Sneijder refuses to sign New Contract at Inter

Sneijder, who has made just five appearances for Inter this season, has refused to sign new contract while he is frozen out of the first team, but president Massimo Moratti remains confident a deal can be struck.

The Netherlands star has been left out of Andrea Stramaccioni's side as a dispute over his current deal continues, with the club insistent the player accept a cut to his €6 million salary.
Although Moratti had previously insisted there was no animosity between the San Siro outfit and the player, Sneijder has made it clear that he will not commit to a new deal while he is not involved in the first team.
The 28-year-old told reporters: "At this moment I'm not playing, I have no intention of signing Inter's contract."Sneijder's statement is at odds with the words of Moratti, who had earlier expressed a belief that an agreement could be reached over the issue.

The 68-year-old told reporters: "I've spoken to those who attended the meeting, they sounded quite pleased. "Both parties behaved sensibly. Now it's up to them, it's up to Sneijder, who is still an Inter player of course. We'll see."I think a lot of this has come from the media and obviously we're trying to agree on certain things, otherwise he'll stay at the club. What's important is that he's fit and playing well, that's all I care about." Moratti also stated he would not need to attend any further talks in person, saying: "This is something which can be resolved easily. If they need me though, I will of course be there."He also moved to clarify the player's position within the first team, insisting the former Real Madrid man will return to the side soon. "Of course [he'll play again], as soon as he's ready," added Moratti."He's ready to play if he's fit and on form, not just because he's Sneijder."
Sneijder, who is being linked with the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain

Source: Goal.com

England's Spin Limitations

Former England spinner Norman Gifford believes there is a lack of quality spinners in county cricket who could step in for Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar.

Swann and Panesar were exceptional in the concluded Mumbai test and are also likely to play in upcoming Kolkata test

But what are spin backup if anything happens to either of two?????

Gifford told Press Association Sport: "Our performance (in the current series) has been brilliant but what slightly worries me is do we have the depth behind Swan and Panesar? I don't think we have at the moment.

"You've got young Danny Briggs, who has done well, you've got Azeem Rafiq at Yorkshire, George Dockrell at Somerset, and the young Simon Kerrigan at Lancashire."But, when you look at the 18 counties, there are not many spinners playing in first-class cricket."He hopes youngsters will take inspiration from Swann and Panesar. Spinners play an important part in all three formats of game."They have been as effective as anyone. But I'm hoping the kids will look at Swann and Panesar and think 'there is an opportunity now if I work hard' and we will start to produce a few more spinners in county cricket."

Gifford believes the lack of spin-assisted wickets in county cricket is a factor.

He said: "When I first start, there were uncovered wickets and you'd go into a game with at least two spinners, an off-spinner and a left-arm spinner.

"You got wickets that turned as well, at places like Cheltenham and Swansea for example, so you had to have that balance in your attack - and we've lost that a little bit."Gifford has spoken with Panesar and had words of encouragement after he lost his place in the England set-up.
He said: "I've had a chat with Monty once or twice. He wasn't playing in Test cricket then and I said 'just keep going mate and your chance will come again'.

"I said 'we haven't got many spinners around and if we go to places where we need two, you will be in'."He had a great start and a bit of a lean time and people were knocking him. He's kept going and managed to get an opportunity now again and has got a lot of wickets."

Source : Espnstar.com

Punter’s Three Sides

With Ricky Ponting decided to retire after the Perth test, here a look at some good, bad and ugly side of his illustrious career

The good…

Ricky Ponting is one of the all time great batsman and a great fighter of international cricket with more than 26000 runs and 71 centuries and is a master of pull shot and cover drive. Who can forget his knock in 2003 World Cup which blew India’s  chances of winning the worldcup. Also he has scored 3 double centuries against India in short What VVS Laxman has been to Australia, Ponting has been to India. Also he is one of the greatest captain of all time. He has won 48 Tests while leading his side with only South African Graeme Smith closing in. As an ODI captain, he is simply in a league of his own. He has won 165 out of 230 matches with an amazing success rate of 76%. To put this in perspective, compatriot Allan Border is the only captain with more than 100 ODI wins (107). This is one record that may last for a long long time. He also captained his team to two ODI World Cup wins.

The bad…

Ashes is one of the most fiercely fought series between Australia and England. A loss here means a big loss of face in the particular country. He has lost not one but three Ashes series under his captaincy of which 3-1 defeat on home soil was the most humiliating considering that Australia had won 8 straight Ashes series before Ponting took over. While Ponting stormed the cricketing world with both his batting and captaincy, he faded away in both towards the end. He failed to have a Test series average greater than 35 for four series before the India tour in Australia early this year revived his career. But he flopped again with West Indies and South Africa forcing him to finally call it a day. He faded away in the ODI scene too and the twilight of his captaincy was a sad affair where he was totally clueless. As captain he went out in the quarters of the ODI World Cup and also failed to make an impact in the international T20 scene.

The ugly…

While Waugh started the process of mental disintegration and sledging, Ponting as captain took it to abysmal levels. Ponting led a brash and rude team that failed to adhere to the spirit of the game for most of the time. He has claimed a catch even though the ball had clearly touched the ground. He has raised his finger and told the batsman to get off the field even as umpires were in consultation over a doubtful decision. He has vociferously argued with umpires. Ponting has used a graphite bat, which was later declared illegal by the ICC. He once hurled abuses at the England dressing room while getting off the field and even told Sharad Pawar to clear the podium when Australia won the ICC Champions Trophy. And who can forget Monkeygate, one of the ugliest incidents of cricket? Relations between India and Australia had never been so low and Ponting was at the centre of it all. 

Source : Sify.com/sports

Sachin's Retirement Whose Call - Selectors or Himself

Following his recent spate of bad form, Sachin Tendulkar met with chief selector Sandeep Patil on Tuesday and indicated that he may finally be prepared to retire. HAVE YOUR SAY!

There has been continuous speculation about Tendulkar’s final exit from the game, considering a string of below-par performances. The recent drubbing India received at the hands of England in the second Test in Mumbai, and Sachin’s inability to make any impression, yet again, is seen as the trigger.

Tendulkar had a one-on-one discussion with Patil and asked him to take a call on his future.

The Little Master is just eight short of becoming the first-ever player to play 200 Tests. He has failed to score a century since the Cape Town match against South Africa in January, 2011.

Source- espnstar.com