Lewandowski hoping to move this summer

Borussia Dortmund‘s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has told German magazine Sport Bild that he wants to leave his current club this summer for a “new challenge” elsewhere.

“I have informed Dortmund. I suppose that everything is clear now and I will be able to leave this summer to go to a club of my choice. It will be better for everyone,” said Lewandowski, 24, whose contract with the Champions League runners-up expires in June 2014.

“Dortmund is a fabulous club that I always love. But I need a new challenge,” added the Pole, who scored 36 goals in all competitions for Dortmund.

He made no mention of any prospective future employer. Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich remain his most likely destination, even if Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp assured last week that there was “no official offer from Bayern.”

Klopp added that he was working on the basis that Lewandowski “will still be with us next season.”

Dortmund are loathe to see another of their leading players move to Bayern after Mario Goetze revealed that he would be joining the German record champions this summer.

Lewandowski, who moved to Dortmund from Lech Poznan in 2010, could move this summer if a bid in the region of 25 million euros is made for him.

Otherwise, he would be free to join Bayern in the summer of next year when his contract expires.

Arsenal release Arshavin, Denilson, Squillaci

Arsenal announced on Wednesday that Russian playmaker Andrey Arshavin, Brazilian midfielder Denilson and French centre-back Sebastien Squillaci will all leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of June.

All three players were expected to move on in the close season, after slipping down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium.

“Andrey Arshavin, Denilson and Sebastien Squillaci will leave the club when they come to the end of their contracts on June 30, and Arsenal would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their contribution and wish them well for the future,” said a statement on the Arsenal website.

Arshavin’s is the most high-profile departure. The Russian international joined from Zenit Saint Petersburg in February 2009 and made an instant impression, notably scoring four goals in a 4-4 draw at Liverpool four months after his arrival.

The 32-year-old went on to make a total of 144 appearances for the club, scoring 31 times, but his form dipped alarmingly.

He returned to Zenit on loan at the end of the 2011-12 season and despite returning to north London prior to the start of the current season, he went on to make just 11 appearances in all competitions.

Denilson, 25, spent the last two seasons on loan at Brazilian club Sao Paulo and leaves with 156 appearances to his name.

France international Squillaci, 32, signed from Sevilla three years ago but made just 23 league appearances in that time.

Champions Trophy: Injury hit South Africa take on confident India

Date – 6^th June 2013
Time – 3.00 p.m (IST)

India’s batting will be tested against South Africa pace-attack on a double paced wicket. Virat Kohli has been the consistent man and also has  a good record against South Africa.

MS Dhoni would have been satisfied with India’s performance as their batting clicked in both the warm-up matches. MS Dhoni would be hoping for his boys to replicate the same performance against the brutal South African side.

The selectors have named quite a few uncapped players for the Champions Trophy who are new  to the conditions prevailing in England. Therefore, India will be heavily reliant on MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to deliver the goods. However, Shikhar Dhawan has managed to find form in the second warm-up match, which is a good sign for India. But Dhawan’s partner Murali Vijay hasn’t struck form because he is  alien to the swinging conditions in England. So, Virat Kohli has a significant task on hand as both the openers’ form looks patchy. Virat Kohli has also got a good record against South Africa as he was the leading run-scorer for India in South Africa in the year 2010. He is also an excellent player of short-pitched deliveries and, therefore, he’s the right man to handle South Africa’s fast bowlers – Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

Rohit Sharma’s form is under scrutiny as he has failed to perform in the two warm-up matches. Thus, Dinesh Karthik will be the key man for India in the middle order as he has played two admirable innings for India under tremendous pressure. But Suresh Raina hasn’t been in best of form with the bat and, therefore, Dhoni and Kohli’s form will be critical for India. Nevertheless, they have quality fast bowlers who can exploit these types of conditions. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar will play an important role as he has the ability to swing the ball both ways. Irfan Pathan, too, will play a critical role for India both with bat and ball. Also, he could be a versatile bowler in death overs as he has the ability to vary his pace and curb the run-flow.

South Africa, on the other hand, have a dominant pace-attack. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have constantly struck with the new-ball and has had the opposition on backfoot. They also have quality batsmen to give their bowlers sufficient amount of runs to defend. AB de Villers and JP Duminy will be critical for South Africa as they are the most experienced players in the squad. JP Duminy, who has recovered from an injury, struck a blazing 141 not out against Netherlands and gained much needed confidence for the Champions Trophy.

Pitch and Conditions

The wicket is expected to aid fast bowlers and therefore it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bat first. The conditions are perfect for a cricket match and there is no possibility of showers.

Team news

India are likely to go in with the same team that played against Australia in the second warm-up match.

South Africa have a few injury concerns. AB de Villers and Dale Steyn are doubtful for the first match due to injuries. If AB de Villers is not fit, then Faf du Plessis is expected to lead the side.

Watch out for:

MS Dhoni – MS Dhoni played a tremendous innings against Australia in the second warm-up match. But he doesn’t have a good record against South Africa. He would  know to handle South Africa’s pace-attack as he has played them in the IPL. So if he can deliver for India, then India certainly would have their noses ahead.

JP Duminy – He had an outstanding series in England in September 2012. He also played some fabulous innings for the Brisbane Heats, before getting injured. However, he regained his from in the warm-up match against Netherlands wherein  scored a magnificent unbeaten 141 . So, he will hold the key for Proteas in the middle order.

Quotes

I think he has earned his place in the side and we’ll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I’d like him to play at the top of the order but we’ll see. - Captain Dhoni said on Dinesh Karthik’s form.

“He’s been struggling with a stiff back for some time. We’ll be looking at him overnight and tomorrow morning. He’s one of our key players and we would not like to lose him so we’ll be looking after him very well,” said De Villiers yesterday after the six-wicket defeat. Captain de Villers said on Steyn fitness.

India thrash Australia in Champions Trophy warm-up

India hammered Australia by 243 runs in a Champions Trophy warm-up match after skittling out the defending champions for just 65 in Cardiff on Tuesday.

Umesh Yadav, who joined the squad late following his recent marriage, took the first five wickets to fall in a stunning return of five for 18 in just five overs.

Meanwhile fellow paceman Ishant Sharma bagged three for 11, including Shane Watson, who scored a hundred for Australia in their warm-up match against the West Indies.

Only two Australia batsmen Adam Voges (23) and Phil Hughes (14) made it into double figures, with the innings all wrapped up in the 24th over.

“It was a disappointing game, I’m not sure how we’ll react to it,” said George Bailey, captaining Australia in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke.

“It was certainly not the way we wanted to play but if you are going to have a game like that, you may as well have it in a practice game.”

Earlier, world champions India collapsed to 55 for five before Dinesh Karthik revived the innings with a superb 146 not out, adding 211 for the fifth wicket with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91) to get the side to a total of 308 for six.

“It was really well batted by Dinesh and MS, we couldn’t quite get the sixth and seventh wickets to really nail that innings off,” Bailey said.

“Two new balls is challenging, you saw that with both sides losing their top-order cheaply, in English conditions.”

Dhoni was delighted by the form of Karthik, his understudy as wicket-keeper, and said he was now set to play as a batsman only when India open the tournament proper against South Africa in Cardiff on Thursday.

“Well, to start off Dinesh batted really well. That partnership between me and him got us to a respectable score and then the bowling was up to the mark.

“I think he has earned his place in the side and we’ll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa. I’d like him to play at the top of the order but we’ll see,” Dhoni added before turning to his attack.

“We used five bowlers and all of them got wickets. Umesh is one of the quickest bowlers we have and with the two paced pitch here, the ball was holding up, not much, but just enough which was why there were so many inside edges.”

This was Karthik’s second century, albeit in warm-up matches, after his unbeaten 106 against Sri Lanka on June 1.

“I’ve been hitting the ball really well,” Karthik said at the innings break. “When you come in at six, it’s important to assess the situation. When you have Dhoni around it’s important to rotate the strike.

“It was a good bowling attack, and it feels good to get some runs. I have had a good IPL and it’s important to keep the same momentum from that.”

Australia were without Clarke because of a recurrence of a longstanding back injury which has made him doubtful for the side’s tournament opener against England at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Cricket: Familiar foes for Kirsten as South Africa face India

Gary Kirsten begins his final stint as South Africa’s coach against former team India in the Champions Trophy opener in Cardiff on Thursday.
The last time the two teams played a one-day international, during the 2011 World Cup, Kirsten was on the other side as India’s coach, plotting their eventual title triumph on home soil.
Former South African opener Kirsten left India after the World Cup to take up the job with his home country, leading Graeme Smith’s side to the top of the world rankings in Test cricket.

The final edition of the Champions Trophy will be the popular 45-year-old’s last assignment with South Africa, before he makes away for his deputy Russell Domingo in order to devote time to his family.

South Africa’s one-day captain, AB de Villiers, hoped his side, often ridiculed as chokers for their failure to win major titles, will give the coach a fitting farewell by winning the eight-nation tournament.

“It would be nice to give him a good farewell,” said de Villiers. “He’s been a great coach to us. We’ve learnt a lot from him in the few years that he’s been with us.

“He’s more like a mentor on the team. I find it funny calling him coach because no one calls him coach. He’s almost like one of our friends and a mentor kind of guy.”

Kirsten will be up against an almost new-look Indian squad with just three players — skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina — having played in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai two years ago.

India go into the tournament as the top-ranked one-day side, but have lost five of their last seven internationals against South Africa, including a three-wicket defeat in the World Cup in Nagpur.

The Proteas are often regarded as the best side never to have won cricket’s showpiece, the 50-over World Cup, or the World Twenty20, and de Villiers was desperate to set the record straight.

“We represent a very proud cricketing nation, and we’d like to make them proud in this tournament.”

But South Africa’s prospects of making a winning start could be hampered if star fast bowler Dale Steyn is ruled out with the side strain that meant he only bowled five overs in a warm-up match against Pakistan.

The Proteas have misfired so often in major events that few can recall their victory in the inaugural ICC knockout tournament in Bangladesh in 1998, an event that later became the Champions Trophy.

Dhoni’s men, meanwhile, will look to draw millions of their fans back to on-field cricket issues following the unsavoury spot-fixing scandal in the Indian Premier League that has hogged the media spotlight for the past fortnight.

Three IPL players have been arrested, while the powerful Indian cricket chief Narayanswamy Srinivasan stepped down temporarily on Sunday after his son-in-law was also accused of spot-fixing.

The Indian team got a boost ahead of the tournament when it received a shield and a cheque of $175,000 from the International Cricket Council for being the top-ranked one-day side at the annual cut-off date of April 1.

“I am very proud of this huge achievement,” Dhoni said. “Being number one brings with it a certain respect for the game itself and for the way in which we play the game and conduct ourselves on the field.”

And there was a fresh boost for India when they hammered Champions Trophy-holders Australia by 243 runs in a warm-up match in Cardiff on Tuesday.

Australia were bowled out for just 65 after India, who were 55 for five themselves, saw Dinesh Karthik (146 not out) and Dhoni (91) take them to 308 for six.

But India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin warned against reading too much into the extraordinary result.

“It’s a practice game and it is good to get as much as you can out of it from our point of view rather than looking at what the result is,” he said. “The day after tomorrow (Thursday) this does not matter and we will have to start again.”

Beckham might come out of retirement

David Beckham might be ready to make a sensational u-turn on his retirement plans as he has been outlined to play in the newly formed Indian Premier League for football.

A season of the Indian Premier League will last for nearly two months and the organisers are aiming to attract all the retired superstars of the game.

Beckham’s English counterpart Michael Owen is also being lined up by the investors for the new league.

‘We are in the final stages of talks with the agents of Michael Owen and David Beckham so that they can play for two months in the new franchise-based tournament,’ an AIFF source claimed.

‘We are also pursuing former Spanish captain Raul Gonzalez.

‘Both Beckham and Owen are very excited about the idea of playing in India.’ he added.

The new league will incorporate eight franchises with 25 players each and the tournament is scheduled to take place between January 14 and March 13 next year, most likely.

 

There’s something about cricket….

Ricky Ponting recently said he would consider a comeback if Michael Clarke issued an SOS to him. That’s the solution to Australia’s batting woes, bring back the old guy past his prime, wait don’t they already have Chris Rogers? Or they could clone Michael Clarke.  Back to Ponting, those hoping to see the famous ‘spit and rub’ in the slips were in for the worst news they’d heard since Ponting retired, Ricky was doing his best Sheldon Cooper impersonation. BAZINGA! Well, not quite.

All jokes apart, that piece of news took me back. Remember when Shane Warne took time out of his poker tournaments to say he wouldn’t mind coming back for the 2009 Ashes, if the team needed him. What a selfless gesture that was, after all poor Nathan Hauritz was so bad that he never even played on the driest wicket that series.

 I realize I sound biased. I have good reason to be. I grew up watching Ponting and Co. pulverize everybody. What a team it was, a team full of men’s men, until Michael Clarke was picked. I promise that’s the last joke. Clarke is a truly gifted batsman, his 151 against Steyn and co. at Cape Town is one of the greatest knocks I’ve ever seen.

I say that as a cricket lover. 5 years ago, I wouldn’t have appreciated it. 5 years ago I played ‘team favourites’. Doesn’t matter how good Ponting and Hayden look destroying the bowlers, they’re the bad guys. Who cares if whatshisname only bowls 120 and isn’t up to international level, he’s Indian, supporting him was almost automatic. The Australian team of the late 90’s and early 2000’s was truly great, that is a fact. As a young cricket fan I never quite saw it that way. 

No, it’s not because of the IPL, put a sock in it. I will resist the temptation to say put a ‘piece of thick absorbent cloth or paper used for drying oneself or wiping things dry’ in it, rising above and all of that don’t you know.  So what brought about this change in my attitude? It wasn’t a deep spiritual awakening, just a greater appreciation for cricket, and not just the Indian or whatever team I happened to be supporting. And the realization that you don’t have to be a nice guy to be a good cricketer. Adam Gilchrist mauled many an attack, but he seemed a decent man in an unruly team. Brett Lee terrorized batsmen with his sheer pace, but he always seemed nicer than the rest. Well perception is everything; we see and believe what we choose to.

Perhaps that is way 8-0 never stung the way it normally would have. Of course it hurt, it hurt a lot. However, I was big enough to acknowledge and appreciate the cricket played by Australia and England. This South African team is very good; in fact that is an understatement. They are a ruthless, efficient, well oiled machine. In the time gone by I might have disliked them intensely, made fun of their trips to the Alps, the Gobi desert and Timbuktu. While I added to their travel itinerary, I have nothing but respect for them. They are the team everyone wants to be and nobody wants to face.

It has been an exciting couple of weeks in cricket. Putting towels and handkerchiefs and pacifiers to the side, England and New Zealand played some good cricket. It had everything, success, failure, redemption, trepidation and youthful exuberance. The Champions Trophy and the Ashes beckon. Some things might change; the game is still the same. There’s something about cricket….

 

The Wicket-Keeper Song

To be sung to the tune of Enrique Iglesias’s ‘Hero’

 

Let me be your wicket-keeper

Would the batsman dance
If I was standing up to the stumps
Would he run like Matthew
Down the track?
Would you get mad if I dropped a catch
If you saw me trying?
And would you bowl no mystery balls tonight?

Would you tremble
If you found out I was Kamran Akmal
Would you laugh if I said I was better than Mark Boucher
Oh please tell me this.
Now would you try,
For the keeper you love,
Not to bowl anymore wides, tonight.

I can be your wicket-keeper, baby.
I can take away the bails
I will stand by the stumps forever.
You can’t take my gloves away

Would you swear
That you'll always bowl the right line
Or would you lie?
Do I have to run and hide?
Am I standing too near
Have I lost my mind?
I think I have
Dale Steyn is bowling tonight.

I can be your wicket-keeper, baby.
I can take away the bails
I will stand by the stumps forever.
You can’t take my gloves away.

Am I standing too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I guess I have                                                                                                                                            
Because Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is bowling tonight

I can be your wicket-keeper, baby.
I can take away the bails
I will stand by the stumps forever.
You can’t take my gloves away.

I can be your wicket-keeper, baby.
I can take away the bails
I will stand by the stumps forever.
You can’t take my gloves away.

I can be your wicket-keeper.

Rene Meulensteen says he is not leaving Manchester United

With David Moyes having taken the charge as United’s next manager, rumors about the future of first team coach Rene Meulensteen are making the rounds.

The Dutchman has been at United since 2001, with a brief spell at Danish club Brondy in between for 7 months.

After Sir Alex Ferguson retired as United boss at the end of a highly successful 26 year career, it was announced that assistant boss Mike Phelan and goalkeeping coach Eric Steele had also left their roles.

Meunlensteen has been linked to the manager’s post at recently relegated team Wigan Athletic, but he denied such reports stating that he still has a job at United.

He told Dutch football magazine ELF Voetbal: “So far I will report on July 1. I am still under contract at the club.

“I didn’t step down, and also I was not sacked by Manchester United. I am still employed.”

Incoming manager David Moyes is said to be interested in setting  up his own support staff.

 

Dinesh Karthik and the Selection Table

They say a problem of plenty is a good problem to have. When all batsmen in the squad are staking a claim for a place in the starting XI, they would have us believe that it is a headache the selectors like, nay, want to have. What complete and utter rubbish. As a selector I imagine there’s nothing more annoying than spending hours deliberating, fighting and asking that guy to pass the biscuits picking the best combination and then having the reserve batsman play a match-winning innings. 12 players, 11 spots, you do the maths.

The Indian bowlers got taken to the cleaners, the Indian openers failed to put on a substantial partnership, Virat Kohli scored a wonderfully paced century and MS Dhoni batted too low.  Yesterday’s warm-up game followed the usual script, well almost. Dinesh Karthik did not play the most eye catching innings, that accolade surely goes to Sanath Jayasuriya, oops, Kusal Janith Perera.  What he did do was play the ideal knock by a number 6, scoring quickly early on without taking too many risks and then finishing off the game. 102 richly deserved runs, and on his birthday too.

The only problem is that Karthik was considered the reserve batsman and/or keeper. Dhawan, Vijay, Kohli, Rohit, Dhoni, Raina, Jadeja/Pathan was thought to be the best top 7. All that changed yesterday, surely Karthik must be seriously considered as a frontline batsman after that knock. It is tough to ignore a player in that sort of form, and if he performs well in the next warm-up he should force his way into the starting 11.  The question then is who misses out? The best laid plans of mice and men oft go agley, it seems to be one of those instances.

Virat Kohli by now probably has his name printed beforehand on every team sheet. Even juggling monkeys on tricycles would not consider dropping him, and I’d like to give the team management more credit than that. MS Dhoni is the captain, he may bat too low for someone of his ability, but he isn’t going anywhere either. Suresh Raina has done enough to solidify his place in the team and Rohit Sharma is protected by the fact that although some of his innings last as long as a power nap, he can bat like a dream. That leaves us with Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay and the elusive number 7 batsman.

Let’s deal with the number 7 batsman first, one of Irfan Pathan or Ravindra Jadeja. Pathan seems the better bet given the fact that he bowls left arm medium and has the ability to get exaggerated swing.  Jadeja has the moniker of ‘Sir’, is a wonderful fielder and has developed into a good limited overs bowler with his left-arm spin. On the batting front, Pathan seems to be the better batsman but Jadeja has produced a number of eye-catching displays with bat off late. With the new ODI rules, surely one of them must play so Dhoni has 5 bowlers to call upon.

Back to the openers then, it may seem harsh given that both of them are making comebacks, but it appears as if one of them must go if Karthik is to play. Will it be Shikhar Dhawan, he of the impressive moustache and flowing stroke-play, or Murali Vijay, the man from Chennai who can tell a story with his bat if he so chooses? That is a difficult decision to make; perhaps the final warm-up will be a shoot-out between the two?

There are some tough calls to take, will Karthik play? If so, which of the openers will miss out?  Will it be Jadeja or Pathan? There is a tournament to be won, better pass those biscuits then.