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Defeats against India have put Afghanistan and South Africa in sudden-death mode going into their floodlit clash in Barbados on Wednesday

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya05-May-2010Match FactsWednesday, May 5, Bridgetown
Start time 1700 (2100 GMT)The Big PictureAfghanistan have never faced a bowler as quick as Dale Steyn•AFPDefeats against India have put Afghanistan and South Africa in sudden-death mode going into their floodlit clash in Barbados on Wednesday. Left to rue lapses in the field and a delayed surge with wickets in hand in St Lucia, South Africa now have an opportunity to set things right with a clinical performance and progress into the Super Eights.The conditions in Bridgetown, generally supportive of fast bowling, should encourage their seam-strong attack against an opposition whose weakness against the short ball was exposed by Ashish Nehra. Afghanistan impressed in small doses, but with just two batsmen reaching double-figures in a score of 115 they had little to fight for against the Indian batting line-up.Afghanistan’s struggles off the field, and their success against the odds on it, have contributed to a general eagerness among cricket fans to see them do well. In a tougher scenario, against a determined South Africa in a must-win game, they have another chance to win hearts, and they would want to do that with a more collective effort.Form guide (most recent first)Afghanistan: LWLWW
South Africa: LWLLWWatch out for…Dale Steyn: He was the best among South Africa’s bowlers against India, but didn’t use the bouncer too often. Expect no sympathy against an inexperienced Afghanistan, who have not faced pace as quick as what they will tomorrow.Shapoor Zadran: He bowled two overs for just six runs against India with good rhythm, getting the ball to move away and beating the Indian batsmen on occasion with his left-arm seamers. Containment seems to be his strength – he has an economy rate of 6.52 in Twenty20 internationals – but he’ll want to improve his wickets tally of just three in seven games.Team newsLoots Bosman struggled to get going against India, and South Africa may think of replacing him with Herschelle Gibbs at the top. Rory Kleinveldt proved expensive, conceding 40 in his last two overs; Juan Theron, with a reputation of being a good death-overs bowler, could take his place.South Africa (possible): 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Herschelle Gibbs/Loots Bosman, 3 Graeme Smith (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Roelof van der Merwe/Johan Botha, 9 Juan Theron/Rory Kleinveldt, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Morne Morkel.Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Karim Sadiq, 2 Noor Ali, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Nowroz Mangal (capt), 5 Asghar Stanikzai, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Raees Ahmadzai, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Hamid Hassan, 10 Shapoor Zadran, 11 Dawlat Ahmadzai.Pitch and conditionsThis is the second of the three floodlit games scheduled for this tournament. Barbados has traditionally boasted the quickest tracks in the Caribbean, and the batsmen can expect the ball to nip around as well as gain the extra bounce. There are scattered showers forecast for the day.Stats and trivia Albie Morkel has hit the most sixes – 23 – for South Africa in Twenty20 internationals. Noor Ali leads the fours tally for Afghanistan with 15.The Kensington Oval in Barbados will be hosting its first floodlit game. Before Wednesday, the venue had hosted just one Twenty20 international, a truncated fixture between West Indies and Australia won by the hosts.Quotes”They have no fear and they have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous.”
Graeme Smith is not taking Afghanistan lightly.

The financial might of the IPL was on display again on Sunday when Pune and Kochi became the league’s two new franchises, being sold for a value in excess of the original eight franchises combined.The Sahara group, the biggest patron of sports in the country, became owners of the Pune franchise after offering a staggering US$370m. The other new franchisee is a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World, which bid US$333.33m for Kochi. There were three other qualified bidders, including Adani Enterprises and VC digital solutions Pvt Ltd (Videocon), who were in the fray to become part of the IPL, which will be heartening for any existing franchise owners looking to offload their stake.”It only shows there is no recession for the IPL and it is on the upswing,” Lalit Modi, the league’s commissioner, said after announcing the new franchises in Chennai.Sahara, who have been sponsoring Indian cricket for the past 15 years, had bid for the same amount for three cities, but ultimately chose Pune over Ahmedabad and Nagpur. “When we considered the cities, in terms of infrastructure and logistics, Pune came first,” Abhijit Sarkar, the head of Sahara’s corporate communications, said. “Ït is also close to Mumbai – the commercial capital of India – and Aamby Valley (an upmarket township owned by the Sahara group).”Ajay Shirke, president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and a prominent businessmen from Pune, said he was obviously happy about Pune being rated as the most popular venue at the auction with three out of the five bidders preferring Pune as their home base over the rest of the 11 cities. Puneites have been hungry for top-quality cricket for nearly half a decade now. The last international match played in Pune was in the 2005 ODI series between India and Sri Lanka.”MCA has always maintained that we will support all bids that are made for Pune,” Shirke, who was present at the auction venue in Chennai, told Cricinfo. “That only increases Pune’s association with cricket manifold.”What they [the bidders] would have kept in mind was the market of Mumbai and Pune are nearby. Then there are private cities like Lavasa and Aamby Valley, which are about 20 kilometres from the ground.”According to Shirke, the Sahara franchise would have its home ground situated on the outskirts of Pune city, in Gahunje, which is on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The ground construction is already underway with Shapoorji Pallonji being the main contractors.He was confident that the ground would be ready in time for the IPL’s fourth season when Sahara would unveil its team. “The construction work has already started and it should be ready by March 2011,” Shirke said.While Sahara have a long history of sports sponsorship and are a high-profile corporate group, little is known about the winners of the Kochi franchise. It is a consortium with five partners – the Rendezvous group, Parini developers, Anand Shah Estate, Anchor Earth Private Limited and Film Waves. Minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor was involved in bringing the group together, but has no stake in the franchise.In fact, Tharoor clarified to Cricinfo that he had no stake in the Kochi franchise and that his role was limited to encouraging the consortium that bagged the team. “My role consisted only of encouraging and blessing the venture, and steering it to Kerala,” he told Cricinfo.”Tharoor was involved in facilitating and trying to get a team for the state,” Modi confirmed. “He is an ardent fan of cricket and he has been trying to get people from Kochi to bid for it. I think his involvement ends there.”Modi said the tournament’s organsiers would provide the Kochi franchise a home ground till the Kerala Cricket Association completes construction of its new stadium. “Kerala Cricket Association is in the process of building the infrastructure and as when the stadium is ready teams will play there,” he said. “But till the structures are ready, the IPL will provide them with an alternate venue.”Speaking to reporters, Shailendra Gaikwad of Rendezvous World Sport said, “We have closely been following every development within the IPL, right from the inaugural year. Today, I am very happy for our consortium of Rendezvous World Sport and the people of Kochi as we finally have a team to call our own in this amazing city-based sports franchise”While the huge money offered by the new franchisees shows the health of the IPL, Modi said there were no plans in the near future to further increase the number of teams involved. “We also have no plans to expand further immediately. In fact I don’t foresee an expansion in many, many years to come but then you never know.”The IPL will now feature 10 teams and – if the current format is retained – a total of 94 games, from the existing 60. After the first season in 2008, the league has already expanded its reach to other centres such as Cuttack, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Dharamsala.The franchise auction process was to have been completed on March 7 but was postponed by two weeks after the bidders and the BCCI objected to stiff financial clauses.

MatériaMais Notícias

Edimar não está nos planos do Cruzeiro, mas faz parte do planejamento do São Paulo para 2018 e, como quer ficar, as diretorias estão próximas do desfecho do acordo para o lateral-esquerdo de 31 anos ser comprado pelo clube do Morumbi. Nada fora do comum, mas essa negociação, aparentemente simples, motivou uma crise política em Belo Horizonte.

As diretorias da Raposa e do Tricolor já apalavraram a venda do jogador por R$ 400 mil, abaixo dos R$ 720 mil fixados em contrato – seu vínculo com o time mineiro acaba em junho, e ele está emprestado à equipe paulista até o próximo mês. A irritação da diretoria que assumirá o Cruzeiro no próximo ano é por não entender essa redução do valor.

Os futuros responsáveis pelo clube de Belo Horizonte vêm mostrando desconfiança com a situação financeira que a atual gestão vai deixar, e a decisão de deixar Edimar mais barato foi um dos principais motivos que fizeram os novos dirigentes solicitarem uma auditoria interna. Desde então, a crise política tornou-se um dos maiores temas do fim de ano cruzeirense.

Dois pontos causaram revolta na negociação envolvendo Edimar, que ainda não foi concluída. O primeiro é reduzir o valor e se desfazer um jogador que é titular do São Paulo por um preço considerado simbólico. O segundo é não atrelar a liberação do lateral às conversas que Itair Machado, futuro vice-presidente de futebol do Cruzeiro, tem com o Tricolor para comprar Hudson – a saída de Edimar poderia baratear os custos dos mineiros para ficar com o volante, mas as duas negociações ocorrem paralelamente.

Completamente alheio à situação, e já deixando claro há meses seu desejo de ficar no São Paulo, Edimar aguarda a definição do caso para permanecer na capital paulista. Ele saiu do Rio Ave, de Portugal, para o Cruzeiro em junho de 2016, por indicação do então técnico da Raposa, o português Paulo Bento. Atuou apenas 27 jogos e, em março, foi emprestado ao Tricolor.

No São Paulo, Edimar foi contratado para estimular a concorrência interna com Júnior Tavares, mas não foi escalado por Rogério Ceni e só estreou três meses após sua chegada, em julho, já com Dorival Júnior. Termina a temporada como titular, com 18 partidas disputadas, agradando por seu futebol e personalidade. Deve ficar para brigar por vaga com Reinaldo, lateral-esquerdo que voltará ao clube após passar 2017 emprestado à Chapecoense.

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Many Crystal Palace fans took aim at Jack Butland during their Premier League clash with Southampton on Wednesday night. 

Prior to this game, Butland’s only competitive action under Patrick Vieira had come in an EFL Cup defeat to Watford back in August.

He’d been on the bench for every league game, playing second fiddle to Vicente Guaita.

But Vieira opted to bench the Spaniard against the Saints at Selhurst Park, finally handing Butland a chance to impress.

Butland struggles vs Southampton

The Englishman’s SofaScore rating of 6.2 was the joint-lowest in the Palace starting XI.

Only five of the 14 long passes he attempted during the game were accurate, while he conceded as many goals as he made saves (two).

What’s more, London News Online journalist Richard Cawley noted that Butland touched the James Ward-Prowse free-kick that made it 1-1 – as good as the strike was, you expect to save it when you get a hand to it.

Here’s what Palace fans on Twitter made of the ‘keeper’s display.

These Crystal Palace fans critical of Butland

“Well if we wanted to know why Butland hasn’t got many minutes there’s our answer”

Credit: @BrosterJr11

“Butland make a save challenge”

Credit: @palacecarl

“New plan. Pull Butland. Clearly hasn’t gotten over his yips.”

Credit: @CPFC703

“Ok, time to retire Butland”

Credit: @staycmaria

“Yeah Butland aint it”

Credit: @saucyzaha

“Vieira should know Butland was only OP in FIFA”

Credit: @MrBloodclaat

In other news, fans erupted over this footage. 

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a vitória por 1 a 0 em cima do Young Boys, o Dínamo de Kiev garantiu a sua vaga na segunda fase da Liga Europa. Até aqui, a equipe tem uma campanha quase que perfeita (3 vitórias e um empate), nove gols feitos e cinco sofridos. Nome fundamental na linha de frente da equipe ucraniana, o atacante Junior Moraes parabenizou o time pelo rendimento na primeira fase da competição europeia.

– A nossa chave é forte, mas o Dínamo se comportou muito bem em todos os jogos. O nosso nível de concentração está muito alto e acho que merecemos esta classificação antecipada. Agora vamos focar nos próximos jogos. Com um bom rendimento, podemos ter vantagem mais à frente. Vamos em busca disso – disse.

Com 10 pontos conquistados no Grupo B da Liga Europa, o Dínamo volta ao campo pela competição somente no próximo dia 23. O adversário será o Skenderbeu, da Albânia. No dia 7 de dezembro, a equipe encerra a sua participação na primeira fase diante do Partizan, dentro de casa.

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Many West Brom fans have been left slamming the display of Cedric Kipre in their 0-0 draw away at Blackpool in the Championship on Tuesday night.

It was a frustrating game for the visitors, who mustered nearly double the shots of the Tangerines, but had fewer on target, as Valerien Ismael’s team simply did not have their shooting boots on.

Down the other end of the pitch, they were perhaps fortunate not to concede at times, with Kipre particularly guilty of some poor play.

The 24-year-old lost out on eight of his duels, and failed to block any shots on his goal, while he was guilty of losing possession of the ball 13 times in the match (SofaScore).

He was the only Baggies starter to have recorded fewer touches than his own goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, and his yellow card right before half-time pretty much summed up his night (SofaScore).

West Brom fans on Kipre display

These members of the Hawthorns faithful slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Albion supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘liability’:

“Kipre, Hugill and Grady I don’t wanna see near this team ever again.”

Credit: @wbaxingram

“Kipre can’t control a football”

Credit: @WBAHazzaFT

“Well Kipre would be a 1300L as he gets passed so easily.”

Credit: @EveRay1

“Cedric Kipre = complete liability”

Credit: @CJHall83

“Bartley leaving his post to have a go at the lad who dived is peak Bartley. Him and Kipre are in competition to see who can give a goal away first.”

Credit: @_ColinGriffiths

“With great respect to Blackpool, we are dire. chaotic, panicky and chronically poor in final third and don’t get me started on Grant and Kipre”

Credit: @iammorty

In other news, find out whose display against Huddersfield Town was slammed here!

As per 90min, Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange appears to be eyeing a fresh transfer pursuit ahead of January as he aims to bolster Steven Gerrard’s options.

The Lowdown: Gerrard era begins…

The sacking of Dean Smith brought forward a new era at Villa Park with Premier League big name and SPFL title-winning boss Gerrard taking to the helm.

As Liverpool’s club legend takes on his first ever first team managerial role in the English top flight, he has been linked with possible raids in the winter window in an effort to reshape the squad.

Indeed, the forward positions in particular appear to be taking priority going by recent claims, with Spanish outlet Fichajes claiming Gerrard has personally requested Rangers star Ianis Hagi.

Meanwhile, Villa and Lange have also been tipped with a move for South American striker Julian Alvarez as the Argentine sensation dazzles with impressive form.

The Latest: Lange now eyeing Barbosa move…

As per 90min and transfer ‘insider’ Graeme Bailey, Aston Villa, and by extension sporting director Lange who is known for the club’s transfer activity, are weighing a move for Flamengo star Gabriel Barbosa.

The former Inter Milan striker is said to be attracting Villa’s interest with Gerrard’s side now among a plethora of Premier League teams ‘considering a bid’.

As Barbosa actively seeks a move away in January, with this report claiming he is ready to push for a move, it is also believed that the player’s agents are ‘actively looking at his options’ behind the scenes.

The Verdict: Ideal option?

If Villa want to add more forward depth for Gerrard, they couldn’t do much better than the 25-year-old in terms of electric form.

Indeed, Barbosa has bagged a prolific 29 goals across 2021 for Flamengo in all competitions, certainly demonstrating his killer instinct in front of goal after a spell to forget at Inter.

As he eyes a move back to Europe, the player may have emerged as a solid option for Lange and Villa ahead of January and it is believed Barbosa could depart his current club for a fee ‘in excess of £30 million’.

Bailey, explaining in the piece, says that clubs in the race for him consider that price tag worth it – citing the fact it’s unusual for a ‘top class’ striker to be available and seeking a move mid-season.

Taking this into account, we believe he could certainly come as an astute purchase for Villa and Gerrard.

In other news, whose fitness update is attracting interest from Villa fans? Find out here!

كشف مرتضى منصور رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك، عن تفاصيل عقد لاعب فريقه الكروي أحمد سيد زيزو، وحقيقة تراجعه عن تقديم التعازي لمحمود الخطيب بسبب منشور زوجة الأخير.

وقال منصور في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “الزمالك”: “الناس تفهم تعاقد زيزو بشكل خاطئ، تعاقد زيزو قبل التجديد كان ينص على شرط جزائي مليوني ونصف المليون دولار في الموسم الأول الذي انتهى، و25 مليون جنيه في الموسم الثاني الذي سيبدأ”.

وأضاف: “زيزو كان لديه عرضين، الأول من الريان القطري بمقابل 100 مليون جنية، ومن نادي فرنسي، مقابل 150 مليون جنيه لصالح الزمالك، ورفضنا العرض”.

الونش: الزمالك سيحقق كأس مصر ودوري أبطال إفريقيا.. وأتمنى الاحتراف في إنجلترا

وأردف: “كنا نجهز وفدًا محترمًا من نادي الزمالك سيذهب لعزاء شقيقة محمود الخطيب، المجلس بالكامل تقريبًا كان سيذهب إلى العزاء”.

وواصل: “ولكن بعد المنشور الذي كتبته زوجة الخطيب على صفتحها بمنصات التواصل الاجتماعي، فلم نذهب لواجب العزاء، وأزلنا برقية العزاء من على القناة وصفحة الزمالك”.

وتابع: “أمير مرتضى منصور يجتمع مع 4 لاعبين من المنتخبات من أفضل لاعبي مصر، وأفضل حراس المرمى والأعظم من محمود جنش ومحمد أبو جبل 200 مرة”.

وكشف: “عمر كمال عبد الواحد كان يرفض السفر مع بعثة فيوتشر لخوض مباراة الكونفدرالية كأنه مخطوف، ووليد دعبس قال أعطينا مروان حمدي وسيد نيمار ومحمود علاء لتحصلوا على عمر كمال عبد الواحد”.

واستكمل: “سنحصل على عمر كمال في الموسم المقبل ومتمسكين به، تعاقدنا مع لاعب أفضل من عمر كمال مع أحترامي له، ولن أضحي بسيد نيمار ومروان حمدي ومحمود علاء، تلقينا عرض في مروان بـ 18 مليون جنية”.

وأتم: “أقول لجمهور الزمالك اطمئنوا، نملك عقد عمر كمال ووثقناه وسنذهب مع نادي فيوتشر إلى الاتحاد الدولي، لقد قلت إن محمد رضا بوبو لن ينضم للأهلي وحدث، عمر كمال لن يذهب إلى أي فريق عنوة، كما أنه يصر على الانضمام للزمالك”.

واختتم: “نسعى للفوز على الأهلي في كل الألعاب، وأحمد مرتضى رئيسًا لبعثة الزمالك في قطر لمواجهة الهلال السعودي بطل آسيا، ولاعبي الفريق يدركون قيمته”.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has said that he will review his experimental role as an opener and decide which batting position is better suited to him

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle21-Aug-2009

Tillakaratne Dilshan has said that he will review his experimental role as an opener and decide which batting position is better suited to him. Though he is accustomed to opening in the one-dayers, Sri Lanka had decided to promote him to the top of the order for the first time in the ongoing Galle Test, where he responded with typically aggressive knocks of 92 an unbeaten 123.His first-innings assault came off just 72 balls, with 12 fours and a six. In the second, his brisk century – which came off 131 balls – was invaluable for scoring quick runs to enforce the declaration. New Zealand were set an improbable 413 to win after tea on the fourth day.”This is just my first Test in this new role and I want to play a couple of Tests and decide which position is most comfortable for me,” Dilshan said. “I have been batting at No. 6 for about 6-7 years in my career. As opener it’s not easy in a Test.”The decision to send me up the order was taken by the coach, the captain and the selectors who asked me to open to balance the side. I sacrificed my No. 6 position to open but still I have been given the option to go back to my former position if I want to.”Sri Lanka had omitted Malinda Warnapura for Muttiah Muralitharan, who didn’t play in the Test series against Pakistan, and promoted Dilshan. He looked set for a hundred in the first innings but fell to a poor shot, chopping Iain O’Brien onto his stumps.”I am very happy to get a hundred in the second innings having missed out on one in the first,” Dilshan said. “The wicket is a bit slow but once you get a start it is a little bit easier to bat on.”Sri Lanka need a further nine wickets on the final day and Dilshan was confident of wrapping up the Test despite the poor weather.”The pitch is already starting to turn. When [Daniel] Vettori bowled it turned and bounced and it was the same for Jeetan Patel. But they attacked a little bit on the leg side. If you bowl in the right areas, Murali can do the damage tomorrow morning. It’s not easy to survive 98 overs tomorrow.”We have a whole day tomorrow. We can’t control the rain but we have to go hard in the first session and take 3-4 wickets before we grab the tailenders.”

West Bromwich Albion should not expect to receive more than £10m for the sale of Sam Johnstone.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Tom Barclay, who stated in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the Baggies are not likely to get anywhere near the £20m asking price they were demanding for the goalkeeper this summer if they decide to cash in on him this January.

Southampton, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all reported to be monitoring the situation of the 28-year-old ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

Speaking about the potential fee Albion would receive for the England international, Barclay said: “You’re looking at probably less than £10m. I’m speculating there, but I imagine it’d be less than £10m.”

Fans would be devastated

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has proven himself to be in recent years, should Albion receive a fee lower than £10m for the shot-stopper in the January transfer window, it would undoubtedly leave fans devastated.

Indeed, despite the club’s ultimate relegation last season, the £7.2m-rated man nevertheless impressed over his 37 Premier League appearances, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per game – the most of any goalkeeper in the league.

These returns saw the £28k-per-week ‘keeper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as West Brom’s second-best performer in the top flight.

And, while Johnstone has not exactly been in the best form of his career over his 14 Championship appearances this season, he has still proven to be a fundamental part of Valerien Ismael’s side, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 1.5 saves per fixture.

These returns have seen the 28-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as the Baggies’ 10th-best player in the second tier.

As such, considering his overall level of performance for the club, keeping hold of Johnstone until the end of his contract – which is due to expire at the end of the current campaign – would undoubtedly be worth much more than receiving a fee of under £10m for the shot-stopper in January.

Indeed, without the former Manchester United man between the sticks, West Brom’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League would take a rather substantial hit, while keeping him at the risk of losing his services on a free next summer could well be enough to get Albion over the line in the promotion race – something that would bring a windfall of cash of a much higher value than his potential sale would generate in January. Consequently, this update is likely to crush fans.

In other news: “They’ll be looking”: Journo drops claim on £15k-p/w beast, WBA fans would be fuming