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MatériaMais Notícias

O Criciúma apresentou oficialmente nessa semana o zagueiro Thales que vestirá as cores do Tigre até o final da temporada. O atleta pertence ao Internacional e chega à equipe catarinense após passagem pelo Vitória onde fez oito partidas na temporada de 2019.

– Graças a Deus deu tudo certo. Estou ansioso para jogar, espero que isso aconteça o quanto antes, e acredito que a equipe possa tomar o caminho das vitórias nas próximas rodadas – disse o defensor antes de completar:

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalTadeu espera jogo difícil contra o Santos, mas confia em vitóriaFutebol Nacional02/08/2019CoritibaDois gols em dois jogos; Robson comemora bom início no CoritibaCoritiba02/08/2019VascoBlog do Garone: Vasco libera dois jogadores do sub-20; destino deve ser a EuropaVasco02/08/2019

– Feliz com essa oportunidade e espero que tudo dê certo até o final da temporada. O objetivo vai ser conquistar o acesso, e espero poder ajudar a equipe com isso – finalizou.

Veja a ficha técnica do atleta:

Nome: Thales Natanael Lira de Matos
Naturalidade: Porto Alegre-RS
Altura: 1,86 m
Clubes: Internacional, Bahia, Atlético-GO, CSA e Vitória.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo se reapresentou na tarde desta segunda-feira no Ninho do Urubu. Dois dias depois da vitória sobre o Grêmio, pela 14ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o elenco de Jorge Jesus iniciou a preparação para o clássico diante do Vasco, no próximo sábado, no Estádio Mané Garrincha. E há ótimas notícias.

Aparentemente recuperados, Gabigol e Lincoln treinaram sem limitações e com bola, junto ao grupo. Os jovens atacantes, assim, devem voltar a serem relacionados para os próximos jogos do Flamengo.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalClubes italianos entram na briga com o Fla pela contratação de BalotelliFutebol Internacional12/08/2019FlamengoBruno Henrique destaca mudanças de Jesus e explica ‘esforço’ do técnicoFlamengo12/08/2019BrasileirãoNa reta final: veja quem seu time ainda enfrenta no primeiro turnoBrasileirão12/08/2019

Gabigol ficou de fora dos últimos dois jogos do Flamengo

Se Gabigol e Lincoln já estão prontos para retornar, Rodrigo Caio e Vitinho ainda não têm previsão, porém evoluíram nas suas respectivas recuperações e já treinam com bola durante a fase de transição, com fisioterapeutas do clube.

👀 @gabigol pic.twitter.com/oheoKioSu1

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 12, 2019

Cuéllar, por sua vez, ficou na academia e não foi a campo, pois foi preciso que o colombiano se preservasse dodesgaste físico da maratona de partidas. Reinier também não esteve à disposição de Jesus, pois está com a Seleção Brasileira sub-17 para amistosos. A joia só retornará ao Flamengo no dia 17.

Cabe destacar que a preparação desta segunda-feira teve um coletivo com o time sub-20, atualmente comandado pelo técnico Maurício Souza. Neste momento, a imprensa foi convidada a se retirar do CT.

Mister Jorge Jesus cumprimenta os jogadores do Sub-20 que participarão da atividade de hoje no Ninho do Urubu. #CRF pic.twitter.com/3xa9jssVww

— Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 12, 2019

أعلن الاتحاد البلجيكي لكرة القدم، اليوم الإثنين، استبعاد لاعب فريق آرسنال لياندرو تروسارد من معسكر المنتخب بسبب الإصابة.

ويلتقي منتخب بلجيكا مع كل من النمسا والسويد، في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

ووفقًا لما جاء في بيان رسمي، فإن تروسارد لن يشارك مع منتخب بلجيكا في المباراتين المذكورتين المرتقبتين هذا الشهر.

كان تروسارد قد بدأ مباراة الأمس ضد مانشستر سيتي، ولكنه أُجبر على الخروج في الشوط الأول.

اقرأ أيضًا.. الاتحاد الإنجليزي يتخذ قرارًا بشأن مشادة ووكر وهالاند مع جهاز آرسنال

ولم يُكشف عن طبيعة إصابة تروسارد، ولكنها كانت كافية لعدم مشاركته مع منتخب بلاده في فترة التوقف الدولي هذا الشهر.

وأوضح الاتحاد البلجيكي إنه قد تم استبدال تروسارد بمواطنه لاعب رويال أنتويرب، آرثر فيرميرين.

Australia captain Michael Clarke has said that while the loss in the first Test to Pakistan was disappointing, it was important not to get carried away with the defeat

Brydon Coverdale in Abu Dhabi29-Oct-2014

If the past year has been one of joy and triumph for Michael Clarke, the past week has been all about perspective. Clarke was disappointed after the loss to Pakistan in Dubai and believes his men can level the series when the second Test starts in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. But he seemed to be in a philosophical frame of mind straight after the loss and again on the eve of the second Test.An Ashes clean sweep followed by a trip to South Africa to beat the No.1 Test team in the world gives a man a sense of perspective. One loss to Pakistan on a slow pitch is not Australia’s nadir; that came in India early last year when they were crushed 4-0. Perhaps Clarke will change his tune should Abu Dhabi present a repeat of Dubai, but for the time being he believes it is important not to get carried away with one loss.”It depends on if you’re trying to sell a paper or not,” Clarke said. “If you’re trying to sell a newspaper, it’s an absolute disaster and you’ll mention India. If you’re part of the Australian cricket team then you’ll look at the last 12 months and how well we’ve played and accept that we’ve lost a game. I think we need to be realistic and respect that we’ve played some fantastic cricket over the past 12 months.”No doubt it was disappointing to lose that second Test in South Africa as well. But the way we bounced back was extremely important and I think this Test is the same. I don’t think we should get too caught up in the fact we lost the Test. Like I’ve said since I’ve been captain, the most important thing is you learn from that. I’ve always seen sport as someone wins and someone loses.”It would be easy to view Clarke’s comments as an indication of complacency, but that would be an unfair assessment of the attitude around the group. On Tuesday, the squad had an optional training session in Abu Dhabi but the only men who claimed the choice of a rest day back at the hotel were the fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle, whose workload in the first Test justified a break.The rest hit the nets to work on their game and it was notable that Clarke, who fell cheaply to spin in both innings in Dubai, spent a long centre-wicket practice session batting without his front pad against Nathan Lyon, Steve O’Keefe and Steven Smith. Clarke was far from alone in the method, which is intended to encourage a batsman to watch the ball closely and ensure he gets bat on ball.”I do it a lot against spin,” Clarke said. “I normally take both pads off but I only took one because I was a bit lazy, I was going to go and face some fast bowlers so rather than put them both back on I only had to put one on. I took my front pad off. I do that a lot against spin, just to make me use my bat and get my feet into a good position.”I speak a lot to the guys about facing spin bowling. I’ve got a number of drills that I do for myself to help me move my feet and work on my balance. I’ve spoken to them and showed them that over the years. A lot of them do some of that. There were a few of the boys batting without pads on today.”In Dubai it was not so much the big-turning deliveries that troubled Australia’s batsmen, but more the balls that did not spin. Zulfiqar Babar claimed seven wickets for the match, mostly with deliveries that skidded on. Clarke’s first view of the pitch in Abu Dhabi persuaded him that the surface may in fact spin less than the one in Dubai, but he believes low bounce will be a major factor.”The wicket looks pretty good,” Clarke said. “Just batting in the two side wickets it seems like I think this wicket is going to stay a bit lower as the game goes on, more than spin. I don’t think it’ll spin as much as Dubai. I think it’s going to be more lack of bounce. The plans don’t really change in regards to our bowling. I think we’ve got to be really disciplined with our execution.”Batting, again it’s going to be hard to start. Reverse-swing is going to play a part. And because the ball is staying low you’ve got to fight yourself – in Australia it’s good, consistent bounce so especially at the start of an innings you can play off the back foot a lot more. Here I think we’ve got to try and force ourselves to get forward to prevent the lbw. That’s to the quicks. To the spin, like we’ve spoken about, using our bat more.”Clarke said Australia had not yet settled on a line-up but, if his assessment of the pitch is correct and there is less spin than in Dubai, there could be a chance of a third fast bowler – Mitchell Starc or Ben Hilfenhaus – coming into the side at the expense of one of the spinners. However, an unchanged side would not be surprising.

أكد أوجستي بوش المدير الفني لفريق كرة السلة بـ الأهلي على صعوبة مباراته المقبلة أمام الزمالك في كأس السوبر المصري لكرة السلة، المقرر إقامتها مساء يوم الجمعة المقبل 20 أكتوبر بالبحرين.

وقال أوجستي بوش في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي للاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة: “أعتقد أنها مباراة بين الأهلي والزمالك وليست مباراة بين أحمد مرعي وأوجستي بوش أو بين إيهاب أمين وعمر هشام، هي مباراة بين الأهلي والزمالك ولا يجب أن نجعلها شخصية بين المدربين”.

وأكمل: “يكفي فقط أن نقول إنها مباراة بين الأهلي والزمالك بكل ما تحمله الكلمة من معنى، الجميع يعرفون ماذا تعني مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في مصر ويجب أن نلعب المباراة على هذا الأساس”.

وأضاف: “في رأيي أن أفضل 6 فرق في الترتيب دائمًا يمكنهم الفوز على بعضهم البعض، الفرق بينهم في المستوى قليل جدًا، ليس فقط بين الزمالك وبيننا أو بين الاتحاد والأهلي”.

وأوضح: “أعتقد أن هذا من أفضل الأشياء في الدوري المصري أن أول 6 أو 8 فرق في الترتيب يمكنهم الفوز على بعضهم البعض، هذا نهائي من مباراة واحدة ولا أرى قبل هذه المباراة أن هناك طرف أقوى من الآخر”.

وواصل: “مارك ليونز سيشارك معنا طوال الموسم، هو إضافة قوية لفريقنا، أمامه فترة قصيرة قبل مباراة السوبر لمعرفة زملائه وطريقة اللعب، وفي نفس الوقت أنا أعرفه جيدًا وشاهدته يلعب كثيرًا”.

طالع | مدرب الزمالك يتحدث عن استعدادات مواجهة الأهلي في كأس السوبر لكرة السلة

واستطرد: “لعبت ضده في تركيا منذ سنوات قليلة.. أعتقد أنه يتأقلم سريعًا ويستطيع تلبية ما يحتاجه الفريق وأتوقع منه أداءً جيدًا مع العلم أنها مباراته الأولى بعد 3 أو 4 أيام تدريب فقط”.

وواصل: “بالطبع عدم فوزنا بالبطولة العربية قد يؤثر علينا، ولكن في نفس الوقت نحن نبحث دائمًا عن الفوز، لكننا نعرف أننا لن نحقق الفوز في كل المباريات والبطولات، وأعتقد أنه علينا غلق صفحة البطولة العربية والتعلم من الأشياء التي لم نفعلها جيدًا خاصة في نصف النهائي”.

وزاد: “علينا التركيز على المباراة المقبلة أمام الزمالك، ويجب أن نعرف أنها ستكون مختلفة بالطبع بسبب القوة التي سيلعب بها الزمالك هذه المباراة ولأنها مباراة نهائية، وهذا يجعلها خاصة ومختلفة نوعًا ما”.

وأردف: “خوض مباراة السوبر خارج مصر لم يحدث لي من قبل، ليس لدي فكرة إذا كان الأمر إيجابيًا أم سلبيًا لكنني أتطلع لذلك لأنها المرة الأولى، أعتقد أن ذلك جيدًا بالنسبة لتمثيل كرة السلة المصرية في أجزاء أخرى من الشرق الأوسط وأيضًا إقامة مباراة كبيرة جدًا مثل الأهلي والزمالك في البحرين أمر جيد أيضًا لجمهورنا الذي لا يملك هذه الفرصة في الكثير من الأحيان”.

واختتم حديثه: “رسالتي لجمهور الأهلي هي نفسها مثل آخر عامين سواء بعد الانتصارات أو بعد الخسارة، أعتقد أننا فزنا كثيرًا ودائمًا ما أشكرهم لمساندتهم لنا التي تدفعنا بعيدًا ونشعر بهذا الدعم دائمًا، الآن ربما لا يكون أفضل وقت بعد خسارة البطولة العربية وريما يكون بعض اللاعبين في لحظة سيئة لكننا نحتاج لهذا الدعم بصورة أكبر، وكما نقول إن الدعم يكون أهم في الأوقات الصعبة، نحتاج لهذا الدعم وأن يكون الجمهور بجانبنا ونأمل أن نعود بالبطولة من أجلهم”.

Saeed Ajmal is pleased with the progress he has made with the remedial work on his bowling action, and has said he is targeting the 2015 World Cup for his international comeback

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2014

Saeed Ajmal is pleased with the progress he has made with the remedial work on his bowling action, and has said he is targeting the 2015 World Cup for his international comeback.Ajmal recently underwent unofficial tests on his bowling action at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Loughborough, where biomechanist Dr Mark King noted “substantial improvement” in his action, even though the straightening of his elbow still exceeded the permitted 15-degree mark.”I’m very pleased with the assessment of Dr. King,” Ajmal said, in an interview with . “It was very heartening to hear what he had to say. I was expecting a reduction to about 30 degrees but to see that some deliveries are down to 20 degrees is fantastic and positive news for me.”Also, what is really encouraging is that most of my deliveries are now within the 15 degree limit. The ICC’s rules of course stipulate that all deliveries have to be under 15 degrees and I’m very confident that I will achieve that target with the help of [former Pakistan offspinner] Saqlain Mushtaq and all the other individuals who are helping me and guiding me.”Ajmal said his elbow extension exceeded 15 degrees only for the doosra, and that all his other deliveries were now falling within the permitted limit. “I’m working hard on adjusting the doosra to ensure that it is also under 15 degrees and I’m confident that I will manage to do that.”The ICC banned Ajmal from bowling in international cricket in September. He had been reported after the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, and testing of his action in Brisbane revealed his average elbow extension to be more than twice the permissible limit. It was the second time Ajmal had been reported, but the first time – in 2009 – he had successfully cleared tests on his action. Ajmal said he was puzzled by the lack of consistency in the test results.”The frustrating thing is that I was tested in 2009, tested again earlier this year and have had private tests on my bowling action recently. Every single one of those tests has produced different results,” he said. “There is just no consistency at all in these tests and the subsequent reports. If there was consistency then I would know where I stand. I work on rectifying one issue and then in the next report something different is pointed out to me.”Ajmal went on to say that the 15-degree limit was too strict on bowlers, particularly under the ICC’s new testing protocol.”I think 99% of bowlers these days would fail the 15 degree test for at least one or more of their deliveries,” he said. “I also think that the technology being used in match situations to assess bowling actions is too strict. I think they should use the normal television cameras to assess our bowling actions, but instead what is being used are cameras that can virtually see the blood running though our bodies.”Ajmal was confident the doosra would survive as an offspinner’s weapon, despite the ICC’s crackdown on illegal actions and the widespread belief that the delivery can’t be bowled legally.”No I don’t believe that will be the case,” he said, when asked if the doosra would die out. “The doosra is an art and a weapon to use against batsmen. God willing when I am back playing international cricket, I will bowl the doosra with the same venom that I always have done. The doosra is part of my repertoire and a delivery that I intend to continue bowling in future.”Ajmal said he wanted to return to international cricket in time to play the 2015 World Cup, which begins in February.”All this effort with Saqlain Mushtaq and the work at Lahore and Loughborough is with the World Cup in mind and I’m hopeful and confident that my bowling action will be cleared ahead of this showpiece event,” he said. “However, if I don’t make the World Cup then my prayers and well-wishes will be with my Pakistani team mates. If I’m not there in Australia and New Zealand my support will be with the Pakistan team and I’ll be cheering them on loudly.”In similar vein, Ajmal said he was delighted with how well Pakistan have done without him in their Tests against Australia and New Zealand.”It’s not easy to have to watch the matches on television and not to be out there with my team mates,” Ajmal said. “Having said that, I am absolutely delighted seeing Pakistan play so well. It’s been brilliant to watch Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar come into the Pakistan team as my replacements and perform so well. I’m so happy for both of them and I hope they have long and successful careers for Pakistan.”The PCB has extended Ajmal’s stay in England by a week to enable him to spend more time with Saqlain at his academy in Leicestershire. This time, Ajmal said, would be spent working on technical aspects of his action, “particularly the doosra”.”I feel that with the implementation of these additional technical modifications all of my deliveries will be under the 15 degrees limit,” Ajmal said. “Next week, we intend to have another private test on my bowling action to ensure that all of my deliveries are below the 15 degrees limit. Following on from the private tests and most probably next month we’ll go for tests with the ICC and hopefully be cleared for a return to cricket.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O presidente do Flu, Mário Bittencourt, adotou um tom mais moderado em relação às críticas ao treinador Fernando Diniz, nesta sexta-feira, em coletiva, nas Laranjeiras. Diferente do vice-presidente geral, Celso Barros, no início da semana, que cobrou resultados de forma mais incisiva, Bittencourt evitou chamar a atenção do técnico publicamente, apesar de admitir a insatisfação com a situação do Tricolor na tabela do Brasileirão. O time está fora do Z-4 por apenas um ponto e tem a chance de se recuperar, com dois jogos em casa, contra CSA e Avaí.

– Os resultados, matematicamente, não são bons. O treinador segue fazendo o seu trabalho. O ambiente segue maravilhoso. Todo profissional do Fluminense, de qualquer área, estará sempre sob avaliação constante. Preocupado eu também estou muito. Honestamente. Todos estamos. Eu disse há 15 dias que ele era treinador, e continua sendo. Eu não discuto trabalho dessa forma no futebol nem na minha empresa. Acho que o profissional tem de ter liberdade de trabalhar e a confiança das pessoas que estão acima dele. Hoje ele tem a confiança – disse Bittencourt.

O presidente tricolor admitiu diferenças de estilo de gestão com o vice, mas negou que o departamento de futebol esteja fora de sintonia sobre a questão

– Nós dois somos sinceros. Somos transparentes. Temos uma gestão transparente. Eu também cobro. Cada um tem a sua forma de exercer sua liderança, sua cobrança. Não tem que ser transformado em um complicador. É a avaliação de todo mundo. Diniz é treinador do Fluminense e temos critérios para avaliar. Não tem mais por que falar desse assunto – completou

Sondagens por Pedro

Outro tema abordado por Mário Bittencourt foi a situação do atacante Pedro. O presidente negou a ter recebido propostas oficiais, mas confirmou que há sondagens, sem citar nomes de interessados.

– Não chegou nenhuma proposta por nenhum jogador e nenhuma oficial pelo Pedro. O que a gente ouve, como sempre, é situação de clube A e clube B estão interessados. Confesso a você que dos seis ou sete clubes que se falaram até agora eu tive sondagem de dois. Os outros cinco, comigo e com o Celso, não teve contato. Não posso falar os nomes. Não foram propostas. Perguntaram se a gente tinha interesse em negociar e se tinha valor mínimo. E, sendo transparente, eu disse a eles que todo e qualquer jogador que tenha possibilidade de fazer uma venda dentro do que achamos fundamental do ponto de vista financeiro, iria avaliar. Mas as propostas não chegaram.

Bittencourt crê que a lesão do jogador na coxa direita não vai prejudicar eventuais negociações.

– A lesão é muscular e acho, sinceramente, que não interfere. Qualquer médico do mundo sabe que em 15 dias ele volta a jogar. Isso não interfere, acredito, em eventual venda dele agora ou em dezembro.

Apelo à torcida

Sobre o jogo de domingo, contra o CSA, pela 15ª rodada do Brasileirão, o presidente fez um apelo pela presença do torcedor, no Maracanã e anunciou uma promoção. Sob pressão, o time precisa dos três pontos para sair da posição incômoda na tabela.

– Temos mais de 10 mil ingressos vendidos ao jogo contra o CSA. Quero lançar um desafio ao nosso torcedor. O time precisa sempre, mas neste momento precisa bastante de apoio e de incentivo. Conversando com minha equipe criei uma ideia de que se ultrapassar os 20 mil pagantes no domingo faremos uma promoção ainda maior no jogo contra o Avaí. A gente faria ingresso na Sul a R$ 40 e toda a Leste em cima e em baixo a R$ 10. Lá são mais ou menos 11 mil ingressos. Queria lançar isso para que a gente tenha o estádio cheio.

MatériaMais Notícias

A bronca dos argentinos com Felipe Melo teve mais um capítulo ontem. Aproveitando a punição de quatro partidas de suspensão dada ao volante palmeirense pelo STJD, por conta de expulsão contra o Bahia, o canal argentino TyC Sports não perdeu a chance de cutucar o jogador brasileiro mais uma vez.

Em sua conta oficial do Twitter, a emissora publicou um vídeo no qual um garotinho dá forte carrinho e derruba o adversário. Na legenda, apenas a seguinte frase: ‘El hijo de Felipe Melo’ (O filho de Felipe Melo) e um emoji (imagem) de um quimono de judô. Confira a postagem abaixo:

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasEm fim de semana atípico, sem jogo, Verdão treina para ‘decisão’ de terçaPalmeiras24/08/2019PalmeirasSem jogo do profissional, torcida do Verdão pode assistir ao sub-20 na TVPalmeiras24/08/2019PalmeirasPalmeiras defende campanha perfeita no Pacaembu desde a volta de FelipãoPalmeiras23/08/2019

El hijo de Felipe Melo 🥋 pic.twitter.com/K7QrLOeaXp

— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) 23 de agosto de 2019

A provocação argentina vem de longe. Em 2018, às vésperas da semifinal entre Palmeiras e Boca Juniors, pela Libertadores, o volante do Verdão postou uma foto para, supostamente, festejar vitória sobre o Ceará por 2 a 1. Na imagem, o jogador aparecia em casa e posicionado à frente de um pôster. E foi justamente esse quadro que causou a ira dos argentinos.

Trata-se de uma reprodução em tamanho quase real de uma foto que mostraFelipe Melo encarando Lionel Messi em um jogo Brasil x Argentina disputado em setembro de 2009 (veja acima). Na partida, realizada em Rosário (ARG), a Seleção Brasileira venceu de virada por 3 a 1.

A mídia argentina tratou a postagem de Felipe Melo como uma provocação. À época, o canal TyC Sports publicou a foto com um questionamento: “Será que ele queria intimidar os argentinos na véspera da semifinal da Libertadores?”. Desde então são comuns ironias contra o jogador brasileiro nos portais esportivos do país. Os argentinos não perdem a chance de destacar as expulsões ou confusões de Felipe Melo.

Ironicamente, após a expulsão contra o Bahia pelo Brasileirão, o volante também foi expulso no jogo de ida das quartas de final da Libertadores contra o Grêmio, em Porto Alegre.

أعلن نادي كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، اليوم الإثنين بشكل رسمي، عن تعيين مدرب النادي الأهلي السابق مديراً فنياً لقيادة الفريق.

كايزر تشيفز يحتل المركز الثامن في ترتيب جدول الدوري الجنوب إفريقي برصيد 11 نقطة، بعد خوض 9 مواجهات، حيث فاز في 3 مباريات وتعادل في مواجهتين وخسر 4 لقاءات.

وكان فريق كايزر تشيفز وصل إلي نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا في عام 2021، وواجه النادي الأهلي وخسر بثلاثة أهداف دون رد في المباراة النهائية التي أقيمت في الدار البيضاء بالمغرب.

طالع | كيفين جونسون: الأهلي أفضل 10 مرات من الوداد

ووفقاً للحساب الرسمي لنادي كايزر تشيفز على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “تويتر”: “سيتولى كيفين جونسون منصب مدرب الفريق الأول بشكل مؤقت”.

جونسون سبق وعمل كمدرب مساعد في النادي الأهلي خلال فترة مواطنه بيتسو موسيماني في الفترة من أكتوبر 2020 إلى أغسطس 2021.

Club Update

Cavin Johnson will take over as the First Team coach on an interim basis.

Current assistant coach, Dillon Sheppard will retain his position under Johnson.https://t.co/ektYRGBARu#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/53yFqP5jCe

— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) October 23, 2023

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening ODI in Colombo between Sri Lanka and England, two sides trying to find form and dodge the rain

The Preview by George Dobell25-Nov-2014

Match factsWednesday, November 26, 2014
Start time 2.30pm (9.00am GMT)Big PictureThis series, in itself, amounts to very little: just seven more ODIs squeezed into the Sri Lankan rainy season to accommodate a schedule that is already bursting at the seams.But its proximity to the World Cup provides relevance. Two sides struggling for form and to find settled line-ups have another opportunity to define positions and tactics before departing for Australia and New Zealand. Some players will see their Word Cup hopes enhanced or crushed in the coming weeks. Both sides will hope to have settled on their World Cup team by the end of this series.Neither side has been in the best of form of late. England have won only one of their past seven multi-match ODI series and that came in the Caribbean when they fielded their T20 side in preparation for the World T20. Sri Lanka suffered the worst ODI whitewash in their history in India, with some eye-wateringly vast defeats. As things stand, Sri Lanka are rated fourth in the ICC’s rankings, only a point above fifth-placed England. Sri Lanka won the last ODI series between the countries 3-2, in England in May.St Lanka have some mitigation for their recent run of modest form. Called to India at short-notice to replace West Indies, their lack of preparation was exposed as they lost 5-0. But the fact that they have recalled Thilina Kandamby – who has not played an ODI since July 2011 – and Jeevan Mendis – who has not played international cricket for more than a year – underlines that they are still searching for missing ingredients.They are without Sachithra Senanayake, who could be cleared for a return to bowling before the end of the series, and Lasith Malinga, who has undergone ankle surgery that renders him a doubt for the World Cup. But they do possess three batsmen in the top 10 of the ODI rankings – England have nobody in the top 20 – and must be considered favourites for the series.The wet weather means England have only completed one warm-up game and their middle and lower-order batsmen are without any competitive cricket since September. They are also missing their two senior seamers – James Anderson and Stuart Broad – so will provide opportunities to other seamers in the Powerplays and at the death.Form guideSri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
England WLLLLIn the spotlightAlastair Cook’s position will remain the subject of media scrutiny – the selectors have pledged their commitment to him already – until he can discover some fluency at the top of the order. With Moeen Ali, Alex Hales and Ian Bell all vying for a position in the top three, Cook needs runs to justify his on-going selection ahead of them. More importantly, England require either more fluent starts or for Cook to provide more substantial contributions to relive the requirements of the middle-order.Kusal Perera has scored only four runs in his previous three ODI innings and has not reached 50 in his last 12. But he is likely to win another chance at the top of the order, with Sri Lanka requiring a little more solidity. It may be no easy task in conditions expected to provide a little more help than usual for new-ball bowlers.Teams newsWith so much rain of late, Sri Lanka expect conditions to help seam bowlers and might be tempted to field another seamer ahead of the spin of Ajantha Mendis. But given England’s less-than-glorious record against spin, that remains undecided.Sri Lanka (Probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wkt), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Shaminda ErangaSteven Finn is an injury doubt for England with a groin strain. He will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game. Moeen Ali will open the batting for England, with Ian Bell likely to go in at No. 3. That means that an England team crying out for aggression will make do without Alex Hales, the man who hit 116 off 64 balls against Sri Lanka at the World T20 earlier this year.England (Probable) 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Alastair Cook (capt), 3 Ian Bell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wkt), 7 Ben Stokes, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry GurneyPitch and conditionsThe R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is probably best known as the venue for the highest Test score in history: Sri Lanka’s 952 for 6 against India in 1997-98. The winning side has scored in excess of 300 in three of the last four ODIs on the ground and the average run-rate since the start of 2013 has been 5.36 runs per over. The forecast suggests there will be thunderstorms in the afternoon. It would be a surprise if the match escapes unscathed.Stats and trivia 4 , 0, 4, 0: The scores contributed by Tillakaratne Dilshan’s opening partner in Sri Lanka’s previous four ODIs. 29 and 40: The amount of months and ODI innings respectively since Alastair Cook reached 80.Quotes”Moeen Ali is a good player, and he’s good against spin. Yesterday at the team meeting we planned a few tactics for him and how to bowl to him in the Powerplays.”
“Preparations have gone well in terms of training. Obviously it’s not ideal our second practice game getting washed out. We can’t control the weather and I’m not sure we’re going to control it over the next couple of weeks.”