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Lancashire to put matches behind paywall; Hampshire v Somerset, and more: county cricket – live | County Championship
Key events
Another wicket at Southampton – this time for Lewis Gregory, fit and firing again. Hampshire 83-3. Another catch for James Rew, who gets a mention in this piece about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and young talent:
A delay at Bristol, where wicketkeeper Matty Hurst has hurt himself, but seems to be fit to continue after a bit of physio patchwork. No news yet on ASD or possible replacement.
Mmmm, curious choice by Beau Webster to open his shoulders and tee off against Shane Snater. Stumps splattered, though he does play an excellent forward-defensive as he walks off. Warwicks 48-4.
Interesting that a couple of the states – Queesland and New South Wales – are resistant to selling stakes in the BBL franchises.
Hampshire had the best of the first hour in Southampton, with Tom Prest tucking into Jack Leach. But Craig Overton has just sent him on his way, caught by James Rew for 17. A wicket too for the impressive young quick Alfie Ogborne. Hampshire, who won the toss and chose to bat, 51-2.
Not a huge surprise that Jamie Porter and Sam Cook are proving tricky April customers. Porter now has 3-16 from his five overs, Mousley the latest to be sent on his way, lbw for 10. Cook has had a catch dropped.
Warwicks 26-3, Webster and Hain with the toolbelts.
This is a great interview by Phil Walker with the idiosyncratic and brilliant Sarah Taylor.
Mighty Northants, flayers of Kent, have Middlesex 22-3, two wickets to Australia’s Harry Conway who has had a fabulous start to the season – 15 wickets and counting.
Good morning Em Jackson!
“Clearly, as an ex-Glos player, hoping that Ajeet Singh-Dale is OK after what looked like a horrible injury & what the subs rule was actually designed for.
“More generally, it’s’ the third week of three that schools around the country have had Easter holidays. So when the 4-day game is desperate for new fans, how have we only got 4 matches this weekend? Seems madness.
”Anyway, hoping Glos. are at the very least still in the game on Day 4 this week!”
Good point on the holidays. I do have sympathy for those in charge of the schedule, it’s not easy, and counties can make various requests that we are not aware of. I’m not totally convinced Glos will be still going on Monday – their banker Cameron Bancroft has just been run-out going for a dopey single – Glos 22 for one.
Bad news for Lancs at Bristol, where Ajeet Singh Dale seems to have done something nasty to his hamstring and has limped off. A real shame on his return to his old club. Glos 8-0.
A fascinating piece by Emma John, with a mention of Benny Howell of Hants, Glos and more.
No mistake this time for third slip Walter, as the ball nestles in his midrift. A second wicket for Porter – Rob Yates gone for 8. Warwicks 12-2. Looks a bit dank out there at Edgbaston.
A slippery drop at third slip, saves Warwickshire from the doldrums of 12-2. Sam Cook the bowler, Dan Mousley the lucky batter. Alex Davies, keeping wicket for the first time this season, was out first ball to Jamie Porter. Warwickshire 12-1.
Lancashire to charge for Lancs TV
A big announcement from Lancs between rounds – they are going to start charging punters to watch TV coverage of all men’s matches, starting with the CC match against Middlesex at Old Trafford on Friday 8 May. This will be via LancsTV+.
All women’s games will remain free via Lancs TV. For CC games, the first ten mins will be streamed and then viewers will be able to access radio commentary/scorecards.
Members get access to the stream for free, otherwise it costs £20 for the season.
It follows fast on the heels of the decision to end the agreement with production company Badger and Combes.
Wisden Cricketer’s Almanack No 163
The latest issue of the fat yellow book is out, the launch dinner at Lord’s on Tuesday.
The Five Cricketers of the Year are: Haseeb Hameed, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jajeja, Rishabh Pant and Mohammed Siraj
Lawrence Booth, the original Spin correspondent, who was once my work experience kid and has been annoyingly brilliant ever since, is unsparing in his Editor’s notes.
Weatherwatch
Brrrr. Damp and chilly here in Manchester. The Met Office says:
A band of rain will gradually move eastwards across the UK today, although not reaching the southeast until evening. Largely dry, bright and warm ahead of the rain, with blustery and occasionally heavy showers following.
Gary Naylor’s talking points.
Fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Somerset
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Essex
DIVISION TWO
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Lancashire
Northampton: Northants v Middlesex
Preamble
Good morning! We’re already rolling through the the weeks, picking up pace as the spring starts to blossom. Just four rounds this week – for reasons I can’t explain – but we’ll be able to keep a close eye on events at the RoseBowl, Edgbaston, Bristol and Northampton. Pull up a chair and join us, play starts at 11am BST.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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