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Tom Beaton’s battling and unbeaten 72 helped Western Australia to a 377-run lead on the third day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2011
Scorecard
Promising batsman Tom Beaton helped Western Australia take control at the WACA•Getty Images

20-year-old Tom Beaton’s unbeaten 72 helped Western Australia to a 377-run lead on the third day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia. Alongside a half-century from captain Marcus North, it helped Western Australia take firm control despite four wickets Peter George.Coming into the day, Western Australia were sitting on a 72-run lead with nine wickets in hand and had to rebuild after losing nightwatchman Michael Beer early in the day. No. 4 to No. 9 all made good starts but it was only North and Beaton who passed 45.At one stage, when North fell, Western Australia were 6 for 211 with South Australia well in the game, but Beaton found solid support form Luke Ronchi, in a 37-run stand and then shared a bright stand with Nathan Coulter-Nile, who swished seven boundaries in his 41-ball 35. By the time he fell to the impressive George, Western Australia were well in control with a lead of 365.With his job now done with the bat, Coulter-Nile and his fellow bowlers have to finish off the match on the final day.

Karnataka kept their slate clean with a win over Jharkhand, while Haryana defeated Rajasthan

Saurabh Somani22-Nov-2019Baroda and Karnataka surged to the top of the Super League groups A and B, winning their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on Friday. While Baroda held off Delhi by a solitary run, Karnataka beat Jharkhand by 13 runs in a game they looked like they would win at a canter at one stage. The victories gave them both eight points each from two matches.Rajasthan and Jharkhand, who have both had a close defeat each in high-scoring games, now find themselves with two defeats in as many Super League games, making a spot in the semi-finals difficult.Like on Thursday, there were IPL scouts from at least four franchises in attendance for the matches, making performances in the Super League particularly crucial given the IPL auction that is scheduled for December 19.Baroda v Delhi
A combined effort by the Delhi bowlers kept Baroda to 151 for 6. However, Delhi’s chase stuttered and finished on 150 for 9. Babashafi Pathan, the right-arm medium-pacer, took 3 for 24 for Baroda, while Kunwar Bidhuri fought a lone battle for Delhi.Bhiduri, handed a game due to Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, had a sparkling T20 debut, hitting 68 off 51 balls at the top of the order. However, he lacked support from the rest of the Delhi batsmen. He was ninth out at the start of the 20th over. Delhi needed 19 to win from the remaining five balls and though Suboth Bhati swung his bat during an unbeaten 20 off 8 balls, Delhi could make only 17 runs.Baroda didn’t have any batsman making a standout innings, though Aditya Waghmode continued his good form, top-scoring with 36 off 31 while opening. Only Deepak Hooda (26 off 19) among the other batsmen crossed 20, though useful contributions right through meant Baroda got to a competitive – and eventually winning – total.Tamil Nadu v Mumbai
Tamil Nadu put behind a comprehensive defeat to Karnataka to hand the other tournament favourites – Mumbai – a resounding loss, by seven wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani had a remarkable day, but the rest of the Mumbai team crumbled.Tamil Nadu’s bowlers ensured Mumbai could get only 121 for 9, despite Mulani hitting 73 off 52 after being promoted to No. 4. R Sai Kishore continued his good run with figures of 3 for 18 in four overs, while M Siddharth took 4 for 16. Prithvi Shaw made 30 off 19 at the top of the order, but no other Mumbai player got into double-figures.Tamil Nadu sent in Shahrukh Khan to partner Hari Nishanth at the top of the order, and the duo gave the team a rapid start. Shahrukh fell in the fourth over, bowled by Mulani, with B Aparajith following him back two balls later. However, Nishanth, who didn’t have a good outing against Karnataka, came to the fore in style, smashing 73* off 44 balls.Mulani took all three wickets to fall – Dinesh Karthik being the third – to complete a fabulous all-round day with figures of 3 for 26 in four overs, but Vijay Shankar ensured he stayed alongside Nishanth as victory was raised in just 13.5 overs.Karnataka v Jharkhand
Put in to bat, Karnataka rocketed off the blocks, before losing their way in the second half of their innings. Their fantastic start nonetheless ensured a sizeable 189 for 6 on the board, and though Jharkhand fought gamely, the required rate was always a touch above what they looked like achieving, eventually finishing on 176 for 5.Karnataka’s start was driven by Devdutt Padikkal – in many ways the batsman of the tournament so far – who raced to 63 off 30 balls in an opening stand that brought 114 in 9.3 overs. His opening partner KL Rahul was more sedate in comparison, while Manish Pandey came in and picked up where Padikkal had left off. However, both men fell shortly thereafter, though at 130 for 3 in 11 overs, Karnataka were still looking at a total well in excess of 200. However, with their three main batsmen gone, the rest of the line-up struggled and could only score at around a run a ball thereon. Left-arm spinner Sonu Singh did most of the damage, with 3 for 28 in four overs. He took out both Rahul and Pandey, and added the wicket of Karun Nair too.Jharkhand’s reply was driven by Virat Singh’s 76* off 44 from No.3, but the batsmen around him couldn’t keep up with the required rate. They needed 87 runs in the last six overs, which is when Virat and Sumit Kumar (23 off 16) cut loose, but though they scored at more than two runs per ball, the eventual target proved too steep.Haryana v Rajasthan
Tight bowling by Haryana gave them a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan with 4.4 overs remaining, with Harshal Patel putting in an all-round show once again.Harshal, who has been opening the batting in this tournament, first took 1 for 19 in his four overs as Rajasthan were restricted to 123 for 8. Ankit Lamba top-scored with 38, but took 41 balls, and only Chandrapal Singh (25* off 14) crossed 20 among other batsmen. Rahul Tewatia, recently traded from Delhi Capitals to Rajasthan Royals, was the most successful bowler, with 3 for 18 in four overs.Interestingly, Haryana opened with two leggies in Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra, while Tewatia – another leggie – was the first change bowler.Harshal led Haryana’s reply, smacking 41 off 25 at the top of the order to be the highest score of the match. Haryana didn’t have too many others contributing, but given the small target, they didn’t need to.

Head coach suggests England camp read conditions incorrectly ahead of toss

Matt Roller29-Dec-2019England head coach Chris Silverwood has defended captain Joe Root’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss against South Africa, despite the decision backfiring as South Africa sealed a 107-run win at Centurion.On the first morning of the game, Root admitted that he faced a “tricky decision” at the toss but said England had a “great opportunity” to dismiss South Africa for a low first-innings total. In the event, the hosts rallied from 111 for 5 to reach 284 all out, and made use of excellent bowling conditions on the second day to bowl England out for 181.”It was pretty simple really,” Silverwood told Sky Sports. “When we got here, the wicket was a little bit damp, and we suspected it would do a little bit with the new ball, which it did. It did something for most of the day, and we suspected that days two and three would be the best days to bat, and [the pitch] would deteriorate. As it turned out, day three was the best day to bat.”Root said he maintained the decision was “a 50-50 call” and blamed the defeat on a collapse of 7 wickets for 39 runs in the first innings, rather than his choice to bowl first.”It’s very easy to stand here now and say that, but [when] you get a side 111 for 5, you really think you’ve got ahead of the game if you like. Maybe [that was] a slight opportunity missed, but ultimately you have to give credit to South Africa.”That [collapse] was the real crux of it – that’s where the game was won and lost. It’s really disappointing, but in the same sense it’s really pleasing to see us very quickly put a better performance [in the] second innings.”While there may have been some logic to Root’s decision to bowl, the record of visiting teams who choose to bowl first in recent Test history is extremely poor.In the past two-and-a-half years, there have been 13 occasions on which an away captain has won the toss and inserted the home team, and only once has that resulted in a victory – Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera-inspired win in Durban in February. Similarly, only once has a visiting team won after winning the toss and choosing to bowl at Centurion, in the infamous 2000 Test between these teams which saw both sides forfeit an innings.ALSO READ: South Africa end Test drought with 107-run winSilverwood also defended the decision to field an all-seam attack for the second consecutive Test match, despite the fact that Keshav Maharaj, South Africa’s left-arm spinner, made two crucial breakthroughs in dismissing Dom Sibley on the third evening and Ben Stokes on the fourth afternoon.”It was a gameplan that we had,” he said. “We looked at the wicket, and it was a direction that we decided to take. There’s plenty of parts of the game you could pick to pieces and say ‘if we’d done better there’ or ‘if we’d made a different decision there’, but we decided to go that way.”We went for it, and when you stick a team in you expect to bowl them out in a day and we did [South Africa were 277 for 9 at the close]. Obviously then to concede a 100-run deficit in that first innings was hard.”Asked if he would feel confident throwing Matt Parkinson, the young legspinner, into the side for the Cape Town Test assuming Jack Leach remains unwell, Silverwood said: “Obviously we’ve got Parky here, we’ve got [Dom] Bess here, and we’ve got to see how Leach recovers first.”We’ll be working closely with the medical staff, but we have got some good spinners here, so if we’ve got to play one then yes, I’m confident.”

Afghanistan’s No. 3 has flown under the radar but is now etched forever in their history

Mohammad Isam05-Sep-2019In Afghanistan’s captaincy drama this year, Rahmat Shah ended up leading the side in not a single Test match after being named captain of the format. That’s right. He was appointed to the role in their leadership reshuffle in April, and Rashid Khan replaced him in July. Going by what he achieved today in Chattogram, becoming Afghanistan’s first Test centurion, any regret over losing the phantom captaincy is clearly not affecting his game.Rahmat’s 163-ball innings was an example of how he can balance batting patiently and pouncing on bad balls. He dragged the side out of trouble in the early part of the second session, and then slowly built their total. After his dismissal in the final session, Asghar Afghan thwarted another batting collapse and seemingly took them to safety.At the end of the day, Rahmat said that his 102 helped him overcome the grief of falling on 98 in their last Test, against Ireland in Dehradun. He said that he had to adjust to the Bangladesh spinners’ lengths, which forced him to use his crease, apart from defending well off the front foot.”I was dreaming to become the first century-maker for Afghanistan,” Rahmat said. “When I got out for 98 against Ireland, I was really upset. Today I got the chance to score the hundred. It is a proud moment for me. I also got the first Test fifty for Afghanistan and now I am the first century-maker.”They were bowling well so it was my plan to play off the front foot. They had a good field set-up for me. I was forced to use the crease as well, as there wasn’t a lot of run-scoring opportunity. We know they are good spinners, especially Shakib Al Hasan. Mehidy Hasan and Taijul Islam. We have a mindset [to tackle] the fast bowlers, but they have spinners.”Rahmat said that the Afghans must use experience from the Intercontinental Cup to fill in for their lack of Test exposure. “We have played a lot of limited-overs cricket but we have also played a lot of [four-day first-class] matches in the Intercontinental Cup. We have won it twice. There’s not a big difference between four- and five-day cricket,” he said.Batsmen like Rahmat, Afghan and Hashmatullah Shahidi will slowly break the mould of the happy-go-lucky style of Afghan batting. With batting stability, their bowling attack will become more potent. Rahmat is a definite match-winner, and he has proven so for the last three years. Sixteen out of his 21 fifty-plus scores have come in Afghanistan’s wins in international cricket.His 98 and 76 played a big part during their maiden Test win against Ireland, while his 72 helped them to their first win against Sri Lanka last year in the Asia Cup. He struck fifties against West Indies in the World Cup qualifier last year too, as well as putting in big performances against Ireland and Zimbabwe in 2017.He made an unbeaten 108 in the fifth ODI against Ireland in Noida, having made 78 and 68 in the previous matches. Against Zimbabwe in the same year, Rahmat had scores of 114, 56 and 59.Yet, you don’t hear much about him. He isn’t a T20 regular like Rashid Khan or Mohammad Nabi, he isn’t a larger-than-life character like Mohammad Shahzad.But Rahmat has etched his name forever in Afghanistan cricket team’s history and, given how he bats so responsibly at No. 3, the milestone couldn’t have gone to a better candidate.

Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong

Sidharth Monga in Durban24-Dec-2010Gary Kirsten has said he trusts his bowling unit, bolstered by the return of a fit and eager Zaheer Khan, to prove the critics wrong. Responding to former South African cricketers’ comments on the weak bowling unit and lack of pace, Kirsten said, “Bottom line is, we need to get 20 Test wickets. I think we have shown in the last three years that we have the ability to get 20 Test wickets in any conditions. It’s up to us to prove to every one that we can do that here. It’s up to us to prove to ourselves too that we can do that. Obviously nice to have Zaheer back. We look forward to whatever conditions are given to us, and we have the quality in our bowling line-up as well.”Going by the first looks, the conditions should assist the bowlers. Kirsten didn’t go to the rock-hard and green Kingsmead pitch, but observed from the change room. “Looks a similar colour to the outfield,” he said. “Let’s see what comes up in two days’ time.”If there is rain in the lead-up to the Test, as the groundstaff fear, the pitch will retain a lot of moisture, potentially creating a situation where batting first might be as difficult as it was in Centurion. Kirsten said the batsmen would need to be prepared for such a challenge, applying themselves better.”We were well prepared for the last Test,” he said. “It was a tough wicket to bat on on the first day. We probably let ourselves down a bit. We have got to assess the situation and get the best we can get out of the surface as a batting unit. I felt we were 100 runs short in the last Test, and we have got to apply ourselves. The preparation has been very good. The guys are working as hard as they have ever worked. I am happy from that point of view. At the end of the day they have to get on the field and make a play. The players are determined, they are really motivated to do well. They are going to give it their best shot, that’s what we can ask of the players.”Kirsten spoke of the importance of putting up scores close to 400 in the first innings. “We know that if one of our top six is getting a decent score, a big hundred, we are going to get a score in excess of 400,” he said. “The guy that’s in, and it could be anyone, and can get in and bat for a decent amount of time, that will allow us to get to scores of 400. We know that in Test cricket if you are not around about that mark in the first innings, you are going to put yourself under pressure.”The Indian team returned to training on Thursday, after a two-day break following the first Test. MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina decided to stay off the optional training session at the Kingsmead. Raina is under pressure to keep his place in the side after a twin failure in the first side, but Kirsten said no decision has been made regarding the No. 6 spot.

Dean Windass has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he expects Liverpool to go after a “bigger name” than Ollie Watkins.

Following his impressive first campaign in the Premier League, recent reports believe that the Reds are keen on bringing the former Brentford man to Anfield this summer to bolster their misfiring attack, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as “undefendable” following his team’s 7-2 defeat at Villa Park earlier in the campaign.

Watkins, who is Villa’s only outfield ever-present player this season, is the club’s top scorer having notched 12 goals in his 30 Premier League appearances.

Seven of those goals have come against sides in the traditional top-six, four of which were against Liverpool, including a incredible first-half hat-trick in the 7-2 mauling over the Reds back in October.

Despite his form, Windass has raised concerns over Watkins’ lack of Premier League experience, and doesn’t think Liverpool to pursue a deal for the Villa frontman.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“I can’t see it happening. He’s done great, he’s done absolutely fantastic.

“First season in the Premier League, you’re a young boy, you’re going to play every week. Is he going to play at Liverpool?

“I’m not saying he’s a bad player, because he’s done unbelievable since he left Brentford. The proof will be in the pudding, can he do it next year? He’s got 12 goals, which is an unbelievable return for a club like that. I can’t see that happening, if Firmino leaves, I think they’ll got for a better player and a bigger name.”

While Patrick Bamford has led the line superbly for Leeds this season, there’s no doubting that Marcelo Bielsa’s side could do with some reinforcements ahead of their second campaign back in the Premier League.

Bamford has bagged an impressive 14 goals and provided a further eight assists in the top flight alone, but the strength in depth up top is virtually non-existent for the Whites.

However, with reports linking the club with a summer transfer move for Barnsley’s Daryl Dike, the Elland Road club could unearth a striker who has a large resemblance and many similarities to one of the Argentine’s most feared centre-forwards in his time in management: Fernando Llorente.

The Spaniard’s name may be best known to fans of English football from his time at Tottenham, but it was with his performances back in his native country with Athletic Bilbao under Bielsa that he truly made a name for himself.

In the two full seasons for which the pair worked together, Llorente smashed in 34 goals and provided another eight assists in 89 games, to this day remains the second-most prolifc player in terms of most goals scored for Bielsa.

Standing at 6 foot 2, and with a real presence in the air just like Llorente – he wins a monstrous 6.4 aerial duels per game in the Championship (the fifth-most of any player in the division and comfortably more than everyone in the Leeds squad) – the £4.5m-rated Dike is a proper handful inside the penalty box.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

He was dubbed a “revelation” by former Salford City manager Richie Wellens, who also added: “I can’t see Barnsley paying £17m for him, but I take my hat off to him for swapping the Orlando weather for Barnsley. But seriously he’s done great, he scores goals, he’s powerful and he’s given Barnsley a whole new dimension to their game.”

That new “dimension” is what Llorente brought to the table at Bilbao, combining a mix of technical quality and aerial dominance to fire the Basque club to a whisker away from lifting both the Copa Del Rey and Europa League under Bielsa’s management.

Given the kind of success that Llorente enjoyed under Bielsa whilst at the San Mames Stadium, Dike would surely fancy his chances of replicating the Spaniard’s work at Elland Road if the Whites were to sign him this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this liability…

Some Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to the news that Southampton won’t sign Takumi Minamino permanently this summer.

The Reds are preparing for Saturday’s visit of Aston Villa as they look to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat away to Real Madrid in midweek.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have failed to fire in attack throughout this season, with the team too reliant on Mohamed Salah’s goals and Diogo Jota proving a huge loss through injury.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have struggled badly for form and it has played a part in Liverpool’s struggles in defending their Premier League title. The decision to loan out Minamino to Southampton in January felt an odd one at the time, with some left unhappy over the decision.

The Japanese forward has scored two goals in six appearances to date for Saints, but their manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has said that he is unlikely to sign the 26-year-old on a permanent deal at the end of the season.

Liverpool fans react to Minamino update

These Liverpool supporters have been giving their thoughts on the Minamino news on Twitter.

“LET’S GOOO”

Credit: @lfcmahdi

“What a relief”

Credit: @LFCWard_oodi123

“Good we need Taki back”

Credit: @DJDAZZA84

“He must come back and Klopp must be given game time”

Credit: @mrobimotala

“Want him back”

Credit: @t1mbo77

“Could probably be helping the first team right now if we’re being honest here”

Credit: @Buck1Actual

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about a transfer story that has emerged. Find out who the player in question is here.

Chelsea’s season has been quite the ride already, with the Blues starting the season like a house on fire, before petering out somewhat in recent times.

However, last weekend’s demolition of Huddersfield should have gone someway to improving things at Stamford Bridge.

Manager Mauro Sarri has already come under some pressure for the job he is doing, but the Italian will be hoping to see out the season and cement a Champions League spot, while he also has the chance of winning a trophy with the League Cup up for grabs in a one match shootout with Man City.

The summer is bound to be an interesting one too at the Bridge, and with January passing with little to shout home about other than the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea can keep hold of star players like Eden Hazard and Willian.

It is however, the ability to keep the Brazilian that we think should be a priority for the Blues, with the 30-year-old a more important piece to the jigsaw than some might think in London.

Willian is integral at times to Chelsea and how they play, and while he might not always be the first name on the team sheet, he generally delivers when it matters.

There is not just his ability to take into account either, with his experience something which will be vital for the Blues if they are indeed to challenge for top honours in the coming seasons.

While all eyes will be on the future of Eden Hazard, Willian remains arguably just as important, and it’s vital in our opinion that Chelsea keep hold of the tricky Brazilian star.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Will Willian go or will he be kept on? Let us know in the comments!

Leicester City are reportedly considering the signing of PSV Eindhoven wonderkid Noni Madueke this summer.

According to the Daily Mail, the Foxes have made an enquiry for the winger but face competition for the likes of AC Milan and RB Leipzig for his signature. However, the East Midlanders must ensure they get their first.

Put simply, Madueke is an extremely talented prospect. Arriving in the Netherlands from Tottenham in 2018, he has progressed through the club’s system to become a key player in the first team in Eindhoven.

The 2020/21 campaign has really seen him break through, having scored nine goals and notched eight assists in all competitions from the right flank.

It is form which has seen him draw comparisons to current Premier League starlet Phil Foden. Former England under-21 Manager Aidy Boothroyd said that whilst the young winger is lesser known than the Manchester City ace, he is a “little bit like” his compatriot.

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Leicester could certainly use the talents of Madueke. Current right-winger Cengiz Under is set to depart the club in the summer following the expiry of his loan deal from Serie A giants AS Roma, leaving just the likes of Ayoze Perez and Marc Albrighton to claim the right-wing position.

The current Foxes duo have netted just four goals between them in all competitions this season, simply not enough for a team harbouring aspirations of challenging at the top end of the Premier League whilst also potentially playing Champions League football.

Rated at just £12.6m by Transfermarkt, the possible arrival of the PSV youngster would certainly be a deal the Foxes could afford.

Rodgers should follow through with Leicester’s reported interest and do all he can to bring Madueke to the King Power Stadium in the summer.

AND in more news, find out which Leicester star stunk out St Mary’s with an awful performance on Friday…