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Australia are praying for the forecast rain to avoid Cardiff over the rest of the match as they plan a big lead in the hope of grinding out a first-Test victory

Peter English in Cardiff10-Jul-2009Australia are praying for the forecast rain to avoid Cardiff over the rest of the match as they plan a big lead in the hope of grinding out a first-Test victory. Wet weather is forecast throughout Saturday and the visitors hold a 44-run buffer after finishing the third day in the excellent position of 479 for 5 following centuries to Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich.”If the rain stays away I definitely believe we can get a result,” the vice-captain Michael Clarke said. “[Saturday] is a really important day for us. If we can make another 100, or 150 runs, that wicket on day five will continue to spin, and the bounce will be more inconsistent.”Nathan Hauritz, who took 3 for 95 in the first innings, has out-performed Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, who were less effective than Paul Collingwood when he came on to deliver some off-cutters. “Haury bowled much slower than the England spinners, generally got a lot more spin and bounce,” Clarke said. “We’ll wait to see what happens, but I believe there is enough spin out there.”Ricky Ponting and Andrew Strauss agreed before the series that the lights could be turned on for bad light and they were used for the first time in a Test in Britain, allowing an extra six overs before stumps. That period, which followed a rain delay of two hours and three minutes, gained England a wicket when Clarke hooked at Stuart Broad and was caught behind for 83.When the umpires offered the batsmen the light Strauss was unhappy and it was hard to see how the conditions had deteriorated. “It was frustrating to come off, there was a new batsman in so we wanted to carry on,” James Anderson said. “[Andrew Flintoff] had a decent speed and Stuart was bowling with good control, so we would have liked to stay on.”Clarke said the conditions were fine when he was batting, but he exited in the third-last over of the day. “The ruling is once the natural light is gone and the lights take over from the natural light, [the umpires] can offer it,” Clarke said. “When I was out there the light was okay, I have no excuses for my dismissal. I just found out it was the first time it was used in Test cricket in England, so lock me down for the first wicket.”Did Clarke want to come out for the final period? “Yeah, of course we did. The wicket is good to bat on and we’re in a fantastic position. We were told there were 12 overs left in the day and Marcus North and I saw it as an opportunity to get a few more runs on the board.”England will aim to wrap up Australia’s innings as swiftly as possible on the fourth day, weather permitting. “We’re not thinking about a draw now,” Anderson said. “There’s a big first session first thing in the morning, so we’ve got to think about getting those five wickets quickly.”

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some news involving their retail partner Fanatics.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, they have now opened the Merseyside club’s first official store in Northern Ireland, which will feature an extensive range of official Toffees apparel, replica kit, headwear, fashion accessories, sporting goods, toys and souvenirs.

The store will also feature a personalisation service from November onwards, allowing Blues supporters to have their replica kits customised.

It is great news that the club are now expanding their stores into other countries, as they will be able to generate more revenue from selling off their merchandise and may also gain a few more followers in Northern Ireland.

These are all steps required to grow a club into a global brand, something which is necessary to thrive in modern football.

Everton fans on Fanatics news

These EFC fans were left buzzing as the news of the new store in Northern Ireland was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian even going as far as to claim that it is ‘brilliant news’:

“This is brilliant news, so many boss Irish Blues I know”

Credit: @BlueNoseMikeM

“Can’t wait to visit it!!”

Credit: @LESCOLE10

“Brilliant”

Credit: @johnh6358

“Great news!”

Credit: @ToffeeRon

“This is a good move. Hopefully one day @everton will establish an official store in one of the major South East Asia cities.”

Credit: @ric_wee

“Great to see the Toffees having a store open in Belfast”

Credit: @Tyronemck

In other news, find out what club post has Toffees raging here!

A round-up of the matches on day four of the Emerging Players Tournament

Cricinfo staff24-Jul-2009
Scorecard
South Africa Emerging Players continued their unbeaten run in the tournament, clinching a high-scoring thriller at the Albury Oval against the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS). Farhaan Behardien, who hit a sparkling century, seemed to have taken South Africa through to a memorable win, but he fell in the penultimate over, with still four to get. It was the last-wicket pair of Thandi Tshabalala and Lonwabo Tsotsobe who held their nerve as they overhauled the target with two balls to spare.AIS were given the perfect start by Rob Quiney at the top, after being put in. His quickfire 71 off 63 balls was just the platform the hosts needed as captain Steven Smith and Tom Cooper joined in the act. It was Craig Alexander and Juan Theron who managed to put the brakes on the scoring for some time, with each picking up three wickets. But Jon Holland’s late cameo of 33 ensured AIS went past the 300-mark.It was a steady start from the South Africans during the chase, but apart from Dean Elgar none of the top five could convert their starts to big scores. Enter Behardien. Almost single-handedly he turned the tide South Africa’s way, blasting 105 off just 60 balls. His innings was studded with 11 fours and four sixes as he put on 82 for the fifth wicket with Elgar. Another 50-plus partnership with CJD de Villiers followed as South Africa closed in on victory. But there was more drama to follow.
Scorecard
India Emerging Players brushed off the disappointment of consecutive losses by thrashing New Zealand by seven wickets at the WEP Harris Oval. India made regular inroads after fielding first and were led by Pradeen Sangwan, the left-arm seamer, who picked up five wickets as New Zealand were restricted to 9 for 228. Peter Fulton’s crucial century from No. 3 was put in the shade by an unbeaten 115 from Virat Kohli and India knocked off their target in the 42nd over.Fulton, the New Zealand captain, led the resistance with 122 from 143 balls and Kane Williamson (40 from 60) made a start after Sangwan nipped out the openers. But then Abhishek Nayar struck twice with his slow medium-pacers to hurt New Zealand’s middler order before Sangwan took out three more to finish with 5 for 40.India themselves lost two quick wickets but Kohli and the opener Ajinkya Rahane forged a match-winning partnership that flummoxed New Zealand. Rahane missed a century by just five runs, stumped off Nick Beard at victory’s doorstep, and Kohli remained not out to seal a crushing victory.

Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis has been pictured back on the training pitch at Bodymoor Heath.

Davis has yet to feature for the Villans this season, having sustained a knee injury in pre-season.

His last action came as a substitute in the 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace back in May, but he’s now closing in on a comeback.

Dean Smith says he’ll be available for selection once he’s demonstrated his fitness.

What role does Davis play for Villa?

The 23-year-old has started five Premier League games since Aston Villa were promoted in 2019.

The vast majority of his top-flight action has come as a substitute, with 28 separate run-outs from the subs bench.

With Wesley loaned out to Club Brugge, it will fall to Davis to provide cover and competition for Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins alongside youngster Cameron Archer.

The official Aston Villa Twitter account posted the snap of Davis, and here’s what supporters had to say in response.

These Villa fans celebrate Davis’ return

“Season saved, Europe here we come”

Credit: @AVFCAlex18784

“He’s going to score a hat trick in the FA Cup”

Credit: @TheAsgardian

“Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeenan”

Credit: @utv_phil

“Good to see him back!!!”

Credit: @RichieLionel81

“omg welcome back”

Credit: @catrinavfc

“Keinan is back, the Europe push is on”

Credit: @SamH_84

In other news, Villa have competition in their pursuit of this target.

John Buchanan has said he was “shocked and disappointed” when he was sacked by Kolkata Knight Riders as he had been looking forward to moulding the team over five years

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2009John Buchanan, the former Australia and Kolkata Knight Riders coach, has said he was “shocked and disappointed” when he was sacked by the IPL franchise as he had been looking forward to moulding the team over five years.Buchanan was sacked in June after a dismal 2009 season. Kolkata finished last and the campaign was marred by off-field controversies, the biggest of which was caused by his multiple-captains theory.”We were trying to build something over five years but Shah Rukh Khan, the owner and king of Bollywood, had a change of direction and I was told I was no longer needed,” Buchanan told the . “That was a a shock and a disappointment.”An uneasy relationship with the franchise’s icon player, Sourav Ganguly, who is immensely popular in his home state of Bengal, did not help matters. “Ganguly was the icon player and the captain of the outfit and I told him I didn’t believe he was up to the pace of the game,” Buchanan said.Ganguly was replaced as captain by New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum for the disastrous 2009 season and several Bengal players hinted that the team would have performed better if Ganguly had been at the helm.Kolkata won only three out of 14 matches but Buchanan said many games could have gone either way. “We got to the last over in nine games and lost them, getting to the last ball five times and losing.”In stark contrast to Kolkata’s abysmal record, Australia were virtually unstoppable during Buchanan’s eight-year stint as coach. He is now concentrating on a career as corporate coach, and said he will not be chief coach of any major cricket teams in the future. “I’d never coach another state or international side,” he said. “There are certain loyalties involved but to help another coach? I’m quite happy to do that.”

The dust has barely settled on Monday night’s dramatic draw and Arsenal are already back in Premier League action as they welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates Stadium tonight.

Mikel Arteta’s side made it five league games unbeaten after Alexandre Lacazette poked home a last-gasp equaliser against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace here just days ago.

It was far from the ideal performance overall, though, and that was the second game in a row in which the Gunners have looked uninspiring, so it will be interesting to see what sort of team the Spaniard opts for today.

Here’s what we are predicting…

Arteta hinted at potential injury troubles before the match but did not name the players in question, though Bukayo Saka was one player withdrawn early on Monday night. He may not be involved here, so there could be two changes to the starting XI from the Palace game.

In the England international’s place, we could see Monday’s hero Lacazette make a return to the line-up. That would mean the side needs to reshuffle slightly, so Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is deployed on the left flank, with Nicolas Pepe keeping his place on the right.

Through the middle, Emile Smith Rowe gets the nod once again, but there may be no place for Martin Odegaard after the £36m-rated maestro disappointed in another outing.

Once dubbed a “phenomenon” by journalist Lars Sivertsen to The Athletic, the Norwegian’s returns have not been good enough since signing on a permanent basis, with only one goal and one assist across all competitions.

Instead, Arteta may opt for the more defensively-minded Albert Sambi Lokonga (21) to partner Thomas Partey at the base of the engine room.

The Gunners’ back four and goalkeeper will likely remain unchanged once again, so Kieran Tierney and Takehiro Tomiyasu will be at full-back, with Gabriel and Benjamin White through the middle. They’ll be in front of another summer signing in Aaron Ramsdale.

AND in other news, Edu could secure Alexis Sanchez 2.0 in Arsenal swoop for £18m-rated “fox in the box”…

Newcastle United are now reportedly in the picture to sign Erling Haaland in what is quite a remarkable transfer twist.

The Lowdown: Was ruled out

According to Bundesliga journalist Christian Falk just a few days ago, the 21-year-old is not considering a move to St James’ Park, effectively ruling them out of the race to sign the Borussia Dortmund superstar.

Various reports have also stated that him moving to Tyneside is unrealistic, despite the takeover from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The Latest: Haaland transfer twist

According to a fresh report from AS (via Sport Witness), though, ‘it is not out of question’ that Haaland could move to Newcastle, with the Magpies ‘in the picture’ for his signature.

However, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are also named as potential destinations for the Norway international.

The Verdict: Exciting

Even though it is very possible that Newcastle will miss out on the signing of Haaland due to the level of competition and the fact that they are still in a relegation battle in the Premier League, it is exciting for the Toon Army merely to be named in the conversation.

The striker has been nothing short of sensational while playing for Dortmund, averaging more than a goal per match over the past three seasons across all competitions (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, what a remarkable signing he would be for the Magpies if the new owners could somehow pull it off.

In other news, find out which elite manager NUFC ‘dream’ of hiring

Lorgat also lent his support to the 50-over game and said the format would continue at the international level

Cricinfo staff02-Sep-2009Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said there is no move to reduce Tests from five days to four days. The idea of reducing the longest format had earlier been floated by ICC President David Morgan to make Tests more attractive to the spectators. Morgan had said the move would also protect and enrich Test cricket in the face of lucrative Twenty20 leagues like the IPL. “Morgan must have been putting a thought on the table,” Lorgat said.Speaking at a ceremony in Mumbai, where the nominations for the 2009 ICC awards were unveiled, Lorgat also lent his support to the 50-over game and said the format would continue at the international level even though the ECB had recently reduced matches to 40 overs per side in its domestic set-up. “ECB has done it as it suits their domestic schedule,” Lorgat said. “But at the international level the 50-over format will continue. But we are open to changes if it works for the betterment of the game.” Lorgat pointed out that the format of the Champions Trophy, in South Africa later this month, had been revamped to make it more exciting.Indian batsman Virender Sehwag, who was also present on the occassion, said he preferred to play Tests and ODIs more than Twenty20 matches. “Personally I would like to play more Tests and ODIs than T20 games which I know have become extremely popular,” Sehwag said. “I would like to play at least eight to ten Tests in a year.”The Twenty20 game is big and in future and the message I would like to give to the ICC is to introduce a World Championship of Tests. Every cricketer would like to play Tests against every other country and perform well. Test cricket is the true test [of a cricketer’s calibre].”

Shoaib Malik, has expressed his surprise at MS Dhoni’s decision to bring on Harbhajan Singh to bowl only by the 26th over

Cricinfo staff27-Sep-2009Shoaib Malik, the Man of the Match for his 126-ball 128, expressed his surprise at MS Dhoni’s decision to bring on Harbhajan Singh to bowl only by the 26th over, by which time he and Mohammad Yousuf had nearly built a half-century partnership.”I think he [Dhoni] should have brought on Harbhajan early,” Malik said. “We were three down and another wicket would have hurt us.” Pakistan lost their third wicket in the 15th over with the score at 65 and after Malik batted out a maiden over by RP Singh, Dhoni brought in part-timers Virat Kohli and Yusuf Pathan, instead of Harbhajan.Dhoni justified his move, saying if a part-timer bowled along with Harbhajan then the batsmen would score off him while playing the senior bowler’s overs out. “We wanted to force the batsmen to play shots against him,” Dhoni said.The Pakistan captain Younis Khan, by contrast, has fewer headaches to resolve and he aims to reach the ICC Champions Trophy final without dropping a game. The team leads Group A with two wins out of two. “It was a good toss to win and even a score of 260-270 was defendable. Even though they [India] started their chase brilliantly, I thought we only needed a wicket or two to get back in the match. After all, this score has never been chased at this venue,” Younis said.Most of the attack chipped in, especially the spinners Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal. He was happy with the efforts of offspinner Ajmal who took 2 for 31 in 8.5 overs but typically cautioned against building him up too much. “There is this tendency in our part of the world where youngsters are immediately compared to Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul Haq,” Younis said. “This can make a youngster lose his bearing. But yes, Saeed is coming up very nicely. We now have good youngsters in Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamer and Saeed. If they keep performing and learning, we can be the best in near future.”The only one to have a real off-day was Umar Gul, generally the leader of Younis’s attacks. But Younis played down concerns over Gul, who was the leading wicket-taker in the World Twenty20 in England: Gul went for 55 runs in six overs against India but Younis attributed it to a rare bad day. “He bowled too short and when he needed to bowl up.”

With a heavily changed team from the XI that started their 5-0 bashing of Manchester United last weekend, Liverpool managed to get past Championship club Preston North End by a scoreline of 2-0 in the Carabao Cup last night thanks to goals from Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi.

Despite managing to progress through to the next stage of the competition and keep a clean sheet in the process, one player that we feel didn’t cover himself in glory in midweek for the Reds was left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who came in for Andy Robertson.

The defender, who started the match at Deepdale and played the full 90 minutes, managed to make just one clearance and one interception, got dribbled past on three occasions, won just three of the 10 duels he was involved in, lost possession 21 times and only managed to complete one of the eight crosses he attempted, ultimately earning himself an overall match rating of 6.6, making him one of the lowest-rated Liverpool players on the day according to SofaScore.

This says to us that Tsimikas let Jurgen Klopp down somewhat after the German showed enough faith in him to start against Preston as well as proving himself to be a bit of a lightweight given the poor defensive statistics he racked up.

So far this season, Tsimikas, who has been described in the past as a “dangerous” player by Reds journalist David Hughes, has made seven appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, starting five of them.

Liverpool signed the defender back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Greek club Olympiacos for a reported fee of £11.75m.

Last season saw the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, make just seven appearances for the Reds.

Moving forward, with Liverpool set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday, Robertson shouldn’t have any concerns about Tsimikas taking his place in the starting XI at the weekend given the level of performance he put in against Preston.

Looking ahead beyond that, we feel that Tsimikas will have to improve on what he delivered on Wednesday whenever he gets another opportunity to play in Klopp’s side, or else he could find his playing opportunities limited as time goes on.

In other news: FSG could land LFC’s next Henderson in 18 y/o “huge talent”, fans should be excited – opinion