Category Uncategorized

HEATH STREAK: RECORD IN ALL FIRST-CLASS CRICKET

Heath Hilton Streak – born Bulawayo, 16 March 1974Right-handed batsman, right-arm fast-medium bowlerCareer: 1992/93-2001/02Abbreviations:Man – Manicaland MCD – Mashonaland Country DistrictsMash – Mashonaland Mid – MidlandsMat – Matabeleland Pres – President’s XIZim – Zimbabwe/ZimbabweansGrounds:Alex – Alexandra Sports Club OG – Old Georgians Sports ClubBAC – Bulawayo Athletic Club OH – Old Hararians Sports ClubHSC – Harare Sports ClubCapital letters for team names denotes a Test match.* indicates not out innings.No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1992/93 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total1 Zimbabwe A v Kent (8) 0 194 – (3) 23 5 58 2 #323/5d(HSC, 30 Mar-1 Apr – drawn) — 101/5 – (3) 4 1 18 0 151/8d1992/93 SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – – 27 6 76 2 38.00 2/58 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1993 (England) bat Score Total bowl Total2 Zimbabweans v President’s XI (7) 6 #160 – (3) 23 5 87 3 460/7d(Scarborough, 1-3 Sept – D) (4) 4* 279/23 Zimbabweans v Surrey (7) 12 221/9d – (3) 11 2 59 1 #304/7d(The Oval, 8-10 Sept – D) (8) 4* 196/6 – (3) 6 1 13 0 189/9d4 Zimbabweans v Kent — 53/1d – (3) 13 3 28 0 #264(Canterbury, 11-13 Sept – L) (6) 3 83 – — 68/1d1993 SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 2 29 12 9.33 – – – 53 11 187 4 46.75 3/87 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1993/94 (Pakistan) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak made an impressive Test debut in Pakistan.5 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (1st) (9) 0 289 – (2) 29 6 77 0 #423/8d(Karachi, 1-6 Dec – L) (9) 19* 134 – (3) 10 1 40 0 131/3d6 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (2nd) (6) 2 254 1 (3) 23.2 5 58 3 #245(Rawalpindi, 9-14 Dec – L) (8) 0 187 – (3) 20.3 3 56 5 2487 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (3rd) (8) 0 230 – (3) 12 3 28 0 #147(Lahore, 16-21 Dec – D) — – (3) 16 4 25 0 174/11993/94 (PAKISTAN) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 1 21 19* 5.25 – – 1 110.5 22 284 8 35.50 5/56 1 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1993/94 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total8 Matabeleland v Mash Under-24 (8) 42* #296 – (1) 18 7 34 0 251(Queens, 14-16 Jan – D) (9) 8 200 1 (1) 5 2 8 0 137/59 Mat v Mash Country Districts (8) 19 #433 – (1) 17 8 19 2 220/7d(BAC, 11-13 Feb – W) — – (1) 16 4 46 0 17910 Mat v Mash Under-24 (Final) (7) 5 140 – (1) 23 11 30 1 #286(HSC, 18-20 March – D) 1 (1) 23 16 14 2 24511 Mat Inv XI v Worcestershire (9) 62 #224 1 (1) 20 2 67 1 322/9d(BAC, 13-15 April – D) (9) 18 291 – (1) 2 2 0 0 27/01993/94 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM4 6 1 154 62 30.80 – 1 3 124 52 218 6 36.33 2/14 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1994/95 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total12 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (7) 60* #178 – (1) 16 3 57 1 344/7d(BAC, 16-18 Sept – L) (2) 0 241 – (1) 8 3 30 1 76/113 Mat Select XI v South Africa A (8) 2 #379 – (1) 26 7 74 2 471/9d(BAC, 27-30 Sept – L) (8) 49 308 – (1) 10.2 3 27 1 219/414 Zimbabwe A v South Africa A (9) 9 #87 – (1) 12 1 45 1 409(Alex, 4-6 Oct – L) — 14315 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (1st) (8) 8 319/8 1 (2) 42.5 14 79 4 #383(HSC, 11-15 Oct – D)16 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (2nd) (8) 0 #462/9d – (1) 28 10 68 3 218(Queens, 20-24 Oct – D) — — – (1) 14 4 28 1 193/417 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (3rd) (8) 20 375 – (2) 38 8 97 4 #402(HSC, 26-31 Oct – D) — – (1) 12 4 32 1 89/3No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1994/95 (Australia) bat Score Total bowl TotalZimbabwe visited Australia mainly to play in the triangular tournament including England.18 Zimbabweans v Tasmania — 141/3d – (2) 17 2 55 2 #257/5d(Devonport, 18-20 Dec – D) — 156/5 – (2) 7 3 11 1 136/3d19 Zimbabweans v Queensland — #294/6d – (2) 9 2 32 0 223/5d(Maryborough, 29-31 Dec – L) 6 129 – — 201/61994/95 (AUSTRALIA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM2 1 0 6 6 6.00 – – – 33 7 98 3 32.66 2/55 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1994/95 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total20 Mat v Mash Country Districts (7) 22 127 1 (1) 13 4 31 0 #123(Harare South, 20-22 Jan – W) — 335/3 1 (1) 21 8 30 3 33621 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (1st) — #544/4d – (1) 39 11 90 6 322(HSC, 31 Jan-4 Feb – W) — – (2) 11 5 15 3 15822 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (2nd) (9) 13 #174 – (1) 26 5 70 5 260(Queens, 7-9 Feb – L) (9) 11 146 – (1) 6 1 18 0 61/223 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (3rd) (9) 0 243 1 (1) 18 4 53 4 #231(HSC, 15-19 Feb – L) (9) 30* 139 – (1) 18 5 52 4 25024 Matabeleland v Glamorgan (6) 98 #302/8d 1 (2) 15 5 26 2 266/7d(BAC, 11-13 April – W) (8) 11* 294/7d 3 (2) 11.1 0 47 3 1711994/95 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM11 15 3 333 98 27.75 – 2 8 385.2 105 969 49 19.77 6/90 2 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1995 (England) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak spent a season in England as Hampshire’s overseasprofessional. He impressed the club with his attitude, althoughhe turned in no outstanding performances. There are thosewho feel he has never been the same bowler after a hardcounty season, though.25 Hampshire v Durham (9) 32 194 – (2) 15 4 45 1 #177(Stockton, 27-29 Apr – L) (10) 2 205 1 (1) 16 2 46 1 24826 Hampshire v Middlesex (9) 10 169 – (2) 7 0 37 0 #189(Lord’s, 4-6 May – L) (9) 9 242 – (2) 26 6 80 1 427/6d27 Hampshire v Oxford University — #331/6d – (2) 16.4 1 58 0 317/1d(Oxford, 11-13 May – D) –28 Hampshire v Kent (10) 1 137 1 (4) 10 3 31 2 #207(Southampton, 18-20 May – L) (9) 30 319 – (3) 14 3 46 0 28829 Hampshire v Sussex (9) 11 #534 1 (4) 10.3 3 22 2 196(Portsmouth, 25-27 May – W) — – (4) 17 4 81 4 23230 Hampshire v Glamorgan (9) 20 #324 – (3) 13 5 29 3 174(Cardiff, 1-3 June – W) — 55/2 – (1) 14.1 4 41 3 20431 Hampshire v Leicestershire (9) 7 319 – (3) 9.3 1 44 4 #154(Basingstoke, 7-9 June – W) — 92/1 – (4) 13 5 40 4 25332 Hampshire v Gloucestershire (10) 8 #341 1 (2) 24 6 58 1 266/9d(Bristol, 15-19 June – D) (9) 13* 175/6d – (1) 13 2 44 2 180/633 Hampshire v Worcestershire (9) 38 #428 1 (2) 18 2 74 2 289(Southampton, 22-26 June – W) — 344/5d 1 (2) 14 2 61 1 41334 Hampshire v Yorkshire (9) 4 #429 – (2) 24.2 7 57 3 431/8d(Southampton, 6-10 July – L) (9) 4 265 – (1) 9 2 43 1 265/735 Hampshire v Northamptonshire (9) 25 #560 – (2) 13 3 55 2 321(Northampton, 20-24 July -D) (5) 1 118/8 – (1) 21 7 47 2 36536 Hampshire v Young Australia (9) 4* 100 – (2) 22 1 70 1 #527/7d(Southampton, 28-30 July -L) (9) 69 446 – — 21/037 Hampshire v Essex (9) 5 255 – (1) 27 5 88 0 #662/7d(Colchester, 3-7 Aug – L) (9) 0 15338 Hampshire v Warwickshire (10) 20 #225 – (1) 35 12 98 1 535/8d(Southampton, 10-12 Aug – L) (10) 11 22139 Hampshire v West Indians (9) 4 #192 – (1) 18 4 53 0 696/6d(Southampton, 16-18 Aug – D) — 302/540 Hampshire v Lancashire (10) 0 #154 – (1) 25.2 4 77 3 293(Portsmouth, 24-28 Aug – L) (10) 14 352 – (1) 13 5 36 2 214/541 Hampshire v Nottinghamshire (10) 0 #333 – (1) 6 3 9 1 154(Nottingham, 29-31 Aug – W) — – (1) 12 4 25 1 17242 Hampshire v Somerset — 36/0d – (1) 22.4 4 76 2 #333(Southampton, 7-11 Sept – D) — 190/5 – — forfeit43 Hampshire v Surrey (10) 25 #185 – (1) 8.1 0 28 2 71/2d(The Oval, 14-18 Sept – D) (9) 11* 152 – (1) 9 1 30 1 175/21995 (ENGLAND) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM19 28 3 378 69 15.12 – 1 6 516.2 115 1629 53 30.73 4/40 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1995/96 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalIn the Logan Cup match against Mashonaland Country Districts, Streakrecorded his highest career score (131) and best bowling figures(7/69) in the same match.44 ZCU Pres v Tasmania (8) 8* 403/9d – (1) 15 2 43 1 #196(BAC, 9-11 Oct – D) — – (1) 14 4 26 0 309/445 ZIMBABWE v SOUTH AFRICA (Only) (9) 53 #170 – (1) 26 6 79 2 346(HSC, 13-16 Oct – L) (9) 0 283 – (1) 9 2 24 1 108/346 Matabeleland v Young Mash (8) 70 #221 1 (1) 19 6 32 2 203(BAC, 3-5 Nov – D) — 370/5d – (1) 13 6 18 2 202/247 Mat v Mash Country Districts (6) 13 #152 1 (1) 16 1 60 1 209(BAC, 17-19 Nov – W) (7) 131 344 1 (2) 22 3 69 7 283No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1995/96 (New Zealand) bat Score Total bowl Total48 Zimbabweans v NZ Academy XI (8) 0 #274/7d – (1) 12 2 40 0 213/1d(Whangarei, 6-8 Jan – D) — 207/4d – (1) 7 3 14 1 109/149 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (1st) (7) 24 196 – (1) 25 7 52 4 #230/8d(Hamilton, 13-17 Jan – D) (7) 6 208/6 – (1) 22 4 56 1 222/5d50 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (2nd) (8) 2 326 – (1) 22 9 50 3 #251(Auckland, 20-24 Jan – D) — 246/4 1 (1) 30 7 110 4 441/5d1995/96 (NEW ZEALAND) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 4 0 32 24 8.00 – – 1 118 32 322 13 24.76 4/52 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1995/96 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total51 Mat Select XI v Yorkshire (6) 20 84 – (1) 18 8 55 0 #329/5d(BAC, 11-12 April – L) (7) 101 234 -52 Mat v Mash Country Districts (6) 31 220 – (1) 20 5 48 2 #265(BAC – 19-21 April – W) — 176/4 1 (1) 18 3 57 2 1281995/96 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM6 9 1 426 131 53.25 2 2 4 190 46 511 20 25.55 7/69 1 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1996/97 (Sri Lanka) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak injured himself in the field in the First Test match andalso missed the tour of Pakistan that followed.53 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (11) 0* 145 1 (1) 20 6 54 3 #349(Colombo Pre, 11-14 Oct – L) (11) 3* 127 -1996/97 (SRI LANKA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 2 2 3 3* — – – 1 20 6 54 3 18.00 3/54 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1996/97 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total54 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (4) 47 448 – (2) 22 5 59 0 #503/4d(Alex, 15-17 Nov – D) –55 Matabeleland v Mashonaland — 69/4d – (1) 21 3 64 1 #477/6d(BAC, 22-24 Nov – L) (4) 11 195 – — forfeit56 Matabeleland v England XI (7) 25 188 – (2) 19 3 65 3 #334(BAC, 10-13 Dec – L) (4) 67 261 – — 26157 ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND (1st) (9) 19 #376 – (1) 36 8 86 2 406(Queens, 18-22 Dec – D) (10) 8* 234 – (1) 11 0 64 1 204/658 ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND (2nd) (9) 7 215 – (1) 24.1 7 43 4 #156(HSC, 26-30 Dec – D) — – (1) 18 5 47 1 195/359 Mat Inv XI v Worcestershire (6) 19* 168/9d – (1) 15.4 6 20 4 #145(BAC, 28-30 March – L) (6) 1 222 – (2) 13.1 4 27 1 263/8d1996/97 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM6 9 2 204 67 29.14 – 1 – 180 41 475 17 27.94 4/20 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1997/98 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak was appointed captain of Matabeleland. An injury in the SecondTest against New Zealand prevented him from bowling for several weeksand affected his form throughout the season.60 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (5) 61* 129 – (2) 15 2 60 1 #307(OH, 4-6 Sept – L) (5) 41 142 -61 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (1st) (8) 0 #298 – (1) 23 2 63 1 207(HSC, 18-22 Sept – D) (8) 0 311/9d – (1) 21 3 52 2 304/862 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (2nd) (8) 17 #461 – (1) 15 5 26 0 403(Queens, 25-29 Sept – D) (8) 1 227/8d – — 275/863 Matabeleland v Mashonaland A (5) 81 300/7d 2 — #312(BAC, 23-25 Oct – D) (5) 25 277/9 – — 279/5dNo. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1997/98 (Sri Lanka) bat Score Total bowl Total64 Zim v Sri Lanka Board XI (8) 7* #311/8d – (1) 18 4 46 0 313/8d(Matara, 2-5 Jan – D) –65 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (1st) (8) 5 140 – (1) 34 11 96 2 #469/9d(Kandy, 7-11 Jan – L) (9) 13 338 – (1) 1 0 4 2 10/266 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (2nd) (9) 3 #251 2 (1) 15 5 28 2 225(Colombo SSC, 14-18 Jan – L) (10) 1 299 – (1) 24 6 84 4 325/51997/98 (SRI LANKA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 1 29 13 7.25 – – 2 93 25 258 10 25.80 4/84 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1997/98 (New Zealand) bat Score Total bowl Total67 Zimbabweans v Canterbury (9) 3* 422/8d – (1) 18 7 38 2 #100(Timaru, 13-16 Feb – W) — – (1) 24 9 42 2 26668 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (1st) (8) 39 #180 – (1) 22 6 74 2 411(Wellington, 19-22 Feb – L) (9) 43* 250 – (1) 2 0 13 0 20/069 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (2nd) (7) 12 #170 – (1) 31 7 105 3 460(Auckland, 26-28 Feb – L) (7) 24 2771997/98 (NEW ZEALAND) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 2 121 43* 30.33 – – – 97 29 272 9 30.22 3/105 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1997/98 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total70 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (1st) (8) 53 #321 – (1) 24 5 74 1 256(Queens, 14-18 March – D) — 302/4d – (1) 18 6 42 3 258/671 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (2nd) (8) 6 #277 – (1) 31 8 83 1 354(HSC, 21-25 March – L) (8) 37* 268 – (1) 13 5 40 2 192/71997/98 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM6 11 2 322 81 35.77 – 3 2 160 36 440 11 40.00 3/42 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1998/99 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total72 ZCU Pres v Plascon Academy (6) 20 194 – (1) 16 2 44 2 #358/7d(Sunrise, 21-23 Aug – W) (6) 20* 307/4 – (1) 10 1 32 0 137/2d73 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (Only) (8) 8 #221 – (1) 29 9 62 3 280(HSC, 7-10 Oct – W) (9) 3 293 – (2) 14 4 49 2 173No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1998/99 (Pakistan) bat Score Total bowl Total74 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (1st) (8) 24 238 – (1) 22.5 2 93 4 #296(Peshawar, 27-30 Nov – W) — 162/3 – (1) 12.5 3 19 2 10375 ZIMBABWE v PAKISTAN (2nd) (8) 19 #183 – (1) 33 8 75 1 325/9d(Lahore, 10-14 Dec – D) — 48/01998/99 (PAKISTAN) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM2 2 0 43 24 21.50 – – – 68.4 13 187 7 26.71 4/93 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1998/99 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total76 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (6) 49 232 – (1) 16 3 34 1 #243(BAC, 5-7 Jan – D) (5) 22 278/6 – (2) 15 4 48 1 333/2d77 Matabeleland v Mashonaland A (6) 0 403 – (1) 13 3 36 2 #102(BAC, 19-21 Jan – W) — 50/3 – (1) 16 3 52 2 3501998/99 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM4 7 1 122 49 20.33 – – – 129 29 357 13 27.46 3/62 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1999/2000 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalInjury again interfered with Streak’s season; injured during theAustralian tour, he did not play again until the triangulartournament in South Africa in January 2000.78 ZIMBABWE v AUSTRALIA (Only) (8) 3 #194 – (2) 34 8 93 5 422(HSC, 14-17 Oct – L) (9) 0 232 – — 5/01999/2000 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 2 0 3 3 1.50 – – – 34 8 93 5 18.60 5/93 1 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.1999/2000 (West Indies) bat Score Total bowl TotalA back injury prevented Streak from bowling in the Second Test match.79 Zim v West Indies Board XI (9) 1 #428 2 (1) 16 6 31 2 198(St George’s, 4-6 March – D) — 24/080 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (1st) (8) 20 236 – (1) 24 9 45 4 #187(Port-of-Spain, 16-20 Mar-L) (8) 0 63 – (1) 17 8 27 5 14781 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (2nd) (9) 2 308 – — #339(Kingston, 24-28 March – L) — 102 – — 75/082 Zimbabweans v West Indies XI — 170/4 – (1) 16 5 32 1 #2571999/2000 (WEST INDIES) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM4 4 0 23 20 5.75 – – 2 73 28 135 12 11.25 5/27 1 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000 (England) bat Score Total bowl Total83 Zimbabweans v Kent (8) 23 #159 – (1) 22 7 49 2 487/8d(Canterbury, 3-5 May – L) — 16584 ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND (1st) (8) 4 #83 1 (1) 35.5 12 87 6 415(Lord’s, 18-21 May – L) (9) 0 12385 ZIMBABWE v ENGLAND (2nd) — 285/4d 1 (1) 32 7 82 1 #374(Nottingham, 1-5 June – D) — 25/1 – (1) 17 8 13 2 14786 Zim v Gloucestershire (8) 11 #568 – (1) 18.2 4 72 5 167(Gloucester, 16-19 June – W) — 258/2d – (1) 11 3 22 2 13587 Zim v British Universities (8) 71* 441/6d – (1) 20 9 21 0 #261/8d(Cambridge, 21-23 June – D) –2000 (ENGLAND) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM5 5 1 109 71* 27.25 – 1 2 156.1 50 346 18 19.22 6/87 2 -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000/01 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak was appointed captain of Zimbabwe at the start of the season,with great benefit to his batting but disappointing results forhis bowling.88 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (1st) (7) 51 #350 – (1) 26 9 67 2 338(Queens, 12-16 Sept – L) (7) 15 119 – (1) 5 0 21 0 132/389 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (2nd) (7) 8 166 – (2) 29 6 74 0 #465(HSC, 19-23 Sept – L) (7) 54 370 – (1) 8 2 33 2 74/2No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000/01 (India) bat Score Total bowl Total90 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (1st) (7) 25 #422/9d – (1) 30 9 78 1 458/4d(Delhi, 18-22 Nov – L) (8) 26 225 – (1) 5 2 18 1 190/391 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd) (8) 16 382 2 (1) 31 7 87 1 #609/6d(Nagpur, 25-29 Nov – D) (8) 29* 503/6d2000/01 (INDIA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM2 4 1 96 29* 32.00 – – 2 66 18 183 3 61.00 1/18 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000/01 (New Zealand) bat Score Total bowl Total92 ZIMBABWE v NEW ZEALAND (Only) (8) 19* 340/6d – (1) 37 10 74 1 #487/7d(Christchurch, 26-30 Dec – D) — 60/2 – (1) 5 1 18 1 153/4d2000/01 (NEW ZEALAND) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1 1 1 19 19* — – – – 42 11 92 2 46.00 1/18 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2000/01 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total93 Matabeleland v Mashonaland (6) 0 115 – (2) 18 4 32 2 #194(HSC, 23-25 March – L) (6) 1 19 1 (2) 17 3 26 1 225/5d94 Matabeleland v CFX Academy (6) 119 508/9d – (1) 19 4 41 2 #320(Queens, 30 Mar-1 Apr – W) — – (1) 17 10 12 2 12695 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st) (7) 67 457 1 (1) 21 7 47 2 #257(Queens, 19-22 Apr – W) — – (1) 19 5 42 3 16896 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (2nd) (7) 87 421/9d – (2) 30 12 38 4 #254(HSC, 26-30 Apr – W) — 100/2 1 (2) 21 7 47 2 26697 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (1st) (7) 16 #173 – (1) 24 7 63 3 318(Queens, 7-10 June – L) (8) 14 328 – — 184/298 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd) (7) 40 315 – (2) 20 4 69 3 #237(HSC, 15-18 June – W) (6) 8 157/6 – (1) 27 12 46 4 23499 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (1st) (7) 5 #155 – (1) 35 8 110 2 559/6d(Queens, 19-22 July – L) (7) 2 228 -100 ZIMBABWE v WEST INDIES (2nd) (7) 6 #131 1 (1) 22 6 75 1 347(HSC, 27-31 July – D) (7) 83* 563/9d – (1) 15.2 4 34 1 98/12000/01 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM10 17 1 576 119 36.00 1 5 4 373.2 110 877 36 24.36 4/38 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Zimbabwe) bat Score Total bowl Total101 ZIMBABWE v SOUTH AFRICA (1st) (9) 7 286 – (1) 34 4 120 0 #600/3d(HSC, 7-11 Sept – L) (8) 19 391 – (2) 4 2 10 0 79/1102 ZIMBABWE v SOUTH AFRICA (2nd) (8) 31 #419/9d – (1) 25 9 64 0 519/8d(Queens, 14-18 Sept – D) — 96/3No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Bangladesh) bat Score Total bowl TotalStreak resigned the captaincy before this tour, to be replaced by Brian Murphy.103 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (1st) (8) 65 431 – (1) 18 8 30 2 #107(Dhaka, 8-12 Nov – D) — – (1) 11 4 25 0 125/3104 ZIMBABWE v BANGLADESH (2nd) (9) 16* #542/7d – (2) 19 6 32 2 251(Chittagong, 15-19 Nov – W) — 11/2 – — 3012001/02 (BANGLADESH) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM2 2 1 81 65 81.00 – 1 – 48 18 87 4 21.75 2/30 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Sri Lanka) bat Score Total bowl Total105 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (1st) (8) 26* 184 – (1) 34 5 113 3 #586/6d(Colombo SSC, 27-31 Dec – L) (9) 36* 236106 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (2nd) (8) 1 #236 – (1) 32.5 7 85 2 505(Kandy, 4-7 Jan – L) (8) 14* 175107 ZIMBABWE v SRI LANKA (3rd) (7) 33 236 – (1) 32 11 70 2 #418(Galle, 12-15 Jan – L) (7) 7 79 – (1) 11 1 35 0 212/2d2001/02 (SRI LANKA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 6 3 117 36* 39.00 – – – 109.5 24 303 7 43.28 3/113 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (India) bat Score Total bowl Total108 Zim v Board President’s XI (6) 0 340 – (1) 17 7 52 0 #361/3d(Vijayawada, 15-17 Feb – D) — – (1) 4 0 11 0 154/1109 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (1st) (7) 24 #287 – (1) 34 9 108 1 570/7d(Nagpur, 21-25 Feb – L) (8) 8 182110 ZIMBABWE v INDIA (2nd) (7) 0 #329 – (1) 37.2 11 92 4 354(Delhi, 28 Feb-4 March – L) (7) 9 146 – (1) 16.5 4 53 1 126/62001/02 (INDIA) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 0 41 24 8.20 – – – 109.1 31 316 6 52.66 4/92 – -No. Own Team Ct No. O M R W Opp.2001/02 (Zimbabwe, cont.) bat Score Total bowl Total111 Matabeleland v Mashonaland A (6) 5 319 – (2) 20 6 61 5 #270(Queens, 19-22 April – D) (5) 39 268/9 – (2) 32 8 59 1 3322001/02 (ZIMBABWE) SEASON TOTALM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM3 5 0 101 39 20.20 – – – 115 29 314 6 52.33 5/61 1 -RECORD SEASON BY SEASONM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1992/93 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 – – – 27 6 76 2 38.00 2/58 – -1993 (E) 3 5 2 29 12 9.33 – – – 53 11 187 4 46.75 3/87 – -1993/94(P) 3 5 1 21 19* 5.25 – – 1 110.5 22 284 8 35.50 5/56 1 -1993/94(Z) 4 6 1 154 62 30.80 – 1 3 124 52 218 6 36.33 2/14 – -1994/95(A) 2 1 0 6 6 6.00 – – – 33 7 98 3 32.66 2/55 – -1994/95(Z) 11 15 3 333 98 27.75 – 2 8 385.2 105 969 49 19.77 6/90 2 -1995 (E) 19 28 3 378 69 15.12 – 1 6 516.2 115 1629 53 30.73 4/40 – -1995/96(NZ) 3 4 0 32 24 8.00 – – 1 118 32 322 13 24.76 4/52 – -1995/96(Z) 6 9 1 426 131 53.25 2 2 4 190 46 511 20 25.55 7/69 1 -1996/97(SL) 1 2 2 3 3* — – – 1 20 6 54 3 18.00 3/54 – -1996/97(Z) 6 9 2 204 67 29.14 – 1 – 180 41 475 17 27.94 4/20 – -1997/98(SL) 3 5 1 29 13 7.25 – – 2 93 25 258 10 25.80 4/84 – -1997/98(NZ) 3 5 2 121 43* 30.33 – – – 97 29 272 9 30.22 3/105 – -1997/98(Z) 6 11 2 322 81 35.77 – 3 2 160 36 440 11 40.00 3/42 – -1998/99(P) 2 2 0 43 24 21.50 – – – 68.4 13 187 7 26.71 4/93 – -1998/99(Z) 4 7 1 122 49 20.33 – – – 129 29 357 13 27.46 3/62 – -1999/00(Z) 1 2 0 3 3 1.50 – – – 34 8 93 5 18.60 5/93 1 -1999/00(WI) 4 4 0 23 20 5.75 – – 2 73 28 135 12 11.25 5/27 1 -2000 (E) 5 5 1 109 71* 27.25 – 1 2 156.1 50 346 18 19.22 6/87 2 -2000/01(I) 2 4 1 96 29* 32.00 – – 2 66 18 183 3 61.00 1/18 – -2000/01(NZ) 1 1 1 19 19* — – – – 42 11 92 2 46.00 1/18 – -2000/01(Z) 10 17 1 576 119 36.00 1 5 4 373.2 110 877 36 24.36 4/38 – -2001/02(B) 2 2 1 81 65 81.00 – 1 – 48 18 87 4 21.75 2/30 – -2001/02(SL) 3 6 3 117 36* 39.00 – – – 109.5 24 303 7 43.28 3/113 – -2001/02(I) 3 5 0 41 24 8.20 – – – 109.1 31 316 6 52.66 4/92 – -2001/02(Z) 3 5 0 101 39 20.20 – – – 115 29 314 6 52.33 5/61 1 -111 166 29 3389 131 24.73 3 17 38 3431.4 902 9083 327 27.77 7/69 9 -RECORD IN EACH COUNTRYM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMZimbabwe 52 82 11 2241 131 31.56 3 14 21 1717.4 462 4330 165 26.24 7/69 5 -England 27 38 6 516 71* 16.12 – 2 8 725.3 176 2162 75 28.82 6/87 2 -Australia 2 1 0 6 6 6.00 – – – 33 7 98 3 32.66 2/55 – -South Africa -West Indies 4 4 0 23 20 5.75 – – 2 73 28 135 12 11.25 5/27 1 -New Zealand 7 10 3 172 43* 24.57 – – 1 257 72 686 24 28.58 4/52 – -India 5 9 1 137 29* 17.12 – – 2 175.1 49 499 9 55.44 4/92 – -Pakistan 5 7 1 64 24 10.66 – – 1 179.3 35 471 15 31.40 5/56 1 -Sri Lanka 7 13 6 149 36* 21.28 – – 3 222.5 55 615 20 20.75 4/84 – -Bangladesh 2 2 1 81 65 81.00 – 1 – 48 18 87 4 21.75 2/30 – -Kenya -111 166 29 3389 131 24.73 3 17 38 3431.4 902 9083 327 27.77 7/69 9 -RECORD ON ZIMBABWEAN GROUNDSM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMAlexandra 3 3 0 126 70 42.00 – 1 1 66 18 154 5 30.80 2/18 – -Bulawayo AC 15 25 4 922 131 43.90 2 5 10 393.2 92 1097 41 26.76 7/69 1 -Harare South 1 1 0 22 22 22.00 – – 2 34 12 61 3 20.33 3/30 – -Harare SC 17 27 3 493 87 20.54 – 4 6 712.2 203 1701 73 23.30 6/90 2 -Old Hararians 2 3 1 102 61* 51.00 – 1 – 42 8 136 3 45.33 2/58 – -Queens SC 13 21 2 536 119 28.21 1 3 2 444 126 1105 38 29.07 5/61 2 -Sunrise 1 2 1 40 20* 40.00 – – – 26 3 76 2 38.00 2/44 – -52 82 11 2241 131 31.56 3 14 21 1717.4 462 4330 165 26.24 7/69 5 -LOGAN CUP RECORD (FOR MATABELELAND)M I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wM1993/94 3 4 1 74 42* 24.66 – – 2 102 48 151 5 30.20 2/14 – -1994/95 2 3 1 82 60* 41.00 – 1 2 58 18 148 5 29.60 3/30 – -1995/96 3 4 0 244 131 61.00 1 1 4 108 24 284 16 17.75 7/69 1 -1996/97 2 2 0 58 47 29.00 – – – 43 8 123 1 123.00 1/64 – -1997/98 2 4 1 208 81 69.33 – 2 2 15 2 60 1 60.00 1/60 – -1998/99 2 3 0 71 49 23.66 – – – 60 13 170 6 28.33 2/36 – -1999/2000 -2000/01 2 3 0 120 119 40.00 1 – 1 71 21 111 7 15.85 2/12 – -2001/02 1 2 0 44 39 22.00 – – – 52 14 120 6 20.00 5/61 1 -17 25 3 901 131 40.95 2 4 11 509 148 1167 47 24.82 7/69 2 -RECORD AGAINST OTHER LOGAN CUP TEAMSM I NO Runs HS Av. 100 50 Ct O M R W Av. BB 5wI 10wMFor Matabeleland:CFX Academy 1 1 0 119 119 119.00 1 – – 36 14 53 4 13.25 2/12 – -Mashonaland 6 10 2 292 61* 36.50 – 2 1 148 30 410 9 45.55 2/32 – -Mashonaland A 3 5 0 150 81 30.00 – 1 2 81 20 208 10 20.80 5/61 1 -Mash Country Dist 4 5 0 215 131 43.00 1 – 5 143 36 360 17 21.17 7/69 1 -Under-24/Young Mash 3 4 1 125 70 41.66 – 1 3 101 48 136 7 19.42 2/14 – -17 25 3 901 131 40.95 2 4 11 509 148 1167 47 24.82 7/69 2 -CENTURIES1 131 Matabeleland v Mashonaland Country Districts (Bulawayo Athletic Club) 1995/962 101 Matabeleland Select XI v Yorkshire (Bulawayo Athletic Club 1995/963 119 Matabeleland v CFX Academy (Queens Sports Club) 2000/01FIVE WICKETS IN AN INNINGS1 5/56 Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Second Test, Rawalpindi) 1993/942 6/90 Zimbabwe v Pakistan (First Test, Harare Sports Club) 1994/953 5/70 Zimbabwe v Pakistan (Second Test, Queens Sports Club) 1994/954 7/69 Matabeleland v Mashonaland Country Districts (Bulawayo Athletic Club) 1995/965 5/93 Zimbabwe v Australia (Only Test, Harare Sports Club) 1999/20006 5/27 Zimbabwe v West Indies (First Test, Port-of-Spain) 1999/20007 6/87 Zimbabwe v England (First Test, Lord’s) 20008 5/72 Zimbabweans v Gloucestershire (Gloucester) 20009 5/61 Matabeleland v Mashonaland A (Queens Sports Club) 2000/01MATCH DOUBLE OF 100 RUNS AND FIVE WICKETS131; 1/60 and 7/69 Matabeleland v Mashonaland Country Districts (Bulawayo AC) 1995/96DETAILS OF DISMISSALS AS A BATSMANbowled 27 19.71lbw 24 17.52caught 62 45.25caught by wicketkeeper 16 11.68caught and bowled 3 2.19stumped 1 0.73run out 4 2.92TOTAL 137 100.00%DETAILS OF DISMISSALS AS A BOWLERbowled 42 12.85lbw 69 21.10caught 124 37.92caught by wicket-keeper 85 25.99caught and bowled 7 2.14TOTAL 327 100.00%THREE OR MORE CATCHES IN AN INNINGS3 Matabeleland v Glamorgan (Bulawayo Athletic Club) 1994/95FOUR OR MORE CATCHES IN A MATCH4 Matabeleland v Glamorgan (Bulawayo Athletic Club) 1994/95

In his latest exclusive diary entry for CricInfo, the England captain assesses England’s performance in their first three games of the NatWest Triangular Series against Pakistan and Australia.Bristol and Lord’s were two very good games with two disappointing results. We were outplayed at Edgbaston, but at Bristol we took on the World Champions with a very inexperienced side, and came within three balls of winning. Having said that, Australia showed all their experience and qualities in passing the England total.At Lord’s against Pakistan we should have won. We lacked the know-how and experience that Australia had just shown us on Sunday. On Tuesday we were losing at 26 for 3, and then Trescothick and Shah were quite outstanding.Marcus has grown in stature in each international he’s played. At Lord’s he played one of the best one-day innings I’ve seen, and Owais Shah, in just his second game, showed maturity and composure. It needed just one other player to bat with Trescothick to see us to victory. We’d reduced the required rate from seven an over to just over four, and we couldn’t do it from there – that’s what was so disappointing.Shah has mirrored the Trescothick scenario last year – he came in because of an injury to Nasser, and looked at home straight away. Shah’s also come in because of injury and hasn’t looked out of his depth – he’s taken his opportunities. In his first game he came in at a difficult time, but his scoring rate was good and he was undefeated at the end. At Lord’s he came in at 26 for 3, and did everything with Marcus bar winning the game. That bodes well for the future – he’s impressed me and everyone else who’s been watching.England are a young, inexperienced team. At Lord’s on Tuesday, without Wasim Akram, Pakistan had 770 more caps than we did. That gives you an idea of the difference between the two sides. The more we play, the more experienced we’ll become, and the more likely we’ll be to take the kind of chances we had on Sunday and Tuesday.Pakistan had three direct-hit run outs. We had four run-out opportunities, and we didn’t hit the stumps. All we can do is keep practicing, which we’re doing. Run-outs are crucial in any situation, but especially the tight ones. Overall I’ve been happy with our fielding, but our strike rate for hitting the stumps needs to improve.Before this tournament I said that if we’re going to compete in the 2003 World Cup, we need as much one-day international cricket as possible. If we get to tour Zimbabwe in September, it’ll give more experience to those selected.Whatever happens in the rest of this series, we still want to compete. At the start we had six people out injured, and we’re playing the two best one-day sides in the world. As for me, it would be nice to get a hundred before the end of the tournament – this time last year I was player of the series! But the main thing is that as a team we’re moving in the right direction. We may have lost eight games on the trot, but in the last two we’ve learned a lot.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has some huge decisions to make when the January transfer window officially opens for business next week.

The Light Blues fell 12 points adrift of league leaders Hearts after losing 2-1 at Tynecastle on Sunday, which means that their title hopes are already fading.

However, they will still be fighting for second place and have the SFA Cup to target in the second half of the season, so making moves in January could be key to that.

The key priorities Rangers should have in January

Signing a new number nine should be one of the key priorities for Rohl and the board when the January transfer window opens for business, because their current striker options have not done enough.

Youssef Chermiti and Bojan Miovski have combined for five goals in the Scottish Premiership, per Sofascore, which is a paltry return that should force the club to consider making a move for a new striker who could come in and score goals at a more consistent rate.

A creative attacking midfielder or winger should also be on the agenda for the Light Blues. Per WhoScored, no attacking midfielder or winger in the squad has produced more than two league assists, which speaks to a lack of creativity at the top end of the pitch.

Thelo Aasgaard was signed from Luton in the summer to provide quality as an attacking midfielder, but he has as many red cards (one) as goals (one) for Rangers.

On top of signing those two attacking profiles, the Gers should also be looking to thin out their squad by parting ways with some players who have rarely played. For example, Kieran Dowell has not featured since August, and Rabbi Matondo is yet to make a matchday squad this season.

Rangers could also cash in on some of their star players in order to create funds for a squad overhaul. With this in mind, Rohl must ruthlessly sell Mohamed Diomande, who has been an even bigger flop than Nicolas Raskin.

Why Rangers should sell Diomande

Journalist Jonny McFarlane claimed that Raskin has “been really poor” and claimed that Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin “dominated” him against Hearts, as the Belgian has fallen off after his impressive form last term.

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FootballFanCast suggested on Monday that the club’s reported interest in Pierre Ekwah could be the end of the Belgium international, as his arrival would allow the Ibrox giants to part ways with him.

Diomande and Raskin combined for ten goals and 20 assists in all competitions in midfield for Rangers last season, per Sofascore, but they have both fallen off and failed to carry their strong form into the 2025/26 campaign.

The Ivorian midfielder, for example, has been shown more red cards (two) than he has scored goals (one) in all competitions for the Light Blues, having been sent off twice already in the league phase of the Europa League.

After the 2-1 defeat to Hearts, writer Michael McEwan posted that “Diomande’s obsession with turning on the ball every time he’s in possession is utterly infuriating” and said that he got “bullied” by the Jam Tarts midfield.

25/26 Premiership

Diomande

Raskin

Appearances

14

15

Goals

1

1

Assists

1

3

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.8

2.6

Ground duel success rate

45%

53%

Aerial duel success rate

36%

62%

Clearances per game

0.4

1.7

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Raskin has also significantly outperformed Diomande in the Premiership so far this season, with superior output in and out of possession in the middle of the park.

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The left-footed midfielder was linked with a move to Besiktas during the summer transfer window, which suggests that there could be interest in him if Rangers decide they want to cash in.

Given that he has been an even bigger flop than Raskin this season, as evidenced by their respective statistics and Diomande’s two red cards, it could make sense to sell him in the January transfer window.

Cashing in on the 24-year-old flop now, before his form continues to decline and his valuation drops lower and lower, could be the right move to make, and it could allow Rohl to reinvest in other positions if the club can rake in a decent fee for his services.

Related £7m Rangers duo have been so poor they make Miovski & Chermiti look good

This £7m Rangers duo have been so underwhelming at Ibrox that they even make Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti look good.

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Chelsea have kept their title ambitions alive, as they beat Manchester City 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Andre Villas Boas’ men had to come from a goal down to get the three points after the visitors started the brighter; Mario Balotelli converted after two minutes following excellent build up play from Sergio Aguero.

Raul Meireles managed to tie things up after 34 minutes, slotting home from close range after a great run and cross by former City attacker Daniel Sturridge.

The game changed on the hour mark, as Gael Clichy was dismissed after picking up a second yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Ramires.

With the game heading towards a draw, Chelsea were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minutes, as Joleon Lescott was adjudged to have handled a Sturridge shot; substitute Frank Lampard dispatched the spot kick to give The Blues an invaluable three points.

After the game victorious coach Villas Boas was delighted with his team’s display, and feels Chelsea’s title ambitions are still alive.

“Our objective was to shorten the distance to the leaders today, and we managed to do exactly that, but we don’t take extra flavour from being the first team to beat them,” he told Sky Sports.

“We needed to do our job to get our Premiership challenge back on track, and I think it’s pretty much alive now.

“I think the fact that also other teams won, Man Utd won, Arsenal won all of us are chasing now and all of them are putting pressure on Man City so a lot of team still competing in this league.

“Again December fixtures will be decisive, Tottenham still with a game in hand so it’s very hard at the moment,” he admitted.

Meanwhile City have lost their unbeaten Premier League record, but Mancini hopes his side can start another run in the near future.

“We can do nothing about losing the record. We are at the top and we knew that it was possible to lose one game.

“I think that tonight after the Chelsea game we should draw or win the next match. We have worked well until now and we should continue.

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“I hope that we can go another 14 games without losing,” he concluded.

City’s lead at the top of the division is now only two points, and Chelsea have moved up to third, seven points adrift of the leaders.

By Gareth McKnight

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Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes is not fussed who his side face in the Champions League quarter-finals.The draw for the last eight will be made on Friday, which could pit the Catalan giants against the likes of Chelsea or Manchester United, or Bundesliga mid-table outfit Schalke.But Valdes said he had no preference about who Barcelona’s opposition will be, while remaining hopeful that his side can clinch three trophies this season.”Whatever team we have to face, it will be very hard,” Valdes said.”I don’t have any preference for any team. I hope that we go through, and whoever it is will be our next opponent.””We are in the cup final, and we are still able to win all three competitions, so I am not ruling anything out.”Valdes is on the comeback trail after a knee injury sidelined him for three weeks and admitted although he is still having some issues, it is not causing him serious discomfort.”I am fine. We did a good job with my recovery and even though there are some niggles, it isn’t a big problem,” he said.The Spanish custodian also praised the players of arch-rivals Real Madrid, who paid tribute to Barca defender Eric Abidal on Wednesday night after their 3-0 second-leg win against Lyon. Abidal was diagnosed with cancer this week and Valdes said the gesture was greatly appreciated by his team-mates.”I think that it is a non-sporting injury, so it is above any sporting rivalry,” he said.”We as team-mates are grateful for all the support that he has received, and the love being shown for Abidal by everybody. Not just from the fans, but from everyone.”

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has set his sights on a move to England, having impressed in helping his side reach the World Cup semi-finals in South Africa.

The 23-year-old currently plays his football in the Netherlands with Ajax, but is expected to move on with a number of top clubs across Europe tracking the South American.

Suarez told the Daily Star Sunday:"I am not going to make any secret of my admiration for the Premier League.

"What I love about it is the fact that there are five or six Champions League quality teams in the league and no other league in the world boasts that.

"I know I have had a very good World Cup and with that naturally comes interest from other clubs.

"If a Premier League side comes in for me it will be very difficult for Ajax to keep me and I think they are fully aware of that.

"Manchester United are a great side and, along with Real Madrid, are the most prestigious club in the world.

"You know if you join Manchester United and are there for any length of time you will win things.

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"Tottenham hold appeal as well, though, they are a team with great ambition and have done well to reach the Champions League.

"If there are multiple offers from the Premier League I will take time to decide, but at the moment they are the two clubs that stand out for me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has labelled his side’s 2-2 draw with Benfica a cruel result, and stated that he was happy with the performance of his team.

A Phil Jones own goal was cancelled out by Dimitar Berbatov’s strike, and United went into the lead through Darren Fletcher on the hour mark before being pegged back by Pablo Aimar.

The result moves the Portuguese team to top of Group C on the basis of the two teams’ results against each other, and Jorge Jesus’ side face hapless Otelul Galati at home in their last game.

The English champions meanwhile must travel to Switzerland to take on Basel, who are only a point behind United currently.

Despite the Old Trafford team being put into an uncomfortable position, the Scottish coach has full belief in his players.

“It’s going to be a hard game but the chips are down for us and I’ve got every confidence in my team,” he told Sky Sports.

“That was very disappointing. We played so well tonight. We made a lot of good chances, played some really great football. I have no fault with my players at all. They deserve better.

“That’s the game. It’s a cruel game at times and it was cruel for us tonight.

“(It was) a bit freakish to be honest with you – an own goal and then a bad kick out from David De Gea.

“I think we had to get into a rhythm and a tempo. We had a bad start. It was a goal after three or four minutes. It does take the steam out of you, it takes the wind from your sails a little bit.

“Once they went to the game they played really well and they should have maybe been two or three up at half-time. I think it was very unfortunate we didn’t win that game,” he concluded.

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United are back to domestic duties at the weekend, and host Newcastle at home on Saturday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Our first concern with regards to footballers is how good they are, but second is whether they’re decent blokes or not. While we may not have met the stars of the Premier League, we feel as though we know them to some extent and thus have a decent idea as to whether they’d be the kind of person you’d want to go for a pint with.

In the Football Fans Survey 2011 here on FootballFanCast.com we asked you who you’d like to go with a pint with and the results are in! Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs won the vote, which is somewhat surprising seeing as the Welshman has steered clear of drink in order to have an extended career, but I’m sure he’d have plenty of great stories to tell. Giggs beat football funny man Jimmy Bullard, while almost a quarter of us would be happy to have a drink with anyone who’s buying!

That brings us on to footballers that we’d least like to go for a pint with. Rangers’ El Hadji Diouf won this award with 30% of the vote and I’m sure a fair few Celtic fans must have chosen the player who is renowned for spitting now and again. He beat Gary Neville into second place, whose hatred of Liverpool, Manchester City and generally any team other than Man United probably made his position well-earned, while Steven Gerrard and Newcastle bad boy Joey Barton were the also-rans in this vote. Do you agree with these selections?

To see the rest of the results from the Football Fans Survey 2011, brought to you by ZOO Magazine and FootballFanCast.com, click here

[divider]

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is confident he has made a full recovery from an injured-ravaged past season.

The Ghana international has been sidelined since December with a knee ligament injury which also forced him to miss the World Cup.

Essien made a goalscoring return to action in Saturday's 1-0 friendly victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and was delighted by his comeback.

"It feels good, it's been a long time but I am back in full training now, everything is good and there is no reaction from the training, so things are looking good for me," he told the club's official website.

"I didn't have any holidays because of my rehab, but it will be good to start up again and I am looking forward to the rest of the boys coming back as well.

"I'd love to have been there playing at the end of the season, it wasn't easy for me but I supported my team-mates to win their matches, that's all I could do.

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"I became a supporter and to end the season with two trophies was amazing and I was enjoying it like everyone even though I didn't play the whole season."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Whenever a club is underachieving it seems inevitable that somebody will become a scapegoat. It is one of the few guarantees in the beautiful game with many players succumbing to this fate. And Andy Carroll is the latest to be reined in.

After joining on deadline day in January, Carroll has been unable to hit the heights expected of him as the £35 million replacement for Fernando Torres which has led to the media and some Liverpool supporters wondering whether he is up to the task.

Questions have been raised over his on-pitch attitude, fitness and lifestyle, but with Kenny Dalglish refusing to criticise the striker, it seems that people on the outside have got it in for him. So is this a case of the media sensationalising something that all players go through? Or is patience starting to run thin with the 22-year-old?

Nobody can doubt that Carroll has so far failed to live up to expectations but it is becoming redundant to read that spending £35 million on a striker should equal goals and his so far goal shy Anfield career makes him useless. And while it is obvious that strikers will be judged by how often they get on the scoresheet, it is not the only thing to consider.

His time on Merseyside has been plagued by injuries that have prevented him from showing his power and eye for goal. Having joined the club with a torn thigh muscle it took until March before he could finally make his debut and after opening his account with two goals against Manchester City and looking sharp he suffered another injury setback, which has been linked to a lack of professionalism. But many young players suffer injuries when they play a lot of football and as the main striker at St. James’ Park it was likely that his body would suffer some affects.

On top of that, England manager Fabio Capello said that he needed to control his drinking to reach the top but club manager Dalglish rubbished these suggestions. When asked by a reporter about the player’s off-pitch antics the Scot claimed that “nobody knows” what his lifestyle is and that the press “milk” an unimportant issue. It is clear that King Kenny does not believe there is a problem and if the man that sees him day in and day out has no worries, then there is little to argue.

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A big factor in this debate is the lack of game time Carroll has had because of his trouble adapting to the Liverpool style of play. Newcastle got the most from the striker because they utilised their wingers, getting in plenty of crosses and long balls that allowed Carroll to use his power and top class heading ability. Now at Anfield, the fluid, attacking style of play is unsuited to his strengths and despite Dalglish bringing in Stewart Downing to get crosses in, the plan is yet to succeed and with no out and out winger on the right the goal chances are drying up.

This is why he is dropped even after scoring important goals. Grabbing a goal in the Merseyside derby was a big step in getting the fans on side but in the following games against Manchester United and Norwich he was back on the bench and prevented from building his confidence.

The reason for this has been the superb form of Liverpool’s other signings. Fellow January signing Luis Suarez has been a revelation at Anfield since joining from Ajax, scoring freely and fitting in seamlessly so when Carroll was given the opportunity to play he has been expected to do the same. And this season, Craig Bellamy has marked his return with his own passionate displays which have put unwarranted pressure on the £35 million man.

It is easily forgotten that last season was his first campaign as a first-choice Premier League striker and he was instantly thrown into the limelight with 11 goals in 19 appearances for Newcastle. His performance against Arsenal in the Magpies’ 1-0 win showed his immense potential but at just 22 he is yet to develop as a rounded football and reach his peak, and having been signed whilst injured, manager Kenny Dalglish clearly has the “six years not six months” mindset with this buy.

Andy Carroll is a superb talent going through a rough patch. He has scored 17 goals in 56 Premier League games during his career, hardly a poor record for someone so young. Every footballer has a spell like this and the best players always come through it. His injury problems have made the spell last longer and the fact that Liverpool are off the pace has left everyone wanting answers. If the club were really becoming impatient with him it would be clear to see but with the form of Suarez and Bellamy it is simply a matter of Dalglish playing his best team on the day. Dalglish is confident that Carroll will repay his price tag and so should everyone else. The fans and the media need to lay off him and let him get to what he knows best. The best years of his career are ahead of him. He will be Liverpool’s next great number nine.

What do you think? Is Carroll a good player or another for the scrapheap? Have your say. Comment below or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.

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