Vettori Says Goodbye to Cricket, Ends 18-Year Career
Veteran left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, the most capped ODI player for New Zealand, bid adieu to the 50-over format, completely ending an 18-year career in the game.
The 36-year-old, whose ODI future was a subject of speculation at the end of New Zealand’s superb World Cup campaign during which the team made the final, said it was time to call it a day when the team arrived home in Auckland on Tuesday.
Vettori has already retired from Tests and Twenty20 cricket.
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Kohli Steady at 4th, Dhawan Rises to 6th in ICC Rankings
A lacklustre World Cup performance notwithstanding, Virat Kohli remained the highest-placed Indian batsman at fourth even as Shikhar Dhawan rose a rung to sixth in the latest ICC ODI rankings issued today.
Apart from Kohli and Dhawan, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the other Indian batsman to be inside the top-10, hanging on to the eighth spot. Opener Rohit Sharma made significant strides up the order as he jumped seven places to be joint 12th.
Among the bowlers, Umesh Yadav has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career following his 15 wickets in the World Cup, including a 4/72 in the semi-final against Australia. Yadav has rocketed 16 places to join England’s James Tredwell in 18th position.
Trouble for KKR: Players Pull Out, Home Games Rescheduled
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will not have the services of New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham and Australian cricketer Chris Lynn for this IPL season as both players are nursing injuries.
KKR have opted to replace the injured players with the experienced duo of Azhar Mahmood, former Pakistan Test Cricketer who is currently based in England playing for Surrey and Johan Botha, former Proteas captain and currently playing for Adelaide Strikers at the Big Bash.
Meanwhile, the IPL’s Kolkata schedule has been slightly rejigged owing to the Municipal elections in the city with the organisers deciding to shift KKR’s April 12 to 25 home matches following a request from the police there.
The IPL will be played at 12 venues across India from 8 April 8 to May 24.
Netherlands Beat Spain 2-0 to Relieve Pressure off Guus Hiddink
The Netherlands beat Spain 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday to earn embattled coach Guus Hiddink some breathing space after a poor start to his second term in charge of the Dutch national team.
Center back Stefan de Vrij and midfielder Davy Klaassen scored first half goals for the Netherlands in the morale-boosting victory.
Spain, thrashed 5-1 by the Netherlands at the World Cup, never looked like gaining revenge thanks to a combination of bad finishing and good goalkeeping by Kenneth Vermeer.
Hiddink’s second stint as Netherlands coach has been disastrous so far. In seven matches ahead of Tuesday’s friendly, his team had beaten only Kazakhstan and Latvia in European qualifiers and lost to Italy, the Czech Republic, Iceland and Mexico in qualifiers and friendlies.
England Pull Off 1-1 Draw Against Italy
England substitute Andros Townsend fired home a superb late goal to earn a 1-1 draw against Italy in a fiercely contested international friendly in Turin on Tuesday.
Townsend struck in the 79th minute by rifling an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from 20 metres to give England a deserved result at the Juvetus stadium.
Italy had taken the lead on the half-hour through Graziano Pelle’s deft header after defender Giorgio Chiellini waltzed around Phil Jones and provided a precise cross from the left.
The draw extends Italy’s unbeaten run since the World Cup.
Second-String Portugal Suffer Home Defeat to Cape Verde
A second-half sending off for Andre Pinto capped a miserable evening for a second-string Portugal side, who were beaten 2-0 at home by African minnows Cape Verde in a friendly on Tuesday.
Portugal fielded none of the players that beat Serbia in Euro 2016 qualifying on Sunday and were undone by two first-half goals scored within six minutes of each other.
Odair Fortes opened the scoring for Cape Verde after 37 minutes in fortuitous fashion as his right-wing cross appeared to catch the wind and flew over Anthony Lopes in the Portugal goal.
Centre back Gege grabbed the second with an expert far-post finish after a free kick from Cape Verde captain Heldon had reached him through a forest of legs.
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