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USWNT star Lindsey Horan believes Washington Spirit owner Michelle Kang's purchase of Lyon Femenin will usher in an 'incredible' new era.

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USWNT's Horan highlights Lyon infrastructure issuesWashington Spirit owner Michelle Kang to purchase clubFrench side begin 2023 UCL campaign TuesdayWHAT HAPPENED?

In a conversation with Pro Soccer Wire, the USWNT star spoke on the excitement of what a potential sale of Lyon Femenin to Washington Spirit owner Michelle Kang could look like for the French club. The 29-year-old believes that with Kang leading the club, an 'incredible' era could be upon them.

Kang is expected to build the women's side their own official training center while exploring the option of utilizing and repurposing a local rugby stadium for a new home venue.

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Lyon are eight-time Champions League winners but still share a training ground with the men's side and only rarely play at the 59,000-capacity Groupama Stadium. Now, with the introduction of Kang into the ownership group, Horan believes a new era may be ushered in.

WHAT HORAN SAID

“Our team isn’t just attached to the men’s team,” she said. “Our team is in itself its own. To see some of these teams around the world now having their own training facilities, having their own stadiums — that’s what they deserve.

“We women work just as hard and we’re professionals just as much as the men. So at least we should have our own training facility. We should have all access to the things that we need, that I’m pretty sure most men’s clubs get, and to have our own stadium would be incredible as well.”

“Michelle is amazing, I’ve met her many times,” Horan added. “And I think her aspirations and the things that she’s doing in the world are insane. She’s not just saying things to say them, or to hope that it could happen, she’s going and making them happen. What she’ll do with Lyon is going to be absolutely incredible.”

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The French side make their 2023/24 UEFA Champions League debut Tuesday evening against Slavia Prague, with Horan set to play a role in another campaign as they look for their ninth European trophy.

On the cusp of his retirement from ODIs, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq said he was going to approach the game against Australia as a normal one

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Sydney19-Mar-20151:49

Five things Pakistan need to do to beat Australia

Two days after the cricket world farewelled Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara from ODIs, two Pakistan seniors will begin the final phase – perhaps the final day – of their ODI careers. Misbah-ul-Haq has announced he will play only Tests after the World Cup. Shahid Afridi has said he will also step away from the format in which he made his name, even if at times, retirement has seemed like a state of mind for Afridi, more than a state of being.They are perhaps contemporary cricket’s odd couple; often invoked in the same breath, each is construed to be what the other is not. Yet, as they move to the cusp of retirement together, they will both reflect with pleasure on their careers, and be joined in keeping emotions in check, Misbah said.Junaid a chance to replace injured Irfan

Pakistan fast bowler Junaid Khan has been asked to prove his fitness at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, as the team weigh up their options to replace the injured Mohammad Irfan.
Junaid underwent a test on Thursday evening in the presence of chief selector Moin Khan, but any chance of a call-up to the squad will hinge on Pakistan beating Australia in the quarter-finals.
In January this year, Junaid pulled out of an ongoing ODI series against New Zealand due to a thigh injury and a month later, he was ruled out of the World Cup after failing a late fitness test.

“The biggest satisfaction is that we gave everything to our team and country,” he said. “Whatever we had, we put our efforts together. This World Cup is still not over, and we’d really like to win tomorrow’s game and go further. That’s what, you could say, our desire and dream is.”You just take it as a normal game. Go there and try to hit your basic stride and try to give 100%. That is the only thing you can do. If you just think about this game further than that, you are putting yourself under pressure, and I’m not going to do that, and even Shahid is not going to do that.”As ever, Pakistan’s bowling appears to hold the key to their success. Michael Clarke identified the opposition quicks as particularly dangerous to his team’s World Cup hopes, and while Misbah agreed – stating Pakistan had a “bowling line up which can really go through any team” even without Mohammad Irfan – he also emphasised the importance of a positive approach.”I think Australia always just plays aggressive cricket, and if you want to really be up there against them, you also need to play good, aggressive cricket,” Misbah said. “If two teams are playing aggressive cricket, you still have a chance. There is still a chance you could win with a defensive approach, but we’re looking forward to playing attacking cricket.”You can’t say now Irfan is out of this competition, so we just can’t play Australia. We’ve got other bowlers who are good enough, equally good enough, and they are also performing really well. All three of the seamers are up to the mark – even the fourth one. Yasir Shah is a bowler that can really put pressure on the opposition. So we’ve still got that sort of team, that sort of talent, that sort of bowling line-up, that could really put Australia under pressure.”As a captain, Misbah has largely veered toward the dependable, rather than the mercurial. He suggested Pakistan’s strategy would not radically change, as he used the example of another team’s slew of surprise changes as a cautionary tale. “Sometimes as you try to do things the way Sri Lanka tried to do in the quarter-finals yesterday, and they just got trapped into that. So sometimes simple things, basic things if you are doing them right will really help you, especially in crunch situations and matches.”

Lionel Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo are “happy” again in the United States with Inter Miami after enduring “hell” at Paris Saint-Germain.

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Argentine struggled to settle in FranceHas gone chasing the American dreamYoung family feeling settled in FloridaWHAT HAPPENED?

Brazil international Neymar has claimed that he endured a nightmare in the French capital alongside his former Barcelona and PSG team-mate. Messi walked away from that situation in the summer of 2023 when becoming a free agent, with the decision taken to go chasing the American dream.

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He has become a star attraction in the U.S., with his every move being followed closer than ever, but he is feeling settled in Florida alongside his wife and three children. The Sunshine State is considered to be a perfect fit for the Messis, as they embrace a more relaxed way of life in an area of the world with a large Spanish-speaking community.

WHAT CEA SAID ABOUT MESSI

Messi has been visiting the Prima Pasta restaurant in Miami for several years – helping to make that outlet famous – and owner Gerry Cea has told of why the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has his smile back: “Leo is always super cool. His family has been coming for the last 12 years. He’s always so relaxed, always smiling. Never a problem. Just a very cool person. It was a release to win the Copa America and the World Cup. Leo had so much pressure inside of him all of these years. And now he’s in Miami. The Messis love summer. I was talking to Antonela, and yes they’re new here, but being close to Argentina and the summer weather in Miami…that’s why they’re happy.”

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Messi helped Argentina to Copa America glory in 2021, bringing his long wait for senior international silverware to a close, and he has gone on to lift the Finalissima trophy and World Cup at Qatar 2022. He inspired a historic Leagues Cup win for Inter Miami within weeks of his arrival in the States – making him the most-decorated player of all-time – and has more honours in his sights for 2024.

As the majority of English cricket supporters mourn the loss of Kevin Pietersen a group of players who are actually available are about to begin perhaps the most important series of their careers

Alex Winter in Kandy11-Feb-20140:00

Lions aim to lift English cricket

Chris Woakes has a Test cap to his name already and now gets the chance to lead those looking to move into the full side•AFPAs the majority of English cricket supporters mourn the loss of Kevin Pietersen – the stages of grief are all there: denial, anger, depression – a group of players who are actually available for the national side are about to begin perhaps the most important series of their careers.The England development programme that has the England Lions at its summit was devised as the most efficient way to produce Test cricketers. Now it is under its greatest scrutiny as England are forced to delve deeper into their reserve stocks than ever before.The Lions’ performances in Sri Lanka, where a three four-day match series begins against Sri Lanka A on Wednesday, will of course provide only part of the evidence for Test selection in June but a strong showing in alien conditions will be a significant start.English cricket needs cheering up from the debacle down under and this squad can provide a tonic of encouragement that the Test side can be rebuilt. The selectors need some good news too. Pietersen has been cast aside for a new generation and a new band of Test cricketers needs to be forthcoming to justify their decision. The quicker a new team is assembled the better for the management.This tour has become the most significant Lions trip ever undertaken. England need potentially six new players for June. Some of them are in Sri Lanka.It’s a strong group. Moeen Ali is in England’s World T20 squad. Scott Borthwick was with England in Australia. Four others have international experience and Sam Robson is in many observers future Test side already. The new generation is already out there, not waiting to be discovered by an ECB sleuth.Borthwick is the latest in a line of, hitherto unsuccessful, legspinners England have tried. A Test-class leggie is a luxury few sides in the history of the game have enjoyed and Borthwick has been greedily lined up to become England’s. He will find assistance in Pallekele, the venue for the opening match of this tour, and a return similar to the 4 for 25 in the first innings of the second warm-up match will turn giddy those clamouring for England’s resurgence. But while a dose of excitement is no bad thing in the current climate, Borthwick needs time. In the second innings of the same match he produced 0 for 54 in 10 overs.England Lions squad

Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Scott Borthwick, Varun Chopra, Ben Foakes, James Harris, Simon Kerrigan, Alex Lees, Tymal Mills, Graham Onions, Liam Plunkett, Ollie Rayner, James Taylor, James Vince

It is a cautionary tale that can be labelled to many of this squad. Simon Kerrigan – another candidate to succeed Graeme Swann who has been tearing up the County Championship – endured an horrendous Test debut. Jonny Bairstow – slayer of South Africa at Lord’s two summers ago – struggled to provide consistent performances at international level. Chris Woakes – leading English allrounder in county cricket last season – has been exposed with ball in hand.An asterisk can be placed against many names and they will hope to begin to scrub such doubts away here. The England team is a not so much a closed shop now but welcoming to all comers. Woakes, captain for this tour, was perfectly entitled to provide a vague answer when asked for five or six names that will be the future of England.”We’ve got a good team with some experience that have played international cricket before and there’s some guys that haven’t played much for the Lions,” Woakes said. “It’s hard to single out individuals at this moment in time, but come the end of the tour, I might be able to give you a few names. It’s difficult to name individuals that I can say are going to be in that Test squad come June.”Two warm-up matches in more humid Colombo have been stern preparation for the airier Kandy. They were also the first chances for Woakes to assume control of his group – his first experience of captaincy since age group cricket.”It’s been a new challenge,” Woakes said. “I haven’t done a great deal of it before. I’m enjoying it so far. Sometimes it’s difficult when you come into these teams, it’s difficult to stamp you’re authority because you’re here for five weeks. But we feel like we’ve come together as a team really well. And it will be a test in these games on the field, making decisions I don’t usually make. I’m excited about it and I think I’ve taken the challenge up well so far.”The Lions will face a younger Sri Lankan side of whom only two have considerable international experience: Dhammika Prasad and the captain, Upul Tharanga, a veteran of 171 ODIs and 15 Tests – the last of which came in December 2007.”This is a very important series for both sides,” Tharanga said. “We have lots of youngsters. There are about nine players from the Sri Lanka A team playing with national team now and we’ve got most of the youngsters. Because of that, I think this is a great opportunity for all these young cricketers.”Naturally, the Sri Lankans will pose a spin threat and will include three spinners in their side. Kandy is on the verge of a drought but the outfield in Pallekele remains lush, suggesting there is enough moisture in the wicket to calm nightmares of facing a raging turner. England’s seamers would certainly appreciate it too.

A round-up of IPL news from April 23

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2014 Pietersen poised to make first appearance
Delhi Daredevils are likely to receive a much-needed boost, as Kevin Pietersen, the team’s captain, is expected to recover from a finger injury and make his first appearance of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday.”I’m going to hopefully be back in the next game after I train well for a week. I have trained a couple of days, but it hasn’t been an ideal start going into this tournament,” Pietersen told “I had good practice for a couple of weeks in London, but then hurt myself and have had three weeks off. I just need another good week of training and then I’ll be back.”With two heavy defeats at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, Daredevils currently languish near the bottom of the table with the worst net run-rate among the eight teams. To compound their woes, their seamer Nathan Coulter-Nile suffered a hamstring injury against Super Kings and according to the stand-in captain Dinesh Karthik, could be “out for some time”. Pietersen, however, remained optimistic of the team’s chances.”I want all the guys in the team to know that there is no pressure. I want all the players to relax and play to the best of their ability. Another important thing for me as a leader is that the guys train well. According to me, the training should be so thorough and intense that the game-day becomes easier.”Pujara wants to mould his style on Kallis
Kings XI Punjab batsman Cheteshwar Pujara has accepted his limitations as a T20 batsman and wants to mould his style on Jacques Kallis, as a steady accumulator. The opening batsman, whose IPL experience was limited to only 24 matches over four seasons before the current edition began, says he is “getting better and better” in the T20 format.”I cannot be flamboyant like [Glenn] Maxwell or [David] Miller, but I can always be a Jacques Kallis who plays proper cricketing shots, but can still score runs at a good strike-rate,” Pujara told . “My way of hitting may be classical where you try and time the ball.”In Kings XI’s successful chase of 192 against Rajasthan Royals, Pujara batted through the innings to make 40 off 38 balls, while Maxwell and Miller batted at frenetic pace to achieve the target. Pujara made a relatively quicker 35 off 32 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday and the innings left him “satisfied”. When questioned about his strike rate, Pujara said the presence of big hitters in the team has allowed him to play within his limitations.”My role in the team is to stick at one end. I intend to rotate the strike and hit the boundaries as and when it is possible. I am opening the innings and I have to be ready to hit the ball from ball one or the very first over. The job becomes a bit difficult, but with time and few more matches, I will get better. I am getting better with each passing day.”Made too many mistakes against Maxwell – Moody
Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody has said his team paid the price for letting Kings XI Punjab’s Glenn Maxwell off the hook as many as three times during his imposing 95 off 43 balls in Sharjah on Tuesday. Maxwell had offered two chances at long-on early in his innings. When on 4, a mis-hit fell short and later in the over, on 11, David Warner spilled a sitter in the same position. When on 62, Maxwell was caught at deep midwicket, but unfortunately for the Sunrisers, the bowler Darren Sammy had overstepped the crease.”It is the nature of the game that we make mistakes at times and, unfortunately, we made three against the wrong batsman and ended up chasing 40 runs extra which in these conditions, is unrealistic,” Moody said. “When a wonderful striker like Maxwell, who is in incredible form, is dropped twice in one over and is caught off a no ball, he is going to hurt you.”Moody said Sammy’s no ball was unfortunate because the plan was to bowl a back of a length slower ball to tempt Maxwell to slog, with a fielder in the deep. Sunrisers slumped to their second defeat in as many games after they collapsed to 121 in pursuit of 194. Moody however backed the top order comprising Warner, Aaron Finch and Shikhar Dhawan to fire.”It is not the ideal situation to be two down. We would rather be two up, but we have a world-class top-order who have proven themselves over time. I am absolutely confident that our top-order will fire and win us games.” Bailey looks to improve fielding Kings XI Punjab could not have begun the season any better, moving to the top of the table with three successive wins on the back of some powerful hitting from Glenn Maxwell and David Miller, but the captain George Bailey believes that the team are yet to peak and could do with improving their fielding.”I’m pleased with winning. I still don’t think we’ve played a real good strong all-round game as yet,” Bailey said. “We’ve batted well throughout and our bowling was good tonight but I don’t think we’ve fielded to our potential yet. Just want to be realistic, there is still a long way to go in the tournament and a lot can happen.””There have been quite a few dropped catches here (at Sharjah). The problem has been that whenever the ball goes high in the air in night games, there is no back drop. That makes it extremely hard to pick up the ball how it’s coming down. Plus, there is a bit of pressure of dropping the catches too. I’m sure things will pick up.”Bailey also saved special praise for his left-arm spinner Akshar Patel, who has picked up four wickets from three games.”For a young guy, he’s doing a fantastic job. Not to forget his fielding too, he took a sharp catch today,” he said. “He is only going to get more confident. We really back his batting abilities too. We see a fantastic cricketer coming out in him.”

India’s Shikha Pandey and Ekta Bisht took three wickets each to restrict South Africa to 186 runs, after which Pandey came back to score a match winning 59 to take India to an easy six-wicket win

The Report by Bishen Jeswant26-Nov-2014
ScorecardFile Photo: Shikha Pandey became the first Indian women to score a fifty and take three wickets in the same ODI•Getty ImagesSmart Stats

186 South Africa Women’s total in the game, their highest against India in an ODI.

144 Chloe Tryon’s strike rate during her unbeaten 49 off 34 balls, the highest for a South African batsman during an innings of more than 30 balls.

1 Shikha Pandey is the first Indian player to score a fifty and take three or more wickets in the same game. She scored 59 and returned figures of 3 for 19.

60 Runs conceded by Shubhlakshmi Sharma off her 10 overs. She became the first Indian bowler to finish wicketless after her full quota of overs and concede six runs per over, or more.

89 The partnership between Harmanpreet Kaur and Pandey is India’s second-highest, fourth-wicket stand at home.

Led by a spirited all-round display from Shikha Pandey, India Women beat South Africa Women by six wickets in the second ODI in Bangalore, to draw level in the three-match series. This is also their first win in the ICC Women’s Championship.India won the toss for the second time this series, but chose to bowl this time around, despite there being no change in the venue or playing conditions. Mithali Raj explained the decision saying, “We lost the first game batting first, so we decided to bowl first and see how it goes”. The South African openers got the team off to a steady start, reaching 27 for no loss, but Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey struck in quick succession to have the visitors struggling at 63 for 4. However, captain Mignon du Preez, 36 off 71 balls, made sure that there was no collapse and posted a 54-run stand along with Dane van Niekerk, South Africa’s bowling hero from the first ODI.Pandey, who had only picked up one wicket in her previous two ODIs, kept things tight and returned career best figures of 3 for 19 from her ten overs. However, that was not enough to prevent South Africa from reaching 186, their highest score in an ODI against India. Chloe Tryon, South Africa’s matchwinner from the previous game, made a whirlwind 49 not out off 34 balls, and injected some life into South Africa’s otherwise sluggish innings. South Africa made 40 runs off the last five overs, with Tryon even hitting the first six of the series off the last ball of the innings.Possibly wary of a top-order collapse like the first ODI, the Indian openers started cautiously, posting 37 runs in 14.1 overs, before Smriti Mandhana was dismissed by van Niekerk, Sunette Loubser taking a sharp catch at short cover. Mithali Raj, who made her second single-digit score of the series, fell soon after but India’s chase always seemed to be on track. Pandey, 59 off 56 balls, and Harmanpreet Kaur, 42 not out off 61 balls, played some pleasing shots during their 89-run fourth-wicket stand. Pandey fell with 25 runs still needed, but the win was never in doubt. India did not lose another wicket, and went on to win by six wickets, with 32 balls to spare.The teams are scheduled to play the third and final ODI of the series on Friday, November 28.

A round-up of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy games that ended on November 9, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2013Group IIPacer Mir Hamza’s maiden first-class ten-wicket haul ensured Karachi Whites held on to an innings and 140-run victory over Quetta in Karachi. The win cements their place at the top of the Group II table in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and gives them a 13-point lead over second-placed Multan.Karachi Whites batted first, and despite being at 76 for 3 at one point, were able to rally around through the efforts of captain Asif Zakir (85) and Wajid Ali (46). Karachi Whites eventually reached 250, despite pacer Faizullah’s maiden five-wicket haul of 5 for 49, which was ably supported by Gohar Faiz’s 3 for 74.Quetta’s innings started horribly, with Hamza in sensational form. Quetta were in all sorts of trouble at 13 for 5 as Hamza plucked out the first four batsmen, before adding No. 6 batsman Naushad Irshad to his tally to get 5 for 16 in just eight overs. Only Mohibullah crossed double figures as Quetta folded for just 45 within 19 overs.With a lead of 205, Karachi Whites asked Quetta to follow on, and with the first innings collapse still fresh on the batsmen’s minds, they were unable to supersede the effort in their second innings. Once again Hamza wreaked havoc, dismissing four of the top five batsmen in an almost eerie reflection of the previous innings. Taimur Ali and Taimur Khan were able to cross double figures, with Ali top-scoring with 31. But the Quetta failed to resist the Karachi White bowlers, specially Hamza, who finished with match figures of 16-5-25-10. Shahzaib Ahmed provided notable support with figures of 3 for 10 as Quetta were bundled for a paltry 65.Group IFast bowler Zohaib Shera’s maiden ten-wicket haul gave Karachi Blues’ an innings and 107-run victory over Lahore Ravi, which pushed them up to second place on 16 points in Group I, just behind group leaders, Rawalpindi, who are ahead by three points. After being put into bat, Karachi Blues were off to a shaky start, with the top three falling for insignificant scores.From 51 for 3, Abdul Jabbar and Ashraf Ali began to consolidate their position, adding 54 runs for the fourth wicket. A 64-run stand for the sixth wicket began to give Karachi Blues hope as their lower order posted meaningful contributions to take the side to 285. Bilawal Iqbal ended up with best figures of 4 for 62, ably supported by Aleem Yousuf’s 3 for 76.In reply, Lahore Ravi started off rather badly, with Karachi’s opening bowlers Zohaib Shera and Rajesh Ramesh running through the top and middle order to leave them at a precarious 39 for 6. Jahangir Mirza fashioned a captain’s knock scoring 55 off 82 balls, but the rest of the batsmen were unable to post significant scores. Lahore Ravi crashed to 115, with Shera finishing on 5 for 36, while Ramesh chipped in with 3 for 32.Lahore Ravi were asked to bat again, and their response was even starker than their first innings. Shera once again ran through the order, and picked up another five-wicket haul, with Waqar Anwar doing almost equal damage with 4 for 28. Lahore Ravi could only muster 63 as the batsmen folded meekly.

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Everton were comfortably beaten by Wolves on Saturday in a truly shambolic showing from the Toffees, and one statistical trend shows Marco Silva may not have what it takes to turn it all around.

On the chalkboard

Everton fans were delighted when Silva arrived this summer, as after months of watching turgid football with no chances at either end of the pitch, they suddenly had a young manager eager to excite the fans with attacking football.

The boss hasn’t quite delivered on that promise yet though, despite the occasional glimpse of quality play.

What’s worse is his team have completely capitulated at the other end of the pitch, and not for the first time in his career.

Raul Jimenez’s header to put Wolves 2-1 up on Saturday was not only the easiest goal the Mexican international will ever score, it was also the 11th set piece goal Everton have conceded this season, the most in the league, and that continues a very worrying trend.

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he would have snubbed Tottenham for Arsenal if they’d come knocking in 2005…

A worrying trend

Silva’s defensive deficiencies were the subject of much conversation in the summer, as plenty of pundits and fans felt hiring a manager who has yet to show he can organise a back four was a huge risk.

Those concerns have proved well and truly justified, and the underlying stats behind Silva’s set piece troubles beg the question if he even knows how to fix his mistakes.

Aforementioned, Everton are leading the way in set piece goals conceded this season, tied with West Ham on 11, but Whoscored’s stats show both of Silva’s last two English clubs suffered from the exact same problem.

Watford were second in the league for set piece goals conceded last season, letting 17 in, and Hull City led the way in the 2016-17 season, conceding a frankly ridiculous 21 goals from set plays.

It should be noted that Silva was only in charge for half of the respective seasons with Watford and Hull, but this must still be a huge worry for the Everton hierarchy.

Plenty of teams go through phases of struggling to defend set pieces, even Sean Dyche’s extremely physical Burnley side, but three consecutive years of the exact same problem suggests Silva has absolutely no clue how to cure the plague spreading through his ranks.

So, Everton fans, can Silva turn it around? Are you Silva in or Silva out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

AB de Villiers has predicted a stream of South African success at major tournaments which he hopes will start next month at the Champions Trophy

Firdose Moonda30-May-2013AB de Villiers has predicted a stream of South African success at major tournaments, which he hopes will start next month. The ODI captain did not remember that his countrymen captured the inaugural Champions Trophy but is confident they can claim the last and many others after that.”We haven’t won an ICC trophy yet even though we are the No.1 Test team in the world but I’ve got a feeling there are a few to come in the next few years” he told Dutch radio NOS in Amsterdam, where the South African squad have set up camp. “We are just going to have to wait patiently. We are doing the small things right. The work ethic is there, the talent is there and the belief is there, so we’ve just got to go out there and give it our best shot.”De Villiers is the first member of the South Africa group to make public the team’s real expectations of the Champions Trophy, after Gary Kirsten played down their chances on their departure. As suspected, South Africa have every intention of discarding their chokers’ tag in England and are feeling the heat as the event gets closer.”There is always some pressure,” de Villiers said. “We are a very talented cricketing nation and we understand there are some responsibilities in performance. We would love to say we are just going to go and enjoy it but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve got to win some big games and we would love to win the trophy. I think we are preparing in the right way.”In an attempt to replicate the success on last year’s Test tour of England, when South Africa claimed the Test championship mace, Kirsten has taken the squad to Amsterdam. They met up with explorer Mike Horn and did a cycle and canoe tour of the city before getting down to the business of net sessions.Wet weather has not dampened South Africa’s plans. Despite 42mm of rain falling on Wednesday night, the groundstaff was able to dry the surface sufficiently for practice to get under way as planned at 10am on Thursday. That was the last training session before an ODI against the Netherlands tomorrow, the first of two warm-up matches before the tournament starts.The fixture against the Netherlands is a particularly important one because it will be the first time in 67 days that South Africa will take the field as a team. It will also be the first opportunity for nine of their squad to get game time after a break of almost two months.JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (both because of injury), Rory Kleinveldt, Hashim Amla, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Colin Ingram have not played any cricket since the end of the South African season. The rest will be relied on to bring “match intensity,” Kirsten said. De Villiers, David Miller, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Ryan McLaren were in action at the IPL and while Alviro Petersen played in England.While much of the focus has been on the batsmen, and the middle order in particular, South Africa will also want their quicks to find their rhythm quickly. Both Kleinveldt and Peterson expect the tournament to be more of a bowler-headlined spectacle because of the time of year, the conditions and the opposition.”I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few low scoring games,” Kleinveldt said. “I watched the Test and saw Jimmy Anderson swinging it. There should be plenty for the bowlers.”And Peterson believes South Africa’s bowlers in particular will benefit. “Dale and Morne looked really impressive in the IPL.” he said. “With two new white balls and India and West Indies in our group, we can do well. Their batting line-ups tend to dominate more on subcontinental surfaces.”Steyn and Morkel may be rested for the Holland match so South Africa can ensure all parts of their machine are working as they should be before they head to England. But they also know they will not be able to get away with a below-par performance against a much lower-ranked team.They’ve done their homework on the Dutch. Netherlands batsman Stephan Myburgh is a former schoolmate of de Villiers’ and the brother of Johann Myburgh, who played for the Titans in South Africa before moving to New Zealand.”I know Stephan from the age of nine,” de Villiers said. “I am very happy for him that he got his chance to play international cricket, I am very proud of the fact that he did that because I know that was always a dream of his. He probably didn’t get his break in South Africa and he couldn’t find a way into the Titans.”He was quite young when he took a chance to come over here and saw opportunity to play international cricket and took it with both hands. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said. “Back home competition is quite tough and he just didn’t get his chance when he was young. You never know, if he stuck it out for a few more years… but he will be proud of the fact that he is playing international cricket and I am proud he has achieved that.”Coming up against a former countryman who has crossed borders is not new to South Africa and it has ensured they see familiar faces almost everywhere they go. That may be one of the reasons de Villiers said the squad “could not have asked for a better place to prepare before the big tournament.” Next week will be an opportunity for them to show whether the effort paid off.

A round-up of the third day’s play of Group C’s sixth-round matches in the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2013
ScorecardA strong batting performance from the middle order helped Goa take a substantial lead before late wickets shook up Assam’s second innings in Guwahati.Goa began the third day on 190 for 2, still trailing Assam by 57 runs. The overnight batsmen, Sagun Kamat and Ravikant Shukla, added a further 56 runs to their third-wicket stand, before Kamat was trapped leg before by Abu Nechim for 60. Shukla only lasted eight overs more before he was scuttled on 30 by the same bowler. The wicketkeeper Keenan Vaz (35), Rohit Asnodkar (54) and Shadab Jakati (38), helped Goa declare on a strong 406, giving them a lead of 159 runs. Assam’s efforts at a strong start were thwarted by opener Kunal Saikia’s run-out in the ninth over. Fellow opener, Sibsankar Roy, also fell on the same score, as four batsmen lost their wicket in the space of just seven runs, leaving the side at a precarious 31 for 4 at the end of the day. Offspinner Amit Yadav was the chief wrecker for Goa, taking 3 for 5, as Assam finished the day 128 runs behind Goa to set up an intriguing final day at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
ScorecardThe run-fest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium continued on the third day as Hyderabad posted 258 for 1 after Tripura declared at 650 for 8. Akshath Reddy scored his sixth first-class hundred and was unbeaten 138 along with Dwaraka Ravi Teja, who was on 90.Tripura resumed the day on 588 for 6 and lost two wickets from the tail – Rana Dutta and Tushar Saha – before declaring. Abbas Ali remained unbeaten on 132. The Tripura bowlers got only one breakthrough, when Sanjay Majumder took a return catch to dismissed T Suman for 21 with the Hyderabad score at 30. Reddy and Ravi Teja then put on 228 runs, although they still trail Tripura by 392 runs.
ScorecardThe Jammu & Kashmir batsmen made steady progress on the third day against Maharashtra in Pune but still face a tough task as they lead by only 17 runs with four wickets in hand.Continuing from 131 for 1, Obaid Haroon, who was on 54 overnight, scored 40 more and his partner Bandeep Singh marched from 42 to 79. Their partnership of 156 was broken when legspinner Bharatkumar Solanki had Haroon caught behind for 94 and also accounted for Bandeep’s wicket. J&K had added only 41 more and lost two more wickets in quick succession – Manzoor Dar for 15 and Hardeep Singh for 6 – to slip from 203 for 1 to 289 for 5. No. 4 Ian Dev Singh, who scored 98 in the last game, had resisted all with 46, which featured seven fours and a six, but he also fell soon to become Samad Fallah’s second wicket.Samiullah Beigh and Ram Dayal played patiently to score 33 runs until stumps as Beigh was unbeaten on 10 off 114 and Dayal on 27 off 67. Fallah, Solanki and Shrikant Mundhe picked two wickets each.
ScorecardRishi Dhawan lasted just four balls in the morning and with his dismissal, any hopes Himachal Pradesh had for getting a positive result came to an end. Kerala’s spin twins, Vinoop Manoharan and Padmanabhan Prasanth, wrapped up the tail to help Kerala secure an important victory and stay in contention to qualify for the knockouts. Read the full report here.