Tag Futebol

Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s new interim coach, has warned that his team’s next opponents, Australia, will be dangerous since they are hurting from recent disappointments

Sa'adi Thawfeeq17-Jul-2011Rumesh Ratnayake, Sri Lanka’s new interim coach, has warned that his team’s next opponents, Australia, will be dangerous since they are hurting from recent disappointments.”Taking on Australia is a huge challenge,” Ratnayake said. “They are like a wounded tiger after losing the Ashes and the World Cup and they will be hungry. We need to be twice as hungry as they are, adopt smart options and play the kind of cricket we are recognised for.”Ratnayake, a fast bowler who played 23 Tests and 70 ODIs for Sri Lanka, will coach the team only for the home series against Australia, which includes three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals. It is a similar role to that of his successor, Australian Stuart Law, who quit as interim coach after the recently concluded tour to England to take up a full-time appointment as Bangladesh coach. Sri Lanka has not yet found a suitable replacement for Trevor Bayliss since he quit his position as head coach after the 2011 World Cup in April.One of the challenges facing Ratnayake will be to deal with the increased expectations in Sri Lanka after their successes, particularly in the one-day format, in recent years. “We have performed extremely well in the recent past to enter the finals of two successive World Cups. It is something I wouldn’t have dreamt of. The expectations are high because the team has started to win. Consistency is something we need to work on. We lacked that in England.”Another aspect Ratnayake said he would focus on is player management, and making sure players get enough rest. “Cricket has gone through the roof. Today it is played at different intensities and that’s why management of players is important. For the amount of cricket they play today the recovery period is another important area.”Ratnayake said the Sri Lanka team was going through a period of rebuilding with the main focus being the next World Cup in 2015.”Although we need to take the chance to introduce new players into the team there is also the now factor to be considered. With the schools producing players at a good rate, and the A team as well as the Development and Academy squads doing well there is plenty of back up for the national team, but it needs to be handled properly.”Part of Sri Lanka’s rebuilding will possibly include identifying a new captain who can lead them in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who took over as captain after Kumar Sangakkara relinquished the post after the 2011 World Cup, is 34 years old, and Ratnayake said it was important other players also started taking on the responsibility of being leaders in their own departments.”We need to have small leaderships in the team. Everybody should take on leadership roles if we are to become a winning unit.”An Australian and Asian Cricket Council qualified level 3 coach, Ratnayake was previously involved with the national team as assistant coach to Dav Whatmore for a brief period during India’s tour to Sri Lanka in 2001. He was at the time head of the Sri Lanka Pace Academy as well. It was shortly after the series that he got the job of development officer with the ACC, a post which he still holds. Sri Lanka Cricket asked the ACC to release Ratnayake from his duties for the Australia series.”What the ACC has taught me is to become a teacher,” Ratnayake said. “I’ve been teaching the coaches. After all a coach is a teacher.”Ratnayake will be meeting the players, the three assistant coaches – Marvan Atapattu, the batting coach, Champaka Ramanayake, the fast bowling coach, and Ruwan Kalpage, the fielding coach – and team officials on July 18 to discuss strategies for the Australia series.

Northamptonshire clinched fourth place in the northern group of the Friends Provident t20 as they eased to a seven-wicket win at the Emirates Durham ICG on Sunday

18-Jul-2010

ScorecardNorthamptonshire clinched fourth place in the northern group of the Friends Provident t20 as they eased to a seven-wicket win at the Emirates Durham ICG on Sunday. They booked a trip to Taunton for the quarter-finals on July 26 or 27 as they won with 13 balls to spare after Durham limped to 129 for 5 from their 20 overs.Northamptonshire had looked like winning by an even bigger margin when they were 121 for one with 5.1 overs left. But they lost Alex Wakely lbw to Steve Harmison for 35 and two balls later Rob White edged Gareth Breese to Phil Mustard.The offspinner enjoyed the rarity of delivering a wicket maiden in a Twenty20 game, but White’s 63 off 49 balls had all but delivered victory. He continued his recent good form by hitting two sixes on his way to 50 off 38 balls and also carved Harmison for two fours when the paceman gave him width outside off stump.Liam Plunkett took the first wicket when left-hander Chaminda Vaas shaped to pull and got a top edge to slip. But with 57 already on the board in the seventh over the visitors were well on their way.Albie Morkel hit Durham’s only six over mid-wicket as 13 came off their final over, bowled by Northamptonshire skipper Andrew Hall. Arriving in the 11th over, South African Morkel seemed content to push the ball around until that final over, when he also hit one of his two fours in finishing unbeaten on 35, made off 27 balls.Mark Stoneman was Durham’s top scorer with 36, but he faced 41 balls and hit only three fours before slicing to backward point in the 16th over. He was also dropped twice at deep midwicket, by Lee Daggett on eight and Rob White on 25.Durham had only 21 on the board after five overs when Stoneman survived a chance thanks to Daggett’s drop before Ben Stokes rubbed salt into Jack Brooks’ wounds by twice driving him through extra cover for four.Stokes made 24 when his weakness against spin was exposed by James Middlebrook’s first ball. It pitched outside the left-hander’s leg stump but as he shaped to play it through midwicket it turned and hurried on to bowl him.At a time when Durham needed to accelerate in mid-innings, Middlebrook conceded only six runs in his first two overs and the batsmen continued to show little sign of urgency until the final over.

Mitesh Velani spent a decade working for the English rugby union club

Matt Roller30-Aug-2024Yorkshire have appointed Mitesh Velani, who left Saracens as part of the fall-out from their salary cap scandal, as their new chief financial and operations officer.Saracens, the London-based rugby union club, were fined over £5 million and docked 35 points in 2019 after they were found guilty of breaching the English Premiership’s salary cap across three seasons.Mitesh Velani, who will join Yorkshire in a newly-created role on September 16, spent a decade working for Saracens. He was the club’s finance director from 2010 until 2017, before taking over as chief executive – initially in an interim capacity – until 2020. He was replaced as chief executive in January 2020, initially moving into a consultancy role before leaving the club soon after.Velani was mentioned repeatedly in the independent disciplinary panel’s report detailing the charges against Saracens, and was the principal witness when the club attempted – unsuccessfully – to make the case that the league’s salary cap was anti-competitive.Related

• Graves: Private ownership at Yorkshire 'essential for club's future'

• Graves returns to Yorkshire board ahead of reappointment as chair

• Former Wasps chief Vaughan appointed as new CEO at Yorkshire

The panel found that Velani’s witness statement had “largely been copied verbatim” from one made by his predecessor, Ed Griffiths, in a previous disciplinary case. The panel’s report said it was “regrettable” that Velani did not “make clear the extent to which his written statement simply reiterated Mr Griffiths’ earlier statement and addressed matters on which he had no first-hand knowledge”.Yorkshire mentioned Velani’s experience with Saracens in a club statement announcing his appointment, but did not address the salary cap scandal, instead saying that he had “brought transformation and innovation to the operating of the club during a decade of sustained success both on and off the field”.Velani said it was “an honour” to join Yorkshire. “I am looking forward to using everything I have learned to help support Yorkshire at this exciting time,” he said. “Working alongside the Board I am determined to help deliver success at Headingley and produce exceptional results, underpinned by robust commercial foundations and our vision to make Yorkshire Cricket a place for everyone.”Colin Graves is planning to demutualise Yorkshire•Getty Images

Velani’s appointment comes at a time when Yorkshire are in transition on and off the field. They are recruiting for a new director of cricket – with Essex’s Anthony McGrath considered the favourite for the role – and a new head coach, with Ottis Gibson stepping down at the end of the season.Colin Graves, Yorkshire chair, will ballot members in November as he seeks to demutualise the club, which would require a 75 percent vote from a minimum 50 percent turnout. “If people don’t vote for demutualisation, then unfortunately, Yorkshire’s going to fall into these financial problems time and time again,” Graves told the last week.Graves said that he has been speaking to IPL franchises and American investors about the prospect of buying stakes in the club, while Yorkshire will soon be gifted a majority stake in Northern Superchargers by the ECB. “They will not even consider investing in Yorkshire as a members’ club – that is fact,” Graves said.Yorkshire also announced on Friday that Sanjay Patel, the main architect of the Hundred, will become their interim chief executive when Stephen Vaughan leaves the role next month.Sanjay Patel is Yorkshire’s interim chief executive•Getty Images

Patel was the ECB’s chief commercial officer from 2015 and took charge of the creation of the Hundred from 2018, acting as the tournament’s managing director until the end of last summer. He has been a member of Yorkshire’s board since February, when Graves returned to the club as chair.”I am delighted to be joining Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” Patel said. “The board have been extremely open with me, sharing their learnings and challenges over the past few years, and importantly their bold and ambitious goals for the future. Together as an organisation, we will do the best we can for the members and supporters aiming to move forward in all areas.”Vaughan, who joined the club in late 2022, said that he was “very proud” of Yorkshire’s achievements during his tenure: “Yorkshire Cricket has faced some significant and well documented challenges that needed to be faced head on, and the club is now in a much better place and ready to continue its journey back to sustainability and success on and off the field.”It has been a real team effort, and I’d like to thank all of the staff that have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, often in extremely challenging circumstances for their support and dedication.”Velani and Yorkshire have been contacted by ESPNcricinfo for comment.

Having come close to taking his side over the line in Sunrisers’ last match, Samad proves that he is “worth the investment” with a last-ball six

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20232:13

Moody: Samad reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan

A last-ball six to overhaul a target of 215 and keep Sunrisers Hyderabad’s play-off hopes alive could be “the turning point” in Abdul Samad’s young career, according to his ex-coach Tom Moody.Samad is only 21 but is already in his fourth IPL season, and has found himself in and out of the Sunrisers team this year. By his own admission, he “got lucky” when Sandeep Sharma’s overstep on what should have been the last ball of the game granted him a second chance, but he took full advantage in drilling the free hit back over his head for six to clinch a win for his side.Related

• Royals stick to the sexy but their yorker plan goes bust, as it often does

• Samson: 'Mindset can change for few moments when you think the job is done'

• Stats – Sunrisers' first successful 200+ chase

• Glenn Phillips and Abdul Samad pull off stunning heist for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Thirty-one games into his IPL career, Samad is averaging just 18.63 but has scored his runs at a strike rate of 136.67. He is also among a rare group of players who have hit more sixes (21) than fours (20) in the league – a statistic which underlines his power.”What Abdul Samad has got as a young, emerging player is a rare ability to hit the ball out of the ground,” Moody, who worked with Samad in 2021 and 2022, said on ESPNcricinfo’s show. “He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan. He’s got that strength, power, and it’s a very hard role to play.”I hope that it gives the management and the franchise confidence that they have got the right person, because that is the hardest part. Forget about the player having confidence, you need the organisation – wherever you are – to have confidence in you, and I think if you look at his erratic selection over the last two years, I think that hopefully this is the turning point for him.”Samad was unable to get Sunrisers over the line in their narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night, falling in the final over of the game for 21 off 18 balls. Hemang Badani, Sunrisers’ batting coach, said that Samad had taken responsibility for the defeat and “stayed strong” in the aftermath.2:31

Hemang Badani: ‘The win will give confidence to players like Samad’

“Let me start off by saying I have to give full marks to Samad,” Badani said, “because he was the first one to come up to me after the previous game and said, ‘I should have finished the game.'”He took ownership of it, and said with nine off six balls, more often than not, batters in the middle would finish games for their side, and he didn’t finish it and he was a little unhappy about it. He had a similar instance with the game against Mumbai [Indians]; that again was a game that he felt he could have finished.”And he was hurting, to be honest. He was hurting. He was like, ‘I’ve been around with SRH, this is my third [fourth] year, I’m a retained player and I really want to make it count. I really want to try and show them that I am worth your time and I am worth the investment.’ I think he’s ensured that he’s stayed strong.”Samad hardly reacted after his winning shot, which Moody said fitted his character. “He’s not charging off with his bat in the air; he’s a very humble, quietly-spoken guy,” he said.”But behind all that is someone that works extremely hard at his craft and is constantly trying to improve on his game in a role that is exceptionally hard to play. More often than not, you see your mature players playing in those roles, not a 21-year-old.”Abdul Samad’s 21, and we are judging him on his history as a 21-year-old. Let’s judge him on his history when he’s 28, and then make judgement on whether he’s consistent in one of the hardest roles to play.”Badani, meanwhile, said that Samad – and Sunrisers – would take confidence from their victory, which still leaves them in ninth place but with the points table incredibly tight.”It’s a great win, because it gives us momentum,” he said. “It will obviously give us confidence. It will obviously give a lot of belief for guys like Samad, because Samad would have felt that he missed out a couple of times.”To have done it here, the next time he comes in to bat, the next time he’s in a situation like this, he’ll be a lot more different to what he was in the past.”

Bangladesh’s ODI captain was all praise for the allrounder’s decision to stay back for the third ODI in the face of a family emergency

Mohammad Isam24-Mar-2022Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal has praised Shakib Al Hasan for showing “big heart” by staying back in South Africa and playing the third ODI despite several members of his family back home being in hospital.Shakib took the evening flight out of Johannesburg on Wednesday evening, shortly after Bangladesh clinched the ODI series 2-1 in Centurion. He is scheduled to land in Dhaka on Thursday. Four members of his family including his two children, his mother and mother-in-law are all in hospital with different ailments.”It takes a very big heart to endure what Shakib is going through,” Tamim said. “Not many people could have done it. There would be nothing wrong to want to be with one’s family in such a situation. For me his performance wasn’t important. But the dedication that he showed, it was the most important thing. I am telling you. Four or five members of his family are in the hospital. He is still playing and smiling with the team. It takes a big heart.”Shakib initially planned to miss the third ODI and fly home early after hearing about the seriousness of his family’s situation. But after his air ticket was confirmed, Shakib changed his mind and stayed back to play the decider.Shakib took two wickets and later hit the winning runs as Bangladesh won with 141 balls to spare.The allrounder is reportedly in talks with the Bangladesh team management for a possible return to South Africa in time for the second Test. The first Test of the two-match series is scheduled to run from March 31 to April 4 in Durban, and the second from April 7 to 11 in Port Elizabeth.

“This time around the competition will be good; they have brought in experienced players and you will see different cricket”

Umar Farooq29-Oct-2020Babar Azam vowed not to overcomplicate things as ODI captain, saying he would try to apply the same mindset which fetched him positive results in T20s. Pakistan start as firm favourites against Zimbabwe, and Azam said they would test their bench strength during the series, but at the same time, he asked his players not to take the opponents lightly.This is Azam’s first ODI series as captain despite being given the role over a year ago. Pakistan have not played an ODI since a three-match series against Sri Lanka in October 2019, and in that time, he has led his side in eight T20Is, with three wins and as many losses. His form as a batsman shows no sign of waning, but Azam is yet to truly stamp his mark as a captain.”I have learned a lot in the last year and it is a continuous process,” Azam said on the eve of the first ODI. “It didn’t affect my batting much because with the bat I only focus on what I am doing in the middle. But as a captain, there are a lot of things going on my mind so I try to cover every aspect as captain while enjoying the game. The ODI cricket is played with a different mindset but whatever made me successful in T20 cricket, I’ll try and replicate that to get good results.”Zimbabwe’s 20-man squad has a mix of youth and experience. While new faces like Faraz Akram, Wesley Madhevere and Milton Shumba are part of the side, there are also seven players who visited Pakistan in 2015. Pakistan, meanwhile, are playing with a full-strength squad and go into the series as firm favourites, having won each of their last six ODIs against Zimbabwe.”This time around the competition will be good; they have brought in experienced players and you will see different cricket,” Azam said. “We will try to dominate and play according to our strengths and try and get a clean sweep. You can’t take them lightly and we will try to play with a combination of seniors and juniors and give chances to players like Khushdil [Shah], Usman Qadir and Zafar Gohar. We will try to shuffle during the whole series and test our bench strength.”Whatever the team you are up against you can’t afford to take it easy,” he said. “We plan to have the same level of focus and planning. We have to give Zimbabwe respect and play at our full potential. I have given the same message to the boys in the dressing room not to be relaxed and play your natural game.”

India’s head coach talks about his vision for the team after being reappointed to the post

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-20192:09

‘Ravi Shastri was the unanimous choice’ – Kapil Dev

Overseeing a “smooth transition” and integrating youngsters into the national team is among Ravi Shastri’s primary objectives as he looks ahead to the next 26 months of his coaching tenure.On Thursday, Shastri was appointed for a second successive term, with the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) headed by Kapil Dev deeming his international experience, track record and vision for the team superior to those of his nearest challengers Mike Hesson and Tom Moody.”The [goal] for the next two years is to see a smooth transition happening. You will get a lot of youngsters coming in, especially in the white-ball set up,” Shastri told in Antigua, where India are preparing for the two-Test series against West Indies starting August 22.ALSO READ: Why India chose to stick with Ravi Shastri“There will be youngsters coming into the Test match set-up as well. We need to identify another three-four bowlers to add to the pool, those are the challenges so that the team at the end of my tenure in 26 months is in a happier place.”The game has taught us to never back away from a challenge, you want to embrace it, that’s our mental framework. Look at it straight in the eye, go out and compete. We believe wherever we play, it is home, just go and think in that fashion.”This is Shastri’s fourth stint with the Indian team, since he first took on duties as a cricket manager in 2007, immediately in the aftermath of Greg Chappell’s resignation following a first-round exit from the World Cup.AFP

He joined India’s backroom staff as team director during the 2014 tour of England, and remained director in the absence of a head coach, when Duncan Fletcher’s tenure ended after the 2015 World Cup. Shastri was out of the set-up when Anil Kumble became head coach in June 2016, but returned as head coach after Kumble’s resignation a year later.Since then, Shastri has overseen Test match wins in South Africa and England, and a maiden Test series win in Australia, in 2017-18. Under Shastri, India most recently reached the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup in the UK, topping the round-robin table before exiting with a loss to New Zealand. Now, he wants to carry forward from there to establish a legacy for teams to emulate.”The reason why I came in here because I had the belief in this team, that they could leave a legacy that very few teams have left behind in years to come,” he said. “Not just for the moment, but also at the end of it all, the kind of legacy other teams going down decades will want to try to emulate. That is the desire, we’re on track, there’s always room for improvement, and with youth coming in through the ranks, it’s a very exciting time.”Over the last four-five years, the biggest improvement has been the fielding, and the endeavor is to make this the best fielding side in the world. It is a clear diktat to whoever wants to play for this team, the standard of that particular player will have to be of the highest standard, especially in white-ball cricket.”

Malaysia suffered a nine-wicket defeat – their third straight loss in the tournament – after managing only 36 for 8 in 20 overs

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2018Sornnarin Tippoch hits her delivery stride•Getty Images

Thailand romped to their first win of the 2018 Asia Cup by consigning hosts Malaysia to a nine-wicket defeat after restricting them to 36 for 8 in 20 overs. Offpsinner Wongpaka Liengprasert’s 2 for 10 headlined Thailand’s victory, while opener Naruemol Chaiwai’s top score of 20 helped them seal the chase with 11 overs to spare.For the third time in a row, Malaysia scored under 50 runs in all, as none of their batsmen got into a double-digit score. Having elected to bat, Malaysia lost a wicket off the very first ball of the match, and their highest partnership amounted to only 12 runs. Liengprasert’s two strikes and two run-outs propped up an overall disciplined bowling performance by Thailand, where five of the six bowlers snared at least one wicket.The only hitch during Thailand’s chase came via Malaysia’s leading wicket-taker of the tournament, medium-pacer Sasha Azmi, who trapped opener Nattakam Chantam in front for a 12-ball 6 in the fourth over. An undefeated 21-run, second-wicket stand between Chaiwai and Sirintra Saengsakaorat thereafter took Thailand to 37 for 1 in the ninth over.

Zimbabwe have now plugged their gap in the international calendar by scheduling a tour of Scotland for two ODIs in Edinburgh

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2017After hosting Afghanistan for five ODIs in February, Zimbabwe have now plugged their gap in the international calendar by negotiating a tour of Scotland for two ODIs this summer. Before the Afghanistan ODIs, Zimbabwe were looking at a six-month hiatus.This will be the first bilateral series between Zimbabwe and Scotland. Their only meeting so far was at the World T20 in India in 2016, when Zimbabwe won by 11 runs. The two matches in this series will be played at the Grange in Edinburgh on June 15 and 17.”Securing home international matches against a Full Member nation is something we have all worked tirelessly on over the past 18 months so I am delighted we have managed to make these matches a reality,” Cricket Scotland CEO Malcolm Cannon said. “The squad will relish the opportunity to put in some winning performances in front of a passionate home crowd.”Zimbabwe are also slated to visit Sri Lanka in June. With only the hosts and the top seven sides earning a direct entry to the 2019 World Cup, these matches will give Zimbabwe, currently ranked eleventh, a chance to gain significant game time ahead of the World Cup qualifiers set to be held in March-April next year.

Ireland maintained their flawless run in the current edition of the Intercontinental Cup, once again claiming the maximum 20 points with a 146-run win over Papua New Guinea

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Kevin O’Brien set up Ireland’s second innings declaration with 75 off 95 balls•Getty Images

Ireland maintained their flawless run in the current edition of the Intercontinental Cup, once again claiming the maximum 20 points with a 145-run win over Papua New Guinea. Niall and Kevin O’Brien each scored key half-centuries to underpin victory in stifling conditions at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville, Australia.Niall’s 63 off 168 balls in a first innings total of 289 came after Ireland was sent in following a delayed start due to morning rain on the opening day of play. Every member of the top eight reached double-figures but with the exception of Niall no one passed 50 as PNG’s bowling unit, led by seamer Norman Vanua’s 5 for 59, held Ireland’s scoring rate in check. It was Vanua’s maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.PNG’s reply showed the value of Niall’s knock as they struggled to combat a revamped Irish pace unit bolstered by the return of Boyd Rankin following his English sojourn. Assad Vala scored almost two-thirds of PNG’s first-innings total of 188, registering his second first-class century with 120 before he was last man out to hand Ireland a 101-run lead and six first innings points. Rankin took 3 for 21 in 18 overs across a series of short spells that were capped at four overs. Tim Murtagh also shined in knocking over the top order before dismissing Vala to end the innings with 4 for 33.Despite a half-century from Ed Joyce, Ireland were in trouble at 129 for 5 when Kevin teamed with Andy McBrine for a crucial 115-run sixth-wicket stand. The speed of the partnership, in particular Kevin’s 75 off 95 balls in a match where the overall scoring rates were slow, enabled Ireland to declare with an hour left on day three and a lead of 346.By the end of the third day, Murtagh had dislodged Lega Siaka to break the opening stand and then returned the final morning to nab the key scalp of Vala in the first half-hour of play to give Ireland a victory springboard. PNG had slim hopes of holding on for a draw midway through the post-lunch session with the score 167 for 5 and two set batsmen in Sese Bau and captain Jack Vare.Wicketless in his first three spells of the fourth innings, Rankin returned three overs after a drinks break to start the 64th and struck with his second ball to bowl Bau for 45. When Rankin had Vare trapped in front for 31 to start the 68th, Ireland could breathe easier and three balls later he put the finishing touches on a match-seizing spell by claiming Vanua for a duck. George Dockrell and Craig Young finished off the rest of the tail to seal the match just before the final tea break.The result puts Ireland back into first place on the Intercontinental Cup table with 60 points, 14 clear of Netherlands. Meanwhile, PNG sits tied for sixth place with Namibia at 20 points. The tour continues on Saturday with the first of three T20Is between the two sides as part of Ireland’s preparation for next month’s ICC World Twenty20 in India.