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A round-up of Sunday’s matches in the MiWAY T20 Challenge

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2012The Knights will play the qualifier after they notched up their seventh win of the competition in their last league game, beating the Warriors by seven wickets at the De Beers Diamond Oval in Kimberley. Put in to bat, Warriors were pegged back in the fifth over of the innings when they lost two wickets in two balls. Davy Jacobs (46) and Johan Botha (41) then shared an important 87-run partnership, but Jandre Coetzee (3 for 25), who is the second highest wicket-taker in the competition with 17 scalps, accounted for both the batsmen in the 18th over as the Warriors finished on 141 for 6. In reply, Knights captain Morne van Wyk (37) led the chase, along with Reeza Hendricks (48) and Dean Elgar (33), to achieve the target with five balls to spare.In another scramble for the qualifier spot, the Titans beat the Cape Cobras by six wickets at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Electing to bat first, the Cape Cobras struggled against the trio of Alfonso Thomas (2 for 22), Albie Morkel (2 for 37) and Roelof van der Merwe (2 for 26). But Dane Vilas (48) and Justin Kemp (24) clouted Morkel for three sixes and a four in the 19th over, which went for 27 runs, to lift Cobras to 156. In response, batsman-of-the-match Faf du Plessis (38) hit three sixes and was well supported by the top-order as the Titans completed the chase comfortably.The results of Sunday’s ties have put the Lions (35 points) straight into the final, which they will host at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, irrespective of the results of the remaining games. The Titans have a chance to leapfrog the Knights in the points table and host the qualifier, if they win with a bonus point in their last league game against the Warriors.

شهد مران الأهلي اليوم الإثنين، ظهور ثنائي المارد الأحمر الجديد لأول مرة بعد انضمامهما رسميًا للقلعة الحمراء خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الجارية.

وكان الأهلي قد أعلن انضمام خالد عبد الفتاح لاعب سموحة، ومحمد الضاوي كريستو قادمًا من النجم الساحلي التونسي.

وانتظم الثنائي في التدريبات الجماعية للفريق التي أقيمت صباح اليوم على ملعب مختار التتش بالجزيرة.

طالع أيضًا | محمد الضاوي يوضح سر لقب كريستو.. ورسالة علي معلول بعد الانضمام لـ الأهلي

وحرص لاعبو الفريق على الترحيب بالثنائي المنضم حديثا؛ خالد عبدالفتاح ومحمد الضاوي، قبل بدء المران الجماعي.

واستأنف الأهلي تدريباته صباح اليوم الإثنين على ملعب التتش بالجزيرة، وذلك بعد انتهاء الراحة السلبية التي حصل عليها لمدة 48 ساعة.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة فريق المصري يوم الخميس المقبل في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة عشرة من بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

Jigar Naik sent Glamorgan spinning to defeat at Grace Road with a five-wicket haul to give Leicestershire a flying start to the new County Championship season

11-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Jigar Naik sent Glamorgan spinning to defeat at Grace Road with a five-wicket haul to give Leicestershire a flying start to the new County Championship season. The Leicester-born offspinner claimed Glamorgan’s last four wickets for 16 runs in 7.1 overs to finish with 5 for 36 as Leicestershire won by 89 runs.Chasing a target of 338, the visitors were bowled out for 248 with only Ben Wright offering any real resistance. Wright top-scored with 65 off 102 balls before becoming one of Naik’s victimsas the Glamorgan innings folded.But, until Naik was brought on shortly after lunch, Glamorgan still looked to be in with a chance of victory. They started the day at 112 for 3, still needing 226 to win, but, at the lunch interval, required 139 with four wickets still standing.They were also encouraged by a stubborn seventh-wicket partnership between Wright and Robert Croft that checked Leicestershire’s progress. With the stand having produced 55 runs in 17 overs, Croft was out for 22 when he chipped a well-flighted delivery from Naik to Matthew Boyce at midwicket. Glamorgan’s chances of winning disappeared with his departure.Wright, who had batted with real purpose and authority to reach a half-century off 82 balls with six boundaries, fell in Naik’s next over. Trying to sweep another cleverly flighted ball from the offspinner, he top-edged and was caught on the square-leg boundary.In typical fashion, Graham Wagg chanced his arm with some expansive shots, but was then bowled by a quicker ball from Naik as he backed away to the leg side looking to force the ball through the covers. Naik then wrapped up the victory by having Dean Cosker caught by James Taylor at short leg.It proved good timing as well as rain began to fall 20 minutes after the victory had been secured.Naik, who had claimed the wicket of Will Bragg overnight, had a splendid all-round match, having scored a vital 67 in Leicestershire’s second innings.The home side had dominated the morning session, picking up three more wickets. Michael Powell was lbw to Nadeem Malik, nightwatchman Huw Waters fell lbw to Claude Henderson, and Mark Wallace was brilliantly caught on the boundary by Naik off Matthew Hoggard. Leicestershire picked up 20 points for the dominant victory.

Manchester City have brought in numerous players from fellow Premier League clubs over recent years such as Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez and Nathan Ake among others.

Now that the next summer transfer window is around the corner, it seems as though the Etihad Stadium club have their eye on adding another top-flight talent to their ranks.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Star, City have joined the race to sign Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse this summer.

The report claims that Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are also interested in the Englishman, who ‘could cost up to £60m if Southampton feel compelled to sell’.

Set piece specialist

Since making his senior debut for the Saints back in October 2011, the 27-year-old has gone on to make 361 appearances for the club across all competitions. In that time, he has found the net 43 times and provided 48 assists along the way.

To highlight how crucial the England international has been for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this season, he not only has more minutes under his belt than any other Saints player in the league, but also the highest number of shot-creating actions (105) to his name (via FB Ref).

Since the 2015/16 season, the midfielder has scored 13 direct free kicks for his team, including four in this current Premier League campaign.

These free kicks have garnered all sorts of praise for Ward-Prowse, whose knack for set pieces has been described as “unbelievable” by Darren Ambrose. Indeed, his free kick against Wolves earlier this season was labelled by BBC pundit Danny Murphy as “one of the best” that he has ever seen.

Guardiola would love him

Ward-Prowse has also been on the receiving end of high praise from City manager Pep Guardiola, who claimed that the Southampton captain is one of the best set-piece specialists in the world.

To have such a talented and technical midfielder in his squad would surely delight the 51-year-old, who has seen many of his current midfielders find the net multiple times this season.

If the club feel that they need to add some more depth to their midfield with a player who can score and create plenty of goals, then Ward-Prowse could be a solid addition to City’s ranks if they win the race for his signature.

In other news: Man City now eyeing swoop for “magic” £67.5m-rated gem, he’d be Guardiola’s new De Bruyne

افتتح النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو التسجيل لمنتخب بلاده أمام غانا في منافسات كأس العالم قطر 2022.

وتقدم رونالدو للبرتغال من ركلة جزاء سجلها في الدقيقة 65 من عمر المباراة بالجولة الأولى لدور المجموعات.  هدف رونالدو في مرمى غانا

بذلك يصبح رونالدو أول لاعب في تاريخ كرة القدم يسجل في 5 نسخ مختلفة من كأس العالم.

وشارك رونالدو في نسخ مونديال 2006، و2010، و2014، و2018 وسجل فيها جميعًا.

والآن سجل البرتغالي في نسخة مونديال 2022، والتي ستكون الأخيرة بالنسبة له، بحسب ما صرح.

West Brom are under pressure to secure a play off position in the Championship this season, after failing to sustain their battle for an automatic promotion spot this season following a number of poor performances and bad results, leading them to fall to 11th in the league table currently.

Steve Bruce has been appointed to improve upon the season so far, after the club sacked Valerien Ismael last month, but after three games has only been able to secure one point from nine, perhaps proving that the issues at West Brom are far deeper than management at this point.

Whilst the fate of the season could be out of the hands of the ex-Newcastle United boss at this point, due to the manager not being able to have a transfer window to bring his ideal players in, he could look more into his selection process for the team and switch up the starting line up to find the key to the success West Brom enjoyed in the early months of the season, when they were picking up results.

One player who should be getting more game time is Callum Robinson, who has been a consistent player for the side when he has been given the chances to this season.

Robinson who was hailed “first class” by Sky Sports commentator Don Goodman, has made 31 appearances, scoring six goals and bagging eight assists across all competitions, but has only made 59% of his league appearances in the starting line up, which is surprising considering he is the second-highest scoring player and has the most assists in the squad this season so far.

It begs the question as to why the £5.4m-rated star is not more of a regular starter in the side, and why he has only appeared in one of Steve Bruce’s starting line-ups, which happened to be against Blackburn Rovers where they picked up their only point since the new manager’s arrival, and he has been subbed on in the last 15 minutes of the other two games that ended in defeat.

West Brom will face Middlesbrough on Tuesday and Bruce must wise up to the talent and ability sitting on his bench that could be more impactful if they were starting in the team over other players who are less effective, like Adam Reach who hasn’t registered a single goal for the side from his attacking position.

Thus, finally unleashing Robinson in the team consistently could be the lifeline that saves West Brom’s season.

In other news: Adam Reach let down the team against Luton

Warwickshire took control of their relegation dogfight with Essex on a rain-shortened first day in the County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston

25-Aug-2010
ScorecardDarren Maddy removed James Foster for a duck as Essex slumped before rain arrived•Getty ImagesWarwickshire took control of their relegation dogfight with Essex on a rain-shortened first day in the County Championship Division One match at Edgbaston. Essex crumbled to 90 for 7 in 27.3 overs as the home side exploited a seaming pitch after winning the toss for the first time in seven Championship matches on their own ground this season.Ravi Bopara, unbeaten with 42 after hitting six fours, was the only batsman to make significant progress during a grim start for Essex in this make-or-break clash of the bottom two. Warwickshire won the first meeting earlier this month at Southend – in between two fearful maulings by Nottinghamshire – and already they are making up further ground on an Essex side clearly lacking in confidence.An opening stand of 36 proved to be a false dawn for the visitors. From the time Billy Godleman was out for 22, nibbling a catch to the wicketkeeper in the ninth over, Essex lost seven wickets for the addition of 54 runs, mostly scored by Bopara.Chris Woakes claimed the first three in the space of 12 balls for an overall return of three for 28. Jaik Mickleburgh and Matthew Walker were both leg before wicket, the latter offering no shot in an error of judgment which typified Essex’s uncertainty.Although Neil Carter unusually toiled without reward, Warwickshire’s first bowling changes paid off almost straight away. Rikki Clarke speared a good delivery through Mark Pettini’s defence and James Foster deflected Darren Maddy’s 11th ball to second slip.Bopara had some luck, but he was easily the most organised batsman as he made his highest Championship score since his two centuries in the match with Yorkshire at Chelmsford five weeks ago.With the total stuck on 90 as lunch approached, he lost two more partners from the first nine deliveries bowled by Boyd Rankin. Richard Johnson, preferred to Tim Ambrose behind the stumps, held a chance from Ryan ten Doeschate and David Masters became the third lbw casualty of the session.Steady rain set in during the interval and play was abandoned after the players had taken an early tea. Even with two-thirds of the day lost, Warwickshire are still well placed to grab a relegation lifeline. A victory here would give them a chance of escaping with their last two matches against Kent and Hampshire, two other teams in the danger zone.

Newcastle United are interested in Manchester United duo Phil Jones and Jesse Lingard, according to The Daily Star. 

The lowdown

The defender recently returned to the Red Devils’ Premier League starting line-up for the first time in two years against Wolverhampton Wanderers, while the midfielder has been limited to 88 minutes of top-flight football so far this season, with a change of manager at Old Trafford failing to yield any real improvement in terms of game-time for either.

Newcastle have already flexed their muscles this month with the £12m signing of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid, who won La Liga last season and have qualified for the Champions League knockout stages this term. Chris Wood has also joined from Burnley in a £25m deal.

The latest

The Daily Star’s Harry Pratt named Newcastle as one of Jones’ admirers. While Eddie Howe has ‘more pressing transfer targets’ in mind right now, he could revisit the potential move later in the transfer window. The Red Devils value the centre-back at £15m, a price tag which has put Burnley off.

In a separate report, Alex Wood wrote that Newcastle are willing to stump up a £3m fee to add Lingard to their ranks. The England international, who is also a target for West Ham after his loan spell with the Irons last season, is said to be ‘weighing up a departure’ from Old Trafford this month.

The verdict

Howe wants players who are proven in the Premier League to haul Newcastle away from trouble, and the the Red Devils’ 29-year-old duo seem to fit the bill. Jones has made 201 appearances in the English top flight, while Lingard has played 158 times at that level.

Jones may have allayed any concerns over his fitness with an impressive display against Wolves a fortnight ago. He won seven out of his eight duels and blocked three shots to earn a SofaScore rating of 7.6/10, the second-highest in Ralf Rangnick’s side.

Meanwhile, Lingard showed what he was capable of at West Ham in the early month of 2021, netting nine goals and laying on five assists in 16 appearances during a highly successful loan spell.

Those would suggest that both could make a big impact at St James’ Park if they swap Manchester for Tyneside.

In other news, Luke Edwards has been lamenting by this transfer update involving Newcastle

A promising update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Lille centre-back Sven Botman in the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Whilst linking to an article from his colleague Simon Jones, Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has provided an update on the situation, tweeting: “Newcastle remain in contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman.”

This comes after The Athletic reported earlier this week that the deal is all but dead and the defender is poised to remain in France until the end of the season.

Excitement for Eddie Howe

This news will surely leave Eddie Howe feeling excited, as it leaves the door open for Newcastle to sign Botman before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month. It shows that the Magpies have not given up on a move for the 22-year-old just yet and are continuing to attempt to change Lille’s stance in order to bring in the centre-back.

Howe will be delighted with this, as the Dutchman could be an excellent addition to his squad in an area where the Magpies are in desperate need of strengthening. Only Norwich (44), who have played an extra game, have conceded more goals than Newcastle (42) in the Premier League this season, so they could need to resolve their defensive issues before they start to think about avoiding relegation.

Federico Fernandez’s SofaScore rating of 6.77 leads the Newcastle squad in terms of centre-backs this season, whereas Botman has averaged a score of 7.02 for Lille in Ligue 1. The former Ajax man also helped his side to win the league title whilst keeping 20 clean sheets in the French top division last term, showing that he can be a part of a successful defence.

This shows that the youngster could come in and improve the team in the short-term by putting in consistently high-quality performances, if he is able to translate his form from France over to England. He could also have a significant impact in the long-term, as he has plenty of potential left in him at the age of just 22.

Howe could get excited about this possible deal as he could have the opportunity to work with Botman on the training pitch in order to help him develop his game. The former Bournemouth boss could enjoy watching the Dutchman improve as a player over time, whilst also enjoying his displays on the pitch in the shorter-term.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Richie Berrington struck a responsible 82 as Scotland overcame a top-order scare to move into the ascendancy on the second day against Netherlands in Deventer

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2010
ScorecardRichie Berrington struck a responsible 82 as Scotland overcame a top-order scare to move into the ascendancy on the second day against Netherlands in Deventer. Netherlands’ bowling attack stuck to their guns in the early part of the day to reduce the visitors to 61 for 4 before the recovery began, and the lower order finished the day with a lead of 63, with three wickets left.The wickets were shared around, with Mark Jonkman and Adeel Raja picking two apiece, while Berend Westdijk, Peter Borren and Ruud Nijman scalped one each. Raja was getting into his groove, having accounted for Simon Smith and Qasim Sheikh when Berrington began the rescue act. Neil McCallum provided the perfect foil, as they regained ground through patient cricket. Berrington struck nine fours in his 82, and the pair had raised 133 when Borren dismissed him with the first-innings lead in sight. Gregor Maiden who came in next ensured the lead was duly achieved, before McCallum departed having reached his fifty. Matthew Parker worked his way to an unbeaten 28, and his stand with Maiden dispirited the hosts further before Nijman intervened, but the advantage remained well and truly with Scotland at stumps.