Matthew Hayden says beating India, especially in front of their own crowds, ranks high among his favourite cricketing moments. In an interview with , Hayden said defeating India almost matched the experience of defeating old rivals England.”I think India is close on being my favourite side to beat,” he said. “They’ve almost taken the No. 1 seed off England in a lot of ways. It’s a side that within its psyche has amazing highs and amazing lows. So it doesn’t take long to realise they’re at a low when you’re standing in front of 70,000 people at a stadium and you can hear a pin drop. It’s a great position to be in and you know you’ve got them beat.”Hayden and the Australian team had plenty of those moments on their tour earlier this month. Though they lost the last two games, including the one-off Twenty20 game in Mumbai, the Australians dominated the first six ODIs and eventually sealed the series 4-2. Hayden had a good time too, scoring 290 runs in five innings, including three successive half-centuries.Hayden said he had nothing personal against the Indians. “Our ambition is to keep their crowd as quiet as we possibly can and just play good cricket. It’s not a personal thing.”The series in India was also highlighted by plenty of verbals from players of both sides, and Hayden said India’s aggressive approach had fired him up for their return visit to Australia, which includes four Tests and a triangular one-day tournament also featuring Sri Lanka.Denying the criticism of aggression directed at the Australian team, Hayden said: “I think it’s one of the greatest misconceptions of this side ever, that it’s aggressive. I think what we are, it extends from our culture, is just having a great mateship and camaraderie within any kind of team.”You put any 12 blokes together and you’ll get a job done. Whether it’s getting a bogged four-wheel-drive off the beach or standing in front of a cricket wicket and making sure we’re in a dominant position. It’s the same dog, different leg action, so to speak. I think it shows an insecurity to do anything else other than that. All it really does is just amp up the intensity of the way we play our cricket. It’s a good thing for us.”You never want an Australian with his back up against the wall. We saw that last summer against England, you’re seeing that now with this verbal jousting that’s happening between India and Australia. And that’s exactly where we want to be. We’re very comfortable in that position. We want to get into that position because that’s when we play our best cricket.”Looking ahead at his own career, Hayden, who will turn 36 on October 29, said: “I almost feel like it’s an undying passion at this stage. And until that starts to waver, I can’t see myself finishing. And I know that’s a ridiculous thing to say but at this stage I’m not going anywhere.”
VVS Laxman was delighted with the efforts of his pace bowlers, who set up the 96-run victory over Rest of South Africa with an inspired showing on the second morning, but admitted that the batting continued to be a worry as India head into the first Test of the series at Johannesburg in less than a week’s time. With Rahul Dravid almost certain to return for that game, Laxman could look back with immense satisfaction on a job well done as captain.”All of them bowled well, according to the plans we had discussed at the team meetings,” he said, when asked to assess the pace trio. “They bowled the length we needed to bowl and they hit the right areas. It will give them a lot of confidence heading into the first Test.”He said that the weather had played its part in the declaration on the second morning. “We were looking to bat on after the first day,” he said. “But with the overnight rain and the moisture on the pitch, we decided to make use of that.”All the bowlers impressed, but there was a special mention for VRV Singh, who returned figures of 5 for 76 in his first game in South Africa. “He bowled amazingly well,” said Laxman. “He was the quickest of the lot, and showed lots of energy and enthusiasm.”Irfan Pathan was man of the match for his first-innings century, but Laxman insisted that he would primarily be picked as a bowler. And on that front, the news wasn’t quite so heartening, with the Rest of South Africa batsmen singling him out for heavy punishment in both innings. “He’s going through a lean patch as a bowler, but the way he batted was just amazing,” he said. “You have to give credit to him. The hard work is beginning to pay off. The partnership between him and Sourav [Ganguly] put us in a position of strength.”The batting woes were glossed over – “No doubt it’s a big issue, but having achieved a 96-run victory gives the team a lot of confidence” – and he expressed his disappointment at not having made a big score himself. “I was playing well in both innings,” he said. “I was middling the ball, and I’m happy that I was able to occupy the crease for quite some time. Unfortunately, I didn’t carry on. When you play in Australia and South Africa, it’s very important that once you get in, you go on to get a big score.”Both Wasim Jaffer and Virender Sehwag had poor outings, but Laxman said that it was too early to press the panic button when it came to the opening slots. “Both are world-class players, and we’re confident that they’ll come good in the first Test,” he said. “So far, we haven’t thought about tweaking the batting order.”Jacques Rudolph, who led Rest of South Africa, was downcast at the manner of the defeat, especially after Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Justin Kemp had rattled the Indians with a rollicking century partnership. “We had them on the rails at one stage,” he said, “but a silly run-out stopped our momentum.”
Morne Morkel rocked the Indian top order in the first innings, and it was Alfonso Thomas’s turn in the second, and Rudolph said that pre-match plans on the bowling front had been satisfactorily implemented. “Before the game, I told the guys that the way we bowl will send a message through to the Test matches. In both innings, we had them 90 for 5 or so, and had we not dropped a catch [van Jaarsveld dropped Ganguly] in the first innings, it could have been 100 for 6. I think the South African side will be looking forward to bowling to them.”When asked about Zaheer Khan, who carried his excellent one-day form into this game, Rudolph said: “You can clearly see that he’s leading the attack. He has the experience and the skill, and he gets it in good areas. He’ll be a man to watch.” He wasn’t quite so kind though when asked about the various on-field incidents, which had seen parts of the game played in a heated atmosphere not usually found at tour matches.”Sometimes it’s a bit of stupidity,” he said. “The inexperience of Sreesanth showed at times. Hopefully, he can back it up in the Test matches with the ball in hand, and not necessarily his mouth.” As far as India are concerned though, they won’t care what their bowlers mouth off, as long as they bowl as they did here. A few runs from the batsmen would help too.
A `Cullen’ special on the final day at the Adelaide Oval saw South Australia authoritatively dismiss Western Australia for 271, giving them a 129-run win. Bowling in tandem, the finger-wrist spin combo of Dan Cullen (5 for 93) and Cullen Bailey (1 for 46) in the morning session never let WA get into a groove, despite fighting fifties from Adam Voges (76) and Ryan Campbell (64).Cullen’s dismissals were a combination of suffocating bowling and impetuosity from the batsmen. After resuming play at two for 26, Chris Rogers and Voges, the overnight batsmen, survived the first hour, Voges striking a series of authoritative strokes. Rogers, however, was not as comfortable and soon after drinks he miscued a hit off a fizzing Cullen off-break, where Jason Gillespie at mid-on juggled the catch. Darren Lehman, the SA captain, returned to the field on the final day after recuperating from his marathon 488-minute innings of 301 and positioned himself at a very short mid-on after conferring with Cullen. Whatever was said between bowler and captain worked, for Voges soon flicked Cullen straight to a delighted Lehmann. Voges’s was an untimely dismissal, as a hundred looked there for the taking.Bailey, though only scalping a solitary wicket, provided the perfect foil to Cullen’s offbreaks. Impressive from the get-go, he was able to gain sharp bounce and turn from a fourth day Adelaide Oval wicket, and beat the bat on numerous occasions. His dismissal of David Bandy (1) at the stroke of lunch was classical legspinner’s craft: after beating Bandy with a series of enticing, flighted leg breaks, Bailey forced the batsman to play back to a flatter, straighter ball and had him plumb in front of the stumps.From a position of five for 118, Shaun Marsh (49) and Ryan Campbell, the wicketkeeper, put on 104 runs, but both fell in relative succession to Cullen (4 for 83) and WA were back in the drums. Marsh was caught at slip after an attempted sweep resulted in a tangle of pad, arm and possibly glove, while Campbell provided a catch to Lehmann in identical fashion to Voges. This was Campbell’s second rescue attempt of the match, his counterattacking 122 off just 129 balls taking WA to 281 in its first innings. In the end, it was not enough to sustain a successful chase, with Cullen and Gillespie (3 for 32) running through the tail.
Andrew Hall On when he was told he would open I was told on Thursday, so I had visualised myself as an opener and was determined to do well. Hopefully, I can get some more big knocks in the series. I had played my last Test in January, so I wanted to make it count here. I didn’t want to put myself under pressure by negative thoughts.Whether this innings made up for Leeds, 2003 Yeah, at Leeds I was left on 99 not out. I was very happy the way I batted in the end – and more than being relieved it was an achievement and I was excited. But my job is half done, as I want to make a contribution with the ball as well.Whether he was surprised by his form You’re always going to believe in your own batting and get runs, and the last two days I stuck down and just really worked on a lot of the things we had spoken about in the past. In the past I might have been guilty of wasting [a start] after getting into similar positions. Obviously today there was a lot of help from the guys. And credit should also go to previous guys who had been here, and spoke to us about various things which helped us work through the tough periods.On disciplining himself It’s a mindset. It’s something you actually tell yourself – it’s self-motivation. It’s the look on your team-mates’ faces which says that you have worked hard, and the respect and cheers you get from them make you feel better and push yourself forward.On the second-day pitch The conditions made it difficult to score, as the ball was not really coming on to the bat, but I decided to occupy the crease for as long as possible. I have really worked hard for this tour and the support of the seniors has been of real help. It was difficult initially to play on this pitch, but once you got used to it, things became easier.On batting for a draw Nobody plays for a draw. Our focus is to win the match.On Zander de Bruyn’s innings I have played with Zander since my schooldays – we have played together for 15 years. He is a good friend and I feel happy for him. He is a tough guy, and he showed a lot of patience and maturity. It’s great to have the partnership with him.
Murali Kartik On the difference between the pitches at Mumbai and Kanpur Honestly, I never looked at the wicket, like many others in the side. The few who saw it felt that it was a very good batting wicket and probably by the third day it might turn. It has turn, but very slow, and the most important thing is that even the bat-pads are just landing within the area of the wicket. So from that you can gauge the bounce and the carry. It’s not a question of just the ball turning, it’s a question of the ball carrying after it pitches.How the South African batsmen played I heard someone saying that patience is the key. I don’t know what kind of mental set-up they have come up with, probably just to draw or not to make a match of it. That’s what it looks like.When was he told he would play On the morning yesterday, as lots of things had to be taken into consideration.Whether the batsmen’s approach surprised the Indians No, you have a general idea of what they can do after having played against them and having watched them. You can take it as an excuse, but all the four bowlers felt that they did everything but that the pitch didn’t respond. One example could be the two bouncers bowled by Zaheer yesterday, which still could only hit the toe of the bat. With that you can detect the [lack of] life in the pitch, which has been a deterrent.On the negative line adopted by the spinners, bowling into the rough Most of the time yesterday we were having three close-in fielders – we had a short leg, a silly point and a slip, even when we were bowling from over the wicket. I don’t know why people say it was negative, because on a first-day wicket when there was nothing happening we had to try something. Just change the angle, hope that something would happen after bowling in the rough – a couple of balls did something, but not consistently. Today we didn’t do that till late, because we felt that we needed to defend runs and not give anything away. And at one stage both [Andrew] Hall and [Zander] de Bruyn took the attack to us – de Bruyn managed to hit two sixes. So we went to defend then.On what is a good pitch for India’s bowlers It’s a very debatable point. As a bowler, what I expect is some zip of the wicket, some carry for the efforts a bowler puts in. The bowlers are making an effort … it’s just that sometimes, after two days’ play, we know what the wicket is like. They have also applied themselves, so give credit to them that they haven’t given it away.
CloseSouth Africa 412 for 2 (Smith 214*, Dippenaar 11*) lead England 173 by 239 runsScorecard BulletinGary Kirsten On Graeme Smith:People need to take a look at this guy. He’s doing something special. I was around at Western Province with Graeme when he started his career and we all knew he was destined for greatness. He has put himself in the fire and has responded unbelievably well. There’s no doubt he can go the distance and really make a difference.
When he bats, Graeme is a lot like Jacques Kallis. They both have that hunger so that once they get their eye in they really cash in. That’s the mind-set that Smith brings to the game – he gets in the zone and he just wants to bat and bat and bat.On the wicket: To be fair to them (England) we have had the best of the wicket. The pitch settled down. There was some moisture early on, when they batted. But now there are some signs of uneven bounceGraeme Smith On the Anderson incident: “I can’t remember what was said but it was a bit heated at the time. I didn’t think it was right what Anderson did. He said he was throwing at the stumps. But at the time I didn’t think he was near and I had a few words. A few of the England lads got on my back. It was heat-of-the-moment stuff.I was protecting Gary. I think it was wrong and I stuck up for him. I think each time something is said you really want to dig in and make him pay. At times it can work as an advantage to a batter. It made me more hungry. And I’m not finished yet.”Duncan Fletcher On struggling in the field: “The players aren’t very happy after struggling over two days of cricket. But it’s our job to make sure they’re focused on playing some good cricket over the next three days. It’s been tough for everyone out there. Some of the bowlers are inexperienced, and the batsmen too.”On tackling Smith: We’ve been talking about where we want to bowl at Graeme Smith from before the first day of the first Test. But I thought we bowled better from about halfway through the second session today. But there are some youngsters who don’t really appreciate bowling six balls in a row in the same area on a pitch like this. They have been brought up on wickets where they just bowl and something will happen to the ball. We’ve got to make sure that their mindset changes.”
Players arriving at the Basin Reserve today for the first day of the State Championship match between Wellington and Central Districts were surprised to find a number of large gaps, like conspicuous missing teeth, in the ground’s usually pristine picket fence.Several separated sections of palings in front of the terraces on the eastern side of the ground had been driven down during Friday night and lay, alternately, inside and outside the remaining fence which marks the Basin Reserve’s perimeter.Over a space of some 30 yards there remained a few standing sections of fence and between them, a number of wide and surprising openings.During Friday night a group of mischief makers who had been apparently undeterred by rain and cold temperatures had managed to start the Basin Reserve’s heavy roller by connecting the wires of its ignition and had driven it slalom fashion down a long section of the low, white fencing. They had veered first one way then the other through the picket fence, knocking down intermittent sections and leaving palings strewn this way and that.The roller was then left, wedged behind an advertising hoarding, in front of the embankment at the northern end of the ground.The broadcasting box in the RA Vance stand had been broken into, though nothing of value was taken. Storerooms in the old grandstand were broken open and attempts had been made to remove some of the ground’s sound system.
As per reports out of Spain, there has been a big transfer update involving Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp as he personally eyes a perfect signing for the club.
The Lowdown: Interesting summer ahead…
Liverpool could be set for an interesting summer ahead with Fenway Sports Group yet to confirm new deals for star players like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – who could both leave at the end of next season as things stand.
There have been rumours of possible future replacements for the former in particular, not excluding Villarreal sensation Yeremi Pino, as the Reds face a possibility of being without their Egyptian superstar post-2023.
Klopp also has his eyes on bolstering other key positions in the squad, like his central midfield, with a pretty significant update now coming to light involving Real Madrid star Federico Valverde.
The Latest: Klopp set to push…
According to a Spanish source, the German has personally set his sights on Madrid’s man, showing a ‘serious interest’ whilst considering Valverde a potential signing who ‘fits perfectly in his style of play’.
As well as this, it is believed Klopp ‘will try to take advantage’ of the 23-year-old’s worsening relationship with Bernabeu boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Indeed, he will apparently push to do ‘everything possible’ to take Valverde away from the Spanish capital.
The Verdict: Get it done?
Despite only starting 13 La Liga matches for Real this season, making nine appearances off the bench also (WhoScored), Valverde has really impressed when given the opportunity.
BBC Sport writer and tactical analyst Premier League Panel believes the Uruguayan and Eduardo Camavinga will ‘form a world class midfield for the next decade’ based off what he’s seen (Twitter).
Valverde can also play in a variety of roles across the middle of the park, backing why Klopp is apparently so eager to bring him to Anfield.
Real president Florentino Perez certainly rates him, evident by the fact he inserted a mammoth €1 billion (£840m) release clause into his bumper new contract last summer (Goal).
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While it won’t cost Liverpool that much to actually sign Valverde for Klopp, it is believed Perez will not let him leave for a penny less than €80m (£67m).
A significant investment of FSG’s part, it remains to be seen whether they will sufficiently back the Reds boss with an audacious summer swoop.
In other news: Contact made: Liverpool launch pre-summer move for ‘top level’ marquee record-breaker…find out more here.
Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Syed Kirmani has been chosen for the CK Nayudu lifetime achievement award for 2015. The award, the highest honour given by the BCCI to a former player, comes with a trophy, citation, and a cheque for Rs 25 lakhs.One of India’s finest keepers, Kirmani effected 198 dismissals in 88 Tests, and was particularly immaculate behind the stumps to India’s spin quartet of Erapalli Prasanna, S Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishen Singh Bedi. Kirmani was also a capable batsman lower down the order, scoring close to 3000 Test runs, including two centuries, at an average of 27.04.Kirmani played 49 ODIs for India, making 373 runs, the highlight being the 126-run rearguard partnership he shared with Kapil Dev in the World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Turnbridge Wells. Also a Padma Shree award winner, Kirmani served as chairman of the national selection committee and vice-president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) after his playing career.
Glenn McGrath could make one last appearance in a Twenty20 match for New South Wales this season. The reported that the Blues were talking to McGrath about playing Queensland at Sydney’s Telstra Stadium on January 8.That would give McGrath a final chance to farewell his home state before he becomes available for the Indian Premier League Twenty20 competition. As part of the IPL and Champions League concept, McGrath could potentially be recruited by a domestic side from another country to play against the best Australian Twenty20 teams, even if that means lining up against New South Wales.Dave Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket New South Wales, said Australian states would struggle to do the same and lure an international star like Kevin Pietersen. “You never say never, but with the commercial opportunities available to those guys these days, they don’t get out of bed for less than probably £100,000, so it’s going to be very difficult to lure them here,” Gilbert said.The rapidly evolving league creates an interesting challenge for state sides who will undoubtedly take the domestic Twenty20 tournament more seriously this season. “A lot has changed in the last couple of weeks,” Gilbert said.”Now it’s on the world stage, and if you finish in the top two, you’re guaranteed $250,000 for participating in the Champions League and potentially $2 million. It’s extraordinary, when you’ve got a Pura Cup where the winning team gets $100,000.”I suppose that’s my concern – is it going to change the focus of our players in terms of the financial rewards? I just hope we get the balance right. Twenty20 has its place but we must not overdo it.”
Mahela Jayawardene made no excuses after his team was shot out for only 141 and lost to South Africa by 78 runs, virtually ruling them out of a spot in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Instead, he complimented the South Africans on their bowling performance. “The wicket had something in it for the fast bowlers. It was definitely good bowling from South Africa,” said Jayawardene at the post-match press conference. “They bowled to a good line and length and kept the pressure on us. It is not that the batsmen played bad shots and got out. But none of us could stay at the wicket for any length of time.”However, Sri Lanka are still hanging on to the slender hope that Pakistan can win their matches against South Africa and New Zealand – and do so convincingly – bringing a three-way tie into place for the second semifinal spot and reducing it to a matter of net run rates.Graeme Smith, for his part, did not specifically think that this was a good toss to lose. “It was still a good wicket to chase on. With the dew it was difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball and bowl,” he said. “We always knew that 220-230 was a good total and we wanted to knock a few over in the first fifteen overs. There was a bit of juice for the first 10 overs and Makhaya [Ntini] and Shaun [Pollock] bowled really well and got us the important breakthroughs. After that everyone got aggressive and we kept the pressure on them till the end.”The combined performance of Ntini, Pollock and Nel – they picked up seven wickets between them – meant that there was no need for Smith to even use Robin Peterson, the young left-arm spinner. “It was going to be very difficult for him to bowl after the ball had got wet in the dew,” explained Smith. “The fast bowlers were bowling really well. It was a risk to keep bowling the pacers because we would run out of them by the 40th over. But luckily it paid off.”Smith also suggested that it was the preparation that the South Africans had done in the days leading up to the game, combined with the manner in which they executed their plans, that made all the difference on the day. “We wanted to win the first 30-35 overs of the [second] innings because we had done a lot of homework and knew that Sri Lanka score a lot of runs during that period,” he said. “It was important for us to get people like Sanath early. Makhaya and Shaun bowled really well first up and Nel continued from where they left off.”The ageless Shaun Pollock, who walked away with the Man of the Match award for his superb spell of 10-0-21-2, said South Africa’s success was not a result merely of his own efforts, but also that of his new-ball partner, Makhaya Ntini. “We were really good together,” he said in typically understated fashion. “We had looked at videos in the last few days and sorted out the areas where we wanted to bowl to them. It was good that we carried out the plans we had devised. After myself and Makhaya did our bit, Nel also did his job. It was great for us that he managed to dismiss [Marvan] Atapattu with a great delivery in his first over because Atapattu is the kind of batsman who can play the anchor.”