All posts by h716a5.icu

For all the flaws in the Asia Cup, there lies a positive for India: it provides their fast bowlers with a constructive challenge

Sidharth Monga in Karachi01-Jul-2008
The lifeless conditions in Karachi provide RP Singh and Ishant Sharma the chance to hone their bowling skills in order to be effective on traditional subcontinent pitches © AFP
For all the flaws in the Asia Cup, there is a positive for India: it provides their fast bowlers with the challenge of improving their bowling on cruelly lifeless subcontinental pitches. There will be no better place to learn than in Karachi: nine of the last 14 ODIs here have featured totals over 300, and three over 280. With this tournament in off-season conditions, the pitches have lacked the little life they usually do. The heat has rendered the bowlers even more ineffective and the evening breeze has rarely brought swing.In all this the Indian fast bowlers, who look close to being the best bowling attack on helpful pitches outside the subcontinent, somehow lack the nous required to prise out wickets. It might be a harsh criticism but this is one of the weaknesses of an Indian team that has threatened the world order with its recent performances. “After all they are the same bowlers who did exceptionally well in Australia in conditions more conducive to bowling,” Gary Kirsten, India’s coach, said after the training session at the National Bank of Pakistan Stadium ahead of Wednesday’s Super Four clash against Pakistan.A case in point was RP Singh’s transformation from being incisive in Australia to innocuous in home Tests against South Africa. Admittedly the pitches, bar the Kanpur Test, were not great, but that is the area where the great subcontinental fast bowlers manage to play a role. While Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar haven’t played enough in the subcontinent, the statistics of RP, Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan are revealing: in 30 ODIs in Asia RP has given away runs at 5.43 per over, while in 10 matches in Europe his economy-rate comes down to 4.50. Zaheer’s economy-rate of 5.10 in Asia comes down to 4.47 in Africa and 4.67 in Australia and New Zealand. In England and Ireland, though, he has given away runs at 5.01 per over.In Tests, the contrast becomes even more stark. RP averages 47.33 in Tests in the subcontinent, as opposed to an overall 39.10. The corresponding figures for Zaheer are 37.46 and 33.60. Although Sreesanth has more consistent stats for ODIs, he averages 38.84 in Tests in Asia. His overall average is 31.46. Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, two of the greatest bowlers to have come from the subcontinent, managed to stay just as good in Asia as outside – their stats in fact were better in Asia.”The wicket is very flat,” Kirsten said. “It is not easy to strike on this wicket. But yes we have come up with certain ideas on what we need to do. We have spent some time with the bowlers, and we believe in these bowlers. We need to do some hard work on these wickets, and we are sure the bowlers will do that.”This new crop of Indian fast bowlers is an antithesis of their predecessors, who were good at home, but were unable to use the conditions as well as opposition bowlers when away. One of the reasons could be that most of the current lot were picked at a fairly young age, not having had to bowl for hours on flat pitches in domestic cricket. There are tricks to be learnt in domestic cricket that they might have missed out on. Also, their forte has been the conventional swing, as opposed to reverse-swing. And in the subcontinent conventional swing at times doesn’t even last ten overs, which in part explains India’s problems once the ball in 30-overs old.These bowlers have now been thrown into the worst possible conditions for pace bowlers. In 72 overs so far in the Asia Cup, they have given away 398 runs, and have taken only six wickets between them. They haven’t looked like getting early breakthroughs at all, but surely by the end of this they would have learned a thing or two about bowling in the subcontinent. Wasim and Waqar are doing commentary, and shouldn’t mind their brains being chewed either.India were the favourites going into the tournament, and going into the final stages they have lived up to the billing. The only concern has been the bowlers, and if they do manage to win on Wednesday, it will be a sweeter feeling if it’s the fast bowlers who set it up.

Kirk Gibson was at a cabin in the woods of Northern Michigan at 11:37 p.m. ET Friday. He and a few friends did not have a television on. They were listening to Game 1 of the World Series on one of their phones.

“Like old times, huddled around a radio,” Gibson says with a laugh.

He heard Fox announcer Joe Davis say the New York Yankees intentionally walked Mookie Betts to load the bases to pitch to Freddie Freeman with two outs in the 10th inning.

“Get ready,” Gibson said aloud. “Here it comes.”

At 8:37:50 PT, New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes threw an inside fastball to Freeman, who had not hit a ball hard for three weeks after spraining his right ankle, causing him to limp through the games he was able to play.

Freeman, the hobbled left-handed hitter, with the Dodgers down to their last out, pulled a home run into the right field pavilion to turn defeat into Game 1 victory. The ball landed at 8:37:55 p.m.

The Arizona Diamondbacks missed out on the postseason despite winning 89 games in 2024. With their fate out of their hands, the D-Backs found themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in after the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves split their doubleheader on Monday, resulting in both NL East teams reaching the postseason.

Speaking candidly during an appearance on Arizona Sports radio's Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick took responsibility for one of the team's failed offseason signings.

When discussing the acquisition of starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, Kendrick admitted that he was responsible for the signing, going as far as to call it a "horrible decision."

"Let me say it the best way I can say it. If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you're talking to the guy that should be blamed. Because, I brought it to their attention. I pushed for it, they agreed to it. It wasn't in our game plan," said Kendrick.

"Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I'm the perpetrator of that," he added.

Montgomery, formerly a client of Scott Boras, signed with Arizona after spring training on a one-year, $25 million deal, which includes an option in 2025. He endured the worst campaign of his career, logging a 6.23 ERA across 25 appearances and eventually getting demoted into a bullpen role.

It certainly wasn't the production the Diamondbacks anticipated when bringing him on board. Rather than shift the blame elsewhere, Kendrick took ownership of what was ultimately a catastrophic acquisition for the franchise.

The former captain said his security detail had discharged their weapons in order to protect him from a mob that was intent on killing him

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Oct-2018Former captain Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested after he was involved in a shooting that killed one and injured two others in Colombo on Sunday, during Sri Lanka’s unfolding political crisis. He has since been swiftly produced before the Colombo magistrate, and was subsequently released on bail.Ranatunga had said his security detail had discharged their weapons in order to protect him from a mob that was intent on killing him, at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) offices. He had to be extracted later from the premises by Special Task Force – elite police – officers.But after almost 24 hours of pressure from a CPC trade union, which had threatened a fuel strike, Ranatunga was arrested on Monday afternoon.Ranatunga, who was the country’s Minister for the Development of Petroleum Resources, said he was attempting to retrieve belongings from the CPC offices, when it was surrounded by a mob aligned with the opposite political party. “They came to kill me – I state this responsibly – and you can check the CCTV footage,” Ranatunga said following the clash. “For the first time, I feared for my life. I thought of my children and my family.”After Ranatunga was dressed in a helmet and camouflage, and escorted from the premises by the Special Task Force, dozens of regular police were deployed in order to pacify a still-agitated crowd.The three wounded had been taken to hospital but the news of one of the men, aged 34, succumbing to his injuries prompted a demand over Ranatunga’s arrest from the trade union.Ranatunga first stood for office in 2001, and has held various cabinet portfolios since. He is a member of the United National Party, whose leader, Ranil Wickramasinghe, is in the midst of the ongoing political wrangle.

A “true leader” is now open to leaving his club this summer, with Sunderland currently “exploring a move”, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed.

Black Cats in strong position to avoid the drop

After spending eight years outside the top flight, it will be a tall order for the Black Cats to avoid relegation in their first season back in the Premier League, but former Everton chief Keith Wyness believes they are in a good position to do so.

Wyness said: “I love what Sunderland are doing and they’re not going to make my bottom six for next year. They’re actually one of the only clubs promoted that I think have a great chance of staying up.

“Now I was speaking to somebody that I consider to be one of the very top agents in the game yesterday, who said watch out for Diarra at Sunderland, the signing they’ve got from Strasbourg. He thinks he’s going to be a revelation next year.”

More exciting than Xhaka: Sunderland make contact to sign £34m star on loan

Sunderland could seal a deal even more exciting than Granit Xhaka returning to the Premier League with this world-class capture.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 17, 2025

Regis Le Bris’ side did a fantastic job winning the race for Habib Diarra, given that fellow newly-promoted side Leeds United were also keen, but it may be a good idea to bring in another central midfielder, in light of Jobe Bellingham’s departure.

It was recently revealed that Sunderland have opened talks over a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka, which could amount to £8.5m, and there has now been a further update on the maestro’s future.

Taking to X, Jacobs revealed the Black Cats are still “exploring a move” for Xhaka, but they could face competition from Saudi Pro League side NEOM SC.

The reporter also added the midfielder is “open to an exit” this summer, despite still having three years remaining on his Bayer Leverkusen deal, potentially opening the door for a move to the Stadium of Light.

"True leader" Xhaka could be ideal signing for Sunderland

It may be a cliché, but it is true that teams need to have leaders in the dressing room if they are to achieve success, and the Leverkusen midfielder certainly fits the bill in that regard.

Former manager Xabi Alonso praised the impact the Switzerland international had at Leverkusen both in the dressing room and on the pitch saying: “When we had a chance to start with Granit, we had no doubts because of his personality, his qualities, what he delivers, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well,”

“He’s a true leader… He has made us a better team, a much more mature team.”

Crucially, the former Arsenal man also has a great deal of Premier League experience, having made 225 appearances in the competition for the Gunners, meaning he could be an ideal signing for a Sunderland side aiming to avoid the drop.

At the same MCG where, two years ago, 90,293 people had cheered for Kohli, this Boxing Day Test has panned out very differently

Alagappan Muthu27-Dec-2024Virat Kohli got booed at the MCG.Sound at this ground seems to bubble up, like in the old cartoons where witches prepare their potions, the pot frothing away with each new ingredient until one of them makes the whole thing explode.The shoulder barge with Sam Konstas happened between overs. It wasn’t caught live, like Mohammed Siraj’s send-off to Travis Head. That noise was full throated and organic and it was dwarfed on Friday when Kohli nicked off for 36 off 86. The crowd knew what had happened. They didn’t need help from replays on the big screen or nudges on social media. The displeasure was instant and it rolled down like thunder.”BOOOOOOOOOO!”India had gone from 153 for 2 to 154 for 4.Related

Smith finds his old self and Cummins finds a new batting spot

Steven Smith hits a new high, Rohit Sharma falls to a new low

Seven balls earlier, Kohli had been involved in a mix-up and India lost their top-scorer of both the innings and the series. Yashasvi Jaiswal looks up to Kohli. At training, he steps off from facing the bowler to gather his inputs. Here he barely looked at him. They were three feet apart, both stuck at the bowler’s end, and he barely looked at him. To be fair, though, the single wasn’t on. Pat Cummins was too close at mid-on. There was incredulity in Australia’s celebrations, and ferocity in everything they did afterwards. Those last five overs to stumps were pure theatre.Mitchell Starc came back into the attack. The slip cordon sprouted extra people. The idea that a ball could ever be left alone seemed increasingly obtuse. And half-an-hour’s play began to stretch to eternity. Eighty-five thousand people added to the occasion as they synced their hands coming together to the bowler’s feet pounding the turf.Kohli had been able to stay in his bubble for the entire time he was in the middle until right this very moment.Right this very moment, it popped.”He was really disciplined today,” Steven Smith said at the press conference. “He was leaving nicely, making the bowlers come to him a bit more, and scoring well through the leg side and when we went short. So yeah, I thought we were in for a bit of a masterclass there. But fortunately, Barrel [Boland] got one to sort of straighten, probably off the line on that fifth, sixth stump. And it probably was one of the only ones he played at.”Two years ago, Kohli had made 90,293 people sing his name here. A sizeable portion of the 172,389 that have come through the gates on days one and two of the Boxing Day Test have felt very differently. The put a big red ball on his nose and bumped subtlety off a cliff. “Clown Kohli” said the headline. Cutting Stuart Broad out feels less petty now.Australia’s tabloids haven’t shied away from saying what they think about Virat Kohli•The West AustralianKohli was name-checked by the head of the local organising committee for LA 2028 to explain how cricket got into the Olympics. He is the third-most followed sportsperson on Instagram after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. More to the point, Australia have seen him as their kind of player. Gifted. Positive. Never-give-up. The respect he used to get here wasn’t grudging. It was genuine and it’s eroded because he hasn’t been making runs; far too busy making errors of judgment. There was one at Melbourne airport when he rounded on Australian media for disrespecting his privacy. Another at the ‘G when he disrespected an Australian cricketer’s privacy by making a beeline straight for him.Kohli was in the middle of turning all of that around. For 35 off 83 balls he was pristine. For the last 1 off 3 he was something else. Shaken. Resigned. Done. He didn’t even look back once he edged the ball. His hands just dropped. He just knew.India needed him in the middle when their best batter of the tour, KL Rahul, was dismissed last ball before tea. There were still seven minutes on the clock for the resumption when he and Jaiswal walked out to the dugout. There has always been an eagerness about this batting. It is supposed to translate as wanting to be out there. But it was coming off wanting it too much. The run-out in the dying stages of the second day’s play against New Zealand in Mumbai. Taking guard way in front of his crease in Perth. Chasing after that one cover drive that was supposed to get him into rhythm.On a Melbourne pitch that wanted to patch things up with the batters after putting them through the wringer for the last two or three years, all Kohli had to do was trust himself; trust his training to come through. And it did. The first thing he did once he made it to the crease was practice this leave. People sometimes do the front-foot push just to get a feel of the hands going through to the line of the ball. He’d done enough of that.He’s still popular in Melbourne, mind you, but the local fans’ patience is running thin•Getty ImagesWhen Kohli got off the mark, Cummins looked down at his hands curiously, as if to figure out just how he could bowl on the pads of one of history’s greatest flickers of the ball. He was responding to length a lot better in this innings, actually shifting his weight back when he had to instead of always lunging forward. Even with his leaves.There were a couple that were wide of off stump but he still shifted his weight back, in response to the shorter length, and pulled his bat up. Then there was another against Cummins that was pitched up and on that fifth stump line. He covered his stumps, pressed forward, and then left. The impact point with the ball on the cover drive that brought him his first boundary was right under his eyes. Reaching for the ball has been his forever problem. He wasn’t doing that here. He could only stomach shouldering arms to 34 deliveries across his five previous innings in this Test series. He did it 21 times here, in just two hours at the crease, and it looked so easy. He looked so good.Then came the run-out. Kohli looks for those rapid singles too. He managed one early in his innings, but that time he’d cushioned his shot and the man at short cover meant to prevent the rotation of strike became redundant. Later in his innings, he nudged one off his toes to the left of midwicket, who try as he might, couldn’t get there, and the right of mid-on.”Been stealing doubles since 2012,” he had said during one of his more dour centuries in the West Indies last year, pointing to the act of how he gets going simply by running between the wickets. The glamour shots look good on the reels but singles and twos are the essence of his batting. The fact that it led to his wicket two months ago and his partner’s wicket now – both resulting in the team’s implosion mere minutes before stumps – must be difficult to digest.Kohli got booed out of the MCG. But it almost seemed like he couldn’t hear them.He had looked so good.

Manchester City's legal battle with the Premier League escalated this week at a "feisty" crisis meeting between all 20 top-flight clubs.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Prem clubs angry with Man CityCity supporters' group get involvedHuge Etihad sponsorship deal rejectedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The English champions – and their fans – made their feelings known to the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, at a crisis meeting with clubs that turned "feisty", according to The Times. The summit was held following the landmark ruling on sponsorship deals, with City's legal director declaring all associated party transaction (APT) rules "void and unlawful" after seeing their huge new Etihad sponsorship deal rejected.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

City launched a legal battle with the league after their attempts to secure a new sponsorship deal from the Etihad airline was deemed as being not of fair market value. A source has revealed that some of City's top-flight rivals are angry and have accused the club of being "threatening and disruptive". The dispute is set to rumble on, with concerns that the crisis won't be resolved until the end of the year.

DID YOU KNOW?

Masters was called out by a City supporters' group in a mobile digital billboard parked at the Premier League's Paddington headquarters. "Richard's Masters" the billboard read, with the crests of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham underneath. The insinuation obviously is that Masters is under the control of City's rivals.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The Premier League told clubs that the majority of APT rules are lawful but some amendments are required. It's expected that at least 14 of the 20 clubs would vote in favour of the changes.

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2015Shikhar Dhawan, celebrating his 30th birthday, had to be patient as well because…•BCCI… Morne Morkel was bowling a spectacular spell•BCCIRohit Sharma felt the brunt of it and fell for 0•BCCIAnd Dhawan too, who had looked quite solid for 21 off 86 balls, was undone by an inswinging ‘Morker’•BCCIImran Tahir did his bit and removed Cheteshwar Pujara with a flipper and India stumbled to 57 for 4•BCCIThat brought Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli together, and their fifty partnership stabilised India and took their lead past 300•BCCIIt wasn’t easy going though. Virat Kohli was adjudged caught behind on 5 and looked visibly aggrieved since he hadn’t nicked it. He could bat on though because Tahir had overstepped•BCCIAnd Rahane, also on 5, did well to save himself from being caught by Dane Vilas•BCCIMorkel continued to trouble the batsmen but SA were unable to find a breakthrough•BCCIKohli and Rahane batted throughout the last session and stretched India’s lead to 403 before bad light brought an end to the third day’s play•Associated Press

Patrice Evra made a huge claim that FIFA "gave the World Cup to Lionel Messi" in Qatar in 2022.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Argentina beat France in 2022 to win the World CupMessi scored in the title decider to fire Argentina to the trophyEvra alleged that the authorities favoured the AlbicelesteFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Messi, who played a pivotal role in Argentina’s campaign, scored seven goals and provided three assists, featuring in every match from the group stage to the final. The South American nation secured their third World Cup title after an intense final against France, which was settled by a dramatic penalty shootout following a thrilling 3-3 draw.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT EVRA SAID

During a discussion with former PSG winger Jerome Rothen on Evra did not hold back his thoughts on the 2022 tournament, stating: "Okay, we haven’t won anything since 2018, but we all know that in 2022, they gave the World Cup to Messi. It was all already written. Even the French wanted Messi to win it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Following his World Cup success, Messi continued to make history, guiding Argentina to a second consecutive Copa America title. However, his performances in the 2024 edition in the United States hinted that the physical demands of top-level football over nearly two decades had begun to take a toll on the 36-year-old.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & ARGENTINA?

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed that Messi has been left out of the squad for the upcoming CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Uruguay due to a low-grade adductor muscle injury. However, Argentina remain in a commanding position in the South American World Cup qualification standings as the reigning world champions currently lead the table by five points, putting them on course to secure a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

A lowdown of ICC’s new slow over-rate rule that played a key role in the India-Pakistan clash on Sunday

Sidharth Monga29-Aug-2022Is it me or were India and Pakistan overly attacking with their fields in the death overs of their Asia Cup opener on Sunday?Your observation is accurate, but it was forced on them. Their over-rate was so slow that they were forced to bowl the last three overs each with an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle.What is this rule and when did it come into play?This new playing condition came into effect in January 2022. Simply put, any over that begins outside the stipulated time limit of 85 minutes for an innings has to be bowled with at least five fielders inside the ring. An over is said to have begun when the bowling side is in position to bowl the first ball.Related

On the spot with the ball, a bit of Dhoni with the bat – this Hardik works well for India

Arthur votes for Fakhar to open; Babar or Rizwan at No. 3

Jadeja at No. 4 forced Pakistan to change plans, and it 'ultimately cost them'

Hardik stays cool to ace a tense chase for India

Four, not five fielders allowed outside inner circle for slow over rate in T20Is

Why 85 minutes?That is the time an innings should not exceed to achieve the desired over-rate of no less than 14.11 overs an hour. Or, four minutes and 15 seconds for an over. In the case of an 18-over match, the 18th over must begin inside 76 minutes and 30 seconds.I imagine it would be chaos in case of rain-shortened innings. Especially when the interruption occurs during an innings.That’s a good observation, but the ICC has made a provision for that. If three or more overs are lost in a delayed or interrupted innings, bowling teams have to be in position to start the penultimate over by the time the innings is supposed to end. And in innings shorter than ten overs, there is no such penalty unless the team is so slow that it has already incurred the penalty at the time of the interruption that reduces the duration of the match.But a host of Pakistan players struggled with cramps. How is that fair?Several allowances are made including and not limited to treatment given by authorised medical personnel in the field of play. Other allowances are time lost in replacing an injured player, during third umpire referrals and DRS reviews and any circumstance, which according to the umpires, is beyond the control of the fielding side.A lot of the Pakistan players came down with cramps•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the India-Pakistan match, Ravindra Jadeja spent precious seconds changing his gloves immediately after Haris Rauf had a long treatment. Do fielding sides get allowances for such delays?Yes. This is an example of an event that is not in the fielding side’s control. On top of that, if the umpires deem the batter’s act to be deliberate time-wasting, that time lost is deducted from the allowances “granted to such batting team in the determination of its over-rate” over and above other penalties under “unfair play”.That creates a problem that the ICC playing conditions are silent on. If a team batting first is found wasting time, it will incur the in-game penalty when it bowls, but what about batters wasting time during a chase?Does this all mean taking wickets is not a good idea because of the time it takes for batters to change over?Not quite. Once you have taken five wickets, every subsequent wicket earns you one minute of allowance. If you bowl a side out, the innings is deemed completed at that instant.Who keeps track of the time?The third umpire. So if you think that official has a cushy job, just think again.How do teams keep track of all the allowances made?The umpire at the bowling end informs the fielding captain, the batters and the other umpire of the scheduled time by which the innings should end. After every interruption, the same drill has to be followed to advise them of the rescheduled closing time. The umpire shall also inform the same parties of any allowances as and when they occur barring the allowances for the sixth to ninth wickets, which the teams have to keep track of themselves.Apart from this stated playing conditions, the umpires keep captains informed of their over-rate as much as possible especially when they are behind.What about the fans? Who tells them what is happening?In venues with the capability, it is requested that the innings timer and over-rate are displayed on the replay screen at all times. Otherwise, it is expected that the over-rate is displayed on the replay screen at the end of every over for at least five seconds.That’s all well and good, but we had a perfectly entertaining match. What difference does it make if overs are not completed in time? Do we really need in-game penalties for over-rates?Apart from many fans wanting T20 to be a contest that finishes quickly and broadcasters losing viewership if a match goes into after hours, there is also a possible competitive advantage to be had by bowling overs slowly. You get more time to think and plan, your lack of fitness and planning is not penalised, and you can also break the momentum of a batter who is on a roll. It is a little similar to tennis where the server has to start the next point within a stipulated time frame.Now whether this is too extreme and might lead to farcical circumstances where a team is bowling part-time spinners when it would rather be bowling a quick is something for the lawmakers to keep reviewing.