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Cricinfo previews the Semi-Final match between England and Sri Lanka in St Lucia

Sahil Dutta12-May-2010Match FactsThursday, May 13, St Lucia
Start time 1130 (1530 GMT)Angelo Matthews was Sri Lanka’s man of the match against India and his allround threat could unsettle England•AFPThe Big PictureWhile England have not made the final of a ICC global tournament since 2004 Sri Lanka have been beaten finalists in both last year’s World Twenty20 and the 2007 World Cup.Yet ahead of the match it’s England who are the more bullish having topped their Super Eights group with three comfortable wins. They are on the verge of fulfilling their transformation that began after losing 5-1 to Australia last summer. Gone is the stuttering top order hoping to ‘keep wickets in hand’ and in its place is a fearless line-up led by two dashing hitters at the top and followed by the classiest middle-order pair of the tournament, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.Sri Lanka, on the other hand, looked unsteady to begin with but have found increasingly assurance as the tournament went on. Mahela Jayewardene’s graceful striking has completely carried Sri Lanka’s batting – his 292 runs are more than anyone else in the tournament and over double the next highest Sri Lankan tally of 123 from Kumar Sangakkara – but they showed they could perform without him when they beat India. Nevertheless how England’s nagging fast-medium attack fare against Jayewardene could well determine the outcome of the game.Form guide (most recent first)Sri Lanka WLWWL
England WWWNLWatch out for…Craig Kieswetter has fizzed without quite exploding yet in this tournament. But on the slow pitch his Michael Clarke-like twinkle-toed approach could see England off to a lightning start.Suraj Randiv has stepped into the place vacated by Murali’s injury and, with Ajantha Mendis’ mysteries all but revealed, he has become Sri Lanka’s leading spin weapon. They may be tempted to open the bowling with him after seeing Michael Lumb’s dismissal to Johan Botha when South Africa adopted the same tactic.Team newsKevin Pietersen returns just in time after seeing the birth of his first child and will replace Ravi Bopara. Throughout the tournament Ryan Sidebottom has looked set to miss out for England’s supposed attack-leader, James Anderson, but the selectors have refused to change.England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.Sri Lanka have been far less settled through the tournament so far. Mendis missed out against India but could return for an England side less used to him.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Sanath Jayasuriya, 7 Chamara Kapugedera, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Chanaka Welegedera.Pitch and conditionsEngland may have adapted well to the conditions against New Zealand in their last game, but the slow and low surface in St Lucia will suit Sri Lanka. Their batsmen proved a touch shy of the pace and bounce in Barbados but will be much more comfortable here.Stats and trivia Sri Lanka won the only T20 encounter these two sides have played before. Way back in 2006 at Southampton, in a game where Tim Bresnan, England’s best bowler this tournament, made his T20 debut.Quotes”Life is not exactly a hardship at the minute, you know?”
Tim Bresnan keeps things in perspective.”We would love him to play. He’s a top quality spinner, and England have probably played him once.”
Kumar Sangakkara would love to play his mystery spinner, but won’t quite confirm he will.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Pete O’Rourke believes that West Ham United could now make a move to sign Lloyd Kelly from AFC Bournemouth during the January transfer window after the news of Aaron Cresswell’s injury.

The Lowdown: Kelly vital to the Cherries

Kelly arrived at Bournemouth in the summer of 2019 from Championship side Bristol City, in a deal worth £13.3 million.

Since moving to the Cherries, the 23-year-old has become a staple of Scott Parker’s side, having made 71 appearances for the club, many of which as club captain.

Kelly has been vital to Bournemouth’s backline, with his defensive qualities demonstrated by his last-ditch clearances, of which he averages 4.8 a game – more than any other Bournemouth player (following Steve Cook’s departure).

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The Latest: Hammers could move for Kelly

The Daily Telegraph has previously reported that David Moyes has identified Kelly as the central defender needed to mend his side’s defensive woes, following the serious injuries sustained by Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and now Cresswell.

Despite this, The Telegraph have also claimed that Bournemouth will resist any attempts to sign the England U21 colossus, as they push for Premier league promotion themselves.

However, O’Rourke believes recent revelations will have ramped up the Hammers’ pursuit of the player. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “With the injury to Aaron Cresswell, that could be an interesting one to keep an eye on, Lloyd Kelly, because he can play in a couple of positions”

The Verdict: Good addition for West Ham

Former Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate has claimed that Kelly has ‘a lot of attributes which Premier League teams look at’ and even claimed he doesn’t ‘see him being at Bournemouth long’, describing the youngster as ‘a bit of a Rolls-Royce’.

With that sort of talent, great pace and physicality, age on his side and the added bonus of being able to play in either centre-back slot or at left-back, it is clear that the Englishman would be a fantastic addition to the current Hammers side.

When Zouma, Ogbonna and Cresswell return to full fitness, Kelly would provide Moyes with a strong rotation option to use in Europa League and cup fixtures for any of the three, and could even be the long-term successor for one of the latter two, who are both the wrong side of 30.

With former manager Eddie Howe claiming that ‘he’s got everything’, we believe the Irons should go all out to secure the Bournemouth defender’s signature in the January window.

With Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Watford off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton last time out, the 52-year-old would have been hoping for a much-improved display at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

While the Italian would have certainly enjoyed the match a great deal more if his side had managed to seal all three points slightly earlier, Spurs nevertheless came away with maximum points thanks to Davinson Sanchez’s dramatic 96th-minute winner, with the game ending 1-0.

However, despite the victory, there were still a number of performances within the team which will have given Conte cause from concern, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal all enduring something of an afternoon to forget against Watford.

It will undoubtedly be the latter of this trio who would have been most disappointed with his own display on the bus home from Vicarage Road on Saturday evening.

Lost the ball every 5.4 touches

While Emerson’s metrics over his 90 minutes on the pitch were not overly disastrous, the wing-back’s wastefulness in the final third was undeniably the 22-year-old’s downfall against Watford.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated man had a whopping 113 touches of the ball, but he found his intended target with just four of his 13 attempted crosses and lost possession a whopping 21 times, meaning that he ceded possession with every 5.4 touches.

This is something which was also picked up by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who awarded the defender a five in his player ratings, as well as stating of the £62k-per-week right-back’s performance: “No-one was allowed more space and time in the final third but the Brazilian put in a succession of poor crosses. You couldn’t escape the feeling that Watford knew he wasn’t much of a threat.”

As such, it is unavoidable that Emerson’s poor decision making in the final third of the pitch badly let his side down on Saturday despite Tottenham’s ultimate victory, and is an area of his game that the Brazil international must improve if he is to finally disprove Kieron Dyer’s claim that he is “miles off it” for Spurs.

In other news: Spurs begin talks for £116k-p/w gem dubbed “the best”, he’s “more stable” than De Ligt

Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain has urged all the senior members of the team to lead by example and encourage the younger players to give their best in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff02-Apr-2010Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has urged his senior team-mates to inspire the younger players through example in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies. Afridi was appointed captain after Mohammad Yousuf was banned by the PCB and later announced his retirement from international cricket.”I believe that the main responsibility will be on the senior players. They are ones who have enough experience of playing in top-level events like the World Cup,” Afridi told the . “Our senior players like Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal will have to come out with their best in the West Indies. They are the ones who can inspire the young boys in our team to shine in the tournament.”Pakistan are the defending champions and Afridi said a second title triumph would be the best way to erase the bad memories of the recent past. Pakistan experienced one of their worst away tours, losing all three Tests, five ODIs and the one-off Twenty20 in Australia. The PCB came down heavily on the players it believed were responsible for their poor performance, handing out life bans to Yousuf and Younis Khan and one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Naved-ul-Hasan. Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.”We all know that Pakistan needs good news on the cricket field. If we win the World Cup again, we will be able to make millions of our countrymen happy,” he said. “That is why I’m urging my team-mates to give their 100% effort in the training camp and later in the World Cup. I need them to fight like a unit because that’s the only way to win a major event like the World Cup.”Despite the shoddy results in Australia, where they failed to capitalize on winning positions, Afridi backed his team to bounce back in the Caribbean. “I’m not making any promises which is why I won’t say that we would go out their and lift the World Cup,” he said. “But what I want to make crystal clear is that we have to play for the country and if we do that then anything is possible.He was also pleased with the two latest appointments to the coaching staff, Waqar Younis as coach and Ijaz Ahmed as his assistant. “Both Waqar and Ijaz are really good coaches. They know how to get the best out of the players. They are making us go that extra mile in the camp and that’s a very positive change.”Pakistan are placed in Group A with Bangladesh and Australia. They begin their campaign against Bangladesh on May 1 in St Lucia.

Reported Celtic target Patrick Berg is now set to join Lens instead, according to reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Celtic links

The Hoops have been working away ahead of the January transfer window, with up to four possible permanent signings in the New Year.

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Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda could make the move to Parkhead, whereas on-loan winger Jota could end up completing a full-time switch.

Celtic were after Berg in the summer and were once again linked with the Bodo/Glimt man in recent weeks, but it seems as if they won’t be securing the 24-year-old’s services.

The Latest: Lens move

Romano took to Twitter on Friday morning to provide an update on Berg’s future.

The transfer expert said that Berg will sign his contract with Lens ‘in the next few hours’, before name-checking the Hoops as a linked party in a second post.

The Verdict: Big news…

Not only is this big news in regards to Celtic’s transfer plans, but it may also have a major impact on Ange Postecoglou’s Europa League Conference opponents.

Berg, labelled as ‘great’ by The Celtic Analysis in the summer, has been a regular for the Norwegian side in recent years, so they could now lose a key man in their captain ahead of the two-legged tie with Celtic in 2022.

You could say the update is bittersweet for Postecoglou, but it looks as if he will bring midfield additions to the club in Hatate and Ideguchi.

In other news: ‘Could be a long time’ – Devlin shares worrying injury update on Celtic ace after bone ‘break’. 

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle’s interest in Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot.

What’s the talk?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Magpies are eyeing up a potential swoop for the former PSG midfielder ahead of the January window.

The report claims that a sale could work out for all parties involved as Juventus consider a number of midfield options to potentially replace the 26-year-old.

Imagine him & Willock

PIF could land a dream midfield duo in the form of Rabiot and Joe Willock by landing the Frenchman in January, which is why they must ensure that they can get this deal over the line in the coming months.

The 26-year-old has not enjoyed a brilliant time in Italy with Juventus, failing to average a WhoScored rating of 7.00 or higher in either of his full seasons for the club to date. This could be why they are prepared to cash in on him, but his prior form for PSG suggests that he could be an excellent signing for Newcastle.

In his last five Ligue 1 campaigns in Paris, Rabiot averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.11 or higher as he caught the eye for the French giants. He averaged at least 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game in each season during that spell, whilst he also holds a career average pass completion of 89.9%.

Former Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo previously called him ‘complete’, saying: “He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically.”

Bianconeri legend Gianluigi Buffon has also lauded him, saying: “He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio. He is incredible, extremely strong.”

Rabiot’s statistics from his time at PSG and these quotes from Buffon and Pirlo suggest that he could have the tenacity and strength to be a solid holding midfielder for the Magpies. This could make him the perfect partner for Joe Willock, who is capable of providing goals from the middle of the park, and PIF must ensure that they can get them playing alongside each other.

The former Arsenal man found the back of the net eight times in 11 Premier League starts for Newcastle last term, having produced three goals and three assists in four Europa League starts for the Gunners earlier in the campaign. This shows that he has the quality to make an impact in the final third and that is why he could thrive alongside Rabiot, who can do the dirty work and break up play to allow Willock to push up and support the attack.

AND in other news, Newcastle make contact with £22.5m-rated “genius”, him and Saint-Maximin could be terrifying…

The ICC president believes that the umpiring controversies that marred the third day of the Mirpur Test will help to encourage all cricket boards to embrace the use of the Umpire Decision Review System

Andrew Miller in Dhaka23-Mar-2010David Morgan, the ICC president, believes that the umpiring controversies that marred the third day of the Mirpur Test will help to encourage all cricket boards to embrace the use of the Umpire Decision Review System, but added that the business of footing the bill must still be shared by the host broadcaster for each series.”I think that UDRS makes for wonderful television,” Morgan said. “It adds a dimension to the package that a viewer receives, and I do believe that the broadcasters have a responsibility to fund part of it. Cricket is not afloat with dollars and pounds and euros. It is not a rich sport and we believe there has to be a contribution.”But next time Bangladesh host international cricket, against New Zealand in October, I am sure that the BCB will have the equipment available,” he added. “They clearly regret not having it in this series.”Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s captain, was critical of the BCB following the third day’s play, saying that had they chosen to pay for the referral technology, his team could have claimed a first-innings lead over England and made a push for their fourth Test victory.”We would have been in a very good position if [UDRS] was in use here,” he said. “I think we would have asked for a referral four times with full confidence, and three of them would have come to our way for sure. It’s really bad for us that we did not use the referral system, which we could have done.””Umpires can make mistakes, but a series of mistakes have gone against us, and it’s very unfortunate,” said Mostafa Kamal, the BCB president. “We have been talking about [UDRS] issue, but we found that other countries have not been using it extensively, so we thought that, first of all, we must know about the system itself. It is very delicate and if we misused it, it might go against us.”Speaking during an official visit to Bangladesh ahead of next year’s World Cup, Morgan also defended the integrity of the ICC’s elite umpires following Andy Flower’s pre-series comments that more influential teams tend to get the rub of the green in marginal decisions, a suggestion that was backed up by Bangladesh’s coach, Jamie Siddons, at the close of the third day’s play.”I have a great deal of time for Andy Flower. I have not chatted with him on this matter, but I’d like to,” said Morgan. “I cannot accept that any of our international or elite umpires are biased. This game will be monitored in Dubai, and the match referee is here monitoring umpire performance as well. We will also listen to the captain of Bangladesh and the coach, but their views will not necessarily be regarded as value judgements at the end of the day.”The UDRS system is being rolled out and is being used significantly more than in situations such as this when it is not in use,” said Morgan. “Boards and broadcasters are being pressed to ensure it is available, and I think it will not be too long before we have the system operating with the optimum equipment available at each Test match, wherever it is played in the world.”

The winners of the bid for the two new IPL franchises will be announced on March 8, according to Lali Modi, the tournament’s commissioner

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2010The IPL’s two new franchises will be announced on March 7( initially set as March 8), Lalit Modi, the tournament commissioner, has said. Twelve cities – including four that will host games in IPL 2010 – are in the running, with the criteria for the bidding to be revealed on February 21.The cities in the fray are: Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Indore, Cuttack, Gwalior, Visakapatnam (all eight have stadiums for hosting games), Rajkot, Pune, Vadodara and Kochi (the last four have new stadia under construction).The IPL had already announced that the bidding for a new franchise would start from a base price of US$225m, more than four times the US$50m base price that the original eight franchises were auctioned for in 2008. The league’s expansion will see a much longer fixture list – 94 games as opposed to 59 in the first two seasons if the format remains the same.Modi said on his Twitter page that the IPL wanted to ensure the new owners were identified before this year’s IPL starts on March 12, so that the new owners and management will get a feel of how franchises work during the season to prepare them for their debut in 2011.”The addition of two new franchises to IPL 2011 is perhaps the most interesting development for the league from an operational perspective,” Modi said in a press release. “We have scheduled the ITT (invitation to tender) process at this juncture to give the two new team owners enough time to set up their organizations and also participate in the player’s auction process post IPL 2010 for new squads. “The announcement comes amid speculation that existing franchise owners are looking to divest all or some of their stake. Modi said those interested in buying part of or an entire franchise include a top English football club, with the MCC also keen on getting involved with the league.

Ajantha Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka’s playing XI for the decisive third Test in Mumbai

Sa'adi Thawfeeq01-Dec-2009Ajantha Mendis will not play in Mumbai•AFPAjantha Mendis has been omitted from Sri Lanka’s playing XI for the decisive third Test in Mumbai, with the captain Kumar Sangakkara backing a third seam bowler at the Brabourne Stadium. Mendis was included for the second Test in Kanpur as the management opted for a three-pronged spin attack, but after taking 2 for 162 he has been axed.”Mendis will have to sit out,” said Sangakkara. “We’ll probably go with an extra seamer than a spinner on this track, which doesn’t look as dull as the one at Ahmedabad or Kanpur.”Nuwan Kulasekara, who has returned to full fitness, appeared to have the edge over Dilhara Fernando for the third pace bowler’s spot. “In the last two to three series, [Nuwan] Kulasekara has been very consistent in both ODI and Test,” said Sangakkara. “So, quality-wise I think Kulasekara has an edge. Dilhara Fernando is coming into the side after a while but he is bowling well and with a lot of pace. It is a tough choice and we’ll have to make that tough choice today.”Sri Lanka’s bowling combination that has won them 10 of their last 19 Test matches comprised three seamers. They paid the price in Kanpur, opting for a spin trio, and were thrashed by an innings and 144 runs inside four days. Trailing 1-0 in the three-Test series, it is now a must win situation for the visitors, as they look to avoid their first series loss in the last eight encounters, since losing 2-0 in Australia in 2007-08.”We had a good one in the first Test, not a great game in the second,” said Sangakkara. “It’s a case of regrouping and keep doing the basics right. We have the side to beat any team in the world. This is another opportunity for us to do that.”We created quite a few chances with the new ball in both innings of the first Test, and the second innings of the second Test. Creating opportunities is one thing and taking those chances is another. Those are the things that can turn a game especially when the batsmen go on to make big runs. We’ve got to make sure that our disciplines are good and our catching is right on the mark from ball one.”Sangakkara defended his key spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on the poor form he had shown in the series so far. “Murali is a bowler who has done so much for Sri Lanka and can sometimes have an off day. That’s the way cricket goes. That doesn’t mean he is any worse a bowler, he is still our best spinner and in my view the best spinner in the world. When you have that quality in the side you have to back that quality and that ability it’s no different for tomorrow. Murali is still the spearhead of our attack and we back him 100% to turn it around and win a match for us.”

Mauricio Pochettino wants to join Manchester United ‘now’, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News. 

The lowdown

There’s a vacancy in the Old Trafford dugout after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his duties over the weekend, and United initially indicated that they would look to appoint an interim manager for the rest of the campaign rather than naming a long-term successor straight away.

Named by Sky Sports as the Red Devils’ top target for the job, Pochettino is currently in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, and although they are 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and poised to progress to the Champions League round of 16, he’s reportedly unhappy in the French capital.

As per the Daily Mail, he is missing his family, who are still based in London, and is apparently growing tired of having to manage the egos of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

The latest

On Monday afternoon, Luckhurst shared a succinct yet potentially crucial update on Twitter as he said: “Brief but vital update to earlier story: Pochettino wants to join #mufc now”.

His accompanying Manchester Evening News article stated that the 49-year-old is prepared to swap Paris for Old Trafford mid-season rather than waiting until the summer, having held long-harboured ambitions of managing United.

The verdict

Before United fans get excited about the possibility of hiring a coach who’s been ranked inside the world’s top 10 by FourFourTwo magazine and guided Spurs to the Champions League final in 2019, they should consider where PSG stand in all this.

Club sources from the French capital have insisted that the man they only brought in last season is ‘going nowhere’, and perhaps this is why United planned to wait until the end of the current campaign to appoint a permanent successor to Solskjaer.

It could be much harder to land one of their top targets at this stage of the year when it would cause a great deal of disruption, so despite Luckhurst claiming that Pochettino would be willing to take over at Old Trafford straight away, there could be a lot of negotiation to be done with the PSG hierarchy first.

In other news, some United fans ripped into this man for his performance at the weekend