All posts by h716a5.icu

JP Duminy has said that Graeme Smith’s absence would be felt, but it would also give others a chance to display their skills

Jamie Alter04-Oct-2009JP Duminy has said that Graeme Smith’s absence would be felt during the Cape Cobras’ Champions League Twenty20 campaign, but it would also give others a chance to display their skills. Like his captain Andrew Puttick, Duminy believed the team’s sense of self belief was a strength, and if they get their basics right, they can overcome their inexperience in Indian conditions.”It will be tough to replace a guy like Graeme, but I feel we have enough depth in our ranks to seriously challenge our opponents,” Duminy said. “I think we have a very good skipper in Andrew Puttick who has good experience in the intricacies of the Twenty20 format. We just need to focus on our strengths and a good start will go a long way in boosting our chances in the Champions League.”Duminy said that facing different teams and conditions would hurry the Cobras’ learning. “It will be a new experience for me in terms of playing in India where we will be playing in front of a different sort of crowd,” he said. “While playing for the Mumbai Indians (in the IPL) I had a chance to interact with players from different parts of the world. But here I will be playing with the guys I have known for years. Whether it is for South Africa or Mumbai or for Cobras my aim is to help the team winning.”It is a big tournament for me, especially considering that the third edition of the IPL is going to be held in India. I hope to build a sound platform for the IPL by getting to know the subcontinental conditions through the Champions League.”In Smith’s absence, Duminy is a key player for the Cobras in all three departments. But Duminy felt that was no added pressure on him and that he wasn’t worried about expectations. “Here I have to adapt quickly to the subcontinental conditions as they differ from what we get in South Africa. I really feel confident about the tournament and our chances in the Champions League.”The Cobras will play their first game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on October 8, after two warm-ups in the city. “They (Bangalore) are a good side and that they had finished runners-up in the IPL shows their strength,” Duminy said. “They also have some very good players in their ranks like [Rahul] Dravid, [Anil] Kumble etc, but the Cobras are right up to the challenge.”

Tottenham winger Jack Clarke is attracting interest from a number of Championship sides ahead of the January window, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: Clarke impressed Mourinho…

Clarke, described as a player with ‘huge talent’, made the move to north London from Leeds United back in 2019 for £9.9m when Mauricio Pochettino was still in charge.

He’s spent time out on loan at three Championship clubs since signing, most recently Stoke City, and has made just four senior Spurs appearances.

Clarke, who will turn 21 later this month, ‘really’ impressed Jose Mourinho during his time in charge, but it appears as if he could be heading out in the New Year following Antonio Conte’s arrival.

The Latest: Four clubs interested

TEAMtalk shared a story regarding Clarke on Thursday morning, claiming four second-tier sides are interested in his services.

They suggest that Barnsley, Derby County, Luton Town and Millwall are keen on a winter window swoop.

The Verdict: Time running out?

The same site has recently suggested that Spurs are leading the way for Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho, who can also play out wide, so time may well be running out for Clarke in north London with a possible replacement already on the shopping list.

Labelled as a player with very deceptive speed, Clarke has struggled to break into a Spurs side under multiple managers and now has just 18 months remaining on his contract.

On that basis, you’d think Spurs may well make a firm call one way or the other in the summer when Clarke enters the final 12 months of his deal, and at this moment in time, you’d say it’s not looking good for him.

In other news: Ball lost 38 times, 0 crosses, just 3 tackles: 3 Spurs players struggled in Conte’s first game. 

Sachin Tendulkar has admitted that he’s not in favour of the umpire referrals system and prefers the on-field umpires to decide on lbw appeals without any assistance from technology

Cricinfo staff26-Oct-2009Sachin Tendulkar has admitted that he’s not in favour of the umpire referrals system and prefers technology – including Hot Spot for bat-pad catches – to be extended to all decisions except lbw appeals and where the batsman is bowled.Tendulkar also suggested that the umpires in the middle be rotated in the same match, which would allow them time to rest, recharge and concentrate better.His views echoed those of recently retired umpire Steve Bucknor and former Test umpire Peter Willey.”I’m not particularly happy with the referrals because I’m not convinced of the angles (on television),” Tendulkar told magazine. “I’m not convinced. I wasn’t happy when we first went through it [on India’s tour of Sri Lanka last year].”The referrals system was first tried out during India’s Sri Lanka tour and the innovation has since been used only on a trial basis though it will be re-introduced on a permanent basis from this month.However, Tendulkar said he was in favour of increasing technology in cricket to reduce the load on the umpire, helping him to be more focused and therefore more accurate.”It is tough for the umpires to watch the no-balls and watch what’s happening in the front. For the basic line decisions you have to have a laser or something like that… the no-ball is like tennis (in which there is a beep during a let when the ball hits the net during a serve)… you can call it with a machine.”After the initial trials, the ICC had decided to include the Hot Spot to assist the third umpire. Tendulkar welcomed the innovation and added that cricket should capitalise on that aid.”We are still using technology for close catches,” Tendulkar said. “They should use the Hot Spot for the bat-pad decision so the main umpire has to only make the LBW calls. I’m quite happy with the Hot Spot because that establishes the contact.”For the caught behind, the Hot Spot will come. Close in catches again the Hot Spot will come. You don’t need a machine for the clean bowled, so the lbw decisions are all the umpire has to concentrate on.”Tendulkar understood the pressure on-field umpires face these days with every error – glaring or marginal – scrutnised and criticized by experts. He said a rotation system within the same game may help.”Maybe we could have umpires doing a session each and so have three umpires for a game, so umpires do get time off also.”

England captain has reiterated his intent of not getting involved in Twenty20 cricket

Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2009England captain Andrew Strauss has reiterated his intent of not getting involved in Twenty20 cricket. Strauss had opted to stand down from England’s Twenty20 squad earlier this year because the format didn’t suit his accumulative style and he has said he has no plans to revisit his stance.”Never say never. But at this stage, I’ve got no plans to play Twenty20 cricket,” he was quoted as saying by . “My reasons for not playing Twenty20 cricket are firstly that there are some limitations in my game in that format and secondly I believe strongly that for me to continue playing well in the 50-over format and Test cricket something’s got to give.”You’ve got to remain reasonably fresh as an international captain, to be able to motivate people. For me, it just makes sense that I step aside from the Twenty20 and give myself the time to prepare properly for 50-over and Test cricket.”Strauss opted to keep a low profile during the Twenty20 series against South Africa, even as England were hit by key injury blows, but showed he was unaffected by his break from the action by contributing a vital half-century in the 50-over win over South Africa A. Strauss did not deny rumours that he had been almost forced into stepping back into the Twenty20 set-up last week but felt his solidity was more suited to longer periods.”There were some considerations given. But ultimately, me playing in a one-off capacity is not going to help the team long term,” he said. “I’m not going to be there in the West Indies [at the 2010 World Twenty20] – so if there are injuries there, or ‘Colly’ [captain Paul Collingwood] gets injured, someone needs to step up and take over.”

Wolves reportedly missed out on the signing of AC Milan forward Rafael Leao in the summer and could now have to pay double if they want him.

The Lowdown: Leao shining at Milan

The 22-year-old moved to the Serie A giants from Lille back in 2019 and has impressed at the San Siro of late. He has scored four goals in 10 league starts so far this season, taking his overall tally to 18 strikes in 89 appearances for the Rossoneri.

Leao also made his Portugal debut last month and has won three caps to date.

The Latest: Wolves missed out on move

It appears as though Wolves missed the chance to snap up the young attacker in the summer, with Calciomercato [via Sport Witness] claiming as such.

Milan ‘resisted temptations’, though, and Leao stayed put, with the Portuguese attacker now thought to be worth double the €23m (£19.6m) that was paid for him two years ago.

The Verdict: One that got away

Leao seems to be an exciting young prospect with a bright future and it appears as though Wolves missed a trick in not acquiring his signature, with former Manchester City striker Rolando Bianchi once describing the 22-year-old as ‘spectacular’.

Granted, Bruno Lage is blessed with a number of strong wide options, but Adama Traore continues to be linked with a move away and Francisco Trincao is only on loan from Barcelona until the end of the season.

It seems unlikely that Wolves will offer a huge amount for Leao in the future having missed out on him once, but they need have to look for an alternative before too long.

In other news, some Wolves fans have flocked to a transfer story. Read more here.

Preview for the fourth ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Kolkata

The Preview by Jamie Alter23-Dec-2009Match factsThursday, December 24
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)The absence of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni gives the injury-hit visitors a chance to draw level in Kolkata•AFPBig PictureThe 2-1 scoreline is not unexpected given the way India have pushed Sri Lanka to the brink in all but one game – a Twenty20 – played in the limited-overs leg of the tour. But now, with the home team missing two match-winners, a hurting Sri Lanka have a realistic chance of leveling the series.This will be the first time since MS Dhoni’s debut in 2004 that India play an ODI without him and Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni has often said that missing Yuvraj is a big blow, so how India cope with the loss of their captain and best batsman in ODIs in addition to Yuvraj will be crucial.The tour has seen so many players succumbing to injuries it’s a surprise the rest have managed to get so far. Sri Lanka have lost the services of Thilan Thushara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando and Angelo Mathews. Nuwan Kulasekara missed the Tests but returned for the shorter versions. Yuvraj had a recurrence of his finger injury and has been indefinitely ruled out. Sreesanth is yet to feature after getting the flu, while Lasith Malinga overcame it in time for the last game. Thankfully, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag overcame minor scares.But there is always fear – especially among bowlers – of another injury around the corner. Three of them have shouldered the burden of carrying their respective attacks: for the hosts, the experienced duo of Harbhajan Singh (187.2 overs bowled so far) and comeback man Zaheer Khan (131) are in need of breaks. On the other hand, Sri Lanka thrust the rookie Chanaka Welegedara (126 overs) into the forefront on his first major series and he will be longing for a breather at the business end of a testing tour. This is the start of another busy season for India and there isn’t much time to think ahead. Wrapping up the series in Kolkata will allow India to rest weary players ahead of the Bangladesh tour starting January 4. Sri Lanka also feature in the tri-series that kicks off that tour but, needing to win both their remaining matches in India, cannot afford the luxury of rotation.The pitch, one that’s expected to play slow and low in the latter half, will favour India’s spinners who found rhythm and confidence in Cuttack. Chilly temperatures, the dew factor and a slow-paced track mean that the bowlers will need to produce another special performance. With bitter cold and early morning fog expected to have a telling impact in Delhi, the venue for the fifth match, India will be keen to wrap up the series here.Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)
India – WLWLL
Sri Lanka – LWLLL
Watch out for… Tillakaratne Dilshan v Harbhajan Singh and Ravindra Jadeja: Sri Lanka’s strength lies, keeping with tradition, at the top of the order. In Tillakaratne Dilshan they have a batsman at the height of his powers, equally adept at firing in the first over and taking charge of the slog overs. A converted opener, Dilshan has acquitted himself superbly this year and his centuries in Rajkot and Cuttack kept India sweating all the way. His ability to play unconventional shots on either side of the stumps makes it critical for the spinners to plot their modus operandi against him with care. In the first match of the series, Dilshan collected 36 runs from 23 deliveries faced against Ravindra Jadeja but was more sedate against Harbhajan Singh, who allowed just 17 from 26 balls before he bowled Dilshan for 160. In the second ODI, Dilshan took 33 runs from 27 balls faced from Harbhajan, but just 18 from the 33 Jadeja bowled at him. Dilshan didn’t last long enough to face spin in Cuttack, and if the pair comes up against him tomorrow, the margin for error will be miniscule.Lasith Malinga v Virender Sehwag: Lasith Malinga’s ability to sling out top-order batsmen hasn’t been evident recently on the international stage, owing largely to the injuries that have restricted him to just 10 ODIs in 2009. In the absence of Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando, Sri Lanka’s most experienced bowler has to deliver early if Sri Lanka want to keep Virender Sehwag quiet. Fast bowlers have accounted for Sehwag in his last nine innings, and getting him out early in every game was crucial to Australia’s recent series win in India. On his comeback in Cuttack, Malinga’s first over cost 16 with Sehwag blasting three fours. Sehwag was dismissed by Chanaka Welegedara and didn’t get a chance to face Malinga further, but sparks could fly if they face off in Kolkata.Team newsVirat Kohli will step in for Yuvraj and hope to build on his impressive 54 last week.India: 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashish Nehra.Sri Lanka don’t have any new fitness worries but they need to address their middle-order problems. Chamara Kapugedera struggled for fluency in Cuttack before a loose shot sent him back, and Sri Lanka should really reconsider Sanath Jayasuriya over Thilan Samaraweera not least because of the left-arm spinning option he creates.Sri Lanka: 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Sanath Jayasuriya/Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Thilina Kandamby, 7 Nuwan Kulasekara, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Chanaka Welegedara.Pitch and conditionsKolkata’s Eden Gardens is set to host an ODI after nearly three years. It last hosted an ODI in February 2007, when Sri Lanka toured India for a short series before the World Cup. The dew factor is expected to play a large role and with a 2.30pm start, and the sun setting fairly early, the teams could have some slippery conditions while fielding under lights.Stats and triviaThe highest ODI total at the Eden Gardens is Sri Lanka’s 309 in 49.4 overs against Pakistan in 1997.Head-to-head in Kolkata, India and Sri Lanka have each won and lost a game, with the third being ruined by February rain. The largest margin of victory in an ODI at this venue is India’s 102-run win over West Indies in in 1993.Quotes”We have to get back to scoring runs so that we can put pressure on the opposition. It does not matter what team you are. If you are under pressure, you will lose wickets. Good sides make their own luck.”

Giovanni van Bronckhorst is reportedly leading the race to be named the new manager of Rangers following Steven Gerrard’s departure from Ibrox to Aston Villa last week.

According to The Athletic, discussions are ongoing between the two parties as the Dutchman attempts to piece together a backroom staff, as the ex-Liverpool man left alongside a number of key staff members.

If appointed, van Bronckhorst will be thrown in at the deep end as Rangers look to compete in the domestic cups, Premiership and Europa League in the coming months.

Save millions

He could also have key decisions to make when it comes to transfers. One call he could make in the January transfer window is to recall forward Cedric Itten from his loan spell with Greuther Furth in Germany.

Ianis Hagi and Alfredo Morelos have both been linked with Ibrox exits in recent months and Ross Wilson could need to dip into the transfer market to replace them if moves materialise.

However, van Bronckhorst could save the Gers chief plenty of cash by unleashing Itten and attempting to get the best out of him in Glasgow instead of splashing out on fresh additions to the squad.

The Swiss international was sent out on loan to Furth in the Bundesliga in the summer and has shown signs of promise for the German side. He has scored two goals in eight league appearances, starting six, and won 28 aerial battles, averaging 3.5 per game.

This highlights the physical quality he offers at the top end of the pitch, whilst also showing that he can score goals in one of Europe’s top divisions.

Switzerland under-21 boss Mauro Lustrinelli previously hailed Itten’s strength and work rate on the pitch. He said:

“Itten is a player with incredible physical strength and a great mentality.

“He proved to have a great mentality and personality. He worked a lot and never gave up.

“Cedric is very quiet and intelligent but on the pitch, he changes completely; he fights for every ball, giving everything for the team.”

This aligns with his impressive aerial success with Furth and shows the qualities van Bronckhorst could get from him.

The Dutch manager could bring him in from the cold over in Germany and reintegrate him into his side to unlock his full potential. His statistics in the Bundesliga suggest he has the quality to potentially be a key player for the Gers and the 46-year-old would surely come in and give him the confidence to hit his top form.

Therefore, the £14k-per-week beast who was once dubbed “superb” by Gerrard, could potentially end up saving Wilson and Rangers millions if van Bronckhorst is able to extract his quality and inject it into the XI at Ibrox.

If Itten is able to become a regular goalscorer for Rangers, as he was at St Gallen with 36 goals in 63 games, then they may not need to buy a replacement for Morelos, should he leave the club.

AND in other news, Deadline set: Report details Rangers manager timeline that’ll surely have fans excited…

Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp

Brydon Coverdale in Adelaide03-Dec-2009Doug Bollinger claims he’s loud and obnoxious but that hasn’t stopped him slipping completely under the radar of the West Indies camp. Bollinger will take the new ball against Chris Gayle and Adrian Barath in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval and is certain to let the visiting captain know who he is after Gayle revealed on the day before the match that he hadn’t looked into Bollinger’s credentials.”Two left-armers – we’ll see how well we can go about it,” Gayle said, when asked about facing Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson. “What’s the other guy’s name? Bollinger? Bollinger. This will be the first time I am going up against him. It’s a challenge. I haven’t seen much of him to be honest with you. I’m sure we’ll get some clippings and take a look at him and see what we can make of him.”Most people don’t quite know what to make of Bollinger, who has come in to the side to play his second Test after Ben Hilfenhaus was ruled out with a knee problem. Hilfenhaus was the Man of the Match at the Gabba, where he collected five wickets for the game and made key top-order breakthroughs in both innings.Gayle wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Hilfenhaus, who in both innings trapped him lbw with deliveries shaping back in to the left-hander. It’s an angle that Gayle is vulnerable to early in his innings but Ricky Ponting still felt his attack had the ability to target Gayle’s stumps early in the innings, even without the swing of Hilfenhaus.”The left-armers can still do that,” Ponting said. “That angle that the left-armers create actually does bring the ball back in towards the stumps. If Mitch and Doug aren’t actually bowling genuine outswingers to him then the ball is always going to be pitching in and around off stump and straightening back that way. That’s similar to the way we got him out at the Gabba. We did get him out trying to bowl really straight to Chris at the Gabba and there’s no doubt that we’ll do something pretty similar here.”The addition of Bollinger to Australia’s attack robs it of only a small amount of Test experience, while the visitors have lost Jerome Taylor, their most qualified fast man, to a back injury. West Indies’ green line-up provides Australia’s batsmen with an excellent opportunity at a ground that is always hard work for the fast bowlers. After five Australians made half-centuries in Brisbane but none converted them to hundreds, Ponting was keen to see some bat-raising and helmet-kissing.”One thing we didn’t quite nail last week was the amount of guys that got off to starts and didn’t go on and get the big hundred,” Ponting said. “We’ve spoken about that in our team meeting this morning and it’s something that we want to improve on. We all know how good a wicket this can be to bat on once you get in and get set so with an inexperienced attack, we’d like to think that the experience in our batting should be able to get us through and we should be able to make some big runs in the game.”The one man who did miss out completely in Brisbane was Shane Watson, who is still trying to prove that he can be a long-term Test opener. His duck in Brisbane looked particularly bad because he was trapped leaving a delivery that cut back into him, and Ponting said although Watson was vulnerable to lbws early in his innings, he was confident the allrounder could turn things around in Adelaide.”It hasn’t only been in Test cricket, he’s been out a bit in one-day cricket as well lbw,” Ponting said. “He’s very much aware of that. He works on that all the time. The one up at the Gabba the other day is probably an unusual lbw in the fact you let one go that nips back on you early on. I don’t think there was too much technically wrong with what he did last week. With a good batting wicket here and an inexperienced attack hopefully he’s one of the guys that can make some big runs for us.”While Australia will be looking to Watson and Co to provide the runs, West Indies will rely heavily on their experienced men Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, who is likely to return from a back injury, and Gayle. The West Indies captain just has to hope that the name that troubled him – “Bollinger?” – isn’t written beside his own on the scorecard too early in the innings.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a shock return for Gini Wijnaldum.

The Lowdown: Memories…

The 31-year-old is a player who went on to great things when he left St James’ Park, winning both the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool, but the Toon Army will still remember his time in the northeast fondly.

The Netherlands international managed to score 11 goals and supply a further five assists from midfield as he played in every single game of their 2015/16 top-flight season (relegation to the Championship, which is ultimately a big reason why he left after just one season on Tyneside.

After moving to Anfield, Magpies saw just how good of a player that they lost, as former Liverpool and Newcastle player John Barnes dubbed him ‘fantastic’ at the back end of the 2017/18 term. Wijnaldum became a qualification and scored in their semi-final second leg away to AS Roma to settle nerves and help them reach the final of that competition against Real Madrid.

The Latest: Return?

As per TEAMtalk, Newcastle are eyeing a shock return for Wijnaldum, who is now at Paris Saint-Germain, as they are ‘keeping tabs’ on his situation in France.

They have reportedly ‘made it clear’ that they would be interested in signing the 31-year-old, should he be made available by the Ligue 1 leaders.

The Verdict: Get him in

Wijnaldum would certainly be a popular signing among many Magpies fans given his last spell with them; and being involved in a relegation battle at the time, he would no doubt be up for putting things right if he gets a second chance to do so.

The experience that he has now gathered from playing at the highest level with both Liverpool and PSG would be so useful in the St James’ Park dressing room, as Eddie Howe’s squad needs to have players with a winning mentality around them to get them out of the mess in which they currently find themselves.

On the pitch, he has the quality too, emphasised by his two goals and subsequent placement in a Champions League Team of the Week this season (SofaScore).

Wijnaldum and Newcastle seems like a good fit, providing that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium can get a deal done.

In other news, NUFC are ‘in the running’ for this £126.2m-rated beast

West Brom face another test in the Championship tonight with a home clash against Nottingham Forest to try and get their season back on track after weeks of mixed results.

Their previous league outing saw them draw 0-0 against Blackpool, leaving the Baggies without a win in their last three games.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players West Brom manager Valerien Ismael could pick for his starting XI to take on Forest, one man who featured in the draw against Blackpool but should not be in the team on this occasion is Cedric Kipre.

In the match at Blackpool in midweek, the centre-back – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £14k-per-week according to Salary Sport – was something of a liability at the back for the Baggies, even though they managed to keep a clean sheet on the day.

In this regard, the 24-year-old managed to get dribbled past on two occasions, gave three fouls away (which led to him being handed a yellow card), lost possession 13 times, misplaced 11 passes and lost seven of his 12 duels.

This performance ultimately earned the centre-back, who has been previously described as an “assassin” by former Baggies manager Slaven Bilic, an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-lowest rated West Brom player on the day alongside Karlan Grant.

Looking ahead to tonight’s match, perhaps it could be the best option for Ismael to take Kipre out of the team so that he doesn’t end up potentially costing the Baggies the game, especially when they could really do with a win to keep them in the race for promotion by the end of the campaign.

In terms of who Ismael could utilise instead of Kipre tonight to help Albion to another clean sheet, perhaps it could be the right time for Semi Ajayi to come back into the team after being an unused substitute for their four previous league games.

In other news: West Brom could soar to promotion by signing this MLS star