Chris Adams, who left Sussex for Yorkshire in the close season only to stage a remarkable u-turn days later, is again being linked with a move away from Hove.Adams, who led Sussex to two Championships in 2003 and 2006, admitted that he has held talks with Derbyshire but denied that he had applied for the vacancy as their director of cricket following the resignation of David Houghton last month. At the weekend Derbyshire chairman Don Arnott said that Adams was among 30 applicants for the post.”I want to clear this mystery up once and for all,” Adams told the Argus newspaper. “I have not applied for the Derbyshire job and I will not be applying. Obviously the situation up there is always of interest to me. I had 11 years there and still have some close friends in Derbyshire.”I was flattered by their interest but I am 100% focused on trying to bring more success to Sussex. I have a two-year contract and I am 100% sure that I will end my playing days with Sussex.”
Worcestershire kept the pressure on at the top of Division Two after beating the rain at The Rose Bowl and winning under the Duckworth-Lewis method. On a bowler-friendly service they skittled Hampshire for 131 and were well ahead of the asking-rate when the late-evening thunderstorms arrived.The Hampshire top-order slumped to 49 for 4 to some fine seam bowling from Zaheer Khan, Matt Mason and Kabir Ali. Their position wasn’t helped when Shane Warne had to retire hurt with a nasty gash above his right eye after he missed a pull and the ball went straight between his visor and grill.Warne went to hospital but was told the cut was too deep to stitch so returned to ground, ate a cheese roll, was patched up by the physio and returned at the fall of the eighth wicket. He didn’t last long before becoming Khan’s second wicket while Gareth Batty bowled well for his three strikes.James Bruce replied with a fine opening burst, but despite his two wickets Worcestershire remained well ahead of the D/L target thanks to Lou Vincent’s 28-ball 32.They are now level on points with Gloucestershire at the top of the table and both teams have one match left.
Mick Miller, the South Australia allrounder, has retired to set up a charter fishing business in Darwin. Miller, 25, told his team-mates of the decision following Saturday’s ING Cup game against Victoria at Adelaide Oval.He said the business venture, which would also involve his brother, was a move to secure the financial future of his young family. “This was a very difficult decision to make, particularly with the season underway, but needing to secure the financial future of my family is my No. 1 priority,” Miller said.Miller made his first-class debut for Queensland in 1998-99 but moved to Adelaide in 2001 to further his career. He played 18 first-class matches, scoring 745 runs at an average of 24.83, and collected 28 wickets at 39.50. In his final appearance last weekend he scored 28 and took 0 for 35 as South Australia lost to the Bushrangers.Harvey Jolly, the South Australian Cricket Association general manager of cricket, said Miller was a talented player who would be missed. “Mick has outstanding all-round ability and has represented South Australia well during his time here,” Jolly said. “He is not only a talented cricketer but someone who is a real character within the squad.”
After a number of one-day tournaments, and a closely-contested Duleep Trophy, the Indian domestic season approaches its home-stretch. The Ranji Trophy semi-final kicks off tomorrow as Mumbai take on Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu clash with Railways. Though these matches will be completely overshadowed by the India-Pakistan series, they will provide a few players a chance to stake their claim for a spot in the Test side.Mumbai have breezed through their league encounters. Like last season, it has been a collective effort and they have garners 22 points – the highest in the leagues – from seven matches (won three and gained first-innings points in the rest). Wasim Jaffer and Vinod Kambi have piloted the batting efforts but there have been plucky contributions from almost everyone. Aavishkar Salvi has recovered from injury and is expected to take the new ball with Munaf Patel. Ramesh Powar, a vital cog in their machinery, will surely be missed, but Sairaj Bahutule, the legspinner, and Nilesh Kulkarni, with his left-arm spin, will provide a lot of variety even in his absence. And to top it all, they will have the home advantage,Though Hyderabad will have the odds severely stacked against them, they haven’t had a bad season by any means. They dominated Tamil Nadu and routed Karnataka, two of the strong teams in their group, and the loss to Bengal was their only blemish. Ambati Rayudu and Vinay Kumar have produced some crucial innings and Narender Pal Singh has provided the breakthroughs with the new ball. But history is against them: Hyderabad have never beaten Mumbai in this competition, and it will take a special effort for them to storm the bastion of Indian cricket.Tamil Nadu, last year’s runner-up, will be the favourites in the other semi-final at Chennai. Sporting one of the strongest batting line-ups in the country – which includes Sadagoppan Ramesh, Sridharan Sriram, Sreedharan Sharath and S Badrinath – Tamil Nadu may not find big totals hard to come by. Yet, after a great start this season they were given a stiff challenge towards the end, and will also be weakened tomorrow by the absence of L Balaji and Hemang Badani.Harvinder Singh, the former Indian medium-pacer, will lead the Railways attack but the bowler whom the selectors will be watching closely is Kulamani Parida, the offspinner. He lost out to Powar in the race to the one-day side, but a good performance here will enhance his chances of gaining a Test spot. Sanjay Bangar and Ramesh are candidates for the reserve-opener’s slot in Tests and vital contribution here would do their chances no harm. Tamil Nadu have old scores to settle with Banger too. After all it was his 212 that shut them out of the tournament in 2002.Two lesser battles will be fought in the Plate Championship. Maharashtra host Haryana while Madhya Pradesh take on Orissa. There is lot at stake here too, with the winners entering the Elite zone next season.
Zimbabwe international cricketer Gary Brent has answered an SOS from Burridge to help the Fareham West club regain their place in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League’s top flight this summer.The village club was relegated from Premier Division 1 at the end of last season and are banking on Brent’s experience to help them regain their lost status.Brent, 27, will begin his fourth season at Burridge in late April as a fully fledged Zimbabwean international, having been capped four times and played 39 ODIs for his country since 1996.”I’ve had three marvellous seasons at Burridge in the late 1990s, making a lot of great friends, most of whom have continued to keep in touch,” said Brent from his Harare home this week.”I’m delighted to be coming back again and hopefully I’ll be more of an asset to the club now I’ve got a fair amount of international experience.”Brent, whose father’s tobacco farm on the northern outskirts of Harare was recently seized under President Robert Mugabe’s land reform programme, initially helped Burridge win promotion into the Southern League.He returned to play again for the club in the following two seasons before cementing a place in Zimbabwe’s international squads.Brent has played three Test matches against Sri Lanka – claiming the impressive scalps of Russel Arnold, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara – and another against Bangladesh.He has taken seven Test Match wickets and claimed 45 victims in ODIs, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Marvin Atapattu among them.Brent’s last ODI was against Pakistan in November, but he failed to make the Zimbabwe side for either the ICC Trophy in Sri Lanka or the current World Cup.Veteran Roger Cawte, who takes over the Burridge captaincy from the departed Paul Ancell, knows that Brent will be a terrific acquisition for the club.”Gary will have a tremendous, stimulating influence at the club, particularly when he bats.”He’s primarily a seam bowler, but Gary’s a very talented batsman, who will score his runs very quickly – and that will be a terrific asset.”The colts, particularly, will know who he is and can also learn an enormous amount from him,” he said.Cawte, who reckons he will be the oldest player, let alone captain, in Premier Division 2 this summer, will be keeping a watchful eye in the coming weeks to see if Brent nudges the Zimbabwe selectors for a potential England tour place.”Zimbabwe are due here for some Test and International Matches, and that could affect Gary’s situation.”But, as things stand, he’s confirmed he’s coming – and that’s great news for Burridge cricket,” Cawte added.Burridge are holding pre-season practice nets at the Hampshire Rose Bowl on Tuesday evenings, 7pm.
Well, after all the build-up, the speculation and the media hype, the Ashes series is finally under way. England, undefeated in five Test series, have locked horns with the best team in the world, and the encounter could hardly have got off to a more entertaining start.It’s fair to say that our preparations were disrupted, but the two injuries (to Graham Thorpe and Michael Vaughan) didn’t amount to a crisis. They presented two opportunities – one for a player who’s already acquainted with the England set-up, Mark Butcher, and the other for a player to come in for the first time – Nottinghamshire’s Usman Afzaal.The first day was unusual – sad though it was to lose Marcus Trescothick to the seventh ball, Butcher and Michael Atherton did really well to steady the ship with such a positive partnership. Then we had another of our collapses, but just when it looked as though we might be dismissed for less than 200, Andrew Caddick came in at No. 11 to play the innings of his life. When he arrived at the crease I urged him to be positive, not simply blocking, and my word how he responded! He cracked the bowling to all parts of the ground; it was the perfect innings for the situation, and the Edgbaston crowd loved every minute. From my point of view I was very pleased not to be left stranded on 20-odd not out; it was nice to get some runs and with Caddy blazing away at the other end, I had the chance to play a significant innings of my own.With Michael Slater opening the batting for Australia, it was no surprise that they came out guns blazing. It was an amazing end to an extraordinary day, and gave even more entertainment to the crowd.Seeing the back of Slater so early on the second day was just what the doctor ordered, but what can you say about Stephen Waugh? He simply showed once again why he’s one of the best batsmen in the world – his mental strength is absolutely phenomenal. Twin brother Mark was less fluent, and plainly not on top of his game, but we gave him every opportunity to stay there. I missed a difficult stumping chance and Trescothick couldn’t hold on to a catch at second slip – the bottom line is that you can’t afford such misses when you’re up against players of this quality.Australia are ahead on points after two days, and we need quick wickets to get back on terms. Nasser Hussain’s captained the team well and it’s good to see him restored to the side – and I’m not missing the captaincy too much after handing back the reins!
There were several reasons Arsenal failed to win the Premier League last season.
One was that Liverpool and, in particular, Mo Salah were practically unbeatable; another was that the Gunners drew too many games and had too many moments when they were subpar.
However, arguably the most significant reason of all was that, throughout the campaign, Mikel Arteta had to deal with an absurd number of injuries that utterly decimated the first team.
Unfortunately, Arsenal are on track to be as unlucky with injuries this season as well, with the backline being a particular concern at the moment.
However, there are some solutions, and one of them involves Arteta unleashing the Max Dowman of defenders.
How injuries are impacting Arsenal
Injuries are nothing new, and every team has to deal with them at some point, but what is also true is that last season and so far this year, Arsenal have been more unlucky than most.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
This isn’t just a feeling either, as according to Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz, Ben White’s recent injury marks the 100th different injury the club have faced since the start of the 24/25 season.
That is more than any other current or ever-present side across the same period.
The good news for Arteta and Co is that most of his important attacking players are now back, with Kai Havertz reportedly aiming to return to the squad before the end of the year.
However, the bad news is that the club’s injury problems have shifted to the back, with Gabriel Magalhães, Cristhian Mosquera and now White all out of action.
Arsenal’s current injuries
Player
Injury
Return
Mosquera
Ankle
01/26
Havertz
Knee
12/25
Gabriel
Groin
01/26
Dowman
Ankle
N/A
White
Hamstring
N/A
Now, the manager does still have the likes of Riccardo Calafiori, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie to call on, but it’s not that simple.
The Italian has a long history of injuries, and the Dutchman underwent surgery last season.
Therefore, with them already playing 1313 and 1668 minutes this season, they are in desperate need of rotation and rest.
Finally, the Frenchman has only just returned from a few weeks out with an ankle injury, so there is also concern that overplaying him in the coming weeks could be problematic.
However, in addition to having Christian Norgaard spend more time at the back, there is another potential solution to this problem: for Arteta to unleash Arsenal’s centre-back version of Max Dowman.
Arsenal's Dowman of centre-backs
Despite still being just 15 years old, practically every Premier League fan has now heard of Dowman; that is the level of talent Arsenal are dealing with.
He made his debut in the competition back in August, running circles around the Leeds United defence and winning a penalty.
Over the following months, he became the youngest player to start for the club in the League Cup and then the youngest player to play in the Champions League.
So, to be compared to, let alone described as the ‘Dowman of’ a youngster has to be pretty special.
Fortunately for Areteta and Co, special seems to be an apt way to describe Marli Salmon.
For example, respected analyst-turned-Como scout Ben Mattinson has been bold enough to describe the exceptionally talented prospect as “the best CB Hale End has produced.”
Moreover, Hale End expert Will Balsam has heaped praise on him for being “different gravy on the ball” and has gone as far as dubbing him the “crown jewel” of the club’s recent scholarship intake.
Join the newsletter for deeper Arsenal injury insight Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis of Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis and academy prospects. Get expert breakdowns on how injuries shape tactics and why youngsters like Marli Salmon matter to the backline. Join the newsletter for deeper Arsenal injury insight Subscribe to the newsletter for focused analysis of Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis and academy prospects. Get expert breakdowns on how injuries shape tactics and why youngsters like Marli Salmon matter to the backline.
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The reason Balsam gives for this glowing praise is the fact that the teen phenom is already marrying technical composure with “freak physical attributes.”
It’s not just analysts that rate the youngster, though, Arteta seems to as well.
The manager took the 16-year-old on the pre-season tour of Asia and, alongside Dowman, handed him minutes against Premier League sides, minutes in which he shone.
Finally, the boss also trusted him enough to give him a runout against Club Brugge in the Champions League, making him the sixth youngest to play in the competition.
Ultimately, Arsenal are going through a defensive injury crisis at the moment, and while it won’t solve it entirely, Arteta can help manage it by unleashing Salmon.
Arsenal can revive Gyokeres by signing "the best winger in the country"
The international game-changer could be just the player Arsenal needs to get Gyokeres firing.
ScorecardIt seems curious, counterintuitive even, that on a perfect summer’s evening and with 18,000 people at Lord’s, the powers-that-be served up a used, sickly pitch not conducive to free-flowing cricket.Sure, they like televised games to be played on the more central strips. Sure, there’s a hell of a lot of cricket played at Lord’s, not least an Ashes Test in exactly a fortnight. But surely – especially with Middlesex, with many explosive batsmen suited to marmalising on flat decks, in such dire straits in the South Group – the pitch could have been better than this?Not that Sussex minded. They strolled to an under-par target with 28 balls to spare to take their place atop the South Group and give their net runrate a shot in the arm, too. They have now won four consecutive games and four consecutive away from home, too. Another insipid Middlesex performance – as grey as the pitch – leaves them firmly bottom.More eye-catching was the performance of Tymal Mills. At his best, his pace, his leftiness and his clever slower balls mean that the Mills bandwagon is never far from gaining pace even in a season when he has admitted that a congenital back condition might force him to consider a future as a T20 specialist.He was flattered a bit by his return of 4 for 22, with three caught on the fence, but he impressed nevertheless, bowling in the powerplay and at the death, picking up wickets at both ends and not leaking runs as he often does, with 14 dot balls.He took wickets with the first ball of his first two overs – Dawid Malan knocking a loosener straight to third man and Nick Compton playing on when trying to pull. His final over – the last of the innings – produced the wickets of Andy Balbirnie, caught at cow, the run out of James Franklin, then, next ball, another Kiwi, Mitchell McClenaghan.Middlesex’s captain Eoin Morgan was quick to praise Mills’s man of the match display. “The pitch was very slow which made it tough to get going. But Mills was impressive, and showed tonight he has something about him.”
‘I’m getting by – Mills
Tymal Mills marked his eye-catching night in front of the cameras by suggesting he was having to manage on his four overs a week before resting up because of a long-standing back ailment. “I’m getting by – I’m able to be wheeled out for my four overs! I’m not going to be playing four-day cricket for the rest of this year so I put all my efforts into my one or two games a week and I look forward to it. I can give my all in these four overs and then put my feet up. “I got a few wickets that I wouldn’t usually get – they usually go over the boundary so to get a few caught was nice. It was my night tonight. I’ve been pretty happy with how I’ve bowled all competition so to carry that on and help the team to another win is nice. “I trust my slower ball, it’s a ball I’m happy to bowl. You can’t become too predictable because especially with that bit of extra pace that I’ve got, people try and line me up if they think I’ll bowl short so you have to mix it up and tonight that went well.”I’m getting by – I’m able to be wheeled out for my four overs! I’m not going to be playing four-day cricket for the rest of this year so I put all my efforts into my one or two games a week and I look forward to it. I can give my all in these four overs and then put my feet up.”
One senses that some of those who attend for their slice of Thursday night fun – the Tesco on nearby Circus Road around 6pm more resembles Piccadilly Circus as fans flock to pick their allotted bottle of wine or four cans of cold stuff – don’t entirely mind what happens in the middle.But there’s little doubt that when a game can’t manage a close finish (as this one most certainly couldn’t) many measure the entertainment value of a night at the white-ball stuff by the number of times the ball sails into the stands. A sorry four here said plenty.Middlesex’s innings was one of those stuttering, sluggish efforts their fans have become so accustomed to in a format that has now surely reached bête noire status. To illustrate, the ball crossed the rope as often as Middlesex batsmen did – nine.Six overs of crabby, miserly slow bowling from Mike Yardy and Matt Machan – the latter has admitted to modelling his bowling on the former in this format – proved almost impossible to off the square, with each picking up the wickets of relatively set batsmen and only twice between them being hit for more than a single run off a ball.Paul Stirling briefly gave hope of a respectable Middlesex total – they seem to rely on the impetus provided by his starts – by giving himself room and carting Mills into the Grandstand, then taking three fours from Chris Liddle’s second over, through cover, to fine-leg and over mid-off, before meekly lofting Yardy to Mills at short fine-leg.Morgan himself never got going, and fell amid an arid patch that saw Middlesex go 56 balls without a boundary. Balbirnie and Franklin added 38 to add respectability to the total, before the innings ended with that Mills-made whimper.Sussex’s chase was a far more fluent effort, but there was an air of generosity about Middlesex’s bowling, and even fielding, right from the off. With the first two balls of the innings, Ollie Raynerwas swept to the fence by Chris Nash, while the third delivery was worth two, but only because the ball went straight through Ravi Patel at point. Nash was lbw to McClenaghan’s second ball for Middlesex, struck in front.Tymal Mills’ injury fears have not undermined his threat in T20•Getty Images
Luke Wright continued his fine form in sharing 75 with Matt Machan. Both batsmen showed incredibly fast, powerful hands and disdain for meek bowling. Machan flashed his wrists to batter Harry Podmore’s first over down the ground, then over mid-off, then through midwicket for four, while Wright bunted Patel over long-off for six.Only McClenaghan threatened, and he was rewarded with both players’ wickets. For Machan it was ouch then out, wrapped behind dead in front behind the pad and limping from the field, while Wright top-edged a pull. Alas McClenaghan picked up an injury himself, with a dislocated, possibly fractured finger.Craig Cachopa – who sent consecutive Patel deliveries over midwicket for six – and George Bailey saw Sussex home. Perhaps only they will have left having felt like they had got their money’s worth.
As floods continue to wreak havoc in the Midlands, another county has rallied to help Worcestershire restage one of their matches.Warwickshire have said that Edgbaston can be used for the Pro40 match with Sussex on Sunday – and their members will be allowed to watch the game for free. The match will start at 1.45pm.The move follows Derbyshire’s offer of using the County Ground the other week – although the match was washed out.The ECB have also announced a change to the rules which govern a switch of venue in the event of poor weather. They have relaxed the requirement that the match must still be played in the home team’s county, although still say it should be in the same region if possible.During the first batch of floods three weeks ago, Worcestershire wanted to play a Twenty20 match at Edgbaston but the ECB turned down the request before later moving their Pro40 match against Hampshire to Derby.The new rule 40 states: “The venue should preferably be within the county or a recognised venue used by the County in question. If no such venue is available then a neutral venue preferably within the region of the originally scheduled match may be considered. In no circumstances will it be permissible for the match to be re-scheduled at a venue normally or occasionally used as a home venue by the scheduled away county.”Worcestershire’s chief executive, Mark Newton, said: “We would like to thank Edgbaston for agreeing to stage this game and the ECB for allowing us to switch to a venue outside the county.”Whilst we realise that most counties are suffering badly from the extreme weather conditions, we are suffering more than most and all we want to do is play some cricket. I think everybody is desperate just to watch a normal game of cricket!”The club has announced that all Worcestershire and Warwickshire members will gain admission to the game upon production of their membership cards. In addition any person still in possession of unused tickets from previously abandoned games at New Road will be able to use them at this game.Public admission on the day will be £15 for adults and £5 for 16 and under.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene heaved a sigh of relief after his team had beaten South Africa by one wicket in a nail-biting finish to win the second Test played in Colombo.Jayawardene who led the run chase with a scintillating century fell for 123 with his team 11 runs shy of the target of 352. It was finally left to the last pair Farveez Maharoof (29) and Lasith Malinga (1) to see Sri Lanka through and with it achieve a 2-0 series victory.”By far this was one of the best Test matches I have been involved in. I’ve lost a few hairs on my head and a couple of nails. It was definitely not a boring Test match. It was brilliant one,” said Jayawardene.Describing the tension in the dressing room after he got out, Jayawardene said, “We were very nervous when Murali got out. But Maharoof showed a lot of character for a young allrounder and batted really well.”When I got out I was definitely disappointed because I wanted to be there at the end to finish it off. It was a bit careless of me to play a shot like that and get out because I had done so much of hard work.”When you are chasing a big score and you get really close you don’t want to spoil everything by not getting there. That’s why the last 15 runs were huge for us. It was like trying to score 150.”Jayawardene praised the role Prasanna Jayawardene played with his knock of 30 out in a valuable stand of 78 for the sixth wicket.”When he came to bat with me, he took the initiative, rotated the strike and played his shots. You have to give credit to guys like him who do all the small work or what you called dirty work for the team,” he said.”We never gave up from the third day onwards. When we were pushed to the wall we had to do something special which we did and chase a record score for Sri Lanka. We haven’t chased this much before. Hopefully we can take this forward.”
Viewing the progress his team has made in the past ten months, Jayawardene said, “A lot of hard work is being done by the support staff. The guys are working very hard. When you do that the results will definitely show. It just didn’t happen overnight.”Jayawardene became only the fifth batsman to make over 500 runs in a two-Test series after Wally Hammond, Sanath Jayasuriya, Andy Flower and Matthew Hayden. He said he didn’t want to categorise his hundred or call it his best. The last few big hundreds I made I managed to get the side into winning positions to win matches,” he said.Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s first coloured Test captain, couldn’t hide his disappointment after his team had come so close to pulling off a dramatic victory. “Coming so close and not drawing level in the series is a bit of a disappointment. The biggest thing that I got is 100 percent support from everybody else. The guys knew we were missing some big players and we all had to pull together and that’s what happened,” said Prince.”I said to the boys at lunch you never know if we get a quick wicket after lunch we could get the last three for less than 10 runs because there was a lot of rough up there and with Muralitharan being the last guy anything can happen,” continued Prince. “That time there is a lot of pressure. You don’t want to make a mistake and you don’t want to play any big shots.””Nicky [Boje] created enough chances out there. He took four wickets and a few chances went down off his bowling. It’s hard to criticise him,” he said.Prince said the way his team played in the first Test and in this Test showed they had improved a lot. “We got more used to the conditions and if we had taken a few chances that came our way we could have won the match.”South Africa were handicapped in their attempts by a hamstring injury to their strike bowler Makhaya Ntini who did not take the field on the final day. “We tried to keep Makhaya on the ground yesterday afternoon if the new ball becomes available so that he could take it. We were hoping that with some treatment he would pull through. Unfortunately he still had a niggle,” said Prince.The South African captain rated Sri Lanka as “a very good side playing in their conditions” and rated Muralitharan as a “world beater”.