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Ravindu Shah and Hitesh Modi, two players of Indian origin held the Kenyanbatting together with constrasting half-centuries on opening day of thefirst four-day unofficial cricket Test against Sri Lanka ‘A’ at theSaravanamuttu Stadium yesterday.Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Kenya finished on 282 foreight with Shah scoring a handsome 94 spiced with 20 fours and Modi, apatient 52 in 208 minutes.All in all their total was an exceptionally good one considering the factthat their three key players, Kennedy Otieno, Steve Tikolo and skipperMaurice Odumbe made only 20 runs amongst them.The Kenyan batsmen were not afraid to punish the loose balls on a fast andbouncy pitch that gave both batsmen and bowlers equal opportunities. Thatmore than 60 percent of the runs (43 fours) Kenya scored during the day camefrom boundaries is a true reflection of how well the ball came onto thebat – pity that such pitches are seldom prepared in Test matches here.The arrival of the second new ball after 81 overs, not only gave Sri Lanka’A’ the wicket of Collin Obuyo when he was trapped lbw by Ruchira Perera for16, but also produced 40 runs off nine overs. Obuyo and Otieno Suji added 45for the ninth wicket in 52 minutes.The day however belonged to Nairobi-born 29-year-old Shah who held thecentre stage for the best part of the morning and into the afternooncompiling 94 off 135 balls. The tall right-hander with an upright stanceplayed stylishly, batting for 195 minutes before he fell at 137 when hemistimed a drive and gave leg-spinner Upul Chandana a low return catch.He held the Kenyan top order together after they had lost the key wickets ofOtieno (13), Tikolo (0) and Odumbe (7) to Perera and Prabath Nissanka. Shahhad a reprieve at 51 when Chamara Silva dropped a simple catch at square legoff Perera.”It was difficult playing under these conditions. It was quite hot outthere. The first 20 overs were testing because the ball was bouncing alittle bit,” said Shah who got a couple of first-class hundreds againststate sides on the tour to India recently.”It would have been nice if we had lost only three or four wickets at theend of the day, but it is a good first day total,” said Shah.Left-handed Modi an experienced campaigner at 30 scored his secondhalf-century against Sri Lanka hitting five fours in his 138-ball innings.He scored an unbeaten 78 against Sri Lanka in 1996, which is the highest ofhis four one-day fifties.Modi shared in stands of 59 and 47 with Shah and Thomas Odoyo who struckseven fours in a quickfire 34 off 39 balls.Perera was the pick of the Sri Lankan ‘A’ bowlers finishing the day withthree for 63.The other two quicks, Prabath Nissanka and Kaushalya Weeraratne, paid thepenalty for over pitching; each being struck for three fours in an over byShah and Modi respectively.Weeraratne was playing only his second first-class match after beingsidelined by injury since January last year and looked rather ordinary.Nissanka bowled with pace and bounce but lacked direction. When he was online he looked dangerous and had the batsmen ducking for cover.Chandana picked up the wickets of Kenya’s two main runs scorers Shah andModi to end the day with figures of two for 58.

Test captain Nasser Hussain opted to turn out for Essex in the Division Two game at Bristol because he needs runs. His hopes for a long stay in the middle were shattered though as he was out for three as Essex totalled 263.Gloucestershire’s second line seamer Mike Cawdron found a ball to keep low off a length and won an LBW shout. The 23 year old was in a purple patch of 25 deliveries which were to bring him three wickets for seven runs, the other victims being Paul Grayson who prodded a catch to extra cover for 19 and Stuart Law who fished wide outside the off to be caught at the wicket for four.Early moisture gave the home side the advantage in the morning as skipper Mark Alleyne believed it would when he won the toss. But the surface became more friendly by the hour and after losing their first five wickets in 46 overs for 161 the rearguard were able to put on 102 in 56 overs.Gloucestershire were to some extent the makers of their own misfortune for with the Benson and Hedges Cup final coming up against Glamorgan on Saturday they decided to rest four of their leading players.A win over Essex carried the promise of taking over at the top of the division but they have given their Australian Ian Harvey the match off along with Jack Russell, Kim Barnett and opening bowler Mike Smith.While the wickets were falling Gloucestershire covered well for the absentees but the lack of penetration became more evident as the day wore on.Paul Prichard had set the tone for the batting as he waited for the right ball to hit reaching his 50 with seven fours and sharing his most productive stand of 86 with Ronnie Irani for the fourth wicket.With three wickets gone Irani set out to rattle the bowling, Jon Lewis in particular, and he crashed 16 runs in one over off Lewis who began the day with more first-class wickets than anyone else this season.Alleyne had to cover for him and although Lewis came back to bowl a total of 17 overs there were no wickets for him and he went for 64. While Irani was making 52 of their 86 runs Prichard was accumulating steadily and looked certain to reach his 100 for he had never looked in trouble but he fell four runs short.Facing his 170th ball he drove it straight towards Tim Hancock at mid-off. There could have been a hotly scampered single there in a tight finish but there was no need to look for one.Prichard though called and was well out of his ground when Hancock threw down his wicket.Prichard had hit 13 fours and Essex were needing a stabiliser. They found him in wicket keeper Mark Hyam who led a sturdy tail end fight which brought in a second batting point. A third half century of the day saw him to 53 with five fours until he was picked up in the slips by Rob Cunliffe off his 169th ball.Essex could be pleased with the first day, it was a case not of getting out of jail but of not getting into trouble. For Gloucestershire there must have been regrets at the way they had weakened their side – in football it would have attracted an inquiry and a large fine – but at least their deputy wicket keeper Reggie Williams had something to celebrate.In 11 summers with the county this is only his 38th first-class game for he has been kept in the background by Russell but he showed with three brilliant catches he is as sharp as anyone around. Stuart Law chased a wideish ball to find his right glove at full stretch for 4, Darren Robinson fell to a leg side spectacular without scoring and finally Tim Mason saw one fly off the handle into the gloves.That last dismissal gave Williams his 100th first-class catch which showed what Glamorgan and Notts missed when Gloucestershire offered him to either of them so he could have the chance of regular cricket his talents deserve.Facing one over before the close Gloucestershire were five without loss.

A new report has hinted that Rodrigo’s future could lie away from Leeds United, following the sacking of manager Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: Bielsa sacked as manager

The Argentine lost his job on Sunday, following a dreadful run of form that saw the Whites ship 14 goals in the space of three matches against Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham.

It was an extremely sad day at Leeds, however, given the manner in which Bielsa transformed the club in 2018 and guided his team back into the Premier League.

Jesse Marsch has been named as his replacement and the hope is of course that he can enjoy similar levels of success in the coming years, though you have to wonder if any replacement could motivate the fan base quite the way Bielsa did.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Rodrigo unsettled

According to Las Provincias [via Sport Witness], Rodrigo has suffered a big blow because of Bielsa’s sacking, with the 66-year-old ‘one of the main reasons’ he joined Leeds.

It is stated that the striker is now ‘facing his toughest time’ at the club, potentially suggesting that he could move on in the near future.

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The Verdict: Blow for Marsch

Hailed as a ‘phenomenon’ by former teammate Neto, there is no denying that Rodrigo has been a disappointment at Leeds despite some flashes of his talent, coming in as the club’s record signing in 2020 but scoring just 10 goals in 50 appearances.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Should his form continue to be hit-and-miss, it is easy to envisage a scenario where he moves on at the end of the season, perhaps being replaced in the number ten role by Brenden Aaronson.

Either way, it is an immediate blow for the new boss at Elland Road if he already has unsettled players just 24 hours after arriving. It is absolutely crucial that he gets the players on side with every passing fixture becoming increasingly important given their position in the table.

In other news, Leeds have been backed to sign one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Chris Gayle: ‘I have been doing work in the nets and trying to get back in the groove again’ © Getty Images

Crisis follows crisis with unrelenting frequency in West Indies cricket and the latest, already formed, has become more pressing three days before the first Test against South Africa on Boxing Day.As their feeble batting crumbled to their second meagre total and three-day defeat in East London against South Africa’s second-string team on Friday, there remained doubt over whether captain Chris Gayle would regain fitness by then and be able to lead the team for the first time in a Test.Media manager Philip Spooner said on Friday that the decision would be delayed until the eve of the match after day-by-day assessments by the medical staff, physiotherapists Jacqui Mowat-King and recently arrived Australian, CJ Smith. Gayle, who tore his right hamstring muscle in the second ODI in Zimbabwe on December 2, has returned to batting practice in the nets and resumed catching, running and stretching exercises, Spooner said.But Gayle was realistic in his assessment of his injury. “I’ve been getting better and I’m really looking forward to playing in Port Elizabeth,” he added. “Physically I’m feeling strong again and mentally I’m there. I have been doing work in the nets and trying to get back in the groove again.”Gayle is not only captain, albeit in place of the injured Ramnaresh Sarwan, but even more significantly the only available batsman apart from the perennial Shivnarine Chanderpaul with more than 50 Tests (68) and an average better than 35 (38.28). His handy offspin would also be missed in an attack based around pace.He has thrived on his previous trips to South Africa, with two hundreds in three Tests and an average of 61, plus an unbeaten 152 in the final ODI, four years ago and 117 against the home team in the ICC World Twenty20 Championship last September.The seriousness of his absence at the top of the order was simply emphasised by the double failure of the two openers, Devon Smith and Daren Ganga, in the East London match, the only one prior to the three back-to-back Tests. The left-handed Smith was out for ten and five, making a grand total of 51 runs in eight innings in matches in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Ganga, who played the first of his 45 spasmodic Tests here nine years ago, fell for 10 and 0, his first innings on tour since he was not in the ODI squad in Zimbabwe. For both, such setbacks would be psychologically shattering. Both struggled in the last series in England last summer, and must be aware they have all but exhausted their chances.The only other opener in the team is Brenton Parchment, the one newcomer, whose highest score in his four knocks on tour have been 15, 25, 5 and 10.Ironically, injury also kept Gayle inactive during the 2003-04 tour. He pulled a calf muscle on the first day of the first Test in which he batted at No.9 with a runner and missed the second. On his return, he blasted a 78-ball hundred (eventually 116) in the third Test, 145 in the next match against Easterns, 77 and 107 in the fourth and final Test and 152 not out in the final ODI.

Multan 211 (Saeed Anwar Jr 71) and 125 for 5 (Saeed Anwar Jr 60) lead Islamabad 180 (Naeem Anjum 67, Kamran Hussain 4-67) by 136 runs
ScorecardIslamabad who began superbly by restricting Multan to only 211 for 9 on the first day of their Silver League final match at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad, found themselves in serious trouble at the end of the second day, when they were bowled out for only 180, and conceded a first-innings lead of 31 runs.When the day began, Islamabad – who were on the receiving end of a battering when this match was originally played some time ago, where Multan scored 514 for 9 declared, and then had Islamabad at 212 for 5 before rain caused an abandonment and subsequent replaying of the game – had the upper hand. They managed to capture the last remaining Multan wicket without an addition to the overnight score, and from there on should have made it count.Instead, they kept losing wickets, mostly to Kamran Hussain, who picked up four of the top six, and were in danger of being humiliated at 69 for 7. Fortunately for Islamabad, whose top-order had failed en masse, Naeem Anjum, the wicketkeeper, fought back with 67 at No. 8 and was well supported by Rauf Akbar, who made 32. In the end, they mustered 180 from 45.1 overs.Multan’s reply, while not emphatic, was marked by an emphatic 60 from Saeed Anwar Jr., the man who had scored the bulk of the runs in the first innings. Other batsmen struggled and the score was pushed to 125 for 4 at the end of the day. Multan’s overall lead was 156, and if they can add more, it might just be enough in this low-scoring final.The winner of the final gets to be promoted to the first division Gold League circuit of the next season. This match is actually a replay of the Silver League final that was played in Lahore last month. There was no play on the last two days due to rain and the first innings issue remained unresolved. Multan were dominating when the match was called off. Now, they appear to be in the position to return to the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League Championship, after having been demoted to the Silver League as they had finished at the bottom of the Gold League last season.

Jason Gillespie is set for his county debut at Headingley © Getty Images

Jason Gillespie, the Australian fast bowler, will represent Yorkshire in the northern summer as the county’s second Australian overseas professional alongside Darren Lehmann. Gillespie has committed himself to the County Championship and one-day competitions, but he has opted out of the Twenty20 Cup because he doesn’t enjoy the format.”I’ve got a few weeks off then I’m off to Yorkshire and looking forward to it … it’ll be my first time with an English county,” Gillespie told . “I will play the full season but I probably won’t play much Twenty 20 because I don’t like the game and it’s probably not suited to someone like me who can’t bat and field.”Gillespie, who was left out of the Australian squad after a disastrous Ashes tour in 2005, hit a purple patch in the Australian domestic season with 40 wickets in nine Pura Cup games, including three five-wicket hauls. He was also overlooked for the Test series in South Africa when the selectors recalled Michael Kasprowicz to the bowling line-up, which was short of experience in the absence of Glenn McGrath.Gillespie has fond memories of Headingley, the Yorkshire home ground. In 1997 he demolished England with 7 for 37 to guide Australia to victory.

The executive of the Barbados Cricket Association survived a no-confidence vote brought by more than 100 members on Wednesday.The motion called for the resignations of Stephen Alleyne, the president, David Holford and Owen Estwick, both vice-presidents, Orson Simpson, the treasurer, and Philip Nicholls, the secretary. It followed a heated meeting last July when the financial standing of some of the officials was questioned. It was defeated by 95 votes to 51 with 13 absentions.”The membership have affirmed there was no impropriety in the behaviour of the officers as was alleged by the requisition,” Nichols told the Barbados-based Nation newspaper. “Those who attended the meeting would know that no evidence was led to suggest impropriety. Instead, there was a lot of mud-slinging.”There was also, Nichols claimed, a dispute over the motion itself, and he claimed that some people who had allegedly demanded the meeting had said that they had been misled. “It was found for what it was, namely a scurrilous attempt at besmirching the good name of the officers of the association.”

Lincoln Green’s reputation, at the High Performance Centre, lived up to its reputation as one of the finest batting surfaces in the country as the New Zealand Academy Selection scored 349 for 9 on the first day of their two-day match with Otago yesterday.With a warm north-westerly blowing, conditions were ideal, and the Academy Selection opening batsmen Jesse Ryder and Mark Richardson revelled in an opening stand of 173 runs. The situation suited Ryder’s inherent aggression and the timing of his innings was consistently just below run a ball pace. His half-century was scored off 69 balls while Richardson took a much more typical role in taking the anchor role, although his 50 took only 76 balls, but 20 minutes slower than Ryder.By lunch, Ryder was on 95, having hit 17 fours and one six, as the Academy were 160 without loss. But after adding two runs after lunch, Ryder was run out, for the third successive time in innings with Richardson. The break in their stand resulted in Richardson also departing, when attempting a reverse-sweep off Nathan Morland’s bowling, for 75.A 61-run partnership between Peter Fulton and Neil Broom maintained the scoring momentum but it was broken when Bradley Scott struck to dismiss Broom. Scott also claimed Fulton’s wicket, for 43, when he was caught behind. The best of the rest of the batting came from Ross Taylor who scored 52 before the Academy Selection went to stumps at 349-9, having lost their last seven wickets for 105 runs.The rewards went to Scott and McSkimming who took three wickets in tiring conditions for bowlers.Brief scoreboard:New Zealand Academy Selection 349-9 (J Ryder 97, M Richardson 75, R Taylor 52, P Fulton 43, B Scott 3-67, W McSkimming 3-85) met Otago

Rain has caused the cancellation of the first days of the Gillette and Yoplait Cup tournaments in Palmerston North, for the first time in their history.The national secondary schools’ finals are a traditional part of the cricket scene now and fortunately for organisers, the possibility of rain had been covered in the rules surrounding the tournament.What will happen now is that tomorrow’s second day of games will continue as scheduled.And to give the games an extra bite, the winners will now play a straight final on Tuesday with the losers playing off for third and fourth, in both competitions.The decision to abandon play was made early today and teams have spent their day at the indoor centre in Palmerston North practising.

ScorecardFile photo: Rajat Paliwal’s 121 laid the foundation of Services’ innings•Dainik Dabang Dunia

Rajat Paliwal’s first century of the season led Services’ batting effort on the first day of their Ranji clash against Saurashtra in Delhi, but a six-wicket haul from Jaydev Unadkat meant the hosts were bowled out for 254. Services, after being inserted, lost three early wickets, but Paliwal and Yashpal Singh stabilised the innings by joining hands for a fourth-wicket stand which yielded 112 runs. Paliwal was eventually dismissed for 121, after striking 19 fours and a six. His wicket sparked a collapse, as Services lost their last seven wickets for just 83 runs. Yashpal remained unbeaten on 55, but no other batsman contributed more than 16, as Unadkat collected 6 for 80 to bundle Services out in 69 overs. Ravindra Jadeja, who had taken six consecutive five-fors coming into this game, finished wicketless from his nine overs. Saurashtra were 19 for 0 in reply when stumps were called.
ScorecardMithun Manhas made his 26th first-class hundred to lead Jammu & Kashmir to 331 for 4 against Hyderabad. J&K were 29 for 2 after losing their openers in successive overs before Ian Dev Singh and Manhas came together for a 189-run partnership. Manhas put on another 113 for the fourth wicket with Parvez Rasool after Ian Dev departed for 83. The J&K captain stretched his knock to 150 off 194 balls, with 21 fours and three sixes, till he fell off what proved to be the last ball of the day. Rasool remained unbeaten on 61 off 97 with ten fours.
ScorecardUdiyan Bose scored an unbeaten 95 to steer a wobbly Tripura line-up to 223 for 7 against Himachal Pradesh. Barring two fifty partnerships for the third and fifth wickets, Tripura were unable to build stable stands. Bose was involved in both, with Parvinder Singh (23) and allrounder Manisankar Murasingh (44). Tripura managed to lose a wicket off the last ball of the day as well, but Bose was around at the other end on 95 off 239, with 12 fours and a six. Akshay Chauhan picked up two wickets for Himachal.
ScorecardOvernight rain in Jamshedpur meant no play was possible in the Ranji clash between Jharkhand and Goa.