Speculation is mounting that Justin Langer will join Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath in making the final Ashes Test at Sydney his last for Australia. If Langer does bring the curtain down on his playing days it will end Australia’s most prolific opening partnership in Test history with Matthew Hayden.Langer, himself, has stayed away from the limelight since the Boxing Day Test finished in three days but his father, Colin, told his son wasn’t going to outstay his welcome.”He’s been privileged to play for his country for 104 Test matches,” he said. “The way he’s gone about his career has been a thrill for his family. When he and Adam Gilchrist won that Test against Pakistan in Hobart [in 1999], that gave me a thrill. But the biggest highlight for me has been the way he’s gone about his business as a cricketer.”To see the effort that’s had to be put in, the effort no one really sees. To see what he’s done to try to get fit for this series, it’s just been unbelievable, the physical effort, the time he spends with his batting coach. People don’t see all that, but we do.”John Buchanan would not be drawn on Langer’s future following the Melbourne Test, just adding how much he is valued by the team. “He’s a tremendous character to have within the team with a set of values which he’s admired for. He believes in all the traditions of the game and, really, in many ways, he’s the epitome of the baggy green cap.”Following an impressive start to the Ashes series, with 82 and an unbeaten 100 at the Gabba, Langer’s form has tailed off and he hasn’t registered another half-century. However, he and Hayden have amassed 5575 runs at an average of 51.15 as an opening partnership since first joining forces against England, at The Oval, in 2001.
A burst of wickets from Andre Nel, who finished the day with figures of 4 for 58, towards the close helped South Africa counter an aggressive century from Ricky Ponting, who had given Australia the early momentum with solid support from a belligerent Matthew Hayden. By the end of the day though, Australia were perilously placed at 8 for 239 after having chosen to bat, and South Africa will rightfully feel that they made the most of a good situation. Ponting’s decision to bat first on a tricky pitch – damp spots delayed the start by 30 minutes – could come in for some criticism.The day began badly for Australia as Phil Jaques, the debutant, was sent on his way with two runs on the board as he inside-edged Shaun Pollock to short leg via thigh pad. The South Africans missed a trick or two, bowling the wrong line and length to Ponting when he first came in, then spilled a simple chance, and paid the price for it. Ponting was keen to stamp his authority on the game early, and took a few chances. Off just the third ball he faced, he flashed straight to where third slip would have been, but was let off as the slips cordon was split. Then, on 17, he mis-hit a pull off Jacques Kallis straight to Nel at midwicket only to see the chance go straight into the fielder’s hands and out.Soon after he was let off, Ponting stroked three boundaries, one pull in front of square and two hook shots placed beautifully over square leg, and the momentum was with him. South Africa’s bowlers, perhaps a touch too excited at bowling on a pitch that provided some seam movement and a bit of uneven bounce thanks to the damp spots, failed to consistently pose questions to the batsmen.Hayden sensed that this was not a pitch to bash the ball from the word go, and knuckled down to keep the bowling out. Graeme Smith packed the cover region, tempting Hayden to drive the quick bowlers over the top, but he resisted, choosing instead to defend watchfully till the bowlers landed the ball where he could hit it. And eventually they did, providing width, and he took full toll, carving the ball through cover-point by opening the face of the bat just a touch.Ponting, who had chanced his arm a little early on after choosing to bat, then settled into a good rhythm, and brought up his half-century with a piercing straight-drive back past the bowler. Soon after Hayden raised his fifty, biffing the ball through cover. Two well-set batsmen were taking their time and generating good value for strokes, a far cry from how the day began. Even with the occasional ball beating the bat and several loud shouts for lbw, Ponting and Hayden put together a 152-run partnership for the second wicket that put Australia on track.Hayden, who would have been looking to put up his feet up at tea, fell just before the interval, following one from Pollock into Graeme Smith’s hands at slip. His solid 65 was warmly applauded by the crowd, but the roar that greeted Brad Hodge’s entry told you that it had been a while since a Victorian had walked out to bat in a Boxing Day Test. Fresh on the back of his 203 not out, Hodge got off the mark with a top-edged pull that disappeared over the keeper’s head. Hodge, though, was tentative, and did not last long. Pollock had his third wicket when Hodge chased a wide delivery that swung late, only for Smith to take a good catch to his left at slip.Ponting raised his century with a pull down to fine-leg and the 70,000-plus crowd at the newly refurbished MCG gave their captain a rousing ovation. Mike Hussey began well, driving confidently square of the wicket, and Ponting continued to entertain, pulling with some confidence and success before he fell, against the run of play. Nel got a ball to bounce a bit more than Ponting expected and the attempted big drive went straight to gully. Nel, whose earlier gaffe had seen Ponting add 100 extra runs, celebrated exuberantly.Andrew Symonds’s credentials as a Test allrounder then took a further bashing as he fell for a first-ball duck, and with two wickets in two balls, South Africa had got right back in the game. Then, six runs later, Nel rammed home the advantage, having Adam Gilchrist caught at point with a ball that got big on the batsman. Shane Warne had a crack or two but was gone soon enough, and when Makhaya Ntini trapped Brett Lee in front of the stumps in the last over of the day, the South Africans walked off the field a happy bunch. From 2 for 176, Australia had lost six wickets for 63 runs, leaving South Africa to contemplate a hugely satisfying near-knockout on Boxing Day.How they were out AustraliaPhil Jaques c Rudolph b Pollock 2 (1 for 2) Matthew Hayden c Smith b Pollock 65 (2 for 154) Brad Hodge c Smith b Pollock 17 (3 for 176) Ricky Ponting c Gibbs b Nel 117 (4 for 207) Andrew Symonds c Boucher b Nel 0 (5 for 207) Adam Gilchrist c Gibbs b Nel 2 (6 for 213) Shane Warne c Boje b Nel 9 (7 for 227) Brett Lee lbw b Ntini 4 (8 for 239)
Pakistan 4 for 274 (Akmal 124, Inzamam 62*, Malik 60) beat West Indies 5 for 273 (Gayle 82, Sarwan 76) by 6 wickets Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
Kamran Akmal silenced an expanding list of critics with a fabulous, first one-day international century that turned a difficult chase into a virtual stroll against West Indies at the Gabba. Both sides were desperate for victory to keep in touch with Australia, and Akmal’s 124 off 125 balls pushed Pakistan to their best performance of an awful tour.Backed by a batting line-up boasting matchwinners down to No.9, Akmal made sure they weren’t needed as Pakistan won by six wickets with three overs to spare. The only downside was a hamstring tear to Shoaib Akhtar, who hobbled off the field in the fifth over with little sympathy from Inzamam-ul-Haq.Akmal was tried four times as an opener against Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2002-03 before the experiment was ditched, and he waited two matches to make the second promotion a wild success. Questions about his ability were raised when he made an uncomfortable 5 against Australia at Hobart and Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Azhar Mahmood were hanging with the tail. But Akmal opened his innings with a clean cover-drive and brought up his century with a similarly commanding shot.While the West Indians waited for a slip-up, Akmal kept flourishing and apart from playing and missing twice on 95 there was not much else to complain about. He made sure his runs almost kept pace with balls faced and raised his bat to a standing dressing-room and a caring hug from Inzamam. A tired cover drive to Brian Lara ended his innings and after wicketkeeping for the first 50 overs he deserved the rest (4 for 239).Akmal’s 123-run partnership with Shoaib Malik provided the initial momentum and his 80-run stand with Inzaman, who was unbeaten on 62, snuffed out West Indies’ hopes. Malik, still playing a batsman-only role after being reported for a suspect action, displayed some aggressive shot-making as he started with his eyes on the boundaries. His fifty followed Akmal’s, and he celebrated a difficult tour with a mix of fluent drives and pulls. His innings was ended by a fine catch from Courtney Browne, who stood up to the fast bowler Ian Bradshaw (3 for 159).After a slow start in the series opener at the MCG, Mervyn Dillon wasted no time getting involved. Replacing Bradshaw for the sixth over, Dillon hit Salman Butt’s off stump with a searing yorker (1 for 28). His second wicket came when he forced a nick from Mohammad Hafeez and Chris Gayle was so calm in taking the low-down catch that he left the appealing to his team-mates (2 for 36).West Indies, though, had batted themselves into a strong position after being inserted. They paced their innings to survive the morning movement as the match began at 9am, and it would not have been a surprise if they reached anywhere between 240 and 290 as their run-rate fluctuated. Their final total seemed highly competitive until Akmal and Malik started flaying.Ramnaresh Sarwan’s solid contribution of 76 from 91 balls was devalued when Pakistan batted, but his partnership with Lara got the innings travelling after Gayle opened with a composed 82. Lara arrived in the mood for quick runs and was soon moving at more than a run a ball. His late-cutting was exquisite and he was resourceful as well, flicking Afridi over Akmal for four, in an exciting short innings of 39 from 30 balls.Lara was particularly tough on Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, but also saved a big six for Abdul Razzaq, who was given similar treatment from Sarwan. The 60-run-stand in 8.4 overs ended when Naved-ul-Hasan tricked Lara to dab a short delivery to Hafeez at point, and he struck again in the same over when Ricardo Powell edged to Akmal, who took a sharp catch. (4 for 211)West Indies’ openers survived a difficult start and crawled to 26 from 10 overs as they waited to launch. The 10-over mark appeared to be Gayle’s cue to free his arms and he hit four boundaries in two overs before smacking a couple more from Hafeez’s first two deliveries. Next ball he slipped playing a sweep, aggravating an injury in his right shoulder that prevented him from bowling.Gayle brought up his half-century from 56 balls to return his side to good health and was dismissed top-edging a pull off Razzaq (2 for 149). West Indies will require more from him if they are going to overhaul Pakistan for a place in the finals.Peter English is Australasian editor of Cricinfo
Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka’s offspinner and leading wicket-taker, revealed that he regarded Brain Lara as the world’s best batsman at the moment, despite Matthew Hayden topping this week’s PriceWaterhouse Coopers ratings.Muralitharan, who has 459 Test wickets, said Lara was the “most dangerous left-hand batsman I have ever bowled to in my career”, even though Hayden has been piling on the runs for the last couple of years. Murali added: “Hayden is a very good batsman, no doubt about that, for anyone who scores 380 has to be brilliant, but Lara is more classy any day.”However Steve Waugh, the Australian captain, disagreed and compared Hayden’s form to that of Sir Donald Bradman after his record-breaking innings of 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth.Muralitharan is currently ranked second to Shaun Pollock on the weekly Test-bowling ratings. Pollock is no stranger to the top spot, with this recent promotion to No. 1 being largely due to his consistent performances in Pakistan which included a six-wicket haul in the second Test at Faisalabad.Hayden, Lara and Ricky Ponting made up the top three batsmen while Michael Vaughan climbed back into the top ten after his unbeaten 81 which helped England defeat Bangladesh in the first Test at Dhaka last week.
Man of the match Jesse Ryder doesn’t normally do a lot of bowling but he proved the man for a crisis for New Zealand in its three-run win over England in the Super League round of the ICC Under-19 World Cup today.Ryder had earlier hit a whirlwind 54 for New Zealand, but was called into the attack in the 43rd over as England looked like knocking off the 206 required to win the game.However, Ryder and Iain Robertson, Richard Sherlock and Peter Borren bowled outstandingly at the death to have England 202/8 off the last ball of the game, three runs short of their target.”I wasn’t expecting to have to bowl. Our skipper was keeping us motivated and telling us to go hard until the last ball,” Ryder said.”I just wanted to get the ball up there and hoped to bowl to the field.”I did my little bit for the team,” he said.His ‘little bit’ earlier included his innings which he analysed as having started a little slowly and he had played ‘a few rash shots’.New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch admitted his side didn’t get enough runs and felt the side had been a little too quick with their decision-making when batting. Their bowling plan had centred on slowing things down.”England fought hard and got partnerships going. With 90 balls left and only 70 to get, it didn’t look good for us but I was pleased with the way the boys fought back.”These are death matches. You need to keep winning if you want to keep progressing through. If you lose games you have to fight back,” he said.Greatbatch said New Zealand captain Ross Taylor had changed his bowlers well in the last stages and it kept the English batsmen thinking when they saw different bowlers running in.He wasn’t surprised when Taylor threw the ball to Ryder to bowl.”He’s our option when things don’t go right, he’s got a bit of a Midas touch,” he said.Greatbatch had not sent messages out to the team during the tight finish.”The reality is they need to learn for themselves. As much as you would like to tell them that is what this tournament is about, learning from these situations,” he said.Greatbatch was also concerned with the number of wides bowled, 15 in total, but said there was a reason because the players had not had a lot of experience with the white ball.”They are still very young in that area, they are getting a bit better but the wides could have hurt us today,” he said.England coach Paul Farbrace said it was a strange thing after the team had not played well during the earlier stages of the tournament, they had played very well today and were that close to winning the game.”You have to say that they [New Zealand] bowled well at the end and credit to them.”It was a close game. It was pretty similar for both teams throughout,” he said.Both sides had lost wickets are regular intervals. It was difficult to praise a side after it had lost but he said considering the way England had played in this game it had been a phenomenal effort.”I still don’t think we are out of it,” he said.He was delighted with the way Mark Pettini batted, it was his first game of the tournament, and felt that the promotion of Samit Patel had been worthwhile and after the start he had he should have been able to go on and get 75 or 80 that could have won the game.”He’s a young man and will learn from this. He is eligible to play in the next (Under-19) World Cup and will learn. That is what it is all about,” he said.
Blackpool play host to Bolton on Saturday, with three points paramount if they are to avoid making the brief round trip back to the Championship.Ian Holloway’s team were a joy to watch before Christmas, led by the inventive play of former Rangers man Charlie Adam in midfield, and they posted wins against Newcastle, Liverpool, West Brom, Stoke and Sunderland.
But the rigours of a long campaign look to be catching up with Holloway’s men and since the New Year they have claimed a paltry 10 points from a possible 57.
Blackpool are without a win in their last nine league games, and their 1-1 draw at Tottenham last weekend sees them in the dreaded bottom three, one point short of Wolves who are 17th, and three behind Birmingham and Blackburn.
Saturday’s tussle with Bolton could be their best chance to claim three points, with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United a week later.
In Holloway’s favour will be the fact that Bolton have nothing left to play for in 2010-11.
Owen Coyle’s side are sitting comfortably in mid-table, but are too far adrift of Spurs and Liverpool to be pressing for a Europa League berth.
Bolton’s league form has hit a slump of late, and since back-to-back home wins against West Ham and Arsenal, they have lost their last three on the trot against Fulham, Blackburn and Sunderland.
In their only other meeting this season, Blackpool squandered a 2-0 lead at Reebok Stadium – courtesy of goals from Ian Evatt and Luke Varney – and Bolton scrambled a point with late strikes from Martin Petrov and Mark Davies.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Holloway has the least of the injury worries, with Australian left-back David Carney the only first-team regular out as he continues to recover from a shoulder issue.
Bolton have problems of their own, with defender Sam Ricketts and midfielder Stuart Holden ruled out with respective calf and knee problems.
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson was in bullish mood despite seeing his side slip to 19th place in the table after a 2-0 Merseyside derby defeat at Everton.
The Reds had hoped to gain a boost on the field following the recent change in ownership at Anfield, but their city rivals ensured that that did not happen.
However, Hodgson still saw plenty of reasons to be positive for the weeks and months ahead.
He told Sky Sports:"We suffered at the hands of an early onslaught which you invariably do at Goodison, but towards the end of the first half we started to even things out.
"From what I saw I thought we dominated the second half totally.
"I thought the shape of the team was good, the quality of our passing and movement was good.
"We didn't score goals and Everton did, but I refuse to accept that we were in any way outplayed or any way inferior.
"I watched the performance and the second half was as good as I have seen a Liverpool team play under my management, that is for sure.
"I don't think it is a crisis, I thought the way we played today was not the level of a team in the bottom three.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"On the other hand it is six points from eight games and that is a very poor return.
"We need to start winning to climb the table and until we do the word 'crisis' will continue to be bandied around."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has stated that he feels the nature of his side’s comeback against Chelsea on Sunday will represent a physiological blow for their title rivals.
The Premier League champions found themselves 3-0 down at Stamford Bridge early in the second half, but two Wayne Rooney penalties and a Javier Hernandez header salvaged a point for The Red Devils.
Carrick feels that the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham will have been rubbing their hands together after seeing Andre Villas Boas’ men race into a comprehensive lead, but that United’s refusal to lie down will be a dent to their confidence.
“I think other teams who were watching that and seeing us go 3-0 down, would have been thinking what a good afternoon it’s been for them,” Carrick stated to The Telegraph.
“Then for us to come back in the manner we did might give them a little dent and a boost for us.
“We were slightly disappointed in the end. Obviously, when you’re 3-0 down and have your backs against the wall, if someone offers you a point then you’ll be happy with that.
“But getting a third goal with a fair bit of the game to go, we fancied ourselves to go on and win it. There’s a lot of positivity but there’s still that little tinge of maybe we could have won,” he concluded.
United face Liverpool at Old Trafford next, with the Premier League giants going head-to-head at Old Trafford on Saturday.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
After being rewarded with a permanent contract at his beloved Liverpool, manager Kenny Dalglish said his work has only just begun.Dalglish has been a revelation since assuming the caretaker manager role at Anfield after Roy Hodgson’s sacking in January, and the 60-year-old has now received a permanent three-year contract.
Liverpool has won 10 out of 16 their Premier League games during Dalglish’s tenure, putting them in good position to secure a Europa League, and the manager credited the club’s young players with helping to turn their season around.
“It is always refreshing for a football club to see young players coming through and I think the first team players enjoy seeing the youngsters coming through and training with them,” Dalglish said.
“It gives them a lift. We’ve been delighted with the Academy.”
“When I and my backroom team came in we never set any expectations except to do the best we possibly could in every game. I never set any targets, but obviously we had to improve and we have done.”
“We have not finished the season yet, there are still a couple of games to go and the same principles will apply. We have a game on Sunday that we want to get the most we possibly can out of.”
His permanent role will kick off at home to Tottenham on Sunday with Liverpool looking to cement fifth place with a positive result against the side two points below them in the table.
Last time out Liverpool thrashed Fulham 5-2 with Maxi Rodriguez scoring his second hat-trick in three games, and Dalglish said his players should be recognised for their efforts in the second half of the season.
“It would be nice to beat Tottenham. I think that, without saying we are not going to win, if the players do not get credit for what they have done so far – irrespective of what the next two results are going to be – then I think there is something wrong,” he said.
“They have done fantastically well and have probably gone over everybody’s expectations and so deserve huge credit. In the last two games we will be trying our best to get a positive result.”
Liverpool will be without defenders Martin Kelly (shoulder), Fabio Aurelio (thigh) and Daniel Agger (knee), midfielder Steven Gerrard (groin) and forward Milan Jovanovic (knee).