ScorecardFile photo – Tanwir Afzal clobbered two fours and three sixes in his 42•Graham Crouch/IDI/Getty
Hong Kong cruised to a comfortable four-wicket win after chasing down 163 in the last over against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Tanwir Afzal blitzed a 22-ball 42, an innings that featured two fours and three sixes, to swing the momentum in Hong Kong’s favour after they were stuttering at 89 for 4 in the 12th over.Hong Kong’s chase began slowly and the team soon also lost Kinchit Shah in the third over for 2. Though they managed to stitch substantial partnerships thereafter through brisk contributions from Babar Hayat (35 off 18), Mark Chapman (22) and Nizakat Khan (26), frequent wickets meant Afghanistan were still in with a shot.Afzal and Nizakat added 55 for the fifth wicket in just 30 balls as the match drifted away from Afghanistan, and an equation of 24 off the last four overs was easily achieved in the end with two balls to spare. Karim Sadiq, Aftab Alam and Rokhan Barakzai picked up two wickets apiece.Earlier, Afghanistan lost both their openers within the first four overs after choosing to bat. Asghar Stanikzai (51) then struck a counterattacking half-century and combined with Sadiq (22) and Samiullah Shenwari (34) in stands of 34 and 63 respectively to set up a strong platform for a late surge. Shafiqullah provided the required impetus late in the innings with a 16-ball 30 to lift Afghanistan to a score of 162 for 6.
ScorecardAhead of their two Twenty20 matches against England next week, West Indies slipped to a humiliating 51-run defeat at the hands of Derbyshire at the County Ground, with Ant Botha and Tom Lungley each picking up four wickets.To further compound West Indian woes, their team today was far stronger than the mishmash they put out against the England Lions last week, when five players from English league cricket were drafted in. Dwayne Smith, Austin Richards and Lendl Simmons were all included today, but it had little positive effect as their batsmen capitulated to 84 all out in the 16th over, chasing a modest 136.Chris Gayle was first to go, bowled by Lungley for 4 and the same bowler trapped Marlon Samuels, the very next ball, for a duck. Simmons only lasted nine balls, but Richards at least held one end up in his fighting 25, cracking three fours and a six. He received encouraging support from Dwayne Bravo (12 from 12) and Smith (13 from 15) but, neither could partner him for a lengthy period. From a precarious 67 for 4, West Indies lost their last six wickets for 17 runs.The defeat is all the more concerning, not simply because the team they fielded was so much stronger, but for their brittle batting after a promising effort with the ball. Only Derbyshire’s captain, Simon Katich, with an industrious 31 from 28 balls, threatened to take the attack to West Indies’ bowlers, their spinners – Samuels and Gayle – taking three wickets in six overs between them. Chris Taylor, who ended unbeaten on 28 (from 25) also provided good support, but the restrictions West Indies imposed on Derbyshire’s first 10 overs hampered their progress.In the end, 135 was more than enough. Their next and final warm-up match, another Twenty20 against a PCA Masters XI on Tuesday, now takes on an even greater significance.David Moore, the West Indies coach, slammed the team’s batting performance after the game. “It is very disappointing,” Moore said. “We committed the cardinal sin to not bat our 20 overs out. We lost six wickets in four overs, played poor shots, it was very poor batting.”
The fall of Chris Gayle, for an energetic 83 was the only real blip in a positive day’s cricket for the West Indies where they bettered India without ever seeming to strive hard to do so. Brian Lara won the toss and chose to bat, and after being denied the first session because of overnight rain, West Indies reached a comforting 207 for 1.India began well enough, with their fast bowlers – Sreesanth, fit again and making a reappearance to the Test eleven, and the ever improving Munaf Patel – putting the ball in the right areas often enough to give it a chance to swing or seam on a pitch that afforded much-needed bounce.What would have been especially pleasing to Bennett King, the West Indies coach, was Gayle’s decision to put caution before all else. Gayle left the ball alone with the assurance of a traditional Test opener, and West Indies had managed just 11 runs from seven probing overs. The ball had moved late, after pitching on a length not quite full enough to drive, especially for Patel, and to the credit of West Indies’ openers they did not chase the ball.Suddenly, just as the dark clouds gathered over the bay, Gayle straddled the crease and, with typically unapologetic power, rammed a Sreesanth delivery into the stands over long-on. The shot took Gayle to 4000 Test runs and also confirmed the belief that he could clear the ropes in this ground without being completely to the pitch of the ball.A short stoppage in play for a passing shower only helped West Indies’ cause. Rahul Dravid brought his spinners on, and though Anil Kumble was bang on target, and tough to get away for runs, Harbhajan Singh was very much to the liking of the long-limbed Gayle. With nimble footwork not being essential to success – other than on the dancefloors in Bassaterre – Gayle was able to take the attack to Harbhajan like an axe-murderer to a platinum blonde in a bad horror film.Five sixes and five fours later, Gayle had yet another half-century, and the ballboys at long-on and long-off, tired arms. Ganga, for his part, had stuck to his task, surviving the new ball despite some scares where the ball deviated enough to beat the bat and strike the pad or body and bounced away.Suddenly, though, the Indians were in a bit of disarray as the bowlers could not go past the bat in a threatening manner and the opening partnership bounded past the century mark. It was only on 143, of which Gayle made 83, that he shouldered arms to a Patel delivery from round the stumps that took off stump and gave India some respite.But if they harboured any hopes of one wicket leading to another, they were misplaced. Ramnaresh Sarwan, seemingly hell-bent on taking the attack to the opposition, batted positively, always on the front foot trying to force the ball away. India’s cause was not helped by Brian Jerling, the South African umpire standing in his first Test, refusing to entertain even the most earnest appeal from Kumble. Perhaps Jerling, like Ganga, was looking for the elaborate turn that simply was not there, but he denied more than one close shout that might otherwise have been given, and drove Kumble to distraction.At the end of the day, though, Ganga, who has come under some fire for his recent performances, was still at the crease, reposing the faith his captain had placed in him. Ganga was unbeaten on 64 from as many as 187 balls, Sarwan had 44 to his name and West Indies would be utterly pleased with their efforts. With rain perpetually around the corner and the pitch playing so true, it already seems asking too much to expect a result from this game unless West Indies put 600 on the board by the end of the second day, and India collapse. It could happen, but a sensible man would not bet on it.
South Africa’s tour of India will not be affected by any Delhi police interest in questioning Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje over their supposed links to match-fixing, according to Gerald de Kock, the South African cricket board’s media manager. He said that both players were available to be interviewed by the relevant authorities ahead of the tour, which is due to start on November 14.”We have heard nothing from the Indian authorities in any case,” said de Kock. He then denied suggestions that Gibbs and Boje, who were implicated in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing saga, would be detained for questioning by Indian police if they travelled to India, saying there was no basis for such speculation.”There’s no chance of them being arrested as they land, but if the Indian authorities would like to interview Herschelle and Nicky, then they must just let us know,” he said. “We would need to get legal representation for the players and arrange a suitable time and place for the interviews. But there has been no official request.”South Africa are due to play two Tests in India, the first at Kanpur from November 20 and the second at Kolkata from November 28.
Less than a year after its inception, Twenty20 cricket continues to gather momentum. Earlier this week Cricket Australia announced that it had agreed in principle with the England & Wales Cricket Board to play a one-off international during next year’s Ashes tour, and now Victoria’s leading clubs are preparing to vote on whether to launch a midweek version of the game next season.A report in Melbourne’s Age explained that the clubs would vote on the idea on June 21. “It’s slather and whack, 20 overs – there’s something happening every ball,” Peter Binns, Victoria’s cricket manager, told the newspaper. “I think the bowlers hate it because they get smashed all over the place but it is a really exciting concept. We think it gives clubs a great opportunity on a Tuesday night, for example, to make a real evening of it, invite the local mayor down and supporters and sponsors.”The proposal being discussed is for six groups of three, organised by regions, in a month-long evening competition. The Age added that the final might even be played under lights at the MCG.Twenty20 was launched last summer in England and attracted considerable media interest and large crowds. South Africa followed suit in March, with similar success, and yesterday Pakistan announced that the format would be incorporated into their domestic schedule in the coming season.
Philip Weston, the 29 year-old Worcestershire left-handed opening batsman who joined the county in 1989, has been released from the final year of his contract. He has joined Gloucestershire on a two-year deal.Weston appeared in 170 first-class matches for Worcestershire, scoring 9,132 runs at an average of 34.07 with 17 hundreds. He was not as well-suited to limited-overs cricket in which he played 128 matches, scoring 2,157 runs at an average of 20.94 but he did manage two centuries.He captained England at Under 19 level and in 1991 scored 146 in an Under 19 `Test’ against the Australian Young Cricketers side captained by Damien Martyn and including Adam Gilchrist.He comes from a sporting family of the highest pedigree. His brother, Robin, has played for Durham, Derbyshire and Middlesex, while father, Mike, played minor counties cricket for Durham and was a notable rugby union international winning 29 England caps.Director of cricket at Gloucestershire, John Bracewell, said: "For some time we have been searching the country for a tall left-handed opener who likes to get forward. The last two years, we have witnessed Philip Weston’s skills from the wrong side of the county line. We believe Philip has the skills to contribute in all forms of cricket and, at the age of 29, is in his most productive years.”The players and I believe that Philip is a major signing for us in our pursuit of the best balanced team in county cricket.”We welcome both Philip and his wife Sarah to GCCC and wish him every success."
"A reward for the players" says Peter Anderson after victory at Canterbury.Minutes after seeing Somerset gain a resounding victory over Kent in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy Chief Executive Peter Anderson told me,"This is a fitting reward for the players after they have struggled in the one day matches for much of the season. At last they are playing with some consistency."He went on "it was good that they achieved this result without any major input from Andy Caddick, Marcus Trescothick, Jamie Cox or Peter Bowler. It was a good all round performance, especially from our bowlers who bowled very well."With regard to the semi final tie he said "We’re looking forward to playing Warwickshire at Taunton, and we will expect a full house for the match."It is likely that the club will erect a portable stand to accommodate an extra thousand spectators, which will increase the capacity for the match to 7500.Details regarding tickets will be made available as soon as the club get them, but the advice from Mr Anderson is to get tickets early.
Wilfried Nancy finally picked up his first win in charge of Celtic on Sunday with a 3-1 win over Aberdeen at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership.
The French head coach had lost his first four matches in the dugout for the Hoops, the worst start by any manager in the club’s history, and he will be hoping that this latest result can kickstart a successful tenure in Glasgow.
Goals from Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney, and James Forrest earned the hosts all three points, but there were still several players who underperformed, including Johnny Kenny.
Why Johnny Kenny should be dropped by Celtic
The Ireland international was given another chance to lead the line up front for the Scottish giants, with Kelechi Iheanacho out with another injury, and failed to take it.
Per Sofascore, the 22-year-opld centre-forward failed to find the back of the net from four shots on goal, as he missed two ‘big chances’, before being taken off in the 70th minute.
Unfortunately, sloppy finishing has become a theme for Kenny in the Premiership this season, as he missed an absolute sitter in the defeat to Dundee United earlier in the week.
The Irishman has missed a staggering nine ‘big chances’ in six starts in the league this season, including four in the last two matches, which is why Nancy must drop him from the side for the clash with Livingston next time out.
Nygren, who has scored eight goals in all competitions this season, could be an interesting option for the manager to call upon as a replacement for Kenny.
Kenny, though, is not the only undperformer from the win over Aberdeen who should be dropped from the line-up for the game against Livingston.
The Celtic flop who should finally be dropped by Nancy
These last five games will have been incredibly informative for Nancy as he gets to learn which of his players he can trust and which of those he cannot, like Kenny.
Chalkboard
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Unfortunately, first-choice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s performances continue to suggest that he is set to fall into the latter category, as he struggled once again against Aberdeen.
The veteran Danish shot-stopper had a nightmare for ten-man Aberdeen’s equaliser in the second-half, as he was slow to get down to Bilalovic’s shot, which bounced off the goalkeeper’s hand and went backwards into the back of the net.
Schmeichel, who was given a 4/10 player rating by 67HailHail, conceded one of the two shots against him in the game and won zero duels, which shows that he had little to do in the match aside from the goal that Aberdeen scored.
Unfortunately, it was not a rare mistake from the experienced goalkeeper. Just a couple of games ago, the ex-Premier League title-winner was caught out for Jonah Ayunga’s header in the League Cup final.
On top of those clear errors in the last few matches, Schmeichel has conceded 2.31 more goals than expected in the Premiership based on the xG of the shots against him, and 1.58 more than expected in the Europa League, per FotMob.
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Nancy, therefore, must finally drop the 39-year-old flop from the starting line-up, as well as Kenny, because he has been a liability between the sticks this season, domestically and in Europe.
24/25 Premiership
Viljami Sinisalo
Appearances
6
Save percentage
78.9%
Clean sheets
2
Error led to goal
0
Goals prevented
+2.52
Goals conceded
4
Stats via FotMob
As you can see in the table above, second-choice Viljami Sinisalo performed well when given an opportunity in the Premiership last season, conceding 2.52 fewer goals than expected.
His 0.42 goals prevented per 90 would work out at 15.96 goals prevented over a 38-game season in the league, whilst Schmeichel is currently on course to concede 5.32 more than expected with -0.14 goals prevented per 90, per FotMob.
These statistics suggest that the Finland international, who is yet to start a league game this season, has the potential to be a big upgrade on the Danish number one as a shot-stopper.
Sinisalo has not played a single minute for Nancy in any competition in the last five matches, but he should finally be given a chance to play because of Schmeichel’s poor form.
Celtic now plotting move to sign Championship striker who Sutton called "unplayable"
ScorecardDurham scraped home by six runs against Lancashire in an exciting match in the FP Trophy at the Riverside Ground. With the balance swinging first one way and then the other, the result was in doubt until the end, and it was the home crowd who went home celebrating.Despite a reasonably sunny morning after days of cloud at Chester-le-Street, Lancashire put Durham in bat, presumably because of a lot of moisture in the pitch. Quick scoring was difficult for everybody.Not that this appeared to be the case when Sajid Mahmood bowled a short, widefirst ball of the match to Michael Di Venuto, who slashed it through the coversfor four. Di Venuto was not permitted to continue the good form he showed againstYorkshire, however, as with just 9 to his credit, his partner Phil Mustard soldhim a dummy by calling for a single straight to square leg. He was run out forthe third time in four dismissals, and the fourth time this season.After 15 overs, Durham had struggled to 35 for 3, the bowler mainly responsiblebeing the impressive Kyle Hogg, who bowled his ten overs off the reel for 19runs, collecting the wickets of Mustard and Kyle Coetzer. Recovery came through thetwo South Africans, who added 101 together. Neil McKenzie fought his way tosome sort of form with 32, while Dale Benkenstein was more fluent with 64 off108 balls. He eventually skied a pull off Lancashire’s debutant StephenCheetham, whom he had earlier pulled for six. Cheetham took two wickets, butgenerally bowled too short.As Durham’s later batsmen struggled, a total of 200 seemed unlikely, but GaryPark came to their rescue. After playing himself in, he ran to 42 not out off37 balls, hitting two successive sixes in the final over, bowled by Mahmood. Mahmood is not proving successful as a death bowler at present,following his final over that conceded 17 to Yorkshire a week ago.Graham Onions, Durham’s pace bowling hero in their mid-week championship matchagainst Yorkshire, began with a ragged over, but tightened up to ensureLancashire struggled for runs. The real strangler was Callum Thorp, whoseopening spell of eight overs cost only eight runs, and Lancashire began to losewickets as they fought in vain to keep up – after 30 overs, they were only 81 for3. A vital blow to them was the loss of Stuart Law for 8, run out by a finepiece of fielding from Park. On the other hand, their opener Mal Loye wascrucially dropped at slip off Steve Harmison when he had 32.Slowly Loye and Steven Croft fought back, but they were struggling against arequired run rate of more than six an over. They needed 54 from the last eightovers, but there were six wickets in hand and a close finish beckoned. SteveHarmison was Durham’s man for the moment. Loye, looking a little desperate,finally skied a catch for 77, trying to hit him out of the ground, and Croftsoon followed, caught at the wicket for 48. At 170 for 6 in the 45th over,Lancashire were up against it.They needed 26 from the last three, but an over from Gareth Breese cost 11, despiteseeing Luke Sutton dismissed. Hogg, the most likely batsman to do the job,edged Thorp to the keeper for 15, and 11 were needed from the final over,bowled by Onions. Two runs scored off three balls, then Marshall was caught atthird man; the last wicket needed nine runs off the final two balls. AlthoughOnions was not at his best, Mahmood was unable to pull off the near-miracle,and Durham were home. Harmison had the best figures of 3 for 44, but Thorp’sten overs for just 14 runs and a wicket was also crucial.
Michael Vaughan is confident he will be back to lead England in the second Test against West Indies next week after opting to miss the series opener to ensure he recovers fully from a broken finger. Vaughan had set his heart on making his first Test appearance since December 2005 at Lord’s on Thursday after finally overcoming a string of injuries, mainly to his knee.A broken middle finger on his right hand put paid to that, although Vaughan admits he was sorely tempted to declare himself ready to play. “My heart was saying ‘just go out and play’ – but my head overruled the heart,” Vaughan said.”I knew I could probably just about get through a game. But I might have struggled a bit in the field. I just thought it might be too big a risk. I was told if I get one more hit on it I could be out for two months.”In the meantime, Vaughan will be part of Team England at Lord’s and he makes no apologies for his intended presence, while his stand-in Andrew Strauss is directing affairs on the field. Vaughan wants to establish a successful working relationship with new coach Peter Moores, himself preparing for his first Test after replacing Duncan Fletcher.”I’m going to be around this week,” Vaughan said. “I know it’s a magnificent talking point for many – but I am the England cricket captain, looking like missing just one game.”Andrew will take the team out and make the decisions on the pitch, but I have to have a huge say in and around the team because of the fact it’s a new regime. Peter and I are working together for the first time – and a week later I hope I’ll be back as England captain.”