All posts by h716a5.icu

Mukhtar Ahmed’s 96 and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 guided Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A to finish the three-match series 2-1

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2015 ScorecardFile Photo – Mukhtar Ahmed struck 11 fours and two sixes but fell four short of his ton•AFPA 93-ball 96 from Mukhtar Ahmed and Fawad Alam’s unbeaten 76 helped Pakistan A to a consolation win over Sri Lanka A in the third and final unofficial ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.Chasing 278, Israrullah was trapped leg before by Nisala Tharaka in the seventh over. Mukhtar was then involved in two 70-plus partnerships with Khurram Manzoor and captain Fawad Alam, where he struck 11 fours and two sixes before falling to Lakshan Sandakan in the 31st over.With the score at 185 for 3 after Mukhtar’s departure, Ali Waqas put on 54 with Fawad Alam before losing his wicket to Shehan Jayasuriya when Pakistan required a further 37 runs for victory.Fawad then teamed up with wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan to guide Pakistan to their first win the in three-match series.Pakistan had put Sri Lanka in, who rode on fifties from openers Jayasuriya (67) and Kusal Perera (87) and a couple of 20-plus scores from their middle order to finish on 277 in 47.2 overs. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim picked up 4 for 29

Longest-ever unbeaten streak, most consecutive wins in all competitions, managers with the longest reign – Goal rounds up other European records

On February 22, Real Madrid will celebrate a historic 1000 days of being European champions after three consecutive years of winning the Champions League.

It is hard to remember a time when Los Blancos were not Champions League winners, and could very well win a fourth trophy in a row this season.

As the Spanish giants reach a victorious millenium, Goal looks into other momentous record-breaking feats in European football…

GettyMost consecutive Champions League titles – Real Madrid & Bayern Munich (3)

After defeating Liverpool 3-1 in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev, Real Madrid won their third consecutive European title in a row. It is a feat that has not been achieved since Bayern Munich in the early 1970s.

Not only did Los Blancos equal the record for most consecutive Champions League titles won by a single team, but they also extended the record of most European trophies won by a club (13).

Should they be successful once again this year, they will set a new record of being the first team in history to win four consecutive Champions League trophies (not to mention their fifth in six years).

AdvertisementGettyMost consecutive Premier League title wins – Man Utd (3)

When the Red Devils won the Premier League for a third straight season in 2009, they equalled their own record for most consecutive league titles won by a club (which they set themselves between 1998 and 2001).

In doing so, they stretched the record of most top-flight titles won by a team in England to 20. They surpassed the record set by Liverpool in 1990 of most top-flight wins when they clinched their 19th title in 2011, thus leading them to adopt The Courtneers’ hit song ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ as their anthem of celebration.

GettyLongest unbeaten league run – Steaua Bucharest (104)

The Romanian side’s 1986 European Cup victory against Barcelona marked the start of an incredible run that saw them go 104 domestic games undefeated, starting from June 1986 to September 1989, setting a world record in the process.

They went on to win consecutive Liga 1 titles during that remarkable era while they also hold the record for most Romanian top-flight titles won (26).

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Longest-serving players at one club – Paolo Maldini & Francesco Totti

True one-club men are one in a million, and the football world must have done something right to bear witness to the greatness of Paolo Maldini and Francesco Totti for AC Milan and Roma, respectively.

The Italian legends are currently the longest-serving one-club men (from the top-five European leagues), with both careers spanning a momentous 25 seasons each.

Maldini has registered more Serie A appearances (647) than Totti (619), but both are just two of a rare breed of footballers who have pledged their entire senior careers to one club.

Satisfied with his first captaincy stint, Ajinkya Rahane stressed on the fact that the team will be focussing on the upcoming T20s against Zimbabwe and be watchful of the challenge they pose

Liam Brickhill in Harare16-Jul-2015Given the potentially seismic changes currently underway in the IPL, Ajinkya Rahane might be forgiven for being slightly distracted at the moment, but the stand-in Indian captain insisted his focus was entirely on the upcoming Twenty20 internationals against Zimbabwe.”My only focus is on these two T20s, I’m not thinking about the IPL,” he said. “If you represent your country, your only aim is to give your best for your country and win matches for them. We haven’t discussed anything [about the IPL]. We were completely focused on the third ODI that day, and with the T20s we’ll just focus on the game. We want to give our best against Zimbabwe and win both games.”India’s next major Twenty20 engagement will come at the World Twenty20 in India next March, so every match they play until then is also part of their build-up. But, as Rahane pointed out, there’s still plenty of time to get their combinations right. “The World T20 is in the back of our mind, but we have to perform our best here. We’ve still got time for the World T20.”The Indian camp will have plenty of confidence going into the T20s against Zimbabwe, not least because of the squad’s plentiful experience in the format due to the IPL. Rahane suggested that they would still be wary of the threat that Zimbabwe pose, particularly as one or two good performances from individual Zimbabweans could spark an upset.”Yes we have experience playing IPL, guys are pretty much experienced in T20s, but in international cricket you have to perform on that particular day, even if it’s T20 you have to be at 100% on the field all the time,” he said. “Your commitment has to be up to the mark, attitude has to be very good, so yes we’ve got that experience with us but against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe we have to give our best on the field, as we did in the ODI cricket. We gave our best, our attitude was fantastic, and again in T20 our main point will be to play as a unit.”Every format has a different challenge so we have to start from scratch again in the T20s because we all know that one or two good overs for both the teams can change the momentum for any team. We have to be on our toes the whole time and play good cricket for all the 40 overs and I’m sure the boys are up for this.”With India sending a second-string side to Zimbabwe, this series had been billed as something of an audition for full national honours, but Rahane said that India would look to win games first, and only then worry about making sure players are given a chance to showcase their talent.”As a captain, your only thought is to win the series first. Then obviously giving opportunities,” he said. “But when you represent your country, your aim is to win all the games. It’s important to have trust in your team-mates, and I have trust in all of my players. We were looking to win all the three games, but in the third ODI we wanted to give an opportunity to Manish [Pandey]. [Ambati] Rayudu got injured, so we gave that opportunity to Manish. Dhawal [Kulkarni] had bowled pretty well, and we wanted to give him a rest and play Mohit [Sharma], so we did that pretty well. As a captain I felt I handled all those situations pretty well.”India were put in to bat in all three ODIs, and had to overcome the challenge of the moving ball in the first hour or so. There were still a couple of wobbles, with India losing early wickets in two of the games, but with the Twenty20s starting in the afternoon Rahane felt that batting conditions would be a little easier.”The ODI games started at 9 o’clock and here they’re afternoon games so I feel the wicket will be slightly better, but still on the slow side. We’ve played quite a lot of T20 back home, IPL and domestic cricket, so I’m sure the boys will handle the situation pretty well and are looking forward to the two T20s against Zimbabwe.”

England players met a 100-year-old fan who went viral on TikTok for her heartwarming reaction upon receiving a Lionesses shirt as a gift.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

England players meet 100-year-old fanWent viral for a heartwarming videoPraised Mary Earps for her goalkeeping prowessWHAT HAPPENED?

A 100-year-old England women's national team fan, named Lyn, went viral on TikTok due to her heartwarming reaction upon receiving her first-ever Lionesses shirt as a gift.

Recently, the English players sat down with her at St George's Park, and Manchester United star Katie Zelem suggested that they should do a TikTok dance collaboration – to which Lyn suggested they should try 'The Jitterbug'.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPGettyWHAT LYN SAID TO THE LIONESSES

Lyn told the players that she regularly watches them in action and singled out England and United goalkeeper, Mary Earps, for praise.

She said: "I always sit with this [shirt] when you are playing. I love seeing you play. And Mary, the goalkeeper, how she saves the goal. I am full of life today. Still going. But they've been feeding me up today, I'll need a bigger size!"

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

Sarina Wiegman's side, who are currently third in their group in the Women's Nations League, are set to face England and Scotland in the competition on December 1 and 5 respectively. Earps and Zelem will be in line to feature in both games before returning to club duty at United, who will next face Tottenham in the WSL on December 10.

Axel Disasi has urged his Chelsea team-mates not to get carried away amid an uptick in form ahead of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Chelsea held City to 1-1 drawDisasi influential at the EtihadBlues unbeaten in three gamesWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blues face Jurgen Klopp's side on Sunday having gone three games unbeaten – a run which includes an impressive FA Cup victory at Aston Villa and a hard-earned league draw at title-chasing Manchester City on Saturday. However, Disasi is adamant that Chelsea can't let their resurgence go to their heads as they prepare for the showdown with the Reds as clear underdogs.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DISASI SAID

Speaking to the , the Frenchman said: "The last three games have been good but we have to stay humble and keep going as we are now and push forward. Since the start of the season there have been a lot of expectations, just because we played well in the last three games doesn’t mean we should say, ‘Chelsea are back’. No, we have to stay humble, but you can see we are growing and improving. We have to stay like this, stay humble, and keep this level. Next is the final and we have to learn from this game. We showed we can take a lot of confidence before the next game. We need to rest and prepare for this final very well."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino will be mightily relieved to have overseen something of a change in fortunes. Calls for him to be sacked had grown louder just three games ago, with the Blues suffering damaging back-to-back Premier League defeats to Liverpool and Wolves and conceding eight goals in the process.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR DISASI & CHELSEA?

France international Disasi has been key to shoring up the defence in the absence of the injured Thiago Silva, starring in the 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in particular. He will expect to start on Sunday as Chelsea challenge Klopp's men for their first piece of silverware since the UEFA Super Cup in 2021.

Ranchi is preparing to host India, with local boy MS Dhoni as captain, for the first time and the city is buzzing with anticipation

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2013With the local boy arriving in Ranchi as India captain for the third ODI against England, the city has been taken over by Dhoni mania. In neighbouring West Bengal, Sourav Ganguly still sends the locals berserk whenever he makes a public appearance. Ranchi has had to wait eight years after Dhoni’s India debut to host its maiden international game. No wonder then that thousands lined the roads from the Birsa Munda airport to the team hotel, a sight that left MS Dhoni feeling “humbled”. Getting in and out of the team hotel has been difficult, with people crowding the entrance and even prompting the police into a mild lathi charge.To celebrate the occasion, a liquor shop put up posters of Dhoni and Alastair Cook and even lined its counters with bats and stumps. The authorities went a step further. The state aviation department has been roped in, and there are plans to have a glider fly over the stadium and scatter (pink-coloured powder) on the outfield during the inauguration ceremony, before the start of the match and during the innings break.Students are demanding a holiday on Saturday, the match day, something schools, already hit by shutdowns because of a severe cold wave, can ill-afford. J Mohanty, principal of DPS [Delhi Public School] Ranchi, is benevolent, though. “This is a proud moment for Jharkhand,” Mohanty told the . “The cricket match will be on the students’ minds and they will also have to wait outside the hotels for a glimpse of their cricketing heroes. So we will not hold any additional classes this weekend.”There is a reason Dhoni matters so much to Ranchi and Jharkhand, which had little to cheer when it was part of Bihar state and has had little to cheer since it was carved out in 2000. Political instability is common; central-government rule has just been imposed for the third time in the state’s short existence. “Small-town boys from places like this just don’t get to be captain of India,” Ushinor Majumdar, Jharkhand correspondent for the Hindustan Times, told the . “And it is mostly because of Dhoni that there is so much attention. In many ways it is an under-developed, backward place. But it is known in cricket thanks to Dhoni.”International cricket in Jharkhand was restricted to the steel city of Jamshedpur, where Dhoni has played a couple of ODIs, including one against England in 2006, at Tata Steel’s Keenan Stadium. It was the state association’s desire to have its own stadium that enabled Ranchi to watch Dhoni play for India in the city.Dhoni was clearly thrilled with the stadium at his hometown. “Personally, it’s a special moment for me. The journey begins tomorrow. It’s the beginning of a new innings,” he said at a function inaugurating cricket’s latest international venue*.He said the 39,000-seater stadium will give Ranchi plenty of recognition. “When I first joined the team, people were asking me the place I belonged to,” Dhoni said. “I used to say I am from India and the next thing I would say I am from a place called Ranchi in Jharkhand. I used to explain Ranchi, giving various routes like it is a place close to Kolkata, near Jamshedpur. We are the richest state in natural resources.”But, after the stadium was built it has now become an international venue. At least, we need not have to explain further about Ranchi in the cricket playing nations. It is a proud beginning; proud moment for people of Jharkhand.”The mood in the city has already shown how proud Ranchi is of the double honour of making its international debut with a homegrown captain.* January 18, 17.00GMT This story has been updated after the stadium’s inauguration ceremony

ESPNcricinfo previews the first Test between West Indies and Pakistan at Providence

The Preview by George Binoy11-May-2011Match FactsMay 12-16, Providence, Guyana
Start time 1000 (1400 GMT)
Misbah-ul-Haq’s tenure as captain has been controversy-free, and he’ll be aiming to achieve what no Pakistan captain before him has done in the West Indies•Associated PressThe Big PictureWe’ve been starved of Test cricket for nearly four months now. Ever since Pakistan drew in Wellington, to win the series against New Zealand, there’s been a glut of limited-over matches – the World Cup, Australia in Bangladesh, the IPL and Pakistan in the West Indies. Re-adjusting attention spans to the pace of five-day cricket might take a while, for both players and us. It is in Guyana, at the other end of the cricket universe from where they last played, that Pakistan resume the Test calendar, in pursuit of a success they’ve never achieved before.Pakistan have never won a Test series in the West Indies. They’ve beaten them at home and at neutral venues (UAE in 2001-02), but in six trips to the Caribbean, Pakistan have lost four series and drawn two. The most memorable of those battles was in 1987-88, when Imran Khan’s team held its own against the champion side Viv Richards inherited from Clive Lloyd in three monumental Tests. One-all it finished. The last two were thrillers. Unfortunately, Pakistan and West Indies have regressed since that watershed tour, and it would be fanciful to expect Misbah-ul-Haq and Darren Sammy’s teams to produce entertainment of comparable quality.Whether Pakistan or West Indies are in greater disorder could make for protracted debate. About ten months ago, it would have been Pakistan. Their captain (Shahid Afridi) jumped ship and retired from Tests, while his successor (Salman Butt) and their two best fast bowlers (Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer) were embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal and then banned by the ICC. From the cold the selectors recalled Misbah and then made him captain. His chalice, however, hasn’t been poisoned and Pakistan have been uncontroversial under his leadership. They also drew against South Africa and won in New Zealand. Pakistan, incredibly, appear well settled.It is West Indies who appear to be in turmoil. Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard turned down board contracts, preferring to remain unshackled to pursue lucrative assignments. And ever since West Indies were eliminated from the World Cup, by Pakistan, there’s been a slanging match between the WICB on one side, and the WIPA and several players on the other, over how cricket is run in the region and how cricketers are treated by administrators. The upshot of the series of events is that West Indies will play the Test series against Pakistan without Gayle and Bravo, two players who would have walked into the starting XIs. Also missing is fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who’s playing in the IPL.West Indies have won only three series since Sri Lanka visited in 2003. Two of those were against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Their only success against a top side was the 1-0 result against England in 2009, a victory that was due to a searing spell from the now-absent Taylor.Form guide (most recent first)
West Indies: DDDLD
Pakistan: DWDDL
Watch out for…Two local lads, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Devendra Bishoo. Chanderpaul was dropped from the ODI series against Pakistan, exchanged lengthy letters with the WICB, and is now back for the Tests. He had made unflattering claims about how the team management kept telling him how to bat, even during his innings, and then subjected him to an interrogation afterwards. He’s going to be playing in the same set up, so watch out for men with drinks running frequently to the middle while Chanderpaul is batting. His performances, however, will be critical in an inexperienced batting order.While Chanderpaul has played 129 Tests, Bishoo is yet to play one, and will most certainly make his debut at Providence. He was a refreshing revelation during the World Cup and his legbreaks and googlies were the only thing that brought West Indies wickets (apart from a run-out) in the first two ODIs against Pakistan. He will be the solitary spinner in the XI, so is shouldering a large responsibility for someone so raw.There have been questions over Darren Sammy’s place in the limited-overs team – he’s the third seam-bowling allrounder along with Bravo and Pollard – and whether he would win a spot by merit if he wasn’t captain. Bravo is playing the IPL, so Sammy is the only allrounder in the Test squad, but he will be under pressure to show he belongs in a format that demands greater skills than the shorter versions do. At present, Sammy averages 16.72 with the bat and 31 with the ball, which isn’t really good enough.Azhar Ali is an extremely different batsman compared to Umar Akmal, who has been Pakistan’s next big thing for a while now, but no less valuable in this series. While Akmal oozes aggression and indiscretion, Ali is patient. He’s made six half-centuries in 19 innings and is searching for his maiden hundred. In the absence of Younis Khan, Ali’s responsibility will be to provide stability in the middle order.Team newsThe absence of Gayle will give Lendl Simmons his first shot at Tests since May 2009 at the top of the order. The question, however, is whether West Indies will play six specialist batsman or four specialist bowlers. If they play six batsmen, with Carlton Baugh as wicketkeeper, then Sammy will have to be the fourth bowler, which leaves their attack light. If they play all three quicks – Roach, Rampaul and Edwards – and Bishoo, at the expense of a specialist batsman, then Baugh will have to bat at No. 6, which is a spot too high for him. A stronger bowling side will give them a better chance of winning the Test though.West Indies (probable): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Brendan Nash, 6 Carlton Baugh (wk), 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Ravi Rampaul, 9 Fidel Edwards, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.Pakistan’s line-up is more balanced than West Indies’ but they have to make up for the absence of Younis, who flew home because of the death of his brother. It gives Akmal another shot at securing a Test spot, after his tendency to self-destruct cost him his middle-order berth.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Tanvir Ahmed, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Saeed Ajmal.Pitch and conditionsThe Providence Stadium in Guyana has hosted just one Test before this, between West Indies and Sri Lanka in 2008. It finished in a win for the visitors after they batted first. In conditions that have traditionally aided spin, West Indies have gone in with a pace-heavy squad for the first Test, hinting there might be something extra for the seamers. The weather’s a bit of a worry, with scattered thunderstorms forecast.Stats and trivia Since 2007, West Indies have averaged 32 per wicket while batting at home, and taken wickets at 42 apiece while bowling. Pakistan have averaged 27 with the bat in away Tests and 35 with the ball.Chanderpaul has scored 2327 runs – the most of West Indies since 2007 – at an average of 68. Misbah has been Pakistan’s best, scoring 1339 at an average of 54.Umar Gul is Pakistan’s highest wicket-taker since 2007, with 64 at an average of 37. Edwards is West Indies’ best, with 59 wickets at an average of 34.Quotes”I have confidence in Shivnarine Chanderpaul. He has been around cricket for a long time, he has been a professional, and I think he’s gonna go back in there and he’s gonna play the game how he’s supposed to play it.”

Crystal Palace are ‘close’ to agreeing a revised contract with 2021 signing Michael Olise, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported. 

The lowdown

The Eagles paid £8m to sign the French youngster from Reading last summer and committed him to a five-year, £34,000-per-week contract, but significantly, that initial deal reportedly included a release clause of £35m.

Furthermore, The Daily Mail revealed in February that the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich were all circling for the 20-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window.

The latest

Ornstein took to Twitter on Monday morning to share his report from The Athletic regarding Olise’s situation at Selhurst Park.

He posted: “EXCL: Crystal Palace in talks with Michael Olise over new contract. Agreement close. Extra year likely but no salary increase. Aim is to raise release clause (£35m) to ensure future sale breaks #CPFC record (£50m) & that would benefit all”.

The likelihood is that the agreement is only extended by 12 months and that the player’s salary will stay the same, but Palace’s main objective is to increase Olise’s release clause.

They want to take it past the £50m mark, potentially setting up a club-record departure. The 20-year-old would like to stay at Selhurst Park, and discussions between the two parties are nearly complete, with an agreement potentially being reached before the summer transfer window opens on 10 June.

The verdict

This is a smart move from Palace, as clubs would likely have pounced on a £35m opportunity off the back of a strong debut season in south London for Olise.

He has recorded more assists (eight) than anybody else in Patrick Vieira’s squad, while only Wilfried Zaha (16) and Conor Gallagher (13) have registered more goal involvements than his 12.

Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that the 20-year-old has only started 12 Premier League matches. As per Transfermarkt, he’s either scoring a goal or setting one up every 120 minutes on average.

The £19.8m-rated attacker is a ‘special talent’ according to his manager, and he plays with ‘effortless confidence’ in the words of podcaster Dan Cook. Therefore, it must be music to the ears of Palace fans to hear that the club are moving swiftly to try and ward off prospective suitors for another while at least.

In other news, Sky Sports journalist raves about this ‘incredible’ Palace player against Watford

Nottinghamshire secured top spot in the North Group of the Friends Life t20 with a 25-run victory over Worcestershire, denying the visitors a place in the quarter-finals

15-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Nottinghamshire secured top spot in the North Group of the Friends Life t20 with a 25-run victory over Worcestershire, denying the visitors a place in the quarter-finals.Overseas batsman Adam Voges hit 55 from 40 balls as the hosts posted 167 for 6, and quick bowlers Darren Pattinson (3 for 20) and Luke Fletcher (3 for 34) did the damage as Worcestershire were bowled out for 142.Voges held the Nottinghamshire batting together after the hosts stumbled to 35 for 3, putting on 63 with Riki Wessels (33), while Steven Mullaney made a sprightly 35 from 20 balls as the Outlaws hit 38 off the last four overs.Nottinghamshire were always in the box seat as Pattinson and Fletcher ripped out the top order in the opening powerplay and, despite 45 from skipper Daryl Mitchell, the Royals’ reply fell away in the final overs.Nottinghamshire’ record of 11 wins from their 16 group matches has been based on a formidable batting line-up, but Adam Shantry struck in each of his first three overs as Tamim Iqbal, Alex Hales and Samit Patel were all sent back to the pavilion to put the hosts on the back foot.Voges kept his cool and consecutive boundaries off Shakib Al Hasan saw the Australian bring up his third 50 in this year’s competition off 30 balls as he and Wessels consolidated through the middle overs.Mitchell’s medium pace brought the breakthrough as Voges got a leading edge to point, and Wessels followed in the next over as he holed out to deep midwicket off Shakib. Mullaney then thumped three fours and a six, with 17 coming off Shantry’s last over, as Nottinghamshire finished on a high, and Pattinson and Fletcher kept up the momentum with two wickets apiece inside the first five overs.Moeen Ali briefly threatened as the left-hander hit four fours and a six, but Pattinson was brought back to bowl his final over and duly removed Ali with a leading edge to point. That snuffed out Worcestershire’s hopes, with the last five wickets falling in the final four overs as the tail collapsed under the pressure.Nottinghamshire will now play their home quarter-final against Somerset, who finished fourth in the South Group, with the match to take place on August 6, 7 or 8.

Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2011Former England allrounder and county veteran Dominic Cork has announced his retirement from professional cricket with immediate effect. Cork, 40, had left Hampshire at the end of the 2011 season, and his retirement brings to an end a 21-year professional career.Always one for the big stage, Cork chose to make the announcement himself live on Sky Sports News. “I’m going to retire from all cricket from now,” he said. “It’s quite an emotional day for me, it’s a hard decision but it’s the right decision for me. I’m 40 now, I’m not getting any younger and it’s hard work, but I’ve had a great career.”It seemed retirement might be looming when Hampshire decided not to renew Cork’s contract for the 2012 campaign, but there had been talk that more than one second division county was interested in signing him. Ultimately, Cork decided that the time was right for him to go, however, and suggested that his decision was partly motivated by a desire to spend more time with his family, particularly following the recent death of his father.”There were offers out there, I considered them long and hard and looked at where I wanted to be in my life. Losing my father a month ago, who was one of my biggest inspirations, makes you think about your life and take stock. I want to get back to family life – cricket can make you a selfish person, and it’s time to give it back to people.”Cork finishes with 10,114 runs and 989 wickets in first-class cricket, while he also enjoyed some notable successes in limited-overs cricket during his three-year stay at the Rose Bowl, winning the domestic 50-over competition in 2009 and the Friends Provident Twenty20 in 2010. Cork played 32 ODIs and 37 Tests for England between 1992 and 2002 and on the biggest stage in England, at Lord’s, Cork took his best Test bowling figures of 7 for 43 in 1995, and played his most famous innings, in 2000, on both occasions against West Indies.He had been Hampshire’s captain since midway through the 2010 season, having begun his first-class career in 1990 and had a long stint with Derbyshire, where he was also captain, before joining Lancashire, until the move to Hampshire in 2009.