Clarke guides Birmingham into quarter-finals

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ScorecardRikki Clarke’s unbeaten half-century helped Birmingham overcome a poor start to their chase•Getty Images

NatWest T20 Blast champions Birmingham Bears are guaranteed a quarter-final place in this year’s competition after beating closest rivals Worcestershire Rapids by five wickets in front of a sell-out crowd at New Road.The North Group leaders opened up a four-point gap when old hand Rikki Clarke kept cool in making an unbeaten 52 from 43 balls as the Bears made it five wins in a row.Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Brett D’Oliveira made half-centuries in taking the Rapids to 160 for 5 and the Bears overcome a chaotic start to complete a successful run chase with three balls to spare after a quick-fire 22 not out by Ateeq Javid.It was an earlier partnership of 68 in nine overs by Clarke and Laurie Evans which restored order before the latter was caught at long-on off Saeed Ajmal.In the closing stages wicketkeeper Ben Cox intermittently employed the tactic of discarding his gloves and taking up a sort of long stop position, but it made no odds as the Rapids suffered a blow in their bid for a quarter-final spot.

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Birmingham are the first county to qualify for the quarter-finals this season and within this victory there was evidence to why they are deservedly so. With 30 balls remaining in their run-chase they were still 57 short of the target – a less successful team may have panicked, but there was no sense of that as four consecutive double-digit overs saw Birmingham to victory with three balls remaining.

Their innings had been a tale of two exciting academy-developed prospects and two contrasting phases.Kohler-Cadmore registered his third half-century in the competition and D’Olviera, from the third generation of a famous cricketing family, reached an explosive 50 from 29 balls, his highest score in all formats for the first-team.Yet for all this enterprise, the Rapids were tied down for more than half of the innings as Warwickshire’s three spinners conceded only 71 runs – and three boundaries, all by Kohler-Cadmore – in the space of 11 overs.On a sluggish surface, which was used for two previous T20 games, Worcestershire were only able to break out of the shackles when D’Oliveira hit four sixes as pace bowlers Oliver Hannon-Dalby and Recordo Gordon were carted for 56 off the last four overs.When D’Oliveira hoisted the last ball of the inning over long off, the 23-year-old allrounder was undefeated with 56 from 30 deliveries, having more than doubled his previous best in the competition.Worcestershire made a poor start when captain Daryl Mitchell came down from a mid-week double century in the County Championship to a first-ball duck when he steered rather than smashed a short ball from Rikki Clarke to backward point.Richard Oliver was bowled for 10, aiming to slog wrist spinner Josh Poysden’s opening delivery, and Colin Munro was smartly stumped by Tim Ambrose off Jeetan Patel.Kohler-Cadmore managed to shut out problems at the opposite end by taking five boundaries in the power play and the former Malvern College batsman was up to 66 from 51 balls when he holed out to deep midwicket off Poysden.In contrast Warwickshire’s top order lurched into trouble. Brendon McCullum hit two sixes but the New Zealand captain’s dismissal, bowled by Joe Leach for 15, sparked off a slump to 48 for 4, one of the wickets falling to D’Oliveira.

Afghanistan overturn deficit for 201-run win

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ScorecardFile photo – Asghar Stanikzai smashed 13 fours and six sixes in his 127 off 163 balls•ICC/Helge Schutz

Coach Inzaman hails Afg’s come-from-behind win

Afghanistan coach Inzamam-ul-Haq has said the win against PNG was all the more significant given his team had been switching between formats a lot of late.
“The performance was exceptional and outstanding because this was the third different format they were playing inside four weeks,” he said, adding their aggressive approach after a poor start was important. “These are big, powerful and talented lads who play without fear. It requires a lot of guts and courage to hit the number of fours and sixes they hit in the second innings when they had their backs against the wall.
“These are positive signs and we just want to build upon these foundations without burdening them with too much information.”

Afghanistan completed a stunning comeback win as they overcame a 151-run first-innings deficit to thrash Papua New Guinea by 201 runs in Sharjah. Asghar Stanikzai (127), Mohammad Shahzad (116) and Hashmatullah Shahidi (112) all struck centuries as Afghanistan piled on 501 in their second innings – along with handy lower-order fifties from Gulbadin Naib and Mirwais Ashraf – to set PNG a target of 390.PNG were never in the chase at any point as they lost wickets in clumps to succumb for 188. Assad Vala struck his second half-century of the game and offered some resistance with his 81 but it was not close to enough. Zahir Khan and Yamin Ahmadzai both picked up four wickets to break the back of the PNG chase.Earlier, it was PNG that dominated with both bat and ball as they bowled Afghanistan out for 144, with Norman Vanua doing most of the damage with figures of 4 for 36, and then put up a total of 295 through Mahuru Dai’s 129 and Vala’s 62 to earn a lead of 151. Zahir and Ahmadzai were again the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets apiece.

Hussey leads Thunder to first win over Sixers

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMichael Hussey’s unbeaten 80 was the standout performance of the match•Getty Images

Michael Hussey will be a coaching consultant with Australia at the World Twenty20 in India next year, but the first night of the 2015-16 Big Bash League showed that he still has plenty to offer as a T20 batsman as well. Hussey scored an unbeaten 80 from 59 balls to lead Sydney Thunder to their first win over their cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers in the eight meetings between the teams, a convincing 36-run victory at Sydney’s Showground Stadium.Hussey ensured that the Thunder posted a competitive 4 for 158 after he won the toss and chose to bat, and regular wickets throughout the Sixers innings, including three each to Andre Russell and Shane Watson, kept the Thunder on top throughout. The innings petered out and the Sixers were dismissed for 122 in the 20th over, opener Michael Lumb (34) the only batsman who made it past the teens.In his first match for the Thunder, having played with Melbourne Renegades last summer, Russell was especially key with the ball. He delivered two quick, accurate yorkers that lit up the bails and bowled Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson to leave the Thunder at 2 for 37, and from there they never really recovered. His economy was also outstanding, his four overs earning him 3 for 13.Watson also chipped in with 3 for 13 from two overs; having had Jordan Silk caught in the deep he added Sean Abbott, who was caught and bowled, and Trent Lawford, who was bowled. While Russell and Watson picked up three wickets each, Jacques Kallis had also made an important breakthrough by trapping Lumb lbw, although the ball appeared to have pitched outside leg stump.That ended Lumb’s chances of helping the Sixers to victory after he earlier dropped one of the easiest chances imaginable on a cricket field. Watson was on 8 when he chipped a sitter off the bowling of Abbott; Lumb, at mid-off, had only to watch the ball into his hands, but somehow allowed the ball to bounce off his abdomen and could not grasp it. He was lucky the drop cost only eight runs as Watson was bowled by Nathan Lyon for 16.But there was enough batting in the Thunder line-up to post a strong total. Batting at No.3 and having walked to the crease in the second over, Hussey seemed to set himself the task of batting through the innings, and he did so with class. He lofted Jackson Bird over wide long-off for the first six of the tournament and added three more through his innings.Twenty runs came off the 17th over of the innings as Hussey and Ben Rohrer (30 off 20) lifted the tempo towards the end. Hussey’s efforts proved more than adequate to end a run of seven straight victories for the Sixers over his side and ensured a perfect start for the Thunder, who have yet to finish above the bottom two in any BBL tournament.

Delhi set to lose World T20 games

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Delhi is on the verge of losing its allotted World T20 matches because the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) has been unable to resolve its longstanding issue of getting clearances from civic bodies so that the Feroz Shah Kotla can host games.A final decision will be taken later this week after the ICC board is updated by the BCCI president Shashank Manohar, who is also the ICC chairman. Delhi was allotted four matches, including the first semi-final, by the ICC.The DDCA was issued a deadline last weekend to get the necessary no-objection certificates by January 31, failing which the BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said the games would be redistributed among the other seven venues: Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Mohali and Nagpur.BCCI officials confirmed the DDCA had missed the deadline, and though it was hopeful of getting a ten-day extension, the BCCI officials are understood to have lost patience. “The BCCI is also losing credibility that why it has not acted against Delhi and why it is not taking decisions that need to be taken,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. “Internally, they have reconciled that Delhi will not host any matches.”The official said that even if the BCCI granted the extension, the board was wary about DDCA getting the approvals. “They have not got it for months. They have to make changes in the ground. That is not possible.”Delhi could also be in danger of losing out hosting IPL matches for Delhi Daredevils in the upcoming season. The official said that if DDCA had struggled to get clearance for a world event despite numerous reminders and deadline, “what were the chances of getting the same for the IPL?”The Daredevils franchise had also raised similar concerns at the IPL Governing Council meeting last month. “Delhi is the home of Delhi Daredevils and as such remains our first choice. However, considering the ongoing flux at the DDCA we have requested the BCCI to intervene and help us get clarity for us to plan ahead of the upcoming season,” a Daredevils spokesperson told . “We believe the DDCA will be able to resolve all pending issues pertaining to Kotla soon. We will only seek alternative venues as a last resource.”

Richardson takes Auckland to brink of victory

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Auckland dominated the second day of their State Championship match against Central Districts at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North. At the close CD were 57 for six, needing another 132 to win the game. On a pitch that continues to be well short of first-class standard, an Auckland victory tomorrow should be a formality.The highlight of the day was a partnership of 112 between Mark Richardson and Lou Vincent for Auckland’s third wicket. In a low-scoring match it was worth double its value and was the decisive factor in giving their team control of the game.Things looked very different when Vincent joined Richardson in the first over of the day after Michael Mason had trapped Tim McIntosh leg before wicket. Auckland were 43 short of making CD bat again, with eight wickets left. One more wicket and the game might have been over by lunch.Both men were positive from the start, always on the alert for scoring opportunities, but not taking unnecessary risks. Their shot selection was outstanding.Inevitably, they rode their luck at times, but what fortune they received was deserved reward for the best batting of the game. The rearing bounce that caused so many problems on the first day was less evident, but it remained a pitch unworthy of trust.A bigger factor was the decline in the quality of the CD bowling and fielding. Yesterday the bowling had been uniformly testing and the fielding razor-sharp. Today chances were dropped and easy runs were on offer.Spells from Campbell Furlong and Lance Hamilton conceded 32 runs from five overs and 30 from seven respectively. Hamilton was a shadow of the bowler who took six wickets in the first innings.That Vincent hit 10 fours in reaching his half-century is further evidence that there was too much loose bowling on offer.Glen Sulzberger dropped Vincent at first slip when the batsman was in the twenties. Like the two other chances that were put down – a caught and bowled by Sulzberger and one in the deep by 12th man Brent Hefford – it was difficult, but would have changed the course of the game if taken.In bowling partnership with Andrew Schwass, Sulzberger did much to staunch the flow of runs when he came on after morning drinks. He made the breakthrough, having Richardson caught by Peter Ingram at short leg for 86 from 154 balls with 15 fours. During his innings Richardson passed the landmark of 7000 first-class runs.Vincent guided Auckland to 240 for four before top edging Schwass to David Kelly at square leg for 75, including 12 fours.Before Vincent’s dismissal 175 runs had been scored today for the loss of three wickets. From then until the close, 12 wickets fell for 113 runs as the bowling improved and the pitch reasserted itself, low bounce replacing rearing deliveries as the main challenge to batsmen.Three wickets fell in six balls, two of them to Schwass who has reclaimed his status as leading State Championship wicket-taker, with 38 victims to his name.Sulzberger took three for 68 after a marathon spell that lasted from mid-morning until twenty minutes before tea.A few lusty blows from Chris Drum in his usual uncomplicated style gave him 20, the third-highest score of the innings. Auckland were all out for 290, leaving CD a victory target of 189.Excellent fast bowling from Drum and Gareth Shaw devastated CD. Drum removed openers Kelly and Furlong before Shaw cut down the middle order, finishing the day with a career-best four for 13 from ten overs.The dismissal of Mathew Sinclair for 13 was the crucial blow. Sinclair played back to a delivery that kept cruelly low, hitting the stumps two-thirds of the way up.Auckland coach Tony Sail was a happy man at the end of the day, though he made it clear that he expected further resistance from CD tomorrow.He identified Richardson’s innings as the key factor in the Auckland revival.”It was absolutely outstanding. He was all class and deserved a hundred on a difficult wicket,” Sail told CricInfo. “Vincent rode his luck a bit but played a strong hand. Other guys chipped in too.”Sail was also pleased with the bowling performance. “The bowlers have stood up and done the job, especially young Gareth Shaw. He has knocked over some of the big names in their side.”Though he agreed that the pitch had eased in some respects, he remained critical of it.”I think that it got easier in that yesterday it was bouncy poor. Today it was keep-low poor so it didn’t hold the same fears, but there are still going to be balls with your name on them. Once guys got in they were able to adjust a bit better,” he said.Defeat for CD will all but eliminate them from Championship contention. Victory for Auckland will leave them at the head of the table with only two rounds to play.

Durham off the mark in rain-affected contest against Worcestershire

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ScorecardDurham have secured their first win in the Royal London One-Day Cup in the 2018 campaign, defeating the Worcestershire Rapids by nine runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method.Michael Richardson scored a half-century to guide his team to a total of 209 after losing the toss, while Gareth Harte also impressed with 48. Charlie Morris claimed figures of 4 for 33 to give the visitors hope of earning their third win on the bounce in the competition.However, a clatter of early wickets put the home side in command as Chris Rushworth, Matt Dixon and Nathan Rimmington struck, handing Tom Latham’s men the narrow victoryDurham were inserted by the visitors and were immediately pegged back in the first over as Josh Tongue removed Graham Clark lbw for four. Richardson and Cameron Steel dug in to see off the opening burst and put on 50 for the second wicket before Steel was caught on the fence by Ross Whiteley off the bowling of Ed Barnard.Latham made a brisk 21 off just 19 deliveries, only to be dismissed by a straight delivery from Patrick Brown. Morris put the home side on the back foot with further inroads, removing Will Smith and Stuart Poynter in the space of three balls. Harte, making his List A debut, battled well with Richardson to guide Durham out of trouble.Richardson seem well placed on 64 to kick on towards three figures, but he was caught on the boundary by Whiteley off the spin of Brett D’Oliveira. Ryan Pringle then followed from his first ball to leave Durham 147 for 7.Fortunately for Durham, the tail wagged as Rimmington and Rushworth provided valuable runs down the order. Although the end was to come abruptly as Morris returned to the attack to wrap up the innings, claiming career-best figures of 4 for 33.Worcestershire’s reply began poorly as Daryl Mitchell edged a Rushworth delivery behind to Poynter in the first over. Travis Head and Tom Fell departed in quick succession as Durham continued their surge into the middle order. D’Oliveira scored three boundaries on the spin to stem the tide, but the Rapids then lost Joe Clarke for 17 when he was removed by Rimmington.Cox scored his first boundary by edging the ball over the top of the slips. However, he quickly found his stride, finding his rhythm at the crease, blasting Harte over extra over for a six.Due to the fall of early wickets, the Rapids had to bat with aggression to reach the Duckworth/Lewis target of 92 in the 15th over. Even their onslaught against Harte was not good enough, falling just short before the rain came and ended the contest.

WAG IDOL – The Manchester United Heat

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WAGS, WAGS, WAGS… the media just can’t get enough of them and as we finish the Premier League season we couldn’t resist creating our very own WAG Idol, to find out which player has the loveliest bit of skirt on his arm.

We are running a series of club heats – so please select the wag that gives your club the best chance of taking the Wag crown.

Just click on the individual images of beauties to upload their galleries, so you can get a look of them in greater detail!

Janelle Khouri – Owen Hargreaves and current squeeze Janelle Khouri the happiest and most love fulfilled people on the entire planet. I say ‘squeeze’, incidentally, not because I have suddenly turned into Heat magazine’s ‘Spotted section, but because to do anything with Hargreaves above light petting would be to jeopardise his chances of appearing in England’s 2010 World Cup campaign.

Nikoleta Lozanova – Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov certainly seems to have a way with the ladies and any of a number of his flings could have made it onto this list. But Bulgarian model Nikoleta Lozanova is definitely a cut above the rest and would be enough to distract anyone from giving their best on the field. Interestingly Berbatov actually denied having an affair with the stunning Lozanova, which may have something to do with the fact that she is the current girlfriend of Bulgarian crime boss Georgi Stoilov, but given Berba’s track record this is hard to believe.

Sophie Houghton – Back in 2009 Italian youngster Federico Macheda burst onto the scene by netting the winning goal in a Premier League encounter against Aston Villa at Old Trafford. On the field Macheda hasn’t been up to much since then, but off it he has been a busy boy and has been dating the Wirrel’s Sophie Houghton. A winner of Miss Intercontinental Liverpool, the pair met on Facebook when Macheda was probably blown away by eye-catching pictures of Houghton. The stunning blonde is the youngster of the group but given her looks she might just topple her rivals.

Coleen Rooney – Probably the most well-known United WAG, Coleen was actually born on Merseyside but followed Wayne to Manchester when he signed for the Red Devils in 2004. Coleen likes to dabble in a number of things from TV presenting to celebrity product endorsement and she is never far away from the front pages of the British tabloids. Childhood sweethearts, Wayne and Coleen got married in Italy in 2008 and whatever she does in the Rooney household deserves some credit as Wayne can’t stop scoring right now, and she isn’t half bad to look at either!

Lisa Roughead – Unfortunate name, but that shouldn’t count against her when picking your favourite Manchester United WAG. Lisa Roughead actually married United midfielder Michael Carrick in 2007 on the same day that fellow Premier League stars Steven Gerrard and Gary Neville also tied the knot, which doesn’t seem like great planning. The Geordie became a proud dad in 2008 with the birth of his first daughter Louise in 2008, and he has done well for himself by settling down with the curvy blonde who is the outsider on this list, bet is well worth a second glance.

REMEMBER – Just click on the individual images of beauties to upload their galleries, so you can get a look of them in greater detail!

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So who do you think deserves to be Manchester United’s representative in our search for the greatest Premier League WAG?

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Spurs deny Palermo’s claims

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Tottenham have moved quickly to deny claims made by Palermo that they have offered £28.5million to sign Simon Kjaer and Edinson Cavani from the Serie A outfit.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini claimed Spurs had tabled the offer for Denmark centre-half Kjaer and Uruguay forward Cavani.

However, a Spurs spokesman said: "Palermo's claims are inaccurate. We have not bid for these players."

Zamparini had earlier been quoted by Sky Italia as saying:"Tottenham have bid 35 million euros, an offer we cannot refuse, seeing as the two players have both said they want to leave.

"We will reinvest the money for these players. The midfield is my biggest concern, whereas in defence and attack we are fairly well covered."

Kjaer's representative Mikkel Beck has also said:"The situation has not changed since the summer began. He has a contract with Palermo for another three years, but he has been put in contact with so many big clubs in the last year.

"It is great that there is interest from these clubs, but I am afraid that nothing concrete has come from any of the interest as of yet.

"At the moment we stay put, and Simon is very patient. He knows what he has at Palermo, they are a top Italian team and are playing in the European Cup next year, so he knows what he has.

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"But on the other hand he has admitted that if any concrete offers come out of the current interest then he would seriously consider leaving Palermo this summer."

Twenty-one-year-old Kjaer is a rumoured target for several other clubs in England, as well as Bayern Munich and Juventus, while German club Wolfsburg had been linked with an interest in Cavani, 23.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Hodgson wins race to sign Cole

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Liverpool have won the race to sign England international Joe Cole after agreeing a four-year contract with the former West Ham United and Chelsea star.

The 28-year-old, who has agreed personal terms with the Reds and will undergo a medical in the next 48 hours, won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

New Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson confirmed his interest in a player that has scored ten times in 56 appearances for his country at the weekend, although he had tried to play down the speculation.

"I know we've been connected with him – and it's good to know we're connected with players of that quality – but I don't have anything to report on the subject," he told Sky Sports News.

"I haven't had any discussions with him, but I had a brief chat a while back.

"If you want to know about transfer targets and how things are progressing, you'll have to ask (managing director) Christian Purslow because he's the man looking after those discussions not me."

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Cole found the net 38 times in 189 starts and 93 substitute appearances for Chelsea.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Hodgson: No bids for Mascherano

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson has dismissed suggestions of a rift with Javier Mascherano and insists he has not received any bids for the Argentina midfielder.

Mascherano has been linked with a summer switch to Internazionale where he would be reunited with former Reds boss Rafael Benitez.

Recent reports had claimed that Mascherano was refusing to return the calls of Hodgson during a post-World Cup break as he was holding out for a move to Serie A.

However, Hodgson, who replaced Benitez in the Anfield hot-seat last month, claims that talk of an impending transfer is "pure speculation".

"The speculation about him leaving continues, but I must also put the record straight and say that as yet it is pure speculation because we have heard nothing from Inter and heard nothing other than he will come back and work with us," he told talkSPORT.

"To be honest, if you're a player and a new manager comes in, you don't have a lot to say to him.

"We'll have plenty to talk about when we start working together – we don't necessarily (need to) have lots of small talk over the telephone.

"I am disappointed it's been flagged up as he's let me or the club down in some way. I don't see it that way at all.

"That's been exaggerated and it's good to have a chance to put the record straight. I left a voice message. Obviously I wanted to congratulate him on the World Cup that he had, to say I was really looking forward to seeing him again and wish him a good holiday.

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"I remember actually saying, 'Don't feel as though you have got to ring back.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's just important for you to know I am trying to contact you and I am counting on you.'"Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email