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Cristiano Ronaldo was delighted with his side's achievement despite drawing 0-0 with Persepolis in the AFC Champions League on Monday.

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Al-Nassr drew 0-0 with PersepolisRonaldo protested against being given penaltyRiyadh club through to next round of Champions LeagueWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo's team played out a goalless draw on home soil despite being awarded a penalty early on when the Portugal star was brought down in the box. The 38-year-old told the referee that he was not fouled, however, and the decision was reversed after a VAR review.

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Despite taking just a point from the game, Ronaldo expressed his delight on social media. He wrote: "Happy that we qualified 1st in our group and to have achieved 20 games unbeaten. Great Teamwork."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The draw was enough to ensure Al-Nassr progress to the knockout round of the AFC Champions League. They will finish top of the group, with Persepolis sitting five points behind them with just one match left to play in the first round of the competition.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR AL-NASSR?

Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr team-mates will hope to continue their unbeaten run when they return to Saudi Pro League action with a game against Al-Hilal on Friday. Al-Hilal sit top of the table and four points ahead of Al-Nassr.

At the Oval 3351 days ago, Kevin Pietersen arrived at the crease with the Ashes at stake. His first ball, from Glenn McGrath, was nasty, brutish and short

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval03-Jun-2015
ScorecardA quiet finish? Kevin Pietersen is unlikely to play in whites again•PA PhotosAt the Oval 3351 days ago, Kevin Pietersen arrived at the crease with the Ashes at stake. His first ball, from Glenn McGrath, was nasty, brutish and short. Pietersen looked like he got his gloves and bat out the way, but he, a heaving crowd and millions distracted in offices and schools, had to endure a few painful seconds before Billy Bowden turned down the vociferous Australian appeal.They were worth it. As England tried to regain the Ashes after 18 years marked not just by defeat but frequent humiliation, Pietersen took to saving the game in the only way he knew how. He attacked. And then he attacked some more, slog-sweeping Shane Warne and launching a staggering assault on Brett Lee.A decade on, and Pietersen’s team were again batting in the third innings on the final day. There the similarities ended. Instead of Australia, they had to face a worthy Lancashire attack neutered by a docile pitch. The ground, a sell-out then, seemed rather desolate now. Pietersen was not even needed to bat. Zafar Ansari and Rory Burns batted with such assurance that 61 overs did not yield a single chance.One innings, two runs and three balls over four days added up to a deeply unsatisfactory way for Pietersen to end his involvement in first-class cricket. The fact that Pietersen will not play in Surrey’s next Championship match, against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Sunday, makes it highly likely he will never play red-ball cricket again. He will, however, play for Surrey in their T20 game at Arundel next week just before heading to the Caribbean Premier League.This was not the first-class comeback Pietersen envisaged. Buoyed by comments from Colin Graves that he could yet be considered for Test cricket again, Pietersen surprised Surrey and everyone else by announcing his intention to return to County Championship cricket. Instead of earning £250,000 for an IPL stint, Pietersen preferred to play for Surrey for free instead.He believed his chances of an England recall would be determined solely by the amount of runs he scored in county cricket. So he scored plenty.Having endured a grim spell in T20 cricket for Surrey last year, there were legitimate concerns over whether Pietersen could still score heavily in Championship cricket. One hundred and seventy runs against Oxford MCCU, even in a non first-class match, amounted to an awesome indication of intent. A half-century followed against Glamorgan before that astounding unbeaten 355 against Leicestershire.None of this, it is true, amounted to irrefutable evidence that Pietersen was ready to take on Australia and their Mitchells. But Andrew Strauss, the new director of England cricket, was in no mood to give him the chance. On the day of his triple century against Leicestershire, Pietersen was informed that he would never be allowed to add to his 8181 Test runs.Alec Stewart, the Surrey director of cricket, did not want to say Pietersen would never pull on whites again. “What I’m saying is ‘it’s not the end’,” he said. “I’m not saying ‘that’s it, the door’s shut’. It’s always open here for him. At the same time, we’ll have discussions to see what fits for us and what fits for him.””The arrangement was very much while Colin Graves – whether he did or he didn’t – intimated that perhaps that door was open for him, that’s why we have see him back playing county cricket again. Before that, his England career was well and truly dead.”Then, whatever the perception of what Colin had said, it meant that the door had been pushed open a little bit – play county cricket and score runs, which he did. Then it was shut.”But, to Surrey’s surprise, he still wanted to play this game against Lancashire. Perhaps he imagined that a repeat of that innings against Leicestershire would unleash a tidal wave of public pressure, leaving Strauss facing what even Sepp Blatter could not ignore.It was not to be. Still, no one at Surrey speaks ill of him. Over six seasons, Pietersen has played 13 first-class games for Surrey. Each appearance has been marked by the unstinting professionalism that has been a hallmark, albeit one too easily forgotten, of his career. Pietersen’s record for Surrey – 1395 runs at 93 apiece – is testament to as much.”We didn’t expect to see him again,” Stewart said. “We’ve had a good relationship with him here, and he said ‘I’m available if you want me to play’. I said ‘we’ll have you straightaway’. That’s the relationship we have here.”He has gone above and beyond the original verbal arrangement. It was great that he wanted to play, and it shows that he has respect for us and the dressing room here. We have good respect for him too.”He’s not just a player who pulls on an England shirt and does it. He has huge self-respect and self pride, but pride in playing for Surrey. The record he’s got in the games he’s played in the last three or four years is unbelievable. He’s been a credit to himself when he’s played for Surrey. We want good players, but we want good people, whether it’s a Pietersen or a Sangakkara. In our dressing room, he’s been that.”If this was not the farewell Pietersen envisaged, perhaps it was apt that Ashley Giles, Lancashire’s director of cricket, was there. Together, the two had shared the partnership that secured the Ashes that resplendent day a decade ago.”I’ve got very fond memories of playing with Kev and probably here most – that last day in the Ashes in 2005 we batted together for about three hours,” Giles said. “Memories don’t get any better than that. He’s been a terrific player and a very good servant to the game.””He’s a different player, a clear match-winning player. For someone to do what he did here a couple of weeks ago – go out and get 350 when he’s having that meeting that night shows the class of the man.””There’s an element of sadness if he doesn’t play first-class cricket again, because he’s a special player.”Surely that is something that even Pietersen’s most vehement detractors could not dispute. For one of the most intoxicating cricketers of the 21st century, the strong likelihood is that only domestic T20 – in Australia, the Caribbean, India and perhaps sometimes England too – remains.

Guided by Gurkeerat Singh and Sandeep Sharma, Punjab overcame a torrid struggle to chase down a target of 135 and eventually beat Haryana by three wickets in Lahli

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Sandeep Sharma picked up 6 for 50 before scoring an unbeaten 37 to guide Punjab to victory•ESPNcricinfo LtdGuided by Gurkeerat Singh and Sandeep Sharma, Punjab overcame a torrid struggle to chase down a target of 135 and eventually beat Haryana by three wickets in Lahli.Having reduced Punjab to 46 for 6, Haryana had the match in the bag but Sandeep and Gurkeerat put together an assured 71-run stand. Where the other Punjab batsmen, including their top-order, were bogged down under the pressure of the chase, Gurkeerat, who had scored 51 in the first innings, and Sandeep focused on settling down and playing the ball on merit.Their stand promised to take Punjab to victory but was broken by Harshal Patel who had Gurkeerat caught behind for 37, a decision the batsman was unhappy with. Sandeep then took charge of the innings and hit the winning runs, a little more than four overs after Gurkeerat’s dismissal.Sandeep, promoted ahead of Gurkeerat in the batting order, said he was initially focused on supporting his partner. “I didn’t think I could do this on my own. I was initially focused on just staying at the wicket and supporting Gurkeerat. But I learnt from his innings,” Sandeep said.Earlier, Haryana’s plans of setting a challenging fourth-innings target were scuttled by VRV Singh and Sandeep. Sachin Rana and Amit Mishra pushed the score to 130 but Rana’s wicket, trapped lbw, was part of a slide in which Haryana lost their last five wickets for 25 runs. Sandeep picked up three wickets on the third morning to finish with 6 for 50, while VRV Singh took three wickets for 50 runs.

Tasmania’s coach, Tim Coyle, will step down at the end of this season, ending a highly-successful seven-year tenure

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2012Tasmania’s coach, Tim Coyle, will step down at the end of this season, ending a highly-successful seven-year tenure. Coyle took charge of the Tigers in 2005 after the departure of the previous coach Brian McFadyen and in 2006-07 delivered the state’s first Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield title when they beat New South Wales in the final in Hobart.Another Sheffield Shield title followed in 2010-11, and Coyle was also at the helm when Tasmania won the one-day competition in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Coyle, 52, said he felt that with his contract expiring at the end of this summer it was a good time for Tasmania to move on under a new mentor.”I feel that the time is right for the Tigers to have a new voice and for me to finish up as head coach,” Coyle said. “It’s been a fantastic ride, and once the season finishes it is time for me to have some time away from the game and spend some more time with my family and friends.”Tony Harrison, the chairman of Cricket Tasmania, said Coyle’s outstanding record spoke for itself and he had been a fine servant of Tasmanian cricket.”Tim is passionate about what he believes in and much of that passion is for Cricket Tasmania, his teams and cricket in Tasmania, however we understand the time is now right for him to spend more time with his family and have a break,” Harrison said. “Tim has nurtured many talented Tasmanian and interstate player from the junior ranks through to national representation and can be justifiably proud of these achievements along with the sustained success of the Tasmanian Tigers.”Without doubt, Tim Coyle is the most successful current coach in Australian cricket and his contribution to our Association, State and players cannot be over-estimated. The current strength of Tasmanian cricket owes much to Tim Coyle and the culture he has developed and fostered, and we will do all we can to ensure that he remains part of our structure in the future.”Cricket Tasmania will spend the next few months searching for Coyle’s replacement.

Sri Lanka Cricket has said it has paid its cricketers their outstanding dues, which had been pending since last year’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2012Sri Lanka Cricket has said it has paid its cricketers their outstanding dues, which had been pending since the 2011 World Cup. The ICC had paid 42.36% of the dues to the players directly, in December, out of the participation fee due to Sri Lanka from the tournament. SLC announced in February that it would pay the remainder of the dues by the end of the month, after the state-owned Bank of Ceylon agreed to release 600 million rupees (approx US$5.07 million) to the board, following discussions with sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.The board now said the players “have been paid all their dues in full up to date.””We extend our sincere thanks to the sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and the secretary, ministry of sports for assisting Sri Lanka Cricket to source these funds at this very difficult time in order to pay our players,” a board release said.The Sri Lanka players had been owed around $4.3 million by SLC in December before the ICC paid part of their dues. The board is in the middle of a major financial crunch after having run up debts of $32.5 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the World Cup.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

Lasith Malinga came good in the Super Over, defending 13 and trumping a super effort from Tim Southee to give Sri Lanka their first Super Eights points

The Report by Sidharth Monga27-Sep-2012
Sri Lanka won the Super Over
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tillakaratne Dilshan played the defining innings in Sri Lanka’s chase•AFPTillakaratne Dilshan, who had scored 76 off 53 in regulation time, set himself under the ball at long-off, turning side ways to make sure he knew where the boundary cushions were – they were six inches from his toenails – and took the catch after the ball had passed his body and had almost entered the air space beyond the boundary. Had Dilshan missed that, this Martin Guptill hit off Lasith Malinga would have left New Zealand needing two off the last ball of the Super Over. The catch sealed Sri Lanka’s win. Such were the margins of a freak match that was tied with a freak run-out off the last ball.About 40 minutes ago, Sri Lanka were 143 for 3 after 16.3 overs, the same score that New Zealand had after 16.3. New Zealand would have been disappointed with the 31 they got after that, considering the start given to them by Rob Nicol, in association with Guptill and Brendon McCullum. With the ball, though, Southee and James Franklin pulled things back against the faltering hosts, who lost two batsmen to run-outs.Smart stats

This is the seventh Twenty20 to end in a tie. New Zealand have been involved in four of the seven. It is also the second tie in the World Twenty20 after the game between India and Pakistan in 2007.

Rob Nicol’s 58 is his highest score in Twenty20 internationals and the third-highest for a New Zealand batsman against Sri Lanka.

Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 76 is the second-highest score by a Sri Lankan batsman against New Zealand in World Twenty20 matches. It is also his second-best score in World Twenty20 games after the 96 against West Indies in 2009.

Ajantha Mendis conceded 48 off his four overs, the most he has conceded in a Twenty20 game, surpassing the 42 runs against Australia in the World Twenty20 in 2010.

New Zealand’s total of 174 is their highest score in Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka. It is also their second-highest score in Pallekele, after the 191 against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka’s score of 68 in the first six overs is the fifth-highest Powerplay score in the World Twenty20. The highest Powerplay score (20 overs per innings) is West Indies’ 71 against Australia at The Oval in 2009.

Only 30 runs had come in 5.3 overs leading to that even point, which had put Sri Lanka under some pressure. Southee added to it with an over of yorkers to leave them needing 21 off the last two. Ross Taylor risked bowling Franklin, who had helped them win a similar chase recently against India. Dilshan slog-swept the first ball for a six. On the next ball, though, he took an ill-advised second and even a desperate dive couldn’t save him.Thisara Perera scooped Franklin for a four later in the over. At eight required from seven balls, Perera was one delivery from making Southee’s last over irrelevant, but Franklin’s slower ball arrived after he had finished his swing, and it had enough legs to tickle the bail out of its groove. Southee went back to bowling full and straight from round the stumps. Angelo Mathews took a single first ball, and it was time for Lahiru Thirimanne to test weak hearts.The first ball he faced, Thirimanne moved well across to the off side in an attempt to beat short fine leg. Southee stayed in the block hole, and Thirimanne managed just the single. Another yorker, another single for Mathews: five off three. Southee remained full, Thirmanne drove and was beaten. Advantage New Zealand.Thirimanne now dug Sri Lanka out of a hole he had partly dug. Again he took the incredible risk of aiming over short fine leg, Southee missed his yorker by six inches, and Thirimanne got under it. Fists were pumped both in the middle and in the dugout as soon as the ball cleared the fielder. The best New Zealand could get now was a tie. Earlier in the afternoon, Nicol had hit debutant mystery bowler Akila Dananjaya smack on the face with a straight drive, but he and McCullum did not run off the ricochet. Would things have been different had they not been such sports?That would have been the last thing on their minds when New Zealand pulled the field in to try to save that single. Southee surprised Thirimanne with a short ball, he bat-padded it to point, where Franklin kept a cool head and returned a gentle throw on a comfortable bounce to Taylor at the non-striker’s end. Taylor fumbled the take. He missed a dolly. Sri Lanka began to celebrate, and a disappointed Taylor shook hands with the umpires, who – just to be sure – asked for the third umpire’s help. The stumps had somehow been broken.The replays showed the ball had hit Taylor’s hand and bounced on to the stumps. In real time it seemed as though Taylor had broken the wicket without the ball in his hands. Technology surprised everyone, and the game went into the Super Over. Southee continued his good work in the tiebreaker, but two of his yorkers were wides. Even so, he had conceded just 10 off the first five balls, but Perera scooped the last delivery over short fine leg to register three crucial runs.Malinga, who had an average tournament until then, decided this was a moment as good as any to make an impact. He hardly missed his length with the first four balls: two, one, two byes, one. Malinga then missed his yorker by about a foot, Guptill got under it, but this was Dilshan’s night.

Promotion-chasing Derbyshire had to settle for eight points from their County Championship Division Two clash with Leicestershire after the match was abandoned as a draw without a ball being bowled on the final day at Grace Road.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2012
ScorecardPromotion-chasing Derbyshire had to settle for eight points from their County Championship Division Two clash with Leicestershire after the match was abandoned as a draw without a ball being bowled on the final day at Grace Road.Persistent rain throughout the night and during the early part of the morning left the outfield saturated, and despite the best efforts of the groundstaff, the game was called off at 12.30pm.Top-of-the-table Derbyshire were well in command having bowled out Leicestershire for 177 and reached 259 for 5 in their reply, with Dan Redfern left stranded 19 runs short of a third Championship century of the season. Leicestershire picked up four points from the game.

Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman who resigned as Glamorgan’s director of cricket in 2010, has said he will return to the county as a batting coach

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2013Matthew Maynard, the former England batsman who resigned as Glamorgan’s director of cricket in 2010, has said he will return to the county, likely in a role as batting coach.Glamorgan recently appointed new head coach Toby Radford as the successor to Matthew Mott, with Hugh Morris, the ECB’s managing director of England cricket, set to join the county as chief executive in January. Maynard said he had spoken to Radford and Morris, who was a team-mate during the 1980s and ’90s, about the role he would take up.”I’ve had a chat with Hugh Morris, obviously the new CEO and director of cricket, and with Toby Radford, the head coach,” Maynard told ITV news. “They’ve basically just got to work out as and when to fit me in.”Since leaving Glamorgan, Maynard has coached in South Africa with the Titans franchise, as well as for St Lucia Zouks during this year’s inaugural Caribbean Premier League. He also founded the Tom Maynard Academy, using proceeds from the charitable trust set up in memory of his son Tom Maynard, the former Glamorgan and Surrey batsman who died in an accident on the London Underground in 2012.The Academy’s first intake will spend ten days at the Desert Springs facility in Spain next February. Included in the 14 are Gloucestershire’s Cameron Herring, Surrey fast bowler George Edwards and Northamptonshire batsman Rob Keogh.”We are delighted to have had such fantastic support from the counties and I’m really looking forward to working with the players and establishing the Tom Maynard Academy as an integral part of the ECB’s and the counties’ player development pathways,” Maynard said.”Desert Springs has excellent facilities for the players to work on their games and on their fitness and we’re pleased to be partnering with them. We have some very knowledgeable people involved in delivering the programme and I have no doubt it will be of real benefit to the lads involved as they approach pre-season.”

A preview of the IPL match between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab, in Delhi

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran22-Apr-2013Match factsTuesday, April 23
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Big PictureWhether it was the inspiration of meeting Sir Viv Richards, or the abysmal bowling from Mumbai Indians or Virender Sehwag and Mahela Jayawardene finally playing the way they are expected to, Delhi Daredevils finally ended their winless streak at eight (including the losses in the playoffs last season). Chances of reaching the playoffs still remain remote, but at least they have got their campaign off the ground.They made a big call ahead of the match against Mumbai on Sunday, dropping their best bowler from the previous season, Morne Morkel. His replacement Andre Russell, however, continues to leak runs at an alarming rate – his economy-rate of 9.95 is the third worst in the IPL, behind only the forgotten P Amarnath and his Daredevils team-mate Sehwag. Daredevils have struggled to settle on their four overseas players this season, and will have to tinker again against Kings XI Punjab.Their opponents may have pulled off the joint highest chase of the season against Pune Warriors on Sunday, but have some major team changes to make. Two of their regulars, Adam Gilchrist and Azhar Mahmood, have fared poorly in recent matches and both are on the brink of losing their places. They might get another shot, as coach Darren Lehmann has ruled out Shaun Marsh for the match. Marsh, who joined the squad recently, has not played any cricket after recovering from a surgery and Lehmann stated that he would be considered for selection only after he regained full fitness and participated in fielding drills.What will be a huge lift for Kings XI is that their team – generally regarded to have one of the most fragile batting line-ups in the tournament – managed to overhaul a stiff 185 against Warriors, even without needing the services of David Hussey. David Miller and Hussey have performed well for the side and the win against Warriors has lifted them to mid-table, above heavyweights like Mumbai and Kolkata Knight Riders.Form GuideDelhi Daredevils WLLLL (most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab WLWLLPlayers to watchOne of the most valuable performers for Kings XI last season, Azhar Mahmood has had a patchy IPL 2013. In five innings, he has scored just 35 runs at an average of 7 and was out for a duck in a big chase yesterday. His bowling has been inconsistent too. Although he is the leading wicket-taker for Kings XI, he has conceded runs at crucial stages, including the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. As a senior player in the side, Mahmood will need to contribute more.The match against Mumbai Indians was the first time David Warner had not opened in an IPL game. With Daredevils having a difficult time this season, he has been shifted out of his favourite spot at the top of the order. Jayawardene has said he wants Warner to become a finisher, “to play the role that Kevin [Pietersen] played last year”. Can Warner adapt to his new role?Stats and trivia Sehwag has scored 2028 runs in the IPL at a strike-rate of 165.41, the best strike-rate among batsmen who have scored at least 100 IPL runs David Hussey needs 55 more to become the third batsman to reach 5000 Twenty20 runsMiller had an outstanding season in England’s Friends Life t20 in 2012 – scoring at a strike-rate of 153 and an average of 48.75Quotes”I am definitely under scrutiny, I have not scored runs. The drop catch was a really bad let off and it could have cost us the game. Not good enough for me. When we sit down at the selection table, we will have to look at that and see what’s right.”
“He is a star for the future. He has a good mind, wants to do well and I am really happy for him.”

Alastair Cook heaped praise on bowlers James Anderson and Steve Finn after his side won the third ODI against New Zealand in Auckland by five wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2013England captain Alastair Cook heaped praise on fast bowlers James Anderson and Steven Finn after his side won the third ODI against New Zealand in Auckland by five wickets, and with it the series 2-1.”They have been magnificent, these two games,” he said after the match. “Finny’s pace, I think, has been up around the 90mph mark pretty much all the time, and Jimmy’s world class and he showed it again here.”Finn and Anderson left the hosts reeling at 11 for 3 by the eighth over and Cook said it gave the team a definite advantage. “I think they were 20 for 2 in the game before, and today they were 20 for 3 after 10 or 15 overs. From a captain’s point of view it’s pretty easy after that. When McCullum gets going, it’s a little frustrating, but 180 wasn’t enough and we handled the pressure of chasing pretty well.”Finn said it was great to form a partnership Anderson, whom he called one of the best fast bowlers in the world. “To be able to bowl at the other end and to feed off him and learn off him is brilliant,” he said on Sky Sports 1. “We felt we didn’t quite get it right in the first game – maybe we were a little bit rusty but playing these last few games we felt really good. We’ve set the tone early and the batsmen have been brilliant as well, so it’s been great.”Cook also praised England’s comeback in the series after they lost the first ODI by three wickets. “We showed a lot of character in these last two must-win games and that can only bode well for us in the future.” He wanted England to maintain their level of focus as they prepared for three-Test series.”We’re going to have to do it again in the Test series because they’re very dangerous players, and if we’re off our game they’re going to punish us. There’s absolutely no complacency.”