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Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled for the two-match series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2011Opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who played the last of his 35 Tests in August 2006, has been recalled to the South Africa Test squad for the two-match series against Australia. Legspinner Imran Tahir and allrounder Vernon Philander also got their first call-ups to the Test squad.Rudolph came in for opener Alviro Petersen. Also missing were seaming allrounders Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren who were both in the squad for South Africa’s last Test, in January against India. Graeme Smith will lead the 14-member squad, and AB de Villiers, who missed the limited-overs leg of the series with a hand fracture sustained during the Champions League, will be his deputy if he clears a fitness examination ahead of the first Test from November 9.Rudolph went into a self-imposed exile in 2007 when he signed a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire with the aim of developing himself into a more complete cricketer. His recall was widely expected following an impressive return to South African domestic cricket. He scored four centuries and made more than 900 first-class runs last season, before leading a successful South Africa A tour to Zimbabwe. This year, he came into the South African season after scoring centuries for Yorkshire in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the County Championship. He has since been prolific in the SuperSport Series, where he leads the run-charts with 568 runs from six innings, including a match tally of 297 against Lions in his most recent outing.”Jacques [Rudolph] will open the batting with Graeme Smith,” selection convener Andrew Hudson said. “His experience and current form make him an asset to South Africa and at the age of 30 he has plenty of good years of cricket ahead of him. Jacques has underlined once again the importance of good domestic form and the fact that it is the gateway to national selection.”Petersen might consider his axing harsh, as the Lions captain also started the season well. In four matches so far, he has scored 369 runs, including a knock of 186 against the Dolphins in the first match of the SuperSport Series campaign. He spent the winter at Glamorgam, where he passed the 2000 runs mark and felt he had done enough to keep his place in the Test side. He will get a chance to stake his claim for a recall when he leads the South Africa A side in a four-day tour game against the Australians from November 1. JP Duminy and Philander feature in both squads, while Parnell and McLaren were also included in the A team.”The A side must be seen as a mix of players challenging for places in the South Africa squad as well as others we have identified as having the potential for the future and whom we now need to test at a higher level than franchise cricket,” Hudson said. “We have to explore our options for the future.”Philander previously played for South Africa in seven ODIs and the same number of T20s between 2007 and 2008. He has performed consistently in the first-class competition for the last two seasons. In the 2010-11 season, he was the fourth highest wicket-taker with 35 wickets at an average of 16.11. He is unlikely to play, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the squad, but has been earmarked as a possibility for the future. While he is not an express paceman, he has become noted for his variations, much like Tsotsobe.Someone who is expected to play is Tahir. The Pakistani-born legspinner became eligible for South Africa in January and was immediately selected for their ODI squad to play India. He made his debut at the World Cup but was initially selected for South Africa’s Test squad to play England in the 2009-10 season, when he had not yet qualified. He has been talked up as the missing piece in South Africa’s attack, which has not had an attacking spinner since Paul Adams.Tahir’s anticipated inclusion was thought to be the final nail in Harris’ coffin, after the left-arm spinner was labelled nothing more than a holding bowler. However, Harris has fought back with impressive showings in his first two SuperSport Series games. His 13 wickets have come at an average of 15.38. On a spin-friendly Newlands pitch, South Africa could field two frontline spinners in a Test match – a rarity for the country that traditionally relies on pace.South Africa squad: Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (wk), JP Duminy, Paul Harris, Imran Tahir, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo TsotsobeSouth Africa A squad: Alviro Petersen (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Marchant de Lange, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Pumelela Matshikwe, Ryan McLaren, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Stiaan van Zyl

Chennai have the bragging rights after winning this year’s IPL, but Bangalore can have something to boast about if they upstage MS Dhoni’s men on Friday

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran23-Sep-2010

Match facts

Friday, September 24
Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Michael Hussey and M Vijay have given Chennai two solid starts in two matches•AFP

Big Picture

The Champions League Twenty20 may not have the massive following that its more glamorous sibling, the IPL, has but it is clear the players consider it an important tournament. Several incidents highlighted how desperate they are to win it: the dejection on Virat Kohli’s face as he sat on his haunches mid-pitch in Durban after a revelatory innings which nearly pulled off a heist against Mumbai Indians; and the ever-smiling Muttiah Muralitharan’s broadside at S Badrinath for a less-than-perfect piece of fielding when Warriors were threatening to dump Chennai Super Kings out of the competition.Perhaps the people happiest with the results over the two days will be the organisers, with two of the IPL teams making it through to the semi-finals and one of them guaranteed a place in the final, ensuring a higher number of eye-balls than if non-Indian teams had qualified.Chennai have the bragging rights after winning this year’s IPL, but Royal Challengers Bangalore can have something to boast about if they upstage MS Dhoni’s men on Friday. The two sides have already met in the semi-final of a tournament in South Africa – in the 2009 IPL, when Bangalore eased to a six-wicket victory.Both have had stop-start league phases, but they will take heart from the fact that their best seasons in the IPL also came after campaigns that started off poorly. Both possess formidable batting line-ups, and their main difference lies in the nature of their bowling attack – Chennai have plenty of spinners, while Bangalore rely heavily on quick bowlers.The two sides also missed key South African allrounders in their final league matches – Jacques Kallis is out of the tournament with a neck injury, while Albie Morkel has been out for two matches due to an illness. Kallis’ absence has upset Bangalore’s balance, and Chennai will have even more of an advantage if Morkel recovers from his illness in time.The overall head-to-head record – Bangalore winning four to Chennai’s three – shows how competitive the rivalry between the two sides has been. Friday’s semi-final promises to live up to that.

Team news

Chennai packed their bowling with spinners for their match against Warriors in Port Elizabeth, but that strategy might not work in Durban where the track has been less helpful for the slow bowlers. That means they might consider picking one of either L Balaji or Joginder Sharma in place of Shadab Jakati.Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Michael Hussey, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), 6 S Anirudha, 7 Albie Morkel / Justin Kemp, 8 Doug Bollinger, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 L Balaji/ Joginder Sharma.Bangalore are unlikely to make too many changes to their line-up that beat Lions on Tuesday. That they have only one recognised spinner in Anil Kumble is a drawback. They do have Cameron White in the line-up, who once played as a specialist Test legspinner, but he has bowled only one over in Twenty20s in his previous 37 matches.Royal Challengers Bangalore: (probable) 1 Manish Pandey, 2 Rahul Dravid, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Cameron White, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Dillon du Preez, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Anil Kumble (capt), 11 R Vinay Kumar

Watch out for …

Ross Taylor was a part of three teams which qualified for the Champions League, but he hasn’t yet shown the form that has made him such a coveted Twenty20 player. The semi-final presents a chance for the world’s leading six-hitter in Twenty20s to make the impact expected of him.Another big-name player who has had a quiet tournament so far is Dhoni. A late onslaught against Warriors showed glimpses of what he is capable of, but Chennai will be hoping for more from their captain on Friday.

Key contests

Murali v Bangalore middle-order The constricting spin of Murali, bowling from around the stumps and choking the batsman for room, has been effective all tournament. Bangalore, though, possess a bunch of lethal hitters in the middle-order who could prove hard to contain.Kumars v Chennai openers M Vijay and Michael Hussey have provided Chennai with solid starts in both the matches they have opened together, giving the likes of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni the license to go for the big hits. Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar could face a stern test.

Quotes

“Your plans have to be very fluid in this format.”
“The spinners have done the job for us so far. Hopefully, on the Durban pitch, the fast bowlers will do well for the team.”
MS Dhoni

MatériaMais Notícias

A torcida já foi determinante em campo várias vezes, quando ouvida pelo técnico do seu time do coração. O próprio Abel já atendeu alguns pedidos da arquibancada, substituindo jogadores que estavam sendo vaiados em campo por reservas aclamados pelos tricolores. Entretanto, o técnico tem ignorado os pedidos pelo meia-atacante Calazans.

O jogador de apenas 21 anos foi recentemente promovido à equipe principal e, depois de ter sido utilizado na lateral-esquerda, tem ficado fora de algumas partidas. Após quatro jogos sem ser relacionado, Calazans atuou por apenas oito minutos na derrota por 3 a 1 para o Grêmio, pela Copa do Brasil. A atuação resumiu a única oportunidade que teve jogando pela ponta, inclusive se destacou na posição.

Na partida da última terça-feira, que rendeu ao Tricolor o empate em 1 a 1 com o Atlético-PR, a torcida pedia incansavelmente a entrada do meia-atacante e o técnico Abel explicou que ainda não era o momento, pois o jogador, apesar de ter valor dentro do elenco, não deve ser utilizado como solução de todos os problemas. E o atleta respondeu enaltecendo o trabalho do técnico.

– Claro que eu fico frustrado, pois todo jogador deseja entrar em campo. Queria muito ter tentado ajudar o Fluminense no jogo. Mas o Abel é o nosso comandante e sabe o que é melhor para o time. Tenho muito respeito por ele e também pelos meus companheiros – afirmou o jogador.

Em meio a situação, o ex-atacante tricolor Roni, campeão carioca pelo clube em 2002, acredita que Calazans e a torcida tricolor precisam esperar o tempo certo de Abel, para que o jogador volte a ser escalado entre os principais.

– Acho que o Abel é um treinador competente e capacitado pra saber o momento certo de usar o Calazans no time. O jogador é novo, tem apenas 21 anos, e apesar de ter vindo da base do próprio Fluminense continua naquele processo que todo jogador que se torna profissional precisa passar para enfim receber uma oportunidade entre os profissionais. O próprio Calazans precisa reconhecer isso e ter paciência, porque a hora dele vai chegar, ele até já recebeu algumas oportunidades. Mas se Abel acredita que não deve colocá-lo entre os principais jogadores agora, ele precisa ter calma e esperar o momento certo. O mesmo serve para a torcida.

Por outro lado, Otavio Oliveira, do ‘Papo com Boleiro’ acredita que Abel deve dar uma chance ao jovem meia-atacante.

-Calazans é um jovem talentosíssimo e a torcida está certa em querer vê-lo jogar. Assim como fez com o menino Wendel, Abel deveria dar mais oportunidades ao Calazans. É a hora de separar os meninos dos homens e, Calazans, tem que jogar no time dos homens.

O Fluminense volta aos gramados no próximo domingo, às 16h, desta vez para enfrentar o Palmeiras no Allianz Parque. A partida vale a sexta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Leeds United are set to receive an injection of cash from Ronaldo Vieira’s move to Sheffield United, according to Samp News 24. 

The lowdown

Vieira left Leeds to join the Serie A outfit in the 2018 summer transfer window. He’d racked up 63 Championship appearances for the Whites at the tender age of 20 (via BBC Sport).

Having played 44 games for Sampdoria since, he’s now poised to return to England. Leeds’ Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United have agreed a fee, and he is due to travel to the city to put the finishing touches to the deal.

Blades manager Slavisa Jokanovic suggested ahead of his side’s Championship clash with Birmingham City that the deal was imminent, with news ‘in these next few hours’.

The latest

The report states that Leeds are entitled to 10 per cent of the fee paid by United to land Vieira. Sampdoria agreed to the sell-on clause, they say, to ‘qualify for an initial discount’.

It is not clear exactly what the fee will be at this moment in time, but the Whites are sure to receive a small boost to their transfer kitty.

The verdict

Whilst this cash influx won’t be a game-changer, it should be viewed simply as a case of every little helps.

Leeds have spent £26.82million so far this summer, signing Jack Harrison permanently and adding Junior Firpo and Kristoffer Klaesson to their ranks.

The Vieira deal will trigger the first real transfer windfall for Leeds this summer, with no money generated through sales. That should perhaps be their next focus, because the squad could do with a top-drawer central midfielder if it’s to truly mount a European challenge, something that won’t come cheap.

In other news, Leeds have been dealt a blow ahead of their season opener.

Australia’s two new wicketkeepers have received praise from their predecessor Adam Gilchrist

Cricinfo staff05-Aug-2008
The multi-skilled Brad Haddin had a good tour of the West Indies despite injuring a finger © Getty Images
Australia’s two new wicketkeepers have received praise from their predecessor, Adam Gilchrist, following their encouraging entrances in the West Indies. Gilchrist, who retired in March, was replaced by Brad Haddin in the Test side while Luke Ronchi stepped into the one-day outfit when Haddin went home injured.Haddin broke a finger, which then became infected, but managed to appear in three Tests, scoring 151 runs and taking 16 catches. Gilchrist said the injury was unfortunate but was pleased with Haddin’s progress.”He is right to go, he’s a well-tuned cricketer and he’s been ready for a long while,” Gilchrist told AAP. “Even greater encouraging signs – Luke Ronchi stepping in Brad’s absence and doing so well.”Ronchi took the gloves in four games as Australia won the series 5-0, picking up 64 when he batted at No. 3 in the final contest. Five catches and two stumpings added to his value. “It suggests the stocks are pretty well stacked,” Gilchrist said, “as a few of us older players leave the game.”

Glasgow Rangers fans were far from happy with the waiting time on their ticket website as they looked to get themselves a seat for the opening game of the Premiership season at Ibrox.

The Gers enjoyed a fantastic campaign last term as they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years without losing a single game in the competition (thefishy.co.uk) and also reached the Europa League round of 16. Unfortunately, the Gers supporters were unable to watch the side perform at Ibrox or elsewhere throughout the season due to the pandemic.

For the season opener against Livingston, 23,000 fans will be allowed to enter the stadium for the clash (The Herald) – a step in the right direction. However, it appears the Gers fans were not too happy with the wait as they looked to get a ticket – some were having to stay in the queue for at least 45. Overall, the process seems to be a problem.

Fan Peter Kelman shared his struggles on Twitter, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the troubles below

“What buy you click on? I clicked buy tickets, it went to season tickets”

Credit: @Buffalosoulger

“Mines just went from less than 45 to less than an hour. How’s that work out?”

Credit: @james12hendry

“It’s a farce”

Credit: @AlanMcHale8

“This is how long I’ve been waiting, brutal.”

Credit: @kennyfergie1984

“You were lucky….and then to log in and play the guessing game… Must try harder !! Come on Rangers !”

Credit: @horses191

“45mins! What a joke… Really think the club should build a ticketing site that can handle the traffic.”

Credit: @SeafarerMichael

In other news, Rangers fans slam this man’s article.

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with a move for Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini recently and the Italian could be the man to finally replace Hugo Lloris in this Spurs side.

What’s the word?

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Spurs are already in negotiations with Atalanta over a potential deal for the 26-year-old shot-stopper, who has played for Manchester United and Aston Villa in the past.

It is suggested that Spurs could take the ‘keeper on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy, as they look to find a replacement for Lloris, who looks likely to depart the North London club at the end of next season when his contract is set to expire.

Can Gollini replace Lloris?

Although Lloris is club captain at Spurs and is a World Cup-winning goalkeeper, he is 34-years-old now and has proven himself to be error-prone in recent seasons, with mistakes leading to goals a far too regular occurrence for the Frenchman, despite the occasional world-class saves he makes.

Since signing for Spurs from Lyon in 2012, the experienced ‘keeper has gone on to make 373 appearances for the Lilywhites, conceding 416 goals and keeping 126 clean sheets in that time.

Questions have rightly been asked of Lloris during his time at the club but he is perhaps too comfortable in his position as the first-choice goalkeeper, with Joe Hart and Alfie Whiteman offering little competition, which suggests that the signing of a quality ‘keeper such as Gollini could definitely benefit Spurs.

Last season, following a 5-4 defeat against Everton in the FA Cup, talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy blasted Lloris for a disappointing performance, saying:

“Lloris has got to move on.

“I don’t want to point the finger in just one direction, because if you concede five there is a lot of blame there and you defend as a unit. But I have to say, some of the goals Lloris let in tonight… he is a weak link.

“The Calvert-Lewin goal was embarrassing and I don’t think he fills that Tottenham defence with any confidence.

“He let Everton back into the game. Look at some of the top goalkeepers in this country, Alisson at Liverpool and Ederson at Man City, that doesn’t happen, or it rarely happens, but with Lloris, I’ve seen it too many times.

The £15.3m-rated Gollini could be the ideal man to replace him at Spurs, having established himself as a regular with Atalanta in recent seasons, making 112 appearances, in which he has conceded just 120 goals and kept 38 clean sheets.

Last season saw the Italian make 26 appearances in Serie A, keeping an impressive 10 clean sheets and conceding just 26 goals, which suggests that he could be an excellent addition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Therefore, Fabio Paratici should definitely be looking to bring Gollini to Spurs this summer, in the hope that he can be the man to step up when Lloris finally leaves the North London club.

AND in other news, Agent drops Davinson Sanchez exit claim…

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a vitória de 3 a 1 sobre o Fluminense, nesse domingo, o Botafogo de Jair Ventura está classificado para a decisão da Taça Rio. E o comandante alvinegro aprovou a atuação do seu time reserva no decorrer do clássico. Ele lembrou da necessidade de se ter um grupo completo e de qualidade para disputar todas as competições que estão por vir dentro da temporada do Glorioso.

– Importante. Nós sabemos que títulos se vence com elenco. Jogos com time e campeonatos com elenco. Hoje foram dois times alternativos, tanto Botafogo quanto Fluminense. Os meninos foram muito bem. Foi importante e o bom é que olhamos a real condição dos atletas para as substituições – disse o técnico.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalATUAÇÕES: Dupla do Botafogo brilha no clássico contra o FluminenseFutebol Nacional09/04/2017Futebol NacionalNúmeros da Bola: Estatísticas Botafogo 3×1 FluminenseFutebol Nacional09/04/2017Futebol NacionalBotafogo vence o Flu, com direito a gol impedido, e vai à final da Taça RioFutebol Nacional09/04/2017

Além do resultado, o comandante lembrou da mudança de postura do time do Botafogo em relação ao último encontro contra o rival, quando a equipe abriu 2 a 0 também e acabou tomando a virada. Jair citou o aprendizado adquirido.

– Naquele dia, fizemos um jogo similar. Abrimos o 2 a 0 no primeiro tempo. Mas aprendemos com os erros, voltamos ligados, acertamos a trave deles, e logo fizemos o gol com o Sassá também. Agora é aproveitar a primeira final como profissional. Mas sabemos que a prioridade nossa é nos jogos casados na Colômbia e Equador – disse Jair, celebrando chegar em uma decisão com o time do Botafogo mas virando a chave para o duelo com o Atlético Nacional-COL.

Everton’s transfer window has burst into life during the last 24 hours with Rafa Benitez finally getting to work in the market.

Andros Townsend has arrived on a free transfer to bolster their wide options while Asmir Begovic has signed as a back-up in the goalkeeping department.What’s the word?With Richarlison and James Rodriguez mooted as potential departures from Goodison Park this summer, Benitez needs to continue searching for offensive players in the window.Demarai Gray has been a name on their shortlist but another name has now come to the centre of their attention.According to The Athletic, Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze is interesting Everton.They suggest that the Toffees have ‘extensively assessed and have garnered positive feedback’ on the 22-year-old.However, they will hope to negotiate a lower fee than his buy-out clause of £55m.A player to set Everton on fireChukwueze’s numbers for goals and assists don’t point to an enormously productive player but judging by his talent and ability, he’d be a wonderful capture for Everton.The youngster has immense potential and showed against Arsenal in last season’s Europa League that he can dominate Premier League defences.He limped off injured in the second leg of the semi-final between the two teams but was a rampant threat in the first match.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]Chukwueze supplied the opener for Manu Trigueros while attempting nine dribbles and providing two key passes.He is a wily character who is capable of tormenting even the very best defenders. He recorded 2.4 dribbles per match in Europe last term, a number that usurps every player at Goodison.Described as “exciting” by ex-footballer Mutiu Adepoju, he’s also rapid. He’s been recorded at a speed of 34.58 km/h which would put him among the quickest players in Benitez’s side. For context, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been tracked at 35.1 km/h.With dribbling and speed as eye-catching as that, he could whip up a storm in offensive areas for Everton.Quotes from West Brom defender Semi Ajayi also put him in a particularly good light. He once said:“I’m on the B team [at Nigeria], not in the starting lineup, and Samuel Chukwueze is in my team and he destroyed the whole first team on his own, just give him the ball, he kept destroying them to the point the coach changed his mind, that he doesn’t think it’s three at the back, it won’t work.“These times, the pitch that we were on, one pitch in Asaba, the pitch is terrible, anyone that plays for Nigeria would tell you how bad the pitch is, you cannot dribble on it.“Chukwueze got the ball at his feet, dribbling around people as it’s nothing, like he’s playing at Old Trafford.”With 17 senior career goals to his name, he does need to improve in that department but that will come with time. At the moment, he is still an incredibly dangerous player.Supporters should relish a potential opportunity to see him in Merseyside next season.

AND in other news, Rafa could discover Everton’s new Leon Osman by signing “special” 34-cap maestro…