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The WICB has announced changes to the dates for the two-Test series between West Indies and Australia, with the matches being advanced by two days

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Apr-2015The West Indies Cricket Board has announced changes to the dates for the two-Test series between West Indies and Australia, with the matches being advanced by two days.The first Test will now start on June 3 in Dominica, while the second Test will be played from June 11 at Sabina Park in Jamaica. The three-day tour game, originally scheduled to begin on May 30 at North Sound, will now be played from May 27 to 29.”We are fully aware that there are a number of fans planning to travel around and to the Caribbean for the Australia tour, and we want to explain to them that the change was absolutely necessary, due to a number of logistical challenges beyond our control,” WICB Manager, Cricket Operations Roland Holder said.

New South Wales lost Ryan Carters in the closing minutes of play to find themselves in a precarious position against Victoria entering the final day of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2014
ScorecardPeter Handscomb and Dan Christian stretched Victoria’s lead with a 206-run stand•Getty ImagesNew South Wales lost Ryan Carters in the closing minutes of play to find themselves in a precarious position against Victoria entering the final day of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.Carters was well set on 58 but fended a bouncer from Marcus Stoinis to gully to leave the Blues two wickets down and still needing 35 runs to make the Bushrangers bat again.The majority of the day was dominated by Peter Handscomb and Dan Christian, who put together a free-spirited, sixth-wicket partnership of 206 to stretch Victoria’s lead over an inexperienced Blues XI.They took particularly heavy toll on the untested spin duo of Patrick Jackson and Will Somerville, who returned combined figures of 0 for 195 from 38 overs. The Bushrangers’ legspinner Fawad Ahmed will hope for better on day four.

William Bosisto, the Western Australia batsman and part-time offspinner, has been suspended from bowling in Cricket Australia competitions

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2014William Bosisto, the Western Australia batsman and part-time offspinner, was found to have an illegal action and has been suspended from bowling in Cricket Australia competitions.He was reported by the on-field umpires at a Futures League match at home against Victoria on October 30 and was tested in Brisbane under the board’s Doubtful Action Procedure.”Analysis conducted at the Bupa National Cricket Centre found that all of Bosisto’s tested offspin deliveries were in excess of the allowed 15-degrees of elbow extension and therefore the bowler was deemed to have an illegal bowling action,” a CA press release said.Bosisto, 21, can resume bowling only after passing another analysis, which he can request for in another 90 days. However, he can continue playing as a batsman. That was how he had caught they eye during the Under-19 World Cup in 2012 when he led Australia to the final and was their top-scorer in the tournament. He made his first-class debut in the last Sheffield Shield season and has played three matches, in addition to a List A game.Cricket Australia has been stringent against suspect actions and had suspended Cameron Gannon in April 2013, however the Queensland seamer cleared a subsequent test and has since returned to bowling.

Hyderabad will not host any matches in the upcoming Champions League T20, due to security reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2013Hyderabad will not host any matches in the upcoming Champions League T20, due to security reasons. The 12 qualifiers and group matches scheduled to be held in Hyderabad will be shared by Mohali, Ranchi and Ahmedabad.The qualifying matches on September 17, 18, 20 and a Group B double-header on September 24 will now be played in Mohali. Ranchi will host a double-header on September 28 while Ahmedabad will host a double-header on September 30.Last week, Andhra Pradesh state police said that they would not be able to provide adequate security for the matches as they clash with the Ganesh immersion festival. The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) had stated that the question mark over security was only restricted to the qualifiers and they were confident the police would provide adequate security for the group games.Altered schedule

September 17 – Faisalabad Wolves v Otago/ Kandurata Maroons v Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mohali

September 18 – Kandurata Maroons v Otago/Faisalabad Wolves v Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mohali

September 20 – Faisalabad Wolves v Kandurata Maroons/ Otago v Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mohali

September 24 – Brisbane Heat v Titans/Trinidad & Tobago v Qualifier 2, Mohali

September 28 – Titans v Qualifier 2/ Brisbane Heat v Chennai Super Kings, Ranchi

September 30 – Titans v Trinidad & Tobago/ Brisbane Heat v Qualifier 2, Ahmedabad

However, the decision to shift all the games may have been taken due to the Hyderabad police being non-committal.”Police had said that they will not be able to provide security for the qualifiers due to Ganapati immersions. And for the league games, they would take a call based on the prevalent situation,” MV Sridhar, the HCA secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.”So it was up to the CLT20 governing council to take a call.”This isn’t the first time Hyderabad has been stripped of matches in recent years. In the 2010 IPL, all of Deccan Chargers’ home games were played at Nagpur, Cuttack and Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium due to political agitations in the state.

Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has conceded that the series defeat to Bangladesh has made the team uneasy, but the side is also focused on a long-term goal of the 2015 World Cup

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur31-Oct-2013Kyle Mills, the New Zealand fast bowler, has conceded that the series defeat to Bangladesh has made the team uneasy, but said the side is also focused on a long-term goal of the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand lost the second ODI in Mirpur by 40 runs to concede the three-match series to Bangladesh. The loss was also their sixth successive defeat against Bangladesh in completed matches, dating back to the last bilateral series between the two sides in 2010.”We are trying to build a team towards the 2015 World Cup,” Mills said. “It is in 15 months’ time and that’s the most important thing right now. The conditions in Australia and New Zealand are going to be a lot different from here. Corey Anderson and James Neesham are going to be prepared for the pressure-cooker environment in that tournament. But we have learned a lot in the past few weeks.”Every loss puts pressure on players and management. We have been a good one-day side in the past 12 months, winning series overseas but we lost here. Everyone is going to be on edge, naturally.”It’s an interesting way to view the events in Mirpur over the last three days. The composition of the New Zealand ODI squad suggests they are planning for the 50-over World Cup more than a year away, particularly with their choice of medium-paced allrounders. However, it would be silly to think they weren’t adequately prepared to win in Bangladesh. New Zealand’s last series loss to Bangladesh was a blow to the country’s cricket and New Zealand Cricket intervened after the loss, conducting a review of the tour.In spite of focusing on the big picture, New Zealand went down on Thursday night by 40 runs, a big defeat for a team ranked above Bangladesh. Early wickets didn’t allow the visitors momentum and they failed to put together a decent partnership that would threaten the home side. The batsmen let down the bowlers, who kept things tight on a good batting wicket and bowled Bangladesh out for 247, a below-par score batting first at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.”We didn’t get off to the greatest starts, we lost early wickets. Every time we tried to build a partnership, we lost a wicket,” Mills said. “Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson, and then Brendon McCullum and Taylor, got a partnership going but we lost wickets there. It let us down a little bit.”We did well with the ball. Corey Anderson and James Neesham really stepped up. That’s definitely a total we could have chased down. The conditions were difficult, but the partnerships let us down.”Brendon McCullum has not scored too many runs on this tour and the side would have missed Kane Williamson, out due to injury. But Mills was adamant about the team’s improvement, mainly due to New Zealand’s series victories against South Africa and England earlier this year.”I don’t think it [Bangladesh’s winning streak] is a mental block whatsoever,” he said. “We beat South Africa and England recently on their shores. Bangladesh are a good cricket side in their own conditions. Everyone’s building towards the 2015 World Cup. Conditions will be lot different for them there.”New Zealand’s biggest target now would be to ensure they don’t go down 3-0, which will be a repeat of the whitewash they endured in 2010. The third and final ODI of the series is at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, a ground on which they have never played a game.”I think we can [avoid the whitewash]. We were not too far in the first game but Rubel got three wickets from three balls. It was obviously disappointing tonight,” he said. “It is a tough challenge here to play in these conditions. We want to end ODI series on a high. Everyone will be up no doubt.”

Following a miserable season in all formats, the Mumbai Cricket Association has reinstated Sandeep Patil, the chairman of the national selection panel, as its chief selector

Amol Karhadkar07-Apr-2014Following a miserable season in all formats, the Mumbai Cricket Association has reinstated Sandeep Patil, the chairman of the national selection panel, as its chief selector. Patil, who took over both the roles on October 1, 2012, had resigned as a Mumbai selector previously citing lack of time for local responsibilities.”After our bad performance this season, he himself was [interested]. He got in touch with the MCA and made himself available,” MCA joint secretary Dr PV Shetty told ESPNcricinfo.The MCA has also formulated a new rule by which only those individuals who have played at least 25 first-class matches are eligible to become senior selectors. As a result, the new-look selection committee will feature Patil, former captain Milind Rege, Sanjay Patil and Nishit Shetty. None of the people in last year’s selection panel – Deepak Jadhav, Paras Mhambrey, Rajesh Sutar and Ravi Thakkar – have been included.The selection committee overhaul will have to be followed up with the appointment of a new coach. Following Mumbai’s failure to qualify for the Ranji Trophy semi-finals last year, MCA sacked Sulakshan Kulkarni as the coach.The team continued its mediocre run during the limited-overs tournaments under stand-in coach Lalchand Rajput, finishing at the bottom of the West Zone one-day league and failing to qualify for the national Super League of the domestic Twenty20 tournament.

Zimbabwe’s cricketers have been assured they will be paid in full in the next 10 days, according to a senior player

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2014Zimbabwe’s cricketers have been assured they will be paid in full in the next 10 days, according to a senior player. Should the salaries come through, resumption of the domestic competition will take place as soon as February 10, with a twenty-over tournament in preparation for the World Twenty20 later this month.A meeting was held between players, technical staff and Zimbabwe Cricket officials at Harare Sports Club to resolve the strike which has put Zimbabwe’s domestic season on hold for more than a month. According to a ZC press release, ZC chairman Peter Chingoka said that arrangements had been made to “pay all the outstanding salaries and match fees”. A meeting on Monday will decide details of a training camp ahead of the World Twenty20 which starts in March.ZC could have the money to pay players thanks to an ICC loan they had applied for, which was discussed at this week’s ICC meeting in Dubai. The money, along with a sponsorship deal from potato chip company Lay’s, will not cover ZC’s entire debt of up to US$18 million, but it should allow the board to compensate players and coaches, and conduct matches.Zimbabwe have not played international cricket since September, when they were visited by Pakistan and then had three series put on the backburner. Sri Lanka’s tour to Zimbabwe, scheduled for last October, was postponed due to lack of funds, while a limited-overs series against Afghanistan that was due to take place in January and an offer to play off a one-off Test against South Africa next week were both cancelled because of the player boycott.No domestic cricket tournaments have been played in Zimbabwe since mid-December when the players decided to go on strike over non-payment of dues. The boycott has left Zimbabwe woefully short of match practice ahead of a major tournament.

Birmingham City have opened the door for Wayne Rooney to join Tom Brady at St. Andrew’s, with manager John Eustace surprisingly sacked.

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Blues riding high in the second tierHave parted company with bossLinked with ex-England captainWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues currently sit sixth in the Championship table, with an 18-point haul from 11 games enough to have them perched inside the play-off places. The Blues enjoyed a 3-1 derby win over West Midlands rivals West Brom last time out, but Eustace has now been axed as the club prepares to head in a different direction.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT THEY SAID

Birmingham have said in a statement on the club’s : “It is essential that the Board of Directors and the football management are fully aligned on the importance of implementing a winning mentality and a culture of ambition across the entire Football Club. With this in mind, Birmingham City has today parted company with Head Coach, John Eustace. Eustace departs after 15 months in charge, having helped to stabilise and strengthen the Club on the pitch following his appointment in July 2022.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Blues have also said that “a new First Team Manager will be announced in the coming days who will be responsible for creating an identity and clear ‘no fear’ playing style that all Birmingham City teams will adopt and embrace". It may be that Manchester United legend Rooney is charged with the task of guiding the second tier club forward.

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GettyWHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Rooney has walked away from his role at MLS side D.C. United, with the ex-England captain and former Derby boss planning a return to his homeland. His profile would fit the bill at St. Andrew’s, with Birmingham drawing up ambitious plans after already seeing NFL icon Brady invest in the club alongside Knighthead Capital Management LLC.

A remarkable recovery from Punjab has now made them favourites to get maximum points against Delhi, unless the likes of Gautam Gambhir or Virender Sehwag can chase down a daunting 327 on the final day, with just seven wickets in hand

Amit Shetty24-Dec-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Jiwanjot Singh struck 20 fours during his 147•ESPNcricinfo LtdA remarkable recovery from Punjab, led by an impressive showing from their batsmen in the second innings, has now made them favourites to get maximum points against Delhi, unless the likes of Gautam Gambhir or Virender Sehwag can chase down a daunting 327 on the final day, with just seven wickets in hand.Delhi ended the day at 60 for three, with Unmukt Chand, Vaibhav Rawal and the ever-dependable Mithun Manhas all back in the pavilion. Their captain Gambhir, though, remained unbeaten on 22, while Sehwag is likely to arrive at the crease early in the morning as Delhi require another 267.After Jiwanjot Singh’s 147 helped Punjab recover from their 74 all out in the first innings, Mandeep Singh,along with solid contributions from the lower order, took the visitors’ score to 402, with the wicketkeeper Gitansh Khera and No. 10 Siddarth Kaul sharing a partnership of 41 runs for the ninth wicketPunjab’s batsmen played two sessions on the day to add 225 runs to their overnight score of 177 for 3. This was largely possible due to Mandeep’s attacking knock of 80 off 113 balls that had eight well-timed fours and a pulled six over midwicket off Ashish Nehra’s bowling. Mandeep upped the ante, while Jiwanjot continued playing the role of a sheet anchor, as 105 runs came in the first session.With Parvinder Awana not being in a position to bowl due to back problems, Gambhir had limited options. The ball got old and it became easy for the batsmen to score.As Mandeep went for big shots, Jiwanjot continued to play his natural game of holding one end up and hitting only the odd loose deliveries for boundaries. He was handed a reprieve on 115 when Chand dropped him off Nehra’s bowling at third slip, drawing Gambhir’s ire.Mandeep was out just before lunch when a Navdeep Saini delivery kept low, getting him plumb in front but, by then, he and Jiwanjot had already added 159 for the fourth wicket. Jiwanjot’s seven-hour long vigil ended after the second new ball was taken, as he edged one from Saini to wicketkeeper Rahul Yadav.Gurkeerat Singh, Jaskaran Singh and Sandeep Sharma didn’t contribute much and Punjab were reduced to 329 for 8 in the 105th over. However, the Delhi bowlers gave away easy runs as last two wickets produced an invaluable 73 runs to beef up Punjab’s total.Khera played a pivotal role, hitting seven fours with most of the shots being square of the wicket. With Navdeep bowling a wrong line and Gambhir not having a point, singles and boundaries in the region between backward point and third-man were there for the taking.Delhi began their chase poorly as Chand shouldered arms to an incutter from Sandeep and was adjudged lbw, in the first over.Rawal joined his captain Gambhir and looked in good touch, but the latter once again looked raw – playing and missing a few. Rawal hit some elegant drives to keep the scoreboard moving and the duo added 59 runs for the second wicket, but the extra 30 minutes that was scheduled to cover up for lost time became Delhi’s undoing.First, Rawal dragged a delivery from Manpreet Gony back to his stumps and Manhas was removed by Jaskaran Singh with a ball that darted in.Nehra was sent in as the nightwatchman, but the onus will be on Gambhir and Sehwag on day four, to try and salvage something from the game.

Though their Blaugrana home kits are iconic, Barca have also delivered some tasty alternative strips over the years

Barcelona's red and blue stripes may be famous, but the Catalan club has shown throughout its history that it can still put together an impressive away shirt. Indeed, the Blaugrana have been toying with creative and colorful designs for nearly 50 years, coming up with some absolute beauties at various points.

From the bright yellow donned by the famous "MSN" attacking trio, to the classic Cruyff diagonal stripe shirt of the 1970s, Barca have donned some classics.

And so following the release of Barcelona's new away kit for the 2023-24 season, GOAL takes a look at some of the best away and third kits to have ever been worn by the Spanish giants…

Getty Images10Ronaldinho's toe poke genius (2003-05)

Ronaldinho loved a long-sleeved Barcelona kit. He had plenty of memorable moments in them, highlighted by a now-famous Man-of-the-Match performance at Santiago Bernabeu that brought Real Madrid fans to their feet.

This shirt, meanwhile, was associated with another iconic moment, the Brazilian's toe-poke finish from outside the box against Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League last 16. Although Jose Mourinho's Blues would go on to win, this kit is associated with one of great European goals.

Advertisement9Catalan stripes (2013-14)

This strip was a special one for local Barca fans. For the first time in the club's history, Barcelona donned a kit based on the Catalan flag. There were other details that connected it to the club's local roots, too, including the "Mes que un club" motto stitched onto the back of the neck lining.

Outside of the local area, the kit split opinion. And as some publications pointed out, the Blaugrana enjoyed limited success in the shirt, going winless in their first five contests wearing it.

Still, its homage to Barcelona's Catalan heritage made the kit important in its own right.

Getty Images8Soon to be a classic? (2022-23)

Can a kit released so recently be considered among the best ever? This gold strip from the most recent season certainly makes a case.

It's one of the best shirts Nike has designed for Barca for some time, with its bold colourway paying homage to some of Barcelona's memorable kits of the early 2000s (more on that later), as well as the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Olympic Games that were held in the city.

And it will be associated with success, too. The Blaugrana won back the Liga title in 2023, an achievement that will forever immortalise this kit.

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Getty Images7R9 in a Kappa classic (1996-97)

Ronaldo only played for Barcelona for one year. And in those 12 glorious months, he donned some memorable kits. The home shirt, an effortlessly cool reimagination of the classic 80s strip, is one of the best ever. And the away one wasn't bad, either.

The Brazilian wore it while playing out one of the best individual seasons in Barcelona's history. Ronaldo scored 47 times in 49 appearances, including 34 in the league. And although his time in Catalunya ended after one year, he will forever be associated with breathtaking goals and classic kits.