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Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from ODI cricket, a day before leaving for Test tours of the West Indies and England

ESPNcricinfo staff17-May-2015Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper, has formally announced his retirement from ODI cricket, a day before leaving for Test tours of the West Indies and England.Amid the Australia team’s celebrations after the World Cup final victory over New Zealand in Melbourne in March, Haddin had revealed that he was not going to play any more one-day games.Haddin played 126 ODIs and scored 3122 runs at an average of 31.53 with two centuries and 16 fifties. He also had 170 catches and 11 stumpings, the third-most dismissals for Australia after Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy.”I have had a privileged one-day career and I have been fortunate enough to be involved in three World Cups and now is the right time to walk away,” the 37-year old Haddin said.”Not many players get to write a script like mine at the end of their careers and I have been lucky enough to do just that after winning a World Cup on home soil.”I leave the team with Australia ranked No. 1 in the world and I am proud of everything we have achieved.””Australian cricket congratulates Brad on a fine one-day international career,” Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said. “Throughout the years he well and truly maintained Australia’s proud tradition of outstanding wicketkeeper-batsmen in limited-overs cricket. He leaves big shoes to fill as a talented player and important senior figure within the team.”We thank him for his wonderful contribution to one-day cricket and look forward to his continued performances at Test level as the team works hard to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy and the Ashes.”

Lancashire have confirmed the signing of James Faulkner as one of their overseas players for this season

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2015Lancashire have confirmed the signing of James Faulkner as one of their overseas players for this season, with the Australia allrounder to fill the gap left by Peter Siddle’s Ashes involvement.Siddle had been expected to play the first four months of the season, after he was dropped from Australia’s Test side, but a recall to the squads to tour West Indies and England means his Lancashire stint has been reduced to the first four Championship matches. Faulkner will then arrive to play across all formats after the conclusion of the IPL.”James is a world class cricketer and we are absolutely thrilled to bring him to Lancashire,” Ashley Giles, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said. “While he is better known at the moment for his performances in white-ball cricket his record in first-class cricket is fantastic. Having James available for all cricket is a real boost for the club and I’m certain all Lancashire cricket fans will be delighted at the prospect of watching him play at Old Trafford this season.”When we originally signed Peter we had hoped that we would get him for the majority of our County Championship campaign. When you sign high-quality overseas players there is always an unavoidable risk that you will end up losing them for all or part of the summer.”Peter is a renowned international performer with a fine pedigree and I am pleased that Cricket Australia have allowed him to play in our first four County Championship matches. It is important that we get off to a good start and his world-class experience will add a great amount of quality to our bowling attack.”Faulkner has played one Test for Australia, during the 2013 Ashes, and was a member of the side that lifted the World Cup last month, winning the Man of the Match award in the final. After completing the IPL season, where he is playing for Rajasthan Royals, at the end of the May, he will be available for Lancashire until the end of August, when the limited-overs leg of Australia’s tour begins.Faulkner said: “Lancashire is a huge county with a fine history in the game and I am looking forward to joining the squad next month. Playing in English conditions will benefit my career and I cannot wait to work with Ashley and the rest of the team.”

Who are the greatest African players to represent the two Spanish giants?

Getty Images10Alex Song

Song transferred, at the height of his powers, to Catalonia to join Barcelona from Arsenal.

The box-to-box midfielder was indispensable for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, but it never quite worked out for Song in La Liga, and he subsequently returned to England on loan at West Ham United.

He's currently playing in Djibouti following spells with Sion and Rubin Kazan, and it's safe to say that his career hasn't lived up to the early promise of his pre-Barca years.

AdvertisementClive Brunskill/ALLSPORT9​Emmanuel Amuneke

During his playing career, the former Tanzania coach was a glittering wideman who enjoyed dismal fortune at Barcelona, where injuries completely shattered his career in Catalonia.

The 1994 African Footballer of the Year scored twice in the Nations Cup final that year as Nigeria defeated Zambia, and also clinched honours in Portugal, Egypt and in his homeland.

Yet despite a clutch of honours won with Barca, it’s tempting to beg the question, what might Amuneke have become had injuries not taken their toll?

Getty8Emmanuel Adebayor

Adebayor has been a fan favourite at almost every club he has played at, but he is also known for his controversial nature and at times it has overshadowed his excellence at some European giants.

He made 143 appearances for Arsenal managing 62 goals, of which 30 came in the 2007/08 season, which remains his finest campaign.

His brilliance flickered at Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but he never truly looked the part during a brief loan spell with Real in 2011.

He's currently a free agent after leaving Paraguayan giants Olimpia.

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Denis Doyle/Getty Images7Mahamadou Diarra

Diarra doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for the consistent excellence he brought to the table at Real Madrid during his time at the Bernabeu.

Between 2002 and 2008 the Mali international won six consecutive league titles with Olympique Lyonnais and then Real, helping the Spanish giants to end a four-year trophy drought with their championship triumph in 2006.

Finally, largely thanks to Diarra’s positioning, awareness and sharp tackling,  had a long overdue replacement for Claude Makelele.

Barcelona have made contact with Girona winger Savinho ahead of a potential 2024 transfer as Xavi pushes for reinforcements in attack.

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Barcelona want Girona's SavinhoDeco in touch with player's representativesHas contract with Troyes until 2027WHAT HAPPENED?

The 19-year-old has made a huge impact at Girona since joining the club on loan from Troyes, having scored four goals and provided as many assists in 15 La Liga appearances. His performances have helped Girona embark on a brilliant run of form that has seen them rise to second in the Liga table, tied on points with leaders Real Madrid. Barcelona sporting director Deco is known to be an admirer of Savinho, and is now reportedly in touch with the player's representatives as the club plot a summer move for him, according to .

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The Catalan giants have not enjoyed the brightest of starts to their title-defence, as they find themselves third in the league, four points behind Girona and their arch-rivals Real Madrid. In search of a goalscorer, they have already lined up the arrival of another Brazilian youngster, Vitor Roque, who will travel to Barcelona later this month ahead of his official registration. Xavi still wants more quality on the left flank, though, which is why Deco is now sounding out Savinho's representatives.

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The 19-year-old Girona sensation began his professional career at Atletico Mineiro before moving to Troyes. He is still under contract at the French outfit until 2027, but it will be difficult for them to turn down any big-money bid from Barcelona next year.

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WHAT NEXT FOR SAVINHO?

For now, Savinho will continue to focus on his duties at Girona, who will next face Orihuela in the second round of the Copa del Rey. The teenager will then have the chance to come up against his potential suitors, with Barcelona set to host Girona in La Liga on December 10.

The USWNT will face Colombia in the quarterfinals of the W Gold Cup, with that contest set to take place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

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U.S. finished as runners-up in Group AEntered draw as the fourth seedsRemain on course for continental gloryGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The pairings for the last-eight of the continental competition have been determined following the conclusion of group stage action. The United States finished as runners-up in Group A after suffering a shock defeat to Mexico that brought an 80-game, 23-year unbeaten run against CONCACAF rivals to a close.

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The USWNT, who are back in the hunt for major honours after surrendering their global crown at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, were seeded fourth in the draw and will meet fifth-seeded Colombia for the right to fill a place in the semifinals.

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They will be led into battle by national team captain Lindsey Horan, while the vast experience of legendary forward Alex Morgan can still be called upon. There is also plenty of potential in their ranks, to go alongside the pedigree, with the likes of Jaedyn Shaw, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith expected to have bright international futures.

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WHAT NEXT?

The other quarterfinal match-ups will see Mexico face Paraguay, top-seeded Canada tackle Costa Rica and Brazil lock horns with arch-rivals Argentina. All of those still in the competition are hoping to make their way to the final on March 10 – which will take place at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

Gautam Gambhir believed it was Eoin Morgan’s busy innings that set up the team’s 48-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2013Gautam Gambhir may have been declared Man of the Match, but the Kolkata Knight Riders captain believed it was Eoin Morgan’s busy innings that set up the team’s 48-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens.”We always believed he [Morgan] is a class act,” Gambhir said. “We thought of giving him some more time in the middle and thus pushed him up the order. He responded magnificently.”Morgan has scored 114 runs from four matches, which is only behind Gambhir’s tally for Knight Riders this year. On Sunday, he was pushed up the order to No. 4 and he joined Jacques Kallis ahead of the out of form Yusuf Pathan after the fall of Gambhir’s wicket with the score on 102 for 2.”We had this thing in our mind to go on with the left hand-right hand combination which has worked for us and looked to do the same in this game as well,” Morgan told . “Jacques is very calm at the crease and I plan to keep it that way as well, which is why we had a lot of sensible talks in the middle. We were quite smart in what we did and it managed to come off which was quite nice.”The two batsmen added 67 runs off 30 balls, with Morgan taking 22 runs off the 18th over bowled by Sunrisers’ allrounder Thisara Perera.”It was one of those occasions were the bowler sort of missed his lengths and I got my way,” he said. “It can happen especially here with a short boundary and with the ball coming on to the bat too well. I was glad I could manage to clear the ropes on a few occasions.”This year, Morgan has found a regular spot in the team’s starting XI after not getting a game in IPL 2012. “Last year, trying to get into a winning side was very difficult,” he said. “I hope I get to play as many games as possible for KKR this year.”Tom Moody, the Sunrisers’ coach, laid the blame on his team for allowing Knight Riders to post a big tota. He said Knight Riders were a good side, but not unbeatable.”Our defensive skills were never as sharp as they can be,” Moody said. “It was not a 180 runs wicket but we allowed the hosts to put an imposing total.”Dhawan’s absence is a big setback for us. Without him, our batting is a concern. But I think our overseas batsman need to perform better than they are doing at the moment. We haven’t batted as well as we can do.”

Yuvraj Singh has shown a “slightly better than expected” response to his first cycle of chemotherapy

Sharda Ugra16-Feb-2012Yuvraj Singh has shown a “slightly better than expected” response to his first cycle of chemotherapy to counter a germ-cell tumour called mediastinal seminoma. His medical team in India and the USA will however arrive at a definitive conclusion after conducting a CT scan at the end of his nine weeks of treatment.Explaining Yuvraj’s progress, Dr Nitesh Rohatgi, a senior medical oncologist at Delhi’s Max Cancer Centre who is co-ordinating the treatment with doctors in the USA, told ESPNcricinfo that Yuvraj’s blood tests and X-rays were “positive and we know that the treatment is working”.Rohatgi was speaking after Yuvraj’s upbeat tweet [below] late on Wednesday night about his progress. “We can only be certain after the CT scan at the end of the treatment,” Rohatgi said. “We have to give him enough chemo to melt it [the tumour] all down and also to aim at preventing it from recurring.”

Got very good news from dr lawrencetoday! The tumor is almost way out of the system Aftr reading my todays scan !Second cycle has started

— yuvraj singh (@yuvsingh09) February 16, 2012

The “Dr Lawrence” Yuvraj was referring to in his tweet is Dr Lawrence Einhorn, who headed the treatment of cycling champion Lance Armstrong in 1996. Armstrong had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of testicular cancer and was given a 40% chance of survival. Einhorn is regarded as the pioneer of life-saving treatment for testicular cancer, increasing survival levels up to 90%, and an expert in the chemotherapy used to tackle seminoma. Though he largely focusses on research these days, he has taken on Yuvraj’s case. On Tuesday, Armstrong sent Yuvraj a personal message of support.The chemotherapy that Yuvraj will undergo involves nine weeks of a combination of three cancer drugs – bleomycin, ciplatin and etoposide – in three cycles. He has finished the first of the cycles that included a combination of the drugs every day for five days and then, after a week’s gap, two days of a different schedule of the drugs. A week’s gap follows, at which point the next cycle begins with five straight days of the drugs. His second cycle began on Wednesday.”The cycles work this way,” Rohatgi said, “because you want to maximise effect and minimise side-effects. This is the most commonly used and the most effective treatment, and this is going to keep him most physically fit.”Once the after-effects of his first cycle of chemotherapy began to wear off, Yuvraj tried light rounds of cardio-vascular exercises, like jogging and cycling, in the gym. He had spoken to Rohatgi at length on Thursday, to understand the interpretations of the results of the first round of his chemotherapy.

David Payne completed career-best first-class figures of 6 for 26 asGloucestershire strengthened their grip on the County Championship matchwith Leicestershire at Bristol

09-Sep-2011
ScorecardDavid Payne completed career-best first-class figures of 6 for 26 asGloucestershire strengthened their grip on the County Championship matchwith Leicestershire at Bristol.The visitors resumed the third day on 131 for 6 in the first innings, butcould add only four runs as Payne claimed three of the wickets. Will Gidmanfinished with two for 24. Following on 259 behind, Leicestershire were then looking slightly rattled on 122 for three before a century stand between James Taylor (70) and Ned Eckersley(52 not out) steadied things.They closed on 255 for 4, still four runs adrift and with Will Jeffersonhaving retired hurt because of an injured hand. Leicestershire could manage only one scoring stroke, a boundary by Eckersley, in losing their last four wickets at the start of the day.Three of the tail registered ducks, including overnight batsman Rob Taylor, whohad his off-stump uprooted by Payne. Eckersley had moved to 39 when he became the eighth man out, caught behind off Ian Saxelby, and Payne quickly wrapped up the innings by finding the edge of Jigar Naik’s bat before clean bowling Matthew Hoggard second ball.The last four wickets fell without addition to the total and Payne bettered hisprevious best first-class figures of 5 for 76 in the opening game of thisseason against Derbyshire at Bristol.When Leicestershire followed on they soon suffered another blow as Jeffersonwas forced to retire on two, having been struck on his hand. He was taken tohospital for X-rays, which showed no broken bones. Greg Smith (40) and Matt Boyce (44) took the score to 100 before falling in quick succession. Smith was caught at gully trying to force a ball from Payne off the back-foot, and at the start of the following over Boyce called for aquick single as James Taylor played a ball to backward point and was run out byGidman’s direct hit.When Josh Cobb gave another gully catch to Kane Williamson off bat and pad tomake it 122 for three, another Leicestershire collapse looked likely. But the diminutive Taylor is big on talent and together with Eckersley began to make a fight of it.It was 145 for three at tea and the England Lions player went on to reach ahalf-century off 88 balls, with six fours, looking particularly strong off hislegs. It took the wily Jon Lewis to dismiss him with a short ball, which Taylortop-edged to fine-leg where Payne took a safe catch.Eckersley stood firm and moved to fifty off 116 balls, with four fours. The22-year-old wicketkeeper was unbeaten at the close alongside Wayne White(12no).

Northern Districts fought back to beat Canterbury at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, winning their third game of the tournament and taking the lead in the points table

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2012Northern Districts fought back to beat Canterbury at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora, winning their third game of the tournament and taking the lead in the points table. Asked to bat, ND were bowled out for 197 in their first innings, opener and captain Brad Wilson being the only half-centurion. Willie Lonsdale bagged six wickets to put his team ahead but ND hit back hard. Brent Arnel was the wrecker-in-chief as he bagged a five-for to bowl out Canterbury for 121 and earn his team a handy 76-run lead. Only wicketkeeper Reece Young put up any serious resistance, scoring 55.The ND batsmen, in their second innings, ensured the advantage didn’t slip. Wilson made 60, Joesph Yovich guided the innings with his fourth first-class hundred and James Marshall scored at a fair clip to make 92. There was more to come from the middle order. Daniel Vettori, Daniel Flynn and BJ Watling all chipped in with useful contributions to stretch their team’s score to 426 for 7, at which point they declared.Set 503 to win, Canterbury fought hard, putting in a better effort with the bat it wasn’t enough. Opener George Worker made a half-century and the first three wickets yielded 155 runs. But the pressure increased manifold when Canterbury slipped to 202 for 6. Though Henry Nicholls managed an unbeaten 93 and shared a 76-run stand with Matt Henry down the order, ND were always ahead, making steady strikes. Vettori starred with a five-for while Arnel picked up three. Canterbury were bowled out for 368, sliding to their third defeat.Wellington registered a comfortable seven-wicket win over Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The stand-out performer for the winning team was seamer Mark Gillespie, who collected his maiden match haul of ten wickets in first-class cricket.His 5 for 67 in the first innings helped Wellington bowl out Auckland for 320. There were half-centuries from Neal Parlane, Anaru Kitchen and Colin de Grandhomme and some support from the lower order but no contribution was substantial enough to stretch the score to imposing proportions. Openers Josh Brodie and Michael Papps led the way for Wellington in their reply. Brodie achieved a career-best score of 210, striking 30 boundaries in an innings that lasted more than eight hours. Papps made 111 in an opening stand of 236. Luke Woodcock made a half-century in the middle order, arresting a slide after Wellington lost four wickets for 63. The visitors eventually managed 479, securing a lead of 159.Gillespie left his mark in the second innings as well, this time skittling Auckland for just 201. He ran through the middle order to bag his second five-for of the match and contributions of 83 and 56 from Kitchen and Colin Munro were the only ones of any significance in the Auckland innings. Wellington lost three wickets in the chase but a target of 43 wasn’t going to put them under pressure.Central Districts overcame Otago by five wickets in a game in which both teams made sporting declarations to give themselves a shot at victory after the entire first day was lost to rain at the Queenstown Events Centre.Otago batted first and declared at 281 for 8 in 95 overs, opener Craig Cumming making 129 and Sam Wells chipping in with 59 in the middle order. CD replied by declaring on 198 for 6 in 66 overs. They were in trouble at 63 for 4 at one stage but wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk steadied the innings with an unbeaten 72. Though they conceded a lead of 83 by declaring early, CD backed themselves to do well with the ball in the second innings and the move paid off.Thanks to a combined bowling effort, CD dismissed Otago for 115 in just 36.5 overs in the second innings. Otago seemed well placed at 89 for 2 at one stage, but they collapsed, losing eight wickets for 26. Kyle Jarvis picked up three wickets, so did Daniel Wightman; each of the five CD bowlers picked up at least a wicket each. In their chase of 199, CD were struggling at 53 for 4 but van Wyk again came to the rescue, scoring his second half-century of the match, making an unbeaten 74 to guide his team to victory in the company of Carl Cachopa, with whom he added a match-clinching 78. The win was CD’s first in the competition.

Lionel Messi “can’t wait” for his ‘Last Dance’ with eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo, as Inter Miami prepare to lock horns with Al-Nassr.

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Old adversaries to meet on February 1Could be final clash between the pairBoth remain in trophy hunt for 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

It has been announced that leading sides from MLS and the Saudi Pro League will face off at the Riyadh Cup. Inter Miami will also tackle Al-Hilal at that friendly tournament, but it is a meeting between Messi and Ronaldo that is generating the most interest.

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Said fixture will take place on February 1 – in what will be Ronaldo’s next outing after a mid-season break in the Middle East – and could represent a final meeting between two all-time greats that boast 13 Ballons d’Or between them. Messi has posted on social media of that contest: “I can’t wait to be part of #RiyadhSeasonCup with my team Inter Miami CF as we face top Saudi clubs in a historic championship.”

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Messi is back in the United States ahead of Inter Miami’s 2024 campaign, with Herons CSO Chris Henderson having said of the club’s targets: “We’re evaluating every department in our front office and performance staff, to support [Tata Martino] and his staff and all the players to make sure we’re performing everywhere in the club. We’re looking at everything to [improve the squad.] We have high hopes for 2024, and we want to show what we can do as a club. Winning trophies and having high ambition is something we’ve had since day one.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Inter Miami have already added former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez to their ranks, while USMNT star Julian Gressel has been acquired as a free agent. David Beckham and the club’s board are looking to ensure that Messi has all of the tools around him to make bids for more major silverware possible.