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A round-up of the last round matches in the Zimbabwe Pro50 Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2013
ScorecardThe match between the top two teams of the Pro50 Championship could not produce a result as it was abandoned to due to rain after 11.2 overs at the Kwekwe Sports Club. Matabeleland Tuskers chose to bat after winning the toss and lost their captain Keegan Meth on the first ball of the match. No. 3 Bilal Shafayat also departed soon, leaving them at 9 for 2. Craig Ervine steadied the innings from there along with the other opener Brian Chari before rain interrupted play. Both the teams got two points each and continued their lead at the top of the table which means the final on January 19 will be played between the same two teams.Not a single ball was bowled in the other match between the bottom two teams of the table which had to be played at the Triangle Country Club. Even the toss could not take place due to rains and the match was washed out.

A round-up of the second day’s play from the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy Elite League

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2012Dishant Yagnik scored his maiden first-class century to help Rajasthan reach 421 at Uppal•Sakshi Telugu Daily

J Kaushik ran through the Maharashtra middle and lower order on the second morning at Chepauk, and Tamil Nadu‘s top order then put their team in control by stumps. Kaushik, a 26-year-old medium-pacer in his debut season, had received praise from his captain L Balaji before the game, and showed why with a five-wicket haul that sent Maharashtra crashing from 204 for 4 overnight to 232 all out. Kaushik struck with the first ball of the morning, dismissing SD Atitkar caught-behind. His third over of the morning brought three wickets: Kedar Jadhav and Ajinkya Joshi were caught in the slips off consecutive balls, and then Akshay Darekar was dismissed in similar fashion off the last ball of the over.A few overs later, Kaushik completed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket by bowling No. 11 Samad Fallah. After having set a base on the first day, Maharashtra had collapsed. Tamil Nadu’s batsmen took advantage. Abhinav Mukund, the second-highest run-getter in the Elite division this season, and M Vijay put together an opening stand of 173 to flatten the visitors. There was some respite as the two were dismissed in quick succession but S Badrinath settled in and finished the day on 35 not out with Tamil Nadu 259 for 3.Abhinav fell short of what would have been his third hundred of the season, getting trapped lbw by Ajinkya Joshi on 95, and Vijay fell to Akshay Darekar for 79. Despite those two wickets Maharashtra are staring at a big first-innings deficit unless they can affect a collapse on the third morning similar to the one Kaushik affected today.

Aakash Chopra and Dishant Yagnik completed centuries on the second day at Uppal to build an imposing total of 421 for Rajasthan. By the end of the day Hyderabad had slipped to 35 for 2. Chopra and Yagnik had begun a recovery act on the first day, rescuing their team from 129 for 5 to finish the day 220 for 5. On the second day, they seized control, extending the sixth-wicket stand to 185 runs. Chopra completed his second century of the tournament, and went on to get 142, an innings that took 450 balls and included just 42 runs from fours and sixes.Yagnik, Rajasthan’s wicketkeeper, got his maiden first-class century, also taking his time on the way to 101. Contributions from Vivek Yadav and Pankaj Singh down the order further frustrated Hyderabad, who were kept in the field for 167.1 overs. Debutant left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan finished with 5 for 62 but the rest of the bowlers struggled to pick up wickets.Hyderabad’s batsmen then had to negotiate an awkward ten-over spell at the end of the day, and each of Rajasthan’s new-ball bowlers, Pankaj Singh and Sumit Mathur, found success. Akshath Reddy was dismissed by Pankaj for 12 and T Suman was bowled by Mathur for a nine-ball duck. Hyderabad now face an uphill climb on the final two days.

On another eventful day in Bangalore, which saw fifteen wickets fall, Karnataka won the first session, then gave away the middle one to Haryana, and just when it seemed like they had bounced back after tea lost their top order, giving the visitors a slight edge at the halfway stage of the quarter-final contest. Click here for the full report of the day’s action.

Kaustubh Pawar rescued Mumbai from a precarious position with a fiercely-determined century and along with the lower order, all but batted Madhya Pradesh out of the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai had begun the day 122 runs behind MP with only five wickets remaining, but Pawar showed tremendous character in grinding out his second hundred in his debut season at a time Mumbai desperately needed someone to bail them out. Click here for the full report of the day’s action.

Every team will play the same number of league games – 14, seven home and seven away – as in previous seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2011During the two-day long IPL auction in Bangalore, the BCCI announced the draw for the tournament’s 2011 season that begins on April 8. Every team will play the same number of league games (14, seven home and seven away) as in previous seasons with the following break-up: each team will play five other teams both home and away (10 matches), two teams only at home, and the remaining two teams only away. A random draw was used to decide who plays whom once and twice.

Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond were the biggest buys at the third IPL auction on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2010Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond were the biggest buys at the third IPL auction in Mumbai, each fetching the maximum possible bid of $750,000 but the biggest surprise was the fact that not a single Pakistan player was signed up by any of the franchises.Tuesday’s auction was low-key compared to the previous two, the franchises guided more by player availability than star power (the first year’s trend) or pure Twenty20 skills, as in 2009. Ten overseas slots were filled, and Mohammed Kaif became the eleventh senior player signed up on the day.However, there was not a single bid for any Pakistani player, though most of the World Twenty20-winning team was up for auction – including Shahid Afridi, the captain, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul and Umar Akmal. What made the blackout stranger was that the names had been placed on the auction list by the franchises expressing an interest in the players.The official explanation was that the players were overlooked for reasons of availability and cricket strategy. “The franchises had the option to pick any player. If you look, they [Pakistan players] were not the only ones not picked,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said. “There were other players, too, who were not picked in the auction.”Their loss was others’ gain, most notably Bond. The New Zealand fast bowler, who recently quit Test cricket to focus on the shorter forms of the game, saw his value rise the most, from a base price of $100,000 to the cap of $750,000 before Kolkata Knight Riders – who entered the bidding at $640,000 – and Deccan Chargers submitted their secret bids. Kolkata won, bidding an undisclosed amount.”From what we have understood he [Bond] wouldn’t be playing Test matches anymore and will play only ODIs and Twenty20 games,” Jai Mehta, co-owner of Kolkata, explained after the auction. “Yes, he has been prone to injuries but his coach said he is in pretty good shape. We wanted a fast bowler with experience and he provides us that.”Bond’s sale was the auction’s second tie-breaker; the first was among four franchises for Pollard, the explosive West Indies allrounder with a base price of $200,000. He was eventually signed up by Mumbai Indians, who beat off Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata. “The team strategy, discussed between Sachin Tendulkar, TA Sekar and Robin Singh was that we wanted a batting allrounder and we are happy to have him,” Nita Ambani, who represented Mumbai at the auction, said.

IPL Auction

Sold players: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai, USD750,000+), Shane Bond (Kolkata, 750,000+), Kemar Roach (Deccan, 720,000), Wayne Parnell (Delhi, 610,000), Mohammad Kaif (Punjab, 250,000), Eoin Morgan (Bangalore, 220,000), Damien Martyn (Rajasthan, 100,000), Justin Kemp (Chennai, 100,000), Thissara Perera (Chennai, 50,000), Adam Voges (Rajasthan, 50,000), Yusuf Abdulla (Punjab, 50,000)

Pollard and Bond’s final price was not disclosed and Modi said only he and the successful bidders would be privy to that information.The two other notable signings were Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, who was bought by Deccan for $720,000, and South Africa’s Wayne Parnell, bought by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000. “It is great for the player and he has a big future ahead of him,” Modi said of Roach’s price. “He is 100% available and that could have been a big factor [in his sale]. They [Deccan] needed a fast bowler and he met their requirement.Eoin Morgan, the England batsman, was picked up by Bangalore for $220,000. Offspinner Graeme Swann was one of the players in the first auction pool but he did not get any bids at his base price of $250,000. Modi said that player availability was an important factor in the team’s strategies.”Yes, availability is a serious issue with all teams without doubt, based on that the teams have formed strategies,” Modi said. “Eoin Morgan was not available 100 % of the time earlier but, before the auction, he was released for the full time by the ECB and hence he was bought.”Mohammad Kaif, the only Indian up for auction, went unsold in the first round of bidding but was later signed up by Punjab for $250,000.Only three of India’s Under-19 players, priced at Rs. 800,000 each, were eligible to play in the IPL and they were chosen by a draft system. Bangalore picked U-19 captain Ashok Menaria, Deccan went for Harmeet Singh and Mumbai opted for Harshal Patel.

Erling Haaland has warned Manchester City’s Premier League rivals that “next time we’ll score five” after playing out a thrilling draw at Chelsea.

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Champions held at Stamford BridgeNorwegian striker among the goals againHigh standards demanded by GuardiolaWHAT HAPPENED?

The reigning champions hit the target on four occasions during a dramatic contest at Stamford Bridge, but that was still only enough to take a share of the points in a remarkable 4-4 draw. Pep Guardiola sets such lofty standards at the Etihad Stadium that City are never happy unless they are blowing opponents away.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

They did that last season when landing a historic Treble, and the intention is to do the same in 2023-24. Haaland led the way last term with a remarkable haul of 52 goals across all competitions and – following a brace at Stamford Bridge – the prolific Norwegian is up to 17 efforts through 18 games this time around.

WHAT THEY SAID

Haaland believes City can take their game to even greater heights, telling reporters on the back of an eight-goal classic in west London: “It was a tough game, I enjoyed it. Normally when you score four goals you might win but we didn’t – that’s how it is. We had the chance to seal the win a couple of times, but we didn’t. It’s something we’ve got to work on. Next time we’ll have to score five. I feel good to score but a bit disappointed to not win. One point is better than zero. We’ve been doing really good. We’re top of the league and already through in the Champions League. It’s been a really good couple of months – better than last season to be honest. It’s been a good start.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

City have reached the November international break perched at the top of the Premier League table – with a one-point lead held over Liverpool and Arsenal – while they have progressed into the last-16 of the Champions League with two games to spare.

The Rojiblancos have brought in some big names since Diego Simeone took charge over a decade ago

Atletico Madrid have changed the face of La Liga in the last decade by becoming the third major force in Spanish football, battling Real Madrid and Barcelona for the title.

The Rojiblancos have won the Spanish league 11 times as well as three Europa League crowns, three UEFA Super Cups and the Copa del Rey on 10 occasions among others.

Under the guidance of Diego Simeone, Atletico have developed a brand of football that might not be soothing to the eyes, but effective when it comes to getting positive results in key matches.

In their quest to to compete with Barca and Madrid, Atletico have made some shrewd signings since Simeone took charge in 2011.

But how much exactly have Atletico spent over the years?

GOAL takes a look!

Atletico Madrid's top 10 most expensive player signings

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  10Antoine Griezmann | €30m | Real Sociedad | 2014

  After coming through the ranks at Real Sociedad, Antoine Griezmann made his senior debut for the club on September 2, 2009 when the Basque side were in the second tier.

  It was in the 2011-12 season that he really burst on to the scene, though, as Sociedad were promoted to La Liga. In his first match in the top-flight against defending champions Barcelona, Griezmann scored an equaliser to help Sociedad claim a 2-2 draw.

  In July 2014, Atletico Madrid came calling, agreeing to pay a €30m fee for the Frenchman.

  From 2014 to 2018, Griezmann made 180 appearances for Atletico, scoring 94 goals before making a record move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019.

  The World Cup winner returned back to Atletico for a season-long loan in 2021 before making his return permanent in 2022.

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  9Kevin Gameiro | €32m | Sevilla | 2016

  Atletico Madrid pounced on the opportunity to sign established striker Kevin Gameiro on a four-year deal for €32m from Sevilla in the summer of 2016.

  The French forward made 82 appearances and scored 27 goals in his two years for Atletico. His most memorable contribution came in February 2017, when he scored the fastest La Liga hat-trick in over 22 years after coming off the bench in the 62nd minute against Sporting Gijon.

  Gamerio was offloaded to Valencia in the summer of 2018 for €16m.

  After three seasons there, he returned to his childhood club Strasbourg in the summer of 2021.

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  8Jackson Martinez | €35m | Porto | 2015

  In the 2014-15 season, Porto's Jackson Martinez was labelled a future star of European football.

  Already 28 years old at that time, Martinez was on his way to score the last few of his 92 goals in 136 appearances for Porto.

  Premier League side Arsenal were heavily linked with the Colombian but Atletico Madrid acted fast and paid a hefty €35m fee for the Colombian striker in the summer of 2015.

  Martinez scored his first goal in his second game for Atletico – a 3-0 win over Sevilla.

  However, he could not survive at the club for even one full season, leaving the following January to join Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande.

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  7Alvaro Morata | €35m | Chelsea | 2020

  After having him on loan for the 2019-20 season, Atletico Madrid decided to sign Alvaro Morata on a permanent basis, agreeing to pay €35m to Chelsea.

  After making just eight appearances, Atletico sent him on loan to Juventus for two seasons.

  Morata returned to Atletico in 2022 and managed to fight his way back into Diego Simeone's starting XI.

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste domingo, Boavista e Volta Redonda se enfrentam pelas semifinais da Taça Guanabara, às 16h, no estádio Elcyr Resende de Mendonça, em Bacaxá. O Verdão de Saquarema e o Esquadrão de Aço eliminaramBotafogo e Vasco e se preparam para um duelo emocionante, com transmissão da Rede Globo. Quem avançar decidirá com o Flamengo, no sábado de carnaval. O vencedor do confronto será o mandante na decisão, definido em sorteio realizado pela FERJ.

Com a vantagem do empate, por ter tido a melhor campanha na fase de grupos, o Boavista procura chegar à sua terceira final deTaça Guanabara.O Verdão de Saquarema foi finalista da competição em 2011 e 2018, perdendo ambas para o Flamengo, clube que pode reencontrar caso avance no campeonato.

Pela terceira vez em dez anos, o Boavista está em uma semifinal de Taça Guanabara. Em 2011 eliminou o Fluminense e em 2018 o Bangu. Apesar de garantir a classificaçãomesmo com um empate, o meia Erick Flores, ex-Flamengo, em entrevista ao site ‘Futrio’ garantiu que a equipe não irá segurar oresultado e jogará para vencer o confronto.

– Acredito que não vamos usar a vantagem. Por ser tratar de uma semifinal, é muito perigoso querer apenas segurar o resultado. Vamos jogar o que sempre jogamos sem usar essa vantagem. Sabemos da responsabilidade da partida e faremos de tudo para manter se classificar – comentou o meia.

Já o Volta Redonda luta para chegar à final após 15 anos. O clube foi campeão da Taça Guanabara em 2005, derrotando o Americano, de Campos. O tricolor necessita vencer a partida e o lateral-esquerdo Luiz Paulo, em declarações ao site do clube, espera que o time não cometa os mesmos erros do último jogo contra o Boavista.

– Temos a consciência de que precisamos entrar em campo sabendo da importância de ter uma atuação homogênea, colocando em prática o nosso estilo de jogo durante os 90 minutos. Estamos fazendo uma semana de trabalho muito forte, o professor Luizinho está passando a estratégia de jogo que ele pensou para o confronto e estamos confiantes de que podemos fazer uma grande partida e voltar com a classificação – destacou o lateral.

O confronto das semifinais será um reencontro das equipes, já que ambas se enfrentaram no último domingo, pela sexta rodada da fase de grupos da competição. O time de Bacaxá levou a melhor e derrotou o Volta Redonda por 2 a 1.

Na última sexta, a FERJ anunciou que os ingressos da partida custarão 1 kg de alimento não perecível. Os alimentos serão doados para instituições beneficentes de Saquarema: Lar das Crianças Especiais e a Associação Pestalozzi. O município recebe pela primeira vez em sua história uma semifinal de turno do Campeonato Carioca.

Outro fato curioso é que a final terá uma preliminar. Um jogo da quinta e penúltima rodada do Grupo X, o da morte, entre Americano e América.O duelo seria em Cardoso Moreira, mas a FERJ preferiu mudar o local para utilizar o VAR na partida. O fato causou discórdia entre as equipes. Restam apenas duas rodadas, o campeão do grupo se salva da degola (um quadrangular) e os outros três irão jogar o Grupo Z.

Prováveis Escalações

Boavista : Kléver; Wellington Silva, Douglas Pedroso, Elivelton e Jean; Fernando Bob, Jefferson Renan, Erick Flores e Tartá; Michel e Caio Dantas. Técnico: Paulo Bonamigo.

Volta Redonda: Douglas Borges; William Mineiro, Heitor, Luan Leite e Luiz Paulo; Bruno Barra, Marcelo, Marquinhos, Bernardo e Pedrinho; Saulo Mineiro. Técnico: Luizinho Vieira

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalFato de duelo entre Americano e America ‘migrar’ para Bacaxá rende discórdia no Grupo XFutebol Nacional13/02/2020Fora de CampoTaça GB 2020: Globo irá transmitir semifinal entre Boavista e Volta Redonda, no domingoFora de Campo12/02/2020Futebol NacionalMichel, do Boavista, sobre terminar à frente do Flamengo: ‘É motivo de orgulho para o nosso grupo’Futebol Nacional11/02/2020

ESPNcricinfo previews the World T20 Group 1 match between England and South Africa

The Preview by Andrew Miller17-Mar-2016Match factsFriday, March 18, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1400 GMT)Big pictureEngland are uncomfortably well acquainted with early exits from world events, so there’s no disguising the peril that they once again find themselves in. The World T20’s main event has barely got underway and yet, if England fail to turn an ebbing tide in which they have lost six limited-overs fixtures in a row – including their last five against Friday night’s rivals, South Africa – they will be teetering on the brink before any other Group 1 side has played their second game.Chris Gayle’s ballistics could be inflicted on any team at any time, so there’s no disgrace in the defeat that England suffered at the Wankhede. “We aren’t the first and we certainly won’t be the last,” said a chastened Jos Buttler on the morning after the night before, no doubt hoping that Gayle goes on to scorch South Africa, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka with equal ferocity to keep England’s qualification hopes as buoyant as can be.Still, modern professional teams are obliged to find the positives in defeat, and therefore England will recognise the immense value of their reconnaissance. Most pertinently, they will know now not to dither if they are required to set a target – at the rate that he was going, with five fours and 11 sixes in his unbeaten 100, Gayle would have been on course to overhaul their apparently impressive target of 182 in fewer than 50 scoring strokes.And now, hot on his heels, comes another man who knows how to ping a long ball, albeit in more subtle directions than Gayle’s arc from extra cover to deep midwicket. Indeed, AB de Villiers served up a dose of Gayle’s own medicine when West Indies visited Johannesburg in January 2015, clobbering an unbelievable 149 from 44 balls, including an ODI record century from 31.With pick-up after pick-up over deep fine leg, de Villiers rode the pace and bounce at that stadium with ominous ease, especially given how – with its grassy deck and uncomfortably short boundaries – the Wankhede has much in common with South Africa’s favourite home ground.”I suppose you can compare it to the Wanderers in South Africa,” Faf du Plessis, their captain, said. “You don’t know what’s enough runs on a wicket like this. Even if you set a great total it is sometimes not enough.”AB de Villiers helped South Africa to a nine-wicket win over England a few weeks ago•Getty ImagesSouth Africa’s first tournament outing places them in a familiar situation – they are among the favoured sides and the weight of expectation has only been enhanced by India’s shocking loss to New Zealand. It hardly needs pointing out that they are not the world’s most accomplished front-runners – and of the five different victors of the World T20 so far, they and Australia are the most notable absentees.Those two sides completed their preparations with a three-match series in South Africa that spilled over into the qualifying week of the World T20 – and though Australia emerged as 2-1 series winners, South Africa’s form remains formidable all the same.In de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock, they possess three gun openers competing for two slots – an embarrassment of riches as the latter seems unlikely to get a game – while the rise and rise of Chris Morris is one of the more remarkable of recent times. Seemingly energised by his star status at the IPL auction, he has been playing, quite appropriately, like a million dollars.Form guideEngland: LLLWW (last five completed matches)
South Africa: LLWWWWatch out forAdmit all the talk of Buttler’s scorching power, the true heart and soul of England’s one-day renaissance is the irrepressible Joe Root, a batsman whose eye for a gap is second to none in the world game, and whose power is underestimated simply because finesse is front and centre of his methods. His career strike-rate in T20s, a healthy 133.67, barely pales compared to Buttler’s 136.14, but his average (35.72) is more than 12 points higher. He is the reliable engine room of England’s efforts and he’ll know better than anyone, having compiled a serene 48 from 36 balls on Wednesday, that more haste and more speed is the requirement on this deck.Adil Rashid’s development as a matchwinning legspinner is still on track in spite of Gayle’s best efforts to batter him back to the margins. But Imran Tahir is arguably flushed with even more confidence after a stellar finale to his home season in South Africa. A major factor in their turnaround in the one-day leg of England’s tour, not least with the bat, where he helped Morris seal a thrilling one-wicket win at Johannesburg, Tahir has scalped 10 cheap wickets in his last five T20Is.Team newsThere’s a strong case for injecting some extra bite to England’s bowling, given that Liam Plunkett is gathering dust on the sidelines and Delhi – the venue for England’s next two contests – is unlikely to offer anything like as much assistance for his methods. The likeliest fall guy in that eventuality would be Reece Topley, especially given how much of a threat the recalled David Willey proved to be with his new-ball swing. But England are just as likely to tell their beaten troops to get out there and do it better this time.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 Reece TopleyDespite his decent home form, Kyle Abbott looks likely to be squeezed out of the reckoning, with Dale Steyn back fit and firing. South Africa’s unspoken quota requirements could influence the balance of the batting, with Rilee Rossouw’s inclusion rather depending on whether Hashim Amla is retained ahead of de Kock at the top of the order. His serene 97 not out in their last outing against Australia, albeit in defeat, looks likely to secure his berth.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 AB de Villiers (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Rilee Rossouw/Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Wiese, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran TahirPitch and conditionsQuick by Asian standards, quick by most standards really, given the modern ubiquity of slow surfaces. The heavy dew that descended during the second innings on Wednesday may well be an influence at the toss. England tried not to allow that to be an excuse for their Gayle beasting but they clearly didn’t relish the extra challenge.Stats and trivia South Africa’s recent record of five limited-overs wins in a row against England included back-to-back T20I victories in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The latter proved to be one of England’s more ignominous performances of the past 12 months – they lost seven wickets in their last four overs to collapse from 157 for 3 to 171 all out, then succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat in the space of 14.4 overs These two met during the Super 10s stage of the last World T20, South Africa winning by three runs in Chittagong to send England out.Quotes”You can have as many plans as you like but if you can’t execute a skill to that plan then you’re stuffed anyway.”
“You can never ever disrespect any other team, no matter how small they might look. I certainly learned that the hard way in the 2011 World Cup. New Zealand looked like they were the minnows, they didn’t play their best cricket and they smashed us in the quarter-final. I have learnt that never again you can look at a team like that.”

England and Sussex wicketkeeper Matt Prior has announced his retirement due to the Achilles injury which required surgery last year.Following the second Test against India, at Lord’s, Prior had an operation which ruled him out of the remainder of the 2014 season but retained hopes of resuming his career. However, he recently told ESPNcricinfo that his recovery was like “two steps forward and four steps back” and has been forced to concede he will not return.”Today is a very sad day for me as I am forced to announce my retirement from the game I love,” he said. “I had been hoping and expecting to be fit for the start of the 2015 season. Unfortunately, this has proved impossible, and I have now had to reach this decision.”I feel honoured to have played for Sussex and England as many times as I have and shared so many great times with both teams. I also feel privileged to have been involved in an era of such success for English cricket.”I would like to thank my family, team-mates, coaches and the people behind the scenes that have supported me throughout the years. I have created friendships that will last forever. It would also be remiss of me not to thank the fantastic support I have had from cricket fans both at home and abroad.”I have always tried to play with pride and passion and have a deep belief that the team will always come first. A value that will never leave me whatever I go on to do. Although I haven’t achieved all the goals I had set out to, I feel immensely proud of what I have done in my career. Sadly it is now time to move on.”Prior, 33, played 79 Tests, scoring 4099 runs and claiming 256 dismissals which left him second behind Alan Knott in the list of England’s wicketkeepers. He was part of three Ashes series victories and was also part of the England team which reached No. 1 in the Test rankings in 2011.He made a century on his Test debut against West Indies, at Lord’s, in 2007 and his top score of 131 not out came in Port of Spain in early 2009 following a recall to the side late the previous year after a gap of a year. That was one of seven Test hundreds – the last of which was the monumental rearguard against New Zealand in Auckland.Although he did not find the same success in white-ball cricket at international level, he played 68 ODIs and 10 T20s.Overall he played 249 first-class matches and scored 13,228 runs at 39.25 while claiming 683 dismissals.Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, said: “Matt has had a wonderful career as a wicketkeeper batsman for both Sussex and England. During a period where the Test team won three Ashes series and achieved the world No.1 ranking, Matt’s contribution, both on and off the field, was immense.”It is a huge shame that his career has come to an end in this way, although his athletic wicket-keeping and counter attacking batting will live long in the memories of both his team mates and England supporters.”Mark Robinson, the Sussex director of cricket, said: “It is a sad day when a cricketer of such talent and character and who has achieved so much, and has the ability to achieve so much more, is forced to retire through injury.”Matt has done great things for the club but more importantly, has done what we all dream of, which is play for his country with honour and distinction. On behalf of all the current playing side of the club, but also on behalf of all those who have played with him in the past, we thank him for the memories and wish him all the luck for the next stage of his life.”

Fifties from Joe Weatherley, Haseeb Hameed and Callum Taylor led England Under-19s’ strong reply as they converted a 245-run deficit into a 59-run lead by the end of the third day of the Youth Test in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2015
ScorecardFifties from Joe Weatherley, Haseeb Hameed and Callum Taylor led England Under-19s’ strong reply as they converted a 245-run deficit into a 59-run lead by the end of the third day of the Youth Test in Perth.Resuming on 0 for 38, Weatherley and Max Holden added only nine runs in the morning before David Grant had Holden caught behind for 24. Weatherly, joined by Hameed, rebuilt the innings and ground the Australian U-19 attack with a 75-run partnership. The stand, however, ended when Weatherley was also caught behind, in the 47th over, for 68. Four overs later Mosun Hussain departed for 8 as England were reduced to 3 for 133.Australia may have sensed an opening at that point but Taylor, who was more attacking, complemented Hameed well and took his team forward, courtesy a 120-run partnership. Wicketkeeper Ryan Davies then chipped in with 42 off 66 balls but his knock was cut short when he became Henry Thornton’s second victim, the first being Taylor. Aaron Thomason, coming in at No. 7, hung in with Hameed as England rallied to end the day at 5 for 342 after a disappointing first-innings effort with the bat. Hameed was unbeaten on 91 off 256, which featured seven fours.