Arsenal Facing Fulham on Saturday, Looking to End Winless Streak

Arsenal hosts Fulham on Saturday with a view to ending their goalless run of three premier league matches and the Wenger boys are now determined to come back to their winning ways against Fulham who defeated the Gunners at home earlier this season. So, it is expected that Arsenal is gearing up to take revenge and want to end their winless run of a number of games in the league.

Fulham has not won any game on the road in premier league so far this season and scored only three times in their 13 away fixtures. Despite Fulham’s poor record away from home, Arsenal is not in a relaxed mood following a spate of goalless draws with scoring only one goal in five games in all competitions. However, Fulham will go into the game on the back of two back-to-back wins against West Brom and Swansea.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has a number of injury woes to deal with including Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Eduardo and Emmanuel Adebayor who are all injured out at this moment. Abou Diaby suffered a minor calf problem in the 1-0 win against Roma in Champions League, but he is expected to be available for the home fixture against Fulham. William Gallas also picked up a minor knock to his ankle which he has already got over and is ready to continue his job in the heart of the Arsenal defense. Fulham is missing John Pantsil for the trip to Emirates Stadium as the player has been handed a one-match ban due to his five yellow cards on a row. Chris Baird will be deployed in the right-back position. Striker Bobby Zamora is expected to continue his first team appearance following his two goals in two consecutive matches.

Related article:

Skysports

Real Madrid vs Liverpool 25 February 2009: Live Updates

Real Madrid (0) vs Liverpool (1)

Liverpool clinched an excellent 1-0 victory on the road and thus gained an advantage ahead of the second leg in Anfield.

90 minutes: Real Madrid has lost the match.

87 minutes: Fernando Gago was shown yellow card.

83 minutes: Benyan scored for Liverpool. Liverpool is now leading by 1-0

80 minutes: Real Madrid is attacking more now.

76 minutes: Liverpool had a good attack, later Real Madrid also had a good attack, but goal has not come in the match.

71 minutes: Liverpool is on attack now. Robben had a fiery shot that Liverpool keeper blocked for a corner.

68 minutes: The match is still goalless. Both sides are trying to looking for a goal.

60 minutes: Real Madrid defense was exposed once again, but they were lucky not to have conceded a goal. Liverpool is playing very well in counter attack.

55 minutes: Real Madrid had more attacks over the last few minutes.

50 minutes: Liverpool got a good chance as Real defense was exposed, but nothing happened in the end.

46 minutes: Second half started just now.

It is now half time. Real Madrid started off better in the match as they created a number of chances in the match. Liverpool gradually came back in the match and created some real chances. We will be back for the second half action.

45 minutes: Real Madrid keeper saved a tricky Alonso shot for a corner.

40 minutes: Both sides are looking to create chances.

35 minutes: Liverpool had another good attack, but it was out for goalkick in the end.

30 minutes: Sergio Ramos head went into Liverpool post, but he was off side in the end.

25 minutes: Real Madrid is still dominating, but Liverpool is threatening in counter attack.

20 minute: Casilas made a great save as he blocked Torres' fiery shot for a corner. Liverpool is gradually coming into the match.

15 minutes: Real Madrid earned two corners over the last five minutes, but nothing happened.

10 minutes: Real Madrid is playing much better than the visiting side now. They have created a number of chances in the first 10 minutes.

5 minutes: Raul missed the best chance of the match, as he failed to defeat the Liverpool keeper after receiving a through ball.

1 minute: The match has started. First attack from Real Madrid

Players are now shaking hands.

Both the teams are coming on the field.

Real Madrid will take on Liverpool in the last 16 of Champions League match tonight. In this entry, we will be giving live score and updates of the match. The match kicks off at 19:45 GMT. So, if you can not enjoy the match live in TV, then you can get the live score in this entry.

Chelsea vs Juventus CL 2008-09: Preview and Live Score

English club Chelsea will face Italian club Juventus in the opening leg of the first knockout round of UEFA Champions League 2008-09 on Wednesday (25 February) at Stamford Bridge. Neither side is enjoying their best form at this moment in their domestic leagues. Chelsea sits at the third place in premier league with 10 points adrift of leader Manchester United. Juventus is 9 points behind leader Inter Milan in Serie A. So, both sides seem to be out of the title race in their respective domestic leagues and that is why, Champions League seems to be best option for both clubs to win silverware this season. Another interesting thing is that the manager Claudio Ranieri will face his former club when the it travels to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Match: Chelsea vs Juventus, First Knockout Round, UEFA Champions League 08-09

Date: 25 February 2009, Wednesday

Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England

Kick off: 19:45 GMT (British Standard Time)

Live TV: Ten Sports

Chelsea is not anywhere close to their best at this moment, having suffered a number of morale-denting defeats against Manchester United and Liverpool, and struggled against low-profile teams like Burnley and Southend United at home. So, Stamford Bridge is no more an unattainable fortress for the other teams. Chelsea kick started their mission under new manager Guus Hiddink with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend. Now, Chelsea fans will look to similar success against the Italian opponent.

The main problem of The Blues squad is that they lost the depth of the squad following the departure of a number of key players since last Summer and they have suffered a lot due to a series of injury blows in the first half of the season and I do not see any justification of sacking a coach halfway through the season. However, Hiddink is also a world class coach and he has showed his managerial talent earlier with South Korea. So, I think, it now need to be confident as they do not have any major injury woe and some of their players like Nicolas Anelka are currently playing at their best. The former Arsenal striker scored 21 goals so far this season and is currently leading the top scorers’ list in premier league with 15 goals to his credit.

Juventus is also struggling in domestic league mainly because of their indifferent form. However, after their 2-0 victory over Palermo last weekend, Juventus is expected to go into the Chelsea showdown full of confidence. Moreover, Juventus has not lost any of their last 7 Champions League matches and reached the first knockout round as Group H champion with 3 wins and 3 draws. There are unbeaten in their last three away fixtures in Europe and this indicates their away form.

Juventus has some key players like striker Alessandro Del Piero and his striking pair Amauri who is the highest scorer for Juventus in Serie A so far with 12 goals. They have defenders like Olof Mellberg and most importantly, they have one of today’s best goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon. Chelsea is expected to deploy both Didier Drogba and French striker Nicolas Anelka up front together as they did against Aston Villa successfully. Captain John Terry will lead their defense that was tested severely on a number of occasions over the last couple of months. Chelsea’s performance in the group stage of Champions league was not ordinary as they could manage to clinch a last 16 spot with 3 wins, 2 draws and a defeat to Roma on the road. However, there is one statistics that would surely make the Blues hopeful about their upcoming match against Juventus. Chelsea is now unbeaten in their last 15 Champions league matches at home. Moreover, Juventus’ record in England is really very poor as the Italian giants could manage to win only 2 out of their 17 games in England and lost each of their last five away matches against English clubs.

I think, it is going to be an exciting match with both sides looking to regain their top form, knowing the fact that Champions league is their most realistic option to win silverware this season. Chelsea will have home advantage, but they will be under pressure to win that match in what would give them an advantage while traveling to Turin in the return leg. Juventus, on the other hand, would not be disappointed with a scored draw at Stamford Bridge and in this sense, they might feel less pressure on the ground. Overall, Juventus seems to be very balanced considering their excellent mix of experience and youth. Chelsea seems to have found some rhythm in the last match and looked very organized and is expected to show the same against Juventus if they want to have some advantage before the second leg in Italy.

Online Live Score and Updates

Here, I am giving some live score websites from where you can get the live score and updates of the match:

Live Score

Goalzz

Live Football Scores

Goal.com

Footie Scorez

I would not pick up any favorite for the match because I think, both sides are currently in the same state of condition, considering their recent form and performance. What I would like to say is that the team who will show more guile and confidence on the pitch will be the winner of the match.

Champions League 24 Feb: Inter Milan vs Manchester United Updates

Inter Milan (0) vs Manchester United (0)

The match ended in goal less draw. Both sides missed a number of chances. Though United was in dominating form in the first half, Milan came back in the second half.

90+3 minutes: Ronaldo's bone chilling free kick was blocked by Milan keeper successfully.

90+2 minutes: Rooney was on attack, but nothing happened. Ronaldo earned a free kick. Cordoba shown yellow card.

90 minutes: Three minutes of stoppage time added on. Attack- Counter attack going on at this moment.

89 minutes: Another crucial save by Milan keeper as he denied Rooney.

87 minutes: Both sides are looking for a winning goal. Rooney was shown yellow card.

85 minutes: Milan got another free kick, Ibrahimovich's deflected free kick went out for goal kick.

83 minutes: Rooney comes on the pitch in place of Ji-Sung Park

81 minutes: Milan got a free kick, but poorly taken. Another threatening corner taken by Milan, United keeper gripped it on the goal line

79 minutes: Both sides are trying to create chances.

76 minutes: Giggs had a good chance, but was squared off as was blocked by Milan defender. Adriano and Muntari was taken off and Cruz, Belletteri came on the pitch.

74 minutes: Milan was on attack again.

72 minutes: Inter Milan had another good attack, but it was cleared in the end.

69 minutes: Milan got a free kick from a dangerous position, but it was poorly taken by Macion.

67 minutes: Milan is trying to keep the pressure on the visitors. So far, Milan has been player much better than Untied in the second half. United got a good chance, and earned a corner, but nothing happened.

64 minutes: Ronaldo attacked in Milan defense, but nothing happened in the end.

62 minutes: Inter Milan is now on attack.

59 minutes: Maicon was shown yellow card.

56 minutes: Cambiaso's shot threatened United. Chivu was shown yellow card for illegally tacking United's Berbatov

54 minutes: Manchester United was on attack, but nothing happened in the end.

51 minutes: Stoykovic shot went wide off the target.

48 minutes: Adriano missed the best chance of Milan so far in the match. Ibrahimovich threatened and then another good chance for Milan. Milan got a corner, it was cleared by United defense.

46 minutes: The second half started just now.

It is now half time in San Siro. Manchester United dominated the first half. Be with us, we will be right back to take you through the second half.

45+1 minutes: Inter Milan got a free kick, but nothing happened in the end.

45 minutes: Cambiaso threatened in the United half. 1 minute of injury time added on.

43 minutes: There was a verbal clash between the referee and Milan substitutes and Figo and Toldo, who are on the sideline, were shown yellow card.

40 minutes: Ibramovich had a dangerous cross in the United box, but the Manchester Untied keeper was up to the mark to grip it successfully. Then, United got a corner, and Milan keeper cleared it with his fist.

38 minutes: Another attack from Manchester Untied.

35 minutes: Manchester United is dominating in the match.

33 minutes: Inter Milan had a rare attack in United defense.

31 minutes: Manchester United got another free kick from 31 meters distance, but Ronaldo's shot was deflected off the the human wall.

29 minutes: Another free kick for Manchester United, and another good save by Milan keeper. Ronaldo head again threatened Milan, and once again the Milan keeper appeared as savior of the home side.

27 minutes: Giggs missed perhaps the best chance of the match so far. He got the goalkeeper alone, but the Milan keeper blocked it for corner. The corner was cleared by Milan defense.

25 minutes: Visitors are on attack now.

22 minutes: Untied got another corner, but nothing happened in the end.

19 minutes: Berbatov was onside there, but he could not send a pass to the player in side the box. Then Milan was on an excellent counter attack.

17 minutes: Inter Milan is now busy in defending as United is in attacking mood.

14 minutes: Manchester United got another free kick from just outside the box, but Ronaldo's shot was deflected off the human wall.

10 minutes: Another threating attack by Ronaldo

8 minutes: Ronaldo's long range free kick went just wide off the target.

6 minutes: Manchester United got a corner and Ronaldo met Giggs corner, but his head was blocked by the keeper.

3 minutes: Manchester United got a free kick from a dangerous position. Ronaldo free kick was gripped by Milan keeper.

0 minute: The match has started just now.

The match will start within a minute. So, do not go anywhere now.

Fans are eagerly waiting for the kick off.

Players are coming on the field. David Beckham is seen handshaking with his former Manchester United teammates.

We will be giving live score and updates of the exciting Champions League clash between Inter Milan and Manchester Untied in this entry. The match kicks off at 19:45 GMT. So, be with us and enjoy the live updates of the match.

Arsenal vs Roma CL 08-09: Preview, Live Score & TV Channel

Final Result: Arsenal won the Match.

Live Updates

Arsenal (1)---- Roma (0)

90 minutes: The match just finished and Arsenal won it by 1-0

85 minutes: Just 5 minutes left

80 minutes: Change of player for Arsenal. Ramsey came in the field in place of Eboyo

75 minutes: ROma attacked but offside

70 minutes: Freekick for Roma

66 minutes: Vella has come in the field in place of Bentdnar

63 minutes: Arsenal on attack.

60 minutes: Arsenal is leading 1-0

56 minutes: Roma on attack

53 minutes: Lovely attack from teh Gunners. Arsene Wenger felt frustrated

49 minutes: Arsenal is looking for the second goal

46 minutes: Second half just started. Be with us for live updates

Half Time. COme back within a few minutes for live updates.

45 minutes: It is half time now and Arsenal is leading 1-0.

43 minutes: Roma missed the best chance of the match perhaps they could create

40 minutes: THe supporters at teh Emirates are very happy as their club is playing well after many days

37 minutes: Goal for Arsenal. Van Persie scored from a penalty. Arsenal is now leading 1-0

33 minutes: Roma attacked and now Roma is playing some better.

29 minutes: The match is still goalless

25 MInutes: Roma player (33) Brighi shown yellow card.

22 minutes: Rare attack from Roma but then counter attack

18 minutes: Good effort from Nasri. The shot was just wide

14 minutes: AT last, some life in the match. Arsene Wenger's men lost a good opportunity just now. Arsenal had 70% ball possesion until now in the match

11 minutes: Arsneal has more possesion. Now, Roma has got a freekick

8 minutes: Arsenal is again on atack. They are dominating the midfield but lacking a good striker tonight

5 minutes: Arsnelal played some better in the first 5 minutes.

3 MInutes: Attack from the Gunners but not good

0 minutes: The match just started now. Arsenal is on the first attack

Just 1-2 minutes left before the kick off. The players are ready now.

The match will start shortly. Be wtih us for live updates

We will provide live score of the Arsenal- Roma match. The match will start after few minutes. Be with us for live updates.

I am a very big fan of Arsene Wenger but and I still have a lot of faith on him and I believe that his way is the right approach for Arsenal club during the time of economic recession. Well, I know that most people do not share my view and many arsenal supporters have started to feel impatient because of the poor performance of the club for the last few years. This time, there is no hope of the club in English Premier League and the most optimistic supporters are now putting their hope on something miracle to take place in Europe.

Tomorrow night, arsenal is going to play against AS Roma in the First knock-out round, first leg of Uefa Champions League 2008-09. Now, all the supporters of the London club are eagerly waiting for this match and they are praying to God that a miracle can happen. If you looked at the history of the two clubs then you may feel that the Gunners have slight advantage. The two clubs met in 2002-03 them to big and Arsenal won one match while the other was draw. Except history, nothing is on the side of coach Arsene Wenger. But the recent performance of the club is really miserable and there is nothing that you can be hopeful about for tomorrow’s match.

The main problem for the London club is injury and lack of form. Theo Walcott, Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo- these five key players will not be available tomorrow and there is even a bigger problem for Arsene Wenger is that Andrey Arshavin cannot play in this tournament because he has already played for another club- Zenit St Petersburg. I’m really concerned with the strikers and I can feel that even in the midfield if there is serious problem.

Niklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie are most likely to play in the top as strikers and Almunia is likely to play in the goalkeeper. But the defense looks good to me with Sagna, Gallas, Toure, Clichy. This weekend, arsenal suffered a draw despite dominating the match. This season, they are seriously lacking a quality striker who can score goal in almost every match. I’m afraid of this thing about tomorrow’s match.

For Roma, Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi and Julio Baptista but will be there to test the defense of the gunners. They will be surely very happy with the draw and they will try their best to get a goal. In this kind of competition, an away goal is very important and is indeed priceless. Now, Arsene Wenger is mainly worried about this matter.

Time of the match:

24 February 2009 Tuesday

Kick-off Time: 1945 GMT

Venue: Emirates Stadium (Home Ground of Arsenal)

Depending on your location, the match will be broadcast live in different TV channels around the world. If you live in India or any other south Asian country then Zee sports is the channel for you.

You can find live a score of the match in some web sites and of them, I’d like to recommend you Live Score dot com.

Ferguson Warning for Manchester United Players

Manchester United may have a five-point lead atop the premier league table, but manager Sir Alex Ferguson is now wary of complacency among his players as there is still a long way to go before Manchester United can successfully defend their premier league title. Going back to 1997-98 season, when Arsenal turned around United’s world even though at one point, United had 13-point lead over Arsenal, the veteran manager seems to have warned his players not to show any kind of complacency this season. The story of 1997-98 season was that United suddenly suffered from a spate of injury that affected the key players like Ryan Giggs, Gary Pallister, Peter Schmeichel and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The way Manchester United has been playing over the last couple of months, it seems that nothing other than such a series of injury row can stop United’s run this season.

Related article:

Independent

Stanford Scandal and West Indies Cricket

When I was a child, west Indies was the best cricket team in the whole world and they dominated the sports totally. Well, those days are gone and now, West Indies cricket is struggling a lot. But hardly anyone think that they are one of the top teams today. In fact, they are becoming in the rank of New Zealand and Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Stanford Scandal is going to hurt west Indies cricket very strongly and I really wish that cricket does not die in west Indies.

West Indies vs England 3rd Test: England on Top After Day 3

After the miserable performance in the Second Test, very few people in England could think that England would come back so strongly in the Third test. In fact, after day three, England is leading by 312 runs. In the first inning, England declared at 566-9. West Indies could score only 285 runs in the first innings. Only Ramnaresh Sarwan batted well and scored 94 runs. For England, Graeme Swann was the hero and he captured 5 wickets. Flintoff also got three and it was clear that West Indies batsmen found it very difficult to play against England spin bowling.

 

Shoaib Akhtar Looking to Come Back for the Bangladesh Tour

Pakistan speedstar Shoaib Akhtar looks to come back in the Pakistan team for next month’s Bangladesh tour after recovering his recent knee injury. The star pacer will, however, miss Pakistan’s upcoming two-match test series against Sri Lanka at home due to injury. It was earlier reported that Shoaib Akhtar might need to undergo a surgery on his knee, but the pacer recently said that he did not need to undergo any surgery to get over the injury. He sent the MRI reports to doctors in Australia and England, and his doctors advised no surgery for the injury as his injury could be cured through injections.

Shoaib Akhtar is a controversial character in Pakistan cricket, given his series of suspensions imposed by PCB as evidence. Since February 2006, he has taken part in only 3 tests and 11 ODI matches. He returned to international cricket in last August’s Quadrangular T20 tournament in Canada, after serving a brief suspension imposed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) due to his indiscipline. Shoaib Akhtar’s recent form is not impressive at all as he conceded 88 runs in 13 overs for just one wicket, taking part in the first two ODI matches during the recent three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka at home. Now, let us see if he can come back from injury in time to catch the trip to Bangladesh next month.

Related article:

Cricinfo

Top Ten Fast Bowlers of All Time in Cricket

It is really very hard to make a list of top ten fast bowlers of all time in cricket because there are many great fast bowlers in the history of cricket. Fast bowling is thought to be the earliest form of bowling in cricket. Many think that fast bowling means only speed and all the artistic features of bowling belong to spin bowling. It is really a false idea because becoming a fast bowler requires mastering a lots of techniques and arts like swing in the air, swing off the pitch, bounce, cutter etc. Here, I made a list of top ten greatest fast bowlers of all time and all of these players used these fast bowling arts during their illustrious career successfully. Before going through the list, I would like to tell you that many great cricketers were left out of the list and you do not need to agree with this list because you may have your own idea and thought. I appreciate your comment about the list.

Dennis Lillee

Dennis Lillee is one of the fastest bowlers and I think that he would come in top three of any kind of ranking of pace bowlers of all time. Lillee took 355 test wickets from 70 test matches, but you may wonder that 355 is not a big number. Yes, I agree with you, but at the same time, you have to remember that during his days, most cricketers could not play that much. He had his test debut on 29 January 1971 and he played for Australia for next 13 years. Lillee also took part in 63 ODI matches and he took 103 wickets. Lillee was considered to be very dangerous bowler and together with Jeff Thomson, he literally made the lift of England team hell on many occasions. In fact, England batsmen were often afraid of facing this duo.

Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm Marshall died in 1999 and it is almost 10 years that he has died. So, most people of this generation hardly know about him. If you could look at him, the first thing that would attract your attention that he was 5 feet 9 inches tall. Many people feel that a fast bowler should at least be 6 feet tall, but Malcolm Marshall proved this theory wrong and I can not remember any other bowler who could be more dangerous than him. He was considered to be a real by all the opposition teams of his time. He started playing from 1978 in test cricket and he played for 13 years. He took 376 wickets from 81 test matches. He was at his best during 1984-85 season and that time, he demolished almost all the countries in the world. I was surprised to see that Malcolm Marshall with such a small height, he was an effective bowler who could deliver bouncers at a regular basis. He was also great in swinging the ball in both directions.

Michael Holding

Michael Holding was a West Indian bowler and he took part just in 60 test matches. He captured 249 wickets and you may wonder that this record is nothing to be impressed about. However, the thing that attracted many fans was the he was very athletic and he was an expert of getting bounce from the pitch. Most batsmen at that time was afraid of facing holding and the golden time of West Indian cricket came when Holding was in top form. Holding also played for Derbyshire, Lancashire and even in Australia for Tasmania. Some people feel that Holding delivered the greatest over in Test Cricket in 1981.

Richard Hadlee

Richard Hadlee is from New Zealand was no doubt a great all rounder. However, he is much qualified for any list of top ten pace bowlers because of the sheer number of wickets he took. For some time, Hadlee held the record of highest test wicket of 431 and this record was surpassed later on by another great bowler Kapil Dev. Hadlee was also an excellent batsman and he scored more than 3,000 test runs. 36 times Hadlee took 5 wickets in an innings and 9 times he took 10 wickets in a match. This shows that how much he was impressive. His best bowling figure was 9 for 52. I admire Hadlee a lot and I appreciate him because at that time, there was no quality fast bowler in New Zealand team. In fact, New Zealand was a very weak team and there was hardly any world class player except Hadlee.

Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram was famous as a true gentleman and his behavior both on and off the field was always praised by many people. He was a Pakistani players, but he was also very popular among many Indian fans. Wasim Akram had his test debut in 1985 and he played until 2002. Akram took part in 104 test matches and he captured 414 wickets. He was even more successful in ODI form of cricket. In just 365 matches he took 502 wickets. This was a record until last week when Muralitharan broke it. Wasim Akram had a lot of contribution in 1992 world cup when Pakistan became world champion. He was also great for his run up. He had a very short run, but he could deliver a ball very strongly. Akram is still popular now and he is now a cricket commentator for a TV channel.

Glenn McGrath

When I made this list, at first I thought that I would not include any player who is stil playing. Then I thought that how can I overlook Glenn McGrath who has taken more than 500 wickets in test cricket. In fact, Glenn McGrath is the highest wicket taker in Test cricket for any fast bowler. So, you can never make a list of top ten fast bowlers, omitting the fast bowler who has taken most wickets. McGrath had his debut in test in 1993 and he retired in 2007. He is still fit and is playing in Indian Premier League (IPL). McGrath played 124 test matches and he captured 563 test wickets. He was not that much successful in ODI cricket, but in ODI, he was a very economical bowler. During the time when McGrath played, Australia emerged as the top cricket team in the world and defeated every other team and broke many records. McGrath saw Australia capturing three world cup titles and he played an important role behind it.

Allan Donald

Allan Donald is from South Africa and he was nicknamed as the White Lightening. He could deliver ball very fast and he was good in getting swing from even a dead pitch. Donald had his test debut in 1992 when South Africa returned into world cricket after the abolition of apartheid. He achieved his best ICC ranking as a bowler in 1998. At that time, he was at his best form and in 1996-97, he along with Shaun Pollock demolished India. In fact, if you want to talk about Donald, sometimes you have to remember Shaun Pollock too. I am very happy to say that I saw Donald in action and he was really dangerous. He was very aggressive and he was never afraid of any kind of situation. No batsman could dominate on him and sometimes he could be really aggressive.

Courtney Walsh

Courtney Walsh played for 17 years from 1984 to 2001. It is an amazing achievement for any fast bowler. Compared to other bowlers, he suffered from injury muss less than others. It shows that Walsh was always fit and athletic. Here, I would like to remind you that Courtney Walsh started playing at a time when West Indies had some amazing fast bowlers like Marshall, Joel Garner and Curtley Ambrose. He had to compete with them to remain in the West Indies team. Many people thought that Ambrose was more dangerous than Walsh, but Walsh was very good at taking wicket very regularly. He could capture 519 wickets and for few years, he held the record of taking highest number of test wicket and that record was later on broken by Muttiah Muralitharan.

Joel Garner

Joel Garner was another West Indies great fast bowler. He was known as the Big Bird. He had impressive height and at the height of 6 feet 8 inches he could cause havoc in any batting line up. He just participated only in 58 test matches and took 259 wickets. Joel Garner had devastating effect on the batting line up of the opposition many times. He was loved by his countrymen for his excellent speed. In 1979 World Cup final against England, Joel Garner did something of a magic. In a spell, he took 5 wicket for just 4 runs.

Harold Larwood

You may wonder to see that former English pacer Harold Larwood has only 78 wickets in his 21-test career, but still I keep him in this list. Well, it is true that Larwood does not have lots of wickets like McGrath, Walsh or Hadlee, but the reason for which I have included Harold Larwood is because of his dominance over Australian cricket team starring great Sir Donald Bradman in 1930s. Harold Larwood is the mean who was instrumental behind the implementation of famous Bodyline bowling during 1932-33 Ashes Test series against Australia. Bradman’s Australia was at great form that time, but still, England team was able to win the series 4-1 mainly because of their bodyline bowling that caused a lot of problem for the visiting Australian team. Under Douglas Jardin’s leadership, England team used this technique in order to stop mainly Sir Don Bradman, and along with Bill Voce, Harold Larwood successfully implemented this controversial technique. Harold Larwood has an excellent first class record with 1,427 wickets from 361 matches.

Ossie Ardiles Says: Carlos Tevez Could Join Real Madrid

Carlos Tevez’s future at Manchester United seems to be uncertain at this moment as the Red Devils have not handed him a permanent contract. Tevez’s loan deal with Manchester United will expire at the end of this season, but United has not given any indication of a permanent deal yet. Argentina’s 1978 world cup winning player Ossie Ardiles has recently said that Tevez might join Real Madrid if United does not show any interest in him.

Manchester United signed Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur last Summer and since then Tevez has been spending more time in the substitute bench. Ossie Ardiles, a legend of Tottenham Hotspur, believes that Tevez could seek his future at Real Madrid who has already shown their interest in him.

Related article:

Goal.com

Japan vs Australia WC Qualifying: Live Score and Live Updates

Japan (0) vs Australia (0)

The match finished in a stalemate with both sides picking up a point each. Australia holds on to the top place of Group A with 10 points, while Japan remains in the second position with 8 points.

93 minutes: The match has ended in a goalless draw.

91 minutes: Bresiano goes out and Gerney comes in for Australia.

90 minutes: 3 minutes of added time announced.

89 minutes: Japan is attacking more at this moment. Kenedy failed to head the cross as Australia missed a chance.

87 minutes: WHAT a miss by Japan. It was perhaps the best chance Japan got in the second half.

85 minutes: Neither side is dominating at the moment.

82 minutes: Tanaka goes out and Okazaki comes on the field for Japan.

79 minutes: Japan had another excellent attack, but Tamada's head went just wide off the mark.

76 minutes: Corner for Japan.

72 minutes: Japan is on an all out attacking mood. Very unfortunate not to get any goal yet

69 minutes: Japan got a good chance but Australian defense again could hold on.

66 minutes: Some scary moments for Australia as Japan is in attacking mode.

64 minutes: Australia made their first change. Garcia comes in and Holman goes out. Japan got a corner.

62 minutes: Japan was in attack, but it was cleared in the end.

60 minutes: Two back-to-back corner for Japan, but nothing happened in the end.

58 minutes: Matsui goes out and Okuba comes in the field. Japan had a very good chance, but they missed it.

55 minutes: Neither side is dominating at this moment. Tanaka seems to be little injured now.

52 minutes: Good attack from Japan, but Australian defense was up to the mark.

49 minutes: Japan is attacking more at this moment.

46 minutes: Second half started just now.

45 minutes: It is now half time. The match is still goalless.

41 minutes: Australia got another excellent chance, but Japanese defense was up to the match.

38 minutes: Japan got a free kick, but nothing happened in the end.

34 minutes: Neither side is dominating at this moment.

32 minutes: There was a good attack from Japan in the right wing, but nothing happened in the end.

30 minutes: Australia is on attack now.

28 minutes: Japan is attacking more at this moment. Australian defense is facing strong challenge at this moment. There was a long range shot from Japan, but it went wide off the target.

26 minutes: Australia no. 8 was also shown yellow card.

24 minutes: Nakamura was tackled illegally and Japan was given another free kick.

22 minutes: Japan got a free kick just outside the penalty box and Australian no. 11 was shown yellow card. Australian goalkeeper successfully gripped it in the end.

20 minutes: Japan earned another corner.

18 minutes: Australia had a corner, but Japanese defense was excellent to block it.

16 minutes: Both sides are trying to dominate. Japan had two shots at target so far, while Australia had not any shot at target yet in the match.

14 minutes: Japan got a free kick from a dangerous area, but Australian defense was up to the mark.

12 minutes: Japan got a corner, but was poorly taken.

10 minutes: Australia is in attack now.

9 minutes: Australia had a good chance, but no Australian player could touch their head to the free kick.

7 minutes: Uchida was unmarked there, but he was later off side.

5 minutes: Japan got an excellent chance, but Tamada's little chip went off the target.

3 minutes: Japan seems to be in attacking mode.

1 minute: First attack of the match from Japan, but nothing happened in the end.

0 minute: The match has just started. Tim Cahill is in the first eleven of Australia.

Dear readers, the match will start very soon. Players are lining up in the field now. National anthem is being sung.

The match will kick off at 10:25 GMT on 11 February 2009 (Wednesday). We will try to give live score and updates of the match. So, come back to visit this blog that time.

Pathan Brothers Clinched 3-wicket Victory for India against Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 Match

India clinched an excellent 3-wicket victory in the only Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka thanks to fiery performance from Pathan brothers, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan, who shared a match winning unbeaten 59-run partnership for the 8^th wicket. Batting first, Sri Lanka choose to bat first and scored a fighting total of 171 runs losing only 4 wickets. Captain Tilakaratne Dilshan scored highest 61 runs of Sri Lankan innings, while veteran opener Sanath Jayasuria played a fiery innings of 33 runs off 17 balls. Chamara Silva chipped in 21 runs in the end that guided Sri Lanka to reach a good total on the board.

India did not have a good start as they lost their in-from openers, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, for 14, but Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina added 67 runs for the third wicket, keeping the run rate above the required run rate. However, Sri Lankan spinners Malinga Bandara and Sanath Jayasuriya brought Sri Lanka in the match, picking up 5 Indian wickets for 34 runs in 42 balls. When Ravindra Jadeja got out for 5, India was left 115 for 7, needing 57 runs off 29 balls with three wickets in hands. That was the start of the journey for the Pathan brothers who snatched away the seemingly victory from Sri Lanka’s grip, adding 59 runs from 25 balls, ensuring India’s victory in the match. Yusuf Pathan scored a fiery innings of 22 off 10 balls with 2 sixes and a boundary, while his younger brother Irfan Pathan contributed 33 runs off 16 balls, hitting 2 sixes and 2 boundaries. Pathan brothers finished the match with 4 balls remaining in hands.

Yusuf Pathan was awarded the man of the match award for taking 2 wickets and chipping in 22 important runs for the visitors.

Andrei Arshavin out of Arsenal’s FA Cup Tie with Cardiff City

Andrei Arshavin will have to wait at least one more game for his Arsenal debut as he is ineligible for Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth round encounter with Championship outfit Cardiff City on 16 February. The first match was drawn at Cardiff, and now the replay match will take place at the Emirates Stadium of Arsenal. If the replay match also ends up in a draw, then extra time and penalty shootout will be used to break the tie.

Arshavin joined the North London club during January transfer window for a club record £16.5 million deal. As he was not registered when Arsenal took on Cardiff in the first match, Arshavin will not be able to part of Arsenal squad for this match. Arshavin was left in the substitute bench during Arsenal’s recent draw against Tottenham Hotspur on the road. Now, let us see for how long Andrei Arshavin will have to wait for his Arsenal debut.

Related article:

Goal.com

Sri Lanka Clinched Consolidating Victory in the Final ODI against India

Excellent batting from Tilakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakara gave Sri Lanka a 68-run consolidating victory in the final match of the five-match ODI series against India. The host team already lost the series, having lost the first four matches. So, Sri Lanka knew that avoiding a seemingly whitewash could be the best result they would bring out of the fifth match, and they did exactly what was needed to clinch the victory.

Winning the toss, Sri Lanka elected to bat first and piled on a big total of 320 runs losing 8 wickets. Dilshan was unlucky as he missed another ODI century falling short of only 3 runs. Wicketkeeper batsman Kumar Sangakara also played an excellent innings of 84 runs off 80 balls. Jayasuria and Maharoof scored 37 and 32 runs. In reply, India got all out for 252 runs with 7 balls in hands thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s 62-ball 73 runs, Dhoni’s 53 and Ravindra Jadeja’s unbeaten 60 runs. India did not have a very good start to their innings as they lost two wickets after scoring only 9 runs. India lost wickets almost regularly, but kept the run rate up to the mark until Jadeja and Yuvraj Singh were batting. Along with Jadeja, Dhoni added 55 runs in the seventh wicket. Kulasekara, Maharoof, Mendis and Muralitharan all picked up 2 wickets each. Sangakara got the man of the match award for his excellent batting and taking two catches. Yuvraj Singh has become the man of the series.

Chelsea Held to Goalless Draw by Hull City

Chelsea was held to a disappointing goal less draw by Hull City on Saturday in front of home crowd at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea squanderer a number of crucial chances in the match, but failed to pick up three points from the match. John Terry went very close to score early in the match, but he failed to keep the ball on the target, while a Michael Ballack free-kick hit the post. However, Luiz Felipe Scolari’s boys can feel lucky that they could successfully finished the game with a point earned, because Chelsea could have lost the match too, unless Hull City did not miss some good scoring opportunities. Hull City’s Kevin Kilbane failed to score from a close range header which hit the post.

With this draw, Chelsea has slipped further in their pursuit to win the title as they moved down to the fourth place with 49 points, 2 points adrift of third placed Aston Villa who defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 on the road on Saturday. So, Chelsea is now four-point behind leader Manchester United and they have played two games more than United. So, it is pretty much certain that Chelsea’s title hope has been put under huge uncertainty.

Related article:

BBC

Edwin van der Sar Close to British Record for Clean Sheets in Minute

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has recently broken Steve Death’s longest clean sheet record at English league during Manchester Untied’s 1-0 victory over Everton last week. Now, the Dutch keeper has set his sights on the British record held by Chris Woods who went 1,196 minutes without conceding any goal while playing for Rangers in the 1986-87 season. Edwin van der Sar is undefeated for 1,122 minutes now in English league and needs to remain so for another 75 minutes to break the record.

However, Woods claims that the United goalkeeper is still more than four matches away to make the record as his unbeaten run of 1,122 minutes does not include the goals he conceded during Manchester Untied’s 5-3 win over Gamba Osaka in the semi final of Fifa Club World Cup 2008 last December. According to Woods, his record included all competitions and so should be for Edwin van der Sar. Woods thinks, van der Sar is unbeaten for 810 minutes now.

Related article:

Telegraph

Australia Named 14-Member Squad for South Africa Tour

Considering the future of Australian cricket, Australian selectors have recently named an inexperienced squad for the upcoming three-match test series against South Africa. Following their recent test series defeat at the hands of South Africa at home, Australian team is now under huge pressure and their no. 1 spot in test ranking is now under serious threat. If they lose the test series in South Africa, Australia would lose the no. 1 place to South Africa. In fact, South Africa has recently replaced Australia at the top of the ODI ranking, following their 4-1 triumph in ODI series.

Australian selectors called up uncapped batsman Phillip Hughes for the South Africa tour as the replacement for recently retired Mathew Hayden. The New South Wales batsman has had an excellent domestic season recently. Captain Ricky Ponting thinks that Hughes deserves a chance after his impressive domestic record for New South Wales. He has the ability to make big score under pressure, a quality badly needed for the Aussies in difficult condition in South Africa.

Brett Lee and Stuart Clark are missing the tour because of injuries. All rounder Shane Watson is also injured out for the series, while veteran all rounder Andrew Symonds is under suspension following his involvement in a spate of off-field issues over the last few six months. However, Andrew McDonald has been included as the all rounder, but he might have to go head-to-head with another uncapped player Marcus North to get into the final line up.

Here, I am giving the names of the 14-member Australian squad for the South Africa tour from Canadian Press:

Australia

Ricky Ponting (capt.), Michael Clarke, Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Andrew McDonald, Bryce McGain, Marcus North, Peter Siddle.