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Darren Stevens put the skids under Somerset after Kent had won the toss on the opening day of the County Championship match at Taunton

20-Jul-2010
ScorecardDarren Stevens caused Somerset unexpected problems with his medium pace•Getty ImagesDarren Stevens put the skids under Somerset after Kent had won the toss on the opening day of the County Championship match at Taunton. The hosts looked to have seen off the new ball and moved into a comfortable position when reaching 101 for 1 on a green pitch, but then lost six wickets for 17 runs either side of lunch.Medium-pacer Stevens had figures of 4 for 21 from 10.4 overs when rain set in early in the afternoon with Somerset struggling on 122 for 7. The pitch always looked likely to assist the seamers, but Marcus Trescothick and Arul Suppiah still put together an opening stand of 64 before they were parted in the 14th over.Trescothick was lbw for 27 pushing forward to Stevens, who was in his first over. The Somerset skipper had hit five fours in a typically positive innings. Jos Buttler joined Suppiah and the pair had taken the score to 101 in the 23rd over when Suppiah’s dismissal sparked a dramatic slump. The opener drove without getting to the pitch of the ball and was caught at point by Joe Denly off Simon Cook for 34.Two more wickets fell without addition to the total. Buttler was caught at second slip off Stevens for 20 and, two balls later, James Hildreth edged the same bowler to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones. Craig Kieswetter’s disappointing form with the bat continued when he lifted a catch to cover and departed for six to give Stevens his fourth wicket.It was 116 for 6 when Peter Trego was picked up at second slip by Martin van Jaarsveld off Amad Khan, who then had Ben Phillips caught behind for a duck with only two added to the score. Somerset had lost six wickets in 10 overs and it was something of a relief for the home dressing room when rain fell heavily with the scored on 122 for 7. It was the second time the players had been forced off and this time it was more than a shower.Zander de Bruyn, who had watched much of the carnage from the other end, was unbeaten on 7 and vice-captain Alfonso Thomas on 4. The second rain break came at 2.25pm and at 5pm umpires Michael Gough and Neil Bainton decided no further play would be possible.

Many Wolves fans have been left reacting to some transfer news that has emerged on Joao Moutinho.

As per La Repubblica (via Sport Witness), Jose Mourinho and Roma are now interested in signing the central midfield player, with his contract in the Midlands club running out in the summer.

At 35 years of age, the Molineux faithful have to consider where his immediate future lies, with the risk of losing him for free in just a few months.

Moutinho has been one of their best players this season, in fact he ranks ninth in their squad according to WhoScored, and is high among his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions, blocks, key passes, crosses and long balls per game in the Premier League.

Nonetheless, some WWFC supporters do not want to see him go to Roma, and so would rather he stayed and signed a new deal.

Wolves fans on Moutinho transfer news

These Wanderers reacted to the transfer news as it was shared on Twitter:

“I fear we’ll be stripped bare in the summer. I hear Man Utd are looking at Max Kilman”

Credit: @Johnboy42370177

“I wish everybody would stop trying to steal our players”

Credit: @TonyBel83049813

“Two more years at Wolves Joao”

Credit: @LeightonBinder

“One more year Joao!”

Credit: @JackBrownieee97

“NOOOOOOO!!!”

Credit: @Dazwolf180

“I wish the vultures would stay away! Football is crazy, anyone who is brilliant is immediately headhunted from us. I guess that’s all in the game but …….”

Credit: @peggyja95517835

In other news, find out what hope Wolves have in their bid to sign this former player here!

Guyana top-order batsman Travis Dowlin said there was a great sense of anticipation in the country ahead of the side’s campaign in the Champions League 2010 which he termed “a wonderful journey into the unknown”

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2010Guyana top-order batsman Travis Dowlin said there was a great sense of anticipation in the country ahead of their side’s campaign in the Champions League 2010 which he termed “a wonderful journey into the unknown”.Guyana surprised cricket watchers in the Caribbean by beating more fancied sides to win the Caribbean T20 and gain entry into the Champions League. Dowlin top-scored in the biggest of those upsets – a semi-final win against tournament favourites Trinidad and Tobago – before they rose from the dumps to beat Barbados in the final. The team has been training hard for the event under coach Ravindranauth Sreeram and captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, and have some warm-up games before the prestigious tournament.”There are very high levels of enthusiasm in the squad,” Dowlin said after Wednesday’s training. “Everyone is really excited now we have this great opportunity to play in the Champions League and represent our beloved country on the international stage. There is real expectation among the people of Guyana.”Everywhere you turn, people including the taxi drives, bus drivers… just about everyone has been congratulating us for our performance in winning the Caribbean T20 and also wishing us all the best as we prepare for South Africa. It feels really good to see that people here paid so much attention to our performances. We hope to maintain that same level of intensity and commitment to the cause,” Dowlin said.Guyana’s campaign will be closely monitored, following T&T’s memorable run to the finals in the 2009 event. Dowlin insisted that, like their predecessors, Guyana hoped to leave a lasting impression on the competition. “As a Guyana team we want to bring our own brand of cricket. We want to create our own legacy. Trinidad and Tobago had a great legacy. Last year they did really well for the region, reaching the final, and everyone is expecting us to play a similar sort of game. In many ways we are similar to the Trinidadians in terms of the make-up of our squad, but what we want to do is to have people see us as the Guyana team playing the game in our way, workman-like and efficient and enjoying what we do,” he said.Guyana’s trump card, going into an event featuring several superstars, is the relative anonymity of their players, such as Jonathan Foo, Lennox Cush and Devendra Bishoo, who came to the fore during the Caribbean T20. “We have the element of surprise. We have a number of new players – several players who have never yet played at the international level – so this can very well work in our favour. We have some players who can hit the ball powerfully including Jonathan Foo, Christopher Barnwell, and the Crandon brothers (Royston and Esaun) and we also have myself, Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine, who are ‘workers’ of the ball.For a side heavily reliant on spin, Dowlin admitted that bowling in the end overs was a concern. “The one major area we have been working hard on is our bowling at the death. We have to sharpen up in that department as that is one area that can hurt any team in this version of the game,” he said.In the Caribbean, the build-up to the event has been marred by an ongoing dispute between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) over splitting the $500,000 participation fee paid by the Champions League organisers. On Wednesday WIPA disagreed with the board’s claim to a third of the amount on the grounds that there was no such precedent from the other international boards.”WIPA is of the view that retaining such a large sum could have a direct negative impact on Guyanese cricket and its players. In fact, WIPA understands that no monies were deducted from the TTCB (the T&T board) for last year’s participation,” the WIPA release said.The WICB’s argument was that it needed the money to recover costs to the tune of $2 million incurred in staging the Caribbean T20. WIPA, however, held that it had not been presented with any financial figures validating the costs. “If the WICB has made a loss for organizing the recent tournament they should place all the financial information into the public domain to confirm their commitment to transparency and good governance,” the WIPA release said.The Guyana players have also been distracted by contractual disputes between the WIPA and GCB. WIPA entered negotiations over the side’s participation between GCB and WICB on behalf of the players, but Guyana’s board did not accede to some of their demands, leading to rumours of a legal wrangle. Guyanese officials have dismissed reports that they are considering filing an injunction against the WIPA.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a late blow over one of their mooted January transfer window targets this week…

What’s the word?

There were reports suggesting that Spurs had agreed on a deal with AC Milan for midfielder Franck Kessie, who is out of contract in the summer, after sporting director Fabio Paratici tried to sign him immediately instead of waiting until the end of the season.

However, it appears as if he won’t be joining this month – if at all – as according to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, the 25-year-old star has verbally agreed to join LaLiga giants Barcelona in June.

“Verbal agreement between #Kessie and #Barcelona for June when the contract with the midfielder’s #Milan will expire. No signature for the moment but the #Blaugrana aim to get to the definition of the details with the player’s entourage,” he tweeted.

Gutting blow for Conte

This will come as devastating news to Antonio Conte, who has previously been said to have requested Kessie’s signature heading into this month – and it’s easy to see why.

The £25m-rated Ivory Coast powerhouse would be an instant upgrade to the bulk of the Italian’s options, especially as the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Dele Alli and Giovani Lo Celso are free to leave before Monday’s deadline.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Kessie is capable of not only providing a physical presence in the engine room but also goals with his set-piece talents and ability to drive the ball forward into the final third.

Indeed, only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15 goals) found the net more times than the AC Milan midfielder (13) last season, whilst he also averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

That sort of style has earned comparison to former Premier League star Yaya Toure after Antonio Cassano also dubbed him “devastating” to Bobo TV (via MilanLive).

Elsewhere, Kessie has been described as an “extraordinary player” by his ex-Milan boss Vincenzo Montella.

Therefore, Conte will be truly gutted to have missed out on a player that he’s asked for, one that has been regularly linked with the north Londoners in recent months.

It comes late in the window, so Paratici and co will have their work cut out to find an alternative with just a handful of days remaining.

AND in other news, “In talks”: Sky Sports journo drops huge Spurs transfer update, Conte will be buzzing…

Newcastle were active throughout the January transfer window as PIF moved to bring a number of players to Tyneside.

Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn and Chris Wood all joined on permanent deals, while Matt Targett was signed on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa.

The Magpies are currently 18th in the table and facing a fight against relegation to the second tier, with these fresh additions potentially helping them to move out of the bottom three.

How could Howe’s best XI look? Here is our take on it…

Dan Burn and Matt Targett could start in the back four for Howe, joining Trippier – who has already established himself at right-back.

The January signing from Brighton, Burn, has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.96 in the Premier League, whilst Targett has managed a score of 6.82. No Newcastle player with five or more league outings this term has achieved a higher rating in either of their positions, suggesting that they will be able to immediately improve the team.

In midfield, Joelinton and Jonjo Shelvey could keep their places, with new signing Guimaraes added to the starting XI. The Brazilian midfielder joins off the back of an impressive campaign in Ligue 1, averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.30, which is why he could slot straight into the team.

Howe said of him: “Bruno is a hugely exciting talent and has been one of our primary targets so I’m delighted to secure him. He strengthens the group immediately ready for the challenge ahead.”

His consistently brilliant displays could provide a lift in the middle of the park alongside Shelvey and Joelinton. This could provide protection to the back four, whilst giving the attack some support going the other way – with Bruno averaging 1.8 key passes per game.

At the top end of the pitch, there may not be a place for Wood in the starting XI if Howe decides to go with a 4-5-1 formation. When Callum Wilson returns from injury, he should be the player leading the line for the Magpies, having scored six goals in 14 – compared to the former Burnley man’s three in 19.

The New Zealand international could be used in a 4-4-2 set-up alongside Wilson, but in this best XI there is no room for him to play. Therefore, the January signing could end up on the bench as an impact substitute if Howe’s best XI comes to fruition.

AND in other news, Forget Ekitike: Howe dropped D-Day Newcastle clanger on “underrated” £50k-p/w flyer…

Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, has expressed his disappointment at the prospect of his team being broken up ahead of the IPL player auction in November

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2010Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians captain, has expressed his disappointment at the prospect of his team being broken up ahead of the IPL player auction in November. Tendulkar said the Mumbai franchise had worked hard to build its team and it was “tough to accept” that the composition had to change.”I feel it is about building teams, not breaking teams,” Tendulkar said. “We have really worked hard to build this team and have got together brilliantly. In the third year we held a couple of camps, which had nothing to do with cricket. It was just about getting together and building team spirit.”Right from the management and the owners, Mr and Mrs Ambani, they have all put in a lot of effort along with the players, and then you realise that the team has to change. It’s tough to accept that.”The Mumbai Indians were the first IPL side to be eliminated from the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa and have probably played their last competitive game together. Under the new IPL regulations, each of the eight franchises that participated in the 2010 season can retain up to four players, only three of whom can be Indians. All the other international capped players, as well as those who have played 75% of their side’s IPL matches in 2010, will be part of the auction.”I don’t know, it’s not my job to figure what’s right or wrong, but I feel if a player is happy to play for a particular team, it’s good he stays with that team,” Tendulkar said, when asked if he was happy with the retention formula. “There’s some sort of identity with that team. We have a huge following now and it’s also an attachment with a particular team.”Rahul Dravid, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, however, has offered a different point of view. He said that since two new franchises – Pune and Kochi – had been added to the IPL, increasing the number of teams to ten, the majority of the players had to go into the auction. “One has to understand that two more teams are entering the IPL,” Dravid said last week, “and the beauty of the IPL is that it’s very competitive, anyone can win.”We don’t want to end up in a situation like in the Premiership [English Premier League] where only three or four teams can win the tournament. It’s an even playing field. I like the concept of everyone having a chance to do well as it raises the level of the tournament. It raises the interest levels also.”

David Warner has his sights firmly set on becoming the new Adam Gilchrist at the top of Australia’s one-day batting line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2010David Warner has his sights firmly set on becoming the new Adam Gilchrist at the top of Australia’s one-day batting line-up. Warner, 23, is in India with the ODI squad and Australia’s selectors are keen to see how he performs in the 50-over format on the subcontinent, with a potential World Cup place up for grabs.Although Australia have largely used Warner as a Twenty20 specialist, he also played seven ODIs last year and once bludgeoned a memorable 165 in a one-day game for New South Wales. His all-or-nothing style might not always suit the pacing of 50-over cricket but he hopes he can play a similar role to Gilchrist, who was viewed by every opponent as a potential matchwinner.”I see myself as similar to Adam Gilchrist, more of an X-factor player, where I go out there and try to mimic his role as he played,” Warner told reporters in India. “He was aggressive, he might’ve come off one in five innings as well, but he changed the course of the game.”Everyone was talking about, ‘We’ve got to get Adam out, if we don’t get him out then he could put 100 on in 10 overs’. I look up to him as that kind of player, an impact player, where if I can get off to a good start, I can put the other team on the back foot and make them worry about how they’re going to get myself out, instead of the other players they should be worrying about as well.”The most recent of Warner’s one-day internationals came against Scotland last August, but that was a one-off encounter used as a warm-up for Twenty20s against England. During his six earlier games Warner made one significant score – 69 against South Africa in Sydney – but he said he had found it hard to adjust from Twenty20 in his initial steps on the ODI scene.”I felt that I had to keep going the same pace and one tempo, and that’s where I reckon I’ve matured now and I’ve learned to adapt,” Warner said. “There were little things there where I wasn’t in the right position, so that’s the thing that was out, but if I go back into the same situation I’m going to do the same thing because it was there to hit.”But in the end I was probably feeling a bit of pressure because I wasn’t scoring runs. I’m still going to play the same way I play, but not trying to go after every ball – I’ve got 50 overs, not 20. Now I reckon I’m mature enough that I can try to last 50 overs.”Warner’s opportunity in India was granted when the selectors decided to rest Shane Watson ahead of the Ashes, but rain washed out the first ODI in Kochi on Sunday. There are also concerns over the weather for the remaining two games, in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday and Margao on Sunday.

Newcastle United journalists have been left buzzing after some injury news emerged in the build-up to the clash with Leicester City involving Kieran Trippier.

The Lowdown: Ahead of schedule

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of their match at home to Leicester in the Premier League, Eddie Howe has revealed that Trippier is now ‘very slightly’ ahead of schedule in terms of recovering from his injury, and he is ‘beginning’ to run back outside on the grass.

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The former Burnley and AFC Bournemouth manager warned that he still needs to ‘build up his fitness’, but says that he is in a ‘good place’, albeit not available for the visit of Brendan Rodgers’ Foxes on Sunday.

The Latest: Journalists buzzing

Taking to Twitter, The Shields Gazette journalist Dominic Scurr claimed that it is a ‘big positive’ that Trippier is now back out on the grass.

Newcastle World journalist Jordan Cronin also gave his reaction, claiming that it is ‘excellent news’ that he is ahead of schedule.

The Verdict: Big boost

The fact that Trippier could be back sooner than expected is a big boost for Howe and the St. James’ Park faithful.

The right-back currently ranks as their best performer in the top flight so far this season, and also tops his teammates in terms of average tackles, interceptions and crosses per game (WhoScored).

The North East club will not feel that they are completely safe yet, and so having Trippier back for the majority of the run-in would certainly help in putting the points needed on the board.

In other news, find out what worrying Allan Saint-Maximin update has now been dropped here!

Manchester United have met with the representatives of Paulo Dybala ahead of a possible summer move.

The Lowdown: Dybala’s contract situation

Dybala, labelled as ‘world-class’ by Paul Robinson, is out of contract at Juventus in a matter of months.

The 28-year-old has scored 113 times in 286 appearances for Juventus, but could well end his seven-year stay with the Italian giants.

Premier League rivals Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham are on red alert over a deal, and it looks as if the Red Devils are also now involved in what could prove to be a transfer tussle.

The Latest: Old Trafford meeting

Sports Witness relayed an update from Corriere dello Sport, who revealed that Dybala’s representatives had a meeting with the Old Trafford club last week.

Erik ten Hag looks set to come in as United’s new manager and is reportedly ‘key’ to any chance of a free transfer materialising.

The Verdict: Need to be quick?

Dybala clearly isn’t short of suitors, so if United want to get a pre-contract agreement over the line, they may have to act fast.

That would mean confirming a move for ten Hag relatively swiftly and then looking at holding further talks with the Argentine forward’s representatives.

Dybala is a player who can turn out as a centre-forward, second striker or an attacking midfielder and is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, so a pre-contract agreement could be an exciting first move under ten Hag.

In other news: ‘Expected’ – Fabrizio Romano drops first blow for ten Hag at Man Utd with appointment ‘imminent’. 

Jesse Ryder is likely to play only as a batsman in the second Test in Hyderabad as he recovers from a stiffness in his calf that prevented him from bowling in India’s second innings at Motera

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2010Jesse Ryder is likely to play only as a batsman in the second Test in Hyderabad as he recovers from a stiffness in his calf that prevented him from bowling in India’s second innings at Motera.”Jesse’s getting better,” Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, said after an afternoon practice session on a particularly hot day. “I don’t think he will bowl in this Test match but he will be available to bat.”New Zealand played only four frontline bowlers in the first Test – Chris Martin, Hamish Bennett, Jeetan Patel and Vettori – and used Ryder’s medium-pace to fill the fifth bowler’s slot. Ryder bowled 17 overs in the first innings and broke an opening partnership that was scoring at five an over by bowling Gautam Gambhir.Apart from Ryder’s unavailability as a bowling option, New Zealand have also had to replace Bennett, who flew home with a groin problem. Bennett bowled only 15 overs, all of them in the first-innings, in Ahmedabad, and his spot in the squad was taken by allrounder James Franklin.Franklin bowls at a brisk medium-pace and, should he be in the XI in Ahmedabad, it’s unlikely that that the Bennett-Franklin swap will be the only change as that would leave New Zealand light on seam-bowling options. Andy McKay or Tim Southee could get a look in as the second seamer alongside Martin, with Franklin providing the third seam-bowling option. If that is the case, though, New Zealand will have to make a change in the middle order to accommodate Franklin. There don’t appear to be any middle-order vacancies, though, with New Zealand’s most vulnerable batsmen – Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling – occupying the No. 1 and 3 slots.Another option is to do away with the two-spinner strategy and bring in Franklin for offspinner Jeetan Patel but it will be a brave move to take on the formidable Indian batting with only four proper bowling options. “We’ll certainly look at it [two spinners] for this game. The wicket obviously is reasonably flat but it will have a little more pace in it than the one in Ahmedabad,” Vettori said. “India have done it for a long time and been successful with it but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for us. We have to replace Hamish Bennett anyway so we’ll have a look at all our seamers and see what the right combination is.”New Zealand’s three-man attack, however, did just fine without Ryder and Bennett on the fourth evening in Ahmedabad, when Martin skittled out the Indian top order, reducing the innings to 15 for 5. The lack of bowling options, though, was evident on the final day when Vettori used Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, who had never bowled in first-class or List A cricket before, for 10.4 overs between them. Taylor, however, managed two wickets and although the hosts batted their way to safety, they were dismissed for a second time in the Test, a feat that was considered beyond this New Zealand attack.”I think that’s the big challenge for teams coming to India – to take 20 wickets – because of how formidable the batting line-up is and also the nature of the wickets. We managed to do it in the first Test but that’s been and gone. We have to do it in this one and that’s our aim. Whatever conditions we come across we have to take 20 wickets.”