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Gautam Gambhir has said being captain for India’s ODI series against New Zealand has not given him any extra motivation to perform with the bat.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2010Gautam Gambhir has said being captain for India’s ODI series against New Zealand has not given him any extra motivation to perform with the bat. “As a player or a captain I have always given 100%. Captaincy has not changed my batting,” he said. “I am striking the ball well and would have batted like this under any captain.”Gambhir scored his second successive unbeaten century, in the third ODI in Vadodara on Saturday, to give India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.In Saturday’s match, India’s bowlers restricted New Zealand to 224 in their 50 overs after putting them in to bat. Gambhir admitted it was an advantage bowling first on the Vadodara wicket but praised his bowlers for setting up the win. “When there is dew in Baroda it does a bit in the morning; it’s red soil. It was a good toss to win but it was a great effort from our bowlers to restrict them to 225-odd.”[Zaheer Khan] is the best left-arm fast bowler in the world now. [R] Ashwin has a lot of variety and can bowl well during Powerplays and the slog overs. If he keeps doing that he will be a big asset to the team. Munaf [Patel] bowled great at first-change. It’s tough to get figures of 1 for 28 in 10 overs on a subcontinent wicket. Yusuf [Pathan] contributed with the ball, as well.”Gambhir kept a slip in almost throughout the New Zealand innings and said the aggressive tactics were prompted by New Zealand’s depth in batting. “There was still a bit of dampness out there and we wanted to take wickets as New Zealand bat deep down with Kyle Mills coming in at No.10.”With Ravindra Jadeja in the side for the third ODI, Yuvraj Singh was not called upon to bowl any overs, despite having taken three wickets in the first game in Guwahati. It is still uncertain whether India will play seven batsmen or an allrounder in the 2011 World Cup, and Yuvraj’s bowling could be a deciding factor in the balance of the team. Gambhir said Yuvraj was still an important part of the ODI setup. “Yuvi is an experienced player and an integral part of the side. He has been a great help to me as captain.”With several senior players rested, the series against New Zealand is an opportunity for the India selectors to look at some of the fringe players ahead of the World Cup, and Gambhir welcomed the competition. “It’s good to have competitions for various places. If the selectors have a headache in this aspect, it’s a very good sign for Indian cricket,” he said. He, however, hinted India may not experiment too much with the side for the last two ODIs despite the series being won. “We should try and put our best team on the park as it is an international game and we are playing a quality side.”

Manchester City are in the midst of a tense battle to secure the Premier League title as well as being in the mix to secure the Champions League.

Even though Pep Guardiola’s side have some big games left to play, it seems as though a clue has emerged over one potential behind the scenes deal that the club will look to secure in the coming months.

What’s the news?

Journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently took to his Twitter page to share an update regarding the future of City winger Raheem Sterling and the possibility of him signing a new contract with the club.

He said: “Man City have discussed with Sterling on [a] potential new deal.”

The Manchester club signed the winger back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Liverpool in a deal worth a reported fee of £49m.

Since then, the Englishman has gone on to make a total of 333 appearances for the club across all competitions prior to their first-leg semi-final clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Guardiola will be delighted

In those games, the 27-year-old has fired in 128 goals and provided 93 assists, winning numerous trophies in the process.

His current contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to expire in the summer of 2023 and thus, penning him down to new terms will surely leave Guardiola elated.

With ten league goals under his belt this season, only Kevin De Bruyne (11) and Riyad Mahrez (11) have found the net on more occasions, showing how important the England international can be for the team.

To further highlight how much of an attacking threat the winger has been in this campaign, he has the highest percentage for shots on target out of any other City player to have more than seven attempts at goal.

Also, only four other players have racked up more shot-creating actions than the former Liverpool ace who has 74 to his name, which is more than the likes of Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus among others.

Taking all of this into account, if the club were able to tie Sterling down with a new contract, this would surely delight Guardiola, who has shared his praise and admiration for the attacker in the past.

In other news: Man City now plotting move for “extraordinary” £45m-rated machine, he’s Laporte 2.0

Gautam Gambhir will bat for India on the fifth day at Newlands, but he has been ruled out of the ODI series

Sidharth Monga at Newlands05-Jan-2011Gautam Gambhir will bat for India on the fifth day at Newlands, but he has been ruled out of the ODI series. Making a comeback from a hand injury that kept him out of the second Test in Durban, Gambhir had his troubles compounded when a Lonwabo Tsostsobe delivery hit him on the left elbow in the first innings. He could be seen sitting with a splint on his arm in the dressing room during the fourth day, raising doubts over his availability in the second innings.He scored 93 in the first innings, and sustained the blow when he was on 91. He did not take the field for the entire duration of South Africa’s second innings.”He should be [fit],” Harbhajan Singh, who took seven wickets in the second innings, said. “He has rested the whole day today [Wednesday], he has been icing his arm and getting treatment. But he is going to miss out on the one-day series.” India will play a Twenty20 international against South Africa on January 9 and a five-match ODI series starting on January 12India need 340 to win on the fifth day and Harbhajan said that India’s first concern would be to see off the new ball, and then rethink their strategy on whether to go for a draw or a win depending on how the first session goes. “Our approach, to be honest, will be to see off the first hour. If we play the new ball well, and get some fireworks from Virender Sehwag, then anything is chaseable. This is a ground where a lot of runs can be scored fast. I hope Viru clicks tomorrow and gives us a good start. A hundred for no loss will be a good beginning. The new ball will be crucial.”Sehwag excepting, the first instinct for India will surely be to feel safe first, and then go for the target if possible.

Everton have had a disappointing season with their Premier League status hanging in the balance as they currently sit 18th in the league table.

As a result, Frank Lampard will need to identify and improve the key areas that have led to the side’s downfall this summer.

Whether the Toffees are relegated or not, there need to be major changes made at Goodison Park this summer and a great place to start is in the defensive line, which has caused nothing but problems throughout.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently ripped into the Everton back four following a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in March (via Metro):

‘This back four is a Championship back four, absolutely no doubt whatsoever.”

The former Liverpool defender and Merseyside native does have a point when you consider how poor statistically the defensive play has been at Everton this season.

Lampard’s side has conceded 20 more goals than they have scored in the Premier League this season, conceding a staggering 1.67 goals on average per game, with nine errors leading to goals and three put into the back of their own net. Mason Holgate has scored one own goal whilst Michael Keane has scored two.

With that being said, there clearly needs to be a shake-up in the system and the Toffees boss must take the opportunity to promote a young player to replace the likes of Holgate in the centre-back position next season, with Reece Welch waiting in the wings to secure that spot.

The 18-year-old gem was hailed as “composed” by journalist Patrick Boyland who was full of praise for the youngster back in February:

“U23 centre back Reece Welch once again in Everton training photos. Plenty of potential and, crucially, composed playing out from the defence.”

Welch has made 23 appearances in Premier League Two, scoring one goal and contributing one assist so far, and was given a short one-minute run-out in the senior team against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup this season as well as training with the first team on many occasions this season, so clearly Lampard already has his eye on the defender.

Ultimately, the Everton boss must be ruthless this summer when setting out to improve and rebuild the squad whether they succeed in staying up or get knocked down into the Championship, and promoting young talent is a great way to move the team forward without spending millions.

AND in other news: Lifeline: Everton handed “incredible” boost in relegation battle, Frank surely buzzing

Many people believe that if you’re a professional football player, you have it all, and there’s no way that anything can go drastically wrong in your life. However, with so much money and free time on your hands, it’s easy to develop vices, with gambling being one of them. Many footballers have fallen into the trap, but most have come out the other side.

Michael Chopra

We start our list with Michael Chopra, the striker who came through the ranks at Newcastle and was tipped to be the next Alan Shearer. But, as a youngster who seemingly has it all, he started heading down the wrong path from just seventeen years old, by placing bets into the tens of thousands on the team bus travelling to games. From there, Chopra’s gambling snowballed, and he’s estimated to have lost millions. He was even investigated for suspicious betting behaviour by the British Horseracing Authority.

Eidur Gudjohnsen

They say footballers have a lot of free time on their hands. And they do. But when they’re injured, they have even more time to kill. Chelsea icon Eidur Gudjohnsen found himself with so much free time as he was recovering from injury that he decided to play at casinos on the internet, where online slots like these, blackjack and roulette reign supreme. In that time, he’s said to have lost around half a million pounds. But, his wake up call came when debts of £6 million built up around him.

Paul Merson

Paul Merson is arguably the most well-known ex-professional footballer to struggle with gambling because he openly speaks about his struggles in the hope of helping others going through similar. Merson, who starred for Arsenal in his playing career, turned to gambling after packing in drugs and alcohol. But, after replacing addictions with another addiction, it wasn’t long before he had racked up debts of over £7 million. After kicking the habit, Merson relapsed, but is now back on the right track and determined to stay away from gambling moving forwards.

Dominic Matteo

Dominic Matteo, who represented the likes of Liverpool and Leeds, and Scotland at international level, had a gambling problem that saw him accrue debts of around £1 million. And, because of his rising debts, he had into bankruptcy, with everything playing out in the public arena. But, like many others, Matteo has never shied away from his problems and has openly spoken about the harmful impact gambling had on his life at the time. He’s also keen to share his story to raise awareness about the pitfalls of gambling.

One thing that all the footballers mentioned above have in common is that they sought help and also dedicated a lot of their time to raising awareness about the dangers of gambling. By telling their stories, they will have positively impacted many everyday people, thanks to their status as professional sports stars who have been regularly seen on television and in the media.

Photo by Unsplash

A composed half-century from Aftab Alam has put Habib Bank Limited firmly in control of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One final

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA composed half-century from Aftab Alam has put Habib Bank Limited firmly in control of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division One final against Pakistan International Airlines at the National Stadium in Karachi. Alam began aggressively after HBL were set 235 for victory, flicking Shan Masood’s first delivery to the deep midwicket fence, then cutting and driving Aizaz Cheema for consecutive boundaries a few overs later. The loss of first-innings centurion Imran Farhat, caught and bowled by Kamran Sajid, forced HBL to shut shop, and only 17 runs came from the next 20.2 overs.The dismissal of Khaqan Arsal, who made nine painstaking runs from 61 deliveries, seemed to stir Alam from his stupor, and he unfurled two glorious drives either side of the wicket in the same Anwar Ali over. HBL sent out Fahad Masood as a nightwatchman, who had batted with assurance in the first innings to make a half-century down the order, and he ensured there would be no more hiccups, adding 43 with Alam as they whittled their target down to 134 by the close of play.A fighting knock from Faisal Iqbal, who made 84, helped extend PIA’s overnight lead from 147 to 235. Iqbal found a willing ally in Najaf Shah, and the pair added 76 for the ninth wicket to take PIA past 300 and the lead past 200. Fahad Masood eventually dislodged Iqbal, getting him to edge a fuller delivery to the keeper, and then wrapped the PIA innings by bowling Cheema for 14.

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst used his side’s Premiership clash at Ibrox on Sunday to offer minutes to the fringe members of the first-team squad.

The likes of Charlie McCann, Alex Lowry and Leon King, among others, were handed game-time to showcase their quality at senior level.

King started alongside Connor Goldson at centre-back and put in a mature display as he helped the team to a clean sheet against in a 2-0 win over Dundee United.

The 18-year-old gem stepped up and made the most of his opportunity, and he may now force Van Bronckhorst to consider his plans for the summer.

The Athletic reporter Jordan Campbell heaped praise on the defender’s performance, tweeting: “Leon King been very assured today at centre-back, and now at left-back. He’ll have more difficult tests of his defensive ability but his distribution been really tidy and he’s never rushed or panicked on the ball.”

Josh Bunting was another journalist left impressed by the teenager’s display, tweeting: “Thought Leon King was really impressive today, so comfortable on the ball, broke the lines well, big player for the future at Rangers, just never really looked fazed, went about everything really comfortable. Good pass selection as well. Assured performance and more to come.”

This display from the centre-back suggests that he has the quality to make the step up to senior football, and he must now be given more game-time in the 2022/23 campaign. He can take on more responsibility throughout the season as a backup to the first-choice options.

By unleashing the teenager as a regular squad member, Van Bronckhorst will finally be able to axe Filip Helander from the club, after a season riddled with injuries for the Swede. FFC previously published an article explaining why the £14k-per-week dud must be moved on in the summer amid interest from Aston Villa, and King’s emergence gives them the perfect chance to cash in on the 29-year-old.

The Rangers academy product has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.90 across three Premiership outings this term. Meanwhile, Helander has averaged a rating of 6.75 in six appearances for the Light Blues, suggesting that the youngster could be an upgrade on the Sweden international in the immediate future, whilst also having 11 years on the former Bologna enforcer.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must make King a regular first-team squad member in 2022/23 and sanction the sale of Helander to Villa.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst issues huge Rangers injury relief that’ll leave supporters delighted…

Australia rounded off their international summer in style with a commanding 57-run victory at Perth

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan at the WACA06-Feb-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAdam Voges was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 80•Getty ImagesAustralia rounded off their international summer in style with a commanding 57-run victory in Perth. It wasn’t a high-quality match, with the exception of the batting from Adam Voges and David Hussey, as a long season drew to a close with two patched-up sides on show. However, Australia’s depth came to the fore again as Voges hit a career-best 80 before England’s mentally-finished top order was blown away to end hopes of a face-saving win.Nothing will compensate for the crushing loss in the Ashes series, but Australia’s resurgent one-day form has suggested a fourth consecutive World Cup title isn’t out of reach, especially if key players return from injury. Even taking into account England’s own injury problems and declining form, the home side’s performances have boded well in the absence of Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz – all key figures in the one-day side.During the Test matches, Australia’s reserves did not appear up to international standard, but the team has not retained its No.1 one-day ranking by luck. Their pace attack is rapid, if wayward at times – they matched England’s wide tally of 19 – while the lack of a matchwinning spinner isn’t so harshly felt. Meanwhile, the batting is packed with stroke-makers.Two were on show here after the top order wobbled to 4 for 102 before Hussey and Voges added 95 in 13 overs. This could be a one-off opportunity for Voges but if an injury replacement is needed for the World Cup, and Shaun Marsh doesn’t recover, he might have put his name ahead of Callum Ferguson, who edged James Anderson to slip for 15.Once Australia had posted a competitive total it was always unlikely that the visitors would be able to dig deep enough to make it a contest with the prospect of their flight home tomorrow evening. Mentally, a number of the players have long since been in those aircraft seats.Andrew Strauss has plenty of reasons to be feeling weary after arriving in Australia on October 29 and it was a tired shot that ended his series when he was very late against Shaun Tait. The bat had barely come down when the ball knocked back the off stump. Steve Davies, back opening after the reshuffle caused by Eoin Morgan’s injury, was unconvincing in his short stay until flapping at Doug Bollinger to complete an unhappy few weeks.Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen briefly consolidated but there was never any great sense of permanency even from the in-form Trott. He was drawn into a flat-footed drive against Johnson which sent a thick edge to first slip, then Pietersen’s uncertain stay ended with a drive to backward point. Even taking into account the looseness of England’s batting this was the good Mitchell Johnson and he added a third when Ian Bell carved down to third man.At 5 for 64 the game was over. Matt Prior played some handsome drives before giving Jason Krejza his maiden one-day wicket to end another unfulfilled innings and Michael Yardy battled hard to reduce the margin of defeat with his highest ODI score. But it had ceased to matter in the wider context.England’s makeshift bowling attack had done a decent job through the first half of the innings as the quicks started well and Yardy picked up two, but in a familiar pattern the work of the front line bowlers was squandered. Hussey and Voges took advantage with some positive strokeplay as they dispatched the loose deliveries on offer. Hussey had been given a life on 4 when Luke Wright dropped a return chance that should have been held and reached his fifty from 44 balls, which included a pulled six off Yardy.With his boundary-clearing ability and a Powerplay to come he could have cut loose during the final 10 overs, but was squared up by Liam Plunkett and got a leading edge to backward point. Plunkett ended with 2 for 49, which was an impressive effort considering that he only arrived in the country three days ago following a 40-hour journey from the Caribbean.Voges, though, remained to reach fifty off 45 deliveries, regularly showing his strength square of the wicket and rapid running. Although the boundaries dried up he placed the ball well to ensure 34 came off the last three overs, but Australia were helped by England’s waywardness. That was symptomatic of a team not fully focussed and the batting effort was further evidence that minds were elsewhere. If they want to perform at the World Cup there isn’t much time to refocus, but Australia can leave for the subcontinent this week in good spirits.

Andrew Hilditch, Australia’s chairman of selectors, said that while Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson are bowling well, Shaun Tait needs to do more for the three-man out-and-out pace attack to work

Brydon Coverdale in Colombo18-Mar-2011The man who signed off on Australia’s aggressive World Cup attack believes Shaun Tait needs to have more impact if Australia are to win a fourth consecutive title. The chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, also said that if Ricky Ponting can steer his side to another world triumph, it would rate as more satisfying than the previous three, which were achieved with great players such as Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.Tait was a key part of the 2007 campaign, when he finished joint second on the tournament wicket tally with 23 at 20.30, and his speed and hostility provided the perfect balance against the control of McGrath and Nathan Bracken. This time, Australia have gone with a trio of seriously quick bowlers, and while Tait is their leading wicket taker, he has also at times been slapped around the ground by moderate batsmen.As the selector on duty, Hilditch will be watching at the Premadasa on Saturday when Tait, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson try to run through Pakistan, their last chance to hone their approach before the quarter-finals. Hilditch said he was thrilled with the way Lee had returned from his serious elbow injury, but he wanted more from Tait as the knockout stage of the tournament rapidly approaches.”I’m really happy with how Brett is going,” Hilditch said. “I think it’s a great credit to him, what he’s done at his age and with the injuries he has had. He has come back just brilliantly. He’s bowling really well. Mitchell Johnson has been really good. I think Taity has got to improve a little bit. He’s going to have to impact with the new ball and then impact in the middle overs. I think the test on how that’s going to work is going to be in the next few games.”The other men who will be important for Australia in the middle overs are the spinners, Jason Krejza and Steven Smith, who have not yet had a major impact on the tour. Against Pakistan, Hilditch will be keeping a close eye on Krejza, who, having made his name in the longer form of the game, was thrust into the one-day setup due to injuries to Nathan Hauritz and Xavier Doherty.”It’s a big test for Jason tomorrow on what could be a bit of a turning track,” Hilditch said. “He’s bowling pretty well. It’s a steep learning curve, coming from playing Tasmanian cricket to playing against the best players in the world, but I think he’s adjusting pretty well and it will be interesting to see how he goes tomorrow.”Australia are chasing their 35th consecutive World Cup match without a defeat, which stretches back to the 1999 tournament, the first of their three straight titles. As a selector since 1996, Hilditch has been involved in choosing all the successful squads, and he said that while 2007 was “the best campaign I’ve ever seen”, it would be overtaken if Ponting lifts the trophy on April 2.”If we manage to pull this off, I think it would be even better than 2007, because we’ve lost quite a few players since 2007. We had already lost quite a few players between 2003 and 2007. People forget that before 2007, we lost to England in the one-day series, we lost to New Zealand in the one-day series. We were actually going in looking like significant underdogs in 2007, and then we played the way we did.”I think this is totally different. We’ve lost virtually most of the side since that time, and the fact that we’ve continued on the way we have done is great. This will be a massive challenge in these conditions. They’re obviously not our ideal conditions and with this side, a fairly new side, it would be a great effort.”

A round-up of the action from the seventh round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2011Jamaica’s top order put up a strong response, taking their side to within 99 runs of England Lion’s first-innings total, with six wickets remaining, after Chris Woakes propelled England Lions to 358 at Sabina Park. Resuming at 340 for 9, Woakes and Nathan Buck extended their last-wicket stand to 55 before Sheldon Cotterrell ended the innings by dismissing Woakes for 115. Jamaica’s response was set on the right course by the openers Simon Jackson and Danza Hyatt, who added 126 in 31.1 overs. Neither batsman could push on after getting to his half-century, though, and it was up to Marlon Samuels and Brendan Nash to build on the start. Samuels was the next to fall for 58, continuing the trend of throwing away starts. Tamar Lambert could not last long either, and the two late wickets revived England Lions’ hopes, though Nash was firm on 56 at stumps.It was wickets galore at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados, as Kavesh Kantasingh skittled the hosts for 90, before Combined Campuses and Colleges barely managed a first-innings lead, crumbling to 113 in their first innings. Things were not much better in Barbados’ second innings as they limped to 17 for 2 by stumps. A wicket-fest seemed unlikely when Barbados’ openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Haynes added 32 for the opening wicket. Left-arm spinner Kantasingh then got into the act, removing Brathwaite for 7. Haynes was reduced to a spectator at the non-striker’s end as his top-order colleagues succumbed for single-digit scores. Shane Dowrich was the only batsman to offer any resistance with 20, while Haynes contributed 49 before being run out. Kantasingh finished with dream figures of 14-7-22-7. CCC’s innings ran into early turbulence, and at 14 for 4, they looked unlikely to get the first-innings lead. Floyd Reifer, Nkruma Bonner and Brathwaite were the only batsmen to get into double figures, as Barbados, led by Ryan Hinds kept striking regularly. Kantasingh got the new ball in the second innings, and prised out one more wicket while Kevin McLean struck from his end to leave Barbados in trouble once again.Lendl Simmons was at his fluent best for Trinidad & Tobago ,who won the toss, and marched to 291 for 4 by stumps on the first day against Guyana at Providence Stadium. Brandon Bess struck early for Guyana, removing Tishan Maraj, but Simmons was unmoved through the day. He shared significant stands with Daren Ganga, Jason Mohammed and Dinesh Ramdin to propel his side into a position of strength. Mohammed contributed 67 before he was dismissed by Ronsford Beaton. Simmons ended the day on 134 not out, and Ramdin was giving him company with 32, having added 67 runs in an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand.Only 33 overs of play were possible at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, but that was enough for Windward Islands to reduce Leeward Islands to a worrying 62 for 5. The wickets were shared around, with Keon Peters getting 2 for 12 in his eight overs, while Mervin Matthew, Gary Mathurin and Liam Sebastien picked up one apiece. Jaison Peters and Jacques Taylor held on grimly, and will hope to push their side past the crisis on the second day.