TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| Subdued West Ham no match for Tottenham Luka Modric scored on his return to the Tottenham starting line-up to help defeat West Ham at White Hart Lane. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
El-Hadji Diouf dismissal gifts victory to Villa THE FA Cup has regained its sheen after some years of being relatively overlooked, according to Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill. Really? feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
England must strengthen their fingernail hold at the Wanderers The Bullring will boast a result wicket – so England need to balance aggression with new-ball cautionIf the Wanderers pitch lives up to its billing as something that Freddy Krueger might prepare, then the final Test promises to be a real scrap. The pacemen will have their revenge on those who prosper disproportionately on "chief executives" pitches, and spinners, should they even play, will look only for the leftovers. In such circumstances, one single piece of batting heroics could decide the destiny of an absorbing series. If the weather holds sufficiently – and the signs are that there will be play until at least the middle of each afternoon before the anvil tops build up – then the draw, an integral element of a Test series that has provided such drama these past few weeks, will not be an option. This is the shootout.Andrew Strauss and Graeme Smith, respective captains, will find this an awkward one to judge. Unlike Newlands or Centurion, the Wanderers is not a South African stronghold despite the fearsome reputation of the Bullring crowd. Each of the last nine matches there since 2002 has produced a result but only four of them have been in favour of the home side. Pitches can change their appearance significantly in the 24 hours leading up to the toss, once they have received their final wash and brush up, so pre-judgment can be tricky.So too judging the overhead conditions. But this much was clear: there was good grass on it, but rolled in. The surface was not hard either which is scarcely surprising given the amount of rain that has fallen, and the resultant high water tables. The groundsman, Chris Scott, under instructions apparently to prepare a "result" pitch, has had his preparation time curtailed. The havoc that can be caused by quality pace bowlers, on a treacherous surface in gloomy light, has never been so starkly seen as when England were put in to bat in 1999-2000, and found themselves two for four against a rampant Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. Yet there is a balancing act to be considered here with the damage that can be done early on a damp pitch weighed against the prospect of batting last, when the indentations, caused by the ball, harden up, so that bounce becomes uneven depending on which part of the pitting is hit. For this game, whoever wins the toss must consider putting the opposition in knowing that no side has ever been inserted at the Wanderers and won, but then swallow hard, and bat in the further knowledge that there will be some trying times ahead.Looked at it from a strictly pragmatic viewpoint, a case could be made for neither side to play a spinner. Certainly in the past 10 years, spinning contributions have been minimal in terms of wickets taken, with just 31 of 322 going to spinners. It is almost 16 years since the Kiwi Matthew Hart took five wickets in an innings at the Wanderers, the last spinner to do so. England could then justify playing an extra pace bowler in place of Graeme Swann.That they will not even consider doing so shows what an impact the off-spinner has on the England side, with his ability to take good wickets in conditions that might not suit him, his batting flair, catching skills (although dropping Smith in the second over of the Cape Town Test brought him swiftly back to earth after a dream 2009) and general demeanour.There is less reason for South Africa to stick with their spinner Paul Harris, who has had only a modest series. But they too would be reluctant to jettison an option which gives them a change of pace. Barring illness or injury, England will go in with the same 11 for the fourth successive game, an oddly unusual situation for a series of four or more matches, with only five previous occurrences by anyone, and England's first since 1884-85. South Africa may well name a side unchanged from the last Test with the exception of a debut for the young left-armer Wayne Parnell, a one-day specialist, in place of the injured Friedel de Wet, something of a gamble given the concerns that exist over his stamina for a Test match.For England to win the match, and take home the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy, they must play significantly better than they have managed in two of the three Tests. They know that a 1-0 lead is no more a fair reflection of the way the series has gone than would be a 2-1 South Africa lead, a plausible option given the fingernail hold on the draw at Centurion and Newlands. They are capable of first-rate performances such as that at Newlands but infuriatingly incapable of consistency.So far the batting has been underpinned by Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, which might not have been the prediction before the series started. There have been no telling contributions from Strauss, Jonathan Trott or Kevin Pietersen: each will feel additional pressure. Strauss must balance his desire to be aggressive and set the tone with an approach that recognises the omnipotence of the new ball, and therefore sets out to negate its influence at all cost.Pietersen has worked massively to eradicate the faults that have crept into his game, but those who would know suspect that a lack of the solid physical base to his batting, and its replacement by him being caught on the move, is down to him being unsettled by the short ball as a prelude to that pitched up. Both Dale Steyn, a devastating bowler coming bang into form, and Morne Morkel will attempt to work him over more than anyone else. Pietersen is far too good a player not to find a way of coping but England need him to find his game now. It may just be that he holds the key.England in South Africa 2009-2010England Cricket TeamAndrew StraussSouth Africa cricket teamCricketMike Selveyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Colts see off Ravens, while Saints shine • Peyton Manning excels as Colts end losing run• New Orleans Saints overwhelm Arizona CardinalsTwo touchdowns in two minutes at the end of the first half helped the Indianapolis Colts beat the Baltimore Ravens 20-3 last night and advance to the AFC Championship game.The Colts, the AFC's top seed, will host the winner of today's match between the New York Jets and the San Diego Chargers for a Super Bowl place after they ended a losing run in playoff games following a bye."It's a myth that you can't win at home after a bye week, but I didn't believe in it," the Colts quarterback Peyton Manning told reporters after completing 30 of 44 passes for 246 yards. "I thought we came out sharp on both sides of the ball really from the get-go, kind of set the tempo of the game."Manning broke the game open with touchdown passes to Austin Collie and Reggie Wayne in the final 2:06 of the first half. The scores turned a 3‑3 tie into a 17‑3 Colts lead from which Baltimore, one of the league's top defensive teams, never recovered.Seven penalties and four turnovers only compounded problems for the Ravens against an aggressive Indianapolis defence."The defence did a tremendous job," the Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. "When you look at what Baltimore's been able to do to teams over the last few weeks, our defence did indeed play hard and played well."Baltimore did not score a point after the Ravens' first drive, which ended with Billy Cundiff's 25-yard field goal to tie the score at 3-3.The visitors failed to make a first down in the second quarter and Ray Rice, who rushed for 159 yards in Baltimore's opening-round win over New England, gained only 67 against the Colts.Manning, however, had Indianapolis on the move late in the second quarter with a 10-yard touchdown pass to the rookie Collie capping a 75-yard drive, and a 64-yard effort that ended on Wayne's three-yard catch.Meanwhile two touchdowns from an explosive Reggie Bush helped the New Orleans Saints to a 45‑14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, sweeping them into the NFC title game.Although the Cardinals made the perfect start by going in front with only 19 seconds gone, through a Tim Hightower 70-yard run, the Saints quickly hit back and established supremacy.Three first-quarter touchdowns delighted a raucous Louisiana crowd and put the game firmly in the hands of a New Orleans team looking like the side who won their opening 13 games of the season."I thought in all three phases we played a real good game," Saints' head coach Sean Payton said. "We talked about turnovers being all important and protection too, and that was the case."Arizona, who gave up two turnovers, struggled to respond as they conceded 45 points for the second successive game. With key players missing through injury the Cardinals, who had spectacularly beaten Green Bay 51‑45 in the wildcard round, failed to protect the quarterback Kurt Warner."We were playing with a depleted secondary today and that hurt us," said Arizona's head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who blamed missed tackles and the turnovers for the loss.Warner, who after the game declined to reveal whether he will retire, suffered a rib and chest injury that took him temporarily out of the game in the second quarter. The touchdowns from Lynell Hamilton, Jeremy Shockey and Bush allowed New Orleans to lead 35‑14 at the break. Although Warner later returned he was unable to lead a comeback.Bush's first score had come from a brilliant, weaving 54-yard touchdown run and the Saints running back made sure of the victory with an 83-yard punt return in the third. The quarterback Drew Brees threw three touchdowns for 247 yards for the Saints, who will face the winner of Sunday's clash between the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.Payton paid tribute to Bush. "He is as healthy as he has been," he said. "He is a dynamic player and he played real well today."NFLUS sportguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Administrators tell Crystal Palace not to play Victor Moses against Newcastle United Victor Moses is expected to have played his last game for Crystal Palace after the club's administrators asked for him to be removed from the team to play Newcastle United at St James' Park this evening. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |