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Take 28 wickets in one game caught between wicket-keeper and point and what have you got?Some pretty serious deficiencies in batting techniques, application and concentration, that’s what.Some very good bowling also comes into the equation. But it is difficult to believe that Blenheim’s Horton Park pitch was full of more demons than your average spooky movie.Central Districts won’t mind that, they won the State Championship game with Northern Districts by 78 runs in little over two and a half days.They finished their own second innings with 157 after adding another 10 runs this morning.That left ND a target of 179 runs to win with nearly two days to do it.But the omens were not good. No-one had managed to dig in and dominate in this game where the top score by an individual batsman was 44 by CD No 10 Michael Mason in the second innings.James Marshall was out in the first over of ND’s chase for a duck. Matthew Hart and Mark Bailey put on 33 for the second wicket, but once Hart was out for 8, the best partnership ND could muster was 21 for the ninth wicket. They were all out for 100.No-one was prepared to publicly blame the pitch. They did admit the quality of the bowling had been good, and there was a general feeling that the batsmen will have their revenge on drier more batsman friendly wickets after Christmas.But what had to be of concern were the defiencies of approach of the batsmen. No-one really seemed prepared to dig in for the challenge, to tire out the bowlers, and then to punish them as they lost their control.Whether that might have worked is difficult to know because if one batsman had dominated there is no saying how quickly he would have run out of partners.Ben Smith, the CD captain, said the experience his side had in Auckland last week when they were on the receiving end of a similar type of loss as ND suffered in this game, had helped CD’s approach.”Our bowlers were exceptional with the ball, they kept the ball in good areas.”There was a lot of assistance in sideways movement and we thought from the start of the game that the team that bowled the best would win,” he said.”Two wags of the tail also helped,” he added.From 128/7 in the first innings, CD’s tail lifted them to 181, then in the second innings the side went from 91/8, to 157.Smith said from his own point of view he was disappointed not to contribute to the win with the bat, but he had been given a great opportunity to lead the side and was delighted to have the chance.The CD top order were all looking and feeling good at the crease and while their confidence was low, they didn’t feel out of sorts, he said.While David Kelly was on top of the Championship run scoring aggregate, it was likely Mason was second.”You’ll have to check that,” he said.But he was right.”We have to have three or four batsmen score 600-700 runs because with bowlers like we have we can be there at the end. Our destiny is in our own hands,” he said.Robbie Hart admitted ND had been undone by “some very good bowling.””They made the most of the conditions, and they used them really well. They bowled with a lot of skill and patience, especially Andrew Schwass and Mason.”But in seven and a half sessions we lost 40 wickets in the game,” he said.Hart said ND did have the advantage, especially when Scott Styris and Hamish Marshall were batting during their match-high partnership of 60 in the first innings, but they had failed to use it.The CD second innings last wicket partnership between Mason and Hamilton had also been crucial.”They take their four seamers into games, they are all specialists, who are prepared to do the hard work.”And that was what this game was all about, doing the hard work, and CD’s bowlers certainly did that.

One of the issues that have come up with split captaincy in India has been the team’s aggressive attitude in Tests under Virat Kohli. India’s behaviour in the series that India won in Sri Lanka has came under fire from a few former cricketers, especially when Ishant Sharma’s send-offs cost him a chance to play the first Test against South Africa.The limited-overs captain, MS Dhoni, is known to be a calmer leader whose calm rubs off to the rest of the team. At the press conference on the eve of the start of the Twenty20 series against South Africa, part of a tour named after two of the more peaceful world leaders Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, a question around this new aggression was inevitable.”Aggression here means something different,” Dhoni said. “We say aggression is talking tough or physical aggression but aggression is not about that. Especially Rahul Dravid has spoken about it, aggression is a good forward defence to a very quick fast bowler, that’s an aggressive play, that is something that is very important.”Slowly, if you see, our guys are also learning. How to manage aggression, channelise it. Be aggressive but follow the guidelines, play aggressive cricket but within the guidelines.”Of late, there has also been a lot of talk about whether MS Dhoni should be batting up the order in ODI cricket or not. A day before the start of the India-South Africa T20 series, he admitted that he “would love” to bat up the order, but was typically non-committal about it. India already have plenty of top-order options in the shortest format, he said, and it would all come down to the team’s needs on the day anyway.He similarly did not give much away on the bowling combination, or what he would he look to do at the toss, given how dew could play a big role in Dharamsala. Everything, he indicated, would be decided in due course after careful consideration of what is best for the team.”We would have to see who is best suited to bat at what position,” Dhoni said. “Especially if you talk about the T20s, if you see our team, most of our players are top-order batsmen when it comes to their IPL teams, but when it comes to T20 international cricket they bat at different positions.”For example, Ajinkya Rahane is someone who is batting in the middle order but he opens in the IPL. So all these things we have to see and based on that I’ll decide which position I have to bat. Most of our batsmen they like to bat up the order but somebody has to bat middle and late middle order.”He was not sure as yet where the others would bat, either, he said. He said he saw Suresh Raina as more of a top-order batsman, but pushing him up would mean displacing Virat Kohli, so there was a lot to be weighed up before deciding on the line-up. “If you ask me, Raina is not a finisher, the reason being he bats in the top in the IPL. He is somebody who has batted throughout at No. 3 [for Chennai Super Kings].”But if he bats at No. 3 then Virat will have to bat down the order. So we’ll have to see. When it comes to the talent aspect, all are talented but we’ll have to place them at strategic positions.”If the team did go in with two spinners, Dhoni said, one of them would have to have the ability to chip in with the bat. He said he might even consider playing three spinners, but the dew forecast would of course be a defining factor. “We have four spinners and we have a few part-timers. We have three proper fast bowlers, a seaming allrounder also. So it gives us the luxury of going with the right combination depending on the scenario. We’ll have to see how much dew is there and decide whether three spinners or three fast bowlers.”Also we have to figure out whether we want a legspinner, offspinner or we want a left-arm spinner, if we can experiment with that. Also we have to see the strength of the side, usually if we play with two spinners, one of them has to be a better batsman.”He said he would also keep next year’s World T20 in mind when deciding on whom to play – he said it was important that everyone gets “equal opportunity” so that the team has plenty of options when the World T20 rolls around in March 2016. “Also looking at a slightly larger picture, with the T20 World Cup coming, it’s good to give them exposure and give the guys who have been doing quite well in the IPL a chance at the international level.”It’s a big tournament, so if you top three-four batsmen keep batting and you go to the knockouts and suddenly your lower order is tested you can have problems. So all these matches [leading up to the World T20, it’s good] if you can rotate, you are not too bothered about the result, your top six are in good form, your best bowlers get the match experience.”

Everton slumped to another loss in the Premier League to really ring alarm bells, this time a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Stuart Armstrong and Shane Long grabbed the goals for the hosts which leaves the Goodison Park faithful still anxiously looking over their shoulders in the table.

Some performances were certainly not up to scratch, and The Transfer Tavern have since used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the visitors on the day:

Allan – 6.3

Although tied with other players in terms of rating (6.3) Allan ranks in third here as he only played the first half.

The Brazilian lost out on six of his duels, and also failed to record any clearances, interceptions or key passes.

Allan also lost the ball seven times, and picked up a needless yellow card just 15 minutes into the game, summing up his underwhelming half.

Donny van de Beek – 6.3

van de Beek was also given a 6.3 rating, but ranks in second here having played the whole match.

The Manchester United loanee also lost six duels like Allan, and failed to hit the target with all three of his shot attempts.

He also made no key passes, and gave possession away on no fewer than on 19 separate occasions in total, the joint-second most out of his teammates.

Jonjoe Kenny – 6.2

With just a 6.2 overall rating, Kenny was ranked as the Merseyside club’s worst player.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Playing as a makeshift left-back, he lost all six of his duels, and did not manage to make any successful dribbles, tackles or accurate crosses, all while giving the ball away 15 times.

In other news, find out which Toffee is wanted on loan here!

A senior Pakistani minister has been denied a visa to visit India for the second one-day international between the hosts and Pakistan. The news comes after 46 Pakistani journalists, awarded media accreditation for the five-ODI and three-Test tour, were unable to cover the first match as they were yet to be issued visas by the Indian High Commission (IHC).Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed intended to watch Thursday’s second match at Mohali, but was informed by the IHC in Islamabad that he could not be issued the required visa. “I was planning to travel on Wednesday but they left me disappointed,” he told . “They didn’t give any reason for not granting me the visa.”This time I had got invitation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and even then they did not give me the visa at the eleventh hour.”According to the minister, official permission was sought from the Pakistan government for the required travel and as a result, a protest has been lodged and the Pakistan prime minister informed. No official from the IHC was available for comment.While visas were famously relaxed and citizen-to-citizen contact was actively encouraged during the last three series between the two countries, a similar trait has yet to be seen this time around. This surprised the minister, who firmly believed that “there should be people-to-people contact between the two countries.”

With all formalities completed, Yere Goud finally gets his chance to lead Karnataka © Cricinfo Ltd

Yere Goud has obtained clearance from the Indian board (BCCI) to represent Karnataka and will lead the side in their second round Ranji Trophy match against Haryana at Mysore starting on December 1. Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI’s chief administrative officer, confirmed that Goud’s clearance had been approved by Sharad Pawar, the board president.Goud was forced to sit out of the first match against Baroda, on technical grounds, as he had failed to obtain the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Railways, his previous team, on time. Barrington Rowland, the opening batsman, led the side in Goud’s absence, as Karnataka got off to a disastrous start, losing by seven wickets after they were shot out for 85 in their first innings.Goud, who last represented his home state Karnataka in 1994-95, had been appointed captain as early as August and trained with the probables in their pre-season preparation, for nearly four months. Unfortunately for Goud, Railways failed to intimate the board before the cut-off date for the NOC, which was September 30.

Austin “Jack” Warner, the president of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association football (CONCACAF), has criticised the proposed move by Texan millionaire Allen Stanford to pour US$28 million into a regional Twenty20 tournament.”Stanford is making the biggest mistake of his life because Stanford believes he can save cricket by building at the top. At the top there is nothing to build. What he should have done with his money is invest it in cricket from the bottom, build on the ground, go into youth programmes, go back to the days of the Wes Hall cricket league. (He should) bring coaches from overseas to help train these young cricketers and over time (in) three, four, five, six years, you will build a cadre of cricketers in the region as you have never seen.”Stanford announced on Monday his plans for a regional Twenty20 tournament scheduled for August and September next year, and which is expected to see 17 countries competing for a top prize of US$1 million. The team finishing second will collect US$500,000 with the boards of the top two teams receiving US$200,000 and US$100,000, respectively, to be used for developmental purposes. While there will be US$25,000 for the Man-of-the-Match in every game, that person will claim US$100,000 in the championship game.Stanford said he had been motivated to undertake the initiative after having witnessed the decline of cricket in the region and hoped the tournament would be “the catalyst for a resurgence of love for the game, that it will signal the return to the glory days of cricket”.

Mark Richardson: not a happy tourist© Getty Images

New Zealand’s opening batsman, Mark Richardson, has laid into the standardof opposition provided by Bangladesh during their recent tour, and warns that a “slap in the face” awaits his team when they arrive in Australia for a two-Test series later this month.As befits one of the most attritional openers in the game, Richardson hasspent most of the tour advocating a patient approach to the Bangladeshichallenge, but in his latest column for the New Zealand Herald, he finally let rip. “It’s time to get the hell out of Bangladesh,” he declared, after watching his side squeak to a nervy three-wicket win in the second one-day international. “You can only maintain your standards for so long … [we have slipped] right back to club level.”It was a measure of the New Zealanders’ lack of enthusiasm at the end ofthe series that Richardson – a notoriously sluggish runner – couldn’t evenbring himself to compete in his now-traditional sprint-off against theslowest member of the opposition. “I could have won,” he reflected, “givenmy length-of-stride advantage.” Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, he added that the only positive he could take out of the four-week visit was the chance to stock up on pirated DVDs from the local markets.The first Test against Australia starts at Brisbane on November 18, andRichardson is genuinely concerned for the competitiveness of his team,after their recent uninspired efforts. “Your time in the middle againsttwo dribbly seamers and three left-arm spinners will mean spit againstfour quicks and a leggy,” he stressed. “And average bowling will not bagyou four wickets for bugger all.”Richardson, who did not play in the one-day series, endured a lean time with the bat in the Tests, scoring just 43 runs in two innings. “The only way you can view this Bangladesh series is as the launching pad into a challenging summer of cricket,” he added. “[But it’s been] made only more challenging by the lack of quality of the launching pad.”It is not only New Zealand whose performances have suffered after a tripto Bangladesh. This time last year, England were the visitors, but afterfive trouble-free victories out of five, they flew across the Bay ofBengal to Sri Lanka … where they were bundled out for 88 in the firstone-day game at Dambulla.”For those who have scored runs or taken wickets there will be the satisfying feeling of having boosted the averages, but I doubt how many will feel they have gained much as a cricketer,” added Richardson. “You can bet your bottom dollar that the boys are itching to get on the plane to Oz.”

Close
ScorecardA strong batting display meant India A suffered a long day in the field as Warwickshire ended the first day’s play at Edgbaston on an a commanding 302 for 4.Partnerships were the key to their innings and Mike Powell, the captain, led from the front with a solid 68 from 123 balls. Jonathan Trott followed that with 78 including 11 fours and Ian Bell then dug in to reach 71 not out, adding an unbroken 89 for the fifth wicket with Tony Frost (30*).Lakshmipathy Balaji was the pick of the India A bowlers with 2 for 45, including the wickets of Jonathan Trott and Dominic Ostler for 10, but it was a rare day of disappointment so far on India A’s tour.

Paula Flannery has won the job of captaining the Canterbury women’s team this season.The CLEAR White Fern from last year’s CricInfo Women’s World Cup victory has been named as the result of last season’s captain Lisa Astle being unavailable.Flannery brings a wealth of experience to the captaincy role for the State Canterbury Magicians. Her tenacious approach, and determination to dominate resulted in her selection in the CLEAR White Ferns.Flannery is the youngest of six children and comes from a strong Central Otago sporting family. Before turning her hand to cricket she played both softball and hockey. In hockey she represented Canterbury in 1994 and 1997 and New Zealand Under-21 in 1994.Backyard cricket with her brothers instilled in her a passion for the game.She has been a consistent performer in the strong Canterbury women’s side since being selected in 1995/96. She has dominated club cricket batting over a number of seasons with the Lancaster Park-Woolston Club.Selected for New Zealand A in 2000, her performances caught the eye of the selectors who then selected her in the CLEAR White Ferns team, which was victorious in winning the prestigious World Cup.She was selected for the White Ferns Tour to India, which was subsequently cancelled. Flannery is delighted with the appointment and expressed an acknowledgement of the thanks to her employer A J Day Opinion Trust for all the support they have given allowing her to achieve her cricket goals.The State Canterbury Magicians squad is as follows: Paula Flannery (captain), Haidee Tiffen (vice-captain), Nicola Payne, Fiona Fraser, Emily Travers, Sarah Burke, Hannah Rae, Helen Daly, Beth McNeill, Kirsty Craig, Vanessa Lord, Jo Strachan, Maria Fahey, Selena Charteris, Delwyn Brownlee, Rebecca Steele, Jane Maley. Coach: Vicki Burtt, manager: Kay Gilray.

ScorecardSteven Smith was originally meant to be captaining Australia in Fatullah today; instead he made an unbeaten 143 at Bankstown Oval•Getty Images

The first day of Cricket Australia’s experiment with a seventh Matador Cup side ended with an Australian record victory for New South Wales, after Steven Smith and Nic Maddinson smashed centuries at Bankstown Oval. Set 339 for victory, the Cricket Australia XI failed to handle the class of Mitchell Starc, who picked up 6 for 25, and in their first official List A game they were skittled for 59, surviving less than half their allotted overs.The margin of 279 runs made this the biggest victory in Australia’s one-day domestic history, and the tenth biggest in all of List A cricket. The Cricket Australia XI, made up of the best young players who did not squeeze into the 14-man squads of the six states, were always going to find the step up significant against a New South Wales side that boasted 10 out of 11 players with international experience.Had Australia’s Test tour of Bangladesh gone ahead as scheduled, Smith would have been captaining Australia on the final day of their warm-up match in Fatullah today; instead he was leading New South Wales on a suburban ground in Sydney. Smith won the toss and chose to bat, and found himself at the crease at 1 for 56 after Ed Cowan fell for 21 to debutant James Bazley.Smith and Maddinson then combined for a 153-run partnership as they enjoyed the hit-out against an attack featuring four players on List A debut. Maddinson was strong driving through the off side and scored his maiden one-day century before on 108 he skied a return catch to Jack Wildermuth off a leading edge when he tried to work a ball through leg.Against what is effectively a youth side, Smith looked about as threatened as if he’d played against primary school kids, hitting to every part of the ground at will. The No.1 Test batsman in the world, Smith struck ten fours and five sixes on his way to an unbeaten 143 from 122 deliveries, and he had support in the late overs from Moises Henriques (48 off 42).If the Cricket Australia XI thought things might get easier when their chance to bat arrived, they were mistaken. Another of the world’s best – Starc is the highest-ranked fast bowler in the ICC’s ODI bowling rankings – caused them just as many problems as Smith had. Starc collected 6 for 25 from his 8.4 overs as New South Wales ran through the CA XI for 59.Alex Gregory was the only batsman who reached double figures; he finished unbeaten on 23 as the final wicket fell in the 25th over. The job was done so effectively by Starc, Sean Abbott, Gurinder Sandhu and Steve O’Keefe that Australia’s first-choice Test spinner, Nathan Lyon, was not even required to bowl.