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The defending champions have to win each of their remaining six matches to stay in contention for the IPL playoff race

Sidharth Monga03-May-20184:19

Tait: Pollard is a big asset on a small ground

Form guide (most recent match first)

Kings XI Punjab: lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 13 runs, beat Delhi Daredevils by four runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets
Mumbai Indians: lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 14 runs, beat Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets, lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 31 runs

Big PicturePeople of Indore – with the Marathi influence on the city – like to believe they live in “Little Mumbai”. It is way closer to Mumbai than it is to any city in Punjab. Yet Mumbai Indians come to Indore as the away team looking to survive in the tournament, playing form team, Kings XI Punjab.With five wins in seven matches, Kings XI are not too far from the playoffs, but they are coming off a week-long break. Mumbai, meanwhile, will want to get off the treadmill of defeat; they need to win every match from now.It is well reported that the last few balls of an innings, or game, have cost Mumbai. Three times they have lost in the last over of the match, in another they bowled a bad last ball for 13 runs, which proved to be a bridge too far when they chased. There is no room for any allowances now.This will be a contest between a side looking to make use of every small resource available to it and a side so rich with resources it can afford to have a surplus player in its XI in the hope that when he comes good, he wins them a match off his own bat. Kings XI have been a revelation, Mumbai are looking to rediscover themselves.In the newsWith a one-week break behind them, Kings XI should have a fit and hungry Chris Gayle at the top of the order.Kieron Pollard is precariously placed in Mumbai’s XI. A match after he was finally dropped, the West Indian made an unsuccessful return to the side, scoring a run-a-ball 13. There is uncertainty around Evin Lewis as well considering his wrist injury.Previous meetingRemarkably these sides are meeting for the first time this season.Rohit Sharma clobbers one off the middle of the bat•BCCI

Likely XIsKings XI Punjab: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 KL Rahul (wk), 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Karun Nair, 5 Aaron Finch, 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 R Ashwin (capt.), 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Barinder Sran, 10 Ankit Rajpoot, 11 Mujeeb Ur RahmanMumbai Indians: 1 Suryakumar Yadav, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Rohit Sharma (capt.), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Ben Cutting, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Mayank Markande, 11 Jasprit BumrahStrategy puntIf Mumbai open with Rohit Sharma, they could force Mujeeb ur Rahman – legspin v Rohit is always a bowler-friendly match-up – to bowl sooner than Kings XI would want him to bowl.Stats that matter Over 10 seasons, these two sides have an even record of 10 wins and losses against each other. The head-to-head between them over the last three seasons has been 1-1. Pollard has faced only 70 balls in six innings this season; Aaron Finch has faced only 16 over five innings. In 25 balls faced from Mitchell McClenaghan, KL Rahul has scored a healthy 42 runs, but has also been dismissed twice. Chris Gayle has struck at 169.4 per 100 balls of spin this IPL without being dismissed; he still has a solid strike-rate of 154.8 against pace but has got out twice to the quicks.Fantasy pickKrunal Pandya is a floater. He could bat high up in the order, and he will be bowling his left-arm spin against a line-up full of right-hand batsmen, except Chris Gayle.Quotes”We have six games left, and we have to win them all. That is what we have to do. I still believe when you look at our squad, we have key players who can win us six games in a row. We have done it in the past, and I believe we can do it again.”

В сервисе Uplay началась бесплатная раздача стратегии в режиме реального времени World in Conflict: Complete Edition. Чтобы получить бесплатно игру, вам нужно зайти в сервис Uplay, войти в свой аккаунт и добавить World in Conflict Complete Edition в свою библиотеку.

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Напомним, что в прошлом месяце в Uplay проходила бесплатная раздача Watch Dogs.

😳 Когда скачал не ту версию Half-Life 2…

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West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has provided a key claim regarding the future of an "unbelievable" Baggies ace – one that could leave supporters pleased.

West Brom promotion hopes & transfer news

Corberan's men are enjoying a good season to date, sitting fifth in the Championship table and looking primed to finish in the play-off positions. Admittedly, there is still plenty of ground to make up on second-place Ipswich Town, who are 13 points ahead of them, but there is a long way to go.

In order for West Brom to have the best chance of returning to the Premier League this term, it could be that some new faces need to arrive during the January transfer window.

No business has been done yet, but Bournemouth striker Kieffer Moore has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns, and the Cherries are thought to be willing to let him leave this month. Meanwhile, Wolves defender Dexter Lembikisa is another player who has emerged as a potential target for the Baggies.

There are also players who the club are likely to want to keep hold of and see as an important part of the club's future – and a key update has emerged regarding one such figure.

Carlos Corberan's key Tom Fellows update

Speaking in his press conference on Friday [via The Express & Star], Corberan admitted that West Brom want to tie Tom Fellows down to a new deal at the club.

"I know that the club is working in this aspect – with some of the players, especially now individually I can tell you with Tom Fellows, because the club is of course focused on this. We are going to make our best to extend our possibilities with the player and to keep working with players like him."

Keeping hold of Fellows for years to come is something that West Brom need to ensure happens, with the 20-year-old an exciting young player who should only improve. In fact, Darren Byfield, who coached the midfielder during his spell at Crawley Town, once had this to say about him:

"Let’s talk about his game…unbelievable. He is a get-off-your-seat kind of guy. When he got the ball I was like ‘Go on, Tom’. He dribbles and drives, with a great attitude to develop, a great attitude to work, just a wonderful boy. Off the pitch, his mannerisms, his attitude, I really, really liked Tom Fellows and think he will go on to be a very good footballer."

Fellows may be having to bide his time for regular football at West Brom currently, starting just once in the Championship this season. He has come on as a substitute 13 times in the competition, but given his age, he is someone who should mature all the time and become a key man in the future.

West Brom eyeing January move for "throwback" striker

His club are open to a move away.

ByCharlie Smith Jan 4, 2024

Losing him now would be a big blow, before he has realised his potential, so a new deal is something that surely makes sense for all parties.

An important West Ham man "will depart" at the end of 2023/2024, according to journalist Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail this week.

West Ham back on track after 3-2 win

The Hammers, after losing three consecutive Premier League games on the spin, are back on the right track following their dramatic 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Star midfielder Lucas Paqueta gave the hosts an early lead, with strikes from Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga briefly putting Forest into the ascendancy before Jarrod Bowen equalised just one minute later. Summer signing James Ward-Prowse provided the assist for Bowen, and the midfielder was on hand with another two minutes from added time. Ward-Prowse's whipped delivery from a corner found the towering Tomas Soucek at the back post, who nodded his ball into the bottom corner to seal all three points for a delighted David Moyes.

The Scotsman, who has been under pressure this season with reports suggesting Moyes could even be sacked by West Ham, hailed the Hammers for fighting their way back against Forest.

"We hadn’t played well enough in the first half. We weren’t quick enough," said Moyes on West Ham's win over Forest.

"Was it a bit to do with a little carry over from Thursday? It could be, but also it could be Nottingham Forest leaving us on the ball a bit. I thought we played okay but we were that slow in the first half that I was bored myself watching it at times.

"Coming out for the second half, we wanted them to get much quicker with the ball, be faster, try and get more balls in behind and make more runs behind them. I thought we did that. Unfortunately we got done with a little bit of a sucker punch, went 2-1 down, but great credit to the lads because they picked themselves up and got the result."

Two great results on the spin, with West Ham also beating Olympiacos last week in the Europa League, have eased some pressure off Moyes but his contract is still set to expire in 2024 as things stand.

Moyes "will depart" West Ham next year

The 60-year-old led West Ham to their first major trophy since 1980 at the end of last season with a Conference League triumph in Prague, but league form has been very questionable since 2022.

West Ham finished a lowly 14th and battled relegation for much of the campaign. There were calls for Moyes to be sacked at points around that time, with reliable Mail reporter Mokbel now saying Moyes "will depart" come the end of this season.

“That question will linger until David Moyes finally departs," he said on the It's all Kicking off Podcast this week.

"I think he’s going to depart, all the information we have indicates that he will depart at the end of this season.”

16th

19/20

6th

20/21

7th

21/22

14th

22/23

Whatever happens with Moyes, there is little doubt he will be remembered by supporters as one of their most popular head coaches of the last few decades. Pundit Simon Jordan even called him "integral" in stopping the West Ham nosedive, when he took over for his second stint in charge all those years ago.

Tottenham Hotspur did not enjoy a vintage victory against Luton Town in the Premier League, but they secured another win nonetheless on a dry Kenilworth Road pitch on Saturday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou's revolution is in full swing, with the Lilywhites now advancing to first place after securing their sixth victory from eight matches, drawing twice.

While Yves Bissouma got sent off before the break, inexplicably diving just outside the box while already on a yellow card, Micky van de Ven clinched his first goal from close range after excellent work from the ingenious James Maddison, who is proving to be the "signing of the summer" so far – as per TNT's Joe Cole.

How did Micky van de Ven play vs Luton?

The Dutchman was signed from German side Wolfsburg for £43m in the summer, and while this might seem a somewhat tall figure for a 22-year-old defender of somewhat unknown quality, he has been sensational so far in Tottenham white.

Against Luton, his first goal was both decisive and a testament to his positional awareness, but it was his overall game that showcased the full scale of his skills.

As per Sofascore, the centre-half recorded a match rating of 8.1 after impressively winning 100% of his duels, making a clearance and two tackles, completing 94% of his passes and taking 78 touches.

To think that Van de Ven is so early into his career on English shores is most exciting indeed, and while he was in fine fettle today, it was his partner, Cristian Romero, who enjoyed his crowning moment in a Tottenham shirt.

How well did Cristian Romero play today?

Romero, quite simply, was immense against a spirited, if profligate, Hatters attack, earning praise for his “incredible” display by football.london's Alasdair Gold, who also remarked that it was perhaps his "best performance in a Spurs shirt."

Earning an 8.0 Sofascore rating, the 25-year-old forged three tackles and interceptions apiece, won a whopping 11 duels, took 102 touches, completed 89% of his passes and also made a key pass.

His growing influence as a dynamic component from behind the midfield is becoming increasingly important for his outfit, who march on with yet another hard-fought victory.

As relayed by The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare, Tottenham's Australian manager said of his outfit's burgeoning defensive strength: "A big part of that is Romero. He makes them (the rest of the back 5 who had never or barely played in the PL) feel like they belong and that they can flourish. He's an outstanding defender, someone you want in your team. Ridiculous bravery."

Truly, the Argentine is developing into the first-class defender that those of a Spurs affiliation always knew he possessed, if hadn't harnessed properly before.

As per FBref, the £165k-per-week colossus ranks among the top 5% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 15% for interceptions and the top 21% for shot-creating actions per 90, with such qualities indeed on offer at against Luton.

His formidable presence at the heart of the backline will be integral in securing the lofty ambitions this season, and while it is very early in the campaign, there's no reason why Tottenham cannot keep a hold on title contention with Romero starring in central defence.

Jamaica manager Heimir Hallgrimsson admits he would "love" to have Mason Greenwood on his team amid a possible international allegiance switch.

Article continues below

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• Jamaica try to recruit Greenwood
• Getafe loanee played once for England
• Jamaica coach would "love" to have him

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Getafe loanee Greenwood made his sole England cap back in September 2020 – a 12-minute cameo off the bench against Iceland in a Nations League game. FIFA rules state players can switch international allegiance if they have made fewer than three senior appearances for one nation before turning 21; plus, they cannot have played for them for at least three years. Now, head coach Hallgrimsson has set his sights on bringing the Manchester United academy product into the Reggae Boyz's national setup.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON SAID

  He told The Athletic: "I really don’t like to talk about ‘what if’, but this, of course, has come to our mind. I would love to have him in my team. Like all coaches, I would like to have the best players in our team, but it’s always up to the player himself if he wants to do it.”

  Greenwood had all charges dropped in a case relating to allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive and controlling behaviour in February 2023. While the 22-year-old is likely to never play for United again, Hallgrimsson believes the forward deserves a "second chance".

  He added: “That will then be up to the [Jamaican Football] Federation. It’s not the coach who is going to answer for something like that. I’m not an expert in this. I just look at the person. I think what he has gone through in the year and a half since it happened is worse than I can imagine, being in the press and on social media. I can only imagine what he has been going through. The case went through stages and the case was dropped, so it’s not up to me or anyone else to judge him on that.

  “It was no less a person than Jesus Christ who said, those who are without sin should throw the first stone. Whatever happened, everybody at least deserves a second chance. And he knows that all eyes are on him. So it’s a big pressure and I am happy for the player that he is coming back because it is probably a trauma. It’s difficult to come (back) from, so I give him my support at least. He must have a strong mentality to start to play again and start to play so well.”

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Greenwood has some big decisions to make about his future in the coming months. His time at Old Trafford could be over, after he was suspended by the club following his arrest in January 2022, and soon he must decide if he will join Getafe permanently and switch to Jamaica – which he is eligible to play for via his father, Andrew.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Greenwood, who has scored seven goals and bagged five assists while on loan at Getafe in La Liga, could next feature for the Spanish outfit on Saturday away to Valencia. Getafe currently sit 11th in the table.

How do you beat Sunrisers Hyderabad? It may have felt like a distant memory before Saturday, but Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings showed the other teams a way early in the season: bat first, set a challenging target and expose a slightly suspect batting line-up.On Saturday, Delhi Daredevils did most of that, and put Sunrisers under plenty of pressure, but fell short at a few key moments. Having won the toss and pushed on to 95 for 1 in their first 10 overs, they only managed 68 in their last 10, as Sunrisers’ bowlers reeled them back on a slow, dry track.Still, 163 was the biggest total any team had managed against Sunrisers this season, and they didn’t always look convincing while chasing it. They profited from a couple of dropped chances, went without a boundary for 36 balls at one point, and eventually needed 14 off the last over. It could have gone either way, and Yusuf Pathan – who had been dropped on 0 by Vijay Shankar on the square-leg boundary – sealed the deal with two meaty hits off Daniel Christian: a straight six off a full-toss, and a four, swiped over short fine leg, off a short ball.Those hits may also have sealed Daredevils’ fate in the tournament. With only three wins from ten games, the playoffs are all but out of reach for them.The Shaw must go onThat’s what the big screen at the stadium said after Prithvi Shaw hit his first boundary of the match, a straight six off Sandeep Sharma. By the end of the 10th over, Shaw had made 65 off 35 balls, out of Daredevils’ 95 for 1. The other end, despite some sparkling shots from Shreyas Iyer, had only made 30 off 25.Part of the reason for Shaw’s rate of scoring was the hardness of the new ball, which made up somewhat for a slow pitch. But it also had something to do with Shaw’s range of strokes: case in point the last over of the Powerplay, delivered by Siddarth Kaul.Before this game, Kaul had conceded only 59 off 62 short and short-of-good-length balls this season. After a fullish knuckle ball that Shaw launched over the long-on boundary, Kaul pulled his length back, delivering three short or shortish balls. Two were angled into the body to try and cramp Shaw for room, and the other was only marginally outside off stump. None of them was a rank bad ball, and Shaw put all three away for four, to three different parts of the ground.The slowdownThe Shaw, however, didn’t go on past the first ball of the 11th over, an attempted sweep off Rashid Khan looping to short third man off the outside edge. Daredevils slowed down considerably after that.This was partly down to the older ball becoming difficult to hit, and mostly to Sunrisers’ bowling and tactics. Rashid bowled three of the seven overs from the 11th to the 17th, varying his pace and getting some balls to grip the surface while others hurried on; Bhuvneshwar Kumar sent down his third over in the 14th to try and keep the pressure on; and Kaul and Sandeep varied their pace excellently.The changes of pace were particularly effective against Rishabh Pant, who kept losing his shape while trying to launch himself into slower balls angling away from him. He only scored 18 off 18 before falling to Rashid in the 17th over. By that time, Daredevils were 135 for 5.They went without a boundary for 18 balls before Shankar clattered a six and a four off Bhuvneshwar in the 20th over to move Daredevils past 160.Hales v AveshThis was only Alex Hales’ second match of the season, but belatedly or not, his inclusion has given Sunrisers the top-order muscle they possibly lacked without David Warner. Today he muscled 45 off 31 balls, and 28 off 9 came off one bowler. Avesh Khan. The 21-year old kept bowling short, and kept getting hit by Hales and, occasionally, Shikhar Dhawan. There were two fours in the second over, and four sixes in the sixth.Perhaps it was a plan, for Hales miscued one pull, on 9, only for Glenn Maxwell to drop a sitter at deep square leg. That apart, it didn’t work, and the opening pair added 76 in nine overs.One piece of magic, and a pair of expensive bowlersIt took a beauty to end the opening stand, an Amit Mishra legbreak that pitched on leg, beat the outside edge, and hit the top of off, its flat trajectory rooting Hales to the crease. Dhawan played all around a full ball in Mishra’s next over and was bowled for 33 off 30, his strike rate reflecting the not necessarily straightforward batting conditions as well as a conservative, let’s-get-our-eye-in approach from all of Sunrisers’ top order barring Hales.The third-wicket stand between Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey – which featured lots of singles to deep fielders and not a lot of high-risk shots – brought only 21 runs in its first 22 balls, at which stage Sunrisers needed 57 off 32 balls. But Pandey struck a pair of fours off Christian, and Williamson followed up with an uppercut six off Avesh in the next over, suggesting these were the bowlers Sunrisers wanted to target. It was a fairly well-executed strategy. The two of them ended up conceding 84 in 6.5 overs, and the rest of Daredevils’ bowlers just 80 off 13.

The international players’ association chief, Tim May, talks about the phenomenon of the freelance cricketer, and the need for India and Pakistan to have player reps

Interview by Rob Steen02-May-2012Tim May has been fighting so many fires lately, it’s a wonder he doesn’t descend into his office by pole.Last week the chief executive of the Federation of International Players’ Associations (FICA) expressed his dismay at the failure of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, despite several requests, to pay those who made their spanking new premier league possible. April also saw him munching on a goodly number of other hot potatoes, principally the Woolf Report and Bangladesh’s on-off-on-off tour of Pakistan. He reserved the outer limits of his measured fury for Mustafa Kamal, for the BCB president’s willingness, as May sees it, to put his ICC ambitions ahead of his own players’ safety.Thanks to the wonders of virtual communication, being domiciled in Texas is no barrier to stating his convictions, offering advice to his constituents and solutions to the pressing issues of the day – issues that refuse to show the slightest inclination to go away. Even if it means being told in bristlingly brusque terms by the PCB that he should mind his own business.He’s used to it. It goes with the territory. How he must wish he was representing the stars of the NFL or NBA or Major League Baseball, confronting management emboldened by the knowledge that collective bargaining and industrial action are par for the course, and even strikes are not uncommon. Well, actually, no. Okay, maybe sometimes.Nonetheless, bemusing Poms with his artfully ripped offbreaks – Shane Warne wasn’t the only Australian spinner to have a ball in the 1993 Ashes – was a breeze next to tackling the opponents ranged against him now.We seem to be reaching crisis point in terms of relations between cricketers and boards, what with the continuing power struggle in the Caribbean and players not being paid in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Or am I exaggerating?
I am not sure that we have reached crisis point quite yet, but there is certainly room for plenty of improvement in not only those territories but some other countries as well. Athletes expect administrators to govern properly, conduct themselves professionally, act in the best interests of the game, and for them to treat the athletes with respect and fairness. The governance structure and the quality of governance in a number of territories is worrying. Cricket really needs to adopt structures and recruit expertise suited to address the issues that confront the modern game.Can FICA ever have true credibility while the Indian players stay out?
We already have credibility – we are formally recognised by the ICC as the representative for players across the majority of Full Member countries. But there is no doubt that our credibility and leverage will be enhanced further if the Indians, Pakistanis and Zimbabweans established player associations within their respective domains. To be honest, we aren’t making much ground here, which is frustrating as we believe that if there ever were countries that needed player associations, India and Pakistan would be the first cabs off the rank.It has always been our position that for a player association to be effective, the players themselves need to be instrumental and passionate regarding its establishment and maintenance – there just isn’t that level of commitment within those two groups of players at the moment. Players’ interests need to be aligned and they need to operate as an unselfish collective, rather than an every-man-for-himself mentality. Until this “collective” mindset can be obtained within these groups of players, it will be difficult to establish an effective player association.

“The BCCI simply won’t recognise any type of player representative. It basically is a policy designed to preserve the unhealthy, inequitable chasm of power that those boards exert over players from those countries”

Another hurdle is the attitude to player associations from the BCCI largely, and to a lesser extent the PCB. The BCCI simply won’t recognise any type of player representative. They will not deal with a player agent, player lawyer or any type of player association – it basically is a policy designed to preserve the unhealthy, inequitable chasm of power that those boards exert over players from those countries.Where do you stand on the Chris Gayle saga?
FICA believes that a player has the right to choose where he plays and for whom he plays – the days of “playing for your country” as the only way you could earn a professional living as a cricketer are well and truly behind us. International cricket needs to realise that there is a competitor to their ability to contract players, and to ensure they react appropriately and progressively to these new market forces. The imposition of unenforceable regulations (such as No Objection Clauses) is obviously not the answer.International cricket bodies need to make international cricket attractive to players. These measures should include smarter programming of matches, addressing the volume-of-cricket issues, offering fair terms and conditions in contracts, meeting their agreed contractual obligations and embracing player input.Has the emergence of the “freelance” cricketer been a boon for FICA and players’ rights – or has it just made life more complex?
I am not sure it has been a boon for FICA, but I believe that it has certainly been good for the game. The emergence of T20 leagues that offer opportunities to players from all over the world, provides greater opportunities for a greater number players to earn a living from cricket – that is a real positive. If the number of employment opportunities and the ability to earn greater levels of income exist in a market, I am sure you would agree that it is a healthy development.Players have always had the ability to freelance, but previously there were few other opportunities aside from county cricket. The creation of T20 has given boards a short-time-frame format, and most importantly a popular format, that they are able to fit into their existing calendars with additional and handsome commercial returns. The relatively high salaries offered to players and the short time-period for an event to be conducted are obviously attractive to players.It has also introduced a market where there is competition for the services of players. Previously a player had no little leverage in any negotiations with his board – if he didn’t accept the contract, because of the barriers of citizenship, he couldn’t play anywhere else. Once you have a competitive employee market, you observe more friendly player terms and rights.Dinanath Ramnarine, the chief executive of the West Indies Players Association, much the most vocal of all such officials, resigned recently. He made enemies but he also appeared to have fought his players’ corner magnificently. Was he good for the cause?
Of course he was – somebody had to fight hard for the player rights down there, and Dinanath had to face significant hurdles and opposition from the WICB for a long period of time. Some critics have criticised Dinanath for constantly being in conflict with the board and have pointed the finger at him as being the major problem in these issues. They couldn’t be further from the truth.Over the past few years, of all the issues that were referred to arbitration for resolution – I think there have been about ten to date – WIPA has won every issue. I think that paints a very clear picture as to who the “good guys” and the “bad guys” are down there.Unsurprisingly the biggest problems always seem to afflict the players from poorer nations, with the ICC’s implicit disregard for the Bangladeshis’ safety in Pakistan a particularly ignoble symbol. Is there an issue you can envisage drawing the bigger boys into the ring?
“Over the past few years, of all the issues that were referred to arbitration for resolution WIPA has won every one. I think that paints a very clear picture as to who the “good guys” and the “bad guys” are down there”•Associated PressFrom time to time we have used the strength and even the resources of the bigger player associations to assist with the positions and negotiations that the more fledgling and less-resourced player associations may be experiencing. We have highlighted the ongoing need for the more established player associations to assist with operational issues faced by the more inexperienced associations – we will be using a “buddy system” whereby one experienced association will be appointed to assist with the development and issue management of a particular inexperienced or under-resourced association. This has been happening for a few years, but on a less formalised and structured basis.You’ve championed the Woolf Report. How would it benefit players’ rights?
Player rights will be better protected and respected if the game is governed responsibly and decisions are made in the wider interests of the game, rather than in the self-interests of those who sit on the board. Players want the ICC to be the best possible organisation it can – we want the ICC to grow the game, to make smart, unbiased decisions and to be free of conflicts of interest in decision-making.We strongly believe the ICC needs the ability to appoint directors who have a wide array of relevant skills and who are independent from the interests of a particular country. The executive board currently comprises people who are appointed from each Full Member country, who typically vote for what is best for their country rather than do what their duty is – that is, vote for what is in the best interests of the game.In short, the ICC needs an executive board comprising largely independent directors, comprising a wide range of relevant skills, who are free from any conflict of interests. That is just basic “good governance”.

Stats preview to the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Wellington

S Rajesh02-Dec-2009Already 1-0 down after a heartbreaking loss in Dunedin, Pakistan should be buoyed by the fact that the next match is at a venue where they’ve never lost in six Tests. In fact, they won the last two convincingly – by an innings and 12 runs, and by seven wickets, in matches that were also the second Tests of the series, in 1994 and 2003.New Zealand’s results have been more mixed – 14 wins and 16 losses in all – but it’s still one of their better home venues. Among grounds where they’ve played at least five Tests, only in Hamilton do they have a better win-loss ratio. In this decade they’ve won exactly as many matches as they’ve lost, though two of those five victories came against Bangladesh.

New Zealand and Pakistan in Wellington

Team	Tests	Won	Lost	Drawn
New Zealand	49	14	16	19
Pakistan	6	2	0	4
New Zealand since 2000	14	5	5	4

Win the toss and bat or field? Records suggest captains prefer to put the opposition in – it’s happened nine times in the 14 matches since 2000. It’s generally been a good move too – six of those nine games have ended decisively, with five going the way of the team which won the toss. On the other hand, of the four games which produced a result when teams chose to bat, three were won by the side which lost the toss.The innings-wise average also suggests the pitch has a bit in it for the bowlers, and doesn’t deteriorate towards the end of the game – the fourth innings average runs per wicket is 41.26, but that’s because of successful run-chases, when teams knock off targets with the top-order batsmen still batting. The highest successful run-chase during this period belongs to Pakistan – they scored 277 for 3 to record a memorable seven-wicket win in 2003.

Runs per wicket at the Basin Reserve since 2000

1st innings	2nd innings	3rd innings	4th innings
30.56	31.54	26.42	41.26

Fast bowlers have done much better here than spinners, a fact which further explains the tendency of captains to field first. They concede about ten runs fewer than the spinners per wicket, and have taken 16 five-fors in 14 Tests since 2000. The only spinners to take five-fors during this period are Muttiah Muralitharan and Daniel Vettori. Murali took 10 for 118 in a Test in 2006, but for Vettori wickets have been much harder to come by at the Basin Reserve – in 12 Tests, he has taken 30 at an average touching 40.The record of fast bowlers at this ground suggests New Zealand will sorely miss Shane Bond, who was outstanding in Dunedin. Pakistan, on the other hand, can take inspiration from the past record of their fast bowlers at this ground, which is better than any other team. In their last two Tests here, at least one bowler has stood up and delivered a match-winning performance. In 1994, Wasim Akram took 11 for 179 to ease Pakistan to an innings win; almost a decade later, Shoaib Akhtar turned the game around in astonishing fashion – New Zealand had taken a first-innings lead of 170, and were comfortably placed at 73 for 2, when Shoaib put in a devastating spell, finishing with 6 for 30 to bundle the hosts out for 103. Mohammad Yousuf, who’d scored 60 in the first innings, then finished off the game with an unbeaten 88.Among New Zealand’s fast bowlers, Chris Martin has the best figures, with 47 wickets from ten Tests. Bond took 15 in his three Tests here at 21.74, but Tim Southee, his replacement in the squad, took just two in his only Test at this ground, against India earlier this year.

Pace and spin in Wellington

	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Pace since 2000	329	28.67	55.9	16/ 1
Spin since 2000	82	38.74	81.8	2/ 2
NZ fast bowlers since 2000	191	27.40	51.6	6/ 0
Pak fast bowlers – overall	83	23.89	54.7	6/ 2

Wellington is also a rare venue where batting feats haven’t completely dominated the show. In 14 Tests since 2000, there have been 18 five-fors but only 14 hundreds. Out of those 14, New Zealand have contributed just five. (Click here for more details.) Also, there have been 67 half-centuries scored here, indicating that bowlers stand a chance to take wickets even after batsmen have been in for reasonably long periods. Between them, Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson went past fifty 11 times during this period, but not once could they convert it into a hundred.Among the New Zealand batsmen in the current squad, Ross Taylor has enjoyed these conditions the most, averaging more than 64, with a lowest of 42 in four innings. Vettori and Brendon McCullum both have averages in the late 20s. (Click here for the full list.)

استغل جمهور فريق مانشستر سيتي الفرصة خلال مباراة اليوم ضد إيبسويتش تاون، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، من أجل السخرية من جاره مانشستر يونايتد.

واستضاف ملعب “بوتمان رود” مباراة الفريقين في الجولة الثانية والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث حقق مانشستر سيتي فوزًا كاسحًا بستة أهداف دون رد.

وارتفع رصيد مانشستر سيتي بعد ذلك الفوز إلى 38 نقطة في المركز الرابع، بينما تجمد رصيد إيبسويتش تاون عند 16 نقطة في المركز الثامن عشر.

اقرأ أيضًا | “غير مقبول ولن أتغير رغم معاناة المشجعين”.. أموريم يعلق على هزيمة مانشستر يونايتد أمام برايتون

وحسبما ذكرت صحيفة “ديلي ستار” الإنجليزية، فإن جماهير مانشستر سيتي رددت هتافات ساخرة من مانشستر يونايتد خلال مباراة اليوم ضد إيبسويتش تاون.

ورددت جماهير مانشستر سيتي لـ إيبسويتش تاون: “ستهبطون مع مانشستر يونايتد”، قبل أن يغنوا بعد ذلك: “سيتي يفوز، يونايتد يخسر، لقد جعلتمونا نغني يا بلوز”.

ولم تتوقف الجماهير عند هذا الحد، بل واصلت بعدما سجل جيريمي دوكو الهدف الرابع حيث قالت: “نحن سنبقى”، في إشارة إلى كون مانشستر يونايتد مهدد بإمكانية الهبوط على العكس من مانشستر سيتي الذي يتواجد في وضع آمن.

وجاءت سخرية جماهير مانشستر سيتي بعد خسارة مانشستر يونايتد اليوم أمام برايتون بنتيجة 3/1 على ملعب “الأولد ترافورد” في الجولة نفسها.

وتجمد رصيد مانشستر يونايتد عند 26 نقطة في المركز الثاني والعشرين في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي، أي بفارق 10 نقاط فقط عن المراكز المهددة بالهبوط.