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Match facts

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Start time 1430 (1230 GMT)Will Smith be any closer to that trophy in a fortnight’s time?•Getty Images

Big picture

Lack of choices can be a blessing in disguise. Hence we have potentially the best event organised by the ICC in a long while. Not entirely by design, though: there was no window for a longer tournament, there isn’t even a reserve day for the final. So there was no space for flab or Super Sixes or Eights or whatever. Although Bangladesh can argue they had a better case than West Indies, few could have envisaged the political turmoil in the Caribbean when the tournament was being drawn up. As a result the preliminary groups are neither meaningless cakewalks nor so fickle that one freak loss ends the tournament for a team. Throw in the fact that the top three teams are so close to each other, the No. 1 ranking is likely to change hands more often in this tournament than the baton in a relay race. So good on the ODIs, which could do with this shot in the arm.It helps that South Africa has been the setting for memorable starts to world events. In the first match of the 2003 World Cup, Brian Lara’s century helped West Indies beat South Africa by three runs in a tense finish. Four years later the ICC went to South Africa unsure if the World Twenty20 would be accepted by the audience. The same two teams, in 37.4 overs, hit all such trepidations out of the Wanderers. The possibility of an exact repeat has been ruled out by the draw, which pits Sri Lanka opening the tournament against the hosts, but a similar start is needed.Both players in the act on Tuesday run the risk of becoming perennial best men: both have been consistent limited-overs teams for large parts of last 15 years, but only two players in each team have tasted success in an ICC event (excluding the 2002 Champions Trophy, which they shared with India): Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan won the 1996 World Cup, and Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis won the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998.Since then South Africa have lost two World Cup semi-finals, one World Twenty20 semi-final, and three Champions Trophy semi-finals. Sri Lanka haven’t been that consistent, but they too have lost a World Cup final and semi-final each, a World Twenty20 final, and shared a Champions Trophy final.Not much has changed on that front: this is another best chance for South Africa to shrug off the chokers’ tag, and although Sri Lanka are not starting off as favourites it would be folly to underestimate them. So let the nearly men kick the nearly tournament off.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)South Africa – LWWWL
Forget their record in big tournaments, this is indeed South Africa’s best chance in a big tournament. They are the most settled team among the eight, Australia are not what they used to be – their 6-1 win in England notwithstanding – and others generally have more issues to settle than the hosts. They last played an international match back in April. Will they be rested or rusty?Sri Lanka – LWWLL
A new-look team trying to bring together mavericks, team players and veterans makes for interesting following. Their No. 5 ranking in ODIs should not prompt other teams to let their guard down.

Team news

Smith has confirmed Hashim Amla will open with him in Gibbs’ absence due to a rib injury that has ruled him out of the first match. It probably won’t hurt the middle order, which looks settled – only Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher could be needed earlier than usual. The most likely to sit out are Robin Peterson and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Expect a toss-up between Roelof van der Merwe and Wayne Parnell for the final position.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Albie Morkel, 8 Roelof van der Merwe/Wayne Parnell, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.Murali should be fit to take the field now. After the tri-series final that Sri Lanka lost to India, Sangakkara had said Murali was fit but they didn’t want to risk him before the Champions Trophy. Whose place will he take if he plays is an interesting question. Unless it is a rank turner, Ajantha Mendis should be the man most likely to sit out.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilina Kandamby, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thilan Thushara, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Watch out for…

Dale Steyn has stated what the world knows in its heart of hearts but is not so convinced about when it comes to big tournaments. “If the team play to their potential, and this might sound cocky, I really believe no side can match us at the Champions Trophy.” The world is waiting, Dale, for the “team to play to their potential”.Nuwan Kulasekara quietly became the No. 1 bowler in ODIs without many noticing, and has kept the ranking for some time now. Now he will be tested in the open and, if the conditions help swing, his accuracy, inswingers, and the odd one that goes straight could just confirm the ICC rankings.Graeme Smith has not shied from making statements for his team, and on the first day of the tournament, with regular co-opener Herschelle Gibbs out, his team needs the leader in the front.Kumar Sangakkara the captain has been conspicuous in trying to bring a hard edge to his skilled team, but Sangakkara the batsman last scored an ODI century in June 2008, against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka won’t mind a reconciliation of the two Sangakkaras.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have a 5-1 lead in matches against Sri Lanka in ICC events. They lost to Sri Lanka in the 1992 World Cup, and tied with them in 2003, but have won all other encounters.
• Murali, with 23 wickets, is the highest wicket-taker in Champions Trophy history.
• Sangakkara, with 22 catches and four stumpings, leads the dismissals table for wicketkeepers.

Quotes

“Our team has a lot of variety. We have got a left-armer, we have got pace, we have got allrounders and we have got spin. It is nice as a captain to have so many options.”
“A game’s a game and it doesn’t matter who the opposition is. But it’s nice, because we’ve come here as underdogs in this game and they [South Africa] have got a major tournament to start, to kick off in front of their fans and the pressure is really on them.”

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side bounced back from their 3-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen with a 2-1 win over Aberdeen this afternoon.

Goals from Jota and Callum McGregor sealed the three points for the Hoops, keeping them within four points of the Premiership summit.

The scores were level at half-time after Liel Abada conceded a penalty to the away side, which Lewis Ferguson duly converted, before McGregor won the match in the second half.

Forget McGregor

McGregor picked up a goal and an assist and could take the bulk of the plaudits from today, but another player who is deserving of applause is centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The £20k-per-week gem was an unsung hero at the back as he put in a superb display to keep Aberdeen at bay and ensure that the Hoops came away with all three points. It is easy to see the attackers scoring goals and getting assists and think that they were the stars of the show, but defenders are equally as important as their actions decide whether or not their teammates’ contributions in the final third ultimately make a difference.

Defensively, the American was a rock. As per SofaScore, he won three of his four duels (75%) on the pitch, making two tackles, one interception and four clearances. He also ended the match without being dribbled past once and committed zero fouls. This shows that he was reliable at the back for Postecoglou and that Aberdeen were unable to get past him throughout the game, with Abada’s concession of a penalty the only blot on the defensive copybook.

On the ball, Carter-Vickers was composed and assured. As per SofaScore, he had a whopping 91 touches of the ball and completed an impressive 95% of his attempted passes. This included six of his 10 longer pass attempts and he only gave possession away four times in the entire match, highlighting how crucial he was to Celtic controlling the game as he was not a liability with the ball at his feet. It could have caused issues for the Hoops had he been sloppy with his passing and handed Aberdeen chances to break.

Therefore, he provided a platform for the attackers to build upon and was pivotal to the final result. Whilst others also deserve praise for their individual displays, Carter-Vickers was an unsung hero and should be given immense credit for his performance.

AND in other news, Celtic closing in on key deal for 24y/o midfielder…

West Ham United have been handed an encouraging boost ahead of their return to Premier League action this weekend…

What’s the latest?

The Irons head to the Midlands to face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday afternoon following the final international break of the year and they can expect to travel with vice-captain Declan Rice, who has shaken off illness.

That’s according to Irons insiders Claret and Hugh, who delivered a fresh update on the 22-year-old’s situation after he withdrew from England duty.

Rice was not involved in either of the Three Lions’ back-to-back wins over Albania and San Marino as Gareth Southgate’s squad qualified for the 2022 World Cup.

A source has told the website that he is now fit and ready to play this weekend in what has to be considered a huge boost to manager David Moyes and the squad.

Huge boost vs Wolves

There would have been some cause for concern as a Rice-less Hammers side would be a worrying prospect considering they have achieved so much with him leading the side in the Premier League this season.

Indeed, the east London outfit sit third in the standings after 11 matches, above the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Spurs.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news-transfer-updates-gsb-kretinsky-moyes” title=”Read the latest West Ham news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Rice has been a standout performer, averaging the highest WhoScored rating (7.46) of anyone in the squad. He leads the way for interceptions (1.9) and average number of passes (58.4) per game, proving that much of the Irons’ play runs through him and he’s a rock-solid option to protect the backline.

He isn’t too far behind for tackles either, managing 2.7 per game, which is only bettered by Ben Johnson (three), who has played in much fewer matches.

Earlier in the season, Moyes emphasised just how crucial the academy graduate is after he played a starring role in the win and clean sheet against former club, Everton.

“It would be hard to say just how good Declan Rice was today. For me, he was head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch. He did the dirty bits in the game when he had to do so but had a great air of control on the ball and poise,” he told reporters, (via Sky Sports).

Moyes will, therefore, be absolutely delighted to have his talisman available for selection on Saturday. He will surely continue his run in the starting XI.

AND in other news, “I know from sources”: Ex drops huge West Ham transfer claim that’ll have fans excited…

Saudi Arabian consortium PIF completed their takeover of Newcastle United from Mike Ashley earlier this month and hope may never have been higher amongst the fanbase in the past decade, with many fans finally taking advantage of the latest free bets uk offers to back their team on the pitch.

Whilst supporters may be buzzing with the potential of PIF leading the club to glory, there must also be a degree of realism heading into the January window. At this early stage in Newcastle’s, hopeful, revival they may not be able to attract big-name, established stars straight off the bat.

Given their recent bottom-half finishes in the Premier League and the playing squad, with all due respect to the current players they hold, top-quality ‘world-class’ players may not want to risk coming to Tyneside and not achieving success in the first couple of seasons.

This means that the Magpies could have more success in negotiations if they eye young players with the potential to become great or players who have fallen off the track on their way to being top-class and working to get them back to their best.

Bayern Munich central defender Niklas Sule falls into the latter. The £31.5m-rated beast has been linked, by German outlet Bild, with a potential move to St. James’ Park and he is the ideal profile of a player the new owners should be looking at to progress Newcastle to the next level.

PIF could land Fabrizio Coloccini 2.0 for the Magpies by securing a deal for the German colossus, which is why must swoop for him in January. Coloccini was a stalwart at the back for the club in the early 2010s, making 211 Premier League appearances and securing a Championship promotion along the way.

The curly-haired rock of a defender averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.78 or higher in every season for the Magpies leading up to his final campaign for the club – when he dropped to 6.69. This shows how he was a consistent, reliable, centre-back for Newcastle in the top-flight, which is what Sule could be.

The Argentinian former Newcastle captain was a fan favourite with the Toon Army, with plenty of songs sung at St James’ Park about supporters willing to let Colo spend time with their partners!

Coloccini joined Newcastle in 2008 and spent eight years at the club, racking up more than 250 appearances and even stayed with the club when they went down to the Championship, helping them straight back into the Premier League, which obviously went down well with the fans.

The start of his Newcastle career was actually fairly mistake ridden, but he road that out and formed a couple of solid partnerships with Mike Williamson and Steven Taylor, where he was the more experienced member of the duo.

Colo formed a particularly strong friendship with his compatriot Jonas Gutierrez, with the two of them spending a combined 15 years in the north-east and neither have been forgotten more than five years later.

Coloccini eventually left in 2016 for his hometown club San Lorenzo, a decision that was largely understood by Newcastle fans and he left with their blessing on the whole.

At the age of 26, the German international has plenty of time left to be a regular at St. James’ for many seasons to come. In fact, Coloccini was 26 at the time of his move from Deportivo in 2008 and was able to play 275 competitive games in his time on Tyneside.

Sule is out of contract at the end of the season and Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann opened the door to a potential exit for him due to his poor form earlier this year, whilst also claiming that he has the tools to become a world-class defender. He said:

“I think it’s important to be completely transparent with the players. The players also need to understand the club’s perspective concerning the contractual situation.

“Niki’s contract expires next year, and his last season was not especially felicitous. But he also has everything that a world-class central defender needs; that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

This suggests that he is a player with the potential to be a top-tier defender, having gone through a rough patch recently. Therefore, he could be tempted by the prospect of arriving at Newcastle at the start of this new era and being one of the leaders in the group to lift them up the Premier League table.

Sule has also averaged a career WhoScored rating of 6.95, playing for Hoffenheim, Germany and Bayern, across 245 appearances. This shows that he has been able to perform to a high standard for the majority of his career to date, in spite of Nagelsmann’s comments on his recent form, and that is why Newcastle should swoop now in an attempt to get him back to his best.

AND in other news,  Luke Edwards drops Newcastle transfer claim that will surely delight fans…

Zimbabwe Cricket has told Cricinfo that it is working with the ICC on proposals that it enters a team into the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup.The tournament features the leading eight Associates who play each other in four-day first-class matches spread over more than a year, with the top two playing-off in a final at a neutral venue.The idea that Zimbabwe, who have been suspended from Test cricket since 2005, participate in the competition was one of the proposals put forward to the ICC to enable their cricketers to prepare for an eventual return to the Test arena.A ZC spokesman said that the board were “in principle agreeable” and it was sorting out the “finer details” with the ICC.An ICC source said that were Zimbabwe Cricket to agree it could create potential difficulties for it. “It would, in effect, admit that they were at Associate level, and unless they do very well, there would be a compelling argument for them to be stripped of their Full Member status,” he explained.”Imagine the situation where Ireland or Scotland, whose funding from the ICC is a fraction of Zimbabwe’s, beat them. There could be calls for that anomaly to be resolved.”There are also issues over where games would be played as the governments of some of the countries involved in the competition still have serious political reservations over travelling to, and hosting, Zimbabwe. Those, however, are not believed to be insurmountable.The other uncertainty which will need to be addressed by the ICC development committee when it meets later this month is whether, if Zimbabwe Cricket agrees to take part, the competition is expanded to nine countries or one of the existing Associates is dropped to make room for them.However, it seems highly unlikely that an Associate – and Namibia would be the prime candidate as they secured the eighth and final qualifying slot – will be ditched.

The equation for the Deccan Chargers to enter the semi-finals is simple on paper – they need to win two of their last three matches

The Preview by Jamie Alter16-May-2009Match factsMay 16, 2009
Start time 16.45 (14.45 GMT, 20.00 IST)
Big PictureAs the heat gets turned up before the semi-finals, Deccan need Rohit Sharma to click with the bat•AFPThe equation for the Deccan Chargers to enter the semi-finals is simple on paper – they need to win two of their last three matches. Winning against third-placed Rajasthan Royals won’t be an easy proposition but Deccan couldn’t have asked for better opportunity to try and bump into the semi-finals than the Kolkata Knight Riders, whom they thrashed in their earlier meeting in 2009. Deccan’s momentum was hindered by two tense and close losses in the last week, but they shouldn’t be worrying too much ahead of their game against the poorest side in the tournament.Deccan’s self-assurance stems from the showing of a host of players. Adam Gilchrist has been their leading run-scorer and a shrewd captain behind the stumps. RP Singh, with 16 wickets at 16.56, has bowled well with the new ball but has really surprised with his precise death bowling. Rohit Sharma hasn’t clicked massively with the bat but he’s been a real surprise with the ball, even taking a hat-trick. Pragyan Ojha’s left-arm spin has been valuable. Dwayne Smith has turned in a few handy innings and Andrew Symonds’ return has been only good news to a weak middle order. Even Venugopal Rao has contributed cameos and good catches in the field.Conversely, Kolkata have been beaten 10 out of 11 times and have been run ragged by anything from poor form, abysmal fielding, shoddy man management, uninspiring leadership and reported rifts in the camp. You name it, and its gone wrong for them. Despite trying several combinations, Kolkata’s woes have continued and their only incentive to win would be to try and take a few opponents down with them.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Deccan Chargers: LWLWL
Deccan have been rather reliant on Gilchrist at the top, but his flops in a few games was masked over to an extent by Symonds, Smith and Rao. Deccan are always best poised to win when Gilchrist gets going early. Rohit has disappointed with the bat, despite being their second-highest run-getter. Only a few points separate the teams on the table, so Deccan really need to get it together and seal their course in the final four.Kolkata Knight Riders: LLLLL
Not much to write about here in terms of positives. The bowling has been a letdown; the batting has relied on Brad Hodge too often. Kolkata have been marred by controversies – the multiple-captaincy hocus-pocus, a fraught captain and even a fake blogger – and on the field they’ve rarely looked cohesive. A couple tough calls, such as that Super Over, but nobody is going to remember that when they look at the results list later.Watch out forRohit Sharma: It really is time this kid stepped up with a strong innings. His 247 runs at 24.70 include just one half-century, and too often Rohit has been out playing indifferent shots, most notably in the last two games. He was Deccan’s brightest star last year and is due to score; he can take confidence that he’ll be up against Kolkata’s rather threadbare attack. Like Ross Taylor, who swatted a barrage of gift-wrapped full tosses from Kolkata recently, Rohit is a keen puller. Kolkata, watch out.TeamsIf at all, Deccan’s change would be to drop D Ravi Teja, whose sluggish 27 from 34 in the last game hurt them and put pressure on Symonds and Smith. His replacements would likely be one of Arjun Yadav or Azhar Bilkakhia. The bowling will in all probability be untouched.Deccan Chargers: (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 T Suman, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Dwayne Smith, 6 Venugopal Rao, 7 D Ravi Teja/Azhar Bilakhia/Arjun Yadav, 8 Chaminda Vaas, 9 RP Singh, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Shoaib Ahmed.With nothing to gain in the tournament Kolkata may as well hand chances to those who have not featured yet. Brendon McCullum, their beleaguered captain, said he would step down if Kolkata didn’t make the semi-finals. Still he showed up in the last game, hammering an unbeaten 84, taking a blinder, and sinking to his knees when the side vomited another chance to win. Will he at last bow out? Time will tell. The foreign allrounders Moises Henriques and Angelo Matthews have done nothing, so Kolkata could just give Mashrafe Mortaza, valued at $600,000, his first game.Kolkata Knight Riders: (probable) 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Sourav Ganguly, 3 David Hussey, 4 Morne van Wyk, 5 Yashpal Singh, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Laxmi Ratan Shukla, 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Murali Kartik, 10 Mashrafe Mortaza, 11 Ishant Sharma.Stats and triviaMurali Kartik has the best economy rate of Kolkata’s bowlers – 6.00 after eight games.Henriques holds the record for the most catches of those Kolkata players still in the IPL, with three from four matches.Deccan’s best partnership was the 96 between Symonds and Rao for the fifth wicket versus Kings XI Punjab in Kimberly. Head-to-head recordKolkata trumped Deccan in both their face-offs in 2008. The first match was marred by a floodlight failure and a minefield of pitch at the Eden Gardens but Kolkata snuck home by five wickets in a thriller. In the second match Sourav Ganguly and David Hussey took Kolkata to 204 before their pace bowlers clinched a 23-run win. But in their 2009 opener Deccan thrashed Kolkata by eight wickets and 41 balls in hand at Newlands.

Naman Ojha’s brilliant century went in vain as North Zone beat Central Zone by six wickets at the Ravenshaw College Ground. Ojha’s 100 helped Central finish on 250, but twin fifties from Aakash Chopra and Virat Kohli ensured North overhauled the target in the 48th over. Electing to bat, Ojha and Rajesh Bishnoi put on a second-wicket stand of 56, before captain Mohmmad Kaif joined Ojha to consolidate further. Kaif played patiently for his 46 off 74 balls, stroking two fours and a six, while Ojha hit six boundaries and four sixes in his 111-ball stay. The 104-run partnership looked to have set the platform for a late assault but Vikramjeet Malik and Pradeep Sangwan bowled magnificently at the death to contain the opposition. Both bowlers picked up three wickets apiece as Central lost five batsmen for 50 runs in the last 10 overs. An opening stand of 89 between Chopra and Rahul Dewan set the tone during the chase. Chopra ended with 56, scoring eight boundaries during his 78-ball innings. Kohli then combined with captain Mithun Manhas (44) to take North closer, putting on 78 for the third wicket. Kohli remained unbeaten on 79 off 87 balls, comprising nine fours and a six, and together with Rajat Bhatia steered North home.While captain Wasim Jaffer led from the front with a confident 81, the West Zone bowler’s backed him up as West Zone thrashed South Zone by 71 runs at Barabati Stadium. Choosing to bat, West were off on the wrong foot with opening Parthiv Patel falling for 3. Jaffer then joined Mumbai team-mate Ajinkya Rahane to get the innings back on track. Having added 42 for the second wicket, Jaffer then combined with Cheteshwar Pujara to strengthen West further. The 60-run stand kept them in the hunt for a big total, but Sreesanth Aravind’s impressive 4 for 41 pegged them back. Jaffer’s 110-ball innings comprised three boundaries, and a late show from Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 39 from 44 balls, propped them up to 223. It was a daunting challenge for South who found themselves tottering at 64 for 5 in the 14th over, undone by the fast men Abhishek Nayar and Jitendra Patil. Manoj Sai’s feeble attempt at a resurrection, with a 83-ball 47 did not help as Kamlesh Makvana and Iqbal Abdulla completed the formalities by the 43rd over.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com cerca de 15 mil torcedores, o Santos venceu o Corinthians por 2 a 0, nesta quinta-feira, na Vila Belmiro, pelo primeiro jogo da final do Brasileiro Feminino. A entrada foi franca.

Em um início de primeiro tempo equilibrado, não demorou muito tempo para as arquibancadas explodirem e empurrarem as Sereias, que dominaram o jogo e abriram o placar logo aos 15 minutos. Dona de 16 gols na temporada, a artilheira Sole James foi quem marcou o primeiro tento. A argentina brigou pela bola com a goleira Lelê, ficou com a sobra e empurrou para dentro do gol.

Na tentativa de reagir, o Timão tinha mais a posse de bola e assustava nos cruzamentos, mas o Peixe aproveitou os contra-ataques para fazer o segundo gol cinco minutos depois do primeiro, com Patricia Sochor, de cobertura.

Enquanto o primeiro tempo rolava, a fila no entorno do Alçapão só crescia, tanto que surpreendentemente foi parar no canal 2 de Santos. O clube foi obrigado a fechar os portões para não superlotar.

O Alvinegro voltou para o segundo tempo com a intenção de administrar o resultado, enquanto o Corinthians seguia procurando o gol para diminuir a diferença no jogo de volta, sem sucesso.

Ainda com gás, as Sereias surpreenderam e quase ampliaram mais uma vez no final do segundo tempo com Maurine, que arriscou de fora de área.

O jogo de volta ocorrerá na próxima quinta-feira, às 18h, na Arena Barueri. Com a vantagem, o Santos pode perder por um gol de diferença.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians garantiu a liderança do Campeonato Brasileiro por pelo menos mais três rodadas ao vencer a Ponte Preta no sábado, por 2 a 0, na Arena de Itaquera. O feito foi alcançado neste domingo, com os jogos que completaram a 12ª rodada – Coritiba e Sport ainda duelam nesta segunda-feira, mas ambos estão distantes do Timão na tabela. Com as derrotas de Grêmio e Palmeiras diante de Avaí e Cruzeiro, os comandados de Fábio Carille abrem nove pontos de vantagem na liderança da competição.

Assim, mesmo que perca a invencibilidade e seja derrotado consecutivamente por Palmeiras (quarta-feira), Atlético-PR (sábado) e Avaí (na quarta, dia 19), o Timão mantém a ponta da tabela do Brasileirão. Isso porque, além dos nove pontos de vantagem, o Corinthians ainda tem quatro vitórias a mais que o Flamengo, que se firmou na segunda posição com 23 pontos.

Com 32 pontos somados, o Corinthians soma dez vitórias e dois empates, com 21 gols marcados (segundo melhor ataque, empatado com o Fluminense) e cinco gols sofridos (melhor defesa). A equipe tem 89% de aproveitamento a sete partidas do fim do primeiro turno, marcas inéditas na história do Brasileirão disputado em pontos corridos, desde 2003.

O próximo desafio será o clássico com o Palmeiras desta quarta-feira, às 21h45, no Allianz Parque. O rival está invicto desde julho do ano passado.

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A round-up of the second day’s play in the third round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2009Group A
Yasir Arafat snapped up six more wickets, but SNGPL’s lead of 106 may be massive in a low-scoring game © AFP
Wickets continued to fall at the Union Bank Limited sports complex, where Aizaz Cheema’s six-wicket haul proved decisive in garnering Pakistan International Airlines a handy lead. Having been dismissed for just 200 on day one, PIA allowed Habib Bank Limited’s openers to go into stumps on 24 for 0. Then Cheema took over after Najaf Shah opened the doors with two early wickets. He ran through the lower order to finish with 6 for 52 and if not for Shahid Afridi’s 80-ball 73 HBL would have had to settle for far less than 171. Sarfraz Ahmed, the wicketkeeper, collected seven catches behind the stumps. The HBL spinners Afridi and Danish Kaneria struck back to reduce PIA to 77 for 3, but by then a potentially crucial lead of 106 had been established.Medium-pace again dominated in Rawalpindi. First Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited’s Asad Ali snared 5 for 51 to help bowl Khan Research Laboratories out for 133, thus securing a 12-run lead, but a spectacular collapse triggered by Yasir Arafat followed. Arafat, who took four wickets in the first innings, ran through SNGPL with 6 for 36. He removed the openers for 0 apiece and, backed by Shoaib Akhtar’s two wickets, reduced SNGPL to 94 for 8 at stumps. How crucial their lead of 106, in a match where ball has outdone bat, will turn out to be remains to be seen. Asad Ali’s wickets had accounted for KRL’s middle and lower middle order, but Arafat’s ten for the match left the game wide open.Mohammed Naved’s eight wickets pulled Lahore Shalimar back into the game and Abid Ali’s maiden first-class hundred helped them inch towards stability at the Gaddafi Stadium. From an overnight 270 for 5, Water and Power Development Authority were kept to 330, with Naved taking career-best figures of 8 for 128. Nawaz Sardar could only add 20 to his overnight century and there was little resistance from the lower order. Lahore’s innings began poorly – they were soon 19 for 2 – but Abid Ali added 92 with Suleman Khan (25) and an unbeaten 77 with Raza Ali Dar (31 not out) and took the total to 188 for 3 at stumps. His unbeaten 101 consumed 141 balls and included 16 boundaries.Wajid Ali’s slow century and useful contributions low down the order from Shehzad Butt (40) and Haaris Ayaz (57) got the total to 390, and three National Bank of Pakistan wickets capped a good second day for Sui Southern Gas Corporation in Karachi. SNGPL had made slow progress on day one, scoring 251 for 5, and Wajid came out in the same vein. His 101 took 241 deliveries but also smoothed over a double loss at 281, and Butt and Ayaz dug in to get the score close to 400. Fawad Alam, the Pakistan allrounder, struck thrice to finish the innings. But NBP proceeded to lose three of their own in a flurry, and slumped to 17 for 3. The openers failed to score, and when Naumanullah departed for 9, NBP were in trouble. Cue an attacking, unbeaten 106-run alliance between Umar Amin (60 from 60 balls) and Alam (50 from 50) but, trailing by 267, NBP are still far from safety.Half-centuries to their top order enabled Karachi Whites take an 87-run lead over Pakistan Customs on day two at the Quaid-e-Azam park, where Karachi resumed on 43 for no loss and the openers Asad Shafiq (73) and Ali Asad (70) extended the stand to 139. A wobble followed, with Fawad Khan taking 4 for 10 with his part-time medium-pace. Khalid Latif, the Karachi captain, stuck around to finish the day unbeaten on 66 and found support from Javed Mansoor to add 70 for the sixth wicket.Group BMore joy for the medium-pacers at the Marghzar Cricket Ground, where 16 wickets fell on day two. From an overnight 148 for 9, Multan were taken to 187 thanks to Mohammad Irshad’s 33. Then Rawalpindi were bowled out for 121, Abdur Rauf taking 5 for 39 and every other bowler also succeeding in striking. But then Multan’s batsmen combined to flop again, slumping to 50 for 6 by stumps. The wrecker-in-chief was the first-innings hero Rizwan Akbar, who took his tally to ten for the match so far with 5 for 22. No batsman applied himself – top-scorer Sohaib Maqsood’s 20 needed 19 deliveries – and Multan would be unduly putting plenty of pressure on their bowling attack if they fail to build on a 116-run lead.Matters improved somewhat for Group B’s table-toppers, Abbottabad, who restricted Islamabad to 234 and then whittled the deficit down to 49 by the close of play at the Diamond Club Ground. Having crumbled to 163 on the first day, Abbottabad turned in a tidy bowling effort. There were not massive hauls or destructive spells, but the wickets were shared and no home side batsman was allowed to cross 50 bar the opener and captain Raheel Majeed (57). Ghulam Mohammad and Usman Khan, Abbottabad’s openers, scored 31 without loss in the 17 overs remaining in the day.Sialkot made good progress against Hyderabad at the Jinnah Stadium. The day didn’t start their way, as the opener Aqeel Anjum moved from 86 to 104 and Nasir Awais (44 not out) helped Hyderabad from 197 for 7 to 252, but an efficient response helped it get better. Kamran Younus (89) and Naeemuddin (69 not out) put on 139 for the first wicket and then Bilal Hussain contributed 43 in a 90-run association for the second. Sialkot finished on 238 for 2, within striking distance of taking a first-innings lead.At the National Stadium, Shaizab Hasan’s 156 helped Karachi Blues take a 151-run lead over Lahore Ravi. Azam Khan struck twice early in the morning to unsettle a promising start, but Hasan, the Karachi captain, notched up his maiden first-class century. It was largely a one-man effort – Hasan faced 172 balls and hit 23 fours and three sixes and no other batsman crossed 48, thanks largely to Azam’s 5 for 82. However, constructive efforts from the lower order took Karachi to 373 for 8.Faisalabad dominated the second straight day against Quetta at the Iqbal Stadium, where the captain Ijaz Ahmed jnr’s unbeaten 229 prompted a declaration at 447 for 8. Ijaz, who had represented Pakistan four times in the middle-to-late 1990s, batted 318 balls for his stellar innings, and Mohammad Salman made 90. Confident with the total, Ijaz declared the innings and looked on as his medium-pacers struck early to leave Quetta 80 for 3.