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Graeme Smith is desperate to shed the ‘chokers’ tag that hangs around South Africa, and next week’s Champions Trophy gives the world’s No. 1 ODI side a chance to answer the doubters

Cricinfo staff17-Sep-2009South Africa haven’t won an ICC trophy since the Champions Trophy in 1998 despite being among the top one-day sides over the past decade. Their captain Graeme Smith is desperate to shed the ‘chokers’ tag that hangs around the team and sees next week’s Champions Trophy as a chance for the world’s No. 1 ODI side to answer the doubters.”Every time we lose an important game the word ‘chokers’ is thrown around,” Smith said. “During the last couple of years we have been on an upward curve and the team will improve and grow stronger.”South Africa have won all their ODI series over the past two years barring the campaign in England in 2008. Their run has included impressive home-and-away wins over Australia, who were deposed from the top spot in the rankings.Smith said he was aware being rated the best side in the world added to the pressure on South Africa. “Every sportsman knows that staying at the top is a lot harder than getting there,” he said. “Instead of aiming for Australia, as they have for the past decade and a half, the rest of the world will be looking to take us down.”One of the players pivotal to South Africa’s dominant one-day performances is batsman AB de Villiers, who said the Champions Trophy was a great stage to showcase his team’s capabilities. “It is true we have come short a few times, but there are many players eager to improve,” he said. “We believe we are the best team in the world and now have the ideal opportunity to prove it.”A lack of one-dayers over the past five months is a cause for concern for South Africa but de Villiers wasn’t too bothered about the potential rustiness. “Our preparations have been the hardest since I began training with this squad,” he said. “We run up to four times every day, attend net sessions, sweat in the gym and work on fitness in the pool.”Although we have not played much cricket recently, training games helped, and I believe we are professional enough to gear ourselves mentally for this tournament.”South Africa are grouped with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England in the group phase of the tournament which starts on September 22.

Manchester City fans are far from happy with the news that Brendan Rodgers is eyeing the Citizens managerial position when Pep Guardiola departs the club.

Since making the move to the Citizens in 2016, Guardiola has had huge success. He has already won ten trophies during that period, including three Premier League titles, one of which came after the Citizens racked up 100 points (Goal.com).

He has yet to get his hands on a European trophy, with last year the closest City have come to the Champions League as they lost 1-0 to Chelsea.

However, the five years he has spent at City is his longest spell at one club, and so perhaps the club do need to start considering long-term plans. And, according to Caught Offside, Rodgers is reluctant to enter negotiations with Manchester United as he would like to succeed Guardiola instead.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Let’s all have a laugh at this? Nah thank you Rogers.”

Credit: @MarionEsther9

“Just no I don’t want Rodgers. I want Enrique or Ten Haag. Nagelsmann and Flick would be great but I can’t see them leaving Bayern and Germany NT in next 5 years.”

Credit: @Jerarudo1

“Yea no thanks, Nagelsmann or Ten Hag for me.”

Credit: @JMC_Official

“Will be biggest downgrade in history. I’ll even consider stop supporting city”

Credit: @gotcakemate

“Please no”

Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“Rodgers is a big no for me. He could not perform at Liverpool despite having a good squad and you expect him to perform at Man City. Nope.”

Credit: @IrepApril6

In other news, City fans were gutted with this United news.

According to Italian outlet Sportmediaset, Antonio Conte has picked Dusan Vlahovic as his priority signing at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Conte arrives at Spurs

After the sacking of Nuno Espirito Santo following Spurs’ 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, Antonio Conte has been appointed as the club’s new manager, as the Lilywhites confirmed their quick turnaround in the dugout on Tuesday morning.

“I know first-hand the qualities Antonio can bring to us, having worked with him at Juventus,” said Fabio Paratici, and it looks like the pair are already identifying transfer targets.

As per The Sun, he will receive a £150m transfer budget.

The Latest: Vlahovic is priority

It appears, as per this report, that Conte wants Vlahovic in particular.

It says that Fiorentina General Director Joe Barone and Sporting Director Daniele Prade have been spotted in London recently for a meeting with the Lilywhites bosses, and that the towering striker is the ‘first’ target for the new manager.

Apparently, the Spurs chiefs consider the demands of €60-70m to be too steep, but are still seriously considering a move.

The Verdict: Star quality

Vlahovic has emerged as one of European football’s hottest prospects over the past year or so. Last term, he found the back of the net 21 times in Serie A, and has already done so eight times in 11 outings this campaign (Transfermarkt). Such has been the nature of his performances, he has even been compared to Erling Haaland (Corriere dello Sport via Football Italia).

Valued at £45m (Transfermarkt), La Viola wanting €60-70m (£51-60m) for the Serbia international is undoubtedly a huge amount of money.

Still, with Harry Kane currently not firing – he has just one Premier League goal to his name this season – and no natural back-up to select, a new striker would come in handy. Vlahovic, with his recent prolific record, talent and age, fits the bill.

In other news, the numbers of Conte’s contract have been revealed.

Worcestershire have appointed opening Daryl Mitchell as vice-captain, after offspinner Gareth Batty left the club to join Surrey

Cricinfo staff13-Oct-2009Worcestershire have appointed opening batsman Daryl Mitchell as vice-captain, after offspinner Gareth Batty left the club to join Surrey. In his 48-game first-class career spanning over four years, Mitchell has averaged 38.65 with five centuries and grabbed 16 wickets at 33.25.Mitchell, who will deputise for captain Vikram Solanki, was delighted at the appointment. “To be offered the vice-captaincy at this stage in my career is a great honour and one I am delighted to accept,” he said. “The team is obviously going through a period of transition but we have some really good young players coming through. I am genuinely excited about the future and I look forward to working with Vikram over the years ahead.”Worcestershire chief executive Mark Newton said: “Daryl was the first graduate from the Club’s Academy and soon established himself as a key member of the 1st XI in all forms of cricket. He is a true Worcestershire lad and his attitude epitomizes everything we want from our cricketers. We are delighted he has accepted the appointment and he will give valuable support on and off the field to Captain, Vikram Solanki.”

Celtic should make Jota’s temporary move to the club a permanent one as soon as possible, according to former Scotland international James McFadden.

The Lowdown: Jota shines on loan

The 22-year-old joined the Hoops on loan from Benfica in the summer transfer window and he has made an immediate impact this season.

Jota has registered four goals and assists apiece in nine Premiership appearances and has contributed to 12 goals in 14 games across all competitions, quickly proving to be a key player for Ange Postecoglou’s side. As per WhoScored, he is the third-best performer currently in the Hoops’ squad for the 2021/22 season.

The hope is that the Portuguese’s loan move could become permanent eventually, but nothing is confirmed on that matter currently.

The Latest: McFadden wants permanent deal

Speaking on Sky Sports [via The Daily Record], McFadden was in no doubt that Jota would be a huge asset for Celtic if they seal a long-term deal for him. The pundit said:

“I’ve watched him a number of times and the first thing is his work-rate, he works so hard for the team.

“He’s got so much quality on the ball, he can go either side. He doesn’t mind when the ball is down the left hand side just putting it into an area with his left foot.

“He’ll cut inside, he’s got a trick, he’ll take people on. He gets two goals and an assist and he just looks a real, real good player for Celtic. They have the option to buy him – I’d be taking it right now.

“When you look at his performances domestically, he transfers that to European games. He’s been excellent in Europe.

“I know that against Betis and Leverkusen they didn’t get the results they were looking for but at times the performances were there and Jota was magnificent.

“For me, the performances he’s put in, I would pay it.”

The Verdict: No-brainer for Celtic

Signing Jota permanently makes complete sense for the Hoops, with his immediate impact showing perfect proof that he is worth keeping beyond a loan deal.

There is a £6.5m option to buy the attacking midfielder, which on current form looks like it would be a steal, especially given his age.

Other successful loanees like Fraser Forster have come and gone, but judging by Jota’s performances so far in Glasgow, it’s easy to see why McFadden is imploring Celtic not to drop the ball on the 22-year-old when it is firmly in their court.

In other news, two players could reportedly leave Celtic in January. Find out who they are here.

A round-up of the second day’s play of the second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2009

Group A

Scorecard
Tripura retained the advantage in a low-scoring encounter against Rajasthan in Agartala. Twelve wickets fell on the second day. The tone was set by offspinner Madhur Khatri’s 6 for 49, which helped skittle out Tripura for 179. However, contributions of 43 from Wilkin Mota and 45 down the order from Tushar Saha gave Tripura a handy lead of 77. Rajasthan struggled in the second innings, with little support for Gagan Khoda’s 51. Two late wickets by Subal Chowdhury, who bowls leg spin, left Rajasthan reeling at 97 for 5, a lead of just 20.Jharkhand 246 for 6 (Vardhan 63, Rajiv 54, Jangid 2-17) against Vidarbha
Scorecard
Vidarbha held a slight edge at stumps on the second day against Jharkhand in Ranchi. After the first day was washed out, the teams played out a closely-fought second day, as Jharkhand reached 246 for 6. They could have done better, for each of the top five got starts, reaching double-digits. Manish Vardhan top-scored with 63, and at 188 for 3, the hosts were in an excellent position to reach a substantial total. But the next three wickets fell for eight runs before Rajiv Kumar (54 not out) and Varun Aaron (23 not out) forged an unbeaten half-century stand to revive the innings.The second day of the contest between Goa and Assam in Margao, like the first, was washed out due to persistent rain.

Group B

Scorecard
Indore, too, didn’t escape the showers, allowing just 13.4 overs to be bowled on the second day. Madhya Pradesh, without any damage, added a further 38 runs to their overnight score.
Scorecard
On another day marred by rain in Srinagar, only eight overs were possible. Haryana, who were asked to bat, reached 23 for 1 against hosts Jammu and Kashmir.

Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij is keen to talk to Tottenham ahead of a possible January window transfer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: De Vrij’s comments

De Vrij has been linked with a move to north London following Antonio Conte’s arrival in north London.

The Dutch centre-back, on £116,000-a-week, worked with Conte at Inter Milan for two years between 2019-2021, winning the Serie A title in Conte’s second season.

He made 66 Serie A appearances in those two campaigns and it seems as if he is keen on talking to Spurs chiefs ahead of a possible reunion with Conte.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Monday morning after being informed by a source close to the situation.

They claimed that De Vrij is aware of Tottenham’s interest and is personally interested in talking to Spurs with a January move labelled as possible.

The Verdict: If it’s what Conte wants…

Conte has five senior centre-backs to choose from at this moment in time, however, he’s selected left-back Ben Davies alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero in his first two games in charge.

That’s meant no place for Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga or Joe Rodon, so if Conte wants a new centre-back in January, that’s what Spurs chiefs should give him.

All signs are pointing in a positive direction regarding a reunion between De Vrij and Conte, so it could be time for Daniel Levy to get the chequebook out and make the 29-year-old the first marquee signing of Conte’s era in charge.

In other news: ‘Complete and utter nonsense’ – 48 y/o fumes at ‘ridiculous’ thing Conte has done at Tottenham. 

A clever century by Tillakaratne Dilshan, supported by innings of their young careers from Tharanga Paranavitana and Angelo Mathews took Sri Lanka to a comfortable total on a testing pitch

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga02-Dec-2009Sri Lanka 366 for 8 (Dilshan 109, Mathews 86*, Paranavitana 53, Harbhajan 4-107) v India
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outTillakaratne Dilshan scored his 11th Test century•AFPA clever hundred by Tillakaratne Dilshan, supported by half-centuries from Tharanga Paranavitana and Angelo Mathews playing the innings of their young careers, took Sri Lanka to a comfortable total on the first day at the Brabourne Stadium. Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth bowled probing spells during the middle parts of the day but Dilshan and Mathews made sure a good start was not wasted on a pitch that had started to turn and bounce on the first morning of the Test.The Sri Lankan openers caught the new-ball bowlers on the hop and ran away to a brisk start and after that they didn’t let India build momentum, losing two wickets on the trot only once. India did not control the run-rate either, except during that brief phase when Harbhajan and Sreesanth tested Mahela Jayawardene and Dilshan. Sri Lanka scored only 59 runs in 16.5 overs in that period and then lost two wickets for one run but Mathews and Dilshan wrested the momentum again by scoring quickly. Their partnership involved a bit of luck but it worked and Sri Lanka eventually scored the most runs in a day for a team visiting India.There wasn’t much luck involved, though, when Paranavitana and Dilshan punished Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan, continuing the trend of frenetic first sessions in the series by scoring 116 runs. Unlike Kanpur, this pitch kept the bowlers interested with swing, bounce and turn – it wasn’t prodigious but more than enough for a first morning.Paranavitana, full of intent, leaned into the first delivery of the match and drove it through covers. Zaheer Khan was guilty of over-pitching while looking for swing. The most incredible shot of the morning, though, came when Paranavitana was saving his toe from an inswinging yorker from Sreesanth. The bat came down just at the right moment, and the ball flew through midwicket for four.While Zaheer erred looking for swing, Sreesanth failed to control the bounce and in the process was smashed by Dilshan for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries. A different test awaited the batsmen, though, when Harbhajan was introduced in the 12th over, with the score on 65. He got off to his best start in the series, enjoying the bounce and the turn, and got some good loop going.While Dilshan looked to hit the other spinner, Pragyan Ojha, out of the attack right away, Harbhajan kept improving. He finally drew Paranavitana outside off and got the edge with the break. Kumar Sangakkara didn’t look comfortable against either of the spinners and tickled Ojha down the leg side when looking for a single. Dilshan had reached 53 off 70 balls by then but, watching the ball turn, soon began to play a completely different game.Sreesanth, during a much-improved second spell, made Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene play cautiously. He got the ball to swing both ways, mixed up his deliveries and, after four overs of hard work, slipped in the surprise bouncer. Jayawardene, his energies spent in countering the swing, instinctively went for the hook and top-edged. Harbhajan was immediately brought back and he got a straightforward bat-pad dismissal against Thilan Samaraweera.Dilshan, though, kept wriggling out of India’s grasp. Every time Harbhajan looked like pinning him down, he either pulled out the paddle-sweep or stole singles. At the time of Sangakkara’s dismissal, Dilshan had scored 34 of his 53 runs in boundaries but the next 40 featured just three fours. He never let Ojha settle, kept driving Sreesanth’s outswingers for ones and punished every loose delivery from Harbhajan, scoring 38 runs off 64 deliveries against the offspinner. Dilshan’s respect for Ojha showed in the manner in which he stepped out and hit a straight six in the last over before tea. That shot took him to 99 and, after the break, he reached his 11th hundred on the same day that he crossed 1000 runs for the year.Harbhajan was the beneficiary when Dilshan was erroneously ruled out bat-pad when there was a sizeable distance between bat and ball. By then, though, he had added 76 for the fifth wicket, 47 off which came off Mathews’ bat. Mathews had started shakily, edging Zaheer and Sreesanth through gully, top-edging and inside-edging Harbhajan for fours, and toe-ending a pull through slips for four.However, Mathews capitalised on his good fortune in a manner that hurt India. He negated Harbhajan with the sweep, started focussing on the singles, and let Prasanna Jayawardene take the leading role in the sixth-wicket partnership. The sweep was Prasanna’s favourite shot too and runs came at a fair pace as India waited for the new ball. When Prasanna fell to the last ball of the 80th over, for 43 out of a 77-run stand, India took the new ball immediately.Nuwan Kulasekara swung his bat merrily and 30 runs came in the next five overs before Zaheer got his first wicket. With Rangana Herath falling just before stumps, Harbhajan finished one short of a five-for. And Mathews was 14 short of a maiden century.

With their 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town now behind them, Sunderland must focus on their next League One clash against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening.

On the chalkboard

In terms of who Black Cats manager Lee Johnson could pick to be in his starting XI in midweek, one player that featured in the win against Ipswich that should not be in the team for this upcoming match against Shrewsbury is winger Lynden Gooch.

In the game against Ipswich, Gooch didn’t have any sort of attacking presence in the team by failing to register even one shot at goal.

Furthermore, he failed to make one key pass or cross, won just three out of the ten duels he was involved in and lost possession a whopping 15 times. All of that ultimately earned him a disappointing overall match rating of 6.1/10, making him the lowest-rated Sunderland player on the day according to SofaScore.

The 25-year-old, who has been described as a “versatile” player in the past by Johnson, also managed to get dribbled past on two occasions and pick up a yellow card, his fifth of the season across all competitions, showing that he was a bit of a liability on this occasion.

Looking at the season as a whole, despite making a total of 13 appearances across all competitions, the £5k-per-week earner has not registered a goal and has only provided one assist, showing that he has not been much of a threat for the team.

To make sure the winger doesn’t continue to become a liability for the team and put in another uninspiring performance, it might well be Johnson’s best option to take Gooch out of the team for the match against Shrewsbury. After all, they may well have a better chance of picking up another win to keep them in the race for a promotion place.

With Aiden McGeady managing to score Sunderland’s late penalty at the weekend after coming off the substitutes bench to seal the three points, perhaps it could be time to get him back in the starting XI for this game to see if he can have more of an attacking impact than Gooch did against Ipswich.

In other news: Forget Dajaku: Johnson must unleash “terrific” SAFC beast, he could terrify Ipswich – opinion

A trio of teenage fast bowlers performed creditably at the SCG as New South Wales beat Victoria by four wickets

Alex Brown at the SCG23-Dec-2009
ScorecardPlaying just his third domestic 50-over match, James Pattinson claimed the first six NSW wickets to fall•Getty ImagesPeter Siddle showed few ill effects in his comeback from a hamstring injury, but his efforts were overshadowed by a trio of teenagers who might one day challenge him for an international berth. The New South Wales opening duo of Mitchell Starc (3 for 36) and Josh Hazlewood (2 for 22) contained Victoria to a modest 188, and despite the record-breaking feats of the Bushrangers’ James Pattinson (6 for 48), the Blues rolled to a four-wicket Ford Ranger Cup victory.Australia’s selectors had cause to believe Christmas had arrived two days early at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with fast bowlers present and future revelling in the seam-friendly conditions. Siddle’s hopes of a Boxing Day recall received a boost after he completed 10 overs across three spells, hitting a top speed in excess of 140kph and at one stage striking Usman Khawaja a nasty blow to the ribs.But while Siddle’s eventual reward was economy (0 for 40), his teenage counterpart, Pattinson, proved decidedly more prolific. Playing just his third domestic 50-over match for Victoria, Pattinson claimed the first six New South Wales wickets to fall, including those of Ben Rohrer and Steven Smith in consecutive balls. His figures were the best ever by a Victorian in domestic limited-overs cricket, breaking Graeme Watson’s 40-year-old record, and the seventh best in Australian List A history.Using the hard, lively Sydney surface to full effect, the 19-year-old single-handedly drew Victoria back into a contest their batsman appeared to have conceded earlier in the day when rolled well inside their allotment of 50 overs. Pattinson accounted for the internationally capped trio of David Warner, Phil Jaques and Moises Henriques before the tenth over, and despite claiming three more wickets later in the innings, a lack of bowling support ensured the Blues victory with five overs to spare.”We spoke about getting the ball … nice and full early on,” Pattinson said. “That’s what Josh Hazlewood did for them. He bowled one of the best spells of bowling I’ve ever seen. My aim was just to get them driving.”With many more performances like this, Pattinson could well find himself occupying an obscure place in the history books. Only once before have brothers represented two different Test teams (Alec and George Hearne represented England, while Frank played for South Africa in the late 19th century), and following the England debut of his elder sibling, Darren, last year, the Pattinsons could double the membership of the exclusive club.Pattinson was not the only teenager to excel at the SCG on Wednesday. Hazlewood, his Australian under-19 teammate, was unplayable for much of his spell, swinging the ball away from the right-handers and seaming it back in. His figures may well have been bolstered had the Blues held their catches, but his efforts would have nonetheless impressed a national selection panel attempting to navigate their way through a fast bowling injury crisis.Hazlewood’s opening partner, Starc, proved similarly impressive. A towering left-armer at 1.96m, Starc troubled the Victorian batsmen from the outset to claim three wickets – including that of Andrew McDonald to a diving Rohrer catch that may well have been the best of the season. The efforts of NSW’s bowlers set-up a relatively comfortable run-chase, Pattinson notwithstanding, which was sealed with half-centuries to Daniel Smith (62 not out) and Khawaja (56).