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BJ Watling, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, has said that he is prepared to face a “barrage of spin” on their Caribbean tour. New Zealand left for their tour, which begins with two Twenty20s against West Indies in Florida, on Sunday.Watling, 26, said that he expected the Caribbean pitches to be similar to the ones that Australia played on during their series in April. “I’m preparing for a barrage of spin,” Watling told the Waikato Times. “From what we saw when Australia toured there, and what we’ve been hearing, they [the pitches] weren’t the greatest. They were low and slow, and with a lot of turn.”(West Indies) can perform on the day and have the potential to be very good. We’ll be well-prepared because we’re going to have to be right on our game. The two teams aren’t renowned for their consistency, so we’ll be looking to be the more consistent – we want to come out on top in key situations.”Watling, who made his Test debut in 2009, scored his first Test century against Zimbabwe in January this year. However, he missed the South Africa series due to a hip injury. He said that he was fit and looked to make up for lost time. “It was good for me to get out there and catch some balls, get my workloads up and just good to get outside. The injury felt really good – I tested it out a lot last week and it held up well. I’ve been doing my rehab and it’s got better and better. I will definitely get a decent workout, but I’m confident I’ll get through it.”In Brendon McCullum’s absence, Watling is expected to take the gloves in both the ODIs and T20s on the tour, but in the Tests he would compete with Kruger van Wyk. “I was obviously quite surprised to make the Twenty20 leg – I don’t think my domestic performances have been that great, but now I have the opportunity to prove myself.”Edited by Carlyle Laurie

Australia’s batsmen were briefly discomforted by spin for a second time before rolling to an eight-wicket victory over the WICB President’s XI in the three-day tour match at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados

Daniel Brettig in Barbados04-Apr-2012Scorecard Australia’s batsmen were briefly discomforted by spin for a second time before rolling to an eight-wicket victory over the WICB President’s XI in the three-day tour match at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados.The occasional leg breaks of Nkrumah Bonner produced some moments of unease for the visiting top order on the final morning as they closed in on a paltry target – captain Michael Clarke perished and Ricky Ponting also came close to losing his wicket before the finish. Ed Cowan built up his familiarity with the Caribbean with a tidy, unbeaten contribution.Cowan, Peter Forrest, Shane Watson, Clarke and Ponting all spent a modicum of time in the middle as they acclimatised to the other side of the world, while the bowling attack of Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon also had reason to be content with their work on days one and two. However the hosts will not be entirely without optimism on the evidence of this fixture.Watson and Cowan had been greeted by a pitch that had sweated overnight and changed perceptibly in its character, offering some bounce to the tall fast-medium of Jason Holder. The visitors were intent on wrapping up a slim target quickly, but Watson soon perished in the chase, pulling Holder to deep square leg.Cowan was not middling everything and sliced one over second slip, while at the other end Clarke did not look particularly comfortable against Bonner. One legbreak would touch Clarke’s outside edge on its way through to the wicketkeeper, bringing Ponting to the crease for another spell in the middle ahead of the first Test. He played one slightly ungainly hook shot to the boundary from Holder, and edged the persevering Bonner narrowly short of slip, but otherwise looked in good trim as he and Cowan closed out the contest.In the end, Australia had won comfortably enough, but not without giving West Indies some reason to harbour hope when the two sides join battle on Saturday.

Dhaka Gladiators opener and Pakistan batsman Imran Nazir was hit on the head by a Peter Trego bouncer during the Bangladesh Premier League game in Chittagong today

Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2012Dhaka Gladiators opener and Pakistan batsman Imran Nazir was hit on the head by a Peter Trego bouncer during the Bangladesh Premier League game in Chittagong.Nazir suffered the blow in the seventh over of Dhaka’s chase against Sylhet Royals when he was on 31. He had a hat on rather than a helmet and immediately went down to the ground holding his head. Minutes later he walked off with physio Vibhav Singh holding an ice-pack on the injured area on the side of Nazir’s head.Nazir was immediately taken to a local clinic where it was found that he was out of danger. The medical reports showed that he had suffered soft tissue damage. As a precautionary measure, Nazir will be kept under observation in Chittagong for an additional day. Dhaka’s next game is against Chittagong Kings at home on February 24.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Darren Bravo had to wait 10 Tests to reach his maiden Test ton•AFP

West Indies consolidated their hold over the second Test, moving from a position of control to complete dominance by extending their lead to 331 with Darren Bravo, who reached his maiden international ton in his 10th Test off the last ball of the day, and Kirk Edwards laying the platform to shut Bangladesh out of contention through a stand worth 151. On a track where spinners found some turn and bite, the Bangladesh bowlers let themselves down, were not backed up by their fielders and appeared to be beating a retreat with spread-out fields when the need of the hour was quick wickets and a strong comeback.The spin-strong hosts would have been encouraged by the assistance the pitch offered Devendra Bishoo and Marlon Samuels in the morning session; West Indies took little over an hour to polish off the last three wickets of the Bangladesh innings. There were rough patches on either side of the crease that the slow bowlers targeted, and they promised a tougher outing for the batsmen in the second innings. The run-out of Kraigg Brathwaite in the first over and the needless, and failed, attempt by Kieran Powell to clear mid-on after a solid start gave Bangladesh hope of limiting the damage to manageable proportions. But Bravo’s counter-attack, Edwards’ unshakeable determination that only slipped shortly before stumps and a failure to put the pair under pressure cost the home team.Starting with a packed in-field and catchers close in, the Bangladesh spinners tempted Bravo with flight, aiming at the rough, but were caught off-guard as he responded with aggression. Off his second ball, he smashed Shakib over his head and launched him over the long-on boundary in his next over. Shakib slipped his sliders and Nasir Hossain got some turn but their efforts were inadequate against a calculated Bravo onslaught that put Bangladesh quickly on the defensive. He struck Nasir over mid-on, drove him through the covers and pulled him over midwicket, all in the same over. Soon enough, the field was pushed back, triggering a routine flow of runs to those stationed at long-on and long-off.His quest for runs prompted Bravo to nick Shakib to Mushfiqur Rahim and then Imrul Kayes at first slip – both chances were spilled, drawing a smile of resignation on Shakib’s face. Edwards was content to cede the floor to his partner and rotated the strike comfortably, driving through the V, using the sweep and gradually laying the stage for his second century of the game. He was the recipient of a spate of low full tosses from the Bangladesh slow bowlers but also dealt soundly with those that turned; he drove Shakib twice through the extra cover for four and was equally assured on the back foot, punching him to the boundary despite there being a deep cover. Though not one to take unnecessary risks, he surprised a few when he took on Shahadat Hossain, thumping him over mid-on and clearing the ropes.Barring a mistimed pull that landed inches short of Shakib at midwicket, Edwards experienced no major hiccups and looked to become the first West Indies batsman in 10 years to score a century in each innings. His pursuit was cut short by a momentary lapse in concentration when he flicked too early against a full delivery from Suhrawadi Shuvo – who hardly spun the ball – and was bowled.Bravo toned down in the final session, the stream of singles continuing uninterrupted however. Only two fours came off his bat post tea, one a streaky edge off Rubel Hossain – who bowled too short in his return spell – and the other a punch off Shakib past cover. As nightwatchman Kemar Roach kept Bravo nervous company on the day’s dying stages, Shuvo gave him an anxious moment when he scraped past the outside edge in the final over but a cut through point off that last ball that fetched him two drew a roar, an animated celebration and eventually tears, summing up the relief of having reached a most cherished milestone.The reckless top-order approach on the second day, and missed opportunities and lack of effectiveness with the ball on the third, have left Bangladesh facing a formidable challenge of saving the Test, let alone winning it, on a pitch that could get trickier.

تمكن الفريق الأول لكرة السلة في الأهلي من تحقيق فوز صعب بنتيجة 77-72 على حساب الاتحاد السكندري في صالة الأمير عبد الله الفيصل في إطار الجولة السابعة من دوري السوبر المصري لموسم 2022-2023.

وفاز الأهلي بقيادة الإسباني أوجستي بوش على حساب الفريق السكندري تحت قيادة الألماني هنريك رودل في مباراة شهدت تألق البورتريكي والتر هودج صانع ألعاب الأحمر بينما فقد الاتحاد خدمات نجمه أحمد عادل “دولا” منذ الفترة الثالثة لارتكابه 5 أخطاء شخصية مما منح هودج فرصة للتوهج وزيادة رصيده من النقاط إلى 36.

دخل الأهلي اللقاء منقوصًا من خدمات سيف سمير وعمر عزب بداعي الإصابة بينما الاتحاد افتقد إلى لاعبه حاتم البحيري.

اقرأ أيضا..الأهلي يسحق الزمالك في دوري السوبر لكرة السلة

عانى الأهلي في الشوط الأول من اللقاء بسبب إهدار العديد من التصويبات البعيدة وكذلك النسبة الضعيفة في الرميات الحرة بينما تألق يوسف شحاتة في التصويبات الثلاثية لينتهي الشوط الأول بتفوق الاتحاد 34-38.

وفي الشوط الثاني تألق والتر هودج مع ظهور رائع لمؤمن طارق خيري في التصويبات الثلاثية بينما منح عمر طارق الأهلي قوة كبيرة على مستوى المتابعات كما نجح البديل مروان سرحان في تقديم مستوى هو الأفضل له بقميص الأهلي لينتهي اللقاء بفوز القلعة الحمراء.

بهذا الفوز وصل الأهلي للنقطة 14 في صدارة جدول الترتيب بينما يحل الاتحاد في المركز الثاني برصيد 13 نقطة وذلك مع انتهاء الدور الأول من الدور التمهيدي.

الأهلي سبق وأن توج هذا الموسم بلقب دوري المرتبط على حساب الاتحاد الذي رد بالتتويج بلقب كأس السوبر المصري لتستمر المعارك الثنائية بين الفريقين على التتويج بالألقاب في الموسم الحالي.

وكان الأهلي حقق اللقب في الموسم الماضي على حساب الاتحاد السكندري للمرة السادسة في تاريخه.

في تقليد ينتهجه نادي بيراميدز دائما مع جميع أجهزته الفنية، حرص اليوناني تاكيس جونياس المدير الفني السابق على وداع لاعبي فريق الكرة بالنادي بعد قرار فسخ التعاقد معه بالتراضي والرحيل بشكل نهائي.

وحرص تاكيس وجهازه المعاون على وداع اللاعبين وجميع أفراد الجهاز الفني والإداري والطبي، كما التقى بالمدير الفني الجديد، البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو وتمنى له التوفيق وجهازه المعاون في المرحلة المقبلة، وأن ينجح في قيادة الفريق للمنافسة على جميع البطولات.

اقرأ أيضا..رسميًا.. بيراميدز يعلن تعيين باتشيكو مديرًا فنيًا للفريق خلفًا لـ جونياس

كما عقد تاكيس جلسة وداعية مع اللاعبين أكد خلالها فخره الشديد كونه تولى تدريب هذه المجموعة المتميزة من النجوم الكبار، مؤكدا أنه كان سعيدا للغاية معهم ويتمنى لهم التوفيق في المستقبل.

وأوضح المدرب اليوناني أنه يفخر كونه حقق المركز الثاني مع الفريق في الدوري خلال النسخة الماضية وهو أفضل المراكز على الإطلاق في تاريخ النادي بالدوري، مشيرا إلى أنه سيظل على اتصال بهم ومتابعة مستمرة للنادي متمنيا لهم المزيد من الانتصارات مستقبلا وتحقيق البطولات، وموجها شكره لإدارة بيراميدز على الفترة التي قضاها مع الفريق وكان التعامل في منتهى الاحترافية خلال الفترتين اللتين تولى فيهما قيادة الفريق.

Newcastle United are edging towards completing their first piece of transfer business, following the latest update regarding their interest in Manchester United stopper, Dean Henderson.

Whats’ the word?

According to Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the Magpies have all but secured the signing of the Englishman, with sources believing he was in Newcastle on Wednesday to discuss a deal.

Writing on Twitter, the Red Devis correspondent delivered this update on the 25-year-old’s future: “Dean Henderson closing in on a move to Newcastle. Understand he travelled to Newcastle for talks yesterday”.

The report reveals that while a season-long loan deal is the subject of discussions at present, it is said that a permanent transfer has ‘not been ruled out’, with the player said to be available for a fee in the region of £40m.

The northeast side had attempted to secure a temporary deal for the former Sheffield United loanee back in January, although the move reportedly collapse when Martin Dubravka rejected the chance to head in the other direction.

Howe will be delighted

Despite missing out in the winter, it looks as if the St James’ Park outfit are close to getting their man, with that news set to be a real source of delight for manager Eddie Howe, particularly with the deal nearing completion even before the current campaign has ended.

That desire to get the switch done early would suggest that strengthening the goalkeeping department was high on the priority list for the Tynesiders, having failed to settle on a preferred number one this season.

The aforementioned Dubravka has been the go-to man under Howe, although he has only made 25 starts thus far, with Freddie Woodman and Karl Darlow also enjoying brief stints in between the sticks.

That inability to find a settled option is far from an ideal scenario, with the arrival of Henderson seemingly set to alter that, with the £120k-per-week gem having showcased his quality in previous years, despite his current woes.

Having ended last season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s number one at Old Trafford, an unfortunate stint out with the viral pandemic prior to the start of the current campaign saw teammate David De Gea reinstated, with the Spaniard going on to enjoy a standout campaign to reclaim his first-choice status.

That has restricted the younger man to just three appearances in all competitions this season – none of which have come as starts – with the one-cap international having failed to really progress after his previous two-year loan stint at Bramall Lane.

After helping the Blades to promotion from the Championship in the 2018/19 season, the Whitehaven-born gem was hugely impressive in his debut top-flight campaign the following season, conceding just 33 goals in 36 games and recording 13 clean sheets – the joint-third most in the division.

Dubbed “insane” by former teammate Sander Berge, the highly-rated stopper appears to simply need a settled run of games in order to reproduce that standout form, with Howe and co likely aware of just what a talented prospect they are set to have on their hands.

IN other news, PIF now plotting Newcastle bid for “complete” £34m monster, he’s “like Yaya Toure”

A round-up of matches from the third week of the Standard Bank Pro20

Firdose Moonda14-Feb-2011The Dolphins became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals with a third consecutive victory before registering their first defeat of the competition. At the other end of the table, the Knights are out of semi-final contention, not having won a single game from their four matches.Their best chance at victory came in the rained out encounter against the Lions on Wednesday in Potchefstroom. The Knights put on a modest 137 for six in their innings with Reeza Hendricks the highest run-scorer with 47. Ethan O’Reilly, Alfonso Thomas and Paul Harris all conceded less than six runs an over and the only other damage came from Johan van der Wath who hit 29 off 21 balls.The Knights bowlers looked up to the task, removing Alviro Petersen for three and Jonathan Vandiar for eight. The Lions were 12 for two when the rain came down and no further play was possible.In Durban, the Dolphins secured their place in the final four with a nine-run win over the Cobras on Friday. Devon Conway led the way, scoring 62 off 60 balls. He shared a 92-run third wicket partnership with Vaughn van Jaarsveld, who scored a bruising 53 off 38 balls. Daryn Smit’s quickfire 22 off 11 balls took the Dolphins to 154 for 3. Vernon Philander was the most successful Cobras bowler, claiming the wicket of David Miller for a duck and finished with 1 for 23.The Cobras lost Richard Levi, who went without scoring, in the first over but Andrew Puttick and Herschelle Gibbs kept them in the game with 32 and 31 respectively. The pair were slightly sluggish is their approach and it kept the Cobras behind the run rate. Owais Shah chipped with 28 and when he departed in the 16th over, the Cobras needed 55 to win in 26 balls. Imran Khan’s four overs went for just 13 and Kyle Abbott was economical in picking up two for 21. Dane Vilas tried to resurrect the challenge but the task was too much.The final nail got smacked into the Knights coffin when they lost to the Warriors on the same day in Kimberley. Things started well for them when they restricted the Warriors to 152 for nine. Davy Jacobs and Ashwell Prince went cheaply again, both to Ryan McLaren. It was the 46 off 35 balls from Jon-Jon Smuts and 57 from 42 balls from Justin Kreusch that restored respectability. McLaren ended with four for 16 after mopping up the tail.The Knights looked comfortable in the chase at 99 for two in the 14th over. Kreusch removed Rilee Rossouw for 30 and that started the rot. Nicky Boje accounted for Ryan Bailey’s wicket and then Rusty Theron bowled a typical spell at the death to make sure the Warriors could defend their total. He took two wickets in three balls in the last over of the match and the Warriors won by six runs.On Sunday, the Titans earned a commanding seven wicket win over the Dolphins in Centurion. The Dolphins looked like fish out of water when in the third over, they were 1 for 3. Devon Conway was run out by an athletic Henry Davids, David Miller was caught off the bowling of Andre Nel and Loots bosman fell to Albie Morkel. A hat-trick of ducks sat at the top of the Dolphins scorecard. Ahmed Amla scored 44 in testing circumstances and Yasir Arafat added 17 batting at number eight to take the Dolphins to 103 for 6.The Titans made light work of the target, reaching it in the 16th over. Davids’ impressive showing continued with 45 off 32 balls, Jacques Rudolph scored 29 and Farhaan Behardien 24. Morkel and Wiese, who both impressed with the ball, were there at the end to see the Titans home. They move to second on the standings after their win.Bowler of the week: Ryan McLaren has been in sublime form in this competition and his four-wicket haul against the Warriors should have been a match-winning one. He leads the standings with eight wickets at an average of 10.12.Batsman of the week: Devon Conway was the key man in the Dolphins’ success over the Cobras, the match that secured a place in the knockouts. His 62 earns him this week’s award.

Former cricketers Martin Crowe and Shane Bond, along with Gerard Gillespie, have been included in the New Zealand board’s cricket committee as non-board members

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Dec-2010

Former cricketers Martin Crowe and Shane Bond, along with Gerard Gillespie, have been included in the New Zealand board’s cricket committee as non-board members. The committee, which was established following the team’s 0-4 defeat in Bangladesh, includes the board’s chief Chris Moller, and members Stephen Boock, Rob Hart and High Court judge Sir John Hansen.The committee’s remit runs from the grassroots all the way up to the highest level. Crowe and Bond were added to provide expertise on elite cricketing matters, while Gillespie came in for his grassroots knowledge of the game.”The NZC board believes the formation of the cricket committee with the appointment of such highly talented external members is a very significant step, and recognises the need to harness the knowledge, experience and skills of the entire cricket family,” Boock said. “The objective of the committee is to assist the board to promote, develop and foster cricket in New Zealand by gathering information from all areas of cricket, combining it with the views of the committee and providing this information as advice to the Board.”The board refrained from making sweeping changes to the team following the Bangladesh debacle, but called on the players to lift their performance during the tour of India. Despite punching above their weight in the the three-Test series, New Zealand could not prevent top-ranked India from winning 1-0. The one-dayers that followed, however, did little to suggest an upswing in New Zealand’s fortunes and they presently trail 0-4, with one game to play. They have now lost their last ten completed one-dayers, a streak that began in August.

The ejection of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL has sparked reactions from consternation to bafflement

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Lalit ModiEnd of the road for Shane Warne and the Rajasthan Royals?•AFP

“The Teams is what makes the IPL. With what Bcci has done today – is something that will only harm the image of the IPL and Bcci””They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of – The IPL. So as to satisfy there personal Agendas.””The status of all teams is the same. They were all approved. There is no ambiguity as far as that is concerned.The action it totally illegal.”Preity Zinta”Still absorbing the News! After working so hard in the IPL & putting my everything building this team dis is not what I expected! Shocked !”Shane Warne”What now for the youngsters, I hope bcci come to there senses , fingers crossed !””The royals gave young unknown Indian players a chance and I as captain backed them, and our coaching staff supported them we were a team.””3 seasons ago royals won the first ever ipl, underdogs come good what a story, it helped give credibility to the competition !!! Now look..”@TheShilpaShetty hey Shilpa, please keep me posted if you hear anything , such sad news for us and our loyal fans, shattering to all !!!Shilpa Shetty”This is 4 all those who want my reaction”Honestly too shocked to react,just disheartened..cause its more than just a team 4 us!Still hav …””Still havnt recd the termination will react after.Need to kno the basis of this decision”In London nowabout 2 hours ago.”Vijay Mallya”I wonder if IPL franchisees r serious stakeholders whose investments n participation r respected or r they slaves who only come n play ?””@TheShilpaShetty this is down right ridiculous and raises serious questions on the attitude of the BCCI towards IPL franchisees.”Graeme SmithGuys thx for all messages re:ipl and royals!playing for the PROTEAS today so will comment later!have a good one…….Kevin Pietersen”Just heard news on Kings XI and Royals.. What’s happened and what’s reasons for their expulsion from IPL 4?”