The Indian Premier League has extended its co-sponsorship deal with Hero Honda, India’s largest manufacturer of two-wheelers, from three to five years. The five-year deal is worth US$22.5 million.Hero Honda had earlier lost out on the title sponsorship rights for the IPL to real-estate developer DLF, who won the five-year contract for $50m. Last month, they had negotiated a three-year co-sponsorship deal, reportedly worth $4.5m per year.”I am very pleased to have the country’s largest two wheeler manufacturer Hero Honda extend its co-sponsorship deal from three to five years,” Lalit Modi, the IPL’s chairman and commissioner, said. “Hero Honda have a long association with cricket both at the domestic and international levels and their decision bears testimony to the fact that the DLF Indian Premier League is here to stay and is set to carve out a distinct niche for itself in the international cricketing calendar.”Incidentally, Hero Honda were represented for both the title sponsorship bid and the negotiations for the co-sponsorship deal by World Sports Group, who in alliance with India’s Sony Television network, secured the television rights for ten years at a cost of more than US$1 billion. The bids for the IPL’s eight-city based franchises had generated proceeds of $723.59m.The first edition of the IPL starts on April 18, with 59 matches to be played over 44 days.
Ryan Watson has been confirmed as Scotland’s new captain, in a widely anticipated move. He replaces Craig Wright who resigned last month when the team were knocked out of the World Cup in the early stages.Watson, the top-order batsman, has played for Scotland since 1996 and admits Wright had left him with a hard act to follow. “It’s a little bit daunting given the success the side has had over the past few years,” he said, “but there will be some new cricketers coming through over time and it’s about overseeing that change. I will try to pick up where Craig left off, bring in some of my own ideas and hopefully achieve the same level of success.”He’s already had a taste of captaincy in the ultimate one-day tournament, leading the team against South Africa in the Caribbean last month when Wright had to return home for personal reasons. At the time Roddy Smith, Scotland Cricket’s chief executive, said he was clearly the man for the job.His next challenge will be to captain Scotland against the county sides in the Friends Provident Trophy, which will give him valuable experience ahead of the first Twenty20 World Cup later this year, where they will face India and Pakistan in the first round.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Sami bowled National Bank to a 41-run win on the final day of their first-round Pentangular Cup match against Sialkot at Multan.Sami, 25 – who has appeared in 25 Tests and 76 ODIs for Pakistan – captured five wickets for 48 runs in 18.4 overs as Sialkot, needing 271 runs to win the match, were bowled out for 229 in their second innings.National Bank, after having gained a first-innings advantage of 102 runs, scored only a modest 168 in their second outing. As they resumed at their overnight 139 for 6 yesterday, Sialkot’s tall left-arm paceman Sarfraz Ahmed hastened their fall with fine figures of 5 for 33.Skipper Tahir Mughal, after having been hit for 179 runs in his 32 overs in the second innings, recovered to take 3 for 61 in the second. Teenage allrounder Mansoor Amjad contributed 35 in National Bank’s second innings, off 61 balls with three fours.Sami, whose last five-for was 22 first-class matches ago — for Kent against Northamptonshire in May 2004 – bowled impeccably either side of some useful batting by Ayub Dogar and Haafiz Khalid. Ayub remained unbeaten with 71, facing 133 balls and hitting seven fours. Wicketkeeper Khalid’s 37 came off 57 deliveries with three fours and a six.National Bank joined Faisalabad at the top of the table, as both have gained nine points each. The latter, however, are ahead on the basis of a superior net run-rate.Sialkot, the current national cricket champions, will now meet table leaders Faisalabad in a second-round match at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, from Wednesday (tomorrow). From the same day, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be playing against Karachi Harbour here at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Michael Vaughan believes the selection of seven England players in the squads for October’s Super Series is a timely boost ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.”It’s a great achievement to be selected in the squad of 30 and it’s fantastic to see seven English players involved in the Test and ODI squads,” he said. “It’s a great incentive to try and get into the squad of 20 and then into the final 13. I’ll be trying to have a good summer against the Aussies to try and push myself into that final 13. To get into the final squad we’re going to have to play well against Australia. Goals are important and there’s an ultimate goal to aim for there.”Vaughan is one of four England players selected for the ICC World XI Test squad. Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Andrew Strauss are in the frame for the Super Test at Sydney while Flintoff, Darren Gough, Kevin Pietersen and Marcus Trescothick are all in the ICC World XI ODI squad.”It’s a testament to how Pietersen has played since he came into the England team,” Vaughan continued. “To score three centuries in South Africa was a great achievement. For him to get into the ODI squad of 30 is a great effort, as it is too for Andrew Strauss who is in the Test squad. He hasn’t played that many games either so for Strauss to get into the 30 is a huge boost to him and just goes to show how well he’s played since he got into the England team.”Vaughan also praised the longevity of his former Yorkshire colleague Darren Gough. “The enthusiasm Goughy has at the minute tells me that there is plenty of juice in his tank and I know he’s as eager as ever to play well and make sure he continues to perform to the standards that he has set himself.”The inaugural Super Series will pit world champion Australia against ICC World XI Test and one-day teams in the three One-Day Internationals at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome and a six-day Super Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.The final squads of 13 players for the Super Test and 14 for the ODIs, plus management and coaching appointments, will be confirmed in August.
New Zealand have approached Mark O’Donnell, the current Auckland and former Gauteng coach, to help them plot against South Africa in the forthcoming one-day series, according to the .O’Donnell, who coached Gauteng before moving to Auckland last summer, is highly regarded and knows the ins and outs of South Africa’s strengths and weaknesses.Although neither O’Donnell or Lindsay Crocker, the New Zealand manager, have confirmed the news, it is thought to be a done deal.The only delay surrounding the move is thought to be over the board gaining clearance from Auckland. Crocker said, “I’m unable to confirm anything at the moment, but there could be something in a few days.”O’Donnell is already due to join the squad for the three-Test series, which starts in Hamilton on March 10, but was prevented from joining them any earlier because of his commitments to Auckland in the State Championship. His knowledge on the South Africans comes from his time at the national academy, where Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs graduated, and also from his six seasons with Gauteng.New Zealand have used O’Donnell before during the 2003 World Cup, even though they then went against his recommendation in the first match against Sri Lanka by opting to bowl first.Since coming to New Zealand, O’Donnell has an impressive record with Auckland, taking them to the first-class title in his first year, and qualifying top for the domestic one-day final, only to lose to Northern Districts.This season they were beaten in the semi-final of the State Shield by eventual winners Central Districts, and are currently third in the Championship.
Jim McConnon, the former Glamorgan and England spinner, died yesterdayat his home in Altrincham, aged 80. He made 243 appearances for the Welshcounty between 1950 and 1961, during which he took 799 wickets.In only his second season of county cricket, Jim was instrumental insecuring a dramatic victory for Glamorgan against the 1951 South Africans at Swansea.Together with fellow spinner Len Muncer, his fine bowling saw theSpringboks collapse from 54 without loss to 83 all out as they chased avictory target of 147. In the space of just three-quarters an hour, Jimtook 6-10, including a hat-trick as Glamorgan became the only county side todefeat the South Africans on their tour.In all, Jim took 136 wickets in 1951, and this remarkable performance atSt.Helen`s , saw the tall off-spinner move onto the fringe of the Englishteam. After taking a career-best 8/36 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge,Jim won selection in the Commonwealth XI for their tour to India in 1953/54.The following summer, he won two Test caps in the series with the 1954 Pakistanis,and took 3/12 in his first six overs in an England sweater.Jim`s promising performance led to his inclusion, ahead of JimLaker for the 1954/55 Ashes tour to Australia. However, he sustained a series of injurieswhilst in Australia, and Jim had to return home early after breaking a finger.Despite never playing again for England, Jim continued to be an effective spinnerat county level, and formed a successful partnership with Don Shepherd, who had convertedto spin from seam. Jim took 99 wickets in 1957 and then 113 at just 18 apiece in 1959,as well as developing into a forceful late order batsman, striking a career best 95 against Middlesex at theArms Park in 1958.Jim had first joined Glamorgan aged 28 after a spell as a professionalfootballer with Aston Villa and various Welsh League clubs.
Gloucestershire’s attempts to engineer a second consecutive CricInfo Championship victory were foiled by rain on the final day of the match against Durham at Gloucester.When play finally began at 3.30 the visitors were set a higly improbable 290 to win off a minimum of 40 overs.Although they set attacking fields and pressed hard, Gloucestershire were unable to induce the clatter of early wickets required to force a result and eventually settled for the draw after a largely meaningless afternoon’s cricket closed with Durham on 116-2 from 32 overs.Heavy showers induced Mark Alleyne to declare Gloucestershire’s innings at 156-4 and look to his bowlers to extert instant pressure.James Averis made the breakthrough, Michael Gough gloving a legside bouncer to Jack Russell in the ninth over, and Durham skipper Jon Lewis departed soon afterwards, edging a Michael Cawdron outswinger to first slip with the total on 48.But Gloucestershire expectations were crushed by Australian batsman Martin Love who harvested a six and eight fours in a 77-ball half-century.Alleyne employed six bowlers in all, but Martin Speight played his part in a third-wicket stand worth 68 when proceedings were brought to a close with nine overs unused.
Leeds United appear to be preparing for life without Raphinha, if emerging reports are to be believed…
What’s the word?
According to Italian outlet Il Mattino (via Sport Witness), the Yorkshire outfit are leading the race to sign Georgia international Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this summer.
The 22-year-old dynamo will not return to Russian side Rubin Kazan after the international break, with UEFA allowing players to leave the country for another team if they wish.
Kvaratskhelia is set to return to his country to play for FC Dinamo Batumi until the summer when he will then be in a position to join another club.
Serie A outfit Napoli and Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also mooted with interest, though the player’s exit from Rubin Kazan is seen as a big boost towards Leeds’ chances of sealing his signature.
Fit to replace rampant Raphinha?
You’d imagine a move for any new winger this off-season means that Raphinha is likely heading out the exit door, unsurprisingly after his phenomenal campaign, where he leads the goalscoring and creativity charts for the club.
FC Barcelona are being widely touted as a likely destination, whilst Liverpool are also been linked in recent windows.
But is Kvaratskhelia the right signing to make to potentially fill such a big void? His profile certainly fits the bill.
As per ScoutCharts, the £14.4m-rated attacker was clear in the Russian Premier League for his dribbling ability, averaging 3.14 successful attempts per 90.
By the chart above, the 12-cap Georgian star is in a league of his own for his dribbling ability and that is something that Raphinha is renowned for over in England, not just leading the Leeds squad with 2.3 successful attempts per 90 but ranking inside the top five in the Premier League, for all players to make 24 or more appearances, as per WhoScored.
Kvaratskhelia had been in good form for Rubin this campaign, managing two goals and five assists in 19 appearances, in which 17 were starts.
Interestingly, his playing style has been likened to that of Franck Ribery or Arjen Robben, due to his technique, something that only bolstered his credentials in potentially succeeding the Brazil international at Elland Road.
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“Naturally. He is from the same galaxy of players as Ribery or Robben,” claimed former Russia U18 coach Denis Bushuev. “He could play in the top five clubs in the Bundesliga – he has crazy technique.”
On the above evidence, Whites boss Jesse Marsch could be onto a winner in their tricky search for an ideal successor to Raphinha, It would be a big gamble from the club but one that could ultimately pay off.
No one could’ve predicted the Brazilian’s immediate impact following his move from Stade Rennes.
AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: Marsch heading for big Leeds nightmare over £42m-rated “rare talent”…
Jimmy Maher has cut short his retirement plan, announcing he will quit from Queensland at the end of the state’s Pura Cup match against South Australia starting in Adelaide on Friday. Earlier in the season Maher announced he was standing down from the captaincy at the close of the summer but would stay on as a player.However, Maher’s up and down form this year, combined with seeing his friend and Bulls team-mate Michael Kasprowicz close his career, made him consider his immediate future. “It [retirement] has been on my mind and I must admit I tossed and turned a fair bit before I settled on this,” Maher said. “Coming here to make this announcement is probably the toughest thing I’ve had to do.”Maher, 34, needs only 99 in Adelaide to become the second player to score 10,000 first-class runs for Queensland, after his team-mate Martin Love. He is the second-most capped Bulls player with 154 first-class games and was the first Queenslander to reach the double of 100 Pura Cup matches and 100 domestic one-day games. However, Maher’s playing days might not be totally over and he is keeping his options open regarding the Twenty20 competitions in India.Maher will be remembered as an integeral part of the state’s strong top order that helped the side dominate the Australian domestic scene for a decade from the mid-1990s. At 21, he tasted Queensland’s first Sheffield Shield triumph in 1994-95.The Bulls went on to win four more titles under Stuart Law, including a hat-trick from 1999-2000 to 2001-02, before Maher took over as leader and guided them to success in 2005-06. His own contribution in that most recent result was to top score with 223 in Queensland’s total of 6 for 900.Maher said he was fortunate to play in such a strong era. “The first Shield win obviously – if I could pick a moment to replayagain, that would be it – but the 1996-97 Shield win in Perth was a special one too, as was the hat-trick of Pura Cup titles,” he said.”Then finally being able to hold up the Pura Cup as captain in 2005-06 was pretty amazing. I look back on the blokes I was fortunate enough to play alongside and pinch myself. If you’d ask me at the start if I could imagine playing 150 games for the Bulls, winning trophies for my state, playing for Australia and being a cricketer for 14 seasons and honestly I’d say ‘no I can’t’.”Maher’s 26-match ODI career did not bring great individual success, but he was part of the World Cup-winning squad in South Africa in 2003, when he was surprisingly selected as the back-up wicketkeeper. His only one-day international half-century had come at Centurion the year before, when he scored 95 against South Africa in his first game back in the side following two appearances four years prior.His domestic one-day highlights reel is dominated by a national-record score of 187 from 129 balls against Western Australia in 2003-04, and his 108 in their FR Cup final victory over Victoria last season was also memorable. Big scores became harder to come by this summer and his 298 Pura Cup runs came at an average of 19.86.The Bulls have one more Pura Cup match this season after the Adelaide game and the selectors will wait until that clash has concluded before deciding on a replacement captain. James Hopes, Chris Simpson and Chris Hartley have all led the state in limited-overs contests in the past two summers.
Punjab ended the opening day of their third round match against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) on a healthy 325 for the loss of 4 wickets at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex.Winning the toss and batting first, Punjab rode on a 115-run opening partnership between Pakistan internationals Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Nazir. Hafeez scored an aggressive 88 including 12 fours and two sixes before being dismissed by Saeed Ajmal. Nazir scored a characteristic 41-ball 60 with nine fours and a six before being caught behind off Bilal Asad.While Bilal Khilji scored 41 coming in at number three, Misbah-ul-Haq, the returning Punjab captain, shared a useful 79-run fourth wicket partnership with another Test discard Naveed Latif. In sharp contrast to Punjab’s aggressive opening partnership, Misbah battled for nearly three hours over his 43.Punjab will resume their innings with Mohammad Ayub (17*) partnering Naveed Latif who has faced 146 balls for his 64 that includes 11 fours and a single six.Medium pacer Bilal Asad was the pick of the bowlers on a placid pitch as he picked up three wickets in 18 overs while giving away only 44 runs. Saeed Ajmal, the other wicket-taker, gave away 110 runs from his 25 overs.Sind recovered from a dismal 73 for six to post a decent 234 on the first day of their match against North West Frontier Province – Baluchistan at the National Stadium, Karachi.The day ended with the combined NWFP and Baluchistan team scoring 84 for the loss of opener Shoaib Khan (24) in reply. Yasir Hameed was unbeaten on 48 while Raiz Kail was batting on 9.Earlier, the opening bowling pair of Shakeel-ur-Rehman and Nasir Jalil picked up the first four wickets with only 27 on the board, including that of captain Faisal Iqbal for one. Rizwan Ahmed (58) steadied the innings slightly with a 35-run fifth wicket partnership before adding 51 with Mohammad Sami who scored 27.But it was Tahir Khan, better known for his off-spin, whose brilliant 70 helped Sind recover. He added 43 for the eighth wicket with Sami and 60 for the ninth wicket with Farhan Ayub before being running out of partners.Nasir was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets for 60 runs while Shakeel and Faisal Irfan both picked up three wickets each.