In Sri Lanka’s fickle cricketing landscape, Pakistan have lately been viewed as one of the friendliest foes

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Dec-2013In Sri Lanka’s fickle cricketing landscape, Pakistan have lately been viewed as one of the team’s friendliest foes. Sri Lanka fans’ admiration for Pakistan’s cricket has been founded on shared ground. Most obviously, there is resemblance in cricketing philosophy; Lasith Malinga and Sohail Tanvir are products of their unique milieu, but it is not difficult to imagine a round-arm slinger from Rawalpindi, or a wrong-footed left armer from Rathgama. No other nation, perhaps, could have easily produced either.There is also the rich recent history of spin, shrouded in mystery. Between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, they have owned the progenitor of the in Saqlain Mushtaq, the man who made the ball famous in Muttiah Muralitharan, its best current practitioner in Saeed Ajmal, and a rising bowler with an improving version of the ball, in Sachithra Senanayake.Then there are the shambolic administrations, which more often appear to hinder the national sides than support them, while Sri Lanka’s newly-formed one-sided rivalry with India has bred another thread of fraternal goodwill. Coincidentally too, the tour will be both Dav Whatmore and Graham Ford’s final weeks in charge of their sides. The former was effectively let go, the latter chose to walk.Both sides also have produced alluring players of spin, many of whom have retired or are just about to, and young men are now charged with filling shoes and scoreboards. In that regeneration, though, there are mutual hints of decline.Ten months of selection policy focused on grooming the next generation has not future-proofed Sri Lanka’s batting unit yet. Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne have had encouraging returns in Tests, but their limited-overs statistics don’t yet suggest they are the next Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – whom they will inevitably be compared with. Jayawardene’s absence from the limited-overs leg of this series may allow both batsmen to bat higher up in the order, which should suit their abilities better than the finishing roles they had been saddled with.In Tests, both teams will also be fielding young, inexperienced opening pairs. Shan Masood and Khurram Manzoor are at almost identical places in their career as Sri Lanka’s likely openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva. All four have a shot at embedding themselves in the international arena, on tracks that should not be far from those on which they excel at home.Though they are at disparate ends of their careers, there are similarities for the teams’ main captains too. Misbah-ul-Haq is an unpopular captain for some, and while Angelo Mathews has had moderate success at the helm, he is still treading lightly as a leader and his personal form has been inconsistent. A poor tour for either man might have loosened their grip on the reins, only, there are few viable alternatives.The teams are well-matched on most counts. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in their last Test series in the UAE, but Sri Lanka reversed that scoreline at home, when they dominated the three-match series last year. Sri Lanka’s batting perhaps gives them the edge in ODIs and Twenty20s, while Pakistan have just returned from a successful trip to South Africa, where the highly-rated India side is presently being humiliated.And, perhaps, that is Pakistan’s greatest advantage in the approach to the tour. While Sri Lanka have been reduced to playing matches against themselves and watching rain ruin their first meaningful cricket since July, Pakistan are fighting-fit from five months on the international treadmill. Their Test loss to Zimbabwe in September now seems a distant memory, after more encouraging results against South Africa.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have not played overseas since July, and in Tests, the New Year’s Eve match will be their first against a top-eight opposition since this year’s New Year Test in Sydney. One of the foremost reasons Sri Lanka Cricket refused Pakistan’s request to play one Test under lights is because its players would already be adjusting to playing Tests again; an orange ball and floodlights may have complicated preparation further – particularly as there are no practice matches before the Tests.There is already buzz in Sri Lanka for this tour, primarily because the public has had so long to look forward to it. It is a stage for young men of both teams to make defining plays, and with two major limited-overs trophies now on the horizon, raising stakes further, the subplots unfolding over a six-week battle may prove just as engrossing as the major narrative.

ScorecardFile photo: Shoaib Malik top-scored for Pakistan International Airlines•Pakistan Cricket Board

Mohammad Rizwan’s composed half-century led Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to the final of the first National Department Twenty20 Cup, beating Pakistan International Airlines by nine wickets. Rizwan struck five fours and two sixes during his 60 off 54 balls to help overhaul a middling target of 108, with three overs to spare.The chase began briskly as left-arm seamer Najaf Shah’s opening over went for 10 runs, but he bounced back in his next to dismiss Taufeeq Umar (12 off 8), who holed out to mid-on. SNGPL survived another scare in the same over when it appeared Rizwan had been caught behind, but replays showed Shah had overstepped. Rizwan was on at two at time and took full advantage as went on to reach his first fifty of the tournament with a six over mid-wicket. Ali Waqas (28 off 41) lent good support as their unbeaten 93-run union for the second wicket ensured a comprehensive victory.Earlier, PIA, who had been put in, began poorly as Imran Ali knocked over both openers for single-figures. The Malik brothers, Adeel and Shoaib, attempted to stabilise the innings but the spinners kept them on a tight leash and soon Yasir Shah, the legspinner, lured Adeel with an overpitched delivery which was hit straight to Samiullah Khan at mid-off.Shoaib, who was ignored for the Pakistan T20 squad due to face Sri Lanka next week, held the innings together. He laced three consecutive sixes off Tanveer Sikandar in the 17th over, but PIA’s hopes of a competitive total faded with his dismissal in the next over. Fahad Iqbal (8 off 6) and Sheharyar Ghani (14 off 12) contributed 20 in 15 last balls to push their side past 100.

يلتقي فريق برشلونة الإسباني مع خصمه فريق ميلان الإيطالي، في مباراة ودية، في إطار الاستعدادات للموسم الجديد.

ويستضيف ملعب “أليجانت” مباراة الفريقين في بطولة “سوكر” الودية، المُقامة حاليًا في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

كان برشلونة قد خاض مباراة ودية واحدة فقط هذا الصيف وذلك أمام ريال مدريد، حيث فاز بثلاثية نظيفة.

في حين أن ميلان خاض مباراتين، حيث خسر الأولى أمام ريال مدريد بثلاثة أهداف لهدفين، بينما خسر الثانية أمام يوفنتوس بركلات الترجيح.

ويستعد برشلونة بعد ذلك لمواجهة توتنهام، يوم 8 أغسطس الجاري، في بطولة كأس خوان جامبر.

ويبدأ برشلونة مشواره في الموسم الجديد من الدوري الإسباني بمواجهة خيتافي، يوم الأحد 13 أغسطس. موعد مباراة برشلونة وميلان

من المقرر أن تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة الحادية عشر مساء اليوم بتوقيت أمريكا، السادسة صباح الأربعاء بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

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Entre os sete principais estaduais, só Paulista e Carioca tiveram premiações diretas em dinheiro; as demais foram por cota de TV.

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New Zealand allrounder James Neesham has been ruled out of the second T20 against Sri Lanka on November 21

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2013

New Zealand allrounder James Neesham has been ruled out of the second T20 against Sri Lanka to be held on November 21 in Pallekele. The injury that ruled him out was a result of a sprain he sustained on the little finger of his left hand in the third ODI in Dambulla.Neesham had injured the finger while fielding a return hit by Nuwan Kulasekara off his own bowling. The following day, an x-ray revealed no fracture to the bone, but a subsequent ultrasound showed there was moderate damage to the tendon. If the first T20 had gone ahead, without rain intervening, then Neesham would not have played in it either, as he had been ruled out of both T20 matches.Paul Close, the New Zealand physiotherapist, believed Neesham would need at least a month to recover. “It’s important we allow Jimmy’s finger sufficient time to heal in order to achieve a full recovery. We expect Jimmy to be back playing again in around four to six weeks.”

Alastair Cook has demanded a response from his senior players as England attempt in Adelaide to stem the feeling that power is shifting towards Australia

George Dobell in Adelaide04-Dec-20130:00

Video preview: England should pick Bresnan

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that this Ashes series could be sealed in Adelaide over the next few days.So crushing was Australia’s victory in Brisbane and so great the fall-out from Jonathan Trott’s departure from the tour that the sense grew that the balance of power had changed between these old rivals. It was only one game, but if Australia win again in Adelaide, it is hard to envisage England clawing their way back into the series. With the bounce and pace of Perth to follow, even a draw here might be considered a disappointing result.On the face of things, this could be a tough place for either side to force a win. Not only is the pitch expected to be flat, but the weather forecast is not wonderful. There are various imponderables – such as whether the new stands might aid swing and how the new drop-in pitch will play – but the biggest question remains: how deep are the scars of England’s injuries from Brisbane?England looked fragile in the first Test. A batting line-up that looks strong on paper, collapsed as if made of the stuff, leaving Alastair Cook, the England captain, to demand more from his senior players.”Our skills let us down in Brisbane,” Cook said. “We were totally outplayed and our skills weren’t up to it. The senior guys have to lead the way. We are lucky that we have players with a huge number of Test caps and people who have delivered before, not only against Australia, but on this ground as well. We are going to have to draw on that and the five or six of us who are the senior guys in the team are going to have to stand up and lead from the front.”While the normal, safe England formula would see Tim Bresnan come back into the side in place of Chris Tremlett and Gary Ballance bat at No. 6, it is clear that other options are being seriously considered. Admitting they are “desperate” for a victory in this game, Cook said picking two spinners was “a realistic option.” That might, in turn, necessitate picking the all-rounder Ben Stokes to ensure they still have some depth in seam bowling and batting. Stokes would bat and six and fill the role of third seamer.It would be a high-risk strategy, but has some logic. Even if the Adelaide surface – which looks dry – does not offer much turn, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar should offer England some control in the field. That might, in light of Australia’s commitment to an aggressive approach, force their batsmen into mistakes.Kevin Pietersen, veteran of 100 Tests, practises his switch hit in the Adelaide Oval nets•AFPWhether Panesar is in the frame of mind to play Test cricket remains to be seen. He endured a modest season in county cricket and has not played a high-profile game since the late-night incident which briefly led to his suspension. It is only a year since he played a huge role in helping England to victory in India, though, and with 48 Tests behind him, he has the experience to cope.England have not fielded two spinners in a Test in Australia since 1990-91 when they teamed up Eddie Hemmings and Phil Tufnell in Sydney. They conceded 518 in the first innings but the spinners shared eight wickets second time around and the Test was drawn.Swann, meanwhile, has taken the opportunity to talk to former Australia spinner Ashley Mallett. Mallett has been something of a mentor to Swann for some time and he had a fine record on this ground, with 25 wickets in six Tests. No finger spinner has taken more in Adelaide. While reluctant to go into details, it seems he advised Swann to bowl a more attacking off-stump line to the right-handers and use more over-spin. Swann made good use of Doug Bollinger’s footmarks to claim five wickets in the second innings to help England to victory here in 2010-11.But bowling is the least of England’s worries. They bowled very well in the first innings in Brisbane but were then forced back into the field far too quickly due to the inability of the batsmen to exploit the decent pitch. England’s weakness, at present, remains their batting. To have failed to reach 400 in 17 successive innings and yet still won many of those games illustrates the continuing contribution of the bowlers.”We know that if you want to win games of cricket, you have to score big runs,” Cook said. “And we haven’t been doing that. We didn’t do it last week and we lost the game heavily. We need to do it, simple as that. There’s no point talking about it – the stats say we haven’t got 400 and we need to get past that total.”England’s problem in Brisbane, at least, was that they collapsed so quickly, they failed to force Australia’s attack into the extra spells that would have sapped their energy. If they are to have any hope of fighting their way back in this series, the batsmen have to fully exploit Adelaide’s famously flat wicket.”In a spell like that you know it can’t last forever,” Cook said. “In these conditions, you know the third and fourth spells of guys like that will not be as quick. So you have to put miles into their legs.”In the latest episode of a relentless war of propaganda, the ECB has denied two more stories circulated elsewhere. Firstly it rejected the suggestion that the England team “failed to turn up” for a South Australia Cricket Association dinner on Monday night, pointing out that such appearances are arranged months in advance and no such agreement had been made.More seriously, it has also rubbished the suggestion that England are unwilling to play in Brisbane on future tours. It had been suggested that the ECB was so unimpressed by the hostile atmosphere experienced in the city that it approached Cricket Australia with a view to avoiding Brisbane in the future. An ECB spokesman dismissed the notion in the strongest terms.

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Scotland captain, Kyle Coetzer, has targeted Afghanistan and Netherlands as the two main sides to beat in his team’s World Twenty20 Qualifier group. Scotland are one of 16 teams competing for six places at next year’s World Twenty20 and Coetzer said that qualification would be “massive for cricket” in the country.Teams have begun to arrive in the UAE ahead of the tournament, which runs from November 15-30. Scotland, who played in the first two World Twenty20s in 2007 and 2009, will form part of Group B alongside Kenya, Bermuda, Denmark, Nepal and Papua New Guinea, as well as two of the favourites.”Getting over Afghanistan or the Netherlands will fill our side with confidence,” Coetzer said. “Afghanistan has been a side we have not had a huge amount of success against. So we want to make a statement that we are here and we mean business.”It will be massive for cricket in Scotland and for all the supporters we get from throughout the country. We have not been involved in a world tournament for a couple of years now, so it will be nice to get back in the world stage.”Scotland have lost one of their key players to injury in vice-captain Preston Mommsen but should be among the contenders in the UAE. They are currently ranked 12th in the world in T20 cricket, below Ireland and Afghanistan but above Netherlands.”Missing Preston is massive and leaves a big hole, but we have got guys who are capable of taking up his spot which is very important,” Coetzer said. “We feel we have all bases covered in terms of flexibility in the squad like right-hand/left-hand combination in batting, different aggressiveness styles as well.”In bowling, we have right-arm and left-arm bowlers, which we have not had in the previous couple of tournaments. So it is nice to have that option, we have three left arm bowlers in our ranks, which give us variation.”Coetzer, 29, is coming off the back of a successful season with Northamptonshire, during which the team secured promotion from Division Two of the Championship and won the Friends Life t20 competition. Allied to his own experience, the team will be able to draw on the knowledge of England’s World Twenty20-winning former captain, Paul Collingwood, who has taken up a coaching role with Scotland over the winter.”In terms of batting, he is really helping guys understand how to get about scoring their runs, or chasing down totals and setting a certain total,” Coetzer said. “Having someone like Colly will be a massive advantage to our boys.”The Scotland squad have recently been on a training camp in Sri Lanka, to help acclimatise to conditions in the UAE as well as gain experience of subcontinental conditions, with the World T20 to be held in Bangladesh next March and April. They will prepare for the World T20 Qualifier with warm-up matches against USA and Namibia before taking on Bermuda in their opening fixture on Friday but Coetzer was not worried about his side’s ability to adapt in the UAE.”We played out there a couple of times in a year so it is not like the conditions are absolutely foreign to us,” Coetzer said. “I would probably say that the conditions don’t suit us as much as others, but you can’t use that as an excuse. You’ve just got to find a way to perform the best in those kinds of conditions.”

يجري نادٍ الشباب السعودي، محادثاته مع البرازيلي ويليان، لاعب فولهام الإنجليزي، في محاولة لضمه لصفوف الفريق.

وقع ويليان عقدًا مع فولهام قبل 10 أيام، لمدة موسم حتى 2024، مع خيار التمديد لموسم آخر، حتى 2025.

وبحسب صحيفة “مترو” البريطانية والصحفي فابريزو رومانو، تقدم الشباب بعرض رسمي للتعاقد مع ويليان.

اقرأ أيضًا | أمام أنظار تشيلسي | كاسيدو يتلقى عرضًا جديدًا للرحيل عن برايتون.. والأخير يرد

وأوضح التقرير أن المحادثات جارية بين الطرفين بشأن صفقة انتقال محتملة خلال سوق الصيف الحالي.

انضم ويليان البالغ من العمر 34 عامًا، إلى فولهام في الصيف الماضي في صفقة انتقال مجانية، وسجل خمسة أهداف وصنع ستة في 30 مباراة.

وسبق ولعب ويليان لصفوف تشيلسي لمدة سبع سنوات، حيث فاز بلقبين في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز والدوري الأوروبي، ولعب أيضًا لآرسنال وكورينثيانز قبل العودة إلى إنجلترا مجددًا.

Ashar Zaidi, the Karachi-born allrounder, has signed a two-year contract with Sussex

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2013

Ashar Zaidi, the Karachi-born allrounder, has signed a two-year contract with Sussex. Zaidi appeared in two Championship matches for the county last season, having played in the Lancashire League since leaving Pakistan. He has a British passport and will provide Sussex with a spin option next season, after the release of Monty Panesar.Zaidi wrote to several counties asking for a trial, having impressed during three seasons with Accrington. He scored an unbeaten 192 and took six wickets after being invited to play for the Sussex 2nd XI and then added 62 runs in two innings to go with six wickets during Division One games against Yorkshire and Durham.”It is an honour to sign for Sussex and this is a really big achievement for me, especially after a few years’ break from the pro game,” Zaidi said. “I’m really grateful for the chance that they have given me.”I’ll be aiming to justify that chance over the next couple of seasons. I’m hoping for enough opportunities to perform, and to open my chances for the future.”The 32-year-old made his debut for Islamabad in 1999, playing regularly in Pakistan’s domestic competitions until 2009, during which time he was also picked for Pakistan A. He has 11 first-class hundreds and a batting average of 38.26 and his left-arm spin will come in useful at Sussex, where Will Beer, the 25-year-old legspinner, was left as the senior slow bowler after Panesar’s departure. Zaidi has also recently turned out for Gazi Tank in the Dhaka Premier Division.Sussex’s captain, Ed Joyce, said: “Ash fitted into the squad really well and impressed everyone with his canny left-arm spin and attractive strokeplay. He will hopefully fulfil the spin role for us in four-day cricket while possibly also allowing us to play an extra seamer when the conditions suit.”He is also a very capable one-day cricketer as seen by his recent performances in the Dhaka Premier League and we’re hopeful he can play a big role for us in both the shorter formats.”