Angelo Mathews rues a collective failure after loss to India

For the second time in succession, Angelo Mathews tried to strike the right balance between ruing Sri Lanka's plight and putting up a brave face. In the absence of Lasith Malinga, the responsibility has fallen on Mathews's shoulders to guide the Sri Lankan team. But with losses against Bangladesh and India, Sri Lanka are now in a dicey spot in the Asia Cup.It doesn't bode well that they are just not performing up to the mark with the World T20 around the corner. Sri Lanka are defending champions of both tournaments but this team looks a far cry from the one two years ago. Mathews had a stroke of deja vu as he fielded questions from the press after the loss against India.
"I am repeating myself every day," he remarked wryly before placing the emphasis on the seniors to start performing. "We have the team we have, we are depending on a handful of seniors most of the time. If the seniors fail, we are in a spot of bother most of the time. Especially in a tournament like the Asia Cup and the World Cup, you need a lot of seniors in the team. Unfortunately we haven't clicked," he said.
But Mathews was also quick to point out that the entire blame couldn't be heaped upon just a handful of experienced men. "It will take a little time for the younger guys to start performing. We have to be patient, but this is not the right time to be patient," he said and later remarked, "I think firstly that it's not just the seniors who have to perform. Selectors have picked a squad and everyone has to perform. This is a big stage and no one is here to learn. This is a stage where you have to perform. You can't rely on a handful of seniors."
Sri Lanka lost by five wickets on Tuesday (March 1) with India chasing down the target of 139 quite comfortably in the end. This despite Nuwan Kulasekara picking up the openers cheaply. "I initially thought we had a challenging score on the board, but once the dew came in, it was hard for the bowlers, the ball stopped swinging after the first few overs, it stopped gripping and it was tough for the spinners," said Mathews.
It didn't help Sri Lanka that a decision from the umpire went against their way. Thisara Perera was teeing off towards the end of their innings before he was adjudged stumped by the on-field umpire. Replays suggested that Perera had in fact made his ground but in what is now a rare instance, the third umpire wasn't called for to make a decision. India eventually chased down the target with four balls to spare but it was left to anyone to conclude if a few extra runs could have made a difference.
"You want to put me on the spot," laughed Mathews when a question about the decision was raised in the press conference, but was also quick to add a few politically correct sentences that wouldn't require him to face the wrath of the match referee. That is the last thing Sri Lanka would want at this stage. "It's a human error. I think we all make mistakes. Take it and move on. But if you have the technology you can use it," he quipped.
Apart from the injury to Malinga, one other key factor that has dented Sri Lankas's chances is the lack of runs from senior member and opener Tillakaratne Dilshan. He has had scores of 27, 12 and 18 today. The problem has been the conversion of starts and with Sri Lanka possessing a fairly brittle middle-order, the emphasis on Dilshan to take up a leading role grows.
"I think everybody hits a rough patch, and he (Dilshan) has had a few rough patches here and there, and his last few innings were not very bad. We all need to take responsibility. Not just the seniors. The selectors and the captain have picked a squad, which they think is good. And so we have to try and go out there with who we have in the squad. We need to have faith in them and move forward.
"We all know Dilshan has been a great servant of Sri Lankan cricket for a long time, and I don't think this is the time to make that massive change. It's whatever the selectors and the captain thinks, I am just the stand-in captain. I don't really know what the selectors and the captain are thinking. But I think we have to be patient and hope the batting line-up fires in the next game," said Mathews.
He couldn't help but clutch at the positives gained from the game. Runs from Chamara Kapugedera was one but Mathews also focussed on an overall improvement shown on the batting front. "I thought our approach was good, our intent was to score runs. We didn't want to hang in there, we didn't need to think we needed to bat till the 16-17th over. We knew if one of us got going, we'd score 160-170. You can't really think the next person will score runs for you. You have to be prepared and positive," he said.
Mathews didn't hide the fact that Sri Lanka are up against the wall. He even grudgingly admired his opponents and wished that Sri Lanka had a settled team just like India. "It's quite damaging, especially (to) the confidence level and the morale. You can't keep losing, it's difficult to digest. We haven't played our best yet and the most worrying thing is that we haven't clicked as a batting order. So close to the World Cup, we have to connect the dots together and maybe try a few combinations. But all we have is what we have at the moment. We just have to be positive. But I kind of sensed a positive approach in our batting today and that's how we have to play. Just be positive and hope the batting order clicks.
"Indians have been playing really good cricket in the past couple of years. They have been patient and sticking to a squad they thought was going to be their team for the World Cup and stuck with it. That's what you've got to do, stick with a team and be patient. Be patient with whoever you pick without chopping and changing too much, especially before the Asia Cup and World Cup. You have to be ready to go. You have to chop and change and check combinations before," he said.

INDIA VS SRI LANKA MATCH PREVIEW 

Injuries and pitch conditions are amongst the primary focus a day ahead of India's match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on Tuesday (March 1). Both teams will be hampered with injuries to key players and might feel the sting of not playing their best eleven. 
For Sri Lanka, it is a must-win game. They will now have to beat both India and Pakistan to stand a chance to qualify for the final. The fitness of regular skipper Lasith Malinga will be their biggest concern ahead of the important clash.
Malinga missed their previous game against Bangladesh due to a niggle in the knee. The game before that, against UAE, was his first game in three months and he pulled up sore after picking up a match-winning four-wicket haul. Angelo Mathews, stand-in skipper, was unsure about Malinga's availability for the rest of the tournament and the Lankans will not rest easy if the pacer does pull out of the game against India.
MS Dhoni and Co. have their own set of worries as well. The skipper himself is playing through this tournament with a back brace, despite spasms. There is a back-up option of Parthiv Patel but it looks likely that Parthiv might step in for one of the regular openers in this game. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are nursing injuries.
Rohit suffered a blow on his left toe, which forced him to go for scans. Although the scans did not reveal a crack, Rohit did not take part in the training session ahead of the game against Sri Lanka. Dhawan, who missed the game against Pakistan due to an injury to his left heel, was seen wearing a bandage but still managed to do a few fitness drills before going out to have a hit. If both of them miss out, then it will force the team to make a few changes right from the top.
A straightforward move could be to draft in Parthiv as an opener but Team India will also consider the option of pushing Kohli to open and drafting in Pawan Negi to bolster the batting in the lower-middle order.
The pitches that have been provided so far in Dhaka have all aided the seamers to a large extent. The last time India faced Sri Lanka on a green-top in Pune, their batting crumbled against a young Sri Lankan pace attack. This time around the islanders have a more potent new-ball bowlers in Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews but India's batting has also shown a marked improvement in such conditions. 
With Kohli and Rohit showing the technical nous to shore up the batting in similar conditions, it does appear that India have that front sorted.The same cannot be said about Sri Lanka though. Their batting came a cropper twice in succession. With the exception of Dinesh Chandimal, none of the others have shown an inclination to stick around and milk runs, as Mathews conceded. Chandimal himself was guilty of throwing away a good start against Bangladesh.
But Sri Lanka still possess a line-up that bats very deep. They will be banking on the others to come good soon enough. Tillakaratne Dilshan will be under focus. In the absence of experience down the order, the pressure on the senior opener to deliver becomes even more acute. He hasn't found his touch so far and he'd do well to pace his innings better. Sri Lanka will need him to set up the ideal base for the power-hitters down the order like Thisara Perera and Dasun Sanaka to capitalise.
India need another win to put them in pole position to grab a spot in the final. Form isn't a concern for Dhoni's men but man-management will be critical in the build-up to the World T20. They will tread carefully before taking a call on fielding players with niggles with the big tournament following soon after. It will be interesting to see how they tackle this tricky situation.

South Africa series ideal opportunity to gel well before World T20: Smith

Heading into the 2016 ICC World Twenty20, Australia have made some radical changes to the side. While the performance in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2015-16 has played a key role in the inclusion of a few players, the 3-0 loss against India in the Twenty20 International series at home too has led to some ousters.
Peter Nevill, Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar are all yet to make their T20I debut as Australia take on South Africa in a three-match series ahead of the World T20. With Aaron Finch recovering from his injury and three other players vying for the opener's spot, Australia are yet to find their right combination.
"It's about moving forward and trying to get everything going in the right direction before the World Cup. We've got a few options for guys that can open the batting, there's about four guys vying for a spot there. The bowlers are working hard to get into the eleven but I think it will take a whole squad to win a World Cup," Smith said on Monday (February 29).
"For us it's about playing some T20 cricket together, we haven't played a great deal of T20 over the last couple of years so it's a great opportunity for us to try and gel together as a unit before the World Cup."
Steve Smith, who has led Australia in only a solitary T20I so far, has been handed the responsibility of leading the side in World T20 to be played in India in March-April.
"Hopefully the South African curators can try and make the pitches a little bit slow and turning, I think that would benefit both sides, so we'll wait and see what they come up with," he added.
Despite Australia's dominance in Tests and One-Day Internationals, where they are No. 1 and world champions respectively, they haven't found similar success in the shortest format. Smith believes that the game has evolved following the advent of T20.
"I think it's changed a lot, guys have got so many different deliveries nowadays - slower-ball bouncers, wide yorkers, different kinds of slower balls, things like that. Guys are able to hit the ball 360 degrees, which is hard to stop. I just think the game has changed so much, it's moving forward and that's great."
Speaking about plans to stop AB de Villiers, one of the finest batsmen across formats currently, in the upcoming series, Smith said that even as he is a difficult player to stop, there are a few ideas in place.
"It's very difficult to do, he's one of the most destructive - if not the most destructive - batsman in the world and he does hit the ball 360 degrees, so when he is going he's very tough to stop," Smith said. "We're going to have a few plans in place for him that will hopefully work, but he's a terrific player and very hard to stop."
"They're a very good T20 team, they've got some class players that can take the game away from you very quickly. So, for us, we want to win every series we play and I guess in the back of our minds we know there's a World Cup not long away. But it's about focusing on this series and trying to do what we can to win," he concluded.

McDermott to step down as Australia coach after World T20

Craig McDermott, assistant coach of the Australian cricket team, will step down from his position at the end of the ICC World T20 2016, Cricket Australia announced on Tuesday (March 1). The former Australian quick, who began his second stint with the national side in 2013, will now turn his focus to the coaching and operations of the Craig McDermott International Cricket Academy (CMICA).
"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time working for Cricket Australia," McDermott was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "It's been a thrill to have been able to help the players reach their potential, and to see them achieve such feats as the 5-0 Ashes win at home, defeating South Africa in South Africa and winning last year's World Cup. I'd love nothing more than to finish this stint with victory in the World T20 in India.
"Looking ahead I've decided that the time is right to really focus on my academy business which is continuing to grow as well as pursuing some other business opportunities I have away from the game. And if time presents, I'll also look at some coaching consultancy work in various competitions around the world. I will certainly miss the Australian team, and wish the players and coaches every success in the future," he said.
McDermott's relationship with cricket board post his playing career started with what was then the Center of Excellence. He was then named bowling coach of the national side in May 2011, a position he relinquished the following year due to workload concerns. When Darren Lehmann took over as head coach in 2013, he brought back McDermott to his staff of coaches. The 50-year-old pacer oversaw some of Australia's most successful moments in recent history - including the 4-0 home series win against India in 2011-12, the Test series victories over England and South Africa in the summer of 2013-14 and the 2015 World Cup.

India, Sri Lanka sweat over injury concerns ahead of clash

Injuries and pitch conditions are amongst the primary focus a day ahead of India's match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on Tuesday (March 1). Both teams will be hampered with injuries to key players and might feel the sting of not playing their best eleven.
For Sri Lanka, it is a must-win game. They will now have to beat both India and Pakistan to stand a chance to qualify for the final. The fitness of regular skipper Lasith Malinga will be their biggest concern ahead of the important clash.
Malinga missed their previous game against Bangladesh due to a niggle in the knee. The game before that, against UAE, was his first game in three months and he pulled up sore after picking up a match-winning four-wicket haul. Angelo Mathews, stand-in skipper, was unsure about Malinga's availability for the rest of the tournament and the Lankans will not rest easy if the pacer does pull out of the game against India.
MS Dhoni and Co. have their own set of worries as well. The skipper himself is playing through this tournament with a back brace, despite spasms. There is a back-up option of Parthiv Patel but it looks likely that Parthiv might step in for one of the regular openers in this game. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are nursing injuries.
Rohit suffered a blow on his left toe, which forced him to go for scans. Although the scans did not reveal a crack, Rohit did not take part in the training session ahead of the game against Sri Lanka. Dhawan, who missed the game against Pakistan due to an injury to his left heel, was seen wearing a bandage but still managed to do a few fitness drills before going out to have a hit. If both of them miss out, then it will force the team to make a few changes right from the top.
A straightforward move could be to draft in Parthiv as an opener but Team India will also consider the option of pushing Kohli to open and drafting in Pawan Negi to bolster the batting in the lower-middle order.
The pitches that have been provided so far in Dhaka have all aided the seamers to a large extent. The last time India faced Sri Lanka on a green-top in Pune, their batting crumbled against a young Sri Lankan pace attack. This time around the islanders have a more potent new-ball bowlers in Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews but India's batting has also shown a marked improvement in such conditions. 

With Kohli and Rohit showing the technical nous to shore up the batting in similar conditions, it does appear that India have that front sorted.
The same cannot be said about Sri Lanka though. Their batting came a cropper twice in succession. With the exception of Dinesh Chandimal, none of the others have shown an inclination to stick around and milk runs, as Mathews conceded. Chandimal himself was guilty of throwing away a good start against Bangladesh.
But Sri Lanka still possess a line-up that bats very deep. They will be banking on the others to come good soon enough. Tillakaratne Dilshan will be under focus. In the absence of experience down the order, the pressure on the senior opener to deliver becomes even more acute. He hasn't found his touch so far and he'd do well to pace his innings better. Sri Lanka will need him to set up the ideal base for the power-hitters down the order like Thisara Perera and Dasun Sanaka to capitalise.
India need another win to put them in pole position to grab a spot in the final. Form isn't a concern for Dhoni's men but man-management will be critical in the build-up to the World T20. They will tread carefully before taking a call on fielding players with niggles with the big tournament following soon after. It will be interesting to see how they tackle this tricky situation.

Mustafizur Rahman ruled out of Asia Cup

In a major blow to Bangladesh's Asia Cup campaign, Mustafizur Rahman, the bowling spearhead, has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a side strain he suffered during the team's 23-run victory over Sri Lanka. Tamim Iqbal has been called up as his replacement. Mustafizur's latest injury has been classified as a Grade 1 strain and is unlikely to keep the bowler out of reckoning for a long time, with World T20 fast-approaching.

The injury setback comes despite Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) best efforts to manage his fitness. The board had expressed its concerns regarding the 20-year-old's participation in the inaugural season of the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) after he was snapped up by the Lahore Qalandars for USD 50,000. The left-arm pacer eventually missed the T20 league due to a shoulder injury.

Mustafizur was key to his team's exceptional show against Sri Lanka, as he conceded just nine runs in two overs in his second spell, denying the Sri Lanka in their chase of 147. The 20-year-old has been a revelation in his team's phenomenal rise in limited-overs cricket, picking up 26 wickets - including two fifers and a six-wicket haul - in three One-Day International (ODI) series victories over India, South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in 2015. 

Iqbal, who had earlier taken paternity leave and opted out of the Asia Cup, will now join up with the squad. Bangladesh are second on the table with two wins in three games and face Pakistan in their final group-stage game on March 2 ( Wednesday).

David Villa(2005-Present,94 caps ,54 goals

When you take into consideration the quality of strikers that have preceded Villa in a Spain shirt, it shows just how clinical the 32-year-old is because as it stands, no player has scored more goals for La Roja than him.
It's not just the number of goals that he has scored, but how important they have been. He contributed four as Spain won Euro 2008 and then went one better with five at the 2010 World Cup. Sadly, though, a broken leg ruled him out of adding to his major tournament tally at Euro 2012.
To add to his international medals, Villa has won almost everything that club football has to offer. During the early part of his career the frontman helped Real Zaragoza and Valencia to win the Copa del Rey in 2004 and 2008 respectively, before he went on to be a key component of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team that swept aside all that stood before them. He was deemed surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou last summer, but has proved the doubters wrong by helping an unfancied Atletico Madrid to win La Liga and reach the final of the Champions League.

Players will bounce back from India loss: Malik

Pakistan miscalculated the pitch in Dhaka and will learn from their mistakes after a crushing five-wicket loss to bitter rivals India, batsman Shoaib Malik said on Sunday (February 28). His sidewere bundled out for a paltry 83 in Saturday's (February 27) crucial tie against MS Dhoni's side.
They must win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday (February 29) to keep their Asia Cup hopes alive.The game has an added significance as it will make Pakistan the first team to play 100 Twenty20 internationals.
"Playing against India, it's a pressure game for both the teams," Malik said after a training session in Dhaka."We made some mistakes, we didn't know what the conditions here would be. It was tough to bat yesterday. But we miscalculatedsomewhat, because we had no idea about the conditions."
"Now we have played. Now we know how to deal with it. It's going to be a great game against UAE. Obviously, you learn from your mistakes, and that's why we are here doing practice," Malik added.
When Pakistan defended their meager total, Mohammad Amir generated pace and swing with pinpoint accuracy on a helpful track to leave India rattled at 8 for 3 inside three overs.But Virat Kohli coolly negotiated Amir's fiery spell to strike 49 off 51 deliveries and steer India home with 27 balls to spare.
Malik expressed full confidence in his bowlers and urged the batsmen to back them up."We know we have the best attack among all the teams. Batsmen have to take responsibility," he said.
"Whoever gets in has to score 60-70, so your team ends up scoring 140-150, which the bowlers can defend."

Ruben Loftus-Cheek signs new contract at Chelsea

Ruben Loftus-Cheek rewarded with a new contract at Chelsea

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has signed a new contract at Chelsea which will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2021.

Marcus Rashford: Louis van Gaal says Man Utd striker is a 'special talent'

Teenage striker Marcus Rashford is a "special talent", says Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.

The 18-year-old marked his Premier League debut with two goals in three minutes as United beat Arsenal 3-2.

Rashford also scored twice on his first-team debut against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.

Van Gaal said: "Youngsters often play well in the first match. The second is different. Marcus played well in both so he is a special talent."

The former Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich boss said Rashford's debut compared favourably with those by some of football's biggest stars, namely Patrick Kluivert, Xavi and Thomas Muller.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was also impressed by the youngster.

He said he was surprised by Rashford's "movement and his intelligence", adding: "He could be a very positive surprise for Manchester United."

US firm to produce documentary on Yuvraj

A United States-based firm will produce a documentary on 2011 Cricket World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh's life, Times of India has learnt. The documentary, to be produced by Los Angeles based Apex Entertainment, will trace Yuvraj's cricketing career besides his battle with cancer. Keeping in mind a biopic on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led the Indian team to the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup, is in it's final stages cricket fans across the country were looking forward to a film based on Yuvraj, who was the top performer in both the tournaments.
Fans will get to watch two movies on cricket this year with Azhar (a movie on former India skipper Mohd Azharuddin's life) and Dhoni: The Untold Story scheduled for release in May and September respectively.
Apex Entertainment has a long list of producing premier sports-based movies like The Rookie (2002), Miracle (2004), Invincible (2006), Secretariat (2010), Big Shot (2012), Gigante (2013), Million Dollar Arm (2014). These movies not only received critical acclaim but went on to become top grossers at the box office as well.
Mark Ciardi, president and co-founder of Apex Entertainment, confirmed that his firm had bagged the rights to Yuvraj's film. "I have always believed in our company's philosophy o bringing aspirational stories rom the world to you characters who overcome adversity stories that inspire minds," he said on Saturday (February 27). "Yuvraj's story is not just a cricket story, it's a human interest story.
"People like to watch greatness. He is an inspiration to a billion Indians and cricket fans globally, the way he faced odds in his life and career, the way he survived cancer and the way he fought back to earn his place in the Indian team. His story is worth telling and that's why we are extremely thrilled to have got this chance."
Ciardi, who was the brain behind movies like the Invincible, Secretariat and Million Dollar Arm and Emmy Award winning series ESPN 30 for 30, feels the rise in popularity of Twenty20 cricket also prompted his firm to make the move.
"The USA has a sizeable Indian population who follow cricket," he pointed out. "A superstar like Yuvraj Singh is widely followed especially after he came to the US for cancer treatment.
"It was one of our common friends Ash Vasudevan (Apex co-founder) who helped us connect with Yuvraj last year where he told us that he quite liked Invincible and Miracle which were produced by us and he would like a film made on his life as well. I am happy that he gave us the rights and we would do our best to not disappoint him."
To lend realism to the documentary, the Apex team will shoot widely in India besides laying their hands on archival footage available on Yuvraj sporting career. It is also learnt that Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh, who recently acted in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Singh is Bliing, and mother Shabnam will have a role in the non-fiction film, which is likely to be released next year

Pakistan, UAE eye first win

While there is no doubting that Pakistan start the game as clear favourites, they will do well not to err on the side of complacency against the Unites Arab Emirates, on Monday (February 29). Both teams are yet to register a win in the Asia Cup. UAE have lost both their games so far - against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - while Pakistan were overcome by India. This game presents Pakistan with an ideal chance to get some momentum going before facing tougher challenges. For UAE, the motto has been to try and win games. They will take a lot of heart from their bowling efforts in their previous two games. Their bowlers will take credit for keeping them in the game right until the halfway mark in both games. But the batting department as failed to match up to the same standards.Skipper Amjad Javed expressed similar concerns after the first game and hoped that his batsmen will stand up and be noticed as much as the bowlers but so far it hasn't borne fruit. They will not have it any easier against Pakistan's strong bowling attack which, led by a splendid Mohammad Amir, managed to rattle a very strong Indian batting line-up even whilst defending just 83.For both teams, the conditions prevalent at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Dhaka will be a cause of concern. While the first four games saw the pacers coming into the limelight, the fifth game saw the grass being shaven off the pitch. It resulted in the spinners to having a say while a batsman like Sabbir Rahman could get himself in and score a fluent 80. The conditions will no doubt have a huge say in the team selections as well. If Pakistan find the track to be a little drier, they might not go in with four seamers as they did against India. One of Wahab Riaz or Mohammad Irfan might well be cut loose and a spinner included in his place.For UAE, the first eleven is likely to be persisted with. They might not have the luxury of choosing a better eleven than the one that played against Bangladesh. They have their bases covered though in terms of options for both spin and pace alike. Their focus will squarely lie upon improving shot-selection and adapting to a little more conservative approach if the conditions so demand.Pakistan will prefer to test out their spin options as well ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 and will perhaps be hoping for a drier pitch to aid their cause. Given the nature of collapse against India, the batting unit have only upwards to go. They will consider this as a fresh start and will probably give the same set of players another go to redeem themselves.A lot of focus will also come upon Amir who has quickly grown into their lead strike bowler in his second-coming. Under lights and with a bit of moisture around in the evenings, his swing becomes even more potent. It is his opening spell that UAE will be preparing hard to tackle.For Pakistan it will help that they play this opponent soon after their game against India. They had been in UAE for the Pakistan Super League before coming in straight to a high-pressure game such as the one against India. This might indeed be their chance to start afresh and look at their right options and combinations. The batting unit too will take some time to get used to the conditions which have, so far, been quite alien to the traditional sub-continental pitches.Given that there will be lesser pressure on them, the batsmen will probably fancy a far more relaxed outing to get into their groove.They cannot afford to be too laid back though. As UAE have shown, their bowlers are a force to reckon with if the conditions do assist them. For Javed's team there will be nothing close in comparison to the joy of pulling off an upset. Rarely do they get a chance to play against the Test playing nations. Given the present scenario they will probably have to wait a little longer to experience such quality opposition in quick succession. They have two more chances to make a mark for themselves. Pakistan are up first. There is no doubt that the players will be giving it their all, and then some more.

West Indies have 'a great chance' of winning 2016 World T20: Ambrose

Curtly Ambrose, West Indies' bowling consultant, has said that his side has a 'great chance' of winning the upcoming ICC World T20 in India. Not only did West Indies win the 2012 edition of the tournament, but have also been one of the best sides in T20 Internationals since then. Currently, they are ranked No. 3 in the format, as per ICC Rankings.
"Look at the team that we have, half of the team are in demand across the world for different T20 leagues," Ambrose was quoted as saying by Antigua Observer on Wednesday (February 24). "So you may find one guy here, maybe two in this league and two in another league but we have all at once so we have a great chance of winning this T20 tournament, just look at our squad."
West Indies are placed in Group 1 for the World T20, where they will be facing off against Sri Lanka, England, South Africa and the top side qualifying from Group B.
Ambrose believes that the pool of experienced T20 stars in their side makes them an extremely strong unit. "The senior players - Marlon Samuel, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, captain Darren Sammy and all the senior players have to lead from the front," he pointed out. "From my experience over the years, when the senior players - the guys that we expect to really take the mantle and take the team forward - are doing well, automatically the younger players will step up to the plate."
Even as the players have resolved their issues with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and signed the annual contracts, three players - Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine - have backed out of the tournament for reasons other than pay disputes.
While Bravo cited the reason of wanting to concentrate in Tests as the reason to back out of World T20, Narine pulled out due to "lack of sufficient progress" in getting his bowling action cleared. Pollard, who suffered a knee injury in November 2015, is yet to recover fully.
The backing out of the trio from World T20 has left the team without their strongest-possible squad.

UKRAINE RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF WORLD BEST FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF 2013 

Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko from Dynamo Kyiv occupied the 26th place in the World Best Football Players of 2013 list of the World Soccer magazine. The list identifies the best players of 2013 based on the voting of international jury, sport journalists and millions football fans worldwide. Ukrainian footballer shares his spot on the list with Xavi Hernandez from Spanish Barcelona.

Published on December 13, 2013, the list of the most remarkable football players of 2013 is spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo (1075 points) from Portugal, playing for Real Madrid, Lionel Messi (926 points) from Argentina, playing for Barcelona, and Franck Ribery (870 points) from France, playing for Bayern Munich. The performance of football players is evaluated according to the number of points gained throughout the 2013 football season during the the national or international level matches. Reportedly, the points could be gained by scoring, saving from the goal threat, or notable game dribble. Moreover, all three football athletes run for the Ballon d’Or (fr. Golden Ball) – the most prestigious football reward in Europe.

In 2012 Lionel Messi, Argentina, Barcelona was ranked the best football player of the year, according to World Soccer.

Scoring 19 points each, Spanish Xavi Hernandez and Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko outstrip such internationally famous football stars as: Carlos Tévez from Juventus, Ryan Giggs from Manchester United, David Silva from Manchester City, Francesco Totti from Roma, Wayne Rooney from Manchester United and Ronaldinho from Atletico Mineiro.

Andriy Yarmolenko, 24, has been playing for Dynamo Kyiv since 2007. Throughout his professional career with Dynamo, Ukrainian footballer played in 37 national and international tournaments and scored 14 goals overall. During 2013-2014 football season Ukrainian athlete participated in 16 friendly tournaments and scored 8 goals total. Notably, Andriy owns a national football record: he scored the first goal 15 seconds after the football tournament commenced. The record was set in the friendly game with the Uruguay team in September, 2011.

Previously, Ukrainian football athlete Andriy Shevchenko was ranked 3rd according to the World Soccer in 1999, 2000 and 2004. Additionally, in 1999 World Soccer published the list of the Best Football Players of the XX Century, where Andriy Shevchenko was placed on the 60th spot.

World Best Football Players list has been published annually since 1982.

History of Soccer in the USA

Origin of Soccer in America

Soccer was introduced in the U.S. by immigrants from England, Scotland and Germany in the late nineteenth century through the ports of New Orleans. The FA rules are believed to have been first used in a U.S. match in November 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University.Governance in soccer was introduced in the region in 1884 through the American Football Association. Its initial influence was centered in parts of New Jersey and New York but it later spread to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. In its first year of existence, AFA planned a non-league cup. Confusion between the use of ‘association football’ and ‘American football’ prompted the use of soccer to refer to association football in the early 1920s.

The American Amateur Football Association & United States Soccer Federation

The American Amateur Football Association was created in October 1911 and was set to rival the AFA. Both the AFA and AAFA sought recognition from FIFA in 1913 as the national governing body.

Struggle within the AFA saw AAFA take the honors as United States Football Association (currently the United States Soccer Federation-USSF) in April 1913. The soccer war that ensued between the USFA and American Soccer League run by AFA eventually led to the fall of the sport.

The sport emerged again and gained much popularity in the 1960 to 2000 period. At this time, Pele from Brazil was signed by the New York Cosmos in 1975. His reputation in soccer attracted more interest in soccer. In addition, soccer matches during the 1984 Summer Olympics garnered large crowds prompting FIFA to consider holding the FIFA World Cup in the U.S in 1994. This was a significant boost in the evolution of this sport.

Throughout the history of soccer in the United States, the organization has been known by three different names:

    U.S. Football Association - 1913-1944
    U.S. Soccer Football Association - 1945-1973
    U.S. Soccer Federation - 1974-Current 

Ronaldo(Brazil),Goals scored:15(Football World Cup)

The phenomenal Brazilian player was a force to reckon with in front of the goal. His radiance puts him second on the list with 15 goals from the three World Cup tournaments he played. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest soccer player of all-time. Ronaldo scored twice in the 2002 World Cup final bringing his tally to eight goals and earning him the Golden Boot.

Basically, the display during his career when he played for Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona brought him glory. He later moved to AC Milan then to Corinthians, a Brazilian club. However, a number of serious injuries hampered his career forcing him to retire in February 2011 at the age of 34.

Rafael Marquez(1997-Present,118 caps,15 goals)

Now aged 35, Rafael Marquez will lead Mexico out in this summer's World Cup for what will be his fourth taste of the finals. He already has a hefty 118 caps to his name in a 17-year international career that includes success in the 1999 Confederations Cup and two Gold Cup crowns.

It was at club level that the defender came to worldwide acclaim, however, enjoying distinguished spells with Monaco and Barcelona in particular. He won Ligue 1 with the former in 2000 before adding four La Liga titles to his trophy haul in Spain.

His time in Catalonia also yielded a Copa del Rey and two Champions League titles, with Marquez becoming the first Mexican to lift the famous trophy when Barcelona beat Arsenal in the 2006 final.

Miroslav Kolsav (2001-present,131 caps,68 goals)

Such was the ease that Gerd Muller seemed to find the back of the net for Germany, it appeared that no player was ever going to get close to his 68-goal record. Klose, though, has blown that theory out of the water in recent years and going into this World Cup, the Lazio centre-forward needs just one goal to become Germany's leading goalscorer of all time.

What's even more remarkable is the number of important goals that he has scored. Again like Muller, he has found the net 14 times at World Cups - only the Brazilian Ronaldo has more goals to his name. However, Klose is the only player to have scored four or more goals in three tournaments.

Trophies may have eluded him at international level, but he has tasted success with Bayern Munich, winning both the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal on two occasions. Among his individual honours, Klose was named the German Footballer of the Year in 2006.

World T20 preparations, fitness foremost on Dhoni's mind

MS Dhoni, many perceive, is on the last leg of his international sojourn. Not that he has given any indication of retiring from the shorter formats any time soon. But with Dhoni, you never know whether his retirement announcement is going to come out of the blue. Just like he did from Tests. The World T20 is obviously dominating his cricketing thoughts at the moment. Winning does make a captain be a seen in different light. Right now it seems as if India can do nothing wrong with their preparations for the mega event, particularly after the series win against Australia. The skipper himself is happy with the way things are progressing.

"The individuals have to take the roles and responsibilities that they have but overall, the fifteen looks settled. Unless they get injured or go through a really bad patch, other than that, it looks settled," he told the media on Monday (February 8) ahead of the first T20I against Sri Lanka in Pune.

It is apparent with the squad selected as well. If Ashwin is the first-choice offie then Harbhajan Singh is his back-up. If Kohli is rested, then it throws up an opportunity for someone like Manish Pandey. For Jadeja, there is a like-for-like replacement in Pawan Negi. India's eleven is set to comprise six batsmen (out of which at least two can chip in with spin and one keeps), an all-rounder, two spinners (who can also bat) and two pacers. It's a combination that has been brought out after a lot of groundwork.

"If Hardik Pandya comes in to bat at No. 8 then there is a little liberty for the batsmen to bat freely. Even if a wicket falls, there is not much pressure on them," explained Dhoni. "Also, depending on the conditions, if it's on the slower side, we have the option of getting in Negi in place of Hardik if it's needed."

The series against Sri Lanka is a warm-up for the bigger acts to follow and for Dhoni, the priority remains in being protective of his combination. "We have quite a few targets in mind. Winnings games is important. But at the same time what will be more crucial is, we have to keep everyone fit. It's almost the same 15 that will play till the World T20. It's important to keep everyone fit so that the best XI is always available for selection. That will be the key factor.

Much of Dhoni's stature as a T20 captain is built around his success in the IPL. "What I've always felt is that IPL is a platform where you find talent and follow them in the domestic circuit to see how they are performing. But over years it gives opportunity to see the talent - that these are the players who have handled pressure well. Once you keep a close eye on them in the domestic circuit and give them exposure in a bigger tournament, you will get a bigger pool of players," he says with the caveat of not using the same criteria for the longer formats.

Under Dhoni, Suresh Raina forged himself into a destructive force at No. 3. But with the presence of Virat Kohli, Raina cannot afford to hold the same position. The Sri Lanka series might have been an ideal time to give him that slot since Kohli is rested but Dhoni begs to differ.

"I think it will be slightly better if Raina bats at the position that he will most likely bat in the World Cup. It will give him that exposure. Also we are not a team that plays a lot of T20Is. Usually we play one game in a bilateral series. The opportunity is there to make him bat at three and use some other batter (at four) but I think it will be more appropriate if he bats at No. 4 and gets adjusted," says the skipper, who was quite happy to share more thoughts on the strategy for the T20 games.

It isn't often that Dhoni gets into much detail about the plans he has in place. But the clarity of thought and his approach to tackling questions, normally sidelined by cliches, also indicates the confidence he has with his plans.

"I always tell the bowlers that in this format, whatever ball you're going to bowl, you execute that and set the field accordingly. If he wants to bowl a variation, I ask him to set the field according to that," he says in reply to one question, and even went on to dissect the MCA stadium.

"Now this stadium is quite old and the wicket has had some time to settle down. What we had seen (earlier) was the wicket was on the slower side, with not much bounce. It made it difficult for the stroke-players to play the big shots. With the wicket a bit more settled, we'll see how it goes. It's not a very big ground, the straights are not very big. If the wickets are good, it will be a high scoring game.

David Miller to captain Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2016

David Miller, South African batsman, has been named as the captain of Kings XI Punjab team for the upcoming Indian Premier League season 9, the franchises announced on Tuesday (February 9).

Miller, who has been with the Mohali-based franchise since the fourth edition of IPL, said he is honoured to be chosen to lead the team. "I am honoured to lead the Kings XI Punjab squad this year. I would like to thank the franchise, promoters, management and all the team members for the confidence they have in me.

"Kings XI have assembled an exciting squad with a good mixture of youth and experience and I am really looking forward to the opportunity that lies ahead."

Sanjay Bangar, head coach of Kings XI, too expressed confidence about Miller's potential as a leader.

"I have watched David grow as a player. He has displayed outstanding batting abilities and a cool temperament in many high-pressure situations. I am confident in his potential to lead the boys this season," Bangar said in a statement issued by the franchise.

Shane Warne lashes out at 'selfish' Steve Waugh

Shane Warne has blasted Steve Waugh, the former Australia captain, as "the most selfish cricketer I've played with" as a long-running feud between the pair showed no sign of ending.

The ex-teammates fell out years ago with Warne still holding a grudge after Waugh played a part in his axing on the 1999 tour of West Indies.

"There's a lot of reasons I don't like Steve Waugh... because he's the most selfish cricketer I've played with," Warne said in an episode of TV show 'I'm a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here' on Tuesday (February 9).

The leg-spinner said the manner in which Waugh, his then captain, told him he had been dropped was still vivid in his memory. "One thing that really annoyed me about him was the one Test I got dropped, in the West Indies. We had to win the last Test match to win the trophy," he said on the reality show, in which he is a contestant.

"At that stage, captain (Waugh), vice-captain (Warne) and coach (Geoff Marsh) used to pick the team.

"We went to selection. I hadn't bowled well, we'd lost, Brian Lara batted unreal, but I felt like I was being made the scapegoat, that because I didn't bowl well it was my fault. We got to the selection table and said, 'OK, what's everyone's thoughts?'. Steve Waugh said, 'You're not playing'.

"I went 'What? Hang on. What do you think the team should be?', and Steve Waugh said 'Nope, I'm the captain of this side, you're not playing'."

Warne acknowledged he has several reason to not like Waugh but this was the main one. "I was really disappointed with that," he admitted.

"After 10 years, I'd just had a shoulder operation, I thought the situation, of having to win a Test match, would've brought the best out in me too. I don't like Steve Waugh for a lot of other reasons, but that was the reason."

Waugh has previously admitted the decision cost him his friendship with Warne, but in his book 'The Meaning Of Luck' said it helped shape and define him as a captain. "I lost a great friend but gained fortitude from the experience and learnt categorically that knowing what is right and acting on it are two different things," wrote Waugh.

Great if Shikhar and I can match Sachin-Sourav: Rohit

The comparisons with the legendary pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are certainly flattering but Rohit Sharma feels his partnership with Shikhar Dhawan still has a long way to go before matching up to the iconic opening combination.

"Comparisons with India's most successful opening pairing (Ganguly-Tendulkar) gives you immense satisfaction. Comparisons are a piece of joy. It would be great if Shikhar and me as opening pair can achieve the success that these two accomplished in their illustrious careers," Rohit, who is going through a dream phase in his career, 

"We are still not there but both of us would like to entertain the fans and win as many matches as they have won for India," he said.

Both the batsmen did well in the recent limited-over series in Australia with Rohit notching up the Man of the Series award in the One-Day Internationals despite India losing 4-1.

"This is not the best. Whatever I achieve, I would always tell myself that my best is yet to come. I have scored 441 runs in the ODI series in Australia. In the next big series, my target will be to score more than 441 runs. If I am satisfied with my past achievements, I will never be able to set higher benchmarks," the 28-year-old Mumbai batsman said.

Ask him about whether the Twenty20 International series win holds credit considering the quality of Australia's bowling, Rohit said, "I agree that their bowling attack is not same as it used to be but does one expect that Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath would have played on forever? You can only score runs off the bowlers that you play against. Every win counts as that's what you are supposed to do while playing for the country."

But he was quick to point out that this win cannot be compared to the CB Series win of 2007-08.

"No way, that was so different. I was a 20-year-old on my second or third tour. The new captain (Dhoni) was just settling down. Their bowling attack had Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken and a far younger Mitchell Johnson. The batting line-up was Hayden, Gilchrist, Ponting and Clarke. So that tournament win can't be compared to this win but this is also special in its own way."

While the experts talk a lot about technique, Rohit feels that he only focuses on it when he is not in the middle of a series.

"I consider it a part of my preparation. When a series is on and there is a gap of three days between the matches, I would never tinker with the technique. I will not try anything new. Only when the series finishes and I am back home doing nothing, I would start watching those videos and analyse. Once I know what corrective measure is required, I would hit the nets," he said

Having emerged as one of the mainstays of this line-up, Rohit admits that he is in a good mental space.

"I would say that I am in a good space now. I have had eight years of international experience. I know what exactly my role is in the team. The core batting unit now, the four or five of us (Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Shikhar) have played a lot of cricket with and against each other at the domestic level," he said.

"We knew once the legends (Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid) retire, it would be our turn to carry the legacy forward. We are all in the middle phase of our careers. We enjoy each others' company and success. We would aim to achieve as much success for the national team as possible. It will be our endeavour to take the Indian cricket to the next level," concluded Rohit.

Real challenge awaits players after Under-19 World Cup: Rahul Dravid

Neymar 'very happy' at Barcelona, says director of football

"Neymar and his management are very happy and we are very relaxed," Fernandez told Marca. "The club stands by the player. These things happen and we shouldn't dwell on it.

"The important thing is that he is happy and that's something we can see in every game he plays."

Fernandez was echoing Neymar Sr's words on Spanish radio station COPElast week, where he insisted: "He still has two years left on his contract but you can all be calm as my son is so happy here."

Neymar has 75 goals in 121 appearances at Barcelona since his move from Brazilian side Santos in 2013, and finished third in this year's Ballon d'Or behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Former Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos said last month he believes he could help take Neymar to the Bernabeu following the appointment of Zinedine Zidane. 

"I can take him to Real Madrid. He's very young. I am sure next year he will finish even higher in the Ballon d'Or."

Negi, Shami included for World T20 and Asia Cup

Pawan Negi and injured Mohammad Shami were included the India squads announced, on Friday (February 5), for the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20.

The meeting was attended by the national selectors along with MS Dhoni, team captain, and Anurag Thakur, secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).India have announced the same squad for both the tournaments and Sandeep Patil, head of the national selection panel, was of the view that this was the best squad picked given the conditions that the tournament will be played in."We always give importance to domestic performances. Horses for courses has worked well, looking at the IPL and other domestic T20 tournaments," said Patil to the media in Delhi. Patil stressed that the recent performances in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy were given importance.
A couple of players who might feel hard done by after being left out include Manish Pandey and Amit Mishra but Patil insisted that they were amongst the names discussed
"Manish has done exceptionally well for us recently and he's the future. His name was certainly discussed," said Patil.
"We have full respect for what Amit Mishra has done but emotions can't dictate selections," he added, "We discussed him and many other names. The selectors and the captain felt this was the best combination we could have gone with."Patil also backed Harbhajan Singh and Negi to be the right men for the slots available. Shami, he said, had recovered and added that there was a full month to assess the pacer's fitness.

The Asia Cup begins on February 24 in Bangladesh while the World T20 kicks off on March 08 in India.

Asia Cup and World T20 Squad: MS Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi, Mohammad Shami