All posts by h716a5.icu

India’s home minister has said the exclusion of Pakistan players from the third season of the IPL was a “disservice to cricket”

Cricinfo staff26-Jan-2010India’s home minister, P Chidambaram, has said the exclusion of Pakistan players from the third season of the IPL was a “disservice to cricket” and reiterated there was no government advice to do so. There has been outrage in Pakistan over the snub to their players at the IPL auction, where none of their 11 cricketers, several of whom were tipped to be hot buys, were bid for.”I think it is disservice to cricket that some of these players were not picked,” Chidambaram told the news channel . “I don’t know why the IPL teams acted in the manner they acted. But certainly to suggest that there was a hint or nudge from the government is completely untrue.”Both the Indian government and the BCCI were quick to distance themselves from the results of the auction after Pakistan players reacted with anger. The Pakistan sports minister had also complained to his Indian counterpart and the PCB raised the issue with the ICC. There have also been calls for the Pakistan hockey team to pull out of next month’s World Cup in India, and a parliamentary committee canceled a trip to India in response to the non-inclusion of Shahid Afridi and Co.Asked whether he thought Pakistan was over-reacting to the issue, Chidambaram said, “Well, you see, if no player from a country is picked, obviously the country does feel insulted. But whether the reaction is proportionate or not it is not for me to comment.”Two senior Pakistani officials, sports minister Aijaz Hussain Jahkrani and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, have also reportedly ruled out the participation of cricketers from that country in next year’s IPL and the Champions League Twenty20 tournament later this year.Meanwhile Darren Berry, a member of the Rajasthan Royals’ coaching staff, wrote in his column in the Australian daily, the , that until a few weeks ago highly rated 19-year-old Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal was the franchise’s main target at the auction. However, for reasons Berry wasn’t sure of, Akmal dropped off Rajasthan’s radar.”I do know – due to my coaching role with the Rajasthan Royals – that a few weeks ago Umar Akmal was No. 1 priority on the Royals’ shopping list,” he wrote. “All of a sudden he was not available. As the auction unfolded live on TV in India, it became evident that it wasn’t just Umar Akmal who was in the no-go zone, but all of the Pakistan players.”

Despite falling to his first defeat as Aston Villa manager, Steven Gerrard would no doubt have been left impressed by a number of his players following Wednesday night.

The Villans were beaten 2-1 by Premier League champions Manchester City at Villa Park, and brought an end to the quick turnaround in results Gerrard had produced in his first couple of weeks in the dugout.

One man who epitomised that newfound belief at the club, was Marvelous Nakamba.

The Zimbabwe international was at his energetic and dynamic best on Wednesday, covering every blade of glass looking to stop City from playing through the lines and dominating proceedings.

As per Sofascore, the midfielder won seven duels on the night – only Ollie Watkins and John McGinn won more – while nobody made more than his quite impressive six tackles (Matty Cash could only match it).

Nakamba was quick to snap at the feet of City’s attacking players, and was only taken off by Gerrard late on in the second half for the Villa boss to inject some fresh energy.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him a seven, saying: “Tackled well as Villa’s middle man in midfield once again. Nakamba was workmanlike in his approach once more here before he ran himself into the ground as Sanson injected some energy for the final 13 or so minutes. Another good effort from Nakamba.”

On Twitter, journalist James Hendicott dubbed the Zimbabwean as an “absolute revelation” under Gerrard, and that he “looks a superb player all of a sudden.”

As is often the case with new managers coming in, there will be players who fall by the wayside and others who come more into the reckoning, and under Gerrard, Nakamba looks like a player reborn.

He’s started the past three games for the new Villa boss, while yesterday was the first time Gerrard had actually taken him off.

While much of the focus will be on how the former Liverpool captain can get the best out of Villa’s numerous attacking players, his ability to coach Nakamba into a midfield machine could be key too.

Meanwhile, this Villa man had a “rough night” vs City…

Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez would be a ‘fantastic’ signing for Aston Villa in the January transfer window, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Villa linked with Gomez move

Steven Gerrard continued his flying start as Villa manager on Sunday, as his side picked up a fully deserved 2-1 win at home to Leicester City.

Despite the club’s upturn in fortunes, January reinforcements could be required in order to stave off any threat of relegation, instead allowing them to push towards a top-half finish in the Premier League.

One player who has been linked with a move to Villa Park is Gomez, who has struggled for minutes at Liverpool this season, not starting a single league game.

The Latest: Journalist talks up transfer

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield claimed the 24-year-old would be an ideal addition, having been hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the past:

“Oh yeah, for sure. He’s a quality player, obviously an England international pre-injury. He would be a fantastic signing for Villa.”

The Verdict: Would Liverpool let him go?

As Hatfield alludes to, Gomez could be an outstanding signing for Villa, considering he is a Premier League and Champions League winner at the age of just 24, not to mention winning 11 caps for England.

That being said, it is extremely difficult to see Liverpool letting him leave at this point in his career, even though he is behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order currently.

Assuming he overcomes serious injury problems, he has the ability to be a regular for Liverpool again eventually, with Van Dijk and Matip both now 30 and suffering injuries of their own in recent times, meaning the doors may soon be open for Konate and Gomez to lead the way at Anfield.

In other news, some Villa fans slammed one player’s performance against Leicester. Find out who it is here.

Vishwakarma was found to have breached Section 12 Article 2.1.6 of the ICC Code, which relates to “pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion by a bowler or other member of the fielding side upon the dismissal of a batsman”

Cricinfo staff28-Feb-2010Rahul Vishwakarma, the Nepal left-arm spinner who grabbed a match-winning 7 for 15 against USA to help his team win the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 trophy, has been reprimanded for misconduct. The reprimand was issued by ICC match referee David Jukes, who did not convene a disciplinary hearing as Vishwakarma pleaded guilty to the charge.Through his admission, Vishwakarma was found to have breached Section 12 Article 2.1.6 of the ICC Code, which relates to “pointing or gesturing towards the pavilion by a bowler or other member of the fielding side upon the dismissal of a batsman”.”Mr. Vishwakarma has apologised for his actions, and has given me an assurance that we will not see a recurrence,” Jukes said.The charge was brought by the two on-field umpires Tyron Wijewardene and Sarika Prasad at the conclusion of the match which Nepal won by five wickets.

When Antonio Conte was handed the keys to the Tottenham Hotspur manager’s job, he knew he had a massive task on his hands.

Indeed, after a defeat to minnow NS Mura in Europe, he saw just how big a job was going to be required in order to turn around their fortunes.

Under Nuno Santo, the club’s style of play was boring and some damning attacking numbers were being lodged.

So far this term, they’ve registered the third-fewest shots per game (10.9) of any team in the Premier League, while they have scored just 16 times all campaign.

That’s a tally fewer than 19th placed Newcastle and also less than 15th placed Leeds.

Yet, their woes are now mounting. Tottenham have now had two games postponed due to confirmed cases of the pandemic rampaging through the Hotspur Way training ground.

Conte was able to hold a training session on Sunday but more bad news emerged on Monday morning as it was revealed that yet another first-team player, along with several members of the U23 squad had tested positive for the virus.

As a result, the club’s game this week with Leicester is now in doubt too.

This whole saga will come as a source of major anger for the Spurs manager as his ability to implement his style of play and get points on the board is being seriously hampered.

The festive period is an extremely important one for any club and with fixtures having to be postponed, it would only lead to another pile-up of games later in the season.

What’s worse is the potential impact it will have on fitness and stamina among the players. Not only will they be lacking in training but match fitness will also deteriorate.

The long-term impacts of the pandemic are well-known at this stage but you only need to look at the assessment from Everton defender Ben Godfrey to realise how some players could be affected.

He said earlier this year while struggling to recover: “I’d be blowing in the first few minutes — it was mad… you can’t describe it unless you’ve experienced it.

“It was like you had someone else’s body. I’d make a sprint and it’d feel like I’d played 88 minutes, even though it was five minutes into a game.”

Of course, the impacts are different for everybody but if a number of Tottenham’s players return in that state, it could be disastrous for their campaign long-term.

Based on that and the significant disruption that’s being caused, this is another big setback for the Lilywhites. Conte has every right to be rather angry right now.

AND in other news, “Tottenham are..” – Fabrizio Romano issues exciting transfer claim, fans surely elated…

Andrew McDonald put Victoria within touching distance of first-innings points after Damien Wright’s five-wicket haul kept New South Wales to 225 on a wet Melbourne day

Cricinfo staff13-Feb-2010
ScorecardDamien Wright finished with 5 for 37•Getty ImagesAndrew McDonald put Victoria within touching distance of first-innings points after Damien Wright’s five-wicket haul kept New South Wales to 225 on a wet Melbourne day. At stumps, Victoria were 4 for 213 and needed only 13 more to take the lead, with McDonald unbeaten on 58 and Matthew Wade on 34.There were contributions right throughout Victoria’s innings with the opener Lloyd Mash (6) the only man who failed to reach double figures. The hosts needed a solid batting display with the prolific Chris Rogers at home with a virus that forced him to spend Friday night in hospital, although he may yet bat over the next two days.Trent Copeland and Mitchell Starc accounted for Mash and Nick Jewell, and Copeland picked up his second wicket when Aaron Finch was caught for 38. The loss of David Hussey just before tea – he flashed at Josh Hazlewood and was caught behind for 29 – could have been costly but McDonald and Wade guided the Bushrangers to stumps.It was another curtailed day and morning rain meant play didn’t begin until after lunch. When it did, the Blues lost 4 for 10 and missed the chance to push on to a more threatening total as Wright (5 for 37) and Darren Pattinson, who collected 3 for 67, wrapped up the tail.

The former South Africa coach is the front-runner to replace Tom Moody at Western Australia after the state finalised a four-man short-list

Peter English16-Mar-2010Mickey Arthur, the former South Africa coach, is the front-runner to replace Tom Moody at Western Australia after the state finalised a four-man short-list. Arthur resigned his highly successful international post in January and was quick to express his interest in crossing the Indian Ocean to test his skills in the Australian first-class arena.He could be employed as early as next month with Graeme Wood, the Western Australia chief executive, wanting to make a quick appointment. Wood confirmed the association had decided on a confidential short-list and he expects to conduct interviews over the next two weeks.”We’re very happy with the four applicants,” Wood told Cricinfo. “They are all experienced coaches. We would like someone as soon as possible because the state contract process starts in April.”Arthur would be a significant signing after taking South Africa to the top of the one-day and Test rankings during almost five years in charge. A highlight of his reign was the victory over Australia at the WACA – which could be his new home – when his side chased 414 on the way to a breakthrough series win in 2008-09. He has been doing commentary and writing a book since his exit from the South African set-up.”I really hope it happens,” Arthur told the West Australian before the short-list was decided. “The challenge of getting West Australian cricket back to the top is one that I would relish and I am very keen to take it up if I am offered the job.”John Wright, the former India coach, has also been mentioned as a candidate while Geoff Marsh, the former opening batsman, is a local contender with a useful resume. Marsh’s first senior coaching job was with Australia, who he took to a World Cup win in 1999, and he has also looked after Zimbabwe. However, having his sons Shaun and Mitchell in the squad would complicate the role.It will be a tricky task for the new coach as the side regularly under-achieves despite always producing talent for the national sides. Moody, who is in charge of the IPL side Kings XI Punjab, left after three seasons and his best result was runner-up in the Twenty20 competition in his opening year. Last week Western Australia beat Queensland in the final round of the Sheffield Shield to avoid the wooden spoon.

Rangers manager Gio van Bronckhorst has enjoyed a sublime start to life in Glasgow with five wins and one draw in his first six games.

The Gers boss is picking up the results on the pitch but could now start to deal with off-field matters as the transfer window gets closer to reopening next month.

He could have a few decisions to make when it comes to the players who are out of contract at the end of the campaign, with centre-backs Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun both set to be free agents next summer as it stands.

Save millions

It remains to be seen whether or not either of them will be at Ibrox next season and there are questions marks over other players at the club, with Filip Helander currently injured and Nikola Katic out on loan.

This leaves Jack Simpson and Calvin Bassey (a left-back by trade) as the only fit centre-backs currently at the club who are contracted beyond the end of this term.

The issue for van Bronckhorst now is that the former is now attracting interest from south of the border. According to The Telegraph, QPR, Swansea and Middlesbrough are all interested in signing him in January to bolster their squads ahead of the second half of the Championship season in England.

However, with the issues Rangers have in terms of the make-up of their centre-back options heading into next season, they could need Ross Wilson to splash the cash to restock in that position. This means that allowing Simpson to leave whilst also losing Balogun and Goldson could cost the club millions.

The gem has won 83% of his aerial battles this season and averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.83 in three Premiership appearances this term and his ex-boss, Eddie Howe, described him both as a “lovely footballer” and a player who’s got “everything.”

This suggests that he has the potential to be a reliable option when called upon, which is why van Bronckhorst could save the club money by offering him more minutes in the first-team instead of allowing him to join Middlesbrough, Swansea or QPR.

The 6 foot 3 titan could prevent Wilson from needing to spend millions in the market on another centre-back to fill up a position in the squad, which is why this could be a key decision from the Dutch head coach heading into January.

At the age of 24, the £3.1k-per-week earner has the scope to develop further and it could be a worthwhile effort to offer him more game time to see if he is able to improve whilst playing in the team.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Kent: GvB must seal Rangers deal for £9.3k-p/w gem who “creates opportunities”…

Jesse Ryder confirmed his recovery from the groin injury that forced his withdrawal from the IPL, as he cracked a rapid 64 from 30 balls, including five fours and five sixes, to lift New Zealand to a matchwinning 187 for 5 in their opening Twenty20 warm-u

Cricinfo staff27-Apr-2010New Zealand 187 for 5 (Ryder 64) beat Ireland 147 for 9 (Porterfield 34, McCullum 3-25) by 30 runs
ScorecardJesse Ryder muscled his way to 64•AFPJesse Ryder confirmed his recovery from the groin injury that forced his withdrawal from the IPL, as he cracked a rapid 64 from 30 balls, including five fours and five sixes, to lift New Zealand to a matchwinning 187 for 5 in their opening Twenty20 warm-up against Ireland at Providence.After New Zealand won the toss, Ryder opened the batting alongside Rob Nicol, who made 31 from 30 balls in an opening stand of 104. Paul Stirling made the breakthrough by bowling Ryder in the tenth over, but Martin Guptill replaced him with similar bravado at No. 3, and rattled along to 50 from 35 balls.It wasn’t until George Dockrell, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner, entered the attack that Ireland managed to apply a brake to the scoring rate, as he removed Nicol, Scott Styris and Gareth Hopkins in a superb four-over spell of 3 for 24. But Daniel Vettori biffed 18 valuable runs from 12 deliveries to give the total a late lift.In a valuable pointer as to the conditions that can be expected at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, spin continued to play a major role when New Zealand’s turn came to bowl, with Nathan McCullum taking the new ball and striking in his first over as Stirling was bowled for a duck.McCullum added two more wickets in his spell – Niall O’Brien for 12 and Gary Wilson for 31 – both stumped by Hopkins – as Ireland’s hopes of victory evaporated. Trent Johnston smacked two sixes in a 12-ball 16 before becoming Hopkins’ third stumping of the innings, this time off Styris, while Kevin O’Brien was run out for 28 from 19 balls.

Leeds United could target a new central midfielder this January transfer window, according to the ever-reliable Phil Hay of The Athletic…

What’s the word?

In a recent transfer Q&A with supporters, the trusty reporter claimed that we could see the Yorkshire giants finally sign the midfielder they have been desperate for in recent times.

“We could all see that recruitment in central midfield was necessary in the last window and Leeds would have taken someone there had Conor Gallagher agreed to come from [Chelsea] or Lewis O’Brien not been priced as he was,” he said.

“To my mind, failing to add a midfielder was a mistake and it looks like the priority the club need to focus on in the coming window. You can go back to the interest in Michael Cuisance to see how long they’ve actually been after a player in that area.”

Bucking the trend

This should come as huge excitement for many supporters around Elland Road – and not just because they could bring in some fresh faces to bolster their chances of staying in the Premier League.

Indeed, the Whites find themselves just five points above the relegation zone, having played several more games than those sides below them.

United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been dealing with an injury crisis for the bulk of the season but in recent times that has got excruciatingly worse, with as many as 11 players, including nine first-team stars, absent from their recent 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

It suggests that reinforcements will certainly be needed in the window.

But typically, Leeds never spend in January, so they would need to buck the trend if they are to resolve this ongoing nightmare.

Hay also believes that is something they could do.

“Victor Orta and Bielsa don’t like to be overly active in January but you’ll have noticed Bielsa saying a couple of weeks ago that signings would be good if Leeds can find a way to make them happen — provided they are fit enough to step straight in,” he said in response to another question.

If that’s the case, then those around west Yorkshire should be hugely encouraged heading into January. Their fortunes could well be boosted heading into the remainder of the season.

AND in other news, Bielsa dealt another cruel Leeds United setback this week…