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England Masters comprehensively defeated South Africa Masters by eight wickets to take the Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2009
ScorecardEngland Masters were winners of the inaugural Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup. They comprehensively defeated South Africa Masters by eight wickets with one over to spare to take the Cup and the US$50,000 prize money.Graeme Hick, who was Man of the Series, was at the forefront of the victory with a breathtaking, unbeaten 67. He and acting captain Mark Ramprakash, who chipped in with an attacking 51 not out, put on a wonderful 116 in 14. 2 overs for the third wicket.Ramprakash finished the tournament in grand style, driving through extra cover for a boundary. He hit two fours and one six, while Hick smashed three fours and three sixes.Graham Thorpe made a quick 32 from 19 deliveries with five fours and one six to give the innings the early impetus before he skied a catch to cover.The South Africans were put into bat and made 156 for five. They were reduced to 38 for 3, but Dale Benkenstein (52) and Lance Klusener (43) pulled things around with a stand of 71 in 9.2 overs for the fourth wicket.Benkenstein hit two fours and a pair of sixes, while Klusener lashed two huge sixes in John Emburey’s final over.Pat Symcox (18) and Adrian Kupier (15) and added 33 vital runs for the sixth wicket in 3.1 overs. In the end, another 20 might have made the difference.Fast bowler Devon Malcolm picked up the first three wickets to claim three for 17 from four overs and was named Man of the Match.

Half-centuries from William Porterfield, Gary Wilson and Niall O’Brien helped Ireland shade a fluctuating opening day against Afghanistan, despite a flurry of wickets for legspinner Samiullah Shenwari

Cricinfo staff21-Jan-2010Half-centuries from William Porterfield, Gary Wilson and Niall O’Brien helped Ireland shade a fluctuating opening day against Afghanistan, despite a flurry of wickets for legspinner Samiullah Shenwari.With Ireland still looking for their first victory in the tournament, things looked good for them as Porterfield won the toss, elected to bat and started brightly with Wilson. The opening partnership put on 120 in 28.3 overs before Wilson was defeated by the offspin of Mohammad Nabi for 53.A solid 50-run stand for the second wicket took Ireland to 170 for one and appeared to set them up for a big total. But Afghanistan fought back strongly by first removing Porterfield, to Hameed Hasan, and then claiming three more wickets to reduce Ireland to 231 for five.Alex Cusack, Andre Botha and Kevin O’Brien fell in quick succession, with Shenwari claiming all three, including Botha for a seven-ball duck. With Afghanistan chipping their way into a strong position, experienced wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien combined with Andrew White to put their side back on top. The pair shared a stand of 87, before Karim Sadiq struck eight overs from the close to remove O’Brien for 66. Another wicket followed three overs later as Hasan claimed his second scalp of the day, having White caught for 43.Before the match both captains spoke highly of each other’s teams and after an intriguing opening salvo, the respect will only have grown.

As per Fanatik, an update has come to light on Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans involving Fenerbache defender Kim Min-jae.

The Lowdown: Tottenham target centre-half…

The Athletic recently revealed that Spurs and manager Antonio Conte have a new central defender in their sights this summer with a number of key targets already shortlisted.

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According to their information, Joško Gvardiol, Alessandro Bastoni, Sven Botman and Nico Schlotterbeck have all been identified for possible attempts this summer as club chief Fabio Paratici gets to work on the 2022/2023 campaign.

Now, with news emerging on another defensive candidate out of Turkey, it appears Conte has personally approved a move for Kim.

The Latest: Conte green-lights move…

According to Fanatik, Tottenham and Everton have ‘taken action’ over Kim with Lilywhites officials scouting the player and recommending him to Conte.

Subsequently, the Italian has now personally approved a move for the South Korea international defender by giving the ‘green-light’.

The Verdict: Right call?

The 52-year-old wants to see new additions at N17 over the summer as he seeks to improve Tottenham further over his first full season in charge next year.

Kim, who could cost around €23 million (£19m), certainly comes as an affordable alternative to fellow targets on the list with the defender also being called a ‘monster’ in his homeland.

The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, branded one of the stars of the transfer window this summer by Fanatik, may well be one to watch out for if Spurs can’t offload players like Tanguy Ndombele for a profit.

In other news: Tottenham official dispatched as Conte identifies ’emerging superstar’ signing, find out more here.

USMNT goalkeeper Drake Callender and Lionel Messi were both named in the MLS Team of the Matchday Monday for Inter Miami.

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Messi and Callender named to MLS Team of MatchdayInter Miami drew 1-1 with LA Galaxy Argentine scored late goal, while goalkeeper saved penaltyWHAT HAPPENED?

A 92nd-minute equalizer from Messi secured Inter Miami a draw Sunday evening, while early on, goalkeeper Drake Callender made a brilliant penalty kick save to keep the match scoreless 10-minutes into the match. Both heroic efforts were rewarded Monday, with recognition by the league.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi's heroics saved the Herons a point late, but that doesn't happen if Callender doesn't make his important save early on. The USMNT shotstopper was brilliant all evening, making two more crucial saves throughout the night. Meanwhile, the Galaxy's Riqui Puig also found himself a spot on the team – even though his penalty attempt was saved.

The entire MLS Team of the Matchday saw nine different teams sport a player, with Inter Miami being the only club that had two.

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Sunday saw Callender make his first penalty kick save since last Summer's Leagues Cup, where he denied Atlanta United's Thiago Almada from the spot.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

The Herons take on Orlando City at the weekend in their third match of the season. It will be a battle for South Florida as Inter Miami host the Lions in a rivalry match.

The lack of “real part-timers” like Jadeja or Yuvraj in the squad is a cause of concern for Dhoni

Abhishek Purohit in Hambantota21-Jul-2012MS Dhoni just hates giving away runs. Even while standing on the boundary to fetch lofted shots during nets, he sprints around as if in a game, straining and stretching to stop everything. He gives the substantial Hambantota outfield a furtive look, as if already calculating how many extra runs it will cost him. Call him defensive, call him pragmatic, but you get an insight into his thinking when at the start of a season, one of his major concerns is what he calls the lack of a “real part-timer” in the Indian squad. He mentioned Yuvraj Singh and Ravindra Jadeja in that category; neither of them has made the trip to Sri Lanka. Irfan Pathan has, but that is another conundrum for another day.Dhoni acknowledged Irfan’s availability, but instantly proceeded to expound on the problem of the part-timer. “The coming in of Irfan gives us the liberty of playing five specialist bowlers,” Dhoni said. “We can play two spinners along with three fast bowlers as Irfan can do a bit of batting but what also needs to be considered is what kind of a combination we actually want.”We don’t have a real part-timer, in the sense that when Yuvraj was there, he can bowl, even if he is having an off-day, four to five overs, or when Jadeja is there he can bowl four to five overs minimum and you can rotate the bowlers and get the ten overs out of them. But if we play with four bowlers, the catch-22 situation is that the rest of the overs will be bowled by Viru [Sehwag], Rohit [Sharma], [Suresh] Raina. Things can get a little difficult as Sri Lanka is a very experienced side and will see as to this is the bowler who has to be targeted. It is not only them; we have also done it in the past.”What must also be worrying Dhoni, and placing additional value on having a quality part-timer, is the disappointing run of his main bowlers since the World Cup win. Bowling, especially at the death, cost India a place in the Asia Cup final. Since the World Cup, only Canada and Zimbabwe’s attacks have been more expensive in ODIs, and only Zimbabwe have found taking a wicket costlier than India have.Since the World Cup final, Zaheer Khan has managed to play just four ODIs. Zaheer’s five wickets in those four games have cost nearly 40 runs each. As have Umesh Yadav’s 15 wickets from 12 games in the same period. Ashok Dinda has mostly been on the fringes. Irfan’s 13 wickets from eight games at an average below 30 suddenly look even better than they are by comparison. R Ashwin has had the best returns since the World Cup, with 33 wickets in 26 games at an average of 33.12 and an economy-rate of 4.81.Already, Dhoni has been asked whether he will look to rest Zaheer during this series. “It is very important but I don’t think we need to think about it from right the first game because we have to also get him match-fit,” Dhoni said with a knowing smile. “I don’t mean he is unfit, we do a lot of fitness [work], but match fitness is slightly different. The more games he plays, the better he gets. In between, yes, if we have the time and the situation, we would like to give him rest, but we are not thinking about it at the moment.”The batting, as always, poses far fewer worries. Dhoni said India rely a lot on their top three, and a much-fitter looking Virender Sehwag has some work to do. He’s played fewer ODIs than Sachin Tendulkar since the World Cup, and apart from the double-hundred against West Indies in Indore, he has not gone past 30. Of course, we know what will be bothering Dhoni the most. Certainly not the batting.

Alan Hutton thinks James Forrest will travel with the Celtic squad for Sunday’s Scottish League Cup final against Hibernian. 

The lowdown

Celtic travel to Hampden Park to battle Shaun Maloney’s Hibs for the first silverware of the season.

Forrest secured their place in the final with a 73rd-minute strike against St Johnstone in the last four, having come off the bench.

Now he’s one of a trio of Hoops players hoping to prove their fitness in time to feature in the showpiece, along with Kyogo Furuhashi and Mikey Johnston.

Ange Postecoglou said in his pre-match press conference that he would use Saturday’s training session at Lennoxtown to make an assessment.

The latest

BBC Sport pundit Hutton thinks that, regardless of the results of that fitness test, Forrest will be part of the group that heads to Edinburgh.

Even if he can’t contribute on the pitch, he says, his presence will still be valuable.

“Forrest has been there, done it, bought the t-shirt,” he told Football Insider. “He’s got a pocket full of medals.

“You do need that big-game experience. He’ll be there, he will probably travel with the squad and he can keep the squad going.”

The verdict

Hutton is certainly right about Forrest’s track record: the winger has won a whopping 20 trophies at Celtic. Nine of those are league titles, but 11 are cups, indicating that he knows what it takes to prevail in an one-off, winner-takes-all contest.

And beyond that, former team-mate Mohamed Elyounoussi says the ‘amazing’ Forrest is ‘a brilliant boy off the pitch as well’.

It would be a blow if he couldn’t play, but in Liel Abada, who has notched a respectable 11 goal contributions in his first season at Celtic, Postecoglou can call upon an able replacement, and having Forrest around the squad could certainly help the likes of the Israel international shine.

In other news, Hutton also dropped this intriguing claim on Albian Ajeti. 

South Africa will host the next Champions League Twenty20, to run from September 10-26, the tournament’s organisers have announced

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010South Africa will host the next Champions League Twenty20, to run from September 10 to 26, the tournament’s organisers have announced. The tournament chairman Lalit Modi confirmed the decision, following a board meeting in Mumbai where it was formally agreed to accept Cricket South Africa’s invitation to stage the event. However Modi, under immense scrutiny over the ongoing IPL mess, was not present at that meeting, which took place at the BCCI headquarters on Saturday.”South Africa is considered an ideal CLT20 host after successfully staging the Indian Premier League and ICC World Twenty20 tournaments in recent years, as well as the strong support shown for its domestic Pro20 Series competition,” said Modi via a press release.The venues and competing teams for the second edition of the Champions League will be announced in the near future, said the tournament management.The first edition of the tournament was held in India last year. South Africa had hosted the IPL in 2009, after the tournament was moved out of India as it clashed with the country’s general elections.The decision puts to rest the speculation that surrounded the Champions League earlier this year. In February, CSA had announced that South Africa had been finalised as the venue for the tournament, only for Modi to quickly clarify – via Twitter – that the statement was inaccurate. Despite the dates for this season’s edition having been announced much earlier, there had been press releases from CSA and the Champions League itself stating that, like in 2009, 12 teams will take part from seven full member countries, including England.Gerald Majola, the CSA chief, had confirmed the news to Cricinfo earlier in the day while Dean Kino, head of the league’s Governing Council, had on Friday stated that a decision regarding the appropriate participating countries was taken each year as policy.The Champions League features the best domestic Twenty20 teams from across the world and is run by by the boards of India, Australia and South Africa with its governing council comprising representatives from each board. Other countries participate in the tournament by invitation, but Pakistan and Bangladesh are the only two Test-playing countries with no presence in the tournament. Pakistan had sent a representative in the first edition of the tournament, which was cancelled in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. As ties worsened between India and Pakistan and their cricket boards in the aftermath, the PCB was not eventually extended an invitation to the first tournament and since then it has stated that it will not send a team this year after Pakistan players were not included at the IPL auction in January.The dates of this year’s Champions League clash with the end of England’s county season, which finishes on September 16. At the same time, England and Pakistan will be contesting an ODI series that runs until September 22.

Graham Ford appeared unfazed as his side left Chelmsford after a damp draw against Essex

Will Macpherson at Chelmsford10-May-2016The opening match of Sri Lanka’s tour of England, against Essex, could hardly be filed under “dream starts” but coach Graham Ford appeared unfazed as his side left Chelmsford with a damp draw.Having been bowled out by a schoolboy on debut under perfect skies on Sunday, the Sri Lankans took just four Essex wickets in 100 overs (the maximum the game’s regulations allowed), as England aspirants and solid county pros alike made hay, before the final day – in which they would have been batting to save the game – was washed out.To compound their problems, seamer Dhammika Prasad – who so impressed in their series win two years ago – left the field with a shoulder injury on the second afternoon; Sri Lanka later said a scan had proved inconclusive but he would certainly sit out the second warm-up match against Leicestershire starting on Friday.”There is no doubt that we could have done with the time out there,” Ford told ESPNcricinfo. “We are going to require more time to adjust to the conditions. One or two of the batters showed some decent form and, pleasingly, there weren’t many soft dismissals, but without question we are going to have to work on how we play the swinging ball. The bowlers needed a bit of a gallop but I felt that, while we didn’t start great with the ball, there were patches yesterday where we bowled a hell of a lot better.”Yesterday was a long day for the bowlers, and I’m sure they will have benefitted from that; time in the legs, having to bowl long spells and hit good areas for sustained periods. We batted on quite a lively wicket on day one, which was a test and some players showed some form on that, then the wicket did get a bit flatter and we had to work quite hard with the ball. That’s a pretty reasonable exercise, I’d say.”Ford admitted that selection for the first Test – at Headingley a week on Thursday – is far from ironed out. The two men competing for the No.3 spot – Kusal Mendis (who occupied the position in this match) and Niroshan Dickwella, who batted at No.8 – were the stand-out batsmen, making aggressive and attractive half-centuries on the first day. Lahiru Thirimanne, who would also be in contention for the spot, is recovering from his hamstring injury and could play the second game at Leicester. “He’s close,” said Ford, “he’s done everything the S&C coach and physio want of him, which is a good sign.”It’s too early to be clear on the side,” he said. “Mendis and Dickwella, what’s exciting there is that they are both showing that they can play and are finding form, which is all you can ask in the early part of a tour. We have a bit of cricket to play, so we shall make decisions on things like who will keep wicket [Dinesh Chandimal and Dickwella both took the gloves at times in this game] closer to the time. That’s one of the things that is frustrating about losing that time today.”The game at Grace Road, which begins on Friday, poses selection issues of its own. Among the bowlers, Rangana Herath will return, and Dushmantha Chameera and Suranga Lakmal are also expected to play. “The bowling was much improved yesterday, but the bowlers need to improve our lengths and find some swing, because we know what a weapon that is. We will certainly be looking at one or two other options.”We have a few questions we need to answer, and at Leicester it’s important the batsmen show some real form. There’s nothing like time in the middle. We want big scores and we want them at the crease for long periods of time.”Ford seemed more surprised at the stunning weather for the opening day than Tuesday’s rain. “I knew we would get some dodgy weather at some stage,” he said, “but it’s still frustrating. We were lucky on Sunday, but we actually need to be getting used to the cold fingers and hands for when we head to Leeds and Durham. Suddenly we will run into that and the adjustment will have to happen pretty quickly!”Ford, who coached Surrey as recently as last season, was also unsurprised by the quality of opposition his side faced. “This Essex side is a particularly strong batting unit, but I was massively impressed with young Aaron Beard. Tom Westley made runs against Surrey and I’m well aware of his ability – he’s a wonderful talent. Things are looking very good for them here.”

Los Blancos may have beaten Liverpool handily at Anfield, but that performance was an outlier during what has been a tough 2023 at Santiago Bernabeu

Carlo Ancelotti's recent press conferences have become repetitive. On a weekly basis,the Real Madrid boss is asked about expiring contracts, his refusal to stick to one tactical system, and why Eden Hazard is, once again, injured. He is drilled about why Barcelona are nine points ahead in La Liga. And then, finally, in some form, he is asked about his long-term future at Santiago Bernabeu.

Such questions would be hard to believe for those who watched Madrid thrash Liverpool at Anfield just three weeks ago, but as the Italian coach prepares for the return leg, he does so under increasing pressure.

Los Blancos have fallen behind an inexperienced Barca side in La Liga, and will see their title defence all-but end if they lose to their arch-rivals in Sunday's Clasico.

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Their record against Barca this season doesn't bode well for them, have already lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Xavi's side, while they are 1-0 down after the home leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

At this point, then, it is likely to be Champions League or bust for the veteran manager. He simply has to finish the job against Liverpool on Wednesday, and perhaps go on and win a second succesive European Cup; his job could depend on it.

GettyFrom dominance to defeats

Ancelotti has steadily come under pressure as the season has worn on in Madrid.

This time last year, Los Blancos were pulling away domestically and pulling off miraculous Champions League comebacks. The ex-Chelsea boss was being hailed for his laissez-faire coaching style, with fans and media alike marveling at his side's controlled brilliance.

Madrid felt like a unique side in modern European football. They barely wavered from their own style, regardless of the match situation. They were battered for long periods, but always stuck in games, showing remarkable self-belief to work themselves out of situations that other teams would have wilted in.

Now, though, things have changed. Madrid are very beatable. Those displays where opponents got the better of them statistically are turning into actual defeats.

Ancelotti, meanwhile, has been steadfast in his tactics, even while the 'vibe' that he creates seems to be wearing off.

AdvertisementGetty Images The loss that changed everything

In fairness, everything seemed to be running pretty smoothly during the first few months of the season. Madrid didn't lose a single domestic game until November. They brushed off Xavi's new-look Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season, and held off Atletico in the Madrid Derby.

Although there was an occasional European slip up – marked by a frustrating but forgivable 3-2 defeat to a resurgent RB Leipzig – Madrid looked composed as the World Cup break loomed.

Then Rayo Vallecano happened.

Madrid were hoping to go top of the table with a win, but instead they let slip a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in a game where their hosts deserved to win by a far greater margin.

After the game, Ancelotti slammed his side. He singled out the performances of Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio as being below-par, but did concede that his team were tired after a stretch of 11 games in 36 days.

It was unusual to see a manager as calm as Ancelotti criticise individuals. The Madrid boss had so regularly hailed his players and praised performances that a negative press conference was hard to believe.

GettyBarca hand out a Supercopa embarrassment

That showing was forgotten somewhat as Madrid brushed off Cadiz in their last game before the World Cup, but some of the same problems from that Rayo defeat have remained since the break for Qatar 2022.

Madrid regularly show a lack of bite in front of goal, predictability in attack and errors in progressing the ball out of the back.

It all came to a head in the Spanish Super Cup final in mid-January as they faced Barcelona. The Blaugrana were hardly flying when they entered the contest, as they had scraped past Atletico Madrid in the league and then needed penalties to beat Real Betis in the semi-final. Robert Lewandowski was serving a lengthy league suspension and Barca were struggling to create chances in his absence.

But in Riyadh, the Blaugrana battered Real Madrid.

Xavi introduced a new formation, playing four central midfielders in a modified 4-2-3-1 formation. Ancelotti, meanwhile, stuck with his traditional system, and could only watch on as Barca scored twice in the first half, with a late consolation goal from Karim Benzema doing little to dress up a 3-1 embarrassment.

More pressing than the result, though, was the performance. Madrid constantly gave the ball away in midfield, and were blown apart in transition by a younger, quicker and more alert Barca side. It was all very out of character for an Ancelotti team.

Ancelotti inadvertently highlighted the worrying nature of the result after the loss: "Real Madrid usually win finals, and we’ve lost this one," he said following the result.

The result was a breaking of the usual mould. Madrid, perennial winner and masters of big games, had lost their most significant of the season so far.

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Getty ImagesPersistent mistakes

A series of faults and failures in the league have followed, although Madrid aren't losing games in spades; they're simply drawing too often. Since the World Cup, they have drawn with Real Betis, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad. They have also lost to Villarreal and Mallorca.

There's a pattern to these performances, too, with Madrid relying too heavily on the brilliant but mercurial Vinicius.

They run everything through their star winger, who can change a game at any given moment, but that predictability has allowed opposing teams to adapt. The Brazilian is double or triple-teamed every time he touches the ball, and kicked whenever he rounds an opponent.

Defensive mistakes have followed, with first Ferland Mendy and then Eduardo Camavinga leaving Los Blancos exposed at left-back.

Ballon d'Or winner Benzema has struggled with injury, while knocks and tired legs in midfield have prevented Ancelotti from fielding a consistent XI in 2023.

It all amounts to a spluttering squad, one that is steadily being figured out by the teams around it.

Most managers would change. They would see the faults in their system and experiment. Another coach might realise that teenager Alvaro Rodriguez is a more direct striking option, and employ him as a No.9 instead of the attacking midfielder Rodrygo when Benzema is absent. A different manager could adjudge that defensive-midfielder Camavinga cannot simply be slipped into a left-back spot without cover.

Ancelotti, though, has stuck to his guns. He probably has every right to. The Italian has won everything in football, and has been notoriously reluctant to fiddle with things. Ancelotti is, for better or worse, set in his ways.

Arsenal made Champions League history as they wreaked havoc in the first half of their clash against Lens on Wednesday.

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Arsenal run riot in the EmiratesFirst English team to lead by five at half-timeJoint-fastest to score four goalsWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners are dancing their way into the Champions League last 16 as group leaders after an exhilarating first-half performance against the French outfit on at the Emirates. They were 5-0 up before half-time with goals from Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard. Mikel Arteta's men etched their names in the history books as they became the first-ever English side to lead by that many goals at half-time in Europe's top-flight cup competition.

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It was 15 minutes of blitzkrieg from the north London side that saw them score four goals before their skipper Martin Odegaard added another at the stroke of half-time. Those minutes fired them to another bit of record-making history as they became the joint-fastest English side, along with Manchester United, to score four times in the first 27 minutes. Notably, the Red Devils attained the feat against Brondby in the 1998-99 season – the same campaign when they bagged the record-breaking treble.

DID YOU KNOW?

Havertz has been in scintillating form this November as he netted his third goal in four matches. The German international once again ghosted into space to slot beyond Lens keeper Brice Samba from close range after Gabriel Jesus set him up with a flick-on.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

Arsenal will sail into the knockouts by finishing top of Group B, irrespective of their result against PSV away from home on December 12. After the dominant victory in Europe, Arteta will now shift focus to the Premier League where they are set to host Wolves next on Saturday.