Tag Futebol

The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Working Committee is to meet on June 12 to discuss various issues. The meeting is expected to discuss and rafity the decisions taken at the Technical Committee meeting of the board, scheduled for June 4 in Bangalore.”The Working Committee will meet on June 12 in Delhi,” said Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, from Rajkot. The meeting of the national selection committee, fixed for the same day at Bangalore, is likely to be put off by a day. The selection committee will pick the team for the forthcoming tours of Ireland, Scotland and England.Importantly, the Working Committee is expected to ratify the decision taken by the Coach Selection Committee, who are also due to meet on June 4 in Bangalore. However, Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, said the agenda for the meeting had not yet been fixed.The seven-member committee to appoint a new coach, is headed by Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, and includes three former India captains – S Venkataraghavan, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.This would be the first meeting of the Working Committee since it last met in Mumbai in April to review India’s dismal performance in the World Cup.

Look out for a stand-in West Indies captain very soon. That’s because Brian Lara doesn’t plan to play the entire seven-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.Lara, who turns 37 today, made the revelation when pressed on the thinking that led to the West Indies going into the first two matches without an appointed vice-captain, a move which he tried to downplay.”I sense that you’re going to see a [deputy] captain on the field before the series is over because I don’t think I have intentions of playing all seven [matches],” Lara said. “By then you would know who the vice-captain is. If you just hold strain a bit . . . it should not be a great topic at this present time. It will solve itself.”Lara, the multiple world record holder who is in his third reign as West Indies captain, compared the situation to when he first came into the team in 1991 when he said there was no appointed second-in-command. In the circumstances that currently exist, if Lara has to leave the field, he will appoint someone to take over.His decision to skip a few matches is a continuation of recent trends in which he has cut back on his appearances in the more physically demanding limited-overs game.”I’m 37 years of age. I want to play both forms of the game. I want to play in the World Cup, but I would also like to play Test cricket against India, Pakistan and whoever else,” he said. “The main thing is if we can rotate a bit and not necessarily before a series is decided. If we play against India and we happened to be three up, you are going to see a chance where guys are given a rest.”Lara also defended his decision to bat at No. 6 in both matches over the weekend at the Antigua Recreation Ground. “Even if we are playing against Australia, the top four should dominate any batting line-up,” he said. “I want to see the likes of Ramdin, Bravo, Smith, Samuels get the opportunity. It is about making sure that everybody gets a couple hits and no one is hogging the batting.”This West Indies team is not going to play names anymore. We’re going to play to a plan. We’re going to have positions, we’re going to have requirements for those positions it doesn’t matter who it is.”Asked how he would respond to those who feel that as the leading batsman in the team, his place in the order should be among the top four, Lara said it was time others in the team took on more responsibility.”I’m going to have my responsibility, if it’s batting, at whatever position in the order,” Lara said. “But I still feel we are playing with 11 guys. You might have one player who is supposed to be the premier batsman in the team but one of the main things this team is lacking is in-house competition.”Whoever we consider to be the best batsman, I want to see people competing with him. In my early days in the 1990s, there was Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson, but at the end of any series I wanted to be counted as the top batsman in that series. That’s what has to be created here.”

India had reached a World Cup final for the first time since 1983. Quirky statisticians were quick to point out that India had never lost after making it this far. From the quirky to the ridiculous, there were others who put forth more compelling reasons for India to win the World Cup. For every tournament since 1979, the Cup has been held aloft alternatively by leftand right-handed captains, they proposed. In 1979, it was Clive Lloyd, a left-hander; in 1983 – Kapil Dev, the right-hander; in 1987 – Allan Border; in 1992 – Imran Khan; in 1996 – Arjuna Ranatunga; in 1999 – Steve Waugh. Hence it only followed that this was the year of Ganguly, they insisted.There were others, even more scientific, who believed that India would win because Australia came into the final with a 16-match winning streak in one-dayers. When the all-conquering Aussies achieved the same landmark in Tests, India stopped them dead in their tracks in Kolkata and went on to win the series. On that occasion – and I was lucky enough to watch every ball amidst the booing and baying of Kolkata fans at Eden Gardens – VVS Laxman played a flawless 281, an innings of a lifetime, stealing the match and soon after the series away from the Australians.When Indian fans congregated at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, they were about to witness yet another once-in-a-lifetime innings. Amidst the flag-waving, emotion-swelling, partisan Indian crowd, Ricky Ponting played his very own version of the ‘innings-of-a-lifetime’ theme song. The man who once threatened to throw all his talent away being the lovable rogue; the drunkard who got into a brawl at the Bourbon and Beefsteak in Sydney’s King’s Cross, now reformed and re-invented, showed why Australia can afford to let go of Stephen Waugh.An innings that will serve as a perfect illustration of one of cricket’s favourite terms – ‘a captain’s innings’ – saw Ponting bludgeon an unbeaten 140 off 121 balls, taking Australia to a mammoth 359/2 in 50 overs.Out walked Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.Just 5′ 3″ in his socks, the little man would have been further weighed down by the burden of expectation that a country of more than a billion placed on its heroes.There’s simply no way you can be expected to chase 360 against Australia in a World Cup final. Even with over 12,000 one-day runs and 34 centuries behind you, you’ll be hard pressed to live up to expectations.All India clung on to hope.If only more of India had read that evocative poem that Ernest Lawrence Thayer wrote as far back as 1888. While baseball might be a far cry from cricket, it’s worth visiting ‘Casey at the Bat.’

Forget McGrath, write off Lee, there’s always Tendulkar, thought the Indian fans.India just need Sehwag to fire, Kaif to run, Dravid to steady and Ganguly to persevere. But first and foremost, Tendulkar, for he will deliver the knock out punch.

So goes the poem that will tell you that there was as much expected of men before as there is of Tendulkar now.With mean McGrath standing at the top of his run, Tendulkar took watchful guard, establishing exactly where his off stump was and where the gaps in the field were.

Just as Sachin was forced to wait for the loose ball, the legendary Casey bided his time. Tendulkar managed an awkward pull off the fourth ball of the game. Not quite like Casey, though, who had haughtily watched two strikes go by, waiting for the right pitch to strike glory with.Soon the time for Tendulkar to stamp his authority on the game arrived.

At the same time that Mumbai mourned, Kolkata cussed and Delhi despaired, you could be sure that the celebrations went over the top from the Darling Harbour in Sydney’s harbour foreshore and Southbank in Melbourne, from little Byron Bay in New South Wales to King’s Park in Perth.A mere miscued pull was all it took, for Tendulkar’s World Cup final to land in McGrath’s waiting hands. While other batsmen may have tried hard, India’s dream ended then and there.Spare a thought for the man himself. After scoring 673 runs in the tournament and fuelling India’s efforts, he might still be remembered for failing in the final. And cruelly enough, If India don’t reach a World Cup final for the rest of Tendulkar’s career, he will have to live with four runs in a major loss as his best effort in a World Cup final.Spare a thought for Casey, spare two for Sachin.

Queensland Cricket (QC) will call for more international games to be played at The Gabba stadium when the redevelopment there is completed early in 2005.Peter Beattie, Queensland’s prime minister, announced that the final segment of the stadium was on course to be finished early next year, adding 5000 seats and boosting the ground’s capacity to 42,000.Damien Mullins, Queensland Cricket’s chairman, welcomed the announcement, saying it should pave the way for more international matches. “In light of this decision, QC looks forward to building a persuasive case for more international cricket to be played at the venue in the future,” he said. “The new capacity of 42,000 puts The Gabba on a par with the Sydney Cricket Ground and ensures that Brisbane more than holds its own with the established major cricket venues in Sydney and Melbourne.”Cricket Australia controls the scheduling of international matches, but we believe there will be strong arguments in The Gabba’s favour to increase the number of international games played here.”Mullins said he hoped The Gabba would see more international action, with the stadium due to be completed in time for South Africa’s scheduled tour of Australia in 2005-06. The ground usually hosts one Test and two limited-overs internationals each year.The record attendance for a one-day match at The Gabba is 35,761, for the game between Australia and South Africa on January 20, 2002.Construction is due to begin in September and is expected to be completed in time for the start of the next Australian Rugby League season. In the redevelopment, the social club in the south-eastern corner of the ground will be demolished, allowing the last segment of the stand to be built, completing the stadium’s full circle. Additional corporate suites and dining facilities, better team-bus access, and automated turnstiles will also be built.

Replica West Indies kits are not on sale at the Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya because of the licensing arrangements in place for the event.Acting chief executive officer of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Roger Brathwaite, said that Admiral, the British manufacturers of the West Indies’ kit for the tournament, had an agreement through the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) licensing agent to supply replica West Indies kits to the British market, but could not export to South Africa."The WICB, through Admiral, submitted and received approval on the kit design from the ICC, but if the South African licensee has decided not to market a replica of the West Indies kit then there is very little we can do," remarked Brathwaite."A South African company, Picto Busby, has the exclusive replica kit licence for the territory of South Africa for all participating teams at the tournament, but the licence our manufacturers hold from the ICC does not permit them to sell replica West Indies kit in South Africa."Brathwaite was glad to hear that the West Indies replica kit was the most sought after next to the hosts’, but greatly disappointed that cricket fans attending the tournament have had no luck purchasing the gear."We have spoken to our manufacturers about the challenge and they will contact their South African licensee, who also kits out the South African team, to see if there is anything that could be done," said Brathwaite, whose substantive post is chief marketing executive."Unfortunately, they have told us that it is too late for any fresh manufacturing and the decision concerning any stock risk for the territory of South Africa is down to Picto Busby and beyond their and, possibly, our control."Brathwaite noted the WICB was investigating the possibility of providing the 2003 replica kit through its website, www.windiescricket.com , and for the Cable & Wireless 2003 Series between West Indies and Australia.

Full marks to the Pakistanis and to the authorities. Pakistanis – for keeping the mighty Australians at bay and the authorities – for keeping the even mightier Pakistani fans under better control.However, I can’t help but admire the Australians, whose sheer tenacity saw them coming back at Pakistan again and again. Such was their determination that Pakistan, despite scoring a mammoth 290, could not sit back and relax even for a moment.

Equally, though not laudable, was the Pakistani fans’ determination, which didn’t allow the security people to sit back and watch the thrilling events taking place out in the middle. They probed and probed, succeeding once during the Pakistan innings to have their presence felt, yet that was all they were going to get. For the security people at last realised they needed to handle the fans firmly.For me, that part of the match was really crucial – the one during which the mob tried to dictate terms. Pakistan were cruising along at 250 for 5 in the 45th over and could’ve gone on, but they lost their concentration after that unwarranted break after a firecracker was thrown on.Had it not been for Wasim Akram, with his little cameo, I am sure the score would have been much less, and with the Aussies always as determined as they are, the outcome of the match might have been what these very Pakistani fans surely would not have wanted.

Quite amazingly, Saleem Elahi, despite all his past failings with moving balls, top scored for Pakistan. Although not the best in terms of style and elegance, his was an innings of concentration and focus and one that may have thrown the team management into a dilemma. I wonder what Pakistan’s playing XI for the final will be, with Inzamam fully fit and Afridi also around?I think, after today’s knock, it would be unfair to leave Elahi out, and, with Inzamam coming in for Faisal Iqbal, we might have to swallow the bitter pill of not playing Afridi. However, the final decision lies with the management, while I sort out my problems here in Sri Lanka.Back to the game: I think everyone contributed in this excellent victory. The only worry I have is Saeed Anwar’s form. I wonder, how many more times he’ll throw his wicket away after getting good starts. Instead of learning from his mistakes, he seems to be repeating them. He really needs to consider how the team’s going to be affected by his recklessness. Come on Saeed, its time to wake up!I had always an inkling these Australians would fight till the very end, and that’s exactly what they did. Despite losing wickets, at more or less regular intervals, they kept coming back and it wasn’t over till the ‘fat lady sang’.Waqar Younis proved yet again how tough he is. Three wickets in his first 4-over spell and if that wasn’t enough, three more in the second, six in all and 13 in two back-to-back matches is amazing stuff. I don’t find words to describe his devotion to the cause of the team. He was just brilliant. Well done Waqar, keep it up!

The Australians, on their part, proved more than worthy opponents. Gilchrist played one of the greatest of knocks I have seen for some time and that too despite the fact that wickets were tumbling at the other end. I do believe, had he stayed there for five or six more overs, the match would have been over within 40 and in Australia’s favour. Believe me, I let out a great sigh of relief when Saqlain cut him short at 70.Now for the final, it will be an entirely new game. Toss would yet again be crucial but we must not lose heart in case luck deserts Waqar after a series of consecutive toss wins. For batting first at Lord’s is not always as rewarding as one might think. The example of WC’99 is there to ponder over. What did Wasim Akram gain after winning the toss and batting first?The key thing is, we must make an all out team effort at Lord’s and especially field well. And, at least I wouldn’t mind if our team prays for an England win in the last league match at the Oval, so that the Aussie morale takes one more dip. I don’t think it’s a bad idea or is it?

Ed:Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan’s National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo’s articles, we have invited him to write for us.

West Brom have been fairly active in the transfer market whenever they get the chance, bringing players in either on loan or permanent deals.

However, one deal that the Baggies had the chance to complete and will now be regretting is one for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

According to an article from the Express & Star, the Midlands club were watching the centre-forward back in 2011 while he was on loan at Saint-Etienne from AC Milan.

The article also claimed that the Baggies had the chance to bring in the Gabon international on loan but opted against the move.Shortly after being scouted by West Brom in 2011, the striker ended up joining Saint-Etienne on a permanent deal in the 2012 January transfer deal.Since that point, the attacker has had spells at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal before making a move to Barcelona during the previous January window.According to a report from Football Espana, the former Gunners star took a significant pay cut from the £300k-per-week wages he was on at the Emirates, to complete his move to the Nou Camp, where he is reportedly now earning a weekly wage of just over £96k-per-week.Having been praised for his “phenomenal” form at the north London club by Mikel Arteta, Aubameyang has hit the ground running in Spain by racking up nine goals in 11 appearances across La Liga and the Europa League.Throughout his entire career, the 32-year-old has scored 305 goals in 592 senior and youth club appearances across all competitions in England, Italy, Germany, France and now Spain, winning several trophies in the process.One other award the striker picked up during his time in England was the Golden Boot in the 2018/19 Premier League season, having found the back of the net 22 times.Taking all of this into account, it’s seems as though the Baggies made the wrong call in not choosing to sign the Gabon star on loan when they had the chance.Had they done so and Aubameyang managed to impress, there would have been a chance that the club could have secured him on a permanent deal, thus sealing their own goalscoring superstar.However, the club will now have to live with their mistake and move on from the matter rather than reminiscing over what could have been.In other news: Sold at £13m, now worth £49.5m: WBA will have nightmares over 6ft4 “beast of a man”

Holders Ireland will be eyeing maximum points when they take on United Arab Emirates in the ICC Intercontinental Cup tie at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi starting on Thursday.A win will see Ireland, currently on 29 points from two games, jump to second spot in the table. Kenya are leading with 66 points, but have already played two additional games, so have second-placed Namibia, who have 48 points from four matches.Although UAE are out of reckoning for a spot in the final, Trent Johnston, the Ireland captain, says his team won’t be taking their opponents lightly. “It will not be a walk in the park for us and we will have to play really well to collect maximum points which is our main objective,” he said. “UAE have been unlucky in the last few games and they have a pretty experienced side.”It will not be easy and we will have to grab every opportunity that comes our way. The best way of winning the game will be to dominate the proceedings from the very first session and that is what we plan to do.”Johnston was confident of the squad overcoming any obstacles. “Obviously, change of weather conditions is one while the other is that we are playing a first-class game as a unit for the first time in almost nine months though most of the boys have been playing competitive cricket in South Africa recently.”But we are experienced enough to cope with these challenges and as I said earlier, we know what it requires to win a tournament. Adaptability and adjustment to different conditions is part of that package.”Boyd Rankin, the tall pace bowler, is out of action after suffering a stress fracture in the foot last December. Rankin, who has signed for Warwickshire, is currently remodelling his action under the supervision of Allan Donald, the county’s bowling coach.”Rankin’s absence is a blow because he gets you key wickets,” Johnston said. “But on the other side of the coin, it is a good opportunity for a youngster to step up and try to avail the chance by putting up a good performance.”Greg Thompson, the Ireland Under-19 captain at the recently-concluded World Cup in Malaysia, and his team-mate Paul Stirling have been included in the squad.UAE, on the other hand, are looking to salvage some confidence after a disappointing campaign so far. “If we put up good performances and manage to pull a victory in one of our last two matches, we will be able to restore some of our battered pride and confidence,” Saqib Ali, the UAE captain, said. “Ireland are the reigning champion and it will not be easy for us but at this level, you can’t expect easy games.”We are in a developing and rebuilding phases and every match that we play has a lot of value in terms of players’ development.”Squads
UAE Saqib Ali (capt), Arshad Ali, Khurram Khan, Nizel Fernandes, Shadeep Silva, Fahad Alhashmi, Shoaib Sarwar, Sameer Zia, Zahid Shah, Naeemuddin Aslam, Ahmed Raza, Muhammed Aman Ali, Obaid Hameed, Amjad Ali, Amjad Javed, Rashid Khan, Qasim Zubair and Abdul Rehman.Ireland Trent Johnston (capt), William Porterfield, Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Philip Eaglestone, Thinus Fourie, Gary Kidd, Dave Langford-Smith, Kyle McCallan, Eoin Morgon, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Reinhardt Strydom, Greg Thompson.

Netherlands’ allrounder Billy Stelling has announced his retirement from first-class cricket, although it will not make much impact on the national side as he has only played one first-class match in the last seven seasons. He will remain available for one-day selection.The bulk of Stelling’s career was in South Africa where he played for Western Province and then Boland. He also had a spell with Leicestershire, making only one first-class outing when he took 5 for 49 against Kent in 2000. He turned out for Berkshire in the Minor Counties Championship and also had spells with East Lancashire and Rawtenstall in the Lancashire League.He first represented Netherlands in 1995 and has always been on the fringes of the one-day side, making 11 appearances. His best bowling came in his last outing when he took 3 for 12 against Scotland during the World Cup.Although he has expressed a desire to continue playing ODIs, he is 38 next month and it may well be that PJ Bakker, the new coach, decides it would be better to look to the future as he tries to rebuild after some high-profile retirements.

Imran Javed, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) allrounder, celebrated his 31st birthday in style as he compiled an unbeaten century to take his side to victory against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on the final day of their fourth-round Pentangular Cup Cricket Championship match at the Multan Cricket Stadium.The win over PIA gave NBP only six points instead of the full nine, as they had surrendered the first-innings lead earlier, but it took their points tally after three matches to 24. PIA have now been eliminated from the race to the Pentangular Cup title.Yasir Hameed, the PIA captain, had declared his team’s second innings at 339 for 8, setting NBP a stiff target of 375 for victory. At stumps on the third day, PNB were 58 for 2 but yesterday their batsmen brought them an improbable win as they inched home by two wickets. The overnight pair of Nasir Jamshed and Faisal Athar then took the score to 91 for 2. After Nasir departed for 46, Faisal found an able partner in Shahid Yousuf and the fourth-wicket pair added 79. Faisal’s 61 came off 93 balls and included 12 hits to the ropes. Shahid made 32 off 64 deliveries with the help of five boundaries. But six NBP wickets went down with just 187 on the board and the objective still 188 away.Imran then changed the entire complexion of the match. With fellow all-rounder Yasir Arafat, he helped post 117 for the seventh-wicket partnership, bringing his team to within 71 of the target.Yasir missed his half-century by a solitary run, scoring 49 off 75 balls with five fours and a six. But Imran, who scored his third century after more than four years, remained unbeaten at 102, having batted for 10 minutes short of four hours and making his runs off 170 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. Playing in the 31st first-class match, Imran had earlier completed 50 wickets with the ball. Mohammad Sami, the rejected Pakistan fast bowler, chipped in with a useful 20 off 48 balls with two fours and added 61 for the eighth wicket with Imran.With only the fifth and final round matches remaining, starting from Sunday, NBP have a great opportunity to win the competition. While table leaders Faisalabad have ended their programme of four matches with a total of 27 points, NBP must not be defeated by Karachi Harbour in their last match. to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. In case their match ends as a draw, NBP will take their points tally to 27, the same as Faisalabad if they take the first-innings lead. Even if they emerge triumphant after losing the first-innings advantage, six more points will give them the championship title.PIA, three-time winners of the Pentangular Cup in the past, will now play a rather inconsequential fifth-round match against Sialkot, here at the same venue from Sunday. Victory for neither side will make a difference to the final outcome on April 26, when the tournament comes to an end.