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Australian captain Karen Rolton believes that though they are favourites to win the Women’s World Cup, there are a few teams who may give them a tough fight

Barry Ross03-Mar-2009
Karen Rolton (left) has singled out England as the biggest threat to the crown © Getty Images
Australian captain Karen Rolton believes that though they are favourites to win the Women’s World Cup, there are a few teams who may give them a tough fight.”While we are confident, we know that England, India and New Zealand will be tough opponents,” Rolton said.Australia, who have won the tournament five times, and are also the defending champions, will be enjoying home support this time around, but it may not always work to their advantage, according to Rolton.”We won’t be disrespectful of any of our opponents, because in such a tournament as the World Cup, upsets can occur,” she said. “Women’s international cricket is getting better and better each year and while it is an advantage to be playing at home, there are also some disadvantages, such as more family and friends around.”Rolton also singled out England as the biggest threat to the crown. “England will be well prepared for this tournament. I think as many as nine of their girls have been out here playing grade cricket and they have been playing this season, for as long as we have, so they won’t be out of season.”England captain, Charlotte Edwards, predicted that this year’s tournament would be the closest for many years. She said the difference in playing standards between the countries had considerably reduced and England were ready for the challenge.”We had a great winter out here last year, winning the Ashes and drawing the one-day series,” Edwards said. “Australia are the favourites, especially playing at home, but we will be up for any challenge.”

The batting might of West Zone helped them crush East Zone by 218 runs in Cuttack and pocket their ninth Deodhar Trophy

Cricinfo staff18-Mar-2009
Scorecard

Wasim Jaffer’s century set West Zone up for a huge total © Cricinfo Ltd
The batting might of West Zone helped them crush East Zone by 218 runs in Cuttack and pocket their ninth Deodhar Trophy. It completes a triumphant season for Wasim Jaffer, who had also led West to the Duleep Trophy, besides winning the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai.Such a huge defeat didn’t look on the cards for East when their new-ball bowlers got rid of the prolific Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel to reduce West to 40 for 2 after 8.1 overs. Jaffer was dropped by the wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha in the next over on 16, and he got another life when Dhiraj Goswami grassed a caught-and-bowled chance when on 49. Still, when West slipped to 85 for 3 in the 17th over after Rakesh Solanki was run out, the game was evenly balanced.It was all one-way traffic after that, though. Jaffer and Cheteshwar Pujara, two of the highest run-getters of the season, put on a brisk 158-run stand to give West the upper hand. Fifteen boundaries and a six helped Jaffer along to his sixth List A century, but Pujara fell six runs short of a hundred. Both men were dismissed in the space of 15 balls, but there was no easing up of the scoring-rate.Ravindra Jadeja, fresh from his stint with the national team, and the big-hitting Abhishek Nayar tore into the East attack to plunder 113 runs off the last ten overs. Jadeja slammed five fours and four sixes in a 30-ball 61 and Nayar needed only 25 deliveries for his 54.East had opted to go with an additional batsman, picking Halhaldar Das instead of the left-arm spinner Tushar Saha, and the strategy backfired, with 105 runs coming off part-timers Manoj Tiwary and Deepak Sharma’s 11 overs.Faced with a massive target, East’s chances became bleaker when medium-pacers Siddharth Trivedi and Jayesh Odedra got three early wickets. Worse was to follow as captain Tiwary and the in-form Ishank Jaggi fell within the space of five balls; East were soon at 49 for 6. There was some brief resistance from tailenders Rakesh Mohanty and Goswami but not enough to worry West. The victory was confirmed when Jadeja took two wickets in four deliveries to bundle East out for 144.

Perform well in the famous green and white Hoops of Celtic and it’s likely that another club will come calling to prise you away from Parkhead.

Supporters at Paradise will be all too familiar with that eventuality, especially this summer.

The Premier League was once again the destination for some of Celtic’s best players with Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer heading for Crystal Palace and Brentford, respectively.

Enigmatic Scottish attacker Ryan Christie also travelled south of the border as he joined Bournemouth.

More often than not, it’s been Southampton who have dialled the phone. Whether it be Virgil van Dijk, Stuart Armstrong or Fraser Forster, many have forged successful careers in England.

However, one who didn’t enjoy quite as much triumph in England was Victor Wanyama. He went from being a brute of a player with Celtic and Southampton to falling off the wagon somewhat at Tottenham.

Sadly, he’s now remembered more for a tweet about spaghetti, than he is his performances.

During his stay in Scotland, he was nothing short of outstanding after being signed by Neil Lennon all the way back in 2011.

He scored a famous goal against Barcelona in the Champions League when they remarkably beat one of the best sides we’ve seen in European football.

The Kenyan wasn’t just about that moment, however. His tough-tackling nature saw him nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2012/13.

A £12.5m move to the Saints followed and then he earned a richly deserved switch to Tottenham. He was described as “fantastic” during his time in north London by Christian Eriksen but ultimately the midfielder struggled to become a key cog in the wheel.

He had to overcome a plethora of knee problems and in four years, played on average 24.5 matches per season. For a club that are regulars in Europe as well, it’s not the most outstanding number.

Now aged 30, Wanyama should still be in the prime of his career, especially as a defensive midfielder.

Instead, he’s playing in MLS for Montreal Impact and his market value has plummeted since leaving Scottish football behind. The Kenya international is now valued at a measly £5.8m via Transfermarkt after moving to Canada on a free transfer.

With that in mind, it would appear that Celtic sold him at exactly the right time.

AND in other news, Celtic could find another Van Hooijdonk by signing colossal 10-goal monster…

A round-up of the opening matches of the county season from Division Two of the Championship

Cricinfo staff18-Apr-2009Leicestershire had two experienced heads to thank after surviving a tough final day against Northamptonshire at Grace Road. Boeta Dippenaar and Paul Nixon guided them through the final session after the second innings slipped to 104 for 4 in the follow-on. The home side were asked to bat again once their first innings was wrapped up for 183, although the final two wickets hung around for 14 useful overs, and Johan van der Wath was in the wickets again when he bowled Tom New. Two strikes by Andrew Hall rattled the middle order as HD Ackerman and Josh Cobb departed in quick succession before Dippenaar and Nixon prevented a collapse. Monty Panesar went wicketless in both innings, which won’t have done his England chances much good even though early-season conditions are made for the seamers.Surrey were forced to follow-on by Gloucestershire at The Oval, but came out of their opening Championship match unscathed after Usman Afzaal’s half century extended their first innings long enough into the final day. Starting the morning on 18 for 3, Surrey soon slumped to 46 for 6 when Chris Jordan edged James Franklin into the slips. Safety was by no means assured, but Afzaal found support from the lower order to finally bring some stability to the innings. The last four wickets helped to add 114 with Afzaal, who was last out for 65. They were put straight back in by Alex Gidman and soon lost Laurie Evans, gloving a short ball from Jon Lewis, and Matthew Spriegal fell to Chris Taylor’s offspin but stand-in captain Michael Brown remained unbeaten on 34.Essex comfortably played out a draw at Chelmsford after Derbyshire decided against gambling in the opening game of the season. The visitors batted on until after lunch before setting Essex 312 off 45 overs and an opening stand of 88 between Varun Chopra and Jason Gallian ensured there wouldn’t be any nerves in saving the match. Ian Hunter continued his impressive match with two more wickets to add to the five he took in the first innings. Derbyshire’s eventual declaration was set-up by half-centuries from Greg Smith (59) and Jamie Pipe (64 not out) after the top order fell early. Pipe clubbed three sixes as he upped the tempo, but there was too much time to make up after rain on the second day.

Phil Hay has revealed the reasoning as to why Rodrigo remained at Leeds United after a ‘very late’ loan bid arrived from Spain.

The Lowdown: Not lived up to expectations

Since signing for Leeds United last summer following their promotion to the Premier League, Rodrigo has struggled to live up to the expectations that came with his signing from Valencia.

The Spanish attacker has only scored seven times in 32 appearances so far for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, with Patrick Bamford preferred as the lone striker at Elland Road, shifting the 2020 arrival into a deeper role.

Rodrigo, 30, has endured a tough start to this season, dragged off at half-time in the 5-1 defeat to Manchester United and the 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool.

The Latest: Bielsa wanted Rodrigo

According to journalist Phil Hay, Rodrigo was subject of a ‘very late’ loan move from Spanish side Barcelona but remained at Leeds as ‘Bielsa wanted him’ to stay.

Hay has also stated that the player himself wanted to stay at the club and fight for his place, rather than go out on loan so late in the transfer window.

Rodrigo now remains at Leeds, looking to finally kickstart his career in Yorkshire after signing for £27million just over 12 months ago.

The Verdict: Time to impress

Rodrigo’s versatility to play either on the wing, down the middle or as a number ten offers Bielsa the option to select him in a number of positions and would surely be one of the main factors in deciding to keep him at the club, adding depth and versatility.

Whilst Bielsa commonly uses only one striker, namely Bamford, Rodrigo will need to impress and adapt to playing in different positions if he is to cement a place in the starting line-up on a weekly basis.

After only averaging 50 minutes per game and starting 14 of his 26 appearances last season, he will be keen to finally stamp his mark and prove that Bielsa’s fondness, as revealed by Hay, is justified.

In other news, Sky Sports pundit was surprised by the decision on red card. Find out more here.

Three points separate seven teams at around the half-way stage, which makes the game between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians a crucial one

The Preview by Sidharth Monga05-May-2009Match factsMay 6, 2009
Start time 16.30 (14.30GMT)RP Singh will need to lift his game a level higher to make up for Fidel Edwards’ absence•AFPBig PictureThree points separate seven teams at around the half-way stage. So tight is the table that on Tuesday, Rajasthan Royals jumped from No. 7 to No. 2 with their win against Kings XI Punjab, only to be pushed back to third following Delhi Daredevils’ victory over Kolkata Knight Riders later in the night. No one team can be convinced of making the semi-finals, which makes almost every game in these middle stages crucial. Especially when Deccan Chargers are playing Mumbai Indians, two teams that started off so well they were talked of as title contenders.Deccan started their campaign with four straight wins, twice the number of matches they won last year, but three matches later they have a losing streak to overcome. Fidel Edwards has been a big loss for them, and they need to somehow get back to winning ways.Mumbai have their own problems, not the least losing Zaheer Khan to a shoulder injury. They have won just one out of their last three games, and quite incredibly stand at No. 7. Tomorrow’s game, though, is sure to change the top four in the points table. If Deccan win, they will rise to No. 2, if Mumbai win, they will enter the top four, displacing Deccan.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Deccan Chargers – LLLWW
Ryan Harris, Edwards’ replacement, went for 39 runs in his four overs against Chennai Super Kings.Mumbai Indians – LWLWL
Lasith Malinga hasn’t opened the bowling in his last two games, and has gone for 47 runs in 7.1 overs – a big contrast to the 57 he had given away in 14.2 previous overs.Watch out forRP v Tendulkar and Jayasuriya: In Edwards’ absence, RP Singh could well determine which way Deccan go from here on. He has achieved a personal target through this IPL, a return to the Indian squad for the World Twenty20, but now is the time for him to take his game a notch higher. His key men in the opening spell will be Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar. RP got Jayasuriya out for 1 in the previous match, but he will know a lot of it was down to the pressure Edwards created.Malinga v Gilchrist and Gibbs: The last time these two teams met, Malinga proved too hot, but the Deaccan openers found a way around him, managing 93 runs between them off 64 deliveries. Malinga bowled a double-wicket maiden, the last over of the innings, in his 4-1-19-3.Team newsDeccan could try Chaminda Vaas ahead of Harris. And their other trouble has been the No. 3 batsman. VVS Laxman has scored 19 in five innings, Azhar Bilakhia hasn’t been too impressive either.Deccan: 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt./wk), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 VVS Laxman/Azhar Bilakhia, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 Ravi Teja, 8 Harmeet Singh, 9 Pragyan Ojha, 10 RP Singh, 11 Chaminda Vaas/Ryan Harris.Most of Mumbai’s team discussion will revolve around finding a replacement for Zaheer, who fell badly on his shoulder, while fielding during the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Dhawal Kulkarni and left-arm medium-pacer Rahil Shaikh are the frontrunners.Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Saurabh Tiwary have failed to set the world alight, but Mumbai will have to pick two of the three, unless they spring a complete surprise.Mumbai: 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt.), 3 JP Duminy 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Abhishek Nayar, 6 and 7 Shikhar Dhawan/Saurabh Tiwary/Ajinkya Rahane , 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Pinal Shah (wk), 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Dhawal Kulkarni/Rahil Shaikh.Stats and triviaGilchrist has scored 210 runs in the tournament, while his Mumbai counterpart, Tendulkar, has 209. Matthew Hayden holds the orange cap with 289.Head-to-headIn their first game this season, Deccan won when Mumbai lost their way following the strategy time-out of their chase of 169.Last year Mumbai were ambushed by Gilchrist in their first match. Gilchrist smashed 109 off 47 balls to set up Deccan’s ten-wicket victory. However, Deccan’s top order collapsed in the second match as they slipped to a 25-run defeat in Hyderabad.

Rangers failed to return to winning ways as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ibrox by Motherwell on Sunday afternoon.

Fashion Sakala got off the mark with his first goal for Rangers to put the club in front, but a second half equaliser from Kaiyne Woolery secured a point for the away side.

Motherwell only managed one shot on target in the entire match, compared to the home team’s 24 shots and seven on target at the other end. However, Steven Gerrard’s side were unable to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

Despite Sakala finding the back of the net, the Zambian forward did not quite steal the show for Rangers. Instead it was central midfielder Joe Aribo, who took his place in the midfield three after a difficult night out wide against Lyon on Thursday.

The former Charlton man was deployed as a winger against the French outfit and struggled to show his best qualities, but that changed against Motherwell as Gerrard placed him back in his more favoured central role.

Offensively, he was outstanding today. As per SofaScore, he created six chances, including two ‘big chances’, and set up Sakala’s opener. He also completed all four of his attempted dribbles and 76% of his passes. This shows that he stepped up in terms of creativity and was able to hand his teammates opportunities in front of goal, but Rangers were only able to make the most of it on one occasion.

Aribo was also not afraid to put himself about in the midfield and win his 50-50s. As per SofaScore, he won an impressive 69% of his duels on the pitch, coming out on top in seven of his 10 ground duels and two of his three in the air, whilst also making one tackle and one interception.

This shows that he stood up to the physical test of Motherwell and was able to hold his own. He was then able to merge that with his quality on the ball, with the aforementioned creative statistics showing that he put in a complete performance.

Rangers did not win but Aribo created enough chances for them to do so, which is why he stole the show ahead of other players. Gerrard must be buzzing with the midfielder’s display and hoping that the Nigerian can keep up a similar level of performance throughout the rest of the campaign.

In other news: Wilson must work his magic to strike deal for Rangers “mountain”, fans would love it

Arsenal will be looking to build on their recent form as they play host to the first north London derby of the 2021/22 season this afternoon.

After a difficult start to the new campaign, the Gunners have seemingly turned a corner with three straight victories in all competitions and manager Mikel Arteta is blessed with a fully fit and available squad for the very first time.

It does, however, give him a number of decisions to make in terms of team selection.

Here’s the starting XI we’re predicting at the Emirates Stadium today…

The north Londoners’ recent change in fortunes has been, in part, down to their changes at the back as summer signing Aaron Ramsdale has excelled in the place of Bernd Leno.

He should come straight back into the side, whilst the youthful backline of Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White and fellow new addition Takehiro Tomiyasu are expected to all start, having been rested against AFC Wimbledon in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

Further up the pitch in midfield, things start to become a bit tricky for Arteta.

He has gone for a three-man engine room in recent matches, with Thomas Partey pairing up with Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe and all three could still remain in the starting lineup. However, the return of Granit Xhaka hands him a fresh dilemma.

Given his experience in this fixture, the Swiss international could come straight back in to partner the Ghanian in a deeper role, with the academy gem reverting to the left flank and the former Real Madrid star going back into the no.10 role.

They could be joined by Bukayo Saka on the right, meaning there is no place for Nicolas Pepe, though expect him to feature from the bench.

Whilst upfront, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is likely to be preferred to Alexandre Lacazette.

In total, there could be ten changes from their Carabao Cup triumph only a few days ago.

Arsenal’s predicted XI vs Spurs (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tierney, Gabriel, White, Tomiyasu; Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard; Smith Rowe, Saka, Aubameyang

AND in other news, Arteta must unleash Arsenal’s £18m-rated “warrior” vs Spurs, he can thwart Kane & Son…

Shane Bond’s potential international comeback remains on track following his decision to quit the ICL

Cricinfo staff06-Jun-2009Shane Bond’s potential international comeback has moved a step closer with the fast bowler reportedly confirming to New Zealand Cricket (NZC) that he has terminated his contract with the ICL. Bond has not played for his country in 18 months, since joining the unofficial Twenty20 tournament, but his decision could fast-track him into the national side for the tour of Sri Lanka in August.Last week NZC decided that former ICL players would be immediately eligible for national selection if they proved they had cut all ties with the unofficial ICL. Bond and fellow fast bowler Daryl Tuffey, who has also terminated his ICL contract, have performed strongly in the recent New Zealand domestic season, and will be likely candidates for a recall.NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan told the he had received documentation from the legal representatives of Bond, Tuffey and Craig McMillan indicating they had cut ties with the ICL. “New Zealand Cricket may wish to take further legal advice on the matter but it does appear, on face value, that those three players have cut their ties with the ICL,” he said. “As long as the documentation is as stated, we move ahead and the players are eligible for selection with fitness and form and all the usual selection criteria taken into account.”Vaughan said Bond had progressed well during training. “I do know that Shane has been training pretty hard recently and is fit and has been bowling in the nets, so I would imagine that as long as this documentation is in order I couldn’t see why he wouldn’t be considered for selection. We’re very pleased that these guys are going to be available to be selected again; it’s tremendous news.”National selector Glenn Turner said Tuffey and Bond would be considered for selection and the national panel “would look at them strongly”. The team to tour Sri Lanka will be named next month.

Michael Vaughan is expected to announce his retirement from international cricket this week

Andrew Miller28-Jun-2009Michael Vaughan, the man who led England to more Test victories than any other captain, is expected to announce his retirement from all cricket this week. A press conference has been scheduled for 11.30am at Edgbaston on Tuesday, at which it is widely anticipated that he will call time on his 16-year first-class career.Vaughan has struggled with injuries to his right knee which kept him out of cricket for over a year between November 2005 and May 2007. In January, he withdrew from the IPL auction to concentrate on getting back into the Test side in time for the Ashes, but still lost out on a place in the 16-man pre-Ashes squad.Vaughan’s timelineDecember 1999 – Makes England debut in Johannesburg, and impresses with an unflappable 33, despite a scoreline of 2 for 4
January 2000 – Named Man of the Match after scoring 69 to seal a consolation win for England at Centurion, in a match later discredited after Hansie Cronje revelations
May 2001 – First Test century, 120 against Pakistan at Old Trafford
Aug-Sept 2002 – Makes a Test-best 197 against India at Trent Bridge, closely followed by 195 at The Oval, in a remarkable tally of 615 runs in four Tests
January 2003 – Climbs to the top of the world rankings after his third century in five Tests against Australia, a brilliant 183 that secures a consolation win in Sydney
July 2003 – Named England captain for the second Test against South Africa at Lord’s after Nasser Hussain steps down
August 2003 – Secures first Test win as captain, by 70 runs at Trent Bridge
August 2003 – England level the series against South Africa with a nine-wicket win at The Oval
March 2004 – Leads England to their first series win in West Indies since 1967-68
May-August 2004 – England win all seven Tests in the summer against New Zealand and West Indies
January 2005 – A draw at Centurion Park gives England a series victory in South Africa for the first time since 1965
September 2005 – England regain the Ashes after 16 years with a draw at The Oval
February 2006 – Breaks down with a knee injury at the start of tour of India. Doesn’t play again for nearly a year
May 2007 – Makes Test comeback with a century at Headingley against West Indies
June 2007 – Resigns one-day captaincy
August 2007 – Loses his first home series as captain, going down 1-0 to India
August 2008 – Resigns as Test captain following five-wicket loss against South Africa at Edgbaston
September 2008 – Retains central contract, but is omitted from winter tours to India and West Indies
June 2009 – Overlooked for 16-man preliminary squad for Ashes seriesIt had been speculated that Vaughan’s final appearance for Yorkshire would take place in Sunday’s Twenty20 Cup fixture against Derbyshire at Headingley, but he was omitted from the starting line-up for that match. According to Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, any official announcement is on hold until Vaughan has met with the ECB, to whom he is still centrally contracted.”There is a meeting between Michael and the ECB scheduled for tomorrow, and after that it will be up to the ECB to make any formal announcement,” Regan told Cricinfo. “Michael has obviously not been selected in the squad today, his place has been taken by Anthony McGrath, and we are very much concentrating on what is a very important game for Yorkshire.”Vaughan, 34, captained England in 51 of his 82 Tests, and won a record 26 of these, including most famously the two matches that enabled England to regain the Ashes in 2005. But he hasn’t played international cricket since stepping down from the captaincy during the home series against South Africa last year, and this season he has made only 159 runs at 19.88 for Yorkshire. The last time he scored a century in a competitive match was for Yorkshire in a 50-over game against Surrey in Abu Dhabi this March.Aside from the growing acceptance that he will never play international cricket again, not least since Ravi Bopara burst onto the scene at the beginning of the season to nail down the No. 3 slot, Vaughan is believed to be wary of hampering the opportunities of young talent at Yorkshire – among them Jonathan Bairstow, the 19-year-old son of the former England wicketkeeper, David, who made his debut this season.”If Vaughan really is packing it in I can understand his decision, though it’s a sad day for all of us who played in 2005,” Steve Harmison told The Mail on Sunday. “He was a great leader on the field. He knew how to get the best out of me, by telling me I was the best bowler in the world. Maybe he was lying, maybe it was kidology but he knew how to press the buttons and we all wanted to play for him.”Vaughan scored three centuries out of a tally of 633 runs in the 2002-03 Ashes that preceded his 2005 triumph, and was one of the few English cricketers whom Australia hold in the highest regard. “I was slightly shocked about Vaughan not getting the inclusion [in the current Ashes squad],” said Brett Lee last week, “more so from what he’s done against us in the past, he’s got the utmost respect from all our players.”If, as expected, he does call it quits this week, the timing of Vaughan’s retirement will serve to spare the current Ashes team endless speculation about his chances of a recall, should early results against Australia go against them. One of his finest achievements as captain was to shield the side against panic in 2005, after a heavy defeat in the first Test at Lord’s. The same side was retained for each of the first four matches of the series.Vaughan is highly likely to remain close to the action this summer, however, as he is sure to be welcomed straight into the Sky commentary box, alongside his former team-mates and fellow England captains, Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain, and his most formidable Ashes foe, Shane Warne.