All posts by n8rngtd.top

The EFL have issued a huge Sunderland ticket update ahead of the club’s upcoming League One play-off final against Wycombe Wanderers on May 21.

The Lowdown: Extra ticket allocation

The Black Cats have set up a meeting with Gareth Ainsworth’s side at the end of the month after securing a 2-1 aggregate victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final, and so will obviously want to have as many fans there backing them as possible.

The Wearside outfit sold an allocation of 43,960 tickets in just a few days, so an additional 2,500 were made available for purchase on Wednesday, with the club confirming that this would be the final distribution.

The Latest: EFL release statement

Despite the capacity of Wembley being approximately 90,000, Wycombe have so far only sold 22,000 tickets, meaning that there is set to be a huge number of empty seats around the ground.

However, in a new update, the EFL have revealed that due to the segregation of supporters, they are unable to offer any more to the Black Cats. As quoted by Sunderland Echo, the statement read:

“Following discussions with Sunderland AFC and Wembley National Stadium over the past 48 hours, the EFL is pleased to confirm that an additional allocation of approximately 2,500 tickets will be made available to Sunderland supporters for this Saturday’s Sky Bet League One Play-Off Final.

“The configuration of Wembley Stadium presents a number of challenges for the event organisers that must be considered while implementing the requirement for the segregation of supporters, but this final allocation ensures that there will be in the region of 46,000 Sunderland supporters attending this fixture.

“The EFL acknowledges that it will be incredibly frustrating for fans who have been unable to secure a ticket to see a number of empty seating blocks on show at the weekend, but the decision by Wembley National Stadium to make this the final allocation of tickets has been taken in the primary interest of supporter safety.”

The Verdict: Positive track record

If Alex Neil’s men manage to sell out their extra allocation, this would mean that there would be over 46,000 fans inside the ground on the day urging their team to try and gain promotion to the Championship.

Sunderland have got a good track record against their opponents, having secured a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, followed by a 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture.

Yet to be defeated by Wycombe this campaign, the Black Cats should be going into this game with the confidence that they are more than capable of pulling off another big result on the one day that it matters most, and the only shame is there won’t be even more Wearsiders down South to enjoy it in the flesh.

In other news… a former Sunderland captain has backed his old side to join him in the promotion party.

West Bromwich Albion manager Steve Bruce has mentioned in recent weeks that he’s looking to do some significant transfer business during the upcoming summer window.

With that in mind, this may well open the floodgates for numerous players to be linked with moves to The Hawthorns over the coming weeks and months.

At this moment in time, it seems as though a clue has emerged over the possibility of one potential name who has been mentioned with a possible move to the Midlands club.

What’s the news?

After a report from Football Insider claimed that West Brom are eyeing up a summer move for Conor Hourihane, Baggies journalist Joseph Masi gave an update on the matter.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “I’m not going to rule anything out in May but it’s not a name I’ve heard.”

The Aston Villa midfielder is set to see his contract with the Baggies’ Midlands rivals expire at the end of the month. Having spent the season out on loan with Sheffield United, it seems unlikely that he’ll be putting pen to paper on a new deal at Villa and be part of Steven Gerrard’s squad moving forward.

His performances for the Blades this term haven’t exactly put himself in the frame to make a comeback at Villa Park and wouldn’t suggest that he’d be a good option for West Brom either, even on a free transfer.

Great news for West Brom fans

With 30 league appearances in the 2021/22 campaign, the Irishman earned himself a rather disappointing overall performance rating of 6.57/10 from WhoScored. This puts him as one of the lowest-rated players in the Blades’ squad to have started more than one league game during the season.

To further highlight how disappointing the 31-year-old has been for the Yorkshire club, he has only made 10 interceptions and won 12 tackles despite playing regularly, making him rather ineffective in a defensive regard.

With that in mind, it’s hard to see how the Republic of Ireland midfielder would improve Bruce’s side and give them a better chance of securing promotion.

Masi’s claim that Hourihane is not on the Baggies’ radar at this moment in time should have lots of West Brom fans delighted, given how lacklustre the player has been in the Championship this season.

In other news: Steve Madeley claims WBA are eyeing move for “unbelievable” 18 G/A gem, he’s a big Diangana upgrade

After toppling the visitors with spin in ODIs, Shanaka’s men will look for more of the same in friendly conditions

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Sep-2021

Big picture

A T20 World Cup is around the corner. For Sri Lanka, it begins with the qualifiers, which kick off approximately six weeks from now. For South Africa, who go straight through to the main draw, the World Cup starts about a week later. Either way, this is the lead-in – the phase in which teams look to tighten up their combinations, get key players into form, and battle-test their match-ups and strategies. South Africa’s eight T20I wins to their seven losses this year suggests they are closer figuring out a good game plan than Sri Lanka, who have lost six and won only three (two of those wins were against a severely depleted second-string India side).South Africa are not only fresh from a series win against Ireland (whom Sri Lanka will face in the qualifiers), but had even defeated West Indies in the Caribbean in June and July. In Aiden Markram and David Miller, they have batters that have scored heavily in the format in 2021; in Tabraiz Shamsi they have a wristspinner who has claimed 24 wickets at an economy rate of 5.32. No other bowler has more wickets than Shamsi in T20Is in 2021.Sri Lanka will feel they have some momentum after their ODI victory, but their T20I ranking of ninth is deserved – this is the format in which they have struggled most over the past few years. They will hope that the confidence gained from two consecutive series victories in a row (the first being that T20I series win over a depleted India), and familiarity with the conditions – which again are expected to be spin-friendly – can help elevate them to South Africa’s level.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka WWLLLSouth Africa WWWWL

In the spotlight

Do Sri Lanka have a new Ajantha Mendis on their hands? On Tuesday, Maheesh Theekshana unveiled his well-disguised carrom ball and his googly at the international level, claiming four wickets – a record for a Sri Lanka spinner on ODI debut. Those figures, however, came on a deck that offered substantial turn. Can he be as effective on less spin-friendly surfaces? And now that South Africa have had a chance to analyse footage, how much of his mystery will Theekshana retain?Maheesh Theekshana impressed on debut•AFP/Getty Images

In 14 bowling innings this year, only once has Tabraiz Shamsi gone wicketless. Of those innings, only in one – when Babar Azam hit full tilt in Centurion – did Shamsi go at more than eight an over. These are not just good statistics, they are performances that have elevated Shamsi to the top of the T20 rankings, one place above Wanindu Hasaranga from the opposition. Having already taken eight wickets in the ODIs, the T20s look set to see more Shamsi magic. There will be no bowler Sri Lanka will spend more prep time working out how to defuse.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another turning track. With showers frequently rolling through Colombo, rain interruptions are on the card too.

Team news

Kusal Perera remains unavailable for the match given his lack of cardio fitness following his bout with Covid. Dinesh Chandimal will likely keep wickets and open the batting. Kamindu Mendis will probably stat at No. 3, given his excellent T20 domestic form recently. Sri Lanka may think about bringing in offspinning allrounder Ramesh Mendis to bolster the lower middle order, too.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Avishka Fernando, 2 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 3 Kamindu Mendis, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt.), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Ramesh Mendis, 9 Chamika Karunaratne, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Maheesh TheekshanaQuinton de Kock is set to play his first match of the tour and David Miller is available after recovering from a hamstring strain. Lungi Ngidi, though, won’t be, as he has flown straight to the IPL. Keshav Maharaj will captain the side.South Africa (possible): 1 Janneman Malan, 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 David Miller, 5 Rassie van der Dussen, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 George Linde, 9 Keshav Maharaj (capt.), 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Tabraiz Shamsi

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won seven, and lost five of their T20 internationals against Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka’s two T20I wins over India came after a five-match losing streak. Their previous win, over West Indies, had come after an eight-match losing streak.
• In 12 bowling innings since the start of 2020, Wanindu Hasaranga’s economy rate is 5.8. He has taken 21 wickets in that time.

  Quotes

  “Performance is everything, so we want to come here and win the series, to go to the World Cup with a log of confidence. What we’ve gone through in the last couple of months have been huge stepping stones for our T20 team. Beating West Indies – a lot of people thought we were underdogs. We won 3-2. A lot of confidence has been taken from that.”
  David Miller on South Africa’s form

The Ireland coach says he has had ‘a few good chats’ with IPL coaches to understand the conditions better

Matt Roller21-Oct-2021Graham Ford has been speaking to coaches involved in the IPL to get a better idea about conditions in Sharjah, ahead of his Ireland side’s winner-takes-all fixture against Namibia in the T20 World Cup.Sharjah played host to a series of high-scoring games during the 2020 IPL, but the pitches were re-laid earlier this year and were generally slow and low after the resumption of the 2021 season, with average scoring rates down to 7.00 runs per over from 8.87 the year before.Related

• Graham Ford resigns as Ireland head coach ahead of USA, West Indies tours

• Virtual knockout awaits Ireland and Namibia with Super 12s spot on the line

• IPL lessons – how will the UAE pitches play out at the T20 WC?

• Balbirnie backs Ireland's batters to adjust with WC dream on knife edge

Conditions were particularly difficult during the three matches played during the day in IPL 2021, with several players struggling to cope with the combination of heat and humidity: when Friday afternoon’s game starts at 2 pm local time, forecasts suggest the temperature of 35 degrees celsius will ‘feel like’ 41 degrees. Ireland have been in the UAE for several weeks now, but the heat remains a significant challenge in contrast to the weather their players are used to at home.”I’ve had a few good chats with some of the IPL coaches, but we’ll keep that to ourselves for now,” Ford said after Ireland’s
heavy defeat to Sri Lanka, which leaves them needing a result in Friday’s fixture if they are to progress to the Super 12s. “Win or lose, we are gaining and we are learning, but quite obviously we’re desperate to go through to the next phase of the tournament.”You’re always greedy as a coach: you want to win everything and you want to have a nice easy last fixture and say ‘we’re already through’. But realistically, we’d have taken it. We’re still alive, we’re still in the competition, and that’s the most important thing.”Ireland played the evening game in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night and will be unable to train as a whole squad ahead of Friday’s fixture due to the time it will take to travel to Sharjah and the need for their bowlers in particular to recover. They have been frustrated by their schedule in the tournament, not least with the other first-round group staged in its entirety in the same venue, and Ford admitted it was “very difficult” to make improvements between games when playing three fixtures in the space of five days.”There’s no doubt it’s very difficult because of the distances that you have to travel to get to training venues,” he said. “Making improvements in terms of actually just getting in the nets and training is quite difficult [but] we can get to the ground a little bit earlier on matchdays and a couple of guys can sharpen their skills that way.”A lot of the work needed to be done in the preparation phase, which we had a pretty good block through that period, and now it’s not so much getting in the nets and trying to work on anything – it’s more about what have we learnt from the matches that we’ve played and how can we improve tactically and just really try to look sharper and see where we can improve in the game situation.”Ireland arrived at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in time to see the final stages of Namibia’s win against the Netherlands on Wednesday but are well aware of their ability as a side. They squeezed past them in the third-place play-off of the qualifying tournament in 2019, defending 135 in a low-scoring game, and the sides have played each other in a number of qualifiers over the last 15 years.”We had a long bus journey then caught the end of the game and they did hit the ball extremely well at the end,” Ford said. “We know that they’ve got some very dangerous players and David Wiese, who put on a show – we caught the end of that show. He’s played for South Africa in the T20 World Cup before and I’ve seen him in South Africa and on the county circuit. He can be absolutely devastating, which he was today.”They’ve got some dangerous players. They’ve got some very hard-working cricketers. Quite a few of them have learnt quite a lot of their cricket in South Africa and they pushed us close in the last game of the qualifiers. We know that they’re going to be tough – if we’re slightly off our best, we will struggle.”

Left-arm spin-bowling allrounder will work with a brand new coaching staff as DC aim for first title

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2025Axar Patel has been appointed captain of Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025. He has been with DC since 2019 and was their top retention for INR 16.50 crore ahead of the mega auction last November. While his captaincy experience isn’t extensive, he was named India’s T20I vice-captain in January this year.Axar, 31, has led his state team Gujarat in 23 matches across formats, most recently in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2024-25. He captained DC in one IPL match last year – a must-win fixture that they lost to RCB to miss out on the playoffs – when Rishabh Pant was serving a ban for a slow over-rate.With Pant’s exit from the DC franchise ahead of the mega auction, Axar was their most experienced player. He’s played 82 games for them across six seasons; last year he scored 235 runs at an average of nearly 30 and took 11 wickets with an economy rate of 7.65.Related

• 'Nothing can beat experience' – Rahane keen to learn from T20 heavyweight Bravo at KKR

• Ajinkya Rahane to lead Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025

• Harry Brook pulls out of IPL for second year running

• Mayank Yadav set to miss first half of IPL 2025 with back injury

“It is my absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I’m deeply grateful to our owners and support staff for placing their faith in me,” Axar said in a DC statement. “I’ve grown as a cricketer and a human being during my time here at the Capitals, and I feel ready and confident to lead this side going forward.”Our coaches and scouts have done a superb job at the mega auction by putting together a balanced and robust squad which has tremendous potential. We have plenty of leaders in the group, which is also very helpful for me, and I can’t wait to join the team as we look forward to a very successful season for the Capitals, backed by the immense love and support of our fans.”The squad has KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis, who have both led other IPL teams in the past, and Mitchell Starc among the senior international players.”We are delighted to appoint Axar as the Delhi Capitals captain. He has been an integral part of the Capitals family since 2019 and embodies the values that this team is built on,” DC chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi said, “This decision reflects the natural progression for him as a leader – from being our vice-captain for two seasons to now leading the team, he has always stepped up to the occasion for us. Axar has the full support of our coaching staff and the experienced leadership group, and I wish him the very best for this new role which I am confident he will excel in.”DC co-owner Parth Jindal said, “I have witnessed Axar’s progression as a cricketer and a leader first-hand at the Delhi Capitals,” said. “Having personally picked Axar in 2019, my relationship with him is one that goes beyond cricket. Having seen him as the vice-captain of the team over the last two years, it is safe to say that he is a much-loved character in the dressing room and is someone who I am sure will motivate the players in the squad.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“From being an economical spinner who had an immediate impact when he came onto bowl, Axar has blossomed into a brilliant, mature cricketer whose all-round prowess was on full display in India’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy winning campaigns recently. I wish him good luck as he starts a new innings in his cricketing journey. With seniors like KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc being part of our leadership group, I believe this is the start of something special for the Delhi Capitals.”Axar comes into this IPL season having played an important role in India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign. Axar took five wickets with an economy rate of 4.35 and made vital contributions batting at No. 5 in the tournament.Of the IPL’s original eight franchises, DC are one of three – along with Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru – to have never won a title. They finished sixth last season, having won and lost seven games each. This year, Axar will work with a new team management at DC, comprising Hemang Badani (head coach), Venugopal Rao (director of cricket) and Matthew Mott (assistant coach). They begin their IPL 2025 campaign by hosting LSG in Visakhapatnam on March 24.With DC announcing Axar, all five teams that needed a new captain after the mega auction have named their leaders: RCB will be led by Rajat Patidar, Kolkata Knight Riders by Ajinkya Rahane, Lucknow Super Giants by Rishabh Pant, and Punjab Kings by Shreyas Iyer.

Cricket West Indies said it would appoint a new Test captain in the coming weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2025Kraigg Brathwaite has stepped down as West Indies Test captain ahead of their upcoming home season, while Shai Hope has replaced Rovman Powell as the T20I captain in addition to his responsibilities as the ODI captain.Cricket West Indies said they would name a new Test captain “in the coming weeks”.”Kraigg Brathwaite has officially stepped down as Test captain, having first indicated his intention to do so to CWI leadership earlier this year ahead of the completion of the West Indies’ successful tour of Pakistan,” the board said in a statement. “Understanding the importance of continuity, Brathwaite wanted to ensure the team had a period of transition before his departure.”As a result, he has submitted his resignation ahead of the home series against Australia, giving the new leadership time to establish itself. This series will be particularly special, allowing Brathwaite, who is two matches shy of 100 Test matches, to double down on his batting without added responsibility.”