not worth the risk of aggravating the injury.”South Africa’s three Test series against Pakistan starts on February 2 and Philander will target that to make his return. He will have missed three of the 16 Tests since he made his debut in November 2011 through injury. He missed the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka in 2011 with a knee problem, the Adelaide Test against Australia because of back spasms and now this coming match with a hamstring problem.As a result, Kleinveldt will play his third Test for South Africa. Kleinveldt debuted in Brisbane where he was so nervous, he overstepped 12 times in the match and went wicketless. But he kept his place ahead of Philander in Adelaide and, despite another 11 no-balls in the match, redeemed himself by removing the Australian top three in one second-innings spell. He has only played two first-class matches at St George’s Park and this will be his first Test on home soil.

South Australia will contest the Sheffield Shield final for the first time in 20 years, after Queensland bowed out of contention with an innings defeat at the hands of Western Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Chris Lynn made a brisk 80 from 46 balls•Getty ImagesSouth Australia will contest the Sheffield Shield final for the first time in 20 years, after Queensland bowed out of contention with an innings defeat at the hands of Western Australia. The result means that the Redbacks will face either Victoria or New South Wales in the decider, depending on the outcome of the ongoing match between those two sides.The Gabba match marked the retirement of Queensland’s veteran allrounder James Hopes, while Western Australia’s fast bowler Michael Hogan farewelled Australian domestic cricket with a victory. The third morning began with the Warriors at 8 for 337 in their first innings, and they added a further 43 runs for the loss of their last two wickets as Hilton Cartwright moved to 92 and Josh Nicholas made 68.That left the Bulls needing 233 in their second innings to make Western Australia bat again, but they were dismissed in the afternoon for 227, losing by an innings and six runs.Hopes played a typically fighting innings to score 45, after Chris Lynn raced to 80 from 46 balls, including five sixes. Hogan ended up with the best figures for Western Australia in his last innings of Sheffield Shield bowling, taking 4 for 58.

Gareth Rees scored 84 not out on his first appearance of the season as Glamorgan fought back on the second day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash with Hampshire at Cardiff.

09-Jul-2013Glamorgan 196 for 3 (Rees 84*, Goodwin 57*) trail Hampshire 341 (Dawson 72, Vince 80, Hogan 3-48, Cosker 3-82) by 145 runs
ScorecardGareth Rees scored 84 not out on his first appearance of the season as Glamorgan fought back on the second day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash with Hampshire at Cardiff.Out of favour all summer, left-handed opener Rees was only in the Glamorgan side because of an injury to Will Bragg.But Rees and veteran Murray Goodwin put on an unbeaten 112 in 39 overs for the fourth wicket as Glamorgan finished the day on 196 for 3 in their first innings, 145 behind.Hampshire’s last five wickets could only add a further 67 runs before they were bowled out 10 minutes before the lunch interval.Seamer Hogan broke through as early as the fourth over of the day to have Liam Dawson caught at slip by Jim Allenby, who then had Sohail Tanvir caught behind.Adam Wheater and Danny Briggs stopped the rot to add 47 for the eighth wicket, but Wheater was caught at point trying to reverse sweep slow left-armer Cosker.David Balcombe edged Mike Reed behind before Cosker wrapped up the innings to have James Tomlinson caught at slip by Allenby only 10 minutes before lunch.In reply Glamorgan had reached 114 for 3 by tea with opener Rees reaching 50 from 110 balls with eight fours.But he had to watch as he lost three partners in the afternoon session. Ben Wright was caught behind chasing a wide one from Tomlinson. And 24 for one became 35 for two when Stewart Walters went for a nine ball caught at slip by Sean Ervine off Tanvir.Rees and Marcus North combined to put on 49 for the third wicket but North was stumped by Adam Wheater going down the pitch to the first ball of left-arm spin he had faced from Briggs.From 84 for 3, Rees and Goodwin took their stand to 100 just before the close, and in the last over of the day Goodwin completed his half-century from 115 balls with seven fours.

New Zealand’s batsmen are on notice after one bad session in Trinidad, but the captain Brendon McCullum still believes his men can achieve “something special” and take the series decider in Barbados

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-20143:28

‘A chance of something special’ – McCullum

New Zealand’s batsmen are on notice after one bad session in Trinidad, but the captain Brendon McCullum still believes his men can achieve “something special” and take the series decider in Barbados. West Indies and New Zealand enter the third and final match with the series tied at 1-1 and it is the hosts who have the momentum after their strong 10-wicket victory in Trinidad.That result was set up by the success of the West Indies bowlers on the first day, when New Zealand collapsed from 120 for 1 to be all out for 221. McCullum said he expected more from the batting group in Barbados, where the likelihood of a quicker surface has not only meant the inclusion of Neil Wagner for Ish Sodhi, but should mean that once a batsman has got himself in, runs are there for the taking.”It looks like it’s pretty good batting surface with some bounce and it should have some decent carry even though there’s not a lot of grass,” McCullum said on the eve of the match. “Hopefully it holds throughout the game and should be able to aid the fast bowlers.”Either way there looks a little bit in it for the bowlers but also it looks like the kind of surface that if you get in on, because it’s got good pace bounce and the outfield is fast, you can score some runs as well.”There was no shortage of runs from New Zealand in the first Test in Jamaica, where centuries from Kane Williamson and Jimmy Neesham pushed the total to 508 before McCullum’s declaration came. In Trinidad, though, it was the West Indies batsmen who showed the patience to graft out a big total and emerged victorious.”We’ve batted really well over the last 12 to 18 months and posted those scores in excess of 400 and every time we’ve done so we’ve either won or drawn a Test match,” McCullum said. “So we know that’s a key stat for us and we’ve got to make sure we try and execute that again. Sometimes you have bad days as a batting group.”We talked about that after that last Test match, we had one bad session where West Indies bowlers to their credit bowled well and we didn’t apply ourselves as well as we should have done. We’re on notice too. We’ve got to make sure we stick to our key fundamentals and get ourselves a big first-innings score.”Brendon McCullum knows the New Zealand batsmen need to lift after their Trinidad failure•WICB Media/Randy Brooks PhotoShould New Zealand manage to win in Barbados, it would mark their first series win away from home since they toured Bangladesh in 2008, excluding the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in 2011. Only once this century have they beaten anyone but Zimbabwe or Bangladesh in a series away from home – when Stephen Fleming’s men took a 1-0 result over two Tests in the Caribbean in 2002.”It certainly sets it up well and gives us a real chance of achieving something special,” McCullum said. “A series win, if we are able to achieve it, would be something that everyone in this squad, players and management included, would hold dearly for the rest of their lives. Certainly for all of us it’s a huge opportunity.”However, the West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin is confident that his men will take the momentum from Trinidad, where they posted 460 in the first innings and then cruised to their target of 93 in the second innings without losing a wicket.”It was important that we won in Trinidad, but what was also important was that we put in an impressive display,” Ramdin said. “We dominated … we got good runs on the board and then our bowlers got 20 wickets, which was also very good. It was a hard fought Test match and we will bring that with us.”The occasion also marks the 50th Test match played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, a venue that has brought West Indies only 10 defeats – although seven of those 10 have come in the past 11 matches.”Kensington Oval is one of those special grounds … a place where you always look forward to coming and playing,” Ramdin said. “It is one of the top grounds around the West Indies and in the world and we will be looking to do something special to mark the landmark of 50 Test matches here.”I have done well here – I made my highest score Test score here against England and my highest first-class score for Trinidad and Tobago here as well. So personally, I always look forward to coming to Barbados and playing here. It is a good hunting ground for me and once I get that opportunity I will look to bat time and get the runs on the board for my team.”

New IPL regulations, including the right-to-match card, have led to mutters from franchise officials that some teams stand to benefit more than others

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Dec-2013The new player-retention rules released by the IPL have attracted an unfavourable response from some franchises, who are particularly displeased by the newly introduced “right-to-match” card. The right-to-match card allows IPL franchises to buy back a specific number of their own players after releasing them for auction by matching the highest bid they attract. The card was recommended by the IPL primarily to help franchises retain a bigger core group of players. Some franchises, however, privately argue that instead of facilitating franchises to retain their core group, the right-to-match rule was devised only to benefit certain teams that were keen to ensure they retained a majority of their best players.According to the IPL 2014 player regulations, every franchise is allowed to retain five players with a specific amount deducted from their auction purse of Rs 600 million ($9.67 million). Franchises can spend a maximum of Rs 390 million on retaining the five. Yet, the new rules state that irrespective of the negotiated amount between the franchise and the retained player, only the designated amount for each retained player (as per IPL regulations) will be listed on the books. This, some franchises argue, makes the idea of a salary cap redundant.The new rules ensure that every franchise can hold on to a maximum of six players with a combination of retentions and players re-signed using the right-to-match card. The rule, said one franchise official, was skewed to start with.”The rule has been tweaked to suit certain teams,” argued an official from another franchise. “The team which retains five gets rewarded with one more (card) whereas the team that does not retain anyone gets only three (cards). This team should be allowed at least one more right-to-match option if not two.”Franchise officials believe that, with the introduction of the right-to-match card, certain players, like the marquee names, might want to put their hats in the auction ring to raise their worth. Considering that retention is a two-way process and is futile without the player’s nod, franchises fear they might end up paying more for the same player in comparison to the previous season.”If I tell the player I will pay him $2 million to retain him, he will not accept and say I want $2.5 million. So if I retained him I would have paid him 125 million rupees. But still I have to pay him more (than the designated amount). So the sanctity of the purse is broken immediately. Now if the same player was picked in the auction at 150 million I would not have a problem,” a franchise official said.

“The rule has been tweaked to suit certain teams. The team which retains five gets rewarded with one more (card) whereas the team that does not retain anyone gets only three (cards). This team should be allowed at least one more right-to-match option if not two.”A franchise official

The right-to-match card was placed at the table during the IPL workshop in Singapore in November. The idea was to offset the original retention rule that was introduced in 2011. That rule allowed a franchise to retain a maximum of four capped players. Not all franchises subscribed to that rule. Some felt that they ended up spending more money buying players in the auction compared to rival franchises that paid half the sum to retain players. To give an example, Kolkata Knight Riders had spent $5.6 million to buy the trio of Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan and Jacques Kallis whereas Chennai Super Kings retained the quartet of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, M Vijay and Albie Morkel for $4.5 million.Consequently, some of the affected franchises even suggested in the Singapore workshop that the IPL bring all players into the auction. However, not all eight teams were on the same page. It is understood that one of the bigger franchises wanted a combination of five retained players and three right-to-match cards. Another franchise wanted the card option to retain the capped Indian players while another was interested in exercising that option to buy back uncapped players.This only re-opens the debate over whether the the IPL is a level-playing field as was claimed by Lalit Modi, the first chairman of the league. Smaller franchises argue that their bigger rivals have managed to flex their financial muscle and power to tweak the rules to suit their needs and buy the players they want.”With a salary cap now, at least you know a franchise is paying Rs 390 million if you retain five players,” another franchise official said. “In many ways it is a fair system regardless of the mischief you play in paying under the table. If there was no salary cap then the bigger franchises could have paid anything for any player and gone to the auction and bought more players at ridiculous costs. But today if I retain all five players I am left with just Rs 210 millon to buy the rest of the players to build a balanced squad. So the salary cap puts some sort of restriction.”According to this official the best thing to happen in this auction is that Indian domestic players will be part of the pool unlike in the past. Uncapped players till now were paid upto Rs 3 million, but franchises admit players were lured through various kickbacks. “Giving a BMW to an uncapped player would not help anymore,” the official said.Not everyone agreed. A franchise chief executive was less confident and felt the rules would continue to be bent. “The concept of a salary cap is being abused for the last five years and the trend will continue with the new set of rules. We don’t know how much the teams were paying the big names who had been retained in the last season. And it will be pretty similar this time around. The right-to-match card just adds to the woes as the players’ demands will keep on increasing and the teams will be on the back foot.”

Wilfred Mukondiwa, managing director of Zimbawe Cricket, has said the board has proposed a tri-series with South Africa and Australia, and to host Ireland for four-day matches, in 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2013Zimbabwe Cricket is reportedly exploring the possibility of a tri-series against South Africa and Australia in 2014. ZC managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa also hinted at a four-day matches against Ireland next year, in the . Sri Lanka’s scheduled tour of Zimbabwe later this year, meanwhile, is very unlikely to go ahead, with the newspaper reporting that the two boards have agreed to postpone the tour on Zimbabwe Cricket’s request.”We have proposed a triangular series with South Africa and Australia next year after the World T20, which will be played in Bangladesh,” Mukondiwa said. “We are exploring that option so that it’s more competitive and lucrative. The World T20 and the visit by the two nations are the major events for us next year.”The Future Tours Programme for 2014 has Australia visiting Zimbabwe for a three-match ODI series in July, with South Africa following soon after for a full tour featuring the same number of one-day games, in addition to two Tests and a Twenty20 spread over July and August. ZC are hoping to replace the two ODIs series with a tri-series.Mukondiwa added there could be a “possibility” of hosting Ireland for four-day matches. “It is one of the programmes that have been proposed for Full Members, to engage Associate members. So Ireland is one of them and, depending on the schedule, playing them is a possibility.”We played them a couple of years ago and we would be happy to engage them again, but it all depends on the calendar as to where we can slot that in.”Zimbabwe had enjoyed relative success series during Ireland’s visit in 2010, winning the one-day series 2-1 and drawing the only four-day game.ZC is looking at “more lucrative” options as it has been beset by financial problems. Delays to players’ salaries almost jeopardised the series against Pakistan, and Sri Lanka Cricket had confirmed the Zimbabwe board wrote to it, asking to postpone its team’s tour – hosting Sri Lanka would further hit Zimbabwe’s already depleted finances.Last month, SLC had approached the boards of West Indies, New Zealand, Australia and England to fill the void in Sri Lanka’s calendar should the Zimbabwe tour be postponed.

Jose Mourinho has joked Manchester United might be handed the 2017-18 Premier League title if Manchester City are found guilty of breaching FFP rules.

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United finished 19 points behind City in 2017-18Mourinho still insists it's one of his best achievementsJokes City could be docked points after trialGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Mourinho was initially appointed United boss in 2016, and delivered a Europa League and Carabao Cup double in his first campaign before guiding the team to second in the Premier League table the following season – their best finish since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. Results took a turn for the worse in the first half of the 2018-19 season and Mourinho was sacked, but the former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has since insisted that he ranks finishing second in the Premier League with United among his best achievements, a statement he stands by to this day.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT MOURINHO SAID

Mourinho reiterated that stance during a sit-down with Rio Ferdinand and Stephen Howson for , despite the fact United were still 19 points behind eventual champions City at the end of the season in question. Incredibly, the Portuguese then joked Pep Guardiola's side could see their total reduced as he referenced the fact City are set to go on trial for allegedly breaching 115 FFP rules.

"Maybe there is a chance we win that league, no?" Mourinho, Football.com global ambassador, said when Ferdinand challenged him on his remarks. "Because if Manchester City is caught in financial fair play breaking the rules, maybe they lose a few points and we win that title."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

By the end of his spell at Old Trafford, Mourinho had lost the faith of a large section of the fanbase and alienated several players by criticising them in public, and there were some who suggested his pragmatic style of play was never a good fit for United. However, the 61-year-old looks back on his time in Manchester fondly, and still feels a connection with supporters.

"I loved my time there," he said. "I was so proud of going there, and even prouder a couple of years later going back as a Sky commentator and when I felt the reaction of the crowd I was like 'wow'. I always felt we were together and that reaction touched me. To be a coach in the same club as Sir Alex, you have to feel the pride and responsibility. Historical club, legendary players, I was very happy and proud to be there. Not easy, I don't think media helped me, including yourself maybe, I felt that was not with an intention of hurting, it was more people didn't understand the dimension of the job and potential difficulties. The structure was not very fluid."

Mourinho went on to defend United's much-maligned former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, instead pointing the finger of blame at the Glazer family for the chaotic state of the club behind the scenes. "I don't like when people criticise Ed Woodward's job, because he's a good man, very intelligent, very polite, very correct, but probably not prepared for the sports side of it," he added. "For a coach not to have a direct communication with the ownership, and not have a structure that shares the same principle and ideas was not easy, with consequences at many levels. But I did my best."

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WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED AND CITY?

Some six years on from Mourinho's departure, United are still in disarray, and currently sit sixth in the Premier League table. City are 11 points ahead of them with a game in hand, and favourites to lift the title for a fourth successive year, though the upcoming FFP trial is still casting a shadow over Etihad Stadium. According to the , the trial is set to begin in Autumn this year, and will be settled by an independent panel.

A disciplined bowling performance led by the spinners set up a moderate chase, which was guided by Ben Cooper’s unbeaten fifty as Netherlands made it two wins in two days and consigned UAE to their third successive loss

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Cooper’s unbeaten 50 off 38 guided Netherlands home•ICC/Donald MacLeodA disciplined bowling performance led by the spinners set up a moderate chase, which was guided by Ben Cooper’s unbeaten fifty as Netherlands made it two wins in two days and consigned UAE to their third successive loss.UAE wanted to bat first, which they were asked to by Netherlands, but their batting failed to build on a reasonable start and a total of 119 for 7 did not push Netherlands much on a flat pitch, although spinners Mohammad Tauqir and Nasir Aziz made scoring difficult in the chase.Faizan Asif and Mohammad Shahzad added 31 in 3.2 overs before UAE started to stall. After the openers departed trying to force matters against the seamers, Roelof van der Merwe and Michael Rippon applied the brakes. The left-arm spinners, orthodox and chinaman, claimed a joint 4 for 24 in seven overs.Swapnil Patil, who top-scored for UAE with 34, and Shaiman Anwar put on 44 for the third wicket but at less than a run a ball. The wickets started to fall with the overs running out. Shaiman and Patil fell to Rippon while van der Merwe struck twice in the 17th over. Ahsan Malik, who took 2 for 17, was hard to get away at the death from a position of 99 for 6 in the 17th over.UAE began their defence with Aziz’s offspin, which went for 21 in four overs. With the spinner tying one end up, Wesley Barresi and Stephan Myburgh fell while trying to target the seamers.It was an extended struggle in the middle for Michael Swart, who consumed 29 balls for his 19 and played out a maiden to Tauqir. He did add 54 at exactly run-a-ball for the third wicket with Cooper, who kept coming up with the big hit when Netherlands needed one and reached his fifty off 38 balls.After Swart’s departure in the 15th over, captain Peter Borren arrived and launched all kinds of sweeps to race to an unbeaten 23 off 10, which ensured Netherlands got home with nearly three overs to spare.