All posts by h716a5.icu

Brad Hodge hurt Queensland during his marathon 261 before Victoria tried to crush them by batting on to a massive 5 for 656

Cricinfo staff07-Mar-2009Victoria 5 for 656 (Hodge 261, Rogers 123, White 95*, Quiney 94) lead Queensland 302 by 354 runs
Scorecard
Points table
Brad Hodge became the sixth to 10,000 Sheffield Shield runs with his double-century © Getty Images
Brad Hodge hurt Queensland during his marathon 261 before Victoria tried to crush them by batting on to a massive 5 for 656. The teams are a chance of meeting again in Friday’s final, but after the past two days it would be understandable if the Bulls could think of nothing worse than running into Hodge and Co two weeks in a row.Hodge wanted a long stay in preparation for the five-day decider and he spent almost eight hours working on his double-century against his potential opponents. He also became the sixth to pass 10,000 Sheffield Shield runs during his display, which lasted 394 balls and included 33 fours and three sixes.Queensland’s bowlers will do well to recover from such treatment and they were hindered further by a groin injury to Chris Swan. Ben Laughlin finally removed Hodge, who began with a 244-run stand with Chris Rogers on Friday, when he was caught by Chris Hartley, but the damage didn’t stop.Cameron White found some valuable form with 95 not out and Rob Quiney fell six short of a century. By the end of the day Victoria had collected 371 runs in 112 overs and owned a lead of 354.James Hopes was economical with 2 for 66 off 30 overs, including bowling David Hussey for 62 before lunch, while Laughlin had 2 for 189 off 44. The Bulls’ advantage over Tasmania has been cut to two points, and if the Tigers win in Adelaide Queensland’s campaign will be over. Their plight was not helped when Shane Watson, who is playing as a specialist batsman, was struck in the face while fielding.

It seems that football has been around for ever and has come along way to the multi-million pound transfers that we see now. The game has its roots firmly stuck in mid-nineteenth-century England. Earlier versions of the game do exist but are not quite the same as the game that we have all grown to love today. The precursors to what would one day become football originate in Mesoamerican cultures more than 3,000 years ago. The ancient Aztecs used the word “tchatali” to describe the game, which by 1600 BC had spread far and wide across the Americas. Some Mesoamerican cultures conducted elaborate rituals of sacrifice and splendour. In their ancient traditions the football represented the sun, so in order to appease the gods, a sacrifice was made – in most cases the losing team’s captain!

One of the reasons why Mesoamerican culture had such an appetite for football goes far beyond chance. The landscape at the time was covered by vast swathes of rubber trees, which gave the indigenous cultures everything they needed for a sustained exploration into the game. It was only after first contact was made by European colonists that they discovered the staggering benefits of the rubber tree and along with it the football.

Let’s Not Forget China

China has records dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC that detail a popular kicking game. It was called “cuju” and like the Mesoamerican version seemed to have religious and cultural importance. The ball was made out of a type of stitched leather and was generally stuffed with animal fur or feathers. The game consisted of a small square, usually etched onto an elaborately decorated paving stone, with the objective being to “score” a goal. The Chinese Han dynasty is credited with inventing the first goalpost-like openings, providing the basic structure and netting practises we see today.

One of the reasons why European civilisations of the time were not holding football with significant cultural importance is likely because the Ancient Greeks prohibited ball games in their amphitheatres. So the humble ball was banned from the larger arenas and was confined to the back alleys of the burgeoning city of Athens. The problem was the stigma attached to football; the game was seen as a sport for the lower classes. The fall of Ancient Greece saw the rise of Roman dominance in Europe. The Romans had an affinity for football and found the game amusing. They exported the game to Britain, along with much of Europe, who all developed their own versions. Surviving Roman texts and manuscripts speak fondly of the game and described epic matches taking place on palace grounds. These matches are described as lavish occasions with the whole family taking part in the fun. The game would have been played on top ornate mosaic tiles, which depicted the grandeur of the families playing their own versions of ancient football.

Punching Not Kicking

It is more than likely that the first versions of football saw players using their fists to punch the ball. The game saw dramatic development during the 12th century and was most likely played on streets and meadows before a designated pitch would become the norm. Football during this period was a lot more hands-on than it is today. Without many rules, the game often spun into complete chaos, with multiple football-related brawls recorded throughout the ages. The resulting violence of the daily brawls may have been a direct reason why using hands would eventually be outlawed. The lawmakers at the time often associated the sport with drunkenness and tomfoolery, so removed the use of one’s hands to provide some much-needed respite.

Football as we know it today was conceived by Charles Goodyear in 1844, after filing a patent for the invention of vulcanised rubber. For a while, there was no formal difference between football and rugby. This caused a problem for both the football association and the rugby union who wanted clear distinction to be made between the two sports in order for them to happily coexist. The guidelines at this time were sparse, which resulted in several different versions simultaneously hitting the streets of eighteenth-century England. There was a call for proper rules to be developed during a meeting in Cambridge during the winter of 1848. The administration set out to establish the fundamental rules and principles that would go on to govern the game. Everything from ethics, game length, and team size were all discussed, and a uniform structure was agreed upon.

Some of the first bets to take place in England during the 1800s were likely to have been informal in nature. This means that these bets took place between friends, with little or no securities for their wagers. This soon developed into often illegal back-alley bookmakers who would happily take bets on upcoming football matches. Fixed-odds sports betting wasn’t legal during this period and could land you a hefty fine and significant jail time. The football odds and bets we place today, and so love by the way, evolved over time, just as football itself has done over the course of many centuries.

Afghanistan’s unquenchable confidence drove them unerringly to a convincing 60-run win over Bermuda, condemning them to their second loss in as many days

Will Luke in Potchefstroom02-Apr-2009
ScorecardAgony for Karim Khan as he is dismissed for 83•Getty ImagesAfghanistan’s unquenchable confidence drove them unerringly to a convincing 60-run win over Bermuda, who were condemned to their second loss in as many days. Afghanistan batted aggressively, fielded with agility and bowled with impressive discipline throughout. In contrast, Bermuda were outplayed in all three facets of the game and are already contemplating the embarrassment of not reaching the Super Eights.Chasing 240, Bermuda lost Lionel Cann – a batsman apparently back to his flourishing best – when he was bowled by Dawlat Ahmadza’s third ball of the innings. Jekon Edness followed soon after to Hasti Gul and, in a beautifully controlled five-over spell, Ahmadza conceded just five runs to tie Bermuda in knots.And then a resurgence took place with Glenn Blakeney and Steven Outerbridge opening their shoulders in a third-wicket stand of 118 to levy the balance. But their partnership lacked momentum thanks to Afghanistan’s tidy spinners, in particular Samiullah Shenwari, the young legspinner with an impressive stock delivery, who startled many with prodigious turn. Blakeney often mistakenly played across the line to the slower bowlers but, when driving straight down the ground, looked far more assured.Blakeney scorched a huge six over the top during his 89-ball fifty but was bowled attempting another heave, and it was left to Outerbridge to salvage a run-chase, as Bermuda sought an unlikely 115 from the last 16 overs. It was far too great a task. Hamid Hassan returned and bowled at a lively pace, with disciplined lines, to nip out two quick wickets while Samiullah deceived David Hemp with a lovely delivery that curved and dipped.That they failed to bat out their 50 overs tells a sorry but familiar tale of underachievement by Bermuda. Their captain, Irvine Romaine, refused the notion that they underestimated their opponents. “We didn’t, no, but if you look at when they played in Division 3, they [have improved]. I was surprised when the last seam bowler [Hassan] came on. He is a quality bowler, one of the fastest in the tournament. We did not expect that at all and he is a top-notch bowler.”This is part of cricket. Sometimes you show up to play, sometimes you don’t.”Though the margin of victory was significant, Afghanistan also suffered a batting slump, but two classy fifties from their captain and Man-of-the-Match Nowroz Mangal and the indefatigable Karim Khan, ensured a more than competitive total. Karim, who yesterday cracked 39 in Afghanistan’s win over Denmark, stroked 83 with ten crisp fours and propelled an innings which stood at 128 for 1 after 28 overs. But it was Nowroz’s late burst, in which he helped put on 55 in the last five overs, that really tested Bermuda’s bowlers and fielding. Both aspects were found wanting.Rodney Trott’s tidy offspin earned him 2 for 33 though his impact ought to have spelled a warning to Bermuda in facing Afghanistan’s own tweakers, who turned the ball far more prodigiously.There was little question which team was the hungrier, and Afghanistan’s second win on the trot ought to serve as an acute reminder of their fearlessness and ability. They now take on Kenya, who today thrashed UAE, on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday forward Callum Paterson is reportedly discussing the idea of a new deal at Hillsborough.

The Lowdown: Paterson impresses for Owls

The 26-year-old has done well since joining the Owls, scoring nine goals in 50 appearances and providing admirable levels of work-rate off the ball.

Paterson has 17 caps to his name for Scotland, highlighting his pedigree, and he should be a key man for Wednesday in League One this season.

The Latest: New deal incoming?

According to The Sheffield Star, the attacker is in talks with the club over a new contract.

The Owls are believed to have ‘rebuffed enquiries from Championship clubs’ during the summer transfer window and Paterson is happy with his life in Sheffield.

The Verdict: Shrewd move by Wednesday

Nailing Paterson down to a new deal would undoubtedly represent positive news for Wednesday, given the experience he has and how effective he can be on his day. Former Hearts teammate Jack Hamilton once claimed he has ‘got everything’ as a footballer.

Granted, he might not be a guaranteed starter every week, considering how many signings Moore has made recently, but he is an ideal squad player who can shine out wide or centrally.

Retaining the services of players like Paterson is of the utmost importance for Wednesday, as they look for a swift return to the Championship.

In other news, Dom Howson has provided a key Sheff Wed update. Read more here.

Former opening batsman Andy Waller has been named as Zimbabwe’s new coaching manager

Cricinfo staff24-Apr-2009Former opening batsman Andy Waller has been named as Zimbabwe’s new coaching manager. His previous experience includes a spell as coach of Namibia.Waller, who played two Tests and 39 ODIs, will be responsible for supervising domestic coaching structures and setting up high-performance centres across the country.His appointment follows that of Dave Houghton, who will be part-time director of national coaching.As a more general shake-up of the game’s structure continues, the Independent reported that earlier this month the Zimbabwe board dissolved its cricket committee and would be replacing it with a new body made up of “people with playing experience will be announced soon”.

Everton have had an outstanding start to the season, and after their opening four games, Rafa Benitez’s side have amassed the same number of points as the league leaders.

The Spanish coach needed a quick start to life at Goodison Park after his controversial appointment but fortunately he’s managed to achieve results while his team plays eye-catching football.

Demarai Gray has hit the ground running and has now scored in three successive matches for the Toffees. They will need him to continue that record against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, though, because they will be without Dominic Calvert-Lewin again.

The striker had to withdraw from the latest England squad due to a broken toe but his injury problems have mounted, and according to Benitez, his situation is not improving.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the manager commented: “It’s what I said after the game. We have to wait some weeks, we don’t know exactly how many but he will not be available for two or three weeks.”

Calvert-Lewin currently has a quadriceps problem, but despite Everton winning and scoring three goals against Burnley last Monday, he will still be a huge loss on Saturday evening.

After all, he is the club’s star man and has become one of the most frightening strikers in the country.

The 24-year-old is a big figure at 6 foot 2 but he combines that frame with scintillating pace.

A nightmare for any defender in the division, he started the campaign by scoring three goals in three matches, continuing where he left off from last term – 2020/21 represented the best season of Calvert-Lewin’s career to date.

He beat the goalkeeper on 21 occasions in all competitions, becoming the first Everton player to register more than 20 goals in a season since Romelu Lukaku in 2016/17.

Furthermore, the Englishman joined an illustrious club of just Lukaku and Yakubu in scoring more than 15 goals for the Toffees in one campaign during the Premier League era.

On that evidence, not having him available at all times is a mighty blow to Benitez. The Spaniard will be gutted to be without the 24-year-old for a number of weeks.

AND in other news, Everton may have their new Godfrey in rarely-seen 17 y/o who Unsworth dubbed “superb”…

List of players, officials and support staff granted amnesty by the BCCI

Cricinfo staff02-Jun-2009
JharkhandRajiv Kumar
BarodaKiran Powar, Rakesh Patel
BengalShiv Sagar Singh, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Subhomoy Das, Sayed Akhlakh Ahamad, Rohan Gavaskar, Subhjit Paul, Deep Dasgupta
MumbaiRobin Morris, Nikhil Mandale
RailwaysShreyas Khanolkar, Tejinder Pal Singh, P Vivek, J P Yadav, Baburao Yadav, Avinash Yadav
MaharashtraSuyesh Burkul, Dheeraj Jadhav, Raviraj Patil, Pushkaraj Joshi, Anupam Sanklecha, Ranjeet Khirid
DelhiAbhinav Bali, Kunal Lal
Jammu and KashmirAbid Nabi, Dhruv Mahajan
Madhya PradeshT Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra, Abbas Ali, Sachin Dholpure, Shridhar Iyer, Abhishek Tamrakar, Bhima Rao
AssamSyed Zakaria Zuffri, Parviz Aziz, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Sujay Tarafder, Pritam Das
PunjabDinesh Mongia, Reetinder Sodhi, Karanveer Singh, Harpreet Singh, Sumit Kalia, Love Ablish, Rajesh Sharma, Sarabjeet Singh, Ishan Malhotra, Bipul Sharma, Amit Uniyal
KarnatakaStuart Binny
HyderabadAbdul Azeem Khan, Alfred Absolom, Ibrahim Khaleel, Indra Shekar Reddy, P S Niranjan, Anirudh Singh, Shashank Nag, Ambati Rayudu
Andhra PradeshSyed Shahbuddin
Tamil NaduHemang Badani, V Devendran, G Vignesh, Syed Mohammed, R Jesuraj, S Sriram, R Sathish, K Martin Sanjeev, T Kumaran, S Vasanth Saravanan, J Hariesh, D Tamilkumaran, C Hemant Kumar
HaryanaGaurav Gupta
Uttar PradeshAvinash Yadav, Shalabh Srivastava, Ali Murtaza, Ali Hamid Zaidi
Coaches and MentorsSandeep Patil, E A S Prasanna, Madan Lal, Rajesh Kamath, Karsan Ghavri, Pranab Roy, Ashok Malhotra, Rajesh Chauhan, Balwinder Sandhu, Bharath Reddy, Ajit Wadekar
OthersKiran Padhiyar (Video Analyst), K Martin Sanjeev, A T Rajamani Prabhu, Dr Dinesh Vaghela (Umpire), Atul Wassan, A Burrows (Umpire), Suhas Pawar (Trainer), Rajesh Mundhva (Umpire), Chezhian (Umpire), V Satish (Umpire) and S Shyam Sundar

Tottenham Hotspur advanced into the next round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night as they defeated Nuno Santo’s former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, on penalties and they’ll be looking to carry that momentum into this weekend’s all-important north London derby.

The Lilywhites’ form in the Premier League has slipped in recent weeks, losing back-to-back matches 3-0, having opened the campaign with three straight 1-0 victories.

Their performance at Molineux was certainly a mixed bag, so it leaves the Portuguese head coach with plenty to ponder heading into Sunday’s crunch match against Arsenal.

One of the standout stars from the midweek encounter was Oliver Skipp, who made a big statement on his return to the starting XI.

The young 21-year-old academy graduate had started their opening four Premier League matches before being axed for the Chelsea game, and he certainly reacted well as he was arguably one of Spurs’ best players on the pitch up in the Midlands.

He is now surely in line to take his place back in the starting lineup.

Skipp was earning rave reviews from the local press throughout the match – The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare tweeted: “Skipp’s having a really strong game. Bossing it in CM, winning tackles and driving #THFC forward with the ball,” whilst football.london’s Alasdair Gold echoed such sentiments.

“Another big tackle from Skipp on Traore. The young midfielder has played well so far,” he claimed.

The England U21 international earned a 7.0 rating on SofaScore for his display, which saw him record two tackles, one interception, one dribble and one key passes, so it was a pretty rounded outing from the young Hotspur Way gem.

It’s no wonder the 5 foot 9 dynamo has been previously dubbed a “machine” by former head of Goal.com James Dickens, as well as “outstanding” by former Norwich teammate Kenny McLean.

Skipp is widely touted to be a future captain of Spurs and whilst he’s still raw and has to get to grips with the level of the Premier League, he’s certainly doing himself no harm with performances like that on Wednesday night.

With the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso also vying for a place alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Nuno is left with one major decision to make on Skipp ahead of their clash with Arsenal this weekend.

AND in other news, “His people tell me”: Alasdair Gold drops major Harry Kane claim, fans will be buzzing…

Celtic reporter Kieran Devlin answered a question on Sunday about Karamoko Dembele and his continued Parkhead absence.

The Lowdown: Injury issues

Ange Postecoglou has been without a number of players in recent weeks, with Dembele one of the first on the injury list after going off during a pre-season game with Bristol City back in July.

The likes of Christopher Jullien, Greg Taylor, Callum McGregor, Kyogo Furuhashi, Mikey Johnston, James Forrest and Giorgos Giakoumakis have also been missing, some long-term and others short-term.

The Hoops have struggled for wins as a result, winning just two of their last seven fixtures in all competitions.

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The Latest: Devlin’s response

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic before the Dundee United game on Sunday to talk all things Celtic.

He was asked what was going on with Dembele after his injury two months ago, to which he responded with this nine-word claim.

“Still out through injury as far as I’m aware.”

The Verdict: Worrying times

With no positive update on Dembele, it could still be a while until we see the teenager in competitive action under Postecoglou.

The Hoops boss has had to rely heavily on Jota and Liel Abada in recent weeks, so having Dembele back fit as soon as possible would only help Celtic going forward.

However, it doesn’t appear as if Dembele will be featuring anytime soon, upsetting news for both the player and Celtic as more and more players join the absentee list.

In other news: ‘I have never heard’ – McLeish baffled by something happening behind the scenes at Celtic. 

Ehsan Mani, former ICC president, believes Pakistan was manoeuvred out of its hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup by a split within the Asian bloc

Osman Samiuddin14-May-2009Ehsan Mani, former ICC president, believes Pakistan was manoeuvred out of its hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup by a split within the Asian bloc, led by India, and an inert ICC approach to examine viable solutions. Pakistan, said Mani, was thus left with no choice but to begin legal proceedings against the decision.Mani, who served as president from 2003-06, is acting as an advisor to the PCB in the dispute and is widely thought to be man who prompted the move to initiate legal action. He has told the PCB, however, to keep “back-channel communications” with the ICC open throughout the dispute.”I’m afraid so and I’m very sorry to say it,” Mani told Cricinfo, when asked whether India had manipulated the situation to its advantage in order to squeeze Pakistan out of the tournament. “This was a time when India should have come forward, shown leadership and said ‘It’s all four of us as hosts, or none of us.'”Asia got worried they would lose the 2011 World Cup altogether and decided to dump Pakistan. It is the first time in my 20 years association that I have seen Asia split this way. It speaks volumes of the PCB’s PR perhaps,” Mani said.Mani also took aim at the ICC, saying it had not shown enough initiative in searching for a solution to Pakistan’s plight. “The ICC should have looked at the security situation as a whole, they should have at least met with Pakistan beforehand. When I was president, there was a lot of pressure to suspend Zimbabwe. I refused, until I had met them personally. I did and eventually they asked to be suspended themselves.”There was no pre-meeting dialogue with the PCB here and ICC should have taken the lead in that. Pakistan is a problem, so let’s talk to them. I said to the ICC you should have thought of alternative solutions. They said the PCB had not put any such proposal forward but the ICC should have been examining these things.”Many things were wrong. The ICC should have done an assessment of all four countries and gotten governments involved. Also, if Pakistan gets the Champions Trophy hosting fee even if that event was taken away, why does the same logic not apply for the World Cup?”Acknowledging that the relationship between the ICC and the PCB are “not good,” Mani said Pakistan was left with no other option. “They were between a rock and a hard place. They were marginalised, losing the hosting money – what was their choice? Roll over quietly, or make some noise? Pakistan feel they were misled at the meeting and had no idea this was going to happen. One should have been upfront about it.”Mani has advocated swapping the World Cups of 2011 and 2015, so that the next tournament is switched to Australia and New Zealand and the 2015 edition comes to the subcontinent. He asked the ICC about the swapping option and was told that “Australia and New Zealand were happy to host the 2011 World Cup but also wanted to keep the 2015 tournament.”But Mani urged the PCB to keep the doors of communication open with the ICC. “Ties between the two are not great. What I’ve advised them is to keep the legal process on but along with a high-level diplomatic process. Keep that channel open. I told the PCB that professional advice was needed but keep talking to them. I tried to speak to the ICC but couldn’t get through to them. They kept saying ‘you don’t know all the facts’ which I found disappointing.”