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Cheteshwar Pujara said South Africa had more reason to be disappointed after Wanderers

Sidharth Monga in Durban24-Dec-2013India and South Africa know it will be important to put the last draw behind them and start afresh for Durban – which might be difficult with only three days’ gap in between – but India continued to try to claim psychological advantage after they pushed the No. 1 side to the brink in their backyard. Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored 153 in the second innings in Johannesburg and was part of the highest partnership of the match, said South Africa had more reason to be disappointed after Wanderers.”If we look at the last game, we have more positives than them because when we batted first the ball was doing a bit,” Pujara said. “We batted well and when they batted in the first innings there wasn’t much help for the bowlers so the kind of comeback we made in [their] first innings. On the last day we were expecting more movement from the cracks but it didn’t happen. So I think they had the opportunity to bat well when the wicket was better and when we batted – even in the second innings – the ball was doing a bit. When they batted, at times there was a little bit of movement but they were lucky enough to survive.”In pushing South Africa to the edge, India also had to bowl their bowlers for longer than they would have liked considering the next Test starts in three days’ time. Two days after the match, Zaheer Khan – he bowled more than he has ever done in a Test – and Ishant Sharma gave the optional training session a miss. Pujara reassured that recovery should not be a problem.”Such close matches you expect in Test format,” Pujara said. “It was a very exciting Test. Don’t think there is any problem with the recovery. We are training a lot so we are fit enough to prepare for the next game, and there were a lot of positives for us to go ahead with a positive frame of mind in this match.”Emotional and mental recovery, though, might be a different issue. “It was difficult because we felt that we had a very good chance to win the match but just one partnership in one particular session didn’t go our way,” Pujara said. “So emotionally and mentally coming out [of it] and playing this match will be important. We have to forget what happened and focus on our plans after looking at the wicket tomorrow and work accordingly.”From what he has seen of South Africa’s batting, Pujara believes India can bowl them out twice. “The kind of batting line-up they have we have got a very good chance to bowl them out,” Pujara said. “Just AB [de Villiers] and Faf [du Plessis] were able to score big runs. Apart from them no one got big runs. So it’s a positive sign for us. We also believe that we can get them out. Also if you look at the last session, they were cautious about not going for the target so they are worried about their tail-enders not batting through. So it’s a positive sign for us.”India will take heart from the fact that Dale Steyn returned his worst figures in a Test, but will also be wary that Steyn, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis are all unlikely to fail in back-to-back Tests. Pujara was not getting drawn into any complacence regarding Steyn. “It’s a good thing for us that he didn’t get any wickets,” Pujara said, “but he is a good bowler so we don’t want to underestimate him. And we have to be careful against him even in this match so as a team we can’t take him lightly. It’s just that we had very good success, and we will try and continue the same thing in this match.”South Africa’s spinner, though, is a different story. “Think [Imran] Tahir didn’t bowl well,” Pujara said. “Kind of expectations South Africa had of him, he didn’t bowl well enough and they also knew that they would have to bowl [JP] Duminy and him because Morne Morkel was injured in the second innings so we took the advantage and wanted to capitalise when they were on and we were successful. On that wicket there wasn’t much help for the spinners so I don’t want to rate anybody but I think we batted well and Indians are known to bat well against spinners.”South Africa look more positive about Morkel’s fitness than they did during the last Test. Pujara was not praying for his recovery, though. “It will make a huge difference for them because the kind of bounce he gets from the wicket it’s difficult to score runs against,” Pujara said. “They will have to bring in a new fast bowler, so whoever comes in hasn’t been playing for them. Even when they played in Abu Dhabi I don’t think he played that match. It’s a new guy coming in and now they have to think about their bowling line-up. Steyn and Morkel are used to bowling in partnership so it will make a huge difference.”

Misbah-ul-Haq and Pakistan’s batting have come under severe criticism from the former players with the team’s loss in the second Test against Zimbabwe being termed as “embarrassing and shameful”. Pakistan dropped two places to sixth in the ICC Test rankings and became the first team other than Bangladesh to lose a Test against Zimbabwe in 12 years.Ramiz Raja, who has been Misbah’s vocal supporter, said his captaincy was bereft of fresh ideas. “Misbah contributed to a change of environment and gave stability to the team,” he said. “He has given all he could to Pakistan cricket as captain but there is now a predictability and staleness in his captaincy and our brand of cricket.””He seems to have ran out of ideas, so we need someone with fresh ideas,” Raja said. “I think Misbah’s shelf-life is over and with these ideas we will stand nowhere before South Africa (in UAE). It seems excitement and aggression is at the lowest point in our cricket, we want to avoid defeat and this hot-and-cold, up-and-down performances must change.”No one likes to back a losing side, we need to rethink our priorities and set a new direction or else people will stop following cricket. This is the right time now to have a new captain and introduce some new players. The defeat is embarrassing, frustrating and shameful.”The month-long Zimbabwe tour was one of Pakistan’s easier assignments this year and was thought of as preparation ahead of the upcoming tour against South Africa in the UAE. But Pakistan lost the first ODI and in Tests, crossed 300 just once in four innings.Shoaib Akhtar said that Pakistan have “hit rock bottom as a cricketing nation” and they must address “the batting woes as they were letting the team down”.”Misbah is leading the worst-ever Pakistan team,” he said. “We don’t have good bowlers, we don’t have good batsmen and if Misbah is prominent amongst the batsmen then it shows because, with due respect, Misbah is not world class.”Inzamam-ul-Haq declined to comment on the team’s performance as he has stopped watching them play.However, the interim chairman of the PCB, Najam Sethi, took a more balanced view and said that the Pakistan team is in a rebuilding phase. “So what if we lost against Zimbabwe,” Sethi said. “Winning and losing is part of the game and even Australia are down these days, so it’s a pattern of ups and down. Pakistan had fallen in depths of disgrace over fixing issues, but things are stable now and they have started respecting us back.”They talk about Misbah and Younis being an older player but Misbah is holding the team, Younis scored double hundred that day. I know where are the problems, if I am able to last longer in the PCB, I will work to make the team (better). But you can’t do it at once.”

The World T20 tournament could be moved from Bangladesh due to concerns at the country’s lack of adequate facilities. ESPNcricinfo understands that Sri Lanka and South Africa are potential alternative venues although discussions have yet to reach the official stage.An ICC official inspected the stadiums recently and is understood to have been underwhelmed by the results. The situation is now scheduled to be discussed at the ICC’s annual conference in London later this week with insiders suggesting that concerns are such that a decision to move the tournament is one of the options to be discussed.The men’s and women’s World T20 is scheduled to be played in four venues in Bangladesh between March 16 and April 6 next year. The stadiums in Mirpur and Chittagong are deemed perfectly acceptable for international cricket, but work on the facilities at the stadium in Sylhet, which was built last year – remains incomplete, and construction at the new stadium in Cox’s Bazar, home of the world’s longest natural sandy beach, is still underway.BCB president Nazmul Hassan has this week vented his frustration about the slowness of work on the two unfinished grounds. The latest phase of work in the Sylhet Stadium began on June 7, and the BCB estimates that the four-storied pavilion will be completed by the time the ICC inspection team returns in September. There is a plan to host a couple of ODIs when New Zealand are touring in October.But the National Sports Council, the sports regulator in Bangladesh and also the custodian of all sporting venues, have said that it would only be ready by November and that outfield drainage work will be delayed until after the World Twenty20s. As for the Cox’s Bazar stadium, it is being built from scratch on a patch of land that was once a golf course.While Sri Lanka cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva indicated that there had been no contact as yet between his board and the ICC, he did suggest that the country would be ready to host the tournament if required, even though it would mean that Sri Lanka could end up hosting World Twenty20 twice in 18 months. The most recent edition of the World Twenty20, which ended last October, was also held in Sri Lanka.”There has been no communication between SLC and ICC on that topic,” de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. “We have the facilities to host it, but I don’t know if it will crop up at the meeting this week.”South Africa have made similar noises.The other school of thought in Bangladesh questions whether the ICC might be more concerned about the country’s political situation, especially when a national election is scheduled to be held in early 2014.When they officially launched the tournament in April this year, it was at the end of month-long unrest in many parts of the country and immediately after a day-long general strike in Dhaka.The tournament is slated to be Bangladesh’s fourth ICC event after hosting the 1998 ICC Knockout, the 2004 Under-19s World Cup and co-hosting the 2011 World Cup.But Hassan and the board’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury will have a lot of assurances to give to keep the event in Bangladesh.

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As bilheterias do Morumbi, palco do jogo entre São Paulo e Talleres (ARG), às 21h30, ficarão abertas apenas até as 13h desta quarta-feira. Trata-se de uma determinação da Conmebol, organizadora da Libertadores.

Após este horário, as vendas continuarão acontecendo pelo site da Total Acesso (todos os setores disponíveis) e em outros dois pontos físicos até as 17h (apenas cadeiras superiores): o Anacleto Campanella, em São Caetano, e a Rua Javari, em São Paulo.

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Os ingressos para a torcida do Talleres serão comercializados apenas no Pacaembu, das 10h às 22h15. Também por determinação da Conmebol, não haverá venda para visitantes no Morumbi.

Mais de 35 mil ingressos já foram vendidos. Estão esgotados os bilhetes para arquibancadas azul, laranja e amarela. O São Paulo perdeu na ida por 2 a 0 e precisa virar para chegar à terceira fase da Libertadores.

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Apenas os jogadores considerados da equipe “alternativa” do Grêmio fizeram um trabalho específico com bola na manhã dessa quinta-feira (17) no CT Luiz Carvalho, em Porto Alegre.

Quem comandou a atividade baseada em troca de passes rápidos com espaço reduzido e depois uma disputa em dois times com menos jogadores concentrado em chutes a gol foi Alexandre Mendes, considerado o técnico do Time de Transição.

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Enquanto isso, atletas considerados como uma espécie de “espinha dorsal” da equipe que deve ser titular nos jogos mais importante da temporada do Tricolor fizeram apenas uma atividade física de corrida em volta do gramado. Os escolhidos para esse exercício foram Léo Moura, Geromel, Kannemann, Cortez, Michel, Maicon, Montoya, Luan e Everton.

A estreia em caráter oficial do Grêmio na temporada 2019 será no próximo domingo (20) frente ao Novo Hamburgo no Estádio do Vale. Como as torcidas organizadas do Tricolor estão suspensas de adentrar os estádios e o Noia não abriu a venda para visitantes, o torcedor gremista não poderá comparecer.

Scotland will host Pakistan for two ODIs in Edinburgh in May 2013, shortly before the Champions Trophy in England. Both games – on May 17 and 19 – will be played at the Citylets Grange in Edinburgh. Scotland have played Pakistan on three occasions in the 50-over format, the last one being an abandoned fixture in 2007.”These fixtures are a fantastic boost for Scottish cricket,” captain Gordon Drummond said. “We have the chance to qualify for two global ICC events in 2013, and now we find we also have the opportunity to play two top test nations with Australia also visiting for an ODI in September. These matches are particularly important for the development of the current squad.”We are all really looking to welcoming the Pakistan team to Scotland once again, and these fixtures will undoubtedly build on the already strong ties between the Pakistani/Scots community. It’s a fantastic platform for us to show what we are capable of, as we did with victory against Bangladesh last year- these are the sort of matches that every Scottish squad member will want to be involved in.””Following the ICC’s additional investment in Cricket Scotland through their TAPP [Targeted Assistance and Performance Programme] scheme, we committed to secure further matches against the Full Members,” chief executive Roddy Smith said. “These games are vital to continue our progress and measure ourselves against the best in the world, and are integral to the on field improvements desired for by the ICC. We are very grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for their support in making these games happen.”

Nottinghamshire allrounder was best known as a swashbuckling white-ball batter for Somerset

Matt Roller17-Sep-2021Peter Trego has called time on his playing career at the age of 40 after announcing his retirement from the professional game with immediate effect.Best known as a swashbuckling white-ball batter during his long-term association with Somerset, Trego also enjoyed spells with Middlesex, Kent and, most recently, Nottinghamshire, and at his peak was a hugely effective swing bowler in four-day cricket.Trego was among the best uncapped white-ball players of his generation in English cricket, playing 11 games for the Lions in 2010, but despite some standout inidividual performances during those appearances, he never quite managed to graduate to further honours.”Always a tough reality for any sportsman but at 40 I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved and more importantly the people I’ve met along the way,” Trego tweeted on Friday. “Cricket really is full of great, great people.”Related

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Trego, born and bred in Weston-super-Mare, made his Somerset debut in 2000 but despite his early promise which saw him represent England Under-19s, he struggled to nail down a regular first-team spot in the early years of his career and drifted out of the professional game, playing semi-pro football as a goalkeeper and trialling at several different counties.But after his return to Somerset in 2006, he became one of the leading allrounders on the county circuit, thumping several eye-catching hundreds in all formats, picking up key scalps with the ball and prowling on the boundary rope as an outfielder with cat-like reflexes. He spent his winters playing in New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, as well as representing England in the Hong Kong Sixes.Trego left Somerset at the end of the 2019 season after his losing his place in their Championship side and then slipping out of the Blast team and so it came as something of a surprise when Nottinghamshire offered him a two-year deal as a senior player.He played 23 games across formats during his two seasons with the club, with the clear highlight his innings of 31 off 21 balls in the 2020 Blast final. It was his only innings of the competition as he came into the side following Chris Nash’s injury in the semi-final, and led a recovery from 19 for 3 to take Notts to the title.”Coming here for the last couple of years has been amazing,” Trego said in a Nottinghamshire statement. “To sign for a club and win a trophy in your first season, even though I only added the icing to that cake, I will always look on that day proudly.”I suppose the old adage is ‘leave a place in a better place than you found it’ and I really feel like I’m departing a squad that has the ability to compete in all three formats and that’s something to be proud of. The talent has always been there during the rebuilding process but now there’s a bit of maturity and hardiness to the group and the results are speaking for themselves.”Trego retires after more than 200 first-team appearances in each format, with 9644 runs and 395 wickets in first-class cricket, 5057 runs and 173 wickets in List A games and 4127 runs and 78 wickets in his T20 career. He has already started a media career with work as a commentator for Sky and the BBC and plays golf to a high level, taking part in the regional qualifiers for The Open this year.

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Time de refugiados que conta com jogadores sírios, haitianos, venezuelano, além de brasileiros, o sub-20 do Pérolas Negras derrotou o Campos por 2 a 1, neste domingo, e conquistou o segundo turno da Série B2 do Carioca. A equipe já havia ficado com a segunda colocação no 1º turno.

Os gols do time comandado por Daniel Pinheiro foram do atacante Léo, de pênalti, e do haitiano Badio.

Após a conquista, o time dos refugiados foca no primeiro jogo da semifinal do Campeonato Carioca Série B2, onde enfrentará o mesmo Campos, na próxima quinta-feira, no Estádio Ângelo de Carvalho.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who is looking to work his way back into the national Test team after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the 2011 IPL, will lead India A on a tour of the Caribbean in June. West Indies A will host India A for three four-day matches, three one-day matches and two Twenty20s on the tour, which begins in Barbados on June 2.

India A squad

Cheteshwar Pujara (capt), Wriddhiman Saha (vice-capt), Abhinav Mukund, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Jalaj Saxena, RP Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Robin Bist, Akshay Darekar, Shami Ahmed

Pujara will be assisted by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Rohit Sharma, Abhinav Mukund, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tiwary, Ashok Dinda, Rahul Sharma and RP Singh also feature in the 15-man squad named by the BCCI. The team will play three four-day matches, three one-dayers and two Twenty20s in all.West Indies chief selector Clyde Butts said that A tours provide an opportunity for fringe players to develop their game at the international level and impress the selectors. “The West Indies Cricket Board has shown a commitment over the last few years to providing a number of opportunities for our players to develop,” he said. “We hope that the players selected will take the opportunity to play meaningful cricket and put their hands up in the hope of making the senior team.”

تحدث البرتغالي جايمي باتشيكو المدير الفني لفريق بيراميدز، عن المواجهة القوية أمام أسكوا كارا التوجولي، في بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ويحل أسكو كارا ضيفا على بيراميدز في السادسة من مساء الأحد، على استاد الدفاع الجوي، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات للمسابقة القارية.

وقال باتشيكو في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي: “مباراة أسكو كارا التوجولي غاية في الأهمية كونها تحدد بنسبة كبيرة شكل المجموعة، ولابد من تحقيق الانتصار في مباراتي القاهرة وتوجو من أجل التقدم في المجموعة، في ظل المنافسة القوية على بطاقتي التأهل مع فيوتشر والجيش الملكي، وخاصة وأن لقائي الجولتين الأولى والثانية انتهيا بالتعادل ولابد من التعديل والانتصار على الفريق التوجولي”.

وتابع: “سعيد للغاية بالمستوى الذي يقدمه اللاعبون في الفترة الأخيرة، خاصة في ظل ضغط كبير ولعب مباريات متتالية محليًا وقاريًا، وسط ضغط كبير وإصابات وإيقافات وغيرها من الظروف والأداء يتطور بصورة واضحة”.

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وأشار باتشيكو إلى أن فكره كمدير فني يتم تطبيقه بصورة أكبر من مباراة لأخرى، وهو سعيد للغاية باللاعبين وما يقدمونه ويثق فيهم، مشددا أنه حرص في ظل الضغط المتتالي على عمل تدوير للعناصر في مباريات الدوري والكونفدرالية، لأنه يثق في المجموعة بالكامل ونجاحها في عبور تلك المرحلة الصعبة التي ينافس فيها النادي على جميع البطولات.

وأوضح أنه اشتكى كثيرا في الفترة الماضية من سوء أرضية الملاعب التي خاض عليها الفريق مبارياته محليًا وقاريًا، خاصة وأنها لا تساعده في تنفيذ فكره الذي يتطلب اللعب على الأرض والتمرير بصورة جيدة، ويعلم جيدًا أن الأداء سيكون أفضل في لقاء إسكو كارا، لأن أرضية ملعب الدفاع الجوي واحدة من الأفضل في مصر.

وشدد على أن بيراميدز قادر على تحقيق الانتصار على الفريق التوجولي ذهابًا وإيابًا، ولا يمكن إغفال قوته خاصة وأنه قدم مباراة قوية أمام فيوتشر على ملعبه في توجو وكذلك أمام الجيش الملكي ووصوله إلى دور المجموعات يعني قوته الكبيرة التي لا يستهان بها.