Nick Jewell and Brad Hodge continued their outstanding form and gave Victoria a healthy first-innings lead against New South Wales. The pair built a 181-run second-wicket partnership and pushed past the Blues’ total of 249, helping Victoria reach 4 for 316 at stumps.Jewell’s 112 was his second century in three matches, while Hodge’s 88 moved him past 500 runs in the Pura Cup season and he now trails only Western Australia’s Chris Rogers in 2006-07. Hodge joined Jewell at 1 for 84 after Nathan Bracken enticed an edge behind from Lloyd Mash on 52.Jewell’s innings took nearly six hours and ended in the final session when he was bowled by Bracken having hit 13 fours and one six. Hodge recorded the same boundary tally before he was caught behind off Matthew Nicholson.Cameron White made 8 and gave the debutant fast bowler Scott Coyte his first Pura Cup wicket but David Hussey (22 not out) and Andrew McDonald (19 not out) extended the home team’s lead to 67 runs. The game is a crucial one for both the Blues and the Bushrangers, who sit third and fourth on the competition table.
Troy Cooley, who earlier this week was appointed bowling coach to Australia, has spoken of his disappointment of the ECB’s decision not to offer him a two-year extension to his contract. Cooley requested the deal in May but, he claims, the ECB would only offer a one-year appointment.”I would have been happy to stay with England – but May was really the time to have settled it,” Cooley told The Guardian. “By the time I got around to negotiating with them [the ECB] again, towards the end of the Ashes, other people were talking to me.”Cooley is widely acknowledged as the man responsible for turning England’s bowlers into a world-beating force; in joining the England coaching set-up in 2003, with fellow Australian Rod Marsh at the helm, England’s status as a world-class side regained prominence, culminating in winning the Ashes this summer.Both Marsh and Cooley have now returned to their homeland, but Cooley was quick to state that salaries weren’t part of his decision to leave: “The money was not a huge factor, though I do believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. I am an Australian, though, and at some stage, I suppose, I was always going to return,” he said. “It’s happened sooner than I expected, but it’s a great opportunity.”It’s been a fantastic journey and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, not only helping the bowlers to perform as a unit but also playing a part in the setting up of what is now a very impressive fast-bowling programme.”
Northern Districts 281 for 8 (Wilson 96, Devcich 43*, Scott 2-38) trail Otago 321 by 40 runs Scorecard Otago had a good chance of taking the first-innnings lead against Northern Districts at close of play on the second day in Gisborne, but along the way they were given a fright by one of the five debut players in the ND team.Brad Wilson scored 96 in a dominating innings for his side which took 264 minutes and which assured ND of at least a competitive chance in the match. The loss of Alun Evans (4), Matt Hart (5) and Daniel Flynn (2) left ND in trouble at 53 for 4. But Mark Orchard with 28 helped restore some structure to the innings. Then Joseph Yovich (41), Paul McGlashan (33) and Anton Devcich, with an unbeaten 43, pulled the side through to 281 for 8.Otago ended the day slightly in front, but they struggled for a breakthrough after the initial onslaught and were required to use nine bowlers. Brad Scott fared the best with 2 for 38 off 23 over.Canterbury 346 and 46 for 1 (Papps 30*) lead Central Districts 281 (Thompson 77, Griggs 75, Martin 4-42, Wiseman 3-73) by 111 runs Scorecard Like Otago, Canterbury were unable to make a substantial addition to their overnight score and were all out for 346. Lance Hamilton ended with 3 for 42.Central Districts then struggled during the remainder of the morning session and at one stage were reeling in the face of the onslaught from Chris Martin and Hayden Shaw. The two had CD 80 for 5 before Bevan Griggs and Ewen Thompson combined in a 156-run stand for the sixth wicket. Thompson, who made his maiden first-class century in the previous round, made 77, while Griggs made 75.Andrew Schwass made an unbeaten 31, but CD fell 65 runs short of Canterbury’s first-innings total. Canterbury extended their lead to 111 runs by stumps with Michael Papps unbeaten on 30. The first-innings century-maker Peter Fulton was with him on 7.Wellington 361 for 7 (Parlane 181*, Ryder 66) v Auckland ScorecardThe Auckland-Wellington match started a day later than the other two games, but followed a similar course with Wellington being asked to bat first. The game was played on the main oval at Eden Park and Wellington, befitting its status as defending champion, showed the value of maximising their opportunities and scored 361 for 7 in the day.That was largely thanks to a career-best, unbeaten 181 by Michael Parlane. His fourth century may yet provide him with a double-century. At 133 for 5, Wellington were far from comfortable but Parlane combined with Jesse Ryder, who scored 66 in a 120-run stand for the sixth-wicket that allowed Wellington to wrest back the initiative.Auckland were not helped by the loss of Tama Canning, who only bowled in the morning session. However, Brooke Walker, the captain, picked up the slack and he had three wickets for 65 by stumps. Mark Gillespie, who has a highest score of 76 not out, is still with Parlane, so there is still much work for Auckland to do.
Craig McMillan, back from India with the New Zealand team but unavailable for the tour of Pakistan, will captain the Canterbury XI to play Auckland in a two-day match at Lincoln starting on Monday.The team is:Craig McMillan (capt), Michael Papps, Shanan Stewart, Peter Fulton, Gary Stead, Neil Broom, Aaron Redmond, Paul Wiseman, Shane Bond, Warren Wisneski, Chris Martin, Wade Cornelius.
Two centuries – one from each side – ensured an absorbing battle between Namibia and Scotland in their ICC Under-19 World Cup match at Eden Park.In the end, the bigger century, 142 by their captain, Stefan Swanepoel, ahead of the 100 not out by Steven Gilmour, saw Namibia home by four wickets.They were individual innings of sharp contrasts. Scotland, after winning the toss and choosing to bat on the pitch that Zimbabwe had plundered 291 from the previous day, quickly found themselves 26 for three.From that position, Gilmour’s first task was to rebuild the innings. He found an able assistant in Qasim Sheikh (60) as the pair carefully compiled 50 in 20 overs, 100 in 30 and 150 in 40 before Gilmour, helped at the end by Kyle Coetzer (27 not out), powered the score through to 234/4. A single off the last ball of the 50 overs ensured a deserved century in an innings that blossomed from survival into rampant attack.Swanepoel’s, on the other hand, started with a blast as Namibia went looking for the bonus point available if they could reach the 235 target inside 40 overs. He had 68 of the first 100 when it was brought up in the 17th over. He went into the 90s in the 25th with Namibia 139/1.However, he was still on 91 in the 27th when the innings hit a rock. First Johan Nel, a junior member of an 81-run partnership with 24, departed after coming too far down the pitch to the off spin of Stewart Leggat, and then the Scotland pace bowler Christopher West in his first over of a new spell took two wickets in succession.Namibia had gone from 144/1 to 145/4 in the 28th over and it was time for a different sort of captain’s innings. He finally brought up his century in the 33rd over as he and Colin Steytler (32 not out) brought the innings back on track.From there, the victory was hardly in doubt. Swanepoel himself departed when the score was 222/5 and the victory just a couple of overs away, Namibia finishing on 237/6 in the 44th.The tall, lanky West ended with the most wickets of the Scotland bowlers, conceding 51 runs for his three, in the process getting them back into the match when they most needed it.However, the individual to take the eye was the leg-spinner, Moneeb Iqbal. A whirl-wind action, plenty of loop, some destructive turn and a mystery wrong’un all served to keep the Namibians watchful if not on occasion bemused. They may have collared him towards the end of his spell but that was more by good luck than good management and his one for 43 off 10 hardly reflected the web he spun around the Namibian batsmen.As for the Namibian bowlers, when Scotland’s Gilmour threatened to take control of the match Swanepoel rang the changes. Nine were used in all. However, the best of them remained the contrasting opening pair who did the damage at the beginning. Left-arm medium pacer Hendrik Geldenhuys took two for 19 in his first seven overs before returning at the end and finishing with two for 36 from nine. At the other end, the off spinner Michael Durant bowled his 10 overs straight through, ending with one for 24.Swanepoel won the man of the match award. Gilmour will remember – probably ruefully – the day when he reached a century and only came second.
Following the awesome nights of Rugby, the sedate world of cricket is about to be Varsified. Six matches with a wide variety of locations from county grounds, big hand to Somerset and Gloucestershire, to famous ‘out grounds’ St Helens and The Saffrons, one thing is for sure this is going to be the outdoor summer party to end them all. Outdoor disco’s, swimming pools, BBQ’s fancy dress and a bit of cricket in the middle of it all, does represent an awesome opportunity to say goodbye to University life with a big day out!So be sensible, have a great time and leave yourself and the ground in one piece as we invite you to get on down to the following:WHY VARSITY CRICKET?We’ve had four years of winter rugby, which have seen students across the UK raise over £100,000 for Oxfam. It’s been a roller-coaster ride, which has seen great advances made in student sport. Despite the many pitfalls, the ego’s, the politics www.oxfam.org.uk/rugby/ tells an impressive tale about what can be done with Student Sport. Awesome occasions abound.Can a University rise above itself to support what many consider to be a sport on its last legs? Student cricket is stuffed annually by educational demands. The chance to play on a big stage has been offered. The chance for cricket to let its hair down and entertain a young audience that can actually decide for itself to buy tickets, instead of asking their parents, is also offered.WHY OXFAM?Since November 1996 Oxfam have been working with Universities to help promote the charities work and in the process have helped create some impressive showpiece occasions for student sport. This work has been extended to the cricket field and also the rugby fields of New Zealand.The Oxfam Varsity Cricket Matches were instigated as a response to the disaster in Mozambique, the funds raised will be going towards the rehabilitation of the flood hit country. Its not all about reacting to disasters, Oxfam is about helping people working towards a better life. A new Millennium brings new challenges. Whether in Education, where 125 million children don’t see the inside of a classroom or in trade where Oxfam campaign for greater distribution of the selling price direct to the producer, the charity relies on the support of people to help make a difference.
Mohamed Salah’s contract situation at Liverpool remains a complex issue where there is still plenty to be agreed upon, according to James Pearce.
The Lowdown: Salah’s contract concerns
The 29-year-old has undoubtedly been the Reds’ star man this season, bagging his 20th Premier League goal of the campaign in Saturday’s 2-0 win at Brighton.
Salah’s future remains worryingly in doubt, though, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2023 and rumours suggesting that talks have collapsed over a new contract.
The hope is that the issue is resolved in the near future in order to not affect Liverpool’s season, but it is certainly a concerning situation for the time being.
The Latest: Pearce urges caution over new deal for Salah
Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Saturday, Pearce said that Liverpool couldn’t simply offer Salah whatever he wants, with an effective wage structure in place at the club.
He wrote: “I keep hearing ‘just pay him what he wants’ but you can’t run a business like that. Yes, if you want to keep one of the best players in the world you have to pay him accordingly but you can’t just cave in to whatever his agent is demanding.”
On the Egyptian’s situation, Pearce added: “Nothing has changed. Still a stand-off over what the club are prepared to offer and what Salah wants. Still time for a compromise to be reached. I think the time to worry is if it’s still unresolved come May.”
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-23/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
The Verdict: Hugely complex situation
This is a situation which could divide the Liverpool fan base, even though it seems likely that almost every Reds supporter would be desperate for Salah to extend his stay.
On the one hand, the 29-year-old is currently one of the world’s best players and should be paid as such, especially with many years hopefully left in him at the top level.
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.
However, as Pearce has hinted, suddenly paying one player vastly more than anyone else could cause an issue with squad harmony, and breaking the bank for an individual who turns 30 this year does carry an element of risk.
Losing Salah would undoubtedly be a huge blow for Liverpool, but if that were to happen, no player is bigger than the club and the Reds would move on without their Egyptian superstar.
In other news, Liverpool are reportedly favourites to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.
A solid unbroken fifth-wicket partnership between Arsalan Mir and Haafiz Saad Nasim took Lahore Ravi beyond Karachi Whites’ first-innings total of 218 on the second day Asghar Ali Shah Stadium . Lahore Ravi ended the day on 226 for 4 after they had been reduced to 124 for 4 at one stage. They suffered an early setback when Karachi Whites captain Mohammad Sami dismissed opener Rizwan Aamer for a duck. Rizwan Ahmed scored 54 off 113 balls and added 53 for the third wicket with Ashraf Ali but it was Mir and Nasim who took their team ahead. Mir remained unbeaten on 67 while the 17-year old Nasim was on 41.Pakistan Customs were 148 runs behind Sui Southern Gas Company’s (SSGC) first-innings score of 328 at the National Bank of Pakistan Stadium . Pakistan Customs ended the day on 180 for 5 despite opener Hasnain Abbas’s 53 off 85 balls. Pakistan Customs captain Zahoor Elahi hit a brisk 32 off 45 deliveries with five fours before Rehan Rafiq and wicketkeeper Mohammad Hasan stemmed the rot with an unbroken 47-run stand for the sixth wicket Earlier, after SSGC had resumed on 239 for7, wicketkeeper Ahmed Zeeshan, who scored 67 runs off 151 balls, and fast bowler Rajesh Ramesh added 62 runs for the eighth wicket. Raees Amjad finished with figures of 4 for 68 runs while legspinner Yasir Shah picked up 3 for 89 in 32.1 overs.Paksitan Customs were defeated by Habib Bank by 262 runs in their first-round match on Wednesday. SSGC were playing their first match in the tournament, after having qualified for the first-class circuit by winning last season’s Patron’s Trophy Grade-II Championship.Habib Bank Limited (HBL) took a 102-run lead in the first innings against Hyderabad with six wickets still in hand at the Niaz stadium. Beginning the day on 193 for 9, Hyderabad lost their last wicket at 197. Left-arm spinner Aslam Qureshi took 4 for 33 to complement Danish Kaneria’s 4 for 64. With four batsmen scoring half-centuries, Habib Bank reached 299 for 4 with Aftab Khan unbeaten on 75 off 91 balls with nine fours. Opener Taufeeq Umar hit 71 in a 92-run stand for the second wicket with Rafatullah Mohmand (51). Captain Hasan Raza then chipped in with 69 off 102 balls with six fours and two sixes.At the Sheikhupura stadium , Multan piled on the agony for Sialkot, who were routed for 100 on the first day. Multan replied with 458 for 8. Brothers Hammad and Usman Tariq put on 211 for the first wicket. Usman (91) missed his hundred but Hammad scored 116 off 211 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Imranullah Aslam was ruthless at No 7, as he hammered his maiden first-class century. His 115 came off only 99 balls with 16 fours and two sixes.Spurred by 17-year old Nasir Jamshed’s maiden first-class century National Bank of Pakistan scored 267 for 7 and took a 22-run lead in the first inning against Faisalabad at the Iqbal stadium. Jamshed batted for over four hours, facing 187 balls with 18 fours and a six.
Group B
Karachi Blues were in control against Quetta after reducing them to 128 for 5 facing a total of 444 at the Bugti Stadium . Quetta were trailing by 316 runs with five wickets in hand and needed another 167 to avoid the follow-on. Sixteen-year old batsman Taimur Ali remained unbeaten on 64 off 121 balls in two hours 23 minutes with 11 fours. Taimur made two tours with the Pakistan Under-19s this year, to Australia and England, and was considered one of the brightest prospects to have emerged from the Balochistan province. He and wicketkeeper Sanaullah Khan lifted Quetta from 89 for 5 with a 39-run stand. Earlier, after resuming on 308 for 4, Karachi Blues took their first-innings score to 444. Sharjeel Ashraf (33), Mansoor Baig (30) and Sajid Hanif (31) all contributed useful scores in the 30s. Offspinner Naseer Khan captured 5 for 101 for Quetta while fast bowler Arun Lal bagged 4 for 84 in 26.5 overs, getting all his wickets on the second day.Playing for the first time in this tournament, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) enforced the follow-on against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the Arbab Niaz stadium. After scoring 303 in the first innings, SNGPL dismissed ZTBL for 85. Trailing by 218 runs in the follow-on, ZTBL ended the day on 100 for 2. Left-arm fast bowler Samiullah Niazi captured 4 for 28 in 12 overs and was ably assisted by Imran Ali and Adil Raza, who took 3 for 22 and 3 for 34 respectively. ZTBL, who need 118 runs to avoid an innings defeat, were lifted by a career-best knock of 72 not out by 18-year old night-watchman Junaid Nadir.Khan Resrach Laboratories (KRL) scored 232 for 4 and took a 21-run lead against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with six wickets still intact at the KRL stadium. Ali Naqvi scored his tenth first-class century, an unbeaten 108 off 231 balls with 11 fours and a six. Bazid Khan (97) missed his hundred by three runs but helped add 193 runs for the fourth wicket with Naqvi.At the Diamond Cricket Club ground , hosts Islamabad nosed ahead of Lahore Shalimar, taking a six-run lead in the first innings. After Fayyaz Ahmed had made 58, Rauf Akbar hit 98 at No 8 off 130 balls with 15 fours. By the close of play, Lahore were 115 for 6 in the second innings.The match between Abbottabad and Rawalpindi, which was shifted to the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, started a day late on Saturday as the original venue — the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi — was not available due to repairs. Abbottabad, after opting to bat first, were 225 for 6 at the close of play. Opener Wajid Ali top scored with 75 off 176 balls with 11 fours.
With most of the nation’s attention trained on Durban, where India were taking on South Africa, and some of the capital’s populace watching the Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium, the atmosphere was distinctly low-key as Tamil Nadu and Delhi went through their paces on the eve of their first Ranji Trophy match of the season.Tamil Nadu were the first to arrive for practice at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, even before the temporary nets were erected, but Delhi stayed the longest, rounding off an exhaustive nets session with a team-meeting that that lasted almost an hour.There was hope that interest levels would increase because of live television coverage for Ranji matches but it might take a few games yet before the action heats up. Yet this match, between two big teams, could provide the perfect start; Tamil Nadu beat Delhi when they last played at the Kotla three years ago but at present the two teams are evenly matched.Tamil Nadu’s strength lies in their medium-pacers, backed up by a settled middle-order. Vijaykumar Yomahesh, fast making a name for himself, is well supported by Rajamani Jesuraj and R Naresh. The big question, however, is over Lakshmipathy Balaji’s fitness, and there were no clear answers today. He bowled in the nets with no obvious discomfort but nowhere near full pace, and it seemed unlikely that he would risk playing before he returned to something approaching full fitness.Though there’s plenty of experience in the middle-order, where veterans Hemang Badani and S Sharath form the backbone, Tamil Nadu will seek to rectify one area of their game that’s been a problem of late – the opening combination. They are ready to hand M Vijay his Ranji debut, and he will bat alongside S Vidyut. “Vijay is going to open for us. He has scored a tremendous amount of runs in the league in Chennai and has earned his place in the side,” said S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu captain. “He’s a technically sound player, so once he gets set he’s someone who can make big scores.”The other sure debutant is Vikram Mani, the wicketkeeper-batsman. Ashish Kapoor is likely to be the lone spinner in the attack, unless Tamil Nadu take the plunge and give C Suresh, the left-arm spinner, his first cap.
Delhi too are fairly well set. Their batting order is well defined, with Virat Kohli set to make his debut. Mithun Manhas, their captain, said a final decision on the team composition would only be taken after a closer examination of the wicket. It remains to be seen whether they will go with an extra spinner in Rahul Sanghvi or with Kunal Lal, theleft-arm seamer and son of former allrounder Madan Lal. “Our strength is a combination of good batting and fast bowling,” said Manhas, almost echoing the line from the Tamil Nadu camp.Indications are that Sanghvi will get the nod, given that the match pitch looks like it will crumble as the game progresses. Ishant Sharma, the young right-arm mediumpacer, is also ready to make his debut and Chaitanya Nanda, the legspinner who had a highly successful Ranji campaign last season, a certainty to play.The other area of interest is the possibility of an India recall for discarded players like Gautam Gambhir, Aakash Chopra and Ashish Nehra. There’s a chance India will look to pick a third opener for the Test series in South Africa. Gambhir and Chopra, fresh from putting on 188 in the Duleep Trophy final, will want to catch the eye of the chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, who is due to be at the Kotla watching this match. Nehra, on the comeback trail, can take heart from Zaheer Khan’s return to India colours. However, he will have to perform consistently in domestic cricket to force his way back.TeamsTamil Nadu (likely) 1 S Vidyut, 2 M Vijay, 3 S Badrinath (capt), 4S Sharath, 5 Hemang Badani, 6 R Sathish, 7 Vikram Mani (wk), 8 AashishKapoor, 9 V Yomahesh, 10 R Jesuraj, 11 C Suresh / R Naresh.Delhi 1 Aakash Chopra, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 MithunManhas, 5 Virat Kohli, 6 Rajat Bhatia, 7 Vijay Dahiya, 8 Chaitanya Nanda,9 Rahul Sanghvi/Kunal Lal, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.
Griqualand West won a tense top-of-the-table clash over Northerns in Pool A by just two wickets at Kimberley. Nineteen-year-old Donovan Donaldson and Nathan Arthur shared four wickets apiece for Griqualand as they ran through Northerns after winning the toss, dismissing them for 135. Griqualand didn’t fare much better in reply, and will be grateful to a patient 41 from J Coetzee that pushed them towards the winning line.Boland picked up their third win in three with a five wicket win over Western Province at Paarl in Pool B. Paceman Bardo Fransman picked up his best one-day figures of 6 for 40 to restrict WP to 200. Bolands had looked in complete control until their top scorer C Prinsloo was out for 88 with just eight runs from five overs needed for victory. They eventually scrambled home with just two balls to spare.Border and Zimbabwe Under-23s were denied the opportunity to fight for their first victories in Pool B after heavy rain prevented any play.Only five balls were possible at Port Elizabeth for the clash between Easten Province and KwaZalu Natal as rain brought a halt to proeedings in Pool B.