All posts by h716a5.icu

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata17-Mar-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:01

Chappell: Afghanistan made SL fight all the way

A calmly compiled 56-ball 83 from Tillakaratne Dilshan steered Sri Lanka to a heart-rate-steadying six-wicket win in their opening match of the World T20, but not before Afghanistan reminded them and the rest of Group 1 that they belonged in the Super 10s.With the bat, Afghanistan recovered brilliantly from a poor start, scoring 106 runs in their last ten overs to set a challenging target of 154. They bowled with skill and intelligence to claw back into the match after Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal had given Sri Lanka a bright start: 41 for 0 in five overs.In the end, it was only Afghanistan’s fielding that proved to be of less-than-elite standard, with three basic errors in the deep giving a jittery Sri Lankan batting unit valuable breathing room.First, in the 14th over, Karim Sadiq failed to get his body behind a regulation stop at deep midwicket. Then, in the 16th, Dawlat Zadran made the same mistake at deep backward square leg. The third misfield came from the substitute fielder Gulbadin Naib, who dived to his left at third man, got a meaty hand to the ball, and only ended up pushing it past the rope. Sri Lanka should have only got three runs from those three balls; they ended up getting 12.Sri Lanka would have appreciated the help, for barring Dilshan, their top order showed itself to be decidedly wobbly.Mohammad Nabi’s introduction in the sixth over exposed the wobbliness. Sri Lanka were going along comfortably when Chandimal stepped out and aimed a heave over the leg side. The ball turned a little further than expected and popped off the inside half of his bat straight to midwicket. Lahiru Thirimanne, back in Sri Lanka’s T20 side for the first time since May 2014, showed why he may have been out of the side for so long, playing only three scoring shots in 12 balls before inside-edging an attempted cover drive off the legspinner Rashid Khan onto his stumps.At the other end, like Mahela Jayawardene did during the two sides’ 50-over World Cup meeting last year, Dilshan provided the experienced head that guided Sri Lanka through this troubled period. He had started in his usual manner, hitting consecutive sixes off Dawlat Zadran – the second with a trademark scoop over his own head – and swatting Hamid Hassan for successive fours over midwicket, but did not take too many chances against the spinners. But he still scored freely against them, taking the singles on offer, putting away the bad ball, and running faster than every other 39-year-old on the planet to pick up a couple of twos to the leg-side gaps.There were a couple more nervy moments, courtesy the run-outs of Thisara Perera and Chamara Kapugedera, but the cool heads of Dilshan and Angelo Mathews, helped along by Afghanistan’s sloppy fielding, took Sri Lanka home with seven balls remaining.Having only faced Scotland, Hong Kong and Zimbabwe so far, it took Afghanistan a while to come to terms with the quality of Sri Lanka’s attack. Mohammad Shahzad, unusually subdued early on, tried to break free of the shackles in the third over and clouted Angelo Mathews to the straight boundary before top-edging a pull to mid-on the next ball. Apart from a couple of sweetly-timed leg-side flicks, Noor Ali Zadran struggled for tempo, and was bowled around his legs by Rangana Herath after adding 32 off 32 balls with Asghar Stanikzai.Herath settled into a beautiful rhythm, mixing his pace and trajectory cleverly, and the run rate plummeted as Sadiq and Nabi soon followed Noor to the pavilion.Stanikzai had moved to 18 off 23 balls when he made an abrupt change of gear against Milinda Siriwardana’s left-arm spin, launching him for successive sixes in the 13th over, before slog-sweeping Herath for another six in the 15th over, with a helping hand from a butter-fingered Thirimanne in the deep. At the other end, Samiullah Shenwari hit two fours and a six – including a reverse-swat off Perera that left the batsman on his backside – in successive overs before holing out to long-off.Stanikzai and Shenwari, the heroes of Afghanistan’s ODI win over Bangladesh in 2014, had put on 61 in 33 balls. It clearly rattled Sri Lanka, and Mathews dropped Stanikzai at cover immediately after Shenwari’s dismissal. It was a sitter, and Stanikzai, at 44 at that point, struck two more fours and a six to move to his highest T20I score before falling at the end of the 19th over.Afghanistan were by no means done. Najibullah Zadran, a specialist batsman, had only batted once in the tournament so far, and was slotted to come in at No, 8, but found his namesake Dawlat promoted above him instead. When Najibullah finally did come out, there were only three balls left in Afghanistan’s innings. No problem. Swinging freely through the line like a young Yuvraj Singh, Najibullah lofted Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over extra cover first ball, and then flat-batted him in the same direction for a four next ball.

Liverpool have confirmed their place in the round of 16 Europa League and Jurgen Klopp has emphasised the importance of the competition.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Liverpool win 4-0 vs LASKQualify for the knockout stagesKlopp does not deprioritize Europa LeagueGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Liverpool defeated Austrian team LASK 4-0 at Anfield to guarantee their place in the UEFA Europa League round of 16. With this victory, they qualified for the knockout stages and sealed the title of Group E victors. The game was a display of Liverpool's offensive capabilities, with goals from Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz within the first fifteen minutes followed by a second-half strike by Mohamed Salah. After the match, Klopp revealed his relief after having qualified for the knockouts with one game in hand as they now face a packed fixture list till the start of the year. Klopp also maintained that the club would not be treating the Europa League as a secondary objective this season.

AdvertisementWHAT KLOPP SAID

Speaking in the press conference, Klopp said: "What do you mean how much of a priority? In comparison to other competitions or whatever? Unfortunately, my career is not like this where I can choose, to be honest. I have to take what I get. When we play the competition it's the most important competition on the planet. Easy as that. But now we play the Premier League on Sunday and so that is then the most important competition, definitely. We want to go as far as somehow possible [in the Europa League]."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Liverpool are favourites for the Europa League but having put themselves firmly in the Premier League title race, the demands on Klopp’s side are likely to be significant when the competition resumes. They are involved in a multi-club title fight with Manchester CIty, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Arsenal as Klopp's men sit third, two points behind leaders Arsenal but also only four points ahead of Manchester United in sixth.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

Liverpool's last Europa League group-stage game will be played on December 14 against Union Saint-Gilloise and are expected to field a lighter squad for the clash as it is one of their eight matches in the next three days. They next play against Fulham at Anfield on Sunday, December 3.

Argentina hero Emiliano Martinez has returned to his World Cup-winning haircut ahead of huge clashes against Uruguay and Brazil.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Martinez savoured global glory at Qatar 2022Added Argentina colours to his hairComes back with the same style before WC qualifiersWHAT HAPPENED?

Martinez painted the colours of the Argentina flag on the left side of his head during the World Cup in Qatar. He later revealed that he was forced to paint his hair after a bet between him, Marcos Acuna, Guido Rodriguez, and German Pezzella. Although Martinez did not reveal what the bet was about, we can assume that whatever it was, the goalkeeper might have lost it as he had to dye his hair. The Aston Villa keeper was seen getting his hair dyed with the same colours once again before taking the pitch with the Albiceleste.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Argentina have got off to a perfect start in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign winning their first four matches. However, they face two formidable opponents in Uruguay and arch-rivals Brazil during the November international break where their credentials will be put to the test.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

WHAT NEXT FOR EMILIANO MARTINEZ?

Martinez is yet to concede in the first four matches of the qualifying campaign, havingsecured seven successive shut-outsdating back to the 2022 World Cup final, and will be determined to shut out Darwin Nunez and Co when Argentina host Uruguay at La Bombonera on Thursday evening.

Usman Shuja, 36, who had set the record to become USA’s top wicket-taker in the 50-over format, has announced his retirement from international cricket

Peter Della Penna18-May-2015Usman Shuja, who set the USA record for career wickets in 50-over cricket in October, has announced his retirement from international cricket at age 36. The fast bowler was USA’s leading wicket-taker at ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia last year, but was not included in USA’s T20 squad for the ICC Americas Division One tournament earlier this month and cited a desire to formally step aside in order to allow younger players to develop.”The team as a whole with the next generation is ready to take over,” Shuja told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday night. “I think I can still help out, but I feel I’ll be more of a hurdle for them to express themselves than to help them. There have also been some huge personal life changes with having a baby last year, a start-up job and having achieved the record, the whole personal element has dropped my motivation quite a bit.”Though Shuja played a series of unofficial games for USA against Cayman Islands in 2003, he made his official USA debut in 2006 against the same team at the ICC Americas Division One tournament, taking 1 for 21. With his 3 for 12 against Bermuda on the first day of play at 2013 WCL Division Three, Shuja surpassed former USA captain Zamin Amin’s mark of 47 wickets that had stood since 2004. He added five more at 2013 WCL Division Three to set the new USA mark of 53 in 35 games at an average of 15.49, comfortably better than Amin’s 22.09 and a better average than anyone else in USA’s top 10.Shuja also took nine wickets in 15 T20 matches for USA with his 4.56 economy rate standing at number one. He credits his father, a former first-class wicketkeeper-batsman for Lahore and PIA in the 1960s, with instilling in him a competitive drive from an early age.”He was very tough,” Shuja said. “If I got one or two wickets he would just shrug it off. He pushed me and helped with the skills. When I was in college at Texas and I was going back to Pakistan every year, he hooked me up with Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis and got me coaching from Waqar and the entire Pakistan team so they could analyse my skill-set. He’s always been supportive because he had played first-class professional cricket in Pakistan. The point is that he was always engaged. Even till now he always knew how many runs I had scored and wickets I had taken every week.”Shuja was controversially dropped ahead of USA’s tour of Bermuda in 2013 for ICC WCL Division Three and said the main reason he didn’t retire then was that he felt strongly that he had more left to contribute to the national team.”I think I was still at the top of my game at that time,” Shuja said. “I felt the drive to play and I also didn’t want to leave when I was dropped. I felt I was dropped unfairly so there was a little bit of unfinished business. Today, I think a few things have changed for me personally and my motivation has gone down quite a bit. The moment I made that decision it was a relief. I’m not willing to put the hard work in to deserve a spot to be able to step on the field now but the feeling of being on the field and the whole preparation to get there, that I’ll still miss.”I will definitely miss just being able to represent the country and playing at the highest level. I’ve always been driven by the competitiveness of the games and also to be able to say I play for the country. Those two things are softer elements but those were the driving factors and I’ll miss that quite a bit. But most importantly is the friendships. I made some really good friends. To be able to go on tours and talk cricket is the thing I’ll miss the most.”The fast bowler says his proudest moment as a member of the USA team was their victory over Nepal in front of a hostile Kathmandu crowd on the final day of round-robin play at 2010 ICC WCL Division Five, a win which secured USA’s promotion to Division Four in Italy. However, Shuja says he laments the fact that USA wasn’t able to produce more meaningful results during a two-year stretch when the core group of players was perhaps more talented than the USA team that reached the Champions Trophy in 2004.”I think it’s a story of missed opportunities,” Shuja said. “The 12 years associated with US cricket, I think we have touched a lot of interesting opportunities where we were under prepared. We had really good teams, really good coaches. Everything just didn’t fit together but there were pieces of it that were there and I genuinely feel that we could have been something like Canada, if not better. It was always an honour to play but there were just a lot of missed opportunities. If we had prepared better, we could have done better especially in the 2010-11 time frame.”I think 2010 was the time when most of the guys were if not at their peak, they were still in their prime or at the tail end of it. They were still pretty good and the team that went to Italy, Nepal, the first UAE trip and even Hong Kong, I think that was a pretty solid team. We just never prepared. We had some missed planning. There was no strategy and things like that. I think we could have done a lot better if there was a little bit of planning and help from the administration.”

With Sunday's Gold Cup final set to renew the biggest rivalry in Concacaf, Goal selects the players who have been the tournament standouts

The Gold Cup final that Mexico and U.S. national team fans were hoping for is finally here, and Sunday's final will be an opportunity for players from both teams to cap the strong tournaments they have already put together.

The United States has won all five of its matches at the Gold Cup, allowing just one goal along the way while scoring a tournament-best 15. Gregg Berhalter's squad has helped ease the fears generated by two pre-Gold Cup defeats to Jamaica and Venezuela, though struggles against Curacao in the quarterfinals rekindled some of the concerns about whether the Americans have the quality to defeat Mexico in the final.

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for El Tri either, with Tata Martino's squad needing a penalty shootout to hold off Costa Rica in the quarterfinals and overtime to eliminate Haiti in the semifinals.

Despite those difficult matches, Mexico has shown the individual quality expected when the Gold Cup began, with some familiar faces shining, and some new ones impressing.

The same can be said for the USMNT, which has had some relatively new faces step up into prominent roles and enjoy breakout tournaments.

Which American and Mexican players have enjoyed the best Gold Cups so far? Here are Goal's selections for the combined USA-Mexico Gold Cup XI:

Guillermo Ochoa | Mexico | GoalkeeperWithout a doubt the El Tri No. 1, Ochoa helped Mexico to the final with a save to win a shootout against Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. Though he’s 33 years old, Ochoa hasn’t dropped a bit from his form in the 2014 World Cup and has his sights set on a third World Cup as the starter in 2022. His Gold Cup campaign indicates he’s up to it.AdvertisementGetty ImagesLuis 'Chaka' Rodriguez | Mexico | Right Back“Chaka” may not be a perfect fullback, but he does what he needs to do in Tata Martino’s system. He gets forward to join the attack, scoring in a pre-tournament friendly and coming close in the tournament proper, and also defends well enough to avoid catastrophe. While Fernando Navarro also is available this tournament, it’s clear why Martino has stuck with Rodriguez as his first choice at right back.Getty ImagesAaron Long | USA | Center BackOne of the breakout stars of the Gold Cup for the United States, Long overcame a hamstring injury suffered a month before the Gold Cup to help anchor a U.S. defense that has allowed just one goal in six matches. Long's one-on-one defensive ability, range, and attacking quality as a threat to score on set pieces make him the ideal well-rounded defender. What makes Long's emergence even more impressive is that the 26-year-old hadn't even received his first national team cap until last October.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Patrick SmithWalker Zimmerman | USA | Center Back

One of the surprises of the Gold Cup, Zimmerman beat out Matt Miazga for the starting role in central defense and took full advantage, providing a perfect complement to Aaron Long. His aerial prowess and increasing confidence on the ball have helped him adapt to Gregg Berhalter's system. His growth as a player at LAFC playing for Bob Bradley is clear, and the United States hasn't allowed a goal at the Gold Cup with Zimmerman on the field.

The Toffees suffered a disastrous transfer window last summer, but it is not the first time they have forked out for duds over the years…

Getty ImagesAlex Nyarko

When a supporter feels the need to invade the pitch to tell you just how badly you have been performing, you know that the writing is on the wall!

That was the case for Nyarko, who having made 33 appearances across four seasons after signing from Lens for £4.5 million, was told in no uncertain terms by a travelling fan during a trip to Highbury that he was no longer welcome.

Needless to say he never made another Toffees appearance.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLars Jacobsen

While Everton were able to sign the Dane on a free transfer from Nurnberg, much was expected from the full-back under David Moyes.

He struggled with injuries and form throughout his debut campaign, though he did end up playing in the 2009 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

Remarkably Moyes was keen to hang onto him, but he eventually left for Blackburn after just one season on Merseyside.

Getty ImagesJames Beattie

Signed for £6 million from Southampton and reportedly nearing a regular place in the England squad, Beattie never came close to living up to his potential at Goodison.

He did make 86 appearances across three seasons at Everton, but he was rarely a starter.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesSteve Simonsen

Signed for £3.3 million from Tranmere Rovers, Simonsen was the most expensive British goalkeeper ever when he moved to Goodison Park.

He failed to make an appearance during his first season, however, and was eventually released in 2004 having played just 35 times in six years at the club.

Jurgen Klopp was left stunned when he learned of Manchester United's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle in the Carabao Cup.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

United lost 3-0 at Old TraffordLiverpool beat Bournemouth 2-1Reds boss shocked by resultWHAT HAPPENED?

Jurgen Klopp guided Liverpool to a 2-1 win over Bournemouth and was left stunned by the news of Manchester United's thumping at the hands of Newcastle at Old Trafford.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Reds boss headed into his post-match press conference and was informed of the score. He appeared to say "ooh okay" and then clenched his teeth.

DID YOU KNOW

United have now lost both of their last two games 3-0, to Manchester City in the league and Newcastle in the cup, while they sit eighth in the Premier League table, ratcheting up the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

United return to league action against Fulham this weekend; Liverpool play Luton Town.

Peter Nevill’s fourth first-class hundred put New South Wales on target for victory before they tightened their grip on the match with a remarkable new-ball effort that left Victoria at 3 for 0

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2014
ScorecardPeter Nevill made an unbeaten 100 (file photo)•Getty ImagesPeter Nevill’s fourth first-class hundred put New South Wales on target for victory before they tightened their grip on the match with a remarkable new-ball effort that left Victoria at 3 for 0. Nevill, Scott Henry and Kurtis Patterson all caused problems for the Victoria bowlers in Sydney on the second day, which ended with two nightwatchmen – Scott Boland and James Muirhead – both at the crease for the Bushrangers.Doug Bollinger got rid of opener Peter Handscomb in the first over of Victoria’s second innings and that was followed in the fourth over by another red-ball failure from Aaron Finch, who was bowled by Trent Copeland for an eight-ball duck. Marcus Stoinis became the third specialist batsman to depart for a duck when he was caught off the bowling of Copeland in the fifth over, leaving Victoria 234 runs behind with only seven wickets in hand.It could hardly have been a better day for the Blues, who declared at 9 for 452 after Nevill reached his hundred with seven fours and two sixes. Earlier, a 117-run fourth-wicket partnership between Patterson and Henry earned first-innings points for New South Wales, although both men fell just short of centuries.Henry was bowled by Daniel Christian for 92 and Patterson was caught at slip off Clint McKay for 94, but Nevill had enough support from the lower order to extended his side’s advantage significantly. Muirhead, the young legspinner who has been thrust into Australia’s World Twenty20 squad but is still trying to prove himself in the longer format, leaked more than eight runs an over and took 0 for 61 from his seven overs.

Barcelona midfielder Gavi limped out of Spain's Euro 2024 qualifier against Georgia and appeared to break down in tears.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Gavi subbed after clutching his kneeBarcelona already nursing a huge injury listCried as he headed towards the benchWHAT HAPPENED?

The midfielder appeared to injure his knee before being substituted. As he was tended to by medics, and limped off, he was in tears, perhaps suggesting that he could miss a significant period.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Gavi is the latest in a long line of Barcelona injury problems. They currently have Marc-Andre ter Stegen out due to a back injury, while both Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto are also on the sidelines.

DID YOU KNOW?

Gavi has played an awful lot of football at such a young age. While the midfielder is still just 19, he has already played over 100 times for Barcelona and won over 20 caps for Spain. According to , initial tests on Gavi have shown he has suffered a 'major knee injury', with a more extensive assessment to follow within the next 24 hours.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR GAVI?

Gavi will be assessed while on international duty before returning to Barcelona. Manager Xavi will be desperately hoping that the issue is not as serious as it seems, but the youngster is likely to be a doubt for the Blaugrana's next La Liga game against Rayo Vallecano.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League matches on November 21, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2014Group IHyderabad Hawks held on to secure a draw with two wickets remaining on the final day of their match against Lahore Eagles. Having been set a target of 387 with less than a day to go, Hyderabad were comfortably placed to save the game at 104 for 1. However, they collapsed to 158 for 7, with Asif Raza taking 4 for 68 for Lahore. The ninth-wicket pair of Mohammad Yasir and Mir Ali eventually remained unbeaten as Hyderabad ended on 213.Lahore’s dominance in the game had been set up on day one, when Fadah-ul-Haq scored a century. He finished on 138 as Lahore were dismissed for 334 on the second day, with Hyderabad’s Babar Khan taking 5 for 114. Hyderabad struggled in their response, though, and were dismissed for 238, conceding a 96-run first innings lead. All of theirtop-seven batsmen had got starts but only the captain Azeem Ghumman converted it into a half-century. Ahmed Bashir and Shahid Nawaz took three wicket each for Lahore.Lahore scored at 3.93 runs per over to set up a target, with Mohammad Waheed contributing 110. Mohammad Hamza made 77 off 110 balls to drive his team to 290 for 6, when the declaration came. Hyderabad were able to hang on to avoid outright defeat in the end.Quetta Bears hung on for a draw against Karachi Zebras, after both teams had held the advantage at different points during the match. Bears struck first, bowling Zebras out for 187 in the first innings thanks to a five-wicket haul from Gohar Faiz. Bears then compiled 268 in reply, collecting a vital lead of 81. Their innings was built around half-centuries from Arun Lal (78) and Rameez Raja (67). Zebras, however, counterattacked in their second essay, as Arsalan Bashir (114) and Owais Rehmani (114) both raised hundreds to power the team to 342 for 8 before they decided to declare, setting Bears 262 for victory. A four-wicket burst from Mansoor Ahmed reduced Bears to 142 for 8, but Zebras ran out of time to pick up the last two wickets that would’ve given them an outright win.Group IILeft-arm spinner Zafar Gohar took five wickets in each innings to bowl State Bank of Pakistan to victory by an innings and 21 runs against Sui Southern Gas Corporation in Sargodha.SBP had reduced SSGC to 107 for 5 in the first innings, after winning the toss, but half-centuries fromMohammad Waqas, Safiullah Bangash and Mohammad Irfan lifted the total to 312 by the time they were all out early on the second day. Gohar bowled 30.2 overs to finish with 5 for 80.SBP’s batsmen put in a far stronger performance. Usman Salahuddin and Rizwan Haider made 129 and 107, and Babar Azam missed a century by eight runs as they amassed 488. Irfan took 5 for 144 but was unable to prevent SBP’s Nos. 10 and 11 from contributing. Kashif Bhatti and Mohammad Naved made 24 each to give their side a 176-run lead in the first innings.Gohar and Bhatti then took five wickets apiece to shoot out SSGC for 155 in 55.1 overs. SSGC had progressed to 91 for 1 before the crash came and they lost nine wickets for 64 runs to lose by an innings.