All posts by h716a5.icu

Five delays for rain and bad light cost Leicestershire the chance of a rare Lord’s win

ECB Reporters Network17-May-2019Leicestershire’s hopes of a first County Championship win at Lord’s for 39 years were thwarted by rain as their see-saw clash with Middlesex ended in a draw.The pendulum had appeared to swing back in the visitors’ favour, with Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 70 from 88 balls, and five wickets standing as they chased a victory target of 305. But the overcast conditions, which led to five separate stoppages during the final day, eventually triumphed as the match was abandoned with the Foxes on 226 for 5 – still 79 short.Middlesex, who have yet to record a Championship win this season, dropped three catches, but were still scenting an opportunity after removing the visitors’ top four, all to lbw decisions, with 154 on the board.Leicestershire began the fourth day on 38 without loss, needing another 267, but they had shaved only three more off that target when the darkening St John’s Wood sky brought about the first of the weather delays.With the Lord’s floodlights switched on and the players back on the field, Leicestershire extended their opening stand to 51 before James Harris made the breakthrough, trapping Ateeq Javid in front of his stumps.One other wicket fell during the morning session, with the consistent Ethan Bamber removing Paul Horton – but Middlesex should have claimed at least a third before lunch. Hasan Azad, who made a slow start to his innings, was the fortunate recipient of two reprieves with just seven runs to his name.First, Sam Robson spilled an edge at first slip off the bowling of Harris and, in the next over, when Azad drove Ollie Rayner, Nick Gubbins was unable to pocket the chance at short cover.That double escape appeared to help Azad lift the shackles and he and Mark Cosgrove, with a breezy 22 from 42 balls, guided the Leicestershire total past 100.Rayner removed Cosgrove in the third over after lunch, but Ackermann immediately displayed an attacking intent, using his feet to the off-spinner and climbing into Harris as he struck successive boundaries. The South African dominated a fourth-wicket partnership of exactly 50 with Azad, contributing 34 before Harris registered his second lbw of the innings to dismiss the latter.Harry Dearden, who had shared a century partnership with Ackermann on the second day, survived an early scare when he miscued Rayner to mid-off, but the chance eluded the diving Bamber.Despite a further half-hour’s delay due to rain, the fifth-wicket pair added another 52 before Tom Helm uprooted the off stump of Dearden. Ackermann did his best to maintain the Leicestershire charge in tandem with Lewis Hill, but a further downpour finally put paid to the visitors’ hopes of forcing a victory.

Glenn Maxwell is proud of his team for finding ways in foreign conditions to make it 4-0 against Pakistan, but he wants just a little more from them

Daniel Brettig30-Mar-2019Glenn Maxwell and Australia are targeting a 5-0 sweep of Pakistan to finish their dual tour of India and the UAE, which has delivered the tourists as a group and Maxwell himself an enormous amount of growth.Clearly benefiting from added responsibility as an advisor to the captain Aaron Finch, Maxwell has played a pair of his finest limited-overs innings since the 2015 World Cup to help the Australians seal the Pakistan series and get within one game of 5-0. His role in the team, a subject of considerable debate this summer, appears to have crystallised as a middle-order specialist with the occasional promotion, and peaked with an innings of 98 on Friday night that ensured the team had just enough runs to squeak past Pakistan.”It’s very exciting for us, and that’s all the motivation you need, to have a clean sweep in a foreign country after we haven’t had a lot of success over the last 12 months,” Maxwell said. “It’d be great for this group to win 5-0, I feel like we’ve played some extremely good cricket over here, we’ve adapted brilliantly to different conditions and everyone’s chipped in at different times as well. It’s been a really good team effort the whole time. One more big effort for us over here, then blokes can take their holidays.”Much was made of the fact that Maxwell gave up the chance to score a century by chasing a dicey second run in the final over of the innings, leading to his dismissal for 98, but he had no qualms about giving up a personal milestone for the team. “It would have been nice to get a hundred but I was really happy with the way I played today,” Maxwell said.”To put that partnership on with [Alex] Carey, to get us to a total we thought we could defend – I was really proud of the way I went about it. The hundred doesn’t really matter too much to me. I’m not going to look back on my career when I’m done and think about all the hundreds I’ve missed. I’m going to think about the wins we had.”Finding a way to better contribute to wins has been a theme of Maxwell’s recent months in the team, as he, Finch and coach Justin Langer have worked towards the current formula. Maxwell was happy to admit he had made plenty of errors along the way, but showed in a vital stand with the wicketkeeper Carey that there is growing maturity to his expansive game.”The last two games I’ve come in a bit earlier when we’ve lost a few wickets back to back and there’s been a little bit of pressure on when I’ve gone out. It’s actually been nice to get through that, be able to get myself into my innings and not just go out and play a cameo knock in the last 10 overs.”I was able to get myself in and really assess the conditions. That’s playing to the conditions and playing how you should as a middle-order batter and those sorts of opportunities come up when conditions are tough and the top order’s found it difficult. That’s why they get out and that’s why you go in at those times. For me it’s about getting through those tough times and giving myself that chance to go at the back end.”I’ve made a lot of mistakes as a middle-order batter and not quite made it to the time where I can go. It was nice to be there for the back end and delay the bigger hitting until a little bit later when we felt like we could comfortably get to a total we could defend.”More broadly, the team found a way to outlast Pakistan despite the chasers getting themselves in a position where, needing 49 from seven overs with seven wickets in hand, they really should have won. “It’s one of those games where because we’ve got a bit of winning momentum behind, you find a way to win these. If you look back six to seven months ago, probably even less, we were probably on the other side of it,” Maxwell said.”We were finding ways to lose when we were in winning positions [a few months ago]. It’s a funny thing winning momentum. When you’re winning games, you just find a way to win. That’s the great thing about this group at the moment. We’re finding ways to win in different conditions, different ways.”With that ball getting really wet it was hard for us to control that partnership through the middle and they were batting really well, the wicket was skidding on nicely and we just had to hang in there for a little bit longer. That’s where I’m really proud of this group, we just hung in there and kept the run rate at bay.”

Erik ten Hag is confident that Bruno Fernandes will remain a Manchester United player, despite the Portuguese midfielder dropping a transfer hint.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Portuguese star to mull over his optionsRed Devils captain has contract to 2026Movement expected in summer windowGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils captain has told reporters in his homeland that he will weigh up his options once a bid for Euro 2024 glory alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Co comes to a close. There has been plenty of speculation to suggest that United are willing to listen to offers for just about every member of their squad.

AdvertisementWHAT TEN HAG SAID

Ten Hag, who is facing future questions of his own, is adamant that Fernandes is not for sale and that the 29-year-old is prepared to stay put. He said when asked about the exit talk: “I know he is very happy to be here.”

Ten Hag added on Fernandes, who is under contract until 2026 and has registered 79 goals for United through 230 appearances: “Taking responsibility is one of the biggest assets top footballers have to show and deliver. Bruno is always available, he never misses a game and always plays in a good level and always gets energy to a team. Such assets are necessary to be successful. Bruno is a real fighter. Last year for instance when we played Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final, we played with an ankle that was so thick, it was unbelievable. Bruno is a very good example for other players.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

While Fernandes has a useful habit of making himself available, United have endured injury struggles in 2023-24 and Ten Hag admits that whoever is charge next season will require further reinforcements in the summer transfer window. He added: “That is one of the issues in our constructing the squad. We have to improve to do things better to construct a squad with more depth. For over 10 years I am managing. I never had this experience, so huge with so many injury issues. So it can happen once in 10 years. Hopefully now can wait another 10 to have so many [again].”

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

United, who are still in the hunt for a top-six finish and European qualification this season, will be back in action on Monday when taking in a trip to Crystal Palace. They have four top-flight fixtures on their schedule before facing arch-rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.

Queensland quicks hit back to reduce visiting side to 7 for 67 after folding for 115

The Report by Daniel Brettig11-Mar-2019Shane Warne’s favoured maxim “if it seams it spins” held true on day one of the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and South Australia at the Gabba, as left-arm orthodox tweaker Tom Andrews plucked six wickets in the hosts’ paltry 115 before the Redbacks tumbled to 7 for 67 at the hands of the local pace attack in reply.Andrews was one of the inclusions as SA sought to pull themselves out of a pronounced rut this season – the experienced duo of Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper were among the jettisoned players. His accurate finger spin delighted in the bounce and deviation available on a fresh Gabba pitch, the ground the last of the major ones still playing a part in the Shield competition during March with all the rest handed over to football.Having elected to bat, Queensland lost opener Matt Renshaw to Nick Winter’s left-arm swing early on, and Joe Burns was Andrews’ first victim when he was well held at mid-on, before seeming to steady via Marnus Labuschagne. However, his exit, pouched at gully when Andrews extracted steep lift, led to a slide that saw the final eight wickets go down for a mere 64 runs.Andrews’ haul was his first of five wickets in a first-class match, after he started the season behind wristspinner Lloyd Pope, who had also enjoyed himself against Queensland with a first-innings collection of seven wickets in the earlier head-to-head fixture at Adelaide Oval.Queensland had wriggled out of that match with a draw, and their defence of a meagre total in Brisbane was to be fired by regular wickets to Michael Neser, Luke Feldman, Cameron Gannon and Mark Steketee, while Jake Weatherald, Kelvin Smith and Travis Head all had reason to ponder their shot selection in hanging their bats out at balls angled across them.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag banned three newspaper journalists from asking questions in his press conference on Friday.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

United manager resumes crackdown on mediaThree newspapers prevented from asking questionsTen Hag had called analysis of FA Cup win "a disgrace"WHAT HAPPENED?

The Dutchman, who cracked down on negative stories earlier this season, refused to take questions from , and the in his media briefing ahead of United's game against Burnley. The journalists were allowed to attend the press conference but were informed before it started that they would not be invited to ask questions.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The outlets were also not allowed to ask questions after the 4-2 win over Sheffield United. Ten Hag is believed to have been upset with the coverage from the outlets after United's narrow victory over Coventry City in the FA Cup semi-final on penalties after throwing away a 3-0 lead. He had called the media analysis of that victory "embarrassing" and a "disgrace". A United source said: "It’s not a hard ban. It’s our prerogative who we invite questions from."

DID YOU KNOW?

Ten Hag banned theand from attending a press conference in December ahead of United's game against Chelsea for publishing stories of a dressing room revolt against the manager without asking for the club's side of the story. Alex Ferguson was infamous for banning journalists for publishing stories he did not agree with.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TEN HAG?

United came from behind to beat Sheffield United on Wednesday, winning their first league match since March 9. They will be looking for a second consecutive victory against struggling Burnley on Saturday.

Kate Abdo has admitted being "hurt" by the joke Jamie Carragher made on CBS Sports about her relationship with former US boxing pro Malik Scott.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Carragher joked about Abdo's not being 'loyal' on airAbdo addressed awkward moment the following nightCBS presenter admits she was 'hurt' at timeWHAT HAPPENED?

Fans on social media reacted fervently to the original incident, when Carragher made things awkward with a misjudged on-air jibe at his fellow broadcaster during CBS Sports' coverage of Arsenal vs Porto in the Champions League in March. Abdo put the matter to bed in a broadcast the following night, but has since revealed that it did have an impact on her.

AdvertisementWHAT ABDO SAID

According to Abdo, "What Jamie said came from nowhere. It was just a quick line, it was meant to be funny, sometimes they hit, sometimes they don't. Speaking to iFLTV, she continued: "That one went a little bit sideways. I felt a little bit hurt but it is what it is. You move on. We talked about it, we're all good, nothing really to talk about."

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In the aftermath of the incident, Abdo's boyfriend Malik Scott – a former boxing pro who now coaches Deontay Wilder – warned Carragher not to overstep the line, saying "her being irritated by it a little bit is what really got to me… If Kate gets upset then it's a really big deal to me and I'll give him a call and if he doesn't pick up my call, then I’ll show up in a physical manner." However, Abdo smoothed things out in her interview with iFLTV, insisting "Malik does not want to fight Jamie".

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ABDO & CARRAGHER?

Carragher's comment may have understandably hurt Abdo, but it appears to be water under the bridge, with the pair still cracking jokes and getting on during CBS' acclaimed Champions League coverage. After watching Madrid squeeze past Manchester City earlier this week, they'll no doubt be looking forward to the Spanish giants' semi-final clash against Bayern Munich on 30 April.

India spun New Zealand out for 192 and Smriti Mandhana helped chase it down with great authority, scoring her fourth ODI century along the way

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2019Smriti Mandhana brought up her fourth ODI century•Getty ImagesMuch of the recent months in Indian women’s cricket has been dominated by squabbles, but come match day, the team produced a sensational performance. They were away from home. They were facing one of the traditionally strong teams in the circuit and none of it mattered. India spun New Zealand out for 192 and Smriti Mandhana helped chase it down with great authority, scoring her fourth ODI century along the way. Her innings, which was typically free-flowing, included nine fours and three sixes and wrapped up the game with nine wickets and 17 overs to spare.The match-changing contributions, though, came from India’s bowlers. Their decision to field seemed to be backfiring with New Zealand’s openers putting on a fifty-run partnership. But in the 14th over, Deepti Sharma ran Sophie Devine out and also took care of her partner Suzie Bates as the score slipped from 61 for 0 to 70 for 3.That opened up the middle order for Poonam Yadav, whose array of slow legbreaks got rid of New Zealand’s No 3, 4, and 5. Lauren Down was stumped for 0, while Amy Satterthwaite (31 off 45) and Amelia Kerr (28 off 60) could not make the most of their starts. New Zealand lurched from 136 for 4 to 148 for 7 and were eventually bowled out for 192.India’s openers then put on a 190-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues scoring an unbeaten 81 off 94 balls with nine fours and Mandhana, falling to Kerr, only when victory was one hit away.

India captain becomes the highest run-getter in T20Is as India record their first win in the format in New Zealand

The Report by Shashank Kishore08-Feb-2019It wasn’t quite an edge-of-the-seat thriller, but a stream of India fans – upwards of 12,000 – who made Eden Park seem more like Eden Gardens went home happy as India levelled the T20I series in style, along the way recording their first T20I win in New Zealand.In what was a largely straightforward chase of New Zealand’s 158 for 8, made possible only because of a 77-run stand between Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor, Rohit Sharma became the highest run-getter in T20Is during the course of his 29-ball 50. Then Rishabh Pant demonstrated brute force and a calm head in MS Dhoni’s company as India won by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.What did the Indian bowlers do differently in the second ODI?

Colin de Grandhomme: “It looked like they executed their plans really well and used the wind and the boundaries to their advantage. They bowled into the wind and away from our hitting lines.”

The redemption
That India now have a chance of completing their long summer in the southern hemisphere without a series loss was largely due to fine bowling efforts by Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed. Their eight overs in Wellington cost a combined 85 in exchange for two late scalps. On Friday in Auckland, the pair did more than just a bit to trigger a reversal; their combined figures reading five wickets for 55 runs in eight overs. This proved to be the difference as New Zealand posted 14 less than the T20I average of 172 at the oddly shaped Eden Park with short straight boundaries.With the new ball, Khaleel extracted zip off the pitch to deny Tim Seifert any room at the start, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar cashed in. Khaleel bowled four successive dot balls to the wicketkeeper-batsman in the second over, leaving him frustrated. And in the third over, Bhuvneshwar had him nick one to MS Dhoni off a wild slog.Then, brought in to bowl the final over, Khaleel varied his lengths and pace to concede just five to deny New Zealand a final flourish.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe other bowling star – the other Pandya – quickly left an imprint on the game with a double-strike in the sixth over. After having the dangerous Colin Munro smash one straight to cover, he had a controversial lbw call go his way when Daryl Mitchell appeared to have got a thin inside edge on to the pad. New Zealand’s problems compounded further when Kane Williamson missed a straight ball to be trapped plumb in front to leave them 50 for 4 after eight overs.De Grandhomme makes a splash
If he was on a mission to dispel notions of being a bad player of spin, de Grandhomme didn’t do too badly. Among the things he did right was reading Yuzvendra Chahal’s googlies and then pummeling him for a sequence of 6,4,6 in the 11th over.The straight hit to clear the short boundary was his best stroke, but the real sign of him being in top gear shone through as he lofted Chahal inside-out to clear deep extra cover.Seeing the batsman ready to tee off, Chahal tried to bowl wide, only to see de Grandhomme hold his shape and time one off the middle of the bat. Krunal wasn’t spared either; his figures of 3 for 28 could have been much better if not for the back-to-back sixes carted by de Grandhomme in the 12th over. He eventually fell after getting to a 27-ball 50, but gave Taylor a platform to set himself up for the final surge.The master and the apprentice finish the job
Supposedly auditioning for a World Cup middle-order berth by batting in the top order in T20Is, Pant didn’t do his credentials any harm. Of course it’s a far easier proposition having to walk in after the openers have made 79 in 9.2 overs. Pant’s timing wasn’t sublime and there were two mishits that could have gone to hand another day. But the ferocity of his shot-making wasn’t to be missed.Then, with Vijay Shankar gone and MS Dhoni walking in to a run-a-ball situation with a little over six overs to play, Pant traded big swipes for deft touches to milk runs and see India home.

Antony has been savagely mocked by Neal Maupay after his embarrassing celebrations following Manchester United's FA Cup win over Coventry.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Man Utd toiled to beat CoventryAntony goaded the Championship sideMaupay hit out at the Brazilian for his anticsWHAT HAPPENED?

Coventry staged a remarkable comeback in the FA Cup semifinals as they came back from 3-0 down to force extra-time against United, leaving Erik ten Hag's side clinging to victory by the narrowest of margins following a dramatic penalty shoot-out. After Rasmus Hojlund converted the decisive penalty, Antony was seen cupping his ears towards the Coventry players – and the Brazilian's actions have been widely condemned.

AdvertisementGOALTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Maupay, known for his provocative on-field behaviour, has earned a reputation for being a Premier League “sh*thouse” who usually thrives on riling up opposition players. The Brentford star, currently on loan from Everton, is infamous for imitating James Maddison's darts celebration and also got into a heated altercation with Manchester City's Kyle Walker after he allegedly commented on the defender's personal life. But even Maupay was stunned after watching Antony's antics and said on X: "Just for the record, not even I would do this 😭."

WHAT THE CLIPDID YOU KNOW?

Not only Maupay but several other pundits also hit out at Antony for his excessive celebrations after beating a Championship side on penalties. Former Coventry striker Clinton Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “He needs to worry about his own job instead of Coventry because some of his performances this season show he could be playing in the Championship.”

Whereas, Gabriel Agbonlahor, wrote on X: "Antony cups his ears as he celebrates in front of Coventry players? Is this guy the most shameless flop ever to grace our beautiful league? Shame on you Antony, you wouldn't even start for Coventry you prat."

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to be handed a two-match suspension for elbowing an Al-Hilal player in Saudi Super Cup defeat.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Ronaldo to be banned for two gamesElbowed Al-Hilal player in Saudi Super Cup semi-finalWill miss two important Saudi Pro League clashesWHAT HAPPENED?

According to , the Portuguese will be handed a two-match suspension for his violent conduct on the pitch during Al-Nassr's Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al Hilal. During the clash, the 39-year-old threw his elbow at Ali Ali-Bulaihi which led to him being sent off.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the Saudi Football Federation sat with Ronaldo to interrogate him about the incident where the star footballer reportedly justified his action by claiming that he should not have been sent off in the first place. After the meeting, the committee has now decided to hand the player a two-game suspension which will see Ronaldo miss Al-Nassr's crucial Saudi Pro League clashes against Al-Feiha on Friday and Al-Khaleej on April 27.

DID YOU KNOW?

Al-Nassr have failed to live up to expectations in the current season as they have crashed out of the AFC Champions League, Saudi Super Cup and are presently trailing league leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star could be back in action for his club in the King Cup of Champions semi-final as they face Al-Khaleef on May 1.