Arsenal vs Portsmouth Player Ratings

ESPNSTAR.com brings you the player ratings for the match between Arsenal and Portsmouth at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal:

Almunia: 6

At fault for the Portsmouth goal but otherwise untroubled.

Eboue: 8

Showed great energy and a hunger to get involved. Excellent game.

Gallas: 7

Looked comfortable on the ball and popped up for the third goal.

Vermaelen: 7

Was solid throughout proving a good foil for his defensive partner.

Gibbs: 7


A constant danger with his pace and trickery. Looked a class player.

Diaby: 9

A two-goal haul was just rewards for an all-action display. Who needs Viera ?

Fabregas: 8

A picture of poise and calm, directed play with assurance and guile.

Denilson: 6

Quiet but effective. Gave his colleagues the defensive platform they needed to play.

Arshavin: 7

Bright and inventive, showed good pace & great delivery from dead-ball situations.

van Persie: 7

Moments of outstanding skill but a bit selfish at times.

Eduardo: 8

Showed glimpses of pace and movement that suggest he is getting back to his best.

Subs:

Ramsey: 7


Looked calm and composed. Took his goal superbly. One to watch.

Merida: 7


A great cameo from the youngster. Displayed skill and vision.

Bendtner: 6

Sangakkara salutes team effort

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was pleased with his team's all-round effort which helped secure victory over New Zealand.

New Zealand, resuming on the final day at 30 for one, needed 383 more runs for an unlikely victory in the first Test at Galle.

However they were instead bowled out for 210 just before tea as Sri Lanka took a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

Left-arm fast bowler Thilan Thushara set the tone with an outstanding spell in the morning, giving the home side crucial early breakthroughs with the wickets of Martin Guptill (18) and Tim McIntosh (0).

Muralitharan stars in Sri Lanka win

Part-time bowler Mahela Jayawardene then dismissed Ross Taylor (16) before master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan picked up three wickets to finish as the pick of the bowlers.

Muralitharan had claimed four wickets in the first innings and his three in the second came at a cost of 88 runs from 27 overs.

The victory marked a fine turnaround for Sri Lanka who had been reduced to 16 for two within the first half-hour on the first day.

Makeshift opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, however, rescued the home side with a blistering 92 which he followed up with an unbeaten 123 in the second innings.

Dilshan came in for special praise from Sangakkara.

"We had three very good individual performances with in the batting department," Sangakkara said.

"Dilshan batted magnificently in both innings and he really put us back on top and took the game away from the Kiwis after we lost those early wickets on the first day.

"Mahela batted beautifully again and Samaraweera (both scored centuries in the first innings) showed his class again.

"PCB withdrawing legal notice"

ICC has threatened PCB to terminate the host agreement if the legal notice over the 2011 WC matches is not withdrawn.

A PCB governing council member today said that Pakistan has decided to withdraw the legal notice served on the ICC after the world body chief David Morgan issued a serious threat.

"Pakistan was told if it decides to pursue legal action then the ICC would terminate its host agreement and it would not be paid a single penny from the tournament," a member, who attended a governing council meeting last week at which PCB chief Ejaz Butt gave a briefing on the talks with the ICC, said.

"It has been decided to withdraw the legal notice served on the ICC over the decision of stripping Pakistan of 14 matches of the 2011 World Cup," the source said.

He said Butt had informed the governing council members that the ICC's stance left Pakistan with no option but to go for an out of court settlement which at least guaranteed that Pakistan cricket would benefit financially despite losing the right to host its World Cup matches at home.

"Butt said if ICC terminates the host agreement we could lose around USD 18 to 20 million which Pakistan cricket cannot afford to lose at this stage," he added.

The member said the governing council had given approval for seeking an out of court settlement with the ICC because Butt informed them that the PCB's legal advisor Mark Gay had also advised them not to pursue the matter in a court of law anymore.

Dhoni: Sehwag shaping well for CT

Virender Sehwag, recuperating from a shoulder surgery, was shaping well for the Champions Trophy, according to MS Dhoni.

However, the Indian captain added that the dashing opener may not be ready for the tri-series in Sri Lanka in early September.

"He is improving everyday. He is putting in a lot of effort to get ready for Champions Trophy ," Dhoni said on Thursday.

"Tri-series is too soon"

On Sehwag's chances of playing in the tri-series in Sri Lanka starting on September 8, Dhoni hinted the batsman may have to sit out of the event.

"It's (tri-series) too soon, with just a few days to go," he said.

Sehwag had injured his shoulder during the semifinal of the second edition of the Indian Premier League in South Africa and he underwent a surgery for the the Grade II lesion at a Nottingham hospital in June.

Since then, Sehwag has been following a rehabilitation programme, which makes him doubtful not only for the September 8-14 tri-series in Sri Lanka but also cast a cloud of doubt over his availability for the Champions Trophy in South Africa starting on September 22.

Dhoni said apart from Sehwag, there were no other injury issues and the players looked in perfect shape for a hectic schedule ahead.

"We just had a mid-term fitness test and we'll have a camp before the tri-series to get back into the groove and get ready for the long season ahead," Dhoni said.

"Kolkata is very close to my heart"

Dhoni said Kolkata was close to his heart since he played a lot of cricket here early in his career.

"Right from my under-13, under-16 and under-19 days when I was playing for Bihar, now Jharkhand, a number of times we played at Eden Gardens.

Sehwag wants to quit Delhi team

Virender Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team, alleging interference in selection matters by the DDCA members.

Sehwag, who is currently in Bangalore undergoing rehabilitation for his injured shoulder, has been told to put his decision on hold till he meets the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Arun Jaitley.

The meeting is likely to take place on August 27 or 28 to discuss the matter.

Sehwag threatens to leave Delhi for Haryana

The explosive right-hander has threatened to leave the team for Haryana, saying that he is frustrated with the interference in selection matters.

The DDCA's Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said he has not received any communication from Sehwag nor has he approached him for a No Objection Certificate to play for some other state.

But a top DDCA source said Sehwag's threat to quit was just a "pressure tactic" to bring in a couple of his players in the Ranji squad.

"He wants to bring Mayank Tehlan and Pradeep Sangwan into the team. But since the Delhi team is well set, it is not possible. That is the reason why he is making such threats," the source told PTI.

Taseer wants PCB to boycott 2011 WC matches in India

KARACHI : Governor of the Punjab Salman Taseer has asked President Asif Zardari to direct the Pakistan Cricket Board to boycott its 2011 World Cup matches in India.

A powerful political figure and an influential businessman, Taseer has sent a letter to Zardari asking him to direct the PCB to shun its World Cup matches in India.

"Taseer, in his letter to President Zardari, has suggested that the PCB should pressurise the International Cricket Council to schedule its World Cup matches at Dubai instead of playing them in India".

President Zardari is also the chief patron of the board and directly appoints the PCB Chairman.

The PCB official said Taseer, who belongs to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, felt if Pakistan was forced to play in India, it could make things difficult for the players, officials and the fans.

Taseer was of the view that given Pakistan's relations with India, fans might struggle to get visa, while the players could also face a very hostile atmosphere in India.

"Taseer has suggested that the President ask the board to tell the ICC that it must allow Pakistan to play its matches of the World Cup in Dubai where it would be easier for Pakistani people to travel and gets visas," the official said.

Incidentally, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt had squarely blamed the Punjab government for the lapse in security that led to the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore on march 3, prompting the ICC to shift the World Cup matches from Pakistan for security reasons.

Butt told a press conference yesterday in Karachi that if Pakistan was drawn up to play any matches in India then it would have to first seek government clearance.

"If we don't get clearance from our government to play in India then Pakistan might have to pull out of the World Cup disrupting it badly," Butt said.

I was asked to take back retirement decision: Younus

KARACHI : Captain Younus Khan revealed turning down a request from the cricket board Chairman Ejaz Butt to lead the team in the Twenty20 International in Sri Lanka.

Younus, who announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket after winning the World Cup in England in June, confirmed during a talk show in private channel that Butt had spoken to him about the captaincy issue when he visited Colombo.

"Butt told me I should lead the team in the Twenty20 match as well and take back my decision to retire," Younus said.

"But I told the Chairman that if I take back my retirement decision, people will laugh at me. I don't fancy such a situation and my decision not to play Twenty20 cricket is final," he said.

Pakistan back on couch ahead of Champions Trophy

KARACHI : Pakistan will again seek the help of a sports psychologist to inspire them to repeat their Twenty20 World Cup success in the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Pakistani players had several counseling sessions with sports psychologist Maqbool Bari before heading to England where they upset a string of more-fancied sides to clinch the T20 World Cup in May.

The team faltered badly, however, immediately after during their recent tour to Sri Lanka where they lost both the test and one-day series.

"There is no doubt that the sessions with the psychologist helped improve the self belief and focus of the players before the T20 World Cup," Pakistan captain Younis Khan told Reuters in an interview.

"Those sessions were one of the reasons for us showing great fighting spirit to win the T20 World Cup."

Younis said he had asked the Pakistan cricket board to arrange more time with a psychologist during a short conditioning camp to be arranged for the Champions Trophy in mid-September.

"We will have two proper counseling sessions because there is a problem with us that we tend to suffer from a mental block when it comes to handling pressure or finishing off matches," he said. The Pakistan board has also appointed former captain and batting great, Javed Miandad as batting consultant for the Champions Trophy.

Younis said that former captains, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar would also visit the conditioning camp to work with the players.

"I think our players can gain a lot by seeking advice from these former greats and a psychologist. We need these things to do well in the Champions trophy which is a mega event."

ICC sets date to resolve Pakistan World Cup row

NEW DELHI : The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Pakistan board chiefs will meet later this month with a view to resolving their dispute over the staging of the 2011 World Cup.

ICC President David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt will meet in Dubai on Aug. 27 to discuss the distribution of 14 matches to co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh after they were moved out of Pakistan due to security concerns.

"Although nothing has yet been agreed, there remains a strong will on both sides to conclude this matter as soon as possible without recourse to legal means," Morgan said in a statement on Saturday.

"With that in mind we will meet in Dubai with a view to reaching a resolution that is acceptable to both parties."

The officials spoke by telephone on Friday to help narrow the differences.

"In the light of our latest discussions I remain confident we can achieve that goal, something that would allow all of us, the ICC and its members, to focus on our key objective -- the staging of a successful World Cup in the Asian sub-continent in 2011."

Pakistan mounted a legal challenge in May after the ICC decided to move all the matches out of the country following the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in March.

The PCB failed in its bid to stage the matches at a neutral venue and is now eager not to lose the revenue it would have earned by hosting the matches on home soil.

Blind Pakistani team protest UK visa refusal

ISLAMABAD : The head of Pakistan's blind cricketers on Saturday demanded that the sports's World Cup be shifted from England after the team was denied visas to play two series there.

The Pakistani cricket team for the visually impaired, the reigning world champions, were due to tour England from August 9-18 to play three one-day matches and a Twenty20 game as part of preparations for the World Cup 2011 -- also scheduled in England.

However, the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) denied the team visas earlier this week because it was not convinced the players would return to Pakistan once the tour was over.

Pakistan's Blind Cricket Council Chairman Syed Sultan Shah said he has complained to the India-based World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) about the visa refusal and demanded the World Cup be re-located.

"We are protesting this with the WBCC. We are demanding that the World Cup be shifted from England because Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka will also face the same problem... why stage a mega event in a country who will not give us visas," Shah told AFP.

He said it was ridiculous that the UK visa authorities said they were concerned players would not return to Pakistan and that they did not have sufficient income.

Dravid makes one-day comeback

NEW DELHI : Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid on Sunday made a return to India's one-day squad for next month's tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Dravid, 36, last played a one-day international in 2007 but his form in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa and the poor show of India's younger batsmen in the World Twenty20 turned the scale in his favour.

With 10,585 runs from 333 games to his name, Dravid is expected to bolster the middle-order which struggled against rising deliveries in England, hosts of the World Twenty20 in June.

Dravid replaced Rohit Sharma, who managed 15 runs in three innings during India's last one-day engagement, against the West Indies, in June-July.

Aggressive opener Virender Sehwag was ignored by the selectors as he is yet to recover fully from a shoulder injury.

Suresh Raina, out of action owing to a hairline fracture of the thumb, made a comeback while Amit Mishra replaced

Trott aims to keep cool in Ashes cauldron

LONDON : Jonathan Trott vowed to stay as ‘relaxed as possible’ after being handed arguably the most daunting set of circumstances possible in which to make his England Test debut.

The South Africa born batsman was named Sunday in England's 14-man squad for next week's must-win Ashes Test against Australia here at the Oval and national selector Geoff Miller confirmed that, late injury permitting, Trott would play in place of the dropped Ravi Bopara.

Essex batsman Bopara managed just one and nought during England's innings and 80 run fourth Test defeat at Headingley, a result that saw Australia level the five-match Ashes series at 1-1 with the Oval finale, which starts on Thursday, to come.

Record for Coventry as Zimbabwe bat first against Bangladesh

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe made 312 for eight wickets batting first in the fourth One-Day International against Bangladesh here on Sunday with Charles Coventry equalling the best ever individual score.

The 26-year-old Coventry made 194 not out from 156 balls hitting 16 fours and seven sixes. His total equalled the all-time ODI record set by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar which had stood for 12 years.

Zimbabwe, who went into the match 1-2 down in the five-match series, won the toss and elected to bat first.