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Os principais artilheiros do Campeonato Brasileiro se enfrentam na noite desta quarta-feira, pela 35ª rodada, na Arena Corinthians.Henrique Dourado tem 17 gols marcados pelo Fluminense e Jô vem logo atrás, com 16 tentos pelo Timão.

Mas quem é o melhor atacante, atributo por atributo? Veja as principais características dos dois jogadores e vote em quem é melhor!

Plays of the day for the third day of the second Test between Australia and Pakistan at the MCG

Osman Samiuddin at the MCG28-Dec-2009

First impressions
First impressions last, especially on Australian crowds, and there are fewbetter ways to do it than what Umar Akmal pulled off. Pakistan’s big battinghope came here with a big reputation and he had been quietly solid towardsthe close of play yesterday. He started off cautiously this morning, but abrutal wake-up call from Peter Siddle, who pinged him square on thehelmet, brought about an audacious response. A couple of Siddle overslater, he drove and pulled him for 19 runs, including a monstroussix over long-on. Impetuosity got him soon after a fourth half-century, but theannouncement had been made.Practice makes perfect?
Pakistan’s catching has been poor in this Test, though it doesn’t seem tobe for want of trying. Intikhab Alam said they are trying to resolve theproblem at the grassroots level and they held a catching session during thetea interval on the third afternoon. Salman Butt dropped three catches ina row during practice, which clearly helped him take the one at deep square legto send back Ricky Ponting a little while later.The day of the night(watchmen)
What Australian nightwatchmen can do, Pakistan’s can do better? Maybe not.Nathan Hauritz frustrated Pakistan yesterday morning for an entiresession, having come in before the end of the first day. MohammadAamer came in to face the last ball of day two and lasted the entire firstsession this morning as well. Hauritz, of course, helped himself to anunusually free-spirited half century in that time, while Aamer did a fairlatter-day impersonation of Hanif Mohammad, grinding out ten runs in twohours. Both innings say something about the pitch though.Not the season’s greetings Hauritz wanted
Pakistan have felt Hauritz could be vulnerable to aggressivebatting and Misbah-ul-Haq wasted no time doing just that. Hauritz’s firstball on the third day was slogged mercilessly over midwicket before thefollowing delivery was smashed to the same region for four. The assaultwas all the more memorable because Pakistan looked like they’d fallenasleep for the previous ten overs, which had brought 13 runs. The captainMohammad Yousuf had set the precedent on the second day, when he came tothe crease and within three balls launched Hauritz high over his head forsix.Hussey’s review deja vu
Michael Hussey asked for a review when he was adjudged lbw toAamer and Hawkeye showed the impact in line with offstump and indicated the ball would clip the bails. The line-ball naturemeant that Billy Doctrove’s on-field decision of out remained, and therewas a distinct sense of deja vu for Hussey. In the first innings he hadalso questioned Doctrove’s lbw decision when he was out sweeping SaeedAjmal, and, on that occasion, too, Hawkeye showed the ball striking him marginally in line and probably clipping the bails. But on neither occasion was Doctrove’s decision shown to be wrong, implying the system had worked.Kiss of the day
Aamer bowled a fiery spell to a sturdy Shane Watson to liven upthe final session. He peppered him with bouncers from round the wicket,clocking over 150kmph on a couple of occasions. Still he found time toshow Watson some love, following a particularly brutal short-pitcheddelivery with a delicate air kiss in his follow-through. Much toeveryone’s disappointment, Watson didn’t return the favour, though it would’ve made for a nice PR gesture given his antics against West Indies.

Pakistan have left out Younis Khan from a 16-man squad for the three-Test series against Australia, beginning in late December. Younis had not informed the selection committee or board of his availability for the series, having relinquished the captaincy and his place in the side after an ODI series loss to New Zealand last month.Mohammad Yousuf, captain in Younis’ place, will continue to lead the team in Australia. Yousuf’s brief captaincy experience, incidentally, includes two Tests as leader on the 2004-05 tour to Australia; Pakistan lost both Tests though they were markedly improved from the side that lost the first Test at Perth by 491 runs under Inzamam-ul-Haq. Yousuf also scored a fine hundred in the Melbourne Test as captain.”Younis wanted to rest but he didn’t play in the domestic cricket since the one-day series against New Zealand,” chief selector Iqbal Qasim told reporters. “He didn’t give his availability to us and therefore we did not select him.” Younis stepped away from the game after claiming he had “lost command” of the side, following months of strained relationships with a number of senior players.Younis was Pakistan’s leading run-getter on their last tour to Australia, the start of a period in which he established himself as one of Pakistan’s most reliable batsman at one-down. Alongside Yousuf and Inzamam, he formed a formidable middle order, but Inzamam’s retirement and Yousuf’s time away with the ICL has weakened the batting considerably; a perpetually unreliable opening pair has added to the kind of woes seen in the current series with New Zealand, where only the Akmal brothers have had any consistent success.Younis had a successful stint with South Australia last season as well and was expected to play a pivotal role with bat and his leadership if Pakistan were to harbour real hopes of winning a first Test against Australia in 14 years. Sources close to Younis insist this is not the end of his career and that he intends to make a comeback after the series but the former captain himself has said nothing so far.There are few surprises elsewhere in the squad. Sixteen of the 18 players currently taking part in a three-Test series in New Zealand will go straight to Australia after the series is over. Only allrounder Yasir Arafat and Sarfraz Ahmed, the back-up wicketkeeper, have been cut from the squad. Questions may well be asked of the decision to persist with Khurram Manzoor as opener and the retention in the middle order of Shoaib Malik, currently in the middle of a horror run that has seen him score 46 runs in four innings in New Zealand.Yousuf will also lead the ODI side in Australia, with Shahid Afridi as his deputy.Squad:
Mohammad Yousuf (capt), Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rauf, Umar Akmal.

Why were little-known stadiums Hambantota and Pallakele given the nod ahead of SSC, Galle and Dambulla for the 2011 World Cup?

Interview by Sa'adi Thawfeeq13-Nov-2009No World Cup matches at the picturesque Galle Stadium•Getty ImagesCan you justify the choosing of Hambantota and Pallakele as World Cup venues ahead of other reputed grounds?
The project to build an international cricket stadium in Hambantota with lights was taken three to four years ago and its ownership is with SLC. As Hambantota is a rapidly developing city, with a port and airport to be constructed in the near future, having an international stadium with a capacity of 25,000 would be beneficial for schools around the area and for international cricket. SLC will also accrue tax-free benefits as the cricket stadium is part of the massive Hambantota project (to develop a new sea port in the city). The entire cost of the stadium is Rs 900 million (US$7.86m) and we have already invested Rs 600 million (US$5.24m) on it. It will be ready by August 2010.Pallakele was acquired by SLC three years ago and as the ownership is with us we thought of investing into it and developing it into an international venue with lights so that international cricket matches can be hosted. The Asgiriya Stadium belongs to Trinity College and there was a crying need for a stadium in Kandy so that schools in and around the area can benefit. The capacity of the Pallakele Stadium is 25,000 and the entire cost of the project is Rs 450 million (US$3.93m). We will play the first international matches at this venue later this month when we host the Under-19 one-day tri-series with Pakistan and Bangladesh.Why were venues like Galle, Dambulla, SSC and P Sara Oval not considered as World Cup venues?
The problem with venues as Galle, SSC and P Sara Oval is that the capacity of these grounds is less than 20,000. If we are to develop SSC and P Sara Oval with a larger capacity, lights and a bigger media box it will cost us at least Rs. 750-800 million (US$6.55m to 7m) for each venue. We cannot invest such a large amount of money at venues where SLC don’t have any ownership. The ICC requirement for a media box is for a minimum of 200 journalists. With Galle we cannot increase the crowd capacity and fit lights because of the constraints of erecting buildings in front of the Galle Fort which is a world heritage site. At Dambulla there are a few technical issues to overcome like lights, and increasing the media box capacity to 200 and the spectators’ capacity from the present 17,000 to 25,000. We plan to have Dambulla ready by 2012 when we host the ICC World Twenty20.Does the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo measure up to the World Cup requirements?
Not quite but the improvements are minimal compared to the other venues. We have to increase the media box capacity from 80 to 200 and the spectator capacity from 14,000 to 35,000. We intend doing this by increasing the seating capacity of spectators in stands ‘C’ and ‘D’. The wiring in the lighting system also needs to be redone.

استقر روي فيتوريا المدير الفني لمنتخب مصر الأول، على استدعاء الظهير الأيمن عمر كمال عبد الواحد بعد انتهاء مشاركة فيوتشر الإفريقية.

وعلم “بطولات” أن التقارير التي قُدمت إلى فيتوريا بشأن اللاعب جيدة للغاية، كما أنه يُجيد اللعب في مركزي الظهير والجناح الأيمن، إضافة إلى خبراته السابقة مع منتخب مصر.

طالع | قائمة منتخب مصر من المحليين في معسكر سبتمبر.. فيتوريا يضم خماسي الأهلي وغياب تام للاعبي الزمالك

وضم فيتوريا في القائمة المبدئية عمر جابر وكريم فؤاد في مركز الظهير الأيمن، استعدادًا للمعسكر المقرر انطلاقه في الفترة من 13 حتى 27 سبتمبر الجاري.

وتأهل نادي فيوتشر لكأس الكونفدرالية بعد نجاحه في التواجد بالمربع الذهبي للدوري الممتاز، حيث أوقعته القرعة في مواجهة بيدكو بول الأوغندي بدور الـ64 التمهيدي الأول للبطولة.

A round-up of the latest action from the County Championship matches

Cricinfo staff07-Aug-2009Division OneSean Ervine hit a powerful hundred but Hampshire’s batting faded at The Rose Bowl•Getty Images

Adam Voges hit his first hundred for Nottinghamshire as Sussex were made to toil at Horsham with the visitors building a lead of 120. Play didn’t start until mid-afternoon due to rain – and Sussex will be confident of a draw – but Voges and Samit Patel put Nottinghamshire on the front foot. They added 168 for the fourth wicket as Voges reached three figures after twice falling in the 90s earlier in the season. This time that fate belonged to Patel as he top-edged a pull to midwicket for 91.For a full report from Warwickshire against Somerset at Edgbaston click here.2nd dayCenturies from Jimmy Adams (107) and Sean Ervine (114) were poorly supported by the rest of the Hampshire batsmen at The Rose Bowl, as four wickets each for Kyle Hogg and Oliver Newby helped Lancashire reduce the home side to 337. However, after rolling over Tom Burrows, David Griffiths and Imran Tahir without scoring, Lancashire struggled to take the final wicket, as brave support from James Tomlinson helped to rack up a 50 partnership with Ervine. Ervine launched two sixes, including a reverse sweep off Gary Keedy, but finally fell to Hogg as he was caught at long on by Tom Smith. The visitors got off to a sturdy start to their first innings, with Smith ending the second day on 44 not out. Hampshire’s only wicket coming from David Griffiths, who dismissed Paul Horton for 34, with a short delivery which was hooked and caught low down by Imran Tahir.Division TwoMiddlesex secured their first Championship match of the season with a day to spare, as Murali Kartik took 4 for 53 in the second innings to beat Kent at Canterbury by 47 runs. Having lost the wickets of Robert Key and Geraint Jones on Thursday, Kent were left with an uphill struggle this morning, having to chase 335 and lost Joe Denly early on the third morning. Martin van Jaarsveld put up a fight with 54 before edging Gareth Berg into the slips and Kartik’s relentless 29-over spell pinned the home side down. However, Middlesex’s may just have had a nervous moment or two, as No. 11 Amjad Khan produced a season’s best 62 not out, which included nine boundaries. He added an entertaining final-wicket stand of 86 with Simon Cook until Tim Murtagh ended the fun as Cook edged to skipper Eoin Morgan in the slips for 27. The win handed Middlesex their first victory on Kent soil since success at Dartford in 1983.A career-best, unbeaten 156 by Stephen Adshead helped put Gloucestershire on course for victory against Essex at Garon’s Park. Adshead built a lead of 198 as the last two wickets added 144 with Ian Saxelby (20) and Jon Lewis (32) providing valuable support. Essex had hopes of restricting the advantage when Danish Kaneria trapped James Franklin lbw shortly after the New Zealander had reached his hundred, but the home attack became toothless. After his valuable innings, Lewis then struck with the new ball and when Matt Walker was caught at slip off Steve Kirby Essex were 31 for 3. They avoided further loss before the close, but will need a huge effort to survive the final day.An extraordinary performance from the Glamorgan lower order put them in control against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay as Adam Shantry hit a century from No. 10 and added 253 for the ninth wicket with Robert Croft who struck 121. Shantry became the first Glamorgan batsman to hit a hundred from such a low position for 80 years and reached his ton from 192 balls. Even when he fell to Harry Gurney the problems didn’t stop for Leicestershire as Croft reached his hundred from 238 deliveries in a final-wicket stand of 73 with David Harrison. The visitors then lost two before the close as the spinners made an impact with Jamie Dalrymple beating Greg Smith with one that spun sharply. They still trail by 176 with a battled ahead.2nd dayDerbyshire staged a strong fightback against Surrey at Whitgift School, firstly led by Tim Groenewald’s career-best 6 for 50 then Chris Rogers’ unbeaten 80 as they moved to 169 for 2. Surrey lost their last seven wickets for 54 after Usman Afzaal was caught at deep square leg. Groenewald operated at a lively pace in overcast conditions and dispatched the tail to complete a spell of 5 for 10. The sky had cleared when Derbyshire began their reply and although fell early, Rogers held firm during the final session. Garry Park was the other wicket to fall when he edged to slip, but Derbyshire will be confident of a first-innings lead.

Six sessions remain in which the destination of the Ashes will be decided, and England must surely believe that the litany of surprises that have been strung out across this summer have finally run their course

Andrew Miller at The Oval22-Aug-2009It’s happening again. That nagging, gnawing, pit-of-the-stomach doubt that only the most gripping Test series can serve up. Six sessions remain in which the destination of the Ashes will be decided, and England – with every single historical precedent weighted in their favour, including one from their most recent victory at Lord’s – must surely believe, deep down, that the litany of surprises that have been strung out across this summer have finally run their course.But where there is uncertainty, English pessimism is sure to take root, and having watched their own lower-order tee off to contemptuous effect on a pitch supposedly prepared by Doctor Faustus, the sight of Australia’s openers following suit to the tune of 80 runs in 20 overs was all too much for the umbrella-chewing fraternity of English sports-fans.The 2009 Ashes has lacked the class, the 24-7 tension, and, yes, the unfettered jingoism that made the 2005 summer so unforgettable, but the peaks and troughs on display have, if anything, been all the more marked. Which is all the more reason to wonder if a world-record chase – another 466 required in a minimum of 180 overs – could somehow prove attainable.They thought it was possible back in July after all, when Australia were set a hefty 522 to extend their 75-year hegemony at Lord’s, and thanks to a battling partnership from Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin, reached 313 for 5 at the close of the fourth day before Andrew Flintoff stormed in on the fifth to up-end them 115 runs short. But Flintoff has not been the same force since – his only subsequent wicket in nearly 50 overs was the No. 11, Ben Hilfenhaus, in Australia’s first innings on Friday – and 233 runs per day is not a big ask in any version of international cricket.Jonathan Trott has done an astounding job at dispelling the doubters this week – nobody in their wildest imaginations could have predicted he would exactly maintain his season’s average of 80 in his maiden Test performance – but when he was asked if an England victory was in the bag, all of his soothing powers had clearly been expended at the crease.”Until you’ve taken the tenth wicket in the second innings it’s always a game of the unknown,” he said. “There are so many variables in the game of cricket, it’s never a foregone conclusion at all. We want to do as well as we can, break it down, and have a good first hour tomorrow to set the game up from there.”To be fair, England as a unit were not especially downcast as they left the field on Saturday evening. Seeing as Steve Harmison had bowled a grand total of four overs in the first innings, the shiny hard new ball was never likely to be their most incisive weapon, especially when Stuart Broad beat, and then found, the edge with a brace of offcutters in his first over. Australia survived all the same, but as Marcus North – the unlikely star of their bowling performance – admitted, they had seen little to suggest that they’ve got the measure of the conditions.”History is against us,” said North. “It’s too early to look that far ahead, because there’s a lot of cricket to be played. What you’ll see tomorrow is 11 guys who have got a lot of character to show, and they are going to give everything for every contest for every over. Hopefully that can lay the foundation to give us a chance.”The first objective was to get through tonight unscathed and Simon and Watto did that superbly,” he said. “To walk off at 0 for 80, it’s the position we needed to be in, if we can start well tomorrow, get to lunch, and reassess things from there. It’s a massive target to get, but the best thing we can do is not look too far ahead. We’ve given ourselves the opportunity to have that target in sight at some stage.”As for Lord’s, that performance will doubtless weigh on the minds of England’s fans on a packed fourth day at The Oval, but can Australia go one better than that heroic endeavour? “We can take a lot out of all our innings through the series,” said North. “We batted well at Lord’s with some big partnerships, and laid some foundations to give us some opportunity to chase that target down.”But this is a different Test, different conditions, and again we’ll have to show some character,” he said. “Clarke and Haddin did that in that Test, and we’ll have to show some of the same courage and determination tomorrow. Everyone has got the same attitude that I’ve got. The guys are as positive as they can be. It’s a huge task ahead. It’s small steps at a time.”But if omens are what Australia seek – and frankly, in the circumstances, why on earth wouldn’t they – then they can turn for inspiration to two first-class fixtures of contrasting fortunes. In the former, in February 1992, Australia’s current chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, hit a century, and their coach, Tim Nielsen, shared in the winning stand, as South Australia chased 506 to beat Queensland in the Sheffield Shield. And then, 12 years later in Gurgaon, England A failed to defend 501 against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy. Kevin Pietersen was a member of that beaten team, as was England’s current wicketkeeper, Matt Prior. It’s all stacked up, but is it ready to topple?

Speaking to Calciomercato.it, Italian reporter Romeo Agresti has shared some interesting news on Tottenham Hotspur target Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye Vlahovic move…

As per numerous sources, Tottenham have been interested in signing the Serbia international for quite a long while and links can be traced all the way back to the summer transfer window.

Italian news outlet Fanta Calcio even went as far as to say a Spurs bid had been lodged to sign Vlahovic but it was swiftly rejected, even despite the fact he was personally keen on the idea of an N17 move.

The arrival of new boss Antonio Conte has only heightened reports of Tottenham’s interest, especially taking into account the 52-year-old’s ties to Serie A.

Calciomercato.it recently name dropped Vlahovic as one of several Italian top flight stars being eyed by Spurs’ manager and now Agresti has shared the latest on Fiorentina’s stance.

The Latest: Fiorentina officials have already made a ‘couple of trips’ to England…

According to the reporter, who spoke to Calciomercato.it recently, La Viola chiefs have already travelled to England to ‘explore the local market’ with the Serie A side wanting to offload Vlahovic in January.

“Fiorentina wants to sell it in January to avoid dangerous dynamics,” Agresti explained.

“There have been a couple of trips to England to explore the local market.

“A price has been fixed: 80 million euros. Fiorentina do not want to sit down and talk with Juventus.”

The Verdict: Spurs in pole?

It appears their stance is clear – sell for as big a price as possible but not to one of their direct Serie A rivals.

This could gift Spurs a boost in the race to sign Vlahovic for Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici may well have the upper hand in negotiations due to the striker’s stance over a new deal.

His current contract expires in 2023, meaning La Viola’s position to demand a hefty price tag wains with each passing transfer window.

Despite president Rocco Commisso offering to make Vlahovic the highest-paid Fiorentina player in history, the American billionaire’s advances were swiftly rejected, as he confirmed in an official statement.

It appears Vlahovic is now closer than ever to the exit door and he could be a mega signing for Spurs and Conte if they manage to pull it off.

Bagging ten goals and an assist in 12 appearances across all competitions already this season (Transfermarkt), the 21-year-old is turning many heads in Italy and has been called a ‘really exciting’ player by Serie A expert Conor Clancy.

As Tottenham seek a natural alternative to superstar Harry Kane, we believe they can do no better than Vlahovic.

In other news: ‘Close agreement’…Journalist has also dropped a major Tottenham transfer claim on Twitter, find out more here.

Andrew Miller’s plays of the day from Lord’s

Andrew Miller at Lord's07-May-2009

Spell of the dayGraham Onions didn’t have a wonderful introduction to Test cricket. He was bowled first-ball by a low full-toss, and then dropped short with his maiden delivery to be pulled ruthlessly through midwicket. But then, in his sixth over, everything started to click. Lendl Simmons received a brutal lifter to be caught at slip for Onions’ maiden Test wicket, two balls later Jerome Taylor was strangled down the leg-side, then, to cap a memorable over, Sulieman Benn sliced a third-ball drive to third slip. Still Onions was not finished. He made it four in seven balls when Denesh Ramdin was pinned lbw one delivery, and had his Durham team-mate, Paul Collingwood, clung onto a sharp chance off Lionel Baker he’d have made it five in 12. Ultimately, it was 5 in 27, as Baker succumbed after a defiant cameo. Not a bad first day proper at the office.Innings of the dayRavi Bopara led the way on the first day, but he barely got a look in when play resumed today. Graeme Swann is not a man who lacks confidence in any department, and today he was on remarkable form. In all, he flogged eight of his nine fours on the up and through the off side, including six in the first hour this morning before Bopara had the chance to add to his own overnight tally of 14. Then, to cap his performance, Swann posted his maiden Test half-century by walloping Lionel Baker into the Mound Stand for six. By the time he was left unbeaten on 63, he had surpassed Ashley Giles’ Test-best 59, and restated his growing claims to an Ashes starting berth.Interruption of the dayEngland were motoring in the first hour of the morning, adding 24 handy runs in five overs as West Indies struggled to rediscover their first-day vim. So it came as a total surprise when the umpires wandered across to have a chat with the batsman, and gave them the chance to troop off for bad light. It seemed a senseless break in England’s momentum, reminiscent of Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher’s walk-off at Headingley 2003. But then, after a 15-minute hiatus, Swann resumed with three fours in five balls, and that was the end of that analogy.Poor example of the dayFidel Edwards was rightly aggrieved at the close of the first day’s play, having suffered at the hands, quite literally, of his team-mates, who spilled three clear chances in the final session to delay his richly deserved five-wicket haul. When play resumed he would surely have wished to set the fielding example for his errant colleagues to follow. Instead, from the first ball of the day, he went down into the long barrier, and let a gentle push to mid-on roll straight through his legs.Clanger of the dayAs Edwards himself admitted at the close of the first day’s play, it has been a long, long while since he’s bowled on a pitch that rewards his natural pace. That hasn’t, however, stopped him digging it in when the mood suits him, and one brute of a lifter struck James Anderson an ugly blow on the back of his helmet as he averted his gaze and braced for impact. After a lengthy delay and a switch of headgear – his old lid had a ball-shaped chunk taken out of the bottom edge – he groggily resumed and survived with some courage through to lunch.Stat of the dayAt the break, in fact, Anderson was 1 not out from 17 deliveries. Nothing remarkable in that, you might suggest. How wrong you’d be. By nudging the final ball of the session off his hip for a single to square leg, Anderson extended his world-record sequence of 47 innings without ever being dismissed for a duck. He has been unbeaten on 0 on ten occasions, and fallen for 1 seven times. But the dreaded blob remains elusive.Bowling change of the dayWhen England’s turn came to bowl, Broad took one half of the new ball – no surprise there. At the other end, however, Andrew Strauss pulled a complete fast one on the punters, pundits and West Indies players alike. With Swann on a high after his half-century, he was thrown the ball ahead of Anderson and both debutant seamers, Onions and Tim Bresnan, who didn’t get to feature in the first innings at all. Perhaps the decision was influenced by Yuvraj Singh’s over to Kevin Pietersen in Mohali, or KP’s own opening of the bowling in the IPL last month. More likely, it was inspired by Swann’s dominance of West Indies’ openers, Chris Gayle and Devon Smith, who between them accounted for five of his 27 wickets prior to this Test.Double whammy of the dayAnd sure enough, Smith soon succumbed to his nemesis, who has now claimed his wicket on four occasions in Test cricket. With the first ball of his second spell, moments before the tea break, Swann beat the inside-edge with one that zipped through the gate, and then, before West Indies knew what had hit them, he dealt Shivnarine Chanderpaul a knockout blow as well, which a beautiful tweaker that took the edge to slip. By the time their other sheet-anchorman, Brendan Nash, had fallen by the wayside as well, Swann had 3 for 16 in five overs, and the gravy-train had been set in motion. Over to Onions, to slice and dice the lower-order.

The elections in South Africa on April 22, four days after the IPL starts in the country, the crime rate in cities like Johannesburg and the limited time available are some of the key challenges facing the league’s security managers, according to Nicholls Steyn & Associates, who are handling the tournament’s security.Nicholls admitted that moving the tournament to South Africa was a good option from the security point of view because the situation in India had made it “very difficult ” to host the event there. Besides, Nicholls said they were not able to conduct a final assessment of the situation in India for the IPL because of the delays in final decisions.”We were waiting for the feedback from the Indian government about what resources could be made available,” Nicholls told Cricinfo. “There were a lot of delays caused in getting a decision, but we believe that it is a positive sign that those delays were caused because of the desire to keep security first. We were very aware of the fact the security measures that were provided had to be of the highest standards and there were many discussions to see if those required standards could be provided with the other things that were going in India at time.”The IPL’s security template in South Africa will borrow significantly from the World Twenty20 model and the plan during India’s tour of South Africa in 2006 as well as other international tours and events. The South African agency has enormous expertise in providing security to teams and players and is also the ICC’s security consultant. They were roped in by the IPL last year as their central player-security managers.”From the cricketing perspective, it is obviously disappointing [to shift the IPL] because everyone would’ve liked the event to happen in India,” Nicholls said. “But the situation and timing make it impossible to host it there, so from our perspective if it is not going to be in India then we believe that South Africa is a good choice.”Asked whether the firm was confident of providing security in India without central security forces, as the IPL had claimed in a letter to the Indian government, Nicholls said, “It is a difficult question to answer because while we may be told that we do not have central forces, we needed to assess what forces are then actually going to be available. We knew what had to be done and everyone at the IPL agreed that player security was an absolute priority but obviously we didn’t know exactly what the situation was until the decision came from the government.”In South Africa, though, time is the major challenge, Nicholls said. “There is not much time to put everything together. The good thing is South Africa hosted the Twenty20 World Cup in the recent past as well as other large tournaments so there is good history of doing that. We would have certainly liked longer duration for planning but that is just the way it is – we have an X amount of time to do it and we have got to get things in place in the time available. Fortunately we have an experienced team who know what has to be done and have done it before.”Nicholls declined to reveal numbers, in terms of security personnel employed, but confirmed that he would be working together with the South African government. Bangalore Challengers take on Deccan Chargers in Cape Town on April 22, election-day in South Africa, and Nicholls said that he understood that the matter of holding the game on that particular day had been discussed at the “highest” level.”That was something which has been discussed at a very high level,” Nicholls said. “It was a concern, but from my understanding it has been discussed with the South African government and their input was taken into account in planning the schedule.”The crime rate in cities like Johannesburg, which hosts eight IPL matches, Nicholls admitted, was something that would be taken into consideration. “Some countries have a higher terrorism threat and a low crime rate and in others it is reverse where the crime rate is higher,” he said. “Certainly the crime rate is something that has to be taken in consideration for any major event that happens in South Africa.”