حسم التعادل السلبي مباراة فريقي سموحة والداخلية، والتي جمعت بينهما اليوم ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

والتقى الفريقان سموحة والداخلية على أرضية استاد السلام، في خضم مواجهات الجولة التاسعة من عمر بطولة الدوري.

وحاول لاعبو سموحة على مدار اللقاء تسجيل هدف يضمن لهم الثلاث نقاط، إلا أن الحالة الدفاعية الصلبة لفريق الداخلية حالت دون ذلك.

طالع أيضًا | خاص | الجهات الأمنية تحسم موقفها من إقامة مباراة الإسماعيلي وإنبي في استاد بتروسبورت

على الجانب الآخر، فشل فريق الداخلية في ترجمة أي فرصة إلى هدف على مدار شوطي اللقاء، لتنتهي المواجهة بالتعادل السلبي.

بهذا التعادل، يحتل سموحة المركز التاسع في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 13 نقطة، بينما يأتي الداخلية في المركز الخامس عشر، ولديه 7 نقاط.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:56

Dobell: Brathwaite breathes life into WI Test future

An unbeaten hundred from Kraigg Brathwaite was the lodestone of West Indies’ second-innings efforts to defy England in Grenada. As the National Stadium basked in sunlight, Brathwaite summoned his first significant contribution of the series to bind together a resolute reply, after England had taken a 165-run lead and early impetus in their attempts to force a victory.A second-wicket stand of 142 between Braithwaite and Darren Bravo tempered England’s expectations after they had removed Devon Smith in the third over. Bravo also passed 50, showing greater patience than in the first Test, until England succeeded with a plan to bowl doggedly into the rough outside off stump. James Anderson and Stuart Broad took the wickets but England’s attack otherwise worked hard for little reward.Brathwaite, 22, has made each of his four Test hundreds within the last 12 months and his relish for long innings was again in evidence. Twice he flashed Ben Stokes behind gully, to the allrounder’s noticeable chagrin, and he survived a review for lbw against Chris Jordan thanks to an inside edge. Otherwise, there was little for England to exploit.Eight of Brathwaite’s 11 boundaries whistled away through the area from point round to third man and he was equal to England’s attempts to have him caught at short leg, as in the second innings in Antigua.During the evening session, he spent 26 balls on 69, as well as playing out six maidens against Joe Root. England attempted to delay him through the 90s, as well, but Brathwaite was unperturbed and inched to three figures in the penultimate over of the day, having faced 228 balls. It made him the fourth West Indies centurion in four innings against England.The morning session passed in a blur, as Root made his second-highest Test score and England lost their last four wickets to be dismissed for 464. The wicket of Smith before lunch sharpened England’s ambitions of taking a 1-0 lead in the series but, as Brathwaite and Bravo dug in during the afternoon, the pace of the match reverted to something more in keeping with life in the Caribbean. It was the first time in the series that West Indies had gone through a full session without losing a wicket.England took a considerable first-innings advantage largely thanks to Root, who made an unbeaten 182. He provided the thrust as England added 91 to their overnight total, before Anderson struck in his second over – Smith becoming the latest player to deflect the ball on to his own stumps while attempting to leave.The game was moving on, which increased the pressure on West Indies’ batsmen, who faced the prospect of having to bat another four sessions, as they had done to draw the Antigua Test. Neither Brathwaite nor Bravo contributed significantly to that rearguard but they made England wait 48 overs for the second wicket this time. With the pitch remaining true, West Indies will feel they have already gone a good way to picking a path to safety; by the close, they had a small lead.Kraigg Brathwaite recorded his fourth Test hundred as West Indies replied strongly•Getty Images

England, despite building another dominant position, were hampered by time lost earlier in the match, though once again their attack did not look penetrative enough to break down determined sides in benign conditions.England might have started the day hopeful of a total beyond 500 but that prospect became more remote when Jos Buttler fell early. Root took it upon himself to score the majority of the 77 added for the last three wickets and in the process he extended his innings past 150 – the fourth time he has done so from six Test centuries (and one of the others was an unbeaten 149).Batting in long sleeves having finished the third day wearing a cap, Root was again busy from the outset, sprinkling judicious boundaries among scampered ones and twos. He seems to be a source of renewable energy, the kind governments around the world are devoting technology and finance to discover; clean, too, apart from when he is chirping at the opposition from under a helmet at short leg.When he had made 126, Root reached 2000 runs in Tests, the second-youngest England batsman to do so behind Alastair Cook. With just the No. 11, Anderson, for company, he struck Bishoo for sixes down the ground and over midwicket and was pushing on towards a second career double-hundred when a third run-out finished the innings. Anderson’s absent-minded failure to run his bat in left Root wondering what had occurred and swiping his own bat in frustration. His thirst for runs cannot be slaked.England resumed six down and 74 runs ahead, with the expectation that it would be Buttler to get the scorer’s pencil scratching. He managed one boundary, thumping Devendra Bishoo down the ground, but fell to the legspinner’s next ball, lured out of his crease and this time beaten by a delivery that dipped short of him and spun past the bat for a simple stumping.That meant England had lost 4 for 58 at a time when they would have anticipated the cavalry at Nos. 6, 7 and 8 scattering the opposition bowling to all parts. Jordan looked in more adhesive mood, helping to add 39 for the eighth wicket before being run out by Root’s enthusiasm. Root steered the ball to deep backward point and intimated he wanted a second; Jordan obliged only to be sent back. It was one of the few moments in the day when Root, who also bowled 13 overs and threw himself around in the field, shirked a challenge.

Harbhajan Singh has been recalled to the India squad for the solitary Test in Bangladesh in June. Ravindra Jadeja has been dropped from the squad that toured Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff20-May-20154:52

Agarkar: Picking Harbhajan is a big call

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh has returned to India’s Test squad for the first time in two years after he was picked for the only Test in Bangladesh from June 10 to 14. The selection committee, which met in Mumbai on Wednesday, retained the majority of the squad that toured Australia in 2014-15 with the exception of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja.Fast bowler Mohammed Shami was not picked because of the knee injury he suffered during the World Cup that also ruled him out of the IPL. No first-choice players had requested rest despite having played the World Cup and the IPL back to back and so the selectors were able to pick full-strength squads for both formats.Sandeep Patil, India’s chairman of selectors, said consideration had been given to the number of left-handers in the Bangladesh Test squad before the decision to pick a second offspinner was made. However, Harbhajan played only three first-class matches in last season’s Ranji Trophy – six wickets with a best of 3 for 51 – but has been in impressive form for Mumbai Indians this IPL season, picking up 16 wickets in 14 matches.”The Bangladesh batting order has six left-handers, keeping that in mind, we discussed with the captain and we felt it was necessary to have a second offspinner,” Patil said. “I also want to point out we not only discussed Harbhajan. We also discussed other youngsters and considered them. Ultimately the selection committee and the captain felt this was the right choice for this particular tour.”Patil said Harbhajan had not been picked in the ODI squad because the selection panel felt “chopping and changing or disturbing the combination” of the team that had reached the World Cup semi-finals was unnecessary.In an interview with , Harbhajan described his recall as “a fresh beginning”, and said he was ready to play for another four-five years.”It feels like a fresh beginning for me,” the offspinner said. “It’s a new innings which I want to start on a confident note and make the best possible use of the chance that I have got.”For me, there is nothing more precious than the India jersey. For the past two years, I have been working hard for this day. Not for a single day, nor for a single moment, did I have a feeling that I won’t play for India again.”At this point of time, I am ready to play for another four to five years. I am confident that I can represent India in all formats to the best of my abilities.”Addressing his first press conference after becoming the head of India’s selection panel in October 2012, Patil did not say which players had been discussed at the selection meeting. “It will be difficult for me to say who all would be discussed. Those who we felt – the selection committee and captain felt – were discussed. There was no discussion about Yuvraj Singh.”Patil said there had been “no emotional angles, emotional attachments” while picking the squads. “We look for the performances, the fitness and the combination – whether a bowler or batsman fits in that combination. Last two years we have been trying … we have made some mistakes, and may be, we will make some more mistakes but we have to learn from the mistakes. Indian cricket has gone through transition period and we are just trying to settle down.”A day before the selection meeting, Mumbai Indians had beaten Chennai Super Kings to qualify for the IPL final, and Harbhajan had spoken of a “burning desire” to make an international comeback.He last played Test cricket in 2013, when he was picked for the final two matches of the home series against Australia that India won 4-0. Harbhajan took only five wickets in those games at an average of 40.80, compared to R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja whose 29 and 24 wickets in four Tests came at 20.10 and 17.45 apiece. Subsequently the selectors and team management under the captain MS Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher retained Ashwin and Jadeja, and dropped Harbhajan, who had played 101 Tests.Harbhajan’s decline had begun on the 2011 tour of England, where an injury forced him to return home after the first two Tests. He had taken just two wickets in the 70 overs he bowled at an average of 143.Test squad: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant SharmaODI squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni

It was a day when optimism got the better of everyone. Another match at Uxbridge, another droll pitch – another draw.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Uxbridge24-Jun-2015
ScorecardAustralian overseas player Joe Burns played an important hand to steer Middlesex from trouble on the final day•Getty ImagesIt was a day when optimism got the better of everyone. By the end, there were some notes: Joe Burns registered his highest first class score in England – a composed 87. James Harris showed some nice touches with the bat to score his maiden first-class fifty for Middlesex. James Franklin backed up 135 in the first innings with an unbeaten 91 in the second. He was happy to put the team’s needs ahead of his own. Another match at Uxbridge, another droll pitch – another draw. “I wanted to get our over-rate up and get out of here,” Franklin concluded.At the start of the day, the prospect of Joe Burns and Paul Sterling getting through the first hour and then adding considerably and stylishly to a Middlesex total that stood at 76 overnight. Both would then be heralded match-winners and cheered through the streets of Uxbridge in a parade that would culminate in front of the driving theory test centre. But that was not to be.Daryll Mitchell on Moeen Ali

“It’s not been easy, what with our last game over in two days, to get Mo plenty of overs in. But he got a great opportunity to get plenty of overs in here and he’ll be a lot better for that sort of bowl. Hopefully he’ll take that into the international scene.
“I think he’s improving. He’s back to somewhere near where he wants to be. He’s got better and better the more he has bowled. He was seriously undercooked at the beginning of the season and struggled in the West Indies, but he’s got better, particularly with the white ball, he’s been brilliant for us. Come that first Test I think he’ll be where he wants to be.”

Then, when Moeen Ali bowled Paul Stirling through the gate, we were on the cusp of England’s spinner ripping through the rest of the Middlesex line-up, before taking it upon himself to hammer the winnings runs. The critics, for now, would be silenced. This, too, failed to materialise: while he did bowl 28-overs in this innings, more than he has done in any Test or Championship match this summer, he got little assistance from the surface.After a casual hit in the nets with Steve Rhodes yesterday afternoon, he had an even more relaxed hit when he came to the crease in the second over of Worcestershire’s second innings to face some complimentary overs of spin from Ollie Rayner and Stirling.Once they had clawed back the minus-four overrate, Nick Compton came into the attack with some offbreaks and Sam Robson took over from the pavilion end with spin that was more misery than mystery. Having been the recipient of three superb deliveries, Robson contributed 12 rancid ones of his own.But the players were not to blame as this day that promised much turned into an admin exercise. Both teams did what they could to force and scrounge a result. Blame should be cast, with great force, at the pitch (where presumably the life would be sucked out of it). It was the wet-blanket of this affair; the neighbour puncturing your ball, the one who says the gig’s too loud, the person who read BYOB and brought broccoli.There was nothing in the pitch for seamer, spinner or even really batsman. John Simpson showed that even wicketkeeping was tough at times. Who knows, maybe one day cricket will develop that fifth suit that Uxbridge was intended for.Franklin described it as “a tough pitch to play cricket on”, while Worcestershire skipper Daryll Mitchell seemed at a loss to find an appropriate word. He eventually decided on “tough”. His side benefitted most from what movement there was on the first morning when they reduced Middlesex to 51 for 4. All things considered, he was buoyed by the fight from his batting, singling out centurion Tom Fell, while also championing his bowling attack for being so frugal on an outfield so bare.”It was pretty hard-fought, but to go at less than three-an-over was a pretty good effort. James Franklin batted brilliantly but unfortunately we couldn’t knock them over second-time around to give us some sort of chase.”A pair of 103 run stands – the first between Burns and Franklin, the second between Franklin and Harris – saw Middlesex to safety. Burns fell short of his hundred when he directed a bumper from Jack Shantry straight to Joe Leach at deep-square leg. Leach took to the attack with the new ball and got Simpson to play on before trapping Rayner lbw.The 12 points they take back to Worcester sees them jump to seventh, two points ahead of Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. In a match that boiled down to taking the positives, Worcestershire will have the most.

MatériaMais Notícias

A semana do Internacional começa de maneira preocupante. No último domingo, a equipe foi superada pelo Vasco dentro de casa e deixou escapar a oportunidade de voltar ao G6 do Brasileirão, grupo que dá direito a jogar a Libertadores da América da próxima temporada.

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Além disso, o clube continua a todo vapor para encontrar um substituto que possa ocupar a vaga deixada por Odair Hellmann, que após acumular resultados negativos, foi demitido.

Na conversa com a imprensa, o diretor de futebo Rodrigo Caetano admitiu que a busca está difícil e não descarta a chegada de um técnico ‘tampão’ até dezembro.

‘Todos vocês (jornalistas) sabem os movimentos que fizemos nos últimos dias. Sempre buscamos o substituto do Odair para vir agora, mas isso não foi possível, pelo menos neste momento. O Colbachini é funcionário do clube, está interino e não significa que não possa ficar até o final do ano. Sabemos da curiosidade de vocês e dos torcedores, mas nem tudo podemos tornar público. Eu seria hipócrita se dissesse aqui que não há negociações em andamento. É assim pelo treinador e até para jogadores que gostaríamos de ter no ano que vem. Isso é normal e até faz parte da nossa rotina”, afirmou o executivo.

Procura por técnico

Desde a saída de Odair Hellmann, inúmeros nomes foram especulados no Beira-Rio. O que mais ganhou força foi o de Eduardo Coudet, do Racing, mas as negociações não avançaram, já que o técnico preferiu ficar na Argentina.

Outro nome que conta com a simpatia dentro do clube é Tiago Nunes. O comandante faz sucesso no Athletico-PR e poderia desembarcar em solo gaúcho em janeiro. A outra opção é Roger Machado, atualmente no Bahia.

Wes Durston had the Foxes on the run when he demolished Leicestershire’s bowling to lead Derbyshire to a 17-run victory in the NatWest Blast T20 North Group at Derby.

ECB/PA18-Jun-2015
ScorecardWes Durston put Derbyshire out of reach•PA Photos

Wes Durston had the Foxes on the run when he demolished Leicestershire’s bowling to lead Derbyshire to a 17-run victory in the NatWest Blast T20 North Group at Derby. Derbyshire’s T20 captain blasted four sixes in his 88 off 49 balls, Derbyshire’s sixth highest individual score in the competition, as the home side ran up a daunting 189 for 7.Although Tom Wells smashed an unbeaten 64 from 25 balls and Foxes skipper Mark Cosgrove hit 44 off 33 balls, no one could match Durston’s explosive strokeplay and Leicestershire ended well short on 172 for 7.Tillakaratne Dilshan was making his last T20 appearance for Derbyshire before leaving to play in the Caribbean Premier League but he lasted only six balls before he chopped Ben Raine onto his stumps.Insights

The Leicestershire required run-rate was climbing from the first over of their chase and almost every over there on, however, there were a few overs in the middle when it spiralled and that phase can be seen to have been crucial. After Cosgrove hit the first two balls of the ninth over for six and four, Leicestershire didn’t hit another boundary for 29 balls–4.5 overs, almost a quarter of the innings–and in that time they lost Cosgrove himself and Akmal, arguably their best two batsmen. Leicestershire will rue the absence of Kevin O’Brien who was on international duty with Ireland.
Freddie Wilde

Atif Sheikh bowled three wides in the first four balls of the match and his line did not improve in his second over as Durston drove and cut him for three fours in five balls. Durston dispatched Rob Taylor’s first ball over long-on onto the pavilion roof and pulled the next one over midwicket for six before driving the last ball for another boundary.Chesney Hughes lofted Jigar Naik’s second ball for six and the pair had added 71 in seven overs when Hughes was well caught by Wells diving forward at long off for 20.But Durston was the big threat to the Foxes and after he reached 50 off only 28 balls, he pulled Wells for a huge six over midwicket as Derbyshire moved to 98 for 2 at the halfway stage. Although Sheikh had Wayne Madsen caught at midwicket, the over cost 19 as Durston lifted the last ball into a car park but when he tried to drive Raine for his fifth six, he failed to clear long on.Alex Hughes drove consecutive Taylor deliveries for six and although Raine conceded only five from the last over, Leicestershire faced a testing chase which Cosgrove launched by flicking Nathan Rimmington over square leg for six.Ned Eckersley was caught behind down the leg side off former Leicestershire seamer Wayne White in the fourth over and although Raine drove Shiv Thakor for six, he was stumped charging Durston in the eighth over. Cosgrove responded by driving Dilshan for six and four but the Foxes went into the last 10 overs needing 108 and their hopes took a big blow when the skipper was caught at deep backward square off Alex Hughes.With no boundaries for three overs, the pressure was building and it accounted for Umar Akmal who was run out going for a second by Madsen’s throw from deep midwicket. Wells pulled and cut Thakor for consecutive sixes but Niall O’Brien was well caught on the run by Durston at deep mid on and a target of 67 from the last four overs proved too much as Derbyshire ended a run of three straight defeats.

ScorecardTom Bailey took his maiden five-wicket haul•Getty Images

Leicestershire replaced their coach, captain, chief executive and overseas player over the winter and the impact of those changes was seen in vaguely encouraging performances from their opening four matches. But here was an ugly reminder of the progress they still have to make as they completely capitulated on the fourth afternoon, bowled out for 78 in a repeat embarrassment of the horrors of 2014.Tom Bailey – only playing here because Peter Siddle has left to join up with the Australian Test squad – took his maiden five-wicket haul, and together with Kyle Jarvis ran through Leicestershire, sharing seven wickets for Lancashire’s third win of the season. Surely even the most optimistic in the visitors’ dressing room did not believe they would be back on the bus with a jug of Wainwright by 5pm.

Cosgrove calm after “little setback”

Tom Bailey

“I’ve been playing seconds for four years so I’ve been chomping at the bit to get a chance. Last week I felt off form but I’ve done some work with Glen Chapple between games and it’s really helped me. When it’s not swinging I’ve been struggling so I’ve been working to get some pace behind the ball.

“We’ve got an exciting attack. We had Chappie, Hogg, Kabir Ali last year and we’ve lost all of them so to be still be seen as favourites for the title is a big thing and there’s a lot of pressure on us. But we’re a young bunch of lads and looking forward to it.”

Mark Cosgrove

“We’ve come so far this year and played some good cricket so to put in a performance like that is very disappointing. The top five didn’t do their job. The pitch was fine. You look back to day one, if we’d have caught our catches it could have been different.

“The dressing room is really good at the moment, it’s enthusiastic, we know we’re moving forward and this is just a little setback. If we show what we’re about at Essex next week this will be forgotten.”

Most observers also thought Leicestershire had more fight in them than this. The ball continued to swing but wickets were not taken with miracle deliveries: Neil Pinner hooked Jarvis down long leg’s throat; Clint McKay played the same stroke to be caught by wicketkeeper Alex Davies running out to square leg; captain Mark Cosgrove – to his second ball – attempted the same shot, thought against it but not in time and spooned a catch to Davies; Ned Eckersley simply missed a straight ball from Bailey.Leicestershire were asked to survive 59 overs to save the match and the pessimistic in the ground recalled last year’s match here against Hampshire where Leicestershire were fired out for 96 in 31.4 overs. Perhaps the team themselves could not get that afternoon out of their heads either. They were seven down after 14.2 overs having lost 7 for 9 in 47 balls. Tom Wells and Clint McKay at least managed to survive for seven overs to take the game into the final session and avoid Leicestershire’s lowest score against Lancashire at Grace Road of 47.There were happier experiences for Leicestershire to draw on from the opening four rounds of this season. They produced spirited responses to scoreboard pressure both at home to Glamorgan and in the wake of Kevin Pietersen’s 355 at The Oval. But it was the Leicestershire of last season that re-emerged here in a performance that will greatly frustrate the new management.The carnage was brewed in the sixth over. Jarvis jagged one back sharply to rip through Lewis Hill but past the inside edge and off stump. Hill then drove loosely just short of backward point before being struck on the pad, only for an inside edge to save him. Hill, flustered, edged Bailey low to Paul Horton at first slip in the next over.Three poor dismissals of Eckersley, Cosgrove and Pinner followed before Angus Robson was also caught in the cordon off Bailey, who claimed his five-for with an inswinger to take out Ben Raine’s off stump and a catch at second slip offered by Niall O’Brien – who spoke of Leicestershire’s solid chance of winning on the third evening.To force victory themselves, Leicestershire needed a run of morning wickets but with heavy cloud cover and an 11 over old ball they only managed a couple of lbws as Ashwell Prince and Alex Davies shared the highest partnership of the match: 107 at just under a run-a-ball.Davies impressively upped the scoring rate in a 50-ball half-century, his fourth in the Championship this season. He was busy, played the gaps well and ran hard between the wickets. Twice he skipped down the track to lift Charlie Shreck over his head. Prince, not as fluent as Davies, went to his own fifty in 85 balls with one of several wild edges, this through third man. Lancashire went to a rain-induced early lunch with 64 runs in 62 balls but even though they took 10 overs of the afternoon before declaring, they still found more than enough time to secure victory.

After India Women’s spinners squeezed Sri Lanka Women to 89 for 9, the top order cruised to an easy win, completing a 3-0 series sweep

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Ekta Bisht led a solid bowling performance for India•West Indies Cricket BoardIndia Women’s spinners stifled the Sri Lanka Women batting, squeezing them to 89 for 9 in their 20 overs, before the top three knocked off the target in 13.5 overs to complete a nine-wicket thumping in the third T20I in Ranchi. The win secured a 3-0 series sweep for India.Left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht was the standout bowler for India, claiming 3 for 17 in her four overs, while offspinners Anuja Patil and Deepti Sharma took 3 for 30 in eight overs between them. In a good team effort, all of India’s bowlers except Poonam Yadav kept their economy rates below 5.After opting to bat, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start, losing Oshadi Ranasinghe fourth ball, before captain Shashikala Siriwardene was run out four balls later. A 33-run partnership between Nipuni Hansika and Chamari Atapattu provided Sri Lanka respite, but it was brief – when Bisht had Hansika stumped off the first ball of the tenth over, it opened a passage of play in which five wickets fell for 11 runs in 5.3 overs.An eighth-wicket partnership of 39 off 29 balls between Eshani Lokusuriyage and Ama Kanchana then steered the tourists to their final total of 89 for 9.India made light work of the chase, as openers Vellaswamy Vanitha and Smriti Mandhana put on 64 in 8.4 overs. Vanitha’s dismissal was Sri Lanka’s only success with the ball; Veda Krishnamurthy joined Mandhana to knock off the remaining 26 runs with 37 balls to spare.

Saeed Ajmal’s first five-wicket haul since August 2014 moves Worcestershire towards victory

ECB/PA08-Jul-2015
ScorecardSaeed Ajmal’s five first innings wickets forced Hampshire to follow on at New Road•PA Photos

Saeed Ajmal’s rehabilitation took a giant step forward when his first five-wicket haul since August 2014 gave Worcestershire scent of a victory which would ease their relegation worries but cut off Hampshire at the foot of Division One in the LV= County Championship.He may not be the magician who claimed 63 wickets in nine games in last summer’s promotion charge, but for the first time since he was forced to re-structure his action, he has hinted that he could become a match-winner again.A combination of Ajmal’s craft and Joe Leach’s stout-hearted medium-fast bowling routed Hampshire for 183 and, having been hurried into following on 295 behind, there was nothing to suggest an imminent escape from their current crisis of confidence.The last five completed innings have failed to produce even one total of 300 and a sixth is highly likely after closing at 164 for 6, still 131 short of making Worcestershire bat again.It was something for Hampshire, but by no means enough, that James Vince and Will Smith made half-centuries in the first innings. Vince’s 56 was his second highest score of the season but the downside was two dismissals without playing a shot, the second time for a duck as Ajmal took the first of three wickets to fall in consecutive overs.In all, they lost 13 on the day and as much as Worcestershire bowled with honesty and intensity – and a lot of guile in the case of Ajmal’s five for 28 from 17 overs – this was too many on a dry but not impossible batting surface.On resuming at 86 for 3, Hampshire almost got through the first hour unscathed but when Vince misjudged the first ball of a new spell by Leach, the slide was under way. While Ajmal took wickets in successive overs, Adam Wheater giving a return chance and Joe Gatting sweeping to deep square leg, the impressive Leach bowled Gareth Berg first ball.Smith made the most of some lower-order support but was left stranded on 51 from 113 balls after scoring all of the 31 added with last man Jackson Bird. Ajmal accounted for Danny Briggs and Brad Wheal, the latter caught and bowled at the second attempt, and Bird was finally trapped in front by Leach.It was a clever strategy by Worcestershire to keep Jack Shantry back for the second innings and sure enough he was at forefront of the push for victory, although there was a frustrating gap after the leg-before dismissal of Jimmy Adams for his 50th first-class wicket of the season.Hampshire spirits were beginning to rise until Shantry ended a partnership of 65, a bat-pad catch to the wicketkeeper accounting for Sean Terry (37) before Michael Carberry (32) chopped on. Vince then became Ajmal’s sixth victim of the match and Hampshire were back on the ropes with half the side gone for 97 when Wheather was caught behind off Charlie Morris.Smith, for the second time, held up Worcestershire, digging in for 29 in 105 minutes until giving Brett D’Oliveira a return catch, and Gatting was equally stubborn with 28 not out in 27 overs.

MatériaMais Notícias

Assim como começa a tomar forma o campeão brasileiro, além dos times que, provavelmente, conseguirão vaga na Copa Libertadores – fase de grupos e eliminatória – do ano que vem, a parte de baixo da tabela também ganha contornos emocionantes. Não. Peraí… Emocionante casa melhor com os jogos visando o título e a maior competição da América do Sul. A briga contra o rebaixamento é, na verdade, desesperadora.

Chapecoense e Avaí já estão lá na Série B de 2020. Restam duas vagas: CSA, Fluminense, Ceará, Botafogo e Cruzeiro lutam mais de perto para não figurarem na zona de rebaixamento ao fim do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Aliás, não é só desesperador estar sendo perseguido pelo fantasma da Segundona, é também – usando alguns sinônimos – assustador, horripilante, assustoso, amedrontador, apavorante, arrepiante, assombroso, aterrorizador, aterrorizante, atroz, sobre-horrendo,temeroso, horrendo, horrível, horroroso, pavoroso, temeroso, terrificante, terrível, sinistro…

Ponto a ponto esses times vão se engalfinhar para não cair. O Flu hoje é um dos com mais ‘potencial’ para deixar a elite do futebol brasileiro. A equipe não se encontra, não sabe fazer gols e leva-os com extrema facilidade. E era culpa do Fernando Diniz, que, agora, consolida o São Paulo no G4.

Abrindo um parênteses (os mais culpados são Mário Bittencourt, presidente, e Celso Barros, vice, que não se planejaram de forma adequada para assumirem o clube). Agora, quem sofre, na verdade, são os torcedores. Que eles abram o olho, porque abaixo da Série B, para onde estão levando o clube, tem a Série C. E o Fluminense já tem experiência nisso.

Do G4, Flamengo e Palmeiras, e ouso apontar o Santos – que foi letal contra o Botafogo (4 a 1) –, não saem mais. O São Paulo caminha a passos largos. Aliás, pega na quinta-feira justamente o Tricolor carioca, no Morumbi. E Diniz conhece o seu ex-time com a palma da mão. Vitória certa, a não ser que a zebra das Laranjeiras resolva aparecer por lá.

Grêmio e Internacional, que duelaram ontem – vitória gremista por 2 a 0 – também sonham em chegar lá ou, ao menos, garantirem o G6. E ainda tem o Athletico-PR (campeão da Copa do Brasil e assegurado na Liberta), que se ficar bem na tabela, o G6 pode virar G7. Ah, já ia esquecendo, caso o Flamengo seja campeão da América do Sul, dia 23, contra o River Plate, o G6 que viraria G7 pode passar a ser G8. Agora, cada uma das oito rodadas restantes, será uma emoção ou desespero à parte. Preparem os corações…