All posts by h716a5.icu

Olly Stone’s freak injury while celebrating the dismissal of Moeen Ali has taken on even darker consequences after he was ruled out for the season with serious knee damage

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2016Olly Stone, one of England’s most promising pace bowlers, has made an ever-more unfortunate entry in the ranks of cricket’s oddest injuries. He is now expected miss the rest of the season after damaging an anterior cruciate ligament during a wicket-taking celebration.Stone, 22, fell awkwardly after leaping skywards in delight at having Moeen Ali caught behind in Northamptonshire’s NatWest Blast tie against Worcestershire at Northampton on Friday. After falling, he attempted to finish his over, but collapsed in his delivery stride and was carried off the field.Any brief sense of amusement at Stone’s predicament dissipated even further when scans revealed the serious extent of the injury. Stone, afflicted by injuries during a disrupted and occasionally devastating career, has suffered a “compact knee injury with anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage involvement”. He has now been referred to a specialist surgeon.Stone’s season has been relatively unspectacular. He has taken six wickets in three matches in Division Two of the Specsavers Championship and three wickets in three NatWest T20 Blast fixtures.Northants’ small squad has been stricken by injury and they may be forced to look for further reinforcements to get through the season.

To clinch their third win in four Division One matches this season, Lancashire would need to score 325 runs in 96 overs or fewer, an asking rate of only 3.385 runs per over. They failed.

Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street18-May-2016
Brydon Carse’s three wickets helped Durham to a fine victory•Getty ImagesThe late Richie Benaud once mused about the distinction between a closure and a declaration. The former, he argued, was a statement of brute strength whereas the latter was a challenge. When Paul Collingwood ended Durham’s innings on the final morning of this game, there was little doubt that he had declared.To clinch their third win in four Division One matches this season, Lancashire would need to score 325 runs in 96 overs or fewer, an asking rate of only 3.385 runs per over. Collingwood’s tactical daring came as something of a surprise; this is a cautious age, one in which captains have often called off the dogs too late, their reluctance fuelled by fear of defeat and the opprobrium of those supporters who rarely praise a declaration when their team has lost.So when Graham Onions swung the final ball of the match deliciously past Simon Kerrigan’s groping bat at 4.39pm and uprooted the off stump, it represented a marvellous vindication of Collingwood’s courage and nous in giving his inexperienced attack the time to take ten wickets on a pitch good enough for one joyously talented cricketer, Scott Borthwick, to score two centuries.Yet Durham’s captain will also take pleasure in the fact that his trust in his younger seam bowlers was repaid. Onions took the second and last wickets but his line was awry for most of this last day and his 15 overs leaked 65 runs. It was Brydon Carse and James Weighell who did the heavy work for Collingwood’s side, their callow enthusiasm proving an asset against the carelessness of Lancashire’s battle-hardened batsmen. This was a day when grizzled veterans were no match for inexperienced freshmen.Indeed, the fact that Lancashire even took the game into the final session was due to the technical skill and good judgement of 22-year-old Liam Livingstone, whose unbeaten 60 rather shamed his senior colleagues. After making his debut against Nottinghamshire, Livingstone has now passed fifty in three of his five innings. He has looked for the most part, commendably untroubled by county attacks and his assured innings, particularly during his 56-run stand for the ninth wicket with Kyle Jarvis, must have given Collingwood far more concern that the forecast rain which, rather like Billy Bunter’s postal order, never arrived.Yet in the first few overs of Lancashire’s innings it seemed likely that the more recreant and faithless home supporters might be ready to collect faggots for a bonfire on which to burn an effigy of Shotley Bridge’s most famous son. Though Weighell had nailed Haseeb Hameed lbw with a full length ball that eluded the opener’s forward push, Karl Brown fed greedily on the attacking lengths bowled by Weighell and Onions.Indeed, after five overs Lancashire were 46 for 1 and their rate of progress had so offended the Riverside’s infrastructure that the ground’s best scoreboard threw a tantrum and froze so rigidly on 20 for 1 that it had to be turned off for a few hours. It barely mattered; the damn thing had flirted with utter uselessness for much of the game and it is not as though Chester-le-Street is hosting a Test match next week…But if mere technology was failing Durham, common humanity was doing the club proud. Having hit nine fours in his 26-ball 41, Brown played across the line once too soon to Onions and became the first of five top-order batsmen to get to 20, with only Livingstone going on to make the substantial contribution his side needed. Collingwood, meanwhile, tolerated both Onions’s failure to control his swing and the poor deliveries sent down by his younger bowlers with admirable phlegm. He simply rotated his attack astutely and this worked for him when the second- and third-change seamers took three wickets in 16 deliveries in the half-hour before lunchThe most culpable batsman was probably Alviro Petersen, who failed to take into account the extra bounce on this pitch and cut Carse to Keaton Jennings at backward point. Throwing your head back when you are out, as Petersen did, is all very well; getting your nut over the ball when playing a shot is the better plan. In his next over Carse tempted Luke Procter into a half-drive and Borthwick at second slip made a two-handed catch look beguilingly simple. Five minutes later Steven Croft’s cut to a lifting ball from Barry McCarthy gave Richardson the first of his three catches and left Lancashire on 97 for 5.The batting after lunch showed greater resolve but until Jarvis joined Livingstone it did not promise to alter the game’s pattern. Durham’s bowling was poor immediately after the resumption and Alex Davies added 67 with Livingstone before chasing a wide ball from Weighell and nicking a catch behind. Tom Bailey then fenced at a lifter from Carse, and Neil Wagner was caught by Jennings at short leg off Borthwick, the ball rebounding off the fielder’s boot.Then, as if to toy with the hopes of visiting supporters, Jarvis and Livingstone played straight to the good balls and profited from the bad for nearly an hour. There are times when batting is that simple. Lancastrian hopes of a famous triumph probably rose when Livingstone pulled Ryan Pringle for successive sixes but they were quickly extinguished by Jennings’s very sharp short-leg catch to remove the obstinate Jarvis for 28.That brought Kerrigan to the wicket. Three overs later Lancashire’s chances of victory were hanging from the gallows tree.

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, as Juventus are unwilling to meet Lazio's price tag of €40m (£35.5m), according to recent reports from Italy.

Which midfielders could Arsenal sign this summer?

The Gunners have now seemingly set their sights on Valencia's Yunus Musah, as they are said to be preparing an offer of €70m (£62m) for the central midfielder, which the Spanish club would find it very difficult to turn down.

Another potential option for the north London club is Chelsea's Mason Mount, and journalist Paul Brown believes the England international would be intrigued by the prospect of playing under Mikel Arteta.

Milinkovic-Savic has been a long-term target for Arsenal, with reports from last December indicating they were leading the race for the Lazio midfielder, and they have recently been handed a boost in the race for his signature.

According to reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), Lazio are holding out for €40m (£35.5m) to sell the maestro this summer, however fellow Serie A side Juventus are not prepared to pay any more than €25m (£22m).

As such, Lazio are now waiting for offers from the Premier League, which have been promised by the player's agent, Mateja Kezman, with Arsenal potentially set to come forward to sign the 28-year-old midfielder.

The Gunners are yet to make the first move, as they are currently more preoccupied with competing for the Premier League title, but they should have no problem meeting the Italian club's demands in the summer.

Should Arsenal sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic?

Although £35.5m may seem a large fee for a player who will have just one year left on his contract this summer, it is no wonder Lazio are demanding so much, given just how important the Serbian has been to them for a number of seasons.

Hailed as "world class" by members of the media, the Spain-born midfielder weighed in with six goals and eight assists in the Serie A this season, before Lazio's clash with Milan yesterday – once again reaching double figures for goal contributions.

Last season was probably the £75k-per-week earner's most impressive campaign, amassing 11 goals and 11 assists in the league, with the latter figure being the highest in the Lazio squad.

Teammate Ciro Immobile has lauded Milinkovic-Savic as "magic", also adding he's "on the same level" as Kevin De Bruyne, and he could be a real boost for Arsenal in what is likely to be another bid for the Premier League title next season.

Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews, said Kusal Mendis’ batting and Rangana Herath’s “all-round” performances constituted the positives from the 2-0 Test series defeat against England

Andrew Fidel Fernando at Lord's13-Jun-2016Sri Lanka captain, Angelo Mathews, said Kusal Mendis’ batting and Rangana Herath’s “all-round” performances constituted the positives from the 2-0 Test series defeat against England. He was, however, non-committal on the struggling Lahiru Thirimanne’s continued place in the Test XI.Herath claimed seven wickets at an average of 43.28, and also hit 109 runs from No. 8 in the series. “Herath was superb,” Mathews said. “He is 38 and he has backed the team with his all-round ability. He is even throwing himself all over the field. It was good to see the oldest man diving around and stopping boundaries.”Mendis made the team’s lone half-century at Headingley, and hit 156 runs at an average of 31.20, with a strike rate of 65.27, through the series. Mathews said Mendis had earned a long run in the No. 3 position.”If we pick someone, we need to give him a fair opportunity and be patient with him. We don’t want to chop and change people. We need to find the best possible combination. When you identify a guy with skill and talent you need to persevere with him.”Thirimanne, meanwhile, had only hit one fifty in his previous 12 innings before the tour, but played all three Tests in England – perhaps on the strength of domestic performances, which have been consistently excellent. However, he mustered a highest score of 22 in five innings in England, and now averages 24.00 after 50 Test innings overall.Mathews had described him as the “best batsman” in the team before the tour, but said “we haven’t decided on certain positions” when asked about Thirimanne’s performance in the series.”This is a challenging tour for all the batsmen,” he said. “I don’t want to mention one particular player. We all have to take responsibility. Apart from Chandimal, no one was able to score a hundred here, and I don’t want to let anyone down. We have to be a close unit and we have to keep working hard. We haven’t made a decision on the No. 4 position.”Having folded for 91, 119 and 101 in the first three innings of the series, Mathews lauded the top order’s relative return to runs in the second innings at Chester-le-Street, and then at Lord’s. Sri Lanka’s highest score of the series was the 475 in the second innings of the second Test, and though they lost five wickets for 43 runs on the third day at Lord’s, managed totals of 288 and 78 for 1.”This was a good learning experience for all of us,” he said. “We are a young team and we don’t have much experience. The way the guys fought facing Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad in challenging conditions was good to see. The way they batted and they showed lot of guts – it was brilliant. If we play together as a unit we can improve further. We played pretty well in the second innings in Durham. At Lord’s, too, we were sitting pretty and then lost a heap of wickets on day three.”Mathews also echoed coach Graham Ford’s words on day four, and said Sri Lanka would have attempted to chase down the target of 362, had the weather allowed a full day’s play on Monday.

Manchester United are eyeing up a swoop for goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen ahead of the summer transfer window as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his side.

What’s the latest on Bart Verbruggen to Manchester United?

According to the Manchester Evening News, United are keen on signing Anderlecht ‘keeper Verbruggen during the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils have two goalkeepers out of contract this summer in the form of David De Gea and Tom Heaton, while Jack Butland will return to Crystal Palace once his loan spell is finished, meaning Ten Hag will be in the market for a new shot-stopper.

Verbruggen has two years left on his contract and despite being valued at only €3.4m (£3m) by Football Transfers, the Belgian side will be demanding more than that.

Does David De Gea have a future at Manchester United?

The Spaniard is expected to sign a new contract, though some figures at the club want to move on from him and sign a new ‘keeper as a replacement.

His latest error against West Ham United, letting a weak shot by Said Benrahma escape his grasp, was the fourth time he made an error this term which directly resulted in an opposition goal, and if he does stay, his contributions could be minimal.

The £375k-per-week “colossal liability” – as dubbed by writer Muhammad Butt – has conceded 53 goals in 46 appearances this season and a change may be on the horizon for the club.

Verbruggen may only be 20 years old, but he has already played 31 matches for Anderlecht, keeping 11 clean sheets, and he could have the potential to be a long-term No 1 for Ten Hag.

He has been impressive across 17 league matches this season, averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.24/10 while making 3.8 saves per game, keeping eight clean sheets and also committing zero errors which led to goals, suggesting he has a bright future ahead of him.

The youngster was even called up to the Netherlands squad for their European Championship qualifier with Gibraltar in March, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him gain his first cap sooner rather than later.

Ten Hag will surely be looking to do business as soon as possible ahead of an important campaign in 2023/24 and signing the young Dutchman, although raw and still learning, could prove to be a stroke of genius over the next few years.

An unbroken 82-run stand for the third wicket between Jason Mohammed and Chris Lynn helped Guyana Amazon Warriors beat St Lucia Zouks by eight wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGuyana Amazon Warriors rounded off their home leg of CPL 2016 with an emphatic win•CPL/SportsfileAn unbroken 82-run stand for the third wicket between Jason Mohammed and Chris Lynn helped Guyana Amazon Warriors beat St Lucia Zouks by eight wickets at Providence in Guyana. A fifth win in six matches helped Warriors consolidate their top spot in the CPL 2016 standings.Zouks recovered from twin blows in the first over – Sohail Tanvir, the Pakistan pacer, had dismissed openers Johnson Charles and Shane Watson – to post 138 for 6 after being sent in to bat. The innings was steered by Michael Hussey, who top scored with a 50-ball 64. Three other batsmen got into double digits, with David Miller’s 23 being the second highest in the innings.Zouks were devoid of momentum, and were struggling at 44 for 3 at the halfway mark. It needed a 62-run stand in seven overs between Hussey and Miller to give the innings a lift. Amazon Warriors’ Adam Zampa, the Australia legspinner, picked up two wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in the competition at this stage, with 12 scalps.Warriors were lucky early in the chase as Martin Guptill was reprieved twice in the space of six deliveries. He contributed 19 in a 55-run opening stand with Dwayne Smith before being caught and bowled by Derone Davis, the left-arm spinner, in the seventh over. Six balls later, Smith was sent back for 32 by Shane Shillingford, the offspinner, to leave Warriors at 57 for 2.But the required rate of a run-a-ball by the halfway mark allowed Mohammed and Lynn to steer clear of any pressure. The pair hit six sixes between them as Amazon Warriors won at a canter, with 16 balls to spare.”Pitches are slow and low here, but the one we played on today was a lot better,” Mohammed said after the game. “Having lost the last game, the boys were extra motivated to win here. We knew we had the skill-sets to chase this target down, and we’re happy with the way it worked out. We’re a win away from qualifying for the playoffs, but it’s important to ride this momentum.”

Sunderland's 2022/23 campaign unfortunately came crashing to an end earlier this week as they lost to Luton Town in the semi-finals of the Championship play-offs.

The Black Cats, who were missing the likes of Dennis Cirkin, Danny Batth, and Ross Stewart, lost 3-2 on aggregate and will be playing in the second tier next season.

Tony Mowbray is reportedly set to continue as the head coach and planning is underway for the club to bolster the squad heading into the following year.

It was recently reported that they are interested in a potential swoop to sign Northern Irish attacking midfielder Charlie Lindsay on a free transfer.

Who is Charlie Lindsay?

The 19-year-old talent is a versatile forward who has the potential to score and assist goals on a regular basis and could be an excellent addition to Sunderland.

He is going to be a free agent this summer upon the expiry of his contract with Scottish giants Rangers and Black Cats sporting director Kristjaan Speakman could land Mowbray his dream Alex Pritchard heir by securing a bargain swoop for the gem.

The Northern Ireland U21 international did not make a senior appearance during his time at Ibrox but his form for their academy side suggests that there is a big talent to be unearthed.

Lindsay scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 48 appearances for their B and U19 teams and David Lowry, who was his coach at Glentoran, previously hailed the maestro's attributes in the middle of the park by saying:

"He is a box-to-box midfielder who covers every blade of grass. He is powerful and quick, and his range of passing is first-class. He also knows when to pick a pass, and then he delivers it with precision. He ticks so many boxes as a footballer."

The teenager could be the ideal heir to Pritchard's throne at the Stadium of Light as, like the Englishman, he is a creative player with an eye for goal.

Lindsay, who racked up 12 goals and six assists in 33 games in the Lowland League this season, has not proven himself at first-team level yet but could learn from the ex-Tottenham and Norwich dynamo as he adjusts to playing senior football.

Pritchard, 30, scored four goals and provided six assists in 28 Championship starts in 2022/23 and has been a reliable option for Mowbray to call upon in the no.10 role.

The wizard has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch, by breaking down an opposition defence with a pass or finishing off a move himself, and Lindsay's form at youth level for Rangers indicates that he could grow into being a similar player.

The series returns to London with England on a high and Pakistan in a corner. A win for the hosts will crown them No. 1 in Tests

The Preview by Alan Gardner10-Aug-2016Match factsAugust 11-15, 2016
Start time 11am (1000 GMT)3:46

‘England’s depth gives them edge’

Big PictureLess than four weeks have passed since Pakistan wrapped up a rousing victory at Lord’s in the first Test, capped by a military-inspired set of press-ups in front of the pavilion, but they return to London with very little of that inspirational vim remaining. Trips to Manchester and Birmingham have resulted in two strength-sapping defeats and it is now England who are flexing their muscles ahead of the Oval encounter.From entering the series ranked fourth in the world, and thanks to Australia’s unexpected capitulation in Sri Lanka, England can suddenly see a shortcut to No. 1. That would require victory in the final Test and a 3-1 series scoreline (as well as West Indies to hold off India in one of their two remaining matches) but they are moving in the right direction regardless. In contrast to their tightly drilled ascent to No. 1 five years ago, England seem a little surprised to have found themselves wandering around the summit so soon – and Alastair Cook is sticking to his line that they have plenty to learn, whatever the rankings say.An improvement on their record in the final Test of a series is clearly the next matter to address. A draw at The Oval will be enough to give England all nine series trophies but a win would underline the sense of progress rather more emphatically. In recent times, England have finished off Test tours with defeats in Centurion, Sharjah and Barbados, while last summer they were beaten at The Oval and Headingley. Such flakiness is unbecoming of a side with aspirations to be the best in the world.Another reason to guard against complacency is Pakistan’s good record at The Oval. Putting aside the memory of their forfeiture in 2006 (a game in which they were well placed), Pakistan have secured several memorable wins in south London, including Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis reverse-swinging their way through England in 1992 and victory on their most recent visit, six years ago. By contrast, since England clinched the 2009 Ashes on this ground, they have only beaten India (in 2011 and 2014), while suffering three defeats and a draw.Pakistan will always have Lord’s and this tour will be remembered for Misbah-ul-Haq’s hundred, the heroics of Yasir Shah and the return of Mohammad Amir. But they have a chance to leave with even better memories if they can pull it all together again back in the capital – not to mention an outside shot of reaching No. 1 themselves with a drawn series. The drill sergeants of Abbottabad, just like everyone else, will be watching keenly.Form guideEngland: WWLDW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan: LLWWW
In the spotlightHaving struggled against Pakistan’s left-armers, Alex Hales finally produced a substantial contribution with the bat in the second innings at Edgbaston, putting on a vital century stand to help erase England’s deficit. However, he is still waiting for the defining, three-figure innings that will secure his tenure as Test opener for the near future. The final Test of the English summer is often the occasion for auditions but Hales – who has put faith in his technique – is hoping to shut the door on prospective top-order newcomers.As the tour has gone on, confidence in Pakistan’s batting has steadily eroded. The fortunes of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have been divergent but they have common cause to try and finish the series with heads and bats held high. Misbah has coped admirably with the conditions on his first Test experience of England but another defeat would doubtless trigger talk about his age and the captaincy; Younis, though four years younger, is also unlikely to be back again and, 15 years after his first tour here, is in need of an innings to stave of similar talk of retirement.Team newsAlastair Cook said England were “hoping” to play the same team, which would mean Adil Rashid and Jake Ball missing out again. James Vince has recovered from a finger injury sustained attempting to take a catch at Edgbaston but won’t field in the slips.England (possible) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 James Vince, 5 Gary Ballance, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Steven Finn, 11 James AndersonMickey Arthur hinted at various options for Pakistan’s selection, with the need for a fifth bowler even more pressing in the second of back-to-back Tests. If Iftikhar Ahmed – who “bowls offspin and decently,” according to Arthur – wins a Test debut, he would likely come into the side at Mohammad Hafeez’s expense but bat in the middle order, with Azhar Ali asked to open. A rare four-Test series has increased the workload on Pakistan’s pace bowlers and there may also be changes to the attack.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez/Iftikhar Ahmed, 2 Sami Aslam, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Yasir Shah, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Sohail Khan, 11 Rahat Ali/Wahab RiazPitch and conditionsAs before the Ashes Test at The Oval last year, a distinctly green-tinged pitch was on show (although that didn’t stop Australia from racking up 481 in an innings win) and Cook suggested it would be “suited to pace bowling”, with some turn later on. In Surrey’s last Championship match here, in June, spinners Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty took 12 wickets between them. The forecast is for a warm finish to the week, which could facilitate the surface breaking up.Stats and trivia A 3-1 series win for England will send them top of the rankings, at least until the completion of India’s tour of the West Indies Aside from forfeiting the 2006 Test at The Oval, Pakistan have not lost at the ground since 1967 Chris Woakes needs one more wicket to break James Anderson’s record of 23 for an England bowler in a Test series against Pakistan Joe Root is 60 runs short of 4000 in Tests; if he gets there in his next innings, he will go level with Kevin Pietersen as 14th fastest overallQuotes”It would be a great achievement. We’ve just got to focus on playing good cricket, we’ve been consistent the last two games, up against it at times but played some consistent cricket – can we have that same hunger and determination in this game? If we can do that, we’ve got a good chance of winning.”
“In the third Test match, I believe it was some of our mistakes that let England come back into that game. After doing so much well, we were really in the game until the fourth day – even on the last day, until lunch, it was looking like a draw. So the team can do it but we need to combine those performances.”

Chelsea youngster Tudor Mendel-Idowu is "expected to leave" Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, according to reliable journalist Nizaar Kinsella.

How is Mendel-Idowu faring at Chelsea?

The 18-year-old is a talented young attacker who has been with the Blues for over a decade now, working his way through the youth teams as the years have passed. He has made 35 appearances for the Under-18s, scoring 13 goals and registering six assists, as well as playing once for the Under-21s, despite still being so young.

A maiden first-team outing has continued to evade Mendel-Idowu, however, and with his current Chelsea deal running out this summer, the club have a big decision to make regarding his long-term future. There is the option of extending his stay, should he be viewed as a key man into the future, or he will be allowed to move on for a new challenge in the next month or so.

Could Mendel-Idowu leave Chelsea in the summer?

Taking to Twitter, Kinsella said that Mendel-Idowu would be one of numerous younger departures once this season comes to an end:

"Tudor Mendel-Idowu wasn't mentioned in this piece a few days ago but is also expected to leave Chelsea when his contract expires."

This is no doubt a tough one for Mendel-Idowu to take, and a situation that highlights how difficult it is for youngsters to make the grade at top clubs. It is so hard to make that step up to the first team, especially when big-money signings are arriving at the same time, which goes to show what special players the likes of Reece James and Mason Mount are.

Is seems clear that Mendel-Idowu simply isn't seen as someone who can ultimately become an important member of the senior squad, even though his skill levels have been hailed as "illegal" by Sky Sports contributor Zac Djellab in the past, such is his level of talent.

He will now seemingly be free to find a new club, though, and it is crucial that he picks the right one, going somewhere where he will be allowed to progress at his own pace, earn regular football and ultimately reach his potential as a player.

Just because Chelsea don't see a future for him doesn't mean he can't still forget an excellent career elsewhere, with his talent undeniable, and three goals in four caps for England's Under-17s a testament to his ability.

Ashwell Prince’s coaching career will begin at Cape Cobras, where he has signed on as the franchise’s assistant coach

Firdose Moonda13-Sep-2016Ashwell Prince’s coaching career will begin at Cape Cobras, where he has signed on as the franchise’s assistant coach. Prince, who stepped down from the national selection panel, will work with former internationals Paul Adams, head coach of the Cobras since the 2012-13 season, and Alan Dawson , the new convener of selectors.On Monday, ESPNcricinfo reported that Prince had handed in his resignation from the national selection panel before South Africa A’s tour of Australia last month in order to travel as a batting consultant. On his return, Prince committed himself to coaching and will now team up with Adams.The 2015-16 summer was the first time in eight seasons that the Cobras did not win a trophy. They finished fourth in the first-class competition, losing finalists in the fifty-over cup and third in the twenty-over tournament. Justin Kemp was unavailable through injury for the bulk of the season and has since retired, while Robin Peterson was sidelined and has now relocated to the Knights.Despite the dearth of experience, the Cobras can still call on Justin Ontong, Dane Vilas and Rory Kleinveldt. Prince sees his first task as working with those players to re-create team culture. “The senior veterans in the Cape Cobras team have been around the block and they know what is required to achieve success. The most important characteristic is the motivation to produce the goods,” Prince said. “I would like us as a team to play for one another and to work as a strong unit. It is a game of small margins, and when it is tight, the scales will tilt in the direction of the team with a strong cohesion.