Category Uncategorized

Had the DeLorean from been available to Australia’s pace bowlers in Brisbane, they’d have been about as disoriented by the sight of Ross Taylor’s double century as Marty McFly was by news the Chicago Cubs had supposedly won the 2015 World Series.Taylor’s monumental innings, described as “immense” by New Zealand’s batting coach Craig McMillan and “one of the best innings I have seen” by his batting partner Kane Williamson, was an achievement made all the more admirable by the fact he had started this tour in truly grim touch.In Brisbane, Taylor had battled through a truly tortured first innings, and looked only marginally more sure of himself in the second. A duck and 16 in his two warm-up innings were likewise scant indicators that Taylor had it in him to construct the highest ever score by a New Zealand batsman against Australia, and the only double hundred ever made by a visiting Test batsman at the WACA Ground.There is no doubt Williamson played a key role in showing Taylor the way forward, playing so fluently and assuredly both at the Gabba and here that others were shown how Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon could be successfully tackled on their home turf. But Taylor also showed his own development by scoring in zones his previously dominant bottom hand might once have cancelled out.Unbeaten on 235 at day’s end, Taylor will hope to take New Zealand into the lead and a position to pressure Australia – certainly Williamson and McMillan are hoping he can.”I think it would be one of the best innings that I have seen,” Williamson said. “The tempo that he batted and the length of time that he has been at the crease has been outstanding and moving our team’s position forward. I know it is a tough ask but hopefully he can keep going a little bit tomorrow, build a couple of partnerships would certainly help us a lot, but certainly an absolutely fantastic innings so far.”I thought he was really calm out there. He just went about his work in a reasonably aggressive way and that’s when he bats at his best I think. To get that momentum in his innings from pretty much the word go – there were certainly some tough periods but he was playing so well. It was such a nice thing.”McMillan was part of the New Zealand side that so nearly forced a match and series win over Steve Waugh’s powerful team at this ground in 2001, a performance built largely on a record stand between Nathan Astle and Adam Parore. Taylor’s union with Williamson eclipsed their record, before the former went on to heights McMillan said he had always been capable of reaching.”I think it was an immense innings and it had been brewing for some time,” McMillan said. “He’d been a little bit short of time in the middle and runs, but what do they say? Form’s temporary and class is permanent. That got shown today. His concentration in the first two or three overs of the day really set the tone for the way he was going to bat.”His tempo was superb, hitting straight down the ground was something he’s worked really hard on in recent times just to open up that area that probably hasn’t always been a strength of his, but some of those straight cover drives were some of the best you’ll see from any player in the world.”You’d have to rank it right up there as one of New Zealand’s best Test knocks, with the conditions, with the match situation, you throw all that into the mix and it’s one of the best. There’s still a lot more batting to be done. He can go as long as the concentration stays strong. We want more partnerships from that lower order, guys to hang in with him, bat as long as possible and see what happens from there.”Williamson and Taylor were both highly successful in picking off more or less every bad ball the Australians bowled, an efficiency that allowed them to dictate terms all day and prevent the hosts from gaining momentum. McMillan said he had encouraged his men to stay positive throughout, ensuring that the bowlers knew they would be hurt if they strayed from all but the most disciplined of lines.”They’re attacking bowlers who come after you, but the upside of that is there’s scoring opportunities,” he said. “One of the impressive things from our guys over the last two days is how efficient they’ve been when they’ve been offered a scoring opportunity. They’ve hit gaps well and they’ve really put anything loose away, which has put that pressure back on the Australian bowling attack.”That’s a key when you’re facing a good attack that’s got extra pace is that when they miss, you’ve got to make sure you hurt them, you’re not looking just to defend and survive, you’re actually looking to score, and obviously Kane and Ross in that partnership did that beautifully today but it flowed right through the partnerships in the order throughout the day, and that’s something we’ll continue to be looking for.”

TalkSPORTTalkSPORT presenter Laura Woods has claimed that new Leeds boss Jesse Marsch will likely be more defensive than Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: All change

The Whites decided to part ways with Bielsa on Sunday following three-and-a-half years in charge after the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at Elland Road.

That defeat capped off a horrid month for Leeds, who became the first Premier League side to concede 20 goals in a month and have now let in 60 for the season.

Marsch was swiftly appointed as the Argentine’s successor, penning a deal to 2025, with his first game in charge at Leicester City on Saturday lunchtime.

The Latest: Woods’ comments

TalkSPORTTalkSPORT presenter Woods said this on-air regarding Marsch ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium, claiming she’s heard the American might be more ‘defensive’ compared to Bielsa.

“I’ve also heard that [Marsch] might be a little more defensive. They do need to do something obviously to stop shipping those goals.”

The Verdict: Needed

Phil Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Wednesday, looking at what a typical Marsch team looks like. He identified similarities to Bielsa’s Leeds in regards to intensity and ‘passes per defensive action’, but it is expected that Marsch will deviate away from the man-marking system fans have become accustomed to at Elland Road.

Doing that may well help the column which reads goals conceded between now and the end of the season, which could play a big part in Leeds avoiding relegation.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

While it may dull the typical excitement of this Leeds squad, Woods’ claim about Marsch being more defensive appears to be needed, especially as the Whites have conceded at least three times in each of the last five games.

In other news: Leeds coach now set to stay at Thorp Arch alongside Marsch after Bielsa sacking. 

Ere Sheshiah, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy of the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, has told an inquest in Jamaica that he stands by his finding that Woolmer’s death was because of poisoning and strangulation.”In my opinion, Woolmer died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation associated with cypermethrin poisoning,” Sheshiah said, adding the chemical was used widely in many countries where cotton was cultivated such as Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. “I stand by my findings that Woolmer was strangled and, based upon additional information which I received, he was also poisoned.”Sheshiah said cypermethrin could cause symptoms including “salivation, vomiting, diarrhea and muscular incoordination”, which might have accounted for the mess that was found in Woolmer’s room. He said police pressed him to offer a conclusion in the case before he received the results of the toxicology report.His procedures in the post mortem were criticised by three other pathologists asked to review the case. All testified Woolmer appeared to have died of natural causes, probably related to heart disease.The inquest is expected to end on November 9.

Shaun Marsh caused Victoria problems but the Bushrangers had the last laugh © Getty Images

Scorecard
A career-best 90 from Shaun Marsh was not enough to set up a win for Western Australia as Victoria’s batsmen all contributed to their side’s last-over victory at Shepparton. Needing 235, the Bushrangers’ chase was led by David Hussey, whose 61 was his first one-day half-century of the season.The Warriors picked up wickets at regular intervals but were unable to spark the mini-collapse they needed to gain the upper hand. The openers Jon Moss, with 36 from 32 balls, and Michael Klinger (37) made important early runs before Cameron White kept his team on target with 33.Steve Magoffin (2 for 41) was the only Western Australia bowler to claim more than one wicket. He gave the Warriors one final chance when he bowled Hussey in the 48th over with 12 runs needed but Adam Crosthwaite brought up the win with a four from the first ball of the 50th over.Western Australia began poorly after electing to bat, and were 2 for 1 in the second over. But Marsh rebuilt the innings with help from Luke Pomersbach, whose 39 came from 46 balls, and Adam Voges (43). Marsh’s 90 included eight fours and one six but he fell in the 45th over and late wickets from Clinton McKay (3 for 41) restricted the Warriors to 234.

ScorecardThe tailenders Jason Gillespie and Paul Rofe survived 38 deliveries to achieve a nail-biting draw against Queensland at Adelaide Oval. To keep a rain-hit match alive both captains declared today and South Australia, who were chasing 353, were in desperate trouble when Dan Cullen was ninth out at 299, but the final pairing thwarted the Bulls’ charge, which was set up by the five-wicket effort of Mitchell Johnson.In a fine example of result-driven play, Darren Lehmann closed the Redbacks’ first innings at the day two stumps score of 3 for 89 – the third day was washed out – to give two points to Queensland, who batted aggressively for 19 overs before Jimmy Maher called his batsmen in. South Australia had 91 overs to reach their target and the chase was on track as Lehmann and Callum Ferguson combined for a 110-run partnership, but when Lehmann was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz for 51 and Ferguson departed to a Johnson edge for 65 an over later the team’s only thought was of a draw.Johnson, a left-arm fast bowler tipped as a Test prospect, then removed Graham Manou and Cullen as the home side lost their final three wickets for 10 runs before clinging on. Queensland had one narrow opportunity for victory when Rofe edged Andy Bichel just short of Clinton Perren with three overs remaining.The chase started steadily until Johnson claimed Shane Deitz and Greg Blewett either side of lunch to disrupt South Australia’s progress, while Matthew Elliott was dropped twice before missing a swinging yorker from Kasprowicz, who will join Elliott at the English county Glamorgan next winter. Gillespie finished his return to the first-class arena with 3 for 41 to add to his 2 for 40 on day one.

Rahul Dravid has called for improvements as India get ready to face South Africa in the first Test at Kanpur© Getty Images

With the Mumbai pitch fracas still fresh in people’s minds, all eyes were on the Green Park wicket at Kanpur, where South Africa face India in the first of the two Tests on Saturday (Nov 20). But Rahul Dravid and John Wright didn’t dwell too much on the importance of the pitch as they spoke to the media after the first net session.Dravid acknowledged that crystall-ballgazing about pitches was not one of his strong points. “I am not good at reading wickets,” he said, “but it doesn’t bother me much, as at the end of the day we have to do well whatever the wicket.” But Wright elaborated, feeling that it would take turn at some point during the game. “The wicket doesn’t have a great deal of pace in it – that’s the feeling you get while standing in the nets. It’s going to take turn at some point of time definitely, but when that will happen is hard to tell.”Wright denied that the team had a hand in giving instructions to the curators about the kind of pitch they wanted. “Not as far as we are aware of. The only thing we have asked right throughout the season was wickets that were good batting tracks. Obviously against Australia we didn’t want tracks with lots of sideways movement: if you get it, you get it, but not play into their hands.”Wright said India shouldn’t repeat what “we did at Nagpur”: what he wanted was a good pitch that would last five days and then “allow the match to take its course so that both sides have the opportunity. Once you start messing around you’ve got a problem.”Wright was confident that India would pick at least spinners, although he acknowledged that the combination of three spinners and one seamer had worked in the last Test against Australia at Mumbai. “Whether or not an extra one [spinner] will play we will only decide tomorrow. I will have to say that the three-one combination worked well in Mumbai in those conditions, but here it’s different. It was sunny yesterday, but with the mist out this morning you might need the extra seamer, so we will have to look into it.”Neither of them wanted to comment on the Sourav Ganguly affair, pointing out that “the ICC rules don’t allow us to speak on the issue”. Ganguly, in fact, popped in for an evening batting session, raising the possibility that Mohammad Kaif, the local hero, might miss out if Ganguly does turn out to be available for selection. Wright admitted: “It would be nice if Kaif could play, considering that he is a local boy. Obviously he has done a fantastic job this year by coming in and playing really hard – he has battled well in all conditions, and it’s a hard decision to make.”Dravid felt that teams these days are arriving in India well-prepared for action, and that they wouldn’t be able to take the South Africans lightly. “We will also have to improve our game and realise that just because we are playing at home we can’t bowl sides out. We need to play better and be smarter.”Aware that his batsmen have been finding it difficult to score runs, Wright said that he was assured of the class of his players. And he denied ever raising a doubt over the mental application of his players. “Where did you hear that?” he asked. “My point was about being hungry, and you would say that about any side. When you are playing at this level you need to have the hunger, the attitude. We have reached a stage where we need that hunger and that attitude that keeps the team going.”

Saeed Anwar is set to bring an end to his international career after being overlooked for the forthcoming series against Bangladesh.Anwar told the Press Trust of India that retirement was on his mind, but that he wanted to do so in a way that would be beneficial to Pakistan cricket. “I don’t want to sever all my ties with cricket which has given me a lot of fame and wealth,” said Anwar. "But the time has come to call it a day.”I’ve enjoyed playing for Pakistan and it has always been a great honour for me to wear the national blazer," he added. "I relished the challenge of facing the world’s fastest bowlers and scoring runs against them.”Anwar, 34, made his one-day international on New Year’s Day 1989, and entered Test cricket two years later. In 55 Tests he scored 4052 runs at 45.52, including 11 hundreds, but he achieved global fame through his exploits in ODIs.His defining innings was his 194 against India at Madras in 1997 – the highest score by any batsman in one-day cricket. He went on to score 8823 runs at an average of 39.21, with 20 hundreds. He was one of the few batting successes of Pakistan’s disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign, but even his fine 101 against India at Centurion couldn’t avert defeat.Anwar’s priorities in life altered in 2002, following the tragic death of his baby daughter, and he spent several months out of the game in the build-up to the World Cup. In its aftermath, however, he was one of eight players dropped from the squad as the rebuilding process began.

Nestled on 22 acres of land beneath the rolling Beausejour hills inthe north of St Lucia, cricket’s newest international stadium istaking impressive shape.Tractors growl as they plough into the soil, Bobcats zig-zag aroundlike Z-vans with oversized wheels, cranes drop steel beams into placeand over 50 hard-hats bustle from one chore to the next.The turtle-backed outfield has already been graded, the square readiedand the stands are beginning to assume distinctive form.There is still a lot to be done. But Claude Guilleaume, theTrinidadian architect with the contractors, Carillon Construction, isconfident his company will have the finished product ready for handingover to the St Lucian government well before the two One-DayInternationals with India the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) hasscheduled for it in late May next year."We’re making very good progress and we’re looking at a completiondate sometime in March," he says.There needs to be a dress rehearsal prior to the internationals to putit all – the pitch, the outfield, the dressing rooms, the mediafacilities and all the rest – to the test. There is talk about hostinga match in the last round of the 2002 Busta International Series forthat purpose.All things being equal, Guilleaume has no qualms about meeting thedeadlines."There’s a little pressure, yes, but that’s okay," he says. "Atpresent, we’re actually a little ahead of schedule."As permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Human ResourceDevelopment, Youth and Sport, under whose portfolio the project falls,Ernest Hilaire is closely involved with all aspects of the scheme."It will comprise an international standard playing oval with all thesupporting areas for players, officials, spectators and the media," hecan boast."We’ve had close collaboration with officials of the West IndiesCricket Board (WICB) and taken their advice on key areas to ensurewe’ve got everything to their specification."Under Cover, a Trinidadian company specialising in such things, isresponsible for laying the square with soil and clay taken fromvarious parts of the island and for grassing the outfield.Estimated to cost EC$35 million (US$12.95 million) when finished, thestadium – yet to be officially named – is funded entirely by thegovernment-run St Lucia National Lotteries.It replaces Mindoo Philip Park, previously St Lucia’s solitary firstclass ground.Situated between two hills just outside of Castries, the capital, theold "Park", titled for one of St Lucia’s finest players, is in a highrainfall area. With poor drainage, it repeatedly turned regional andinternational touring team matches into frustrating misery.The micro-climate in the Beausejours area makes it one of the driestspots on the island, ideal for a game so heavily dependent on theweather.Located at the southern end of the new ground, the players’ pavilionhas been designed to have two team dressing rooms and ancillaryfacilities.There are also to be administrative offices, a central kitchen anddining hall and lounges for both members and cosseted VIPs who, evenif they have a limited knowledge of the game, will be guaranteedexcellent views of play from their third-tier seats.At the opposite end, Hilaire notes, the north grandstand will housethe media, print and broadcast, and 18 plush private boxes with roomfor up to 500.Underneath will be an entrance concourse that converts into lightedindoor nets outside of match days, catering facilities and publicconveniences.To the west, partially covered stands will accommodate 4 200individual seats. To the east, the grounds section is designed to takeup to 5 000 on the grassed banked embankment.And, most significantly, outdoor practice pitches, two natural turf,two artificial, are on the plans to the back of the players pavilionfor use even when play is going on.Hilaire points out that the complex, while principally for cricket,will also be available for other sports, such as football and rugby,and for seminars and training.At the same time as Guilleaume and his men are heading towards theirgoal, another sports stadium to hold 8 000 and serve football andtrack and field is also under going up near the island-nation’s secondtown of Vieux Fort, 40 miles to the south.It is being built and paid for by the Chinese government at a cost ofUS$15 million and its completion date is set for June 2002.The two projects mirror those of the Grenada government that completedtwo similar high-quality sports facilities four years ago and hassince staged One-Day Internationals against Australia, Pakistan andSouth Africa.The question from some quarters in both countries now, as then, isinevitable. How can such a high profile and high cost undertaking bevindicated in small nations with other more pressing needs?Grenada has already seen returns in the annual influx of fans for theinternational matches and the professional cricket, football and trackand field clubs attracted for out-of-season training and practice.St Lucia can readily identify the tie-in with its flourishing tourism.Its Atlantic Racing Challenge (ARC) in yachting and Jazz Festival havebecome internationally recognised annual events. They’re keen to addcricket to the list."The cricket stadium is located not far from the tourism hub of RodneyBay," Hilaire notes. "This is by no means accidental as we’verecognised the important strategic linkages that are growing betweensports and tourism."There is also the public pride that is hard to quantify and theincentive for local sportsmen provided with the advantage of worldclass resources.Although it has placed players on West Indies representative youth and"A" team, St Lucia has never produced a Test cricketer.Its most famous native sons have been Nobel Prize winners, economistSir Arthur Lewis and poet Derek Walcott. Rick Wayne gainedinternational recognition in body building back in the 1970s as MrUniverse.But there has been no cricket star. The hope is that the new stadiumwill help lure the youth to the game that runs a definite second inpopularity to football.And then there is the matter of the 2007 World Cup, to be staged forthe first time in the Caribbean, with its potential bonanza fortourism.The WICB has been charged with staging the events by the InternationalCricket Council (ICC), a relationship much like that between hostcities and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).The ICC, like the IOC, sets out strict guidelines on all aspects ofthe event and St Lucia, and Grenada, have stolen a march on the otherterritories.Established Test grounds like Kensington Oval, Sabina Park, Bourda andthe Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) will need extensive upgrading ifthey are to meet ICC demands.At the moment, of the older venues, only the well-appointed Queen’sPark Oval in Trinidad has onsite practice facilities, either outdoorsor in, and adequate parking. St Lucia’s plans include both.In its recently released four-year development plan, the BarbadosCricket Association includes provision for construction of an entirelynew stadium at a cost of US$31.8 million.But there is opposition from those sentimentally attached toKensington and, in any case, a start is still to be made.There are hints of something in the pipeline in other territories butnothing more yet – and 2007 is not that far away.For St Lucia, it can’t come soon enough.

ScorecardFile photo: Karun Nair’s unbeaten 119 ensured Karnataka had a lead to take into day three•K Sivaraman

Karun Nair scored an unflustered hundred to put Karnataka on top against Bengal on a day that could have easily gone either team’s way in Bangalore. Karnataka were in slightly precarious positions a couple of times and Nair stitched two crucial partnerships to avoid any further hiccups for his team, as the hosts ended the second day with a lead of 10 runs and six wickets in hand. After Karnataka lost two wickets in the first session and two more in the second, Nair’s unbeaten 119 ensured the third went wicketless as he cruised along with Shreyas Gopal during a century stand.Nair’s first consolidating alliance came with Manish Pandey for a stand of 98 runs, after three batsmen had returned to the pavilion, including Shishir Bhavane retiring hurt. The bigger and more sedate partnership came with Gopal for 113 runs that saw Bengal’s bowling line-up run out of options.The Nair-Pandey stand was shorter but more entertaining and exciting. The pair came together at 76 for 2 in the second session after Bhavane had been injured, and the umpires had decided to take lunch. For a new session, Pandey and Nair brought out a new plan – they unleashed a flurry of boundaries and doubled the score in no time. They hammered nine fours together in a space of five overs by targeting the pacers in the beginning. Pandey battered Dinda for three fours in the 33rd over and Nair used his late cut effectively against Shukla to pierce the gaps. Manoj Tiwary brought on Sourav Sarkar and Pragyan Ojha immediately, but could not bring any respite.They weren’t treated differently. Sarkar conceded two fours in an over and Pandey drove Ojha inside-out in the next over for consecutive overs. As both batsmen neared their fifties, Tiwary now brought Veer Pratap Singh and he was dispatched for three fours in two overs. While Pandey used more power, Nair relied more on timing and the pace of the ball to place the ball in gaps. Bengal finally got a break soon after Pandey’s fifty, that featured nine fours, when the batsman pulled Shukla straight to midwicket.Shukla was the only bowler to ask questions of the batsmen with a tight line. He had earlier been denied Pandey’s wicket when the batsman was trapped in front of middle stump just after lunch, but the umpire had turned the appeal down. Shukla continued to toil after dismissing Pandey and made CM Gautam edge one but the keeper was up and the ball flew past him.As the runs dried up before tea, Pragyan Ojha picked his maiden wicket for Bengal by extracting extra bounce to have Gautam caught at backward point with an excellent catch from Shreevats Goswami. Bengal might have thought of picking up a few more quick wickets, but Nair and Gopal dashed their hopes.The two started slowly but steadily in the last session by nudging the ball around. The ball was over 50 overs old and Nair was already in his 60s. Tiwary brought himself on, Ojha started bowling outside leg, Shukla came back for another spell but Nair and Gopal negotiated each of them rather easily. Without any risks and aerial shots, they hauled the score past 300, their partnership crossing 100. Gopal stamped his authority by coming down to Ojha and pushing the ball firmly between mid-off and cover with sheer timing to inch closer to 50.However, the Karnataka dressing room applauded the hardest and the school kids whistled the loudest when Nair cut Ojha late to the third-man boundary for four to reach his century. Nair followed it with a handsome cover drive for the same result. That hundred and Gopal’s fourth first-class fifty soon took the hosts into the lead and a safe position.Earlier, the platform for crossing 300 was laid by R Samarth (30) and Bhavane (32) once Dinda bowled opener Robin Uthappa for 3 in the third over. The brought up a fifty stand as Bhavane left plenty outside off and Samarth drove nicely on either side of the pitch. But Veer Pratap soon drew Samarth’s outside edge as the ball held its line outside off to open up the batsman. The bigger blow came when Bhavane was hit on his right wrist by Dinda at the stroke of lunch against a rising short ball and was unable to drop his hands in time. Bhavane was declared fit by the end of the day and should be ready to bat on the third day.Bengal could not add anything to their overnight 312 for 9, as Dinda swatted Vinay Kumar and was caught at mid-on on the second ball of the day. The Karnataka captain finished with 4 for 80.

The journey back to the Premier League has been a long and troublesome one for Leeds United. Once Champions League semi-finalists, the Yorkshire club’s unique financial situation in the early 2000’s triggered a spectacular fall from grace, that had them playing in League One under administration less than a decade after their European escapades.

But now, with new owners that have relieved the dictatorial Ken Bates from his duties, and a new manager with promotion experience in Brian McDermott, the view from Elland Road is unusually optimistic ahead of yet another Championship campaign, as Leeds set their sights on returning to the English top flight after a nine year absence.

But the former Reading boss will need some help if he’s going to turn around The Whites’ fortunes over night, and where better to start than the transfer market?

With that in mind, we take a look at the TEN Premier League players, who are interested in taking a step down this summer that could seriously improve Leeds’ promotion chances next season.

Click on Shola Ameobi to reveal TEN Premier League rejects for Leeds United

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.