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قال موقع “ليفربول إيكو” إن فريق ريال مدريد الإسباني، مستعد لسماع العروض التي يمكن أن تُقدم إلى الفرنسي لاعب خط الوسط، أوريلين تشواميني ومرحب ببيعه إذا كان العرض مغريًا، الصيف المقبل.

ويرغب ليفربول في تعزيز صفوفه، خاصة في مركز خط الوسط، وبعد الانسحاب من صفقة الإنجليزي جودي بيلينجهام، فقد ربطت الصحافة، النادي بأسماء عدة لاعبين في هذا المركز.

وكان ليفربول منافسًا رئيسيًا، الصيف الماضي، لنادي ريال مدريد، من أجل الحصول على تشواميني، لكن لاعب موناكو السابق قرر الانتقال إلى نادي العاصمة الإسبانية.

اقرأ أيضًا.. هدف يفصل محمد صلاح عن تحقيق رقمين تاريخيين مع ليفربول

ومن ضمن الأسماء التي ترتبط بنادي ليفربول، من أجل انتقال ممكن في الصيف المقبل، الإنجليزي ماسون ماونت، الهولندي ريان جرافنبرخ، الأرجنتيني ألكسيس ماك أليستر، البرتغالي ماتيوس نونيز، الإكوادوري مويسيس كايسيدو، الإيطالي نيكولو باريلا.

وكان يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، قد قال: “عليك أن تدرك ما يمكنك فعله، ومقدار الأموال التي لديك، ثم ما يمكنك فعله بذلك، إذا قال طفل إنه يريد سيارة فيراري لعيد الميلاد، فأنت تقول إننا لا نستطيع تحملها ولا يمكنك القيادة على أي حال!”، في إشارة إلى الانسحاب من صفقة بيلينجهام بسبب المبلغ المالي.

علق أيمن يونس لاعب الزمالك السابق، على خسارة الفريق أمام البنك الأهلي بثلاثية نظيفة، بالمباراة التي انتهت منذ قليل ضمن منافسات دور الـ16 من كأس الرابطة المصرية.

المباراة أقيمت على ملعب استاد المقاولون العرب في خضم منافسات دور الـ16، ليخسر الفارس الأبيض بطاقة صعوده للدور ربع النهائي.

وقال أيمن يونس في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “هذه المباراة كانت فخًا لأمور كثيرة، أظهرت اللاعبين على حقيقتهم، لا أريد أن أكون قاسيًا على اللاعبين والمدرب”.

طالع | الفرق المتأهلة لدور الـ8 من كأس رابطة الأندية المصرية وتحديد المواجهات

وأضاف: “كمدير فني هؤلاء هم اللاعبين الذين يمتلكهم، لكن الجماعية ليست موجودة، والفردية تُسيطر على الفريق”.

وأوضح: “10 دقائق كارثية، لا يوجد التزام دفاعي وأخطاء بالجُملة، ما هو الانطباع الذي نأخذه من الخروج من كأس الرابطة؟ أن نقف على اللاعبين الذين يُمكنهم الاستمرار ومن سيرحل”.

وأكمل: “البنك الأهلي فاز اليوم ليس بالنتيجة فقط بل بالثقة بالنفس، وكلها خسائر للزمالك”.

واستكمل: “هناك لاعبون كثيرون في الملعب لا يستحقون التواجد في الزمالك، شكل الفريق مُهين”.

وأردف: “ممكن 8 لاعبين يرحلون عن الزمالك بنهاية الموسم، لكن المشكلة في تعاقداتهم مع النادي، وهذا قد يجعل النادي يتحملهم”.

واستطرد: “(العملية مش ندب ولطم) المفترض تحويل الأمور السلبية لإيجابية، واستغلال المتاح”.

وأفاد: “المفترض أن يتم التعاقد مع 3 لاعبين فقط والنظر لقطاع الناشئين، وليس التعاقد مع 10 لاعبين”.

وتطرق للحديث: “لا أريد أن أحكم على أحمد عبد المقصود، لأن حتى تغييراته هي لاعبين موجودين في الفريق النادي اشتراهم”.

وواصل: “سيف جعفر كان نجم الشوط الأول ولكن يحتاج أن يعمل أكثر على الجانب البدني”.

وأتم: “مباراة اليوم مؤلمة، وتؤكد أن الكثير من اللاعبين لا يصلحون، هذا الموقف قاس وصعب، وكل اللاعبين خسروا، هذا درس كيف تشتري اللاعبين، ويجب أن يتدربوا بشكل مُختلف، هزيمة قاسية والبنك الأهلي كان يستحق الفوز”.

أكد الألماني يورجن كلوب المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، رحيل مهاجمه روبيرتو فيرمينو بنهاية الموسم الجاري، متحدثًا في أعقاب الفوز الكبير على مانشستر يونايتد.

وتغلب ليفربول على مانشستر يونايتد بنتيجة 7-0 وسجل فيرمينو هدفًا، ضمن مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واتخذ فيرمينو قرارًا بالرحيل عن ليفربول وأكد وكيل أعماله ذلك في تصريحات أدلى بها أمس السبت.

وقال كلوب في مؤتمره الصحفي بعد المباراة: “نتيجة مخيفة، أداء مذهل، الطريقة التي بدأنا بها اللعبة كانت مميزة حقًا، الاختلاف الرئيسي هو أن لدينا الآن جميع اللاعبين المتاحين، إن عودة ديوجو جوتا أمر في غاية الأهمية”.

وأشاد بلاعبه داروين نونيز الذي سجل هدفين: “لم يشك أحد في تأثير داروين في المستقبل، هو حقًا قوة من قوى الطبيعة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كلوب: محمد صلاح سيثير دهشة الجميع في المستقبل.. ولا أستطيع وصف ما حدث

وأكمل: “أحد أفضل العروض لفترة طويلة، يعلم الجميع كم يمكننا أن نكون جيدين”.

وحول مباراة الإياب المرتقبة أمام ريال مدريد في دور الـ16 بدوري أبطال أوروبا، أكد كلوب: “لم أفكر في ذلك لثانية، حقا لا، علينا أن نرى من هو المتاح لتلك المباراة، الآن علينا أن نتأكد أن جميع اللاعبين في أفضل حالاتهم لمواجهة بورنموث أولاً، ومن ثم يمكننا التفكير في مدريد”.

وأتم بشأن رحيل فيرمينو المرتقب: “من الطبيعي عندما ينتهي عقد اللاعب أن يتخذ قرارًا، لم يكن قرارًا سهلا بالنسبة له، مع كل الأهداف الرائعة التي سجلها، هذا هو الهدف الذي أراده كثيرًا، والاستقبال الذي حصل عليه من الجماهير كان رائعًا”.

Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlviro Petersen and Jacques Kallis made a mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl•Associated Press

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, and Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka’s decision to bowl at Newlands. Kallis had a sense of occasion, converting his 114-ball century into a 150-plus score in his 150th Test. His first ton against Sri Lanka, and his first in a year, was all the more significant since it silenced murmurs of failing form following the first pair of his glittering career, in Durban.Kallis’ century reaffirmed his love affair with Cape Town, a venue where he now has nine Test hundreds and over 2000 runs. But one man who might be happier with his day’s work is Petersen, whose fluency during his second Test ton glossed over the fact that he was returning to the side after a year. The pair’s dominance yielded 205 runs in under 50 overs, and negated any advantage Sri Lanka had gained from Dhammika Prasad’s early breaches.Regardless of the ease with which South Africa progressed, there was merit in Sri Lanka’s call to bowl; their historic win in Durban did not mask their problems against pace and bounce, and was founded upon South Africa’s own abject batting display. Dilshan’s decision shielded his weaker suit, and gave his seamers the mandate to attack South Africa in marginally helpful weather. He was, however, let down by a sketchy plan of action, and conditions that quickly played into the batsmen’s hands. Sri Lanka were too full in the first hour, too short in the second, and all over the place in the afternoon, before tightening their act after tea.

Smart stats

• Jacques Kallis became the sixth player overall and the first South African to feature in 150 Tests. Among South African players, Mark Boucher is next with 144 matches.

• Following his first pair in the Durban Test, Kallis scored his 41st century in his 150th Test. It is also his first century against Sri Lanka. Among batsmen with 10000-plus runs, Kallis has the highest average (56.98).

• In the course of his innings, Kallis passed 2000 runs in Cape Town. He becomes only the third player after Mahela Jayawardene and Graham Gooch to score 2000-plus runs at a particular venue.

• Kallis’ present strike rate of 73.95 is his third-highest for a 100-plus score. The highest is 74.44 during his 201 against India in Centurion in 2010.

• Alviro Petersen, making his comeback, scored his second century in his 10th Test. He has now scored 681 runs at an average of 37.83.

• The 205-run stand between Kallis and Petersen is the third-highest third-wicket stand for South Africa in Cape Town since their readmission. It is also South Africa’s best third-wicket stand against Sri Lanka.

• Rangana Herath was the most economical bowler conceding just 63 runs off his 26 overs. The remaining bowlers conceded 282 runs in 64 overs (economy rate 4.40).

In between-times, though, Prasad managed to hit the in-between lengths. His ability to ramp the pace up to 140 kph – a rare feat in an attack missing Dilhara Fernando – earned him success against Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Both batsmen began well, but perished to familiar failings – Smith chopped on while attempting a reckless cut, and Amla was trapped in front as he walked across the stumps. Amla consulted with Petersen, and rightly chose not to review the decision. That wasn’t the only instance of Petersen’s solid judgement in his comeback innings.A couple of early drives down the ground and a nudge through square leg signalled that Petersen had carried his domestic form into the big league. Thereafter, he built steadily, before summoning the spirit to thrash Prasad over square leg for a six. He brought up his fifty with a brace of boundaries against Thisara Perera, before receding into the background.Kallis came out throwing punches in all directions, reminiscent of his half-century against Australia in the recent Johannesburg Test. He nearly pulled his fourth ball straight to fine-leg, where Chanaka Welegedara inexplicably didn’t go for the catch. Another pull off Angelo Mathews spiralled towards midwicket and landed safe. Encouraged, Mathews persisted with the short stuff, and Kallis pounded him into pulp with a raft of murderous pulls in front of square. Sri Lanka had missed their chance to nip him out early, and Kallis proceeded to enjoy himself.Sri Lanka’s discipline faltered dramatically after lunch. The early-morning moisture had evaporated, and with it all traces of sideways movement. Kallis rushed to his fifty off just 42 balls, and went on to expose their lack of pace, and Rangana Herath’s lack of spin on the first-day surface. A 21-over phase without a single maiden suggested Sri Lanka’s afternoon could not get any worse, but it did when they wasted both their reviews in desperation.Petersen’s signature shot was easily the straight drive, a shot he executed with an assured forward step and exemplary timing. Kallis, on the other hand, went on to produce shots of immense beauty in every direction. The punchy pulls gave way to picture-perfect cover drives and sublime straight hits, but the stroke that stood out was an astonishing whipped on-drive from the line of off stump when Thisara Perara was looking to angle one across defensively.That shot came after Petersen’s fall, sucked into an uppish drive by a Welegedara slower ball. The run-rate dropped below four for the first time in the 66th over, with de Villiers struggling to deal with Welegedara’s offcutters. Having batted out of his comfort zone all day, Kallis seamlessly shifted into accumulation mode and chugged past 150. The stand was worth 86 by stumps, leaving Sri Lanka wondering if they had lost the Test even before it had started.

Michael Clarke has conceded that Shaun Marsh is in doubt for the second Test in Johannesburg after he struggled with a stiff back on the first two days in Cape Town. Marsh did not field on the second day and batted at No.10, clearly hampered as he walked to the crease and faced his only two deliveries, including a delivery that kept low and trapped him lbw.The problem arose on Wednesday during the latter stages of Marsh’s first-innings 44, and the issue worsened on Thursday. The Wanderers Test starts in a week and Clarke, as a man who has suffered serious back problems himself over the years, said the most important thing was to ensure Marsh was not forced to play if he was not quite right.”I’m a little nervous, no doubt,” Clarke said after play on Thursday. “I know the feeling when you do your back, it’s always a couple of days of mending time and treatment to try and get it right. I’m confident if he does get it right in this period before the second Test then he’ll be fine to play.”But I need to trust the judgment of Alex Kountouris, our physio, who has had a lot of experience on backs, unfortunately. Shaun knows his body pretty well. He’s a big player for us, he’s in all three forms of the game. He’s a wonderful guy with a lot of talent, so I want to make sure we make the right decision.”Should Marsh be unavailable for the Johannesburg Test, it would mean a call-up for Usman Khawaja, the back-up batsman in the squad. While Khawaja is a fine prospect, Marsh has been one of the shining lights for Australia during their past three Tests.He scored a century on debut in Pallekele in September and made 81 in his second Test, before starting his South African trip with a pair of half-centuries in the tour match in Potchefstroom last week. In the first innings in Cape Town, he was the only one of Australia’s specialist batsmen who showed the centurion Clarke any support.Marsh has had ongoing back issues throughout his career. He was ruled out of the third ODI against Sri Lanka last November and the Australia A game against England that followed due to back trouble, and a similar problem also ruled him out of the tour of New Zealand early last year.

Michael Clarke must weigh up the fitness of his spearhead Ryan Harris and the century at No. 3 by Shaun Marsh as he travels to Colombo for the third Test

Daniel Brettig in Pallekele12-Sep-2011Michael Clarke, the Australian captain and selector, must weigh up the fitness of his spearhead Ryan Harris and the century at No. 3 by the debutant Shaun Marsh as he travels to Colombo with a 1-0 series lead over Sri Lanka after the second Test in Pallekele was washed out.The Australians would have been heavily favoured to finish off the series had five full days been possible, and even another two hours on the final day might have been enough as Sri Lanka teetered with a lead of 80 and four wickets left when the rain returned for good.Harris, who claimed six wickets for the match and has been the most dangerous bowler on either side so far, left the field after the last of his spells, complaining of hamstring stiffness. Clarke said Harris’ physical well-being would be a pivotal concern in the three days between Pallekele’s soggy conclusion and the start of the final match at the batsman-friendly SSC ground.”There’s always been concerns about Rhino’s fitness because unfortunately he’s dealt with a few injuries throughout his career,” Clarke said. “He’s a very strong bloke and he’ll do anything to get on the park. He has a bit of hammy stiffness so tomorrow he’ll have a scan just to find out if there’s anything there but we’re confident, if the scan shows nothing, that he’ll certainly be available for the third Test. If it does show something there’s going to be a little bit of doubt.”He’s been a very good bowler for a long time now, it’s just obviously with Harry his body … trying to keep him fit and healthy. He’s got this issue with his knee that he’s dealt with for years that is going nowhere. It’s part of what he has. He’s a wonderful player to have in your team, not just the way he bowls, he’s got plenty of talent with the bat. He’s as good as any fast bowler in the world in the field. And he brings a lot to the team as a guy. He’s one of those guys you want in your team.”He’s having a big impact in this series. Hopefully he’s fit for game three – if he’s not it gives somebody else an opportunity and it’s about trying to make sure we get him as fit and healthy as we can for our next series against South Africa. We’re not silly – we know with every game Rhino plays there’s going to come a day that his knee can’t take it anymore or his body can’t take it anymore, like all fast bowlers. It’s just about trying to manage him as best as we can. He’s certainly been doing the business for us.”Harris may have been in line for a rest irrespective of his injury status, given the rigours of three back-to-back Test matches. Clarke said that option had been a point of discussion across the tour, with the Victorian duo of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson sitting in reserve.”There were discussions about all the fast bowlers, having three back-to-back Test matches with big workloads on generally pretty flat wickets here. Tough bowling conditions,” Clarke said. “Certainly concerns about all the fast bowlers but maybe rain has saved [Harris] from a few overs. Finishing a day early in the first Test probably saved him a bit there as well.”He feels okay at the moment, it was more precaution. I said to him once he finished that spell that it was unlikely he was going to bowl again today so he should go off and see Alex (Kountouris, physio) and do what he needs to do to ensure we’re not doing anything silly. Fingers crossed, hopefully it’s clear.”Less clear is what will be done about Marsh, who would have been expected to lose his spot to Ricky Ponting before he impressed all observers with a committed 141 at No. 3. Ponting is guaranteed to return, leaving Marsh, Usman Khawaja and Phil Hughes in a fight for two remaining batting places. Clarke and the coach Tim Nielsen will be the men on the ground making the call, following the selector Greg Chappell’s pre-planned departure from the tour at the outset of the second Test.”Interesting couple of days coming up. Like I said before this Test match it’s not a bad problem to have, a problem that we’ve been looking forward to for a while,” Clarke said. “Unfortunately not all the batters can play, someone’s going to have to miss out. I’ll need to speak to Tim, who is obviously a selector, and the other selectors back home and we’ll make that decision.”I’ve got a couple of ideas in my own head at the moment but, like I say, I think it’s important I communicate with the other selectors, see how they feel and then we’ll go from there. The first thing is to work out what six batters we feel are the best six batters for the next Test match. Once we do that then it’s obviously up to me to select the batting order. Time will tell I guess.”I think it’s important that we do have a long hard think about what six batters we’re going to go with. It’s obviously hard. Shaun’s batted beautifully, Uzzie’s done pretty well since he’s come in and I thought Hughesy looked really good the other day and unfortunately didn’t go on, and we’ve got the great Ricky Ponting coming back. It’s a good problem to have.”

اعترف نجم أتالانتا، الهولندي تيون كووبميينيرز أنه من “الجيد” الارتباط بالانتقال إلى صفوف فريق ليفربول.

تم ربط الريدز بمجموعة من لاعبي خط الوسط خلال فترة الانتقالات في يناير، حيث يبدو أن الهدف الرئيسي جود بيلينجهام لم يعد متاحًا من قبل بوروسيا دورتموند حتى الصيف على الأقل.

أحد الأسماء التي يُفترض أن تدخل الإطار، هو تيون كووبميينيرز، وهو لاعب رئيسي لأتالانتا وزميل ثنائي ليفربول فيرجيل فان دايك وكودي جاكبو في منتخب هولندا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح يتقدم في قائمة هدافي ليفربول بعد هدفه أمام ولفرهامبتون

كان اللاعب البالغ من العمر 24 عامًا جزءًا من الفريق الهولندي في نهائيات كأس العالم الأخيرة في قطر.

عاد تيون كووبميينيرز الآن للعب مع أتالانتا وسجل هدفًا مذهلاً – الخامس له هذا الموسم – في انتصاره 2-1 على ملعب بولونيا في دوري الدرجة الأولى الإيطالي ليلة الإثنين.

وعندما سُئل عن ارتباطه بالانتقال إلى ليفربول، رد تيون كووبميينيرز في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “ليفربول إيكو” الإنجليزية: “رأيت الأخبار والقصص المتعلقة بفريق ليفربول”.

وأضاف: “من الجيد أن أرى ذلك لكنني أركز 100% على أتالانتا، وأنا سعيد جدًا باللعب هنا”.

خاض كوبمينرز 60 مباراة مع الفريق الإيطالي، وسجل تسعة أهداف، منذ انتقاله من أريزونا 12 مليون يورو في صيف عام 2021.

The new Logan Cup champions will be crowned at Mutare Sports Club on Saturday, and though this game could still go either way, the dazzling strokeplay of Bernard Mlambo in the final session gave Mountaineers the edge

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The new Logan Cup champions will be crowned at Mutare Sports Club on Saturday, and though this game could still go either way, the dazzling strokeplay of Bernard Mlambo in the final session gave Mountaineers the edge at the close of the third day. With Hamilton Masakadza still at the crease, their last eight wickets need another 148 runs.Matabeleland Tuskers resumed on their overnight score of 116 for 2, a lead of 72 runs. First blood went to the home side, as both overnight batsmen fell before either had scored another run: Steve Trenchard (23) clipped the third ball of the day to square leg off Tendai Chatara, while Charles Coventry (24) was trapped lbw by a good ball from Shingi Masakadza. Within minutes it was 119 for 4 and Mountaineers surged into the ascendancy.Keith Dabengwa, the team’s acting captain, and their wicketkeeper Tafadzwa Ngulube fought back with equal determination, and Dabengwa later off-drove a ball from Timycen Maruma for six, a fine stroke with surprising power from a man of slender build. While Ngulube defended, Dabengwa kept the score moving, but was out to Prosper Utseya just before lunch for 39. The pair had added 57.Ngulube played a slow but valuable innings, and was out to the first legal delivery – after a wide – with the second new ball, Chatara having him caught at the wicket for 34 off 125 balls. Keegan Meth was in good touch with the bat, looking every bit an allrounder as he played some fluent strokes, rarely looking in trouble. But there continued a slow but steady fall of wickets, each middle-order partnership adding useful runs but none building the major stand that would have taken the match from Mountaineers’ hands.Maruma took two wickets with successive deliveries, when he deceived and bowled Tawanda Mupariwa for 10, and then trapped Chris Mpofu lbw unwisely sweeping at a straight ball. Meth made 65, the top score of the innings, before he drove a low catch into the covers off Donald Tiripano, and after a bright last-wicket partnership the innings closed for 290. Four bowlers took two wickets each, with the restrictive Utseya returning the most impressive figures of them, bowling 24 overs for only 37 runs.This left Mountaineers 247 to win, and it was really anybody’s match. Most of all, though, it was a test of nerve for Mountaineers, who completed their Logan Cup league programme undefeated; the pressure is always greater on the batting side in such circumstances, and particularly so after the collapse to Meth in the first innings. Tino Mawoyo and Bernard Mlambo made an enterprising start, although there were a couple of nervy strokes, and had made 29 before Mawoyo, in the tenth over, edged a ball from Meth to the keeper, gone for 12.This brought about an exciting individual duel between Hamilton Masakadza and Meth – a duel that in the end may well decide the match. At first Mlambo took the lead, cutting, driving and pulling powerful boundaries off Mpofu. Reaching the other end, he drove balls from Meth through mid-off and mid-on for fours, and the score raced to 50 in the 12th over before Masakadza had even got off the mark. After a slight breather, Mlambo resumed his assault and reached his own fifty with a superb pull off Brad Staddon, having faced 61 balls. He continued his assault with sixes over long-on off John Nyumbu and a pull over midwicket off Ncube.With such brilliance at the other end, Masakadza wisely sat back and handed over as much of the strike as possible, but eventually Mlambo played one stroke too many when he holed out on the midwicket boundary to Dabengwa’s first ball of the match for 68, scored off 77 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes. Masakadza finished the day on 13 not out, and he and Meth will be the key figures in the grand finale. The last day of the Zimbabwe season 2010/11 could see a wonderful climax.

Durban two weeks ago was a big moment for India. They came here battered from Centurion, and in conditions that VVS Laxman described as “some of the most challenging I have encountered in my career”, managed to win only their second Test in South Africa. And it came during series everyone was talking about, the series everyone seemed to be living for. Fittingly, for once, back home in India, it was the Tests that were the end of the world. Now that the ODIs are upon us, on the eve of the first match, it comes almost as a realisation that India have managed to beat South Africa in South Africa in this format only on one more occasion than they have in Tests. And they have made more attempts, 20 one-dayers as opposed to 15 in Tests.Difficult as it may sound, it is time to put that incredible Test series behind, and start focussing on setting this record right too. South Africa, in comparison, have done much better in India, winning nine and losing 13 to the hosts. If other opposition were to be included, they have won more than they have lost in India, which can’t be said of India in South Africa, despite wins against Namibia, Netherlands and Kenya that boost the number a bit.”We did lose all the games [the last time India played a bilateral one-day series in South Africa],” MS Dhoni said. “There’s only one way to go – you can only go up from there. But as I say it’s not about the past. The Test series was very different from 2006, and as we always say, we have a completely different side. We have quite a few youngsters who are into the grooming phase, which means at the end of the day, it’s a win-win situation for Indian cricket.”Playing ODIs in South Africa is a unique challenge in a way. The pitches offer good bounce and aid stroke-play, while the outfields are rarely large or slow, but there is enough seam movement on most occasions to keep the fast bowlers in the game. From afternoon to night, the weather can easily go from summer to winter at most of the venues.”You have to start respecting the bowlers right from the very start,” Dhoni said of the one-day conditions in South Africa. “The white Kookaburra ball does a bit initially, which means if you see the new ball off, the older ball comes on to the bat nicely, which means you can play your strokes. Most of the grounds are not very big.”It’s good to bat during the day time. It does slightly less compared to the evening session. Under lights the ball does a bit more compared to the afternoon session. The toss becomes a bit crucial. But even after winning the toss you have to do the basics right.”India aren’t ideally placed in terms of their squad strength, with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir out as precautionary measure for the World Cup that will follow this five-match series, and Praveen Kumar returning home after injuring his elbow on the eve of the first match. This has been the case with the India team for a while: they haven’t been able to play a full-strength side since the five-match series in New Zealand in early 2009.”It would have been good to feature the main XI,” Dhoni said. “Since last February, we haven’t played the full XI that maybe featured in the first game of the World Cup. But we are risking injury. We have to save quite a few players. We have a fair amount of niggles. We don’t want to miss any of the key players just before the start of the World Cup. Most of them have missed the whole season. I don’t mind them missing one more series as long as they are available right through the World Cup.”We live in an age where every bilateral limited-overs series is becoming more meaningless than the previous one. This one is not too different, in that it draws its entire context from being a preparatory event for the World Cup. Stuck as it is between an awesome Test series and the World Cup, this series will need the best of India, to survive in isolation.

ESPNcricinfo previews the fourth ODI between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Sriram Veera20-Jan-2011Match FactsJanuary 21, Port Elizabeth
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Will Yuvraj Singh come up with a match-winning performance?•Associated Press Big PictureIndia are on the verge of a rare series win in a land where they have their worst win-loss record. Prior to this series, they had just won just three ODIs against South Africa in South Africa. It was that bleak. The start to this series hinted at more of the same as they capitulated against bounce in Durban. However, they bounced back in style, with a little bit of help from South Africa, to go 2-1 up.The last pieces of the World Cup puzzle are slowly falling in place too. Yusuf Pathan sealed the No. 7 slot with a violent knock, and Virat Kohli continues to put pressure for a spot in the top order with impressive performances. It’s the opening position that seems a bit wasted on players who aren’t in the World Cup squad. And neither M Vijay nor Rohit Sharma has seized their chances. Vijay has combusted cheaply and Rohit has looked out of the depth. Will India replace one of them with Parthiv Patel in the next game? Rohit might stay for he offers an extra option with his offbreaks.South Africa have lost two in a row now but there have been a couple of positives: JP Duminy played two responsible knocks and is beginning to show that he can lead the lower order through crisis situations and Faf du Plessis showed promise. He played a responsible and restrained knock in the last ODI and will have two more games to show his hitting prowess. Albie Morkel, who was drafted in for the last two games, has since been released from the squad, leaving South Africa without a suitable all-round option to replace the struggling Wayne Parnell. They may be forced to stop shielding legspinner Imran Tahir against India and give him a chance to prove his worth.Form guideSouth Africa: LLWWL
India: WWLWW
Players to watch out for…Hashim Amla has looked in great touch, and got off to great starts but has rarely converted them. He has paid the price for attacking all the time. If he can temper his approach and make more judicious shot selections, he can really boost this South African batting line-up.Yuvraj Singh hit a half-century in the second ODI and was looking fluent in the third when he fell. There are enough indications that Yuvraj will play at No. 4 in the World Cup. One hour of his batting can win games for India, while his nagging slow bowling adds immense value in suitable conditions.Team newsParthiv Patel, who came in as replacement for Sachin Tendulkar, might take M Vijay’s opening slot. The Port Elizabeth pitch aids spin and Piyush Chawla, who is in India’s World Cup squad, might get a game.India (possible): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Piyush Chawla / Ashish Nehra, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 Zaheer KhanSouth Africa are likely to bring in Imran Tahir in the place of Wayne Parnell.South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Wayne Parnell / Imran Tahir, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo TsotsobeStats and trivia At Newlands, Zaheer Khan became the 21st bowler to get 250 ODI wickets. He is the third left-arm seamer, after Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas, and the fifth Indian to capture 250 or more. Harbhajan Singh is currently on 246 Yusuf’s 59 was the first half-century by an Indian No. 7 batsman South Africa. The previous best was 47, made by his brother IrfanQuotes”South Africa have got a bit of problem with their selection issues. They must select seven coloured players out of 15. Their tail will be too long. They have a problem with the batting down the order.”