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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham could reportedly face a 10-match ban for allegedly calling Getafe loanee Mason Greenwood a "rapist".

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Article continues below

Bellingham allegedly called Greenwood a "rapist"Spain's football federation investigatingMadrid star could be banned for 10 gamesGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The two England youngsters clashed during Madrid's 2-0 win at Getafe on February 1, with Bellingham allegedly mouthing the word "rapist" towards the Manchester United loanee. After Getafe lodged a complaint with La Liga's representative and a lip reader looked into the incident, writes that the league has referred this to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE EXPLANATION

The report adds the RFEF are appointing a judge to fully investigate the incident and they will decide within the next two weeks whether the 20-year-old will be punished. If found guilty and it falls under the 'serious' category, the former Borussia Dortmund star could get a four-match ban but if considered 'grave', Bellingham may be suspended for 10 games. Both Madrid and Getafe would have 10 days to appeal that verdict.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Greenwood, 22, joined Getafe on loan last September – seven months after charges of attempted rape, assault, and coercive control were dropped. The forward was first arrested in January 2022 in relation to distressing images and audio released on social media. Despite the charges being waved, Greenwood has not featured for United again and may have already played his last game for the club.

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WHAT NEXT?

adds that Madrid and Bellingham are "surprised" that La Liga have decided to get RFEF involved as reports suggest there is inconclusive evidence on the matter. It remains to be seen what punishment, if any, will be handed out to Bellingham.

Billy Godleman is standing in as captain of Derbyshire, winning cricket matches, scoring runs and enjoying life again

Tim Wigmore at Canterbury09-Jun-2015
ScorecardBilly Godleman, shown here applauded off by Cheteshwar Pujara [file picture]•PA PhotosThere was an understated satisfaction to Billy Godleman as, a little sheepishly, he raised his bat leaving the field. Derbyshire’s captain had engineered a remarkable turnaround in the match. Resolute and undefeated until the end, he had underpinned Derbyshire’s successful chase of 232.Just twelve months ago, Godleman’s very future as a professional cricketer was uncertain. He had not scored a first-class century since 2012. In mid-summer he was marooned in Derbyshire’s second team, a precarious existence for a 25-year-old who was out of contract in the winter.When Godleman was recalled for Derbyshire’s final six Championship games, he returned “100% playing for my career,” as he reflects. “There were times when I was very concerned about what would lie ahead in the future and whether it was actually going to be in the professional game.”No one would have envisaged such struggles when, as an 18-year-old opening batsman, Godleman scored 842 runs at 38.27 in 2007; that remains both his highest first-class aggregate and average in a campaign.”I was reasonably successful straight away from a young age. Then when I started not to do very well I didn’t quite know how to deal with that,” he admits. “I also realised that I wasn’t quite as good as I thought I was when I was 18, 19, 20.”Twice he suffered the pain of being released, by Middlesex in 2009 and again by Essex in 2012. Nine matches for Derbyshire in 2013 brought a miserable average of 17.18. When 2014 began equally badly, Godleman faced “accepting I wasn’t at the level that I thought I was. And then working out a method of dealing with disappointment and looking at every experience as an opportunity to learn something.”Of one thing Godleman was certain: he was not ready to abandon the game. With Derbyshire faring miserably, Graeme Welch sounded Godleman out. “You’ve got our full support, go and show us what you can do,” he was told.And then something seemed to click. At The Kia Oval last September, Godleman finally scored a century – and it was a match-winning one to boot. After his recall, Derbyshire won five of their last games. He earned a new one-year contract. After an encouraging start to the season and an injury to Wayne Madsen, Godleman was even entrusted with the captaincy, quite a turn-up for a man with a somewhat chequered past.It has evidently sat easily with him. Last week Godleman saved Derbyshire from defeat with an unbeaten 64 of 228 balls against Gloucestershire. Here, once again, Godleman’s defence was unbreachable in the fourth innings.Adhesiveness is integral to Godleman’s game. He knew that trying to mimic Chesney Hughes or Tillakaratne Dilshan when they were smiting Kent’s attack would be fool’s gold. Yet, as he showed with a series of rasping cuts and neat pushes through mid-on, he has also expanded his repertoire. Five half centuries at an average of 62.14 so far in 2015 are testament to that.”Previously he used to be a survivor, trying just to get through, and now he’s starting to develop the game to actually influence the play and put the bowler under more pressure and look to be more assertive,” says Neil Burns, who has worked extensively with Godleman.When Essex released Godleman, Burns devised a 60-month programme to turn his game around. “He’s had lots of ups and downs but the great thing about Billy is he’s prepared to look inside himself and do the tough learning.”Here Godleman’s assiduousness was rewarded with Derbyshire’s first victory at Canterbury since 1999; quite the reversal after Kent had cruised to 63-1 in their second innings, a lead of 182, before lunch on day two.Even a bumper crowd of school children on the third day would have done little for Kent’s mood. Darren Stevens was immediately whisked away to Maidstone, to play for the second XI, hoping to find some semblance of form after 16 runs in his last six first-class innings. On the evidence of this game, in which Kent hemorrhaged 20 wickets for just 317 runs, perhaps some of his teammates here should join him.

South Africa will play Pakistan in two Tests, five one-day internationals and two T20s in the UAE beginning October 14

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2013South Africa will play Pakistan in two Tests in the United Arab Emirates from October 14, ending their eight-month absence from the Test arena. Their last Test series was at home in February against Pakistan, as their tour to Sri Lanka in July has been adjusted to drop the Tests. The tour will also include five one-day internationals and two T20s.South Africa, who arrive in the UAE on October 5, will play a three-day practice match to prepare for the first Test in Abu Dhabi. The teams will move to Dubai for the second Test on October 23 before switching to coloured clothing in November. Sharjah will host the first and fifth ODIs while Abu Dhabi also gets two games with Dubai hosting the remaining one-dayer and both T20s.Pakistan had little success on their tour to South Africa earlier this year as the home side won all three Tests and then beat Pakistan 3-2 in the five-match ODI series. Pakistan claimed the two-match T20 series 1-0 though, by winning the second game after the first one was washed out without a ball bowled.

Kumar Sangakkara was rewarded for a prolific year in both Tests and ODIs at the Sri Lanka Cricket Awards, where he took home three of the evening’s top prizes

Andrew Fernando06-Sep-2012Kumar Sangakkara was rewarded for a prolific year in both Tests and ODIs at the Sri Lanka Cricket Awards, where he took home three of the evening’s top prizes. Sangakkara beat Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene to win Cricketer of the Year, and he was also named Best Test Batsman and People’s Player of the Year.Sangakkara scored 1444 runs at an average 60.16 in Tests over the twelve months being considered, and 1457 ODI runs at 42.85. He had five hundreds in Tests and three in ODIs in the same period.Rangana Herath claimed the award for Best Test Bowler for his 70 wickets at 25.24, including a match-winning haul of 9 for 128 in Sri Lanka’s first victory in South Africa, in December. Also nominated were fast bowlers Chanaka Welegedara and Suranga Lakmal.Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan won the ODI awards for Best Batsman, Best Bowler and Best Allrounder, while Dinesh Chandimal was named Emerging Cricketer of the Year, following impressive overseas performances in South Africa and Australia.In the Women’s categories, Chamari Atapattu was named Best Batsman, Sherina Ravikumar Best Bowler, and Shashikala Siriwardene Best Allrounder.It was the second time Sangakkara had won the top prize and the third consecutive year in which he had become People’s Player of the Year, which is awarded based on public voting. He is also in the running for four ICC awards, including Cricketer of Year, at the international awards night in Colombo on September 15.Sri Lanka Cricket Awards list
Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Best Test Batsman: Kumar Sangakkara
Best Test Bowler: Rangana Herath
People’s Player of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Best ODI Batsman: Mahela Jayawardene
Best ODI Bowler: Lasith Malinga
Best ODI Allrounder: Tillakaratne Dilshan
Emerging Player of the Year: Dinesh Chandimal

Women’s Awards
Best Batsman: Chamari Atapattu
Best Bowler: Sherina Ravikumar
Best Allrounder: Shashikala Siriwardene

Tharanga Paranavitana has had a long run at the top of Sri Lanka’s order to try and make the opening position his own. He hasn’t done it yet

Andrew Fernando04-Dec-2012As Australia ponder the output of their Test openers, Sri Lanka have an opening conundrum brewing of their own. In ODIs, Sri Lanka are so awash with talent, they routinely play four capable openers in the XI, yet in Tests there has been a dearth of men with technique and mettle to chisel out a long-term role atop the batting order.Sri Lanka’s last tour of Australia in 2007 was Marvan Atapattu’s swansong, and his long-time partner Sanath Jayasuriya played his final Test not long after. Though Tillakaratne Dilshan has advanced Jayasuriya’s legacy in the years since, Sri Lanka have not found a bona-fide successor for Atapattu, though several have been trialled.Tharanga Paranavitana has had a steady spell of opportunities since his debut in early 2009, but while he has shared Atapattu’s penchant for collecting ducks, his career has also been frustrated by middling scores and a limited range of strokes. At times he has been defensively capable, but mentally tentative – particularly susceptible outside off stump, where his powers of judgement have been found frail.Paranavitana had appeared to overcome a slow start in Test cricket when he made hundreds in back-to-back matches against India in 2010, but has not crossed triple figures in 39 innings since. Sri Lanka rightly acknowledge that their domestic competition does not produce opening batsmen who can find immediate success in Test cricket, but with 32 matches now behind him, the team may have hoped Paranavitana was further along in his development. In 2012, he has played 10 innings and made only one 50, averaging a shade below 30.Perhaps partly in the hope of spurring Paranavitana’s stagnating output, Sri Lanka have taken a spare left-hand opener to Australia. Dimuth Karunaratne got a Test debut when Dilshan sat out the first Test against New Zealand through injury, and a sparkling unbeaten half-century in the second innings of that match earned him a place in the squad to Australia a day later. Sri Lanka are unlikely to displace Paranavitana early in the series, but Karunaratne’s presence will serve as a statement to Paranavitana that he cannot subsist on the selector’s largesse for long.”Dimuth has been around for a long time and when he got his opportunity in Galle he showed his potential,” Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s captain, said ahead of the series. “It’s healthy for everyone to have some sort of competition in order to push ourselves to keep improving.”Jayawardene has seen both men develop at first-class level: they open together for the Sinhalese Sports Club, where Jayawardene also cut his teeth. Though Karunaratne and Paranavitana will compete for a spot in the XI in Australia, they have been earmarked as potential long-term openers when Dilshan retires from Tests. Karunaratne’s aggression has complemented Paranavitana’s more circumspect approach in their time together at SSC, and Jayawardene suggested the synergy they have established in domestic cricket may help ensure a successful partnership in years to come.”What we’re looking into developing for the future is to try and get a combination that will be there for a while. It’s very important that the two guys are comfortable and understand each other’s game, because the start makes a big difference.”I think Dimuth adjusted pretty well to international cricket. He knows his game quite well, which helps him. International cricket is always going to be a big step up for anybody. We’ve said to Dimuth that the first six months will be a honeymoon period after which the other teams will analyse you and then it will get tougher. He has got a good head to handle all that. Tharanga is another guy who I’ve played with quite a bit and who has had that same kind of commitment. We need to make sure we help them develop.”For the moment, Paranavitana’s place is the only one in any sort of contention in Sri Lanka’s top seven. Jayawardene believed Paranavitana’s inability to make his position his own despite the extended run is not down to flaws in technique.”It’s about consistency. From time to time we’ve had chats with him and the coaches have been working with him. I think he’s got the technique, but it’s the mental approach that he sometimes makes mistakes with. Technically he’s very sound, but he needs to approach certain situations differently. He needs to work hard at that.”It’s a tough position. Openers always will always have tough times. That’s not just in the Sri Lankan team, that happens in other international sides as well. You need to show authority and feel confidence about that position. That’s where everything is being set up for the rest of the batting order.”

The Frenchman's potential has never been up for debate, but his attitude has always been a disgrace, as underlined by his decision to leave for PSG

At the end of July, both and claimed that Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain were at "war" over Ousmane Dembele – which felt a little strange, given the Frenchman is not a player worth fighting for, at least not from the Blaugrana's perspective.

PSG's interest was understandable, of course. Dembele is an immensely talented footballer. If Luis Enrique can get him fully fit and firing, the 26-year-old still has it inside him to become a genuine superstar. Xavi knows that too, and is said to have pleaded with the player to "think of Neymar", who has long regretted quitting Camp Nou for Parc des Princes in 2017.

"I am a little disappointed with Dembele," the Barca boss admitted after the friendly with AC Milan. "He has decided to go to PSG. There is nothing we can do."

Some Blaugrana fans have been left enraged by Dembele's perceived betrayal – and that makes sense too, given the majority of them stood by the winger throughout a desperately trying six-year spell at Camp Nou. The mere fact he'd already agreed personal terms with PSG weeks ago seriously stung – even if allegations of a lack of loyalty are arguably a little harsh in light of reports that Barcelona unsettled Dembele by trying to use him as a makeweight in their efforts to sign Kylian Mbappe.

However, fury should soon give way to relief – because Barca really are well rid of one of the most frustrating figures in football.

Getty Images'The boy is special'

Dembele's ability has long been obvious. Former Rennes sporting director Mikael Silvestre described him as the most naturally gifted teenager he'd seen since his time playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, Thomas Tuchel said it was a pleasure to watch his "amazing skills" in training at Borussia Dortmund, while Martin Braithwaite admitted that he was blown away by Dembele when he joined Barcelona in 2020.

"I have never seen someone with his talent. I'm serious!" the dumbfounded Dane told . "Messi is something else but, after him, I haven't seen any player like Dembele. The boy is special."

But he's also proven terribly unprofessional and horribly inconsistent.

AdvertisementGetty'No structure around him'

There were concerns over Dembele's attitude even before he arrived in Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund for an initial €105 million (£90m/$116m), with the Frenchman accused of trashing the apartment he had been renting in Germany from Jurgen Klopp.

It's also worth remembering that while former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu publicly claimed that Dembele was better than the man he had effectively replaced, Neymar, the club were actually considering cutting their losses on the forward as early as October 2018.

By that stage, it was clear that Dembele was dreadfully ill-disciplined. He was repeatedly late for team meetings, with his tardiness attributed to his fondness for playing video games until the early hours of the morning, while his diet was a disgrace for a professional athlete. One source told GOAL of countless fast food cartons found at his house, while a healthy fish dish prepared by his former chef had been discarded.

"It's a messy life," Michael Naya told . "I've never seen alcohol but he doesn't respect the rest periods at all. There's no structure around him." And his lifestyle was viewed as a key contributing factor to the umpteen muscular injuries Dembele suffered throughout his time at Barca.

(C)GettyImages'I didn't work has hard as I do now'

Even Dembele has confessed that he was "very frail" during his first few seasons in Catalunya because of his poor diet, but insisted in 2022 that he had seen the error of his ways and completely changed his mindset

“Now I see that it's essential to work hard on and off the pitch,” he told and . "The injuries came because, when I was 20, I didn't work as hard as I do now. It's clear that if you don't work, you can't enjoy football, you're not going to play much and you're going to get injured. Now, I'm stronger."

He's not, though. In any sense. Dembele missed three months of last season with a hamstring problem and even when he was available, he sparkled only sporadically, scoring just five goals in 25 Liga appearances.

He was a starter for France at the 2022 World Cup and he tormented several full-backs with his genuinely breath-taking bursts of speed – but, as always with Dembele – there was so little end product. In a team that reached the final, he managed just two assists and zero goals, while his performance in the final was embarrassing, with Didier Deschamps deciding to take him off four minutes before the break.

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GettyDembele over Mbappe

The contrast with the efficiency and quality of Mbappe on the opposite flank was stark – and, from a Barcelona perspective, pretty painful. According to agent Junior Minguella, Barca had a €155m (£134m/$184m) deal in place to sign Mbappe before he moved to PSG in the same summer as Neymar, but ultimately decided that Dembele was "better suited to the team's style of play".

When Minguella recounted this story on in February 2021, there was widespread incredulity, so he subsequently produced WhatsApp messages to verify his claims, tweeting: "A gift for the haters and unbelievers."

Jonathan Trott has described England’s batting in the Galle Test as “a sin” but struggled to pin down reasons for the slump

Andrew McGlashan in Colombo01-Apr-2012Jonathan Trott has described England’s batting during the first innings in the Galle Test as “a sin” but has struggled to pin down a reason why a batting line-up that was so prolific only a few months ago is now consistently faltering.England, who must now win in Colombo to draw the series, were bowled out for 192 in 46.4 overs to concede a crucial first-innings advantage of 125 to Sri Lanka as their batting failed for the fourth time in a row.Criticised for being too defensive at times during the series against Pakistan in the UAE, this time the strokes of some England batsmen in Galle bordered on the reckless as they continued to struggle to find a suitable tempo for batting in Asia.It has been a rapid fall from grace for a batting line-up that had become accustomed to making 500-plus regularly while the individual batsmen were gaining a reputation for the ‘daddy’ hundreds that Graham Gooch used to have cause to talk about. From the start of the 2010-11 Ashes to end of the home series against India last summer they had scored six double hundreds and another four scores in excess of 150.By comparison in 2012, Trott’s 112 in the second innings in Galle was England’s first hundred of the year. “We’ve lost a lot of wickets in clusters,” Trott said. “In the past if we’ve lost two early wickets then guys have been able to steady the ship and we’ve been able to get through sessions pretty unscathed.”But we’ve had bad sessions with the bat and getting bowled out in 40-odd overs was a bit of a sin. The wicket was pretty good and we should have capitalised. It’s no lack of effort on any par, it just hasn’t worked out for us.”Defeat meant that Trott was not able to savour his hundred – one of the finest of his career – despite him showing England that run-scoring was possible with patience and shrewd shot selection.”To get a hundred is satisfying, but to get one and win always makes it sweeter,” he said. “I was pleased by how I felt, I wasn’t all that tired at the end of the innings, I just wish I could have batted a bit more. If I’d have got 140, 150 who knows what might have happened.”And, according to Trott, there was no magic formula to his success. “I just played normally. I didn’t try going in with any pre-conceived conceptions. I had a bit of luck early on and rode it. You certainly need a bit of luck in these conditions with a lot of catchers round the bat… you need the ball to bounce in the right areas.”Trott also took a swipe at the media for, as he saw it, fuelling an unnecessary debate about Andrew Strauss’ position in the team. Strauss has averaged 25.50 since the start of the previous home season and has just two hundreds since July 2009.”When someone is not scoring as may runs as they would like or expect of themselves it is highlighted by you guys [the media]. I’m sure it will have a similar impact as it did when Alastair Cook came through his little slump. I’m surprised you guys haven’t learned from that.”Steven Finn, Strauss’ Middlesex teammate, hoping for a place in England’s attack in the second Test, was equally supportive on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme.”I don’t think there’s any question that he won’t be in charge throughout the summer and beyond,” he said. “He’s a great captain, everyone here’s backing him and this is something that just hasn’t come up within the team because no one in the team believes it’s valid. Straussy will score runs and that’s that.””Straussy leads from the front. He’s an exceptional leader, he’s a levelling person. When we have our highs we don’t ride them too high and when we have our lows we don’t ride them too low. And that’s what a great captain does, I think.”

David Hussey’s entertaining innings and some late order fireworks have put Nottinghamshire’s noses in front

David Lloyd at Taunton02-Aug-2013
ScorecardSteven Mullaney continued his profitable time opening the batting•Getty ImagesMarcus Trescothick demanded a “big performance” from his relegation-threatened team in the build-up to this match, and the home captain may still get one. For the moment, though, David Hussey’s entertaining innings and some late order fireworks have put Nottinghamshire’s noses in front.Despite a short boundary on the Somerset Stand side of the ground, batting seldom looked like child’s play – at least not until Ajmal Shahzad and Luke Fletcher added an unbeaten 57 for the ninth wicket without too much bother. Even then, a used pitch offered home spinner George Dockrell springy bounce and slow turn and seemed a bit two-paced for the quicker bowlers.As is usually the case on days when neither side has gained an undeniably clear advantage, wise folk wait until both first innings have been completed before putting their penny on the end result. Without doubt, though, Hussey played a good hand just when the hosts were threatening to take command and was understandably cross with himself for drilling a return catch to Dockrell.Having replaced Ed Cowan as Nottinghamshire’s overseas player, Hussey is continuing where his countryman left off. Between them, the pair have reached 30 on ten occasions in 18 Championship innings this season without once going on to three figures. In fairness to Hussey, he is responsible for only five of those knocks but was still annoyed to fall short after reaching 68 from 87 balls with the help of a pulled six off Dockrell as well as 12 fours.Until Hussey started to find the boundary, Steven Mullaney had made the most significant contribution. Promoted to opener earlier this campaign, he scored a century against Surrey last month and looked perfectly capable of adding another here until he was fourth out, for a well compiled 75.It was that sort of day, really. Half a dozen players threatened to take the contest by the scruff of the neck but not one of them could quite manage to put their name up in lights. None of that was for lack of effort, mind you, and if the cricket lacked a stand-out performer then no spectator can have left the ground feeling short-changed in terms of enjoyment.Jamie Overton, Somerset’s highly regarded young paceman, struck twice during a good spell after lunch. The wicket of James Taylor, who had proved surplus to England’s requirement at Old Trafford, was fortunate, admittedly – a leg-side ‘strangle’. But he found a genuine edge to finish Mullaney’s 159-ball stay.Overton spoiled his work towards the end of the day with a wild and woolly spell, including an accidental high full toss at Hussey, and conceded 26 runs in just three overs before being taken off. And neither Peter Trego, who delivered an excellent spell with the first new ball, nor Dockrell, who picked up three wickets in all, could quite take charge of proceedings.But if Somerset, and their supporters, were looking for the sort of gutsy, never give up performance that will be needed every day for the rest of the season if the side is to avoid relegation then Steve Kirby provided it.How the fiery fast bowler walked off tonight without a wicket to his name is a mystery. He put his heart and soul into four spells, beat the edge on a good many occasions, failed with a couple of lbw appeals, saw Taylor all but play on and then watched in disbelief as Craig Meschede completely misjudged a potential catch, off Chris Read, at long leg.Somerset did hold a couple of blinders with keeper Craig Kieswetter and second slip Trescothick accounting for Alex Hales and Michael Lumb respectively. But, overall, the hosts, with Kirby to the fore, were left wondering what might have been – especially once Shahzad and Fletcher had put a coat of gloss on Nottinghamshire’s earlier graft.

A fearsome attack led by Ravi Rampaul set Trinidad & Tobago’s Champions League campaign off on a triumphant note, as they comfortably defended 135 for 9, against Brisbane Heat in Ranchi

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Sep-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Denesh Ramdin played a lone hand of 48 to give the T&T bowlers a reasonable target to defend•BCCIA fearsome attack led by Ravi Rampaul set Trinidad & Tobago’s Champions League campaign off on a triumphant note, as they comfortably defended 135 for 9, against Brisbane Heat in Ranchi. An intense Rampaul was both economical and penetrative throughout his spells in the innings, and although Heat may have been pleased to chase so few, they were rarely granted more than a brief glimpse of victory during the chase. Rampaul finished with four wickets for 14 from 3.4 overs, with Sunil Narine, Rayad Emrit and Samuel Badree also contributing fine spells.Denesh Ramdin played something of a lone hand to give his attack a reasonable target to defend, as he hit 48 from 38 after Heat had sent T&T in to bat. No other batsman breached 20 for T&T, as Heat’s quick bowlers enjoyed the bounce in the Ranchi strip, as well as the slight movement early on.Rampaul found swing early on, but it was his impeccable line that set the tone for T&T’s bowling effort. Often pitching short of length, Rampaul cramped the Heat’s openers for space, and soon dismissed captain James Hopes, who played on coming forward in the third over.Rampaul’s first spell lasted only two overs, but the rest of the bowlers matched his discipline. Heat had only lost one wicket at the end of the Powerplay, but could not manage a run rate better than 3.66. Subsequent attempts to reel in the required run rate were often short-lived, and retarded by dismissals. Only Joe Burns had the measure of the attack, but even he could not achieve a laudable strike rate. When Rampaul returned in the 16th over to break Burns’ leg stump, the batsman had hit 45 from 43.Ben Cutting’s 17 from 10 only hinted at a revival for Heat and his run out, at the end of the 18th over, secured the match for T&T. Rampaul’s last over yielded the two final wickets, as Heat were dismissed for 110 with eight balls still remaining.Seventeen balls into T&T’s innings, openers Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis had promised a profitable first stand, but their confident blows to the square fence soon gave way to tame batting errors, and No. 5 batsman Ramdin was at the crease sooner than he would have liked – after 4.4 overs. A four off an inside edge got Ramdin under way, but he found the middle of the bat almost immediately, as he guided a wide delivery from Kemar Roach over the slips for four.Ramdin’s progress steadied after those boundaries, as he rebuilt the innings from 38 for 3. He ventured an advancing six off Nathan Hauritz in the ninth over but, as wickets continued to tumble at the other end, Ramdin was content to deal in singles and twos. Jason Mohammed and Sherwin Ganga departed off consecutive deliveries, and 17-year-old Nicolas Pooran managed only 8 off 16 balls in his Champions League debut.At 83 for 6 after 14 overs, Ramdin’s hopes of setting a total close to 150 had grown slim, but he slogged a four and a six off Cutting in the next over to help inject some urgency into a stagnating innings. Ramdin was out not long after, but Samuel Badree, coming in at No. 10, engaged a previous avatar as a batsman and took T&T beyond 130 by striking two straight sixes in the 16-run final over.

South African duo Herschelle Gibbs and Johann Myburgh steered Durham to a five-wicket win over Derbyshire in a tight Friends Life t20 North Division game at Derby.

20-Jun-2012Durham 142 for 5 (Myburgh 46, Gibbs 38) beat Derbyshire 141 for 6 (Khawaja 36) by 5 wickets
ScorecardSouth African duo Herschelle Gibbs and Johann Myburgh steered Durham to a five-wicket win over Derbyshire in a tight Friends Life t20 North Division game at Derby.Gibbs made 38 and Myburgh added 46 from 40 balls to win with seven balls to spare when a full toss from the former Durham pace bowler Mark Turner went for four byes.Derbyshire began badly after electing to bat first, Wes Durston caught at slip in the first over without scoring and Ross Whiteley falling to a steepling top edge after hitting four boundaries in his 19.Derbyshire’s cause was boosted by a spate of wides and Australian Usman Khawaja top scored with 36. He was starting to time the ball well when he tried to cut a ball from Borthwick that bounced more than he expected and was caught behind.Derbyshire had to be on top of their game to have any chance of denying Durham. They had Phil Mustard caught behind off Turner and then Ben Stokes fell to a tumbling catch by Poynton when he tried to run Tim Groenewald off the face of the bat.Gibbs should have been stumped on 13 and that threatened to prove decisive when he launched Groenewald out of the ground, but David Wainwright found some turn to bowl him for 38.Myburgh revived Durham by driving Chesney Hughes for a six and a four in an over which cost 16 but the game was back in the balance when he sliced Turner to point.Durham needed 22 off the last three overs but the contest was settled when Gordan Muchall and Gareth Breese took 16 from Rana and the game ended on a note of anti-climax when Turner’s full toss sped to the ropes.