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The DDCA was warned twice from different sources that the Kotla pitch needed a lot of attention before the fifth ODI

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Dec-2009Among the several alerts, official and otherwise, raised about the condition of the Kotla pitch is one from the very highest level: An ICC team inspecting the stadium in connection with the 2011 World Cup passed a scathing indictment of the pitch and said “a considerable improvement of the pitch block” would be required to “make the pitch more acceptable” for Sunday’s game.The chief executive of the ICC Haroon Lorgat, speaking in New Delhi on Monday, did not comment on whether this report would have any bearing on the investigation of Sunday’s fiasco but said it would be taken into consideration.”There is an ODI at this venue on 27th December 2009 and considerable improvement of the pitch block will be required by then to make the pitch provided more acceptable” said the report, a copy of which is with Cricinfo. The inspection was carried out on November 4, three days after third ODI of the India-Australia series.That game, and earlier games during the Champions League Twenty20 where batsmen struggled to counter the low and slow nature of the various pitches on the square, was noted in the November report. “During the Champions League and the India vs Australia ODI series, it was well documented that the performance and condition of the pitches at the stadium were a cause of concern for the players,” the report said.The problem with the Kotla pitch – which has already been relaid four times in the last five years under four different curators – stems from the decision, taken immediately after the second IPL was shifted to South Africa, to relay the entire square. During the Champions League Daljit Singh, till Sunday the head of the BCCI’s grounds and wickets committee, said it would take about a year for the re-laid pitches to get seasoned. That point of view seems to have been overlooked with the Indian board deciding to stage at Kotla first the Australia ODI and, within two months, the game against Sri Lanka.The ICC’s inspectors, though, were never in doubt about the quality of the surface and their report offered some prescriptions for the longer term. “The pitch block was reconstructed recently and it is clear to see that there are some important issues with the present condition of the pitch surface that it is essential to address prior to CWC 2011.”As a remedial measure it suggested that the surface level across the entire square needed to be “readjusted in several areas” to help in growing the grass. The DDCA ground authorities, working with Daljit, had been experimenting with the grass, which resulted in the tufts of green spread across the pitch on which Sri Lanka batted.There has been much talk of differences between local and centralized pitch officials and this was clear to the ICC inspection team. “It was apparent when speaking with the local officials that they are reluctant to openly discuss the problems they are having with the pitch and that they are to some extent in variance with the BCCI Pitch Consultant (Daljit Singh) regarding how they are to move forward to resolve the problems with this surface.”According to the ICC team the DDCA were adamant on replanting the pitches with local grass, which they felt would take care of the problem. But that idea was fraught with dangers. “To simply replant without this major renovation of the surface would be a major miscalculation, and would result in inadequate pitches at a later date,” the report said.”The dead and the decaying grass and roots left in the soil profile will break down into organic matter and will contribute to the dilution of the clay content of the soil and contribute to the pitches produced in the future being slow in pace, spongy in texture, and would tend to generate slow and inconsistent bounce from the pitches in the future.”

Christian Pulisic was delighted with AC Milan's "big win" over Rennes in the first leg of the Europa League knockout round play-off tie.

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Milan beat Rennes 3-0 in Europa LeagueLoftus-Cheek and Leao score in first legPulisic thrilled with 'big' play-off tie winGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

A Ruben Loftus-Cheek double and Rafael Leao's fine finish secured Milan a comfortable win against the French side on Thursday night at San Siro. While Pulisic didn't score or get an assist, he and fellow USMNT international Yunus Musah were solid against the Ligue 1 outfit. And after the match, the former Chelsea man took to social media to toast the victory.

AdvertisementWHAT CHRISTIAN PULISIC SAID

In an Instagram story, Pulisic, who has scored seven goals and bagged six assists for Milan since his£17 million ($22m) transferto the Italian giants from Chelsea last summer, wrote: "Big win!", followed by several photos of the match.

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

AC Milan face an outside chance of winning Serie A this season as they are eight points behind leaders Inter, with their rivals having a game in hand, too. However, the Europa League offers the Rossoneri, who dropped out of the Champions League earlier this season, a good opportunity to pick up major silverware.

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WHAT NEXT?

Pulisic's Milan take on Monza in Serie A on Sunday evening, before travelling to Rennes for the second leg of their Europa League play-off clash next Thursday. If they win that, they will be in the hat for the round of 16 draw on February 23.

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Uma das principais apostas do Peixe vindo das categorias de base, o atacante Kaio Jorge inciou como titular o empate do Santos por 1 a 1 contra o Santo André na noite desta quarta-feira, na Vila Belmiro, partida que marcou a volta do Campeonato Paulista após mais de quatro meses de paralisação, por conta da pandemia do novo coronavírus, válida pela 11ª rodada da competição.

O atacante se mostrou feliz com o retorno aos gramados e a confiança depositada pelo técnico Jesualdo Ferreira em escalá-lo entre os 11 que começaram o confronto diante do Ramalhão.

– Fico feliz com a confiança que o professor e meus companheiros tem depositado em mim. Espero poder seguir trabalhando para ir buscando essa sequência de jogos, agarrando as oportunidades que aparecerem para dar o melhor pelo Santos – afirmou via assessoria.

– Nunca havia ficado tanto tempo sem jogar, e ontem na hora que a bola rolou a sensação de alegria foi instantânea – completou.

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Kaio Jorge já havia sido titular na estreia santista na temporada, quando a equipe empatou em 0 a 0 contra o Red Bull Bragantino, na Vila Belmiro, pela primeira rodada da competição estadual, no dia 23 de janeiro, o que também marca a primeira partida do camisa 19 como titular pelo Alvinegro Praiano.

Já na primeira atuação pela Libertadores, o atacante saiu do banco de reservas contra o Defensa y Justicia (ARG), no estádio Norberto Tomaghello, em Buenos Aires, e marcou o gol da virada por 2 a 1, o seu primeiro como profissional.

Com a iminente saída de Eduardo Sasha, que acionou judicialmente o Santos, por conta de pendências financeiras, solicitando a rescisão unilateral do seu salário, a ideia é que Kaio tenha mais oportunidades sob o comando de Jesualdo Ferreira, podendo, inclusive, se fixar entre os titulares.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

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Ciente da importância do clássico contra o Palmeiras, neste sábado, às 16h, pela oitava rodada do Campeonato Paulista, o lateral-esquerdo Felipe Jonatan, titular em todas as partidas do Peixe até o momento, prometeu um Santos diferente no duelo deste fim de semana. Diante das críticas pelo desempenho abaixo da média na temporada , o lateral-esquerdo promete um DNA ofensivo no próximo jogo.

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– Time estará mais aguerrido dentro de campo. Tenho certeza que amanhã o Santos vai ter uma nova cara dentro de campo. Faremos um grande clássico. Respeitamos muito por ser um clássico. O importante é mostrar bom futebol e o DNA ofensivo.

Criticado pela fragilidade defensiva, o camisa 3 admitiu a necessidade de evolução, mas salientou sobre a falta de aproximação time santista, que corrobora com os gols sofridos pelo lado canhoto.

– A gente fala internamente sobre isso. Tenho muito que evoluir ainda. Se prestar atenção nos jogos, acho que precisa de mais aproximação. Contra o Ituano, se eu não acompanho o lateral, eu levo bola nas costas. Se eu faço o que fiz, o cara pode acertar o chute de rara felicidade. Acho que falta aproximação e timing para conquistarmos as vitórias.

O elenco encerra a preparação para enfrentar o Alviverde nesta sexta-feira. O time viaja nesta noite a São Paulo e dorme na capital.

The nerveless Portuguese superstar proved decisive once again as Real Madrid scraped past Juventus, but who joins him in our all-star selection?

Alisson | GoalkeeperRoma's highly-rated shot-stopper Alisson made 10 saves against Barcelona, with seven of those coming at Camp Nou, where he kept his side in the tie before keeping a crucial clean sheet in the return fixture. The brilliant Brazilian is making an increasingly strong case to be considered the best goalkeeper in the world right now.AdvertisementGettyRafinha | Full-backThe versatile defender was called from the bench to replace an inadequate Juan Bernat in Sevilla, helping Bayern Munich come from behind to seal a 2-1 away win. With first-choice left-back David Alaba sidelined for the second leg at the Allianz Arena, Rafinha was chosen ahead of Bernat, and put in a determined and disciplined defensive display, finishing with more tackles and interceptions than anyone else on the pitch as Bayern kept the clean sheet they needed to advance.GettyDejan Lovren | Centre-backThe much-maligned Dejan Lovren is always prone to making costly mistakes but, credit where it's due, he was impeccable in both of Liverpool's wins over Manchester City. Alongside Virgil Van Dijk, who would have earned inclusion had it not been for his error in the build-up to Gabriel Jesus' goal at the Etihad, the Croatian restricted Pep Guardiola's fearsome side to just three shots on target over the course of 180 minutes.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty ImagesKostas Manolas | Centre-backHaving put through his own net in rather unfortunate circumstances at Camp Nou, Roma defender Kostas Manolas responded in heroic fashion in the return. Not only did he carry a defence that shut down Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, he then went and netted the tie-deciding goal, prompting one of the most passionate celebrations we've seen in years!

Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, has made several claims about procedural irregularities in the BCCI and IPL, including cases where he faces legal action. Modi’s statements, made to the TV channel, were in response to a growing controversy also involving India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, after it appeared that she helped him secure documents to travel out of the United Kingdom, where he has been living since 2010.The claims have also pointed to the close links in India between cricket and politics, with several of India’s senior ministers holding top positions in the BCCI for the past few decades.Modi left India after the 2010 IPL, around the same time the federal finance ministry launched several investigations into IPL-related issues. In 2013, Modi was expelled for life by the BCCI after a disciplinary committee found him guilty on eight counts of indiscipline and misconduct. That committee was headed by Arun Jaitley – who is now the country’s finance minister and the man whose department is investigating Modi.Those investigations led to Modi’s passport being revoked by the Indian government, essentially confining him to the UK. According to a story published by on June 14, Modi had last year sought a certificate of travel from the British government to travel to Portugal, where his wife was due to undergo surgery. The British government refused the certificate on the grounds that Modi was effectively a fugitive from Indian law, but acceded after Swaraj’s assurance that India had no objections to Modi travelling.This led to Modi obtaining the certificate and travelling to Portugal. Within days, he won a case in India to have his passport revocation overturned and he is now free to travel on the strength of that passport.However, Swaraj’s decision to help Modi – which she said was on compassionate grounds – has created a storm in India on several counts. One of them is that Modi was, at that point, effectively a fugitive against whom the Indian government had several cases. Another reason for controversy is that Swaraj’s daughter is Modi’s legal counsel in the cases, and the minister’s intervention was at the very least a conflict of interest. Other sticky points include whether Swaraj’s ministry went through the finance ministry in approving Modi’s request, and whether her action was a quid pro quo for Modi helping her nephew with a university admission in the UK in 2013.Modi has had a fractious relationship with India’s politicians, who have over the past few decades controlled the BCCI. The imminent cause of his fall from grace was his decision to take on a junior minister in the then Congress government, Shashi Tharoor, over the sale of IPL franchise rights to what became the Kochi Tuskers franchise.In his interview on Tuesday, Modi said the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, which investigated allegations of financial irregularities and subsequently recommended his ban, indicted him without giving him a fair opportunity to present his case. “That committee didn’t let me come on air,” Modi said. “The day I was supposed to come on air and go on to trial with them, that’s the day when they decided to end the committee.”He also said N Srinivasan’s office excluded him from all financial activities pertaining to IPL 2009, which was moved to South Africa and later came under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India’s finance ministry for contraventions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act.”(Arun) Jaitley was part of the process of moving it to South Africa. So was Mr. Srinivasan. So was Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia. So was Mr (Sharad) Pawar. I was just a member of that committee. The decision was taken by the committee.”I have said the BCCI was wrong in the way they operated the financial accounts in South Africa. That’s the basis on which the ED has penalised the BCCI for Rs 1600 crore.”It is my reply to the ED which says very clearly that (then BCCI president) Shashank Manohar proposed that the BCCI should open accounts in South Africa subject to RBI approval. I was excluded by Mr Srinivasan’s office in their financial process.”He said in writing, ‘I am deciding how the bank accounts will be operated, and I will decide how the money will be transferred.’ He made a committee – and this is the core connection – and he decided not to take the Reserve Bank of India’s approval, and decided on that basis to transfer money out. I had no role to play in that and I have shown clearly in my documentation to that effect.”

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Sem Daniel Alves, suspenso, e muito provavelmente sem Juanfran, que se recupera de contratura na coxa esquerda, o São Paulo terá Igor Vinícius como titular da lateral direita contra o Atlético-MG, às 16h de domingo, no Morumbi. E, acredite, o torcedor não está preocupado com a falta dos veteranos.

O momento do jovem de 22 anos é tão bom que ele está perto de receber uma boa notícia – ser comprado pelo Tricolor – e admite que sonha com outra – disputar a Olimpíada de 2020, em Tóquio.

O São Paulo tem até dezembro para comprar 50% dos direitos econômicos de Igor Vinícius por R$ 2 milhões – ele pertence ao Ituano e está emprestado neste momento. A diretoria está decidida a mantê-lo.

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– Tem o boato, todo mundo diz que está tudo certo. O São Paulo está totalmente protegido, só não fica comigo se não quiser. Tem mais ou menos um mês para definir a situação, eles já estão conversando com meus empresários também. Para mim só passaram que estão gostando da postura, do atleta. Eu fico feliz e procuro melhorar a cada dia. Tem um tempo para definir ainda, pouco tempo, mas espero que eu continue vestindo essa camisa, está sendo um sonho para mim estar no São Paulo – disse o garoto, em entrevista ao LANCE!.

Já a caminhada para disputar os Jogos Olímpicos pode começar nesta sexta-feira. A Seleção Brasileira sub-23 será convocada por André Jardine para o Torneio de Tenerife, na Espanha, que será disputado na data Fifa de novembro (entre os dias 15 e 19). Igor, que esteve em uma pré-lista de convocados para o Torneio de Toulon neste ano, disputa com Emerson (Bétis) e Guga (Atlético-MG).

-Estou na expectativa, sim, desde o Torneio de Toulon. A diretoria conversou comigo, falou que eu estava entre os 35, aí eu já comecei a colocar como objetivo. É um sonho que eu tenho desde criança vestir a camisa da Seleção Brasileira e estou trabalhando para isso. Sei que tem mais uma convocação e, para conseguir, tenho que estar bem aqui. É o que eu estou procurando fazer, indo bem nos treinos, nos jogos, porque é isso que vai me dar a oportunidade de vestir a camisa da Seleção.

Na entrevista abaixo, Igor conta que a confiança dos companheiros e a convivência com Dani Alves e Juanfran foram fundamentais para sua nítida evolução. Após terminar o Paulistão em baixa, principalmente por suas dificuldades defensivas, o garoto agora tem na bagagem duas grandes atuações nos dois clássicos vencidos pelo time em 2019, contra Santos (3 a 2) e Corinthians (1 a 0), ambos no Morumbi.

Leia a entrevista completa:

LANCE!: Você perdeu espaço após um jogo contra o São Caetano, na última rodada da fase de grupos do Paulista. Talvez tenha sido sua pior atuação aqui. Agora, vem de uma grande exibição contra o Corinthians. O que mudou entre essas duas partidas?
Cara, a confiança. A equipe confia bastante em mim hoje, eu consigo produzir mais do lado do campo, a bola chega com mais facilidade para mim. Começa daí, os jogadores começarem a ter confiança de jogar contigo. E também da minha parte, de jogar mais tranquilo, as jogadas começam a acontecer com mais naturalidade. Fico feliz com essa evolução do segundo semestre. É o que eu buscava. Quando cheguei, falei que não adiantava jogar tanto no primeiro semestre e não jogar nada no segundo. Procurei evoluir e estou conseguindo manter.

Você mudou alguma coisa na sua rotina ou na maneira de pensar para conseguir essa evolução?
A minha cabeça sempre foi muito tranquila. A equipe não viveu um momento muito bom no primeiro semestre, a gente sabe disso, teve momentos conturbados, eliminação na Libertadores… Mas a gente se encaixou agora no segundo semestre, conseguindo fazer boas partidas. Acho que é a confiança do torcedor em você, do time, e a cabeça é o principal, você saber que pode entrar e pode produzir bem mesmo em uma equipe com tantos jogadores de nome, como Hernanes, Pato… Eu também sou útil e sei disso.

Hoje você parece muito mais confiante e firme nas divididas. Foi um dos pontos altos da sua atuação contra o Corinthians. Concorda?
Eu aprendi que a gente tem sempre que ganhar os confrontos individuais, isso traz o torcedor, dá confiança. Consequentemente, as jogadas com a bola vão acontecer. É uma coisa que tenho colocado, sim. Não comecei tão bem na marcação, eu sei disso, e é uma coisa que eu trabalhei muito. Posicionamento, marcação, chegar no momento certo… Deu uma evoluída e eu sinto isso também.

Quem te ajudou nessa evolução defensiva?
Todos os treinadores que passaram conversaram muito comigo sobre isso, de posicionamento, de atacar no momento certo. O próprio Dani quando chegou, a gente começou a olhar no dia a dia, o Juan, que é um exímio marcador, jogou em uma das maiores escolas de marcação, o Atlético de Madrid. Convivendo com esses caras no dia a dia não tem como, você acaba pegando um pouco. A gente observa, eu procuro aprender o máximo possível.

Você percebe que o Daniel e o Juanfran têm atenção especial com você?
O Dani, desde quando chegou, no primeiro jogo, já me deu vários conselhos. Eu procuro estar observando no dia a dia, quando dá para conversar com ele eu converso. Uma coisa que ele pede muito para mim é sempre ficar ligado, não desligar do jogo. Ele diz que a mania do jogador brasileiro é estar bem e desligar. Mas tem que estar sempre ativo, sempre ligado, porque uma hora ou outra você pode dar uma brecha. Não pode um cara que ganhou tudo na carreira estar concentrado os 90 minutos e eu que estou começando relaxar. Isso não existe. O cara ganhou tudo e dá a vida dentro do campo, fica focado os 90 minutos. Por que ele ficou tanto tempo lá na Europa? Tanto tempo na Seleção? É por causa disso, então tenho que seguir a mesma linha.

Esse ano está dentro das suas expectativas iniciais ou acima?
Em um time grande, a gente quer primeiro mostrar que merece vestir essa camisa, que merece estar aqui no ambiente que tem tantos jogadores com história enorme no futebol. Acho que estou conseguindo mostrar isso no dia a dia. É um ano que está superando um pouco as expectativas. Não é fácil chegar em uma equipe que tinha o Bruno Peres, depois chegou o Daniel Alves, Juanfran… E está sendo um ano bom, estou conseguindo ter sequência de jogos mesmo com tantos jogadores de nome na posição. Lógico que a gente não pode nunca estar satisfeito, mas está sendo um ano bom para mim.

E o trabalho do Diniz? Está gostando?
Ele conversa bastante individualmente com todos os jogadores, nessa semana mesmo ele já conversou comigo umas duas vezes. Ele procura dar confiança para todos os jogadores, para quem está jogando e quem não está jogando. É importante para o jogador não se sentir menos valorizado dentro do elenco. É um início de trabalho muito bom, ele está conseguindo colocar os conceitos dele, a gente está comprando a ideia, a gente acredita na filosofia. Acho que é um passo importante para ele chegar onde pretende com a gente. Estamos nos dando bem, o elenco está gostando, é um trabalho muito bom.

Ele se preocupa muito com os fundamentos básicos?
Ele fala que o difícil a gente faz muito. Ele diz que todo mundo aqui faz o difícil muito bem, então tem que procurar fazer um pouco mais o fácil na hora de você sair com a posse. Ali não é hora de você dar mais de dois toques na bola, tem que definir rápido. E acho que é o certo mesmo, porque você está próximo do seu gol. Aí na frente, ultrapassando as linhas, vem a individualidade do jogador. Ele conversa bastante, tem muito trabalho de passe para aprimorar cada vez mais.

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O sinal de alerta está mais do que ligado no Ceará. Com seis jogos sem vencer, a equipe de Enderson Moreira despencou na classificação vê a temida zona de rebaixamento se aproximar a cada rodada.

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Neste meio de semana o adversário é o Cruzeiro, adversário direto na luta contra a queda e o ídolo Ricardinho não quer dar bobeira dentro de casa diante da Raposa.

‘Temos um adversário direto e a oportunidade de voltar a vencer. Estamos criando, mas futebol é resultado, e precisamos disso o mais rápido possível. Precisamos dos três pontos. Temos que acertar mais no último terço de campo para podermos definir melhor as situações. São detalhes, mas depende da gente trabalhar um pouco mais e ser mais efetivo’, analisou Ricardinho.

Após 20 rodadas disputadas do Brasileirão, o Vozão está na 14ª colocação, com 22 pontos, quatro a mais que o Fluminense, primeiro time do Z4.

O último triunfo do Ceará no torneio nacional aconteceu dia 10 de agosto, quando derrotou a Chapecoense, na Arena Castelão.

Peter Moores has rejected the accusation that late changes to England’s ODI strategy contributed to the team’s nervous show in their opening game of the World Cup against Australia

George Dobell in Melbourne15-Feb-2015Peter Moores has rejected the accusation that late changes to England’s ODI strategy contributed to the team’s nervous show in their opening game of the World Cup against Australia.But while Moores denied any “panic”, he accepted that big-match nerves may have affected some players and admitted that England “didn’t deliver” at key stages of the game. In particular, Moores said the bowlers failed to deliver enough yorkers and agreed the team had “to move and move fast” if they were going to challenge in the tournament.Australia won by 111 runs at the MCG, with England missing two chances in the opening five overs – including centurion Aaron Finch before he had scored – and conceding 102 runs from the final nine overs of the innings. In reply, they limped to 92 for 6 before James Taylor provided some consolation with an unbeaten innings of 98.The game featured some significant changes to England’s recent ODI template. Chris Woakes, who had opened the bowling in the previous 13 ODIs and took a five-wicket haul (including two wickets in the first over) in his last warm-up game, was demoted to first change, while Taylor, who had batted at No. 3 since returning to the team on the Sri Lanka tour, was moved to No. 6. Gary Ballance replaced Ravi Bopara in the side and, having not played a List A game since September, batted at No. 3.”There was no panic,” Moores, England’s head coach, said. “I can categorically say, no, players were not unsettled by changes. It’s a red herring. We weren’t unsettled.”You don’t drop a catch at square leg because you think you think you should be opening the bowling. That wasn’t the case … Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad will both tell you they can do either role: bowl with the new ball or come on later.”We asked James Taylor to go into the middle order. He’s played there a lot. He feels he’s very strong there because of his adaptability. He likes the role. And it was the first time Gary had been available for selection a month. He’s had a broken finger. He played in the practice game and played very well. He looked in good form, he looked good in practice and he did his fielding. We felt he was ready. It gave us a nice balance to have him at No. 3.”When we announced the Sri Lanka squad, I said the one bloke who we weren’t taking which was most frustrating was Gary Ballance. That is on record. He’s an outstanding cricketer.”‘Morgan quality will come through’

Peter Moores said that Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, was “as frustrated as everybody” about his run of poor form. But Moores denied that Morgan’s slump was similar to that of Alastair Cook, who lost the captaincy weeks before the start of the World Cup.
“It’s not the same as the Alastair Cook situation,” Moores said. “For Alastair it was over time. For Eoin, you’re going back less than a month since he scored a brilliant hundred at Sydney.
“But he handles himself well. He’s practising and doing everything in the right way. He has played a long time. So, this is a case for support. He had to back himself, get out there and trust that his form will come back and his quality will come through.”
Of England’s decision to drop Ravi Bopara for their opening World Cup match, Moores said it had been a very close call.
“He’s a really good player, but he’s not quite playing as well as he’d like. We wanted some more stability in the middle with the bat – we thought Taylor would give us that – and we’ve seen Ballance playing well and think he has Test quality. It was a paper-thin decision.”

Moores did accept, though, that nerves may have played a part in England’s modest performance. “To be under pressure in front of a big crowd…. that happens,” he said. “And sometimes people make mistakes.”The players have to ask: did we play the game, and the style and brand of game, we wanted to and if we didn’t, we have to look at how we’re going to do that going through the tournament.”Each individual has to look at himself and ask: did he get the best out of himself? We know it’s a tough place to play – big crowd, big occasion, the opening of the World Cup – but all players went in knowing that.”We didn’t go in saying ‘It’s just another game’ at all. We knew it was a special occasion. It was going to have a level of pressure that, for some players, was different and you have to respond to that.”They’ve been through it now and they’ve been through it early. If people didn’t feel they got the best of themselves, they have to look at how they do next time. Because to win things and do well you actually want to get into pressure games. By the end of these tournaments, they’re all pressure games.”England’s death bowling was especially – though somewhat predictably – modest and Moores accepted that mistakes had been made.”We didn’t do ourselves justice,” Moores said. “The disappointing thing from the day is that we had an opportunity to put a marker down of how we were going to play and we didn’t do that.”Have we under-used the yorker? Yes. We have under-used it. But it wasn’t just about execution in this game. Our plans weren’t as good as they could have been.”England were criticised for dropping short, which was apparently intended to make Australia’s batsmen try to hit square of the wicket, but Moores said the choice of delivery was less important than making sure the correct field was set for it.”I think, in this game, the players were sucked into the width of the wide boundaries and felt that was the best option,” he said. “You have to set the right fields for that and we didn’t always get the right fields. So we have to go away, look at that and decide what we are going to do. We have to move and we have to move fast because these games are going to keep coming and the last 10 to 15 overs aren’t going to go away. There’s no point hiding from it. Those situations are going to come again and again.”The yorker is a really good ball. But you you’ve got to bowl the right ball to the right field. If you look at the stats for the best in world cricket, they don’t just bowl yorkers. They bowl to simple plans.”Mitchell Starc is a yorker bowler, but some are not and they bowl a heavy length with slower balls. You have to go to your strengths. So we have certain bowlers who lend themselves to going full with yorkers; others won’t use it quite as much.”The key for whoever bowls at that time is to be clear and committed in what they’re trying to do. And then bowl to their field. It’s a tough thing. There are only four men out, rather than five, so that’s harder … And wickets are always king. If you don’t get wickets then you’re going to be put under pressure at some stage.”We can’t hide from our own problems. We’ve got to get better. We’ve improved as a fielding side, we were disappointing here. And at the death we didn’t get it as well as we have. There are areas where we didn’t deliver.”England flew from Melbourne to Wellington on Sunday night and play their second match, against New Zealand, on Friday.

Steve O’Keefe picked up five wickets on his return from the Test series in the UAE to deliver a 168-run win to New South Wales over South Australia at Adelaide Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2014
ScorecardSteve O’Keefe enjoyed his return to the Sheffield Shield•Getty Images

Steve O’Keefe picked up five wickets on his return from the Test series in the UAE to deliver a 168-run win to New South Wales over South Australia at Adelaide Oval. In a match that went down to the wire, South Australia were set 330 for victory and although the target was out of reach it looked like they might hold on for a draw.However, the last wicket fell with five overs remaining in the evening’s play, when Tim Ludeman was bowled by Mitchell Starc, who collected 3 for 53. The chase had started solidly when Phillip Hughes and Andrew McDonald put on 79 for the opening wicket, before McDonald was lbw to O’Keefe for 30.The next three batsmen – Callum Ferguson, Tom Cooper and Travis Head – all fell for ducks, and Hughes also fell for 69 among the carnage. O’Keefe was able to run through much of the tail and finished with 5 for 24 from 25 overs.His most remarkable wicket came when Adam Zampa drove hard and struck the fielder at silly point, and the ball ricocheted high and into the hands of Starc at midwicket.Earlier, the Blues had declared at 5 for 392, having added 73 to their overnight total for the loss of one more wicket, that of Scott Henry for 142.