After much speculation about his future, Kevin Pietersen has confirmed that he wants to leave Nottinghamshire even though he still has a year left on his contract.Pietersen, born in South Africa, becomes eligible to play for England next year and is spending the winter at the national academy in Loughborough. He has scored 3,945 first-class runs at an average of 51 during his career and was far and away Notts’ leading scorer last season with over 1,500 runs.Talking to the BBC Sport website, Pietersen said: “I haven’t been happy there for a while and I want to leave.” He added, “The pitch at Trent Bridge has been one of my problems. I’ve been doing OK, but I could have done so much better if the wicket had been good.”And he already has one eye on playing for England. “I qualify to play for England in August next year and if I continue doing the things I have done for the past three years, then hopefully things will happen for me,” he said. “It’s been a huge ambition of mine to play at the highest level and I want to do that for England.”Surrey, Middlesex and Northamptonshire are all reportedly interested in his services for next season.
Two men who started this series on the periphery of things grabbed the limelight on an enthralling opening day’s play at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. First, Umar Gul – a late replacement for Shabbir Ahmed – bowled a magnificent spell that reduced India to 147 for 7, and then Yuvraj Singh, in only his third Test, stroked a glorious 129-ball 112 to take his side to 287. By stumps, Pakistan had knocked off 61 from the deficit, for the loss of Taufeeq Umar.India’s innings, after Rahul Dravid won the toss, had three distinct phases – dominance, collapse, and eventual recovery to a total that was nevertheless somewhat below par. For a 90-minute spell either side of lunch, when Gul’s control of line and length fetched him splendid figures of 5 for 31, it appeared as though they might not reach 180, but Yuvraj and Irfan Pathan – who showed genuine class with the bat – evened up matters with a 117-run partnership characterised by some stunning strokeplay.After Aakash Chopra departed for 4, trapped in front by Mohammad Sami, Virender Sehwag took up where he had left off in Multan. A slashed six over point off Shoaib Akhtar set the tone, and he followed up with some beautiful off-drives as both Sami and Shoaib failed to make use of favourable conditions on a green-tinged pitch.The complexion of the match changed after the drinks break, by which time Gul had come on to replace the huffing-and-puffing Shoaib. He got Sehwag with one that pitched just outside off stump – Kamran Akmal, deputising for Moin Khan, took a regulation catch – and then delivered a real knockout punch. Sachin Tendulkar was struck high on the pad in front of the stumps, and Simon Taufel lifted the finger, though there was some doubt about whether the ball might have gone over the stumps (75 for 3).VVS Laxman played one withering square cut off Shoaib, but otherwise appeared ill at ease, and when Gul tempted him with one outside off, he nibbled it through to Taufeeq at second slip (94 for 4).Yuvraj was quickly into his stride with a nonchalant flick for four off Gul, but India’s innings was in tatters soon after. Dravid had rarely been troubled during his 33, but when he flashed at a fairly wide one from Gul, Inzamam-ul-Haq took a fine low catch at slip (125 for 5). Parthiv Patel didn’t trouble the scorers, bizarrely choosing to shoulder arms to a straight one from Gul (127 for 6).
Ajit Agarkar made just 2 before edging Shoaib behind the stumps – the only success for Pakistan’s ineffectual spearhead – but his dismissal set the stage for a remarkable rearguard action. Yuvraj was especially ruthless on the radar-less Sami – hooking, cutting and square-driving him for four fours in an over.Pathan got going with a sumptuous off-drive off Shoaib for four, and there were also two quite magnificent square-drives when Sami pitched it in the slot. Yuvraj continued to bat in imperious fashion, slamming Danish Kaneria for six over long-on, and then sweeping him over deep square leg for six more. By tea, it was Pakistan under siege, as both Yuvraj and Pathan struck the ball with a fluency that made a mockery of the supposedly bowler-friendly conditions.Yuvraj was dropped by Akmal off Sami – a sharp chance low to his left when he had made 97 – but Pakistan made the breakthrough soon after, when Pathan slapped a half-volley straight back to Kaneria. He departed having made an excellent 49, with his parents watching from one of the enclosures.A misfield at cover gave Yuvraj his century, and he celebrated with a disdainful pull for four when Shoaib returned for a new spell. But Sami, shockingly wayward in conceding 117 from 23 overs, got rid of Lakshmipathy Balaji, and Yuvraj was finally out, sweeping Kaneria down to Imran Farhat at deep midwicket, as India folded for 287 in just 64.1 overs.Balaji sneaked one through Taufeeq’s defence late in the day, but India knew that they would have to bowl extremely well on day two to wrest the initiative back from a rejuvenated Pakistan side that had rediscovered its appetite for the big occasion. After four days of one-way traffic in Multan, the series had finally become the contest that we all hoped for.
Stage two of what England’s captain has identified as their World Cup knock-out run gets under way in Port Elizabeth tomorrow, with the cobwebs blown away to a reassuring degree by their opening win at Buffalo Park on Sunday.This is the last of England’s “minnow matches” and is against a side that is already weighted to the bottom of the Group A table, with two overwhelming defeats (by Pakistan and Zimbabwe) and a massively inferior run rate.With so little time left before their matches against Pakistan, India and Australia, England do not have the luxury enjoyed by the tournament favourites of being able to make changes for the lesser games.”We are running out of chances,” Nasser Hussain said. “There’s no coming back from a loss for us. We have to win convincingly.”The teams will get better and better as the competition progresses for us and we have to look at every game as if it’s a semi-final or final.”Namibia are coached by Warwickshire’s Scotsman Dougie Brown, who played nine one-day internationals for England in 1997 and 1998. Tournament debutants they may be, but Brown is not without ambition for tomorrow’s encounter.”It hasn’t really gone according to plan up to now but there is nothing to say we can’t do something to make people sit up and say we are not such a bad side after all,” Brown said.”We’re not going to be daunted or fazed by any of the players in the England side. We thoroughly respect them but we’re going to try and score and play to the best of our ability. We’re not out there to be everyone’s whipping boys or just to make up the numbers.”Brown’s Warwickshire team-mate, Nick Knight, will be keen to build on his opening 51 against the Netherlands, and believes that England have plenty to offer despite the controversial build-up to the tournament.”Cricket is what we’ve come out here for and we were chuffed to get back on the cricket pitch,” Knight said.”We’re determined to do ourselves justice in the World Cup and do well. We’ve had a good preparation in the last week among all that’s been going on and we’re quietly confident we can do something special.”Michael Vaughan, who also compiled a half-century against the Netherlands, is keeping his fingers crossed that it could be the start of a cup run of his own.”I’m going into these games looking to play exactly as I have all year,” said Vaughan, who reached double figures only three times in his first eight one-day international appearances.”I’ve only played about 20-odd matches and my first eight or so were shambolic performances against Pakistan and Australia in my first series, but I have been quite pleased with the way I’ve been playing.”They’ve now given me a settled position at number three and it is one I feel comfortable in. If I can settle into that role I’m hoping I’ll be able to produce the performances that can help England.”Vaughan also insisted that the England squad are hoping that Hussain will remain as captain, following his admission that he will consider his future in the job after the tournament following the recent Zimbabwe crisis.”Nasser’s doing a fantastic job and we’re all behind him and hope he’ll continue after the World Cup,” Vaughan added, despite hinting that he would be interested in the job further down the line.”First and foremost the job isn’t available and I’m just concentrating on my batting, it’s my first World Cup, which is a fantastic occasion, and I’m determined I’m going to go out and enjoy it.”But if after the end of this tournament, or in a year’s time, the job becomes available then obviously I’d like my name to be mentioned.”
The small fourth day crowd witnessed some bizarre scenes after tea as the entire Middlesex XI plus coach John Emburey turned their hands to assisting the ground staff in order to enable their CricInfo Championship match against Notts to re-start after a downpour.A heavy thunderstorm had halted play with Notts on 193-8, still 20 runs short of making their opponents bat again. Needing just two more wickets to cement their lead at the top of Division Two the Middlesex players helped drag covers off the playing surface and generally assist with the entire mopping up operation.Once the umpires were satisfied with their efforts play re-started just before 5pm with a minimum of 19.3 overs left to be bowled. But only three of those overs could be delivered before yet another shower dashed the Middlesex hopes.At the interruption Notts were on 202–8 but, somewhat incredibly, play once again resumed. Two Read boundaries off Fraser helped Notts sail past the 213 needed to make Middlesex bat again as finally the umpires called it off. Read had batted heroically to end undefeated on 76 and Harris finished on 14. Tim Bloomfield was the pick of the Middlesex bowlers with figures of 5-58Beginning the day on 93-3 Notts last three wickets inside just five overs. Bilal Shafayat and Darren Bicknell both fell to Tim Bloomfield and Paul Johnson was caught at forward short leg off Phil Tufnell for 0.David Lucas scored 11, sharing in a stand of 38 with Read but when he and Richard Logan fell hopes of saving the match seemed to have been extinguished.Read went on the offensive and reached his third half-century of the season in just 69 balls. With Harris as support tea was reached on 187–8. Nine deliveries were possible after the resumption before the showers came but despite the efforts of the Middlesex players there was no longer enough time for them to force a win.
Tottenham Hotspur need a talisman. Mohammed Kudus is a fleet-footed winger, adding a dimension to the attack, but he’s not of a level with Harry Kane, or Heung-min Son.
Likewise, Xavi Simons has the potential to become a leading man down N17, but he’s raw and inexperienced.
Kane hasn’t really been replaced since leaving Spurs for Bayern Munich in 2023, with Dominic Solanke’s injury troubles negating his stature as one of the Premier League’s most dangerous forwards. Richarlison is consistent only in his inconsistency.
Tottenham’s All-time Record Scorers
Player
Apps
Goals
Harry Kane
435
280
Jimmy Greaves
376
266
Bobby Smith
316
211
Heung-min Son
454
173
Martin Chivers
350
167
Data via Transfermarkt
Tottenham need a talisman, and that looks to be high on ENIC Group and Thomas Frank’s agenda going into the January transfer window.
Why Spurs need a Kane-esque signing
Kane’s departure was always going to knock Tottenham out of kilter, but perhaps it’s being more keenly felt now that Son has left too. There simply isn’t enough impetus and bite in the final third, and Frank needs to rectify that swiftly as his side languish in 11th place.
However, Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici have been entrusted with funds this winter, and signings are expected.
None would be more impactful than Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, who is being chased by a snapping pack of Premier League giants, Liverpool and Manchester City at the front.
However, TEAMtalk have confirmed that the Lilywhites are ready to offer the Ghana international, 25, a wage bill-shattering salary to convince him to head down N17, having attempted to sign him before being rebuffed during the summer.
Why Semenyo could become Spurs' talisman
Kane scored many goals against many different Premier League opponents. Alan Shearer is the only man to have scored more.
Semenyo is not an out-and-out centre-forward on the same prolific level as the England captain, but he does have a unique and devastating skillset that could hit a new level in Frank’s Tottenham team.
This season, the two-sided winger has scored seven goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League, with his consistency leading teammate Justin Kluivert to call him “world-class”.
Semenyo’s brilliance lies not in his prolific success but in his ceaseless work rate. He just runs and runs and runs. As per Sofascore, the £75k-per-week talent has completed 1.6 dribbles and averaged 6.6 successful duels per game. Analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as a “workhorse off the ball”, and that’s exactly what Spurs need to return to form.
He ranks among the top 6% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for goals and the top 12% for ball recoveries per 90 (via FBref), further underscoring his dynamism.
This is not Kudus, zipping this way and that with startling energy, but an economical winger who conserves his energy and unleashes it at an opportune moment.
There is a quiet intelligence to Semenyo that suggests he could step into Kane’s boots and lead this group of players.
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After all, there’s a reason all the finest teams in the division want the dynamic winger, who is only getting better and better with each passing season in the Premier League.
It’s not going to be an easy deal to pull off, but Tottenham have the financial structures erected to pull off a marquee mid-season deal, and it really would add to Frank’s frontline a Kane-esque star.
Palhinha & Bentancur upgrade: Spurs now well-placed to sign £34m “madman"
Tottenham need to fix their midfield in the January transfer window.
Sunil Gavaskar, who polarised opinion with outspoken comments during the recent Australia-India series, has hit out at England and Australia, describing their approach to the global game as being akin to “dinosaurs”.Gavaskar has a foot in two camps, working as a journalist and also as chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee. In his syndicated newspaper column at the weekend, he said that England and Australia needed to come to terms with the new world order.”Gone are the days when two countries, England and Australia, had the veto power in international cricket, even though the dinosaurs may not open their eyes and see the reality,” he wrote. “The cricketing world has found that India has no longer a diffident voice but a confident one that knows what is good for its cricket, and will strive to get it.”What may have worried these people was the manner in which India defended Harbhajan Singh on the ‘racist allegation made against him [in Australia in January]. When all the technology in the world was unable to prove that he had indeed said anything, these guys, especially those in Australia, were unable to stomach it.”Those worried of the prospect of India’s hegemony were conveniently forgetting that only a few years back, there were two Australians at the top of the ICC. It is a misplaced belief that they are the only ones with honesty, integrity and have the welfare of the game at heart, while the ‘subcontinentals’ do not.”In January, Gavaskar’s remarks about Mike Procter, the ICC match referee during the infamous Sydney Test, were commented on by David Morgan, the ICC’s president-elect. “Conflicts of interests pervade our sport,” Morgan said. “In terms of Gavaskar, within the ICC, there is a concern now that he’s chairman of the cricket committee and a journalist who has expressed some fairly outspoken comments.”
Australia have received a boost ahead of their Group A showdown with South Africa at Basseterre on Saturday, with the news that their key allrounder, Andrew Symonds, has been passed fit to play in his first match since tearing his right biceps on February 2.Symonds, who has been steadily working his way back to fitness during Australia’s three weeks in the Caribbean, described himself as “95% fit” after coming through his final practice session at Warner Park. “I wouldn’t go out there if I didn’t think I could last a full 100 overs,” he said.Symonds’ return means Australia have dropped the man who came in to replace him, Brad Hodge, who was named Man of the Match after scoring a century in his last outing against Holland. “There’s an argument that Brad Hodge should be in the side,” Symonds said. “He’s played very well and is very unlucky to be dropped.”I’m feeling for him right now, because it’s happened to him before. But that’s the way it goes. I spoke to him earlier and he hasn’t given up by any means. He’ll just have to wait and if he gets an opportunity, he’s the perfect man to come in and take over a batting role.”The other alternative would have been to remove the spinner Brad Hogg, a man whom South Africa’s stroke-making top-order are sure to target given Warner Park’s small boundaries, although that decision would have put too much of a burden on Symonds’s own offbreaks. Though his batting has looked pretty uninhibited in the nets, his bowling and throwing are the areas that have not yet been adequately tested.”Today, I threw very firmly with relatively no pain at all,” Symonds said. “The only thing I haven’t done is had a full game and match-fitness is probably the only thing that is an unknown. The adrenalin of being back out there in this competition will probably beenough to get me through it.”I guess we’re expecting a good old-fashioned Australia-South Africa showdown. There will be no love lost. I think it’s a game that everyone is looking forward to watching. We’re certainly looking forward to playing it. It’s nice to play against the stronger sides. We’ve had a couple of games when we haven’t been pushed or tested, so now it’s really time to see where we’re at.”Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Matthew Hayden, 3Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 MikeHussey, 7 Shane Watson, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Nathan Bracken, 10 GlennMcGrath, 11 Shaun Tait.
One up with one to go, against a team crocked before the series began, and further hit by Steve Harmison’s shin splints today – the picture looks rosy for India. As Rahul Dravid pointed out after the Mohali triumph, their’s is a problem of plenty, and it’s a happy problem for a team to have.The biggest issue for the team is its composition – six specialist batsmen and four bowlers, or five of each. With only a draw needed to seal the series, it’s a tempting thought to bolster the batting and drop a bowler, but the picture is unlikely to get any clearer until much closer to the match.Much of it depends on the pitch too. The last time a Test was played here, it lasted barely two days and a bit, and produced 40 wickets for 605. Talk to Sudhir Naik, the curator, and he assures such a situation won’t arise this time: “This is a true wicket. The match will definitely last four-five days.” A typical Mumbai pitch offers some bounce as well, which won’t be bad news for the bowlers. Out of the last eight Tests here, only one has been drawn, further reason for India to believe that six batsmen might be the way to go here.Either way, Piyush Chawla looks certain to sit out, making way for either a fit-again Sreesanth or VVS Laxman. If India play bold and opt for Sreesanth, Laxman, who missed most of the nets due to a delayed flight, might have to spend yet more time off the field. Once firmly slotted as the fifth batsman in the side, he has now relinquished that position to Yuvraj, who has quickly taken over the mantle of senior batsman.The lack of runs from the middle has been a worry, but Yuvraj himself wasn’t too concerned, and suggested that a change in fortune was round the corner. And what about the pressure of playing with five specialist bowlers, knowing that the team is one batsman short? “Obviously there is the thought in your mind that you are left with five batsmen, but you also see that Irfan Pathan and MS Dhoni can bat. There is that thought at the back of your mind, but you just play your normal game.”Yuvraj confidence was there to see in the nets too, as he tackled a fiery spell from Sreesanth, who showed no ill-effects of the flu which forced him to miss the Mohali Test. After a few warm-up deliveries bowled gently enough, Sreesanth let them rip off his full run, testing Yuvraj with a slew of short-pitched deliveries, but they were mostly handled with impressive poise. Next to them, Munaf Patel was charging in as well, a happy sign for those who have been lamenting India’s lack of firepower.More than the batting and bowling, though, what caught the eye was an extended session on close-in catching, led by none other than Yajurvindra Singh, a former international player who once took five catches, all fielding close to the bat, in a Test innings at Bangalore in 1976-77. It remains a joint world record.Here, he was offering tutorials to Wasim Jaffer, Yuvraj, Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid, with Greg Chappell joining the gang as well. Repeatedly, he crouched low, very low, and stayed still – exactly as he suggested to Wisden Asia Cricket in an interview on close fielding – before covering his face with one quick motion, while still refusing to flinch as an imaginary ball was hit in his direction. Then Chappell did a Kaif – hopefully telling him what to do – standing knock-kneed and then jumping up – a style Kaif has patented as his own, and which makes for a fine spectacle but would hardly help the bowlers’ confidence. At a press conference later, all that Yuvraj revealed was that Yajurvindra offered them some “tips on in-field catching”. The next few days might reveal how well the players grasped those tips.After more than twenty minutes of theory, it was time for the practicals, as sharp catches were glanced in the direction of the fielders as they stood in a semi-circle. Jaffer, the home boy, did better than the rest; will the short-leg position be his at Mumbai?
Glamorgan have made an official complaint to the ECB about Steve Kirby, accusing him of ball-tampering during their seven-wicket defeat by Gloucestershire in the last round of Championship matches.Kirby, the former Yorkshire fast bowler, was accused of deliberately scuffing the ball on the concrete after David Hemp hit a six into the car park. At the time, he was reported by the umpires at Sophia Gardens, Nigel Cowley and John Hampshire, who included the allegations of ball-tampering in their match report.Glamorgan’s complaint will be reviewed by the ECB’s David Gabbitass, who has already asked Gloucestershire to conduct a thorough internal inquiry and present the results to him by May 19.Soon after the alleged incident on the third day of the match, John Derrick, Glamorgan’s coach, strode onto the pitch to complain about the alteration of the ball’s condition, although the umpires were unable to determine whether the scuffing had been caused by anything other than the initial bounce of the ball.
ScorecardDay 1 Bulletin – Zimbabwe made to battle on opening day Verdict – Rafique holds the keyDay 2 Bulletin – Streak caps off Zimbabwe’s day Verdict – Zimbabwe slow off the markDay 3 Bulletin – Ashraful takes the fight to Zimbabwe Verdict – A basement battleDay 4 Bulletin – Blignaut’s hat-trick takes Zimbabwe close to victory Test hat-tricks Verdict – Blignaut’s big finishDay 5 Bulletin – Zimbabwe complete the formalities Verdict – Definitely maybe an oasis