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According to the Guardian, Manchester United are preparing a £25million bid for Fulham’s teenage sensation, Ryan Sessegnon.

The 17-year-old has earned the plaudits following a series of sensational performances for Fulham, and his impressive displays are beginning to attract the interest of some of Europe’s most reputable clubs.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils are readying a £25m bid for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon, and it is believed that Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, is willing to sell Luke Shaw to fund their move for the starlet.

However, Fulham have suggested that they would require a bid of more than £30m to contemplate selling one of their star players.

Is he worth the money?

At the age of 17, the Englishman’s achievements in his professional career is astounding.  Despite being very young, Sessegnon has amassed 53 first-team appearances for the Whites, and he has scored a terrific total of 11 goals.

One of the defender’s primary assets is his versatility. Despite typically operating as a left-back, Sessegnon can function as a winger too, and he’s highly regarded for his attacking qualities such as his capacity to dribble.

Do they need him?

Manchester United flaunt a proud and treasured history of youth development, and Fulham’s rising star has the potential to rival the talents of any United academy product. However, a move to United could prove to be premature at this stage of his career.

As Wilfried Zaha’s transfer to United testified, a young player requires consistent first-team involvement to continue their progression, and the Ivorian was deprived of that during his time at Old Trafford.

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If United are sincere about signing Sessegnon, they should ensure that he has an active role in their first-team, or they sign him now and loan him back to Fulham until he’s ready to assume a starting position in their team.

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With Champions League football back on the agenda, Arsenal’s squad will once again be tested in a match that could, in any other year, be drawn up as a knockout round tie, with Napoli being welcomed to the Emirates.

There’s an odd perception when it comes to the Champions League group stages. Strive all season to make the top four and then hope for an ‘easy’ path into the latter stages – at least that’s the view from some sections of support. A group consisting of Napoli, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, and even regulars Marseille, is one of the glamour groups of this year’s competition.

What can be said, however, is that there are supporters who may fear that qualification from the group in either first or second place may be a stretch. It’s not that Arsenal lack the quality to match the consistently impressive Dortmund or the dark horses from Naples, it’s the question of depth and whether sacrifices can and should be made when juggling European and domestic league fixtures.

[cat_link cat=”arsenal” type=”list”]

It was a concern that Arsene Wenger chose to play Per Mertesacker for 120 minutes in the League Cup away to West Brom, only then to go on and start him in the away tie at Swansea. Thomas Vermaelen may be an able backup to the first-choice centre-back pairing at Arsenal, but considering Napoli’s potent attack, most at Arsenal would be far more assured of a good result if the German stays in the defence for this particular tie.

And the thing is it’s only the start of October. Even Wenger expressed concern over the long-term fitness of his squad, though it’s not something that couldn’t be combated via the market. The Premier League, of course, should be the priority. It’s a logical step for a club of Arsenal’s stature to regain a foothold at the highest tier of football.

So there is a question. In the likely event that Arsenal do finish third in their Champions League group – and again that isn’t a knock to the club, but an awareness of the limitations of the squad – would the Europa League and a strong charge in the Premier League be considered an acceptable or even good balance for the second half of the season? Conversely, would a lack of Champions League football in the second half of the season be deemed acceptable?

The Europa League door has fortunately been pushed open a little further for audiences in this country, with last season’s Premier League top three competing in the competition over the past two seasons. It doesn’t represent a failure by any stretch, but rather an opportunity. The League Cup, for arguments sake, is a write-off, such is the squad and the nature of Arsenal’s opponents in the next round.

Arsenal are nowhere near to winning the Champions League, and in a traditional sense have no business being in the competition, along with many others. From one point of view, it makes little sense to ‘throw away’ European football for this season, though incidentally many who are involved in the Europa League group stages do exactly that. The reality, unfortunately is that Arsenal don’t have the means to maintain this strong start in the league while offering maximum input to the Champions League.

The end result to sacrificing, in a way, one major competition is that Arsenal could be very well placed come January to strengthen and further their cause for a strong finish in the Premier League. Couldn’t it be argued that, considering the inconsistency of other title challengers, the league title is more or less up for grabs, in that there is no clear winner?

Arsenal don’t have the squad of a Bayern Munich or even an Atletico Madrid, who can afford to successfully juggle two major competitions. Instead, the domestic form of the club indicates that the Premier League will bring the most success, in one form or another. Qualifying from the Champions League group stages would be a bonus, but a third place finish wouldn’t be as disastrous as may be initially thought.

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Where should Arsenal’s priorities lie this season?

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A calamitous transfer deadline day at Liverpool left the club with only two recognised strikers.

Earlier in the transfer window Rodgers pleaded his need for a minimum of three strikers claiming he would have to “be a nutcase to even consider at this moment to let Andy Carroll go out, unless there are other solutions”. Carroll left Liverpool to be reunited with Kevin Nolan at West Ham and was the third striker to leave Anfield this season after both Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy left the club.

A deadline day loan move for Daniel Sturridge failed to materialise, but missing out on number one target Clint Dempsey was particularly telling. Dempsey had publically declared his wish to play for Liverpool, but a fee of £6m was deemed too much for a 29 year old, who had scored 17 goals in the Premier League last season. Dempsey chose instead to move to Tottenham after rejecting earlier advances from Aston Villa as the management at Anfield headed home hours before the transfer window slammed shut with no striker in sight.

Since then the rumour mill has gone into overdrive with free agents and former players Michael Owen (now at Stoke), Emile Heskey and Florent Sinama-Pongolle all linked with moves back to the club. The possible releases of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba from the Chinese Super League may be more suitable but big money moves to the US, Middle East and even Juventus appear far more likely destinations.

Rodgers and Liverpool are almost certain to shun these options and choose instead to look from within the club.

In John W Henry’s open letter, the American owner revealed the club is focused on developing its own talent and the likes of Morgan and Sterling may see their chances at  Liverpool noticeably increase following Carroll’s departure.

Eighteen year old striker Adam Morgan is favoured by Rodgers and the out-and-out striker has impressed his manager with his work-rate and desire to learn. Morgan has been at Anfield since he was 10 years old and started against Hearts in the Europa League at Anfield last week.

Seventeen year old midfielder Raheem Sterling has started against both Manchester City and Arsenal in the league and the Jamaican-born winger has impressed in the red of Liverpool with his pace and exuberance exciting the Kop. Sterling has been capped at England U16, U17 and U19 level and could feature further forward for Liverpool as his blossoming reputation grows.

Last season Harry Redknapp chose to blood youth in the Europa League for Tottenham with the likes of Rose, Livermore and Kane all featuring. Liverpool will similarly not rank the competition too highly and Morgan, Sterling and Shelvey are all expected to see game time in the competition this season.

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The signing of Samed Yesil may be unknown to many but the German striker has represented his country at Under-16, 17 and 18 level scoring 19 times in 20 appearances, including six goals at the U17 World Cup last year. Yesil has yet to be given a squad number and like Dani Pacheco should spend most of his time in the reserves, although the German is one to watch.

After a tumultuous week, Rodgers will have to quickly develop and progress his youngsters ahead of schedule to negate the failings of the board as Liverpool look to cope without the cover of Andy Carroll.

Jonathan Day is a football betting expert who specialises in European and Premier League football. Jonathan writes for Sportingly Better a football betting blog providing free football tips, predictions and fantasy football picks.

All of the five matches will be played in UAE from March 22, with the fourth one significant to Australia because Warner and Smith will have served out their bans

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2019Australia will not, after all, play any of their five-match ODI series against Pakistan in Pakistan. The PCB finally released the schedule for the series, which begins from March 22 and sees the bans handed out to Steven Smith and David Warner end in the middle of it.The scheduling of the series has long been a subject of interest, partly because of the PCB’s hopes of organising at least part of it in Pakistan, which would have meant Australia’s first visit to the country in over 20 years. But its timing is important because it could be the scene of the returns to international cricket of Warner and – injury permitting – Smith.The five games will be played across ten days from March 22 to March 31, and kicks off with two ODIs to be held in Sharjah, the first international game the venue will host in over a year. The final two games will take place in Dubai, with the third ODI in Abu Dhabi. March 29, when the fourth ODI is to be played, is the first day Smith and Warner become available again after the bans imposed on them in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. Smith though isn’t expected to feature, still recovering from an elbow injury that also ruled him out of the Pakistan Super League.

Pakistan vs Australia in UAE 2019

22 March – 1st ODI, Sharjah (d/n)
24 March – 2nd ODI, Sharjah (d/n)
27 March – 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi (d/n)
29 March – 4th ODI, Dubai (d/n)
31 March – 5th ODI, Dubai (d/n)

For the past few months, the PCB had tentatively harboured hopes of Australia committing to playing some of the five ODIs in Pakistan. Wasim Khan, former chief executive of Leicestershire who recently arrived in Pakistan to take over as managing director of the PCB, had promised he would “ask the question” of CA, assuring them the highest level of security.Earlier this year, CA officially turned down the chance of playing any of the series in Pakistan. At the time, the PCB insisted discussions were still ongoing and had asked CA to at least visit for a security recce. The team may not be traveling but CA will at least gain first-hand experience of the security protocols the PCB puts in place.”The PCB was optimistic it would be able to convince Cricket Australia to send its side for some matches after successfully staging high-profile bilateral international series and the HBL Pakistan Super League matches in the past 18 months,” the PCB director Zakir Khan said. “We are disappointed for the enthusiastic and passionate cricket fans in Pakistan who will now have to wait for some more time before they can see the Australia cricket team live in action for the first time since 1998.”However, the CA has confirmed that they will send their security expert to oversee the execution of security plans for the HBL PSL 2019 matches and bilateral series against other international sides in Pakistan, and will also speak with the ICC-recommended PCB security consultant. In the meantime, the CA have confirmed they will maintain regular contact with the ICC,” Zakir Khan added.Pakistan has seen international cricket begin to trickle back to the country over the past three years with West Indies arriving in April 2018 to play three T20Is in Karachi. An ICC-approved World XI played three T20Is in September 2017, while Sri Lanka played a T20I the following month. The PSL has also begun to move increasing numbers of matches to Pakistan since the 2017 final was held in Lahore. Three further games took place in Pakistan in 2018, with eight scheduled to be played across Karachi and Lahore during the upcoming season of the PSL.

A victory in Sydney will give England the one-day series with two matches to spare as the home side face growing questions over selection and tactics

The Preview by Alan Gardner20-Jan-2018

Big Picture

Rinse, repeat. As in Melbourne, so it was in Brisbane: Australia batted first, found themselves well placed after an Aaron Finch hundred, failed to kick on sufficiently, then watched as England overhauled their target with wickets and overs to spare. After almost single-handedly confounding England during the Test series, now it is Steven Smith’s turn to be frustrated.In truth, things look pretty grim. Australia’s canaries are deep in the coalmine and seemingly struggling for air. They have lost nine of their last 10 completed ODIs and face being beaten by England on home soil for the first time in a decade; 2-0 down with three to play does not leave much room for error and they are set to throw everything at England with their first-choice pace attack.While Finch has been a model of consistency at the top of the order, his team-mates have been unable to carry on the good work. With Smith and Travis Head both apparently out of touch, too much has been asked of Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, while the decision to bring back Cameron White as a specialist No. 7 also backfired. Chris Lynn’s injury has deprived Australia of a middle-order hitter but the discarded Glenn Maxwell must be looking on with eyebrows raised.For England, the contrast with the Ashes is stark. Imbued with a sense of freedom and certainty in their roles, the limited-overs personnel continue to thrive under Eoin Morgan – whose only (slight) concern is a personal lack of runs. The bowlers were even sharper in executing Morgan’s plans at the Gabba and Chris Woakes then demonstrated England’s depth with the bat to stave off a mini-wobble. The ultra-aggressive approach will come unstuck from time to time but they look in serene form.Joe Root guided the chase as wickets fell•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LLLWL
England WWWWW

In the spotlight

Finch, David Warner and Smith represents a world-class top three, but Australia’s middle order is looking pretty muddled 18 months out from a World Cup defence. Since the last tournament, their two most productive batsmen at Nos. 4-7 have been George Bailey and Matthew Wade: both of whom appear to be men of the past. Head’s one ODI hundred, meanwhile, came at opener. This much is certain: Australia need a higher output from their engine room.Having seemingly put the trials of the Ashes behind him, Joe Root has once again demonstrated why he is such a highly rated multi-format player (even if his run without a century on tour continues). Innings of 91 not out and 46 not out have calmly steered England in two successful chases, while figures of 2 for 31 with the ball in Brisbane were a reminder that Morgan has a pretty handy sixth bowling option even without Ben Stokes in the side. He will be playing his 100th ODI in Sydney and even with a duck his average will remain over 50 so he will become just the sixth player to have 100 matches and a 50+ average in ODIs.

Teams news

Australia look set to throw everything at England in an attempt to keep the series alive, reuniting the big three fast bowlers for the first time since the Sydney Test. Josh Hazlewood was due to play in Brisbane but was hit by the illness running through the Australia camp, while Pat Cummins was rested. Legspinner Adam Zampa will have to come back into the mix as well, logically as a swap for the failed recall of Cameron White. Tim Paine is set to return in place of Alex Carey, although the debutant keeper was a rare bright spot in Brisbane.
.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Travis Head, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodThere is no need for England to change unless injuries spring up. That’s tough on the squad players, but victory in Sydney would open up the chance to try a few different things with the series wrapped up. Conditions in Sydney could see the spin trio come to the fore again.
.
England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

The last four ODIs on this ground have seen scores in excess of 300. There was turn on offer during the Test, but over the course of a 100-over day it should remain good for batting. The forecast is for a warm, sunny day.

Stats and trivia

• Eoin Morgan needs 14 runs to overtake Paul Collingwood as England’s second-highest run-scorer.
• Travis Head is 54 runs short of 1000 in one-day internationals.
• Chris Woakes is three wickets away from the 100 mark.

Quotes

“It was frustrating… we got ourselves into a reasonable position with 11 overs to go and everything fell to pieces again. Getting to 270 isn’t good enough against a quality batting line-up like England.”
Steven Smith on Australia’s below-par effort at the Gabba“That’s quite smart captaincy from him, to be able to juggle things round and make sure he had plenty of options at the death was crucial.”

Mitchell Starc will miss Australia’s Test tour of Bangladesh in August due to injury, while left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe has been axed despite bowling Australia to victory with a 12-wicket haul against India in Pune earlier this year

Brydon Coverdale16-Jun-2017Mitchell Starc will miss Australia’s Test tour of Bangladesh in August due to injury, while left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe has been axed despite bowling Australia to victory with a 12-wicket haul against India in Pune earlier this year. Ashton Agar has been included as the second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon, with Jon Holland overlooked after piling up 50 Sheffield Shield wickets at 20.78 last summer.Allrounder Hilton Cartwright has been named in the 13-man squad and has the chance to add to the one Test cap he earned during Australia’s home summer, while Usman Khawaja has been included after being overlooked for all four Tests in India. In the absence of Starc, Australia’s pace attack will be made up of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, although a fourth fast bowler is set to be added after Australia A’s tour of South Africa.

Australia’s 13-man squad

Steven Smith (capt), David Warner (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Matt Renshaw
In: Hilton Cartwright, James Pattinson
Out: Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Jackson Bird

“Mitchell was due to go for follow up scans after the Champions Trophy, as part of his recovery plan,” David Beakley, Australia’s team physio, said. “These scans have indicated his previous stress fracture has still not fully healed to the extent we would like.”He will now undertake a period of rest from bowling with the aim to have him return for the one-day series in India in late September as he begins his build up to the Ashes.”The omission of O’Keefe is a rapid fall for the left-arm spinner, who claimed 6 for 35 in each innings in Pune in February, and finished the series as Australia’s equal leading wicket-taker despite his impact diminishing as the tour wore on. Then in April, O’Keefe was fined and suspended by New South Wales for what were described as “highly inappropriate comments” at a Cricket NSW function.”Whilst Steve O’Keefe bowled well in Pune,” national selector Trevor Hohns said, “he did not maintain this level in the remaining matches of the series and we believe the timing is right for Ashton to enter the set-up and test his allrounder ability.”Ashton has continued to impress us with his form and we believe his bowling is at a level where he deserves to be playing on the highest stage. He will work nicely in tandem with Nathan Lyon and also brings a great all-round package to the team.”Hilton averages nearly 60 [52.07] runs in first-class cricket and was the second highest run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield last season with 861 runs. He is a quality player who we believe has a big future for Australia and we are very keen to see him carry on his good form in the sub-continent.”Although the tour schedule had not been officially announced, Cricket Australia said in releasing the squad details that the team would arrive in Bangladesh on August 18 and play a two-day tour game in Fatullah from August 22. The two Tests are set for August 27 in Dhaka and September 4 in Chittagong.Australia were supposed to tour Bangladesh in 2015 but after advice from the Federal Government, Cricket Australia announced the tour had been postponed due to security concerns. Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of team performance, said CA was currently satisfied with the security arrangements for the trip.”The Bangladesh Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Government have provided satisfactory levels of assurance and security for this tour to proceed at this stage, and we’re very grateful to them for this,” Howard said. “We will continue to work with them to finalise plans but also monitor advice from government agencies and our own security advisors about the security risk.”Our number one priority will always be the safety and security of our players and support staff when travelling to any country. Players selected for this tour will continue to receive regular security status updates prior to travelling.”

Four women umpires will officiate in the Women’s World T20 Qualifier in Bangkok from November 28 to December 5

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2015Four women umpires will officiate in the Women’s World T20 Qualifier in Bangkok from November 28 to December 5. The ICC said in a release that New Zealand’s Kathy Cross, Australia’s Claire Polosak, England’s Sue Redfern and West Indies’ Jacqueline Williams have been picked for the tournament, in which Bangladesh, China, Ireland, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand and Zimbabwe’s women teams will compete for two spots in the 2016 World T20.Cross, the most experienced of the four, had become the first woman to be named in an ICC umpires’ panel in 2014, having been added to the Associate and Affiliate panel. She umpired in the Women’s World Cup in 2000, 2009 and 2013, the Women’s World Cup Qualifier in 2011 and the Women’s World T20 Qualifier in 2013.Polosak is the youngest of the four at 27, and recently carried out the duties of third umpire in the Matador One-Day Cup, becoming the first woman to officiate in Australian List A cricket. Redfern has played cricket for England, bowling left-arm spin in six Tests and 15 ODI’s from 1995 to 1999, after which she took up umpiring. Williams, who is from Jamaica, recently made her international debut, standing in the first ODI and T20 between West Indies Women and Pakistan Women in the Caribbean. She is set to become the first woman to officiate West Indies’ first-class tournament, the WICB Regional Four-Day tournament, once she returns home from Thailand.Cross said she was happy to finally get the opportunity to officiate with other women, a big step for women in the game. “Each tournament brings something new for women’s cricket, and this latest development hopefully shows that the quality of [women’s] umpiring is getting better and better, as the calibre of [women’s] teams is certainly improving,” Cross said. “I have enjoyed the experience of officiating in different parts of the world, but I have been alone, as a woman, in the middle for quite some time.”So, it’s great for all of us to have this opportunity in Thailand this week at such an important tournament. I think that the selection of four females can set down a pathway for more people to come through the system.”Also officiating in the tournament will be umpires Allan Haggo and Nigel Morrison, and match referee Graeme Labrooy.

An unbeaten century from Craig Ervine guided Zimbabwe to a series win over Ireland in the second one-day international at Harare Sports Club

The Report by Liam Brickhill in Harare 11-Oct-2015
Scorecard and ball by ball detailsFile Photo – Craig Ervine hit nine fours and two sixes during his unbeaten 101•Associated Press

An unbeaten century from Craig Ervine guided Zimbabwe to a series win over Ireland in the second one-day international at the Harare Sports Club. Ervine batted for more than 40 overs in stifling heat to set up Zimbabwe’s five-wicket win with an over and a half to spare. He shared in a 98-run third wicket partnership with Sean Williams that laid the platform for Zimbabwe, after which Tino Mutombodzi helped to keep things ticking over and Sikandar Raza’s 29-ball 33 took the game away from Ireland. All the while, Ervine continued to pick gaps and the odd boundary, bringing up his ton and the end of the match with his ninth four.

Ireland coach calls for more fixtures

John Bracewell, the Ireland coach, has said that his side needs more fixtures against quality opposition to keep improving. Ireland ran Zimbabwe close in the first two games of their ongoing ODI series but lost both in the penultimate over.
“At the moment Zimbabwe have shown greater composure at the pressure points and that counts for a lot,” Bracewell said. “They have been playing a lot of tough cricket for a period of time, and that really helps you deal with pressure points. You have just come out of a series against Pakistan, you had a competitive series against New Zealand. You are getting used to competing because you are playing a lot more cricket.
“We have recognized that as a country, we need to have more fixtures, exactly like how you guys are doing – having series, being competitive, playing day in and day out, and on surfaces that are going to test you.
“We have been an event-based country. We fire up for World Cups and that is pretty much all we get. We get fragments of games in between that. We now need to play basically around the clock like all the international teams. The gap will narrow on teams the more cricket we get.”

As the match neared its conclusion, the result seemed a foregone conclusion and the question was whether or not Ervine could reach his ton within the limited runs remaining. The jovial, celebratory atmosphere in the ground was a far cry from the pressure cooker Ervine had entered into when Zimbabwe lost both of their openers within the first nine overs of their chase.Chamu Chibhabha and Richmond Mutumbami had approached their task with attacking intent, but when they fell in consecutive overs the Ireland attack had their tails up and a clear opening with Zimbabwe at 51 for 2 in the ninth over. The response from the left-handed pair of Ervine and Sean Williams was to go on the counterattack, and Ervine motored into the 20s with a flurry of boundaries, the pick of which was a shimmy-and-swipe off George Dockrell that flew high over long off.Williams, meanwhile, used the sweep to particularly good effect and brought up the fifty partnership with a one-kneed swat to the long-leg boundary. He continued to be proactive against spin, but eventually perished playing one shot too many when he lifted offspinner Andrew McBrine straight to Ed Joyce at long on. Zimbabwe were 149 for 3 then, and Ireland might have surged once more but Mutombodzi, elevated up the order, picked up where Williams left off to keep Zimbabwe ticking over.At the other end, Ervine was in cruise control, setting himself to bat right through the innings and anchor Zimbabwe’s chase. An inspired piece of fielding from George Dockrell in the covers eventually got rid of Mutombodzi in the 37th over, and had Niall O’Brien been able to hold a thick edge off Ervine’s bat in the next over, standing up to the stumps to John Mooney, Ireland might have been able to wrest back control of the match.Just as the pressure threatened to build once more, Ervine found a brace of boundaries on the leg side off Tim Murtagh and then moved into the 90s with a clean six down the ground followed by a controlled sweep for one off Paul Stirling’s offspin. When Raza kicked his own batting into overdrive, it seemed Ervine might not reach his hundred, but he departed with 13 still needed and Elton Chigumbura left it to Ervine to take Zimbabwe home – and reach his second ODI hundred in a successful chase – with his eighth and ninth fours off John Mooney.His efforts bettered an industrious day with the bat for Ireland. They had been put in to bat by Zimbabwe in the morning, but responded in bellicose fashion. Paul Stirling weathered the early loss of his captain and opening partner in his own inimitable style, rushing into the 70s at close to a run a ball before he was trapped lbw by Raza.Niall O’Brien continued the fight with a half-century that included three huge sixes, and Gary Wilson ensured their good work was not undone as he marshaled Ireland’s charge at the death. Zimbabwe picked up regular wickets, but Wilson found even more regular boundaries as Ireland reached an imposing 268 for 7. But after an early wobble in their chase, Zimbabwe managed to stay ahead of the asking rate for most of the afternoon thanks to Ervine and a vocal home crowd cheered their moral-boosting victory.

Zimbabwe batsman Vusi Sibanda suffered an injury to his right ankle during a warm-up session on Friday, but is likely to recover in time to make the squad for the upcoming home series against India according to the coach Dav Whatmore

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2015Zimbabwe batsman Vusi Sibanda suffered an injury to his right ankle during a warm-up session on Friday, but is likely to recover in time for the upcoming home series against India according to the coach Dav Whatmore.The injury occurred at the Harare Sports Club during training when a back-pedaling Sibanda rolled over his right ankle after accidentally stepping on team analyst Stanley Chioza’s foot. Sibanda was immediately taken for an x-ray scan and later given a crutch, but Whatmore played down the incident as a “minor accident” and said that the player “should be okay in a week”.”I took Vusi for an x-ray, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging scans and the results are expected this afternoon,” Anesu Mupotaringa, the team physiotherapist, said. “He is currently in pain and I have given him a crutch to avoid pressure on the ankle. I also gave him medication to help with the pain and swelling, and he will receive treatment twice daily to speed up recovery with the hope of him being fit for the India tour.”Sibanda has played 154 international matches for Zimbabwe since making his debut in 2003. He was left out of the 2015 World Cup squad, but returned to the side for Zimbabwe’s historic tour of Pakistan last month.Zimbabwe will host India for three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals, starting July 10 in Harare.

A round-up of ICC World Cricket League Division Five matches that took place on February 19 in Singapore

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2012Bahrain bounced back after a poor opening day on which they were bowled out for 49 to beat Argentina by 65 runs at the Kallang Ground in Singapore. After being put in, Bahrain opener Adnan Butt delivered a quick start, racing to 49 off 33 balls including four sixes.Though the innings slowed down considerably – Argentina struck at regular intervals – there were a series of steady contributions that kept Bahrain afloat. Adil Hanif (39) and Azeem ul Haq (27) were involved in a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket but the crucial innings came from Tahir Dar, whose unbeaten 46 off 44 balls helped Bahrain recover from the depths of 152 for 8. Together with Nos. 9 and 10, he added 61 for the last two wickets and Bahrain posted 213.Dar was also instrumental in Bahrain’s win with a fine bowling performance, taking 6 for 18 in a stand-out all-round effort. The Argentinian top order got starts but neither batsman managed a substantial contribution. Martin Siri made 46 but a collapse ensued, the last seven wickets fell for 20 runs and Dar made inroads. Argentina folded for 148, their second straight defeat.Malysia thrashed Cayman Islands by nine wickets at The Padang. Cayman Islands were in serious trouble after choosing to bat. They collapsed to a miserable 36 for 8 in the 21st over before the tail gave the tally some respectability by taking it past three-figures. Conroy Wright made 56 at No.9, and he was supported by Kervin Ebanks (19) and Alessandro Morris (14). For Malaysia, Suresh Navaratnam picked up 4 for 15, and Hiran Ralalage and Hassan Ghulam shared five wickets.
Shafiq Sharif led the way in the chase, making an unbeaten 74, while captain Ahmed Faiz, who had to retire hurt, chipped in with 33. The victory was sealed in the 31st over.Singapore‘s bowlers ensured that a late collapse by their batsmen wasn’t enough to prevent the hosts from brushing Guernsey aside by 78 runs at the Indian Association Ground. Buddika Mendis’ patient 77 had Singapore sitting strong on 191 for 3. None of the last six batsmen, though, could reach double figures as Singapore were dismissed for 223. The hosts began strongly when Amjab Mahboob dismissed Ross Kneller in the fourth over and Guernsey were soon struggling at 67 for 4. Jeremy Frith was the lone batsmen to resist with his 76, but the next-highest score by a Guernsey batsman was 18. Shoaib Razzak and Saad Janjua finished with three wickets each as Guernsey were bowled out for 145 in the 44th over.