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Mahela Jayawardene has defended the Sri Lanka team after England’s captain, Alastair Cook, suggested “a line had been crossed” in the deciding ODI of the series between England and Sri Lanka.Jayawardene insisted that Sri Lanka were left with little option but to run out Jos Buttler in the 44th over after the batsman, at the non-striker’s end, repeatedly backed-up too far. While it was the spinner Sachithra Senanayake who removed the bails midway through his bowling action, the umpires offered Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews, the opportunity to withdraw the appeal before they gave Buttler out. It was the first instance of ‘Mankading’ in international cricket since 1992.Alastair Cook, the England captain, denounced the incident as “a pretty poor act” and suggested he would not have behaved in the same manner.”I thought it was disappointing,” Cook said. “There’s a line and that line was crossed here. I’ve never seen it before in the game and I was pretty disappointed by it. As captain of your country, there are certain ways you want your team to operate. And obviously he is fine with it. He has said he will do it again.”You don’t know what you would do if you were put in that situation, in the heat of the moment, until you are. I’d like to think I wouldn’t do it, but I suppose you just don’t know.”I haven’t been in the situation, as captain of England, where I have had to make a ‘spirit of cricket’ call. Paul Collingwood had one a few years ago and admitted afterwards that, in the heat of the moment, he probably made a mistake.”If he was properly trying to steal a single, I could possibly understand it. But he was half a yard out of his crease. It’s pretty disappointing.”But Jayawardene, defending his captain and his team, revealed that Sri Lanka had warned Buttler twice before the incident and felt he had been claiming an unfair advantage by leaving his ground early.”We gave him a fair chance,” Jayawardene said. “Twice. Before the first warning, we told the umpires that he was taking too much of a lead and then he was warned again. We had to do that, because they kept doing it.”We analysed our game after Lord’s. They took 22 twos in the last 12 overs. Ravi Bopara and him ran riot. And most of the time they were taking starts that are not legal by the written laws. We just wanted to make sure we got a fair chance. We warned them and we warned the umpires, but they didn’t listen to us, so we had to take the right steps.”We always try to play in the right spirit, but if the other team is not playing in the right spirit and not going with the law, then unfortunately we had to take the law into our hands. It was the third time. It is fair enough, I think. We all need to play by the rules.”If the other sides are not going by the rules, then they’re not playing by the spirit, so what can you do?”

Chris Jordan hopes to play for England in his native Barbados in the first of three T20Is on Sunday but it could have all turned out so differently

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2014

If Bill Athey, the former England batsman, had not gone on a reconnaissance trip to Barbados to seek out a potential cricketer for a scholarship at Dulwich College, Chris Jordan might conceivably have been lining up for West Indies against England in Barbados on Sunday.Kensington Oval, after all, was where Jordan watched from the stands, played on the outfield in front of the old media box and even took part in the first match after the ground had been refurbished in time for the 2007 World Cup.But Athey liked what he saw and Jordan found himself living among the unaccustomed splendour of Dulwich College, an independent school in South East London which is approaching its 400th anniversary, where England and Sri Lanka trained during the Champions Trophy last summer, and where there are comfortably more artificial outdoor cricket pitches than any county ground in the land.At 25, and with the best year of his career behind him, Jordan is strong enough to cope with the inevitable consequence of his change of allegiance, knowing that, if he wins a place in the final XI in the first of three Twenty20 internationals on Sunday, for every well-wisher there could be a partisan West Indies who will be happy to see him fall flat on his face.But his task in the three Twenty20 internationals at Kensington Oval is to get his preparations for World Twenty20 in Bangladesh right on track and contribute to the lifting of morale in an England side that has gained some release with a 2-1 ODI series win in Antigua, but which few people regard as serious challengers in World Twenty20.Jordan waved aside the crowd reaction he might face as “pretty irrelevant really,” adding “As long as my friends and my family are backing me, that’s honestly all that matters. It doesn’t matter who I play for at the end of the day, my family and friends will back me 100 per cent and that’s all that matters.”Jordan still returns regularly to Barbados to look up old friends and old haunts. After he practiced at Kensington Oval, he recalled: “I used to sit down in the old press box – and as these kids are doing now, I used to go on the field at lunchtimes and have little games. I really do remember it.”The ground had quite a makeover for the World Cup, turning from a homely ground with a stirring tradition to a sports stadium. As the renovations took place, Jordan himself was among those who first experienced the changing atmosphere from the middle. “It has changed so much,” he said.For all the stirred memories, he says he remains proud of his return with England to his native land. “I’m very proud actually,” he said. “Obviously I grew up here … but I went to England and learned most of my trade there. I’m more than happy with the decision I’ve made.”Injury problems disrupted his development in England, and only when he moved from Surrey to Sussex for the 2013 season did he really make a breakthrough. In that phase of his career, he had better fortune for Barbados – but by then he was classified as an overseas player. There would be no thoughts of going back.

MatériaMais Notícias

O presidente do Vitória, Paulo Carneiro, confirmou na última quarta-feira (1) que o zagueiro Edcarlos está afastado do plantel dirigido pelo técnico Claudio Tencati e que, apesar de não ter assinado sua rescisão contratual, ele não deve ser reintegrado ao plantel.

-Edcarlos foi afastado. Não existe rescisão ainda, mas ele não joga mais pelo Vitória – falou o mandatário do Leão da Barra em palavras ditas ao veículo Bahia Notícias.

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Além do experiente zagueiro de 33 anos de idade campeão da Libertadores e Mundial pelo São Paulo em 2005, o clube de Salvador também afastou outros três nomes do plantel: o lateral-esquerdo Fabrício além do zagueiro Bruno Bispo e do volante Leandro Vilela.

Essa é a segunda vez que o time que foi muito mal nas primeiras competições de 2019 (Copa do Brasil, Copa do Nordeste e Baianão) faz um afastamento maciço de jogadores. Isso porque, na metade de mês de abril, 10 jogadores foram retirados das atividades do clube após uma contundente entrevista de Tencati apontando para esse caminho.

Até o momento, na única competição que o Vitória terá no segundo semestre que é a Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro, o time não teve um começo muito animador. Atuando na cidade de Ribeirão Preto frente ao recém-promovido Botafogo-SP, a equipe não foi páreo para os paulistas e perdeu por 3 a 1 no estádio Santa Cruz.

The PCB will not renew Pakistan head coach Dav Whatmore’s contract, when it expires ahead of the Asia Cup in late February 2014

Umar Farooq10-Nov-2013The PCB will not renew Pakistan head coach Dav Whatmore’s contract, when it expires ahead of the Asia Cup in late February 2014. The PCB said in a release that Whatmore informed the board earlier this month that he would not be seeking an extension in the job due to personal and family reasons. His last assignment with Pakistan will be the upcoming Sri Lanka series in the UAE, between December 2013 and January 2014.The release said the two parties had “mutually agreed to conclude the contract on February 28, 2014”. “Everyone at the PCB wishes Mr Whatmore the very best at a personal level and in the world of cricket in the future,” the statement said.*ESPNcricinfo understands that PCB had been mulling releasing Whatmore after the Champions Trophy in June, in which Pakistan didn’t win a match, but held back on such a move to avoid the compensation (three months’ salary) they would have had to pay him if they terminated the contract.”We are not against a foreign coach,” PCB Interim Management Committee head, Najam Sethi, recently said in the UAE. “Our problem is, with foreign coaches our players are not able to communicate freely. The players are not that well educated when it comes to English. So there is a lot of problem in communicating with each other and they don’t understand fully.”Whatmore was appointed head coach in March 2012 and Pakistan have failed to win a Test series under him, and have only won two out of the 10 matches they’ve played so far. After feedback from various players in the team, it is learnt, the PCB is not satisfied. A top PCB official said that some players are not quite comfortable around Whatmore and the suggestion is to bring in a local coach.Sethi told : “I personally think the coach has done a decent job but his contract expires in February, so we have to seriously look at it. In fact, I think Whatmore himself will be looking at it. I won’t deny that there is tremendous pressure to appoint a home-bred coach.”Recently, spinner Saeed Ajmal had said on television that there was no difference between Whatmore and a local coach, and that language was proving to be a barrier. “There is no difference, just that we are paying more to him, otherwise there is no difference,” Ajmal said. “Dav is a foreign coach, he doesn’t know our language much, but he is a coach and has done coaching for various countries and has helped other teams win, he is not that bad. We had our coaches, we have our language.”Whatmore, 59, while talking to ESPNcricinfo in September, confirmed that there would have to be a mutual understanding between him and the PCB if his contract is to be renewed. “When you are about to conclude your contract, these questions do emerge,” Whatmore said. “But the renewal depends on mutual willingness. I know what I do is done with the best of intentions and at the end of the day I can sleep straight, comfortably.”*04.25GMT, November 13: This article was updated after the PCB sent out a statement.

When Zimbabwe’s players wanted advice on how to establish their own players’ association, they turned to their big brothers for assistance

Firdose Moonda21-Aug-2013When Zimbabwe’s players wanted advice on how to establish their own players’ association, they turned to their big brothers for assistance. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) helped the Zimbabwean players with a draft constitution after being asked to look at documentation from previous attempts to launch a union in that country and update it to meet modern standards.”They’ve been wanting to launch a player body for some time and they came and asked us what we thought of the paperwork they had,” Tony Irish, SACA’s CEO told ESPNcricinfo. “We helped them with some ideas and sent them a copy of a constitution they could use. But I was not aware of the situation as it is now.”Irish was not involved with the Zimbabwean players’ sudden decision to launch their body last week as they decided to negotiate match fees and a percentage of World Cup disbursements with their board. However, he was not surprised they did.”There was a burning platform for them with the payment issue and that is how a lot of player organisations start,” Irish said. “There are two things that act as catalysts for players to take action: non-payment or interference in selection and if you look at player associations around the world, this is how they get off the ground.”Seven of the ten Test-playing nations had player unions before Zimbabwe’s was started, which leaves India and Pakistan without representation for their cricketers. England has the oldest, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), formed in 1967. SACA was started in 2002, but took inspiration from the PCA and Australian Cricketer’s Association when looking at how to build a union.”We wanted to have a constructive body that could deal with issues facing the players and with the board,” Irish said. “Cricket is a top-down sport, in that the national team makes most of the money and they have to be looked after.”It was exactly that interest which led Irish to start SACA, in the aftermath of the 2002 Champions Trophy when players’ commercial rights were sold off to a global broadcaster but they were not compensated. “Jonty Rhodes and I decided we would start a union then because we believed the players had a right to some of the hundreds of millions of dollars being made off of them. We struck a deal with the board and that same deal still applies today.”South African players have faced very few issues involving payment since then and SACA has evolved into a fully functioning independent body. It has over 230 members, all professional cricketers at national, franchise or provincial level and employ eight people to run the organisation.But it took years for that to happen and Irish cautioned Zimbabwe theirs will need the same amount of time to flourish. “Once it’s formed and you’ve had the big issues, then it’s about creating something that’s sustainable and professional.”Zimbabwe Cricket has struggled for either of those things as they battle debt and a low profile. They last had a functional representative body before the white-player walkout in 2004 and since then their attempts to form another have faced uphill battles for survival and relevance and lost.

Former Kerala captain and junior national selector M Balan Pandit has died in Ernakulam, Kerala on June 5, aged 86.A wicketkeeper-batsman, Pandit began playing first-class cricket in 1946 and represented Kathiawar, Kerala and Travancore-Cochin. In a career spanning 46 first-class matches, Pandit scored 2,317 runs including five hundreds at an average of 29.70.He was a wicketkeeper for Kathiawar in the match against Maharashtra, in December 1948, when Bhausaheb Nimbalkar scored an unbeaten 443 runs, the highest first-class score by an Indian batsman.In a Ranji Trophy match in 1959 against Andhra, his 14th for Kerala, Pandit scored an unbeaten 262, which was the record individual score for Kerala before Sreekumar Nair hit a triple century against Services in 2007.As a wicketkeeper, he completed 35 catches and three stumpings during his first-class career.As an administrator, Pandit was a member of India’s junior selection committee and was also the chairman of Kerala’s selection committee. He also served as vice-president of Kerala Cricket Association.

Three young American stars will head into the Champions League as a Dutch giant looks to go on a run

The young generation of American soccer fans may be taking it all for granted at this point. For years, the thought of seeing one or two U.S. men's national team stars playing in the Champions League was the dream.

These days, there are plenty spread throughout the competition playing for some of the world's biggest teams. And three of them are together at PSV, who begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday with the hope of creating something special.

USMNT stars Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman are all in the PSV squad after completing big moves to the Netherlands this summer. All three could very well be using PSV as a stepping stone, but to do that, they'll need to show out on the biggest stage.

It'll be a tough road ahead for the trio, having been grouped with Arsenal, Sevilla and Lens, but it's not one that's totally unmanageable. USMNT fans will be keeping a close eye on things, too, as PSV are becoming the latest historic European side to jump into American soccer's spotlight by signing three young stars.

GettyFollowing a legend from the past

The older generation of American soccer fans will already have a soft spot for PSV. They are the club that gave one of the country's biggest legends a chance, that allowed him to reach a height that no one could match until just recently.

DeMarcus Beasley is one of the biggest trailblazers in American soccer. He played in four World Cups and travelled all over the globe at a time where that was much less common. His best days at club level came at PSV, where Beasley became the first American to play in the Champions League semi-finals. During the 2004-05 season, Beasley and PSV did battle with mighty AC Milan, losing 2-0 at San Siro before winning the second leg 3-1 at home. They were, however, eliminated on away goals, as Beasley shined with four goals throughout the tournament.

Nearly two decades later, Beasley still credits PSV for helping him mature as a player and allowing him to reach heights even he couldn't have expected. "I've said this a million times: any young player that has a chance to go to Holland and play, you don't have to go to a big team, but there are some great clubs in Holland," Beasley told GOAL earlier this year. "They all love to play. They like attacking players, exciting players. They let you go one-on-one.

"They teach you and help you understand how to play football. It's not just 'Oh, you score goals or beat a player one-on-one', but also what are your responsibilities that you have in the game? Off the field discipline, responsibility. I remember when I was at PSV and Guus Hiddink was the coach, and I'm on the other side of the field, this is during the game, and my shirt got untucked, and he yells at me across the field! 'Beasley! Beasley!' I thought he was saying: 'Push up here or go press here', but he was yelling: 'Tuck in your shirt!'. I was like 'huh'? Little things like that, it teaches you so much more than the game.

"Discipline and responsibility, that's such an important part of being a professional and how to be a pro, a real pro. I think Holland did that for me and it can do that for a lot of people."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesStewart arrives

For the past several years, Earnie Stewart was one of the most important men in American soccer. A former USMNT midfielder, Stewart developed a reputation as a team-builder after retirement, Working for NAC Breda and AZ Alkmaar before becoming instrumental in the construction of the Philadelphia Union as we know it today.

In 2018, Stewart was named general manager of the USMNT and, one year later, became sporting director of the entire federation. During that time, he oversaw both the USMNT and USWNT and was particularly influential in the former's rebuild after missing the 2018 World Cup.

In January, though, it was announced that Stewart would be leaving his post to take over as PSV's new technical director and, as it turns out, he wouldn't be coming alone…

GettyBig swing on Pepi

It was clear entering the summer that Pepi would be on the move. The big question was where. The USMNT forward lost his way after joining Augsburg, but he'd begun to rediscover it with a very good loan move to Groningen. He scored double-digit goals for the Dutch side, but it wasn't enough to save them from relegation.

And so, this summer, PSV swooped, bringing in Pepi as the first of their three American tars. He's gotten off to a decent start, too, although he hasn't quite been able to take Luuk de Jong's starting role away from him. As things stand, the veteran Dutch striker is first-choice still, but Pepi has been able to contribute in his early appearances.

The 20-year-old striker has two goals, although his most recent did come with some controversy. After winning a penalty in a 4-0 win over NEC Nijmegen, Pepi shook off Mexican international Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano's calls to take the spot-kick, much to his dismay. Pepi instead stepped up and buried his second goal, and his first in Eredivisie for his new club.

It comes amid a fantastic run of form with the USMNT, with Pepi having scored six goals in as many international games in 2023.

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GettyTillman arrives on loan

Like Pepi, Tillman looked bound for a new home this summer after a productive loan spell last season. He'd achieved plenty with Rangers and PSV were able to swoop to secure a deal for the Bayern Munich midfielder on an initial loan with an option to buy.

Tillman hasn't quite broken through at Bayern, and there's no shame in that. He did make seven appearances for the Bundesliga giants while scoring one goal, though, showing the type of level that he can play at.

A versatile attacker that can play on the wing, as a No.10 or as an attack-minded No.8, Tillman has made just two appearances for PSV, with one coming against his former club Rangers in the Champions League qualifiers. He scored his first goal against RKC Waalwijk although he, like Pepi, hasn't quite been able to crack the starting XI as PSV head into the European group stages.

علق إيكر كاسياس، أسطورة حراسة المرمى في نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني، على خسارة الفريق الأول لكرة القدم أمس أمام مانشستر سيتي في إياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وخسر ريال مدريد برباعية نظيفة على ملعب الاتحاد أمام مانشستر سيتي، بعد التعادل 1-1 ذهابًا في سانتياجو بيرنابيو.

طالع أيضًا | جوارديولا: الرياضة تمنحك فرصة الانتقام.. ولن أسيء إلى أنشيلوتي وريال مدريد

وقال كاسياس في تصريحات نقلها صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية: “لقد كانت ضربة هائلة لـ ريال مدريد، لكنني أعتقد أن ما حدث في السنوات الأخيرة كان أمرًا رائعًا”.

وأضاف: “على جماهير ريال مدريد أن تفتخر بهذا الفريق وما قدموه خلال السنوات الماضية، والتفكير في الموسم المقبل وأن كرة القدم ستعطيهم فرصة للانتقام”.

وخرج ريال مدريد من دور نصف النهائي من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، التي يحمل الرقم القياسي في الفوز بها بـ 14 لقب، كان آخرها الموسم الماضي على حساب ليفربول الإنجليزي.

A round-up of the seventh round of Ranji Trophy’s Group A matches on December 15, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2012
Scorecard
As many as eighteen wickets tumbled on the first day at Eden Gardens as Hyderabad came roaring back after a poor batting performance. Ashish Reddy led the way with 5 for 30 as Hyderabad reduced hosts Bengal to 79 for 8, a deficit of 36 at stumps. Bengal, without their injured captain Manoj Tiwary, fell apart from a comfortable 39 for 1. Only opener Arindam Das resisted with an unbeaten 37 while Nos 4 to 9 registered single-digit scores. Reddy was supported by Anwar Ahmed’s 3 for 30. The hosts had earlier justified their decision to field by running through the Hyderabad line-up in 37.1 overs. Quick bowlers Shami Ahmed and Veer Pratap Singh picked up seven wickets between them while only K Sumanth and Syed Quadri managed to get into the twenties.
Scorecard
Ajinkya Rahane’s fall for 24 was the only sore point for Mumbai as they dominated Saurashtra in Rajkot. Aditya Tare and Wasim Jaffer set the tone when they put on 135 upfront after Rohit Sharma won the toss. Jaffer hit 12 boundaries in his breezy 79. Rahane, released from the Test squad to play Ranji Trophy, went caught behind after getting a start but Tare and Rohit took control. Tare faced 262 balls for his unbeaten 122 while Rohit hit three sixes as he motored to his second fifty of the season, to add to a double century and a hundred.
ScorecardDevendra Bundela and Jalaj Saxena led a reasonable batting show from hosts Madhya Pradesh in Gwalior against Punjab. MP lost Naman Ojha cheaply after being asked to bat, but Saxena, who moved up from the lower-middle order to open the innings, ensured the hosts weren’t bogged down. Saxena made a brisk 84 while Bundela carried on the accumulation with an unbeaten 92. There was a stage when Sandeep Sharma, currently the highest-wicket taker of the season, and Baltej Singh had reduced MP to 199 for 5. But Bundela found another partner in Rahul Bakshi, and the pair had put on 82 by the end of the day’s play.
Scorecard
Shivakant Shukla’s century helped Railways recover from 90 for 3 against defending champions Rajasthan in Bhubaneshwar. The opening partnership was worth 55 after Railways chose to bat at their home ground but Aniket Choudhary’s double-strike, including Railways captain Sanjay Bangar for 4, had them in some trouble. Shukla and Parag Madkaikar, though, settled down to revive the innings. The pair put on 146 before Shukla fell to Manjeet Singh towards the close of play. Madkaikar was unbeaten on a patient 70 with Ashish Yadav for company.

Despite a push that took the game into the last hour, Somerset couldn’t force a win over Nottinghamshire

Alex Winter at Taunton10-Aug-2012
ScorecardJames Taylor made 46 as Nottinghamshire made sure of a draw at Taunton•Getty Images

Despite a push that took the game into the last hour, Somerset couldn’t force a win over Nottinghamshire. The game was hindered badly by the weather and, with the ECB launching more consumer research into the domestic game, attention among members turned to the makeup of the fixture list in the future.A healthy crowd was in to enjoy the sunshine, highlighting Somerset’s good membership and the support for Championship cricket. The county also boast a big following for Twenty20 and the balance between all the competitions gives the chief executive, Guy Lavender, plenty to ponder for his wishes of the schedule.”We’re lucky here; we’re extremely well attended for County Championship cricket,” Lavender told ESPNcricinfo as Notts batted out for a draw on the final afternoon. “We’ve got a very strong membership base and we attach importance to the Championship as the premier competition. But there are different views about it around the country so there are certain things we have to do to make the structure more sustainable.”Number one: the fixture list has to be easy to understand; number two, it has to be interesting; and number three, it has to be at a time where people can come and watch the games. If we just descend into ‘how many matches’ or ‘how many counties’, it misses the point. You don’t need detailed debates, we’ve got to say, ‘What works? What type of structure is attractive to the customer?’ That is what drives the game.”When the counties decided more T20 would drive the game there was a general downward trend in overall profit. Somerset were one of few that thrived. They can make more matches work and saw takings fall back this season with the reduction in games.”We’d like to see the number of T20 games increase,” said Lavender, who wasn’t pleased to see the Morgan Report rejected. “As a club we have the capacity to increase the number of fixtures and not only make them pay but make them good experiences for the supporters. We would have a preference for matches to be spread out across the course of the season because it provides the best opportunity for more people to come and watch. If you schedule T20 at the right time – as with CB40 – then people will turn up. It’s not rocket science.”But finding regularity in the calendar is hampered by broadcasting demands, with Sky keen to screen a match every night of the week – reducing the capacity for T20 to be staged on a regular evening and the scope for matches to be spread out.”Of course there are broadcast demands but I don’t think that drives all of the decision-making about the schedule,” Lavender said. “If we want cricket to thrive then we have to give people the best opportunity to come and watch and I think there is recognition from the ECB and Sky that that needs to happen.”With the Gloucestershire T20, because of the rivalry and locality, that match will sell out whenever it is played but others won’t. So we need to provide something that, perhaps as a not-as-keen follower of Somerset, you can go to every other Friday. It creates regularity and it fits into the way people live their lives and I think that’s really important. And that holds true for other formats of the game.”The problem is every county is looking at the structure of the game through their own lens and it’s the responsibility of the ECB to work for the greater good of the game.”That greater good is being worked out through further consumer research. What it should find – given the backlash the proposed cuts received from players and supporters – is that the County Championship is just fine; and at Taunton both teams lost ground to Warwickshire in the title race that has four more rounds to produce another thrilling climax.Nottinghamshire will be the happier of the teams from this draw. They keep Somerset at arm’s length and survived what could have been a tricky afternoon on a pitch that began to show signs of invariable bounce and some turn. Pete Trego was also getting some deliveries to tail into the right-hander – it was an inswinger that ended James Taylor’s attractive 46. He also had Michael Lumb superbly caught one-handed by Jos Buttler – keeping wicket in place of Craig Kieswetter and suggesting Somerset have enough depth to stay the distance in search of a first County Championship success.They have hung on to the title race despite a host of injuries, their squad so depleted they had to cancel a second-XI match earlier this season. But they now have the chance to make another run for a maiden title and three of their remaining four matches are at Taunton, against Sussex, Surrey and Worcestershire.