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سجل نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، الهدف الثاني لصالح كتيبة يورجن كلوب في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد تشيلسي، قبل إلغائه.

ويستضيف ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج” مباراة الفريقين في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من الدوري الإنجليزي، 2023/24.

وتمكن محمد صلاح من تسجيل الهدف الثاني لصالح ليفربول، في الدقيقة 29 من عمر الشوط الأول.

ولكن الحكم لجأ إلى تقنية الفيديو والتي فحصت هدف محمد صلاح، قبل أن تقرر إلغاءه بداعِ التسلل. هدف محمد صلاح الملغي أمام تشيلسي

وكان محمد صلاح قد صنع الهدف الأول لصالح ليفربول، بطريقة أكثر من رائعة، سجله الكولومبي لويس دياز.

ScorecardCameron White was involved in two crucial partnerships•Getty Images

Victoria saw several starts from their top and middle-order batsmen but failed to capitalise on them, especially after Cameron White’s departure for 83. Five of their top six batsmen scored more than 30 each but the Western Australia bowlers made sure they couldn’t go past 312.Put in to bat, Victoria lost Rob Quiney for a duck in the third over to Jason Behrendorff. Chris Rogers and Peter Handscomb took them past 100 with a 107-run partnership but both were dismissed within four deliveries, Handscomb to Ashton Agar and Rogers to Behrendorff. White led the team’s baton from there, first with Matthew Wade and later with David Hussey.Once White was dismissed at the score of 258, Victoria lost their remaining five wickets for 54 runs as Behrendorff, along with Agar and Hilton Cartwright, wrapped up the tail, finishing with 4 for 62. Western Australia survived the four overs in the evening without losing any wicket.

Freddie Coleman, the Warwickshire and Scotland batsman, has pleaded guilty to ball tampering but has escaped an immediate suspension

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2013

Freddie Coleman, the Warwickshire and Scotland batsman, has pleaded guilty to ball tampering during a 2nd XI Championship match against Glamorgan earlier this month but has escaped an immediate suspension.Warwickshire have been fined £5000 and the disciplinary panel said “the club did not provide sufficient discouragement regarding ball tampering.” They were also critical of the captain for the game in question, Paul Best, who they said allowed the tampering to continue with his knowledge.Coleman’s guilty plea and his age, 21, were noted by the panel although they stressed that this was not setting a precedent for any future ball-tampering cases. He was handed a two-match suspension but that was suspended for two years and will come into force if he breaks any further ECB regulations in that period.The panel’s statement said: “Frederick Coleman pleaded guilty to a charge that during a Second XI Championship match between Warwickshire CCC and Glamorgan CCC at Cardiff CC on 7th – 9th August, he knowingly and deliberately changed the condition of the ball in contravention of Law 42.3(b).”Warwickshire pleaded guilty to a charge that a player registered to and playing for them knowingly and deliberately changed the condition of the ball in contravention of Law 42.3(b).”The panel took into account that Mr Coleman pleaded guilty, that he is a young player and that he was allowed to act in this way with the knowledge of his captain. In light of these circumstances, the panel imposed a two match suspension on him. However, this penalty is suspended for a period of 24 months.”The panel wished to make it clear that the personal circumstances of Mr Coleman were taken into account and that the sanction is not to be seen as setting a precedent in any future cases of this kind.”The panel has imposed a fine of £5000 on Warwickshire CCC and the deduction of the points gained in this match. In the panel’s view, the club did not provide sufficient discouragement regarding ball tampering, all types of which are clearly inappropriate and in contravention of the Laws of the game.”Coleman has yet to make a first-class appearance for Warwickshire but has played in their Twenty20 side. He has played two ODIs and a Twenty20 for Scotland alongside two matches in the Intercontinental Cup and has been part of the YB40 campaign. His highest first-class score of 110 came for Oxford MCCU against Worcestershire in 2012.

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim chairman, Najam Sethi, has said cricket in the country has reached its lowest point because of the recent string of defeats and the various controversies

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2013The Pakistan Cricket Board’s interim chairman Najam Sethi has said cricket in the country has reached its lowest point because of the recent string of defeats and the various controversies that have plagued it recently.Pakistan lost all their three matches in the Champions Trophy last month, four of its cricketers have been banned on spot-fixing charges, teams have been refusing to tour Pakistan since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, one of its international umpires – Nadeem Ghauri – has been banned on corruption charges and board president Zaka Ashraf has been suspended by the Islamabad High Court on the grounds of a “dubious” election.”Our cricket has reached the lowest ground,” Sethi said. “We are not winning matches. We are facing allegations of cheating with our players and an umpire being banned, and teams are refusing to tour, so we need to address all that.”Pakistan last hosted a series in March 2009, when a terrorist attack cut the Test series against Sri Lanka short. All Full Member nations have refused to tour the country since then on security grounds. However, Sethi said he is in talks with a few cricket boards and the ICC, and is hopeful of a positive result.”Every country needs assurances on security, and until and unless we give them those they will not tour,” he said. “I have talked to the England and West Indies boards regarding [them] sending unofficial teams, so that we can make a beginning. I have assured the ICC and other countries that a new government has taken over and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is determined to root out terrorism. Based on that they agreed to review our situation, provided things really improve.”The maximum we can do is ask the ICC to review [the situation] after one year, but they demand assurances and demonstrable progress.”Four Test players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Danish Kaneria – are currently serving bans for their involvement in spot-fixing. Salman Butt apologised and confessed publicly recently, and a five-member ICC sub-committee has been formed to look into relaxing certain conditions of the five-year ban imposed on Amir. The committee was formed after the PCB had requested the ICC to consider a few concessions for the young, left-arm fast bowler. Sethi is hopeful that his ban will be relaxed.”I have discussed Amir’s ban with my colleagues in the PCB and we will soon hire a foreign lawyer in the UK to look at ways to get at least 20% relief for Amir,” Sethi said. “I stressed that the international community needed to review his case and I am hopeful that Amir will get the relaxation.”

Bangladesh women will face India for the first time, when they tour the country for three Twenty20s and as many ODIs, starting in Vadodara on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2013

Bangladesh women will face India for the first time, when they tour the country for three Twenty20s and as many ODIs, starting in Vadodara on Tuesday.India have omitted senior batsman Mithali Raj and experienced fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, among others, from the 15-member squad for the series. Batsman Harmanpreet Kaur will take over as captain from Raj, who led India during their first-round exit in the recently-concluded Women’s World Cup.Bangladesh weren’t a part of that tournament. Having started playing international cricket in 2011, they last played the Twenty20 Asia Cup in Guangzhou, reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. Salma Khatun will lead the 15-member side on the ten-day tour, which will end with the final ODI in Ahmedabad on April 12.Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Poonam Raut (vice-capt), Thirush Kamini, Smriti Mandhana, Anagha Deshpande, Sneha Deepthi, Mona Meshram, Nagarajan Niranjana, Archana Das, Poonam Yadav, Ritu Dhrub, Swagatika Rath, Shubhlakshmi Sharma, Sushma Verma, Ekta BishtBangladesh: Salma Khatun (capt), Farzana Haque (vice-capt), Shohaly Akther, Ayesha Akhter, Fahima Khatun, Jahanara Alam, Lata Mondal, Nuzhat Tasnia, Panna Ghosh, Ritu Moni, Rumana Ahmed, Shahanaz Parvin, Shukhtara Rahman, Tazia Akhter, Yasmin Boishakhi

David Warner is preparing to bat with a splint – and through pain – in the first Test in Chennai as he continues his recovery from a fractured thumb

Brydon Coverdale20-Feb-2013

David Warner is preparing to bat with a splint – and through pain – in the first Test in Chennai as he continues his recovery from a fractured thumb. Warner faced pace bowling in the nets on Tuesday and was due to take part in a full fielding drill on Wednesday in what was effectively the final hurdle he needed to clear to prove his fitness after sitting out of cricket since he was struck on the thumb by Mitchell Johnson in the WACA nets late last month.Warner suffered a crack in the joint and he expects to feel pain and have limited movement in the thumb for some time, but that is unlikely to keep him off the field. Warner said only “a proper injury”, one that stopped him from running, fielding or throwing, would keep him out of Test cricket and he said he was prepared to put up with the pain he was enduring in the thumb to play for his country.”I am very confident of playing,” Warner said in Chennai. “I have had four long days of training. I have been hitting for an hour each session to get a feel of hitting the ball and putting myself under fatigue to see if I will get any pain as I go on. I have iced it every time after training. It has been sore, yes, but that’s what is going to happen with a break.”They said to me initially three to four weeks, it’s now coming up to the end of the third week and it is still pretty sore. I am having a full training session in the field [on Wednesday] so I will know then 100 percent if I can catch balls. I caught some balls at 50 percent and felt no pain at all. I have a splint that I can use when I’m in the field, which protects the thumb and while I’m batting. At this present time, I am 100 percent ready to go.”Warner is well aware that if he plays in Chennai, it will not be a pain-free experience. Although India are likely to use a spin-heavy attack, Warner will still need to face Ishant Sharma with the new ball and he is relying on his splint to help protect him from any further damage from rising deliveries.”There is a rubber piece which sits at the end of the thumb, I have a guard that sits halfway underneath and covers the top part so if I get hit, it gets protected,” he said. “I got hit yesterday in the nets on it by a spinner. It was a bit painful but I’m all right. I have a nice hard plastic case as well on the outside so touch wood I don’t get hit but, if I do, I will be right.”Provided Warner gets through the new ball, much of his work in this Test is likely to be against spin, with India considering including three slow men on a dry pitch expected to take plenty of turn. Despite having missed both the warm-up matches, Warner is confident he has the game to succeed against spin in Indian conditions.”It’s important to either get down the wicket or get real deep in your crease,” Warner said. “If you can put them off their game, then you know you’re in for a good day. My game is to be decisive – either go forward or go back. If I’m caught in between, that’s where my downfall is. I feel my game is better where I’m putting the pressure on the bowler. You’ve got to show intent, try and look to score, but that doesn’t mean scoring off every ball. You have to respect the good balls, and when the ball is there to be hit, use your feet.”One of his foes in the Indian spin department could be Harbhajan Singh, who in past series has riled the Australians with his chat on and off the field, and could be set to play his 100th Test in Chennai. Warner, who is arguably the most verbal of the current batch of Australians on the field, said he hoped he could use his bat to end any trash talk.”I don’t think there will be much chirp,” Warner said. “I think that we’re all good mates off the field. I think the IPL has set a good balance between all the nations, because everyone has played with each other in different IPL franchises. When we we’re on the field we’re very competitive. But there is a line there that no one ever crosses.”I know you’re going to get a little bit of banter from certain people but you’re going to have to learn to cop that and that’s how it is. We dish it out at home, we’ve got to be prepared to take it. Come game one, you’ve got your normal culprits as usual … we all know who they are. They’ll come out and start firing but you know what – it will only last probably half an hour if you get on top of them.”

New Zealand’s outgoing captain, Ross Taylor, has said the coach Mike Hesson told him before the first Test against Sri Lanka that he did not want Taylor to lead the side after the tour

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2012New Zealand’s outgoing captain, Ross Taylor, has said the coach Mike Hesson told him before the first Test against Sri Lanka that he did not want Taylor to lead the side after the tour. Taylor was this week offered the reins of the Test side in a joint captaincy scenario in which Brendon McCullum would lead in the short formats, but he declined the offer and made himself unavailable for the upcoming tour of South Africa, declaring his intention to return to the national side when the time was right.Taylor, 28, has not indicated how long he will spend away from the game, and he wished McCullum every success as captain. Taylor’s final act as the country’s skipper was to score match-winning innings of 142 and 74 in Colombo, providing New Zealand with their first Test victory in Sri Lanka since 1998, but neither that nor his strong batting record as captain – he averaged 49.85 as Test leader – was enough to convince NZC to leave him in charge across all formats.On Friday, Taylor released a statement in which he said he had met with NZC on Thursday and “accepted their apology for the way in which matters have been handled”.”I was told of the decision by NZ Cricket to change the captaincy on Tuesday of this week,” Taylor said in the statement. “It was sad and disappointing from a personal perspective but it did not come as a great surprise. [Coach] Mike Hesson, [team manager] Mike Sandle and [assistant coach] Bob Carter met with me just prior to the first Test in Sri Lanka and raised concerns about my captaincy. The following day Mike Hesson said he did not want me to captain the team after the tour.”Obviously the news and the timing was distressing but I was very focused on leading the team and putting everything I had into what was happening on the field, not off the field. It has been a very challenging and pressured time and I don’t believe I can give 100% to the game at this time. I have decided that it is best for everyone if I decline the Test captaincy offer which could be confusing in terms of leadership for the team.”Cricket is my life and my passion. I love the game and I love playing for my country. But taking a break is the right thing for me right now. My family and friends support my decisions that I have made after very serious thought and consideration.”However I want people to know that I am determined to contribute to the Black Caps team in the future and help whoever is in charge to win games of cricket for New Zealand. That is my passion and it will continue to be so. We all need to show leadership in our own way, at all times, regardless of who is in charge.”Brendon McCullum has been named captain and I wish him every success.Taylor also said he appreciated the support of his fans in recent times and said the backing he had received from the public had been “very humbling and has meant a great deal to me”

John Mooney, the man who hit the winning runs for Ireland against England in the 2011 World Cup, has been ruled out of the ICC World Twenty20 due to a serious finger fracture. He suffered the injury when fielding in Irish club cricket, having returned to the game as a bowler while still resting a dislocated thumb sustained last month.”I’m devastated to be missing out on the rest of the season and the Twenty20 World Cup”, Mooney told ESPNcricinfo. “I was playing as a bowler for my club North County at the weekend as I was resting my thumb from batting since I dislocated it against Afghanistan.”I took a sharp chance low to the ground at first slip off Eddie Richardson and looked down to see the top part of my middle finger was floppy. I knew it wasn’t good.”A visit to a finger specialist on Tuesday gave Mooney, who has won 134 Ireland caps, the news he was dreading. “He confirmed I have fractured it and ripped the tendon from the bone,” Mooney said. “I’m in a splint now for 12 weeks where hopefully the tendon will reconnect with the bone. It’s particularly hard to take as I had to fly home from the qualifiers early due to my hamstring injury.Cricket Ireland performance director Richard Holdsworth said the initial hope had been that an uncomplicated break might have had Mooney back playing by September. “We had hoped that it was just a break, and he might have been able to be back playing in 3-4 weeks”, Holdsworth said.”But he has damaged the ligaments and so we’ve reluctantly had to rule him out. It’s a great shame and a setback to him, especially as he was injured in the qualifiers in Dubai. He’s such a big part of the team and we really want him to be there.”Mooney has been a key member of Phil Simmons’ Ireland side since the 2007 World Cup, where he made just one appearance. The combative Dubliner famously struck the final blow as Ireland beatEngland at Bangalore in last year’s World Cup.But an injury sustained while diving for catch in the T20 qualifiers in Dubai in March ruled him out of early season with his club. He recovered and played a short trial with Sussex in June, before he returned early after deciding a county career was not for him.The Irish squad will be released at 9am local time on Friday, with England-bound Boyd Rankin certain to be included.

تقام اليوم السبت 18-3-2023، عدة مباريات هامة ومرتقبة في مختلف البطولات، أبرزها مواجهة الهلال السوداني مع صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

مباراة الهلال مع صن داونز مرتقبة للجماهير المصرية وخاصة الأهلي، لحسم مصيره في التأهل من دور المجموعات أو إنهاء آماله.

طالع | سيناريوهات تأهل الأهلي لدور الـ8 من دوري أبطال إفريقيا بعد الفوز على القطن

وتلعب 5 مواجهات في الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث يلاقي تشليسي نظيره إيفرتون، وتوتنهام مع ساوثهامتون.

ويخوض منتخب مصر الأولمبي مباراة ودية أمام منافسه السودان استعداداً لمباراة زامبيا المرتقبة في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا تحت 23 عاما.

مواعيد مباريات اليوم السبت 18-3-2023 والقنوات الناقلة: مباريات دوري أبطال إفريقيا اليوم:

فيتا كلوب × الوداد، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 3 عصراً بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة  beIN Sports HD 7.

الهلال × صن داونز، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 3 عصراً بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة  beIN Sports HD 4.

سيمبا × حوريا، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 6 بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة  beIN Sports HD 7.

فابيرز × الرجاء، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 6 بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة  beIN Sports HD 4.

شبيبة القبائل × بيترو أتلتيكو، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 9 بتوقيت القاهرة، 10 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة  beIN Sports HD 4. مباراة مصر والسودان اليوم:

تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 6 بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة أون تايم سبورت 1. مباريات الدوري الإنجلزي اليوم:

أستون فيلا × بورنموث، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 5 بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports 2 HD Premium.

برينتفورد × ليستر سيتي، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 5 بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports HD Xtra 2.

ساوثهامتون × توتنهام، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 5 بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports 3 HD Premium.

ولفرهامبتون × ليدز يونايتد، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 5 بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports HD Xtra 1

تشيلسي × إيفرتون،  تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على beIN Sports 2 HD Premium مباراة كأس الاتحاد الإنجليزي اليوم (دور ربع النهائي):

مانشستر سيتي × بيرنلي، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:45 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:45 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة beIN Sports 1 HD Premium مباريات الدوري الإسباني اليوم

ألميريا × قاديش، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 3 بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة beIN Sports HD 1.

رايو فاليكانو × جيرونا، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 5:15 بتوقيت القاهرة، 6:15 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة beIN Sports HD 1.

إسبانيول × سيلتا فيجو، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة beIN Sports HD 1 

أتلتيكو مدريد × فالنسيا، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 10 بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة beIN Sports HD 1 مباريات الدوري الإيطالي اليوم:

مونزا × كريمونيزي، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 4 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على AD SPORTS Premium 1.

ساليرنيتانا × بولونيا، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على AD SPORTS Premium 1.

أودينيزي × ميلان، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 9:45 بتوقيت القاهرة، 10:45 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على  AD SPORTS Premium 1. مباريات الدوري الإلماني اليوم:

هوفنهايم × هيرتا برلين، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 4:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

بوخوم × لايبزيج، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 4:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports HD 3.

أوجسبورج × شالكه، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 4:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

شتوتجارت × فولفسبورج، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 4:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة beIN Sports HD 6.

بوروسيا دورتموند × كولن، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل عبر قناة  beIN Sports HD 3. مباريات الدوري الفرنسي اليوم:

تولوز × ليل، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 6 القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية، وتذاع على قناة beIN Sports HD 2.

لانس × أنجيه، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 10 القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية، وتذاع على قناة beIN Sports HD 2 مباريات الدوري التركي اليوم:

قاسم باشا × عمراني سبور،تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 12:30 ظهراً بتوقيت القاهرة، 1:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

أضنة ديمرسبور × أنطاليا سبور، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 3 بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية.

بشكتاش × اسطنبول سبور، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 6 بتوقيت القاهرة، 7 بتوقيت السعودية. مباريات الدوري السعودي اليوم:

الفتح × الاتحاد، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 3 بتوقيت القاهرة، 4 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة SSC

الهلال × الاتفاق، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة SSC

النصر × أبها، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة SSC

الرائد × الشباب، تقام المباراة في تمام الساعة 7:30 بتوقيت القاهرة، 8:30 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة SSC مباراة أوزبكستان والعراق اليوم في نهائي كأس آسيا تحت 20 عام:

تقام المباراة في تمام 4 بتوقيت القاهرة، 5 بتوقيت السعودية، وتنقل على قناة SSC1 HD وAbu Dhabi Sports Asia 1.

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

The eclectic talents of Italy almost caused a major upset in Abu Dhabi, as Ireland squeezed home by two wickets with two balls to spare

The Report by Ger Siggins in Abu Dhabi15-Mar-2012
ScorecardGary Wilson’s composed innings ensured Ireland didn’t suffer a second upset in three games•Barry Chambers/International Cricket CouncilThe eclectic talents of Italy almost caused a major upset at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, running Ireland to the final couple of deliveries.Italy rely heavily on players of Italian heritage – rather than those born in the country – and were a match for Ireland until the very last over. Italy’s batting was below par, barely scraping past 100, but the slow bowling and fielding ensured a tight finish for Phil Simmons’ men. In the end the margin was two wickets with just two balls to spare as Gary Wilson kept his head in a tense finale.The left-arm spin of Damian Crowley was almost Ireland’s undoing as the Nottinghamshire 2nd XI player took 3 for 12 off four magical overs.Gary Wilson admitted it had been a “smash and grab” win for Ireland. “All we can take from the game are the two points – and run,” he said. “Two or three guys got starts and didn’t go on so we wouldn’t have been in that position if one of them did.”William Porterfield was even more critical of his batsmen. “We made it hard for ourselves in the middle order with a couple of soft dismissals,” he said.Italy won the toss and batted on a slow surface. The Irish fielding was its usual tigerish self and the Italians struggled to get on top of disciplined bowling. Ireland kept the boundary count down once again, conceding just three fours and a pair of late sixes clouted by captain Alessandro Bonora.Ireland offspinner Paul Stirling was given the new ball and responded with two immaculate overs costing just one run, as well as picking up the scalp of Andy Northcote. There was also the novel sight of a 37-year-old New South Welshman bowling to a 38-year-old Tasmanian. Trent Johnston won that contest, bowling a maiden first up, but Michael Di Venuto played a backbone role to top score with 23 off 44 balls as wickets fell around him.After five overs Italy had made just 16, and the half way score of 39 for 2 was no platform for expansion. Middlesex allrounder Gareth Berg stuck around for 19 before he played an awful shot to square leg to give his club mate Stirling a second wicket.Berg and Di Venuto had taken the score to 55 but the Italians lost five wickets for 22 runs as first the spinners cashed in and then Boyd Rankin returned.The 6ft 8in paceman had recorded a T20 career best the day before, and improved on that with two lethal deliveries to send Crowley and Hayden Patrizi back to the pavilion. The Warwickshire bowler has concentrated on bowling at the stumps and was rewarded by seeing the poles cartwheel twice in a fiery second spell.Max Sorensen, who came in for Andrew White, was entrusted with the 18th and 20th overs, and picked up Carl Sandri to a catch in the deep. Bonora took the total into three figures when he just cleared the fielder on the square-leg rope.”If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” they say, but Ireland failed to heed that old saw and separated the pairing of Stirling and William Porterfield that saw them to a ten-wicket win over Kenya. Kevin O’Brien was promoted and carved the first ball to the third-man boundary but perished to the first delivery of the second over, bowled by Carl Sandri. The Melbourne-born offspinner has been in fine form in the tournament and picked up two more scalps to take his total to eight.Porterfield and Stirling put on 25 before the Italians found their range and the Middlesex man edged behind to Patrizi. Ireland then made heavy weather of getting the runs as the middle order departed in a flurry.Crowley caused all sorts of problems as Ireland almost became unstuck.A fantastic piece of fielding by Di Venuto saw John Mooney depart to a direct hit and Ireland were confronted with the serious possibility of an early departure from a tournament they were expected to win.As the tension mounted the cool head of wicketkeeper Wilson was required and he tapped judicious singles before taking on Northcote in the final over. With eight wickets down Ireland still needed seven off five balls, but a reverse sweep reached the fence, followed by a two and a clubbed straight hit to leave Wilson unbeaten on 30 and Ireland joining Italy on two wins out of three.Edited by Alan Gardner