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

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

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.

Subscribe for Inside Access to Celtic Team Analysis Gain tactical clarity on Celtic squad choices — subscribe to the newsletter for focused lineup verdicts, player-form breakdowns and goalkeeping analysis that deepen your understanding of selection debates and team direction. Subscribe Subscribe for Inside Access to Celtic Team Analysis Gain tactical clarity on Celtic squad choices — subscribe to the newsletter for focused lineup verdicts, player-form breakdowns and goalkeeping analysis that deepen your understanding of selection debates and team direction.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

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.

Related Celtic now plotting move to sign Championship striker who Sutton called "unplayable"

They desperately need an attacking addition.

Posts 1 ByTom Cunningham

Western Australian medium pacers Damien Martyn and Kade Harvey have combined to lift their team to a two-run victory over Tasmania in a thrilling Mercantile Mutual Cup encounter between the teams here at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart today. It was a stunning triumph which not only capped another of the cliff-hanger finishes that have loomed large over this season’s competition but which also came after the home team had appeared to be well in command.More than anything else, this will be remembered as a day of heartbreak for the Tasmanians. Plagued by a poor history of results in one-day cricket, and a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, they allowed both maladies to come back and curse them again. Through long periods of the match, they had seemingly held the upper hand; by its conclusion, though, success had escaped their clutches once more.”We should have won the game,” bemoaned home skipper Jamie Cox following the defeat. “They didn’t actually win the game; we lost it.””We had two blokes playing nicely. But for some reason, we didn’t keep our heads … which is really disappointing.”Having amassed what could be described as no more than a competitive score of 8/246 from their fifty overs (on a beautifully true pitch) and then watched as the Tasmanian batsmen made exemplary progress toward the target, the Warriors, by contrast, could barely believe their good fortune. With their opponents only four wickets down and requiring just twenty-six runs off the final six overs, the act of revival engineered by Martyn (2/12 off three overs) and Harvey (1/67 from ten) was little short of spectacular. They conjured a remarkable turnaround which saw Shaun Young (70) and Dene Hills (20) hit catches high into the leg side and permitted only a tentative twenty-three runs to be added to the total. The Western Australians’ jubilation by the end was about as palpable as the gravity of the Tasmanians’ stumble.”It was a bit tense, wasn’t it?” beamed Martyn after the match. “There wasn’t any plan, really; luck was on my side.””We know they’re young guys,” he said of the inexperienced pairing of Andrew Dykes (5* off ten deliveries) and Scott Kremerskothen (6* from eight balls) that was left to attempt to lift the Tigers to victory as the wheels rapidly began to come off around them.”It’s hard batting at the end anyway and once we got the two experienced guys (Young and Hills), we felt we were a real big chance,” opined the current international one-day player.Martyn’s two wickets and Harvey’s concession of six runs from his closing spell of two overs allowed them to walk away with most of the individual plaudits. But the visitors also owed an enormous debt of gratitude to youngster Simon Katich and the experienced duo of Tom Moody and Jo Angel.It had been Katich (73) and Moody (68) who had provided the batting impetus to an innings that had otherwise been devoid of momentum through the morning. Until finally the victim of a mistaken decision to attempt a fourth run from an off drive in the forty-sixth over, the left handed Katich continued a love affair with Bellerive that has seen him amass runs here voraciously over recent seasons. Particularly strong through the off side, his driving from the front foot was a feature.At the other end in their rapid-fire stand of 125 for the fifth wicket, Moody was also in sparkling form. He was more productive off the back foot than his partner but also played a number of crunching cover drives. Crucial in the final analysis was the duo’s capacity to capitalise on a bizarre decision from Cox to throw part-time spinner Hills the ball in the forty-fourth over. In such a tight match, the twenty-one runs that were smashed from Hills’ six deliveries of naked turn assumed critical importance.Around the dismissals of Adam Gilchrist (5), Ryan Campbell (13), Justin Langer (17) and Martyn (31) through the opening half of the morning session, the Tasmanians had in fact held a very firm upper hand initially. Leading an attack which rebounded strongly from the hammering that it received at the hands of New South Wales last week, Young (1/36 off ten overs) and teenage paceman Brett Geeves (1/23 off seven) stood out, but the Tigers’ general accuracy and control was impressive throughout the early stages.Although unable to make any more than one incision – the caught and bowled of Michael DiVenuto (13) – Angel (1/25 from ten overs) later produced his own brilliant spell of bowling, without which the Warriors would well and truly have been on their way to defeat. Relying on impeccable length, the veteran right hander conceded a mere nine runs from the opening seven overs of the afternoon at the River End. At a time when his teammates were being savaged by the likes of Young (70) and Cox (61), it was a performance which did enough to keep the Western Australians in with a glimmer of a chance. And in the end, the lifeline that he had thus thrown his team proved decisive.

New South Wales 281 & 8 for 563 dec beat Victoria 216 & 370 (Jewell 99, White 57, Crosthwaite 50, Casson 4-128) by 258 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Simon Katich captained New South Wales to the Pura Cup and was named Man of the Match after making 86 and 92 © Getty Images

New South Wales became the Pura Cup champions for the third time in six years with a 258-run win over Victoria after Beau Casson grabbed four wickets on the fifth day. Nick Jewell looked set to pick up a consolation century but his dismissal for 99 was indicative of Victoria’s season – so near and yet so far.The Bushrangers were consistent enough to make all three domestic finals, however for the second summer in a row they had to settle only for the Twenty20 title. The Blues, on the other hand, had a terrible limited-overs campaign yet completed the Pura Cup undefeated and deserved the triumph.Even without their Australian stars returning for the decider, New South Wales would have been hard to beat. As it was, Brett Lee picked up five wickets and made 97 in his first Pura Cup final, Stuart Clark grabbed handy victims and Michael Clarke contributed a useful 64.The Blues had batted Victoria out of the contest on the fourth day and they began the final morning wondering only if they would secure the title with a victory or a home draw. They knew how the Bushrangers felt as New South Wales started the fifth day of last year’s decider 567 behind, with ten wickets in hand away from home against Tasmania; Victoria had eight wickets up their sleeve and were down by 532.It looked like being a quick kill when David Hussey (31) drove Lee to cover in the first over of the morning without adding to his overnight score. However, Jewell and Cameron White combined for a handy 115-run stand, Adam Crosthwaite chipped in with a half-century, Bryce McGain posted his highest first-class score and the last pair, Dirk Nannes and Shane Harwood, combined for 52 to extend the match to within ten minutes of tea.Casson bowled 29.3 overs unchanged on the fifth day and finished the job with McGain caught at bat-pad for 25 before finally trapping Nannes lbw for 32. New South Wales celebrated and as their major contributors, including the captain, Man of the Match and Player of the Series, Simon Katich, and the centurion Phillip Hughes, grabbed stumps, the injured Doug Bollinger and those who made way for the international stars, such as Mark Cameron, joined the fun on the SCG.Katich made 86 and 92 and passed the all-time record for most runs in a season during the decider, but said the only thing that mattered was the title. “The main thing is we’ve got this trophy in the cabinet,” Katich said. “It’s nice to have done well but this is what means the most. I’m just so proud of the boys.”The Blues had endured a longer wait for the party than they anticipated after White and Jewell frustrated the hosts through most of the first session. White entertained the crowd with consecutive sixes pulled and slog-swept off Casson before he skied a catch to mid-on on 57, giving Clark a wicket in his first over of the day.That started a mini-collapse as Casson had Andrew McDonald (4) caught at silly point and Jewell was lbw to Clark from the last ball before the break. It was a disappointing end for Jewell, who wanted a healthy score to help him confirm his spot as Victoria’s No. 1 opener for 2008-09 after averaging 31.31 for the season before this innings.He was in a more positive frame of mind than usual, freed of the burden of expectation as Victoria knew they could not win the match. Jewell narrowly missed his first six of the summer when he pulled Stuart MacGill marginally short of the midwicket boundary, and he cover-drove and flicked through the legside with confidence.Like Jewell, Crosthwaite could not afford to throw his wicket away as he aimed to stay in front of Matthew Wade as Victoria’s preferred wicketkeeper. He helped himself to 50 – he previously had only one half-century from a first-class career spanning four seasons – before Casson’s wrist-spinner stayed low and struck the stumps.The win was the 45th domestic first-class title for New South Wales – the first 42 were Sheffield Shields and the remaining three were Pura Cups. They will return in 2008-09 as defending champions of a competition that will have either a completely new name or an old familiar one, as the Pura Cup is farewelled and the Sheffield Shield could be reinstated.

Following Australia’s 3-1 Ashes defeat to England in 2010-11, then chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch unwittingly heaped further ridicule on his panel by stating he felt they had done a “very good job” that series.There were no such prevarications from Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann this time around, as he weighed up the implications of an identical margin with one Test of this series to play. Asked how much responsibility he and the selection chairman Rod Marsh took for the team’s predicament, Lehmann was blunt.”A lot,” he said. “As a coach and selectors we’ve got things wrong at certain times, there’s no doubt about that. We’ve got to own up like players have to and everyone else that our performances weren’t good enough, full stop. We’ve got to work on how we’re going to move forward.

Darren Lehmann on…

• Too much aggression overseas: “I think England played good, aggressive cricket this series to be perfectly honest. We just didn’t adapt well to have times to play aggressive cricket to stay in long enough to be able to get the bowlers into their third or fourth spells and be able to play aggressively then.”

• Steve Smith’s shot selection in Nottingham: “I think Steven would admit himself that he probably let himself down in shot selection. He knew what England were going to do, and that’s a learning curve for everyone. Everyone’s learning, coaches, players, and it’s all about getting better.”

• Depth coming through: “We’ve got some good depth, we’ve just got to stick with them. We’ve got to pick and stick a little bit now and make sure we’ve got the right formula for different tournaments, different formats and making sure we’re not just discarding players really quickly. If we pick young guys we just have to stick with them a bit and ride the wave.”

• Chris Rogers and Adam Voges: “They’ve played well. Adam’s struggled but played really well here which is pleasing for him. So we just need to sit down and think about that, how we want to go about it and what we think the best future for Australian cricket is. There are going to be tough calls somewhere, we’re not afraid to make the tough call.”

• More county cricket for Australian players: “I think it was a great experience for me. It’s very hard in the schedule now to fit that in for bowlers. That’s probably the hardest thing, and that’s something we have to look at as a whole cricketing body how much cricket’s being played. That’s a different discussion point.”

“For us it’s about working out what our best line-up is in different conditions and making sure we’ve got players who can adapt between spinning wickets and seaming and swinging wickets and making sure they can cover both formats really well. We’ve got a bit of thinking to do and reviewing what went wrong. So it’s about getting batsmen who can bat long periods of time and bowlers who can put pressure on, day in and day out.”Specifically, Lehmann admitted the selectors should not have abandoned their long-held policy of employing an allrounder in Test matches. Mitchell Marsh was dropped for his brother Shaun, unbalancing the bowling attack – Mitchell Starc was left to bowl an 11-over spell at one point – while the extra batsman made no difference at all to a ghastly first innings 60 and an ineffectual 253 in the second.”I spoke to Rodney this morning and we wanted the extra batter and spoke to the captain about it in this particular game, but we’ve always wanted five bowlers, so we probably got that selection wrong,” he said. “Happy to admit when we’re wrong, you don’t get everything right, and that’s a good learning curve for us.”We’re really strong on having five bowlers and we didn’t do that this game. In the end it didn’t matter, we only bowled once and we didn’t bat well enough, so that’s a learning curve for us. We’ll look at all areas where we can improve. That’s just what you do after series like this and try and move forward. We’ve had some really good results, this obviously not being one of them.”Lehmann also raised a query about the fact the selectors were left to choose a single squad for dual tours of the West Indies and England. The first trip provided a vastly different set of conditions and challenges to the other, even down to the fact the Caribbean matches were played with a different version of the Dukes ball. Lehmann and Marsh were left to drop Shane Watson and Brad Haddin after one Test in England, making their selections look near enough to redundant.”We’ve had that discussion as a selection panel and that was a tough one for us,” Lehmann said. “End of the day we were guided a bit by above and how we wanted to move around from West Indies to England. But if we had our time again we’d probably prefer to pick different squads at different times.”Logistics and other things come into it that are way above my head. But if we had our time again we’d probably like to pick separate squads and then see what comes from the West Indies tour leading into an England tour.”The team’s capacity to learn, both from matches in the past and also mistakes earlier in this series, was highly questionable at times. Lehmann actually reckoned the Australian Test side of 2013 had performed better than this one, a poor reflection on his own work and that of his support staff including the assistant coach Craig McDermott, batting coach Michael Di Venuto and fielding coach Greg Blewett.”Fair to say that. I think we played better [in England] in 2013 to be perfectly honest and that’s probably answers your question. We certainly didn’t cope with the swinging or seaming ball in the last two Test matches well enough and that’s something we have to get better at. Our preparation was fine, I can’t complain about the work ethic from the lads either. We got out-skilled by a very good cricket team in England.”With a new leadership axis about to form between Lehmann and Steven Smith, the coach agreed he faced a challenge to keep his own methods fresh in a role he has now had for more than two years – his longest coaching stint at any single team. Smith’s elevation to the job will provide a sea change of sorts, but Lehmann will also have to find new ways to thrive, provided he decides to stay on.”For me it’ll be how we develop as a side now,” Lehmann said. “And the transition of players that’s probably going to happen. So for us it’s about making sure we pick the right players with the right way we want to go about things. And look they’re fantastic, but if you’re going to have that transition of older players and new players and that’s going to be an exciting challenge not only on me as a coach but also the coaching staff and players adapting to different places.”I’m actually looking forward to the last Test. I think it’s going to be a great last Test match, and very enjoyable for England. But we’ve got to try to get a result there for us. And then you’ve got the one-dayers, the one-day guys coming in which will keep us fresh as well. You’ll have new players. That does keep you fresh and excited. You’re on the road a long time, no doubt about that, but I’m still a cricket nuffy and love watching cricket. Don’t like watching 60, though.”

Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, praised the way Ben Stokes has reacted to the furore surrounding his obstructing the field dismissal at Lord’s on Saturday. While Stokes was clearly shocked by the decision, he did not attempt to linger at the crease once the decision was made and, when he spoke on Sunday night for the first time about it, was quick to say it was time to move on.Stokes’ emotions have previously got the better of him after a dismissal, most famously when he punched a locker in Barbados and broke his hand after falling for a duck in a T20 amid a low run of scores last year, after which he had anger management classes with England’s sports psychologist, Mark Bawden. There were signs of his more mature outlook earlier this year when he managed to smile his way through being saluted off the field by Marlon Samuels in Grenada.Speaking before the Ashes, Stokes admitted that there was a chance an incident could occur again although more likely when he was bowling – “I’m not sure cool and calculated is the right way to describe my batting, but my emotions certainly do come out when I’m bowling” – and in the recent Ashes he had been “filthy” after being run out while jumping to avoid a throw in the Lord’s Test.”I thought Stokesy handled it very well,” Bayliss said. “In the changing room after the game he was very philosophical about it – ‘that’s the game, I’ve got to get on with it.’ From what I have heard of Stokesy before, it could have been worse, but he is certainly making strides. He is growing up, not just as a cricketer but as a person.”Bayliss suggested that someone of Stokes’ match-winning capabilities was likely to find themselves in difficult situations.”With guys like that, there is special attention from the opposition to try to get those emotions out of them – and certainly that is something he is beginning to learn. I said to him as we were leaving, ‘Well done, I thought you handled that very well.'”Steven Smith, the Australia captain, has been criticised from various current and former players – including Brendon McCullum in his column, who said Smith’s decision not to withdraw the appeal showed “immaturity” – and while Bayliss did not mind seeing the opposition captain under pressure he expected Smith, who he coached at New South Wales, to be unfazed.”Whether it was the right decision or not to call him back or keep the appeal, he’s a big boy. He’ll be able to handle that. My advice to him would be to go with your gut instinct. Not everyone’s going to like what you do 100%, no matter what decision you make. You’re always going to have enemies and friends.”

Pakistan’s strong record against England in the UAE remains intact, even though there is no longer a chance of them emulating the 2012 series by completing a 3-0 clean sweep. However, in the wake of England’s near-miss in the fading light in Abu Dhabi, where they came within 25 runs of a remarkable victory, Pakistan’s captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, says his team needs to take the visitors much more seriously for the remainder of the series.Pakistan started the first Test with a major setback when their legspinner Yasir Shah was ruled out due to a back spasm. For the first four days, the pitch was cursed for its slowness and unresponsiveness but on day five the twist started when Pakistan collapsed swiftly to set England up for their race against time.”Obviously that match is gone and there were some positives and some negatives,” Misbah said ahead of the second Test in Dubai. “At the end of the day it was important for us, in whatever situation we were, we had to save the match. I think this [Dubai] venue is better suited for spinners and more result-oriented. The team which plays spin well and have better spinners, they have a good chance.”This is a very important Test for us,” he said, “so we are positive and have to improve our performance. We are looking forward to good cricket. We have to take them seriously and we already are. I think it maybe is different in perception for the viewers but I am saying this from the first day. They are a professional team and are very determined.”They have learned from their previous mistakes in the past and are a totally different team and that is what we have seen [in Abu Dhabi]. So we have to lift our performance if we want to win.”Misbah praised the lengths to which England went to stay in contention in the first Test, when the inexperienced nature of their batting line-up in particular might have played to Pakistan’s strengths, much as they had done in the last UAE series three years ago.”I have already said that this is a young team and obviously being knocked out in 2012 they know they have a goal and are much more prepared than before,” he said. “We have to just get a breakthrough and we have to really work very hard to counter their plans on what they are doing. At the moment they have really shown some good resilience and they really played well in the first Test match.”Pakistan’s record in Dubai is not quite as good as at Abu Dhabi, but formidable nonetheless. They have won four of their eight matches with two defeats and two draws, and spin, unsurprisingly, has been their decisive weapon. Pakistan has three spinners to call upon – the fit-again Shah, as well as the left-armer Zulfiqar Babar and the offspinner Bilal Asif, who has been called up as cover.”I think it is a typical Dubai pitch it should suit us,” said Misbah. “But at the end of the day we have to play good cricket and that is the only way to do well in a game and win a game. As far as the look of the pitch, it is just what we want.”Bilal, who was reported for a suspect action following the third ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare earlier this month, underwent testing in Chennai on October 19 but is available for selection because ICC protocol allows him to continue bowling until the result of his test is known. That is likely to take another couple of weeks.”That is not an issue for us,” said Misbah, when asked if having a bowler with a suspect action was a concern. “If that had been an issue for us he would not be here. If he is here we are confident enough to pick him for the Test match. We are looking how we go in our combination, if he just settles in or if he is there in our combination, we will definitely pick him in the eleven.”We think that he is [correct in his action], that is why we have been really supporting him and promoting him and picking him. He has just gone through the test. We think his action is okay and that is why he is here.”

Shoaib Malik, whose unbeaten 96 had kept Pakistan on course during a severely tense chase of 277 in Harare, admitted he was disappointed by the way the match ended after the umpires took the players off for bad light. At the time, Pakistan needed another 21 runs to win in two overs with two wickets in hand. But with play being curtailed, Duckworth-Lewis calculations indicated the visitors were short by five runs.”The way we were batting then, I think the game was in our favour,” Malik said. “Obviously there are certain ICC rules and we have to follow them. I think overall it was a great game, but at the end of the day it’s a little bit disappointing the way it ended. But being a professional cricketer and representing your country, you have to follow certain rules and regulations.”Malik batted for almost 42 overs and helped Pakistan recover from a precarious 76 for 6. He added 111 runs for the seventh wicket with Aamer Yamin, who struck a maiden ODI fifty, and an unbeaten 63 for the ninth wicket with Yasir Shah.”I had one thing in my mind,” Malik said. “If we play the full 50 overs, then we might have a chance. The minute that Aamer Yamin came in he gave me that hope, ‘okay I’m here and I can hit boundaries’. So he started hitting boundaries and I started taking singles. And it was just one thing that I always had in my mind during the game: that I have to play until the 50th over. And whichever way the game goes, either to Zimbabwe or us, I still have to play the fifty overs.”Yamin departed with 90 still needed from 61 balls and Pakistan were left with three wickets in hand. But Malik insisted he never felt the game had slipped away. “I never thought of it that way. The way [Yamin] batted, he gave us hope. Even when Yasir Shah came in, the way he was batting I think the pressure was on the Zimbabwe team. It’s like a team thing. Obviously we lost, but at the end of the day we have achieved a lot from this game.”Earlier in the day, three of Pakistan’s top-four batsmen had fallen playing aggressive strokes. But Malik said an attacking approach had been part of the visitors’ gameplan. “The way cricket is going I think you have to play aggressive cricket, and that’s what we even talked about in our meeting before this game. Sometimes you lose wickets, sometimes you score runs. It’s part of the game.”Malik also gave credit to the Zimbabweans for the way they played, singling Elton Chigumbura out for particular praise. “We started off well bowling as a unit, but obviously we must also give credit to the Zimbabwean batsmen, especially [Chamu] Chibhabha and Chigumbura. Especially Chigumbura and the way he batted at the end. There are areas of improvement for us, which we’ll look at and come back hard.”

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, admitted to the IPL’s brand value taking a hit in the aftermath of the 2013 spot fixing scandal, but stressed on the market not having lost faith in the tournament and Indian cricket.”As far as the branding is concerned, I personally feel yes, we got a hit,” Thakur said, while officially unveiling Vivo as the IPL’s title sponsor for the next two years. “In the last couple of years, we have struggled. But we have brought reforms in the last few months. That has paid off.

Mini-IPL proposed for CLT20 window

Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has hinted at the possibility of unveiling a new domestic T20 tournament during the window that was earlier allocated for the now-defunct Champions League T20.
“After eight seasons of the IPL, we can proudly say that we have given a tournament which is successful, vibrant, and where talent meets opportunity not only for the Indian cricketers but also globally,” Thakur said.
“Today if we’re thinking of getting rid of one of the domestic T20 leagues, say for example the Syed Mushtaq Ali – I am not saying that we are going to do it – you have another set of tournaments where you have six to eight teams using that window to give opportunity to more players and play in that center.
“They will get the opportunity to earn more, play with better talent, and the competitive cricket will help Indian cricket to build better bench strength. That is just talk; I have thrown the idea about.

“We had four people lined up to bid for the title sponsorship. I am glad that Vivo came on board. They wanted to be partners for the next seven to twelve years but we had the option to go for only two years. As far as the brand is concerned, cricket is still a popular game and IPL still remains one of the strongest brands.”While he declined to spell out the names of the four interested corporate entities, he hinted that some of those “first-generation companies” will soon be unveiled as BCCI/ IPL partners. Thakur also added that the BCCI’s recent move to introduce ‘no conflict of interest’ declarations among representatives of its affiliates and former cricketers was an outcome of the 2013 scandal.”If you look at it, that’s an initiative taken by the BCCI, because where the incident started, when it happened, if someone in that crucial position was unable to take any call at that time, was that because of conflict of interest? Has that dented the image of the BCCI? In future, how you can take precautions?” he explained.”We wanted to draw a line somewhere against anyone having a conflict of interest, irrespective of whether he is a coach, player or administrator, so that the image doesn’t get any dent or no such untoward incident happens in the future. We are trying to create a paper which makes it clearer. We are trying to circulate a paper to all the members to come back with the various relations and clarifications, which will be discussed in the upcoming AGM on November 9.”

Robin Smith Photo © Paul McGregor

Hampshire hammered Harmison for 34 runs in three overs to canter to afive-wicket victory over Durham in their NatWest Trophy fourth-round match atChester-le-Street. The home county, batting first by choice, were never really in the contest after they had been dismissed for only 91 runs on a damp wicket.The visiting bowlers shared the wickets. Alan Mullally bowed tidily in his run-up to the NatWest Series triangular tournament and John Stephenson added to his 2-31 by joining Giles White in a 40 runs opening partnership – enough for him to be made Man-of-the-Match.Harmison contributed to the batsmen being able to play themselves in by bowling five wides and being hit to the boundary five times (two more than the entireDurham team managed). Robin Smith (23 n.o.) then steered Hampshire to victory with a sound innings in a low scoring match which would have been lower still but for the extremely high number of extras.Durham captain Nick Speak said that the team had decided to bat first butthat the pitch was quite unsuited for a limited-overs match. He did not envy the groundsman his job – to put it mildly. The pitch needed moisture to bind effectively but today there was no chance to dry out. He could not recall an occasion when the ball had deviated so much off the seam.Speak had taken eighty deliveries to compile his own undefeated 15. Heunderstood the disappointment of Harmison, who is on the edge of an international career, but with so few runs on the board his lack of accuracy was critical. Harmison had some success when Stephenson (20) was caught at the wicket, but then Smith hit him to the boundary three times through the off-side.John Wood took over with the score at 68-2 after 14 overs and Hampshire lostsoon lost three wickets. By then the damage had been done and the loss of 35 extras did not help Durham’s cause.

Holders Rest of India would have been reasonably satisfied by the events that unfolded on the opening day of their Irani Trophy clash with hosts Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Murali Kartik and Sharandeep Singh held sway for the better part of the day with some teasing spin bowling but Rest allowed their opponents to claw their way back in the last hour and quarter. First a pesky last wicket pair added 42 to give the Mumbai total a modicum of respectability at 260. Then two late strikes by the Mumbai pace duo saw Rest totter to 23/2 in six overs batting and pave the way for an interesting contest tomorrow against the host team’s own three man spin attack.Mumbai began the morning watchfully against the new ball with first class debutant, Vinayak Mane, being entrusted with the job of opening with Wasim Jaffer. This was after Amit Pagnis had announced on the eve of the match that he had switched affiliation to Railways this season. Mane was in a spot of bother against Ashish Nehra twice edging just short or wide of the slip cordon. The seamers were getting good carry with keeper Ajay Ratra routinely collecting the ball at shoulder level. The introduction of Murali Kartik in the 16th over altered the tone of the game. In Kartik’s first over Mane gave him the charge hoisting one over long on for six. When Mane rashly went for a walk again to a well tossed up delivery, the bounce defeated him and he was stranded down the wicket as Ratra took the bails off.Jaffer was stroking the ball with assurance and a square cut off Shukla, his seventh boundary, brought up his fifty off 66 balls. Lefthander Kiran Powar did not keep him company for long. Kartik crowded him with four fielders around the bat rightaway and soon enough Powar was snapped up at slip by Laxman, driving away from his body. Kartik had his tail up now but was unlucky to have Jaffer dropped at the same position by Laxman off the last ball before lunch.The hundred of the Mumbai innings came up shortly into the second session but Kartik’s stranglehold over the batsmen continued. Jaffer was bowled off his legs for 56 while launching into a sweep and Kartik almost had two in two balls when Nishit Shetty turned one through Ramesh’s legs at leg slip for what would have been a sharp chance.Dodda Ganesh struck in the next over bringing one back sharply off the seam as Majumdar played back to win a leg before decision from umpire Jayaprakash and Mumbai were in a pickle at 114/4. Laxman rotated the seamers for a while at the pavilion end before belatedly turning to off spinner Sharandeep Singh in the 47th over. The proceedings had become quite soporific as Dighe and Shetty cautiously strove to earn the innings a semblance of respectability. Finally Dighe decided to throw caution to the winds, hoisting Sharandeep over long on for six in the off spinner’s second over.As if waiting for the cue from his skipper, Shetty went down on one knee and flatbatted Kartik over midwicket in the next over. But two balls later Kartik surprised him with a quicker delivery outside off stump which got the edge as it zipped through to Ratra. He finally came off after a splendid unchanged spell of 19-5-36-4. At the other end Sharandeep was finally getting into his rhythm and delivered a major blow to Mumbai with the first ball after lunch. Skipper Samir Dighe, having played an uncharacteristically subdued knock of 13 from 55 balls, got a tickle through to Ratra as he played forward. A handy bat in the lower order, Ramesh Powar immediately gave Laxmi Ratan Shukla some rough treatment, driving him for successive boundaries.At the other end Mhambrey took up the cudgels against Sharandeep, swinging him into the Sunil Gavaskar stand at midwicket. But Sharandeep was rewarded for his persistence, having the batsman caught one handed by an agile Laxman, diving to his right at first slip. Pawar and Powar chanced their arm with a six apiece but neither showed the resolve to stay at the wicket for long.Powar spliced Sharandeep to Kartik at midon after making a breezy 43 off 36 balls, inclusive of five boundaries and a six. Beanpole Nilesh Kulkarni made a strange contrast with pint sized Rajesh Pawar but they did not keep company for long. Pawar top edged an intended sweep which lobbed up for a simple catch to the keeper, giving both Ratra and Sharandeep their fourth victims of the day.At 218/9 in the 73rd over, Rest of India would have been looking forward to retiring quickly to the dressing room only to be frustrated by Kulkarni amd Santosh Saxena who added 42 in 9.3 overs. Saxena who was bowled by Kartik noball helped himself to a six and two fours off a Sharandeep over to spoil the off spinner’s figures. Finally Asish Nehra was recalled and he trapped Saxena leg before with a straight full toss for 27 (26 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), Mumbai finishing on 260 from 81.5 overs. Kartik with 4/73 and Sharandeep with 4/55 had done the bulk of the damage for Rest which would not have disappointed Mumbai and more particularly Messrs. Kulkarni, Pawar and Powar.It was the Mumbai pace duo however which drew first blood as Rest faced the difficult task of negotiating six overs before close. After flicking Saxena for a boundary, Ramesh was adjudged caught by keeper Dighe. But he made his displeasure known in no uncertain terms, indicating to umpire Bansal that the ball had gone off his thigh.In the third over Shiv Sunder Das was caught at slip by Wasim Jaffer off Mhambrey for a ten ball duck to leave Rest gasping at 8/2. Nightwatchman Murali Kartik (16 not out) eased the pressure, stroking three consecutive boundaries off Mhambrey, all delightfully timed as he played out time in the company of skipper Laxman on whose shoulders much will rest tomorrow.