Tag Futebol

Manchester United have this afternoon identified their “top target” to replace Ruben Amorim after dismissing their manager.

Amorim and INEOS reach boiling point

The results were never strong under Amorim, but INEOS seemed content to wait for their masterplan to work. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. always towed the line that it was a long-term project at Old Trafford and there would be no quick fix. But then came the issue of Amorim’s formation.

It’s a system which split opinion at the club and the former Sporting CP manager looked to have finally eased his stance in recent weeks after switching things up. That, however, was simply the beginning of the end.

Amorim soon reverted back to old ways and after Jason Wilcox broached the topic of his formation, the manager reportedly blew up as tensions reached a boiling point.

Tensions hadn’t simmered by the time that Amorim was sat in front of reporters after drawing 1-1 with Leeds United either, and that led to an bombshell interview.

The 40-year-old told reporters: “I just want to say that I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach. In every department – the scouting department, the sporting director – needs to do their job. I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.”

Related Man Utd Next Manager Odds: Top Ruben Amorim replacements (Ranked)

The bookies have had their say…

Posts ByBen Goodwin

His words have since turned into his final monologue as Man United boss and INEOS have been left to pick up the pieces, commencing their search for a new manager.

Man Utd identify "top target" to replace Amorim

According to The Telegraph’s Jason Burt on Monday afternoon, Man United have now made Oliver Glasner their “top target” to replace Amorim and INEOS are huge admirers of his work.

United’s potential move would likely fall into rumours that INEOS are unlikely to appoint a permanent manager until the summer, with an interim until then likely to either be Darren Fletcher or another option.

Glasner has around six months left on his Crystal Palace deal and there are no signs that he will be putting pen to paper on fresh terms. This should allow United to swoop in and land a free deal for a manager who needs no introduction in the Premier League.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Man United managerial insight Want more context? Subscribe to our newsletter for focused coverage and expert analysis on Manchester United’s managerial search, Oliver Glasner’s link to the job, and the strategic implications for the club.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Compared to Amorim, the Austrian is certainly adaptable. Despite operating with a 3-4-2-1, like Amorim, at Selhurst Park, Glasner previously admitted that he picks his formation based on the squad.

It’s exactly what INEOS will want to hear, as they look to appoint the second manager of their tenure just 14 months after securing their first.

Liverpool officials have reportedly completed their scouting mission in the race to sign a young Dutch midfielder who’s been compared to Frenkie De Jong.

Liverpool sack set-piece coach

After a woeful set-piece record in the Premier League this season, Liverpool have sacked set-piece coach Aaron Briggs. The decision has been made with immediate effect and the responsibility will now be shared among the rest of the Reds’ coaching staff as they look to end a miserable defensive run in that area.

What was a key strength under Jurgen Klopp and under Arne Slot last season as Liverpool secured Premier League glory has now become their biggest weakness.

After conceding 12 goals from set-pieces this season, with the latest coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers, those at Anfield have decided that enough is enough. They will hope that, even without directly replacing Briggs for the time being, things will now improve.

That said, it may not be the only change in Merseyside in the next month. The Premier League champions could find themselves busy on the transfer front in the January transfer window.

Whilst they’re set to miss out on Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, recent reports have claimed that Liverpool could yet make another move to sign Marc Guehi next month.

Related Mac Allister upgrade: Liverpool could sign "best CM prospect in the world"

Liverpool are weighing up a winter move for a new centre-midfielder.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

Several clubs are lying in wait to secure the Crystal Palace man when he becomes a free agent in the summer. Those at Anfield, however, could swoop in early by offering Palace one last chance to cash in.

Guehi’s arrival would certainly help solve some of their problems, perhaps including from set pieces, but he’s not the only name on their shortlist. According to TeamTalk, Liverpool have now also completed their scouting mission to sign Kees Smit in the summer.

Liverpool complete Kees Smit scouting mission

The young Dutchman is becoming the talk of the Premier League amid interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur and it’s easy to see why.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Liverpool transfer insight Craving deeper context on Liverpool’s transfer moves and tactical choices? Subscribing to the newsletter delivers focused coverage and expert analysis on targets, scouting reports and squad implications-ideal for tracking Kees Smit and other rising prospects.

---

Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

One scout went as far as to claim that the AZ Alkmaar man is the “best midfield prospect since Frenkie De Jong” in the Netherlands – telling TeamTalk: “He is a very clever footballer, many clubs actually thought they had spotted a player that others might not be aware of but it has become apparent in recent months that everyone is watching him.

“He is a genuine talent, when you think of an Adam Wharton in England – this is the Dutch version of that. He is probably the best Dutch midfield prospect since Frenkie De Jong, and he hasn’t done bad, has he? He really is superb and is someone everyone will be talking about this summer.”

As such, Liverpool could reportedly have to pay around £65m if they want to welcome the 19-year-old in the summer in what would be another expensive move from Michael Edwards and Co.

ScorecardFile photo – Dinda struck four times in two overs to amplify Bengal’s advantage•PTI

Bengal took big strides towards securing their berth in the knockouts as Ashok Dinda struck four times in two overs after Bengal whipped up a total of 444.Dinda had Pallav Kumar Das caught behind off his first ball before having the other opener – Rahul Hazarika – lbw for 1. He followed it with another double-wicket maiden to dash Assam’s hopes of a fightback.Earlier, Shreevats Goswami and Pankaj Shaw built on the platform laid by Sayan Mondal and Sudip Chatterjee. While Goswami went on to strike his maiden first-class century in his 28th match, Shaw was pinned lbw for 99 by left-arm spinner Syed Mohammad. Aamir Gani’s 43-ball 33 pushed the total further before Manoj Tiwary declared the innings at 444 for 6 in 158 overs.
ScorecardResuming on an overnight 284 for 6, Vidarbha surged to 504 thanks to centuries from Ravi Jangid and Aditya Sarwate. The pair added 212 runs for the seventh wicket before Jangid was run out for 110 by Jayant Yadav. Sarwate stayed unbeaten on 103 as S Badrinath called the batsmen in at 504 for 7 in 155 overs. Haryana then began steadily, openers Nitin Saini and Chaitanya Bishnoi taking their side to 53 by stumps on the second day.
ScorecardWickets continued to tumble in Jaipur as Rajasthan were set a target of 230. Basant Mohanty and Alok Chandra Sahoo, who began by routing Rajasthan for 51, reduced the hosts to 7 for 2 in the fourth innings. However, Puneet Yadav launched a counterattack, making 56 out of Rajasthan’s 78.Mohanty and Alok carried on from where they had left off on the opening day as Rajasthan managed only 23 runs to their overnight score before they were rolled over in 27.2 overs. The innings contained four ducks and only three double-digit scores.Pankaj Singh and Aniket Choudhary then took over, sharing eight wickets between them to shoot Odisha out for 129. Ranjit Singh and Alok offered a semblance of resistance with 30s but a first-innings lead of 100 meant that Odisha were ahead on another 16-wicket day.
ScorecardKarnataka, who ended the first day in Pune at 50 for 1, collapsed to 180, right-arm pacer Anupam Sanklecha doing the bulk of the damage with figures of 4 for 58. He was backed up by Nikit Dhumal and Shrikant Mundhe who shared six wickets between them.Mayank Agarwal was the first to go on the second day when he was undone by Sanklecha. Robin Uthappa and Karun Nair both had starts but failed to build on it. Shreyas Gopal then managed 21 but Maharashtra took a first innings lead of 32.Karnataka, however, hit back through Vinay Kumar and S Aravind to reduce Maharashtra to 39 for 4 in 17.5 overs. Just as Karnataka looked to make further inroads, Rahul Tripathi and Kedar Jhadav steadied the innings with an unbroken 31-run partnership.

Richard Pybus: quits less than six months into a three-year deal © Getty Images

Richard Pybus has left Middlesex less than six months after being appointed as their first-team coach.In a short statement, Middlesex said that he had “asked to be released from his contract with immediate effect [and] the club has agreed to this request”.Pybus signed a three-year deal in February and joined the county in April after finishing coaching the Titans in South Africa. He had two stints as Pakistan national coach between 1999 and 2003. “We expected Richard to stay with us for two or three years,” Ed Smith, Middlesex’s captain, told The Times. “We all enjoyed working with him and he had the players’ respect. He was an intelligent man and had interesting ideas.”Vinny Codrington, the county’s chief executive, told The Times that the resignation came as a complete surprise. “There were a number of issues in his resignation letter that were personal and not related to the club or the players. His wife had been here for just a month and I suspect he was surprised by the high cost of living here.”Pybus’s decision came on the same day that the side he left to join Middlesex, Titans in South Africa, revealed that they had failed to find a suitable replacement for him. “Maybe the fact that the Titans job is available influenced him, but I don’t know,” Codrington said. “He was the boss there. We specifically wanted a first-team coach as we have a director of cricket. He expected his own office here at Lord’s, but we simply didn’t have room.”John Emburey, who Pybus replaced, will resume a role he stepped down from last year after a dire season saw the county finish bottom of both Championship and one-day leagues.

Former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten has been appointed as a batting consultant for the Warriors for the upcoming season. Kirsten will aid coach Russell Domingo and his assistant, Piet Botha.The Warriors batting was very weak last season and they went down to heavy defeats in their last three matches.”I’ve worked a lot with Gary at batting camps and we’ve got a good rapport,” said Domingo. “It says much for the faith he has in our franchise that a player of Kirsten’s stature is prepared to come on board.”Kirsten is expected in Port Elizabeth for pre-season training in September. He said: “I am delighted to be part of the Warriors and hope that I can play a role in ensuring that the players are prepared for the season ahead.””Gary brings with him an enormous amount of experience and wisdom,” Dave Emslie, the CEO of Cricket Eastern Cape, added. “In retaining his services we are providing our cricketers with a unique opportunity to learn from somebody who has achieved the highest success through hard work and determination. Gary’s experience, expertise and personality will be something that we hope will give the Warriors a competitive edge in their quest to provide the region with a team of which they can be proud.”

Division One

Kent took a leaf out of Surrey’s book and cashed in on a flat Guildford wicket as this match continued to be dominated by the batsmen. Matthew Walker and Justin Kemp put together an undefeated sixth-wicket stand of 206 as Kent closed within 44 runs of Surrey’s 452 for 8 declared. Kemp’s innings was a breakthrough for the South African allrounder, who had previously managed 56 runs in four Championship innings. Walker has had no such problems this summer and reached his third century from 120 balls. Azhar Mahmood was the best Surrey bowler but Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi both struggled to exert any control. Surrey’s declaration had earlier denied Kent the chance of a third bowling point after Amjad Khan, Andrew Hall and Min Patel had picked up a wicket each in the morning session.Nottinghamshire ended the second day within one shot of a crushing win over Warwickshire but the umpires ruled play had to finish so the match will have to completed in the morning. Warwickshire subsided for 133 in their second innings with Graeme Swann taking 6 for 57 after David Hussey had helped secure a 122-run first innings lead with an aggressive 77. Swann ran through Warwickshire’s middle and lower order and only Ian Westwood showed any real resistance with 33. In all, 18 wickets clattered during the day and Warwickshire are now on the verge of their third defeat of the season, leaving they grip on the County Championship increasingly weak. Nottinghamshire, though, are continuing to perform impressively and this will be their fifth win.Hampshire suffered their second top order collapse of the match after Sussex gained a slender seven-run lead while 16 wickets tumbled in the day. Three late strikes – two to James Kirtley and one to Mushtaq Ahmed – left Hampshire ahead by just by 15 runs. Richard Montgomerie top-scored for Sussex with 64 and all their middle order chipped in useful contributions. Rana Naved hit 39 from 38 balls before Sean Ervine wrapped up the innings with 5 for 73. Hampshire’s first innings resistance lasted a further 12.1 overs during the morning session, Nic Pothas was trapped lbw by Mushtaq for 135.1st dayOwais Shah made his third Championship century of the summer to give Middlesex a solid start in their clash with the Division One strugglers Glamorgan. Shah, Middlesex’s second highest run-scorer, with 858, after the prolific Ed Joyce, added 109 with Ben Hutton. Shah then received useful support from the middle-order until he was caught behind off Robert Croft for 101. Although Scott Styris went without addition to the score, Jamie Dalrymple caused further problems for the Glamorgan bowlers. He ended the day unbeaten on 57 and his partnership with Ben Scott is already worth 60. The pick of Glamorgan’s attack was Huw Waters, an 18-year-old, who took 3 for 67 in his second Championship match.

Division Two

Steven Davies and Vikram Solanki built a valuable lead against Worcestershire but Northamptonshire fought back before losing Martin Love to the final ball of the day. Davies, the promising young wicketkeeper who is filling an opening role, struck a career-best 95 and Solanki a typically boundary-filled 80. A useful 48 from Gareth Batty and a valuable last-wicket stand of 45 between Shoaib Akhtar and Matt Mason gave Worcestershire an 82-run lead. Northants had gone virtually all the way in clearing the deficit but, such is Love’s importance, his dismissal to Ray Price could yet prove a pivotal moment in the match.Leicestershire have compiled a healthy lead of 286 with five second-innings remaining despite a belated comeback from Yorkshire. Ottis Gibson – who earlier fell nine runs short of a second first-class century – Charl Willoughby and Stuart Broad took three wickets each as Yorkshire stumbled to 187 all out – 179 behind Leicestershire – but were not asked to follow on. Darren Maddy and Darren Robinson both fell for nought when Leicestershire batted again, but a stand of 65 between John Maunders and Chris Rogers settled the nerves. However, two late wickets from Anthony McGrath have left Yorkshire with a glimmer of hope.1st dayPaul Collingwood made a career-best 190 for Durham but a belated Derbyshire fightback left the match interestingly poised after the first day. Collingwood and Dale Benkenstein added 250 for the third wicket however, Benkenstein’s dismissal for 98 sparked a collapse. Derbyshire lost 6 for 50 as Nick Walker took 4 for 64. Collingwood was eventually caught by Jon Moss off Walker after facing 255 balls and striking 28 fours and two sixes.Andy and Grant Flower gave Essex the upperhand against Lancashire at Old Trafford. Grant anchored the innings with 115 after the early loss of Will Jefferson to Dominic Cork. He added 96 with Andy before falling to the last ball of the afternoon session, caught behind from Gary Keedy. He faced 238 balls and hit 19 boundaries while his brother will be trying to match him after ending the day on 62. Cork was the most impressive of Lancashire’s attack taking 2 for 49 in 21 overs.

The end of the innings for Michael Slater© Getty Images

Michael Slater, the rollicking Test opener who gave happiness to millions, bid farewell to big-time cricket on Wednesday, after having conceded defeat to the reactive arthritis that had played havoc with his career over the past few months. Slater, 34, played just three one-dayers for New South Wales in the last summer before being hospitalised.Addressing the media in Sydney, he said, “The decision has been a painful one. It’s been a very tough one, given that I still have the desire to play and believe I still had a lot to offer New South Wales cricket.” But selfishness was never part of Slater’s cricket psyche, and he added, “But I feel to have signed with the Blues in the hope of being fit for the season would have been irresponsible.”Looking back at his career, Slater said that the one regret centred around his exit from the Australian side, on the Ashes tour of 2001. Personal travails relating to his marriage ensured that there would be no fairytale swansong, and Slater said that harsh media scrutiny hadn’t helped matters. “The nature of me or the basis of me is I’m emotional and very sensitive, and unfortunately with the rumours and innuendo and the media coverage, I really took it to heart and it was a very difficult period to get through,” he said.James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, was one of those to pay fulsome tribute to one of cricket’s most intriguing characters. “Michael is one of those rare players whose contribution to the game was even greater than his impressive statistics imply,” he said. “Fourteen Test tons is pretty impressive, and so was his role helping Australia back to the top.”But it was his approach and obvious pride representing his country which inspired countless Australian kids and left fans with our most lasting memories of him as an international player. His practice of kissing the Australian coat-of-arms on his helmet upon reaching a century emphasised the passion and pride with which he represented our country.”Recent newspaper reports had suggested that he was unhappy with his latest contract offer from NSW and was considering permanently trading the cricket field for the commentary box, where his alert and energetic style have made him an engaging TV performer.Slater’s Test record – 5312 runs, 14 hundreds and an average of 42.84 – leaves him just short of the truly great Test openers. But those numbers give little hint of his flamboyance or clean hitting, his determination to take on rather than see off opening bowlers, which made him one of the most thrilling batsmen of the modern era.He adopted the same hyperactive approach off the field, which was thought to be a big part of the reason why he was dumped by Australia for the second and final time after the fourth Ashes Test of 2001. Slater himself was convinced his removal “had nothing to do with form” and vowed to “come back bigger and better”.But it was not be. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer immediately made themselves indisposable, Slater never quite recaptured his old lustre and a certain amount of melancholic underachievement now accompanies his premature retirement.Nonetheless, his opening partnership with Mark Taylor – by far the stodgier of the two – rates as the second most prolific in Test history, behind the West Indians Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Slater’s opening-Test assaults against England at the Gabba in 1994-95, then again at Edgbaston in 2001, effectively dictated the course of two Ashes series by the end of their first day.He suffered from weight fluctuations and swollen ankles in recent times, with doctors unsure precisely what is wrong with him. “Some days he struggles to get out of bed, other days he is pretty good,” his manager Neil Maxwell said back in February.Slater’s most recent first-class appearance was for NSW against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval last November. He made 10 followed by a six-ball duck. He leaves the playing field with vivid memories of exuberant strokeplay, and unforgettable images of the Australian crest – on his helmet – being kissed with unbridled passion.

The Australian cricket team has been winning almost every match over the last four years and came to the 8th World Cup in southern Africa as pre-tournament favourites. At the end of it they went home with the trophy, retaining it without losing a single match.Ricky Ponting, who took over captaincy from legendary Steve Waugh last year, led his team from the front in an attacking and inspirational manner, as his team became the first in history to win the World Cup for the third time.They outplayed every opposition they came up against and in every department of the game too, certainly the deserved winners. No matter the toss was won or lost, no matter batted first or bowled first – whatever they did was to perfection and not left to chance. They approached every game with a gung-ho attitude and reaped the harvest.The Australians started off their World Cup campaign under the most trying conditions – just before their first game against Pakistan, champion spinner Shane Warne was sent back home after failing a drug test. Most other teams would not have coped and probably faltered but not the Aussies. They showed tremendous mental strength as they came into the Pakistan game as if nothing had happened, it was `business as usual’ for them.Even when they were in a spot of bother, reduced to 146-5 in the 30th over they never gave up. Andrew Symonds, lucky to be at the Aussie squad in first place, stood up and scored a magnificent 143 not out to lead the charge as Australia accumulated a mammoth 310-8. Next their bowlers got into the act and despite a late Pakistan assault bowled them out for 228 to win by 82 runs.Similarly, in the final against India, they lost both openers after a good start and could have lost more wickets but skipper Ponting and batsman Damien Martyn first made sure there were no further losses. After playing themselves in, both went on a rampage and belted the Indian bowling to every nook and cranny of the Wanderers to pile up a monstrous 359-2, Ponting ending with 140 and Martyn on 88. In every time of trouble, one or other Australian player stood tall to help his team in the most appropriate manner.Another aspect of Australian victories was they excelled in both batting and bowling rather than depending on just one department. Batters did their job and the bowlers did their job. The latter proved, once again, to be the best in the business. Even after losing two main weapons in Shane Warne and Jason Gillespie they never showed the smallest chink in their armour as solace to oppositions.It is often said a genuine fast bowling attack can make captaincy so much easier and Ricky Ponting will be the first one to agree with this. Both Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee were simply brilliant and Andy Bichel, coming in for Gillespie, took wickets in a heap and never let the team feel his absence. Most impressive was Brett Lee, the New South Welshman, in the best form of his life to take 22 wickets bowling with utmost fire and pace.All critics agree Australia is indeed one of the best if not the best team in history. The outstanding successes achieved recently suggest that Ricky Ponting is a marvellously astute captain. I would stress this side is so good it really does not need a captain at all!Nearly all players are thinking cricketers; they foresee every move to be made and where to field, how to bat and where to bowl according to the situation. They have gelled well as cohesive unit, which makes them an even stronger opposition. There were so signs of rivalry or tension in them unlike some other teams and each player backed the other as if they were brothers.The Aussies also figured out their opposition players extremely well by focusing on a batsman’s weakness or targeting a weak fielder, extracting mistakes through the added pressure. Their other philosophy was ‘attack being the best form of defence’. Even if the chips were down like in the Super Six match against New Zealand and in the semi-final against Sri Lanka when bowled out for comparatively low scores, they came out to bowl all guns blazing and blasted them with an attacking and positive game plan.The merit of any teams performance must be judged against the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition. This applies to players as well when assessing their records, be they batsmen, bowlers or wicketkeepers. Many a false reputation has been achieved against weaker opponents!The acid test of greatness comes when a team must face awkward situations, strong opposition, and especially if a team has some precious players missing.Thus, this Australian team has every right in the world to be called great. Indeed, they are a cut above the rest and are in a league of their own.This World Cup was just a start and as their coach John Buchanan has said ‘we can still improve’; they surely will make life for others more difficult. So it may be best to wish the best of luck to the others in coming years.

England enjoyed probably their best day so far in the Under-19 Test series against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, finishing the day only 103 runs behind the tourists with seven wickets left.Hero of the day was undoubtedly Durham left-hander Gary Pratt. He hit a composed 188 in almost five and a half hours on the second day of the Second Test.It was his second under-19 Test hundred, following on from his 114 against India in Hyderabad last January.Pratt, who hit 29 fours in his 258-ball innings, was out caught behind as he played under a wide, full-length ball from Jamaican fast bowler Jermaine Lawson.That was six overs from the close, which arrived with England on 313 for threeand Kadeer Ali on 56 in reply to West Indies’ 416 for nine declared.Pratt and his opening partner Joe Sayers, of Yorkshire, defied some vehement West Indies appealing that brought one rebuke from Test umpire Peter Willey during their opening stand of 116.The partnership ended when Sayers lobbed Lawson for a simple catch to mid-wicket and was out for 45.In the morning session, Lancashire seamer Kyle Hogg put aside his heritage to take three West Indian wickets in four balls as they tumbled from 400 for six to 416 for nine.For Hogg’s grandfather is the great West Indies spinner Sonny Ramadhin, whobowled 81.2 overs to take five for 135 in the second innings against England onthis same ground 51 years ago.Ramadhin’s daughter married Lancashire bowler Willie Hogg and the result wasyoung Kyle.He failed as nightwatchman when he played on to Lawson, but he is on ahat-trick when West Indies bat again.

The hard-hitting opening batsmen Gunawardane scored his first one-day century as the favorites Sri Lanka, batting first, piled up 287 for 6 to beat the West Indies by a margin of 108 runs in the pre-quarterfinal of the ICC KnockOut.The West Indies lost an early advantage they had gained by getting two best Sri Lankan batsmen, Jaysuria and Atapattu, out with the total at 10. This loss of advantage was mainly due to the inexperience found in the Caribbean bowling because of the absence of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in the side.After Mervyn Dillon had gotten rid of both the Lankan skipper and his reliable deputy in his 3rd over, things looked gloomy for the Sri Lankans. However, with the introduction of medium pacers, Kerry Jeremy and Laurie Williams-both debutantes, the goings changed remarkably in favor of Sri Lanka. It was during this period that the two batsmen at the crease, the hard-hitting left handed opener Gunawardane and Jayawardane, did not only make amends for the early setback by batting watchfully but also found some boundaries as well. Although Williams was quite tidy in his opening spell, Jeremy was wayward in his line and length as he gave away 24 runs in his first two overs.Cautious at first, the two batsmen soon opened up their shoulders and runs began to flow freely. It was at this juncture that the stand-in captain Sherwin Campbell brought on his spinners. But this move also didn’t pay off as the Sri Lankan batsmen played their shots with command and authority. The stylish Jayawardane was particularly harsh on the leg-spinner, Nagamootoo and the debutante off-spinner, Marlon Samuel. The acceleration shown by the Sri Lankan batsmen at this stage is evident from the fact that whereas the first fifty was reached in 13.1 overs, the next one took less than nine overs to complete.Jayawardane reached his fifty ahead of his partner, taking just 52 balls for that. Gunawardane achieved the same feat in 65 balls. However, the latter cut loose at this stage and scored at a brisk pace. The marathon partnership between Jayawardane and Gonawardane had reached 160 when the former was caught by Courtney Brown off the bowling of Jeremy for 72 scored from 71 balls. The next batsman Sangakarra had but a brief stay at the crease as he was run out in a most unfortunate manner. The ball delivered by Jeremy was hit with brute force back to the bowler. The catch, to the relief of the batsmen at the batting crease, was dropped but the ball rolled on to the stumps at the bowling end only to find Sangakarra out of his crease.Russell Arnold was next to come and he continued the good work, which was temporarily hampered by the fall of two quick wickets. He and Gunawardane added more than fifty runs for the 5th wicket and that too in a very short time. Arnold made quick 41 before he was played on off the bowling of Mclean. Gunawardane, in the meanwhile, completed his first hundred in 125 balls, studded with 14 hits to the boundary. Although, he was dropped three times during the innings, twice in one over of Dillon, and also caught off a no-ball, yet credit must go to him for the way he controlled his innings with caution as well as aggression after the early fall of two important wickets. Another important fact about his innings is that he did not lose his concentration even after getting to his ton, although he seemed visibly tired. When, at last, he was out, bowled round his legs by Mclean, the Sri Lankan score was well past the 250 mark. He made 132 with the help of 19 fours. The experienced Kaluwidharna collected a few boundaries in the end of the innings to post an imposing total of 287 in the allotted 50 overs.The West Indian bowling lacked experience as they conceded too many boundaries during the innings by straying from the line. However, blame also falls on the poor display of fielding by the Caribbeans as they let off three chances of catches and, at least, as many opportunities of run outs. Mervyn Dillon was the most successful bowler picking 2 for 46, followed by Mclean who took 2 for 56. The young seamer, Kerry Jeremy, took one wicket for 54 on his debut.The West Indian openers started the proceedings with aggression-Courtney Brown hitting a huge six in the second over and Campbell executing some beautifully timed square-cuts to the boundary. However, the fall of Brown’s wickets at the total of 35 in the 6th over triggered a mini-collapse as 4 wickets fell in the space of 6 runs, including the prize wicket of Brian Lara. The main damage was done by the left arm pace bowler Zoysa who took the wickets of Brown and Lara in the space of two overs to leave the Windies staggering at 4 for 41.The West Indies had lost six wickets for just 85 on the board. A partnership of 74 between Nagamootoo and Williams brought some respectability to their total. Williams became the highest scorer for the West Indies making 41; Nagamootoo got 33. The West Indian tail had a daunting task to achieve?requiring 120 in the last 8 overs. However, they had no answer to the tidy bowling of their rivals. They were all out for paltry 179 in 46.4 overs, thus, conceding the match by 108 runs.Zoysa was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka, taking 3 wickets for 34. Wickramasinghe and Jayasuria took 2 wickets each for 37 and 30 runs, respectively. Russell Arnold took one for 29, while the remaining two batsmen were run out.Sri Lanka now meets Pakistan in the quarterfinal on Sunday. The winner of this match will meet either New Zealand or Zimbabwe in the semi-final of the competition.