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Mick Newell, the Nottinghamshire director of cricket, has confirmed that he has held discussions regarding taking up the Bangladesh coaching role. While Richard Pybus remains the first choice of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to replace Stuart Law, ESPNcricinfo understands that talks between the parties have hit a stumbling block over financial issues and the BCB has been in touch with two other candidates – including Pybus – or their agents.Newell has gone on record for the first time to confirm the story published by ESPNcricinfo on May 4 linking him with the job. “It would be a huge decision,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I would like to coach at the international level and, having not been an international player, these opportunities do not arise that often. I have had a couple of conversations with an agent about the position, but I would need a great deal more information before making such a massive decision and I have had no direct contact with the BCB.”I also feel we are on the threshold of something quite good at Nottinghamshire. It would be very difficult to leave here.”Newell was also considered for the Bangladesh coaching role before Law was appointed in July 2011. Since then he has coached England Lions in the West Indies, while it is understood that Tamim Iqbal, an overseas player at Nottinghamshire in 2011, has provided positive reports about Newell’s ability to the BCB.BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus has said that it is “difficult” to name a coach, particularly at the moment. “It is still uncertain; till today, it will be difficult to name someone. The progress at this stage means that it won’t be completed in a week, probably you can say at the end of the month.”

وجه مدافع نادي ليفربول الأسبق، جيمي كاراجر، النصيحة لمهاجم وهداف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي باريس سان جيرمان، كيليان مبابي، بعد الخروج من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا على يد بايرن ميونخ.

وخسر باريس سان جيرمان ذهابًا وإيابًا بنتيجة 3-0 أمام بايرن ميونخ بعد السقوط على أرضه “حديقة الأمراء” قبل 3 أسابيع بنتيجة 0-1 والإياب بالأمس على ملعب “أليانز أرينا” بنتيجة 2-0 في إطار مرحلة دور الـ 16.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جالتييه يتحدث عن مستقبله مع باريس سان جيرمان بعد توديع دوري أبطال أوروبا

وتحدث كاراجر عن وجهة نظره خلال الاستوديو التحليلي للمباراة عبر شبكة “CBS Sports” الأمريكية، وقال: “يجب أن يترك مبابي باريس سان جيرمان، فهو فريق ليس مستعدًا للفوز بعد ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا”.

وتابع: “لا اعتقد أن هذا الفريق سيتحسن في الموسم المقبل، كلما أسرع في الانتقال إلى ريال مدريد سيكون أفضل له”.

وأضاف: “الخروج من دوري أبطال أوروبا في خمس مرات من دور الـ 16 هو أمر مثير للسخرية، يحتاج هذا الفريق إلى الأموال بجانب الخبرة والحكمة في اختيار الصفقات لتكوين فريق قوي”.

وأتم تصريحاته: “أعتقد أنها لحظة حاسمة بالنسبة لنادي باريس سان جيرمان، لأن بكل هذه النجوم وبوجود مبابي ونيمار واللاعبين الكبار في السن ليسوا الحل من أجل المنافسة على دوري أبطال أوروبا”.

الجدير بالذكر أن مبابي صرح بالأمس بعد المباراة بأنه لا يفكر في الرحيل عن باريس سان جيرمان على الإطلاق رغم الخروج الأوروبي وأكد أن هدفه هو الفوز ببطولة الدوري الفرنسي بنهاية الموسم الحالي ثم سيرى ماذا سيحدث.

Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad

Brydon Coverdale30-Jan-2012Matthew Wade is expected to earn a Test call-up for the tour of the West Indies in April after the national selector John Inverarity expressed his desire to have two wicketkeepers in the squad. Wade has been named in Australia’s side for the first three ODIs of the upcoming tri-series while Brad Haddin rests following a long period of cricket.Strong performances from Wade in those matches could build pressure on Haddin, 34, who has had a difficult few months with the bat and behind the stumps. The coach Mickey Arthur wants Haddin to still be around for the 2013 Ashes but Wade, 24, is also viewed as a potential Test player and averages 40.16 in first-class cricket.Last time the Australians played Tests in the West Indies they were forced to fly Luke Ronchi in mid-tour as a standby player for Haddin, who in his debut Test series broke a finger, but battled on and played all three Tests. Inverarity said a backup gloveman was desirable for this year’s Caribbean trip, which included three Tests in April.”The West Indies is a pretty difficult place to get to from Australia, so at this stage and it will depend on the budget, but we’re keen to have two keepers there throughout the West Indies tour,” Inverarity said. “If a keeper breaks his hand it would probably be five days to a week before a replacement could get organised, get there, recover from jetlag and be ready to play.”If you’ve got one wicketkeeper in the West Indies and two days before a Test he breaks his hand and cannot keep, what do you do?”With Tim Paine still out due to a long-term finger injury, Wade is the logical choice as the next in line behind Haddin, although Peter Nevill of New South Wales is also pushing his case. Wade might even open the batting in the ODIs in February, as no obvious opening partner for David Warner was named in the squad with Shane Watson still injured and Shaun Marsh dropped.Inverarity said it remained to be seen whether Haddin would return for the later stages of the one-day series against Sri Lanka and India or whether he would be better off taking a longer break. He said it was up to Haddin, who will captain the Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka this Friday, whether he would play any Sheffield Shield cricket in the meantime, after a lean few months with the bat in Test cricket.”That’s up to Brad. He won’t be playing the next Shield match because being a Canberra lad he’s captaining the side for the Prime Minister’s XI,” Inverarity said. “The Shield match starts the next day. I think that’s a good opportunity for Brad to be able to put his feet up for a bit. I think an essential part of preparation is refreshment and the opportunity to take it easy for a time and get mentally refreshed.”It provides a terrific opportunity for Matthew Wade. We hope Matthew Wade keeps and bats brilliantly and then we have two keepers at the level, because you never know when a wicketkeeper is going to break down. We’re all for developing Matthew Wade and Brad Haddin both together.”

Cricket Australia’s chief executive, James Sutherland, has described as “baseless and outlandish” the claims heard in a London court that Australian players were the biggest match-fixers in the game. The court heard recordings made during last year’s sting in which Mazhar Majeed, the agent and alleged fixing conspirator, claimed to act for Nathan Bracken and knew Ricky Ponting’s manager.Bracken’s manager, Rob Horton, vehemently denied the claims and told the Daily Telegraph that his client was considering taking legal action in London to protect his name, while Ponting’s manager, James Henderson, also dismissed the allegations. Sutherland said he was confident that if the ICC had any inkling of fixing by Australian players, he would have been aware of it.”There is nothing that I have at hand to suggest that these are anything but baseless and outlandish allegations,” Sutherland said. “I’m very confident that through my dealings with the ICC that if there was issues of concern or players who were being monitored or looked at closely that I would understand more about that. The ICC have not told me of anything and on that basis I’m very confident that these are nothing but baseless and outlandish.”These sweeping statements unfairly malign Australian cricketers. If there is one skerrick of evidence we will investigate Australian players. But in my dealings with the ICC I’m very confident that I would know and I would understand if there were concerns about Australian players, or allegations about players, or investigations afoot in regard to Australian players. I have heard none of that.”Sutherland said he would speak to ICC officials on Tuesday about the claims. He said if any Australian player was found to have taken part in match-fixing, Cricket Australia would have no hesitation in issuing a life ban from the game.”There’s no doubt that the game needs to continue to be vigilant,” he said. “The publicity around this is a very clear reminder that there are people out there who want to corrupt the game. It’s very important that we take a position to protect players and officials and the sport itself from being anything but a proper contest.”If there is any issue or any concern, we will investigate them. If we charge players and we find them guilty, we will have no qualms about issuing a life sentence on players who are found guilty of match-fixing.”Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said it was “appalling” that the reputations of Australian players had been stained by “someone with a highly questionable reputation”.”Let’s not forget that all of our matches are scrutinised by the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit and there is no evidence whatsoever of Australian players being involved in any form of match fixing,” Marsh said. “In the event that any meaningful, credible information came to light on this issue, we would welcome an investigation, however unless this occurs we should view these allegations as baseless.”Australian cricketers are very well educated about the dangers and consequences of match and spot fixing, and have a strong history in reporting incidents where they have received suspicious approaches. The players and the ACA believe there is no place in the game for match fixing and support the strong penalties in place under the respective ICC and Cricket Australia codes.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Berço de craques, o Santos está perto de concretizar mais uma venda de um Menino da Vila para um gigante na Europa. E a história de Rodrygo, que pode trocar o Peixe pelo Real Madrid em 2019, muito se assemelha, até aqui, com a caminhada de Neymar na época em que este ainda vestia a camisa santista: a disputa espanhola entre Barcelona e Real, a grana envolvida nas negociações e até a postura dos estafes coincidem.

Desde cedo, a dupla foi tratada no clube com status de jogadores extremamente promissores. Nos dois casos, houve sempre uma espécie de certeza interna de sucesso. A facilidade de adaptação no time profissional, por exemplo, impressiona. Com 17 anos, Rodrygo é titular absoluto do time comandado pelo técnico Jair Ventura e completa a maioridade somente em janeiro do próximo ano.

Até lá, segue como jogador do Peixe, mas sua venda deve ser concretizada antes disso. O Alvinegro já recebeu proposta do Real Madrid com valor próximo ao da multa rescisória (50 milhões de euros) e tende a aceitá-la, embora o negócio não tenha sido fechado ainda e dependa de alguns detalhes.

Clássico espanhol e despistes
​O Barcelona costurava uma acordo com Rodrygo há cerca de dois meses. O representante do clube no Brasil, André Cury, se aproximou do pai do jogador, Eric de Goes, os empresários da joia fizeram consultas ao Santos para se informar dos valores. Tudo caminhava para um desfecho positivo.

O Real, por sua vez, apareceu como elemento surpresa e atropelou o rival catalão com uma proposta maior, de 45 milhões de euros (cerca de R$ 202 milhões) – valor próximo ao da multa rescisória de 50 milhões de euros. No mês passado, o Barça já havia tido a primeira oferta recusada pelo Peixe. Os catalães não entrarão em leilão pelo atleta.

Em espaços de tempo muito diferentes – Neymar foi promovido ao profissional do Santos em 2009 e só deixou o clube em 2013 – o “clássico espanhol” rolou de maneira semelhante em sua época. E, desde que perdeu Neymar para o Barcelona, o Real Madrid atua de maneira mais agressiva no mercado, principalmente no Brasil: já fechou com Vinicius Júnior, do Flamengo, e agora cortou o negócio entre Barça e Santos para ficar com Rodrygo, atrapalhando os planos de seu principal rival.

A postura de pessoas próximas às duas partes também se parece: despiste para afastar as suspeitas. O pai de Rodrygo chegou a ironizar uma visita à Espanha para tratar da transferência do filho. O próprio jogador concedeu entrevista coletiva dizendo que havia se surpreendido com tal ida. O mesmo aconteceu com Neymar, quando muito pouco foi falado publicamente sobre a transferência para o Barcelona.

Negociação nebulosa respinga em Rodrygo
A disputa entre Real e Barça por Neymar se acirrou em 2011. Mas o craque só saiu do Alvinegro em 2013, depois de o Santos anunciar que havia aceitado as duas ofertas espanholas pelo jogador. A decisão do atacante foi de ir a Barcelona, em negociação contestada até hoje pela direção santista.

Na corte arbitral da Fifa, corre um processo no qual o Peixe exige 14,5 milhões de euros do Barcelona (R$ 62 milhões) por entender que houve um “aliciamento” de Neymar quatro meses antes da final do Mundial de Clubes, em 2011, disputada entre os dois clubes.

O processo movido contra o clube catalão e a certeza do Santos de que foi prejudicado na venda, contribuíram para, ao menos, um distanciamento na negociação por Rodrygo. Atual presidente do Peixe, José Carlos Peres já havia deixado claro que não negociaria o ‘Rayo’ com o time catalão antes de acertar as “pendências”.

Chance de ‘fazer diferente’
​O Santos espera não cometer os mesmos erros que entende ter cometido na negociação de Neymar. O clube detém 80% do direitos econômicos do Rodrygo, cujo contrato vai até 2022. Os outros 20% são do próprio atleta. A intenção do Alvinegro é de lucrar ao menos R$ 160 milhões com a transação. A necessidade financeira do clube deve facilitar o desfecho positivo da negociação.

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انتهت الجولة 12 من دوري روشن السعودي لموسم 2022-2023 والتي بدأت مساء الخميس الماضي بفوز الرائد على ضمك بنتيجة هدفين لهدف، كما حقق الهلال الفوز في ملعب الجوهرة المشعة بهدف نظيف أمام اتحاد جدة.

وشهدت الجولة فوز الوحدة بهدفين لهدف أمام الشباب، بينما فاز النصر على الطائي بهدفين دون رد، كما حقق الخليج الفوز بهدف نظيف أمام التعاون ونجح العدالة في تحقيق الفوز أمام الفتح بهدفين لهدف.

اقرأ أيضا..ريفالدو عن انتقال رونالدو لـ النصر: لو كنت مكانه سأتخذ نفس القرار

وفي مباريات اليوم السبت، تعادل الفيحاء بهدفين لمثليهما أمام الباطن، ونجح الاتفاق في تحقيق فوز صعب أمام أبها بهدفين لهدف. ترتيب الدوري السعودي بعد نهاية الجولة 12

1/ النصر: 29 نقطة

2/ الشباب: 25 نقطة

3/ الهلال: 25 نقطة

4/ الاتحاد: 24 نقطة

5/ التعاون: 23 نقطة

6/ ضمك: 18 نقطة

7/ الطائي: 18 نقطة

8/ الاتفاق: 16 نقطة

9/ أبها: 16 نقطة

10/ الفتح: 15 نقطة

11/ الرائد: 15 نقطة

12/ الوحدة: 12 نقطة

13/ الفيحاء: 12 نقطة

14/ العدالة: 8 نقاط

15/ الخليج: 7 نقاط

16/ الباطن: نقطتين

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrett Lee was outstanding but needed better support from his team-mates•AFP

Pakistan were the last team to overcome Australia at a World Cup and it was they who brought Ricky Ponting’s 34-match unbeaten run to an end with a four-wicket victory in Colombo to secure top spot in Group A. An impressive display in the field laid the foundations as the reigning champions were bundled out for 176 on a difficult surface, their lowest total in a World Cup since 1992, and despite a mighty effort from Brett Lee Pakistan were guided home by Umar Akmal and Abdul Razzaq.Despite not having either team’s progression at stake, the final group positions determine quarter-final opposition while momentum is also a factor. Both teams were hyped for the contest, and it came to an early head when Umar and Brad Haddin almost came to blows in the field. Australia were desperate not to relinquish a proud record dating back to May 23, 1999.After their batting subsided with 20 balls unused, Australia’s only chance was to bowl Pakistan out, but in the event it required Lee himself to do most of the damage. He removed both openers in a fiery new-ball burst before returning to claim Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq with consecutive deliveries in 23rd over, leaving Pakistan wobbling on 98 for 4.

Smart stats

• Australia’s defeat ends a 34-match World Cup streak without a loss. During this period, which started on May 27, 1999, they won 32 matches, while one was tied and one was a no-result.

• The scoring patterns of the two teams were distinctly different in this match: Australia took 89 singles, 13 twos, and struck ten fours; Pakistan took 59 singles, eight twos, but struck 21 fours, more than twice the number that Australia managed.

• Since September 2010, Shahid Afridi has been dismissed 21 times in 341 balls, at an average of 16.24 balls per dismissal.

• Brett Lee’s figures of 4 for 28 are his best against Pakistan. In 21 ODIs against them, he has taken 38 wickets at 23.18.

• In his last 12 ODI innings, Ricky Ponting has scored 289 runs at an average of 24.08, with only one half-century.

However, support for Lee was too late in coming which didn’t leave enough runs for Australia to play with. Mitchell Johnson had Asad Shafiq taken at slip off the glove for a composed 46 and Shahid Afridi brainlessly carved to long-on against Jason Krejza. Surprisingly, Lee wasn’t immediately recalled with 34 runs still needed and by the time he came back the target was down to 10. Umar played one of his most composed innings yet, and Razzaq finished the chase with consecutive boundaries.Lee could easily have removed Kamran Akmal in the first over of Pakistan’s reply, while in his second over he squared up Mohammad Hafeez and made good ground to take the return catch. With attacking fields set by Ricky Ponting, further boundaries were notched up by Kamran and Shafiq, who had to battle some pain after twisting his ankle, but Lee kept his side in the match singlehandedly.After being carved over the covers he thundered a rapid delivery into Kamran’s pads and this time he was given out by Marais Erasmus with the review unable to save him. However, Ponting knew he had to save some of Lee for later and his spell ended after five overs which released the pressure on Pakistan.Shafiq, who showed his composure against Zimbabwe in his first World Cup outing, played another mature hand knowing that the required rate was always in hand. Both he and Younis had a few nervous moments – with the pair edging through a vacant slip cordon – but together they took the requirement below 100. Eventually, though, Younis flashed once too often outside off and gave a simple catch to Brad Haddin, and from the very next ball, the match was back in the balance when Misbah, the other half of Pakistan’s experienced middle order, hung his bat out at a Lee outswinger.Umar wasn’t going to fiddle his way towards the target and drilled his fifth ball through the covers, but to his immense credit he throttled back to play a very mature hand. He picked the right moments to attack, including a six off Krejza, and didn’t panic after Lee’s rapid inroads. It helped that he had the experience of Razzaq at the end to see them across the line.Australia have been saying how they wanted a test after easing through most of the group stage but the batting wasn’t up to it on a difficult surface that offered spin and a touch of uneven bounce. Two batsmen desperate for a substantial innings, Ponting (19) and Cameron White (8), both struggled leaving the lower order exposed to an attack that had all the bases covered on a surface offering spin and reverse swing.Pakistan had an early scare when Gul pulled up at the start of his second over with a knee problem and needed attention from the physio. Whatever treatment was provided worked wonders because he produced a lovely nip-backer to beat Shane Watson’s ambitious drive. Ponting has been scratchy during the tournament and was again unconvincing with his first boundary came from a fortunate top-edge after he was comprehensively beaten by a Wahab Riaz bouncer.Not for the first time spin brought his downfall when he tried to cut Hafeez, who produced a superb 10-over spell for 26, and got a thick edge that Kamran did well to take in the webbing of his right glove. However, it was originally given not out and the DRS was needed to overturn the decision in Pakistan’s favour. Meanwhile, as the players waited for the TV umpire, there was an altercation between Haddin and the Pakistanis.Haddin has been consistent during the tournament without reaching the three-figure score the top order needs and he couldn’t convert here when he pushed at a delivery from Wahab Riaz. Misbah missed an opportunity to run out Michael Clarke but made no mistake when his next chance came around when his throw to Kamran found White short after a laboured stay.In Clarke and Michael Hussey, Australia had two of their in-form players together but even they found scoring tough as Afridi mixed up his bowling options. Razzaq was held back until the 35th over and made an immediate impression when Clarke missed an ugly heave against a well-disguised off-cutter which trimmed the off bail.Hussey couldn’t perform a rescue-act, either, when he chipped a simple catch to midwicket and the innings was coming off the rails as Razzaq produced a nippy delivery to find Johnson’s outside edge. It left the tail to cope with Gul and Afridi which proved too much, but Australia weren’t many short of a matchwinning total. The quarters and semi-final will be fascinating viewing if the pitches are anything like this surface.

Match Timeline

Group A
Left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti and opener Sharjeel Khan starred in Hyderabad Hawks’ resounding win over Quetta Bears at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad. Put in to bat, Quetta’s batsmen went about laying a solid platform for a challenging score but failed to consolidate on starts. Each of the top seven batsmen reached double-figures, including Taimur Ali who top-scored with 34, but a steady fall of wickets amid some tight bowling restricted Quetta. Bhatti bagged three wickets as Quetta were bowled out for 188. In response, Sharjeel made mince meat out of Quetta’s score, smashing three sixes and 16 fours in his unbeaten 129 to seal victory with almost 14 overs to spare.Three half-centuries set up State Bank of Pakistan‘s successful chase of 256 against Karachi Zebras at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex in Karachi. Shoaib Khan jnr, the opener, set the ball rolling with a half-century before he retired hurt, and Adnan Raees and Naved Yasin took on the mantle in in a 114-run third-wicket stand. Yasin was aggressive while Raees scored steadily to help scale what seemed like a challenging total with 28 balls to spare. The fourth-wicket pair of Wajihuddin and Rameez Aziz had struck fifties in helping the Zebras reach 255, but their efforts were in vain as SBP won the battle of the bats.Group B
Lahore Eagles edged a low-scoring contest against Peshawar Panthers at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Offspinner Waqas Aslam combined with seamer Emmad Ali to skittle out Peshawar for 135 as the pair shared seven wickets; only Nawaz Ahmed was able to offer any significant resistance with 34. In response, seamer Taj Ali bagged four wickets to put the Eagles under pressure but captain Intikhab Alam led the reply with 39 and Aamer Hayat guided the team home by two wickets in the 36th over with an unbeaten 20.Khan Research Laboratories, thanks to a 118-run stand between opener SaeedAnwar jnr and Ali Naqvi, had reached 166 for 3 in 36 overs against Abbottabad Falcons at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi before rain intervened and washed out the remainder of the game.

Arsenal are reportedly interested in a move for Juventus midfielder Arthur this summer, according to journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

What’s the word?

As per German outlet Wettfreunde, the Sky Sports transfer guru revealed that the Brazilian playmaker “could come to Arsenal” in the upcoming window, with his current side potentially set to try and cash in as they pursue other targets.

The report suggests that the north Londoners were keen on a deal for the 25-year-old in January – as backed up by claims at the time – and could continue that interest again at the end of the season.

Di Marzio does, however, suggest that Max Allegri’s side could ask for centre-back star Gabriel in return, with the Serie A side seeking a replacement for long-serving stalwart Giorgio Chiellini, who is set to leave the club in just over a month or so.

Supporters will be buzzing

If they can avoid having to let their current gem depart as part of the deal, a move for his compatriot Arthur would no doubt prove to be an astute piece of business for both Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu.

The 22-cap international – who joined the Turin outfit in a swap deal involving Miralem Pjanic from Barcelona two years ago – has found game time hard to come by at the Allianz Stadium so far this season, making just ten league starts, although has shown enough quality previously to warrant the hype.

Even amid a difficult stint in Italy, the £18m-rated man has still produced some impressive statistics, ranking in the top 3% for completed passes among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, as well as in top 15 % for both progressive passes and progressive carries.

Such quality in possession has previously seen the former Gremio man likened to Spain icon Xavi by former teammate Lionel Messi, while pundit Kevin Campbell also dubbed him a “baller” for his technical talent.

At present, Arteta’s men are crying out for new additions in the centre of the park, with a playmaking, midfield metronome seemingly required alongside the more defensive-minded Thomas Partey. As a result, any move for a player like Arthur would surely have supporters beaming from ear to ear.

He may be slightly older than last summer’s additions – with all six signings made under the age of 23 – although he still has plenty of time ahead of him to thrive in the Premier League, with links to both him – and 25-year-old Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus – perhaps illustrating an exciting change of tack in the transfer market from Edu and co.

IN other news, Forget Laca: Arsenal already have their new Saka in “deadly” 17-goal Hale End starlet…

Nobody is looking forward to the Australian summer as much as Callum Ferguson. While his South Australian team-mates were toiling away last season, Ferguson was at home on the couch, nursing his reconstructed right knee, learning the guitar and planning a trip to Augusta to watch the US Masters. There was little else he could do.This time last year, Ferguson looked like becoming Australia’s next breakthrough player. He’d established himself in the ODI team and could have used the summer to press his Test claims, but those dreams ended when he twisted his knee while fielding in the Champions Trophy final in South Africa.Finally, he is back in action. Ferguson made his comeback last month in the Champions League Twenty20, where he showed he had not lost any of his ability by posting two half-centuries and finishing fifth on the tournament run tally. Most importantly, he finished the trip with no lingering soreness.”I’m really pleased with the way the knee has pulled up,” Ferguson told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m loving every bit of it, back playing with the boys and being in the dressing room again. I was going in to my first real competition back and you’re always a little bit nervous. But I’ve been thrilled with the way the knee has held up. It has been put through its paces pretty strongly over the last three weeks.”Now he begins the next phase of his return. Ferguson is the newly-appointed vice-captain of South Australia and he will need to play a key role if the Redbacks are to lift their Sheffield Shield and one-day output after they finished on the bottom of the table in both competitions last summer.The previous year, Ferguson had made solid progress on the first-class scene, when he scored 644 Sheffield Shield runs at 42.93 including two centuries and a career-best 132. His challenge now is to turn more of his hundreds – he has scored only four in 47 first-class games – into larger, match-changing scores.”I felt like I was really making some great strides in the longer format just before I hurt my knee,” Ferguson said. “I’d like to continue in that vein and help contribute to as many wins as possible in the four-day format. That means once you get a start, getting on with it and making sure you go on and get a big score. That’s something I want to continue to keep getting better at.”Although winning a baggy green is the long-term goal for Ferguson, his more immediate hopes of representing Australia lie in the shorter formats. In his 25 ODIs he has averaged 46.07 and although he is not expecting an immediate recall for Australia’s one-dayers in India or at home against Sri Lanka, a place at the World Cup next February is beckoning.”To play in a World Cup would be a huge highlight and something I’d never forget,” he said. “That would definitely be an aim but at the same time you’ve got to contribute to wins for your state side. My main aim is to help the Redbacks get as many wins on the board as we possibly can.”South Australia’s season kicks off with their first taste of the new split-innings one-day format against New South Wales at Adelaide Oval next Saturday. Their Sheffield Shield campaign begins two days later under the new captain Michael Klinger, who has taken the reins from Graham Manou.