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Yuvraj Singh has been replaced by Rohit Sharma in the India squad for the third and final Test against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Nov-2011Yuvraj Singh has been replaced by Rohit Sharma in the India squad for the third and final Test against West Indies. The rest of the squad is unchanged. Yuvraj was unable to convert his starts in the Delhi and Kolkata Tests against West Indies, managing 23, 18 and 25 in three innings. Rohit made a match-winning 175 against Railways and followed that up with 100 against Rajasthan in Mumbai’s first two games of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.While refusing to comment on selection issues before the announcement of the team for the third Test, MS Dhoni, the India captain, had said today that what mattered was scoring runs. “It does not matter where you score runs,” Dhoni said after the end of the Kolkata Test. “Yes, he [Yuvraj] is going through a tough phase but it’s important to show confidence in him. We all know he is talented.”One more reason is that he has been in and out of the side. It’s very difficult to back yourself. You have that bit of tentativeness. It’s a bit tough on him. But hopefully he will recover and do well for India.”Yuvraj has featured in only 37 Tests over eight years since making his debut against New Zealand in 2003. He was kept out of the Test side by a strong middle order that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Once Ganguly retired, he was given an extended run in the side but couldn’t cement his place.He fell ill before the second Test in Sri Lanka in 2010, and a century from Suresh Raina on debut in that game meant Yuvraj was once again relegated to the sidelines. His Man-of-the-Series performance in the 2011 World Cup put him back in contention for a Test place, but an injury kept him out of the tour to the West Indies and his series in England was cut short by a finger injury he sustained during the Nottingham Test.Raina, who made an unbeaten 204 against Punjab in Uttar Pradesh’s opening Ranji game, was ignored, as was Praveen Kumar.India squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V V S Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron

Ishant Sharma has said he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle after the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia tour early next year

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Aug-2011Ishant Sharma has said he will undergo surgery on his injured ankle after the conclusion of India’s tour of Australia tour early next year. Ishant was ruled out of the limited-overs series against England after he sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during the third Test at Edgbaston.”It [the tour of Australia] is a very important tour and nobody wants to miss it,” Ishant told the . “So I’ll get the surgery done only after the Australian tour. I am going to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where I’ll stay for a week or 10 days to undergo rehab and seek a proper schedule. At the moment, I’ve been told to do strengthening exercises.”At the time of the announcement of the team for the limited-overs series, a board release said Ishant had responded well to treatment on his ligament “but will need to undergo a course of intensive rehabilitation and training to prevent recurrence of the pain in his left ankle”. Ishant, however, said surgery was unavoidable. “I have a ligament tear in my left foot, and there is also a bone impingement in my left ankle. Surgery is the only way out. But if I undergo that now, my foot will be in plaster for about three months and the rehabilitation in all could take about 6-8 months.”India travel to Australia in December and will play four Tests, two Twenty20s and a tri-series also involving Sri Lanka, with the final game of that tournament slated for February 28. A rehab period of six to eight months means Ishant could miss the IPL, which is expected to be played in April-May 2012, as well as a yet unconfirmed Test and ODI series against Pakistan prior to that. India tour Sri Lanka for three Tests in July, and then host New Zealand for three Tests in August-September. This will be followed by the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and the Champions League. If Ishant goes through with his plan, he is only likely to be back when India host England for four Tests in November-December.Ishant had a busy Test series in England from the time Zaheer Khan injured himself on the first day at Lord’s. He was the second-highest wicket-taker for India in their 0-4 defeat and said Zaheer’s absence had a bearing on the team’s performance.”You can’t say our morale went down,” Ishant said. “We were always in the game. But if a bowler with 10 years of experience isn’t there, it affects the performance. We had England on the ropes in the second innings at Lord’s, and if Zaheer was there and had taken a couple of wickets, the result could have been different.”Ishant dismissed Kevin Pietersen with a short ball in the second innings of the Lord’s Test, a wicket he will “cherish a lot”. He said bowling in English conditions had been a tremendous learning experience. “Bowling in different venues in different conditions teaches you a lot. In India, you know that after the initial burst, you have to wait for the third or fourth day to get something i.e. reverse swing. In England, if the sun is out and there is no moisture on the track, it gets really very flat and that makes it tough to bowl on.”

England’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch

The Report by Abhishek Purohit23-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirat Kohli and Suresh Raina all but sealed the match with a 131-run stand for the fourth wicket•AFPEngland’s weakness against spin cost them for the third time in the series as they unravelled from a strong position to post an underwhelming total on a slow turning pitch in Mumbai. Their fast bowlers struck three early blows but Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina motored to a 131-run stand at close to seven an over, showcasing the difference between the sides and sparking another needless bout of words in the middle as England’s frustration overflowed.It was England’s own batsmen who had let down their ragged bowlers down when they caved in against spin in the afternoon. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja took 5 for 79 in 20 overs between them after Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen had built on England’s quickest start of the series.Vinay Kumar broke the 73-run stand between Trott and an uncharacteristically subdued Pietersen, then Jadeja and Ashwin worked their way through a clueless England middle order, striking three times in six overs. Tim Bresnan took the score past 200 with a run-a-ball 45, but England were dismissed with 23 deliveries remaining when fast bowler Varun Aaron bowled Bresnan to finish with three wickets on debut.Disciplined pace bowling led by the impressive Steven Finn kept England in with an outside chance at the start of the chase. Kohli and Raina kept the runs coming, though, not allowing the score of 46 for 3 to tie them down in a partnership that steadily at first, and then emphatically, pushed England out of the match, making a 5-0 whitewash ever more likely.Finn and Bresnan had started with testing spells that kept the India openers quiet. The first five overs produced only 17 runs, leading Parthiv Patel to whip across the line and lose his stumps to Finn. Finn struck again in his next over when Gautam Gambhir inside-edged onto his stumps. His opening spell of 5-0-10-2 was followed by a sharp burst from debutant Stuart Meaker that induced Ajinkya Rahane into a poke outside off stump only for wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to take a leaping one-handed blinder.Scott Borthwick, the young legspinner surprisingly chosen ahead of Grame Swann, bowled with heart, but it was unfair to expect him to have the same effect that the experienced Swann could have managed. Kohli and Raina continued almost unbothered, picking off the singles easily and finding the boundaries with crisp shots. The duo’s approach was in sharp contrast to England’s tottering line-up.Despite India being three down at the start of the bowling Powerplay, Raina took the chance and chipped Meaker just over mid-off for a boundary. His innings grew into a blur of scythes through extra cover and swings down the ground before Finn bowled him after a missed slog during a heated over. Raina had surged to 80 by then and with Kohli easing into elegant drives and cuts, India were runaway winners with almost ten overs remaining.England’s fate had virtually been sealed when their middle order tried to sweep and slog-sweep their way out of trouble. Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall on the shots, though the substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary was responsible for sending him back with a diving catch after running across from deep midwicket.Ravi Bopara missed one from Jadeja to be caught in front and Jonny Bairstow’s disappointing series continued when he was bowled by a ripper that pitched on leg and turned to hit off stump. Samit Patel and Bresnan tried to salvage something from 145 for 6 but Patel slog-swept Ashwin straight to deep midwicket in another disappointing batting Powerplay for England.Aaron, who had consistently hovered above 140kph on debut, came back to run through the lower order, hitting the stumps three times, the last of which straightened past Bresnan’s outside edge to clip the top of off, with England well short of a challenging total on a turning pitch without Swann.Things hadn’t looked as gloomy for England when Pietersen and Trott accumulated solidly in a steady partnership that helped them recover after Alastair Cook and Kieswetter departed off successive deliveries. Though Pietersen went hard at deliveries and mistimed his strokes at times, Trott kept the runs flowing, cutting Jadeja three times to the deep point boundary. Trott welcomed Vinay’s second spell with a cracking drive that beat the cover sweeper easily but was dismissed two deliveries later. Pietersen continued to find the field and the India spinners soon got on top decisively, yet again.

Jacques Rudolph has rejoined Yorkshire as an overseas player for the remainder of the 2011 season

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2011Jacques Rudolph has rejoined Yorkshire as an overseas player for the remainder of the 2011 season, in a bid to help rescue his former club from relegation. He has received clearance from the ECB, and his first game of the season is likely to be the Roses match against Lancashire at Headingley, starting July 20.After joining the club as a Kolpak player in 2007, Rudolph passed 1000 first-class runs in each of his four seasons and established himself as one of the club’s most popular and prolific overseas signings. In all competitions he amassed an impressive 8629 runs.However, he was released by mutual consent at the end of the 2010 season, after he and his wife Elna admitted to having struggled to adapt to life in England. Now, however, he is back, with Yorkshire struggling to stay afloat in the first division, with only Hampshire below them in the table after nine matches.”Jacques is a hugely respected and popular player and we have missed his contribution in all forms of the game this season,” said Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket. “The entire club is very pleased to welcome him back and we look forward to his runs lifting the team in the remaining matches.”

Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 72 from 45 balls as Somerset strengthened their chances of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals with a 15-run win over Gloucestershire at Taunton

08-Jul-2011
ScorecardJos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 72 from 45 balls as Somerset strengthened their chances of reaching the Friends Life t20 quarter-finals with a 15-run win over Gloucestershire at Taunton.A sell-out crowd saw the home side slip to 40 for three after losing the toss before Buttler, who hit three sixes and seven fours, added 57 in 7.4 overs with James Hildreth who made 34. Kieron Pollard then clubbed 31 not out to help put on a further 73 in 6.3 overs in a total of 170 for four.David Payne, who dismissed Marcus Trescothick second ball, was the pick of the Gladiators bowlers with 2 for 27. In reply, Gloucestershire were going well on 114 for two after 14 overs, Kevin O’Brien having made 34. But Hamish Marshall fell for 54 in the closing overs as the visitors collapsed to 155 for nine, with Murali Kartik taking two for 16.O’Brien and Marshall had put on 51 for the first wicket in just five overs. O’Brien hit five fours and a six in facing just 18 balls, while Marshall went on to face 44 deliveries, hitting five fours. It was spinners Kartik and Arul Suppiah, who took one for 21, who swung the game Somerset’s way, both extracting plenty of turn from the pitch.Pollard did his bit with three for 25 from his four overs, while Lewis Gregory claimed two for 35 and was responsible for three catches and a run out. Earlier, Buttler and Hildreth had been content to milk singles and twos as they launched Somerset’s recovery.But once Hildreth was caught behind off Jack Taylor, having faced 35 balls, Buttler went on the attack in devastating style. The 20-year-old has not been in the best of form this season, but that did not show as he struck the ball sweetly.Pollard would have been run out when he had made only a single had wicketkeeper Richard Coughtrie not dislodged the stumps before Hamish Marshall’s throw reached him.The big West Indian went on to strike one ball from Muttiah Muralitharan into the River Tone with a massive six over long on, to the delight of a sell-out 7,000 crowd who were able to celebrate a home success.

For 20 overs of their own innings and the last five of Sri Lanka’s, Zimbabwe were on some kind of level footing. But for the business ends of any game, the start and the finish, they were nowhere

Osman Samiuddin in Pallekele10-Mar-2011The day before this game, Elton Chigumbura couldn’t stop asking for his top order, and his openers in particular, to start performing. At least seven times in a short press conference, he stressed the need for Zimbabwe to go through the first 15 overs with wickets in hand, something they had failed to do against Australia and New Zealand.Chigumbura got what he wanted against Sri Lanka, probably much more than he wanted. Charles Coventry was dropped and Regis Chakabva moved up to open with Brendan Taylor. For one ball short of 20 overs, in contrasting fashion, the pair took on Sri Lanka, and even rattled them a little. Taylor especially was a sight, driving with such authority and fluidity that he looked better than the two century-making openers of the day. Chakabva held up the other end, occasionally stealing a boundary, but mostly making Taylor look even better.But once the first fell, the rest crumbled into a messy heap; ten wickets for 72 in only 19 overs. It isn’t much good your top-order getting runs if the rest are going to fall like that. “Chasing a bigger score is always hard,” Chigumbura said. “To maintain the run-rate especially with our team was going to be difficult. But it’s something we can work on. Like I said yesterday, our openers played pretty well and putting on a hundred partnership is a positive for the team. Hopefully we carry on from that and improve on those weaknesses after that first partnership.”For those 20 overs and the last five of Sri Lanka’s innings, Zimbabwe were on some kind of level footing. But for the business ends of any game, the start and the finish, they were nowhere. The surface was probably better to bat on than the one New Zealand and Pakistan played on, but the basic lack of incisiveness in Zimbabwe’s attack came through. Until Chris Mpofu dismissed a tiring, flailing Upul Tharanga in the 45th over, they had gone nearly 80 overs without a wicket, including the ten-wicket loss to New Zealand.Brendan Taylor answered his captain’s call for application at the top of the order•AFPIt didn’t seem the kind of form – or surface – to win the toss and bowl on. “No regrets at all [on the decision to field],” Chigumbura said. The decision was made, Chigumbura said, based on the “the dew factor. With our spinners I thought it was going to be better to bowl first for our spinners to grip the ball. It was a good wicket to bat on. Dilshan and Tharanga both batted pretty well and like you saw with our batting, for the first 20 overs our opening batsmen played really well, so it was a good track to bat on. You can’t really take three or four wickets first-up on that.”Theoretically Zimbabwe are not out of the race for the World Cup quarter-finals just yet. They will fancy their chances of beating Kenya and from the established sides in the group a schizophrenic and suddenly unsure Pakistan probably offer the widest glimpse of an upset. A 139-run defeat as big as it seems but Chigumbura saw reasons to believe, in the attitude at least.”It’s a big loss but I think the approach that we took was positive,” he said. “Though we were all out we were going for the score. If you wanted to play for a better score or better defeat we could’ve lasted 50 overs. But we were all positive going for it, so it’s something we have to improve on where we went wrong today.”And in the bigger picture, for a side realistically aiming for a return to Test cricket sooner rather than later, experience of surfaces and conditions in India and Sri Lanka will be priceless. This was Zimbabwe’s first ODI in Sri Lanka since September 2002 and the games in India their first since 2006. “Playing in these conditions your line has to be different from other continents and the way you have to bat, more straight than across. We’ve learnt that, but we have to apply all those things we have learnt and put it together for a good game against Pakistan.”

There have been far worse characters in international cricket compared to Sreesanth who needs his much-criticised aggression to perform as a fast bowler, according to Mahela Jayawardene, his IPL captain

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2011There have been far worse characters in international cricket compared to Sreesanth, who needs his much-criticised aggression to perform as a fast bowler, according to Mahela Jayawardene, captain of Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL. Jayawardene said the franchise did not want to curb his aggression as that could affect his performance.”We want him to be aggressive. I think that’s what he is all about. You need characters like him. You had much worse characters in international cricket in the last 20 years and I don’t think Sree is that harmful to the game,” Jayawardene said. “But I think if we can control him, we can have ourselves a very successful bowler for Kochi as well as for India.”Sreesanth has had repeated run-ins with match officials for his inability to control his behaviour on the field, but Jayawardene said the fast bowler was at his best when he could channelise his hostility. “I think you need to identify the individuals. Sree performs well in that manner. You take that from him and he might not do well. He’s a very aggressive bowler but I have noticed he has toned down in the last one year. That’s why he got to be a part of India’s World Cup squad.”It is nice to have characters like Sreesanth in the dressing room, Jayawardene said. “Brilliant to have him; he just needs to reduce the volume on his i-Pod as well as the speakers. With him and Murali around, nothing can go wrong for us.”Kochi lost their opening IPL game to Royal Challengers Bangalore but the match was close until AB de Villiers’ assault in the 18th over of Bangalore’s chase, which went for 20 runs. Jayawardene said that he had thought the first game for the new franchise would prove to be much tougher than it turned out to be. “We have been bonding very well. We had a great last outing. I thought there would be many hiccups in our first game, that didn’t happen. Everyone is identifying their roles and that is great.”

Barcelona have no intention of executing the option to buy clause in Adama Traore’s contract loan contract from Wolves.

What’s the word?

That is according to the latest report from the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that the Catalan-based side do not intend to pay the €30m (£25.5m) fee that was negotiated when the player signed on loan from Wolves.

Taking to Twitter, Romano stated: “The only way to keep him [at Barcelona] has always been a swap deal, with no money included in the negotiation with Wolves.

“As of today, there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

Wolves fans left confused

The latest update from Romano will leave the Old Gold faithful confused as to how they should be feeling.

On one hand, his return to the Molineux could serve as a major boost for both the club and the player, with the Spaniard-of-Malian-descent surely out to prove Xavi wrong.

On the other hand, Lage’s side have drastically struggled to create chances this season, having created just 35 chances this season – the third worst in the league –  and Adama’s direct approach can shake up the Old Gold’s frontline once more.

Traore played around half of the season for Wolves before leaving to join Barcelona on-loan and registered an average of seven successful dribbles per 90, which to this day is still the highest metric amongst the entirety of the Premier League – with Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin’s average of 4.9 dribbles per game the nearest threat.

Raul Jimenez has certainly looked like a shadow of his former self without his partner Adama pinging crosses into the box. So if Adama was to stay, you could certainly expect a boost in creative numbers at the Molineux next season.

Though as Romano stated in his latest update, “there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

After suffering for game time for the Blaugrana recently, Adama has been affected, with a report from Spanish outlet, Sport, claiming that the 26-year-old was “very upset after not even warming up against Mallorca.”

With Wolves’ reported desire to sign Ez Abde from Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele out of contract at the end of the season, La Masia youth product may just get a second opportunity to show Xavi exactly what he is made of in what would be a second consecutive loan spell for the forward.

In other news: Agent links: Wolves eyeing move for sensational “discovery”, Imagine him and Jimenez 

Newcastle United have been dealt a fresh transfer setback over Premier League centre-forward Romelu Lukaku…

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, the Magpies are one of the clubs capable of affording a deal to sign the Belgian striker this summer, with Italian giants Milan also said to be keen on the attacker.

However, the report states that the ex-Inter man is not keen on a move to the other occupants of the San Siro and is not interested in a switch to St. James’ Park either, as his future at Chelsea remains unclear.

Supporters will be gutted

The Toon supporters will surely be left feeling gutted by this news as it is a major blow to any plans from the club to sign Lukaku this summer.

Whilst the hitman has struggled for form at Stamford Bridge throughout the campaign, he has proven over the course of his career that he is a lethal striker at the top level.

In the Premier League this term, he has scored five goals in 23 appearances for Thomas Tuchel’s side – scoring twice in four Champions League starts.

This is a far cry from the form he was producing for Inter during his time in Italy. The Belgian forward managed a whopping 47 goals and 13 assists in 65 Serie A starts in his two years at the San Siro, with these statistics proving that Lukaku’s goal record this season is not a fair reflection of his talents as he has showcased his ability elsewhere – including at other teams in England.

His overall Premier League record, having played for West Brom, Everton and Manchester United, is sublime. He has scored 118 goals in 275 outings in the English top-flight and this shows that he has the quality to be a quality player at this level and, therefore, could have had a significant impact at Newcastle.

This is why his lack of interest in a switch to St. James’ Park is a major blow that will leave supporters gutted as he has the potential to be a regular goalscorer in the league. His magnificent form for Inter and his previous spells in England suggests that he is a clinical finisher and that his current time at Chelsea is a blip, which is why missing out on him is a setback for PIF and Howe.

AND in other news, “NUFC want..”: Mark Douglas drops big Darsley Park transfer claim that’ll delight Howe…

West Ham have been excellent this season under David Moyes, challenging for a top-six Premier League spot and reaching the Europa League semi-finals.

This is partly due to the Scot’s excellent management since beginning his second spell at the Hammers and also his clever business in the transfer market, with one such player looking like he could make the club a fortune.

Tomas Soucek has been vital to the Irons in their chase for history this season, with the Czech midfielder featuring 47 times in all competitions, scoring six goals in the process.

Soucek at West Ham

The 27-year-old signed for the club on loan from Slavia Prague in January 2020 for a six-month period, before joining permanently the following summer for a fee of €21m (£19m).

Since then, his market value has continued to rise exponentially throughout his two-year spell at the club, reaching £40.5m in December last year and remaining at that figure since, proving that Moyes has worked wonders in the transfer market.

His performances have garnered praise from fans and pundits alike, with Sky Sports’ Micah Richards describing him as a “man mountain” following a match against Tottenham Hotspur in which he came back onto the field despite a nasty head injury.

Despite his growing importance to the team and West Ham’s style of play, a report stated that Moyes had halted contract talks with the midfielder, although they are looking to resume discussions over a new deal in the summer.

Soucek’s valuation will only continue to rise if he can maintain such wonderful performances, while West Ham could make a massive profit if they decide to sell him and invest in other areas of the team.

Until then, the Hammers have a fantastic player who just seems to be getting better all the time, and that is all down to Moyes and his eye for a bargain in the transfer market. One thing is for sure; he played a blinder with the 2020 capture of Soucek.

AND in other news, Moyes now plotting £21m West Ham offer for 18-goal “unicorn”, imagine him & Antonio