Jannik Vestergaard is the defender that Marco Silva is looking for at Everton

According to ESPN, Everton and Southampton have made bids for colossal Borussia Monchengladbach defender Jannik Vestergaard.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old central defender has played for the German club since 2016 and has made 66 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring seven goals.

The 6ft7 defensive giant is in Denmark’s squad for the World Cup and his impressive stature and physicality make him the ideal candidate for a Premier League move.

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According to ESPN, Everton and Southampton have launched bids for the Dane, and West Ham and Watford are also interested in securing his services this summer.

Where should he go?

Both Southampton and Everton are in need of defensive reinforcements, with Everton needing to rejuvenate an ageing back line, and Southampton still hoping to replace Virgil Van Dijk who left the club in January.

Vestergaard is valued at £12.6million on Transfermarkt and probably wouldn’t come cheap, but he could be a proper defensive stalwart at the heart of any defence.

Marco Silva’s project at Everton would be the more appealing option as he could partner Michael Keane at the back and form a strong partnership with the English centre-back.

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Meanwhile Southampton are looking to bounce back following a disappointing season and Vestergaard is in a similar mould to Van Dijk, but surely Everton would be the more exciting prospect.

Toffees fans will already be dreaming of Vestergaard latching onto Sigurdsson set-pieces and he could be exactly the young and powerful defender that Silva is looking for.

Joining Liverpool from Tottenham Hotspur would make zero sense for Son

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min is attracting interest from Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, according to Sport1.

What’s the word?

It is difficult to overshadow the enormity of Harry Kane at Tottenham, but last season, Son became reliable for goals when his teammate was out of action.

In total, the South Korean international found the back of the net 18 times and produced 11 assists to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side to another decent season.

The club secured third place in the Premier League table and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, but ended up losing to Manchester United.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Sport1 reported on Tuesday that Arsenal, United and Liverpool are all tracking Son.

The media outlet stated that the 25-year-old feels ready to move up to the next level in his career.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]

Why are Liverpool the wrong option?

There is nothing to say that Son would not succeed at Anfield, but the question is, would it be a step up?

Both Tottenham and Liverpool are regular top-four contenders, but it is Spurs who have finished higher in the table than the Reds in the past three seasons.

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Jurgen Klopp managed to guide the Merseyside outfit to the Champions League final, of which they ultimately lost, in the 2017-18 campaign.

However, the seasons between Tottenham and Liverpool were not far apart.

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Both clubs are heading in the right direction with their respective managers, and both seem to be on a relatively level playing field.

Therefore, it would make very little sense for Son to switch to Liverpool if his desire is to move up a gear.

Watson wrecks chances of maiden century

Plays of the day from the third day between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide

Alex Brown at Adelaide Oval06-Dec-2009Oh no, Watto

Even the most hardened of West Indies fans would have felt a pang of sympathy for Shane Watson. Resuming play just four runs short of his maiden Test century, Watson attempted to swipe the second ball of the day through midwicket, only for Sulieman Benn to breach his defences and hit the top of off stump. A disconsolate Watson kicked at the air and trudged from the field, aware that he had missed a prime opportunity join the Test centurion ranks. No word yet on whether Watson offered to assist the South Australian Cricket Association by bringing forward the planned demolition date of the Adelaide Oval dressing rooms.No Siddle in the middle

Australia need to knock West Indies over cheaply in their second innings, so it was a concern for the home fans when Peter Siddle didn’t take the field when Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath walked out to bat. Siddle had a tight hamstring and is no certainty to bowl on the fourth day, but Michael Hussey was confident he would take his place at some point. “I certainly hope so,” Hussey said. “I think it was more precautionary tonight, just leave him out of tonight so his leg has got another 12 hours or so to try and give him a good go tomorrow. I’m pretty confident that he’ll be out there tomorrow for us.”Conversion tables

Ricky Ponting has long emphasised the importance of batsmen converting 50s to 100s, but his calls have failed to inspire his troops of late. Of the last 12 Australian batsmen to pass the half-century mark, only one, Hussey at The Oval, has reached triple figures. Simon Katich is most culpable, having scored 80, 92 and 50 in his last three Tests, while Ponting himself has twice fallen short of a century after passing 50 in that time.Wise Sulieman prediction

Prior to the Brisbane Test, the West Indies interim coach David Williams touted Benn a likely trump card for the three-Test tour. Benn may have possessed a Test average nudging 50, but Williams felt the bounce of Australian wickets would suit the 200cm Bajan against a batting line-up that has seldom looked comfortable facing quality finger spin. Having performed solidly in a losing cause at the Gabba, Benn arrived at Adelaide Oval with much to prove. And so it transpired. Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Marcus North and Siddle formed the hit-list for Benn’s maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, handing West Indies a 12-run first-innings lead. The last time West Indies held a first-innings advantage on Australia was the Perth Test of 1996-97. They went on to win the match by ten wickets.What are the odds?

Punters have taken a dim view of West Indies since their arrival on Australian shores. With the Australians two wickets down in pursuit of the tourists’ first-innings total of 451, betting agencies were offering A$21 on West Indies breaking their nine-Test losing streak on Australian soil. That reduced to $17 at the fall of Ricky Ponting’s wicket, and $7.50 by the time the tourists headed to stumps with an overall lead of 35 and all second-innings wickets intact.

An unfortunate nickname and fancy footwork

Brydon Coverdale presents the Plays of the Day from the fourth day of the WACA Test

Brydon Coverdale at the WACA19-Dec-2009Drop drop
When Theo Doropoulos plays Twenty20s for Western Australia the nickname on his back is “Drop”. Sadly for him, the name proved far too apt when he came on as a substitute fielder late in the day. He had barely taken the field when Sulieman Benn chipped Mitchell Johnson to mid-on, where Doropoulos put down a simple chance. Redemption came in Johnson’s next over when Doropoulos, who had been banished to deep midwicket, was given another chance by the free-swinging Benn and this time held on.Clint dirty
To paraphrase his namesake Eastwood, Clint McKay had to ask himself one question today: “Do I feel lucky?” Sadly for McKay, this didn’t look like being his most fortunate day. He celebrated what he thought was his first Test wicket, complete with hugs and back-slaps from his team-mates, when Ian Gould adjudged Denesh Ramdin lbw. However Ramdin asked for a review and the final verdict was that the ball was slipping down leg. To add insult to injury, Gould signaled four leg-byes. McKay did get his chance to celebrate soon afterwards when he jagged one back off the seam to rattle Ramdin’s stumps.Fancy footwork, part one
Chris Gayle has impressed fans this series with his soccer skills, including a display in which he kept the ball in the air for about ten kicks before it hit the turf. This time his efforts were far more serious, when in the first over of the innings, he fended away a short delivery from Doug Bollinger and the ball spun back towards his stumps. Gayle was late in realising the danger and only a last-ditch toe-poke saved him from being bowled.Fancy footwork, part two
Doug Bollinger wasn’t to be outdone – shortly afterwards Gayle nudged a delivery back down the pitch, giving the bowler a chance to show his own skills. He kept it in the air with both feet, and his knees, but only managed about five touches before it hit the ground. Still, it was more agreeable footwork than Bollinger had displayed in Adelaide, when his kick of the turf in anger at a negated lbw appeal earned him a reprimand from the match referee.Mitch hitch
The absence of Mitchell Johnson at various periods during the day didn’t help the Australians, after he was sick all through the night and into the fourth day with gastro issues. Johnson did take the field and bowled in short spells but he was clearly unwell, often hunching over in discomfort. He had to leave the field several times and his condition was not helped by the heat in Perth, where the temperature soared as high as 37 degrees.They could be contenders
Australia are facing the possibility that Ponting will miss his first Test in five years with his elbow tendon problem placing him in doubt for Boxing Day. If that were to happen, the selectors would face an interesting decision over his replacement. As the fourth day unfolded at the WACA, the contenders presented their cases around the country. Leading the charge was Phillip Hughes, who made a quick 122 in a Sheffield Shield game in Newcastle, although bringing in an extra opener would require some shuffling of the batting order. At Adelaide Oval, Michael Klinger scored a patient, unbeaten 64 after Shaun Marsh had made 82. Other candidates including George Bailey, David Hussey and Cameron White, will be batting for their states over the next couple of days.Free entry for day five
Despite being a Saturday, the crowd of 8556 on the fourth day was lower than any of the first three days of the game. The WACA will open the gates for free on the final day, with Australia requiring only one wicket and West Indies 51 runs for victory.

Intikhab says Sarfraz will play

Intikhab Alam has said there is “no doubt” Sarfraz Ahmed will play in Kamran Akmal’s place

Osman Samiuddin in Hobart12-Jan-2010After days of confusion, Intikhab Alam has put an emphatic end to
speculation surrounding Pakistan’s wicketkeeping spot, saying that there
is “no doubt” Sarfraz Ahmed will play as the wicketkeeper in Kamran Akmal’s place
in the third Test in Hobart starting on Thursday.Speculation has been rife and silly since the Sydney Test about Akmal and
his role in the Pakistan side. Reports emerged blaming his late-night
babysitting for the four dropped catches at the SCG and there has been
talk of his younger brother Umar pulling out of the third Test with an
allegedly feigned back injury in protest at the axing.The team was given a day off from practice today, but Umar and Sarfraz
trained at the Bellerive Oval under the eyes of Intikhab and Aaqib Javed,
the assistant coach. There will be a selection meeting the day before the
Test begins but Intikhab indicated that if it comes to a vote with the
four-man selection committee (Mohammad Yousuf, Akmal, Intikhab and manager
Abdur Raquib form the panel), Akmal will step aside.”Naturally he [Sarfraz] has been sent as a reinforcement,” Intikhab said.
“Unfortunately Kamran had a bad game and he is a very good
wicketkeeper-batsman. It can happen to anyone but the fact of the matter is
Sarfraz has been sent here and we will give him a chance.”It has happened in the past [a vice-captain having a vote on his own
position in the side]. We were in Sri Lanka, the vice-captain was
Misbah-ul-Haq and he wasn’t having a good time and we decided in the
meeting, at times you have to take that tough decision and we’ll take that
decision. And there is no doubt that Sarfraz will play.”We have a three-member committee but this time the manager will also sit
in. We’re sure the right decision will be taken and he will have a vote as
well. I have already spoken to Kamran and I think he understands. These
things happen in cricket. I’m sure he’s good enough and he’ll come back.”Younger brother Umar had a longish net session, having sat out practice
yesterday and woken up this morning to stories about the stiff back being merely
a ploy to protest at the treatment of Kamran. Intikhab said the back was
fine and talk of protest absolute rubbish.

Watson lends support to Akmal

Kamran Akmal has found unlikely backing in the opposition camp as he battles to keep his place in the Pakistan side ahead of the third Test in Hobart. Shane Watson, with whom Akmal played for the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL in 2008, has come out in support of the wicketkeeper.
“It’s very unfortunate, the media scrutiny on Kamran Akmal,” Watson said. “Considering I played with him in the IPL and he is a very lovely guy and a very talented player too. It’s unfortunate, but hopefully he will get another opportunity to show everyone how good he is.
“I hope he does play, because he is an extremely talented player and it would be nice to see him out there. I am sure he will put on a very good performance.”

“He is ok. He had a sore back. The last few days the guys have been
working very, very hard, and so I gave them a day off today,” Intikhab
said. “Umar didn’t practice yesterday, he was sent to hospital and had
x-rays done and the doctors said there is nothing wrong with him. He has
had one painkilling injection but that’s why I brought him here to make
sure he is fit and raring to go.”It’s [the stories of his protest] all rubbish. At times I laugh when I
read such stories. He’s one of the emerging cricketers in world cricket
and he is capable and has the ability to do that. He is ok.”Training cheerily alongside Umar was Sarfraz, who having played eight ODIs
in 2008, finally finds himself on the verge of a Test debut, the first man
other than Akmal to don Pakistan’s Test gloves since late 2004.”Of course the pressure is there for representing your country against
Australia,” Sarfraz said. “But all the coaches, the manager and players
have really supported me and told me to take no pressure and treat it like
you are playing a normal first-class match.”Sarfraz was part of the same Pakistan A tour to Australia as Umar in
June-July last year and had a similarly successful time, picking up 11
victims and three fifties in the two ‘Tests’. And some advice had already
come his way on conditions here, he said, from the man he is set to
replace. “Kami supported me and said play your natural game. I arrived two
days ago and he said no pressure. He told me about the pitch here, a
little bounce and some break. He is a very good player no doubt and
everyone goes through a bad patch. I will give my 100% for our team.”

Chris Simpson sizzles as Bulls enter preliminary final

An unorthodox but brutal 76 off 38 balls from Queensland captain Chris Simpson propelled his side into the Big Bash preliminary final

Andrew Fuss16-Jan-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chris Simpson kept firing even as wickets fell around him to take Queensland to a match-winning score at the Gabba•Getty Images

An unorthodox but brutal 76 off 38 balls from Queensland captain Chris Simpson propelled his side into the Big Bash preliminary final as they finished the minor round with a convincing 37-run win over Western Australia at the Gabba. The equation at the start of the game was simple – the winner would host the preliminary final – and Simpson brought his A-game to the crunch encounter, helping the Bulls to a season-best Powerplay score of 3 for 63.Despite the quick start, the Bulls still looked vulnerable through the early phases as they lost the wickets of James Hopes, Lee Carseldine and Andrew Symonds cheaply. The setbacks did not deter Simpson, who caned the bowling to all corners of the Gabba before being controversially dismissed with the score on 95.Spinner Aaron Heal had just been hit for six before he deceived Simpson with a slow turner, the skipper missing a slog sweep and getting his bat back in his crease before the bails were whipped off. But his bat bounced in the crease and the third umpire decided it occurred at the exact moment when the stumps were broken.Where other teams this season had crumbled with quick middle-order wickets, the Bulls rallied, with Craig Philipson (46 off 28 balls) and Ben Dunk (27 off 14 balls) combining for a quick-fire 57-run partnership to blast the hosts to 203. A four off the last ball brought the weekend crowd to its feet.The visitors got off to a solid start and when Chris Gayle was dropped off the final ball of third over, it looked like the Warriors may have had luck going for them. But the momentum swung quickly with Shaun Marsh and Gayle returning in consecutive overs – the latter in bizarre circumstances as he hit off stump with his bat going for a drive. From there the Warriors never really threatened despite a fighting half-century from Wes Robinson (51 off 40) and a late cameo from Luke Ronchi (34 off 27).Hopes and Ben Cutting were the pick of the bowlers for the Bulls with two wickets apiece while Simpson was named Man of the Match for his exploits with the bat. Queensland will host Victoria in the preliminary final on Tuesday for the right to play the Redbacks in the final on Saturday.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against
South Australia 4 4 0 0 0 8 +1.947 689/79.0 542/80.0
Queensland 5 3 2 0 0 6 +1.003 743/85.0 650/84.0
Victoria 5 3 2 0 0 6 -0.869 703/92.3 813/96.0
Western Australia 5 2 3 0 0 4 +0.680 833/100.0 765/100.0
Tasmania 5 1 4 0 0 2 -0.728 742/100.0 789/96.5
New South Wales 4 1 3 0 0 2 -2.234 499/69.0 650/68.4

Fracture forces Andy McKay out of Test series

The fast bowler has been forced out of the Tests against Australia due to a stress fracture in his foot

Cricinfo staff21-Feb-2010The fast bowler Andy McKay has been forced out of the Tests against Australia due to a stress fracture in his foot. McKay had hoped to return for the two matches after being ruled out of the one-dayers and Twenty20s against Australia starting next week, but has been diagnosed with a fracture after bone scans in Wellington last week.”It turns out I’ve got a stress fracture in my foot. It’s not good,” he told .
“I then went back and saw the sports physician on Thursday and the injury had actually settled down quite a bit in a matter of days.”That was fairly encouraging and the doctor thinks my recovery will be a matter of weeks, rather than the usual two to three months that an injury like this normally takes to heal.”McKay, 29, made an impressive start to his ODI career, taking five wickets against Bangladesh at an average of 21 but it was his pace which stood out. He reportedly clocked 147 kph in the Napier ODI and the captain Daniel Vettori said he was one of the quickest bowlers he had faced in the Twenty20 HRV Cup, even comparing him to Shane Bond. McKay was eager to translate his form into the five-day format but his career has been put on hold for the moment.”It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I was obviously very happy with how things went in the one-dayers against Bangladesh and then I was over the moon about being selected in the Test side. Obviously the priority now is about getting things right.”The series gets underway on February 26 with the first of two Twenty20s, followed by five ODIs and two Tests.

Suresh Kumar's 82 rescues Tamil Nadu

A round-up of the quarter-final matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that took place on March 14

Cricinfo staff14-Mar-2010
Scorecard
Suresh Kumar hit 82 off 44 balls to revive Tamil Nadu’s floundering innings and lead them into the semi-finals with a tense three-wicket win against Himachal Pradesh in Indore. Chasing 153 for victory, Tamil Nadu had slumped to 45 for 6 after 8.1 overs, and were staring at certain defeat. Kumar, however, found a partner in MK Sivakumar and smashed six sixes and five fours in his half-century. He added 63 with Sivakumar and another unbeaten 50 with R Sutesh to secure victory with two balls to spare.Himachal Pradesh had also struggled in the early part of their innings, losing their first two wickets with the score on 18 and then slumping further to 47 for 4. Vineet Indulkar top-scored with 47 and Hemant Dogra contributed 36 to lead Himachal to 152 for 6.Tamil Nadu will take on Maharashtra in the first semi-final.
Scorecard
Delhi notched up a comfortable win over Assam, beating them by 35 runs, to book a place in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. Ankur Julka made an unbeaten 79 off 47 balls, striking 10 fours and two sixes, to help Delhi reach a challenging 170. Julka was supported by captain Puneet Bisht, and while Puneet Mehra struck some meaty blows at the death to take his team to what proved an adequate total.Assam were dealt two early blows but opener Parvez Aziz resisted with a fluent 57, which included eight fours and two sixes. However, only two other batsmen reached double-figures, as Farman grabbed four wickets with fast bowler Parvinder Awana backing him up with three scalps. The Assam innings folded for 135 in the 18th over.Delhi will take on Hyderabad in the second semi-final.

Lasith Malinga, Saurabh Tiwary star in thrilling Mumbai win

A dry slow wicket and the early fall of Sachin Tendulkar, on whom Mumbai tend to depend far too much, combined to produce a thrilling game that concluded in the last over

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera30-Mar-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Lasith Malinga’s four-for helped Mumbai Indians to their sixth victory in this IPL, and inflicted a sixth defeat on Kings XI Punjab•Indian Premier League

A dry slow pitch and the early fall of Sachin Tendulkar, on whom Mumbai Indians tend to depend far too much, combined to produce a thrilling game that concluded in the last over at the Brabourne Stadium. Set a target of 164 after Lasith Malinga had restricted Kings XI Punjab with a four-for, Mumbai stumbled at various points of the chase but found enough vital contributions to clinch the game with three balls to spare. Shikhar Dhawan laid the platform with a half-century, Saurabh Tiwary lifted Mumbai with a breezy 31 just when it seemed they might lose their way, and R Sathish produced the final flourish to push them past the line and take them a step closer towards a semi-final berth .Mumbai needed 19 from the final two overs but Sathish produced two skillful hits to the ropes – an inside-out shot over covers and a whip-lash square drive – off Ravi Bopara, and Saurabh Tiwary thrashed a straight boundary to leave themselves six to get of the final over. Sathish held his nerves to collect couple of driven two’s and Brett Lee fired a wide down the leg side, as Punjab slipped to their sixth defeat in the tournament.It wasn’t quite a quality game, but it made for interesting viewing. Despite a composed fifty from Dhawan, Mumbai dawdled in the chase to reach a situation where they needed 57 from 33 balls. It was at this point that the game started to turn in their favour. Tiwary slog-swept Piyush Chawla for a six and Ambati Rayudu pulled the same bowler to the wide long-on boundary to reduce the equation to 46 from 30 balls. However, Bopara, who bowled medium pace not dissimilar to Chris Harris, slipped in a few tight overs in the company of the equally impressive Shalabh Srivastava.And when Bopara picked up the vital wicket of Dwayne Bravo with a slower one and Srivastava bowled a few dot balls, the equation read 27 from 15 balls. It was a make or a break moment, and Tiwary forced Mumbai ahead with a fierce flat-batted six over long-off off Srivastava; Sathish settled the issue in the next over with his strikes against Bopara.It was a chase that ebbed and flowed right from the start. Dhawan had started it with two boundaries in Lee’s first over but Srivastava bowled a tight over to keep Tendulkar quiet. It was the first sign that things might not be so easy for Mumbai. Chawla then struck a big blow, luring Tendulkar to hole out to long-on in the sixth over to push Mumbai to 42 for 1. Dhawan and Kieron Pollard pushed Mumbai forward but Pollard holed out to long-on, and Dhawan to long-off, to leave their team struggling at 91 for 3 from 11.4 overs. But they found enough firepower from the lower middle-order to clinch their sixth win.Just as they allowed things to drift a touch in the chase, they had earlier allowed Punjab to stretch the target. Malinga had sizzled with three wickets from four balls, which included a perfect yorker to knock out Shaun Marsh, the only batsman who offered some resistance, as Mumbai restricted Punjab to 163. But you couldn’t escape the feeling that had Mumbai produced their top game, Punjab would have struggled to get past 125.Barring Marsh, Punjab’s batsmen looked woefully out of touch. With the exception of Sachin Tendulkar, who was visibly agitated with his team-mates on a few occasions, Mumbai’s men seemed to lack intensity in the first half of the game. The fielding was largely shoddy, with the irregular keeper Ambati Rayudu setting the tone, but they lifted their game after the first time-out and had enough skill with their bowling to restrict Punjab to a gettable score.If Punjab got anywhere close to a decent score, they have only Marsh to thank for. This was his first IPL game this season but he looked in good touch right from the start. He collected four boundaries in his first ten balls, with a peachy on-the-up on drive against Ryan McLaren being the highlight. Regular fall of wickets, though, forced him to slow down and drop anchor. As witnessed in the first IPL, he kept things really simple: He stayed still on the leg-stump guard, preferring to stay completely beside the line of the ball, and played his drives. There was one big hit as well, when he went down on his knee to swing a slower one from Pollard from outside off over the long-on boundary; but for the majority of his innings, he drove along the ground.He didn’t find much support from his team-mates, though. Mahela Jayawardene struggled to get the ball off the turf initially and had problems running between the wickets. A run-out seemed inevitable and that’s how he went in the end. Bopara missed a full and straight ball from Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh shovelled a slower one from Bravo straight to short fine-leg. Even Irfan Pathan, who has batted really well in this tournament, failed to convert a start. To his credit though, it took a good catch from Harbhajan Singh, running to his right from midwicket, to end his stay. And when Marsh fell next ball, Punjab were tottering at 124 for 6 from 16 overs before Piyush Chawla pushed them past 160, which proved inadequate, but only just.

We didn't play as a team – Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi Daredevils captain, has put down his team’s exit from the IPL to its inconsistency

Cricinfo staff18-Apr-2010Gautam Gambhir, the Delhi Daredevils captain, has put down his team’s exit from the IPL to its inconsistency. Delhi fell short by 11 runs against Deccan Chargers in what was effectively a quarter-final. Both teams, playing their final league game, needed a win to fill up the fourth semi-final slot, but Delhi, despite restricting Deccan to a gettable 145, faltered in their chase.”Whenever we have chased, we’ve lost early wickets. It’s been up and down for us, we just haven’t played as a team,” Gambhir said after the game. “We needed to win two out of five and we lost four out of five, we can’t afford to be that inconsistent. Hopefully next year will be a different story.”On the other hand, Deccan, who had been languishing at the bottom of the table with Kings XI Punjab after losing five games in a row, bounced back to win five in five to seal a place in the final four. Adam Gilchrist, their captain, called the fightback a “great team effort”.”We looked these last five games as a mini-tournament in itself, and we have belief in ourselves. It’s been a great team effort,” Gilchrist said. “Some guys like Symonds and Rohit have been very consistent. Everyone has chipped in their own way. We’ve managed to finish second, that’s a wonderful credit to everyone.”Gilchrist lauded the performance of his bowlers, who kept chipping away at Delhi and defended what seemed like a below-par score with relative ease. “Outstanding game. It’s been like this the whole tournament, great courage from out bowlers and they showed great character,” he said.Andrew Symonds was named Man of the Match for his 30-ball 54, which included five sixes. Symonds was dismissed in the 15th over, and the batsmen who followed had struggled to push on but the total they posted proved adequate. “I was pretty disappointed with the way I got out, and I felt responsible for our score,” Symonds, who had holed out to long-off, said. “But I am really pleased with the way the boys have picked themselves up. We may not be the most skilful team in the competition but we have a goal.”At times we may be a little ugly, but we are effective.”

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