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India captain MS Dhoni has said that a decision on Virender Sehwag’s participation in Thursday’s quarter-final game against Australia will be taken later this evening or tomorrow morning

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2011India captain MS Dhoni has said that a decision on Virender Sehwag’s participation in Thursday’s quarter-final game against Australia will be taken later this evening or on Thursday morning. Sehwag had missed India’s final league game against West Indies because of a knee problem but batted in the nets on Tuesday.”We are taking a call [on Sehwag] in the evening or maybe tomorrow morning before the start of the game,” Dhoni said in Ahmedabad today. “Apart from that, all the others are fit.”Sehwag participated in the warm-up round of football during Wednesday’s practice session, though he did not move much. Obviously he did not want to take chances with the knee. Later, he batted in the nets, albeit only against spinners for about 15 minutes. Once again he did not exert himself, refraining from bending his knee too much or stepping out as much as he would have liked. On Tuesday too he had batted for a regulated time in the nets, and if that is to be taken as an indicator, Sehwag is likely to return for the quarter-final.Sehwag’s knee has been bothering him since the start of the World Cup, but his current worry is the result of swelling caused by an allergic reaction to a pain-killing injection he took after the league game against South Africa in Nagpur. Gautam Gambhir opened the innings with Sachin Tendulkar against West Indies.Sehwag’s one-day average against Australia is 22.65 and it has been ten innings since he has made a limited-overs fifty against them. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who has dismissed Sehwag the most number of times across all format, said on Tuesday that he would look to bowl at Sehwag’s rib-cage. However, Dhoni did not seem too concerned with the strategy.”It’s really good to have Sehwag opening the innings for you, because deliveries will be short and to the body. He’s the kind of batsmen, if you go slightly wrong, he can make the most of that kind of a bowling.”He can play an aggressive game, change the course of a game in the first five overs and give your team the kind of momentum that is needed.”

Marlon Samuels made a promising return to Test cricket with a half-century in his first innings for three years, but he was not satisfied after West Indies struggled against Pakistan’s attack

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-2011Marlon Samuels made a promising return to Test cricket with a half-century in his first innings for three years, but he was not satisfied after West Indies struggled against Pakistan’s attack. After Pakistan’s tail wagged to reach 272, West Indies battled to 184 for 8 at the close of the second day, with Samuels having fallen for 57 late in the afternoon.Still, there were some good signs for Samuels, who has completed a two-year ban for his alleged involvement with illegal bookmakers. He struck seven fours and two sixes and top scored in an innings where no other player had so far reached 25.”This was my first innings on my return to Test cricket and I conditioned my mind to play a long innings for the team,” Samuels said. “It was a good feeling to go out there and play the way I did for the team but I’m not totally satisfied. I have been getting big runs since I came back into first-class cricket for Jamaica and I was looking to carry on and go all the way today.”I was hitting the ball very well. I came into this match with a lot of runs behind me and my confidence is high. Right now in my life, my form is a state of mind. I don’t think my form will leave me at this moment and I am just stroking the ball the way I like and getting into the groove.”I reached 50 and my goal was to go on and get a hundred. I was thinking once I got to three figures the team would be a good position and we would get the lead. I wanted to be there to get the target for the team.”Samuels departed while trying to get some quick late runs, caught at long-off trying to clear the boundary off the spin of Saeed Ajmal. That left the tailenders Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul with plenty of work to do, with only the No. 11 Devendra Bishoo still to come, and Samuels said he had faith the lower-order men could do the job.”I was talking to Roach when we were together, and I told him to believe,” he said. “He is a guy who can bat and he is showing that. I believe in the guys to do the job for the team and take us close to the runs we need to get for the lead. We’re still in the game. There is a lot of cricket left to be played.”West Indies need a similar tail-end effort to that provided by Pakistan after Tanvir Ahmed and Saeed Ajmal put on 78 for the last wicket. Tanvir made his maiden Test half-century and was the last man out for 57, and he said the pair knew it was an important partnership.”I think Saeed and I did very well to bat the way we did, and give our side such a big partnership because the pitch is not playing easy,” Tanvir said. “We needed those runs for the team, and it helped us to post a respectable total. I told Saeed Ajmal to try and play as straight as possible because they were bowling well, and he followed my advice, and I did the same, and it worked.”

South Africa U-19 halted Pakistan U-19’s three-match winning streak with a 42-run victory in Cape Town

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2012
ScorecardSouth Africa U-19 halted Pakistan U-19’s three-match winning streak with a 42-run victory in Cape Town.Batting first, South Africa overcame an indifferent start through a 98-run fourth wicket stand between Shaylin Pillay and Theunis de Bruyn. The latter was the mainstay of the innings, contributing 73 off 76 balls. No. 7 batsman Prenelan Subrayen chipped in with 25 at nearly run-a-ball as South Africa surged to 240 for 7. Zia-ul-Haq and Usman Qadir impressed with two wickets each for Pakistan.Opening bowler Corné Fry dismantled the chase early, removing both Pakistan openers before they could settle in. The support cast backed up Fry and left Pakistan in trouble at 107 for 6 in the 28th over. No. 8 Qadir resisted with a fifty, but it was only a matter of time before Pakistan subsided. They were 42 runs short when they were bowled out in the 44th over.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Daichi Kamada to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a recruitment source has revealed Leeds are plotting a bid for the Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder at the end of the current campaign – if the Whites remain a Premier League side next season.

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The report goes on to state that Victor Orta will be sending one of his scouts to watch the 25-year-old in Frankfurt’s Europa League semi-final second leg fixture against West Ham United on Thursday evening, while Jesse Marsch is already said to be aware of the Japan international from his time in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig.

Marsch would love him

With Leeds already having been linked with moves for the likes of RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson and Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, it is clear to see that Orta and Marsch are looking to bring a new attacking midfielder to the club this summer.

And, considering how impressive Kamada has been in Germany this season, the 25-year-old would indeed appear to make a fantastic addition to Marsch’s current options in the position.

Indeed, over his 30 Bundesliga appearances this term, the £19.8m-rated forward has been in fine form for Oliver Glasner’s side, scoring four goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, 1.0 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £7.4k-per-week midfielder who has been dubbed like “Messi inside the area” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Eintracht’s ninth-best performer in the German top flight.

However, it has been over his 11 Europa League appearances in which Kamada has really caught the eye, with the 16-time capped international scoring five goals – including the winner at the London Stadium – providing one assist and averaging a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.10.

As such, it is clear for all to see that a player of Kamada’s undoubted ability would be a signing Marsch would love to get over the line this summer, leading us to believe that, should Leeds go on to seal their place in the Premier League next season, Orta must do all he can to land the 27-year-old.

AND in other news: Major update emerges on big-money deal at Leeds, it’s devastating news for supporters

Jimmy Kamande, the Kenya captain, admitted his side was nervous against New Zealand and promised a different approach for the next game

Sriram Veera at the MA Chidambaram Stadium20-Feb-2011It was a sombre press conference. Jimmy Kamande, the Kenya captain, was in the hot seat and a New Zealand journalist couldn’t resist asking the question. “Yesterday, you said you guys will express yourself and play the Kenyan brand of cricket. How does that comment sit now after today’s performance?”To his credit, Kamande didn’t stutter or squirm but responded immediately, “Ya, we didn’t express ourselves. The young boys were nervous. The two young lads who opened were a bit nervous but Collins Obuya was positive and we were gaining momentum but quick wickets in the middle set us back. In the next few games, we will express ourselves. The good thing is that this is done. It’s out of the way. “For what it’s worth, it was out of the way very quickly. There was almost an inner conflict when watching the game and it was visible in the audience, at least in the press box. Some sniggered as the wickets tumbled, some were sympathetically silent and some were condescendingly quiet. A few wondered whether the ICC will get further ammunition to keep the minnows out of the next competition.Kamande didn’t want to get drawn into that debate but said Kenya will try their best to improve and gently suggested that it was the reverse that was in fact the reason for the debacle. “It’s for ICC to decide to play 10 teams or 15 … The disappointing thing is we get to play a Test team once around every two years or so. The more we play against these guys, the better you become. We play Pakistan next. I would be happy as long as we improve each and every game.”Today, perhaps, it was just the nerves. There was also a matter of skill. New Zealand, Hamish Bennett in particular, hurled it fast and full and the Kenya batsmen played around the ball, across the line. There is a huge difference between playing the ball late and being late on the ball. Kenya did the latter and crumbled. “It wasn’t as if the ball was doing much but the lines and lengths were tight and some of our batsmen played too much across the line. We will go back and work on it. Next game, different opposition and it will be a different approach from us.”While Kenya and their fans, and their critics, will wait to see what unfurls in the future, it was time to breathe easy for New Zealand. It was the perfect way to start a tournament for a team that has been stumbling from one disaster to another. “We didn’t expect that the game would get over so quickly,” Vettori said. “It was nice. We are happy with how we performed. We don’t expect all other matches to be this easier. I think bowling full and straight is going to be the key in this part of world. We will keep the same intensity for every game.”Bennett, the wrecker in chief, said he came to know he would be playing after Kyle Mills had an injury problem in the pre-match training session. I just said to myself that I will go straight, try to bowl hard and full to skid off the wicket and catch the pads of batsmen. Coming in as a replacement for the injured Mills in the playing XI, it was a good result for me. Hopefully, I can keep pushing for my selection”.New Zealand will hope the bowlers can hold their nerves against tougher opposition, Kenya that batsmen shed their nervousness quickly. There was evidence, even in this debacle, that they have a couple of batsmen who have the flair to provide some fun moments for their fans. As the tournament tagline says, this is the cup that counts, and it would be a pity if we don’t get to see the Kenyans play with a bit more freedom.

Wolves youngster Morgan Gibbs-White can become a regular for Wanderers after a superb season out on loan, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-Whites stars for Blades

The 22-year-old sealed a temporary move to Sheffield United last summer, in order to continue his development with regular playing time.

Gibbs-White’s loan move has been an extremely fruitful one, with the midfielder scoring ten goals and also adding eight assists, helping the Blades get into the Championship playoff picture.

The Englishman will return to Wolves at the end of the season, as he looks to kick on at Molineux.

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The Latest: Youngster tipped to shine

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke said next season is the time for Gibbs-White to become a key figure for Wanderers:

“I think it’s a big opportunity for Morgan Gibbs-White this summer to go back to Wolves and show that he is capable of becoming a regular in that team.

“He’s gone to the Championship, and I think he’s probably been one of the best players in the league, for me, this season. So, I think Gibbs-White, ideally, would love to go back to Wolves and show that he can be part of Bruno Lage’s team going forward.”

[freshpress-poll id=“388780″]

The Verdict: Ready to step up

Gibbs-White is an outstanding young talent and it does feel as though his career is taking a natural trajectory, with its next chapter seeing him make the grade at Wolves.

At 22, he isn’t particularly a young talent anymore and it is time for him to show that he can excel in the Premier League on a regular basis, being a genuinely reliable squad member under Bruno Lage rather than just a future star.

With Ruben Neves potentially moving on, supporters could be looking for a new midfield hero to emerge and there is no reason why Gibbs-White can’t be that man, having already made 86 appearances for the club to date.

In other news, a foreign source has made a key Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

Cricket Ireland has issued an appeal after three laptops and two external hard drives went missing at the end of a game in Belfast last week

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2011Cricket Ireland has issued an appeal after three laptops and two external hard drives went missing at the end of a game in Belfast last week.A bag containing the equipment was stolen at the end of Ireland’s one-day game against Namibia at the Civil Service club in Stormont on July 5. The equipment belonged to Ireland assistant coach and video analyst Pete Johnston and he fears crucial tactical information will be lost.”The external hard drives contain footage of our matches, with game plans for the opposition and tactics that we employ, as well as our own key performance indicators,” he said.”I had everything with me as I was preparing for our ongoing tri-series with Sri Lanka and Scotland. The footage contained on these hard drives is crucial to our success and preparation for games. It’s an accumulation of work over the past four years, and is irreplaceable. I’m appealing to anyone that finds these or is offered them for sale to get in touch with Cricket Ireland immediately.”Cricket Ireland have offered a shirt signed by the World Cup squad as a reward for any information that leads to the retrieval of the missing equipment.

Cheteshwar Pujara, returning to the Indian side after a year and a half, says he is treating his comeback as a ‘second debut’

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Aug-2012Cheteshwar Pujara, recalled into the Test squad for the New Zealand series, is treating his comeback as his “second debut”. One of the impressive young batsmen to have come out in the last five years on the domestic circuit, Pujara was a popular choice to take a place in the Indian middle order once the top guns walked out of the game. And with two berths opening up after the retirements of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, Pujara feels he is “motivated and passionate” while not being fussy about his position in the batting order.Pujara, who made a match-winning debut in Bangalore against Australia in 2010, played just two further Tests before a knee injury in IPL 2011 sidelined him for six months. Recovering from the surgery, he missed out on the home series against West Indies late last year, but was eager to get a ticket for the Australia tour. However, the selectors did not have enough confidence since Pujara, who plays for Saurashtra, had not had quality match practice.Pujara made just 200 runs during last season’s Ranji Trophy, but stronger performances on the recent India A tour of the West Indies, where he topped the run-charts, put him back in the reckoning. “I have been working hard on making a comeback. It has been delayed because there were not many games but I did whatever I could in domestic format and with India A. But I do not want to rush. I’m going to be calm and play my natural game,” Pujara told ESPNcricinfo immediately after being picked for the Tests.Making a comeback was never going to be easy. Pujara was hurt by some pundits questioning his fitness levels. But, working alongside his father Arvind, his driving force and mentor, Pujara made the finer adjustments to his batting. “When you come back after a six-month lay-off it is difficult to straightaway catch the rhythm. You need to start from the scratch. But once you cross those hurdles then you get mentally tough,” Pujara said. He knew he could not throw away a lifetime of hard work. “I am fully motivated. This is the moment I have always worked hard for. There is hunger and passion about playing at the highest level. It is once again a debut game for me.”Mentally adept and patient, Pujara, who is only 24, has blended those qualities with his batting skills which have remained sound and fluent from his age-group cricket days. Though the likes of Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have made more headlines in the last year, Pujara has remained a favourite to take the important No. 3 slot vacated by Dravid. It was the same position he batted in the nets today in Hyderabad during the Indian training session, with Kohli at No. 5; the other two contenders – Rahane and S Badrinath – batted late down the order.However, Pujara does not want to be picky about his position in the batting order. “It is a team game so most of the time you have to see the comfort of the team, not your own. As a batsman I need to be flexible. I am a youngster who is making a comeback and not someone who is settled in the batting order so I should not be demanding. Yes, once I prove myself at a particular position then I can say I would like to bat at this number.”

In two weeks, Canada host Bermuda in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup, with a place in the semi-finals awaiting them if they win

Wisden Cricinfo staff07-Sep-2010

Fit for first-class cricket? The wicket at Sunnybrook© Jon Harris, canadacricket.com
In two weeks, Canada host Bermuda in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup, with a place in the semi-finals awaiting them if they win. But the venue for the match in Toronto remains undecided, with the initial choice – the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club – ruled out after the Canadian board (CCA) failed to reach an agreement with the ground authorities.The search for an alternative has been frantic and frustrating, with alternative venues not being sufficiently prepared for such a major game. The only venue remotely in with a chance of being ready is at Sunnybrook, but a cursory inspection over the weekend revealed that there was bare soil on the mottled wicket intended for the match. Furthermore, the surface is far from flat, and it is almost inconceivable that there is enough time before the tie – which is scheduled to start on August 13 – to put things right. The facilities at the club are also basic.The TCSCC is clearly the major ground, having hosted the Sahara Cups in the 1990s, and the one assumed by outsiders to be the natural choice. But the CCA refused to agree to the financial demands of the owners, starting the desperate hunt for an alternative. According to a senior official of the TCSCC, the CCA only formally approached them on July 26, less than three weeks before the match, even though the TCSCC had been asking for clarification of the board’s intentions since April.The main problem facing the CCA is that the match has to be played on grass, and the bulk of matches in Canada are on artificial or matting wickets. Experience of preparing and maintaining grass pitches is limited, and by refusing the TCSCC terms so late in the day, the board has painted itself into a corner.It stands accused of poor management of the whole venture. Aside from the farrago surrounding the venue, with less than a fortnight before the game it was impossible to find out information about the fund-raising banquet intended to coincide with the match.This is the board’s chance to put Canadian cricket on the map and show the international community that it has what it takes to be taken seriously. It is looking set to do just the opposite.

A round-up of the fourth round of games from the Stanbic Bank 20 domestic tournament in Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2010Mashonaland Eagles solidified their position at the top of the points table of the Stanbic Bank 20 tournament as another fine allround performance from Ryan Butterworth took them to a three-wicket win over Mid West Rhinos at Harare Sports Club. Butterworth chipped in with a wicket after Rhinos opted to set a target and reached 174 for 6 and then, with his side in some trouble at 99 for 6, blasted six sixes – four of them in one over – in a 20-ball 52 to secure the win and his second Man of the Match award in two days.Eagles had tweaked their batting line-up heading into their chase, with Trevor Garwe and Andrew Hall pushed up the order, but the decision backfired as Ian Nicolson’s pace and Brendan Taylor’s part-time offspin combined to reduce them to 26 for 3. Overseas batsman Nick Compton led a revival, taking three fours from one Paul Franks over as he reached a rapid half-century only to be caught at deep extra-cover off legspinner Graeme Cremer.Taylor then struck in consecutive balls to bring Butterworth to the crease to face the hat-trick delivery. With that hurdle safely negotiated, Butterworth seized the initiative with gusto and put on 51 in under five overs with Forster Mutizwa. When Cremer bowled Mutizwa with the first ball of the 18th over with 25 required the game was anybody’s once again, but Butterworth responded in brutal fashion to seal the result.Taylor returned to bowl the 19th over and Butterworth ensured there would be no need for the match to go into the final six balls as he smashed three successive sixes, played out a dot ball, and then finished the game with a fourth. His effort took him to the top of the run-scoring charts, level with team-mate Compton with 155 runs.A pair of electric innings from Sikandar Raza and Elton Chigumbura set up Southern Rocks’ 41-run win over Matabeleland Tuskers in the other match of the day. Raza shared in a 98-run opening partnership with Brian Lara – to which Lara contributed just 11 – and was within sight of a maiden Twenty20 hundred when he slapped Keith Dabengwa to Paul Horton at extra cover to be out for 93 just two balls into the 12th over.He had added a quickfire 43 for the second wicket with Chigumbura, who was every bit as aggressive at the crease and hit his first ball, from Tuskers captain Gavin Ewing, high over midwicket for six. Six more sixes – but no fours – followed as Chigumbura rushed past fifty and Rocks amassed 221 for 6.Tuskers’ top order made a valiant effort to chase the runs down, but while each of the top five made aggressive starts none stuck around long enough to play a decisive innings. Facing an almost impossible task, the lower order imploded and Chamu Chibhabha collected four wickets as Tuskers were bowled out for 180 in the final over.