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Plays of the Day from the IPL fixture between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai

Siddarth Ravindran at the MA Chidambaram Stadium31-Mar-2010
This was last year in South Africa; Manpreet Gony’s IPL 2010 has been a nightmare (file photo)•AFP

It’s not over yet
Welcome to the IPL, where things are so exciting no one’s even sure when the
game’s over. With seven deliveries remaining and Chennai Super Kings needing
three to win, R Vinay Kumar charged in to bowl. Suresh Raina slapped the
wide full toss served up through covers for two, and umpire Rudi Koertzen
signalled a no-ball – the extra run should have ended the match, but it
didn’t. Raina faced another delivery from Vinay, crashing it for four to
take Chennai’s total five runs beyond Royal Challengers Bangalore’s and giving cricket statisticians something to quarrel about in their next meeting. The extra ball and runs were eventually discounted, and Chennai finished the game on 162.Such is life
With Chennai’s chase off to a cracking start, Harsha Bhogle, in the commentary box, was chatting to Virat Kohli, who was fielding at point, over the microphone. M Vijay slashed the next delivery towards Kohli, who was nutmegged when attempting a
regulation stop. Bhogle asked after the misfield whether talking on-air
had distracted Kohli, to which his reply was: “Shit happens”.Gony baloney
It’s hard to think of a player having a worse tournament than Manpreet
Gony. He’s leaking runs at nearly two-a-ball, being butter-fingered in the
field, and the one chance he had to bat ended in an outrageous swipe that
contributed to Chennai’s choke in
the match against Kings XI Punjab. It continued today, with his three
overs being smashed for 39 runs, and him dropping a straightforward catch
off Robin Uthappa at mid-off. Chennai had let off Uthappa twice in the
teams’ previous encounter, but this time the batsman didn’t turn on the
fireworks as he had at the Chinnaswamy.Vijay runs amuck
There’s already been a game in which Virender Sehwag was outscored by his opening
partner 29-0. It is not so far-fetched when you notice that the one making
the runs is the explosive David Warner. It is a bit more freakish to see
the scorecard reading 38-0 (ML Hayden 0*, M Vijay 37*). Vijay isn’t
exactly renowned for his big hitting, but he showed off his ability to
smash the ball in the fourth over, lashing 24 leg-side runs off Praveen
Kumar. The over read: 0, 6, 2, 6, 4, 6.Keeping the crowd guessing
The last time Chennai played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, they made a mess of a game they
should have won with ease. At one stage today, Chennai had needed 57 off
54 with eight wickets remaining. But some tight Bangalore bowling and the
wickets of MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel left Chennai needing 16 off the final
two overs, and the crowd remembering last week’s collapse. S Badrinath’s
cheeky four turned the crowd gung-ho again, before his dismissal switched
them back to nervy. The very next delivery, though, Raina settled their
worries by clubbing a no-ball for six to start the celebrations.Edgy Kallis
Jacques Kallis may have reclaimed the Orange cap with his fourth
half-century of the tournament, but it wasn’t a classic Kallis innings
today. He started off confidently, but couldn’t find the boundaries as the
innings progressed. In fact, his last three fours were all fortuitous
outside edges to third man. After failing to connect with five out of six
deliveries in a row, he was dismissed attempting a sharp single off the seventh.

MatériaMais Notícias

Reviravolta com final feliz. Depois de Victor Luís ser considerado carta fora do baralho, o Botafogo anunciou oficialmente a renovação do lateral-esquerdo por mais uma temporada. Nesta sexta-feira, o jogador esteve em General Severiano e assinou o vínculo de prorrogação, permanecendo no clube para 2017.

Todo o imbróglio anterior para a demora da negociação ser concretizada se deu pela falta de entendimento entre a diretoria e os representantes do jogador, em uma reunião que seria para sacramentar o negócio. Então o presidente do Botafogo, Carlos Eduardo Pereira, tomou para si a negociação.

O próprio Victor havia divulgado na internet seu descontentamento com a interpretação de que a pedida salarial dele teria sido alta. As arestas foram aparadas e o jogador que terminou a última temporada como titular do clube permanece como opção para o técnico Jair Ventura para o ano de 2017.

Com a renovação de empréstimo de Victor e a contratação de Gilson, o clube agora deve focar suas atenções na contratação de atacantes para fechar o elenco que iniciará a pré-temporada alvinegra no próximo dia 11 deste mês.

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Admirable as the work of the International Cricket Council’s anti-gambling squad may be, the reported intention to expunge transgressors names from the record books is not one of the more illuminating suggestions

Lynn McConnell16-May-2001Admirable as the work of the International Cricket Council’s anti-gambling squad may be, the reported intention to expunge transgressors names from the record books is not one of the more illuminating suggestions.It is to be hoped that other recommendations put before the ICC from Sir Paul Condon and his investigation team are more realistic than this foolhardy notion of retrospectively rewriting cricket history.There is no doubt that physically chipping the players from their place among the all-time playing records would be a suitable punishment if cricket were a game for individuals.It’s not, and therein lies the fault in the suggested disincentive to future violators of the game.Match-fixing has been a blight on cricket. It has gone against everything that cricket is supposed to represent.Those found guilty of falling prey to the lures of Mammon deserve banishment.But to remove those players’ records from the game is impractical, unsuitable and nonsensical.By all means insert an asterisk beside every reference to a player’s name in the records forever marking him as having been proven by law to have besmirched the good name of cricket by accepting money for wrongful reasons.Even that option is going to involve an awful lot of extra space taken up by asterisks.To take a player’s name out of the records is going to leave some pretty strange looking scorecards in the annals of the game’s history.What of the partnership records, or the dismissals where the offender has taken catches for a bowler?And by eliminating a player from scoresheets does that suggest every game he has played in has been affected by match-fixing? Some of these players have more than 300 matches behind them. Has every one of them been affected?Add that up by however many players have been implicated and there will be some pretty sorry looking statistics databases around the world.The closest comparable example in baseball was the famous “throwing” of the 1919 World Series by the Chicago eight. Now known as the “Black Sox” because of their deeds.When confronted with the evidence they confessed.They were banned from baseball, but their records are still part of the statistical database of baseball. They were individuals competing in a team game.What should be worth remembering by the ICC and Condon is that despite the confessions from the players concerned the Black Sox were acquitted by the courts.Where the misery was compounded for the baseballers was that their involvement in the game was cut, and their ability to be included in halls of fame was also cut.Debate still goes on in the United States about the absence of one of the eight, Shoeless Joe Jackson, from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.What was more pertinent, and is the same in cricket’s case, are the words of Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Landis.He proclaimed after the verdict acquitting the eight: “Regardless of the verdict of juries, no player that throws a ball game, no player that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where they ways and means of throwing games are discussed, and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever again play professional baseball.”The game is the thing. Deny the miscreants their access to it and the punishment is done.What is done cannot be undone.The records should be left as a memorial to misdeeds and as an example of what can befall those who cross the line.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Celtic have not had to splash the cash in recent years.

Prior to this season, where the Glasgow club handed over their title to their city rivals, they had dominated Scottish football.

Celtic had won nine league titles in a row, also picking up an incredible amount of other domestic trophies on the way.

For Hendrie, that was partly down to the likes of Neil Lennon, Brendan Rodgers and Ronny Deila having a really solid base, one that did not need significant investment put into it every summer.

However, after the season they have had, the Sky Sports pundit feels the club are now in a much different position.

“I just felt that Celtic really haven’t had to do that [spend big] for quite some time,” Hendrie told TT.

“I felt that they’ve had a really solid base in their football squad. You know, they’ve had players that have consistently done it, year in, year out. And that’s probably why they haven’t spent so much money on bringing players in.

“They brought certain players in and added to the squad, whereas I feel now it’s getting to that time where lots of big players are obviously coming to the back end of their careers.”

Finishing 25 points behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, it really does look like this Celtic side are at the end of a cycle.

Considering that, they possibly could do with more investment into the squad compared to previous years.

Celtic may be closing in on the appointment of Eddie Howe, but judging by the number of twists and turns which have occurred in the Bhoys’ hunt to find a new manager, don’t rule anything out just yet.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Hoops had been offered the chance to lure Paulo Fonseca to Glasgow. He is due to be replaced as manager of Roma by Jose Mourinho next term and will duly be available at no added compensation fee.

It would be an interesting appointment for a number of reasons. Capable of dominating domestically and causing danger in Europe, he could offer an element of flexibility which has been missing from the Celtic tactics board.

He would also deliver an aesthetically pleasing brand of football, one which could help to revive their fortunes. Fonseca has preferred a style of play which consists of short and crisp passing at a swashbuckling intensity.

He likes his teams to play on the front foot and, with that in mind, he has caught the eye of Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City boss and his scouting team were left wowed by the 48-year-old for what he achieved at Shakhtar Donestk.

When in Ukraine, Fonseca won seven out of nine major honours while playing a particularly attacking style.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

He had the pleasure of coaching Brazilian trio Taison, Marlos and Junior Moraes in Donetsk. They all flourished under the guidance of Fonseca, who witnessed them score a combined 88 goals.

They were a particularly tricky attack to handle but it was the manager’s tactics which ensured that everything worked like clockwork.

This could benefit Celtic on the field of play, but it also shows why they must sign Kristijan Lovric this summer. The Hoops were interested in signing the Croatian winger last summer after having a bid knocked back for his services in 2019.

He would be an astute capture and, under Fonseca, it could be a mouth-watering combination.

The 25-year-old has racked up 44 goals for current side HNK Gorica, 18 of which have been scored this season. He is a ruthless attacker with pace to burn and dribbling abilities to frighten the life out of a full-back.

At one point this season, Lovric had managed five dribbles and five shots per 90 minutes. The Croat had also produced 5.37 successful attacking actions over the same metric.

Speaking last year, HNTV commentator Damir Petravic said: “He dribbles and scores in the style of Robben, shoots free throws like Pirlo or Pjanic, and knows how to sprint like Mbappe.”

With a player like that at Fonseca’s disposal, it could be a recipe for success at Celtic. He knows how to get the most out of goal-scoring wingers; Dominic McKay now just has to try and combine the two together at Paradise.

AND in other news, Celtic can finally axe McGregor by signing “undroppable” 21 y/o, he’s been “excellent”…

Former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the Owls’ decision to hold onto Neil Thompson for so long was a gamble that has not paid off.

Thompson stepped in as caretaker manager following Tony Pulis’ dismissal at the end of last December but was unable to improve the relegation-threatened side’s fortunes.

Darren Moore was eventually appointed in March to permanently succeed Pulis in the Hillsborough dugout, and despite some ok results Wednesday are on the brink of going down to League One – they are three points from safety with one game remaining.

For Palmer, owner Dejphon Chansiri did not do things fast enough.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about some of the issues at Wednesday this season, Palmer said:

“I think the bit that’s killed them was, I think he [Chansiri] gambled on Neil Thompson for too long. Held on the caretaker manager, I think maybe he wanted to get to the end of the season and thought they’d be safe and then get a manager in without having to pay compensation.

“It was the wrong move. He should have got the manager in at the time. And they will be kicking themselves, they will be kicking themselves.”

Since taking over from Thompson, Moore has done fairly well in the Hillsborough dugout, picking up some big wins.

That includes the impressive 5-0 victory against Cardiff City at the start of April, so perhaps Wednesday would have been in a better position in the Championship had Chansiri made a permanent appointment earlier.

According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via LFC Transfer Room, Liverpool are pursuing Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and will be watching him against AS Roma in the Europa League tonight – prompting many Reds to erupt at this news on a rising starlet in Amsterdam.

Gravenberch has been a mainstay for the Dutch giants this season at just 18-years-old, starting 25 Eredivisie matches whilst scoring three goals and assisting five others (WhoScored).

Primarily a defensive midfielder, his statistics suggest he is already a well-rounded player at such a young age – averaging a consistent 1.6 shots and 1.2 key passes per 90 domestically for Ajax (WhoScored).

He’s also impressed in the Europa League defensively with a brilliant 3 tackles and 3 interceptions averaged every game – more than any Liverpool player in the Champions League by comparison (WhoScored).

La Gazzetta now report that Liverpool are pursuing the €35 million (£30m)-rated starlet with Reds scouts set to keep a close eye on his exploits tonight in Europe.

Given his impressive season, it’s little wonder why supporters are begging FSG to sign him as one supporter even dubs Gravenberch the ‘perfect’ Georginio Wijnaldum replacement.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Liverpool fans erupt as FSG eye Gravenberch

“I beg we get this done”

Credit: @LFC_6Times_

“Already better than #5 so this better be true”

Credit: @lfcthijs

“perfect gini replacement”

Credit: @NveemU

“I am BEGGING”

Credit: @LadiesLoveWill

“Omds plssssssss”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“Better be true”

Credit: @m1ele_

“big baller”

Credit: @CheemaDharam

“Trust me, Gravenberch is the real deal!!”

Credit: @TheIconnaisseur

In other news: Liverpool fans slammed this ‘absolutely shocking’ star, find out more here.

Many Leicester City fans have been lauding the display of Caglar Soyuncu as Turkey ran out 3-0 winners away at Norway on Saturday evening.

The defender managed to get himself on the scoresheet and was overall a rock for his country, keeping out the likes of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard in what was a stellar performance.

Soyuncu won no fewer than four of his duels in the game, the joint-third most out of any of his teammates to have set foot on the pitch, as he also topped Turkey’s charts for clearances (five) and blocked shots (two). Such figures earned the 24-year-old a very impressive 7.9 overall rating on Sofascore, the second highest out of any player on the night behind teammate Ozan Tufan (8.7), who scored their other two goals.

Leicester fans on Soyuncu display

These Leicester fans lauded his performance on Twitter, with one supporter going as far as to claim that the 24-year-old was ‘incredible’:

“I heard Soyuncu had a belter of a game today. Very happy for him. Haaland in his back pocket as well the icing on the cake lcfc #Turkey”

Credit: @Sunil_YG30

“Well it looks like Haaland will be coming to #lcfc! In the back of Soyuncu’s pocket! #NORTUR”

Credit: @paulifd

“The goal and performance so far today added to his recent #lcfc form, Soyuncu looks back to his best!”

Credit: @Chris89Bennett

“Soyuncu pocketing Haaland. Don’t come at the Leicester boys it won’t work”

Credit: @EvDecosta9

“Soyuncu is passing the Haaland test”

Credit: @AllThingsLCFC

“Sat here watching Soyuncu pocket Haaland, and it’s incredible #Turkey #Norway #NORTUR”

Credit: @TheSirRobotto

In other news, find out what FA Cup news has left Foxes fuming here!

Celtic had a real opportunity this weekend to give their fiercest rivals a reminder that they’re still here.

This has been a torrid campaign for the Hoops and it didn’t get much better on Sunday afternoon, as they drew 1-1 at Parkhead.

It’s not often an Old Firm derby has little on it but because of the circumstances, this was one that was lacking in drama and ferociousness. Scott Brown wasn’t his usual bullish self and Alfredo Morelos’s discipline was near perfect.

It was a tale of two headers as Mohamed Elyounoussi’s diving leap opened the scoring before Morelos netted a tap in for the equaliser.

Elyounoussi was particularly vibrant and deserved his goal. He was playing off the wing but found himself in a central position to score a clinical header from a few yards out.

It was an inch-perfect assist from Odsonne Edouard, who delivered the cross, but besides the Frenchman and Elyounoussi, they lacked much in terms of attacking threat from other sources.

Unfortunately, it was yet another defensive mishap that cost Celtic. It’s been the story of their season to date and on this occasion, it was Jonjoe Kenny at fault.

His back pass went out for a corner from which Morelos scored and he didn’t cover himself in too much glory with his marking either.

Yet, if we are searching for positives we need to look no further than Stephen Welsh. When Christopher Jullien was ruled out for nine months, the Bhoys needed someone to step up.

Welsh has been that man. He is still relatively inexperienced but he’s struck up a fantastic partnership with Kristoffer Ajer that provides hope for the future. He has rarely put a foot wrong during his Celtic career and he was convincing once more on Sunday.

The 21-year-old was near flawless defensively, winning 85.7% of the duels he competed in. That meant the centre-back prevailed in two tackles, one interception and three clearances.

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On top of that, Welsh didn’t make a single foul, nor was he dribbled past by a Rangers player. On a day where his partner to the right, Kenny, looked out of sorts, the young centre-back managed to keep things watertight from his perspective.

Welsh was assured in possession, completing 90% of his passes while he even found room to make one of them a key pass which led to a shooting opportunity.

The central defender has only recently come into the team this year but he rose to the task of an Old Firm derby with ease. Long may his form continue.

AND in other news, Celtic must ruthlessly axe £15k-p/w “enigma” this summer, Lenny hated him…

Slowly but surely, Crystal Palace are starting to look like better bets to stay in the Premier League.

Of course, their 4-1 battering at the hands of Tottenham on Sunday evening provided evidence to the contrary but a period of three unbeaten games before that must have pleased Roy Hodgson.

The Eagles have been incredibly inconsistent this season and that shone through in north London over the weekend. Spurs haven’t been particularly swashbuckling in recent months but the effervescent trio of Harry Kane, Heung-min Son and Gareth Bale all ran riot on Sunday.

How Hodgson would love for three players of their quality. Bale looks back to his best and in the process of scoring twice, was a lively energetic threat.

The same cannot be said for Palace’s right-hand side where Andros Townsend severely disappointed. The winger began his career at Spurs where he played for 16 years, starting out as a young schoolboy to becoming a senior professional.

Yet, on Sunday evening, he showed exactly why he never made a name for himself at the very top of the game.

Townsend was devoid of much quality and very rarely had a chance to threaten the Spurs backline. Of course, there are better litmus tests for this Eagles attack but the 29-year-old did little to try and haunt his former employers.

He was hauled off after just 65 minutes having had a minimal impact on proceedings. Townsend touched the ball on just 40 occasions which was the lowest tally of any outfield Palace player to start the match.

On top of that, the winger made only 13 passes during his time on the field. That was fewer than goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and only more than Hodgson’s three substitutes; Wilfried Zaha, Jeffrey Schlupp and Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Townsend clearly isn’t as creative and hustling as he once was. The attacker managed a solitary key pass and when faced with the likes of Sergio Reguilon and Son in the channels, he often came out second best; winning just 37.5% of his defensive duels.

The fact that Hodgson took him off so early into the game spoke volumes, especially when it was the defence who were being given the biggest runaround.

Townsend did his best to inject a slice of energy into proceedings, and as he always proves, he was willing to work hard for the team. Yet, the forward’s end product was ultimately missing.

With Zaha now back from injury, the former England international better be wary. His place in the team could soon be under threat.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Mateta: 22-goal Palace target could create dream attack for Hodgson…