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Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar inspired Australia to a nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-shortened Twenty20 encounter

Cricinfo staff15-Feb-2009Australia 1 for 83 (Nitschke 54*) beat New Zealand 5 for 91 by 9 wickets on D/L method
Scorecard

Shelley Nitschke guided Australia to the win with 11 balls to spare © Getty Images
Strong all-round performances from Shelley Nitschke and Lisa Sthalekar inspired Australia to a nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-shortened Twenty20 International at the SCG. Australia encountered few difficulties in reeling in a revised 12-over target of 82, achieving the total with 11 balls to spare and losing only Leah Poulton along the way.The New Zealanders were restricted to 5 for 91 from their 14 overs, due largely to the efforts of Nitschke (2-16) and Sthalekar (2-28). Kate Pulford (29 from 24 balls) and Sophie Devine (23 from 16) provided bright patches of resistance on a difficult pitch, but fell before they could inflict meaningful damage upon their opponents. Pulford was removed by Nitschke in the seventh over, and the left-arm finger spinner returned for the vital scalp of Suzie Bates en route to match-best figures.The Australians suffered a setback in the first over of their run-chase, losing Poulton to Bates, but thrived thereafter. Nitschke blasted eight boundaries during her unbeaten 54 from 33 deliveries, while Sthalekar contributed a more measured 23 not out from 25 balls to guide the hosts to victory in 10.1 overs.”The win – although it doesn’t count for anything – was probably more a psychological thing for us going into the World Cup,” Nitschke said. “In the first two games in New Zealand they beat us quite convincingly, and then we got the series.”And this win gives us a little bit of momentum for when we come out for the first game of the World Cup.” Australia, who drew the recent Rose Bowl series with New Zealand 2-2, start their World Cup defence from March 7.

Andy Gray believes Tottenham would have already sacked Jose Mourinho if he was delivering the same results as Nuno Espirito Santo, claiming what the latter has done so far is ‘unacceptable’.

The Lowdown: Spurs struggling

After winning their first three Premier League games of the season 1-0 (Sky Sports), Spurs have since embarked on a terrible run of form.

They have been defeated in each of their previous three league outings, conceding three apiece against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Latest: Gray makes Mourinho claim

Speaking on beIN SPORTS, former Sky Sports pundit Gray, 65, believes Mourinho would have already been given his marching orders were his side on the same run of form. He said:

“If Mourinho had been in charge for these six games he wouldn’t be in a job, he wouldn’t be in a job.

“Then to lose 3-0, 3-0 and then 3-1 against Arsenal would have been unacceptable for Tottenham fans with Jose Mourinho in charge.”

The Verdict: Time needed

Gray’s sensationalist comment doesn’t quite ring true. Under Mourinho, Spurs’ worst record was four defeats in a row, shipping ten goals during that period (Transfermarkt). That run came in March 2020 and, while the early stages of the pandemic may have alleviated the pressure on the Portuguese boss, he remained in charge when the 2019/20 season resumed.

There are certainly big problems at Tottenham. However, Nuno cannot be blamed for all of them – it is hardly his fault that star player Harry Kane is out of form after failing to secure a move away from north London during the summer, failing to score a Premier League goal so far this campaign.

Ten matches in all competitions is hardly a long enough period to judge the new boss on and, unless Spurs want to get into a vicious cycle of instability, they must give him time to turn things around.

In other news, Espirito Santo provides this injury blow.

Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, has called on the county’s younger players to prove they can reach the top level of the domestic and international game

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2008
Surrey’s old hands of Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher need to be complemented by the younger players, feels their captain © Martin Williamson
Surrey’s captain, Mark Butcher, has called on the county’s younger players to prove they can reach the top level of the domestic and international game.”We have had a pretty lean time here in terms of having exceptionally talented young guys coming through and that has to change,” he told the . “You can have all the talent and coaching in the world, but there comes a time when the players have to apply that and take it forward themselves.”Batting coach Graham Thorpe and myself know only too well what it takes to reach the highest level and at times some of our youngsters have not appreciated that.”During what was a thoroughly disappointing season, Surrey handed Matt Spriegel a two-year contract on the basis of a promising start to his first-class career, yet were forced to release Neil Saker. Saker, 24, joined in 2003 but managed just 18 first-class matches during an injury-hit stay. His best performance was 5 for 76 against Lancashire in 2007.”The likes of Arun Harinath and Laurie Evans have the potential to blossom, while Matt Spriegel has shown he has the technique and temperament to progress,” said Butcher. “They will be given their chance, but it is not just a case of giving players 10 games to establish themselves. Players have to know that they will only get that chance if they score runs or take wickets.”Butcher himself started the season impressively, averaging 57.88 in ten matches, but without him at the helm Surrey endured a disastrous campaign. They failed to win a Championship match all season, and Mark’s father, Alan, was sacked as coach after their relegation to Division Two.Butcher expected to be back in action come March, and hoped Surrey would also change around their fortunes. “It is an exciting tome for the club and the chance to build a proper future. We might be able to look back in six years time and say relegation was the best thing to happen to us,” he said. “We are good enough to get promoted. The worst case scenario for me would be if we fail to go up and don’t discover performers outside of the core we already have.”

Liverpool fans’ frustrations with the club’s transfer business continued after no more signings were added in the final days, with some calling it ‘nothing short of an embarrassment’.

The Reds only signed one player in Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig back in May, but according to Neil Jones at goal.com, interest in the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Harvey Barnes and Ismaila Sarr was real.

However, after the sales of Harry Wilson and Xherdan Shaqiri, the club decided keeping only Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi was sufficient back-up to the first-choice forwards.

Origi has never hit the heights anticipated in 2014 when he was signed from Lille, despite some memorable moments, mustering just two Premier League starts last season and not a single top flight goal.

Minamino’s experience in the Premier League was summed up in his loan spell with Southampton last season- scoring only two goals.

Liverpool have started this campaign well with two wins and a draw against Chelsea, but whether they’ve done enough in the market to compete for the duration of the season remains to be seen.

Liverpool fans unhappy with incomings

These Reds fans took to Twitter to show their unhappiness at the lack of signings, with one fan claiming it to be an ’embarrassment’.

“What a joke. no offense to Divock and Taki tho”

Credit: @pputrafajarn

“It’s just an excuse”

Credit: @gurakailaNews

“Nothing short of an embarrassment Origi and Minamino are lower half premier league/championship calibre players at best lol”

Credit: @Kieran_Reid99

“This is like rubbing salt to the wounds. I won’t complain if James Pearce and other journalists just straight up tell us the truth that the club is broke and owners won’t spend a single penny of their own. Why lie every year. Have some integrity at least.”

Credit: @Monkey_D_Goofy

“Pain.”

Credit: @Nik01K

“#FSGOUT”

Credit: @BeniKlopp

Speaking to Top Calcio 24, via Calciomercato.it, Italian journalist Andrea Longoni has shared more exit news out of Tottenham Hotspur – this time involving midfielder Moussa Sissoko.

The Lowdown: Spurs summer exodus…

Managing director Fabio Paratici has orchestrated plenty more outgoings from Tottenham than incomings so far, with the likes of Erik Lamela, Joe Hart, Juan Foyth, Toby Alderweireld, Danny Rose and Paulo Gazzaniga all leaving north London (Transfermarkt).

Spurs are in a sell-to-buy position and have been all transfer window, meaning the Lilywhites must offload surplus-to-requirements assets before making serious money offers for targets.

Sissoko had been one of the players tipped with a sale this summer and journalist Longoni has now brought some news.

The Latest: AC Milan enter Sissoko talks…

As per the reporter on Top Calcio 24 (via Calciomercato.it), European giants Milan have commenced talks with Spurs over taking Sissoko on a loan deal.

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“The talks have begun with Tottenham, Milan are aiming for Sissoko’s loan,” he explained.

Indeed, the Frenchman has now emerged as a target for Milan as they aim to bolster their own 2021/2022 Serie A hopes.

As reported by reliable sources before, Tottenham would be open to offers for Sissoko this summer, but it is unclear as to what their stance will be on a loan deal with no development on these discussions just yet.

The Verdict: Time to go…

Whether on loan or a permanent deal, it is arguably time for Spurs to try and offload the 31-year-old while they still can – especially given his age and the fact his contract expires in 2023.

The 71-cap international’s departure could free up crucial salary space for Tottenham targets if Paratici looks to bring in more additions before the window’s closure on August 31.

On a reported £80,000-per-week, Spurs will be looking to ideally instigate Sissoko’s exit as soon as possible as they continue a major summer overhaul.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Buzzing’, ‘Game changer’…Many Tottenham fans erupt as ‘beautiful’ news confirmed, find out more here.

With one week to go until the new season, Nuno Santo’s squad at Tottenham Hotspur is starting to take shape, though it’s a process which will ultimately take a few transfer windows to finalise.

We’ve already seen a drastic change to some key areas.

The long-serving Erik Lamela has departed, with young Spanish wonderkid Byran Gil arriving in the other direction. Toby Alderweireld has been sold to Qatar and it appears that a £47m splash for Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero is close.

Several of Spurs’ current squad still do not know where their future lies, and with three weeks left until the end of the summer transfer window, we should expect further movement.

One name which could go either way at the minute is right-back Serge Aurier who, according to The Athletic, has been told he is for sale along with Moussa Sissoko and fellow defender Davinson Sanchez.

It remains to be seen if there is any firm interest in his signature at present but the likes of his former club Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan have been linked with moves throughout the year.

Some clues have already been provided throughout pre-season as the Ivory Coast international, who is thought to earn a whopping £120k-per-week, is yet to start a match under his new head coach.

Nuno turned to promising academy teenager Maksim Paskotsi for matches against lower league opposition, but in their last two outings, including one against Champions League winners Chelsea, the 47-year-old has turned to his ex-Wolves star Matt Doherty.

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On that basis, you could argue that Nuno has already made his mind up on his first-choice option, and as such, it’s no wonder that Aurier has been made available for transfer.

Perhaps the Portuguese has already done his homework and knows that the 28-year-old is someone who has regularly let the club down, both on and off the pitch.

Last year, he was slapped with a fine for breaking the government’s lockdown regulations for the third time, whilst his performances and form have flattered to deceive ever since he was signed by Mauricio Pochettino in a £23m deal from the Ligue 1 giants in 2017.

Throughout the 2020/21 campaign, pundits regularly slammed Aurier for his calamitous displays – for example, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara described him an “absolute liability”, whilst Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher went one step further.

After defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final, he claimed, via talkSPORT: “Aurier is maybe one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football and is a player who would possibly put you off management with the amount of crazy decision he makes.”

Unfortunately, that’s been the recurring theme for the long-serving defender throughout his stint in N17, and it’s got to be time to go this summer.

“He’s got a rick in him. He has caused loads of problems. I have described him as a bit of a car crash,” further explained Carragher’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane. “Nice powerful boy, [he] keeps going forward but defensively, I think he doesn’t smell danger or see the danger. And that’s been a huge problem for Spurs, the right-back position.”

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, he is someone who could potentially bolster the transfer kitty, so sporting director Fabio Paratici must do all he can to find a viable destination for Aurier.

The Ivorian must be ruthlessly sold as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Nuno could unearth Spurs’ secret weapon in £34m-rated gem who Jose dubbed “incredible”…

Stuart Law, the Lancashire captain, has spoken of his frustration at not being consulted about the club’s decision not to renew Dominic Cork’s contract

Cricinfo staff14-Aug-2008
‘Very few players can do what Dominic Cork does on a cricket field’ © Getty Images
Stuart Law, the Lancashire captain, has spoken of his frustration at not being consulted about the club’s decision not to renew Dominic Cork’s contract.Cork, 37, said on Tuesday that the decision “hurts” but vowed to “haunt Lancashire and come back and prove the manager and committee wrong”. However, the club never discussed their plans with Law – a plan that the captain emphatically disagrees with.”I would have liked to have had an opportunity to put my case forward,” Law told BBC Radio Lancashire. “Dominic Corks don’t come off the conveyer belt. Very few players can do what he does on a cricket field.”To get the quality that he shows, where are we going to get that from? In times of need when things aren’t going our way, you throw the ball to Dominic and he can make things happen. I don’t know how these decisions are made, but I’ve got to walk out with these players and if they’re not in the best frame of mind, I’ve got to deal with it.”People sitting up there drinking their gin and tonic don’t have to deal with it.”It would have been easier to go into a season with Corky in your side but once again it’s an opportunity for someone to come in, fill the boots and prove me wrong. Dominic’s been a fantastic servant to not only Lancashire cricket, but Derbyshire and England.”I’ll probably get in to a lot of trouble for what I’ve said, but I just think that Dominic Cork is a quality performer.”A statement from Lancashire said the decision was made “with the longer-term development of the playing staff in mind and to allow the side to evolve”.

A tenth-placed finish in the league last season was not good enough for Everton, especially under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian had been brought in to guide the Toffees to Europe’s top table but their chances of doing so have dramatically decreased since he departed Merseyside.

What’s the word?

Everton now have Rafa Benitez at the helm but they’ve struggled to improve their options ahead of the new campaign this weekend.

They have signed three players for a combined £1.7m and it doesn’t look as though they’ll spend too much more.

That being said, they should make a late dart for Sassuolo winger Jeremie Boga before the window closes.

Valued at just £18m by Transfermarkt, he was linked with a move to Goodison Park earlier this summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this week, Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy suggested he should have been signed already.

He said: “There’s no competition between Boga and Townsend. Boga is twice the player Townsend is – and then some.”

Must sign him

Like Clancy states, Boga is evidently a better player than one of the players they’ve brought in.

Consequently, Benitez could take his Everton attack to a new level by securing the 24-year-old’s services.

Once of Chelsea, the left winger was described as a “supreme talent” by former Blues coach Michael Beale.

It’s clear to see why too. Boga is a nightmare for defenders and is capable of dominating opponents with his incredible dribbling ability.

During the 2020/21 campaign, the Ivorian completed 3.2 dribbles per match, a number that was only bettered by Rodrigo de Paul in the whole of the Italian top-flight.

If we compare that figure to those already at Everton, it’s streets ahead of anyone. Their top dribbler last season was Richarlison who completed 1.8.

To elaborate on his ability with the ball, Boga ranks in the 97th percentile for dribbles completed by players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues.

With the attacker displaying a keen eye for goal in Italy, he has the potential to be devastating in the Premier League too. This is a move that would improve Everton’s offensive line significantly.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano delivers worrying Everton transfer update, fans must be fuming…

Left-arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee shattered the Railways lower middle-order in their second innings with a spell of incisive spin, bringing Bengal roaring back into their Ranji Trophy elite group tie at Siliguri and bagging 10 wickets for the match in the process.After Bengal were bowled out for 222 – trailing by 24 runs – Railways struggled early against Laxmi Rattan Shukla’s medium-pace. After Chatterjee came into the attack, though, the wickets really started to tumble. From 70 for four, Railways collapsed to 129 all out, with Chatterjee picking up 5-34 in 13.3 overs. Jai P Yadav, at the very top of the order, was the top-scorer with 24. In their quest for the target of 154, Bengal were 42 for one at the close of play, with Deep Dasgupta and Debang Gandhi at the crease.At Jaipur, Rajasthan reached a total of 371 in their first innings, resuming from 332 for seven. While centurion Nikhil Doru made an unbeaten 122, M Aslam chipped in with a valuable 15 even as left-arm seamer S Vishnuvardhan took the last three wickets in the innings. Hyderabad, trailing by 159, made up the deficit relatively easily, with opener Daniel Manohar striking 70 (192b, 7×4) and G Arvind Kumar making 50 (85b, 8×4). The real excitement lay in Ambati Rayudu’s stroke-filled 55 (71b, 5×4, 1×6). At the close of play, Hyderabad were 226 for four, 67 runs ahead.It was a good day with the bat for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh. From 240 for one overnight, the hosts reached a mammoth 506 for six declared. Gautam Gambhir went on to make 157, Pradeep Chawla ground out 66, and Mithun Manhas made 111 in just 140 balls (13×4, 1×6). Trailing by 262 runs, Himachal Pradesh managed to make it to stumps without losing any wickets and with 50 runs on the board.Punjab occupied the entire third day’s play at Guwahati, ending up bowled out for 338 as play ended. They were rescued from a precarious 62 for three by Pankaj Dharmani (121, 237b, 17×4) and Ankur Kakkar (122, 267b, 11×4, 2×6) who added 214 runs for the fourth wicket. Assam now need 286 for a win on the final day.At Chennai, Tamil Nadu found themselves bowled out for 260 – 44 runs less than Uttar Pradesh’s first-innings score. Wicket-keeper KKD Karthik remained unbeaten on 88 and added 22 runs more for the final wicket with L Balaji on the third day. Ashish Winston Zaidi ended with 6/62. Apart from Jyoti Yadav’s gritty 66, few others could make an impact in Uttar Pradesh’s second innings as S Sriram, finding turn, took 3-26 in 18 overs and reduced the tourists to 158 for six at stumps.The tie between Baroda and Orissa at Cuttack ended early, with the tourists winning by an innings and 141 runs. Following on, Orissa were 31 for two overnight, and they could not do much better in the second innings, being bowled out for just 135. Rakesh Patel took 4-47.Plate Group: Tripura in trouble at KochiBowled out for just 170 in their first innings, Tripura found themselves in dire straits again at 62 for three when play ended on the third day. Leggie KN Ananthapadmanabhan did immense damage to the tourists’ batting in their first innings, scalping seven for 39 in 24.1 overs and destroying the line-up. Only TK Chanda offered any resistance, making 61. Ananthapadmanabhan had bowled only two overs in the second innings before stumps.At Nagpur, Goa were dismissed early on the third day for 262, a lead of 74 for hosts Vidarbha. Opener Amit Deshpande’s unbeaten 157 (230b, 17×4, 1×6) then gave Vidarbha enough runs to declare at 294 for three, setting Goa a target of 369 for victory. The tourists lost their captain in the very first over to Chandrasekhar Atram and were 10 for one at stumps.Karnataka comprehensively demolished Jammu & Kashmir at Bangalore, converting their overnight 77 for three to 163 all out. Venkatesh Prasad took three wickets and chipped in with three more in Jammu & Kashmir’s second innings, which ended on a paltry 114 and gave the hosts a win by an innings and 321 runs.A Shafiq Khan century enabled Haryana to bounce back from 166 for six to 285 at Rohtak, thereby conceding a lead of only 13 runs. Shafiq hit 107 (240b, 12×4) and was given good support by Joginder Sharma (75, 155b, 11×4). Maharashtra’s second innings was poised at 124 for two at the close of play, with Hrishikesh Kanitkar unbeaten on 47 and Abhijit Kale on 20.At Indore, Madhya Pradesh completed the formalities by bowling Bihar out for 201 in their second innings and notching up a win by an innings and 38 runs. Although the Bihar batting showed more spine than in the first innings – with skipper Rajiv Kumar making 49 and S Panda an unbeaten 46 – they were no match for Yogesh Golwalkar’s leg-spin. The leggie took 5-57 off 23 overs to hasten Bihar’s end.

MatériaMais Notícias

Vice-campeã da Copa Sul-Americana em 2013, quando foi derrotada pelo argentino Lanús, a Ponte Preta iniciou sua trajetória na edição deste ano da competição com empate. Apesar de ter sido superior na maior parte do jogo, a equipe de Campinas ficou no 0 a 0 com Gimnasia La Plata na noite desta quarta-feira, em pleno Moisés Lucarelli, pela ida da primeira fase da competição. O jogo da volta será em 9 de maio, no Estádio Del Bosque. Quem vencer avança. Empate com gols garante a Ponte na próxima fase.

A Ponte Preta tentou tomar par si as rédeas do jogo desde o início. Pottker, aos três minutos, obrigou o goleiro Alexis Martín a fazer defesa em dois tempos. Era o prenúncio de domínio da Ponte em Campinas.

Melhor em campo, a Ponte tinha o controle do jogo e ia acumulando chances. Elton e Cajá, com direito a tentativa de gol olímpico, levaram perigo. Mas faltava capricho para transpor o goleiro rival. Já o Gimnasia La Plata tentou apenas se defender o conter o ímpeto rival nos primeiros 45 minutos.

A Ponte de Gilson Kleina voltou com Clayson na vaga do volante Jadson para a etapa final. Mais ofensiva, a equipe de Campinas encontrou um adversário melhor posicionado em campo e trabalhando melhor a bola. Ibáñez e Alemán tiveram duas boas chances com menos de 15 minutos.

Após ser pressionada pela primeira vez no jogo, a Ponte voltou a criar, mas faltavam detalhes. Cajá, de falta, teve a melhor chance. A pressão aumentou nos minutos finais, mas o zero não saiu do placar.

Uma certeza para a Ponte será a ausência do atacante Lucca para o jogo da volta. Ele já havia sido substituído, mas foi expulso no banco de reservas por conta da sua conduta segundo a arbitragem.