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DELHI

AB de Villiers’ ambition is to be the best batsman in the world and he has walked the talk this season•Getty Images

Delhi are the team to beat. They had a mixed first season, playing like millionaires one day before inexplicably losing the plot the next to finish with seven wins and six losses going into the semi-finals. They were too top-heavy, with a middle-order that didn’t deliver when it mattered. This edition, apart from the in-form Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, they have the explosive David Warner and AB de Villiers, in form of his life, for most of the season. Throw in Sri Lanka’s new Twenty20 captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, Manoj Tiwary, Owais Shah, Dinesh Karthik and Paul Collingwood and you have a fabulous batting line-up.Glenn McGrath is 40 and out of active cricket, concentrating on the cancer foundation after his wife’s death last year. Age, lack of practice and personal tragedy are enough to derail a very good sportsman but McGrath is an all-time great and only a brave man would bet against his delivering yet again. He leads an attack that will miss Mohammad Asif but he is likely to find solid support from Dirk Nannes, the fast left-arm swinger from Australia known for his Twenty20 prowess. Then there is Daniel Vettori, currently the world’s best Twenty20 spinner, and solid mediumpacers Farveez Maharoof and Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh. It’s a very balanced side – but McGrath’s form could make or break their season.The buzzThe relative absence of PR hype is unusual, given the team’s potential. It’s only at the eleventh hour, following the Indian team’s return from New Zealand, that Sehwag and Gambhir – arguably the hottest opening pair in current world cricket – have been trotted out for the media’s consumption.New faces Delhi used the auction smartly – they did their homework and reaped the benefits. Warner was signed up even before his Twenty20 Australian debut. They signed up the late bloomer Nannes, who’d made his first-class debut at 29; from the unfancied Vidarbha came Umesh Yadav, a fast bowler with a sharp bouncer. And they traded out the talented batsman Shikhar Dhawan for an additional bowler in Ashish Nehra. Warner, though is the star pick, the face most eagerly watched by the fans. He might even open with Sehwag, with Gambhir at No. 3. He hit a 43-ball 83 against South Africa on his Twenty20 debut and has a strike rate of 148.17 in this format.Watch out forAB de Villiers is on a dream run in his international career. He made a brave announcement at the start of the season that he doesn’t want to keep to help him become the No 1 batsman in the world. And he has walked the talk. Expect a flow of runs from him.Missing in actionThat’s the beauty of it – all their top players are available through the season.X Factor Umesh Yadav. He has the pace and he can develop his skills under the guidance of fast bowling experts like Dennis Lillee and TA Sekhar, the men involved with Delhi. Those who watched the Duleep Trophy last season remember how he harassed the likes of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman.StrengthThe top order: Sehwag, Gambhir, de Villiers, and Warner. Top that.WeaknessThe middle order, even if it’s unlikely to be as unpredictable as last year. The good thing this time is that the likes of Dilshan and Karthik (in domestic cricket) were in great form in the recent months. And Tiwary, while not quite in the form that got him an India berth, has been among the runs.

PREDICTION FOR 2009

A place in the semis – and it won’t be a surprise if they lift the trophy.IPL 2008 – The key figures: Final position: Semi-finalistsTop scorer: Gautam Gambhir with 534 runs at 41.07Top wicket-taker: Yo Mahesh with 16 wickets at 23.12 and economy rate of 8.87Best result: nine-wicket win over RajasthanWorst result: 105-run loss to Rajasthan Highest team score: 194 v Deccan Chargers Lowest team score: 87 v Rajasthan

PUNJAB

Missing in action for Punjab this year is Sreesanth, their leading wicket-taker last season•Getty Images

They were last year’s entertainers. Sreesanth walked the talk, Shaun Marsh exploded into the public imagination, Brett Lee was among the wickets and Irfan Pathan played the part of the allrounder. Sri Lankan stalwarts Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara took care of the middle order while also acting as a sounding board for captain Yuvraj Singh. However, things aren’t so good this time: Sreesanth is out with an injury, Marsh is returning from a long injury lay-off and will miss a few games playing for Australia, Lee is in decline (and also back from an injury and also playing for Australia), Jayawardene and Sangakkara haven’t been in great limited-overs form – and, importantly, this will be their first bit of cricket since the shootout at Lahore. Yuvraj Singh, who didn’t shine in last year’s edition, will have to carry the show this time around.The buzz Unfortunately, the buzz has centered round their setbacks. Just when they’d dealt with Sreesanth’s injury, turning him into their “Fan Mentor and Community face” (whatever that means), came the news of the motor accident involving new signing Jerome Taylor. They have now roped in the South African seamer Yusuf Abdulla.New facesLee has talked up a rookie – Burt Cockley, a 23-year old fast bowler from New South Wales. He is a groundsman at North Sydney Oval and has never played in an official Twenty20 game. Better known is Ravi Bopara, the English batsman with Punjabi roots.Watch out forYuvraj Singh. We know that he can be violent in the shorter format of the game but it will be really interesting to see how he copes with the responsibility of leading the batting.Missing in actionLeave aside the entertainer, Sreesanth the bowler will be sorely missed by Punjab. He was their highest wicket taker, with 19 wickets, last season.X FactorBopara, with his batting and slow bowling, will have to step up to ease the batting worries created by the absence of several Australian players like Marsh and James Hopes.StrengthIn the absence of a strong attack, it has to be their batting. And for that, Yuvraj has to really fire consistently.WeaknessFast bowling. With Sreesanth out and Lee available only for a short duration, it comes down to Irfan Pathan and VRV Singh. They also have Ramesh Powar and, if the ongoing ODIs in South Africa is any indication, he could have a role to play on the turning wickets.

PREDICTION FOR 2009

Unlikely to make the semis.IPL 2008 – The key figures: Final position: Semi-finalistsTop scorer: Marsh with 616 runs at 68.44Top wicket-taker: Sreesanth, with 19 wickets at 23.26Best result: Nine-wicket win over BangaloreWorst result: Nine-wicket loss to ChennaiHighest team score: 221 for 3 v RajasthanLowest team score: 112 for 8 v Chennai (they made 94 for 3 once but they had successfully chased down then)

Former Celtic man and Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie has been reacting to the news that Hoops fans won’t be in attendance against Real Betis on Thursday.

The Lowdown: Betis U-turn

It was revealed earlier this month that UEFA has lifted a ban on away fans attending Champions League, Europa League and Conference League fixtures.

The Hoops’ first Europa League group game is against the La Liga side in Spain, with Betis at first allowing Celtic supporters to attend.

However, Celtic then learned that away fans will not be permitted for the opener, with the Hoops confirming the U-turn on Friday.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts

McAvennie was talking to Football Insider in a story on Tuesday evening regarding the development with away supporters.

He described it as ‘gutting’ and wrong of Betis to mess Celtic around regarding details for visiting fans.

“It’s gutting for the Celtic fans.

“But that’s the world we live in at the moment I suppose. Things can change so quickly.

“It’s just awful for the fans who have been looking forward to going. It sounds like Betis changed their minds really quickly which is far from ideal.

“It’s wrong to mess the club around like that.

“It won’t matter though. I’m sure plenty of fans will still travel and make a noise outside the ground.”

The Verdict: Not ideal

Betis’ U-turn with less than a week before the game isn’t exactly ideal, but it is the home team’s responsibility in regards to away fans in UEFA competitions.

Celtic will have the chance to block Betis supporters travelling to Scotland for the return fixture in December, so it will be interesting to see what they decide to do.

Hopefully, not having any Celtic supporters present on Thursday won’t be a huge blow for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but one thing guaranteed is the atmosphere will be electric at Parkhead for the three home group games.

In other news: ‘Could be huge’ – McAvennie ecstatic at what he’s ‘heard’ from ‘a few Celtic people’. 

A Pakistan newspaper has reported that Javed Miandad resigned from his position as director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) because of an insufficient salary

Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2009A Pakistan newspaper has reported that Javed Miandad resigned from his position as director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) because of an insufficient salary. The , a Karachi-based daily, has carried a handwritten letter from Wasim Bari, the director of HR and administration, to Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s chief operating officer, after discussing the contract with Miandad.The report said Miandad was offered Rs 500,000 (US$6,300) per month in the contract which the former Test captain and coach refused last Wednesday, resigning from the position he had held since November.”He [Miandad] earns 75,000 rupees/50,000 rupees for a one hour program on TV,” Bari’s letter read. “As he is a renowned international cricketer therefore he should be paid accordingly as [former India coach] Greg Chappell and [former Pakistan coach] Geoff Lawson.”The letter also said that Miandad wanted to take full charge of all cricketing affairs so that he could bring the desired results.Miandad, 51, had stepped down after differences emerged over the exact scope of his role. There was always a lack of clarity over the exact nature of his work. He spoke openly of it as being a troubleshooting role of sorts, delving into whatever areas needed fixing.

Mark Boucher has stirred memories of one of Australia’s most famous collapses in the hope they will offer a repeat performance to keep South Africa in the third Test. Fifteen years ago, Australia failed to chase 117 against South Africa at the SCG and Boucher reminded the opposition about it twice after his brave 89 dragged the current team to 118 behind in the first innings.”The game’s not finished yet,” Boucher said. “There’s a history of Australian sides being bowled out for low scores here at the SCG – 111, I’m sure you guys remember it. Our backs are up against the wall in this game and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that. We do havefighters in our team, we have proved that for the whole series. We won’t go down without a fight.”South Africa’s hopes for a small target were not helped when Australia finished the third day at 0 for 33, taking a lead of 151 on a pitch which is becoming more difficult by the hour. Boucher and Morne Morkel put on 115 for the sixth wicket to give their side a hope of saving the game, but they will have to do it without their captain Graeme Smith.Smith flew to Melbourne to have his broken fifth metacarpal replastered and also had the first blood injection in his right elbow. He was due to return to the team in Sydney on Monday night and the on-field leadership duties have gone to Neil McKenzie.Boucher and Morkel, who scored a career-best 40, combined to edge South Africa to 327, a strong total considering the circumstances. “I thought we did pretty well to get where we did,” Boucher said. “Myself and Morne had a good partnership at the end of the day.”The end came quickly for South Africa, with Peter Siddle grabbing 4 for 7 in 22 balls, and Boucher was last out when bowled trying to get closer to his century. “I was a bit disappointed not to get the extra 11 runs – something I’ve always wanted,” he said. “If you’d given me 89 at the start of the day I would have taken it, on a wicket that is deteriorating a lot quicker than people thought.”Siddle’s burst confirmed his promise and he collected 5 for 59 from 27.5 overs to show the inexperienced attack could work together. Mitchell Johnson was impressive, taking 2 for 69, while the debutant Doug Bollinger was unlucky to go wicketless.”It was a tough day, the main focus was team bowling, bowling in partnerships, and we did that in the end,” Siddle said. “I was lucky to come out with the reward. It’s very pleasing to get my first five-for. I feel happy about that, and it’s just good to go out there and stand up forthe team.”Australia will now aim for a lead off 300 on the fourth day before making a decision on when to declare. “I can’t predict anything at the moment,” Siddle said. “We’ll see where we’re sitting at tea, and see which way we’re going to go.”

Cricket South Africa has imposed a one-match ban on Andre Nel, the South Africa fast bowler, for “crude or abusive language” in a domestic match between Cobras and Lions on January 4

Cricinfo staff20-Jan-2009Cricket South Africa has imposed a one-match ban on Andre Nel, the South Africa fast bowler, for “crude or abusive language” in a domestic match between Cobras and Lions on January 4.Marais Erasmus and Johan Cloete, the two umpires, reported Nel during the four-day match in Paarl, and Nel was found guilty of breaching clause 1.4 of CSA’s rules of conduct, namely that players “shall not use crude or abusive language nor make offensive gestures to any other participant, official or spectator”.He will miss Lions’ match against Eagles on January 25 and, if the offence is repeated, he will be excluded from two further games.

Kevin Pietersen backed England’s team selection in spite of another heavy defeat in the second ODI against India at Indore

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2008
Kevin Pietersen: struggling to keep England in the series © Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen backed England’s team selection in spite of another heavy defeat in the second ODI against India at Indore, and preferred to concentrate on the fact that their 54-run defeat was a marked improvement on the 158-run drubbing they endured in the series opener at Rajkot on Friday.Despite attracting some criticism for a lop-sided line-up, which includes Ravi Bopara as a non-bowling option at No. 8, and the part-time spin of Samit Patel at No. 7, Pietersen was adamant that continuity was the secret to success.”I didn’t want to change the side, I wanted to give the guys the confidence to know that they could turn things around,” he said. “You could say conditions favoured them and if we’d bowled second then it might have been different, but the team we went in with, we thought could win this fixture and be more competitive, and we were today.”England enjoyed a flying start to the match when Stuart Broad reduced India to 29 for 3, and they were still in the reckoning while Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff were taking 59 runs from the final five-over Powerplay. But once again, the difference between the sides was Yuvraj Singh, who followed up his second century of the series with figures for 4 for 28.”We’ve made marked improvements from the first game, when we were totally outplayed and were out of it from 30 overs onwards,” said Pietersen. “We certainly got a good start here today, but we probably weren’t aggressive and didn’t carry that through and we probably thought it would just happen for us, which is a mistake of ours.”When asked what England could do to stop India’s matchwinner, Pietersen joked: “I’m going to take Yuvraj out at the hotel tonight and make sure he doesn’t come to Kanpur. The bowlers tried their hearts out and the batters definitely gave us a good run but we needed someone to get a big score like Yuvraj did.”While England ponder the problems posed by Yuvraj, they will not have been heartened by the comments of his team-mate, Yusuf Pathan, whose 50 from 29 balls helped hoist India to a formidable total of 292 for 9. “We find it difficult bowling to [Yuvi] in the nets so we’re just the same as England,” he said. “But we’re not going to give them any tips on it.”

Ireland were crowned ICC Intercontinental Cup champions as they crushed Namibia by nine wickets in the final

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2008
Scorecard

Niall O’Brien guided Ireland to their target with an unbeaten 119 © ICC
Ireland became the Intercontinental Cup champions for the third consecutive time as they crushed Namibia by nine wickets in the final. Needing 67 at the start of the day, Ireland didn’t face any hiccups with overnight batsmen Niall O’Brien, who ended unbeaten on 119, and Alex Cusack guiding them to victory.The pair were initially cautious against Deon Kotze and Gerrie Snyman – only 12 runs coming off the first 11 overs of the day – before cutting loose. Louis Klazinga was welcomed with a boundary and Jan-Berrie Burger was dispatched for two consecutive fours by O’Brien in the next over, which also brought up his eighth first-class century.Niall O’Brien, who was recently nominated for ICC’s Associate Player of the Year, made amends for his first-innings duck with a classy hundred. Cusack played the perfect foil scoring a patient 39, and hit the winning runs with a boundary off Burger.William Porterfield, the Ireland captain, said the success made all the hard work worthwhile. “I am absolutely delighted. To come here to Africa and win all three games to take the title for a third time is a great achievement and we are over the moon.”It seems a long time ago that we played our first game in the competition against Bermuda,” he added. “It has been a long haul with lots of ups and downs but we have come through in the end.”We were certainly under pressure in this match. Namibia managed to get to 250 after we had them under the kosh early and then being 37 for 5 we did well to get within 50 or so of their total. We were pretty pleased on that front and then we knew we’d have to come out hard with ball in the second innings and we did that.”All credit to the bowlers to keep the target to 200 and then we went out and did the job we should have done in the fist innings with the bat.”Despite O’Brien’s century which sealed victory, Porterfield singled out Man-of-the-Match Cusack for special praise after his first-innings 95 kept Ireland in the match. “The way Cusack played in the first innings was very important,” he said. “He kept his head and kept his composure to build a big partnership with Trent [Johnston] and they really dug in deep and then reaped the rewards.”We weren’t surprised that Namibia were so good. We saw it a month ago in Windhoek and we were fortunate to come through that with an eight-run victory so all credit to them. I made my debut against them two years ago and the steps forward they have made in those two years is remarkable and they now have a side worthy of playing in this competition.”

Former Nottingham Forest striker Nigel Jemson has exclusively told Football FanCast that Adam Armstrong will be a man in demand this summer.

Armstrong has little Premier League experience from his early days with Newcastle but is attracting attention from several topflight sides following his goalscoring exploits for Blackburn Rovers in recent years.

Only Ivan Toney (33) outscored the Rovers frontman last term, with Armstrong’s 28 Championship strikes taking him past the 50-goal mark in his three years since signing permanently at Ewood Park.

In this week alone, he’s been linked with Southampton as a potential Danny Ings replacement after his shock move to Aston Villa was confirmed, whilst Crystal Palace are also thought to be in the race for the 24-year-old’s signature.

Wherever Armstrong ends up, playing Premier League football next season appears to be a certainty for a player that Jemson believes has done enough to warrant a topflight move.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“Anyone that bangs the goals in like he has in the Championship deserves a crack in the Premier League.

“Is Crystal Palace a better move than Southampton? I don’t know, but he’s a young lad that will score goals, so he’ll be in demand.”

Signing Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour would have been “a good piece of business” for Newcastle United this summer, the club’s former player Steve Howey exclusively told Football FanCast.

Gilmour is currently on loan at Norwich City for the season but was linked with a move to St. James’ Park prior to linking up with Daniel Farke’s side.

According to The Northern Echo, Newcastle were keen on both Gilmour and Tammy Abraham as they looked to do business with Chelsea.

In the end, though, Gilmour opted for Norwich, while Newcastle are now being linked with another young Chelsea midfielder in Conor Gallagher.

The Athletic reports that the Magpies are interested in signing the 21-year-old, though they face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Leeds United and Crystal Palace.

Howey, however, has made it clear that Gilmour is the one he really wanted to see at St. James’ Park.

“A good piece of business would have been the other lad, Gilmour,” the ex-Newcastle central defender said as he discussed the speculation surrounding Gallagher. “He would have been a great piece of business.

“Now, without being disrespectful to Norwich, you’d have thought Newcastle would have been a great option for him.”

Newcastle have also missed out on recent target Mario Lemina following his move from Southampton to Nice, so reinforcing the midfield is proving to be a tricky task for Steve Bruce this transfer window.

The Express and Star’s Luke Hatfield has dropped an update on Aston Villa’s pursuit of Manchester United star Jesse Lingard this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Villa were ready to rival fellow Premier League side West Ham in a move for the England international.

And now, Hatfield has delivered his verdict on a potential move, and what he believes Dean Smith’s side’s current stance is.

He said: “I think in terms of his experience and stuff, he’d be the type of player they’d be interested in. I just think his age probably goes against it.

“And the issue that West Ham have had is the fee United want for him. I think Villa would probably agree with that for a player of his age because you’re not going to get much resale on him. If the money’s not right for them, then it wouldn’t shock me if it’s not right for Villa either.”

Lingard would be an exciting signing

After joining West Ham back in the January transfer window on a short-term loan, Lingard racked up an incredible nine goals and four assists in just his first ten Premier League games for the club – it was no surprise then that he was lauded as being “absolutely phenomenal”.

The England international’s ability to break the lines with his movement and constant running is something which added a different dimension to West Ham’s game, and could do so for Villa too, and is a trait that Michael Carrick was quick to praise back at Old Trafford.

The United coach said of Lingard: “He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

His performances with the Hammers showcased the kind of impact the £75k-a-week earning star can have when he’s on song and the confidence is flowing through his veins.

Giving him an opportunity to shine at Villa, where the spotlight is understandably less than somewhere like United, could offer him the kind of freedom that sees him become a really consistent performer and break back into the England side under Gareth Southgate.

Villa could strike gold with the United star this summer.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has made a major Aston Villa transfer claim…