Bangladesh stun defenceless NZ
Crystal Palace’s former England manager Sam Allardyce has quit the English Premier League club five months after being appointed, saying that he was now leaving football management for good.
Allardyce, 62, kept south London side Palace in the top flight after replacing the sacked Alan Pardew in December, when the club was in 17th place just one point above the relegation zone. He had signed a 2.5-year contract.
‘‘It’s been a privilege to have worked here for the past five months. But there comes a time when you have to take stock of what direction you want your life to take - and that’s been the simple part for me,’’ Allardyce said.
‘‘This is the right time for me. I have no ambitions to take another job, I simply want to be able to enjoy all the things you cannot really enjoy with the 24/7 demands of managing any football club, let alone one in the Premier League.’’
The former Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Sunderland boss took over at Palace having lost his job as England manager last September following a newspaper sting after just 67 days and one game in charge.
On Monday, Allardyce spoke about the need to bring in the right quality players after a season in which Palace survived thanks largely to a fine run in March and April, which included wins over champions Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Palace are now looking for an eighth manager in seven years with former defender Chris Coleman, the Wales manager, the early favourite. Coach Mike Hesson felt his New Zealand bowlers should have been able to defend 270-8 against Bangladesh in a hollow finish to their Ireland cricket tri-series victory.
Stand-in captain Tom Latham hoisted the trophy at Dublin’s Clontarf Cricket Club but the five-wicket defeat to Bangladesh removed some of the gloss, in their final ODI before the Champions Trophy.
Led by an unbeaten 45 from man of the match Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s deep batting lineup comfortably chased down 271 with 10 balls to spare, with the Black Caps already assured of the trophy after three straight wins.
It was a significant victory for Bangladesh – one of New Zealand’s pool opponents at the Champions Trophy – who had never beaten them outside their own country in 16 previous ODIs. Bangladesh also pushed past Sri Lanka to sixth on the world rankings.
Defeat won’t sound major alarm bells for the Black Caps with frontliners Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan and Colin de Grandhomme to join them in London, but it still provided a jolt and served notice that Bangladesh will be dangerous opponents if they get their tails up. "Most of it was pretty good. A really good platform set, and we just lost our way in the early 40s with the bat and probably left ourselves 20 short. We were adequate with the ball but probably bowled a little bit wide at times,’’ Hesson said.
‘‘It [270-8] was absolutely defendable, but 20 short of what we should have got having been 220-4 with 10 overs to go. The topfour did a great job again to set it up.’’
In the end New Zealand paid for not kicking on from a solid platform by Latham (84), Neil Broom (63) and Ross Taylor (60 not out) on a slow pitch that offered Bangladesh a reminder of home.
After half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal and Sabbir Rahman, Bangladesh’s key middle order men Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah added an unbroken 72 with the match in the balance to help them canter home.
Offspinner Jeetan Patel returned to take the new ball and removed Soumya Sarkar in the first over, eventually snaring 2-55 off 10.
Key strike men Matt Henry and Hamish Bennett could only snare one wicket between them on the sluggish surface and their go-to man with the ball – spinner Mitchell Santner (1-53) – couldn’t spark something in his final spell.
Said Hesson: ‘‘You have to give Bangladesh some credit. The last 10 overs they bowled superbly and we weren’t able to respond as well as we have in the last three games. Certainly some learnings from the bowling point of view and disappointed we weren’t able to defend that score.’’