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The Advertiser
14 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Those days are gone: Australia play down low returns
Australia's batting coach Michael Di Venuto has hit back at critics of the top order, pointing out runs are drying up across the world and not just in Australia's Test team. Di Venuto conceded this week that the top order had not been functioning as a unit in recent years, but insisted recent criticism of his team was off the mark. Questions linger over Australia's batting ahead of the Ashes, with low returns during the Frank Worrell Trophy against West Indies and last month's Test Championship final. Usman Khawaja has one score above 20 in six innings, while neither Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne have scored beyond 25 opening alongside him. Cameron Green got a much-needed half-century in the second innings in Grenada last week, while Steve Smith's return of 71 proved invaluable. Australia's top order will face another tough examination in Jamaica from Sunday (AEDT), with a day-night Test at Sabina Park after lights were approved by the ICC. Those returns have prompted criticism from the likes of Stuart Broad and Ian Healy, but Di Venuto insisted the lack of runs was not a problem exclusive to Australia. "Test cricket is hard and when you get conditions that we've had probably in the last couple of years in Australia, it's really hard," Di Venuto told media in Jamaica."It's around the world as well, batting has been difficult in the last couple of years, give or take a few series here and there. "Gone are the days, the era that I played, where they're flat wickets. You had 15, 20 blokes averaging 50, 60, 80, 100 in domestic cricket and the same in Test cricket. "The legends that played through that time, they were playing on very good wickets as well. "Conditions have changed (and) balls have changed." Di Venuto also urged patience with Konstas, whose returns continue to capture attention since his sparkling 60 on debut against India on Boxing Day. The 19-year-old has made scores of three, five, 25 and a duck in Australia's two Test wins, albeit in matches where runs have been difficult and no player has scored a century. "(Konstas) showed some encouraging signs in the last Test match and it will take time," Di Venuto said. "If we think back to some of our greats, Steve Waugh took 27 Tests before he got his first hundred. "We're asking a young man to go out and have instant success. The game doesn't work like that. "Sometimes it does, and he did really well in his first Test match and first innings. But the game is hard and there's some skilful bowlers out there." Australia's batting coach Michael Di Venuto has hit back at critics of the top order, pointing out runs are drying up across the world and not just in Australia's Test team. Di Venuto conceded this week that the top order had not been functioning as a unit in recent years, but insisted recent criticism of his team was off the mark. Questions linger over Australia's batting ahead of the Ashes, with low returns during the Frank Worrell Trophy against West Indies and last month's Test Championship final. Usman Khawaja has one score above 20 in six innings, while neither Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne have scored beyond 25 opening alongside him. Cameron Green got a much-needed half-century in the second innings in Grenada last week, while Steve Smith's return of 71 proved invaluable. Australia's top order will face another tough examination in Jamaica from Sunday (AEDT), with a day-night Test at Sabina Park after lights were approved by the ICC. Those returns have prompted criticism from the likes of Stuart Broad and Ian Healy, but Di Venuto insisted the lack of runs was not a problem exclusive to Australia. "Test cricket is hard and when you get conditions that we've had probably in the last couple of years in Australia, it's really hard," Di Venuto told media in Jamaica."It's around the world as well, batting has been difficult in the last couple of years, give or take a few series here and there. "Gone are the days, the era that I played, where they're flat wickets. You had 15, 20 blokes averaging 50, 60, 80, 100 in domestic cricket and the same in Test cricket. "The legends that played through that time, they were playing on very good wickets as well. "Conditions have changed (and) balls have changed." Di Venuto also urged patience with Konstas, whose returns continue to capture attention since his sparkling 60 on debut against India on Boxing Day. The 19-year-old has made scores of three, five, 25 and a duck in Australia's two Test wins, albeit in matches where runs have been difficult and no player has scored a century. "(Konstas) showed some encouraging signs in the last Test match and it will take time," Di Venuto said. "If we think back to some of our greats, Steve Waugh took 27 Tests before he got his first hundred. "We're asking a young man to go out and have instant success. The game doesn't work like that. "Sometimes it does, and he did really well in his first Test match and first innings. But the game is hard and there's some skilful bowlers out there." Australia's batting coach Michael Di Venuto has hit back at critics of the top order, pointing out runs are drying up across the world and not just in Australia's Test team. Di Venuto conceded this week that the top order had not been functioning as a unit in recent years, but insisted recent criticism of his team was off the mark. Questions linger over Australia's batting ahead of the Ashes, with low returns during the Frank Worrell Trophy against West Indies and last month's Test Championship final. Usman Khawaja has one score above 20 in six innings, while neither Sam Konstas or Marnus Labuschagne have scored beyond 25 opening alongside him. Cameron Green got a much-needed half-century in the second innings in Grenada last week, while Steve Smith's return of 71 proved invaluable. Australia's top order will face another tough examination in Jamaica from Sunday (AEDT), with a day-night Test at Sabina Park after lights were approved by the ICC. Those returns have prompted criticism from the likes of Stuart Broad and Ian Healy, but Di Venuto insisted the lack of runs was not a problem exclusive to Australia. "Test cricket is hard and when you get conditions that we've had probably in the last couple of years in Australia, it's really hard," Di Venuto told media in Jamaica."It's around the world as well, batting has been difficult in the last couple of years, give or take a few series here and there. "Gone are the days, the era that I played, where they're flat wickets. You had 15, 20 blokes averaging 50, 60, 80, 100 in domestic cricket and the same in Test cricket. "The legends that played through that time, they were playing on very good wickets as well. "Conditions have changed (and) balls have changed." Di Venuto also urged patience with Konstas, whose returns continue to capture attention since his sparkling 60 on debut against India on Boxing Day. The 19-year-old has made scores of three, five, 25 and a duck in Australia's two Test wins, albeit in matches where runs have been difficult and no player has scored a century. "(Konstas) showed some encouraging signs in the last Test match and it will take time," Di Venuto said. "If we think back to some of our greats, Steve Waugh took 27 Tests before he got his first hundred. "We're asking a young man to go out and have instant success. The game doesn't work like that. "Sometimes it does, and he did really well in his first Test match and first innings. But the game is hard and there's some skilful bowlers out there."
The Advertiser
14 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Former A-League star's jail confession in bet scandal
A former A-League player admitted to deliberately earning a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin" during a covertly recorded conversation in a police cell. Ex-Macarthur Bulls team captain Ulises Davila, and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis have been accused of manipulating yellow cards during matches in 2023 and 2024. Davila, 33, allegedly acted as the conduit between the southwest Sydney team's players and a Columbian criminal known as 'J Col', organising for the cards to occur during certain games. Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, swapped jerseys for crisp shirts as they faced a Sydney Local Court on Thursday to plead guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. A second charge of participating in a criminal group was withdrawn for both midfielders, who will return to court in September for sentencing. They agreed they had been paid $10,000 each by Davila to deliberately earn the referee-issued disciplinary cautions for foul play at a match in December 2023. Davila, the alleged local ringleader of the criminal group behind the betting corruption, has not yet entered pleas to the nine charges against him. He will return to court in August. According to the facts agreed by his former teammates, the former captain orchestrated the 50 "suspicious" bets placed on the Macarthur FC game against Sydney FC through international wagering platform Betplay. The wagers were all placed at the same time before the match started, and all involved exactly two bets of equal amounts predicting the same outcome. During the game at Allianz Stadium, Davila earned the first of the team's four yellow cards for delaying the start of play by kicking the ball away after the referee blew the whistle. Twenty minutes later, Lewis received the same caution for unsporting behaviour after he pushed a Sydney FC player in the chest and caused him to fall backwards on the ground. Baccus attracted another rebuke for tackling an opponent to the ground from behind towards the end of the game. The successful bets resulted in a payout of more than $200,000 and caused the wagering operator a loss of an estimated $167,387, according to the facts. There is no evidence either Baccus or Lewis had any involvement in placing the bets, but they were both paid $10,000 by Davila after the match. Lewis was paid in three instalments, but Baccus devised a more elaborate explanation for his payment, telling Davila to describe it as a car payment for a Volkswagen Golf. "If anyone asks, you (are) buying a car off me," he said in the WhatsApp messages quoted in the facts. "Yes bro. Whatever you want papi," Davila responded. After his arrest, Baccus told police the captain had not yet collected the car he sold him while maintaining he only took yellow cards for playing aggressively or in service of the team. Lewis, meanwhile, was put in a holding cell after his arrest and confessed to the other occupant that he deliberately solicited a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin". The conversation was recorded with a surveillance device. Lewis was recruited to the betting corruption scheme because he was known to be a gambler and thus seen as "influenceable", according to the facts. All three players were suspended by Macarthur FC after their arrests, and Davila and Baccus have since been released from their contracts. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 A former A-League player admitted to deliberately earning a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin" during a covertly recorded conversation in a police cell. Ex-Macarthur Bulls team captain Ulises Davila, and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis have been accused of manipulating yellow cards during matches in 2023 and 2024. Davila, 33, allegedly acted as the conduit between the southwest Sydney team's players and a Columbian criminal known as 'J Col', organising for the cards to occur during certain games. Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, swapped jerseys for crisp shirts as they faced a Sydney Local Court on Thursday to plead guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. A second charge of participating in a criminal group was withdrawn for both midfielders, who will return to court in September for sentencing. They agreed they had been paid $10,000 each by Davila to deliberately earn the referee-issued disciplinary cautions for foul play at a match in December 2023. Davila, the alleged local ringleader of the criminal group behind the betting corruption, has not yet entered pleas to the nine charges against him. He will return to court in August. According to the facts agreed by his former teammates, the former captain orchestrated the 50 "suspicious" bets placed on the Macarthur FC game against Sydney FC through international wagering platform Betplay. The wagers were all placed at the same time before the match started, and all involved exactly two bets of equal amounts predicting the same outcome. During the game at Allianz Stadium, Davila earned the first of the team's four yellow cards for delaying the start of play by kicking the ball away after the referee blew the whistle. Twenty minutes later, Lewis received the same caution for unsporting behaviour after he pushed a Sydney FC player in the chest and caused him to fall backwards on the ground. Baccus attracted another rebuke for tackling an opponent to the ground from behind towards the end of the game. The successful bets resulted in a payout of more than $200,000 and caused the wagering operator a loss of an estimated $167,387, according to the facts. There is no evidence either Baccus or Lewis had any involvement in placing the bets, but they were both paid $10,000 by Davila after the match. Lewis was paid in three instalments, but Baccus devised a more elaborate explanation for his payment, telling Davila to describe it as a car payment for a Volkswagen Golf. "If anyone asks, you (are) buying a car off me," he said in the WhatsApp messages quoted in the facts. "Yes bro. Whatever you want papi," Davila responded. After his arrest, Baccus told police the captain had not yet collected the car he sold him while maintaining he only took yellow cards for playing aggressively or in service of the team. Lewis, meanwhile, was put in a holding cell after his arrest and confessed to the other occupant that he deliberately solicited a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin". The conversation was recorded with a surveillance device. Lewis was recruited to the betting corruption scheme because he was known to be a gambler and thus seen as "influenceable", according to the facts. All three players were suspended by Macarthur FC after their arrests, and Davila and Baccus have since been released from their contracts. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 A former A-League player admitted to deliberately earning a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin" during a covertly recorded conversation in a police cell. Ex-Macarthur Bulls team captain Ulises Davila, and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis have been accused of manipulating yellow cards during matches in 2023 and 2024. Davila, 33, allegedly acted as the conduit between the southwest Sydney team's players and a Columbian criminal known as 'J Col', organising for the cards to occur during certain games. Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, swapped jerseys for crisp shirts as they faced a Sydney Local Court on Thursday to plead guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. A second charge of participating in a criminal group was withdrawn for both midfielders, who will return to court in September for sentencing. They agreed they had been paid $10,000 each by Davila to deliberately earn the referee-issued disciplinary cautions for foul play at a match in December 2023. Davila, the alleged local ringleader of the criminal group behind the betting corruption, has not yet entered pleas to the nine charges against him. He will return to court in August. According to the facts agreed by his former teammates, the former captain orchestrated the 50 "suspicious" bets placed on the Macarthur FC game against Sydney FC through international wagering platform Betplay. The wagers were all placed at the same time before the match started, and all involved exactly two bets of equal amounts predicting the same outcome. During the game at Allianz Stadium, Davila earned the first of the team's four yellow cards for delaying the start of play by kicking the ball away after the referee blew the whistle. Twenty minutes later, Lewis received the same caution for unsporting behaviour after he pushed a Sydney FC player in the chest and caused him to fall backwards on the ground. Baccus attracted another rebuke for tackling an opponent to the ground from behind towards the end of the game. The successful bets resulted in a payout of more than $200,000 and caused the wagering operator a loss of an estimated $167,387, according to the facts. There is no evidence either Baccus or Lewis had any involvement in placing the bets, but they were both paid $10,000 by Davila after the match. Lewis was paid in three instalments, but Baccus devised a more elaborate explanation for his payment, telling Davila to describe it as a car payment for a Volkswagen Golf. "If anyone asks, you (are) buying a car off me," he said in the WhatsApp messages quoted in the facts. "Yes bro. Whatever you want papi," Davila responded. After his arrest, Baccus told police the captain had not yet collected the car he sold him while maintaining he only took yellow cards for playing aggressively or in service of the team. Lewis, meanwhile, was put in a holding cell after his arrest and confessed to the other occupant that he deliberately solicited a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin". The conversation was recorded with a surveillance device. Lewis was recruited to the betting corruption scheme because he was known to be a gambler and thus seen as "influenceable", according to the facts. All three players were suspended by Macarthur FC after their arrests, and Davila and Baccus have since been released from their contracts. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858 A former A-League player admitted to deliberately earning a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin" during a covertly recorded conversation in a police cell. Ex-Macarthur Bulls team captain Ulises Davila, and midfielders Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis have been accused of manipulating yellow cards during matches in 2023 and 2024. Davila, 33, allegedly acted as the conduit between the southwest Sydney team's players and a Columbian criminal known as 'J Col', organising for the cards to occur during certain games. Baccus, 33, and Lewis, 27, swapped jerseys for crisp shirts as they faced a Sydney Local Court on Thursday to plead guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event. A second charge of participating in a criminal group was withdrawn for both midfielders, who will return to court in September for sentencing. They agreed they had been paid $10,000 each by Davila to deliberately earn the referee-issued disciplinary cautions for foul play at a match in December 2023. Davila, the alleged local ringleader of the criminal group behind the betting corruption, has not yet entered pleas to the nine charges against him. He will return to court in August. According to the facts agreed by his former teammates, the former captain orchestrated the 50 "suspicious" bets placed on the Macarthur FC game against Sydney FC through international wagering platform Betplay. The wagers were all placed at the same time before the match started, and all involved exactly two bets of equal amounts predicting the same outcome. During the game at Allianz Stadium, Davila earned the first of the team's four yellow cards for delaying the start of play by kicking the ball away after the referee blew the whistle. Twenty minutes later, Lewis received the same caution for unsporting behaviour after he pushed a Sydney FC player in the chest and caused him to fall backwards on the ground. Baccus attracted another rebuke for tackling an opponent to the ground from behind towards the end of the game. The successful bets resulted in a payout of more than $200,000 and caused the wagering operator a loss of an estimated $167,387, according to the facts. There is no evidence either Baccus or Lewis had any involvement in placing the bets, but they were both paid $10,000 by Davila after the match. Lewis was paid in three instalments, but Baccus devised a more elaborate explanation for his payment, telling Davila to describe it as a car payment for a Volkswagen Golf. "If anyone asks, you (are) buying a car off me," he said in the WhatsApp messages quoted in the facts. "Yes bro. Whatever you want papi," Davila responded. After his arrest, Baccus told police the captain had not yet collected the car he sold him while maintaining he only took yellow cards for playing aggressively or in service of the team. Lewis, meanwhile, was put in a holding cell after his arrest and confessed to the other occupant that he deliberately solicited a yellow card "to earn a little bit of coin". The conversation was recorded with a surveillance device. Lewis was recruited to the betting corruption scheme because he was known to be a gambler and thus seen as "influenceable", according to the facts. All three players were suspended by Macarthur FC after their arrests, and Davila and Baccus have since been released from their contracts. National Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858
7NEWS
24 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Carlton fuming as umpire collision gifts Brisbane easy goal in first quarter
A collision between an umpire and a Carlton player has helped deliver a Brisbane goal in the opening quarter of Thursday night's clash. Blues defender Nick Haynes gathered a loose ball on the outer wing and looked inboard to teammate Lachie Cowan. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Umpire collision gifts Brisbane easy goal. The kick was going straight to Cowan, but umpire Andrew Heffernan was in the area and inadvertently collided with the Carlton player. The ball then spilled to Cam Rayner, who handballed on to Charlie Cameron to kick a straightforward goal. But there's no doubt Cowan would have marked the ball if it wasn't for Heffernan. The incident came a week after Essendon forward Nate Caddy collided with an umpire during last week's loss to Gold Coast. Bombers coach Brad Scott was scathing in his assessment of the incident and revealed he had spoken to umpires about getting out of the corridor. Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes said this latest incident will be a 'big story'. 'Brad Scott says 'get the umpires out of the corridor' ... that's exactly where you want to bring the ball so the umpires have to find a way to get out of where the team want to bring the ball back through,' he said on Channel 7. 'They just have to get their positioning better. We saw it last week with Nate Caddy which was a big story. 'On that occasion, it cost Carlton a goal.' The Lions quickly added to another goal to skip out to an early 20-point lead, but all the talk was around the umpire collision 'For what it's worth, I think the umpire gets a fine,' Brian Taylor added. Cornes continued: 'Well, we saw that Nate Caddy had no case to answer. It's been a big talking point, mainly the umpire contact around stoppages.' 'You can't have the umpire going right into the corridor when the team's going to kick the ball back through there.' Channel 7 commentator Luke Hodge suggested the messaging to the umpires might need to change. 'It's hard to say (who is at fault). The umpires are positioned where they've been told to stand,' he said. 'So it's just unlucky for the Blues. They will be frustrated. I know the supporters were. 'That's where the umpires have been told to stand. You think with the collisions we've had the last couple of that may be changed at the end of the season.'
