All posts by h716a5.icu

Kevin Pietersen is unsurprisingly top of the list of England players targeted by the IPL, according to a report by the BBC

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2008Kevin Pietersen is unsurprisingly top of the list of England players targeted by the IPL, according to a report by the BBC. The next IPL auction starts on February 6, and Adam Wheatley, Pietersen’s agent, said his client was “keen to play”.”Kevin has been approached by quite a few of the franchises,” Wheatley said. “It’s not the be-all and end-all for him. He’s got a lot on his plate as England captain but he feels it would be quite useful for a number of the players to get some experience of the IPL. There are issues on scheduling and there are also issues concerning the central contract that need to be sorted out but if you look at the timetable there is a small window of availability.”England return from the Caribbean on April 3 and are not due to play again until early May when the Test series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to start. However, Cricinfo believes that tour is unlikely to happen, although replacement opponents are being sought. The second IPL season kicks off on April 10 and finishes on May 29.The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) told the BBC that it expects more cricketers from England to head to India, regardless of county contracts.”It’s more than a possibility that a number of top players will go,” Sean Morris, chief executive of the PCA, said. “The franchises will be after the main international players and negotiations have been going on for some time. Central contracts are being finalised as we speak, but it’s safe to say that players will be approached to go and have been already.”

After being dumped out of the Champions League and tasting defeat in their first league clash of the campaign, Celtic supporters had every right to be fuming.

It was a tough start to Ange Postecoglou’s reign but the Hoops are beginning to make some shrewder moves in the transfer market.

What’s the word?

The Bhoys added Joe Hart and James McCarthy to their ranks on Tuesday evening with the former among the travelling party for their match with Jablonec on Thursday.

Though, if you believe reports, Celtic are now closing in on an eighth and much-needed addition of the window.

According to Paul Nealon on Twitter, they are on the verge of signing Liam Scales from Shamrock Rovers.

He said: “I’m hearing Liam Scales is close to joining Celtic, heard first on Friday, but now hearing off a good source it’s close. Haven’t been told about fees etc.”

Ange surely buzzing

If Celtic can secure the addition of Scales in the coming days then Postecoglou will be delighted with the recruitment team’s work.

He challenged them to add more bodies to the playing squad and they are well and truly delivering this week.

Scales isn’t a well-known name but the 22-year-old would be a fantastic piece of business at presumably a low price.

A 6 foot 4 brute, the Irishman is a centre-back by trade and uses his enormous frame to bully attackers to one side with relative ease.

Though, he also has the ability to play at full-back or on the wing where his long levers aid his teams cause in offensive situations.

Crucial, however, is the balance he could bring to Postecoglou’s side. He’s a left-footed player and therefore, would give Celtic the ability to transition play from the back with greater ease.

A review from the Irish Examiner only emphasises how he’d fit into the starting XI. A passage on their website reads: “He’s always been good on the ball. He’s a very brave player who will take the ball in dangerous areas of the pitch. His speed has improved, which is a crucial attribute to have in modern football, and he is more aware of potential danger.”

Also described as the “hottest property” in Ireland’s top-flight by the Examiner, there are countless positives to this deal.

He’d cover multiple bases in defence which is crucial for a backline who have leaked goals on a regular basis in the last 12 months.

AND in other news, Celtic must do everything to sign 24-cap “animal” who Rodgers dubbed “outstanding”…

New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has been expanded from six to eight rounds as the short format’s popularity continues to increase

Cricinfo staff01-Oct-2008New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 tournament has been expanded from six to eight rounds as the short format’s popularity continues to increase. New Zealand Cricket has released its domestic schedule for 2008-09, with the State Championship beginning in November and the State Shield set for December to February 1.A dedicated spot has been set aside for the State Twenty20, which will be the only domestic cricket on the calendar from February 4 to March 1. Justin Vaughan, the chief executive officer of NZC, said the expansion of the Twenty20 tournament was logical considering the success of the IPL and the inaugural World Twenty20 last year.”Twenty20 cricket offers high octane entertainment in a condensed three-hour window, and is bringing in record crowds both to live games and televised matches,” Vaughan said. “It simply makes sense for NZC and our major associations to expand that offering in this year’s schedule.”Extra matches will also be televised in the Twenty20 tournament, which will feature the former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming leading the Wellington side. His team-mate Matthew Bell has been handed the Wellington captaincy for the State Shield and the State Championship.”We have a very good all-round team with plenty of talent and I’m convinced we can make a big impact in the three competitions this summer,” said Bell, who previously led Wellington from 2000-01 to 2005-06.

Worcestershire retained their Division One status in some style with a thumping 103-run victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2008Worcestershire 186 for 6 (Solanki 53, Moeen 51) beat Glamorgan 83 (Batty 4-14) by 103 runs
ScorecardWorcestershire retained their Division One status in some style with a thumping 103-run victory over Glamorgan in Cardiff. After winning the toss, Worcestershire managed a decent but obtainable 186 for 6 in their 40 overs, thanks to half-centuries from Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali, but their bowlers were the real stars of the day. Glamorgan’s top three were extracted for ducks, as they were rolled over for 83 in 23.5 crushingly efficient overs.It was Dilhara Fernando and his wicked changes of pace who started the rot for Glamorgan. He grabbed Robert Croft and the pinch-hitter David Harrison with consecutive deliveries, before AJ Harris – recently released by Nottinghamshire but more than proving his worth here – followed up with a spell of 6-1-7-3. His first victim was the captain, David Hemp, also for a duck, and by the time he had removed Tom Maynard and the dangerous Mike Powell – the latter via a superb one-handed catch by Stephen Moore at short midwicket – Glamorgan were 35 for 5, and completely out of the reckoning.Gareth Batty ensured there would be no let-up. Flighting his offbreaks to perfection, he rattled through the middle- and lower-order for Man-of-the-Match figures of 4 for 14 in five overs. Jamie Dalrymple was well caught at leg slip by Moore, as was Ben Wright who muffed an attempted reverse-sweep, while Mark Wallace and Alex Wharf were trapped lbw and bowled respectively. Fernando then applied a fitting coup de grace with the fifth ball of his second spell, as Dean Cosker’s off stump was sent cartwheeling.It was an anticlimactic end to the season for Glamorgan, especially after their morale-boosting Championship victory over Leicestershire on Saturday. Jason Gillespie, in what seems sure to be his final appearance in county cricket, gave them a great start by removing Steve Davies and Moore in quick succession with the new ball, but Solanki’s 53 from 89 balls held the top of the order together, before Moeen upped the ante with a frenetic innings of 51 from 52 balls that was notable for his running between the wickets – he managed a total of one four and one six.Wharf bowled both Moeen and Daryl Mitchell, while Glamorgan’s spin twins, Cosker and Croft, picked up a wicket apiece and kept Worcestershire honest in the middle of the innings. But in the final analysis, the team from the top division proved too strong for the pretenders, as the status quo was maintained for this season at least.

Derby County are preparing contracts in order to bring a number of trialists to Pride Park on a permanent basis this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Wayne Rooney’s side are currently in the process of selecting the free agents in training with the Rams that the club are going to offer a contract to.

Nixon continues by stating that the EFL have approved these deals, although the signings nevertheless have to fit certain criteria set by the governing body.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Derby County. Now selecting the free agents they want to sign. EFL approval but with strings, as usual.”

Music to the ears of fans

With Derby kicking off their Championship campaign against Huddersfield Town in a little over a week’s time, and Rooney currently having just 13 contracted first-team players – two of whom are injured – in his squad, the news that the Rams are finally set to add a number of bodies to their ranks is sure to be music to the ears of fans.

At present, the 35-year-old manager is currently casting his eye over Sam Baldock, Sone Aluko, Ravel Morrison, Phil Jagielka, Andre Wisdom, Richard Stearman, Tom Carroll and Ryan Allsop, with the Rams having been given permission to sign five of these players on free transfers by the EFL.

Rooney has also been informed he can sign four players on loan deals in the summer transfer window, while the possibility of being able to land a further 10 free agents ahead of opening day rests on the HMRC being satisfied Derby have paid off some tax debt – which is expected to be completed this week.

As such, while the Rams are by no means out of the woods just yet regarding their off-field issues, at least the fans look as if they will have some new signings to get excited about in the coming days.

In other news: Morris could be heading for grave Derby County transfer error, fans would be fuming

Wolves have been rather quiet in the transfer market this week but that shouldn’t frustrate supporters after the window they’ve had.

Despite rumours of players leaving, they still boast a full quota of top footballers and they’ve also added the likes of Trincao and Jose Sa to their ranks.

What’s the word?

One player who Wolves have been targeting for months now is Milan forward Rafael Leao.

The Portuguese sensation only joined the Serie A side in the summer of 2019 but it looks like an escape route out of the San Siro is likely. Milan are thought to want €25m (£21.3m) in order to sell him, an asking price that’s continued to drop in the last few months.

Leao is working hard during pre-season in order to convince club officials to keep him in Italy but according to a report (via Sport Witness), Jorge Mendes has put forward contacts from Wolves in a bid to lure him to Molineux.

Jota 2.0

Leao is a truly enigmatic character. As he was coming through at Sporting and Lille, he looked like one of the finest young talents in Europe.

He was compared to Kylian Mbappe and the great Brazilian, Ronaldo. He was even hailed as “spectacular” by former striker Rolando Bianchi.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news-ceballos-zinchenko-euros-felix-lage” title=”Read the latest Wolves transfer news!”]

However, despite providing glimpses of his immense potential in Italy, he has been rather inconsistent.

A review from reporter Zach Lowy epitomises the hardships he has been through: “The fact that Dany Mota — a player at Monza — and Gonçalo Ramos — a benchwarmer at Benfica — overshadowed Rafael Leao during the U-21 Euros should serve as a wake-up call for him. He needs to drastically change his mentality or he’ll be leaving Milan sooner rather than later.”

Heading for the departure lounge wouldn’t be the worst news for Wolves, though. After all, if you compare his qualities to a certain Diogo Jota, they do line up quite well.

Both players possess incredible pace and have the ability to beat opponents for fun, using trickery and close touch control to eliminate opponents in breathtaking fashion. They can both play out wide and through the middle, while they’re equally creative and destructive in front of goal.

During his final Premier League campaign with Wolves, Jota found the net on seven occasions, a tally that the 22-year-old Leao neared last season. He scored six goals in the red and black of Milan, providing half a dozen assists for his troubles as well.

In 2020/21, their dribble tallies were quite similar, with the Wolves target amassing 1.3 per match compared to Jota’s 1.1 per game. Leao managed 0.9 key passes while the former Old Gold star produced 0.6 key passes in the top flight.

Wolves have managed to replace Jota with the effervescent Pedro Neto but, with his own future in doubt, Leao would be a wise addition to the Molineux ranks.

AND in other news, Lage must brutally axe £50k-p/w Wolves dud this summer, Coady said he’s “outstanding”…

Michael Holding has resigned from the ICC cricket committee because the result of the 2006 Oval Test was changed

Cricinfo staff05-Jul-2008
Michael Holding: “A lot of things are happening today that I don’t want to be involved with, so I’ve moved on” © Stanford 20/20
Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler, has resigned from the ICC cricket committee because he is unhappy with the ICC’s decision to change the result of the 2006 Oval Test between England and Pakistan from a forfeited win for England to a draw.Holding felt that Pakistan’s refusal to play should not go unpunished even though they were not guilty of ball-tampering.”I have just written my letter of resignation to the ICC cricket committee because I cannot agree with what they’ve done,” Holding said while commentating for Sky Sports during a domestic match in England. “That game should never, ever be a draw. When you take certain actions, you must be quite happy to suffer the consequences.”A lot of things are happening today that I don’t want to be involved with, so I’ve moved on.”The Oval Test was originally awarded to England by umpire Darrell Hair after Pakistan did not come out to field after tea on the fourth day, following accusations of ball-tampering.Pakistan had, at the time, been in a strong position in the match, having secured a first-innings lead of 331 and removed four England batsmen in their second innings. There was nothing at stake in the series, with England already leading 2-0 after wins at Headingley and Old Trafford, but the eventual forfeiture was the first in the history of Test cricket. The removal of England’s win could affect their standing in the ICC Test Championship – they are currently third on 110 points, one ahead of their next opponents, South Africa, on 109.The result had huge off-field ramifications as well. Hair went on to be suspended from the ICC elite panel, and though that decision was overturned last year when he took his employers to the High Court in London, the initial decision formed the basis of Pakistan’s appeal for a rethink of the result.

Emiliano Buendia has been pictured in Aston Villa attire for the first time since his club-record move from Norwich City earlier this summer.

And, as to be expected, the image posted by the club has received plenty of interaction from a number of Villa supporters.

Villa confirmed the transfer over a month ago now, however, Buendia has been on an extended break after representing Argentina earlier this summer.

The 24-year-old, who signed a five-year deal in the Midlands, has now joined up with the Villa squad at Bodymoor Heath and was pictured in training wear.

Buendia had the number 20 printed on his attire, the same number loanee Ross Barkley wore at the club last season.

Villa fans react

Villa posted the image of Buendia on their official Twitter page on Monday evening, with the caption ‘look who’s arrived at Bodymoor Heath’.

It didn’t take long for these Villa fans to share their love at the post, with one describing it as ‘beautiful’.

“Needed this”Credit: @liam_davies7″YESSSS”Credit: @gracepearcex”Finally, the lift I needed”Credit: @HarryUTV”WHAT A BEAUTIFUL THING TO SEE”Credit: @catrinedwards18″It’s so beautiful. Actually spent all morning thinking about him. Get us into Villa park to watch him play”Credit: @DOUGLASLUlZ”FINALLLLLYYYYYYY”Credit: @avfc_sam_

In other news: ‘A joke, can’t lie’ – Many Aston Villa fans ‘disappointed’ over club update.

Sourav Ganguly has been named the Castrol Asian Cricketer of the Year at the awards handed out in Karachi

Cricinfo staff28-Jun-2008
Muttiah Muralitharan receives the award for best Asian Test bowler from Wasim Akram © AFP
Sourav Ganguly has been named the Castrol Asian Cricketer of the Year at the awards handed out in Karachi. Ganguly, who made his way back to the Indian side in December 2006, also won the best overall batsman prize for his outstanding performances in 2007. He was the highest Asian run-getter in Tests in 2007, with 1106 runs, including a career-best 239 not out against Pakistan, besides scoring 1240 runs in ODIs.Indians and Sri Lankans dominated the inaugural edition of the awards. Muttiah Muralitharan, the joint leading wicket-taker in 2007 with 49 scalps, was honoured with the best overall and best Test bowler. His team-mate Kumar Sangakkara, who reached the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings last year, was awarded the best Test batsman while Farveez Maharoof was the best ODI bowler.Sachin Tendulkar’s phenomenal 1425 runs in ODIs last year fetched him the award for best ODI batsman while Gautam Gambhir, the second highest run-scorer in the World Twenty20, bagged the Twenty20 award. Yuvraj Singh was presented a special award for his six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad in the World Twenty20 in South Africa.Pakistan’s winners included the leading wicket-taker in the World Twenty20, Umar Gul (best Twenty20 bowler), and surprisingly, Kamran Akmal (best fielder/wicketkeeper). Akmal’s form has slipped since 2006 and he was dropped from the squad for the Asia Cup after his poor showings.Among other awards announced, Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, was named the Pakistan Cricketer of the Year, while Ahmed Shehzad, who performed creditably with both bat and ball in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia, won the prize for the best junior. Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad was also honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.The awards are based on the Castrol Performance Index – a comprehensive points system which takes into consideration batting, bowling and fielding performances of each player against all teams in all international matches, in all three formats – Tests, ODIs and Tweny20s, during a calendar year.

In

Partab Ramchand14-Nov-2002In “The Wildest Tests”, Ray Robinson’s absorbing book about matchesdisrupted by riots and disturbances, Tests played in India figure veryprominently. The book, released 30 years ago, lists four matches heldin India ­ India vs West Indies at Calcutta in 1966-67, India vsAustralia at Bombay in 1969-70, India vs New Zealand at Hyderabad in1969-70 and India vs Australia at Calcutta in 1969-70. If a secondedition of the book were to be brought out – by someone else, sinceRobinson passed away in 1982 – there is no doubt that India wouldoccupy a pre-eminent place in the listings.

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Generally it is when the home side is losing or when there isdissatisfaction with a crucial umpiring decision that such unfortunateincidents occur. The same analysis can be proffered for the crowd’sdisgraceful behaviour at Jamshedpur and Nagpur, but there can be norational explanation for the behaviour of the unruly elements atRajkot.

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To be sure, there have been serious riots that disrupted matches inother countries too, and Robinson himself has described in vividdetail events that led to Tests in Australia, Pakistan and the WestIndies being affected by happenings on and off the field. But Indiawill continue to figure prominently thanks to various factors thatinclude overcrowded stands, emotional attachment with the home team,an inability to accept defeat, lax security, and petty-mindedadministrators whose chief interest is the vote of the association towhich a one-day international has been allotted.Unfortunately, this is how the system works in India, and that is whymany centres that do not boast of any hoary cricketing tradition andthat lack the machinery to conduct international matches are givengames. That only puts players and spectators in discomfort, endangersthe limbs and careers of cricketers and, as events on Tuesday proved,halts the entertainment for genuine cricket-lovers at the ground andmillions of TV viewers round the world.Think of crowd disturbances and, whether one likes it not, Kolkata hasto figure very strongly in mind. The serious, almost frightening riotsthat disrupted the World Cup semifinal at the Eden Gardens in March1996 or the India-Pakistan Asian Test Championship encounter threeyears later are not events that one can erase from the mind easily. Inthe latter match, there were two riots and, as every cricket-followerknows, the denouement was unique ­ the last rites were performedbefore an empty Eden Gardens, an eerie experience. On both occasions,India were hurtling to defeat when unruly elements took a hand,throwing missiles onto the ground and setting the stands on fire.Generally it is when the home side is losing or when there isdissatisfaction with a crucial umpiring decision that such unfortunateincidents occur. The same analysis can be proffered for the crowd’sdisgraceful behaviour at Jamshedpur and Nagpur, but there can be norational explanation for the behaviour of the unruly elements atRajkot.India were heading for victory, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag ­not to mention some of the West Indian batsmen in the morning ­ hadprovided entertainment fit for a king, and everything seemed hunkydory. Where then was the need for a section of the crowd to throwbottles and assorted missiles and run the risk of ending theentertainment prematurely, halting play and having the matchabandoned?Few can blame the West Indies team for leaving the field and refusingto continue or Mike Proctor for abandoning the match. Three times inthree matches was pushing it a bit too far; there is only so much thematch referee can take, and if he decides to send in a ratherunflattering report to the ICC, few can find fault with him.What then is the solution? It would be easy to say that venues with ahistory of crowd trouble should be banned from conductinginternational matches. But then Kolkata would probably figureuppermost in the minds of most people advocating such a radical step.Interestingly Ahmedabad, a Test centre and the venue of the fourthone-day international of the current series, has not exactly covereditself with glory in this disturbing aspect.It is a city with a history of communal trouble, and one remembers thePakistan outfielders being pelted with stones on the fourth day of theTest match in March 1987. Imran Khan rightly led his team off thefield, and following appeals for calm over the public address systemby Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, play resumed after a break of almostan hour. The visitors injected a dose of ironic humour with six of theplayers taking the field wearing helmets.It is thus with a feeling of trepidation, rather than anticipation,that we look forward to Friday’s game. But there is little doubt thatthe administrators must take steps to control the growing menace. TheICC for its part has confirmed that it was seeking urgent confirmationfrom the BCCI concerning the adequacy of safety and security measuresin place for the remaining matches of the current series.ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed has said that followingthree consecutive games marred by crowd unrest and disturbance, thebody was seeking reassurances about the safety of players andofficials. This is a step in the right direction, but more obviouslyneeds to be done.The ICC has been in constant touch with the BCCI after the unsavouryincidents at Jamshedpur and Nagpur and is in the process of seeking afull explanation of the Rajkot fiasco. In addition, the ICC has askedfor details of the ground stewarding and security plans for the nextfour matches. It has also asked BCCI officials to meet with Procterand brief him fully of the contingency measures.While the more radical step of boycotting the international status ofa venue has been advocated by a few, the ICC till date has neverthought along those lines. But Speed has now confirmed that this is anoption that will be considered at a meeting of ICC’s Safety andSecurity Committee. “We have asked this committee to considerappropriate penalties for venues that consistently fail to meet theirobligations in meeting minimum standards of security. This is likelyto include the ultimate sanction of withdrawing international statusfrom a ground, combined with a heavy financial penalty,” Speed isquoted to have said.Ideally, all member boards affiliated to the ICC should subscribe tothe principal that the safety and security of players and officials isparamount and that it is their responsibility to ensure thatappropriate measures are in place for all international matches. Asalready explained, this is easier said than done where the BCCI isconcerned.But now with three successive matches being affected and with the ICCtaking a firm stand on the issue, the Indian Board may have no optionbut to fall in line. Sunil Gavaskar for one has made it quite clearthat the BCCI must seriously start thinking of banning venues wherethere is crowd disturbance. Spectators who cannot accept an Indiandefeat should get no cricket whatsoever, Gavaskar, who heads the ICC’scricket committee, has said. He has also called for the BCCI toconsider fining the staging associations for not ensuring properconduct of the match.For his part, BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, while outlining plans toinstall closed-circuit TV cameras in the stands to monitor the crowd,has also hinted that disturbance-prone venues could struggle to retaininternational status. To some, this would be a rather extreme step,then again, but three disturbances in three games calls for somedrastic action.