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Match facts

Thursday, April 4, 2013
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Lasith Malinga will miss the opening game for Mumbai Indians•AFP

Big Picture

How loyalties and allegiances change in the IPL. Anil Kumble’s association with Royal Challengers Bangalore was long and high-profile, as a player, captain, and mentor. He is known to have played a critical role in team strategy, selections, auction picks, all for a team representing his hometown. He is in the opposing camp now, hired by Mumbai Indians as their team mentor, and will have to plot against a side he helped strengthen over five seasons on his home ground.An immediate problem to address for Kumble’s team is the absence of Lasith Malinga from the opening game due to injury. A prized asset of the Mumbai side, Malinga is still recovering from a sore back he suffered during the home series against Bangladesh. His replacement apart, Mumbai can compensate for that loss with runs from a power-packed batting line-up, though it’ll be interesting to see if Sachin Tendulkar and his opening partner [there were as many as eight last season] are able to retain their combination for a good part of the season.The Royal Challengers are among the most passionately followed teams in the IPL and, for a tournament centred on the concept of city loyalties, Bangalore has lapped up its team like no other. But the title has proved elusive, despite twice having made the final. Led by Virat Kohli this season, Royal Challengers have as many as 15 seamers in their squad – though one of them, Zaheer Khan, is ruled out of the opening match with a side strain. It could be said that Kumble’s inputs may have made their job easier had he not switched over, but how they manage their personnel is one of several potential challenges this season could throw up.

Players to watch

Is Glenn Maxwell worth a million dollars? He was the only million-dollar buy at the 2013 auction, then had a lacklustre Test series in India, and didn’t have a great World Twenty20 before he was bought. His purchase is a gamble, and it remains to be seen to what extent his all-round skills are able to justify, or undermine, the team’s decision.From doing the moonwalk to gangnam style, classy celebrations to banter with opposition players, Chris Gayle has loosened up significantly since we first saw him in 1999 when he took on India in Toronto. His demeanour on the field aside, he has been a pivotal player for Royal Challengers with his explosive batting at the top, and has endeared himself to his fans, not just by treating them to airshows at the Chinnaswamy Stadium but winning their admiration despite giving them a bloody nose, literally, and landing them in hospital.

2012 head-to-head

Gayle was the architect of a big win over Mumbai last season at the Wankhede Stadium, as Royal Challengers eased home by nine wickets. Mumbai then won a close game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium less than a week later, with Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard guiding them to victory in a tight chase.

Stats and trivia

• Malinga is among the few bowlers to have kept Gayle quiet in the IPL. R Ashwin is another. Malinga has bowled 39 balls to Gayle in the IPL, conceding 36 runs that included five fours. Against Ashwin, Gayle has scored at a run a ball in the IPL – 33 off 33.
• At the very least, Gayle could become the second-highest run-getter in all T20 cricket. He is currently on 4804 runs, just 17 behind David Hussey. Brad Hodge leads the list with 5274.

Quotes

“We do have a lot of options to pick from, with as many as 11 specialist pacers and four seaming all-rounders. Of course there are a few players who are coming off injuries, like Daniel Vettori (ankle injury).”

“We are all friends for the next few months. That’s one thing I have made very clear to the guys already. We are one. The Mumbai Indians are one.”

Last season’s finalists have been off the boil in IPL 2025

Sreshth Shah02-Apr-20253:35

‘The latest Venkatesh Iyer should walk in at is No. 4’

Big picture: Rematch of the IPL 2024 finalThe last time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) met, it was in the IPL 2024 final. But three games into IPL 2025, they are at the wrong end of the points table. SRH are eighth and KKR tenth, and the only team either of them have beaten is Rajasthan Royals, sandwiched in between at ninth.For defending champions KKR, their whole batting line-up has been fragile. Last season, their opening partnership set games up by averaging 43.9 at a strike-rate of 207. This season they are averaging 15.3 and striking at 100. The batters between Nos. 4 to 8 – which includes the retained quartet of Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh – are averaging 17.22 and striking at 117.3. They appear to have picked up a vulnerability to the short ball too. Nine of the 12 KKR dismissals to fast bowling this season are to balls pitched between the 8 and 10 metre mark or shorter.SRH have had poor powerplays with both bat and ball. The shots off Abhishek Sharma’s bat have sounded sweet but he has scored only 31 runs in three innings. Against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, their batters kept attacking even as wickets tumbled to finish with totals that turned out to be below-par. Their fast bowling was supposed to be an upgrade but they’ve not made an impact in the first six overs. Their powerplay economy (11.4) is the poorest among all teams this year, and even with the quality of Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel, the economy rate (11.7) of their pace attack is in the doldrums. Only RR’s quicks (11.8) have fared worse.Although both teams are facing similar issues, their approaches remain different. Cummins said after the last defeat that SRH will not change their batting plan, while KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo said on match-eve their batters will have to move beyond being aggressive and be crafty. Thursday will show which philosophy succeeds.3:12

Cricinformed: Are Sunrisers selling themselves short?

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders LWL
Sunrisers Hyderabad LLW

Team news: No major injury concerns

SRH are expected to back their primary XII, but the type of pitch (more on that later) could dictate whether they play Adam Zampa, Wiaan Mulder, seamer Simarjeet Singh or spinner Zeeshan Ansari. Anrich Nortje, KKR’s fastest bowler, is still not match ready.Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Varun Chakravarthy, 12 Vaibhav AroraSunrisers Hyderabad: (probable) 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Aniket Verma, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Wiaan Mulder/Adam Zampa, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Simarjeet Singh/Zeeshan Ansari

Big question

Adam Zampa made a return to the IPL on the back of great performances since 2024. In that period, his 50 appearances have brought 76 wickets at a strike rate of 14.3 and economy of 7.7. He is especially useful between overs 7-16 since 2024, where he has bowled 80% of all his overs. Is it time for him to be a permanent fixture in SRH’s line-up?

In the spotlight: Aniket Verma and Andre RussellNitish Kumar Reddy was SRH’s standout domestic player in 2024 and the team has found another exciting talent in Aniket Verma this season. Even with wickets tumbling, Aniket, bought for INR 30 lakh, has found a way to smash bowlers. His 13-ball 36 against LSG was a trailer of what would follow as he went on to hammer a 41-ball 74 against DC. Aniket has been among the most destructive players of spin in IPL 2025, hitting them for a boundary once every three balls, at a strike rate of 238. His 11 sixes against spin is second only to Nicholas Pooran’s 12. With KKR possessing Narine and Varun Chakravarthy in their bowling XI, will Aniket continue his dominance?2:47

Bangar: Don’t see any change in SRH’s approach

Since the end of IPL 2024, Andre Russell has scored only 586 runs in 41 T20 games at an average of 18.9. He also has just nine runs in two innings this IPL. Last season, Russell had given KKR power at the death, averaging 31.20 with a strike-rate of 185. His highest score in IPL 2024 of 64 not out came against SRH at Eden Gardens.

Pitch and conditions: Turn on the cards?

The surface at Eden Gardens has been in focus over the last week. The pitch that was used in the season opener against RCB backfired on KKR, with the captain Rahane asking for something slower that would suit the team’s spinners. Two pitches have been prepared for this fixture, both having very little grass, which suggests the team’s demand may well have been met.

Key Stats: SRH’s dependency on their openers

• KKR won all three games against SRH in IPL 2024: one league game, the first qualifier and the final. KKR have also won eight of the last ten matches against SRH.
• KKR have the second-lowest powerplay run-rate (7.8) this season, ahead of only CSK’s 7.4. They also have the joint worst powerplay bowling strike-rate of 54.
• Travis Head has the second highest strike-rate against fast bowling (206) since IPL 2024 (min. 100 balls faced). Abhishek Sharma has the best IPL strike-rate of 206 for the first ten deliveries of an innings (min. 75 balls)
• Heinrich Klaasen has never been dismissed by Sunil Narine in five IPL innings, scoring 34 runs off 22 balls. Against Varun Chakravarthy, Klaasen has scored 35 runs off 20 balls, but has been dismissed once.
• SRH have an 80% win record when both Head and Abhishek survive the powerplay. It drops to 71% when one of them is dismissed and dips to 17% when both are out.

Quotes

“The bowlers have an attacking plan, but also have a defensive plan. When we are under pressure, you will see our bowlers go to a defensive plan. But when we are also picking up wickets, we will continue to try and pick up more.”
“Our team is suited to play an aggressive style, but we don’t speak about 300 as an expectation that are put on us by other people. We try to play a positive brand of cricket. It’s a strength of ours and we try to double down on our strengths.”

تحدث مدرب مانشستر يونايتد، إريك تين هاج، عن سقوط فريقه في فخ التعادل أمام توتنهام، بعدما كان متقدمًا بثنائية نظيفة.

وفرض توتنهام تعادلاً إيجابيًا على مانشستر يونايتد بهدفين لمثلهما، ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال تين هاج متحدثًا إلى بي تي سبورت: “بالطبع عندما تكون متقدمًا 2-0، فإنك تشعر بخيبة أمل بعض الشيء عندما تتعادل، هذا واضح تمامًا، لقد أتيحت لنا الفرص للتسجيل بعدما أصبحت النتيجة 2-1، ولم نفعل ذلك واستقبلنا الهدف الثاني، أعتقد أنه في هذا الأسبوع 2-2 تعادل جيد”.

وأضاف: “كان علينا تسجيل هدف ثان ولكن بصراحة كان بإمكانهم التعادل قبل نهاية الشوط الأول مباشرة، قبل أن نسجل هدفًا، لا أعتقد أننا كنا بهذه الجودة خلال 90 دقيقة، بعد نهاية الشوط الأول كان علينا تسجيل هدفًا آخر”.

وعن البدلاء وتأثيرهم، أردف تين هاج: “كنا متشابهين بعد نهاية الشوط الأول، كان الأمر نفسه كما كان قبل نهاية الشوط الأول وفقدنا السيطرة، استقبلنا الهدف ويمكننا رؤيته قادمًا وكانت التغييرات متأخرة جدًا”.

وبشأن المباراة المقبلة ضد أستون فيلا، أشار الهولندي: “إنها مباراة أخرى ونحتاج إلى الطاقة وعلينا أن نكون مستعدين ليوم الأحد”.

وأفاد تين هاج: “كان رأيي أننا لم نلعب جيدًا، لم نلعب بشكل جيد، لكننا سجلنا هدفين ثم يتعين عليك إنهاء المباراة”.

وعن الفرص الضائعة، شدد مدرب مانشستر يونايتد:” بالطبع (كرة فرنانديز بالعارضة كانت محبطة)، لكن لا تلوم لاعبًا واحدًا، وأعتقد أنه كان علينا تسجيل المزيد، الأهداف التي استقبلناها كانت سهلة للغاية وكان بإمكاننا تجنبها”.

واستطرد: “لقد جئنا إلى هنا، مثل كل مباراة، من أجل أن نحقق الفوز، كان من الواضح كيف أداروا المباراة وأردنا الفوز، وهو ما لم نفعله”.

وأتم: “إذا فزنا يوم الأحد، فسيكون هذا أسبوعًا رائعًا ولكن علينا أولاً أن نصل إلى هناك ونحتاج إلى كل الطاقة، نتعافى ونستعد للمباراة ونركز وننطلق مرة أخرى”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vitória disponibilizou nesta terça-feira 15 mil ingressos no valor promocional de R$ 10 para a partida contra o Corinthians, válida pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

Com a intenção de lotar o Barradão, a promoção vale até esta quarta-feira ou enquanto durar o lote. Os ingressos serão comercializados em todos os pontos de venda: nas bilheterias do estádio e nos shoppings Capemi, Lapa e Paralela.

Ao término da promoção, o preço do ingresso para o setor de arquibancadas será o já praticado anteriormente no Brasileirão: R$ 40 (inteira) e R$ 20 (meia). A partir de quinta-feira os ingressos para o setor de Cadeiras serão comercializados, assim como para o setor da torcida visitante.

A equipe de Paulo Cézar Carpegiani tenta embalar outro triunfo após derrotar a Chapecoense na última rodada do torneio nacional. O duelo contra o Corinthians está marcado para o próximo domingo, às 16h.

VENDA DE INGRESSOS PARA VITÓRIA X CORINTHIANS

Internet: das 12h de terça-feira até 12h de domingo, via futebolcard

Terça-feira: bilheteria do Barradão (12h às 18h), Shopping Capemi (12h às 18h30), Shopping Lapa (12h às 19h) e Shopping Paralela (12h às 19h), valor promocional de R$10 (setor arquibancada) apenas para torcida mandante*.

Quarta-feira: bilheteria do Barradão (9h às 18h) Shopping Capemi (9h30 às 18h30), Shopping Lapa (10h às 19h) e Shopping Paralela (10h às 19h), valor promocional de R$10 (setor arquibancada) apenas para torcida mandante*.

Quinta-feira: bilheteria do Barradão (9h às 18h) Shopping Capemi (9h30 às 18h30), Shopping Lapa (12h às 19h) e Shopping Paralela (12h às 19h).

Sexta-feira: bilheteria do Barradão (9h às 18h) Shopping Capemi (9h30 às 18h30), Shopping Lapa (12h às 19h) e Shopping Paralela (12h às 19h).

Sábado: bilheteria do Barradão (9h às 17h) Shopping Capemi (9h30 às 15h30), Shopping Lapa (12h às 19h) e Shopping Paralela (12h às 19h).

Domingo: bilheteria do Barradão (10h às 19h)

*Enquanto durar o lote promocional.

VALORES

PROMOCIONAL (TERÇA E QUARTA)

Arquibancada: R$ 10 (apenas para mandante no setor de arquibancada)

A PARTIR DE QUINTA

Arquibancada: R$ 40 (inteira) | R$ 20 (meia)

Cadeira: R$ 60 (inteira) | R$ 30 (meia)

Visitante: R$ 40 (inteira) | R$ 20 (meia)

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Fast bowler Mohammad Sami and middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal, neither of whom have played for Pakistan since 2010, have been recalled for the Sri Lanka series

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2012

Fast bowler Mohammad Sami and middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal, neither of whom have played for Pakistan since 2010, have been recalled to the Test squad for the series in Sri Lanka starting next month. Afaq Raheem, the 26-year-old Islamabad batsman, and 32-year-old Sialkot batsman Mohammad Ayub, who were the top two run-getters in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy this season, were the new faces in the 16-man squad.Sami also featured in the one-day pool for the tour of Sri Lanka, and there was a recall for opener Imran Farhat, who was dropped for the Asia Cup. Rahat Ali, the 23-year-old Khan Research Laboratories left-arm fast bowler, was a new inclusion in the ODI squad, while fast bowler Wahab Riaz and allrounder Hammad Azam were left out.Wahab was also excluded from the Test squad and so was Mohammad Talha, the 23-year-old National Bank of Pakistan fast bowler. Neither of them had played the Tests against England though they had been part of the squad. Umar Akmal and Farhat, two other players who had been on the fringes of the Test starting XI, were also left out.Ayub, who took one of their spots in the batting line-up, has been close to national selection for several years, having been among the top performers on the domestic circuit. He has played 93 first-class matches and was last in contention before the England series earlier this year.Raheem is also an experienced batsman, having played 75 first-class matches. His career was disrupted by a knee injury which cost him nearly two seasons starting from June 2009. He returned last year and capped a successful season by top-scoring in the Quaid-e-Azam.Opening bowler Ali had not played much List A cricket in the 2011-12 season, but put in a fine showing in first-class cricket, in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two. He finished fourth on the wickets charts, with 44 scalps from nine games at 17.45.Comeback man Iqbal has previously failed to make establish himself in the Test team, playing 26 matches over the past decade. The highlight of his career came in early 2006, when he scored a second-innings century to help set up Pakistan’s 341-run win against India in Karachi. Following a steady Quaid-e-Azam 2011-12 season, in which he averaged 46.87, he scored two hundreds in the two games he played for Sind in the Faysal Bank Pentangular Cup. He aggregated 263 runs at an average of 87.66 in the tournament, a performance that probably prompted his national recall.Test squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Afaq Raheem, Mohammad Ayub, Aizaz Cheema
ODI squad: Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Asad Shafiq, Aizaz Cheema, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat

Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo04-Apr-2012Graeme Swann has hit out at what he perceives is a “witch hunt” against Andrew Strauss following England’s four Test defeats this year and the captain’s poor return with the bat and backed him as the best captain in the game.Strauss was the major talking point from an England point of view heading into the Colombo Test. While the team was winning, as they have done for much of the last three years, the fact Strauss was not contributing hugely with the bat was generally overlooked. He has scored one Test hundred in 48 innings although showed the fighting qualities he has always had with his 61 on the second day in Colombo.Swann, who took 4 for 75 to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 275, insisted Strauss had not been affected by the debate while adding the dressing room has barely given it another thought.”He hasn’t shown any signs,” he said. “We only realise he’s under scrutiny because some of us can read. I see it as a bit of a witch hunt and I think it is unjustified, but you wouldn’t tell from way he carries himself. He’s very laid-back and phlegmatic. He’s the best captain in world cricket and a world-class opening batsman. He’ll get nothing but support from me.”Barring his first two Tests against India in 2008, during Kevin Pietersen’s brief time in charge and the two games Alastair Cook captained in Bangladesh, Swann has played his entire Test career under Strauss. He believes there is still a huge amount of credit available to him for his time at the helm which has included two Ashes series victories and the climb to No. 1 in the world.”When anyone’s in a position like Straussy and when things aren’t going well like they have been then pressure builds up,” he said. “My view is that he should be afforded leeway because of what he’s done over the last two or three years.”I don’t think there’s any man as capable of leading a team in world cricket. He’s not in horrible nick, he’s getting good starts and it’s just one of those things all players go through. His barren spell is a lot better than other people’s has been and he’ll bounce back and be scoring hundreds before you know it.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A Chapecoense não cumpriu a expectativa de uma atuação de destaque no retorno do Campeonato Brasileiro. Após o período sem jogos devido a disputa da Copa do Mundo, a equipe catarinense recebeu o Bahia na Arena Condá e viu o rival assumir o controle do jogo e abrir o placar. Entretanto, mostrou sua força em casa e alcançou o empate no final, com gol de Osman.

Em entrevista coletiva concedida após a partida, o técnico Gilson Kleina admitiu que o time não teve um bom desempenho, mas valorizou o ponto conquistado em uma partida difícil para os dois lados.

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– Agradecer esse ponto. Pelas circunstâncias, ganhamos um ponto. O desempenho foi abaixo e vamos conversar amanhã. Se for essa postura contra o Santos, vamos ter dificuldade. Em nossos domínios, temos que competir mais.

Depois de apresentar um futebol recuado no primeiro tempo, fruto da pressão de um jogo dominado pelo Bahia, Gilson Kleina promoveu mudanças no time para a segunda etapa: Leandro Pereira ganhou a vaga de Luiz Antonio e a Chapecoense passou a atuar no esquema 4-3-3.

– Conversei com eles no intervalo, o nosso primeiro tempo foi sofrível. Não conseguimos fazer infiltrações. A bola ficou longa, não conseguimos fazer as jogadas por dentro. Eles vêm de resultados ruins, mas têm muita qualidade técnica. A estreia do Bruno e do Gilberto mudou a forma do Bahia, eles jogavam sem o atacante de referência. Aumentou o poderio técnico deles. Não tivemos aproximação e começamos a tocar a bola para trás e fazer bola longa. Melhoramos com a entrada do Leandro. O Osman quebrou o ritmo do jogo. Se jogássemos como nos quinze minutos finais, sairíamos vitoriosos – contou o treinador.

Apesar da mudança, o Bahia continuou dominando as principais jogadas de perigo da partida e a Chape só voltou a aparecer após o gol do Tricolor. Na visão do treinador, faltou competitividade.

– Entendo que faltou mais competitividade. O Bahia dava o espaço, mas nossa bola não encaixou. A gente fica chateado, porque trabalha e quer que tenha performance, mas temos uma linha de crescimento grande. Os jogadores sabem que não tivemos um bom desempenho. Não é questão de força, não estávamos bem posicionados, o Bahia se adonou, mas no fim fomos melhores.

Pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, a Chapecoense volta aos gramados no próximo domingo, quando recebe o Santos, ás 19h, na Arena Condá, em partida válida pela 14ª rodada.

تقدم عبد الله السعيد لاعب بيراميدز، بالهدف الثاني لفريقه أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما اليوم الأحد بالدوري.

بيراميدز يواجه سيراميكا كليوباترا، في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة عشر من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز على ملعب الدفاع الجوي.

طالع | فيديو | رمضان صبحي يسجل هدف بيراميدز الأول أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وسجل السعيد هدف بيراميدز الثاني في الدقيقة 58 من عمر المباراة، بتسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء بعد تمريرة من مصطفى فتحي، لتصبح النتيجة 2-1. هدف بيراميدز الثاني أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا في الدوري.. عبد الله السعيد:

وكان بيراميدز تقدم أولاً عن طريق رمضان صبحي، وتعادل سيراميكا من خلال محمد إبراهيم.

MS Dhoni said India suffered several misfortunes during the first Test at Lord’s which made their job difficult

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's25-Jul-2011No confirmation on Zaheer availability

There is no final word on Zaheer Khan’s availability for the second Test. Asked if Zaheer was expected to be fit for the match, which starts on July 29, Dhoni was skeptical. “We have three days but I am not 100% sure if we will play him or not. It is a long series and we don’t want to risk any individual if he is only 90% fit as that only increases the chances of him getting injured further. It is very important to get the guys fully fit.”

So who’s to blame for India’s defeat? MS Dhoni, for putting England in to bat? India’s senior batsmen, for playing shots that, to the distant eye, seemed unnecessary? Harbhajan Singh, for yet again failing to have an impact on a match? Or even the under-preparedness of the India players, most of whom were struggling to come to terms with conditions at the practice match in Somerset?Dhoni himself blamed the loss of Zaheer Khan, his strike bowler, to a hamstring injury on the first afternoon. He blamed the absence of a third fast bowler to assist Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar. He blamed a surface that did not assist turn on the first two days and relegated his lead spinner Harbhajan to playing the role of a sandbag for Kevin Pietersen in the first innings. He blamed the circumstances that forced the batting order to be completely reshuffled in the second innings.”Most of the things that could have gone wrong in the game went wrong. It was tough for both the bowlers and the batsmen,” Dhoni said with a resigned look at the media conference. The turning point in the Test came on the first afternoon, when Zaheer stopped mid-stride and then walked off to the dressing room with a hamstring injury. It was a bad setback for Zaheer, who was starting to dominate the England batsmen and had dismissed openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.England’s confidence rose and Pietersen rode roughshod over an Indian bowling attack comprising two fast bowlers who were playing their maiden Test in England, and a spinner who had been rendered impotent by the conditions.”It became quite tough for us after losing Zaheer Khan on the first day,” Dhoni said. “It was very difficult to bowl with three bowlers. The pitch did not take too much turn on the first two days and we did not have too many options. So it was quite difficult in terms of resources.”Praveen and Ishant toiled hard in Zaheer’s absence, and improved as the game went on. Praveen recovered from first-morning-Lord’s nerves to bounce back with controlled swing and bag a maiden five-for in the first innings, and Ishant injected a renewed sense of purpose into India with an energetic spell of seam bowling on the fourth morning. India missed out on a third seamer, though, which Dhoni said made all the difference. “We just needed that one extra bowler and things could have been different but it is something that you can’t really do anything about as injuries happen.”An injury to Zaheer Khan meant MS Dhoni was forced to bowl himself during the Test•Getty Images

Harbhajan, India’s most experienced bowler, wore a deflated look for most of the Test and his match figures of 56-4-218-1 only raised questions about his position as lead spinner. Dhoni, though, did not appear too bothered. “I saw a lot of improvement [in Harbhajan]. He bowled a lot slower in this game. It was slightly tough on him, especially when Pietersen was set and began going after him. There was no turn to deceive the batsman. But I was really impressed with the pace at which Harbhajan bowled. As the series progresses, it will be really interesting to see him bowl at some of the venues that are known to assist spin.”With their bowling in a shambles, India’s chances of escaping the first Test with a draw hinged exclusively on their vaunted batting order. No batsman, barring Rahul Dravid, lasted long enough in the first innings. On the last morning, India were 378 runs adrift of the huge target set by England. In the absence of Virender Sehwag, a victory was unimaginable. A draw, though, was possible, especially in conditions that were tough but not unplayable.Yet the highest partnership in the second innings was 75 runs, between Dravid and VVS Laxman for the second wicket, closely followed by the 60-run alliance between Dhoni and Suresh Raina for the sixth wicket. While England had three 100-plus stands in the match, India had none. Dhoni defended his batsmen, pointing to the fact that an injury to Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar’s illness had forced a reshuffle in the batting order.”Yes, we could have done with one more partnership from the top-order batsmen. But it was tough because most of our batsmen were batting in slots different to their original number. Rahul opened, Sachin batted at a different number, Gautam batted at a different number. That also added pressure.”The India batsmen also struggled to come to terms with the inconsistent bounce, he said. “As the Test progressed, what we saw was variable bounce, which meant we couldn’t really leave deliveries on length saying it was a three-quarter length delivery and would go over the stumps. So, more often than not, we were forced to play deliveries and we chased them.”Comparing the current Lord’s track to what he encountered on India’s tour in 2007, when he helped save the first Test for India with an unbeaten half-century, Dhoni claimed the bounce was more even four years ago. “This time there were many occasions when the ball did not comfortably travel to the keeper so the variable bounce did have an impact.”

تشتعل المنافسة على صدارة ترتيب الدوري السعودي للمحترفين بعد انتهاء منافسات الجولة الحادية عشر اليوم السبت.

وتعادل الهلال مع ضمك بهدفين لمثلهما في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم على ملعب فيصل بن فهد بالرياض.

طالع أيضًا.. بعد رونالدو.. النصر يقدم عرضًا رسميًا لضم مهاجم باريس سان جيرمان

وواصل النصر الانفراد بالصدارة بالفوز على الخليج بهدفٍ دون رد في مباراتهما اليوم على ملعب محمد بن فهد.

واستعاد الشباب نغمة الانتصارات خلال هذه الجولة بالفوز على الاتفاق بثلاثية نظيفة بعد خسارته في المباراة السابقة من الفتح بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدف.

وحقق التعاون فوزًا ثمينًا اليوم خارج أرضه على الرائد بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

واستطاع الاتحاد أن يهزم أبها بثنائية اليوم في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما على ملعب مدينة الأمير سلطان بن عبد العزيز الرياضية. ترتيب الدوري السعودي بعد انتهاء الجولة الحادية عشر

1- النصر 26 نقطة.

2- الشباب 25 نقطة.

3- الاتحاد 24 نقطة.

4- التعاون 23 نقطة.

5- الهلال 22 نقطة.

6- ضمك 18 نقطة.

7- الطائي 18 نقطة.

8- أبها 16 نقطة.

9- الفتح 15 نقطة.

10- الاتفاق 13 نقطة.

11- الرائد 12 نقطة.

12- الفيحاء 11 نقطة.

13- الوحدة 9 نقاط.

14- العدالة 5 نقاط.

15- الخليج 4 نقاط.

16- الباطن، نقطة واحدة.