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A round-up of the first day of the fourth round of matches in Division One of the Quaid-E-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2010Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik sent a reminder to the national selectors with his ninth first-class century, to lead Faisalabad to 259 for 4 against Pakistan International Airlines at the Iqbal Stadium. Openers Agha Sabir and Shehzar Mohammad laid the groundwork with a 93-run stand that ruined Faisalabad’s plans after choosing to field. Three wickets fell in quick succession, but Malik was in no mood to hand over the initiative and guided PIA through the day’s play, finishing unbeaten on 112. Zeeshan Butt was the most incisive bowler, finishing with two scalps on a day when wickets were not easy to come by.Table-toppers Water and Power Development Authority tormented wooden-spoon holders Multan rolling them over for 111 on the opening day in Bahawalpur. Opening bowlers Sarfraz Ahmed and Naved-ul-Hasan were in their element, sharing six wickets as Multan’s batsmen struggled to find their feet. Waqas Khan made 23 and Ahmed Raza contributed 24 from No. 10 to push the score past the 100-run mark. WAPDA’s reply got off to a rough start as well, with seamer Tahir Maqsood picking up two wickets to reduce them to 40 for 3, and later 79 for 4. Hasan Adnan and Ali Azmat weathered the storm with a 72-run stand to secure the lead. Azmat perished for 45 with stumps in sight, but Adnan remained unbeaten on 37.Sialkot’s batsmen failed to convert starts on the opening day at the Jinnah Stadium, finishing at 251 for 6 to give Habib Bank Limited the upper hand at stumps on day one. Five batsmen managed to cross 28, but only Shehzad Malik managed to reach the half-century mark, and his unbeaten 69 held the key for the hosts going into the second day. The left-arm pair of spinner Mohammad Aslam and seamer Kamran Hussain did the damage, picking up three wickets each.A strong middle-order resistance helped National Bank of Pakistan recover from 20 for 2, but Karachi Blues hit back with regular strikes through the day to leave the game evenly poised at the National Stadium in Karachi. Opening bowlers Babar Rehman and Adeel Malik struck early to remove the openers cheaply, before Anwar Hafeez and Naumanullah stemmed the rot with a doughty partnership. The pair added 69 before Hafeez departed, one short of a half-century. Naumanullah struck ten fours but defended for the most part before perishing for 54, off the 163rd ball he faced. After his exit, NBP stepped on the gas through their international stars Kamran Akmal and Fawad Alam. Kamran launched an offensive, scoring 78 off 67 balls with ten fours and a six, adding 100 runs with Alam before falling to Adeel. Alam remained unbeaten on 53 at stumps and will hope to take his side to a dominant position from the first-day score of 251 for 5.Rizwan Akbar and Nasir Malik finished with three wickets apiece, while Babar Naeem scalped two, as Rawalpindi bowled out Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited for 224 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Captain Azhar Shafiq was the only batsman to offer resistance, scoring his 43rd first-class half-century to give the score some respectability. No. 8 Imran Khalid was the other significant contributor, his unbeaten 41 off 60 balls including seven hits to the boundary. Nasir was generous with no-balls and accounted for 12 of the 17 that Rawalpindi bowled, in addition to five wides, to push the score past 200.Seamer Mohammad Khalil continued to impress, picking four wickets to take his tournament tally to 23, as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited bowled Islamabad out for 251 at the Diamond Club Ground. Sohail Tanvir, who was excluded from Pakistan’s Test squad at the last moment, began the slide by removing opener Nauman Masood with Islamabad still on zero. Tanvir continued to torment the top-order, picking three wickets, before Rashid Amin and Moed Ahmed fought back. Rashid scored 83 and Moed contributed 61 as Islamabad got back on an even keel through their 124-run association. Khalil then got into the act, and along with Junaid Zia, ran through the lower order to end Islamabad’s innings in the 67th over. The hosts hit back by removing ZTBL’s opener Inam-ul-Haq before stumps and honours remained even going into the second day.

Former Premier League midfielder Jamie O’Hara has heaped praise on Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate following the 2-0 victory over Villarreal. 

The lowdown: One foot in France?

The Reds took a giant stride towards their 10th European Cup final and a showdown in Paris with a relatively straightforward win over a resilient Villarreal outfit at Anfield.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was integral in the opener as the midfielder’s cross was deflected beyond former Manchester City goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli before Sadio Mane doubled the lead moments later.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-30/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

However, it wasn’t a member of the attacking fraternity that caught the eye of one particular onlooker…

The latest: O’Hara impressed

Speaking live-on-air, TalkSPORT show host O’Hara lauded central defender Konate for his display in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.

“We talked about maybe if they got in behind Trent? But Konate tonight was just awesome, he was a machine. There is no weakness.”

Indeed, the 22-year-old won 5/5 (100%) of his aerial duels and 8/9 (89%) duels in total, also making two clearances in a 7.40/10 rated display (Sofascore).

The verdict: Unbeaten

As things stand the French Under 21 international is yet to taste defeat as a Liverpool player when featuring, playing in 23 unbeaten matches since signing from RB Leipzig for £36million last summer (Sky Sports).

With performances such as this, albeit the Reds were relatively untested in a defensive sense, it’s easy to see why Jurgen Klopp held refrained from spending big on a centre-back in January 2021 despite the desperate need for reinforcements.

Konate has been nothing short of a revelation on Merseyside and looks almost certain to play a huge part in what is an exciting run-in on the quest for a never before seen quadruple and beyond.

In other news, a key Liverpool update has emerged regarding a superstar player. Read more here.

Round-up of the second day of the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2010Group BSubramaniam Badrinath’s 72 helped Tamil Nadu capitalise after their bowlers had skittled out Gujarat for 173•ESPNcricinfo LtdWith Uttar Pradesh struggling against Karnataka, a win for Haryana against Orissa would take them through to the next phase. Their bowlers put them on course for exactly that, reducing Orissa to 64 for 5 in their second innings, at the end of the second day at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Orissa are effectively 37 for 5 after Haryana took a 27-run first innings lead.Haryana started the day in trouble at 75 for 4, but Hemang Badani and Sachin Rana extended their partnership to 63 runs. Badani, who made 31, then put together another useful partnership with allrounder Joginder Sharma, before captain Amit Sharma chipped in with 31. Those contributions took Haryana to 202 and it later proved a strong total, as their bowlers then took charge. Joginder picked up a couple of early wickets before seamer Rana got into the act and took 2 for 3 in his eight overs. Mishra dismissed Govind Podder just before stumps to give Haryana the perfect end to the day.

A century by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah gave Baroda control in their match against Himachal Pradesh at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. Himachal were 108 for 4 at the end of the second day, still needing another 123 runs to make Baroda bat again. Earlier, the hosts were in trouble after Kedar Devdhar was out for early for 81 and Sankalp Vohra followed for a duck to leave them at 191 for 7. But Pinal went on the attack, smashing 132 off 157 balls and scoring a bulk of Baroda’s 177 runs on the second day. By the time he was out, Baroda had reached 350.They then tormented Himachal early in the second innings, reducing the visitors to 7 for 2 and then 28 for 3. Captain Paras Dogra offered some resistance with his 53 but could not stop Baroda from moving into striking distance of victory and a place in the quarter-finals. A loss for Himachal would mean relegation to the Plate League next year.

Wicketkeeper CM Gautam and the tail pushed Karnataka to 416 after they had started the second day at 274 for 7 against Uttar Pradesh at Green Park in Kanpur. Gautam, who had reached his half-century on Wednesday, went on to get 115. He played the anchor role while the tail-enders attacked from the other end. He didn’t add a run to his overnight score for nearly 25 minutes, but he got going with a cover drive. He proceeded to drive, cut, and pull his way and brought up his hundred with a sweep shot. He found great support in Udit Patel, the No. 10 batsman, who biffed 12 fours and a six in his 72.UP, who need at least three points to make sure Haryana don’t overtake them and claim a quarter-final spot, were in trouble at the end of the day, reduced to 163 for 5, still 253 runs behind. They were on the back foot from the outset, once left-arm seamer S Aravind dismissed Shivakant Shukla lbw in the fourth over of the innings. Vinay Kumar grabbed two quick wickets to push them to 44 for 4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Piyush Chawla played fighting knocks and were unbeaten on 51 and 43 respectively at stumps. But UP are still a long way away from Karnataka’s score.

Group AForm Guide

Tracking ESPNcricinfo’s players to watch this season
R Ashwin: Took five wickets for 57 for Tamil Nadu against Gujarat in the first innings
Ravindra Jadeja: Took five wickets and top-scored for Saurashtra with 84 against Assam
Piyush Chawla: Took five wickets and then made another useful contribution with the bat for UP, getting 43 not out against Karnataka
Abhinav Mukund: Was out for just 7 against Gujarat

Dehli’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals were severely damaged on the second day at the Roshanara Club Ground in Delhi, as left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla’s five wickets helped Mumbai take the first innings lead. Abdulla wrecked Delhi’s bottom half, as the hosts lost their last seven wickets for 51 runs to finish 66 runs behind Mumbai’s first-innings total of 267. “”Looking at the wicket my main aim was to support the pacers and put a check on scoring but I got good bounce which helped me get those wickets,” Abdulla said. By the end of the day Mumbai had extended the lead to 140 and lost just two wickets. Delhi now need a win to get to the next phase.Seamer Aviskhar Salvi started Delhi’s collapse, castling their captain Mithun Manhas, whose 66 had taken his side to a position of comfort. Abdulla got the next five to finish with figures of 5 for 25 in 17 overs. Mumbai had Sahil Kukreja and Suryakumar Yadav at the crease at stumps, with the might of Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma still to come. Manhas believed that they could fightback if they pick up early wickets on Friday. “If we get Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma early, anything can happen.”

With Delhi struggling, the match between Railways and Bengal at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi could end up as a straight shootout for a quarter-final shot, and after the second day it was Railways who held the aces. They rode on gritty half-centuries by Prashant Awasthi and Mahesh Rawat to take the lead and finish the day at 250 for 6.Bengal were hoping their spinners would restrict Railways on a turning track, but the only bowler who looked effective was seamer Laxmi Shukla who got some movement from the wicket and finished with 2 for 25. Awasthi held the innings together for Railways, scoring 73, while Rawat ensured Awasthi’s wicket did not cause a collapse. He scored 52 and put together an important 53-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Dhiran Salvi, which took Railways past Bengal’s score of 201. Sourav Ganguly took an active part in Bengal’s decision-making, having plenty of discussions with captain Manoj Tiwary, but could not come up with enough ideas to bowl Railways out cheaply.

Tamil Nadu’s spinners gave them the advantage as they knocked Gujarat over for 173 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Their batsmen then capitalised, getting to 158 for 3 at the close of play, with Subramaniam Badrinath still unbeaten on 72. Gujarat began the second day at 69 for 4 after a rain-hit first day, and were soon 80 for 6 after offspinner R Ashwin dismissed Niraj Patel and Rujul Bhatt. Pratharesh Parmar was the only Gujarat batsman who looked capable of handling the tuning track, hitting three sixes and four fours in his 67. But he could not stop the fall of wickets at the other end as Ashwin finished with 5 for 57 and offspinner Suresh Kumar got 4 for 42.Tami Nadu lost Abhinav Mukund early in their reply, but Arun Karthik, who scored 60, and Badrinath gave them a firm base with their 115-run stand. Legspinner Salil Yadav managed to dismiss Arun Karthik and Dinesh Karthik, whose poor form continued, before stumps, but the hosts were still in the ascendancy. A first-innings lead should be enough for Tamil Nadu to go to the next round, given events in other Group A matches.

After a dismal season, Saurashtra have given themselves a chance of staving off relegation, by taking a 246-run lead against Assam at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Ravindra Jadeja scored the only half-century of the match so far and his 84 helped take Saurashtra to 233 for 9 by the end of the second day’s play. It was a productive day for Jadeja, who completed a five-wicket haul with his left-arm spin in Assam’s innings as the visitors were bowled out for 127, having started the day on 107 for 7. The spinners were the main threat on the second day: offspinner Kamlesh Makvana took 4 for 45 for Saurashtra, while Assam’s offspinner Arlen Konwar took four scalps in Saurashtra’s innings.

A round-up of matches from the fourth match-day of the One Day National Cup Division Two 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011Group BMohammad Yousuf, who was not included in Pakistan’s World Cup squad, scored 73 in a losing cause for Lahore Lions•Getty ImagesKhan Research Laboratories have sealed a semi-finals berth with a 45-run win against Lahore Eagles at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. The win takes KRL to the top of the Group B table with 10 points. Lahore Eagles have played all their games and now have to hope the other sides in their group don’t overtake them in the last round of games, to be played on January 22.KRL were put in to bat and reached a competitive total of 269 thanks to a combined effort by their batsmen. As many as seven batsmen got scores of more than 20, with Mohammad Idrees the only half-centurion. Aamer Hayat was the pick of Lahore Eagles’ bowlers, taking 3 for 38. Saad Nasim waged a lone war for Lahore Eagles in their chase, scoring 113 as the rest crumbled around him. Lahore Eagles ended up being bowled out for 224 in 49.2 overs, Nasim having scored more than half their runs.

Pakistan Television picked up their first victory of the competition in dramatic fashion, when their match against Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar was stopped due to bad light with them just one run ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis system, with one wicket in hand. Pakistan TV’s chase of 223 looked on course after Umair Khan and Ammar Mahmood’s 118-run partnership had helped them recover from 50 for 5. But Mahmood was out for 58, and three more quick wickets meant Pakistan TV were still nine short of the target with one wicket in hand when play was called off after 46.5 overs. Pakistan TV were adjudged winners by one run on the D/L method.Umair finished unbeaten with 94, and he was the only one of Pakistan TV’s top-order batsmen to score more than 10, as seamers Taj Wali, who finished with five wickets, and Riaz Afridi did the early damage for Peshawar. The hosts had got off to a shaky start to their own innings after electing to bat, but an 81-ball 73 by their captain Akbar Badshah, and useful contributions from Shahid Iqbal and Mohammad Rizwan ensured they got to a competitive total. But it wasn’t enough in the end, as Umair’s outstanding effort proved just enough to get Pakistan TV over the line.

Group AA tight bowling performance by their spinners means State Bank of Pakistan have one foot in the semi-finals, as they beat Quetta by 46 runs at the United Bank Limited Sports Complex in Karachi. The win takes SBP to 12 points, and the top of the Group A table. Legspinner Kashif Siddiq was the most economical of SBP’s bowlers, going for just 20 runs in his 10 overs, and picking up two wickets, as Quetta fell well short of the target of 239. Left-arm spinner Jalat Khan was also frugal, giving away 38 in his 10, and he and SBP’s other left-armer Nayyer Abbas took a wicket apiece.Nasim Khan had given Quetta’s chase some momentum with his 56 off 64 balls, and his 66-run partnership with Sabir Hussain put them in a strong position at 126 for 3. Once Nasim was run out, SBP’s spinners dominated, drying up the runs and chipping away at the wickets as Najeebullah, who made 42 not out, had to watch from one end while his team were bowled out in 48.2 overs.SBP managed to reach 238 courtesy of Rameez Alam’s 44 and Naved Yasin’s 36, and also some wayward bowling from Quetta. The Quetta bowlers gave away 24 runs in wides, as extras, with 30, was the third highest scorer for SBP.

Half-centuries by Asif Zakir and captain Mohammad Sami led a fightback by Karachi Zebras, and they kept their chances of a semi-final spot alive with a two-wicket win over Lahore Lions at the National Stadium in Karachi. Chasing 236, Karachi were in deep trouble at 130 for 7, after their top order had been rattled by seamers Shabbir Ahmed and Asif Ashfaq, who took three wickets each. But Zakir and Sami put together 97 for the eighth wicket to get them back in it. Zakir was out caught behind off Shabbir, but Sami held his nerve to take Karachi home. The win means both teams are on eight points, with Lahore Lions slightly ahead on net run-rate.Lahore Lions made a solid start to their innings after being put in to bat, with opener Abid Ali getting 47 and captain Mohammad Yousuf scoring 74, but, in a remarkable collapse, they lost their last six wickets for just eight runs and ended up being bowled out in 47.4 overs. The collapse was sparked by seamer Sohail Khan, who finished with six wickets.

Crystal Palace could be heading for a big disaster as the summer transfer window approaches, with Jeffrey Schlupp’s contract expiring at the end of the season.

The £60k-per-week star has been a great signing for Palace since arriving from Leicester City in January 2017, scoring 13 goals and 13 assists, primarily from a left midfield role.

Patrick Vieira has had a solid start at Palace since taking over last summer, impressing as the side is currently chasing a top-half finish in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup semi-finals, losing to Chelsea.

With a good start behind him, Vieria will be aiming to build on this and push Palace to their limits next season, doing so requires the manager to keep his best players at the club.

Schlupp’s former manager Roy Hodgson lavished “incredible” praise on him during his tenure and keeping him will go a long way in Palace achieving success next season.

The midfielder completes 1.38 dribbles per game which ranks him in the 89th percentile among similar positioned players across Europe’s top-five leagues. He also takes an impressive 2.81 touches in the opposition box per game, which puts him in the 92nd percentile.

These are fantastic stats that prove just how much of an attacking threat he is, and Palace could save themselves a small fortune in the summer by offering him a new contract, rather than searching for a player who isn’t tried and tested in the division.

Still only 29, Schlupp has a lot to offer and it could arguably be said that he is just at the peak of his playing career. With that in mind, supporters would surely hate to see him depart after all the time invested in his career so far.

Vieira and Palace look like a good match thus far and it will be interesting to see where he can take them in the future.

AND in other news, Vieira can repeat his Olise masterclass as CPFC plot bid for £15m “incredible talent”…

Everton are in an extremely vulnerable position in the Premier League with just five games left in the season with the side findings themselves two points deep into the relegation zone.

If Frank Lampard does continue his role as manager at Goodison Park no matter the outcome, big changes have to be made to the current team and lessons must be learnt from the transfer disasters of the past.

One of the biggest transfer disasters this season was the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli on Deadline Day, who was dubbed an “utter waste of time” by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan and he has ultimately gone on to do absolutely nothing at Goodison Park since the day he was snapped up.

In a deal believed to be worth up to £30m depending on several different clauses, Lampard made his first huge mistake with Alli only making nine appearances putting out a game-time average of 24 minutes per appearance, with no goals or assists.

With that being said, the Toffees boss should be looking for other options to deploy in his time and could save millions if he promotes Charlie Whitaker to the senior team this summer, giving the golden opportunity to a youngster who has been impressing the people that matter at the club.

Everton U23’s coach David Unsworth hailed the youngster as “sensational” heaping praise for his progression in the youth system.

“He has played out wide, he has played up-front, but we have tried to play him as a second striker,” Unsworth began.

“Not a number 10 – a second-striker – because his game is naturally dropping into spaces where you want a number 10. We have tried to get someone up there with him and he has been sensational. He is a great trainer, great to work with and a great lad.”

The 18-year-old gem has found the back of the net five times and assisted once in Premier League 2 this season, and has featured once in the senior team with an opportunity on the bench back in October in the draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford under Rafa Benitez.

With Unsworth’s comments highlighting the diversity in attacking positions Whitaker can cover it will surely give Lampard something to think about at the end of the season when the fate is sealed on the club’s future in top-flight football and the youngster could find his opportunity to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy player Anthony Gordon.

AND in other news: Everton given green light to sign “undefendable” £50m gem, it’s bye-bye Richarlison

On a day when Ricky Ponting lost his cool with the umpires, Jonathan Trott was a picture of composure as his second century of the series kept England on target to retain the Ashes

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG27-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jonathan Trott was typically stubborn during his century•Getty ImagesOn a day when Ricky Ponting lost his cool with the umpires, Jonathan Trott was a picture of composure as his second century of the series kept England on target to retain the Ashes. Led by an aggressive Peter Siddle in front of his home crowd, the Australian fast men tried to drag their team back into the contest but after their first-innings 98, the hosts needed a miraculous day, not a solid one.Trott was the anchor for England, with support from Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, and by the close of play their advantage had grown to 346 runs, already an ample lead that will grow on day three. Trott went to stumps on 141 and Prior had 75, and Australia’s inability to break through in the final session sapped any energy they might have drawn from Siddle’s early strikes.Three days of rain might be feasible in Brisbane, given the recent weather in the north, but it won’t happen in Melbourne, and Australia’s batsmen must find remarkable resolve in the second innings if England are to be denied victory and the urn is to remain up for grabs at the SCG. And judging by Ponting’s outburst, levelheadedness is not widespread in the team right now.He was convinced the review of a not-out caught-behind decision against Kevin Pietersen showed a deflection on Hot Spot, but it was a misguided thought as the ball had passed much higher on the bat. After the third umpire correctly backed Aleem Dar’s on-field decision to reprieve Pietersen on 49, Ponting heatedly argued with Dar, Pietersen and the other umpire Tony Hill.It was an ugly incident that took the attention away from a solid 92-run partnership between Trott and Pietersen, which ended soon afterwards when Pietersen was plumb lbw to Siddle for 51. What followed was an eventful mini-session as the out-of-form Paul Collingwood (8) and Ian Bell (1) both hooked short balls from Mitchell Johnson to Siddle at fine leg, before Prior had a lucky escape on 5.Smart Stats

England’s first innings lead of 346 is their third highest in all Tests at the MCG. Their highest lead after batting second is 398 in 1912 while the highest lead after batting first is 279 in 1925.

The unbeaten 158 run partnership between Trott and Matthew Prior for the sixth wicket is the seventh highest for England against Australia and their second highest sixth wicket stand in Australia.

Jonathan Trott scored his third century against Australia and fifth overall. He has 1573 runs at an average of 62.92 from 29 innings with five centuries and five fifties.

Kevin Pietersen’s wicket was the first one in the Test match that did not come by the way of a catch. 14 of 15 batsmen in the Test match have been out caught.

Peter Siddle was involved in all five dismissals, picking up three wickets and also taking the two catches off Mitchell Johnson’s bowling.

Ben Hilfenhaus has had a very poor series picking up just two wickets for 283 runs at an average of 141.50.

Just before tea, Johnson won a caught-behind decision from Dar, and Prior was walking off when he was called back by Dar, who had a nagging doubt about whether Johnson had overstepped. A quick consultation with the third official showed Johnson had indeed delivered a no-ball; Prior was reprieved, the Australians were frustrated, and the Prior-Trott partnership was allowed to bulge to 158 by stumps.In amongst it all, Trott survived a tight run-out chance when his dive to complete a third just beat Ponting’s throw from the outfield, and he brought himself serious pain when he inside-edged Ben Hilfenhaus on to his left knee. After a couple of minutes of lying flat on the pitch in agony, Trott continued to annoy the Australians with his fine, disciplined innings.There were occasional cover-drives from Trott, but generally he showed as much leg as a burlesque dancer. Trott would walk across and expose his leg stump, dragging anything and everything through midwicket or fine leg, and by the time he brought up his hundred with an appropriate clip through square for a boundary, 87% of his runs had come through the leg side.Not that there were many boundaries from Trott, who was content to nudge through the gaps and keep the fielders chasing. It was that kind of cool that Australia’s batsmen lacked on the first day, and England’s strong performance continued with Prior reaching a fifty from 81 balls as the shadows grew longer in the late afternoon.It meant five of England’s top seven had made at least a half-century in the innings, and it was all set up by the 159-run opening stand from Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook. But neither man was able to kick on during the second morning, and both fell to Siddle after adding only a few runs to their overnight scores.Cook moved from 80 to 82 before he was caught low at first slip by Shane Watson, having edged a delivery that was tight enough in line to make him play. Strauss went from 64 to 69 when he was surprised by a well-directed shortish ball from Siddle, and it lobbed off the bat above the head of the gully Michael Hussey, who thrust his right hand up to take a good catch.It was the best spell of the day by an Australian bowler, as Siddle collected 2 for 5 from his first six overs, before his final over of that period was dispatched for 13 as a confident Pietersen drove and pulled. Steven Smith was handled with ease and didn’t look threatening, Hilfenhaus couldn’t find much swing and Harris was well below his Perth form, also struggling to move the ball.Not that the bowlers could be blamed for Australia’s position. And if anything is to change over the next few days, their batsmen will need to take a leaf out of Jonathan Trott’s book.

ESPNcricinfo previews Zimbabwe’s chances in the 2011 World Cup

Firdose Moonda17-Feb-2011At the turn of the millennium, the Zimbabwe cricket team appeared ready for a metamorphosis from struggling minnows to promising competitors on a global stage. They had a strong batting line up, a threatening bowling attack and all the makings of an outfit that could pull off regular victories if all went according to plan. It didn’t. Despite qualifying for the knockout stage of the 2003 World Cup, politics derailed the sport and a mass exodus of players followed. With normal sport being an impossibility in an abnormal society, the game degenerated into a state of despair.Between 2004 and 2007, Zimbabwe only managed to beat Bangladesh, Kenya and Bermuda. Their 2007 World Cup campaign was embarrassingly unsuccessful and they were not able to win a single match. Only in 2009 did the game, along with the country, start to stabilise. Players who had completely disassociated themselves with cricket in Zimbabwe, such as Heath Streak, came back into the fold as coaches and started to re-inject passion into the game. The process of rebuilding is still young but slowly Zimbabwe are starting to turn the corner again.World Cup Pedigree
They’ve made it out of the first stage twice – in 1999 and 2003 – but everything in between that was been dismal. In 1983, they won one match, in 1987 they earned no victories and they were able to win a just one game in 1992 and 1996. The 2007 edition was a bad one, going back to no wins, but they only had to play three matches.Recent form
In a reasonable last 12 months in ODI cricket, Zimbabwe beat West Indies in Guyana before losing the series 4-1. They reached their first tri-series final in a decade in June last year before losing to Sri Lanka in a tournament that also included India. A 2-1 series win over Ireland underlined their dominance over the minnows but in December 2010, they lost 3-1 to Bangladesh in Bangladesh, a valuable but potentially demoralising experience ahead of the World Cup.Expert eye
Neil Johnson: “They are going to struggle but they do have some dangerous players who could cause an upset. The captain, Elton Chigumbura is a big, powerful hitter upfront. Charles Coventry, if he fires, can also set up a good platform for the middle order to build on. The batting has to be strong because the bowlers are weak, although the spinners will have something to offer.Prediction
Moving beyond the group stage is going to require a supreme effort. They will have to beat at least one stronger teams which include New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia.Watchability
Even though it’s often a hard and gritty fight to bear witness to, there’s plenty that’s attractive about Zimbabwe cricket. When batsmen like Coventry get stuck in, a world record could be broken. Most of the energy in their play comes in the batting but the spinners can weave a magical scene on their day. If they manage to slay a dragon, it will warm many hearts.Key players
Besides being the captain of a side desperate to impress Elton Chigumbura is also their top allrounder which is a lot of responsibility to carry for a 24-year old. He is a young man with plenty of experience, having played in two under-19 World Cups and over 120 ODIs for his country. Chigumbura is a hard-hitting batsman who enjoys taking the aerial route and controlling a partnership. His medium pace will come in handy, more so, because Zimbabwe’s seam attack is its weakest link and if he can produce something special in that department as well, it will be a credit to him as both a captain and a cricketer.Tatenda Taibu , a clear illustration of dynamite in a small package, is an intelligent and intuitive cricketer, who is busy at the wicket, whether in front of the stumps or behind them. He is a creative batsman, who accumulates runs in both traditional and non-traditional ways and has a range of shots that are attractive to watch. He had a cute and sneaky way of rotating the strike and will more than likely form a massive part of the core of the Zimbabwean line-up. He was identified early as a successor to Andy Flower with the wicketkeeping gloves and his skill in that department is unquestionable. He also acts as one of the marshals of the team from that position.Zimbabwe boast an arsenal of spinners but Ray Price is their top gun. At 34 years, he is a veteran of the game, having made his debut 13 seasons ago, and as with many spinners, has just stepped into his prime. Since being recalled to the national side in 2008, Price has been an economical and street-smart bowler, who out-thinks batsmen before they can do the same to him. The regularity of his success has become such that he is now rated fourth in the ICC’s ODI bowler rankings. Price’s attitude embodies that of the typical Zimbabwean cricketer: hardened and wholehearted and always ready to throttle the rag doll by the neck.

Celtic have been a tough nut to crack for lots of opposition teams in the Premiership this season with the Hoops only conceding 20 goals in 35 fixtures.

One figure who’s played a big part at the back for Ange Postecoglou’s side is loanee Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Since joining the Parkhead club on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur back in the summer, the centre-back has played in 28 league games.

In those games, the American has racked up a total of 20 tackles and 38 interceptions as well as a higher average of clearances per game (4.2) than any other Hoops player.

Despite his solid impact on the team this season, there’s nothing official of yet regarding whether or not his loan spell will be made permanent in the summer.

Having caught the attention of other clubs in the Premier League, there’s every chance that the 24-year-old may not be at Celtic Park next season.

Should this end up being the case, Postecoglou may not need to look too far in terms of a potential replacement for the Spurs loan man.

With only nine appearances to his name in the league this season, Stephen Welsh has not featured in a league game for the Bhoys since Boxing Day.

Given how well Carter-Vickers has done, it’s easy to see why the 22-year-old has found regular game time hard to come by in recent weeks and months.

However, should the American find himself waving goodbye to Celtic in the summer, this could pave the way for Welsh to finally stake his claim for a regular spot in the team.

When the defender has been able to get on the pitch, he has shown just what he’s capable of by making 13 interceptions in total, giving him the highest average (1.6) of interceptions per game in the Celtic squad.

Praised for his “phenomenal” performances in a Celtic shirt by Martin Miller, Welsh could really blossom into a top-quality defender for his side if he’s given the chance to play on a consistent basis.

This could also allow Postecoglou the chance to save the club millions in potential transfer fees should they need to find a suitable replacement for Carter-Vickers.

In other news: Transfer accelerating: Exciting Lennoxtown update will leave Celtic supporters buzzing

Daniel Vettori is hopeful that the seven-day break until New Zealand’s next World Cup match against Zimbabwe will give them a chance to have a fully fit squad to select from

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2011Daniel Vettori is hopeful that the seven-day break until New Zealand’s next World Cup match against Zimbabwe will give them a chance to have a fully fit squad to select from. A number of players, including the captain, are carrying injuries following the thumping defeat against Australia.Scott Styris didn’t take the field during Australia’s run chase while Vettori also spent time off on the sidelines nursing a hamstring problem. Although New Zealand started with a strong 10-wicket victory against Kenya the seven-wicket hammering by their Trans-Tasman rivals suggested that the tournament will be a struggle even though they should still emerge from the group stage.Kyle Mills, the team’s most experienced pace bowler, and allrounder Jacob Oram were notable omissions against Australia as New Zealand retained the inexperienced pairing of Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett after their success against Kenya. Mills missed the first game with a back injury but was available for selection, while it was confirmed Oram had been left out due to form.”Kyle [Mills] looks like he is almost fully fit; he probably is fully fit. We’ve got a long break between now and the next game so I’m pretty confident all 15 guys will be available,” Vettori said. “I think Scott has a bruised finger and I’ll think we’ll find out more on that later on. Unfortunately, I’ve got ongoing hamstring issues but I should be fine.”However, even if New Zealand are able to draft in some experience from outside the current XI that will largely be for the bowling attack and not the struggling top order which hit 73 for 6 against Australia’s pace bowling. It continued a regular trend of batting woes for New Zealand who have struggled for consistent contributions.The trio of Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor have the potential to dominate any opposition but they have rarely fired as a unit. Taylor’s form is a growing concern as he has made 114 runs in six one-day international innings this year with one fifty; he scored the last of his three ODI hundreds back in October 2008.”Our batting has been part of our game that we haven’t been happy with and have to continue to look to rectify it,” Vettori said. “We have got very good players in our top four, top five, we just need to find a way to stand up and be counted. That is the same with the ball, as well. We have a good balanced squad here but that doesn’t matter unless you perform and you have to get that out of these guys as quickly as possible.”I you look at their [batting] records over the last year or so, they haven’t been too bad. Jesse Ryder’s coming off a good hundred a couple of weeks ago against Pakistan,” he added. “They have got the skills there, but as a unit we have to lift.”This 15-man squad is the team for this world cup and we are going to have to find a way to get the results. We have a chance in eight days’ time against Zimbabwe.”