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Real Madrid starlet Nico Paz has followed in Lionel Messi's footsteps and surpassed Alejandro Garnacho with his Champions League goal against Napoli.

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Paz scored in Madrid's 4-2 victoryBecame second-youngest Argentine to score in UCLBeat compatriot Garnacho by a couple of monthsWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine was brought on in place of Brahim Diaz with the game evenly poised at 2-2 on Wednesday evening at the Santiago Bernabeu. Not many would have imagined that the teenager would give his side the lead but a speculative effort from a distance in the 84th minute ended up in the back of the net which paved the way for a 4-2 victory. The goal earned him a place in the history books as he became the second youngest Argentine, at 19 years two months and 21 days, to score in the Champions League.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi holds the record as the youngest to achieve this feat after he scored for Barcelona against Panathinaikos in a 5-0 rout at Camp Nou on November 2, 2005, at 18 years four months and nine days. Earlier on Wednesday evening, Garnacho was in the second spot after he finished off a brilliant move against Galatasaray to open his Champions League account at 19 years, four months and 29 days. However, Paz pushed him to the third spot after scoring in his second European top-flight appearance.

WHAT NICO PAZ SAID

Speaking after the match, Paz said: "A dream come true. The entire team & staff has congratulated me. We are an incredible group.”

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Getty WHAT NEXT FOR PAZ?

Paz will hope to earn more minutes with Real Madrid's first team after scoring in the Champions League. The club is going through an injury crisis and the Argentine should be geared up to make the most of the opportunity when Los Blancos get back to action against Granada on Saturday.

Lahore Lions’ loss by three wickets meant Chennai Super Kings progressed to the semi-final against Kings XI Punjab

The Report by Devashish Fuloria30-Sep-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLahore Lions spinners created panic in the Perth Scorchers ranks•BCCIA must-win pressure-cooker contest for a team, an improbable equation from the outset, then a lost toss, a batting collapse, a seriously underwhelming total of 124, followed by an even more challenging task – to hold the opposition to 78. For most, it would have been a lost cause. But when it’s a team from Pakistan, one almost expects a miracle every single time.Lahore Lions employed Test-match fields from the first over, their spinners created panic in the Perth Scorchers ranks, their fielders gobbled away all the chances, the wicketkeeper affected a stumping, there were appeals that were given, there were ones that were not given too. For 13 overs, the hopes of Lions’ progression to semis remained strong as Scorchers were reduced to 64 for 7, until Brad Hogg drove, cut and hoicked 15 runs in the 14th over, bowled by Adnan Rasool, to shut the doors on Lions and let Chennai Super Kings through to the knockouts. The result – Scorchers winning by three wickets – was only of academic interest.Lions had been in such a situation in the qualification stage of the tournament too. Faced with a must-win task, they bowled out Southern Express for 109 to register a heavy 55-run win. But their batting this evening, and the Robert Frylinck assault in their previous game that ate away on their net run rate, left them too big a task at hand.Still, Mohammed Hafeez shrugged away the shadow of suspect-action sleuths and provided the ideal start, nipping out the wicket of opener Craig Simmons in the first over, getting him caught bat-pad at short leg. Replays showed the ball had missed the edge though. There was an inside edge off the very next ball, and the catch was taken at short leg, but unfortunately for Hafeez, the umpire Rod Tucker missed it completely.The first over set the tone for Lions’ fightback as their spinners made regular strikes, with Mustafa Iqbal picking up two wickets in the fifth over. By the ninth over, Scorchers were reduced to 40 for 6 but Mitchell Marsh, the stand-in skipper, maintained an aggressive stance against the spinners and fast bowlers alike. Once Scorchers crossed the figure of 78, the 125-run target was achieved with relative ease.Even that target had appeared improbable after the start Lions had to their innings. Joel Paris removed Nasir Jamshed and Umar Siddiq in the first over, then Marsh picked the big wicket of Hafeez in the second. Wahab Riaz, promoted up the order, did not make a dent to the score, departing in the fourth over for a duck. From 11 for 4, Lions were revived by two stands of 43 and 48, with Saad Nasim, unbeaten on 69, playing a part in both. However, the hopes of a strong total had ended with Umar Akmal’s departure with the score on 54.

Australia’s selectors have decided to take no chances with key members of the side for the first Ashes Test, with Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle all set to rest from this week’s Sheffield Shield matches

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2013Australia’s selectors have decided to take no chances with key members of the side for the first Ashes Test, with Michael Clarke, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle all set to rest from this week’s Sheffield Shield matches. While England’s cricketers will be warming up for the Gabba Test with a four-day match in Sydney this week, several of Australia’s Test players will also be enjoying some match practice with a full round of Shield games scheduled.But Clarke, Harris and Siddle will not be among them, and instead will head to Cricket Australia’s new high-performance facility at Allan Border Field in Brisbane to work with the Test team’s coaching staff. Clarke has scored 88, 7 and 43 in his two Shield appearances so far this summer but given his ongoing back problem, the selectors and team management are loath to take any risks with his fitness, given the number of times his injury has flared up this year.”We’re very pleased with Michael’s preparation ahead of the first Test,” the coach Darren Lehmann said. “The plan for his Ashes build-up was to play two Sheffield Shield matches, which he has done successfully. He has spent valuable time in the middle batting and fielding. Importantly his back has coped well in both matches, but we will continue to take a sensible and cautious approach to managing him.”Harris and Siddle will be the spearheads of the Test attack and will be especially important given the long list of injured fast bowlers already this season, including James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. Harris and Siddle have each collected five wickets in two Shield matches so far this summer and will be rested from this week’s games.”On the fast bowling front, Ryan and Peter are both in great condition,” Lehmann said. “As part of their management plan they will continue their preparation under the guidance national coaching staff in Brisbane over the coming days.”Harris and Siddle are likely to be joined by Mitchell Johnson in the pace attack for the Gabba Test, while the allrounder James Faulkner could also come into consideration if Shane Watson’s hamstring injury prevents him from bowling. Australia’s squad for the first Test will be announced on Tuesday, before the Shield matches begin.

Aaron Finch blasted the highest score ever by a Victorian in Australia’s domestic one-day history to set up a 190-run thrashing of Queensland at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2012
Scorecard
Aaron Finch’s 154 was a state record•Getty ImagesAaron Finch blasted the highest score ever by a Victorian in Australia’s domestic one-day history to set up a 190-run thrashing of Queensland at the Gabba. The win was so comprehensive that the Bushrangers gained two bonus points, set up by their innings of 2 for 379 – the highest total Victoria had ever achieved in a one-day game and the third highest in Australia’s domestic history.In his first Ryobi Cup match as acting captain, Finch struck 154 from 141 deliveries, surpassing the previous Victorian record score of 144, set by Brad Hodge last summer. It was Finch’s first one-day hundred and he had plenty of support from Rob Quiney, who made a career best 119 as the pair put on 226 for the opening wicket, another state record.They were not parted until the 37th over, when Ben Cutting removed Quiney, but things didn’t get any easier for the Bulls as Chris Rogers came to the crease and struck an unbeaten 64 from 37 balls. When Finch fell in the 47th over Rogers was joined by Will Sheridan, who hit three sixes in his 12-ball cameo of 28 not out, and Cutting finished with the most expensive figures in Australia’s one-day domestic history – 2 for 101 off 12 overs.Queensland’s chase began poorly and at 2 for 9 it appeared Victoria would have a chance of achieving the greatest winning margin in the competition’s history, but Western Australia’s 219-run victory against Tasmania in 1998 remained the biggest win. Joe Burns offered some fight with his composed 50 from 55 balls and Chris Hartley chipped in with 36 in the lower order, but at no point were the Bulls in with a realistic chance. Jon Holland picked up 3 for 49 and Queensland were dismissed in the 39th over for 189.

The ICC World Twenty20 should expand to accommodate more Associate teams, according to Darryl Cullinan, the former South Africa batsman

Firdose Moonda15-Mar-2012The ICC World Twenty20 should expand to accommodate more Associate teams, according to Daryll Cullinan, the former South Africa batsman. Cullinan is at the World T20 qualifiers as a consultant to Namibia, who have won their first three matches, including a surprise victory over Ireland in their opening game. He said the shortest format of the game provides the best opportunity for Associates to play top-level cricket.”It is important for the teams to have the chance to qualify for global events,” Cullinan told ESPNcricinfo. “T20 cricket is unpredictable and is a very good platform for Associate countries. There are players who can take the game away from the opposition. In fifty-over cricket, it is a lot harder, as the better teams have a chance to recover. In T20 cricket, there isn’t a chance to recover, so they can be a lot more competitive. I would support the idea of six teams playing in the next T20 World Cup.”Only two of the 16 teams at the current qualifier in Dubai will progress to the main event that will be staged in Sri Lanka in September. Initially, six teams were due to be included but after the ICC decided to keep the 14-team format for the 2015 fifty-over World Cup, they reduced the number of Associate at the twenty-over event to two. They have promised the 2014 event will have more teams.Cullinan believes this is the best avenue for the Associate players to get exposed to cricket in its highest form. “Associate teams need to be realistic that Test cricket is probably out of their reach,” he said. “They may be able to have a good team of players and compete, but over an extensive period you need a greater depth of players and a culture of cricket, and that can take a long, long time. I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it will take a lot for it to happen.”An important factor that could assist in developing cricket in Associate countries is the involvement of former players like Cullinan, who has eight years of international experience. Often, it’s nothing more than good luck or coincidence that links a former international to these countries. In Cullinan’s case, he went to university with Namibian Cricket president Francois Erasmus and knows the chief executive, Graham McMillan, who is former team-mate Brian McMcmillan’s brother.”It is important to expose people to Associate cricket,” Cullinan said. “I’ve been exposed and it has far exceeded my expectations. The more people from the highest level who can see this, the better.”Cullinan said his role has two aspects – to work on cricketing technique and mindset as some of the players are better than currently think they are. “Skill is a factor but confidence and experience are things that can be improved,’ Cullinan said. “The players need to be seeking bigger challenges outside of Associate cricket because if they get a bit more competitiveness, such as competition for places in a side, that will improve performance.”One possible avenue for Associate players to gain experience are the T20 leagues currently popping up around the world. “If Associate players perform well, with the amount of Twenty20 cricket around the world now, there is no reason why these guys can’t attract IPL interest for example,” Cullinan said. “With all the T20 leagues around the world, the door is open to all the players and it would be good to give these players to regular high standards of cricket.”Ryan ten Doeschate is one of the Associate players who has had success in twenty-over leagues. He plays for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and has had stints in the Big Bash League, the HRV Cup in New Zealand, the Stanbic Twenty20 in Zimbabwe and South Africa’s MiWay T20. Meanwhile the Bangladesh Premier League has a rule requiring that each team have at least one Associate player. “There needs to be greater understanding of what is happening in the Associate countries,” Cullinan said, “be it players or administrators, so they know what is happening and what talent is involved.”

Kevin Pietersen has agreed a rolling deal with Surrey, which will keep him with the club until the end of his ECB central contact

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2011Kevin Pietersen has agreed a rolling deal with Surrey, which will keep him with the club until the end of his ECB central contact.Pietersen joined Surrey ahead of the 2011 season following a brief loan spell with the county in late 2010, when he quit Hampshire and was then left out of the England one-day team. This new arrangement suggests he is unlikely to linger in the domestic game once his England days are over.Pietersen made four appearances for Surrey – two first-class and two Twenty20s – last season between his England commitments. He captained Surrey against Cambridge MCCU, which was his comeback match after the hernia that ended his 2011 World Cup early.”Surrey is a fantastic club and I have been really impressed with the environment and work ethic in place,” Pietersen said. “Their recent success is well deserved and I look forward to working with them in 2012.”

Dav Whatmore, Pakistan’s coach, has said it’s a “good thing” to have several members of the team’s World Twenty20 squad playing in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL)

Umar Farooq17-Aug-2012Dav Whatmore, Pakistan’s coach, has said it’s a “good thing” to have several members of the team’s World Twenty20 squad playing in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), despite a conditioning camp in Lahore, ahead of the series against Australia in the UAE, being on.”We can prepare in all sorts of ways, but there is an opportunity for some of the boys to participate in the SLPL and it’s a good thing; I have no problem with it,” Whatmore said at the camp. “At least they are playing in similar conditions and on two grounds [in Sri Lanka] where we are going to play matches [in the World T20].”The league’s matches are being played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and at the Pallekele International Stadium, both of which are venues for the World T20. A majority of the players who are part of Pakistan’s World T20 and Australia T20s squad – including Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Shoail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Akmal and Imran Nazir – are among the Pakistan players contracted in the SLPL. Also, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Imran Farhat, who were picked for the ODI-leg of the Australia series, are at the SLPL.”There are few other [countries] doing the same thing, they are getting good practice,” Whatmore said. “For us the practice [ahead of the Australia series], for most of the boys, will be at the SLPL.”Pakistan will play three ODIs and three T20s against Australia between August 28 and September 10, before both squads fly directly to Sri Lanka for the World T20. The Pakistan team management, with the players still in the country – the list includes Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali, Junaid Khan and Mohammad Sami – will leave for the UAE next week.Whatmore said Pakistan will be wary of Australia, who have fallen to No. 4 on the ODI rankings – their lowest-ever ranking after being the top ranked one-day side since September 2009. “They obviously will come hard at us to change their fortunes. But what matters is what happens on the day.”The squad chosen for the series, Whatmore said, is good enough to win. “The selectors have given us a group of players who are competitive enough to give us the right results and win the game. This is our home series, again away from home; we will do our best to perform in the conditions, which are close to the conditions in Pakistan, but certainly [not the same as] Pakistan.”Commenting on Pakistan’s chances at the World T20 in Sri Lanka, Whatmore didn’t single out any favourite. “Every team has started taking this form of the game more seriously and all of them will be pushing hard.We have good team for this format. But some countries who weren’t looking at this format seriously [before], now they are; hence you can see all teams have good squads for the format. It’s a volatile form of game and on the day, even one particular over could matter.”

Hot Spot could be set for a late entry into the upcoming Ashes series as part of a trial for an enhanced DRS, including Real Time Snicko technology

Andrew McGlashan03-Nov-2013Hot Spot could be set for a late entry into the upcoming Ashes series alongside a trial for an enhanced DRS, including Real Time Snicko technology, having previously been jettisoned after talks between its inventor, Warren Brennan, and Cricket Australia broke down over the cost of the system.Now, however, the two parties are reported by the to have reopened negotiations less than three weeks before the Ashes resumes with the introduction of Real Time Snicko, which is also part of Brennan’s company BBG Sports, being pushed forward for full-scale use. The enhancement was trialled behind the scenes during the previous Ashes in England, but was not part of the available DRS process which was the centre of much controversy during the series.Most of that stemmed from the reliability of Hot Spot which appeared to not detect a number of thin edges with the third umpires using evidence from the stump microphones instead. Under the current DRS protocols, Snicko cannot be used due to the time it takes to match up the audio with the pictures but the Real Time version makes this an almost instant process.Earlier this year Brennan said: “I am hopeful that it would improve fine-edge detection dramatically. On most occasions, you are going to have the Real Time Snicko and Hot Spot agreeing with another. So the third umpire will now have two points of reference. There can be more consistency that way.”Although confidence in the DRS was dented during the Ashes series in England – which also sparked the controversy over taped bat edges which angered the England team – both sides remain two of the strongest supporters of using the review system and the boards are understood to be open to the upgraded version.David Saker, England’s bowling coach, still believes more correct decisions are made. “Obviously over the English summer, a few things went a little wrong with it,” he said. “But the majority of the time, they’ve got more decisions right than wrong – so I’m a big supporter of it.'”I think if we can get as many correct decisions as possible, it’s better for the game – not just for England. The decision obviously will be made by Cricket Australia, but I’d definitely welcome it for sure.”Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, supports the DRS if the technology is reliable. “I’m a fan of the review system and technology. At the end of the day there is a huge amount on each decision and you have to get the right decision,” he said shortly before the tour started. “If Hotspot is inaccurate it cannot be used and we have to find another way of getting to the right decision. As long as the right decision is made, that is all the players want.”An enhanced DRS – which will require approval from the ICC – would bring the role of the third umpire back to the fore. It has been suggested that because of the key position third umpires now hold in the decision-making process, away from the traditional line decisions of run outs and stumpings, that extra training is required and potentially a panel of specialist TV officials to support on-field umpires.The back-to-back Ashes have put pressure on the ICC’s elite panel of umpires because the majority come from England and Australia which makes them ineligible to stand in the 10 Tests which began in July and run until early January in Sydney.Only four umpires – Marais Erasmus, Aleem Dar, Tony Hill and Kumar Dharmasena – are available for the Test matches and are rotated through the on-field and TV roles. There have been talks about selecting from the international panel of umpires, the level below the elite, to ease the burden and Billy Bowden, who was demoted earlier this year, has been the name mentioned.

Tim Bresnan will play his first match for nearly three months when he makes his comeback for Yorkshire in a three-day friendly against Lancashire at Headingley on Tuesday.

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Apr-2013Tim Bresnan will play his first match for nearly three months when he makes his comeback for Yorkshire in a three-day friendly against Lancashire at Headingley on Tuesday.Bresnan underwent elbow surgery after England’s one-day series in India to try and overcome a problem that plagued him over the previous 12 months following a first operation on the joint in late 2011.Since that initial operation Bresnan had struggled to recapture the form that made him a key part of England’s rise to the No. 1 Test spot in 2010 where he impressed against India and Australia. During the Test series in India late last year, he did not take a wicket in his two appearances in Ahmedabad and Nagpur.He could yet come into contention for the Test series against New Zealand next month, although he is more important to England’s Champions Trophy planning where he can add balance to the side at No. 7.”It has been a while since I played,” he said. “I’m feeling good and looking forward to playing against Lancashire. I have been bowling in the nets and the elbow has responded well. I feel I’m getting back to my best. For me it is now playing as much cricket as possible with a view to playing well for Yorkshire and ultimately breaking back into the England team.”Bresnan is one of a trio of England bowlers at various stages of returning from injury lay-offs. Graeme Swann, who underwent a similar elbow procedure to Bresnan after being ruled out of the Test series in New Zealand, is hopeful of resuming bowling in the next few weeks while Chris Tremlett has recovered from an injury-hit 2012 that restricted him to one Championship match.

Michael Clarke has admitted his relinquishment of selection duties before the Ashes allowed him to grow closer to other players in the Australian team

Daniel Brettig04-Oct-2013Michael Clarke has admitted his relinquishment of selection duties before the Ashes allowed him to grow closer to other players in the Australian team. He also acknowledged the cultural concerns raised by Michael Hussey before his retirement were among “a lot of things” not up to standard in the team leading into this year’s dire results in India and England.Hussey stated that Clarke’s dual role as captain and selector had affected the Australian dressing room during his final two summers as part of the team, causing players to “keep their heads down” whenever their leader passed through. For his part, Clarke said the selection role had deprived him of time to spend with the rest of the team, as long meetings and phone hookups sapped his schedule and mental energy.”You’d have to talk to the other guys about how they felt, but personally I think standing down as a selector has been one of the best things I’ve done since taking over the captaincy,” Clarke said. “It is a full-time job and they deserve a lot of credit for the work that goes in to being a selector, but giving that time back to me has allowed me to give it back to the team, spending time with the boys whether it be longer at training or off the field.”Instead of selection meetings and being on the phone for hours, I’m having coffee, lunch, breakfast with my team-mates now and trying to help all of us. They’re giving me their time as well to help me become a better player and a better captain. I have more time for them, definitely.”As early as the 2012 West Indies tour, Hussey had become uneasy about the direction the team was taking, despite a sequence of strong results including a 4-0 Test series win at home over India, and the subsequent 2-0 result in the Caribbean. Hussey revealed in his autobiography, , that he had met with the former coach Mickey Arthur to express his concerns formally. Clarke said Hussey did not raise them directly with him, but did not deny there had been problems.”I was conscious of a lot of things that were going on round that group that weren’t of a standard that was acceptable, in my opinion, of representing your country and being part of a team that wants to get back to No. 1 in the world, hence what happened in India,” Clarke said. “In regards to guys just looking after themselves, that’s probably a question for the other guys. For me personally, I’ve been very fortunate the teams I’ve played with at a young age, even starting with NSW, I was always shown and educated that you can’t always have good days in this game.”You’re going to have some tough times and you have to enjoy the success of other players, and when the team wins, that’s got to feel just as good as you making a hundred – I was brought up that way. I can’t answer that on behalf of the other guys, but there was obviously a lot of things going on over a period of time that I didn’t think were good enough.”I think the media and the public got to see the frustration and the consequences of that. But I can guarantee that has changed now, I think Darren Lehmann’s done a wonderful job since he came in, the feeling in the group is outstanding and the boys are all heading in the same direction.”Arthur’s successor, Lehmann, said he had instituted team rules and regulations to ensure standards were met and players were considerate of each other. “That’s Mike’s view and he’s one of the greats of the game. But I haven’t seen that in the time that I’ve been there, and we’re trying to go very much in that team direction,” he said. “We have some team rules and regulations they have to follow, if they don’t adhere to them then there’s always trouble from the coach. Occasionally I get grumpy but not most of the time.”It’s strange to say this, we lost the Ashes but it was one of the best tours I’ve been on. For getting to know the players and the way they gelled as a group on and off the field and with the staff, it was a really good tour.”