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دخلت أزمة مباراة القمة بين الأهلي والزمالك مرحلة جديدة، بعدما أحالت اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية الشكوى المقدمة من الأهلي ضد الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم ورابطة الأندية المحترفة إلى اللجنة المختصة لدراستها واتخاذ القرار المناسب.

وكان الأهلي قد أصدر بيانًا رسميًا أعلن خلاله تقدمه بشكوى ضد اتحاد الكرة ورابطة الأندية، متهمًا الجهتين بارتكاب “مخالفات صريحة للوائح” فيما يتعلق بالإجراءات الخاصة بالمباراة، حيث اعترض على قرار تعيين طاقم تحكيم مصري، رغم إعلان رابطة الأندية في وقت سابق أن اللقاء سيُدار بحكام أجانب لضمان تحقيق العدالة بين جميع الأطراف.

طالع أيضًا | “الدوري المحلي لم يعد يهمنا”.. شوبير يوجه رسالة لجماهير الأهلي وسط أزمة الانسحاب من القمة

وجاءت هذه التطورات بعد عدم إقامة المباراة في موعدها، حيث حضر الزمالك إلى ملعب المباراة بينما غاب الأهلي، مما أدى إلى تصاعد الأزمة في انتظار قرارات لجنة المسابقات بشأن مصير اللقاء والعواقب المترتبة على ذلك.

وأكدت اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية أنها ستسعى للبت في الشكوى والرد عليها قبل انطلاق الجولة المقبلة من الدوري، في ظل استمرار الأهلي في التصعيد واتخاذ المزيد من الإجراءات القانونية لضمان تطبيق اللوائح.

West Bromwich Albion will look back on their 2023/24 campaign and arguably think about what could have been after folding in the second leg of the Championship play-off semi-finals away at Southampton, to crash out as 3-1 losers.

If they'd managed to get to Wembley, who knows what the final outcome could have been for their season, with Carlos Corberan potentially getting one over on his former employers in Leeds United in a theoretical final.

Instead, they're now preparing for another 46-game slog in the second tier, with the likes of Cedric Kipre potentially leaving for free very soon, with his contract up at the end of June.

The Baggies will, no doubt, have plans in place already for the expected exit of Kipre from the Hawthorns, with a youngster potentially benefitting from the imposing centre-back's departure.

West Brom's young Kipre replacement

Capable of playing at left-back and left-midfield, alongside in the centre-back spot, Zac Ashworth might well feel more first-team opportunities are overdue ahead of the season to come, regardless of Kipre leaving.

The versatile 21-year-old has accumulated 58 appearances in total for the U18s and U23s after joining his boyhood club all the way back in 2012, with six senior games to date being gifted to him as a result.

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Ashworth's willingness to play in a number of different positions will certainly make him a desirable player next season for Corberan to give more chances too, with the Baggies in need of more reinforcements down the left-flank too with Adam Reach now gone, alongside needing more centre-back options.

Bolton Wanderers must have been avid fans of Ashworth to gamble on loaning him last season, which the 21-year-old took in his stride, to further justify getting more chances next campaign.

Zac Ashworth's numbers at Bolton

Predominantly used as an option down the left-hand side by Ian Evatt's men, Ashworth displayed for his new loan side that he is worthy of time in Corberan's XI next campaign, by picking up three goals and three assists from 23 clashes.

The Trotters loanee did find his minutes hard to come by towards the latter patches of the season, with only two appearances being handed out to him in the last three months of his loan stint, but his flashes of quality for the League One side should be enough to be considered for more senior opportunities soon.

Unusually, despite only really playing on the left for the third-tier side, Kipre leaving the building could see Ashworth take on a role at centre-back, one that he's arguably more comfortable in based on the number of games he played there on youth pitches for the Baggies.

Caleb Taylor, who was also on loan at the Trotters alongside Ashworth, will also fancy his chances at breaking into the first-team to offer Corberan more depth at the back, notching up seven appearances for Evatt's side before returning back to home comforts at the Hawthorns.

Ashworth won't want to head back to West Brom and recede back into his shell in the youth sides, after starring for Bolton in spurts, with the potential for the 21-year-old to take the bull by the horns and dive headfirst into the first-team now, to try and soften the immense blow of Kipre leaving for nothing if it does happen.

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ByKelan Sarson Jun 17, 2024

Ballon d'Or winner Rodri told Lamine Yamal that he will win the individual accolade in the future after the Barcelona star won the Kopa Trophy.

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Rodri picks out Yamal in winner's speechYamal wins Best Young Player of the Year awardPair won Euro 2024 together with SpainFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

City star Rodri won the historic Ballon d'Or prize on Monday evening, officially being voted as the best player in world football, beating out Real Madrid trio Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and runner-up Vinicius Junior. Yamal, by comparison, won the Kopa Trophy at the ceremony, as the 17-year-old wonderkid was voted the best young player on the planet.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

During Rodri's victory speech, the Spaniard called attention to Yamal, and addressed him directly, telling him that he will eventually win the Ballon d'Or if he keeps improving. The teenager has been in unbelievable form for Barca this season, scoring six goals and laying on seven assists in 14 games, including a strike in the weekend's 4-0 thumping of Real Madrid in El Clasico.

WHAT RODRI SAID

Rodri said: "Lamine Yamal will win the Ballon d'Or very soon. I'm convinced of it. Keep it up, keep working hard, you'll get there."

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Rodri is currently sidelined for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury. Yamal will next be in action when Barcelona play Espanyol on Sunday in La Liga.

The Temba Bavuma era of white-ball cricket begins later this week, with a series against Pakistan which is intended to kickstart South Africa’s next three World Cup campaigns. Bavuma has been appointed until 2023 and will be in charge for two T20 World Cups and a fifty-over one, and while it is too early to list things like becoming global champions among his aims, Bavuma hopes to use this series to establish a brand of cricket that South Africa can carry through his tenure.”We have the opportunity now, building up to 2023 to the World Cup, to define our style of play and how we want to go about our business,” he said. “If you look at South Africa, we have always been a more than competitive ODI unit, even to the point where the guys have got to positions of No.1. For me, it’s about trying to define a style of play, create something that makes us accountable, and most importantly, to be able to institute that style of play in any conditions or any occasion.”While Bavuma did not specify what this new strategy will entail – team management has spoken about playing ‘smart but aggressive’ in the recent past – he has identified one area that needs improvement. “Mentally, that’s somewhere we probably need to improve a lot more in terms of getting stronger,” he said.South Africa have become known for crumbling under pressure in big moments at major tournaments but since the 2019 World Cup – where they were the first team to bow out – they have also become known for their rapid decline. They currently sit fifth on the ODI rankings and sixth in T20s and have only won one of their last six white-ball series as administrative chaos has bled onto the field and uncertainty has engulfed their approach.As an indication of the level of experimentation South Africa reached, they have handed out six ODI and seven T20 caps since the 2019-20 summer, and are on to their third captain.After Faf du Plessis was replaced by Quinton de Kock in February last year, de Kock has now been succeeded by Bavuma. None of these appointments appear to have been part of a plan. Du Plessis stood down as Test captain following South Africa’s defeat to England last year and was then stripped of the white-ball leadership. De Kock took over, and was also asked to temporarily lead South Africa in Tests which unfairly overburdened him. He was thensidelined from the leadership role in all formats. It is understood that de Kock wanted to continue the white-ball captaincy but after South Africa’s sorry trip to Pakistan earlier this year, they believed wholesale changes were necessary.Now, they face Pakistan again, having had two months of international inaction thanks to Australia’s cancelled Test tour and they seem to have a clean slate. At least, that’s how Bavuma makes it sound. “The mood is optimistic,” he said. Though the challenge is steep.For a start, South Africa will lose a quintet of key players after the second ODI as Kagiso Rabada, Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje head to the IPL. Their absence could well be a major disruption to Bavuma’s first series in charge, but he chose not to see it that way. “It’s not as disturbing now that we are aware of the arrangement that is in place,” he said. “For the first two games, we’ve got all our best players. It’s important that we get positive results. That’s not to say we are conceding the result in the third game. We believe we have got worthy enough replacements. I don’t think it’s that disturbing and we respect the relationship between CSA and the BCCI.”When the big five leave, South Africa are likely to award more new caps, and players like slog-overs specialist Sisanda Magala, seamer Lizaad Williams and allrounder Wihan Lubbe are among those in contention.”The guys who are here can take comfort in the fact that the World Cup squads will be coming from this group, so it’s important that guys acknowledge that there is an opportunity and that they know where they can fit in within that squad,” Bavuma said. “My message to the young guys is that the opportunity is there and make sure you keep churning out those performances.”It will help that Magala and Williams will be used to conditions at the Wanderers and SuperSport Park, their domestic home grounds, because it’s rare to play cricket in South Africa in April. Bavuma expects the Highveld to be even more bowler-friendly than usual. From his recollection of a T20 competition played in April 2018, he said: “it seemed to suit seam bowling a bit more, with the ball swinging. But the wickets still become favourable for batting, so even though the challenge will be a bit more with the seam but I think there’s something in there for the batters.”He also sees it as an opportunity for the team to test their adaptability, knowing that surfaces won’t always suit them. “In the long run we want to test ourselves a lot more in unfavourable conditions and see if we can execute our brand of cricket in all conditions,” he said.At this point, South Africa are still in their short run, with just seven fixtures against Pakistan before a two-month winter break. Their real work will start in June, when they hope to tour West Indies in a series that was postponed from last year, before heading to Ireland and possibly Sri Lanka and India before the T20 World Cup. That will be the first true test of Bavuma’s leadership and so for now his task “is to inspire and try and get the guys in spaces where they can perform as well as they can for the team.”

Manchester United have now reportedly launched a stunning £100m+ offer to sign an England superstar who has already earned the praise of David Beckham.

Man Utd targeting England superstar

INEOS are looking to make a statement in 2026, having already showcased their spending power by revitalising Man United’s frontline last season. Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha all arrived in an attempt to transform Ruben Amorim’s side.

Now, the focus is turning towards the manager’s midfield. With Casemiro edging past the peak of his powers, Manuel Ugarte struggling in possession and Kobbie Mainoo frozen out by Amorim, Man United have already reportedly drawn up a shortlist of options.

So far, two of the biggest names on that shortlist in the Premier League are Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson. Two of United’s biggest targets, both have enjoyed excellent campaigns so far.

There’s plenty of competition for the two England stars, however, and Champions League qualification is likely to be the key to unlocking any potential move for Man United.

The same can be said for another England star. If it’s not Wharton or Anderson, then it could be Jude Bellingham. Sensational reports are now claiming that Man United have made their first move to sign the Real Madrid superstar ahead of 2026.

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ByKelan Sarson 4 days ago

Bellingham is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in world football and would instantly become the best signing that INEOS have made.

Man Utd launch £100m+ Bellingham offer

According to reports in Spain, Man United have now launched an offer to sign Bellingham worth as much as €150m (£131m) in what would break their transfer record. Alas, Real Madrid reportedly believe that the Englishman is worth more than that and have turned the Red Devils down.

Whether INEOS return with a second offer remains to be seen. It would simply be a sensational move for a player who’s already got the approval of Beckham.

Praise does not get much better than that from a Man United point of view, but the idea of watching Bellingham follow in Beckham’s footsteps at Old Trafford very much remains a dream for the time being.

He's "like Reijnders": Old Trafford chiefs pushing Man Utd to sign "elite" star

The team are set to spend more time on the road due to Covid-19 but the captain is happy to do whatever is needed to keep the season going

Andrew McGlashan20-Feb-2021Through necessity Victoria are giving a number of young players a chance this season so the result at the SCG, where they overturned a strong New South Wales side, brought plenty of satisfaction for captain Peter Handscomb.In the off-season experienced quicks Peter Siddle and Chris Tremain departed to new states while Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell have seen their red-ball chances reduced to zero by Australia duty and the impact of Covid-19 bubbles. Added to that, on the resumption of the competition this week Will Pucovski has been ruled out for the season due to a shoulder injury.Over the last three days in Sydney, two players with a combined age of 38 played central roles in a tense four-wicket victory on a tricky surface that offered something for the bowlers throughout with Nathan Lyon a considerable danger in the last innings.Mitch Perry, the 20-year-old seamer, claimed match figures of 5 for 39 which included the scalp of Steven Smith in the first innings (Smith fell to 21-year-old Will Sutherland in the second, although was far from happy with the decision) and then Victoria’s run chase was lifted from a rocky 5 for 87 by an unbeaten 38 from 18-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk who is regarded as one of the most exciting batting talents in Australia.Related

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“Playing against a strong New South Wales team, we’ve got a few boys who grew up watching these blokes,” Handscomb said. “So to come out and have the chance to play against them was one thing and to walk away with the win, it’s even better.”.”Mitch, it’s only his third Shield game and we had a couple of things for him after his first two, he was a bit pretty, maybe bowled a bit too wide and didn’t make the batters play enough.”For him to turn that around so quickly and ask questions of some of the best batters in the world was just awesome. He’s come along in leaps and bounds in a couple of months, I’m pretty excited to see what he’s going to do for the rest of the season”Then obviously Rooster [Fraser-McGurk] at the end there, [he had a] pretty calm head, maybe it helped he was young and didn’t have any demons or anything, he just went out and batted the way he batted, he’s an exciting talent. I’m pretty pumped to see what he’s going to do.”While all teams have had challenges thrown at them this season due to the impacts of the pandemic, that has been more acute for Victoria. They had to do two weeks quarantine in Adelaide, with very limited training, before the hub earlier this season and ahead of this game had to abide by stay-at-home orders having flown into Sydney due to the recent outbreak in Melbourne.They have now had their next match, also against New South Wales, relocated to Bankstown in Sydney due to border restrictions in Melbourne but Handscomb was more than happy to take the pragmatic view.”We were quite lucky to play this game,” Handscomb said. “With everything that was going on, Covid playing its role in everything, I think we’re all pretty aware there are going to be mini-outbreaks and they are going to force border closures and whatnot. So to still be able to have this competition running and moving forward is awesome and a great credit to everyone who did that.”We love playing at home, we know our conditions pretty well and in a year where we’ve spent a fair bit of time away from home, it would have been nice to go back. But to keep the competition going and make sure everyone can keep the schedule as planned, we’re pretty happy to stay up here. We’ve got a couple of days off in Bondi so that’s not the worst spot in the world either.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da bwin： O técnico Renato Gaúcho já tem uma baixa confirmada para o próximo jogo do Flamengo no Campeonato Brasileiro. O atacante Gabigol recebeu seu terceiro cartão amarelo na vitória por 2 a 1 sobre o Internacional, na noite deste sábado (20), e não atuará contra o Grêmio, na Arena do Grêmio, às 21h (em Brasília), em jogo remarcado da segunda rodada da competição nacional.

RelacionadasVídeoLANCE! Rápido: Furacão campeão da Sul-Americana, giro pela Europa e muito mais!Vídeo20/11/2021FlamengoCom início letal, Flamengo derrota Internacional e segue na caça à liderança do BrasileirãoFlamengo20/11/2021VídeoVÍDEO: assista aos melhores momentos da vitória do Grêmio sobre a Chapecoense pelo BrasileirãoVídeo20/11/2021

da lvbet： O camisa 9, que marcou um dos gols da partida, se desentendeu com Moisés no intervalo da partida. Ele era um dos “pendurados” do confronto, assim comoEverton Ribeiro, Bruno Viana, Léo Pereira, Matheuzinho e Rodinei.

O técnico Renato Gaúcho deve poupar os titulares contra o Tricolor gaúcho, projetando a final da Libertadores, que será contra o Palmeiras, no próximo sábado (27) em Montevidéu (URU). O Flamengo está na segunda colocação do Brasileiro, com 66 pontos.

Don’t say it too loudly, but things might be on the up for West Ham United.

After months of poor performances and even worse results, the Hammers finally won a Premier League game on the weekend, as Nuno Espírito Santo’s side dismantled Newcastle United 3-1.

It was a game in which practically the whole team showed up, one in which any number of players could have been man of the match.

Moreover, it was an afternoon in which West Ham’s next big-money star may have announced himself, someone who has shades of Declan Rice to his game.

West Ham's standout stars vs Newcastle

When talking about the West Ham stars who really shone on Sunday afternoon, it would be ridiculous not to start with Lucas Paqueta.

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The Brazilian has come in for some justified criticism this season, but against the Toon, he was simply sensational.

It was his wonder strike in the 35th minute that started the Hammers’ fightback, and were it not for some good goalkeeping four minutes earlier, that would have been his second in the game.

Someone who was almost as influential on the match was Jarrod Bowen, as while he didn’t score or assist a goal, he came awfully close, rattling the post just before Jacob Murphey’s opener.

Finally, while they’ve been woeful almost every time they’ve played this season, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo deserve plenty of credit for their resolute defending.

Between them, they made 16 clearances, won five of seven duels and were dribbled past just a single time.

In all, there were unreal displays across the board for West Ham against Newcastle, including from one player who could be their next big-money star and already looks a bit Rice-esque.

West Ham's future big-money star

While the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville all deserve credit, the starter who left a significant impression on fans and pundits alike was Freddie Potts.

The academy graduate has featured a few times for the first team, but Sunday afternoon was his first competitive start for the club, and to say he repaid the manager’s faith would be an understatement.

The 22-year-old was utterly sensational in the middle of the park, bringing some much-needed dynamism to the role while maintaining a technical level some might not have expected from him.

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In his 90 minutes of action, the Englishman played two key passes, completed two crosses, was accurate in 33 of 39 passes, took 57 touches, won 66% of his tackles, made six clearances and won 75% of his ground duels.

It was a quintessential all-action display from the midfielder, and if his boots were one size smaller, he could have topped it off with a well-taken goal.

Unsurprisingly, such a strong showing from an academy graduate has led to comparisons with the club’s former captain, with one content creator noting that he has a “similar aura to Rice when he first came through.”

In addition to his development as a player, the content creator credited the Englishman’s “supreme confidence and ability to create time and space on the ball” as reasons for the comparison.

Now, it might sound a little over the top considering it was his first start for the club, but thanks to his ability to protect the ball, carry it into dangerous areas and play the right pass at the right time, it is easy to see where such comparisons come from.

Moreover, as was the case with the former midfielder, there already seems to be a connection between the Barking-born ace and the fans, with journalist Dan Woffenden claiming he “understands what it means to wear the shirt.”

Ultimately, West Ham will want to keep hold of Potts for the long term, but if he does end up emulating Rice and eventually leaves, at least they should once again get massive money for an academy graduate.

West Ham player ratings v Newcastle United as Nuno secures first victory

The Hammers returned to winning ways with a 3-1 win against Newcastle this afternoon.

ByDominic Lund Nov 2, 2025

Saurashtra’s veteran coach Debu Mitra, who has been crucial in the team’s rise in the domestic circuit, remains unassuming but proud

Amol Karhadkar24-Jan-2013Saurashtra have had four men constantly overlooking their progress during the last decade or so: Niranjan Shah at the helm the administration, Jaydev Shah as the captain, Shitanshu Kotak as the batting mainstay and Debu Mitra as the coach.Niranjan Shah has been hailed for his administrative qualities, his son Jaydev has been scrutinised for his patchy batting form, and Kotak, who plays his 129th first-class game on Saturday, is the most senior cricketer on the domestic circuit. They get their share of the limelight.Mitra, however, hasn’t received much attention, after converting Saurashtra from no-hopers to title contenders in nine seasons. He doesn’t mind others taking the recognition; he’s been on the domestic circuit for almost five decades now.Coaches increasingly make their presence known during the course of the game these days, but Mitra is old school and refrains from it. Ever since he was seen with the Saurashtra team for the first time, during the 2005-06 Plate Group semi-final against Madhya Pradesh, his second season with the then West Zone minnows, Mitra hasn’t changed.Once the captain takes the field with his team Mitra, dressed in a tracksuit with his customary floppy hat, would sit either just outside the dressing room or yards away from the boundary line. Though he wouldn’t mind discussing the game and team tactics during the day, he never shouts at the captain or passes on any instruction. However, if the captain walks up to him, advice is as fluent as Cheteshwar Pujara’s cover drive.”Cricket is a game that’s to be run by the captain, so my job is to make the team ready for the game and then let the captain run the show,” Mitra, a former Bengal batsman and coach, said. “I am always available for advice but I will never impose myself on the captain or the team. That is not my style.”The latest example of his method was in Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy semi-final against Punjab at the Khandheri stadium in Rajkot last week. With Punjab pursuing Saurashtra’s first-innings score of 477, at tea on the third day, Jaydev walked up to Mitra and said, “I think we should take the new ball.””We must, I told him. And it worked,” Mitra said. “Once he was also on the same page, I stressed on it, but otherwise I would have waited for him to think about it.”And unlike most of the modern-day coaches, Mitra doesn’t believe much in technology. Though he has hired a video analyst for Saurashtra, he lets the assistant coach Hitesh Goswami work without a laptop. “Have you ever seen me with a laptop?” he asks, with a wink. “My brain is my laptop. As long it is working, I don’t need [one].”During his nine seasons with Saurashtra, Mitra has taken giant strides towards making them a potent force. It started with them qualifying for the Elite League from the lower tier by winning the Plate title in 2005-06. In 2007-08, not only did Saurashtra make it to the Ranji semis, they were also the national one-day champions. And the next year proved 2007-08 wasn’t a fluke, as Saurashtra made it to the Ranji semis once again.Last week, they played the semi-finals for the third time. Despite the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja, Saurashtra surprised Punjab to qualify for their maiden final since the erstwhile princely team of Nawanagar was merged into Kathiawar.The journey has not been easy for Mitra. It took him five years to accept the job to coach a side that was one of the worst in terms of performance and infrastructure back then. “Niranjan had been after me since 1999, but I was quite hesitant. I used to wonder ‘what will I do in Saurashtra, with such limited talent pool and lack of basic cricketing facilities’. Finally in 2004, I thought I would give it a shot.”

It was my wife who convinced me to stay on. She told me, ‘If you’ve accepted a job, give it your best.’ I thought I would stay on for another season and take a call. And once we qualified for the Elite in 2005-06, Saurashtra cricket and I haven’t looked back since.Debu Mitra was hesitant to stay on after his first season with Saurashtra

The first year proved to be a nightmare for the man who had coached the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Devang Gandhi during their formative years with Bengal. “Believe me, when I went back home [to Kolkata], I had decided not to return to Saurashtra,” Mitra said. “The cricket here had no system in place. The Ranji players were so raw, primarily due to lack of coaching and lack of match practice. All they used to play was some two or three 50-over matches at district level.”But then, it was my wife who convinced me to stay on. She told me, ‘If you’ve accepted a job, give it your best.’ I thought I would stay on for another season and take a call. And once we qualified for the Elite in 2005-06, Saurashtra cricket and I haven’t looked back since.”How did he manage the turnaround? “First, we had to have a basic tournament structure in place,” Mitra said. As a result, he suggested changes to the existing inter-district tournament, and the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) immediately implemented them. The knockout 50-over tournament between the 14 district teams was tweaked to a league-and-knockout tournament and a three-day inter-district championship was introduced. Fourteen teams were split into Elite and Plate divisions with eight and six teams, respectively. Both the divisions were split in two groups, resulting in every team getting at least four matches of “days cricket” every year.”If you don’t play ‘days cricket’ at all till you are selected for Ranji, you need to learn all the skills of succeeding at first-class level when you’re playing it. And it becomes difficult,” Mitra said. “Even now, I get players who are raw. They have to be taught things like how to bowl around the wicket or how to field close in, but I don’t mind doing it. And I must say that Niranjan has given me a free hand. Not even once has he questioned me on anything on the cricket aspect. And everything that I have asked for has been implemented right away.”All this means that at the age of 64, Mitra has to be on the run for more than eight months a year. His season starts in August, when he conducts a camp for the probables for the preparatory tournaments like the Buchi Babu invitational meet and the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup. From mid-August until March, Room No. 209 at Hotel Suryakant in Rajkot is his home.”It is,” Mitra said, when asked whether it was difficult to be away from home for so long. “But once you’ve made a choice, you’ve got to do it. It’s been 11 weeks since I have been to Kolkata. But I got a refreshing break just before the semi-final when I spent a couple of nights at my son’s house in Mumbai. When I see the team performing like this, all that sacrifice is worth it.”And once Saurashtra completed the win against Punjab in the semi-final, Mitra celebrated like a youngster. When you see him merged into the huddle, giving high-fives to his friends, you realise, “I am their friend” is not merely a statement.Mitra featured in Bengal’s loss to Bombay in 1968-69 Ranji Trophy final – his maiden first-class season – and hoped he wouldn’t be unlucky again, this time as a coach. “I was fortunate to have played in a Ranji final in my first season. I am so happy for Shitanshu that he will eventually get a feel of being in the Ranji final. I just hope that Saurashtra does against Bombay what Bengal couldn’t 44 years ago. If they do, that would be the happiest moment of my cricketing sojourn.”

Analysis of individual batting and bowling performances in the Champions League Twenty20

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan22-Oct-2012In ESPNcricinfo’s analysis of individual performances in Champions League Twenty20 matches, David Warner and Samuel Badree take the honours on the batting and bowling fronts respectively. Warner, one of the highest run-getters in the Twenty20 format, is on top for his superb 135 off 69 balls against Chennai Super Kings in the 2011 tournament. Kieron Pollard slots in at second place for his stunning 54 off 18 balls against New South Wales in 2009. The top-ten list in batting is dominated by the big hitters with Warner, Pollard and Suresh Raina featuring twice each. Chris Gayle, the leading century-getter in Twenty20 matches (eight centuries) comes in at ninth for his 92 off 41 balls in the 2011 semi-final against NSW.Trinidad & Tobago, the runners-up in the inaugural tournament, have both their spinners Badree and Sunil Narine in the top three. While Badree leads the way for his 2 for 7 in the qualifying game against Leicestershire, Narine comes in third for his impressive 3 for 8 in a low-scoring encounter against Chennai Super Kings in 2011. Shaun Tait’s 5 for 32 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011, which is in the second place, was an exceptional effort in an extremely high-scoring game. Auckland have two bowlers in the top ten with Kyle Mills’ 2 for 6 against Sialkot Stallions in the fourth position and Azhar Mahmood’s 5 for 24 against Hampshire in the sixth spot. The top ten is rounded off by L Balaji, who picked up 4 for 19 in Kolkata Knight Riders’ crushing 99-run win in their last group game against Titans.Warner dominated the tournament in 2011 ending as the highest run-getter. His 135 in the group game against Chennai was scored at a strike rate of 195.65 with 92 runs in boundaries. The combined strike rate of the other batsmen in the game was just 126.66 and none of them managed a score over 40. In the game against NSW, Pollard walked in with T&T requiring 54 runs off 28 balls with four wickets in hand. His explosive 54 (strike rate of 300) swung the game around completely with T&T knocking off the remaining runs in 19 balls. Pollard, who scored 50 of his runs in boundaries, had a strike rate that was nearly three times the corresponding figure of the other T&T batsmen (116.12). In third place is Wes Durston’s 57 off 32 balls for Somerset against Eagles in 2009. Durston’s strike rate of 178.12 was comfortably higher than what the rest of the batsmen managed (92). Both Pollard and Warner make their second appearance in the top ten at fourth and sixth positions respectively. However, Warner’s second century of the tournament (123) was unable to prevent defeat in the semi-final against Royal Challengers, who overhauled the huge target of 204 with the help of Gayle’s 92 (strike rate 224.39), which slots in at ninth. The two other centuries scored in the Champions League Twenty20 come in at tenth (Andrew Puttick) and 12th (Daniel Harris). The only knock from this year’s tournament that makes it to the top 15 is Gary Ballance’s 64 off 25 balls for Yorkshire in their qualifying match against T&T.

Top 15 batting performances in the Champions League Twenty20

BatsmanTeamOppositionRunsBalls facedPointsDavid WarnerNSWChennai Super Kings1356970.43Kieron PollardTrinidad & TobagoNSW541867.49Wes DurstonSomersetEagles573260.82Kieron PollardMumbai IndiansGuyana723058.20Suresh RainaChennai Super KingsRoyal Challengers Bangalore944858.03David WarnerNSWRoyal Challengers Bangalore1236856.20JP DuminyCape CobrasRoyal Challengers Bangalore995253.76Suresh RainaChennai Super KingsWayamba874453.16Chris GayleRoyal Challengers BangaloreNSW924151.73Andrew PuttickCape CobrasOtago1046250.94Richard CameronLionsGuyana784250.51Daniel HarrisSouth AustraliaRoyal Challengers Bangalore1086150.02Aaron FinchVictoriaCentral Districts936049.88Roelof van der MerweSomersetKolkata Knight Riders734049.66Gary BallanceYorkshireTrinidad & Tobago642547.53Badree’s 2 for 7 in the qualifying game against Leicestershire is the best bowling performance followed by Tait’s 5 for 32. Badree finished with an economy rate of just 1.75 in a game where the run-rate was over seven runs per over. In addition, both his wickets were those of top-order batsmen. In a game dominated by batsmen (run-rate of 10.72), Tait’s figures were outstanding. All five of his wickets were those of top-seven batsmen including Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli, the top scorers for Royal Challengers. Narine’s effort came after T&T had been restricted to just 123. He dismissed M Vijay and Raina before returning to remove the dangerous MS Dhoni as T&T managed to defend the low target. Despite the game being a low-scoring one, Narine’s economy rate of 2.00 was well below the match run-rate of 5.85. Both Azhar Mahmood’s 5 for 24 against Hampshire in the qualifying game and Lasith Malinga’s 5 for 32 in the dead-rubber clash with Chennai finish in the top ten. Despite the lack of wickets, Dilshan’s 1 for 10 against NSW is in 11th place because of the top-class economy rate (2.50) in an extremely high-scoring game (run-rate 10.57). No other bowler in the game ended with an economy rate below seven runs per over.

Top 15 bowling performances in Champions League Twenty20

BowlerTeamOppositionWicketsRunsPointsSamuel BadreeTrinidad & TobagoLeicestershire2772.13Shaun TaitSouth AustraliaRoyal Challengers Bangalore53271.25Sunil NarineTrinidad & TobagoChennai Super Kings3867.91Kyle MillsAucklandSialkot Stallions2667.60JP DuminyCape CobrasChennai Super Kings42067.31Azhar MahmoodAucklandHampshire52466.68Andrew McDonaldVictoriaRoyal Challengers Bangalore42166.33Cornelius de VilliersEaglesSomerset41765.38Lasith MalingaMumbai IndiansChennai Super Kings53265.34L BalajiKolkata Knight RidersTitans41965.13Tillakaratne DilshanRoyal Challengers BangaloreNSW11061.34Aaron PhangisoLionsSydney Sixers31461.27Ravi RampaulTrinidad & TobagoLeicestershire41461.26Pat CumminsNSWRoyal Challengers Bangalore44561.23Dirk NannesDelhi DaredevilsWayamba42460.72