The Mumbai Champs, already out of the reckoning for a semi-final spot, cruised to a consolation 35-run victory over the Chandigarh Lions. The win was set up by a solid batting display, led by their captain Nathan Astle’s breezy 42.Astle chose to bat at the toss, and the Champs lost two wickets before he and Subhojit Paul smashed 60 runs in six overs. Shreyas Khanolkar and Kiran Powar provided useful contributions before Ranjit Khirid provided the impetus towards the end of the innings. He lashed a 21-ball 32 to lift the Champs to 160.Andrew Hall turned in an outstanding bowling performance, finishing with 4 for 8 in his three overs, while Daryl Tuffey, Chris Cairns and Dinesh Mongia went for more than nine an over.After Manish Sharma was run out in the second over, Tejinder Pal Singh and Lou Vincent set up a platform for the Lions’ chase, taking them to 46 before Vincent fell in the eighth over. Shridhar Iyer then struck twice to remove Tejinder Pal and Mongia, and the Lions’ chase looked in disarray at 70 for 4, needing 91 with 47 deliveries remaining.Once Michael Kasprowicz dismissed the dangerous Cairns, the hunt looked all but over for the Lions. They closed at 125 for 8 in their 20 overs, and more importantly lost out on two points in their pursuit of a semi-final spot.
Yorkshire 237 (Marshall 4-47) beat Lancashire 196 (Flintoff 51, Chapple 51, Wainwright 3-31) by 41 runs ScorecardYorkshire ended Lancashire’s unbeaten run in the Pro ARCH Trophy, winning the Good Friday Roses clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium by 41 runs.Yorkshire’s 237 was about par for the course. They should have scored more but none of their batsmen were able to build a major innings, stand-in skipper Anthony McGrath top-scoring with 41. Andrew Gale (32) and Craig White (29) got Yorkshire off to a good start with a first-wicket stand of 66 before legspinner Simon Marshall accounted for White, the first of his four wickets. Yorkshire seemed well set for a late salvo but lost their last five wickets for 28.Lancashire lost early wickets to Deon Kruis and Ajmal Shahzad and at 80 for 5 they appeared on course for a heavy defeat. But Andrew Flintoff and Glen Chapple revived the innings and raised hopes of victory before Flintoff holed out to midwicket soon after reaching his fifty. Left-arm spinner David Wainwright finished off Lancashire with 3 for 31.Flintoff bowled four overs in taking 1 for 22 and said afterwards: “I would love to play a Test match at Lord’s, but the one thing that I am not going to do is get carried away. I know that if I want to play for England, then I have got to be fit. I won’t be able to just walk back into that side.”I have got to focus all my energies on playing for Lancashire. If I can stay fit and perform, then I would hopefully be in the shake up on May 15. It wasn’t too taxing, and I am happy with the way things are … how the ankle is standing up to the rigours of bowling. I am certainly not hitting the crease as hard as I would like, but it feels good and easy.
The Indian Premier League has leading England players in its sights, according to its chairman, Lalit Modi, and is prepared to look at its future dates to accommodate them.Speaking to the BBC, Modi said: “I know a lot of them are interested but we don’t want to conflict with the English season. If that means we have to move our matches a few weeks in advance, we would be happy to do that to accommodate the English players. We would like to see a lot of the English players in the IPL but I cannot commit to them until the ECB actually finds a window and clears them.”Modi has said several times over the past month that English players were interested, and his latest comments seem to be a response to Giles Clarke, the England board (ECB) chairman, who said at the weekend that no English-qualified players could be poached by the IPL. “We have a contract with the BCCI [Indian board] … in that contract, they’re not allowed to take any English players of any kind to play in IPL if there is no No Objection Certificate. The IPL will not play any player who has not received an NOC.”Modi has maintained that the IPL will work with the England board, although earlier this month he suggested that the ECB might “move their season back by a few weeks … then we can have a window. It would be a win-win situation for everybody.”That idea, aside from the meteorological issues, left Clarke distinctly unimpressed. “We are not interested in people playing in the IPL,” he said. “The IPL is a domestic competition and we’re not going to alter our season for a domestic season in another country.”Modi is aware he has to be careful. While as chairman of the IPL he can say what he wants, he has to balance that position with his role as vice-president of the Indian board.The IPL is already impacting on England with several overseas players preferring to play in it rather than start the season with their counties. And while only one England player – Dimitri Mascarenhas – has signed, it has been announced that five of the New Zealand squad for the tour which starts in five weeks will miss two warm-up games because of their IPL commitments.Clarke has maintained that the large sums of money on offer are still not enough to tempt the best in his country. “I don’t think the rewards being talked about are particularly ones England players would be interested in,” he said. “Should any player give up his English contract he would, of course, risk losing his England place. We play international cricket during the time the IPL is on and most players don’t want to lose their international place.”Asked about Mascarenhas, Clarke made clear his position. “As far as the ECB was concerned it was entirely a matter for his employer. Hampshire are taking a serious risk, which they acknowledge, that Mascarenhas might get injured while playing in the IPL and be out for the whole English summer.”One England player who might sign, Modi hinted, is Steve Harmison. Although he has a central contract, it appears increasingly unlikely that will be renewed after a string of substandard performances led to him being dropped from the side in New Zealand.The signs are that the relative harmony that has so far existed between the IPL and the ECB could start to be tested in the coming months as the IPL’s desire to sign up as many of the leading stars grows. That, in turn, could test the relationship between the board and its contracted players.
Geoffrey Boycott would have approved of it: dour batting by Yorkshire against quality seam bowling in helpful conditions, with only one wicket falling in two hours play. Nottinghamshire’s four-man seam attack bowled 30 overs and the hosts made it to 51 for 1, with Michael Vaughan on 25 and Anthony McGrath on 14.It was a surprise that Yorkshire chose to bat against the only other Division One team to win a match so far this season, but their batsmen performed creditably in the best Yorkshire tradition. Most pleasing would be the innings of Vaughan, who had survived for 81 balls at the close.The sun shone early on, which meant that play on a damp outfield started after an early lunch, but more rain fell before tea and forced a premature end. Importantly for Yorkshire they only lost one wicket, that of Joe Sayers, who made 9 off 72 balls. Slow it may have been, but it was an intriguing battle.The main points of interest were the batting of Vaughan and the bowling of his England team-mate and former county colleague Ryan Sidebottom, although they rarely came up against each other. Sidebottom moved the ball away from the left-hander Sayers, tying him down with seven consecutive maidens and the batsman only got off strike with a leg-bye in the last.Vaughan mostly handled the bowling of Charlie Shreck and was off the mark secondball, with a neat dab for three past gully. He was beaten several times, but broke through every now and then with strokes of pure class, such as when he flicked Shreck past square leg for four and then drove the next ball to the cover boundary.He ruined Sidebottom’s opening figures with two more boundaries – an edge through the slips and a classic extra-cover drive – leaving Sidebottom with 8-7-9-0. Vaughan did at times show impatience at being tied down, flashing on a couple of occasions, but Sayers was the one who fell, playing on to Mark Ealham with the total at 32.Stuart Broad, in his first championship match for his new county, also bowled well, getting lift as well as movement. His seven overs cost 14 but he was unable to make a breakthrough.There was a brief and unusual interruption at one stage when a fox seemingly thought it was required as a substitute fielder, straying onto the outfield before disappearing as mysteriously as it had come. Presumably it had been wearing a media pass, or else the gatekeepers had been lax in allowing it in without paying. Perhaps they thought it a costume-day participant who had got his Test dates mixed up.Sidebottom had just returned for a second spell before tea when bad light closed in, quickly followed by rain, and the day’s play was over. More of the same on the second day may frustrate fans who have become used to Twenty20, but it will be strongly competitive in the best traditions of the northern game.
Seamer Glen Querl made an eye-catching entrance to Zimbabwean first-class cricket as a match haul of 9 for 101 from him helped set up a nine-wicket win for Matabeleland Tuskers over Southern Rocks at Masvingo Sports Club.Querl grew up in Zimbabwe and played Under-19 cricket for them before heading to England to further his career, and landing a spot on MCC’s Young Cricketers programme. From there, he was picked up by the Unicorns – a team of non-contracted professionals in the English domestic one-day competition – and become an established member of their seam attack.After a couple of speculative matches for the Mountaineers’ B side at the end of last season, he returned to Zimbabwe and won a contract with Tuskers, sharing the new ball with Keegan Meth in the first innings against Rocks. He made a telling start on his first-class debut, his 6 for 38 helping to skittle Tuskers for 148. Half-centuries from opener Terry Duffin and wicketkeeper Adam Wheater ensured a lead for Tuskers, after which Meth’s five-for set a fourth-innings target of exactly 100. Tuskers lost Brian Chari early, but Duffin and Gavin Ewing saw them home with minimum fuss against the struggling Rocks, who are yet to win a first-class match this season.Mid West Rhinos very nearly pulled of a remarkable win in their match against Mashonaland Eagles at Kwekwe Sports Club. Having conceded a first-innings lead, Rhinos seemed to be out of contention after setting Eagles a target of just 158 in the fourth innings. In a remarkable turnaround, Rhinos clawed their way back in to the match and eventually held Eagles to a tense draw, reducing them to 154 for 9 before the match came to an end.Rhinos had reached 321 in their first innings after being put in to bat, thanks mainly to the efforts of the in-form Gary Ballance, who cracked 83, and Solomon Mire’s career-best 96. Eagles captain Stuart Matsikenyeri then underpinned a strong batting effort, his 144 adding to three half-centuries from Sikandar Raza, Regis Chakabva and Peter Moor as Eagles reached 463.Ballance, who has now scored 421 runs in his last three first-class innings, carried the batting once again in the second innings, his his 128 – and Riki Wessels’ 73 – guiding Rhinos to 299 all out. Eagles stumbled through the early stages of their chase on the final evening, but appeared on course during an 81-run fifth-wicket stand between Chakabva and Moor. Once they were parted, however, panic set in and three run-outs reduced Eagles to 154 for 9 in the final over of the day.
ScorecardAfter a strong start, Lions collapsed dramatically in their chase of 176, losing nine wickets for 73 runs to fall 29 short of Knights in Potchefstroom.Lions had raced to 73 for 0 in 8.5 overs, with openers Rassie van der Dussen and Devon Conway batting solidly. They needed 103 off 73 balls with all wickets intact, a fairly straightforward equation, before Conway was caught behind off Malusi Siboto for 36. That dismissal began the first part of the Lions collapse, in which three wickets fell for 15 runs. Offspinner Werner Coetsee dismissed Alviro Petersen and van der Dussen, who made 40 off 26 balls, in successive overs.From 88 for 3, Andre Malan and Thami Tsolekile took Lions to 122 for 3, but the run rate had slowed and they needed 54 off 25 balls. Siboto once again made the crucial strike for Knights, bowling Tsolekile for 20. The collapse was swift thereafter. Lions lost their next three wickets for one run in the space of five deliveries, with Shadley van Schalkwyk taking two off successive balls. The chase fizzled out and Lions ended with 146 for 9, with West Indian allrounder Andre Russell returning economical figures of 1 for 21 in four overs for Knights.Knights had also enjoyed a strong start after they had lost the toss, their openers Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw adding 90 in 10.3 overs. Rossouw made 46 off 29 balls, but Hendricks batted through the innings, remaining unbeaten on 72 off 56. Hendricks’ solidity at one end helped Knights overcome a period during which they lost three wickets for 26 runs. Wicketkeeper Tulemo Bodibe gave the innings a strong finish by smacking 22 off 9 balls, leading Knights to the match-winning total of 175 for 5.
Scorecard File photo – Peter Fulton’s 55-ball 65 helped Canterbury chase down the target in 37.4 overs•Getty Images
Fifties from Peter Fulton and Henry Nicholls stretched Canterbury’s unbeaten run in this season’s Ford Trophy to five, as they collected a six-wicket victory against Auckland.Chasing 244, Fulton and Nicholls built on Ronnie Hira and Tom Latham’s strong start. The pair added 82 for the third wicket at a brisk pace before Nicholls fell to Lachie Ferguson with the score at 181 in the 32nd over. Fulton, however, continued his assault, smashing five fours and four sixes in his 55-ball 65. He was dismissed four overs after Nicholls, but by then Canterbury were just 28 runs away from the target with over 14 overs in hand. Todd Astle and Andrew Ellis took the visitors home in 37.4 overs, further strengthening Canterbury’s position at the top of the table.In the first innings, Auckland were guided to 243 for 7 by wicketkeeper Brad Cachopa’s 107. Cachopa walked in in the fourth over and dropped anchor for the hosts, batting till the last over of the innings. He was unable to build partnerships with the middle order as quick wickets reduced Auckland to 164 for 6. Donovan Grobbelaar then slammed an unbeaten 45, adding 75 with Cachopa for the seventh boost Auckland in the death.
New Zealand’s now former ODI captain Brendon McCullum has praised his team for the way they responded to a batting collapse in the first innings and staged a 55-run win to retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.McCullum, playing his final ODI innings, smoked a 27-ball 47 to set New Zealand up nicely, but the hosts lost their way towards the end of the innings, losing six wickets for just 23 runs to muster a below-par 246.If New Zealand were feeling low immediately after that slide, they certainly did not show their disappointment when they took to the field, as McCullum revealed that he had urged his players during the break to not get bogged down.”The team performance today, especially after losing six for not many, I think lesser teams would have folded,” McCullum said. “And one thing we pride ourselves on is making sure that if we are going to get beaten, we’re going to make it hard for the opposition to do so.”That was the mentality we try to take out to fielding and bowling and also just stress to the guys, it doesn’t matter what we get, it’s a matter of what they get. If we were capable of losing six for not many, it was a wicket that was tough to start on, so that was the message that was stressed at halftime.”McCullum’s words clearly lifted the team, as excellent spells from Doug Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Corey Anderson and Matt Henry suffocated the Australia batsmen on a slow pitch, and New Zealand bundled their opponents out for 191 inside 44 overs. McCullum, who now has just two more Tests left in him before he quits internationals all together, could not think of a better way of signing off from limited-overs internationals.”To beat the world champions in the Chappell-Hadlee series, which means so much to us, is a fitting way to step away from the game. For us to be able to still step out and beat the best team in the world is testament to the depth that we’ve been able to create over a period of time.”That was a pleasing aspect of it and I thought the way the guys responded was phenomenal. Doug Bracewell, he was on the the sidelines for the last little while, and the way he came in and seized that key moment, kept it tight, started building some pressure.”And that allowed Ish, another wonderful story of a guy who’s come back in after a long time out of the side, and he bowled with confidence and he bowled beautifully. He was able to apply some pressure and get wickets.It’s great when you can see guys come in and perform in pressure situations.”
On a day when 94 players were sold for a total of Rs 136 crore* at the IPL 2016 auction in Bangalore, it was a bunch of Indian uncapped players who drew the most attraction and a good chunk of the cash too. Top among them – and one of four men who walked away with a contract worth a million dollars or more – was Pawan Negi, a left-arm spinner who can tonk the ball down the order, who was sold for Rs 8.5 crore to Delhi Daredevils. South African allrounder Chris Morris was the other surprise million-dollar man, fetching Rs 7 crore, also from Daredevils.Australian allrounder Shane Watson bagged the biggest deal of the day, bought for Rs 9.5 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore, while India’s Yuvraj Singh secured his third-straight million-dollar bid at an IPL auction. However the Rs 7 crore Sunrisers Hyderabad bid for Yuvraj was far less than what he fetched at the last two auctions – Rs 16 crore last year, and Rs 14 crore the year before that. He looked like he might actually go unsold this time round after setting his base price at Rs 2 crore, but at the last moment he got a bid from Mumbai Indians, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, before being snapped up by Sunrisers.Morris’ value exploded to seven times that of his base price of Rs 50 lakh in a three-way fight. Rising Pune Supergiants were involved in the opening rounds of bidding for him, before Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders went neck and neck. As bidding halted just one bid away from the million-dollar mark, Daredevils entered the fray, and no one challenged them.For Negi, the auction capped a great two days in which he was also named in India’s squad for the World T20.Another big surprise was seam-bowling West Indies allrounder Carlos Brathwaite, who had impressed with quickfire fifties down the order and his enthusiasm on the recent Test series in Australia. He got a winning bid of 4.2 crore from Delhi Daredevils, 14 times his base price of Rs 30 lakh.There were big surprises among the unsold players too: the in-form New Zealand and Australia batsmen Martin Guptill and Usman Khawaja. Two big Test names, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hashim Amla, also went unsold too, but a bit more surprisingly, there were no bids for Mahela Jayawardene or Michael Hussey either. West Indies allrounder Darren Sammy did not attract a bid either.Australia opener Aaron Finch went unsold in the first round of bidding, but was bought by Gujarat Lions (the Rajkot franchise) for Rs 1 crore towards the end of the day, in a second round of bidding organised for players who were unsold the first time.Karnataka batsman Karun Nair was expected to be one of the big buys among the uncapped players, and so it was soon after the lunch break with Daredevils, Supergiants and Lions all bidding for him and bumping his price up to Rs 4 crore from a base price of Rs 10 lakh. Baroda allrounder Deepak Hooda’s price went up from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 4.2 crore, secured by Sunrisers after a long round of bidding. Rajasthan fast bowler Nathu Singh also earned big, getting Rs 3.2 crore from Mumbai Indians, from a base price of Rs 10 lakh. Mumbai Indians had made the winning bid after a long back-and-forth between Daredevils and Royal Challengers.Tamil Nadu legspinner M Ashwin was the most sought after slow bowler on a day when spinners were generally ignored by the franchises; he sold for Rs 4.5 crore to Supergiants from an opening bid of Rs 10 lakh – a whopping 45 times his base price, the day’s biggest multiple from the base price. Ashwin had done well in the recently concluded domestic T20 competition, the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he bagged 10 wickets in six games at 12.70 apiece, with an economy rate of 5.52.Seventeen-year-old India Under-19 captain Ishan Kishan was picked up by Lions for Rs 35 lakh. His U-19 team-mate Rishabh Pant was fought for by Supergiants, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers and Daredevils, bumping his base price up from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1.9 crore before Daredevils snapped him up. A wicketkeeper-batsman, Pant is in fine form in the ongoing U-19 World Cup. The very last player to be bought at the auction, and also the youngest, was 16-year-old spin allrounder Mahipal Lomror, who went to Daredevils for Rs 10 lakh.Kerala’s Sanju Samson was the first wicketkeeper to go under the hammer and he looked like he might not get a bid but a late call from Daredevils – the franchise’s first of the day – triggered a fight between them and Lions. Daredevils won, picking Samson up for Rs 4.2 crore – his base price was Rs 2 crore.The bidding for England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler was much-anticipated, and he went to Mumbai Indians for Rs 3.8 crore after setting his price at Rs 1.5 crore.Knight Riders were quite active when it came to the fast bowlers, winning Australia’s John Hastings for Rs 1.3 crore, before engaging in a tug-of-war with Lions for Praveen Kumar. Lions won this bid though, paying Rs 3.5 crore for him, seven times his base price of Rs 50 lakh.Knight Riders were at it again when Mohit Sharma came up for bidding, but Kings XI Punjab – who had as yet not secured a single player on the day – aggressively outbid them. Sunrisers tried a late swoop, but Kings XI would have none of it, picking him up for Rs 6.5 crore (base price 1.5 crore). He was the 45th player to be auctioned, and their first buy.All 11 spinners lined up in the morning round of bidding went unsold, including India’s Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma, the in-form Australian Nathan Lyon and Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis. West Indies legspinner Samuel Badree was bought the second time his name came up, by Royal Challengers, for Rs 50 lakh.None of the Sri Lankans who came up in the morning rounds were bought: Mendis, Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera and Sachchitra Senanayake. It took till the final hour of the auction for a Sri Lankan to get a bid, and it went to Thisara, who was bought at his base price of Rs 1 crore by Supergiants when his name was called up a second time.The first and only Bangladesh buy of the day happened with Mustafizur Rahman (base price Rs 50 lakh) going to Sunrisers for Rs 1.4 crore.Another big gainer among the uncapped players was Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi, who went to Lions for Rs 1 crore (base price Rs 20 lakh). Mumbai wicketkeeper-batsman Aditya Tare’s base price also multiplied several times over, as he went for Rs 1.2 crore to Sunrisers after setting a base price of Rs 20 lakh. Legspinner Pravin Tambe became the first specialist spinner to be bought on the day, for Rs 20 lakh to Lions. Royal Challengers picked up ambidextrous Vidarbha spinner Akshay Karnewar for his base price of Rs 10 lakh.Allrounder Krunal Pandya – brother of Hardik Pandya who had debuted for India in the just-concluded T20s against Australia and was retained by Mumbai Indians before the auction – was bought by Mumbai Indians after a bidding war with Daredevils that bumped his price up to Rs 2 crore (base price Rs 10 lakh).Among the least known players to be bought on the day were allrounder Kishore Kamath (Rs 1.4 crore, by Mumbai Indians) and 20-year-old left-arm spinner Shivil Kaushik (Rs 10 lakh, by Lions) – the highest level of cricket these two have played till date is the Karnataka Premier League, both for Hubli Tigers.For a full list of players who were sold and unsold, click here.
Ninety-four players were sold in a day of surprises. Here's a quick glance at what the players were bought for
Posted by ESPNcricinfo on Friday, February 5, 2016
A major Rangers development has emerged regarding their B team at Ibrox ahead of the 2022/23 campaign…
What’s the talk?
The Daily Record have confirmed, via an official statement, that the Gers’ reserve team will remain in the Lowland League for at least another season. Of the other 15 teams in the division, 11 voted to keep the Ibrox giants and their Parkhead rivals in it for another year.
They will not be allowed to be promoted or relegated from the fifth tier of Scottish football, which means that their participation is not preventing any teams from moving up or down the pyramid.
Buzzing
Gio van Bronckhorst will surely be buzzing with this news, as it is a huge boost to the club’s academy setup ahead of next season.
It allows the young prospects at Ibrox to play regular football at senior level without going out on loan. This means that the Gers can closely monitor their development and pick and choose when they are ready to make the step up to the Dutchman’s squad.
Instead of playing against other youth sides and not knowing how they can deal with the physicality of men’s football, playing in the fifth tier gives Rangers a broader perspective on their young players’ talents.
Speaking about the benefits, Ross Wilson previously said: “We want to test our players in different scenarios. Playing in the Lowland League would provide a completely different test for the young players, as well as our best-v-best games programme that we would continue to operate against some of the best teams in Europe.”
The sporting director also spoke about the need for the B Team to play in the division prior to the approval. He said: “We haven’t really seen any progress at all on some of the things that we think are to the betterment of Scottish football and player development in particular. Those things are steeped in data and research, not just something we have plucked out of thin air. They are concepts that have worked in other countries.”
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Teenage striker Tony Weston is currently the second-top scorer in the league with 21 goals, six behind The Spartans forward Blair Henderson. Alex Lowry, who found the back of the net for Van Bronckhorst’s team in the Scottish Cup, has also scored seven goals in the Lowland League, which suggests that he has reaped the rewards of playing senior football.
Lowry is one player who has already benefited from playing in the fifth tier and hopefully he will be the first of many to do so. This is why the Dutch head coach will be delighted that his academy prospects will be playing in the division for another year.
AND in other news, Was £2.7m, went to £162m: Rangers fumbled deal for “alien” who’s the “god of football”…