ScorecardJackson Bird picked up 5 for 69 (file photo)•Getty Images
Jackson Bird’s first five-wicket haul in 18 months might help him regain the attention of Australia’s selectors, but it is unlikely to help Tasmania avoid defeat in their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia in Hobart. At stumps on the third day Tasmania were 3 for 42 in their second innings, chasing an unlikely target of 502, with Jake Doran on 22 and George Bailey on 6.The day had started with Tasmania on 4 for 240 in their first innings and Bailey, who began the morning on 93, went on to raise his 16th first-class hundred. However, he was out for 112 soon afterwards and the lower order struggled; the final six wickets fell for 44 runs on day three and the Tigers were dismissed for 284.South Australia, who had piled on 600 in the first innings, were dismissed for 185 in their second as Sam Rainbird claimed 4 for 50 and Bird picked up 5 for 69. It was the first five-wicket haul Bird had collected since March 2014, when he claimed 6 for 50, also against South Australia in Hobart.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSamuel Badree sent back five of Stars’ top six inside the Powerplay•Cricket Australia/Getty Images
What is more impressive? Five sixes in five balls, or five wickets in 16 balls?The Brisbane Heat had seemed out of Big Bash League finals contention for nearly a week, but at the MCG, the very slightest slither of hope emerged. After scoring 188, had the Heat bowled Melbourne Stars out for 76 or under, and had a number of other results gone their way, they could have still qualified.In the end, the Heat’s win could not even take them off the bottom of the table, but remarkable performances from Chris Lynn and Samuel Badree derailed the Stars’ hopes of reaching the final, and all but ended the chance of home advantage in a semi. Even after the Heat were out of contention, they were determined to stick around to cause havoc for the rest.Having been invited to bat by David Hussey on a wet, windy Melbourne night, the Heat lost Jimmy Pierson – bowled by some skid from Michael Beer – in the opening over. That brought Lynn, the competition’s highest run-scorer and six-hitter, to the crease, and he was utterly irrepressible. Lynn has four of the Heat’s seven fifties this season, and also four of their five highest scores. No one has stood taller, and no one has struck the ball cleaner than him.The result of his onslaught – as well as some clever, if less eye-catching hitting from Lendl Simmons – was a Powerplay worth 78, with as many boundaries, 14 (half of which were Lynn’s own sixes), as dot balls.Lynn chose his targets, and his location. With a strong breeze favouring leg-side strokes and having got away by slapping Dan Worrall over his head for a two-bounce four, Lynn set into the same bowler’s next over, the innings’ fourth. There was the cross-court forehand slap over long-on for six, then a brutal pull over midwicket. The over ended with a perfect cover drive for four.Worrall was removed from the attack, but Lynn took a one-ball look at his next victim, Ben Hilfenhaus, and let fly. First, Hilfenhaus was sent for the biggest six of the tournament – 123 metres – swiveled over deep square leg. Next came a bottom-handed bunt over deep-midwicket, followed by a full toss flicked behind square. Six, and six more. To mix things up, Lynn even went over the bowler’s head with the same result. He finished off with the strangest, and most special six of the lot, going down the ground with his left leg cleared and his arms swinging fast. The ball barely got above waist height, and just crossed the rope in front of the sightscreen.The replacement of Hilfenhaus with Adam Zampa’s legspin ended Lynn’s marvellous innings. Looking to hit straight again, but this time needing to find the pace, Lynn was unable to clear Rob Quiney, running round from long-off.From that point, the Stars fought back well to limit the Heat to 188, though it eventually proved to be too much. After Lynn’s fireworks, 110 runs were added in the final 14 overs, with Simmons and Joe Burns quietly accumulating and falling just as they looked ready to free the arms. Nathan Reardon and Ben Cutting then continued to push things along before falling late.It was the Badree show from then on.First, Luke Wright played on trying to force to off, then Kevin Pietersen was trapped lbw by a skiddy leg-break. Two balls later, Marcus Stoinis slapped one with loop straight to mid-off and trudged off, disbelieving. In his next over, Badree deceived Peter Handscomb in the flight and had him stumped, before Quiney lobbed the first ball of his competition to mid-on.Thankfully for Stars, some late larruping from Evan Gulbis kept their net run-rate in the green, but if they fail to win in Perth on Saturday, their finals fate will be out of their hands.
The BCCI ombudsman Justice AP Shah has received a fresh set of complaints alleging conflict of interest, this time involving BCCI media manager Nishant Arora and national selector Vikram Rathour.Freelance journalist Niraj Gunde wrote an email to Shah on Tuesday saying Arora and his wife were involved in a commercial venture that has on its clients list senior Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh and also the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Assocation, where BCCI secretary Anuraj Thakur is the president.In the email, which Shah has forwarded to BCCI president Shashank Manohar and Ratnakar Shetty (manager, game development), Gunde said Arora had violated the conflict of interest rule pertaining to BCCI employees, which states neither he nor his near relative can be associated in any commercial venture with a member association and also cannot represent a cricket player.”Mr Nishant Arora was formerly manager/agent of Mr. Harbhajan Singh and Mr. Yuvraj Singh, current cricketers of the BCCI,” Gunde wrote. “In addition, Mr. Nishant Arora’s wife Ms. Neha Soni Arora is a Director of a company called Final Score Management Pvt. Ltd. This company has had commercial relations with various persons associated with the Board.”Gunde also attached the client list of Final Score which included Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence (YSCE), YouWeCan (the cancer foundation promoted by Yuvraj), Harbhajan Singh Institute of Cricket, and a photo of Thakur along with the HPCA insignia. Arora was not available for comment, but a BCCI official pointed out that Arora had dissociated himself from Final Score completely before joining as the board’s media manager. He also clarified that Arora had never managed Yuvraj and Harbhajan and only done public relations work for the two players. As for Final Score, the official said it was a “defunct” business.In the case of Rathour, Gunde produced a scan of the former India opener’s passport that had him listed as a British citizen. According to Gunde, Rathour’s “loyalty” to the BCCI “is conflicted” and hence he should not be part of the board.Shah asked BCCI to respond by February 2 after which he will decide whether to send any notice to Arora and Rathour. Gunde has now sent four applications to Shah accusing various people of conflict. Last week he had pressed allegations of conflict against former India captain Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan.
Mitchell Starc has backed Nathan Lyon to go through another rehab and be able to resume his Test career after suffering an Ashes-ending hamstring injury in Adelaide.Lyon hobbled off on the final morning after diving to field a ball at long leg. He went for scans, leaving and returning to the ground on crutches, although briefly got rid of them to join the team song after victory to retain the Ashes.Related
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Having had such a fine fitness record that he was able to play 100 consecutive Tests from 2013 to 2023, Lyon has now suffered two significant muscle injuries in two-and-a-half years having had his previous Ashes in England ended when he ripped his calf at Lord’s.Lyon, 38, has previously spoken of playing until at least the 2027 Ashes tour. After the Sydney Test which concludes this series, Australia do not play Tests again until next August against Bangladesh which begins a hectic period of up to 21 matches in 10 months.Lyon took five wickets in the match on his return to the side having been left out of the day-night Test in Brisbane. He claimed two in his first over to move past Glenn McGrath into second place on Australia’s all-time list then broke England’s resistance on the fourth afternoon with the key wickets of Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley.”Really unfortunate for him,” Starc said. “I’m sure it’s a tough one to take. He contributed a lot in this Test match. So he should first and foremost enjoy the moment. He’s helped us get to this victory.”He’s obviously had a layoff with his calf through England, so he’s sort of more on board with the fast bowlers in terms of what rehab takes. I think he’s still got that hunger to give more to Australia. So that’s all for him to think through. Hopefully it’s not a huge layoff. But, yeah, obviously disappointed for him. Hopefully he’s back sooner than later.”Starc, for his part, had no doubts about being able to back up for the remainder of the series. “[Feeling] good, ready to go,” he said. “I think my average speed was better than anyone’s, so good to go.”Nathan Lyon returned to the ground on crutches•Getty Images
Lyon and Starc have been among a host of senior figures in this Australia side, with some questions raised pre-series about the age of the team given Cameron Green was the only player under 30. As it’s transpired, though, England’s inexperience, especially in Australia, has been a significant factor in their poor performances in a series that came with huge hype in the build-up.”I think a lot was made about how old the group is and how experienced they are,” Starc said. “Perhaps that’s played into our hands. Having been through some good times and some not so good times over the course of our careers together, I think certainly in the last number of years it’s been a pretty level group. Things have never gotten too high or low.”If we haven’t had a good day, it’s pretty easy to move on from and learn from. Absolutely a feature of our group and to guys that have come in, less experienced or younger, the freedom to express themselves as players but also learn from that experience has been beneficial in the way we’ve played our cricket.”Starc admitted he is not great at allowing himself to soak up big moments but hoped he could this time, although for now the sights were firmly set on 5-0.”I’m not a great reflector, so hopefully I can reflect on this one a bit,” he said. “With a lot being made outside the groups, whilst we don’t pay too much attention to it, once things get heard and whatnot, there will be a lot of pleasure with being in the situation where we are. We want to win the next two, but to have won the Ashes is always going to be very special.”This will surely be Starc’s last home Ashes, but 2027 in England remains on the radar having given up T20Is in a bid to extend his red-ball career. “I’m not thinking two years down the track just yet,” he said. “Let’s just think about Melbourne and then on to Sydney. But, yeah, it’d certainly be nice to win an Ashes series in England.”
ScorecardNick Compton took on the extra pace of Uxbridge, and Steve Finn, with aplomb•Getty Images
When Nick Compton was dropped by England, it was suggested that his batting was too slow and stodgy. He didn’t have enough shots and, with Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott also in England’s top three, the side would get stuck.It always seemed a slightly peculiar logic. And slow batting was hardly England’s problem during the Ashes series in Australia.In the first innings Compton scored 94 off 278 balls. Laborious, perhaps, but without those runs – or if he had been taken by Paul Stirling at second slip on 16, when Eoin Morgan was off having been stung be a bee – Somerset may well have lost this game.If Compton felt the need to show Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket and the watching England selector, that he could play more expansively, he took the opportunity the last day at Uxbridge presented. He pulled particularly pleasingly, displaying a relish for the short ball that those in England’s Test side have sometimes lacked.”He’s at his best when he’s facing the likes of Steven Finn on these type of pitches when there’s a bit more bounce and a bit more pace,” Marcus Trescothick purred.For Chris Rogers, the upshot of Compton’s defiance was to reflect once again on his declaration. He set Somerset 390 in 72 overs, which sounded on the cautious side, though he had a rapid outfield to consider as well as the memory of Nottinghamshire’s heist of 385 last month.”Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Maybe we could have pulled out a bit earlier but we had a hard loss a few weeks ago and that’s in the back of our minds. I think if we were to lose this game we’d probably fall off that chasing group so it was probably important that we didn’t lose.”Both sides retain title pretensions. Somerset are in third, and have both their games against Northamptonshire to play, while Middlesex go to Scarborough next week to play Yorkshire. “I think they’ll be a bit wary of us and hopefully we can pull off an amazing win and then we’ll be right up there,” Rogers said.The spectre of a drab final day, for all the fine cricket in the match, also prompted discussion over the lack of disintegration in the pitch. “I was hoping for a bit more up and down on day four but it didn’t really do that. It was essential you used the new ball but after that it became a bit lifeless,” Rogers said.”With the sun out the wickets here become a bit dead and then it is hard to bowl teams out, particularly as they don’t seem to be breaking up that much. I’m sure groundsmen are trying their best. They probably just need a bit of rain!”If the crowd felt underwhelmed at the spectre of early handshakes, at least they had a morning of pyrotechnics to enjoy. Paul Stirling, promoted to number five, bristled with stocky intent. He followed an uppercut off Lewis Gregory for six with a bludgeoned straight drive and reached 50 in only 37 balls.It was his fourth in five Championship innings in 2014, seemingly rendering his years marooned in the 2nd X1 all the more curious. But not to Rogers.”He was still developing his own game and he’d be the first to say he had no form with the red ball but he’s come round and he’s doing very well,” Rogers said. “It’s great to say we should have picked him early in hindsight but that’s a rubbish call. I’m just really happy he’s doing well.”Rogers’ new opening partner is also in fine form. Nick Gubbins reached 95, including lofting George Dockrell for six over midwicket, but was run-out after a mix-up with Stirling. Still, on the evidence of his composure and mature shot selection, Gubbins’ maiden first-class century will not be long in coming.Somerset’s prospects of threatening their target always depended inordinately upon Trescothick, especially with Craig Kieswetter missing this game because of a family funeral.He flickered briefly, swatting a few trademark late cuts, but when Eoin Morgan smartly took him at second slip a meandering draw seemed inevitable. With a lively spell that accounted for Chris Jones and Alviro Petersen, Toby Roland-Jones briefly offered the prospect of Rogers being vindicated.But James Hildreth made a second silky half-century of the game, adding 93 with Compton. As he accelerated, unfurling a reverse-sweep, Somerset may have entertained fanciful notions of a run chase. He was caught at long on to end those. No matter: Compton remained unperturbed.
Some say it was a pointless miracle, but the truth is that Blackpool winning promotion to the Premiership is the best thing that could have ever happened for football. If the game is to escape from the dungeon of debt in which it is trapped fans, players and chairmen alike must embrace what Blackpool have done, use them as an example and then stick to their methods.
This past domestic season will be remembered as the one where the real world finally caught up with football. Portsmouth are still in administration (according to reports Palace could have escaped it), Chester City are out of business and clubs such as Hull, Preston and Southend have accounts that resemble the red sea. However, the recent Championship Playoff Final could represent the parting of the ways for the future of football.
In some ways the match between Blackpool and Cardiff was bigger than just a cup final. To many it was Holloway versus Ridsdale (the worst football chairman of all time according to one recent poll), calculated versus erratic and football versus selfishness. For Ian Holloway and Blackpool represent everything that is still great about the game whilst the way Cardiff have been run in recent times is the epitome of everything that is wrong with it.
Blackpool winning promotion was not a fluke and the reason for this is somewhat simple and much overlooked- it’s because they have good players and an intelligent manager. Brett Ormerod and Jason Euell have made 397 Premiership appearances between them and both played critical roles in Blackpool’s promotion this season, whilst Charlie Adam proved his worth by scoring 19 goals from midfield. However, the real trick is the way in which the team has been assembled and how they have gone about their play. As we all know good management is generally defined as creating the maximum amount of revenue with a minimum amount of expenditure whilst providing an atmosphere in which everyone works for each other and performs to their full potential. To say that Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has carried this out to a great extent would be an understatement. Blackpool’s record signing is Charlie Adam- bought for £500k from Rangers last summer and this campaign they have had an average crowd of just 8611 with only three stands up in their stadium- yet this season they still beat a host of teams with twice the amount of resources.
Compare this to Cardiff. If moving stadiums wasn’t expensive enough during a global recession they also chose to make their promotion bid with players on very high wages- Michael Chopra, Mark Kennedy, Mark Hudson and Jay Boothroyd have all played Premiership football recently and would not settle for low salaries, whilst local boy Joe Ledley has seen his income skyrocket in recent seasons as a way to keep him at the club. The sums simply do not add up. There is currently not enough money being generated in the global economy for a medium sized business such as Cardiff City Football Club to support this kind of infrastructure.
Theoretically Cardiff should have won the playoff final as they do have a better squad than Blackpool and most of their players are in the prime time of their careers- Ian Holloway even stressed this before and after the game. However, the fact that they didn’t demonstrates to Championship clubs everywhere that they can achieve their goals whilst living within their means- if they employ someone who can bring the art of good management to their football club. The brilliance of Blackpool’s season is typified by the way in which Holloway has managed to get the very best out of players at different stages of their careers. The likes of Jason Euell and Brett Ormerod are approaching the end their journey as footballers whilst the likes of Neil Eardley, Charlie Adam and Alex Baptiste are just getting started.
Ian Holloway managed to get the most out of what he had by finding a flexible 4-3-3 system in which all his players could blend together and perform to the maximum of their ability whilst remaining balanced and entertaining, all of which was done on a shoestring budget. Consequently Blackpool now face a lucrative future regardless if they get 100 points or ten next season, whilst Cardiff scour the world for critical investment.
There are many blueprints for success in football as different clubs have shown throughout the years. However, if the beautiful game is to escape the horrors of debt and destruction then the methods shown by Ian Holloway and Blackpool this past season are the ones that now must be followed.
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PS- News coming out reveals that Crystal Palace may have been saved after an agreement was reached at the 11th hour between the CPFC 2010 consortium (headed by Steve Parish and Martin Long) and Lloyds Bank, regarding an anti embarrassment clause on Selhurst Park. This is the second time in 10 years Palace have chosen the Cardiff approach and the second time in ten years that Palace have escaped liquidation by the skin of their teeth. Should the CVA be completed later this week, confirming Palace’s survival, let this be a message from the whole of football to the CPFC 2010 consortium to take the Blackpool approach.
Maradona and Dunga have both seen their national teams’ exploits stunted in South Africa and, as seen in the papers immediately following Argentina and Brazil’s exits, the debate about great players not making great managers resurfaces.
But the truth is a little more convoluted. We knew from the outset that Maradona was not a good manager – his squad selections, player omissions and frequently changing tactics have been strenuously well documented. His function was to inspire rather than instruct and many have already commented that appointing him solely for the World Cup (instead of during qualification) may have proved a better circumstance. But these points are now moot.
Dunga has an entire nation’s history weighing down on what was, otherwise, a very good record as manager. The truth is despite every victory there were always rumblings that the manner of Dunga’s victories was too far removed from the tenets of flair football that Brazil’s public demand. Tactically speaking however, Dunga repeatedly showcased an astute managerial mind and his team became frighteningly efficient – we should also not forget that it was a couple of errors that set in motion the Dutch fight back.
The most glaring examples of great players becoming great managers can be found in a German and a Dutchman. Franz Beckenbauer managed to win the World Cup as a player and make two World Cup finals as a manager (winning it as head coach in 1990 against Argentina). His managerial career boasted a German title (1993-94) and UEFA Cup (1995-96) with Bayern Munich and a French league title with Marseille in 1991. Johan Cruyff is largely responsible for the brand of football so widely enjoyed at Barcelona and reached spectacular heights with the 1990s dream team. So great players have and probably will continue to make an impression in the managerial world. A more interesting and relevant debate than whether great players make great managers is whether past footballers, in general, are better equipped at management. Jose Mourinho, himself not a celebrated player, has an open stance on the matter:
“I believe that to be on the pitch as a player can be very important, but it is not compulsory. It is a bit like studying or going to university. It does not mean that you will be a success, but it does give you an advantage.”
Managers such as Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, and Mourinho did not play at the top level in any distinguished fashion. Yet Fabio Capello on the other hand has spoken in the past about the intimate understanding past players – especially very good players – have with their squad and the dynamics of real life play. The argument isn’t simply academia vs. experience, though; Capello himself supplemented the talents he had as a player by coaching at the famed Coverciano school in Italy. And whilst the list of good players who made bad managers is continuously added to, we overlook the circumstances of many considered ‘flops’. The difficulty for a manager is that they’re only judged on their players’ performances rather than a method that we, as an interested third party, can discern.
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If Dunga is added to the list of successful players who couldn’t make the transition to management I don’t think it is wholly warranted considering his record and tactical decisions. But the route to becoming a manager (and thus a ‘great’ manager) is not specified – as with a lot of aspects to the game luck and timing as well as talent become important factors.
Sunderland look set to miss out on the signing of Hector Moreno after the AZ Alkmaar defender claimed he did not want to play in England.
The 22-year-old Mexico international has revealed that, after returning from South Africa where he featured in two of his country's four World Cup matches, he would prefer to move to Paris St Germain.
"Nobody has approached to me in an official way yet, but I must admit that I would like to change to another team next season," he said.
"I don't know anything yet if there is a chance of being transferred, I haven't spoken with my agent, but I am calm.
"I know that the French press has been talking about me, but I don't know anything about if there is a negotiation.
"I have been told about Sunderland and other teams, but I am not very interested in playing in England, most of all because of the way of living they have. But Paris is Paris, that motivates me. But I am still in contract at AZ and I am happy there.
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"Now I want to enjoy my family and recharge my batteries because the beginning of a new season is very near."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manager Chris Hughton has warned his Newcastle United side that they will need to be stronger in defence to ensure their survival in the Premier League this season.
The Magpies stormed to the Championship title by a massive 11-point margin last term, but Hughton is well aware of the tougher challenges ahead.
He told The Journal:"I think as a team having to be a bit smarter than we were last year in terms of tactics.
"There are things that we could get away with in the Championship last year that we won't get away with this year.
"Some of the teams we are playing against are just as formidable away from home as they are at home and we have to be aware of that.
"What we were able to do last season was be very strong defensively. We scored a lot of goals, but we were strong at the back. If possible, I want us to be even harder to beat this season.
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"It will be tougher in this division with the quality we'll be up against but that is the challenge.
"The most important thing is we've got to give ourselves every chance. We have to give ourselves a platform to build on and that is at the back."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has admitted that Gabby Agbonlahor, Carlos Cuellar, Curtis Davies and James Collins are all struggling to be ready for the start of the new Premier League season because of injuries.
The quartet all missed Friday's pre-season stalemate against Valencia because of various ailments.
Agbonlahor and Cuellar are struggling with hamstring injuries, Curtis Davies has a knee problem while James Collins has failed to recover from a calf niggle.
O'Neill said:"Gabby's had a stop-start pre-season. He's been able to do some training yet when the games have come up it's caused him a bit of a problem.
"He played in the first half in Ireland. He's come off with a bad back. He trained on Friday morning and we were hoping he was going to be OK. But he said his hamstrings were sore, which might be a reaction from the back.
"Really, he is very keen to play – there's a possibility of trying to get into the England squad which would be great.
"The prognosis with Curtis is better than first anticipated. It's a shorter time-frame, let me put it that way, so that's good news. We thought at one stage it might be months but I think it's a matter of a couple of weeks.
"He's definitely hyper-extended his knee but things are progressing reasonably nicely. That's where he is.
"James, a wee bit like Gabby, has had a stop-start pre-season. He pulled up after a minute at Walsall and came out with us to Portugal. We didn't expect him to play but this is one where we pull him back again and not go in when he's three-quarters fit.
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"He's really frustrated because he was looking forward to starting the season well and carrying on from where he stopped off last season. We will take that a bit carefully.
"Carlos went off with a hamstring problem against Benfica. Again, he is anxious to get out and play but that's one of those where you've got to wait and see. If you're asking me about the situation concerning the start of the season, I don't know."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email