Marvan Atapattu will miss the tsunami relief fundraising game in Melbourne on Monday because his two children have fallen ill. Atapattu had hoped to catch Sunday’s flight to Australia but abandoned those plans on Saturday night. "Marvan will miss the game because his children were hospitalised on Saturday," confirmed Ray Illangakoon, Sri Lanka Cricket’s media manager.Muttiah Muralitharan, making his return to international cricket after a five-month layoff, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas will now represent Sri Lanka in the Asian XI, which will also be missing Sachin Tendulkar (elbow) and Shoaib Akhtar (hamstring) because of injury.
Grant Bradburn has returned to the Northern Districts fold, but not as a player. Bradburn has been appointed as the Community Cricket co-ordinator for the Waikato Valley region.Bradburn has been one of the great stalwarts of Northern Districts cricket with a playing career spanning 17 years. In all he appeared in 115 first-class and 121 one-day matches for Northern Districts, both of them records. He is the third highest runscorer, and the second highest wicket taker, and has the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper. He played seven tests and 11 one-day internationals for New Zealand.Bradburn will be working in the newly-constituted Waikato Valley region. A boundary review has seen the trial amalgamation of the Thames Valley and Midlands senior District Associations for the 2003-2004 season (with the exception of the Taupo sub association which has returned to the Bay of Plenty).His responsibilities will involve working closely with the senior District Association and the Midlands and Thames Valley Junior Cricket Board’s to promote the game at all levels (primary school, secondary school and clubs) and to elevate the profile of cricket in the greater Waikato region. He will also be responsible for the national development programme in the region.He will be attached to Sport Waikato, as well as Northern Districts, as a member of the Sportsforce team. Dave Richardson, previously Sportsforce cricket development manager for the whole Waikato region will now focus on Hamilton and becomes Hamilton Cricket development manager. Bradburn will continue his ownership of Grant Bradburn Sports which operates as a shop at Westpac Park. Grant will be based at the Northern Districts office at Westpac Park.
West Indian captain Carl Hooper admitted that his side had been beaten fairand square by Sri Lanka in Galle but promised that the team will come outfighting in the second Test starting on Wednesday.The tourists lost to Sri Lanka by 10 wickets on Saturday despite havingscored 448 in their first innings.”We didn’t play as we could have done, but I don’t think we were disgracedin any way,” he said. “We are disappointed we lost but we’ll come outfighting again in the second Test.””We knew it was going to be tough. They have a world-class spinner inMuttiah Muralitharan and he is going to put you under pressure.”I was very hopeful when I saw the way Sarwan and Ganga played in the firsthour. They were fairly comfortable it was unfortunate to lose Ganga and thenSarwan immediately afterwards.”West Indies were cruising at one stage on 423 for four, but following thedismissal of Brian Lara, they capitulated, losing their remaining fivewickets for just 23 runs. Sri Lanka then rattled up 590 to set themselves upfor victory on the final day.”When we were 423 for four we should have made 550,” said Hooper. “Weallowed them back into the game and then bowled too short and wide on thefirst day. As a result they got away.”We made a big effort in trying to pull them back on the third and fourthday, but we were obviously up against it.”Hooper defended the decision to play two spinners: “It was a dry wicket fromday one we knew it was going to turn. Ramnarine bowled well, whilstMcGarrell didn’t bowl as well as he should have, but if we had to do it allagain we would picked two spinners.”Muttiah Muralitharan picked up 11-169 in the match, the third time he hastaken ten wickets in consecutive Tests.”When you play against a world class bowler like Muralitharan, it’sdifficult to have a plan,” he said. “It’s not as if he has one particularstrength. He bowls virtually everything: he’s got a straighter ball, aflighted ball and a flat ball, so, basically, you’ve got to play what yousee.”We will now have a day off, before coming and working in the nets again. Wewill discuss where we went wrong and how we can tackle them in the secondtest.”
PepsiCo India, the title sponsor of the IPL, is set to terminate its five-year contract with the league two years ahead of schedule. The decision, understood to be linked to the negative publicity enveloping the tournament following the 2013 corruption scandal, will be the first major setback in terms of perception for Shashank Manohar, the new BCCI president, who was elected largely because of his clean image.It was reported that PepsiCo was considering such an exit soon after the Lodha panel announced a two-year suspension for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in July. While it is understood that PepsiCo has sent the termination notice to BCCI and IPL authorities, it’s statement to ESPNcricinfo was carefully worded. “BCCI and PepsiCo have had a longstanding cordial relationship and have been in discussions to work out a solution which addresses PepsiCo’s concerns. Both parties will share it when ready,” the statement said.The BCCI, for its part, issued a similar statement as well on Friday. “BCCI and Pepsico have had a long-standing cordial relationship. Pepsico has raised certain concerns with the BCCI,” the statement said. “BCCI has assured that steps will be taken to address the concerns and will work necessary solutions in the interests of the league as well as Pepsico. As part of the process BCCI and Pepsico have been in amicable discussions and further update will be shared in due course.”IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla confirmed that the BCCI would not enter into any legal dispute with PepsiCo, which had signed a deal worth Rs 396 crore in 2012. “They have been a very good partner all this while and we do not want to disturb our relationship with them. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen in a very smooth manner,” Shukla told .A settlement with Pepsi is likely to be rubber stamped in the BCCI working committee meeting in Mumbai on October 18.Shukla tried to downplay the issue by stating the BCCI has already started the hunt for PepsiCo’s replacement. “We are in talks with other sponsors as well, so the title deal with Pepsi is not that big an issue. They have certain points and we are going to settle them amicably in the next meeting,” he said.It remains to be seen if the IPL, in its most tumultuous phase, attracts a new sponsor that could match the price that was being paid by PepsiCo. For now, even the number of teams that will participate in IPL 2016 is uncertain, with Super Kings having challenged their suspension in the court, and the BCCI still having the power to exercise its right to terminate the franchise agreement of both Super Kings and Royals.PepsiCo will be the second corporate house to end its association with IPL as a title sponsors. DLF India did not renew its association after the expiry of its five-season deal following the first five editions of the league.
Jurgen Klopp is building one of the best attacks in the world at Liverpool – but not just the three players he would choose to start most games, but also including his squad depth in that area too.
The signing of Luis Diaz from Porto in the January transfer window showed that the Reds aren’t afraid to splash out the cash on players who aren’t guaranteed to start every game, as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane still firmly remain number-one choices on the wings.
However, Salah’s contract has little over one-year remaining, and both parties still haven’t made any more progress in reaching a new deal, with the Egyptian’s demands reportedly far too extortionate.
What’s the news?
It is expected that if the Merseyside club can’t agree a new deal before the end of the summer, they will begin lining up transfer targets to replace their superstar.
Real Madrid star Marco Asensio is one man that has been linked with a move in recent weeks, but it is also possible that he may be signed to play in a deeper role should Liverpool press ahead with a deal.
But forward Darwin Nunez is one player that is expected to leave his club in the summer, and Liverpool are believed to be keen on a deal for the Benfica forward, who has scored an incredible 20 goals in 20 Liga NOS games this season, with two of them coming from the bench.
It’s thought he may cost in the region of a whopping £55m.
Tactical reshuffle should Salah leave
The 22-year-old forward, tipped to be “world-class” by manager Jorge Jesus, has been sensational this season in Portugal, and has also made an impact in the Champions League too, where he has scored three goals in seven games.
Though, the all-important question is, how could the Uruguayan replace Salah and would his entrance finally signal the end of their Egyptian hero’s stay in England?
Interestingly, he is more of a centre-forward than a winger, but he can play on the left should he be required to. Though, should the 29-year-old Liverpool star depart, there is only really one player already capable of performing on the right side of the pitch in his spot, which is Diogo Jota.
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The Portuguese forward has more often than not played as a striker this season, but in three appearances where he was deployed on the right-hand side, he has scored three goals, which could suggest that if Nunez was to make the move should their Egyptian star leave, he would play down the middle and Jota would take Salah’s spot.
It sounds like a very menacing duo in attack, one that could finally allow Jurgen Klopp and co to part ways with their star man.
In other news: Forget Ox: Klopp must now unleash “classy” £1.8m-rated LFC maestro one last time
Defending Carib Beer Challenge Trophy champions Trinidad and Tobago will take on Guyana in the opening game of the 2008 Carib Beer Series, set to begin on January 4 at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre.T&T bowl off their campaign with the luxury of a home fixture, unlike in the previous season, and would look to utilise that advantage to the fullest before their away games against Leeward Islands, Windwards Islands and University of West Indies (UWI).Last season, T&T, who were the team to beat, fell short in their first game, losing away to Barbados by three wickets and immediately starting the tournament on the back foot.This season, T&T will travel to Carib Lumber Park, St Maarten to take on the Leeward Islands, before returning home to face newly-crowned KFC Cup champions Jamaica at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain from February 29 to March 3.Jamaica and T&T will get enough time to prepare for their clash as all the teams take a break for the 2008 Stanford 20/20 tournament, scheduled to take place between January 25 and February 25. T&T will have their last home game from April 25-28 against Barbados, also at the Queens Park Oval, while the Challenge final will take place from May 2-6 at a venue to be announced.
The Ashes series has been a tale of two coaches with John Buchanan improving his record and Duncan Fletcher losing ground by the game. Both men may have been involved in their last Tests at the SCG, but Buchanan leaves with the greater reputation after being a key backroom member of Australia’s 5-0 victory and a 12th win in a row.Buchanan’s stock is currently so high that Mark Taylor, a Cricket Australia director, said he will be a main figure in the search for the country’s next coach. The World Cup in the West Indies is Buchanan’s final task in his current role, but Taylor, who is on a committee to choose the replacement, has added to his duties.”Quite a bit will depend on [Buchanan’s] thoughts,” Taylor said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “Depending on who we go for, it might be possible for them to travel to the World Cup with John, if they are not already coaching an international team. If that is possible, that would be our preference.”We have had some informal chats already as a committee. I’m not at liberty to say much more than that, but certainly the one-day series will give us an opportunity to get together in the next couple of weeks to discuss matters further.”Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, and Tim Nielsen, who is in charge of Australia’s Centre of Excellence, are the front-runners while Greg Chappell and Dav Whatmore have also been spoken of as contenders. Whoever gets the job faces a huge task to match Buchanan’s record of 70 wins from 91 matches.Ricky Ponting praised Buchanan after his side sealed the Ashes whitewash and waved goodbye to a huge chunk of the side. Apart from Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer, Australia have also lost Buchanan and Damien Martyn from the Test scene during the series. Martyn, who went into hiding in Adelaide, was a surprise guest in the Australian dressing room after play and Shane Watson, the injured allrounder, also joined in the celebrations.Buchanan made three points before the team walked out on the final morning in Sydney – Ponting could only remember two of them – and he will continue to make more until the World Cup. “He’s been very overlooked,” Ponting said. “We’ve been a talented side but talented guys don’t win you everything.”He’s been responsible for getting the best out of me, out of Langer, out of Hayden, out of Steve Waugh to a certain degree, maybe even a bit out of Warney. And McGrath. All our coaching staff right through the last 12-13 months have been terrific.”
Shane Watson, the Australian allrounder, has said that he hopes to be fit and available for selection for the tour of South Africa beginning in February 2006.Watson had to undergo arthroscopic surgery after dislocating his shoulder in the first Test against West Indies at Brisbane and was subsequently ruled out of the remaining Tests against West Indies and the home series against South Africa in December.He also said that he wanted to play for Queensland before the tour of South Africa. “Hopefully I can get back and play a few games before that tour gets picked, that’s my goal at the moment,” Watson told ABC Sport. “It’s hard to really set a big goal because you never really know how it’s going to progress. It could come back earlier or it might take a little bit longer, so you’ve just got to keep doing absolutely everything you can and hopefully South Africa is my goal.”Watson felt that Michael Clarke would soon reclaim his place in the Test team. “He’s obviously been feeling a bit and hasn’t been his fearless self, like he was when he first came onto the scene, so he’ll definitely come back a bigger and better player. Everyone knows that and I’m sure once the dust settles with him, he’ll definitely realise that it’s a blessing in disguise.”Clarke, who was dropped from the squad for the third Test against West Indies because of a bad run of form, was replaced by Justin Langer, who has recovered from a broken rib he sustained in a domestic game. Mike Hussey and Brad Hodge have retained their places in the squad for the third Test at Adelaide after impressive performances in the second Test.
Brad Hogg hit a fighting century and Ben Edmondson struck with two late wickets to rescue Western Australia from a horror opening against South Australia at Adelaide Oval. Winning the toss and batting, Western Australia were in deep trouble at 6 for 92 after Shaun Tait took four wickets in the first session.Hogg replied with 109 from 118 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, as he dominated the lower-order partnerships and saved his side. He was 83 when Edmondson, the No. 11, walked out and collected 26 of the 30-run partnership to reach his fourth first-class century.Edmondson then made life difficult for South Australia, taking the wickets of Tom Plant and Mark Cosgrove with his first two balls as the Redbacks slumped to 3 for 4. Greg Blewett and Callum Ferguson ensured there was no further damage until stumps.
Ireland and the West Indies qualified to compete in the next Women’s World Cup in South Africa after finishing on top of the International Women’s Cricket Council tournament in the Netherlands yesterday.The Netherlands, who have played in the last four tournaments missed out on a fifth tournament. Ireland has played in the four previous tournaments also, while the West Indies, who last played in 1997, will be making their third appearance in 2005.Ireland were unbeaten during the tournament and finished by beating Scotland by 132 runs. They scored 228 for 5 in their 50 overs with Clare Shillington scoring 45 and Emma Beamish 40 in only her second international match. Scotland were all out for 96 in 31 overs with Kari Anderson top scoring with 46. The only other score above three was Alison Ramsay’s 26. Isobel Joyce took 4 for 31 in nine overs and Catherine O’Neill 3 for 27.The West Indies romped to victory in only nine overs against Japan. All out for 59 in 49 overs as Phillipa Thomas took 3 for 5 from eight overs, the West Indies lost no wickets as Nadine George finished 35 not out and Nelly Williams 18 not out.The Netherlands were too strong for Pakistan. Batting first the home team scored 169 in 49 overs thanks to Maartje Koster’s 49, Caroline Salomons 39 and Debby Kooij’s 34. Shaiza Khan took 3 for 21. Pakistan were nine wickets down for 105 in their 50 overs as Salomons took 2 for 15 off 10 overs and Sandra Kottman 2 for 17 off 10.Final standings were: Ireland 10, West Indies 8, Netherlands 6, Pakistan 4, Scotland 2, Japan 0.