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MatériaMais Notícias

Sem a intenção de investir em grandes contratações para a próxima temporada, o Palmeiras deposita todas as fichas nos bons nomes que tem na base. Além de Endrick, que vem se destacando nos últimos jogos, outras cinco “Crias da Academia” devem aparecer no time de Abel Ferreira em 2023.

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>20 dias para Copa: redação do LANCE! aponta maiores favoritos ao título

A base do Verdão é uma das mais vitoriosas dos últimos tempos. Essa geração possui inúmeros títulos de expressão, incluindo o Brasileirão Sub-20, conquistado recentemente sobre o rival Corinthians com um gol de Endrick. A ascensão do garoto de 16 anos, inclusive, pode ser um fator crucial para que novos nomes surjam na equipe principal.

O que pode ser interessante, já que o próprio treinador Abel Ferreira já deixou claro em uma coletiva que o clube irá “valorizar todo o trabalho que já é feito, fazendo poucas mexidas, já que acredita no processo que está sendo construído”.

> Simule todos os resultados da reta final do Brasileirão!

Além de nomes mais consolidados como Danilo, Gabriel Menino, Vanderlan, o próprio Endrick e o meia Fabinho, que já recebem inúmeras chances com o português, o LANCE! listou cinco jogadores que merecem atenção.

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Jhon Jhon

O meia-atacante Jhon Jhon tem se destacado na equipe Sub-20 do Palmeiras, sendo um dos principais nomes nas últimas campanhas vitoriosas da categoria, incluindo o título inédito da Copinha conquistado neste ano. Como já possui forte instinto de liderança por ser o dono da camisa 10, o jogador de 20 anos pode aproveitar uma oportunidade que pode se dar com a saída de Gustavo Scarpa ao final da temporada.

Já que Tabata será o substituto imediato e uma vaga no setor como reserva poderá ser aberta, Jhon Jhon deverá ser visto com mais atenção pela comissão técnica que visa investir nas “Crias” em 2023.

Pedro Lima

O meio-campista Pedro Lima é um jogador que, assim como Jhon Jhon, já deve começar a ser tratado como presença iminente no time de Abel Ferreira na próxima temporada. Já que o setor sofrerá baixas, é importante que o garoto, que possui um estilo mais ofensivo e mais clássico, de visão de jogo, esteja preparado para ser colocado como uma peça de apoio fundamental no ano que vem.

O garoto de 19 anos teve seu contrato renovado recentemente e o título do Brasileirão Sub-20 só escancarou sua personalidade e responsabilidade com a camisa alviverde, podendo ganhar oportunidades no time de cima e brigar por posições.

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Luis Guilherme

Com apenas 16 anos, Luis Guilherme é frequentemente convocado para a Seleção Brasileira Sub-17 e dono da camisa 10 na equipe alviverde da categoria. Com contrato profissional assinado recentemente com o Palmeiras, o canhoto transmite segurança e confiança no setor ofensivo, além de muita efetividade nas finalizações.

Luis Guilherme pode refazer uma dobradinha de sucesso com Endrick no profissional, atuando como um armador de jogadas e tendo velocidade quando necessário, podendo ganhar chances quando a intenção for descansar Veiga ou o próprio Tabata.

Naves

Apesar de ser uma posição “ingrata”, com disputa complicada já que Gómez, Luan, Murilo e Kuscevic pouco oscilam, Naves pode começar a ser utilizado com mais frequência na próxima temporada, servindo como peça de apoio para um calendário longo e desgastante.

O garoto de 20 anos já mostrou que dá conta do recado em duas partidas disputadas pelo profissional neste ano. Para além disso, Naves vive sua última temporada na base, onde é titular absoluto, atuando também como volante quando necessário.

Giovani

O atacante já é trabalhado para integrar o elenco principal do Palmeiras com frequência. O que atrapalhou uma continuidade após os cinco jogos disputados pelo profissional este ano, aliás, foi uma lesão grave que o afastou dos gramados.

Aos 18 anos, o atacante possui bons números e certa experiência no profissional, tendo entrado em campo em 14 jogos em 2021. Abel Ferreira já enxerga o jogador com bons olhos para que Rony tenha no banco um substituto com a velocidade equiparada e as boas jogadas individuais também, além, é claro, da personalidade.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um nome chamou a atenção na lista de relacionados do Botafogo para enfrentar o Goiás em jogo desta quarta-feira, às 21h45, pela 28ª rodada do Brasileirão, na Serrinha. Jacob Montes apareceu pela primeira vez na chamada de um jogo da equipe principal e viajou com o elenco de Luís Castro para Goiânia.

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+Marçal, do Botafogo, se vê com potencial de ser convocado: ‘Eu faria a Seleção Brasileira jogar melhor’

Jacob é um meio-campista de 23 anos que nasceu na Califórnia, nos Estados Unidos. Ele atua na posição ofensiva no setor e está treinando no Glorioso desde o começo de julho, apesar de ter sido anunciado oficialmente apenas na metade de agosto.

O norte-americano é mais um jogador que faz parte do projeto de intercâmbio de John Textor, proprietário da SAF do Glorioso. O empresário possui outros clubes ao redor do mundo e o atleta já passou por várias dessas equipes, como FC Florida-EUA, Crystal Palace-ING e RWD Molenbeek-BEL.

+Goiás x Botafogo: onde assistir, prováveis escalações e desfalques para jogo do Brasileirão

Esportivamente, o grande destaque de Jacob até aqui foi no futebol universitário, algo de grande tradição nos Estados Unidos. Ele se formou em Georgetown e fez os quatro anos de ensino, mas sempre com as atividades de futebol ao lado. Ele foi o protagonista do primeiro título dos Hoyasna NCAA na temporada 2019-2020.

NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES IN. 🤐

Georgetown's Jacob Montes scores to give the Hoyas a 1-0 lead on Louisville!#NCAASoccer | @GUHoyasMSoccer pic.twitter.com/Xda976hQoS

— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 1, 2019

O bom desempenho no futebol universitário fez John Textor colocá-lo no Crystal Palace em 2021. Sem o visto de trabalho inglês, ele sequer pôde atuar pelos times de base dos Eagles e foi emprestado ao Beveren, da Bélgica. Até teve um começo promissor, com um golaço de fora da área no terceiro jogo que fez pela equipe, à época disputando a segunda divisão nacional.

+Luís Castro critica organização do Botafogo e admite dificuldades no trabalho: ‘Poucas coisas resolvidas’

Montes, porém, sofreu uma lesão tempo depois e teve que se afastar dos gramados por algumas semanas. Desde então, perdeu espaço na equipe e não voltou a performar mais como fora no começo. O meia só fez seis jogos depois do problema físico até o fim da temporada, mas a soma das participações dele nos duelos não resulta nem em 90 minutos.

Veja o único gol de Jacob Montes na Europa:

Jacob Montes of Georgetown making waves in Belgium First Division B at Waasland-Beveren!! @usmntonly @usmnt_abroad @kkfla737 pic.twitter.com/eXFg30GgN3

— Christopher Corey (@ChrisBCorey) October 5, 2021

Na temporada seguinte, ele foi emprestado ao RWD Molenbeek, clube de John Textor na Bélgica. Fez apenas um jogo na equipe porque novamente sofreu com as lesões. Agora, recebe a chance no Botafogo – vale ressaltar, contudo, que a tendência é que não seja titular contra o Goiás.

ESTILO DE JOGO

Jacob Montes é um meia ofensivo que prefere atuar perto do gol, em uma posição avançada do sistema ofensivo. Apesar de ser destro, não tem dificuldade para chutar com a perna esquerda.

Por outro lado, possui dificuldade na recomposição física e duelos sem bola. Vale lembrar também, claro, que o meio-campista nunca teve contato na carreira com um nível técnico de jogo parecido como é o exercido no futebol brasileiro.

+Botafogo: Quem é João Paulo Costa, coordenador que vai auxiliar projeto de criar estilo de jogo único no clube

SELEÇÃO

O meio-campista foi convocado para a seleção sub-19 dos Estados Unidos em outubro de 2019. Ele participou de uma vitória da equipe por 4 a 0 em amistoso contra o Tijuana, do México.

No ano passado, ele foi entrevistado pela Federação da Nicarágua por uma possibilidade de naturalização e participação nos últimos compromissos da seleção nas eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo do Qatar.

Os pais de Jacob nasceram na Nicarágua. Ele deixou a possibilidade em aberto, mas ainda não fez uma decisão sobre se naturalizar. De qualquer forma, o Botafogo tem, desta forma, a chance de ter mais um jogador de seleção no elenco.

MatériaMais Notícias

O atacante Arthur Sousa, do Corinthians, foi chamado pelo técnicoRamon Menezes para defender a Seleção Brasileira Sub-20 no quadrangular do Uruguai, queacontece entre os dias 4 e 11 de setembro. Ele irá substituir Matheus Nascimento, do Botafogo, cortado por lesão.

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GALERIA – Quem é melhor: Flu ou Timão? Veja votação feita pelo L!

Além do país sede e do Brasil, Argentina e Uzbequistão também participarão do torneio internacional. Outros três atletas corintianos integram a lista deRamon Menezes: o zagueiro Robert Renan, o meia Ryan Gustavo, e o atacante Giovane.

O atacante de 19 anos é o artilheiro do Timãozinho na temporada, com 14 gols em 18 jogos disputados. O camisa 9 corintiano lidera a disputa pela artilharia do Brasileirão Sub-20, com oito gols em oito jogos.

Ele deve ser titular na equipe de Danilo para o confronto de domingo (28), contra o Flamengo, pela partida de ida da semifinal da Campeonato Brasileiro da categoria.

Arthur Sousa participou de seu primeiro treinamento com o elenco profissionais na semana passada, enquanto Vítor Pereira preparava a equipe para o duelo contra o Fortaleza, pela23ª rodada do Brasileirão. Ele não viajou com a delegação corintiana, que foi derrotada por 1 a 0.

TABELA – Timão tem chance de título brasileiro? Simule o Brasileirão

Natural de Brasília, Arthur chegou ao Timão em 2019, com 16 anos, para integrar a equipe sub-17 do clube paulista. Antes de desembarcar no Corinthians, ele se destacou pelo Desportivo Brasil.

O primeiro desafio da Seleção Brasileira Sub-20 noquadrangular do Uruguai será no dia 6 de setembro, às 18h45, diante da Argentina.

Amid reports that Angus Kinnear is on his way to Merseyside, The Friedkin Group have reportedly advanced in talks to seal yet another deal away from the action at Everton.

Friedkin advance talks for another Everton deal

Sparking rumours that he’s on his way to Merseyside this summer, Leeds United released an official statement about Kinnear’s departure from the club, in which chairman Paraag Marathe said: “I want to thank Angus for his commitment and service for so many years, and for being a fantastic steward and leader of the club. As we move forward, I am confident that the incredible talent across our team will sustain our success.”

Matched with fresh Everton ambition, Kinnear will be tasked with building a side capable of moving beyond simply just securing Premier League safety, as the Toffees aim to step into the top half again at long last.

In pursuit of achieving just that, it looks as though Kinnear won’t be the only one to arrive in an off-pitch restructure under Friedkin this summer. The Toffees have turned their attention towards recruitment and are closing in on their replacement for Kevin Thelwell.

Moyes has discovered his next Fellaini in "unbelievable" Everton star

David Moyes might have his second iteration of Marouane Fellaini on his hands at Everton.

1 ByKelan Sarson Mar 11, 2025

According to Football Insider, The Friedkin Group and Everton are now in advanced talks with Rob Newman in a deal that would see the former Manchester City chief become their new head of recruitment.

Out of a job since leaving his position as director of football and scout at West Ham United last summer, Newman looks set to receive a fresh opportunity to step back into the Premier League, where he helped turn the Hammers into Europa Conference League winners under David Moyes.

Reuniting with his former colleague in Moyes, the 61-year-old could play a part in taking Everton to the levels he took those at the London Stadium, starting with this summer.

Newman could reunite with Moyes at Everton

The fact that they’ve worked together in the past means that the move makes perfect sense from Friedkin, who could re-establish Newman and Moyes’ partnership in Merseyside. Having been a scout at Manchester City from 2008 to 2021, to say that the experienced club chief has an eye for talent would be an understatement.

When given money to spend at West Ham, Newman welcomed the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse – three players who have made impacts at different times during their spells at the London Stadium. And if Newman’s job looked a simple one, then the struggles that the Hammers have since endured under Tim Steidten suggest that the 61-year-old is certainly good at what he does.

Now, one year on from leaving West Ham, a fresh project at Everton could see the recruitment expert oversee his best rebuild yet. Friedkin will be desperate to get things right and the arrival of both Newman and Kinnear could form the foundation towards finally taking Everton back where they belong.

As the current campaign comes to an end and their survival under Moyes becomes confirmed, all eyes will be set on the summer transfer window.

Somerset’s batting masterclass strengthened their position at the top of the Vitality Blast South Group with a seven-wicket crushing of Essex.Tom Banton (42), Will Smeed (36), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (28), Tom Abell (40 not out) and Sean Dickson (30 not out) struck 16 sixes between them in an almost perfect team batting performance.Paul Walter whacked 51 and Robin Das a career-best 72 in a 94-run stand after Essex slumped to 15 for 3. But Somerset ended Essex’s five-game winning streak by chasing down 186 with 21 balls to spare to move two points clear at the top of the group.Smeed and Banton took on the 187 target with the intent of finishing the match in a hurry, the pair smashing 64 in 5.2 overs.Somerset were only on 11 after two overs before Smeed took Shane Snater for three successive legside sixes in a 23-run over, and then Walter was taken for 15 with both batters helping themselves to maximums.Smeed’s 16-ball 36 salvo ended when he toed to mid-on, but that breakthrough didn’t pause the onslaught as Kohler-Cadmore peppered Hayes Close with three sixes and 21 off Matt Critchley.Kohler-Cadmore cleared the press box but Simon Harmer had him caught next ball and Banton – who had reversed an outrageous six – was leg-before to Sam Cook for 42.Snater was brought back for a second over, Dickson plonked him over the square leg boundary two more times – the Dutch international going for 42 in his two overs.Daniel Sams returned 2 for 22 in a rare break from cannon fodder, and could have had three had Das held onto Dickson, but Abell and Dickson eased over the line soon after.Essex had been stuck in and were three down inside three overs.Jack Brooks returned from his loan at Nottinghamshire for his first Somerset Blast appearance of the season and had Feroze Khushi caught at deep point and Dan Lawrence skying – boasting 2 for 8 after his first two overs.New Zealander Matt Henry took the first of his three wickets when Michael Pepper’s extravagant shot was touched behind.But Das and Walter got the hosts out of their hole with two differing ways to bat aggressively. Walter took the aerial route with five sixes – starting with a pair of pulls before towering over cover, slog sweeping Roelof van der Merwe and then reaching his 26-ball fifty by clubbing a full toss over cow corner. He chased to point next ball to fall for 51.Das showed off his touch play with some beautiful timing in his 11 fours, although he displayed some muscle too with two sixes over long on. His second T20 fifty came in came in 31 balls before unleashing to end up 72 off 39.He pinged Henry to long on which began Essex’s second collapse, losing their last five wickets for 43 runs in 31 balls.Van der Merwe bowled Sams – before very publicly dislocating and attempting to relocate his finger – Will Buttleman gave Henry 3 for 24, Simon Harmer was run out backing up, Shane Snater run out chasing a second and Matt Critchley caught at short third after an enterprising 30.

‘To be honest, I believe in [the yo-yo test]. I was disappointed in a way as to why I could not clear the test, so I worked towards it and cleared it’

Shashank Kishore in Bengaluru23-Aug-2018In July, when India were playing an ODI series in England, Ambati Rayudu was enjoying his time in the Yorkshire sun. Only a month prior to that, he had been withdrawn from the ODI squad because of “fitness concerns”, which he later confirmed was a failed yo-yo test.Rayudu, though, wasn’t sulking at the axe, even if an international comeback after two years had just been put on hold. He enjoyed a week-long trip to England, mentoring a bunch of age-group cricketers, handpicked by his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings, on an exchange programme. Incidentally, it was in England that Rayudu had first stormed his way into the national reckoning in 2002, with a 177 in a one-dayer against England’s Under-19s.Now he finds himself back in the fray again, after passing the yo-yo test. Less than 24 hours after being drafted into the India A side, Rayudu weathered a probing burst of fast bowling from Billy Stanlake and Jhye Richardson to make a fighting unbeaten half-century. In the bigger scheme of things, it gives the national selectors another option as they search for a consistent middle order batsman with the 2019 World Cup just 10 months away.”I was disappointed with myself that I could not clear the test [before the England tour],” he said on Thursday. “[I have] nothing against the test at all as everybody has to be there at a certain fitness level, to play for India. To be honest, I believe in it. I was disappointed in a way as to why I could not clear the test, so I worked towards it and cleared it.”After he returned from the coaching stint in the UK, it was business as usual at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. At a time when many of the fringe players were locked up in a tussle against South Africa A, Rayudu was immersed in his own routines.Every morning, barring the one weekly day off, he was at the gym for cardio, followed by strength and conditioning sessions. Those were followed by two hour-long batting stints with a small lunch break in between. The evenings were spent in recovery. This routine helped him regain “lost fitness” and set himself up for the yo-yo test again.When the teams for the quadrangular series were announced, Rayudu wasn’t included among the 30 players across the two Indian squads, because he hadn’t yet taken the yo-yo test. Earlier this week, Rayudu completed his test, met the parameters prescribed by the team management, and made the India A squad.The IPL, where he was the highest run-getter in a victorious campaign for CSK (602 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 149.75), seemed a distant memory, but Rayudu showed no traces of rust or a dip in form when he returned to action on Thursday.He was his calm self, absorbing pressure, trying to play on the patience of the bowling unit, before cashing in once the spinners were introduced. The end result – a carefully crafted half-century in a winning chase – pleased him, even though he showed no outward elation afterwards.Rayudu has been unlucky in the past too with fitness issues. In 2015 he had to return from Zimbabwe, where he was part of a second-string India ODI side, because of a quadriceps injury. In the two innings on the tour, he had made 42 not out and an unbeaten century. He lost a year after that in recovery, and when he was eventually declared match-fit he couldn’t quite regain his place.These episodes, Rayudu said, taught him valuable lessons in channeling his frustration. He also underlined how important it was to be in a good headspace and accept injuries to deal with them better. Asked about the frustration of not being termed “yo-yo fit” despite being “match fit in the IPL”, Rayudu was forthright.”Fitness is definitely important for cricket. Obviously one has to be absolutely fit to play,” he said. I am happy that there is a certain kind of a benchmark and a bar. It is just that everybody has to respect it and move forward. For me, it is just keeping things simple. I missed a year due to an injury. This year, I could not clear the test for the last series, so I am actually happy to be back to play for India A.”Rayudu is a man of few words. The anger he can sometimes show on the field can, at times, come as a shock if you’re used to his polite off-field persona. He smiles more than he talks.From being touted as one for the future in 2002 to playing in an Under-19 World Cup in 2004 to disappearing into the rebel ICL and then returning to the mainstream, Rayudu’s career has been one of promise not entirely fulfilled. He has seen many of his Under-19 contemporaries – Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik to name a few – bypass him for the India cap. After his return from the ICL, he switched from Hyderabad to Baroda and Vidarbha before returning home again.As he readies himself for another audition ahead of next year’s World Cup, there are bound to be sterner tests. But Rayudu isn’t perturbed. “In a country of billion people, if you are able to represent your country, you will be happy, it is always a matter of pride. I am happy that I am now in the scheme of things. I am just waiting for another opportunity.”

A team from MLB Advanced Media are looking at how they can develop new statistics to analyse performance in cricket

Peter Della Penna in Florida28-Aug-2016The arrival of the India squad in Florida this weekend brought in huge throng of supporters hoping to spur a new age for neutral-venue cricket possibilities in the USA. But their presence also drew attention from an unlikely source, with a series of Major League Baseball data miners camping out in Lauderhill for the weekend to see how to bring their analytics to another sport.Eleven members of MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), who help curate data for the online services known as MLB Statcast and MLB At Bat, set up a trailer at the Central Broward Regional Park to collect as much player and ball-tracking data as possible in an effort to bring their new-age stats approach to cricket from baseball.”We’re doing some research on how can we apply our Statcast data acquisition technologies to other sports, i.e. cricket, because baseball and cricket are very similar to each other,” says Kevin Prince, a broadcast analyst with MLBAM who is originally from Kent, England, but has been working in the USA for more than 30 years. “We’re here to gather all the player-tracking and ball-tracking data, hopefully to provide a system that can provide the Statcast type of analysis that we’ve perfected for baseball, and hopefully provide that for cricket.”As part of their technical set-up at the stadium in Lauderhill, the crew set up six cameras mounted to the floodlight towers on the west side of the ground, as well as a radar above the sightscreen on the north side. The cameras track player movement while the radar tracks ball movement. The crew visited Lauderhill last month for the Caribbean Premier League and their interest was sufficiently piqued for them to make a return for the India-West Indies T20s to see what they could apply from baseball principles.”It’s the fourth-generation stats, more performance-driven on the field,” says Per Von Rosen, a technical manager with Statcast, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, who came to the USA last year but has previously done cricket analysis in England. “So, how hard did you pitch, how hard did you hit, exit velocity of the ball coming off the bat. In fielding, the route efficiency taken to catch the ball.”We know where a fielder was when the play started, we know where he caught the ball, and therefore we can know which path he took. Was it a straight line, did he deviate from that straight path, and how fast did he react to the ball off the bat – all of these things. It’s basically putting together his athletic capabilities. Some guys always happen to be in the right place to make the catch, and now we’re putting numbers on that.”One of the most popular data points in terms of fan traffic for Statcast online is exit velocity. Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins, the 2016 All-Star Game home-run derby champion, has nine of the 15 highest exit velocity measurements of the season, with a highest of 123.9mph speed of the ball coming off the bat. However, six of the nine connections only went for singles and none for home runs.”The hardest you can hit a ball has to be a trajectory that’s a little more flat,” says Rob Engel, a senior software engineer with MLBAM. “Any time you hit a home run, you have to put a little more launch angle on the ball, and you’re not actually hitting it as square as you would hit a line drive. So the farthest home runs are technically hit a little softer than a hard line drive straight back to the pitcher, because the bat maintains contact with the ball longer, so you hit it harder.”In cricket, the use of these metrics could demonstrate that players who hit sixes aren’t necessarily swinging or connecting harder, especially compared to a drive straight back down the pitch or a cut straight to point. Little nuggets like this are what Engel says draw fans in. “Big numbers are sexy.”How quickly does Virat Kohli get to the ball once it leaves the bat?•AFPWhere the Statcast appears to be having a significant impact in terms of media scrutiny for players is in terms of the fielding aspects, which have long been neglected. Engel, who is originally from San Francisco, was at his first ever cricket match on Saturday, but says he has immediately identified areas where cricket data could be improved for fielders based on what he has done with baseball.”Things are really registering well with fans, as well as smaller things like arm strength, route efficiency and distance covered, they’re easy to comprehend,” says Engel. Arm strength measures the speed of the ball out of the arm from an outfield throw, route efficiency tracks the distance and time it takes to field a ball from the moment it leaves the bat and is cross-analysed against raw distance covered.Another area is base-running speed, including acceleration time it takes to reach top speed as well as top overall speed from home to first, first to third base and so on. But even subtler things are tracked, such as how big a lead a base runner gets off the base before attempting to steal. They are learning the slim margins that allow for a slower runner to gain a bigger advantage and get to the next base quicker than a runner with a higher speed rating.For cricket, it can be taken to measure fastest runners between the wickets and the impact of acceleration and deceleration while converting one run into two or two into three. Not only are the measures of interest to fans, but teams are able to utilise them for scouting purposes to gauge whose arm they can’t or can take on for a second run from the boundary.”There’s an outfielder for the Yankees who threw a ball 105mph with a crow hop earlier this year – Aaron Hicks,” Engel says. “That sparked a Twitter controversy – how can an outfielder throw harder than Aroldis Chapman? But if you look at the physics of the throw, with a running start and a crow hop, it makes sense you can throw the ball harder than from a [pitcher’s] mound without a running start. So those things are really registering well with fans, as well as smaller things like route efficiency and distance covered, they’re easy to comprehend.”Traditional fielding stats only credit you negatively, and it’s basically who screwed up the least rather than who gave us the best performance. So now we have a forward-thinking model on what fielders can give us the most out of their physicality as opposed to who screws up the least.”Prince says they are currently in discussions with the ECB, IPL teams, and Big Bash franchises. who are all keen to gain access to the Statcast capabilities. “Baseball has the leading digital asset creation and development tools out there,” says Prince. “The whole Statcast aspect has been recognised by all the other sports as being a groundbreaking structure, so there’s a lot of people interested in these aspects of the game. A lot of people are interested in seeing how we’re going to go here.”Von Rosen says in his time watching cricket in England, he noticed how fielders were underappreciated, with only catches and run-outs marked in traditional stats. The Statcast technology can track fielders at point, for example, who may be cutting off singles with their speed to the ball off the bat, but have not got the recognition they deserve. In that way, MLBAM’s data could transform how cricket analyses player performance.”You go online and you start reading your cricket news or baseball news, what we want to do is put material on there that you’ll never stop looking for news,” says Von Rosen. “You’ll be watching video after video, play after play with all of this information you can see, so you never really want to stop.”

Craig Kieswetter talks about falling out of love with cricket a little bit and eventually having to give it up

George Dobell22-Jun-2015″Not many people get ‘Jerusalem’ sung to them as they go to work,” says Craig Kieswetter wistfully. “I’ll miss that.”Kieswetter is coming to terms with life beyond cricket. At 26, an age where many are just starting their international careers, Kieswetter played his final first-class game, and has concluded that he will play no more. Not for country, county or club.It’s not that he cannot. It’s that he cannot to the level he once could. And once you have been to the top of the mountain, the view from base camp doesn’t appeal.It looked for a while as if Kieswetter had the world at his feet. Fast-tracked into the England side – he made his debut barely a week after qualifying and declined a late request from Graeme Smith to return to South Africa – he made 107 in his third international match, becoming the second youngest England player (after David Gower) to score an ODI century. Less than ten weeks later, he won the Man-of-the-Match award as England won the World T20 final. He was 22.The moment that changed Kieswetter’s life came in July last year. Struck by a delivery from David Willey that snuck between the grille and lid of his helmet – Kieswetter does not recall whether he top-edged the ball – he sustained a broken nose and fractured orbital socket. While he was able to make a comeback before the end of the season, it soon became apparent that his eyesight was not what it had been. It might have improved over time, but Kieswetter was never really the sort to eke out a career.”The day games were pretty much fine,” he says. “But then I went to play in South Africa, and as soon as I played under lights, I was in trouble. I couldn’t see the ball in the field. I couldn’t see the ball when I batted. The ball was coming down at 90 mph and I couldn’t see it.”He could, he reckons, have fashioned some sort of career. He could have developed into a county stalwart and played at Somerset – the club he hails as “brilliant” for their treatment of him during his crisis – until his mid-30s. But that was never his style.

“I couldn’t see the ball in the field. I couldn’t see the ball when I batted. The ball was coming down at 90 mph and I couldn’t see it”

“I know I can’t play at the level I want to,” Kieswetter explains. “I liked being a swashbuckling player. And I felt I had the talent to play for England. I don’t feel that way any more. I’m not the same player. I’m not as good as I want to be and I never can be.”This game has been my life since I was nine. It was all I wanted. But I wanted to play a certain way and I can’t do that now.”I can still play. I can still be okay. But when I came back at the end of last season, there was a lot of bravado and adrenaline involved. In the end I just thought, there are too many mediocre players in county cricket – and good luck to them – but I don’t want to be another one.”Confidence was a factor too. The man who excelled in the World T20 final of 2010 on a blisteringly fast wicket and against Shaun Tait at his quickest, admits – with some courage – that, with his eyesight impaired, he no longer feels comfortable against quick bowling.”I’m not going to lie to you,” he says. “Of course that’s an issue. Going through what I went through – such a gruesome injury – going through the operations and the pain and the uncertainty… I don’t want to go through that again. Of course that trauma is in the back of your mind, and of course it effects how you play.”The specialist tells me that the injury is muscular. And like most muscular injuries, you can work on it. It can improve. But my sight will never be what it was, and after everything that has happened, I’ve fallen out of love with the game just a bit.”I still love it. I still respect it. But they say that when you know, you know. And I know it’s time to move on. I’m not saying ‘never’. If my sight improves in a couple of years, I might come back. I’ll only be 30. It would be one hell of a story. But Somerset have always been good to me, and I wanted to give them a chance to sign other players. I know this is the right decision.”The high points of his career almost all came early. He talks of making his Somerset debut as an 18-year-old who was still at school, of winning his county cap, and only a few weeks after a career-changing innings for Lions (the day after he qualified for England, he made 81 against the full side to win immediate promotion to the senior squad), making his England debut, scoring that ODI century and winning the World T20 title in May 2010.”It was a surreal three weeks,” he says about the World T20 success. “Of all the England teams I played in over five years, that was the one that had the best spirit.”To be honest, I don’t remember it that clearly: we played golf, we went to the beach and we drank rum. Training tended to be optional. KP was at his best. So were Broad and Swann. But we were a proper team and everyone got on brilliantly.”It was all new to me. I was so innocent. I was just loving playing for England and didn’t even think about any of the stuff that comes with it.”It was not always that way. As England became more successful, so the tensions grew between those in the team. The trappings of success became more important and cliques started to grow.”Success changed people,” Kieswetter says. “It wasn’t just us competing against the opposition; there was a sense that some of us were competing against one another. By the time we were No. 1 in the world, it was a very different dressing room.”Cliques developed. There were jokes made in the dressing room if you had South African background. When we warmed up in training, we were split into sides: South Africans v English. There was lots of talk about it in the media and here we were making it worse. It created an unnecessary divide. A sense of them and us.The world at his feet: Kieswetter’s fifty in the World T20 final of 2010 took England to the title•AFP”The Test players were together so much that, when the limited-overs players turned up, it felt like you were on the outside. The Test guys hung out with each other, the limited-overs guys hung out. The spirit I experienced in those first few weeks was never there again.”While he talks about Somerset with nothing but affection and pride – “the Overton brothers could be phenomenal cricketers” he says at one stage – he describes his relationship with representing England as “love-hate”.”I have some proud memories and I have some frustrations. Sometimes I felt I was messed around a bit, but at other times I was frustrated with myself for failing to adapt to what was required of me.”I started out playing with freedom. I ended up caged. I guess if I was in the current set-up I would thrive, but I had a good record as an opener and they asked me to bat at No. 6. It’s tough, but I’m disappointed with the way I responded to it.”You are ridiculously well paid to deal with the stuff that is thrown at you. But being dropped is gut-wrenching. Really horrible. And dealing with the media is very, very difficult. To see your game picked apart on TV, to hear it criticised… it’s pretty hard to take.”I think I probably came across as aloof. It was just my way of dealing with things. It was a way of not letting yourself become upset or distracted. I sort of regret that, but it’s very hard to deal with that stuff.”And when I talk about cliques, sometimes the ECB made them. Players were exhausted and asking for time off, but would be told they couldn’t have a central contract if they dropped out of one format. They were terrified to miss a game in case it counted against them and they lost their place.”Just compare how Australia treat Ryan Harris: he’s wrapped in cotton wool, he’s kept fresh for the Ashes. While our players are forced to play all the time. It’s not hard to see why we have so few fast bowlers.

“Cliques developed. There were jokes made in the dressing room if you had South African background. When we warmed up in training, we were split into sides: South Africans v English”

“But I don’t regret it. I don’t regret committing myself to England rather than South Africa and I never have. There was the quota thing going on in South Africa and I had the option to play in England through my Scottish mother. I never regretted it.”He is generous in praise of his old friend Jos Buttler, but admits that their relationship was strained by the pressures of competing for the gloves with Somerset and England.”That did become tough. We were good friends and we pretty much grew up together. And it was nobody’s fault and nobody’s intention, but a wedge was driven between us.”He’s not in the least bit malicious. He’s not in the least bit vindictive. Far from it. We both understand that we were two guys competing for one role. It is nothing personal. He’s done brilliantly and I’m pleased for him. But we don’t talk much these days.”Kieswetter will continue to live in the UK. The family are involved in the alcohol industry and he has the security of knowing there is an opening in the business.But he hopes his experiences in cricket won’t be completely wasted. While a future in coaching does not appeal, he thinks he might have a role in the media, where his forthright views on county cricket – he calls the NatWest Blast “a complete shambles” – and England’s limited-overs cricket could be aired.”I’d think I could add something to the T20 commentary,” he says. “A lot of the people doing it never played T20 cricket. And sometimes they are so negative… I think I could bring a bit of entertainment to it.”I loved playing the T20 leagues around the world, and I can tell you our system is archaic. They are too many teams, too many games and too many players. The standard in the Big Bash is higher. It’s as close as I experienced to international cricket. County cricket can be brilliant. But it’s patchy.”I’d hope that all my experiences – the success, the failures, the good and the bad times – could help me provide a perspective that you don’t always hear. I hope I’ve still something to offer the game.”

A superb innings by Katich, a sharp run-out by Mitch Marsh, and a near-full house at the WACA

Scott Hazebroek04-Jan-2014Choice of game
This was the game that could end the season for the Sydney Thunder and keep the Perth Scorchers’ season alive. I expected it to be a close match, as the Thunder would be aiming to end their losing streak, while the Scorchers would be hoping they could keep their chances of making the semi-finals.Team supported
As always I was hoping the Scorchers would come away with the win.Key performer
Simon Katich was the difference between the two teams. He was the only batsman who converted a start into a big score and he guided the Scorchers’ run chase very well. His experience proved to be vital.One thing I’d have changed
As a Western Australian I would have loved it if Michael Hussey was still playing for the Scorchers. As it is, he chose to move to the Thunder and in doing so joined a team without a lot of recent success. He got the odd boo but didn’t cop too much sledging from the WACA crowd. The revenge was his team losing!Face-off I relished
It was interesting watching Brad Hogg bowling to Eoin Morgan: two world-class players battling it out. Morgan attempted a couple of reverse sweeps, one of which went for four, however, he didn’t really look comfortable against Hogg. Unfortunately Morgan got run out, in rather strange circumstances, between Hogg’s second and third overs, preventing any more face-offs between the pair.Wow moment
The run-out of Morgan by Mitch Marsh. The ball on which it occurred was a free-hit. Marsh bowled a yorker that Morgan just managed to squeeze out. Not realising the ball had bounced straight down the pitch to Marsh, Morgan left his crease. Marsh flicked the ball at the stumps, and Morgan dived back. The ball hit the stumps but Morgan appeared to be comfortably in. There was a half-shout from the Scorchers, so the third umpire decided to go upstairs just to be sure. The Scorchers were not too confident. They all returned to their positions in readiness for the next ball. There were a couple of replays played on the big screen which seemed to confirm Morgan had made his ground, and then it cut to shots of the crowd. A minute later more replays were shown, and the crowd soon realised that Morgan might just be out. Hogg ran in from the boundary at deep midwicket to congratulate Marsh, and the rest of the team soon followed. The verdict was delivered soon after and the crowd cheered.Close encounter
Craig Simmons fielded in front of me during the Thunder innings and took a great diving catch to dismiss Michael Hussey. Dirk Nannes was there when the Scorchers were batting. He fumbled once to allow an extra run and got a cheer from the crowd. A couple of balls later when he fielded one cleanly, he got an even louder cheer and he doffed his cap to the crowd.Shot of the day
Katich’s six over cover off the bowling of Tillakaratne Dilshan was a marvellous shot, timed beautifully and easily clearing the fence.Crowd meter
There was barely a spare seat anywhere. The crowd was enthusiastic and cheered the Scorchers loudly. There were lots of beach balls being thrown around, and whenever a security guard took it upon himself to pop one he got a huge boo. There were also a fair number of Mexican Waves towards the end of the match.Fancy-dress index
There wasn’t a whole lot of fancy dress at this game, just lots of orange everywhere. There were orange wigs, face-paint, hairspray, and anything else you could think of.Entertainment
There were the usual fire and fireworks when the Scorchers entered the field. Under the Inverarity Stand there were three people playing big drums with drumsticks with fire on the end of them. There was also a dance group dressed in orange that performed during the innings break.Overall
It was an exciting game of cricket with plenty of runs and wickets and a fairly close result. The crowd was good as always, so overall it was another great experience.Marks out of 10
8.5.

Every day, Virat Kohli’s young batting colleagues are seeing a live manual on how to manage their careers

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo01-Aug-2012Just how far is Virat Kohli ahead of his peers now? Sample this. It is an achievement for Manoj Tiwary, a very fine batsman, to get a game. Rohit Sharma, probably the most talented of the lot, wonders how he can make some runs, somehow. Ajinkya Rahane seems to have accepted his position on the sidelines for now. Kohli, the youngest of the four, thinks he has no business getting out soon after reaching a hundred. You can bat in the zone. Kohli, at the moment, is living in the zone. When you are so far ahead of others, you can feel lonely at the summit. Kohli is searching for higher peaks to conquer.You aim to improve on your routine. Kohli’s routine right now is making centuries. So now, he wants to make them “big”. As if making 133 not out, 108, 66, 183, 106, 1, 38 and 128 not out in your previous eight innings is not big enough. That 38 he made in the third ODI bothered him. He was disappointed that he got out, disappointed that he took 65 balls to make 38, disappointed because he rarely fails nowadays.”So I thought about it in the nets,” Kohli said. His brand of thinking was to bash every bowler during practice with an intensity that was searing to even watch. On the eve of this game, he was clobbering everything thrown at him in the nets. Spinner or fast bowler, Indian or Sri Lankan. He almost broke Ashok Dinda’s hand with a piledriver of a drive.Come match situation today, and Kohli the brute became Kohli the machine, again. Lasith Malinga’s swinging yorker had taken out Gautam Gambhir in the first over. Kohli jogged in and calmly left his first ball alone. The man’s aggression may be in-your-face, but he knows an international batsman has to respect international bowlers at times, though he can display his intent when he gets the chance.The first came off his ninth ball, a short one outside off from Malinga. Kohli hooked. Not the desperate hook borne out of insecurity, but a calculated, crisp one. The ball almost went for six over deep midwicket. Intent shown, he went back to displaying more respect again.He was 23 off 40 at one stage, a strike-rate lower than what he managed in the third ODI. Today, though, he was determined not to throw it away. When Kohli starts churning the singles and twos calmly, you know he has switched into marathon mode. His fifty soon came, in 65 balls, with just two boundaries.Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag sparked briefly and went, Rohit’s struggles continued, Tiwary fell after a start. Kohli was asked what his approach was with Rohit, probably playing for his place in the XI. He said he told Rohit to let him take all risks as a set batsman and try to play himself in. Too bad Rohit lasted 14 balls.Kohli finally found support from Suresh Raina. Apart from some nervy running initially, there was no knowing that they had come together at 109 for 4 chasing 252. Kohli had an explanation for the running as well. “They have some really good fielders inside and [we made] an error of judgment. You don’t run singles off good fielders. It can happen every now and then but after that [we] pretty much sorted it out – who has a good arm, who is quick across the outfield and in the inner circle. [We] made a few mistakes but corrected them quickly.”The explanation shows that Kohli and panic just don’t go together. “It is very easy to [panic],” Kohli said, before going on to tell why he doesn’t. “When you play about eight dot balls it is very easy to step out and go for that big one. But when you get out you realise that you lose one more wicket and the new guy going in, he might play 10-15 dot balls more. So you have that advantage over that guy coming in to bat because you are set. You can actually start rotating the strike and hit the odd balls in between for boundaries.”It is all about analysing what’s going on in the middle. Today was not one of those quick wickets. Wickets in Sri Lanka are pretty slow so it was all about assessing that. We have players like Viru [Sehwag], Suresh and MS [Dhoni] coming in who can smash the ball at will. My job was to make sure we don’t lose any more wickets. That’s what I and Suresh discussed in the middle. Because defending 250 you need to take wickets at regular intervals. So our main plan was to stop that and try and create some sort of partnership. We knew we had the batting Powerplay and we [can] cash that in the end.”Fifty-five runs came in the batting Powerplay, Raina got to another fifty, Kohli to another century, after which he finished the game in the 43rd over with eight boundaries off his final 16 deliveries. Kohli’s been cracking hundreds for nearly a year now but he said the vice-captaincy, which he got during the Asia Cup in March, had made him more responsible.”If people think you have those qualities for handling responsibility … I have been given a post, I was happily surprised with it and I feel much more responsible when I play in the middle. Not that my behaviour or my attitude towards my team-mates has changed. It is all about thinking yourself in a more responsible way. That’s how you get more mature. If you are given challenges you got to live up to it and it makes you mature as a player and as a person as well.”His growing maturity and productivity is reflected in the fact that he has already made more than a 1000 ODI runs this year, after making 1381 in 2011. We are fortunate to be witnessing one of the most productive streaks in international cricket. His young peers are lucky to be witnessing a live manual every day on how to manage their careers. Whether they learn from it, and how they apply it is another matter.