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South Africa has edged out England to be named host nation of the 2009 IPL. The decision was made after a meeting between the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, and the Cricket South Africa chief executive, Gerald Majola, in Johannesburg on Tuesday

Alex Brown and Ajay S Shankar24-Mar-2009South Africa has edged out England to be named host nation of the 2009 IPL. The decision was made after a meeting between the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, and the Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive, Gerald Majola, in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The IPL also announced that a final schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises will be released shortly.Cricinfo understands that the IPL’s opening ceremony will be held in Cape Town, and that the defending champions Rajasthan Royals will play the first game. The tournament will commence on April 18, a week later than initially scheduled, and a day after the one-day series between South Africa and Australia ends. Sources said Johannesburg, Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town would be the host venues.However, it’s understood that negotiations between the two boards were not as smooth as it was initially expected with England remaining in contention as an active alternative for hosting the IPL during most of Tuesday afternoon’s meeting.South Africa had been considered the favourite to host the IPL’s second season after IPL officials voiced concerns over the effect England’s springtime weather might have on the tournament. England also faced issues in the form of cost, scheduling and the likelihood of conflict between television rights holders. South Africa’s chances were further boosted after the country’s government got actively involved in wooing the IPL, throwing in assurances on security and speedy clearance of visas for players and officials.”A lot of factors were considered by us while evaluating the final choice for the host venue,” N Srinivasan, secretary of the Indian board, said. “However, in the final analysis I think it was the South African weather, which prevailed and tilted the balance in favour of the Rainbow Nation.”David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said he understood the hurdles that would have had to be cleared to stage the tournament in England. “We all recognised the difficulties and logistical issues involved in areas such as security when the G20 is meeting in the UK next week and the climatic challenges,” he said.In the event, the IPL’s decision to move to South Africa has been greeted with relief by the league’s franchises and players. Muttiah Muralitharan, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said it was the right decision for the league because “the game must go on, else cricket would die”.Why South Africa got the nodThe weather was the most important factor. The IPL realised that rain could seriously affect “as many as 70% of the matches” if the tournament was held in England.Top officials within the South African government and Cricket South Africa gave assurances that the IPL will receive the full red carpet treatment.Less logistical problems as South African domestic season concludes before the IPL’s scheduled start while in England the county season will just get underway.The cost of running the tournament in South Africa would be substantially less than in England.Supersport owns the rights both for the IPL and for international cricket played in South Africa while there would have been a clash between Sky TV and Setanta in England.Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said that though he would have preferred England, the weather had proved a decisive factor. “To be honest, I would have preferred England to South Africa,” Mallya said. “You could have taken one good flight from 5-6 places in India to England and it would have been cheaper. Besides, an average Englishman loves his cricket. The stands there would have been full of crowd. I guess weather conditions clinched the issue for South Africa. In England, there were chances that matches would have been rained off. Both teams sharing the point affects the competitiveness of the event.”There had been much speculation as to where the IPL’s second season would be based after Cricinfo identified South Africa as a possible destination last Friday. Senior officials from the IPL and CSA denied the report at the time, but had since been locked in intense discussions to finalise the unprecedented switch.With the decision now made, the real work begins. Security arrangements – which forced the tournament out of India – will need to be arranged, and an estimated 400 players and officials will require visas and accommodation. In all, 59 matches will be held over a five-week period ending on May 24.With time of the essence, logistical issues delayed the opportunity for a considered response from the ECB, whose chairman, Giles Clarke, and Collier, had been on opposite sides of the world in Australia and Guyana respectively, when contacted by IPL officials on Saturday. The pair reconvened for the first time at Lord’s on Tuesday morning, by which stage discussions with CSA were well underway.”It is very important for world cricket that this tournament is staged, but ultimately it is a matter for the BCCI where it is staged,” Clarke told Cricinfo hours before the IPL decided on South Africa. “We’re happy to help, but if it’s not staged here, we’ve got a great deal to do this season anyway. That is how we see it. It is not a competitive situation from our point of view, at all. It can be staged here, the government is keen support it, but the most important thing is that this tournament goes ahead, wherever it is staged.”England had initially emerged as the preferred venue to host the tournament after a powerful lobby within the BCCI and the Indian team management felt that such a move would help in preparing for the World Twenty20 in June.

MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Mano Menezes comandou mais um treinamento na tarde desta sexta-feira, na Toca da Raposa II, visando ao confronto diante do Palmeiras, marcado para domingo, às 16h, no estádio Mineirão. Para a partida, válida pela 12ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o treinador celeste revelou que vem pensando em diversas alternativas no intuito de realizar eventuais correções na equipe.

Na opinião do treinador celeste, ele e sua comissão têm estudado bastante as diferentes possibilidades de formação, além da semana cheia para treinamentos, para que o Cruzeiro faça um jogo forte no domingo.

– Temos que recuperar algumas coisas. Fomos cobrados por jogar de uma forma. Depois, pensamos que poderíamos ter um comportamento diferente, propondo mais, correndo riscos. O risco está mais ligado ao benefício que o prejuízo. Essa é a nossa discussão interna, recuperar a identidade que perdemos da equipe. Sem identidade, sem saber o que somos, não chegaremos onde queremos chegar – avalia.

– Perdemos um pouco de equilíbrio, pelas características que temos. Ou teremos um homem mais de contenção, o Hudson, ou um atacante, que passa a ser o Sóbis pelo lado, com Ábila ou Sassá por dentro. Outro jogador que tem no meio disso é Rafael Marques, que também faz lado de campo, mas tem um pouco mais de desenvoltura. Ou um atacante mais agudo que pode ser o Elber – complementou.

Jesse Ryder will miss the fourth one-day international against West Indies in Wellington on Saturday because of “inadequate preparation”

Cricinfo staff09-Jan-2009
Jesse Ryder: “I thought I had reached the point where I could control my drinking better, but that is obviously not the case” © Getty Images
New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder will miss the fourth one-day international against West Indies in Wellington on Saturday because of “inadequate preparation”. Ryder missed a team meeting on Thursday morning and was unable to train in the afternoon after a late night of drinking.Ryder was fined after a disciplinary hearing for missing both the meeting and training. New Zealand have called up Mathew Sinclair as a replacement and he will bat at No 3.”We are all disappointed that this has happened. Since February last year, we have witnessed encouraging signs from Jesse both on and off the park,” Justin Vaughan, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said. “These vast improvements meant Jesse was recently given more latitude in his personal decision making. In hindsight, this was premature. However while it is a drinking-related issue, it does not compare with last February in its severity.”In February, Ryder had put his hand through a window while trying to gain access to a toilet area that had been accidentally locked. The injury occurred in Christchurch the morning after New Zealand’s ODI series win against England and it later emerged that he was also out drinking until 1.30am on the eve of a game. He had to undergo surgery and was sidelined until September.Ryder apologised to his team-mates at training for his latest indiscretion. “I have not only let myself down, but also my team-mates, support team and the cricket fans in general,” Ryder said. “I thought I had reached the point where I could control my drinking better, but that is obviously not the case.”I am only now starting to appreciate the size of the challenge that I face. I am totally committed to overcoming this problem and understand I will have to work even harder with the support group around me.”The five-ODI series against West Indies is currently level at 1-1.

The Pakistan board has sent a show-cause notice to Mohammad Yousuf, formally banned him from all forms of cricket in Pakistan and demanded he pay them more than Rs10 million (US$ 125,000 approx) as costs incurred on litigation with the ICL. Yousuf signed with the unauthorised league earlier this week, a year after the PCB lured him away from it with the promise of a lucrative IPL contract.”We have sent him [Yousuf] a show-cause notice and if he doesn’t return the money, we will file a lawsuit in a civil court to recover money,” Shan Gul, the PCB’s legal advisor, said.Yousuf initially signed with the ICL in September 2007 but the board managed to get him back in to their fold even as the league took the matter up in an arbitration court. A stay order was passed on Yousuf’s participation in the IPL, though an appeal was later filed by the PCB on Yousuf’s behalf in the Bombay High Court.The notice accused Yousuf of misconduct and of deceiving the PCB. “In view of your misconduct the PCB acting in term of clause 13.1 read with 1.4.2 has decided to terminate your contract with immediate effect. The contract, therefore, stands terminated as of today. Furthermore, the PCB hereby bans, forbids and stops you from playing any form of representative cricket [department, association, club] in Pakistan. This ban also applies in the case of teams under PCB’s jurisdiction but playing outside Pakistan.”Separately, the PCB is entitled to recover from you costs [in the form of expenses] incurred by the PCB on your long drawn out litigation with the ICL. Since you by your conduct and action have deceived the PCB and compromised the very stance for which Rs one crore sixty eight thousand were spent by the PCB for your benefit all payments [if any] to you by the PCB are immediately stopped so as to offset PCB’s aforementioned expenses.”

Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan and Sussex legspinner, has been appointed as the ECB’s spin-bowling coach

Cricinfo staff23-Oct-2008
Mushtaq Ahmed twirling away for Sussex © Getty Images
Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan and Sussex legspinner, has been appointed as the ECB’s spin-bowling coach.Mushtaq retired from first-class cricket this summer, and will work with spinners in England’s Test and one-day squads, in addition to the ECB’s development programmes. The ECB said that Mushtaq will be looking to sever his ties with the ICL as soon as possible.”We are very excited that a bowler of Mushtaq’s standing has decided to join our team of specialist coaches based at the performance centre at Loughborough,” David Parsons, the ECB performance director and former head spin coach, said. “He will have a role to play at all levels of the game. His primary task will be to mentor our leading spin bowlers in the Test, one-day and performance squads but we also believe he can help encourage youngsters at the grass roots of the game to take up and learn the art of spin bowling.”Hugh Morris, the ECB’s managing director, said: “It’s critical we nurture and develop the next generation of England spin bowlers using the expertise and knowledge of former players such as Mushtaq. Spin has been integral to the success of the world’s best cricket teams and we are keen to ensure that there is a constant flow of spin-bowling talent into the England set-up.”Mushtaq, 38, last played for Pakistan in 2003. Overlooked by his country, he carved out a very successful county career, and in 2003 he became the first bowler in five years to take 100 wickets in the English season. That was instrumental in guiding Sussex to the first Championship title in their history, a feat he and they repeated in 2006 and the following season. He has bowled over 26,000 overs in all competitions, taking 598 wickets. He ended his first-class career with over 1400 wickets, and is currently playing for the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL.

James Anderson will miss England’s US$20million showdown against the Stanford Superstars on Saturday

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2008
Andrew Flintoff in contemplative mood ahead of the million-dollar match on Saturday © Getty Images
James Anderson will miss England’s US$20million showdown against the Stanford Superstars on Saturday, after it was decided that the second spinner, Graeme Swann, had to play a role on a pitch that has proven to be slow and low in the five matches of the tournament to date.Anderson, 26, has been an integral part of England’s one-day side for over a year, and looked finally to have cemented his role in the side after spending the early part of his England career in the shadow of his senior colleagues. However, with Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison providing the pace injection, and Stuart Broad’s all-round talents too valuable to sacrifice, England’s captain, Kevin Pietersen, was forced to make one of the toughest selection decisions of his career.”It was never going to be the easiest decision, in fact it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make in terms of carrying 11 players on the field,” said Pietersen. “It has been very difficult for him, especially being an integral part of the team for the past 12 months, but he has taken it brilliantly well, he has been absolutely fantastic at training.””We haven’t played a second spinner for I don’t know how long, but unfortunately conditions have meant Jimmy has to miss out. We realise that we play to win for England and unfortunately the circumstances have arisen in terms of the pitch, and the outfield, and the way games have gone. We have to play another spinner.”The Superstars captain, Chris Gayle, could not resist a bit of a dig at England’s selection when informed of Anderson’s omission. “I am a bit scared of Anderson, so that’s good,” he said. “He swings the ball a bit, so I am glad he is not playing.”The other three players to miss the chance of becoming instant dollar millionaires are Ryan Sidebottom, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara. Though Cook and Bopara were never realistically in with a chance of playing, Sidebottom’s left-arm variation could conceivably have muscled into the starting eleven. However, a slight calf injury undermined his readiness, and his match-fitness was described as “there or thereabouts”.One man who might feel slightly fortunate to have made the cut is the Sussex allrounder, Luke Wright, who has been a peripheral figure throughout the tournament. He has not been called upon to bat or bowl as yet, but Pietersen is aware that his time could be just around the corner. “Luke hasn’t done anything right, and he hasn’t done anything wrong,” he said, “but there will come a time when we need him to give it some pongo at the death and it may be tomorrow night.”England 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior, 3 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 4 Owais Shah, 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steve Harmison.

Valerien Ismael is expecting his West Bromwich Albion side to make further additions in the transfer market prior to deadline day at the beginning of next week.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the Frenchman revealed that he is relaxed regarding his search for a new centre-forward over what remains of the summer transfer window, and that he is confident Ken Xu Ke and Ian Pearce will be able to complete at least one more deal before next Tuesday’s deadline.

Discussing Albion’s potential signings, the 45-year-old said: “We know behind the scenes what we have to do. We try and we have some more days. We are calm. We don’t need to rush as we know exactly what we want.

“My expectation is that we can do something until the end. You never know because it’s always a difficult situation, but, behind the scenes, Ken and Ian Pearce have done a great job so far. We try to do everything to make sure we can get the right players.”

Fans will be excited

While West Brom have started the season in incredibly impressive form under the leadership of Ismael, with the Baggies scoring a league-high 11 goals and picking up 10 points from their opening four Championship fixtures, these results should not mask the fact that the Frenchman is indeed lacking in depth in the centre-forward role.

At present, the 45-year-old can call upon Karlan Grant, Callum Robinson or Kenneth Zohore to play through the middle, however, with Grant and Robinson more suited to the wider attacking positions, and Zohore having bagged a less than impressive two Championship goals while on loan at Millwall last season, Ismael is hardly blessed with a wealth of talent up top.

As such, it would very much appear a necessity for Ismael to bring in a new striker this summer, as his current options are simply not enough to last what is sure to be a long and arduous Championship campaign, let alone to fire Albion to automatic promotion.

So, the fact that the Frenchman appears confident about getting a deal over the line for an incoming player before next Tuesday is sure to get West Brom fans excited, as, on the condition that the potential new signing is a proven goalscorer, it could well be the final piece of the 45-year-old’s Baggies jigsaw.

In other news: Ismael must unleash “quality” 6ft 4 West Brom colossus tonight, he’d terrify Arsenal

Leicester City will be aiming to build on their Community Shield victory last weekend by picking up three points against Wolves this afternoon.

The Foxes suffered late heartbreak for the second consecutive season last term, missing out on a Champions League qualification spot on the final day following defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the Midlands outfit will not be disheartened. They have continually punched above their weight under Brendan Rodgers, and their maiden FA Cup triumph in May capped an outstanding two-and-a-half years under the Northern Irishman.

However, following several astute purchases in the transfer window, Leicester will be hoping to go one better and finish in the top four next May.

Rodgers will have to cope without several first-team players in the opening weeks, though, with James Justin, Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans and Nampalys Mendy all currently sidelined.

With that in mind, here’s how Football Fan Cast thinks the 48-year-old will line up his team at the King Power Stadium today…

New club captain Kasper Schmeichel is a certainty to start between the sticks for the Foxes, although there’s set to be a couple of fresh faces ahead of the Denmark international.

His compatriot and international teammate Jannik Vestergaard has completed his move from Southampton in time to be registered for this one, so he should make his club debut after his transfer was announced yesterday evening, partnering Caglar Soyuncu in the heart of defence.

That means the £4.5m-rated Daniel Amartey is set to drop to the bench after starting at Wembley a week ago, with Ricardo Pereira and Vestergaard’s former Saints team-mate Ryan Bertrand occupying the full-back positions.

In midfield, the dependable trio of Wilfried Ndidi, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison will take up their usual residency in the Leicester engine room.

Up top, talismanic striker Jamie Vardy is expected to be partnered by the returning Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez as they look to supply the goals on the Premier League’s return. The veteran’s 15 top-flight goals last season make him too difficult to drop, despite the summer arrival of Patson Daka.

In other news… Journalist drops transfer update that’ll leave Leicester fans buzzing 

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma boa atuação é capaz de mudar o futuro de um jogador de futebol. No caso do Fluminense, o empate com o Brasil-RS, pela Primeira Liga, garantiu, segundo Abel Braga, a permanência de dois nomes no elenco no restante da temporada: Daniel e Maranhão, que agora brigarão por mais oportunidades.

No Los Larios, Maranhão entrou na segunda etapa e deu o passe para Daniel marcar seu primeiro gol no time profissional do Flu, garantindo a classificação às quartas de final da Primeira Liga. Após o confronto, Abel Braga elogiou as apresentações dos camisa 25 e 36 do Tricolor, respectivamente.

– Posso ter cometido certa injustiça com o Daniel. Foi muito bem, não só pelo gol. E, desde janeiro, não joga uma partida desde o início. Já devia ter dado mais chances ao Maranhão. Te falo que hoje é um dos jogadores que vários clubes querem, estão enchendo meu saco há um mês, e, depois dessa atuação, não vai sair mais não – comentou o treinador após o jogo contra o Brasil-RS.

Antes da partida contra o Xavante, Daniel só havia atuado por 40 minutos na temporada – tendo o posto de jogador menos utilizado no elenco profissional. Até então, o meio-campista tinha jogado 16 minutos contra o Internacional, pela Primeira Liga, e 24 minutos diante do Volta Redonda, no Estadual.

Maranhão, por sua vez, tem sete partidas na temporada – uma como titular. Apesar de não ter marcado gol sob o comando de Abel Braga, o camisa 25 “andará na fila”, enquanto outros atletas podem perder espaço no Tricolor.

-Tenho dado chances a outros que não estão conseguindo avançar dentro daquele parâmetro que estamos querendo.Daniel e Maranhão passam a ser olhados diferentes – finalizou o comandante tricolor.

Nesta quinta, o elenco do Fluminense volta a treinar no CT Pedro Antonio visando a primeira final do Campeonato Carioca diante do Flamengo. No domingo, às 16h, o Fla-Flu é no Maracanã e os ingressos já estão à venda.

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David Moyes risks uproar amongst the West Ham United faithful if he makes a move for Phil Jones this month…

What’s the word?

The Irons have been left frustrated by their search for a new centre-back over the past few days after Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma rejected the chance to join the club.

It’s believed that the addition of a new central defender is currently Moyes’ top priority, with Angelo Ogbonna dealing with a pre-season injury problem.

According to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, the Hammers’ hunt is nearly getting to the point of them considering free transfers, in which forgotten Manchester United outcast Phil Jones could be a target, even if slightly unlikely.

It’s not the first time that the 29-year-old colossus has been mooted with a switch to the London Stadium. Last month, Eurosport reported of Moyes’ interest in working with the centre-back once again.

Massively uninspiring

If West Ham’s options go from the likes of Zouma and James Tarkowski to Jones, then the Scot risks causing fury amongst the Irons faithful and that is the last thing he needs, with supporters group Hammers United already planning to protest before their game against the Red Devils next month.

Whilst Moyes may well think that he could repeat the theatrics of Jesse Lingard’s comeback, it seems unlikely that he can do the same with the 27-time England international.

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

Jones has not played a competitive match for United – or anyone – in more than 18 months after falling out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before he picked up a serious long-term knee injury.

The Manchester Evening News claim that the 5 foot 11 defender is effectively ‘unsellable’, and that goes to show just how low the East Londoners would be sinking with a move for him.

It would be one mighty risk to take a punt on someone who has not played at the elite level for so long, especially considering that he is thought to be earning around £110k-per-week at Old Trafford.

Furthermore, when he was in action, he was far from impressive.

Jones was once described as a player who “looks like he’s on roller-skates” and “sometimes he looks like the stunt-man of the team” by Martin Keown to talkSPORT.

Now valued at just £4.5m by Transfermarkt, Moyes would certainly be playing with fire with a move for his former starting centre-back. The Irons faithful will surely be furious if he signs.

AND in other news, West Ham insiders drop major takeover claim, fans will be fuming…