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Cricinfo previews the third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town18-Mar-2009Match factsMarch 19-23, 2009
Start time 10.30am (08.30GMT)Ashwell Prince, who will open the batting for South Africa, has a point to prove to selectors after he was left out of the first two Tests•Getty ImagesBig PictureThe series is decided and the Cape Town Test has become a dead rubberbut for several individuals there is still plenty to play for. TheAustralians in particular will be keen to keep up their strong formahead of their next Test appointment. The Ashes begin in July andwith the likelihood that established players such as Stuart Clark,Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds will be available for selection, thenewer faces in the squad will be desperate to push their cases forspots on the tour. Men like Ben Hilfenhaus and Marcus North have allbut booked their places for the England trip and a strong performancein Cape Town would cap off their auditions.As far as team momentum is concerned, this game has far lessimportance than the equivalent dead rubber in Sydney in January.Australia fought back from their 2-0 series deficit to win that gameand the impetus helped them begin strongly in South Africa, whiletheir opponents faded away. But this time the South Africans have noTest cricket on the agenda for nine months – their home series againstEngland begins in December.It’s therefore hard to know what the likes of Ashwell Prince andImraan Khan can take out of this game in isolation. The two men havebeen included as the openers for this game in the absence of theinjured Graeme Smith and the axed Neil McKenzie. Prince and Khan couldbe competing for one opening position when Smith returns but with solong before the England series, they have no choice but to treat thisas a one-off match.Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)South Africa LLLWW
Australia WWWLL
Watch out forAshwell Prince has been asked to open and it’s not a job thathe is used to. A trial run for the Warriors on the weekend worked well- he made a handy 254 against an attack boasting both Morkel brothers.Prince will also be keen to prove a point to the selectors, who lefthim out at the start of this series despite his standing as the team’svice-captain, after he missed all three Tests in Australia due to acracked thumb.Mitchell Johnson is the leading wicket taker for the series andmost significantly his repertoire now boasts the inswinger toright-handers. It has made him a serious threat in the swinging SouthAfrican conditions and if the Newlands pitch has a hint of green onthe first morning he could be a handful. South Africa’s new openerswill be warily eyeing off Smith’s hands after Johnson broke one inSydney and the other in Durban.Team newsThere has been nothing but team news for South Africa over the pastweek. After the Durban loss, McKenzie and Morne Morkel were droppedand with Smith injured, it meant three changes to a side that hadn’taltered at all since the start of the tour of Australia. Prince andKhan will form a new and experimental opening partnership, while AlbieMorkel is set to make his debut at the expense of his brother.South Africa (likely) 1 Imraan Khan, 2 Ashwell Prince, 3 HashimAmla, 4 Jacques Kallis (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 JP Duminy, 7 MarkBoucher (wk), 8 Albie Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 MakhayaNtini.Australia’s only decision was likely to be whether to use the same XI that wonthe first two Tests or include the legspinner Bryce McGain. However, their situation has been complicated by a bout of gastro that struck down North the day before the game. He did not train with the squad on Wednesday and it meant the Australians were forced to delay naming their 12. With no batting backups in the touring party, if North fails to recover it will almost certainly mean a debut for McGain. The Newlands pitch is expected to offer some turn, so McGain is a chance to play anyway, and at just a week short of his 37th birthday he would be Australia’s oldest debutant since Bob Holland. If he does play it could be as a replacement for his Victoria team-mateAndrew McDonald, who has been solid in the first two Tests without categorically imposing himself on them.Australia (possible) 1 Phillip Hughes, 2 Simon Katich, 3 RickyPonting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Bryce McGain,11 Ben Hilfenhaus.Pitch and conditionsLess than 24 hours before the game, the Newlands pitch was sportingsignificant patches of grass, although there were sizeable bare spotsat either end. It will be given a shave before the match and shouldbecome the best batting surface of the series. The forecast for thefirst few days is for perfectly sunny conditions and temperatures ofaround 25C.Stats and TriviaAustralia’s Test record at Newlands rivals their record anywherein the world. They have won nine of their ten Tests at the venue,losing for the only time in 1969-70Australia are the only team to have beaten South Africa inNewlands Tests in the post-Apartheid eraRicky Ponting needs 52 runs to reach 11,000 in Tests, a mark thatonly Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Allan Border have achievedThis will be the last Test appearance for the umpire SteveBucknor, who will quit the game having stood in a record 128TestsQuotes”There’s a lot of upsides in Bryce playing in this game but with thisgroup of players we’ve got together and the work that they’ve doneover the past few weeks it is going to be difficult to break the sideup.”
“We’ve got to take note of what they did in the third Test match inSydney. They turned it around and we’ve got to do the same here.”

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that Stuart Dallas will be part of the Whites’ squad for their game against Liverpool this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Dallas not in recent Northern Ireland squad

Dallas is a pivotal part of the Leeds squad, with the Northern Irishman playing in every single Premier League game last season, scoring eight goals and providing two assists upon the Whites’ return to the top flight.

He has played every minute of the current season for his club, registering an assist in the opening day defeat to Manchester United as he continues to provide the goods for Bielsa’s side.

However, over the recent international break, the 30-year-old missed Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifying win in Lithuania due to ‘personal reasons’ and the winger remained at home, withdrawing from Ian Baraclough’s squad.

The Latest: Dallas back in Leeds squad for Reds visit

As per Leeds Live, Bielsa ‘confirmed that Stuart Dallas would be part of the 20-man squad’ ahead of the Whites’ Premier League clash with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Elland Road this afternoon.

With the specific reasons behind his exclusion from Baraclough’s squad over the international break not publicised, Dallas seems to have managed the situation well and is set to be involved in today’s fixture.

Raphinha can also feature after the threat from the Brazilian FA was waved and the Brazilian will join his national team-mates Alisson and Fabinho in participating. Leeds duo Junior Firpo and Mateus Klich could also return after overcoming recent viral infections.

The Verdict: Good news for Bielsa

Dallas’ importance to the Leeds squad has been perfectly summed up by former Leeds Player of the Year Jermaine Beckford, who labelled the Northern Ireland international ‘the linchpin’ in Bielsa’s side – not surprising considering his very impressive 2020/21 goal tally for a defensive player.

His match average of 1.3 interceptions this season is the fourth-highest in the squad, indicating that the 30-year-old also carried out his defensive work diligently in addition to providing a clear attacking threat.

Having all his best players available against Liverpool will please the manager, with Leeds giving the Reds two good games last season, including last season’s thrilling 4-3 defeat in the season opener at Anfield a year ago today and a 1-1 draw at Elland Road in this fixture in April.

Whether Dallas starts after his absence for his nation is yet to be revealed, but Leeds fans will surely be pleased to at least see his name mentioned on the squad list, raising the firm possibility that he will be in action this afternoon.

In other news, Leeds remain interested in this summer transfer target

Frank McAvennie has accused Celtic full-back Anthony Ralston of being ‘lazy’ in the defeat to Real Betis on Thursday. 

The 61-year-old, a former striker who had two memorable spells with the Hoops, was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Celtic fell to defeat in their Europa League Group G opener at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in Seville.

They actually led 2-0 inside the half-hour mark, but quickfire goals from the hosts levelled the game before half-time and Betis were up 4-2 by the 53rd minute as the Celtic defence collapsed.

Ralston’s header in the 87th minute reduced the arrears, but Ange Postecoglou’s side were unable to claw back a point in the short time that remained.

The latest

McAvennie was keen to stress that Ralston’s attacking output has been impressive – he has now scored three goals and provided one assist this season – but the Parkhead legend wants more commitment defensively from the £5,500-a-week earner, who was caught out of position for the goal from which Betis took the lead.

“Ralston wasn’t tracking back last night,” McAvennie told Football Insider on Friday. “I know he’s trying hard and doing well, scoring goals which is impressive for a full back.

“I just want my defenders to defend, it’s lazy. Celtic can’t keep playing well and losing.

“The manager needs to tighten it up because we keep conceding.”

The verdict

The statistics can only account for so much, but the bare numbers actually reflect pretty well on Ralston despite the above criticism. He won the majority of his 14 ground duels and wasn’t dribbled past at any point during the game (via SofaScore).

Still, you can understand McAvennie’s frustration given that this feels like a major missed more opportunity for Celtic. It’s such a difficult group, with games against Ferencvaros, who knocked Celtic out of the Champions League qualifiers in 2020, and Bayer Leverkusen to come.

In other news, read this pundit’s optimistic prediction on the Celtic CEO situation.

Days after coach Gus Logie’s no-holes-barred attack on the players’ attitude, board president Reggie Pearman has joined in the criticism of the Bermuda team

Cricinfo staff16-Apr-2009The fall-out following Bermuda’s dismal, showing in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, with their resulting loss of full ODI status, continues to rumble on. Days after coach Gus Logie’s no-holes-barred attack on the players’ attitude, board president Reggie Pearman has joined in the criticism of the team.”The performances in a lot of cases have not been what we had expected and we have fallen down on those performances,” he told Bermuda’s Royal Gazette. “It all boils down to a sense of pride, and I don’t think it has hit everybody. I think we have lost that national pride and it’s not only in cricket. It’s just a whole different mindset today and I don’t think our guys read the game or talk enough about cricket to each other. I think they just talk when the game is on and then when it’s over don’t think about it anymore.”I think the general attitude of the players has to change because we have got to want it. When we first qualified for the World Cup in 2005 we realised that once you are on this stage it’s a whole new ball game all together. You are on the world stage and everything has to change, but it hasn’t to an extent.”Pearman also touched on the fact that money was pumped into the game, both from the ICC and the government, with little to show. “[We] have put a lot of money into cricket and have caught hell all the way around. We bent over backwards in lot of areas and given the players what they want. They asked for money and they are now perhaps the highest paid Associate.”While Logie has been unfairly blamed by many for the on-field shambles, Pearman refused to agree and even backed comments he made to Cricinfo. “I think he’s justified in saying what he did because who else would know the team better than him? Gus could see that those guys could do better.”I think Gus has done a Yeoman job working with what he has to work with. He’s not always going to get it right, but I can sympathize with him. Gus has played the game at the pro level and so our guys should try and take a page from his book.”

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern that he cannot see Burnley needing to recall goalkeeper Peacock-Farrell.

The 24-year-old is currently on loan at Wednesday from Burnley and has made an impressive start to life in his new surroundings, winning the club’s Player of the Month award for August.

However, Owls boss Darren Moore recently confirmed that Burnley do have an option to recall Peacock-Farrell should they need to.

Such a development could easily disrupt Wednesday’s challenge for promotion, but Palmer cannot imagine too many scenarios that would require Burnley to bring Peacock-Farrell back to Turf Moor.

“It’s standard to have a recall clause,” the ex-Wednesday player said in an exclusive interview with TT. “I mean, they’d have to have injuries, Burnley, to three senior ‘keepers for them to have to recall him. So it’s very unlikely that would happen.”

As for Peacock-Farrell’s long-term future, returning to Burnley and becoming their No.1 looks like it is going to be a difficult task.

Nick Pope is currently Sean Dyche’s first choice for that position between the sticks and is arguably one of the leading ‘keepers in the Premier League. Last season, he kept 11 clean sheets, a record bettered by only four other shot-stoppers in the division.

The ICL will now adopt a two-pronged strategy: start activities afresh by holding talent identification camps and clinics at the six grounds that it controls in India, and pursue legally the ICC’s refusal to grant it recognition

Ajay S Shankar20-May-2009The ICL has decided to release around 50 players who had sought a return to official cricket. Those released are believed to include New Zealand’s Shane Bond, Pakistan’s Imran Nazir and Naved-ul-Hasan, Bangladesh’s Habibul Bashar and Deep Dasgupta, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Hemang Badani from India.The league will now adopt a two-pronged strategy: start activities afresh by holding talent identification camps and clinics at the six grounds that it controls in India, and pursue legally the ICC’s refusal to grant it recognition.”We will now focus on our October tournament programme,” Himanshu Mody, the ICL’s business head, told Cricinfo. “We decided to release these players because the ICL is about cricketers, we wouldn’t want to stand in their way. We understand that they want to leave us to progress in their careers. You could soon see some of these players in action at the official level, either playing, coaching, or in a management role. Some of them may even turn up for the IPL, which is good for them. We are only happy to help them benefit professionally.”These players – among the 85 Indians and 70 foreigners with the ICL – had applied for release from the league after various national boards echoed the BCCI’s amnesty offer made on April 29. They were asked to put in their requests by May 15, facilitating a return to the official fold by May 31, a day before new and stringent ICC rules on unofficial cricket come into force.Dasgupta, the former India wicketkeeper who played for ICL’s Royal Bengal Tigers, welcomed the league’s decision and called it a “positive development” for the players. “It’s good to hear about this,” Dasgupta told Cricinfo. “It’s in line with the ICL’s concept that they are always for the cricketers. I am now looking forward to playing in the official set-up and take my career forward.”Even though the ICL has hinted that Bond is in the process of being released, the player decided against commenting at this juncture. “There is no update, nothing yet,” Bond told Cricinfo.ICL officials, meanwhile, also confirmed that plans to take on the ICC in a legal battle are still on track. “You can expect a movement on this next week,” an official said. Last month, the ICC had rejected the ICL’s request for recognition to end months of uncertainty over the issue, including two failed rounds of official talks between the BCCI and the ICL.The ICL board took the decision to release these players during a meeting on May 18 and said in an official statement that the league “will continue to bring up and nurture younger talents for future”. “A few domestic and overseas players and support staff have approached us with an application to be released from ICL to pursue cricket with the state associations,” the statement said. “The same was due to the announcement made by the BCCI offering to take the players back into their fold.”Mody dismissed suggestions that the exodus would cripple the league. “It is not a setback,” he said. “On the contrary, it will help us streamline the league, and come up with a better Twenty20 product in October. We are very confident going forward.”

Nuno Santo has plenty of selection decisions to make as he embarks on his first north London derby as Tottenham Hotspur boss and he’ll be looking to turn their fortunes around in the Premier League at the same time.

The Lilywhites have been beaten 3-0 in back-to-back league games and now face an Arsenal side that appear to have turned a corner following three straight victories in all competitions.

Spurs have had their fair share of injuries in recent weeks but only Steven Bergwijn and Ryan Sessegnon are expected to be absent for the trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Here’s how we think Tottenham could line up later this afternoon…

In a pretty routine switch, club captain and no.1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is likely to replace Pierluigi Gollini between the sticks.

At right-back, there is a tough decision to make – will Nuno stick or twist with Japhet Tanganga after his performance in midweek, or will he start summer signing Emerson like he did against Chelsea?

He could well opt for the latter, with Thursday’s UEFA Europa Conference League game in mind.

Eric Dier should return in the place of Davinson Sanchez, alongside Cristian Romero – one of the few to remain from the win over Wolves in midweek, whilst Sergio Reguilon takes up his place on the left, replacing Ben Davies.

Nuno has another big call to make in midfield.

Tanguy Ndombele’s technical ability could be required in a game of this magnitude but there will be plenty of doubts over whether he can manage a fourth start in ten days.

With that in mind, we’re expecting young gem Oliver Skipp to be given the nod next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with Dele Alli playing in the no.10 role.

There’s no place for Giovani Lo Celso either as he disappointed once again at Molineux. Instead, the returning Lucas Moura will start on the right and he will partner Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in the attack.

The £80k-per-week winger, who Dier once dubbed a “nightmare” to train against, has missed their last two matches through injury but is available for selection.

In total, there could be as many as seven changes from the penalty shootout win against Wolves.

Spurs’ predicted XI against Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Reguilon, Dier, Romero, Emerson; Hojbjerg, Skipp, Alli; Son, Moura, Kane.

AND in other news, Nuno could solve Spurs’ creative issues in swoop for “explosive” £36m-rated dynamo…

Devon Malcolm, the former England fast bowler, has criticised Steve Harmison’s outlook and believes he should not have an ECB central contract

Cricinfo staff11-May-2009Devon Malcolm, the former England fast bowler, has criticised Steve Harmison’s outlook and believes he should not have an ECB central contract. Malcom attacked Harmison’s attitude as being ‘too comfortable’, saying the fast bowler lacked the necessary drive to play for his country.”I don’t like the way Harmison speaks at certain times. You shouldn’t give guys like Harmison a central contract. I’m not speaking out against central contracts per se but there are certain characters that make up a team and there are certain ways to manage them,” Malcolm wrote for website. “How I’m reading it at the moment, it doesn’t matter to Harmison if he doesn’t play against West Indies or Australia because he’s still got a central contract. At the back of his mind he’s an England player.”Malcolm, who took 128 wickets in 40 Tests, was scathing of Harmison’s attitude. “As a fast bowler you’ve got to get out there and show you want to play. It seems as if he’s too comfortable. Fast bowlers are not comfortable people,” he said. “You’ve always got to be striving because you know you’ve got to be a firestarter. You’ve got to be a force, mentally and physically. You’ve got to have the confidence to be in the opposing batsman’s face.”Steve just seems a little bit fragile at the moment. The simplest little thing knocks him off line. It seems he still hasn’t fully recovered from that first ball he bowled in the last Ashes series. I’ve never heard Steve say that was a terrible day.”Harmison, 30, was dropped for the Test at the Kensington Oval after two lacklustre performances in the Caribbean series, and question marks were being raised as to whether to can rekindle the required pace and hostility to lead the attack. According to Malcolm, Harmison should never play for England unless he had use of the new ball.”He should have the confidence to say: ‘I want that new ball. As an out-and-out fast bowler that should be my right,'” said Malcolm. “Harmison as second-change. No way! You’re hiding him like that. The opposition sees the guy who is meant to be your quickest bowler is not taking the new ball and it’s a psychological advantage.”

Sri Lanka survived a threatening 66-run partnership between Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq to ease to a 19-run win

The Bulletin by S Rajesh12-Jun-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Tillakaratne Dilshan provided Sri Lanka yet another flying start•AFPSri Lanka survived a shocking mid-innings slump and a threatening 66-run partnership between Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq to ease to a 19-run win in their first game of the Super Eights at Lord’s. Chasing a modest 151 – after Sri Lanka were shackled by some superb bowling from the spinners – Pakistan’s fight was led by their captain, who made a well-paced 50, but three wickets in eight balls, including those of Younis and Shahid Afridi, sunk the chase.Sri Lanka haven’t had much success against Pakistan in important limited-overs games, but here they held their nerve well when it mattered most. The momentum was clearly with Pakistan when the teams trooped off at the break – they had only conceded 70 in the last 12 after leaking 80 in the first eight – but the Sri Lankans shrugged off that lethargy when they returned, bowling with accuracy and venom, and fielding with a vigour that justified their rating as the best fielding team in the subcontinent.Angelo Mathews did the early damage, and after five overs Pakistan had only scored 33 compared to Sri Lanka’s 59. Pakistan, though, have made a habit of starting slowly and then scoring an insane amount of runs towards the end, and it seemed Younis and Misbah were well on their way to another rearguard rescue mission with their cool and unruffled approach. They began slowly, but Younis, especially, ran the singles cleverly, before upping the pace with some powerful sweeps off Murali.Fifty-two were needed off the last five, when the screws fell off. Misbah pulled straight to deep midwicket, Afridi, quite recklessly, slogged his first ball to same area. When Younis fell to one of several superb slower deliveries from Lasith Malinga, the chase, which had looked so promising minutes earlier, was suddenly over. The end of the match was disappointing for Pakistan, for they had recovered in style from a shocking start in the field.Sri Lanka’s total owed plenty to their two openers, and the manner in which they started suggested they’d post a score of around 200. Dilshan and Jayasuriya, aided by Tanvir’s extreme generosity, powered the team to 59 in five overs. Pakistan’s start was sloppy even by their modest standards. Tanvir started with a no-ball, and by the time his first over was done, he’d added three wides and another no-ball to that tally. The batsmen, meanwhile, made merry: both openers eased drives through the covers as the first over leaked 18.Prime Numbers11 Number of deliveries in Sohail Tanvir’s first over32 Number of dot balls bowled by Shahid Afridi, the second best in the tournament. Dale Steyn with 33 dot-balls leads the list6 Number of dot balls Younis Khan played in his 37-ball 50. He took 20 singles, seven twos and hit four fours29 Number of fours hit by Tillakaratne Dilshan in the tournament, almost twice that of the next in the list, Jacques Kallis, who has 1520 Number of extras conceded by Pakistan in the Sri Lankan innings, the second-highest in the tournament after Sri Lanka’s 22 against West IndiesThat was the launching pad for more heroics, as Dilshan uncorked his favourite scoop over the wicketkeeper, and Jayasuriya played his trademark shot as well – the short-arm pull for six. Younis didn’t trust his spinners in the Powerplays, and Sri Lanka’s openers relished pace on the ball, driving into the gaps forcefully or scooping and nudging delicately. On a quick outfield, both were equally profitable.Afridi then led the rescue mission, denying the batsmen room, and varying his pace and length cleverly to suddenly stifle the innings. In his second over, he shackled the batsmen to just one run in his first five balls, and then forced a miscue from Jayasuriya; in his next over, Dilshan was beaten by the length, and the innings fell away completely.Sri Lanka’s problems with the lower order then resurfaced, as Sangakkara and Jayawardene fell after getting starts, and the rest struggled. Pakistan, meanwhile, had tightened considerably: Umar Gul offering no freebies, Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik showing excellent control, and with the fielding getting sprightly up as well, Sri Lanka had no weak link to attack. The last five overs yielded only two fours, and it seemed Sri Lanka had lost the plot after a magnificent start. In the end, though, the lack of runs in the final overs only kept Pakistan in the hunt a little longer, and reduced Sri Lanka’s margin of victory.

Many Everton fans have slammed the performance of Salomon Rondon in their 2-0 win at home to Norwich City on Saturday afternoon.

Andros Townsend and Abdoulaye Doucoure ensured that the Merseyside club came away with all three points at Goodison Park, but while there were some very good performances from Rafa Benitez’s team, the 32-year-old seemed to struggle all day.

The Venezuela international lost out on 17 of his duels, by far the most out of anyone on the pitch, and also failed to record a single shot on goal or successful dribble in the match (Sofascore).

Rondon managed just 28 touches of the ball in total, the fewest out of any player to have started the gamr, and also lost possession of the ball on eight different occasions (Sofascore) in what was a really disappointing performance from the striker overall.

Everton fans on Rondon display

These Everton fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Blues supporter going as far as to claim that the Venezuelan was ‘shocking’:

“Rumours going Rondon still hasn’t made it off the pitch today”

Credit: @SeanWarren1

“Couldn’t really argue with that. Rondon again showing he’s a pub a footballer at best, Simms and Dobbin must be wondering what they need to do to start over him. An absolute donkey. People say he’s not match fit, I say he’s not fit to wear our shirt altogether.”

Credit: @zodoz9

“Have to disagree but always good to debate. Rondon was shocking, couldn’t even control the ball. Iwobi equally as bad, offered nothing.”

Credit: @SK21878

“Rondon is the worst signing Everton have ever made ever btw. Ever though.”

Credit: @CraigJo02234279

“We want a player who is fit now though, we should give Simms a chance rather than an unfit Rondon who is contributing nothing.”

Credit: @leemolton

“Rondon is up there with the worst players I’ve ever seen at Goodison Park”

Credit: @burrows_andy

In other news, many Everton fans were also unimpressed with this man’s first half display v Norwich