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On paper it looked like being a mismatch. On paper, it appears Australia had an easy 50-run victory. In reality there were several nervous periods for Ricky Ponting’s men

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale26-Sep-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMitchell Johnson’s late blitz ensured a total that was too big for West Indies•Getty ImagesOn paper it looked like being a mismatch. On paper, it appears Australia had an easy 50-run victory. In reality there were several nervous periods for Ricky Ponting’s men throughout a game they were expected to win comfortably. In the end, the target of 276, set up by strong batting from Ponting and Mitchell Johnson, was too big for a second-string West Indies outfit. But not by much.Ponting will demand more discipline from his bowlers against India and Pakistan after they lacked incision against a starless West Indies top order. West Indies showed plenty of fight, first through the middle overs with the ball and then through Andre Fletcher and Travis Dowlin with the bat. They were 124 for 1 during the 25th over and on a pitch that had dried out and lost some of the demons from earlier in the day, an upset could have been on the cards.Fletcher worked hard and showed uncharacteristic restraint to post his second half-century in one-day internationals. He was scratchy early but worked his way into the game, using his sheer strength to thump four fours and a six, before the chasm in experience – the 11 West Indies players entered the game with a combined 117 ODI caps compared to Australia’s 927 – began to show.An outrageously poor piece of running cost Fletcher his wicket when he pushed Brett Lee to mid-off, took off slowly and rather than diving to try and make his ground, jumped in the air outside his crease as he wrongly anticipated Johnson’s throw missing. The Australians saw Fletcher’s carefree – or careless – attitude to crease management on his ODI debut last year, when he was run out strolling aimlessly out of his ground, and he clearly hasn’t learnt his lesson.That was followed by an unfathomable decision to promote the wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton, fresh from his golden duck on debut against Pakistan, to No. 4 with Dale Richards injured and unable to bat. Walton improved – he made a second-ball duck to James Hopes this time – but his horrid attempted slog that was edged back onto the stumps when so fresh to the crease reeked of inexperience and panic.These things can happen with young players but West Indies needed everything to go their way to beat Australia and they quickly moved from a position of potential to a state of vulnerability. Dowlin (55), though trying admirably, just couldn’t score his runs quickly enough and was caught top-edging Lee.Nor was there fast scoring from the captain Floyd Reifer, who at 37 appears to have reflexes just a fraction too slow for international cricket. Reifer’s only experience against any Australian side came in 1990, when he played against a touring Australian youth team that featured the likes of Damien Fleming and Michael Bevan, and the current selector Jamie Cox.Against the speed of Lee and Johnson, he was unable to do much but defend and made 28 from 56 balls. He couldn’t follow the earlier lead of Fletcher and Dowlin, who rotated the strike so well that until Fletcher’s run-out they had managed 24 singles from the previous 33 balls.Two consecutive sixes from Darren Sammy off Johnson gave Australia another fright when the equation came in to 66 required from 50 balls, but when Sammy was caught on the boundary their momentum disappeared. It was a shame that West Indies’ chase petered out like that, for they had provided a much greater contest than anyone anticipated. But the longer the format the more likely the best team will win; were it a Twenty20 contest anything could have happened.Australia began the match as almost unbackable favourites, fresh from a 6-1 win over England, and facing a team that is the cricket equivalent of an office full of temp workers. Less than a week after playing in Durham at the end of a four-month tour, this was effectively Australia’s warm-up match for their next games against India and Pakistan.Things didn’t begin well for Australia when they were sent in and Shane Watson was bowled by a cracking late inswinging yorker from Kemar Roach with the first ball of the match. A spicy Wanderers pitch added some heat to what could have been a lifeless encounter and Roach, Sammy and Gavin Tonge enjoyed hitting the cracks.Andre Fletcher guided West Indies’ chase with 54•AFPSeveral balls jagged sharply back or found extra bounce from a good length and one steep riser from Sammy surprised Ponting so much that he dropped the bat when the ball rapped him on the hands. It was more of a concern for Tim Paine (33), who stayed with Ponting for an 85-run second-wicket stand but was much less fluent than his captain.Ponting latched onto anything wide from the seamers and twice Roach went for 17 off an over, straying to leg too often. The West Indies fast men needed to do more early damage in the wickets column given the uncomfortable bounce, and it was left to the spinner Nikita Miller to peg things back.Australia had reached 148 for 3 in the 31st over when Miller turned one past Ponting, who was stumped by Walton, and Miller then spun one through Cameron White’s defences to clip the off stump. A superb 10 overs from Miller earned him 2 for 24 without conceding a boundary, but when the fast men returned the danger for Australia eased.The key for Australia was Johnson’s late unbeaten 73. His fierce, clean hitting brought back memories of his highly entertaining 96 in the Test against South Africa at the same venue this year, when he sent several Paul Harris deliveries into the stands. This time, he had the benefit of gaps in the outfield as Australia took the batting Powerplay from the start of the 45th over and added an incredible 69 in those five overs.Johnson cleared the boundary three times and finished with his highest ODI score as he and Lee posted a 70-run stand. It was enough to give Australia 275, thought not without their murmurs of worry. They experienced further palpitations during West Indies’ innings before getting across the line. A sharper effort will be required against India and Pakistan.

Mohamed Salah’s recent comments about finishing his career at Liverpool have put a lot of pressure on FSG, according to James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Salah wants to stay for good

The Egyptian King was again unstoppable on Sunday afternoon, scoring a hat-trick the Reds’ unforgettable 5-0 win away to Manchester United.

There is constant speculation surrounding Salah’s long-term future but he recently claimed that, in an ideal world, he would stay at Liverpool forever. The 29-year-old made it clear that the decision over a new-and-improved contract lies with FSG and not him, putting the ball in their court.

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The Latest: Pearce makes FSG claim

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic on Sunday, Pearce said it is now up to the owners to sort out the situation, delivering an 11-word response to a reader’s question.

When asked if Salah had “checkmated” FSG by saying that he wants to stay at the club for the rest of his career, putting it up to the club to sort out a new contract for him, the journalist replied: “Certainly puts the pressure on the owners to get it sorted.”

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The Verdict: Get it done

Frankly, if Salah isn’t rewarded with a new deal after the level of performances he is producing, FSG will never be forgiven.

Liverpool have the world’s best player in their ranks on current form – he has scored 10 goals and registered five assists in just nine Premier League games this season – and he deserves to be paid far more than his current £200,000 weekly wage.

Granted, it isn’t always healthy to have one player earning comfortably more than anyone else at a club, but Salah is a special case because of his extraordinary talent. As Pearce says, the pressure should come on FSG to not let the impasse fester for much longer.

In other news, Liverpool are thought to be eyeing up a move for one exciting player. Find out who it is here.

After pursuing him over the course of the summer transfer window, Aston Villa must finally sign River Plate star Julian Alvarez amid a recent update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent months had claimed that Fernando Hidalgo, the agent of the 21-year-old, is set to meet with Villa’s representatives over a move to Dean Smith’s side ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Now, Argentinian publication Ole (via Sport Witness) have claimed that the Midlands club have been “studying” Alvarez’s profile for the past year, and are willing to negotiate a deal for the versatile attacker.

Forget Buendia

Despite signing another creative Argentine in the summer – Emi Buendia from Norwich City – Villa haven’t really seen the best out of him just yet, with Smith’s insistence in seeing him operate as a number ten failing to bring its rewards (he’s managed just one goal and no assists in eight Premier League games).

In Alvarez however, they can find someone who is considerably younger at 21, but has already been making waves in his native Argentina.

The River Plate youngster is someone who can play anywhere across the frontline, and after a highly impressive campaign in his native Argentina, he was named as part of his country’s Copa America squad this summer.

Like Buendia, he is very much a creative attacker bagging four goals and setting up another seven in just 20 appearances last season – including a couple of games where he plundered a hat-trick of assists against Godoy Cruz and Central Cordoba respectively.

This campaign has seen him take his game to another level, scoring 11 times and providing another six assists in just 15 games in the Argentina top-flight.

It’s no surprise then that Marcelo Gallardo, his manager at club level, has previously hailed the young Argentine as someone who “every coach would love to have.”

The £18m-rated star could come in and even usurp his international compatriot Buendia at Villa Park.

Meanwhile, Villa have now made contact with this man…

Sanath Jayasuriya has been told by Sri Lanka’s selectors that his performances on the tour of India will be close evaluated with an eye on the 2011 World Cup

Sa'adi Thawfeeq29-Oct-2009Sanath Jayasuriya’s cricketing future has been put in the balance with Sri Lanka’s selectors saying today that his days as an opener are effectively over and that following the upcoming tour of India he will be picked on performance alone. Jayasuriya, 40, has been picked in the one-day squad as an allrounder who can bat down the order and bowl left-arm spin.”What we expect from Sanath is that he should win one in three games for Sri Lanka, which he was doing in the past,” Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, said in Colombo. “But now that has reduced and we are a little concerned about it. In the Champions Trophy in South Africa his performance was below par .That’s the reason why we have gone in with the option of playing him as an allrounder.”Jayasuriya scored freely during the World Twenty20 in England this summer, where Sri Lanka finished runners-up, and ended as their joint second-highest run-getter with 177 at 25.28. However, he underperformed in the limited-overs fixtures against New Zealand and India at home and in the Champions Trophy.Sri Lanka’s selectors have Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan in mind as the opening pair for the future and Jayasuriya’s selection will depend on the requirements of the team depending on where they will play. “We have spoken to Sanath on the role he has to play,” de Mel said. “He has the option to play as an allrounder. We have considered him for this tour only, after that his selection will depend on his performance. He has to perform to hold his place in the team for the World Cup.”de Mel said the selectors did not have a settled position for Jayasuriya, who was impressive as an allrounder during Sri Lanka’s victorious World Cup campaign in 1996, and that his flexibility worked in his favour. “Especially in the batting power play having a spinning allrounder like Sanath is useful in the subcontinent because he can hit the ball. He might bat in the middle or in the top order depending on the situation,” he said. “Also, the World Cup will be held in the subcontinent where his left-arm spin can become useful. He can perform that role because in South Africa in the game against New Zealand when they scored 300 runs he was the one who bowled ten overs for three wickets and 30 runs. He has done well in the subcontinent especially with his bowling.”Jayasuriya is the second batsman after India’s Sachin Tendulkar to pass 13,000 runs in ODIs and also holds the record for being the oldest batsman to score a one-day century, at 39 years and 212 days against India in Colombo. Of the 13,377 runs he has scored in 441 ODIs, 2841 have come in 86 ODIs against India including seven hundreds at a strike-rate of 97.Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara felt the main factor in Sri Lanka’s poor ODI performances over the past two years has been an inconsistent batting line up. “The biggest let-down we had is our batting. We suffered because we had lots of batting position changes up and down the order,” he said. “For the batting to improve you must give the players the confidence. They must know what role they are supposed to play. Role identification has been a big problem. Except for the openers no one knew what their role was in the side.”We have never clicked in all departments those are things the team ignored for a while. The players have now started to realise that they take a lot of pride not just representing the country but to be up to the task that is required of them by the team.”Fielding was one of the key areas where Sri Lanka suffered during the Champions Trophy and to address the poor standards and improve them Sri Lanka Cricket acquired the services of Gavin Fingleson, a former Olympic baseball player.”He didn’t come and change but showed us how do things right. He showed us little points that will make us better and quick fielders, at the same time we also realized to be quicker on the field you’ve got to be fitter as a side,” Sangakkara said. “We started doing a lot of work on fitness running. Gavin showed us a lot of drills and how you can gain that extra second advantage when going for a catch or trying to stop the ball. At the same time the most important point was to make sure at practice you do everything as perfectly, those are the habits we have to build on.”

Adrien Rabiot is reportedly now ‘close’ to a move to Newcastle United in January.

The Lowdown: Moving quickly

Tuttosport reported earlier this week (via Sport Witness) that Juventus ‘hope’ the Tyneside club can turn their interest in Rabiot into a ‘concrete proposal’ for the midfielder.

The Old Lady would reportedly be happy to get him off their books, with no signals that they want to extend his current deal in Italy, which expires in 2023.

However, if the St James’ Park club wish to strike a deal, they would have to go through Rabiot’s agent and mother Veronique first, who has been described as a ‘volcanic’ character.

Nonetheless, if they can reach an agreement with her, then it should be a relatively easy deal to complete, given Juve’s willingness to sell him.

The Latest: Deal ‘close’

As per Corriere Dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Rabiot is now ‘close’ to moving to Tyneside, adding that his agent ‘doesn’t hold him back’.

It is also claimed that an offer of just €15m (£12.9m) or less would be ‘enough to sell him’.

The Verdict: Bargain

Considering that Rabiot’s market value is currently rated at £27m by Transfermarkt, to sign him for a fraction of that price would represent a real bargain.

While £175,000-per-week wages may be too high for where Newcastle are at in their project right now, with their highest earner Allan Saint-Maximin only being given £93,000 per week in comparison, that can always be negotiated down. Indeed, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium have the money at their disposal anyway to pay him whatever contract they see fit.

In terms of his playing style, he would offer more flair in the middle of the park, as France national team manager Didier Deschamps described the 26-year-old as a player who ‘has always had technical qualities’.

Rabiot has averaged more shots, dribbles and passing success per match than Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff in their respective domestic leagues so far this season (WhoScored), so if they can get him in January, he promises to be a smart signing.

In other news, find out some insight into Eddie Howe’s brutal regime here!

Surrey and Sussex will face IPL opposition when they travel to Dubai in March 2010 to participate in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament

Cricinfo staff26-Nov-2009Surrey and Sussex will face IPL opposition when they travel to Dubai in March 2010 to participate in the Emirates Airline Twenty20 tournament.The competition will give both teams the chance to prepare for the English county season in almost guaranteed good weather, and get some vital match practice under their belt ahead of their first round of fixtures on April 9.The competition will take place on March 19 and 20 at The Sevens, Emirates’ dedicated sporting facility. Competing alongside the two counties will be a Fly Emirates XI and, new for 2010, a young side representing the IPL franchise Kings XI Punjab.Surrey Cricket’s managing director, Gus Mackay, said: “After the success of last year’s tournament we were very keen to take part in the new format, which will provide even more of a chance for us to get match experience ahead of the season.”The addition of an IPL franchise is a hugely welcome development as it will give us an opportunity to test ourselves against an exciting team we would not normally encounter.”

Andrew Flintoff has a three-year Lancashire deal under his belt, but is unsure when he will be able to return to the cricket field as he continues a slow recovery from post-Ashes knee surgery

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2009Andrew Flintoff has a three-year Lancashire deal under his belt, but is unsure when he will be able to return to the cricket field as he continues a slow recovery from post-Ashes knee surgery. In his original time scale he had earmarked the one-day series against Bangladesh, starting at the end of February, but admitted that may now be “unrealistic”.Although in good spirits as he discussed his new county deal and reiterated his desire to develop his one-day game Flintoff, who flew in from his temporary home in Dubai for the Old Trafford press conference, has only recently come off crutches almost 12 weeks after the operation he had the day after England regained the Ashes.”I said I’d like to go to Bangladesh with the one-day squad, but that might be unrealistic,” he said. “I’ve got the IPL after that and then the Twenty20 World Cup. I’ve been off the crutches for nearly two weeks but I can’t run yet. I’ve just started gentle cycling, and I’ve been spending a lot of time in the pool, and just generally ticking over.”I’m just under 12 weeks since the op. I’ll probably know more at the 12-week stage, I’ll see the surgeon, he’ll re-scan me and he will have a better idea of how the operation has gone and where I’m at with it.”He is pretty confident, as am I. So far it’s just been doing a lot of the boring stuff. After I’ve had the scan I can build back up to running and hopefully get in the nets and start practising some time after Christmas. First and foremost I want to get on a cricket field again.”Peter Moores, the Lancashire coach, was similarly cautious about Flintoff’s comeback schedule, but was confident that the club hadn’t been over ambitious in offering the allrounder a lengthy contract despite his injury problems.”I don’t think so. He is still in rehab and is to get fit but it’s all going to schedule at the moment,” Moores said. “Fred said to start with his target was Bangladesh just after Christmas but that might be a little bit early, and internationally then there is the Twenty20 World Cup.”Though Flintoff’s England comeback may now be at the World Twenty20 in West Indies, his first return to action could be for the Chennai Super Kings at the IPL in March. He has one year left on his current deal having made a brief appearance at the 2009 event before returning home with the first occurrence of his knee problem.Since turning down an ECB incremental contract, Flintoff has been linked with a number of other Twenty20 sides around the world including states in Australia and South African franchises. He remains keen to take up these opportunities, but insists he will put his England and Lancashire priorities first.”I’m not going to give up Test cricket and then kill myself playing any other cricket I can find,” he said. “I want to play tournaments and games which excite me. The IPL is obviously one of them, and I’m contracted to Chennai for another year, and there’s Lancashire and England too, if selected.”Personally, I’d also like to try and play in Australia. I wanted to go at 16 but my Mum wouldn’t let me. I worked at Woolworths instead, but as I said, I won’t be killing myself by playing anything and everything.”

A number of Wolves supporters have urged the club to sign Hwang Hee-chan on a permanent deal, following interest from Liverpool and Manchester City.

The South Korean moved to Molineux in the summer transfer window, joining on loan from RB Leipzig and looking to make his mark in the Premier League.

Hwang has done exactly that, scoring four goals in six starts to date and adding substantial firepower to the attack alongside Raul Jimenez.

The hope is that the 25-year-old’s move will become a permanent one but Wolves will be wary of interest from both Liverpool and Man City.

The Mirror claimed [via Talking Wolves on Twitter] that both Premier League heavyweights see Hwang as someone who could further bolster their already impressive attacking options.

Wolves fans want permanent Hwang move sorted

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to urge Wolves to sort out the striker’s future as soon as possible.

“Get it done @Wolves”

Credit: @Spicer_Liam

“Sign him up. No dragging it out. And get our targets in quickly instead of wasting time. If Lage wants a player get him that player Jeff”

Credit: @JamesSa36443478

“We need him…cracking player”

Credit: @Terry55672207

“Omg….. they better not.. think he wants to stay here “

Credit: @emilyy8x

“Hope we sign him up”

Credit: @xEz_Acex

“We’d surely have 1st choice on him anyway being as though we have the option to buy in the loan so no need to panic”

Credit: @mark_spruce

In other news, a Championship player has been linked with a move to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has said the ICC’s match referees don’t seem to punish the instigators of on-field spats severely enough

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2009Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has said the ICC’s match referees don’t seem to punish the instigators of on-field spats severely enough. He feels that too often the provocateurs escape with a light censure while players who react strongly are penalised severely.Kumble expressed his views in his syndicated column after the completion of the Perth Test, during which three Australian players were fined while West Indian spinner Sulieman Benn was banned for two one-day internationals by match referee Chris Broad. Benn, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were involved in an ugly incident on the second day of the Test, which led to Benn’s ban and Haddin and Johnson being fined 25% and 10% of their respective match fees.The clash began with a run-in between the bowler Benn, who was moving across to field a drive, and the non-striker Johnson, who was taking off for a single. The contact seemed incidental, with neither man at fault, but Haddin appeared to inflame the situation after completing the run, when he pointed his bat at Benn.The pair exchanged words and the sparks flew again two balls later, when Haddin drove the final ball of the over back to Benn, who shaped to throw at the striker’s end even though Haddin was not taking off for a run. Haddin and Johnson had a mid-pitch meeting at the end of the over and Benn continued his remonstration, moving close to the batsmen and pointing at Haddin across the shoulder of Johnson.There appeared to be some incidental contact between Johnson and Benn when Johnson moved to position himself between his partner and the bowler. Things became even uglier when Johnson pushed Benn away, following the initial contact. After stumps the West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he felt Benn had not initiated the physical clash.”There doesn’t seem to be any punishment forthcoming for someone who provokes and that to me is against the principles of natural justice,” Kumble wrote. “The Australians always seem to get away. Whatever their transgressions on the field, invariably it is their opponents who end up paying a price. Somehow or the other, teams playing against the Aussies seem to invite the match referee’s wrath.”Kumble cited the example of the Delhi Test in 2008, during which Gautam Gambhir was banned for a Test by match referee Broad because he elbowed Shane Watson, with whom he had verbal altercations before the incident. Gambhir also argued with Simon Katich in the same innings.”In the Delhi Test against us, my last, the one that earned Gautam Gambhir a ban for having a go at Watson, the same umpire and the match referee were officiating,” Kumble wrote. “At that time, the umpire Billy Bowden didn’t see it fit to report Simon Katich who had later obstructed Gautam and the match referee Chris Broad too didn’t bother to act on his own or follow it up with the on-field umpires even though it was very much evident on TV. And as on that occasion, the provocateurs got away in Perth too, with Haddin and Johnson receiving minor reprimands.”

Taking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have been left buzzing following reliable club insider ExWHUemployee’s claim involving Andrea Belotti.

The Torino captain has reportedly been on manager David Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman’s radar as West Ham continue their search for a brilliant back up forward (The Daily Express).

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Concerns surround star man Michail Antonio and whether his past record of injury problems could resurface again over 2021/2022, leaving Moyes and the club ‘desperate’ to sign a striker over the summer.

Alas, the transfer mission fell flat and West Ham seem set to monitor their targets ahead of potential swoops in January.

ExWHUemployee, sharing the latest on Belotti in particular, has made a promising claim as he backs the Hammers’ interest.

According to his information, as explained on the West Ham Way Podcast, Italy’s international star is still set to be out of contract at the end this season as things stand.

As a result, West Ham are indeed eyeing Belotti as the 27-year-old is free to negotiate a pre-contract with overseas clubs in the winter window.

West Ham fans buzz…

Given links to the Serie A frontman have now been backed by a very reliable source, you can understand why many supporters have been left buzzing on social media.

The 41-cap star is arguably proven on the world’s biggest stages, having helped his nation to Euro 2020 glory, and his prolific record at club level is another incentive to swoop.

Since the beginning of 2019/2020, Belotti has racked up 31 goals and 10 assists in Serie A alone – pointing to a capable back up for Antonio and a potential bargain for free.

West Ham supporters certainly agree it’s a move worth pursuing, with one fan even calling him ‘perfect’ for Moyes.

Find all of their best verdicts down below:

“no one is ready for him under moyes”

Credit: @krays2208

“Pre contract is right down GSB street of doing business”

Credit: @_whufcszn

“GET. RIGHT. IN.

Belotti should be top of Moyes’ striker targets IMO. COYI”

Credit: @BlaugranaIron

“Couldn’t ask for a harder worker! Proper Moyes player!”

Credit: @CalsCrypto

“Omds pre contract Belotti aswell pls”

Credit: @WHUNath8

“Hope so, he’s strong and loves to bully defenders. Perfect type of striker for how we play”

Credit: @GtheHead

“all my dreams will come true if we can complete this signing. Would be huge for the future of the club imo. Would fit Moyes & squad perfectly imo”

Credit: @DJTiale

In other news: ‘Increasingly likely’…Sky reporter breaks news on ‘clinical’ forward in big boost for West Ham, find out more here.