All posts by h716a5.icu

Kevin Hurdle and Delyone Borden are the surprise absentees from Bermuda’s squad to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa next month

Cricinfo staff06-Mar-2009Kevin Hurdle and Delyone Borden are the surprise absentees from Bermuda’s squad to the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa next month.Borden has been punished for refusing to play after a pay dispute on a recent Caribbean tour, while Hurdle has failed to recover from a groin injury.Irving Romaine, who led the side to the 2007 World Cup, is retained as captain, and the former Glamorgan batsman David Hemp is his vice-captain.Squad Irving Romaine (capt), David Hemp (vice-capt), Chris Douglas, Fiqre Crockwell, Lionel Cann, Stephen Outerbridge, Jekon Edness, Janiero Tucker, Stefan Kelly, Kyle Hodsoll, George O’Brien, Glenn Blakeney, Dwayne Leverock, Rodney Trott, Tamauri Tucker.

Express and Star Journalist Luke Hatfield believes that if Jayson Molumby impresses at West Brom then he will stick around permanently.

Molumby signed an initial season-long loan deal with West Brom from Brighton and Hove Albion, with a view to a permanent move in the future.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Preston North End making 40 outings in all competitions.

Hatfield believes that Molumby is exactly the type of player that Baggies manager Valerien Ismael goes for and will buy into his philosophy, telling Transfer Tavern: “It’s on loan with a view to a permanent deal, so if he impresses well enough it could well be a permanent one. He doesn’t seem to be too much in the thinking at Brighton so that’s one I think could happen come the end of the season. 

“Obviously if he doesn’t put in performances then Albion will probably say goodbye to him but if he shows what he’s all about then it’s one that will probably stick around on a permanent basis.”

The Baggies currently sit second in the Championship table after an unbeaten start to the season, winning four of their first five matches.

After such a good start to the campaign, West Brom will be hoping to continue of their good run of form and hopefully make a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Chelsea are waiting to discover the extent of an injury to striker Romelu Lukaku ahead of their clash with Aston Villa this weekend, the Evening Standard reports.

The lowdown

£97.5million signing Lukaku has started Chelsea’s last two matches following his move from Inter Milan.

The Belgian was labelled ‘unplayable’ and ‘incredible’ by Arsenal great Sol Campbell after scoring in a man-of-the-match performance against the Gunners on his second Chelsea debut.

Villa, for their part, will head to Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening without Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia, who have been playing international football in ‘red list’ countries and so can’t yet return to the United Kingdom (via Birmingham Mail).

However, they may be boosted by the return of Bertrand Traore and summer signing Leon Bailey, with Dean Smith suggesting last month they would be back in contention after the break (via Premier Injuries).

The latest

Lukaku is suspended for Belgium’s World Cup qualifier against Belarus on Wednesday, clearing him to make him an early return to Chelsea.

However, he will first undergo a scan on what he calls a ‘minor’ thigh issue with which he’s been ‘struggling’ for ‘a while’.

This could rule him out of this weekend’s visit from the Villans, in what is surely a boost for Smith and co given the striker’s potency in recent years, scoring 24 and assisting 11 in Serie A last term.

The verdict

Villa fans might have had little hope of getting anything away against the European champions, particularly with no prospect of any Martinez heroics or creative flair from Buendia.

But there’s no denying that it would be a big blow to Chelsea if Lukaku was sidelined. He’s their deadly finisher and he can single-handedly dominate defences due to his physicality.

If Smith doesn’t have the Belgium star to worry about it may be easier to plot a way to stifle the hosts and launch counter attacks through the likes of Danny Ings, Traore and Bailey.

In other news, Kevin Phillips issues his verdict on a prospective Villa signing.

Twenty-nine days of Test cricket across three months and more than10,000 kilometres has not been enough to split the world’s two bestteams

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town23-Mar-2009
Australia’s young team defied expectations to bounce back and beat South Africa after a series loss at home last year © Getty Images
Twenty-nine days of Test cricket across three months and more than10,000 kilometres has not been enough to split the world’s two bestteams. After the battles at home and away the final outcome wasAustralia 3, South Africa 3. The net result is that Australia arestill the No. 1-ranked team in the world and South Africa remainsecond. The numbers might be soon forgotten but the quality of cricketthat has been on display will be remembered for years to come.The final Test of a long, fiercely-contested and highly-entertainingsummer ended with ten minutes to spare on the fourth day. It was thefirst of the six Tests between these two sides this season that failedto reach the fifth day. Every match produced a result and threw upindividual performances that showed the five-day format at its verybest.At the WACA in December it was Mitchell Johnson’s scarcely believableeight-wicket haul followed by an even more surprising effort from ABde Villiers and the South Africans, who completed the second-highestchase in Test history. In Melbourne it was the arrival of JP Duminy,whose 166 stamped him as a world-class player. At the SCG it was thespine-tingling sight of Graeme Smith walking down the steps with anhour to play, ready to bat with a broken hand to try and save thematch.In Johannesburg it was Marcus North’s century on debut, combined withJohnson’s breathtaking unbeaten 96. At Kingsmead it was the20-year-old Phillip Hughes, who refused to back down against one ofthe meanest pace attacks in the world, and became the youngest man inhistory to score two centuries in a Test. And in Cape Town it was thereturn of the forgotten man Ashwell Prince to score 150 as an opener,followed by a Johnson hundred that was a footnote to the match butpossibly the start of a new chapter for Australia.There wasn’t a boring match among them. The evenness of the overallcontest bodes well for future bouts between these two teams – theseries will become more frequent and will no longer be heldback-to-back – which are, along with India, unquestionably the currentsuperpowers in Test cricket.”Right at the moment that’s the way it is,” Ricky Ponting said. “I’m notsure if that will always remain the same because there are a number ofother very good Test sides out there as well. Whenever you mentionrankings and things you’ve always got to throw India into that as wellbecause they are a very formidable team, mainly at home but they arestarting to put some better performances on the board away from homeas well.
Paul Harris and Mitchell Johnson were the stars for their respective teams in Cape Town © Getty Images
“But as far as we’re concerned, we’d like to think that with whatwe’ve done in the last few months, bringing on a new generation ofAustralian players, that we can maintain a really high level of Testmatch cricket. If we do that and play somewhere the way we’ve playedin the first couple of weeks of this Test match tour and then I thinkwe’ll take some knocking out of that No. 1 ranking.”It was a strange scenario at the end of the Newlands match. Australiahad lost and it was a hefty defeat by an innings and 20 runs. Yetthere were smiles in the dressing room as the match slipped away, inpart because there was the entertainment of Johnson’s hundred but alsobecause the result of the dead rubber could be quickly erased from theAustralians’ memory.As Ponting’s men had their photos taken with the series trophy andlapped up the atmosphere in the twilight with Table Mountain in thebackground, the South Africans also celebrated. It was the second timethey had beaten Australia by an innings – the first came in Durban in1969-70 – and they had rediscovered the form that deserted them aftertheir 2-1 win in Australia.The re-emergence of Prince and centuries to AB de Villiers and thestand-in captain Jacques Kallis gave the Newlands crowd plenty tocheer, as did the nine-wicket match haul from Paul Harris. Kallis saidhis men would celebrate the strong performance but would also reflecton a series that was over too quickly.”[We’re] obviously elated with the win,” Kallis said. “The guys reallypitched up here on day one and we played the type of cricket that weknow we can play. But it is frustrating that we didn’t turn up likethat on the first day of the series. Having said that Australia playedsome really good cricket and put us under pressure.”The difference in the first two Tests was the incisiveness of theattacks on helpful pitches and South Africa’s experienced unit led byDale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini was outbowled by Australia’s young group.It wasn’t until the flat surface in Cape Town that Steyn found thesort of spark he had boasted in Australia..”Sometimes you get on a wicket that helps you as a bowling attack andyou try and bowl teams out and you forget what really works, andthat’s hitting good areas,” he said. “We did that exceptionally wellin this Test match and that’s what was lacking in the first two Testmatches. I think the guys have learnt a lot. On a green wicket you’vegot to bowl exactly the same way as if you’re bowling on a flat wicketand that’s what gets you the wickets, not searching for those miracleballs that pitch leg and hit the top of off.”The miracle balls might not have come for South Africa in this seriesbut across the six Tests there have been more than enough miraculousfeats from both teams. Fans will look back on the past three months asa golden summer for Test cricket.

Speaking to Football Insider, a West Ham United source has now made a transfer claim involving Rangers defender Connor Goldson as GSB set one eye on the transfer market already.

The Lowdown: West Ham in transfer flurry?

West Ham managed to land four senior summer signings for manager David Moyes despite having just Alphonse Areola to show for most of the window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-2/” title=”West Ham latest news…” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, GSB secured a plethora of last gasp deals as they signed Kurt Zouma from Chelsea in the latter stage with Alex Kral and Nikola Vlasic both joining on deadline day.

Already, it appears the club have one eye on more targets as a Rush Green source shares news.

The Latest: West Ham source makes Goldson claim…

As per FI, a West Ham source has now shared more news on Moyes’ transfer plans and who GSB could swoop for next.

Indeed, it appears Rangers ace Goldson is firmly on the radar with a belief emerging that the Hammers could ‘look to make a move’ in the new year.

West Ham are apparently keeping a watchful eye over the 28-year-old’s contract situation as Rangers risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.

The Verdict: Get it done?

As Angelo Ogbonna begins to reach the twilight phase of his career at 33-years-old, with his future also uncertain given his current contract expires in 2022, we believe Goldson could come as a fine potential replacement.

The Gers ace, who manager Steven Gerrard has called ‘absolutely immense’, finished last campaign as one of the SPFL champions’ most consistent performers.

Indeed, he racked up the second-most aerial duels won per 90 out of their entire squad (4.2) whilst also averaging more clearances per game (3) than any Gers player with over 10 appearances (WhoScored).

Taking this into account, he could be a steal, especially for free.

In other news: ‘No brainer’…Sky pundit reacts as West Ham eye ‘massive signing for Moyes’, find out more here.

Lahore Badshahs opener Imran Farhat has dismissed suggestions that Pakistani players in the ICL wanted to end their contracts, and play for the national side again given the unofficial league’s uncertain future

Cricinfo staff09-Apr-2009Lahore Badshahs opener Imran Farhat has dismissed suggestions that Pakistani players in the ICL wanted to end their contracts and play for the national side again given the unofficial league’s uncertain future.He also refuted claims that along with other players they had given it in writing to the PCB that they would terminate their ICL contracts if reconsidered for selection. “I think there is some misunderstanding,” Farhat told a private TV channel. “I have given no undertaking to the board that I will cancel my ICL contract if they select me for Pakistan.”It is also wrong to say that the ICL is being wound up and that they have already cancelled our contracts which is why some of the players now are offering to play for Pakistan again.”Farhat, 26, who has played 26 Tests and 33 ODIs for Pakistan, said the ICL had not informed him or most of the other players of any plans to cancel their contracts. However, Farhat and Mumbai Champs batsman Hasan Raza, who was also present during the talk show, said their priority was to always play for Pakistan and if they were selected they would rethink their future options.”As it is, the ICL contract never prevented us from playing for our country even during the League if we were required for national duty,” Raza said. “It is the board’s decision to ban us and this only hurt Pakistan.””We got a chance to play in the ICL at a time when, despite consistent performances, the national selectors and the board were ignoring us. Cricket is our bread and butter and the ICL took good care of us financially,” Farhat said.He also said the players were not worried about not receiving any payments from the ICL for some months. “They are good paymasters and have taken good care of us. A few months’ delay is no issue. We know eventually we will have our dues cleared.”

Ravi Bopara compiled a supremely-paced half-century, one that could rival AB de Villiers’ century because it came during a run-chase, to give Kings XI Punjab their first victory of the tournament

The Bulletin by George Binoy24-Apr-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Ravi Bopara displayed tremendous calmness during the Kings XI Punjab chase•AFPRavi Bopara compiled a supremely-paced innings, one that could rival AB de Villiers’ century because it came during a run-chase, to give Kings XI Punjab their first victory of the tournament. He scored steadily without taking too many risks and just when the chase entered its final phase Bopara accelerated with tremendous speed to consign Bangalore Royal Challengers to their third consecutive defeat.The groundwork for the win was laid by Punjab’s bowlers who made their first sunny match-day count. Yusuf Abdulla, who had bowled three overs for 39 before this match, struck at crucial moments in Bangalore’s innings. Abdulla’s four strikes, and Irfan Pathan’s three in the final overs, were vital in restricting Bangalore to 168, a target which allowed Punjab’s batsmen to play according to a plan.Chasing under lights at Kingsmead can be tricky and Punjab approached their chase cautiously. Their openers, Karan Goel and Bopara, played few big shots, focusing instead on scoring at nearly eight an over by pushing the ball into gaps. They scored only 44 off the first six overs and Bopara’s pull off Jacques Kallis, which sailed over the square leg boundary at the start of the seventh over, was the first six of the innings.Goel fell soon after, run out after a stand of 52, and the batsmen that followed – Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj Singh – also paced, rather than pushed, their innings. Punjab ensured that the asking-rate didn’t spiral out of control, but with 60 runs needed off the last five overs, they couldn’t afford any slip-ups.Bopara ensured there weren’t any. He launched into Praveen Kumar in the 16th over, smashing him for sixes over long-on and deep backward square leg and took 19 runs off the over. Yuvraj pulled and glanced two fours off Kallis in the next over to reduce the equation to 28 off three. And when Bopara pulled a full toss and powered another full ball over the leg-side boundary, the game was nearly won. Yuvraj reached the target with a straight six with a whole over to spare, completing a clinical chase.The calmness that Punjab exhibited during the chase was absent during Bangalore’s innings. Bangalore’s openers once again failed to put a partnership together with Robin Uthappa chasing and edging Pathan’s wide delivery in the second over. It was the fourth time in as many matches that Bangalore were losing an opener for a duck (Jesse Ryder twice, Praveen and Uthappa once). Ryder, however, finally got off the mark this season, punching his third ball off Ranadeb Bose to the cover boundary.Kallis started in high gear, pulling a short ball from Pathan over the long-leg boundary and lofting Abdulla’s first ball over cover point for four. Ryder also hit Pathan to the point boundary and Bangalore seemed to have shrugged off their Powerplay troubles: their average in the first six overs was 36 runs for the loss of 2.33 wickets and today they were 48 for 1 off 5.1 overs.Abdulla, however, wrecked their momentum, bowling Ryder as he attempted to play a pull. Two balls later, he struck a tremendous blow, drawing Kevin Pietersen into spooning a catch to cover off a slower ball. Rahul Dravid once again entered with his team in trouble – 48 for 3 – but this time he failed to contribute. Tied down by the spinners – Bangalore scored only 22 between overs six and ten – Dravid attempted to smash Piyush Chawla down the ground and skied a catch towards long-on.Kallis and Taylor had added 61 in quick time before Abdulla returned to induce a mis-timed pull from Kallis with a slower short ball. Taylor continued to attack, slog-sweeping Chawla into the stands at deep midwicket, but he eventually became Abdulla’s fourth wicket. Pathan picked up quick wickets towards the close and Bangalore finished several runs short of what they would have aimed for.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has revealed that Leeds United defender Luke Ayling is among a number of players who will be missing from tonight’s Carabao Cup clash against Fulham.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter, the journalist revealed: “A lot of absentees at Fulham tonight – Koch, Llorente, Ayling, Harrison etc. Bamford took that knock in the second half at Newcastle so not expecting him to play. Forshaw has a chance of featuring though. #lufc”

This was then confirmed by the club’s official website, which posted: “Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling will both miss tonight’s Carabao Cup game with Fulham following injuries picked up in Friday night’s match against Newcastle United.

“Bamford has an ankle injury, whilst Ayling was withdrawn with a knee injury. Both will continue rehabilitation at Thorp Arch before Saturday’s Premier League game against West Ham United at Elland Road.”

Bielsa will be worried

While Ayling being ruled out for a third round Carabao Cup clash away at Championship side Fulham is hardly likely to have Bielsa sweating buckets, the Leeds manager will certainly be worried about how significant the 30-year-old’s injury is going forward.

With Llorente, Koch and Struijk all out either through injury or suspension, centre-back has suddenly become an area of real concern for Bielsa after initially being a position of strength.

Whilst he may not be the most glamorous or eye-catching name on the team-sheet, there’s no questioning that Ayling has been one of the manager’s most trusted lieutenants over the past couple of seasons.

The £45k-a-week ace played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game last season bar one, and even that was when Bielsa took him off to try and find a goal in the last 20 minutes against ten-man Arsenal.

Ayling also wore the captain’s armband on 12 occasions last year, and his leadership at the back is something the Whites could desperately use when you consider that other first-choice defenders such as Llorente, Koch and Struijk are also ruled out.

Described as a “great technician”, his presence in the side cannot be underestimated, with Bielsa saying after Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Aston Villa back in late October that the right-back “transmitted serenity to the rest of the team”.

The Leeds boss even once said that Ayling was someone “who can solve any problem”, and that’s exactly why Hay’s update is a body blow for Bielsa and the club.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must unleash this Leeds starlet tonight against Fulham…

An update has emerged on Southampton target Keane Lewis-Potter, regarding Hull’s expectation for the January window.

What’s the talk?

According to The Hull Daily Mail, Hull are expecting offers to come in for Keane Lewis-Potter in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Southampton have a firm interest in the forward and that Hull could find it difficult to stop him from leaving the club.

Exciting for Southampton

Southampton fans will surely be excited by this update as it suggests that the club could be ready to make a move for him in the next window. Hull seem to believe that Saints’ interest in the player is serious and that it could lead to an offer in the upcoming months, which could be exciting for supporters who may want to see the club add to the squad.

Lewis-Potter has impressed since breaking through into the Hull team and has produced two goals and one assist this term in the Championship. In the 2020/21 League One campaign, he racked up 13 goals and five assists for his side, showing that he could score and assist goals on a regular basis.

Last year, Hull manager Grant McCann lauded the youngster for his performances in League One. He said: “The kid’s a special talent. Wherever we play him across that frontline, he’ll create and score goals.

“He can be anything he wants to be. He’s quick, he’s getting stronger. If you see him physically now compared to where he was this time last year, he’s head and shoulders above in terms of his physique. He’s got all the tools to be anything he wants.

“With young players you need to keep on at them. They need to keep understanding what’s expected on an everyday level. We’ve got good staff around here to help Keano keep progressing.”

This shows how highly rated he is and why Saints fans could look forward to the prospect of him arriving at St. Mary’s in January. Ralph Hasenhuttl would be getting a 20-year-old attacker with scope for development, who could push the current first-team players whilst also being a long-term project for the manager to work on.

He could be one the fans are able to enjoy watching over the course of a number of seasons, watching his progress, instead of someone who comes in and provides quality straight away.

AND in other news, 5 tackles won: Southampton powerhouse with 7 duels won stole the show vs SUFC…

Zimbabwe Cricket has once again made changes to its provincial structure, and from next season it will be based on five regional franchises

Steven Price in Harare08-May-2009Zimbabwe Cricket has once again made changes to its provincial structure, and from next season it will be based on five regional franchises, as recommended in the recent ICC report into the country’s cricketing infrastructure.The five franchises will be based in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Kwekwe and Masvingo. “It’s a model which is similar to [that used by] Cricket South Africa since 2004” a spokesman explained. “It decentralises the administration of first-class cricket and has worked very well there.”The board has tinkered with the domestic set-up several times in recent years, initially to remove all areas of dissent, and then to try to find a solution to falling standards. Many believed the new structures were aimed at consolidating all power within the ZC elite, and there were reports that funds did not always filter down to the grass roots.This does not seem to have been lost on the ICC and one of the more forceful recommendations was that decentralisation was vital. While senior stakeholders welcomed the news, one told Cricinfo that it would only work if there was a high level of transparency in the funding of the new franchises “otherwise their income will depend on their subservience to those running the board”.However, that appears to have been recognised, and the new franchises will have far greater autonomy that previously, taking charge of almost every aspect of the game in their regions.”Under the new system, ZC will grant five selected franchise management committees the rights to administer first-class cricket on a professional basis, and as a commercially viable business,” a statement read. “The franchises will, among other things, contract players, employ technical staff and maintain a facility to use as a home ground.””ZC will provide the franchises with an annual grant, but it will be the responsibility of the individual franchise to raise any extra capital requirements through sponsorship and other fund-raising initiatives.””This change in structure is groundbreaking in that it will empower the wider community in Zimbabwe to become actively involved in the sport,” said Peter Chingoka, the board chairman.The FranchisesHarare Metropolitan and Mashonaland Central who will use Harare Sports Club as a home baseBulawayo Metropolitan and Matabeleland North to use Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo as home venue.Midlands and Mashonaland West to use Kwekwe Sports Club as base.Manicaland and Mashonaland East to play home matches at Mutare Sports Club.Masvingo and Matabeleland South to use Masvingo Sports Club.