All posts by h716a5.icu

With two weeks left until the January transfer window closes, Wolves still have time to make any changes to their squad that they think will put them in the best shape to end the season as strongly as possible and potentially secure a European place in the Premier League table.

However, it seems as though the club can put to bed any concerns about potentially seeing one of their key players leave Molineux this month.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet SPORT, Wolves winger Adama Traore wants to return to Barcelona with Jorge Mendes apparently working with both parties for a potential deal.

However, it’s likely that Traore will stay at the Midlands club until the summer before a final decision is made on his future.

Since joining Wolves back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship club Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, the Spaniard has gone on to make 153 appearances for the Old Gold across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing 18 assists in the process.

Lage will be relieved

Despite only managing to score one goal in the Premier League so far this season, which came in Wolves’ recent 3-1 win over Southampton at the weekend, Traore’s performances have shown what an important figure he can be for the team and why Bruno Lage will be relieved to potentially have him in the squad for the remainder of the season rather than watching him leave midway through the campaign.

For the 19 league performances he’s delivered for Wolves this season, WhoScored have given Traore an overall rating of 6.97/10, making him their fourth-highest rated player below Rayan Ait-Nouri, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman.

Looking ahead to the summer, with the 25-year-old’s contract set to expire in 2023, it could be worth Wolves working out a deal with Barcelona to sell Traore on a permanent deal after previous reports have highlighted his unhappiness and unwillingness to sign a new deal at Molineux.

This way, the Molineux outfit would get a transfer fee for him that could be used to find a replacement and Traore gets the move he wants, leaving all parties happy.

Moving forward, if Traore can end the season on a high with some goals and assists under his belt, this could help Wolves be able to get more money for him if they do end up negotiating a deal in the summer with Barcelona.

In other news: Deal agreed: Fabrizio Romano drops big Wolves transfer update, Lage surely buzzing – opinion 

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has dropped a major update on Newcastle United’s plans for the rest of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Speaking live on Sky Sports News at 16:05pm on Thursday afternoon, he said: “Hugo Ekitike is a player that Newcastle like, and is a player that Eddie Howe likes. Is he the sort of player that could go straight into the Newcastle first-team? There’s question marks over that.

“Ekitike is still a deal that could potentially happen between now and the closure of the window, but the necessity of getting the Frenchman in has been slightly subsided by the fact Chris Wood has arrived.

“It feels very much that the priority right now is, with Wood and Trippier through the door, is to bring in a central defender. Newcastle had been left to the bare bones in the FA Cup on Saturday, they had just the two centre-backs to choose from. I think at the start of the week we felt they would try and get a defender in by the weekend, they certainly have been pushing behind the scenes. They’ll push for that centre-back over the weekend and into next week.”

Fans will be excited

How quickly things can change in the space of a week.

After falling to a shock defeat in the FA Cup against lower league Cambridge United, Newcastle moved swiftly to address their striking concerns by snapping up Chris Wood from relegation rivals Burnley.

Now, Downie’s update that the Magpies have firmly turned their attentions towards signing a new central defender in the very near future should surely be music to the ears of supporters.

While landing Ekitike would certainly add to Eddie Howe’s attacking options even more following Wood’s arrival, it certainly makes sense for the Tyneside club to put all their eggs into the central defensive basket.

With the second-worst defensive record in the division, bringing in a top-quality centre-back could go a long way to solidifying Newcastle’s spine for the second-half of the Premier League campaign.

The club’s fans will surely be excited at not only seeing their club move fast in addressing their priorities, but also at how soon they could bring someone in too.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have made a fresh bid for this star…

In the early days of the 2022 January transfer window, Wolves have recalled Dion Sanderson and Ryan Giles from their loan deals, as well as securing a deal for midfielder Hayao Kawabe.

However, despite there still being a considerable amount of time left in the window, it appears that Wolves fans shouldn’t be holding their breath for many more incoming signings this month.

What’s the news?

In a recent article by Tim Spiers for The Athletic, comments from the club’s technical director Scott Sellars were shared about what their plans will be for the current transfer window which may not please a lot of fans at Molineux.

Sellars said: “It’s hard to predict what happens in any transfer window, but it’s certain that we won’t bring in a large number of new signings, and firstly we will focus on providing Bruno Lage with immediate back up at a time when all clubs are suffering with injuries and [virus] issues, and at the same time give opportunities to our young players who have been doing so well out on loan.

“We’d rather use the young players out on loan, and wait for our injured players to come back, than spend money on players who aren’t going to improve the squad we already have.

“If there’s someone who is going to enhance the squad and team, then of course we will explore the option and see if we can make it work.”

Fans may be furious

Taking this into account, it seems as though Sellars is trying to cover all aspects of what business Wolves could look to do in terms of transfer deals this month without trying to raise expectations or excitement among the fan base, but supporters may still be left furious over the prospect of a quiet month on the market.

Eighth in the Premier League table with 28 points on the board from 19 games, it has been a solid campaign so far for the Old Gold, especially with just 14 goals conceded in that time – only runaway leaders Manchester City have a better defensive record.

However, on the flip side, Wolves have only managed to score 13 league goals so far this season, fewer than the likes of Burnley, Newcastle United and Watford, who comprise three of the bottom four in the top flight.

With this in mind, if Wolves are to make any other new signings this month, it would be worth bringing in a player who could inject a bit of life to the attack, find the net on a regular basis and, as Sellars put it, “enhance the squad”.

In other news: Shi heading for huge Wolves howler over “talented” £58k-p/w star, Lage would be fuming

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.

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.

Some inept West Indian fielding towards the end, and lack of intensity in pushing for an unlikely win, let them down and it was left to AB de Villiers to steer the more deserving team home

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran30-May-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outHashim Amla eased to his second century of the series•AFPIt really shouldn’t have got so close. South Africa appeared to have the match in the bag while Hashim Amla was at the crease and for a while after too, but somehow found a way to press the pressure button and take the game to the final ball. Some inept West Indian fielding towards the end, and lack of intensity in pushing for an unlikely win, let them down and it was left to AB de Villiers to steer the more deserving team home.The required run rate soared to 8.60 at the end of the 45th over, when South Africa had to take the mandatory batting Powerplay. Two missed chances in the outfield gave South Africa a breather and it came down to the final over, when the visitors needed a more manageable three. The scores were level after the first two balls, but Dwayne Bravo tightened the noose in the next three. de Villiers pushed the third to mid-on, shouldered arms outside off to the fourth expecting it to be a wide before failing to dig out a yorker. The infield was packed and the din around the ground increased with the expectation of a great escape. de Villiers squirted the last ball to Darren Sammy at short midwicket, who ought to have effected an easy run-out but failed to gather the ball and fluffed a throw at the stumps.Though both teams made blunders under pressure towards the end, West Indies had more wounds to tend to, primarily because of an underwhelming display in the field. With both Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor out injured, they lacked a raw quick bowler to hurry the batsmen with bounce on a good batting pitch, and the support cast of medium pacers were ineffective with the new ball. South Africa exploited that weakness for the most part and it seemed that only complacency could cost them the game, which it almost did.Their response to 303 was set up by Hashim Amla, who was at the centrefold spread again with an ice-cool century, his second in the series . His is not a commercially driven slam-bang approach which would make IPL scouts sit up and watch. He relies more on conventional strokes and a risk-free approach, accelerating according to the match situation and picking up singles whenever possible. He battled exhaustion, scored the bulk of his runs in singles – only 30 of his runs came off boundaries when he reached his century – and could have batted till the end if his body allowed him.Using the crease, Amla drove through the covers, played short-arm pulls, cut past backward point and even scooped Sammy for six over long-off. West Indies set innovative fields for Graeme Smith – placing two short midwickets – but not for Amla. Having taken so many runs off them in the series so far, West Indies could have identified a weakness and forced him to do something different, but instead just went through the motions. The intensity dropped after Smith’s dismissal as Amla calmly collected the singles and reached his fifty, off 45 balls.He took charge of two stands of 59 and 119 with Smith and Jacques Kallis respectively, and continued grafting it out till he neared his century. A squirt to backward point got him there, but he was already running low on battery, squatting on the pitch whenever he had a breather. He tried hitting out to conserve energy, but eventually fell to a tired shot to long-off. As he trudged back, South Africa were still in control with 80 needed off nearly 12 overs with seven wickets in hand.They were lucky to have an in-form de Villiers at the crease, but the man at the other end, JP Duminy, wasn’t as fluent. West Indies plugged things back to such an extent that they didn’t concede a boundary for close to nine overs. The required rate soared to nine before de Villiers eased the pressure with a paddled-four off Ravi Rampaul. Duminy was let off twice, first by Dwayne Bravo and then Darren Bravo. An 18-run over off Kieron Pollard tilted the game back in South Africa’s favour before fortunes oscillated again till the final ball.The drama overshadowed what was an impressive comeback by the West Indian batsmen after the third ODI. It was a lesson in crafting an ideal one-day innings – start off aggressively, consolidate in the middle overs and keep wickets in hand and then let loose in the slog overs. The three main players in each of those phases were Dale Richards, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Darren Bravo, who dictated terms in different styles to take West Indies to 303 and give the Sunday crowd at Windsor Park a match to watch.Richards compensated for Chris Gayle’s failure with an attacking knock, using the crease well to unfurl elegant shots down the ground. The South Africans were disciplined through the middle overs to peg West Indies back, but importantly, the duo of Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo were prepared to see off the period by grafting, instead of letting the frustration get to their heads.West Indies took the Powerplay in the 45th over and the pair of Darren Bravo and Pollard inflicted maximum damage in a stand of 59. Darren Bravo, who has a style to match Brian Lara with his trademark high backlift and stylish foot movements, punctuated the passage of play with carved boundaries over extra cover and a one-handed six over long-off. Pollard, under pressure to deliver for West Indies, brought out a couple of monster hits off Charl Langeveldt to take West Indies towards 300.Unfortunately, it was a day the hosts couldn’t get their batting and bowling to click in cohesion and as the series rolls into the final dead rubber on Thursday, the same questions on skill and commitment will be asked.

A round-up of matches from the fourth day of the RBS one-day competition

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2010Group ASomething had to give when the two undefeated teams in the group met. And predictably, the top-of-the-table thriller at the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy Ground witnessed Multan Tigers edge out Karachi Dolphins by one wicket. Batting first, Karachi Dolphins stuttered from the onset with forties from opener Adnan Baig and wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor propping them up to 164. Left-arm spinner Faisal Elahi picked up 4 for 33, while left-arm fast bowler Rizwan Haider assisted with three wickets. Multan fared no better with Mohammad Sami and Rumman Raees derailing the chase early on. Kashif Naved and Rizwan played their parts with brave thirties, but it was left to the last-wicket pair of captain Abdur Rauf and Zulfiqar Babar to see them home in the 44th over.A classy hundred from opener Sharjeel Khan handed Hyderabad Hawks a four-wicket win against Quetta Bears at the Niaz Stadium. Captain Tamiur Ali led from the front with a well-compiled 81 after Quetta chose to bat, and was given able support by Sabir Hussain (53). The two put on 106 for the third wicket, but a disciplined bowling effort from Hyderabad kept them down to 243. An opening stand of 117 during the chase did not augur well for Quetta, as Sharjeel clubbed 13 fours and two sixes. Even as they had a few hiccups in the middle, Shahid Qambrani, who remained unbeaten on 55, eventually saw Hyderabad through with more then two overs to spare.Group BNational Bank of Pakistan (NBP) tiptoed ahead of KRL into first place on the points table with a convincing seven-wicket win against whipping boys Sui Southern Gas Corporation (SSGC) at the Gaddafi Stadium. The win was largely set up by the bowlers, who did extremely well to clean up SSGC for 111 by the 38th over. There was to be no repeat of the four ducks during SSGC’s innings, as the NBP openers made a rousing start, putting on 84 in quick time. Though they lost three wickets on the way, victory was complete by only the 15th over.The two Alis – Azhar and Yasir – were the standout performers for Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) as they overcame Karachi Zebras by six wickets at the Khan Research Laboratory Ground. Right-arm fast bowler Yasir starred with the ball, picking up 3 for 42, as Karachi finished on 170 for 7 in the 28-overs-a-side game. But it was the opener Azhar who shone brighter as his quickfire 85 off 83 balls went a long way in securing the chase. He smashed eight fours and a six and KRL eventually sealed the win with nine balls to go.The match between Habib Bank Limited and Lahore Eagles at the Diamond Club Ground was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Both teams got two points each.Group CUndefeated Sialkot Stallions continued their winning ways, galloping to a three-wicket win against Islamabad Leopards at the Jinnah Stadium. Left-arm spinner Nayyer Abbas was the wrecker-in-chief after Islamabad were invited to bat. He took 4 for 30 to pin down the opposition to 200. Even though right-arm fast bowler Shehzad Azam wreaked havoc early on in the Sialkot chase, calming knocks from the Maliks – Shehzad (50) and Adeel (47) – swung the advantage their way. The 103-run partnership for the fifth wicket dimmed Islamabad’s hopes and Bilwal Bhatti (23 for 10 balls) ensured a quick end by the 37th over.Rawalpindi Rams improved their chances of a semi-final berth with a thumping 108-run win against Faisalabad Wolves in Sargodha. Put in by Fasialabad, Rawalpindi notched up 305 for 9, thanks to composed half-centuries by Naved Malik and Babar Naeem and some late-order fireworks. Opener Mohammad Shahid lent a solid hand during the reply with 52, but once Zeeshan Asif departed for 64, the Faisalabad innings went downhill, as they capitulated for 197 in the 43rd over.Lahore Lions finally got their maiden win when they beat fellow-strugglers Abbottabad Rhinos at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Being put in, Lahore could manage just 228, with Rana Adnan top scoring with 55 of 84 balls. But it was a spirited performance from the bowlers next up, that had Abbottabad on the backfoot from the start. With just two meaningful contributions from Ghulam Mohammad (45) and Mohammad Kashif (34), the target proved too big an ask and they collapsed 68 runs short.Group DA strong performance from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited’s top three batsman secured a comfortable nine-wicket victory against Pakistan Customs in Multan. Chasing 232 to win, opener Ali Waqas scored 50 before he was dismissed with the score on 85. His partner Naeemuddin made an unbeaten 103, while Misbah-ul-Haq cracked 75 off 72 balls, to secure victory in the 42nd over. Earlier, SNGPL new-ball bowler Samiullah Khan had taken 3 for 25 to help dismiss Pakistan Customs for 231 in the 50th over. Jibran Khan and Ramiz Azin made fifties but there was little coming from any of the other batsmen.Water and Power Development Authority completed a four-wicket victory in Bahawalpur thanks largely to their bowlers, who dismissed Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited for only 210. Atif Ashraf scored 66 off 78 balls for ZTBL but the WAPDA bowlers worked their way through the batting order without allowing partnerships to develop. Kashif Raza took 1 for 25 from 8.5 overs while Umaid Asif and Imranullah Aslam took two each. There were no substantial innings from WAPDA’s batsmen either but several useful contributions, along with Jahangir Mirza’s 56, were enough to reach the target in the 37th over. Ali Azmat finished the chase in a hurry, smacking 33 off 14 balls with seven fours.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Rangers side face Dundee in the Premiership on Saturday as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.

The Gers are four points clear of their nearest rivals in the league table after 15 games and have only lost one match this season, after two wins from two under the ex-Feyenoord coach in the division.

Roofe would get Ibrox rocking

The Dutchman could get Ibrox rocking on Saturday with a big selection call. He must axe Alfredo Morelos from the side and start Kemar Roofe through the middle in order to get the crowd pumped when the teams are read out prior to kick-off.

Supporters would surely be buzzing to see Roofe in the line-up after his match-winning cameo against Hibernian. He came off the bench to score from the spot in the 1-0 win on Wednesday, his sixth goal in six Premiership starts this term.

Speaking about the Jamaican last season, ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard said: “He’s doesn’t stop, he’s like a Duracell bunny. He’s hitting numbers that you don’t really expect from a forward player.”

In the 2020/21 campaign, the 5 foot 10 gem scored 14 goals in 18 Premiership starts, whilst also providing three assists. This shows that he has the quality in front of goal to go along with his impressive running.

Back in 2019, Eddie Gray heaped praise on the pace that Roofe offers at the top end of the pitch. Speaking to LUTV, the 73-year-old said: “He’s led the line well, but he’s got that little bit of pace. It is something we [Leeds] have not got in abundance. Real pace. I’m talking about.”

This highlights what the 28-year-old offers outside of the penalty area for the Gers. He has the raw pace to stretch the play by making clever runs in behind, either leading to him creating a chance for himself or opening up space for others in which to work.

His runs can force opposition defenders to be drawn out into wide positions and this opens gaps in central areas for players like Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo to exploit. It can also cause the full-back on the far side to shuffle across and leave room on the left – should Roofe chase a ball into the channel on the right – and that would leave Ryan Kent room in which to work if the ball ends up being switched to his side.

Therefore, fans could love to see the former Leeds marksman in the starting XI, as he has the goalscoring record to show that he can be a match-winner and the pace to make exciting, clever runs to get them out of their seats at Ibrox. It is now over to Van Bronckhorst to name him in the team come 2pm on Saturday…

AND in other news, “We understand”: Journalist drops major Rangers transfer update which will leave fans fuming…

A round-up of the sixth round of games from the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 tournament in Zimbabwe

John Ward17-Feb-2010Mountaineers surged to the top of the points table with an easy 22-run victory over Desert Vipers in the sixth round of Twenty20 games at Harare Sports Club. Chasing 173 to win, Vipers were well on target until a middle-order slump ruined their chances, with victory for Mountaineers virtually certain after Timycen Maruma and Natsai Mushangwe ripped through the Vipers line-up.Vipers made a flying start to their innings despite Gerrit Rudolph’s early exit, with Raymond van Schoor slashing riskily at everything near off stump – but with a mammoth total to chase down it was a necessary policy. Mountaineers’ bowling and fielding were not up to their usual standard and Vipers raced to 52 for 1 in the first five overs.Van Schoor unluckily played on to Greg Smith for 33, but Craig Williams and Dwaine Pretorius kept the momentum going with a brief but productive stand of 37. But then Mushangwe, the legspinner, and Maruma, the googly bowler, were brought on and three quick wickets fell, reducing Vipers to 97 for 5 in the 13th over. They rallied briefly, but a fine catch by Donald Tiripano to remove Tobias Verwey for 11 was the deathblow to Vipers’ hopes.Christi Viljoen hit some lusty blows in his unbeaten 19 as Vipers eventually reached 150 for 9, but Mountaineers’ total was never in any real danger. Despite the ease of their victory, Mountaineers’ performance was not flawless, however, and they will have to get back to their usual standard in order to maintain their position at the top of the log.One thing Mountaineers will be happy with is the continued good form of Hamilton Masakadza, who is the tournament’s leading scorer with 237 runs, including a century against Southern Rocks, at a strike rate of 151.92. He overcame difficult conditions early on to record another half-century in this game, eventually falling for 52.The weather at the start of the day was overcast and uncertain, and the outfield damp after early-morning rain, but Mountaineers decided to bat anyway. For once there was a little movement for the bowlers off the pitch and in the air, and the opening bowlers Louis Klazinga and Christi Viljoen used up their four-over allocations right at the start. Mountaineers’ openers, Masakadza and Bernard Mlambo, were unable to start as quickly as usual, but they survived and kept the score moving with quick running to bring up the 50 in the eighth over.Masakadza then unleashed some savage strokes against the second-string bowlers. He hit four sixes – two of them, over square leg and long on, were massive blows by any standard – and by the time Mlambo was dismissed for 24 the score was 81 for 1 in the tenth over. Masakadza was bowled hitting across the line at Williams, but Maruma and Stuart Matsikenyeri ensured Mountaineers were able to set a match-winning target.In the second match of the day, Southern Rocks proved that they do not need their openers to carry their batting for them, but neither do they have the bowlers to defend scores and win matches. Once again they posted a highly respectable total, 177 for 4, only to find themselves unable to defend it against Mid West Rhinos. Outstanding innings by Craig Ervine and Alester Maregwede were topped by a brilliant unbeaten 86 from Riki Wessels, who took Rhinos to victory with ten balls to spare.Rhinos won the toss and decided to field, opening the bowling with Darren Stevens’ medium pace. It was a successful tactic as taking the pace off the ball and pitching it up was enough to throw the renowned Rocks opening pair off their game. Stevens removed Chamu Chibhabha in his second over for 7, hitting across the line, while at the other end Sikandar Raza hit the faster Mike Chinouya for two successive fours and was then bowled for 14.With the openers gone cheaply for a change, it seemed the crucial partnership was now that between Steve Tikolo and Sean Ervine. But yet another confused run out did for Tikolo, while Ervine played some superb flowing strokes but then threw his wicket away, lofting Ollie Rayner straight into the hands of wide long on to depart for 23 off 13 balls.Then came a magnificent unbroken partnership of 113 between the younger Ervine – Craig – and Maregwede, who both played their best innings of the tournament, although a couple of difficult dropped chances helped them. Both faced 36 balls, with Maregwede reaching 48 and Ervine 62, while they hit six sixes between them to take Rocks to a total that had not seemed possible after their poor start.In reply, Rhinos lost Vusi Sibanda in the first over for 4, but Wessels swiftly stepped into the breach, pulling, cutting and driving with power and certainty. Brendan Taylor gave him good support, and Wessels continued to profit after being dropped on the midwicket boundary just after reaching his half-century.Taylor chipped Chibhabha to Blessing Mahwire to depart for 28, and after Bothwell Chapungu’s brief cameo was ended by Raza, Wessels was joined by Stevens. He cracked an unbeaten 43 from only 20 balls to seal the game and send Rhinos into the top three on the points table.

Mitchell Johnson has done some wonderful things this year but his captain Ricky Ponting insists he has never bowled better than during this week’s win over Pakistan in Melbourne

Brydon Coverdale30-Dec-2009Mitchell Johnson has done some wonderful things this year but his captain Ricky Ponting insists he has never bowled better than during this week’s win over Pakistan in Melbourne. Johnson has finished the calendar year as the world’s leading Test bowler with 63 wickets at 27.42, nine victims clear of Graeme Swann.During 2009 he scored his first Test century and became the first Australian and seventh player ever to achieve the double of 500 Test runs and 50 Test wickets in a calendar year, after Vinoo Mankad, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Flintoff and Daniel Vettori. Johnson capped off the year with six wickets at the MCG and Ponting believes he is thriving without the responsibility of taking the new ball.”He’s got the most wickets for the year, hasn’t he, in Test cricket?” Ponting said. “Right at the moment, he’s doing everything spot-on. I said to him after our first-innings bowling, I think that’s the best he’s probably bowled for us. He’s continuing to get better.”One of the big things for Mitch is the fact he’s not bowling with the new ball. That is something that’s really good for him. We’ve seen at different times how dangerous and damaging he can be with the new ball, but I think we’ve seen here in conditions where the old ball does a little bit as well that that’s when he’s at his most effective.”The figures back up Ponting’s assessment. Although some of Johnson’s most venomous spells have been bowled with the new ball, including his destruction of South Africa in Johannesburg this year, so have many of his worst. In the 30 Test innings where Johnson has taken the new ball he has collected 74 wickets at 29.24 but in 28 innings when used as a change bowler he has picked up 63 victims at 26.65.In part that is due to his struggles to control the swing of the new ball and after his Ashes meltdown at Lord’s, he was stripped of the opening duties and reverted to first change. That move has not been a concern for Johnson, who is the most experienced member of Australia’s young attack and still considers himself its leader.”It didn’t faze me,” Johnson said. “I think I do a pretty good job first change, second change. I’ve come to the conclusion that at the moment I’m happy where I am. I’m still the leader of the attack even though I’m not taking the new ball and I’m really enjoying that role.”Whatever he’s done, it’s working. Johnson was named the ICC’s Cricketer of the Year for 2009 and finished the year with a controlled, consistent display of first-change bowling at the MCG. As important as his six wickets was the way he stifled Pakistan’s runs and he collected match figures of 6 for 82 from 40 overs.He set the tone for Australia’s quick demolition of Pakistan early on the fifth day when he picked up two wickets from two balls in the first over of the morning. Johnson bowled fast, on a good length and moving away from the off-stump line to collect a pair of edges from the right-handers Umar Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq. Johnson did that damage with a ball that was 45 overs old and Ponting said that although Johnson was for now a first-rate first-change, he might return to new-ball duties at some point.”He fits in our team best as that first-change bowler and he’s proven in this game here that with an old ball he’s dangerous,” Ponting said. “He’ll continue to change things, he’ll continue trying to work on becoming a very good new-ball bowler as well and if he’s working hard on that there’s no reason down the track why he can’t become that. His record at first change has been great for us.”