Tag Futebol

Mohammad Abbas, the Pakistan Test seamer, has agreed to join Derbyshire as one of their overseas players, signing a two-year contract that covers the 2026 and 2027 seasons.Abbas has built an impressive record in red-ball county cricket with Leicestershire, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire, whom he helped to the Championship title last summer. He will be reunited at Derbyshire with Mickey Arthur, the man who gave him his Test debut with Pakistan and who will hope the arrival of Abbas can help to spark a promotion push next year.”This is a statement signing for us, we’ve beaten a number of Division One counties to sign one of the finest red-ball bowlers around and we’re absolutely delighted to have Mohammad on board for 2026 and 2027,” Arthur said.Related

• Mohammad Abbas swaps Hampshire for Nottinghamshire on six-match deal

• Abbas turns screw on former team-mates with debut Notts five-for

• Mohammad Abbas, the county legend underappreciated by Pakistan

“He’s an exceptional bowler, he bowls maidens, builds pressure and his wickets come at a really impressive average. However, it’s not just his ability which will be huge for us, his experience is going to be massive for our young players to learn from.”Abbas, whose most-recent Test appearance came in January, has taken 291 wickets in the County Championship at 19.89 since first joining Leicestershire for the 2018 season.Abbas said: “It’s exciting for me to join Derbyshire and work with Mickey Arthur again, he’s a fantastic coach and hearing his plans for Derbyshire, we share the same ambitions for the club: to be in Division One.””The team only just missed out on promotion in 2025, so I’m hoping I can come in and perform to win a few more games and give our supporters a trophy to celebrate.”

Chris Cairns, who bid farewell to international cricket early last year, has signed with the Indian Cricket League © Getty Images

Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Nathan Astle, Hamish Marshall, Darren Maddy and Azhar Mahmood have become the latest international cricketers to sign with the Indian Cricket League. Of these six cricketers only Maddy is still actively playing cricket at the highest level, with the others having either retired or fallen out of favour with their respective selectors.Marshall refused a contract from New Zealand Cricket recently as he wished to pursue a career playing county cricket in England, qualifying as a Kolpak player. Cairns, Harris and Astle have not been in the New Zealand team for some time now, while Mahmood has figured in just four matches for Pakistan since 2004.Announcing their latest signings, Kapil Dev, the chairman of the executive board of the ICL, said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome these players to the ICL family. These talented experienced cricketers will definitely be a great source of learning for the youngsters who will play with them. Under their guidance, the Indian Cricket League players will develop skills comparable to the best of international cricketing talent.””These signings are in line with our objective of providing the best platform for young cricketers from all corners of India to play alongside the superstars of international cricket, learn the tricks of the trade from them and gain confidence to excel.”The ICL also officially announced the signing of twelve Indian domestic cricketers. Although some of these names were already on the ICL radar and in the news, it was announced on Friday that Abu Nachem, Amit Uniyal, Aniruddh Singh, Gaurav Gupta, Love Ablish, Mihir Diwakar, Rakesh Patel, Abid Nabi, Kiran Powar, Pritam Das and former India internationals S Sriram and Nilesh Kulkarni, had signed on the dotted line.The domestic players who have already signed with the ICL are currently participating in a training camp in Chennai at the Mayajaal ground on the outskirts of the city. It has been suggested that the ICL is targeting to play its first Twenty20 matches in mid-November although it is as yet unclear where these matches will be held.

The annual tri-series in Australia is likely to be played under a different banner this summer © Getty Images

The annual one-day international tri-series in Australia, traditionally following the summer’s Test series, is set to get a new sponsor.The Commonwealth Bank is expected to take over from Foster’s Australia, which sponsored the series for five seasons through its brand VB, for this summer’s series, also featuring England and New Zealand. In the past, Benson & Hedges and Carlton & United have also been successful sponsors.According to a report in , Commonwealth Bank – one of the largest financial institutions in Australia – is likely to sign a deal with Cricket Australia (CA) worth upto Aus$7 million a year. The bank has been one of the long-time sponsors of Cricket Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane and junior men’s and women’s national teams. The report added that Mastercard will also be a minor sponsor of the tri-series.The domestic one-day tournament is also set to get a new sponsor starting this season, with ING, the main sponsor for 14 years, reportedly pulling out. Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s public affairs manager, confirmed that the deals would be finalised sometime in October. Foster’s Australia will remain a major financial partner with Cricket Australia.

England A will tour West Indies next February, playing two unofficial Tests and five one-day matches during their month-long trip.Making the announcement, Zorol Barthley, the COO of the West Indies cricket Board, said that this was the first of three A-team tours planned in 2006. In May, Sri Lanka A will visit the Caribbean, and in July West Indies A will travel to England. “These tours will be of tremendous benefit to our young players,” he said. “They will give promising West Indies players more international exposure and encourage them to push for places in the senior team.”The West Indies A team will be named after the upcoming Carib Beer tournament, which is scheduled for next month. The England A team is expected to be announced following the conclusion of England’s tour to Pakistan, at the same time the squads for the England tour to India are announced.England A in West Indies tour itinerary

Feb 15	Arrive
Feb 19-21	Three-day match	Antigua
Feb 24-27	1st Test	Antigua
Mar 3-6	2nd Test	St Lucia
Mar 9	1st ODI	St Lucia
Mar 11	2nd ODI	St Lucia
Mar 14	3rd ODI	Barbados
Mar 17	4th ODI	Barbados
Mar 19	5th ODI	Barbados

Edward Rainsford celebrates another wicket© Getty Images

From end of the very first over, it looked like this game was going to live up to the hype. Or rather, the anti-hype. The crowd was as sparse as the gloom was thick. Tinashe Panyangara, an 18-year-old playing in his seventh one-day international, ran in to bowl the first ball of the Zimbabwe innings, and sprayed it so wide that it barely touched the cut strip.Thirteen balls later, England were licking their lips. Panyangara’s firstnine deliveries had included seven wides; he’d even had to change to round the wicket in an attempt to bowl a legal ball. He bore it well, and his team-mates gathered round to lend support, but the crowd were already crowing. Oh yes, this was the Zimbabwe we’d heard all about.So you can only imagine the brooding in the England dressing-room when play was finally called off for the day, with five of their top order out to ordinary shots and, meaning no disrespect, ordinary bowlers. Sure, England are still in a decent enough position to win the game tidily, if Steve Harmison is anything like on form. But in those quiet moments of introspection, you wonder who’s going to feel the most annoyed with themselves.Will it be Marcus Trescothick, who hit 10 off 15 balls, only to bring hisfun to an abrupt end with an unwise cut? Michael Vaughan, caught at secondslip, having just pulled two consecutive balls for six? Perhaps it’s Andrew Flintoff, whose cameo was like a haunting by that other Freddie, the one he has so happily left behind. He hit one of his trademark drives over cover, the field dropped back, and a few balls later he spooned his next attempt to Douglas Hondo – now even better placed to take the catch as he ran back from mid-off.England seemed well enough equipped to deal with the damp in the air and onthe pitch, and to put away the worst of the Zimbabwean deliveries with complete comfort. What they couldn’t seem to do was control their own ambition. Andrew Strauss was a case in point, trying to be a shade too clever as he attempted an edge to third man, only for Tatenda Taibu to give a nice demonstration of his springiness as he took it far to his left.By the halfway stage England were 142 for 4; they had scored with deceptive ease, but only one batsman, Vikram Solanki, had made the most of the situation and he too was out before the early close. Zimbabwe – especially Edward Rainsford and Vusi Sibanda who both claimed their first international wickets – can be pleased with today’s efforts. They have given this particular script a re-write.Emma John is features editor of The Wisden Cricketer.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has pardoned Rashid Latif after he wrote a letter to the ICC complaining about "fancy fixing", a form of matchfixing that he implied still goes on. Latif has met Tauqir Zia, PCB’s president, and Rameez Raja, their chief executive, and has apologised for bypassing their authority in writing to the ICC.At a press conference in Lahore on Monday, Rameez said: "The PCB is right behind Rashid Latif about his meeting with ICC Anti-Corruption Unit … We know that Rashid was the [original] whistle-blower and has never kept quiet or minced words when it came to corruption in the sport. So on that part we are satisfied and have no problems because he has only aired his views without accusing any player or citing any specific match."But, Rameez added, "the other problem is that he has gone public. Now that is a clear violation of his contractual obligations. He wrote to us last week in which he has apologised and promised that he would never make public statements."Rameez went on to clarify that "Rashid Latif is and will remain Pakistan captain and there is no change in his status."

Len Chandler – Sussex scorer Photo Vic Isaacs

Sussex scorer Len Chandler (76) has retired after 20 years, in the senior post. He finally hangs up the computer and pen with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears following the counties 2nd XI Championship success.Seen here being presented with a portrait of the County Ground, Hove from opening batsman Richard Montgomerie, Len boasts of continual membership of the club since 1960, and became a life member in 1972. He was asked to take over the scorers roll when the incumbant Geoffrey Saulez decided to move on.Len who spent much of his working life in the building industry, confessed to being only a very club standard player in his youth, but has really enjoyed his term with the county. “We have seen some good times, and some bad,” says Len, “But what a way to go out with the boys promotion and championship.”

Match facts

Sunday, August 23, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)1:49

‘Didn’t play to our potential but got an ugly win’ – Behardien

Big Picture

The awkward reunion is over. Dale Steyn bowled to New Zealand unscathed. Vernon Philander got the better of Grant Elliott and South Africa’s line-up scored more than enough runs against New Zealand. AB de Villiers could confidently say “we are definitely past the World Cup,” after the victory in Centurion and even though this is not quite the same thing, it seems South Africa really are moving on.Even though they were not at their best, South Africa dominated New Zealand far more than the 20-run margin made it seem. They bossed their innings for most of the way but New Zealand were pleased that they pulled back a score that looked headed for 320-plus to just 300. They were also pleased they came close in the chase, but really, there were only a few moments in which South Africa did not look in control and most of those came when trying to take catches.There won’t be any lights to contend with this time so spotting the ball should be easier and AB de Villiers will demand a more energetic showing in the field. Likewise, Kane Williamson will demand a more enthusiastic allround performance.One place where eagerness won’t be missing is in the crowd. The student town of Potchefstroom scarcely sees international cricket – the last ODI played there was more than two years ago – and the locals are looking forward to the occasion. Senwes Park has been sold out for days.

Form guide

(last five completed games most recent first)South Africa WLLWL
New Zealand LWWLL

In the spotlight

After the fuss over Morne van Wyk being overlooked for the tour of Bangladesh despite scoring a T20 century against West Indies in January, the wicketkeeper has underwhelmed on recall. He has scored just 38 runs in three matches and appears to be applying too much aggression too early in his innings. Van Wyk’s time is running out to push for a permanent spot, especially as Quinton de Kock regains form for the A side and this may be his last chance to do that.The short ball seems to be the only one Mitchell McClenaghan is comfortable bowling and so far it has given him mixed results. On the same Centurion surface, McClenaghan found it effective in the T20s but less so in the ODI and it will be interesting to see whether he decides to bang it in again in Potchefstroom. The pitch is one of the less lively ones in South Africa and McClenaghan could be bending his back in vain but he may not have any other approach.

Team news

Faf du Plessis was confirmed as being out of the series on Wednesday, so South Africa will have to stick with the batting line-up they had in Centurion. They will probably also want to allow David Wiese another opportunity to settle at No.7. Kyle Abbott and Aaron Phangiso will likely miss out again.South Africa (probable): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 AB de Villiers (capt) 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Wiese, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn 11 Imran TahirMartin Guptill could still play a part for New Zealand after injuring his hand in the field in the first ODI. An MRI scan revealed no fracture so he could open the batting. If he is unable to, New Zealand may need Kane Williamson to do the job and could slot in George Worker in the middle order. They may also consider playing only one specialist spinner, instead of two, giving Doug Bracewell or Matt Henry an opportunity in the XI.New Zealand (probable) : 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Colin Munro, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Mitchell McClenagahan, 11 Adam Milne

Pitch and conditions

Unusually warm weather for this time year on the Highveld is going to create a faux summer, which may mean conditions could resemble what they are in season as well. A run-packed road with not much in it for the bowlers is the norm but given the time of year, it may be a little slower than usual. A warm day is forecast with temperatures at 29 degrees, a light breeze and cloudless skies.

Stats and Trivia

• If South Africa win the series, they will go to third on the ODI rankings.
• Expect another high-scoring game. The average total in Potchefstroom is 339 and it there only seems to be a small discrimination in favour of the chasing team. The side batting first has won seven of the 15 matches in which there has been a result, the side fielding first has won eight.

Quotes

“We are definitely past the World Cup, we are looking ahead to 2017 Champions Trophy. This is a nice series to test our skills and get a bit of rhythm going going forward.”
“We’ve put ourselves in this position a couple of times over the last year or so, with going behind in a series and we are well versed in what it takes to make those 1% improvements and come back stronger in the next games.”

Paddy Kenny has joined Neil Warnock’s Leeds United revolution after the goalkeeper signed from Queens Park Rangers for £500,000.

The Republic of Ireland International had fallen down the pecking order at Loftus Road since the arrival of Rob Green and his move to Elland Road means he links up with Warnock for the fourth time in his career.

Kenny has become Warnock’s trusted man between the sticks after spells together with Bury, Sheffield United and QPR so will be hoping their latest reunion is another joyous affair despite his new manager confessing they have not always seen eye to eye.

According to The Sun, the outspoken gaffer believes his new keeper is one of the best in the country, let alone the Championship and since the 34 year old has already gained promotion with Sheffield United and QPR, his knowledge will be a valuable addition to Leeds’ future campaigns after signing a three year deal with the Yorkshire outfit.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

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.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

The race for the Premier League Golden Boot kicked off this weekend, with many of the main contenders already making their mark by opening their accounts this term. Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero made an impressive 30 minute cameo by scoring twice whilst Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney also scored their first league goal of the new season.

If one team doesn’t run away with the league this term then I expect the top scorer charts to be a real mixture of players fighting at different ends of the table so my top ten includes a few outside bets.

Each of the top teams in the title race have at least one clinical striker on their books, so once again the race for the Golden Boot should be a close contest and a very important one in the chase for Premier League glory. But who will be the top ten challengers for this season’s top goalscorer?

Click on Gervinho to see the 10 players vying for the Golden Boot

[divider]

Do you agree with the top ten? Have I been too kind to one player or missed another out? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

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.

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]