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The Victorian Selectors have named an unchanged line up from the team which defeated the Western Fury in Perth two weeks ago

Victorian Women's Cricket Association02-Dec-2002The Victorian Selectors have named an unchanged line up from the team which defeated the Western Fury in Perth two weeks ago. The Victorian Spirit team to take on the NSWIS Blues at Hurstville, Sydney on Saturday December 7 & Sunday December 8 is as follows:

Belinda Clark (c)
Cathryn Fitzpatrick (vc)
Clea Smith (vc)
Kelly Applebee
Louise Broadfoot
Jodi Dean
Jane Franklin
Amelie Hunter
Melanie Jones
Brooke McFarlane
Ingrid Noack
Shannon Young
Coach – Ken Davis
Assistant Coach – Nicole Taylor
Manager – Pam Allen

Victorian Spirit currently heads the WNCL Points Table with 14 points from 2 matches, followed by the Southern Scorpions who have 13 points from 4 matches. The NSWIS Blues are sitting third with 6 points from 2 matches.

IT’S been paradise for batsmen, hell for bowlers

Craig Cozier21-Nov-2002IT’S been paradise for batsmen, hell for bowlers.The first five One-Day Internationals in the seven-match series between India and the West Indies have produced consistently phenomenal feats of high and fast scoring by both teams.On flat, true pitches and fast outfields, bowlers have had no answer to power-hitting batsmen who have belted a combined total of 39 sixes and 275 fours and scored at an average of over six runs an over.Chris Gayle, the tall left-handed West Indies opener, has scored three hundreds. The Indians, Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, have had one each.Ramnaresh Sarwan of the West Indies and V.V.S. Laxman of India has fallen one short, Wavell Hinds of the West Indies and Ajit Agarkar have both also got into the 90s.The team batting second has won each time – and each time chased what seemed mammoth targets.India’s 325 for five off 47.4 overs to win the fourth match under the lights in Ahmedabad was the third-highest winning total in One-Day Internationals . The West Indies have scored over 280 each time to win their three matches.The poor bowlers – especially the quicker ones – have taken a pasting. None has managed an economy rate lower than West Indies captain Carl Hooper’s 5.13 with his off-spin.Merv Dillon is the most expensive West Indian at 6.33 an over, Agarkar the costliest Indian at 6.90.The West Indies lead the series 3-2 with the last two decisive matches in Jaipur on Thursday (starting 11:30 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time) and Vijayawada on Sunday.

Fulham have agreed terms with Marco Silva regarding the vacant managerial position at Craven Cottage.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that the 43-year-old has provisionally agreed a deal to become Scott Parker’s successor at the west London club.

Parker left the Cottagers on Monday after he and Shahid Khan came to a resolution regarding the 40-year-old’s compensation fee, with the outgoing manager subsequently being appointed the new manager of Championship side AFC Bournemouth.

And, despite being heavily linked with a move for the Swansea City manager Steve Cooper, it would now appear as if Silva will be the man leading Fulham out on the opening day of the season.

Fans should be furious

While Silva does have a history in the English game, having managed the likes of Hull City, Watford and Everton in his relatively short career in football management, there are a great many question marks regarding the Portuguese’s credentials for taking over at a Championship side.

During his spell at Hull back in 2016/17, Silva impressed during his 18 Premier League games in charge of the club, winning six, drawing three and losing nine fixtures, picking up 21 points along the way.

However, this was ultimately not enough to keep the Tigers in the top flight, with the club finishing the season in 18th place in the Premier League standings.

The 43-year-old was then awarded the Watford job the following season, going on to win seven, draw five and lose 12 of his 24 Premier League fixtures in charge of the club, before the Hornets parted company with Silva following a run of just one win in 11 games.

The former Sporting CP head coach continued what was now becoming a trend of failing upwards in 2018/19, landing the Everton job after Sam Allardyce’s departure at the end of the previous campaign.

His spell at Goodison Park proved to be his longest at a club in England, winning 15, drawing nine and losing 14 of his 38 Premier League fixtures in his first full season with the Toffees, enough to finish eighth in the Premier League table.

However, Silva once again found himself out of a job 15 games into the 2019/20 campaign, having picked up just 14 points in the league, with Everton languishing down in 18th place at the time of his dismissal.

As such, considering the sheer magnitude of the task at hand at Fulham next season, with the club very much expecting an immediate return to the top flight of English football, appointing a manager with no experience in the division, as well as what is quite a shaky record in the Premier League, would certainly not appear to bring with it any guarantees of promotion.

And, with a young, exciting and Championship-proven manager such as Steve Cooper clearly being interested in the job, should Khan indeed opt for Silva over the 41-year-old this summer, fans would be well within their rights to be furious with their owner’s decision.

In other news: Smyth drops transfer update on “immense” £9m-rated gem, Fulham fans should be buzzing

The nucleus of India’s World Cup team is already in place

Partab Ramchand15-Jul-2002The nucleus of India’s World Cup team is already in place. This is the point brought home loud and clear in the wake of India’s notable triumph in the NatWest series. Even though the tournament is some seven months away, there is very little scope for change in the side. This outfit should, more or less, be persevered with and given all encouragement till then.
©CricInfoSo let us first propose a vote of thanks to the following for a job accomplished in style. Let us salute Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif and their youthful bravado. Let us sing the praises of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid who came good so often during the fortnight long tournament. Give credit to the bowlers, Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble and the bit players for sticking to their task in exemplary fashion.A word of praise is in order for Dravid the wicket-keeper too for doing a competent job, given the fact that he is not a specialist and has had the task thrust upon him as part of a controversial compromise. And can one forget Sourav Ganguly the captain and John Wright the coach? And yes, even Chandu Borde and his much-maligned selection committee for picking a well-balanced outfit that, for once, performed up to potential.I had mentioned in an earlier column that the Indian team was simply outstanding with the bat and ball and in the field and they were looking good enough to beat England in the final. But I had also spoken of the many times India had peaked too early and raised great expectations, only to falter at the final hurdle. Nine successive defeats in the finals of various tournaments over the last couple of years was really too much to swallow. And yet, striking an optimistic note, I had said that I could not see this happening at Lord’s on Saturday.And so it proved. With one stroke, as it were, the dubious reputation of being chokers was wiped out. Also, no longer can India now be classed as poor chasers. When a team successfully goes after a daunting victory target of 326 – the second highest in the history of one-day internationals – it deserves every plaudit.The razzle-dazzle show put up by the team had the spectators cheering and shouting for more. Very rarely have we seen such an effervescent showing by India. A record of five wins, one defeat and one no result is in itself a matter for congratulations. But it was the manner in which the team performed that attracted considerable attention.The batting and bowling did well in unison, the fielding touched great heights and there was a lot of creativity, a lot of improvisation displayed by the players. But even with these instinctive touches, it was obvious there was also a lot of thinking and planning being done. The team itself was an ideal blend of youth and experience and with both playing their roles in exemplary fashion, perhaps the extraordinary showing in the tournament was not a surprise.What did come as a surprise was the Indians successfully reaching a Himalayan target of 326. Even granting the fact that their showing until the final was the stuff that champions are made of, such an imposing task was thought to be well beyond them. But the way they approached the task showed how mentally strong the team has become.Even a middle-order collapse did not deter them from their objective and they emerged triumphant from what was virtually a hopeless position. So often have we seen India throw away matches they have been poised to win. What a pleasant surprise then to be witness to the team snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.A word about Mohammad Kaif would seem to be in order. I don’t mind admitting that I was never really satisfied with his selection for the one-day team. His approach and his technique seemed to be tailor-made for Test cricket, much like in the case of Shiv Sundar Das or Wasim Jaffer. But he has bridged the gap admirably and I would like to think that he has done it successfully because he has a very sound match temperament.There was always this lurking feeling that he was too correct a batsman to come good in the slam-bang variety. But one had only to see him bring off the most dazzling strokes in what was undoubtedly a crisis on Saturday to be convinced of this.
©CricInfoAs for Yuvraj Singh, there has never been any doubt about his ability or confidence. Here is a youngster with the right attitude and one who deserves to be persevered with, even if he goes through occasional failures.If there were still any doubts as to Ganguly being a passionate leader, Saturday’s events would have erased them. The man is deeply involved with Indian cricket, his association with his team members goes beyond leading them.Taking off his shirt and swinging it over his head in sheer, unbridled joy is a sight that could have the purists at the game’s headquarters wincing but that spontaneous gesture, as well as his rushing out and jumping at Kaif and hugging him so as to bring the latter down in a manner that would make a professional wrestler proud were sights that symbolised the sheer joy of being an Indian cricketer follower on Saturday. When the team is not doing well, the pain and anguish is writ large on his face. Similarly, the emotion and intensity were all too palpable when he proudly lifted the trophy.In moments of triumph, it is important not to lose perspective. Credit must be given where it is due, but some questions have to be raised. While it was a great feat chasing such an imposing target, one must also ask why so many runs were given away in the first place. After all, it is not going to be easy to go after such daunting totals every time. Certainly the bowling was found wanting in the final.And one wonders why Harbhajan was played instead of Agarkar, who had done so well and is a good bet in English conditions. And Rahul Dravid keeping wickets instead of the specialist Ajay Ratra (who is also a handy bat) is still an uncomfortable compromise. Overall, the batting remains our trump card but there is need to tone up the bowling. Once this is done, India could even be serious contenders for the World Cup.

Writing on Twitter, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared news of an announcement from Tottenham Hotspur involving Paulo Fonseca.

The Lowdown: Tottenham manager search over?

Tottenham have been without a head coach since they sacked Jose Mourinho back in late April with a plethora of names being linked to the role.

The likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers were early top contenders, but after Spurs failed to get anywhere with them, they turned their attention to other targets.

Spurs held talks with big name candidates like Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte most recently but now all signs point towards the possible appointment of former Roma manager Paulo Fonseca.

The Latest: Romano drops major Fonseca claim…

Writing on Twitter, Romano has now shared a major update he’s hearing on Fonseca and the job at Tottenham Hotspur.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-2/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, the reporter claims that Fonseca is ‘set to sign’ his contract with Spurs with the club now ‘already planning’ for an official announcement and working on transfer strategy.

“Paulo Fonseca is set to sign his contract as new Tottenham head coach,” said Romano.

“Club now already planning for official announcement and transfers strategy together with the Portuguese manager.”

The Verdict: Right move?

After all the talk involving both Conte and Pochettino, Fonseca seems like quite a downgrade by comparison – but his style could actually be suited to Tottenham.

An experienced title-winning manager at previous club Shakhtar Donetsk, he also promotes an open, attacking brand of football and is known for promoting youth (Evening Standard) – fitting right into chairman Daniel Levy’s requirements going by his end of season letter to supporters.

While not the glamorous big name, there could be hope that Fonseca does in fact deliver at Tottenham.

In other news: Spurs will now swoop for this £31.5-valued ‘leader’ with Paratici calling, find out more here.

Sachin Tendulkar’s 113 took India to their highest score in the NatWest Series so far

Stephen Lamb11-Jul-2002Sachin Tendulkar’s 113 took India to their highest score in the NatWest Series so far. It was his 33rd one-day century which helped India to a 63-run win over Sri Lanka at Bristol. He reckons that the fact India had already qualified for the final helped him to relax and play as he did.”Since we have qualified for the final I just wanted to go out there and enjoy myself,” he said. “It was a fantastic batting wicket too.”Meanwhile, the Sri Lankans will be pleased their tour is at an end after a run of disappointing results. Their captain Sanath Jayasuriya admitted things have not always gone as he would have liked over the past three months. He would certainly liked to have had his main bowler, off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, available throughout.”If Murali had been there this would have been a different game,” he said. “In this one-day series we would have won one or two games more at least.”Looking back on tonight’s defeat, Jayasuriya felt Sri Lanka could have done muchbetter after Kumar Sangakkara had given them a good start with his rapid innings of 66. But the turning point proved to be the departure of Mahela Jayawardene.”We started very well, and Sangakkara played very well. But to win chasing 300 you need someone to go on to a hundred,” Jayasuriya said. “A few got started, but nobody went on very far past 50. You cannot afford to do that if you are going to have a chance of a successful chase when the opposition has got such a big total.”

Manchester United must swoop for Villarreal defender Pau Torres this summer as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to build a title-winning squad.

What’s the story?

The 24-year-old caught the eye with a string of outstanding displays last season, reportedly attracting the attention of a host of the continent’s top teams.

According to The Athletic, United have joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in the race for his signature as they look to sign a new partner for Harry Maguire.

Solskjaer needs him

Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly have failed to convince alongside the Old Trafford outfit’s club captain for quite some time now, and the search for a long-term solution at centre-back appears to be drawing to a close.

Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Sevilla’s Jules Kounde are also thought to be potential transfer targets for Solskjaer, although Torres arguably offers the most promise. While Varane and Kounde are both right-footed, the Villarreal defender favours his left and would therefore allow Maguire to switch to his natural side, providing a more balanced look to the United backline.

The Spain international also ticks all the boxes required for a modern-day defender. His pass completion rate of 89.4% has the youngster in the 78th percentile of player in his position over the last 12 months, while his 0.66 dribbles completed per game has Torres in the 93rd percentile.

However, despite standing at 6 ft 3, the £45m-rated beast is surprisingly poor in the air. His aerial duel win percentage of just 60.6% is considerably worse than Lindelof’s 65.7% and may be something of a concern to the United recruitment team.

Javi Calleja, a former Villarreal midfielder who coached Torres at various levels as they moved up through the age group ranks, may offer some insight into why this is the case. The coach revealed: “He has gone step by step, improving along the way. When you spoke about him, most people told you he was really good on the ball, although a bit soft when defending.

“When he was small you could see he had an extraordinary talent to construct the play, I even played him for a few games in midfield, but he told me he was more comfortable at the back. Bit by bit he picked up more intensity, more strength, becoming more physical, and he kept developing.”

Luckily for Torres and United, dominating in the air is an area where Maguire naturally excels. Therefore, the pair’s skillsets appear to marry up perfectly, and the duo could form the base of the Red Devils’ defence for many years to come.

It’s clear that Solskjaer needs a new centre-back to compete for major honours next season, and Torres could be the ideal candidate.

In other news… MUFC heading for transfer mistake on “sensational” £19.8m-rated beast, Ole must avoid 

Queens Park Rangers have confirmed that Charlie Austin will return to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on a permanent basis this summer.

What’s the latest?

In a statement posted on the QPR website, the club revealed that the 31-year-old will be linking up with Mark Warburton’s side once again in the coming weeks after signing on a free transfer, following the centre-forward’s release from West Bromwich Albion.

Upon completing the deal, Austin said: “I am really pleased to get it done and to be able to continue my journey here.

“With the way we finished the season – and how I feel about the club hasn’t changed – I wanted to be part of it and as soon as the opportunity was available, I wanted to get this done as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Warburton also appeared over the moon with the arrival of the striker, suggesting that his signing will help to attract further targets to west London this summer.

The 58-year-old said: “Not only does this signing help with future targets, but it also helps with current players we have at the football club – it shows we have ambition. I am absolutely delighted to have him on board.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Austin was during his four-month loan spell at QPR last season, the fact that Amit Bhatia has secured the signing of the £1.8m-rated forward on a permanent basis is sure to have fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his 21 Championship appearances for Warburton’s side, the 31-year-old scored eight goals, registered one assist and created two big chances, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £52k-per-week man earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as the QPR’s eighth-best performer in the second tier, as well as leaving him as the club’s joint-second top league goalscorer – despite only spending half a season in west London.

And, with QPR ranking third in the Championship table since the turn of the year, the fact Austin will still be playing his football at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium next season will provide a huge boost to Warburton’s hopes of mounting a promotion push with the club in their 2021/22 campaign, as well as helping to attract further signings to the Rs this summer – as the manager suggests.

As such, the signing of the centre-forward would appear to be a huge step in the right direction for QPR, who very much seem to be a club on the up at present.

In other news: QPR dealt big blow in pursuit of “immense” £5.4k-p/w machine that’ll leave fans gutted

With Glamorgan improving after a poor start to the season, and Middlesexanxious to take full advantage of their game in hand during Derbyshire’sweek off, this promises to be an interesting contest

Ed Green26-Jun-2002Glamorgan v Middlesex – CardiffWith Glamorgan improving after a poor start to the season, and Middlesexanxious to take full advantage of their game in hand during Derbyshire’sweek off, this promises to be an interesting contest.Glamorgan’s batting has improved in recent games, including theirmagnificent attempt to pass Surrey’s record one-day total in the C&G Trophy,but that improvement is from a very low point indeed. They come up against aMiddlesex side that after Gus Fraser’s retirement was dependent on AshleyNoffke for wickets Now that Abdur Razzaq has taken over as overseas playerresults have slipped. Of the remaining attack Simon Cook has taken 20wickets and Aaron Laraman has shown potential.Middlesex’s batting, unlike that of their hosts, has been immenselyproductive this summer with 22 of a possible 25 points to date with no lessthan seven players averaging over 40. Only Mike Powell can match that forthe Welsh side. That strong batting line-up will provide a test for Testhopeful Simon Jones.Round seven saw these sides battle out a high-scoring, rain-interrupted drawin which Glamorgan gained over half of their season’s batting points. Whythis game and that in the previous round are played in the order they arebemuses me. Then three games took place in London, now none.Gloucestershire v Essex – GloucesterEssex, riding high in the table, come into this game having lost theservices of captain, leading bowler and top run scorer Ronnie Irani, andwill be more heavily dependent than previously on secret weapons, the demonbowler John Stephenson and stand in wicket keeper and Zimbabwean test heroAndy Flower who at 37 and 34 are showing the youngsters a thing or two.Their hosts present a rare challenge to this pair of veterans, as their ownstalwarts, Kim Barnett and Jack Russell, weighing in at 41 and 38, bringeven more experience to the game. It is sometimes suggested that there aretoo many older players on the county circuit, but in fact stalwarts such asthese succeed, and provide entertainment, while being instrumental inhelping to develop younger talents, providing an yardsticks against whichthey can be measured.Both teams are heavily dependent on medium paced bowling, which profits atthe Gloucester ground. When these sides met in round one Alleyne, Barnettand Essex’s Darren Robinson all scored centuries while Ian Harvey claimed6-68.Northamptonshire v Nottinghamshire – NorthamptonA home derby provides the ideal motivation to kick start a stalled season,and Northants, demoted last season and the only side in either division withless points than Yorkshire, need all the motivation they can get coming into this game off the back of five straight defeats – including one by sevenwickets at the hands of their guests.For the home team, the principal difficulty is in the bowling department.Only Carl Greenidge averages under 30, or even under fifty. When all youropponents score 500 plus, it puts unbearable strain on the batting. Even anaverage of one century and two half tons a game has offered no salvation.For Nottinghamshire this first game without Clive Rice is a chance for afresh batting start on a placid track. They will also be looking forward toregistering their first away batting points.Worcestershire v Durham – WorcesterFor Worcestershire nine regular players have so far passed the fifty markand four bowlers (not including Alan Donald) have passed a dozen wickets,but they have lost their last two home games in the championship.The previous game at the Riverside was ruined by the weather. On paperWorcestershire should prosper against the youngest county, but Durham’sbatting has shown increasing resilience. Three draws have followed the threelosses with which they opened the season.Durham’s bowling is led by Davies, Killeen and Collingwood (who is with theEngland one-day squad this week), but no player has yet turned in a five-ferthis summer. Aussie Martin Love has plundered runs in recent weeks,including 251 in their Lord’s run fest. Collingwood’s absence leaves a holein both the batting and bowling for Durham.

The National Selection Committee of the BCCSL has selected the following nine players as standbys for Sri Lanka’s tour of England, which began on the 26th of April and is scheduled to continue until the 13th of July 2002

BCCSL03-May-2002The National Selection Committee of the BCCSL has selected the following nine players as standbys for Sri Lanka’s tour of England, which began on the 26th of April and is scheduled to continue until the 13th of July 2002.1. Romesh Kaluwitharana
2. Avishka Gunewardena
3. Kumar Dharmasena
4. T.M. Dilshan
5. Chamara Silva
6. Dulip Liyanage
7. Pulasthi Guneratne
8. Akalanka Ganegama
9. Rangana Herath
(BCCSL media release)