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Vinicius Junior and Fede Valverde scored two goals apiece to lead Real Madrid to a 5-3 win over Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup final on Saturday.

The celebrations weren't over-the-top after the final whistle blew. Real Madrid, having put away Al-Hilal in a high-scoring Club World Cup final, didn't storm the pitch. Instead, it was the standard slew of high-fives and hugs, a reaction more associated with a win over Elche on a rainy midweek in February than the European crown they captured last May.

Still, there was reason for some smiles. Madrid turned in one of their best attacking performances of the season, putting five past Al-Hilal to win their fifth Club World Cup.

Champions of the world have a nice ring to it.

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring early, capping off some neat interplay with a side footed finish to give Madrid a 1-0 lead. Fede Valverde added a second five minutes later, with Abdullah Al-Mayouf fumbling his relatively tame strike.

Al-Hilal pulled one back after Moussa Marega coasted through the Madrid defence and slipped the ball past Andriy Lunin. There were suggestions that another might come, but Real did just enough to retain a 2-1 lead at half-time.

Karim Benzema quelled any comeback fears with a tap-in 15 minutes after the break. Valverde made it four shortly after, latching on Dani Carvajal's through ball and chipping the keeper to put Madrid out of reach. Al-Hilal stuck around, though, trading goals in a high scoring affair that somehow ended 5-3, with just enough jeopardy to make things interesting.

Much like Chelsea at this tournament a year ago, this was a chance for Real Madrid to hold silverware during a season in which achievements might be in short supply.

Even if the Club World Cup can feel like a dressed-up friendly, grabbing the 100th official trophy in club history was an accomplishment worth savouring.

Getty ImagesThe Winners

Federico Valverde:

His first goal might have been fortunate – the product of a horrible blunder by the keeper – but Valverde badly needed to see the ball hit the net. The midfielder was evolving into a reliable goalscorer before the World Cup, but dropped off immensely after his time in Qatar. But there were echoes of his old self on Saturday evening. Valverde was elegant on the ball and immensely effective in the final third, bagging a brace while being heavily involved in Madrid's suddenly fluid build up play. Yes, the opposition wasn't of the highest quality, but it might be exactly what Valverde needed.

Vinicius Junior:

There was a kind of joy to Vinicius' game on Saturday that hasn't been seen for some time. The winger has been battered with on field mistreatment and rancid racial abuse over the last six weeks. And, not unreasonably, it appeared to be getting to him. But in Morocco, away from the controversy of La Liga, the Brazilian has thrived. He bagged a brace in the final, his third goal of the Club World Cup. There was a real ease to his finishing too, the comfort of a player entirely relaxed and confident in his abilities. He was a delight to watch.

The Club World Cup:

Yes, major clubs in the middle of their league campaigns really don't need to jet off to play a far inferior team. But what a game this was. Madrid probably should have scored five, and really shouldn't have conceded three. But, more than anything, that added to the fun. Madrid never really looked in danger of losing the contest; each goal was a product of individual errors rather than Al-Hilal brilliance. Still, Los Blancos were just careless enough to make it all a bit fun. As far as needless games go, this was a fantastic one to watch.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Losers

Antonio Rudiger:

He wasn't the only Real Madrid player to turn in a poor defensive performance, but Rudiger's wayward play directly contributed to two of Al-Hilal's goals. He was caught out of position on the first, and gave the ball away in the run-up to another. With Militao out and David Alaba working his way back to full fitness, Rudiger is the only fit first-choice centre-back. And his poor spell is something of a concern as Madrid enters a period of must-win contests.

Luka Modric:

Was this Modric's last final in a Madrid shirt? The Croatian hasn't looked the same player since the World Cup, with his 37-year-old legs finally showing signs of slowing down. He was, predictably, handed the start against Al-Hilal, as Ancelotti fielded his strongest XI. But he was the weakest of three Madrid midfielders, and with Dani Ceballos lifting the level after he came on, it's easy to wonder how much longer Modric might be a surefire starter.

Getty ImagesReal Madrid Ratings: Defence

Andriy Lunin (5/10):

Conceded three without doing loads wrong. Probably has more grievances with his back four than individual showing. A wayward pass or two didn't help, though.

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Seems to have benefitted from some time off, and turned in a lively performance.

Antonio Rudiger (5/10):

Shaky, which isn't very good. Will need to improve in the coming weeks.

David Alaba (6/10):

Given problems by the strength of Marega, and should have done better on the forward's goal. Looked more comfortable at left-back.

Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

Good at left-back, even better in central-midfield. A delightful player to watch who will surely only get better. Bellingham who?

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Getty ImagesMidfield

Luka Modric (6/10):

Uncharacteristically leggy from the Croatian, who is really starting to show his age. This could be his last final in a Madrid shirt.

Aurelien Tchoaumeni (6/10):

Fantastic at winning the ball, not as good once he'd actually won it. Seemed to get himself banged up – Ancelotti will hope it's not serious.

Toni Kroos (7/10):

Classy, measured, technically sound. A signature Kroos performance, who loves these slower-paced games these days.

For the second time this season Johann Myburgh defied one of his former counties, Durham, as he gave struggling Somerset a slight edge on the first day at Chester-le-Street

ECB/PA07-Jun-2015
ScorecardFor the second time this season Johann Myburgh defied one of his former counties, Durham, as he gave struggling Somerset a slight edge on the first day at Chester-le-Street.After choosing to bat, Durham were dismissed for 189 with Craig Overton taking 4 for 40, then Myburgh followed the 115 he made against the same opponents at Taunton with an unbeaten 57.Somerset were 147 for 4 at the close, while Durham had further cause to worry about Graham Onions. After missing much of last season through injury, he has already suffered three niggles this year and was off the field for most of the evening session.Overton was the most impressive of those who might have interested watching national selector James Whitaker, although Durham’s Chris Rushworth also bowled well. The first of his three victims took him to 100 championship wickets since the start of last season.While his twin, Jamie, was left out to accommodate the return of Lewis Gregory, who proved expensive, Overton came on for the ninth over and took 2 for 19 in his first seven-over spell.His fourth ball swung into left-hander Mark Stoneman to have him lbw and one which nipped back pinned Paul Collingwood in front for a duck.From 46 for 3 Durham progressed to 117 through Keaton Jennings and Michael Richardson before four wickets went down for three runs in four overs after lunch.Jennings was lbw trying to whip Tim Groenewald through mid-wicket and Jim Allenby somehow induced a ball to leap at Richardson, who fended to second slip, where Marcus Trescothick parried it and held on to the rebound.Calum MacLeod sliced his second ball to backward point off Allenby then Paul Coughlin stayed on his crease and was lbw to Groenewald.The slump was stemmed by a brief counter-attack from John Hastings as he Gordon Muchall shared a 50 stand in 48 balls before Overton yorked Hastings and forced Muchall to edge to Trescothick.Trescothick survived a confident lbw appeal from Rushworth in the first over of the reply before the next big shout brought his downfall for 26 in the first over after tea.Tom Abell had edged a drive at Rushworth to the wicketkeeper, but at 34 for 2 James Hildreth settled in cautiously. He had made six off 33 balls when he hit two fours and survived a chance to second slip, all in the same Hastings over.After contributing 35 to a stand of 73 with Myburgh, Hildreth surrendered to Scott Borthwick’s second ball, pulling a long hop straight to mid-on.Tom Cooper did something similar, picking out mid-wicket off Rushworth, before Allenby kept Myburgh company to the close. Myburgh completed a 92-ball half-century with a four off Borthwick in the final over.

Portugal stormed to a record-setting 9-0 win without Cristiano Ronaldo, but Danilo Pereira has sought to defend the absent superstar.

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Superstar forward serving a suspensionMissed latest Euro 2024 qualifierHistoric victory secured in his absenceWHAT HAPPENED?

Ronaldo was forced to sit out a Euro 2024 qualifier against Luxembourg after collecting three yellow cards in Portugal’s campaign so far. He had figured, playing the full 90 minutes, in a 1-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday.

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Goncalo Ramos led the line with Ronaldo forced to watch on from afar, and bagged a brace as Portugal recorded their biggest win of all-time – having previously enjoyed three 8-0 successes. Questions have been asked of whether they need Ronaldo in order to compete at next summer’s European Championship.

WHAT THEY SAID

Danilo insists that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner remains an integral part of Roberto Martinez’s plans, telling reporters after a demolition job against hapless Luxembourg: "If Cristiano Ronaldo was here, the result would also be like this. He would help with goals and assists. It wasn't because of his absence that this game was won by eight or nine goals."

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Ronaldo, who is 38 years of age, now has 201 caps for his country and a historic haul of 123 international goals. He will be hoping to maintain impressive form at club level for Al-Nassr, where he has hit 12 goals this season, and keep himself in contention to play a leading role for Portugal at another major tournament.

Wayne Rooney is looking to lure one of Lionel Messi’s former team-mates to Birmingham, with ex-Inter Miami star Josef Martinez now a free agent.

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Martinez released at end of 2023 seasonSpent one season at DRV PNK StadiumWanted in England by Blues and LutonWHAT HAPPENED?

The Venezuela international striker was released by the MLS outfit at the end of the 2023 campaign. He moved to DRV PNK Stadium in January and hit 12 goals through 40 appearances – helping to secure a historic Leagues Cup crown alongside all-time great Messi.

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He was informed that his services were no longer required as Inter Miami continue to be linked with a move to add ex-Barcelona star Luis Suarez to their ranks. Martinez is generating plenty of interest and is not expected to be without a club for long.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to , Martinez is registering on the recruitment radar at Birmingham. New Blues boss Rooney has suffered three defeats at the start of his St Andrew’s reign, but ambitious plans are being drawn up by NFL legend Tom Brady and his fellow investors in the West Midlands.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Martinez’s wage demands are expected to determine whether or not Birmingham remain in the race for his signature, with Premier League outfit Luton also said to be keen. Rooney needs to get some big earners off his books before bringing any more in, which could happen during the January transfer window.

There may be nothing riding on it, but Saturday's match means so much more to the U.S. team

For the last several years, the new generation of U.S. men's national team stars has been united by two separate, but similar, rallying cries. The first defined their road to the 2022 World Cup. It called on the players involved to change the way the world views American soccer, not just for one tournament, but forever.

That one is still a work in progress. Their efforts in Qatar were definitely admirable and players' progress on the club level has definitely made the rest of the world take notice, but Rome wasn't built in a day. It will take sustained, consistent improvement to accomplish that goal.

Since the summer, though, the U.S. has been discussing a new goal: to change the way that America views soccer forever.

Assistant coach B.J. Callaghan says the team won't be satisfied until there are loads of Christians, Westons, Gios and Matts born and named for the country's soccer idols. The team, as a whole, has said they won't have achieved anything until they've proven they can be more than what they showed in Qatar.

But how can they do that? How does a team approach goals so lofty and so vague? Well, it starts by winning big games against big opponents, making statement after statement until everyone takes notice.

The U.S. won't demand the respect of the world if they are to beat Germany in a friendly on Saturday. Still, for many in this USMNT camp, Saturday's friendly is the perfect time to show how far they've come, and how far they have left to go.

GettyA big chance that won't come to often

The fact is that there won't be many games like this on the road to the 2026 World Cup.

As hosts of the tournament, competitive games will be few and far between for the USMNT. Of course, there will be CONCACAF games, and the U.S. will be very, very thankful for next summer's Copa America but, by and large, there will only be a handful of opportunities to take on marquee opponents.

Germany are one of those opponents, as are Ghana, the USMNT's second match of the window. Germany's national team may be in a state of flux right now but, make no mistake, this is one of the biggest teams in the world. And, because of that, it's one of the USMNT's biggest opportunities to show where they stand.

Wins against the likes of Oman and Uzbekistan are nice, sure. Wins over Canada and Mexico will always taste just a bit sweeter because of all that goes with it. But this USMNT's goals are bigger than that.

If this team wants to change perceptions, it has to regularly prove that it can win games like this, a challenge that will be made all the more difficult by the schedule leading up to 2026.

AdvertisementGettyUnderstanding the opportunity

Because of everything said above, the USMNT is moving just a bit differently this camp. Everyone on the team knows what's at stake. Yes this is a friendly, but, for the U.S., it's also something more.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for us,” Weston McKennie said Wednesday. “I think for us, we want to show that [we can] win games against these top-level teams, that we expect ourselves to win these games now, instead of just competing with them."

He continued: “I think it’s a great opportunity to kind of see where we’re at, and try and make that [vision] come true and win these type of games, because they’re the type of games that we have to win to advance the program forward, to advance ourselves forward, and to be successful in the coming years."

USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter, meanwhile, will be using this game to get a closer look at what several players are made of. The team is littered with World Cup stars like McKennie, Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, all of whom will be desperate to prove themselves once again after falling short against another giant, the Netherlands, in Qatar.

But it also features some newcomers. Folarin Balogun will undoubtedly face the toughest test of his USMNT career. One of Kristoffer Lund or DeJuan Jones will as well with starting full-back Antonee Robinson out of action. Newcomers like Kevin Paredes, Lennard Maloney and Alejandro Zendejas will hope to get a chance in this game.

And then there's Gio Reyna, who will be playing his first game under Berhalter since the infamous World Cup controversy. That's in the past, Berhalter says. This team isn't dwelling on anything that has to do with 2022; they're now focusing on how they can prepare for 2026.

“Any opportunity we get to play teams like this, we want to do it, and it’s not about being afraid of the result, being afraid of competing,” Berhalter said Friday. “It’s about embracing these moments, and from now until the 2026 World Cup, if we could play Germany five times, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, we would do it because that’s what’s going to really strengthen this group.”

GettyWhat the USMNT wants

The USMNT has found success against Germany before.

The team has a 4-7-0 record against the Germans. There was that infamous 2002 World Cup defeat, one shrouded in a Torsten Frings-led controversy that will still rile up the older generation of USMNT fans. There was the 2014 World Cup group stage clash that saw both teams make it to the knockouts despite Germany's narrow win, and there were a pair of friendlies in the mid-2010s, both USMNT wins led by then-head coach, Germany legend Jurgen Klinsmann.

Throughout the program's history, the USMNT has had a habit of overachieving against big teams. For years, the USMNT's grit and heart helped them upset some of the world's best, most famously Spain at the Confederations Cup.

However, the team doesn't want to keep getting by as underdogs. They don't want to win by gutting out a gritty performance. This group wants to be able to play with Germany, to go at them and make them uncomfortable in some way.

“It’s time where we want to start going into these games with confidence and not just trying to compete,” Pulisic said, “but trying to take control of these games and win these games and feel confident that we can do that.”

At the World Cup, the USMNT learned that there are different forms of that. There's controlling the ball, which was a focus of last cycle. After years of being a counterattacking team, the U.S. is evolving into one comfortable with the ball, one that can play soccer.

However, against the Netherlands, the U.S. learned the hard way that having the ball doesn't always mean controlling the game. They fell right into several Dutch traps, as Louis van Gaal prepared his team to counter and strike hard when the chances came.

So what will the USMNT's version of dictating play look like this cycle, and what will it look like when they face a team like Germany? The U.S. will hope to provide an answer on Saturday.

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Getty ImagesClub connections

What makes this game even more intriguing is that, for many of the USMNT's stars, this one will feel personal.

Five players in the USMNT squad currently play for Bundesliga clubs. Four more have played in the league at one point or another. There's a connection there. Many of the USMNT's top stars will be playing against domestic team-mates and opponents, and they'll also be playing against friends.

"It's definitely a good opportunity for us to be able to play against guys that, at the club level, we've played against and played with," McKennie said, who began his career at Schalke. "Leon Goretzka, for instance, was like a big brother to me when I was coming through the ranks at Schalke, so it's going to be nice to be able to see him and play against him as well and maybe be able to say some bad words to him in German, just to refresh my memory of how it used to be."

Borussia Monchengladbach's Joe Scally added: “It definitely gives you a better feeling in the locker room with a bunch of German guys where you can brag."

Jude Bellingham has topped the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo with his start at Real Madrid, claims ex-Blancos star Aitor Karanka.

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England completed big-money transferMade a stunning impact in SpainCompared with icons from the pastWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international midfielder completed a €103 million (£90m/$112m) transfer to Santiago Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund during the summer window. Big things were expected of him in Spain, but the 20-year-old has exceeded all expectations.

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Former Blancos defender Karanka – who won three Champions League crowns during his time with Real – has told of Bellingham after seeing him hit 13 goals through 14 appearances: “I did not have any surprise or any doubt, but maybe one surprise is just how quickly he’s done this. I played with Figo and Zidane and, even for them, it took time. I remember when Zizou arrived here, the first month or two months, he was not as good as he was at Juventus or later on. It’s Real Madrid.

"But with Jude’s personality and character, it looks like he’s been playing here for 10 years in Madrid. No other club is like it. When I played here, there were top players but all of them were older but now at 20 years, the only one I think of is Raul who started at 18 or 19 but when you are as young as Jude, it’s hard to find anyone who has been as successful as him.”

WHAT THEY SAID

Bellingham has had the pick of Europe’s top clubs over the course of his relatively short career, but Karanka feels Real are the perfect fit for the newly-crowned winner of the prestigious Golden Boy award. The ex-Birmingham boss added on a player that honed his craft at St Andrew’s: “More than his quality and skills, the most important thing is his personality. How mature he is, his brain and the family. The family have clear ideas, Jude has his own ideas and I think it’s important for his direction. When he left Birmingham, he could have gone to other teams in the Premier League but when he joined Borussia Dortmund, it was because he thought it was the best step for him and now I think Real Madrid has been the same.

"For sure, he had offers to go to Liverpool, Manchester City but he decided to go to Madrid as soon as he arrived here and he’s made the difference. His family is so strong. His brother Jobe plays in Sunderland, his father is with him in Sunderland and his mother is with him here and I think it’s vital because, as a player, 25 years later to play for Real Madrid means you are more than just a normal player.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Bellingham, who is nursing a shoulder injury at present, has signed a contract in Madrid through to 2029 and is expected to come in to contention for Ballon d’Or recognition at some stage in the future.

Mushfiqur Rahim has admitted it was difficult to set fields for his undisciplined bowling attack, and said that as a captain, he was made to look “foolish” when the bowlers struggled to bowl in one area continuously

Mohammad Isam in Fatullah14-Jun-20151:37

‘Could’ve played Harbhajan, Ashwin better’ – Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has admitted it was difficult to set fields for his undisciplined bowling attack, and said that as a captain, he was made to look “foolish” when the bowlers struggled to bowl in one area continuously. Mushfiqur also felt that there was much to learn from the Indian bowlers who bowled according to the fields set by their captain Virat Kohli.Mushfiqur fit to keep for ODIs

Mushfiqur Rahim said that he has recovered from his finger injury enough to keep wickets in the ODI series against India, though it did bother him a couple of times during the Fatullah Test.
“I fielded for almost three days and it did hurt once or twice,” he said. “Otherwise, I don’t think I am in a bad situation to keep either. Hopefully I will be fit keeping-wise by the time the ODIs start.”
Mushfiqur said that he wouldn’t use the pain as an excuse for his five-ball two in Bangladesh’s first innings, when he got out nicking a catch to leg-slip.
“I can’t give any excuse about my batting. The injury might have affected me while fielding or keeping but not my batting. I’ll return to keeping in the one-dayers.”

“A bowler needs to bowl in one particular area and be consistent so that we can plan a field for the batsmen,” Mushfiqur said. “If we set a field for deliveries that are bowled in front of the batsmen and in good areas and then you see the bowler bowling a short pitched delivery, then the captain may look foolish. It depends upon the bowler and what they are executing. If our plan clicks everyone would have said positive things. If it doesn’t people will criticize.”India consistently scored more than four runs an over on the truncated first and third day of the Fatullah Test, eventually declaring on 462 for 6 on the fourth morning. None of Bangladesh’s front-line bowlers, on the other hand, went at less than three an over. Shakib Al Hasan finished with 4 for 105 at 4.28 runs per over while Jubair Hossain gave away 113 runs in 19 overs for his two wickets. Taijul Islam and the lone paceman Mohammad Shahid went wicketless, while the entire bowling attack could muster just four maidens.Combined, the bowlers gave away more boundaries on the legside (28 to 26) than the offside, and there were a noticeable number of rank long-hops from both the spinners and Shahid. Shakib admitted that he needed help from his old coach Nazmul Abedeen to correct his bowling action, while Jubair had been short of match practice having last played a first-class game in February. Shahid understandably struggled for 22 overs and even Taijul had an uncharacteristically poor Test match. Since taking 60 wickets from three Tests against Zimbabwe, Bangladesh have bowled their opponents out in an innings only once, against Pakistan in Khulna.”The captaincy depends upon the entire team and captaincy is a big issue,” Mushfiqur said. “But at this level a bowler comes and tells the captain how he is going to set a batsman up and accordingly a captain sets a field. But in our level there is a big gap here.”If our bowlers bowl one ball here and the other there, then the field setup will never look good. The way Harbhajan and Aswhin bowled, you could always use an attacking field against any side. So hopefully we can learn from this Test and work more on our bowling. It will help our Test cricket.”Mushfiqur admitted that picking just one pace bowler was a strategy they needed to revisit. Mushfiqur is the only captain who has used a single pace bowler in a Test match. The first time was in January last year when he used Al-Amin Hossain as the single seamer. Kumar Sangakkara scored a triple-century in that game and the bowling attack looked just as lopsided here as well. It was particularly unfair on Shahid, who was only playing his third Test match and at times, looked out of ideas.”Maybe had we taken another pacer it could have been good. There might have been a mistake from our side. We take a decision together with logic.”Maybe if we would have won the toss, things would have been different and our four spinners could have attacked their batsmen more. So maybe we can learn from this experience and know what are the positives and negatives of playing with a single pacer.”Mushfiqur also said that Shuvagata Hom may perhaps have been given one too many chances to prove his worth. From seven Tests, Hom averages 21.30 with the bat and 59.12 with the ball taking just eight wickets. After going wicketless in the first innings, Hom had a chance to redeem himself with the bat, but even in his 43-run seventh-wicket stand with Litton Das, it was the debutant Litton who looked far more comfortable. Shuvagata made just 9 off 25 balls.”Maybe it is a point that we need to think about. The way we gave him chances, maybe he hasn’t lived up to the expectations,” Mushfiqur said. “He did well in the last domestic competition, so we thought he could be good in the team. So we have seen him in this Test. If there’s a better option for the next Test series, then maybe someone better will be picked up, not just Shuvagata but any player.”

USA were left to missed opportunities against Ireland in the World Twenty20 Qualifier game after poor bowling at the death and a batting collapse saw them crash to a 46-run defeat

Peter Della Penna in Belfast12-Jul-2015Based on the results between the two sides at the last three World Twenty20 Qualifiers, Ireland were likely salivating at the prospect of taking on USA at Stormont.In 2010, Niall O’Brien produced his career-best T20 score of 84 off 50 balls as Ireland passed 200 for the first time in their T20 history before reducing USA to 25 for 6 in a 78-run romp. In 2012, his brother Kevin got out of a lengthy scoring rut after his 2011 World Cup heroics against England by smacking 47 off 36 balls ahead of Boyd Rankin’s career-best T20 figures of 4 for 9 in a 64-run win. Last year, William Porterfield’s T20 career-best 127 not out in a total of 216 for 3 set up a 75-run win.It should be no surprise that Andy Balbirnie kept up the tradition of career-bests against USA on Sunday. The young batsman’s 44 is the highest score in his brief 12-match T20 career. However, he was dropped twice in his innings, on 13 and 23. It allowed Balbirnie to stay at the crease where along with Stuart Thompson and later John Mooney, he carried Ireland from a precarious position of 92 for 5 one ball into the 16th over to a much more comfortable end score of 146 for 6.USA captain Muhammad Ghous lauded his bowling unit for their performance over the first 15 overs of the match. It was by far USA’s best effort in their four encounters with Ireland at the qualifier, but Ghous and his team-mates were left to rue what might have been had they not let Ireland get away in the final five overs.”Overall the bowlers bowled really excellent but the last five overs, that’s where we gave up the game,” Ghous told ESPNcricinfo after the match. “Our bowlers bowled four or five no balls and it can cost you and take pressure off batsmen. The guys tried their best. These guys just played really good shots, shots you can’t set fields to, paddle sweeps. They just played better cricket in the last five overs.”Ghous tried to encourage his team-mates as they walked off the field, shouting to them, “146 is nothing guys. Come on we can do this.” However, after John Mooney had struck four of the seven deliveries he faced to the boundary in an unbeaten 20 off seven balls, most USA players had their heads down, the last two overs at the forefront of their minds instead of the excellent work they did over the first 15USA’s penchant for alarming collapses wouldn’t have been too far back in their minds either and they knew that 130 was the maximum they could afford to give Ireland. Their batting form held true again as a panicky display in the middle of the innings saw them lose two wickets to run-outs in the space of five deliveries, and four wickets in eight balls to go from a hopeful 74 for 4 in the 12th over to a hopeless 81 for 8 after 13. After repeated denials by his team-mates earlier on the tour, Ghous finally admitted the team lacked adequate preparation to take on teams like Ireland.”Everybody lives in different parts of the USA, so it’s very tough for all of us to get together,” Ghous said. “We do lack some experience and preparation but we are here and we have to give our 100% best. Whatever we have, we have to put out there.”Experience does matter. These guys are all young. We don’t play as much cricket on the higher level. We have one or two tournaments in a year. The more you play better cricket, that’s where you gain experience. It will come by playing more tournaments.”As for his own role in the team, Ghous defended his decision to underbowl himself against Ireland. He took the new ball for one over, but only bowled one more for the rest of the game to finish with figures of 0 for 15, and he has yet to take a wicket in the tournament.”These wickets suit medium-pacers,” Ghous said. “Even Ireland, Dockrell came and only bowled one over [sic two]. That’s their main frontline spinner. It’s not necessary I have to bowl four overs. I will come and squeeze runs where I can if I see an opportunity. I have enough bowlers that I can mix around. Me bowling all four overs is not necessary as long as the team is doing great and other people can come and chip in.”USA’s next game is against Namibia at Stormont on Monday morning and Ghous remains hopeful that the team will be able to rally back from a pair of hard losses.”We should have restricted [Ireland] to 130 but things happen and that’s cricket. Things can’t always go your way. The positive I’ll take is that the guys are bowling great so hopefully they’ll keep it that way. We’ll come tomorrow hard and restrict Namibia to even lower than that. We’re gonna play hard and positive. This is a long tournament. Anything is possible.”

Sri Lanka’s cricketers have agreed to sign the board’s annual contracts after SLC decided to award the players a 10% cut of the ICC and ACC-events participation fee for the next five years, bringing the seven-week dispute to a close

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Apr-2014Sri Lanka’s cricketers have agreed to sign the board’s annual contracts after SLC decided to award the players a 10% cut of the ICC and ACC-events participation fee for the next five years, bringing the seven-week dispute to a close. The players have not yet put pen to paper, but Test and ODI captain Angelo Mathews had struck a deal with the three-member SLC committee appointed to review the issue, after a meeting on Tuesday, an official release said.”After discussions, the committee in consultation with the office bearers of the SLC’s executive committee, offered 10% of the participation fee from the ICC and ACC events to the players which will be applied for the next 5 years and will be non negotiable,” the release said. “The above offer was accepted by the players and they have agreed to sign the annual contracts in due course.”The players will not receive a cut from the 2014 World T20, and will instead get US $1.5 million for their victorious campaign, which amounts to roughly 16.5% of the amount SLC received from the ICC.The news comes one day after the players raised the stakes by attending a national practice session in their own training gear, instead of donning SLC’s uniform, which bears the team sponsors’ logo. The dispute had been fierce at times, with the board even having threatened to send a second-string side to the World T20 in the 24 hours before the team departed for Bangladesh.The three-member committee had been composed of CEO Ashley de Silva, treasurer Nuski Mohamed and vitally, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, who had been central to the resolution of 2013’s contracts crisis. Last year, following a 24-hour lockout, the players had agreed to forego their cut of the ICC event fee on the understanding that payment would be reinstated in future years, which promised to be more profitable for SLC. Jayasuriya had brokered that deal and had also fielded the first demand from the players in 2014, when they asked for 20% of the ICC participation fee.The board initially refused to award a percentage cut, proposing an incentive-based bonus scheme for global tournaments instead. But as negotiations progressed, the players lowered their demand to 12%, and the board replied with a 6% offer, before the sides eventually settled at 10%.The players had received 25% of the ICC participation until 2012, after it had first been introduced into central contracts in 2003. That payment is intended to compensate players for their image rights, which are ceded to ICC for commercial purposes, during global tournaments.The agreement restores some semblance of stability to top-flight cricket in the country, a day after head coach Paul Farbrace resigned from his position to take up a role with the ECB. In recent weeks, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have also had a public row with members of the board, which has resulted in their comments and actions being reviewed by an SLC disciplinary committee, despite SLC having earlier announced it would take no action on the issue.

Durham needed just 17 balls to take the final Sussex wicket on Wednesday morning to secure a 309-run victory that saw them move to fourth in the Division One standings

Press Association25-Jun-2014
ScorecardBen Stokes received a glowing report from Paul Collingwood•Getty ImagesDurham needed just 17 balls to take the final Sussex wicket on Wednesday morning to secure a 309-run victory that saw them move to fourth in the Division One standings.Resuming on 41, James Tredwell edged Chris Rushworth’s second ball of the morning through the slips for four before driving the next to the cover boundary.A single took him to 50 but he was then left stranded when Lewis Hatchett edged Rushworth to third slip to wrap up a convincing Durham victory – their second of the season in the four-day format.Durham have the chance to secure their third win when they face Division One leaders Yorkshire at Headingley on July 7-10.Victorious skipper Paul Collingwood said: “I’m delighted with the performance. I wasn’t sure what to do when I won the toss and the first hour was tricky. But after that we steadily built the pressure and having people score runs down the order is crucial.”Ben Stokes changed the game in their first innings and his bowling was superb throughout. It’s good for Durham to have him when we expected him to be in the Test team.”He is the type of character who wants to prove people wrong and he has proved his fitness with long spells in this game.”Sussex, who have slipped to third bottom in the standings, are at home to bottom club Northamptonshire in their next match, starting on July 6.Coach Mark Robinson said: “We are in a relegation battle but there are so few teams in the division you are nearly always battling neat the top or bottom. We conceded too many runs in the first innings here after having them 148 for five.”