All posts by h716a5.icu

Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised the Pakistan government for failing to put a check on the various crises affecting cricket in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Aamer Sohail, the former Pakistan captain, has criticised the nation’s government for failing to put a check on the various crises affecting cricket in the country. Several Pakistan cricketers were punished in the aftermath of a winless tour of Australia in 2009-10 and, most recently, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were provisionally suspended by the ICC over suspicion of being involved in the spot-fixing controversy during the tour of England. Sohail called on the patron-in-chief of the PCB, the Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, to step in.”The government must realise it [cricket] is not just a sport in Pakistan, a country where there are so many religious, political and other divisions,” Sohail told . “In a country where people are facing so many crises and problems, the government must realise cricket has always served as a unifying factor.”The chief patron must wake up to the reality and the seriousness of the crisis. Good governance is all about recognising the potential of cricket to unify the people and give them happiness and joy in their lives.”Sohail, not for the first time, was critical of Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, over the current state of affairs. Sohail had served as the director of Pakistan’s National Cricket Academy, before quitting in July 2009, because of differences with Butt.”I am really surprised that a seasoned political party like the Pakistan Peoples Party has still not realised that things are not moving forward with this present set-up and chairman,” Sohail said.Pakistan recently announced their team for the tour of the UAE, where they will face South Africa in each of the three formats. Misbah-ul-Haq was included in the team and, in a surprising move, made captain for the Test series. Younis Khan, whose ban after the Australia series was overturned, wasn’t picked. “For no rhyme or reason Ijaz Butt refuses to give clearance for Younis to be in the Pakistan team. If Younis has committed a major crime or indiscipline then it is the duty of the board to let the people know so that this chapter is closed once for all,” Sohail said.”Enough is enough and I don’t think any former chairman of the board has faced so much criticism and opposition for his manner of running cricket affairs. Yet the government appears to be blind to popular public opinion even though it preaches democracy.”

Kent lost their last eight wickets for 120 runs in a session and nine balls to gift Lancashire only their second success in Canterbury since 1936

21-Aug-2010
ScorecardKent lost their last eight wickets for 120 runs in a session and nine balls to gift Lancashire only their second success in Canterbury since 1936. The 121-run drubbing moved the visitors to fourth in the County Championship Division One table with a game in hand to maintain their outside championship hopes, whereas Kent slip back toward the relegation scrap following their fifth defeat of the top-flight campaign.Resuming on their overnight score of 84 for 2 and in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 339, Kent added 13 runs before the start of their nightmare slide against the twin seam threat of Tom Smith and Glen Chapple that saw them lose four wickets for three runs in the space of 27 balls.Visiting skipper Chapple was first to strike, running one down the Canterbury slope and away from right-hander Martin van Jaarsveld who edged to Paul Horton at slip to make it 97 for 3.In the next over Sam Northeast went back and across his stumps to Smith only to work across the line and go leg before then, in his next over, Smith got one to lift sharply at Geraint Jones who feathered a catch to his counterpart Luke Sutton.Without addition to the score Darren Stevens followed a Chapple leg-cutter to give Sutton another catch and leave Kent floundering on 100 for 6. Lancashire struck again through Smith when Alex Blake, chopping down late on a short one, played the ball onto the base of off-stump.Kent partially saved face thereafter with a sprightly eighth-wicket stand of 72 in 63 balls between left-handers James Tredwell and Matt Coles (51) that at least took the game into its penultimate session.Coles raced to his maiden half-century for the county from 41 balls and with six fours but, two deliveries after raising his bat, the 20-year-old miscued a slog sweep against Gary Keedy straight into the hands of Sajid Mahmood at deep midwicket.In the over before lunch, Tredwell, having hit five boundaries to take Kent beyond 200, danced past one from Keedy to be stumped by a yard. Nine balls after the restart and without addition to the total, Cook swept at Keedy only to be caught at deep mid-wicket and hand Lancashire their 21-point win while Kent bank only four.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has bad news for Tottenham Hotspur supporters ahead of the transfer deadline on January 31st…

What’s the word?

It’s believed that manager Antonio Conte is keen to bolster three key areas of his playing squad, in which a new striker is amongst the priorities, as per football.london.

The Italian made his feelings clear earlier this month, claiming that it was hard leaving an out-of-form Harry Kane on the bench and that he needs to players per position.

However, according to the reliable Sky Sports journalist, there is nothing happening on that front at the minute.

“Unfortunately, as it stands, I’ve heard nothing and I hate to say it, which is a little bit worrying,” he revealed to GIVEMESPORT this week.

Frustrating news

This has long been a problem in north London but truth be told, who wants to be signed as a backup to Kane?

The loan arrival of Carlos Vinicius last season filled the void to great effect but that was always a short-term fix with the nature of the deal being a temporary stint, rather than a permanent one.

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Spurs have been linked to many names in recent windows, perhaps the most regular option being Fiorentina marksman Dusan Vlahovic but with a package of £150m being mooted alongside arch-rivals Arsenal, it’s hard to envisage chairman Daniel Levy sanctioning that much, only for him to be put on the bench.

Of course, Conte’s successful title-winning tactical system at Inter Milan last season incorporated two strikers in Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, so there’s always a chance he tinkers this 3-4-3 we’ve seen since his arrival in N17 but until a new man comes in, we will never know.

Kane has been woefully out of sorts this campaign, having found the net only four times across 17 appearances in the Premier League, with the bulk of his goals coming in cup competitions against weaker opposition.

It’s hard for Conte to drop him as he’s the only senior striker at the club. Next up is 17-year-old academy gem Dane Scarlett, if not playing someone like Heung-min Son or Steven Bergwijn out of position.

The fact that Bridge, who is very reliable when it comes to Spurs transfer news, is suggesting that nothing is happening in their striker search is indeed worrying, as he says.

That will leave the Lilywhites faithful absolutely fuming heading into the final two weeks of the window.

They are absolutely desperate to see Conte backed as it means he will stick around longer, there is already fears behind the scenes from some players that he could walk, so this update will leave many supporters livid.

AND in other news, Levy could repeat ghastly Ndombele mistake in Spurs swoop for £34m-rated “lightweight”…

Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten 79 off 34 balls as Middlesex thrashed Glamorgan by 84 runs to claim their third successive victory

15-Jun-2010
ScorecardMorgan’s onslaught included five sixes and seven fours•Getty ImagesEoin Morgan hit an unbeaten 79 off 34 balls as Middlesex thrashed Glamorgan by 84 runs to claim their third successive victory and move into a challenging position in the Friends Provident t20 South division. Morgan’s onslaught, which included five sixes and seven fours, took Middlesex to a total of 213 for 4 – their highest in this form of cricket.However, the success was set up by Adam Gilchrist, who has taken over the captaincy from Shaun Udal on his return to Richmond – the club where he played as a 17-year-old. Gilchrist had made 29 out of 50 in five overs by the time David Brown gave Glamorgan some respite by taking two wickets in three balls. He bowled David Warner for 13 and then had Neil Dexter smartly stumped by Mark Wallace.There seemed to be no stopping him as he raced to 50 off 29 balls with three sixes, two off James Harris and one off Shaun Tait, and six fours – but then he tried to turn Robert Croft on the legside and was leg before wicket for 51.That only brought in Morgan – who was soon displaying his array of improvised shots, including a carve for six off Tait and a scoop for four off Jim Allenby, as well as more conventional strokes which brought him a six and four fours in one over from Brown. Morgan and Owais Shah had put on 88 in eight overs when Shah was caught by Brown at midwicket off James Harris for 30 and Morgan went on to add another 43 off the last three overs with Dawid Malan.To make it harder for Glamorgan to bear, Malan was badly dropped at mid-off by Dean Cosker off Allenby in the penultimate over and he made them pay by hitting Tait for two sixes and four fours to finish unbeaten on 27.Glamorgan made a brisk enough start but once Mark Cosgrove had been well caught by Dexter, running in from deep square leg, wickets fell regularly against Middlesex’s slow bowlers.Dexter picked up two in four balls when he bowled Allenby and had Tom Maynard stumped, Tom Smith took four for 23 with his left arm spin and Udal showed he still has plenty to offer as an off-spinner by claiming 3 for 24 as Glamorgan slumped to 129 all out in 17 overs.

Matt Doherty endured another disastrous Tottenham Hotspur outing as the north Londoners crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Antonio Conte was beaten by his former side 3-1 across two legs in the semi-final, leaving him with only the Premier League – where a place in the top four is the target – and the FA Cup left to play for.

And he will surely be reeling by another abject outing from his wing-back.

In the absence of Sergio Reguilon, the £10.8m-rated Irishman was trusted to start once again, even over the more natural left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon.

That plan lasted only 65 minutes after he was hooked by the Spurs head coach.

It was 20 minutes longer than he lasted in the first leg but it’s evident that Doherty is just not delivering whenever given an opportunity.

Back-up goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was at fault for the Blues’ only goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it’s not as if the rest of the squad looked like ever testing the Champions of Europe, so he can’t front the blame.

Players like Doherty badly failed Conte, not for the first time in this case, either.

Wing-backs are crucial to the Italian’s system, so to actually manage fewer touches of the ball (21) than the goalkeeper (24) is appalling. And with what time he did have in possession, he was either lacklustre or weak.

As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old made only 13 passes, failed to deliver a single cross and won none of his ground duels. He also did not register a single tackle or interception.

This train of thought was echoed by The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who slammed the defender in his post-match ratings column.

‘Offered no threat down the left flank, frequently cutting inside on his right foot and slowing down attacks. Having struggled at Stamford Bridge, his selection again was strange,’ he wrote.

He was a disaster in the first leg, he was a disaster in the second leg. It’s time for Conte to stop trusting the struggling £74k-per-week calamity.

AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs have “sounded” out “phenomenal” 35-goal star, fans will be fuming…

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has backed the Whites to seal a move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Barkley

The 28-year-old has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge this season, making just one start in the Premier League and going way down the pecking order.

The midfielder has been linked with a move to Leeds as Marcelo Bielsa looks to bolster his squad, but Everton and other suitors are also thought to be interested.

The England international’s current Chelsea deal expires in 2023, so the Blues are running out of time to receive a fee for him.

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The Latest: Kenny backs Barkley links

Kenny believes that Leeds signing Barkley – with whom he briefly played at Elland Road during a loan spell for the midfielder in 2013 – would be a good deal, as he told Football Insider:

“Leeds could do with a new midfielder who knows how to attack after the number of injuries they have had. Again, he’s not playing at Chelsea so I would imagine he is definitely available.

“Whether he is what Bielsa wants, who knows? Everyone who comes will have been signed off.

“So if he comes in it would probably be a good move.”

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The Verdict: Something different in midfield

While Barkley has never quite made it at the very top level, rarely being an indispensable presence for Chelsea, he could be an exciting addition for Leeds this month if they can acquire him.

He has 33 caps to his name for England, which is no mean feat, and he possesses the ability to break the lines in the middle of the park and dribble at pace. He has also been hailed as a “dedicated” player with “great quality” by his former Blues manager Frank Lampard.

Barkley has averaged 1.4 key passes and 1.2 dribbles per game in the league this season, highlighting how he could bring something different in midfield for Leeds, with Kalvin Phillips averaging 0.6 and 0.3 per game respectively by comparison. Kenny is right to talk up an Elland Road return for his former team-mate.

In other news, Phil Hay has made a key Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

Luke Evans, Northamptonshire’s on-loan seamer has been recalled to his main county Durham, two weeks into a 28-day spell on loa

Cricinfo staff30-Apr-2010Luke Evans, Northamptonshire’s on-loan seamer has been recalled to his main county Durham, two weeks into a 28-day spell on loan.Evans was called back to the north east by Geoff Cook, the Durham coach, after making two Championship appearances for Northants. During his time at Northants, the 22-year-old seamer took five wickets including a best of 3-53 against Gloucestershire.In the meantime Durham have been struck by injuries to key pacemen Steve Harmison and Graham Onions. In their absence Durham have failed to be the potent force of the last two seasons, and watched Yorkshire rack up 610 for 6 in their recent Championship match at Headingley.Evans said he enjoyed his time with Northants but is looking forward to performing for his home county. “The lads have been fantastic and it’s been really easy to fit in here. The environment has been superb. Although my time here has been brief, I’ve learnt a lot. I’m a bit shocked at what’s happening. Plans have changed very quickly. Maybe one day I can return and do a job for Northants, but for now I have to focus on Durham.””When I first came down, I was aware that Northants was a great club. There is a good connection between Durham and Northants and I hope my time here has helped strengthen that relationship.”

Plays of the day from the final day of the first Test at Chittagong

Andrew Miller in Chittagong16-Mar-2010Shot of the day
Junaid Siddique’s pummelling straight drive off Steven Finn that carried him through to his maiden Test century. Given his uncertainties against the quicks in the first innings, Junaid’s response was heroic in the extreme, as he stayed in line at all times, cut out the flinches off the ribs that had curtailed his stay on Saturday, and resolved to bat Bangladesh through to safety. Not even the advent of the nineties could upset his composure, as Finn came round the wicket to alter his line of attack, but was met with a crashing blade and an instant punch of delight, even before the ball had crossed the rope.Reaction of the day
Press boxes as a rule are a dour and objective domain. Applause is generally frowned upon, lest it gives the impression that you are rooting for one team or the other. But every now and again, one’s true colours are run gloriously up the mast, as occurred at the moment when Junaid reached his ton. A spontaneous, genuine and heartfelt explosion of applause and cheering burst forth from the sizeable Bangladeshi contingent, and even one or two of the Brits followed suit. It just goes to show that, regardless of the result of this match, a notable PR victory has been secured nonetheless.Send-off of the day
Junaid’s partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim had lasted for two balls shy of 70 overs, when finally – finally! – Graeme Swann made the breakthrough. Ten balls after lunch, in the 108th over of the innings (and Swann’s 41st for that matter), Junaid propped forward with less conviction than he might otherwise have shown before the interval, and squeezed a simple edge to Paul Collingwood at slip. But the bowler’s reaction was eyebrow-raising to say the least – a massive, lip-readable, obscenity and a double pump of the fists. It was a touch unnecessary but somewhat revealing. Few Bangladeshi batsmen have ever been worthy of such a back-handed compliment.Anticlimax of the day
One of Bangladesh’s two heroes made it to his landmark. The other, sadly, succumbed five runs short. Mushfiqur’s efforts throughout the game have been magnificent – he was the hub of his team’s resistance in the first innings and the yeoman support for Junaid in the second. But just when his second Test century was looming, he was coaxed into arguably his only rash shot of the match, a gallop down the track and a loose swipe at Swann, who slid a fuller delivery beneath the bat and into the off stump.Catch of the day
Michael Carberry had a busy time in the field on debut, with a key run-out in the first innings and the match-sealing catch in the second. The moment, when it arrived, was a sprinting, tumbling affair at deep midwicket, as he made ground to a lofted clip from Naeem Islam and clung on near the turf to wrap up the contest by 181 runs. And fittingly, it handed a tenth wicket to the Man of the Match, Graeme Swann, the first England offspinner to achieve such a feat since Jim Laker in his heyday of 1956.

The January transfer window is just around the corner and Newcastle United have been tipped to be busy throughout the month in terms of making signings.

Eddie Howe looks set to strengthen his Magpies squad, with Ousmane Dembele, Joe Rodon, Lucas Paqueta and Dusan Vlahovic just a few of the names linked with a switch to St. James’ Park.

However, the answer to every problem may not lie within the transfer market as Howe could look to bringing through a young gem instead of making a new signing in a certain position.

Save millions

One player who could be brought through into the academy to save PIF spending millions is forward Dylan Stephenson, who has been impressing this season.

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope once said “he certainly knows where the net is” and his record for the youth team this season backs up that claim. He has scored 11 goals in 16 games for the under-23 side, with 10 in 13 in the league and one in three in the EFL Trophy.

Earlier this year, Magpies youth coach Neil Winskill heaped praise on the young attacker. He told the club’s official website:

“I’m thrilled for Dylan because he is such an honest, hard-working lad. He’s the type of player any team would like to have in their XI, who’s going to really put a shift in for you.

“Every game and training session, the physical stats come through and he’s always top of the charts but we had a chat during the week about the need for him to be consistent with his quality, and he spoke to me about how he thinks people will judge him on goals.”

This shows that Stephenson, who has also been dubbed as “adaptable” by coach Elliott Dickman, is willing to put the hard yards in on the pitch, which could be crucial in a relegation battle setting. It proves that he will not down tools if things are not going his way and he will continue to battle to the death and that could be something that the fans appreciate seeing.

Therefore, the 11-goal predator could be a promising player to bring through as he has the goal record to suggest that he has the potential to make an impact at first-team level and the work rate to earn the support of the fans. This is why Howe must unleash him in the senior side and offer him a chance to show what he can do.

If he can impress and score goals in the Premier League then it could save PIF from needing to spend millions of pounds on a new striker in January.

AND in other news, Downie shares NUFC update after speaking “to the consortium”, fans will be thrilled…

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has praised Kalvin Phillips’ decision to have surgery, also hinting at him staying put beyond the summer.

The Lowdown: Phillips undergoes surgery

The Whites have suffered yet another injury blow with the news that the England midfielder is going to be missing for a significant chunk of action.

The 25-year-old has suffered a hamstring injury and is likely to miss around two months of football, having undergone successful surgery.

Leeds will have to battle on without their talisman during a hectic period in the season but he should be back for the business end of the campaign.

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The Latest: Whelan finds positives

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claims that it is a wise decision to have surgery immediately, rather than risk Phillips not being at his best for a long time. He said:

“It’s a really sensible move. We know how integral and important Kalvin is, and his value to this team will have demanded the surgery to take place in order to sort it out properly.

“No one wants to be without their talisman, but Leeds United will also realise that having him long-term is better than playing with a Kalvin Phillips that might be in and out of the team with the same problem.”

Furthermore, Whelan hinted at the Leeds hero staying at the club for a further 12 months at least, seemingly ruling out the idea of a summer exit amid rumours of other Premier League sides eyeing a swoop for him. The 46-year-old stated:

“It’s vitally important that he gets the treatment he needs. If that means we have to go without Kalvin for two months, but then we get him for the next 12 – then brilliant.”

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The Verdict: Better in the long run

Whelan is right- losing Phillips midway through the season is a big blow, but the decision to have surgery immediately is the right one, taking the hit now rather than letting it going on for several more months.

This way, the England international should return in good shape in February or March, rather than playing with an injury for the entirety of the campaign.

Regardless of where Phillips is playing his football in the future, it is important that he isn’t hampered in the long-term because of delaying surgery and making the situation worse.

In other news, one Leeds player has been linked with a summer exit. Find out who it is here.