AC Milan have confirmed David Beckham will be returning to the Italian club in January. The 34-year-old helped Milan to fourth place in Serie A last season with two goals in 18 league appearances before going back to LA Galaxy in May. GettyImages David Beckham will be returning to the San Siro. Former England captain Beckham had been strongly linked with a second loan spell with the Rossoneri to improve his chances of making Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani claimed last week an announcement was imminent - and it has been confirmed on the club's official website this evening. Beckham moved to the San Siro during Major League Soccer's off-season last January, initially on a three-month loan deal, but impressed so much his stay was extended until the end of the Serie A campaign. Milan have announced a six-month deal on this occasion, meaning Beckham will remain in Italy up until the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. "We are very happy to see again David Beckham with the Rossoneri jersey after the splendid experience of last season," AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said on the club's official website. "We are certain that this time in Europe will help the player take part in the next World Cup and to continue after his career in Los Angeles Galaxy, to whom we thank for their time.'' His first Serie A game this season could be against Genoa at the San Siro on January 6.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Milan confirm Beckham return
Ponting mulls opening batting for rest of India-Australia ODI series
Mohali, Nov 2(ANI): Australian skipper Ricky Ponting’s decision to open the batting in the third ODI of the seven game series against India may develop into something more lasting. Ponting has indicated that he would maintain the spot for the rest of the series, starting with the fourth game in Mohali. “The reason I opened in the game was for team balance. I’m obviously the most experienced player in our side and to put one of the other guys up to open the innings I thought would have been more of a challenge for them than it would be for me,” The Daily Telegraph quoted Ponting, as saying. “If it looks like everyone’s fit and ready for the next game there’s probably every chance that I’ll open again,” he added. The 34-year-old made 59 runs in a painfully slow conditions at the Ferozshah Kotla, but his contribution will give the selectors cause for thought ahead of the 2011 World Cup, also on the subcontinent. Ponting has previously opened only once in his career, against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1999. (ANI)
Australia survive Harbhajan scare, win by 24 runs
Chasing 251, India got off to a flier with Virender Sehwag (30 off 19 balls) looking eager to wrap up the issue and Sachin Tendulkar (40) going great guns. But their undoing was no less spectacular as the middle and lower could not forge a single significant partnership and the team folded for 226 in 46.4 overs. Earlier put into bat, Australia stitched together half-centuries from Ponting (52) and White (62) and cameos from Shane Watson (49) and Michael Hussey (40) to reach 250 before wilting in 49.2 overs. India's chase got off to a blazing start with Sehwag displaying the kind of power-hitting on which he has built his career around. The first ball raced to the fence off his blade faster than it had arrived and it was a bad omen for Mitchell Johnson. The hapless birthday boy copped three boundaries in his next over and an encore of the treatment meant the Australian spearhead had hemorrhaged 34 runs in his first three overs before Ponting spared further trauma by withdrawing him from attack. It was too good to last for long and relief for Australia came soon when Sehwag fell to Doug Bollinger in the seventh over and Virat Kohli (10), replacing Gautam Gambhir, squandered yet another opportunity to impress, leaving India at 78 for two. With Sachin Tendulkar in pursuit of yet another batting milestone - 47 runs separated him from the 17,000 mark when he walked out - and looking in good nick, the crowd had enough to look forward to till an Ashoka de Silva howler spoiled their party. Fluent initially and aware of the imminent milestone as he approached it, Tendulkar was hit on the pad by an innocuous Nathan Hauritz delivery that was missing the leg stump but de Silva raised his dreaded finger to send groans across the chock-a-block stadium. At 94 for three, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) and Yuvraj Singh (12) had a task uncannily similar to the one they had accomplished in the previous match in Delhi but this time their association was nipped in the bud by a Ricky Ponting direct throw that sent back Yuvraj. Dhoni then became Bollinger's third victim, Hauritz castled Suresh Raina (17) and Ravindra Jadeja (7) ran himself out, leaving India gasping at 177 for seven in the 39th over. Down the order Harbhajan Singh's 25-ball 35 - like the series opener in Vadodara - was entertaining but not clinching. |
'We failed as a batting unit' - MS Dhoni
| ||
India's powerful batting line-up has often had to compensate for errant bowling and slack fielding in the past but the tables were turned in Mohali. MS Dhoni praised his bowlers for restricting Australia to 250; he said the fielding effort was India's best in the last one-and-a-half years; but he criticised the batsmen for a lack of partnerships which ultimately led to a 24-run defeat in the fourth ODI.
"It was a good effort by the bowlers to restrict them to a total like 250," Dhoni said. "We got a decent start to our chase also. But subsequently, we failed as a batting unit. We should have batted the full 50 overs but that was not possible because we kept losing wickets at regular intervals."
Dhoni defended his decision to field, saying the dew factor would have made it difficult for the bowlers to grip the ball under lights. "Dew is a big factor that always plays on your mind. From overs 15-40, generally the spinners do the job for us. That would have been taking a risk. Of course, it can backfire as well, so it's difficult to choose. But we knew in Mohali, the wicket would not break much and ball would come nicely onto the bat with a bit of dew. I think our bowlers did a great job and 251 is something we should have scored."
India's chase had a terrific start with Virender Sehwag caning Mitchell Johnson for 30 runs off 14 balls. Australia began to fight back after Sehwag fell but India were on course while Sachin Tendulkar was batting. However, his dismissal for 40 - the highest score of the innings - was the beginning of the end as wickets fell frequently thereafter.
"We badly needed some partnerships going," Dhoni said. "We got the start but we could not take advantage of that. If at least one batsman got going, it would have made things easy."
Dhoni also said the younger batsmen like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli would need to learn how to overhaul a difficult target. "Raina today got out to a beautiful delivery, while Jadeja was run out after a mix-up," Dhoni said. "Batting at No. 6 or 7 is not easy, since you don't get much opportunity to bat. You cannot pace your innings either, for you have to play according to the platform given to you. Sometimes, you have to accelerate or keep a partnership going. They are still inexperienced and I hope they learn from their mistakes."
On the decision to send Kohli at No. 3, Dhoni said: "The best way to give someone an opportunity is to let him bat higher. At No. 6 or 7, you score 20-30 in quick time or can get out for 10-12 also. I think it's important to give them a chance. Virat is a talented batsman, good on the field and brings in lot of energy."
India's defeat in Mohali prevented them from taking Australia's No. 1 ranking in ODIs and the gap between the teams is now three points. The next match is in Hyderabad on November 5.
Ponting hails 'outstanding' Bollinger
| ||
Ricky Ponting has credited his bowlers, and particularly Doug Bollinger, with rescuing Australia in Mohali to level the series 2-2. The Australians appeared to be in trouble when India were 78 for 1 in the 15th over, chasing 251 for victory, but in his fifth ODI Bollinger grabbed three wickets to set up Australia's triumph.
"I thought Bollinger was outstanding," Ponting said after the match. "He came on and his wickets probably brought us back into the game."
Bollinger finished with 3 for 38 from his nine overs and helped restrict the scoring while his fellow left-armer Mitchell Johnson leaked runs. Shane Watson grabbed three wickets in the lower order when India were threatening a late fightback, and combined with two sharp run-outs from Ponting it added up to a strong performance in the field.
"It was good to get a couple of run-outs," Ponting said. "Yuvi and I had a chat in the field and he called me a little bit slow, but I got one back on him tonight. We have worked hard on our fielding and I thought it has been at its best in the whole series tonight.
"It's surely a good win for us, coming up short with the bat, but bowling and fielding very well. Peter Siddle got only five overs in the game which means we thought things out really well. The series is level again, it has been up and down all the way through and no team has been able to grab the momentum."
Ponting said it was disappointing that Australia had failed to make the most of a strong start with the bat - four of their top five scored 40 or more. However, nobody else reached double figures and the innings fell away dramatically, with the final wicket falling for 250 in the 50th over.
"We felt we had missed out on a few runs out there with the bat," he said. "At one stage it looked like we would get close to 300, but we didn't capitalise on the Powerplay. We lost a few wickets leading up to our powerplay again and that's been a bit of a problem for us through the series so far. But the boys bowled exceptionally well tonight."
Inept Zimbabwe shot out for 44
Despite two big wins in the previous two matches Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan had been unhappy with his team's performance, demanding an improved show. He can have little to complain about after Bangladesh's bowlers demolished Zimbabwe for 44, the fifth lowest total in one-dayers. It could have been even more embarrassing for the visitors had Bangladesh not grassed three catches. After three games in Mirpur the action shifted to Chittagong, where the pitch offered plenty of turn and bounce, but Zimbabwe can't use that as an excuse as most of the wickets were due to some poor shot selection from the batsmen rather than due to gremlins in the track.
Impressive Australia draw level
| ||
It was India's game to lose after they restricted Australia to a par total of 250 on a good batting pitch, especially after the fiery start provided by Virender Sehwag. However, Australia won the vital moments during the chase to level the series in Mohali. Like in Vadodara, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to pull off a heist; like in Vadodara they failed.
It was a roller-coaster of a chase and whenever India appeared to be getting ahead, Australia fought back with a vengeance. It wasn't necessarily great bowling that did the trick but it was disciplined enough to force mistakes from under-pressure batsmen.
India were off to a cracking start. Sehwag looted 30 runs from 14 deliveries from Mitchell Johnson but no one took ownership of the chase and India slowly lost their way. The first turning point came when Ricky Ponting introduced spin in the 17th over. Nathan Hauritz stuck in his second over, earning an lbw decision against Sachin Tendulkar but the ball appeared to be missing leg stump.
The second blow occurred in the 24th over when Ponting fired a direct hit from cover to run out Yuvraj Singh. MS Dhoni took the score to 134 before he became the fifth wicket to fall, trying to clip a harmless delivery from Doug Bollinger down the leg side. Raina didn't last long, cleaned up by Hauritz when he failed to connect with an attempted dab to third man and finally, Ravindra Jadeja ran himself out, attempting a non-existent single.
There would have been a moment of apprehension for Ponting when Harbhajan and Praveen played cameos but Shane Watson, who leaked runs against the same pair in Vadodara, redeemed himself today. Harbhajan opted for the batting Powerplay after Jadeja's exit and pushed the score to 204 but fell, scooping a return catch to Watson, who later induced Praveen to edge behind. Game over.
How did India lose this one though? Sehwag and Tendulkar had provided them the ideal start and though Tendulkar's dismissal was vital, even then, India held the advantage. Or so it seemed. Dhoni and Yuvraj, the heroes from the last game, were still in, the wicket was still batting-friendly and the bowling wasn't too threatening.
This is where the Australia, battered and bruised with injuries, showed their famed fighting spirit. They needed a moment of inspiration and it came from their captain. Ponting swooped in on a push from Dhoni at short cover and swung around to hit a direct hit at the striker's end to catch Yuvraj short of the crease. It was the spark Australia were looking for and they began to hustle the Indians on the field. The fielding was sharp and the bowling, if not spectacular, was tight.
They still needed a slice of luck to swing things decisively in their favour and they got it when Bollinger returned for his second spell in the 32nd over. It appeared to be a harmless delivery, bouncing down the leg side, but Dhoni nicked the attempted glance to the keeper.
Suddenly, the momentum had shifted and India's lower order was put under severe pressure. An alert Ponting kept making the right moves; with two left-handers Raina and Jadeja in the middle, he brought in the offspinner Hauritz for another spell. Hauritz took out a nervous Raina in the very first over and Ponting made yet another move that almost backfired on him. He gave the ball to Johnson, perhaps hoping that the errant bowler would redeem himself, but Harbhajan and Jadeja slammed a couple of boundaries. However, the pressure got to Jadeja, who was run out by who else but Ponting, and the chase had all but derailed.
The final margin of victory - 24 runs - was all the more surprising because Australia appeared to have lost the advantage after being restricted to a par total. Four Australian batsmen went past 40 but none carried on for a big score and the innings meandered at times, especially in the last ten overs where they scored only 49 runs. Ponting and Watson couldn't build on their promising partnership and the same fate befell Michael Hussey and Cameron White's association.
White played responsibly to keep Australia in the game. He has a reputation for powerful shots, but adapted his approach and scored in singles and twos. The big hits have eluded him so far in the series, reducing him to being merely a useful contributor rather than one who can take the game away from the opposition. His best shot was a well-adjusted short-arm slog sweep against Yuvraj Singh: He leaned forward to seemingly push it away for a single but at the last minute just stretched out to swat it high over midwicket. He went on to unfurl more skilful shots, when he backed away a couple of times against Harbhajan to loft inside-out against the turn, but for the main part, he drove and flicked for singles to rotate the strike.
He found solid support in Hussey and the duo added 73 runs for the fourth wicket with the left-hander playing another typical innings: he was calmness personified, pushing the ball into gaps for singles and collecting an odd boundary with a cover drive or a sweep. Occasionally, he charged out to the spinners to loft them over the in-field and one such stroke off Yuvraj sailed over wide long-on for six. However, he too fell after getting a start, pulling Yuvraj straight to deep midwicket.
Australia's task was made harder by the discipline of all the bowlers except Ishant Sharma. The new-ball bowlers, Praveen and Ashish Nehra, found enough movement to keep the top order quiet and both returned to choke the batsmen in the end overs. The spinners, too, found enough bite to cover up for Ishant's wayward spells. Harbhajan put in his best performance of the series, slowing up the pace and flighting on off and middle stump line. Harbhajan tried with the bat too but it was always going to be a tough for him to pull off the improbable.