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Match facts

Thursday, February 5, 2009
Start time 14:30 local, (09:00 GMT)

The Big Picture

How do lift your side less than two days after their worst-ever home defeat – that too for a dead rubber? That’s what Mahela Jayawardene has to figure out ahead of the fourth one-dayer at the R Premadasa Stadium. Of particular concern is their bowling, which was toothless against the rampaging Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag on Tuesday. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were handled with ease and even the usually accurate Farveez Maharoof leaked runs. The fielding has been below par as well, grassing chances on a regular basis, and the batting is inconsistent.Sri Lanka’s ODI record against major teams since the 2007 World Cup makes for sorry reading – the Asia Cup triumph and the recent win against a turmoil-ridden Pakistan are outweighed by home losses to India (twice) and England, the poor show at last year’s CB series, and defeat in the Caribbean.India, on the other hand, have little to worry about; even their spinners, who hadn’t been among the wickets till the third game, are firing. Another victory will help them break the record for most wins on the trot by an Indian side in ODIs but Mahendra Singh Dhoni has said the focus is more on testing the bench strength.

ODI form guide (most recent first)

Sri Lanka LLLWW
India WWWWW

Watch out for …

Tillakaratne Dilshan hasn’t shown the explosive form that propelled Sri Lanka to their come-from-behind series win in Pakistan. India got a taste of how dangerous he could be during his cameo on Tuesday, when he walked down the track to take on the quick bowlers.Praveen Kumar may not come out on top when bowling speeds are measured but he has the priceless ability to swing the new ball both ways on most surfaces. That allows him to make crucial early breakthroughs – Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist early in both finals of last year’s CB series, and Sanath Jayasuriya with his first ball on Tuesday.

Teams

With the series in the bag, India are looking to experiment. That could be good news for Irfan Pathan and Rohit Sharma. With a packed schedule ahead, at least one of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma is likely to be rested. India haven’t yet announced their XII though.India: (from) Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Irfan PathanChamara Kapugedera’s lean trot continued with his low score on Tuesday but he is likely to retain his spot – his appointment as vice-captain for the Twenty20 side shows how highly the selectors rate him. One change they could make is bringing in either allrounder Angelo Mathews or Jehan Mubarak for Dilhara Fernando to bolster the batting.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7, Angelo Mathews, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Ajantha Mendis

Pitch and conditions

The pitches in the two games so far at the Premadasa have been totally different. While the first one stayed more or less the same through the match, the one used for the second game was a batting paradise in the first half but offered the spinners alarming turn and bounce during the Sri Lankan chase.

Quotes

“We are not looking at the record. Rather, we will give chance to players who didn’t get a chance to play in the series so far.”

“We need our best team to win the next two matches, which is very important to get back the confidence.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de acertar a renovação com Diego Lugano até o fim do ano, o São Paulo anunciou que Júnior Tavares também ficará mais tempo no Morumbi. O presidente Leco anunciou que o lateral-esquerdo teve o vínculo prorrogado até 2021. A renovação já estava acertada desde a metade de junho.

-É jovem e demonstrou qualidade e personalidade para honrar nossa camisa – escreveu o mandatário no Twitter.

Júnior Tavares despertou interesse do holandês Ajax, que chegou a preparar uma proposta de 8 milhões de euros (quase R$ 30 milhões) pelo atleta e obrigou o Tricolor a trabalhar rápido para mantê-lo no elenco. O garoto de 20 anos recebeu aumento de salário para ampliar o antigo contrato, que se encerraria em 2019.

Junior Tavares foi formado pelo Grêmio, mas atuou pelo time sub-20 do São Paulo no ano passado e, após ser aprovado por Rogério Ceni, a diretoria comprou 50% de seus direitos econômicos. No acordo com o clube gaúcho, a equipe tem até 2019 para adquirir mais 30% dos direitos de Junior por um valor considerado baixo pela diretoria no Morumbi, até pela importância do jogador, presente em 34 das 34 partidas do time em 2017.

Também renovamos com o Junior Tavares até 2021. É jovem e demonstrou qualidade e personalidade para honrar nossa camisa

— Leco (@LecoPresidente) 26 de junho de 2017

أكد أيمن صلاح المشرف على المنتخبات القومية أن دعم الجماهير لمنتخب مصر لكرة اليد، مؤثر للغاية.

ونجح منتخب مصر لكرة اليد في الفوز على المغرب بنتيجة 36-21 في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم ببطولة الأمم الإفريقية 2022. طالع التفاصيل.

وقال أيمن في تصريحات خاصة لـ “بطولات” إن المنتخب يتطلع لتقديم أقوى مستوى خلال كل مباراة، ولا يفكر في أي منتخب غير الذي سيواجهه.

طالع أيضًا.. موعد مباراة مصر والجزائر في ربع نهائي كأس أمم إفريقيا لكرة اليد 2022

واختتم: “دعم الجماهير بالطبع مؤثر جدًا، وإن شاء الله سيكون الدعم أكثر خلال المباريات المقبلة”.

The ICC have decided on the four series in which they will extend their trial of the umpire review system, beginning with New Zealand’s two-Test battle against West Indies in December.The system has caused debate and controversy since it was first trialled in England in 2007, and it received mixed reactions on its international debut between Sri Lanka and India earlier this year.The idea to extend the trial was agreed upon by the ICC on the first day of their board meeting in Dubai, subject to agreement by the relevant chief executives of the participating country boards. After the series between New Zealand and West Indies, the system will be tried on India versus Pakistan, England’s four Tests against West Indies, and the three-match series between South Africa and Australia.”The idea of further trials would be to provide exposure to the system for as many match referees, umpires and players as possible ahead of a decision on whether it should be implemented permanently,” the ICC said in a release on Tuesday. “That would be something to be debated by the ICC’s cricket committee in April and May next year.”Another decision taken at the meeting was South Africa’s nomination as hosts of the World Cup qualifier tournament in 2009, pending agreement from the South African board, after the original hosts UAE stated they can’t stage the event because their stadiums won’t be ready in time.Alternatives to bilateral tours once current FTP runs out in May 2012 were also discussed, including the possibility of an enhanced Test championship which the ICC’s chief executives committee will again look at in December.The possibility of cricket being a part of future Olympics Games was brought to the table. ICC will have to apply to the International Olympic Council before 2013 if it is to be part of the 2020 Games.

Crystal Palace will be looking to secure their first victory of the new campaign when they travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford in the second round of the Carabao Cup tonight.

A 3-0 defeat to Chelsea and a goalless draw with Brentford have marked the beginning of Patrick Vieira’s reign in south London, and the new manager will be eager to build on their much-improved performance last time out.

Despite keeping a clean sheet against the newly-promoted Bees and looking relatively solid throughout, Palace couldn’t find the back of the net themselves and will be searching for the first goal of Vieira’s reign tonight.

The former Nice manager outlined his intention to select a strong starting XI against Watford in his post-match press conference in order to build some momentum going into a tricky league season.

“It’s important for us to win football matches,” he said. “To win football matches will give us confidence for the rest of the season. We are at the beginning of the season, players are feeling strong, are feeling good, there are two games before the international break, and we will play these two games with the best starting XI I have.

“We will play all the games with the desire to win it; I don’t think we can choose which competition we can go into. As a football club, we don’t have this privilege; we have to take one game after the other. The next one is on Tuesday, and we will put (out) a strong team to compete.

“It’s important for us to build momentum, it’s important for us to build our confidence, it’s important for us to win football matches, to win games. Our objective is to win the next one,” Vieira concluded.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects the Frenchman to line up at Vicarage Road, with six changes from the side which started against Brentford…

In goal, former England international goalkeeper Jack Butland is likely to come into the team in place of regular first-choice Vicente Guaita. The 28-year-old is among the most experienced backup shot-stoppers in the division and will be eager to impress in this midweek encounter.

Ahead of him is likely to be a back four made up of a couple of experienced heads and two of talented youngsters. James Tomkins and Martin Kelly should replace Joachim Andersen and Joel Ward, partnering the highly-rated Tyrick Mitchell and Marc Guehi in defence.

The engine room will have a more familiar feel, with 33-year-old James McArthur making way for Jairo Riedewald, who will provide cover for the duo of Conor Gallagher and Cheikhou Kouyate.

Completing the lineup in attack is talismanic figure Wilfried Zaha, alongside Jordan Ayew and Jean-Philippe Mateta, who come in for Jeffrey Schlupp and the £8.1m-rated Christian Benteke respectively.

In other news… Vieira must unleash “impressive” £11.7m-rated gem today, could be CPFC’s game-changer 

According to a report by L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), West Ham United have now tabled an offer to sign Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing Zouma…

As per numerous reliable sources, West Ham have been in talks over signing Zouma for the last three weeks with many twists and turns to the story.

The Irons first entered negotiations back in late July according to Sky Sports as manager David Moyes seeks to strengthen his options in central defence.

When a move for Zouma became unlikely, fellow defensive target Nikola Milenkovic was prioritised, and at one stage, it looked almost certain he would become a West Ham player.

However, now that move has broken down, the Chelsea defender is back on West Ham priority’s list as their primary target – with L’Equipe bringing an update.

The Latest: Irons table offer…

As per the French news source (via Sport Witness), West Ham and GSB have now tabled a bid for the 26-year-old.

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Indeed, it is claimed the Hammers have ‘come forward with an offer’ of around £25 million to sign Zouma this summer, but there is also a suggestion that it didn’t do enough to sway Chelsea or the player himself.

Nevertheless, while personal terms also still haven’t been agreed, there is a belief that the Frenchman would be more tempted by the idea of joining West Ham than Sevilla.

The Verdict: Get it done…

It may be a difficult move to pull off financially judging by this update, but Zouma could well be worth the trouble as manager Moyes looks to seriously reinforce his options.

Only Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna present themselves as senior options as it stands and the 6 foot 3 powerhouse could add a totally different dimension.

Amassing a 90.9% pass accuracy out from the back last season, far more than any of West Ham’s current defensive crop (WhoScored), he has also been called ‘unbelievable’ by Chelsea legend John Terry.

He started 22 Premier League matches for the Blues last season and even managed five goals in that time, meaning he can also deliver at the other end on occasion.

Zouma would be the perfect defensive addition for West Ham, but with time running out, they will have to move quickly.

In other news: West Ham source: GSB ‘set sights on signing’ 6 foot 3 powerhouse, find out more here.

The third and fourth Tests of Australia’s tour to India have been pushed back by a day because of the festival of Diwali

Cricinfo staff08-Aug-2008The third and fourth Tests of Australia’s tour to India have been pushed back by a day because of the festival of Diwali and will now begin on October 29 and November 6 respectively.The third Test was scheduled to start in Delhi on October 28 which is when Diwali will be celebrated in the country. The fourth Test will be played in Nagpur.Australia’s tour to India consists of four Test matches, the first of which begins on October 9 in Bangalore, immediately after the proposed Champions Twenty20 League is scheduled to end on October 8. The Australians will also play a warm-up match between October 2 and 5.

The PCB is keen that the proposed Pakistan Premier League has an identity of its own, considering that it will held in the aftermath of the Indian Premier League, and will soon reveal details of the Twenty20 tournament

Cricinfo staff07-Jun-2008The Pakistan Cricket Board is keen that the proposed Pakistan Premier League (PPL) has an identity of its own, considering that it will held in the aftermath of the Indian Premier League, and will soon reveal details of the Twenty20 tournament.”We want the PPL to be a bit different from the Indian Premier League. We want the PPL to be distinguished by itself,” Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told , an Urdu news channel. “We plan to announce our concept and plans during or after the Asia Cup.”Naghmi said that one of the PCB’s proposals was keeping a cap of five foreigners in the playing XI. “We don’t want to exactly copy the IPL. So we are thinking about allowing teams to play five overseas players instead of four in the IPL.” Another proposal being considered is each side being allowed to sign overseas players from only one country.The PCB, had last September, announced its intention of setting up a Twenty20 league, consisting of six franchises owned by various corporates.

Newcastle United fans have been urged to forget about the potential takeover at St James’ Park by former Toon star John Barnes.

The Lowdown: Newcastle takeover case

The arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the failed takeover deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is set to take place over the coming months, and the results could be pivotal in terms of the direction of where the bid is heading.

Amanda Staveley, who is a member of the consortium, has spoken to Sky Sports referencing a letter that she wrote urging both the UK government and football regulators to ensure that the arbitration process is to be made public in order to give more transparency over the whole saga.

The Latest: Barnes on takeover

Speaking in a recent interview (via The Chronicle), former Magpies winger Barnes has urged supporters of the Toon Army to stop thinking about the potential takeover, and believes that Steve Bruce is the right man to take the North East club forward:

“A takeover would be a turning point for any club if someone comes in with loads of money.

“They’ve been talking about a takeover for many years and it hasn’t happened, so they have to stop thinking about a takeover.

“If it does happen, they can assess it then, but they can’t look too far into the future.

“Steve Bruce is the right man to take them forward and what they need is harmony.

“They need togetherness until the club is sold.

“They have to support the manager.

“If they keep having problems and fans are booing, that’s not going to help the players and the manager.

“As much as they have their reasons for not liking the owner, that is not going to help the club.

“Until he (Ashley) sells, support them.

“When you’re there for 90 minutes, support the team.”

The Verdict: Do not give up

Although the Tyneside club’s main focus should of course be how to best prepare themselves for the new 2021/22 season ahead, Ashley should not give up on trying to secure the takeover.

The arbitration hearing could well go in his favour, and a positive result could speed up the whole takeover process.

In terms of backing Bruce as the manager, the majority of the fanbase seemingly do not see him as the man to take them forward, with as many as 97% wanting the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss to be sacked in a poll back in March.

The owners-in-waiting may want to go for their own coach anyway to take NUFC into a new era, and so it is difficult to see Bruce keeping his job if a takeover happens.

In other news, find out which ‘excellent’ Newcastle ace has been left out of pre-season here!

انتقد علاء عبد العال المدير الفني لنادي ايسترن كومباني الأداء التحيكيمي في مباراة فريقه أمام سموحة، مشيرًا إلى أن الحكم مصطفى شهدي احتسب هدفًا للمنافس رغم وجود لمسة يد على المهاجم مروان حمدي.

واستطاع سموحة أن يقتنص التعادل من ايسترن كومباني في الوقت القاتل من زمن المباراة التي انتهت بهدفين لمثلهما وذلك في إطار منافسات الجولة العشرين من الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع أيضًا.. فيديو | في الوقت القاتل.. سموحة يخطف تعادلًا ثمينًا من إيسترن كومباني بالدوري

وقال علاء عبد العال خلال مقابلة على قناة “اون تايم سبورت”: “كان من الممكن أن نفوز بـ3 أو 4 أو 5 أهداف وألقيت اللوم على اللاعبين بسبب إهدار الفرص”.

وأضاف: “توجد قرارات غريبة من الحكم فالهدف الثاني يوجد شبهة لمسة يد على مروان حمدي مهاجم سموحة ولم يذهب لمراجعتها في الفار”.

وتعليقا على المفاوضات بين مجلس إدارة ايسترن كومباني والمدرب أحمد كشري، رد: “لا يعنيني ذلك، أنا مدرب وأؤدي ما علي، لكن أنا قدت الفريق عندما كان لا يملك أي نقاط حتى وصل لـ12 نقطة”.

واختتم: “في النهاية كرة القدم عبارة عن احتراف ويوجد عقد بيني وبين الإدارة وإذا كانوا يرغبون في رحيلي فهذا قرارهم”. اهداف مباراة سموحة وايسترن كومباني (2-2) الدوري المصري