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Three late wickets by their former team-mate Mitch Claydon checked Yorkshire’scruise to victory against Durham, but with only 54 needed and six wicketsstanding they should stay in contention for the County Championship DivisionOne title

18-Aug-2010
ScorecardAdam Lyth got the Yorkshire chase off to a good start with 48•Getty ImagesThree late wickets by their former team-mate Mitch Claydon checked Yorkshire’scruise to victory against Durham, but with only 54 needed and six wicketsstanding they should stay in contention for the County Championship DivisionOne title.On a Chester-le-Street pitch becoming progressively flatter after 17 wicketsfell on the first day, Claydon forced Jacques Rudolph to play on for 100 andreduced Yorkshire from 181 for one to 228 for 4.Chasing a target of 299, they closed on 245 for 4, with skipper Andrew Galeunbeaten on 36 and nightwatchman Steve Patterson on three after surviving animpassioned first ball lbw appeal by Claydon.Rudolph was troubled only by the swing of the luckless Chris Rushworth inracing to his fourth Championship century of the season off 137 balls, with 15fours. He put on 113 with Adam Lyth, who fell for 48 when he tried to force away BenStokes’ third ball off the back foot and edged to Michael Di Venuto at secondslip.First innings century-maker Anthony McGrath helped to take the total to 181before Claydon struck. He forced Rudolph back with a ball of steep bounce, which the left-handerplayed down into his stumps, then McGrath sliced a drive to point, where Stokesheld a good low catch.In between those two wickets, Gale hit three successive balls from Claydon forfour and it seemed he might want to claim the extra half hour for a three-dayfinish. But that was out of the question once Jonny Bairstow had departed for 13,edging Claydon to Phil Mustard.The warning signs that the pitch was placid were there in the morning forDurham as their tailenders helped Dale Benkenstein add 133 to the overnight 207for 6. Benkenstein never looked like getting out until he sensed he was running out ofsupport after Liam Plunkett edged a drive to second slip and Claydon was lbw tothe new ball.Both had looked in no trouble, making 30 and 29 respectively, but afterRushworth was dropped on nought by Gale at cover Benkenstein dabbled outside offstump and edged to the wicketkeeper to fall for 74. Rushworth then hit four fours in an over off Patterson on his way to 28 before he was bowled by the second ball after lunch, giving Patterson his fourthwicket.There were also four for Oliver Hannon-Dalby, continuing to deputise for TimBresnan, who arrived back from The Oval where he had been released by England inmid-afternoon.

West Ham United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Jesse Lingard back to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by ESPN, who claim that the Manchester United attacking midfielder is keen to leave Old Trafford this month, and is hoping that West Ham – where he spent the second half of last season on loan – make an offer for his services before the closure of the current market on January 31.

The report goes on to state that Newcastle United are also interested in the England international, however, the 29-year-old is thought to only be willing to join the Magpies on loan before assessing his options this summer.

West Ham must act

While the Lingard to West Ham transfer saga has been ongoing for the best part of a year now, should ESPN’s information be correct in that the forward has given a move back to East London the green light, the Hammers board simply must make a move for the 29-year-old in the coming days.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League appearances during his temporary spell at the London Stadium last season, the £18m-rated midfielder was in astonishing form for the club, bagging nine goals, providing five assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £75k-per-week forward – who Lee Clark dubbed a “fighter” and Paul Robinson labelled a “special” talent – earn a remarkable seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Irons’ best player in the top flight of English football.

As such, should Lingard indeed be keen on a return to London Stadium this month, West Ham simply must make a move for the 29-year-old, as the signing of the player who has scored 56 goals in his professional career would undoubtedly provide the Hammers’ chances of securing a top-four finish in the league this season with a substantial boost.

In other news: “I’ve heard…”: Ex drops teasing West Ham transfer update, fans will be buzzing

Keith Downie has now dropped some exciting Newcastle United transfer news on Jesse Lingard live on Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: One to watch?

A lot of the focus on Transfer Deadline Day has been on the potential for the St. James’ Park faithful to wrap up deals for Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Hugo Ekitike.

However, some news has emerged on Lingard that suggests that he too could be one to move to the North East before the deadline hits tonight.

The Latest: Downie on Lingard

Speaking live on Sky Sports (via The Transfer Centre 14:23pm), Downie has revealed that the Tyneside outfit are now ‘pushing’ to sign Lingard:

“We can tell you that Newcastle are pushing to bring in Jesse Lingard from Manchester United.

“He’s a player Newcastle have been keen on throughout the transfer window and we know they have been in talks with Manchester United.

“The talks had reached a bit of an impasse but with the Ekitike deal hanging in the balance, Newcastle are looking elsewhere – but they do have competition from West Ham for Lingard.

“As we understand the situation, Newcastle are very keen on Lingard and pushing hard to bring him in.

“Lingard would be keen on a move but the decision rests with the Manchester United board.”

The Verdict: Exciting

With all of the players that the Magpies seem to bringing in today, it is certainly exciting to see that Lingard could very well be one of them.

With Burn, Targett and potentially Ekitike, they would have covered the centre-back, left-back and striker positions, adding to the signings of right-back Kieran Trippier, forward Chris Wood and midfield maestro Bruno Guimaraes.

The one position that they are potentially missing is an attacking midfielder, and Lingard would fit the bill in that regard.

His nine goals and five assists on loan for West Ham United in the second half of last season show that he is very comfortable in front of goal, and the Toon could do with adding some more goals from the middle of the park, with no midfielder scoring more than two for them this campaign.

In other news, find out what Ekitike transfer worry has emerged here!

Newcastle United fans have been handed an exciting twist in their club’s chase to sign Lille defender Sven Botman this summer.

What’s the story?

Fabrizio Romano had recently suggested that Serie A giants Milan were virtually nailed-on to sign the Netherlands international, but it seems that the Magpies have come in at the 11th hour to throw a spanner in the works.

Posting initially on Twitter, Football Insider revealed that both Eddie Howe’s side and Milan have “verbally agreed personal terms” and that the Magpies have held “extensive negotiations” with the defender since January.

In a follow-up article, it was added that a Newcastle source had told them the Tyneside club “have not given up hope of landing Botman after extensive negotiations over a potential deal both in January and subsequently… They will now try to negotiate a fee with Lille, who have held out for a £30m fee.”

Game-changer for Newcastle

If Newcastle can manage to pull off a last-minute heist for Botman, it really would be the biggest statement of the new PIF era thus far.

Never mind that the Magpies are competing with a club like Milan, who are rich in footballing history and playing some kind of European football almost annually.

The idea that Newcastle could come in and blow the Rossoneri out of the water with an offer and convince a player to join them so soon after they had basically been out of the running is a telling sign of the massive impact that the Toon Army could have in the future.

It’s a worrying sign for the rest of Europe that, even at this early stage of their revolution, that Newcastle are already beginning to throw their weight around behind closed doors and putting their money where their mouth is.

They already managed to beat Arsenal to the signing of Bruno Guimaraes, and muscling out Milan to Botman would be another significant coup.

Described by his former Lille boss Christophe Galiter as someone who is emerging as a “leader”, and valued at £40m by CIES, Botman could be another game-changing signing for Newcastle if they pull it off.

AND in other news – Sold for just £100k, now a two-time title winner: NUFC flop has delivered huge payback

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has called for life bans on players found guilty of fixing

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2010Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, has called for life bans on players found guilty of fixing. His comments came a day after Australian captain Ricky Ponting had said it would be unfair if the entire Pakistan team was punished over the spot-fixing controversy that has dominated cricket headlines over the past two weeks.Three Pakistan players – Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – linked to the spot-fixing scandal were suspended by the ICC last week and a fourth, fast bowler Wahab Riaz, will be questioned by Scotland Yard next Tuesday.”If they are proved, those allegations, then it has to be the harshest possible (punishment) and that’s a life ban,” Vettori told on a day when he again picked up the Player of the Year award at New Zealand Cricket’s awards for the 2009-10 season.New Zealand had pulled off a tight victory over Pakistan in a Test in Dunedin last year – their only win over strong opposition in two-and-a-half years – but Vettori said all matches would come under the scanner due to the latest scandal.”Whenever incidents like (these) recently have come under the spotlight then people are going to question every single game that Pakistan played in,” he said. “The key for cricket is to clean it up as quickly as possible, so that people don’t turn up at the game and think there’s something going on. Cricket needs to be squeaky clean.”Another close game Pakistan were involved in was the Sydney Test in January, which has also come under suspicion after Australia won from a seemingly hopeless position. Australia have maintained that they had no inkling of any fixing in the game, their coach Tim Nielsen calling the match “some of the hardest Test cricket we’ve ever played”.After the latest scandal came to light, Ponting called for individual players to be punished and not the entire team. “Let’s just start with the people we know about at the moment and make sure they’re dealt with in the appropriate manner,” Ponting told Fox Sports. “I think to ban a whole team would probably be a bit unfair. The world game doesn’t really need that, (and) can’t really afford that to happen.”

The opening match of the three-game India-Australia series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Kochi

Peter English17-Oct-2010Match abandoned Australia v India
ScorecardThe ground staff couldn’t beat the weather in Kochi•AFPThe opening match of the three-game India-Australia series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Kochi. Heavy rain before the one-dayer saturated the ground and while the weather was clear at the scheduled start time, the clouds returned to send everyone home.It was an unfortunate result for the thousands of locals who were filling the stadium in their blue shirts. Both teams are fielding inexperienced squads so the expectation was high, but everyone will have to wait for the second match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.The Kerala Cricket Association has been criticised by former BCCI secretary SK Nair, who said better arrangements with respect to drainage and scheduling could have been made to prevent an abandonment. “This was not for the first time that an international match was planned in Kochi. In the past, organisers had been able to successfully overcome whatever problems came in the way. This time too, the organisers should have put in place a plan to overcome the hitches,” Nair said.TC Mathew, the KCA secretary, responded saying all possible measures had been taken but heavy rains made it impossible for the match to take place.The series concludes in Goa on Sunday.

Celtic are in continued negotiations regarding a deal to bring Jota to Parkhead on a permanent basis.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by The Scotsman, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that Michael Nicholson remains in negotiations with both Benfica and the 22-year-old winger regarding a deal to make the Portuguese U21 international’s temporary stay in Glasgow a £6m permanent move.

When asked if the signing of Jota was any closer, Ange Postecoglou said: “If I say we’re closer, it’s as if something’s happened. Those discussions will be taking place over the course of the next period. Michael is at the forefront of that with the players themselves.”

Signing of the season

While the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada are all in with an extremely strong shout as being Celtic’s signing of the season in 2021/22, should the Hoops manage to get a deal over the line for Jota in the coming months, the 22-year-old will also be a name right at the top of the list for the accolade of the Bhoys’ best incoming transfer.

Indeed, over his 16 Premiership appearances so far this season, the £4.95m-rated winger has been in astonishing form, scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £7.1k-per-week forward average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.29, ranking him as the eighth-best player in the top flight of Scottish football.

Furthermore, Jota has also scored a further two goals and provided two assists over his five Europa League outings, in addition to bagging one goal over his two League Cup fixtures – taking his total to eight goals and seven assists over 24 appearances for Celtic.

As such, considering his undoubted ability, potential for further development, age and nationality, should Nicholson indeed manage to land the winger in a £6m deal, it is not difficult to imagine Jota being worth double this immediately after his signing.

That means Celtic will not only retain the services of an extremely talented player, they will also be acquiring an extremely sellable asset, something which could give the 22-year-old the edge in being Postecoglou’s signing of the season.

In other news: Forget Dembele: Ange must now unleash “generational” Celtic prodigy who has “no fear”

Chelsea’s three-game winning run in all competitions came to a brutal end on Wednesday evening, as the west London outfit succumbed to a shock 4-2 defeat to rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

The hosts had twice come from behind in an enthralling first half to head in level at the break, although their shambolic defensive performance continued after the interval, with Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka capitalising on some bizarre and frankly foolish defending from the Blues’ backline to secure all three points.

While that defeat will do little to impact the home side’s stranglehold on third spot in the Premier League table – particularly with them five points clear and with a game in hand over both the Gunners and Spurs – there were no doubt alarm bells ringing for manager Thomas Tuchel, particularly on the evidence of that defensive showing.

The seemingly Barcelona-bound Andreas Christensen has come under fire for his early blunder that gifted the visitors the lead, although the Dane is perhaps an easy scapegoat for the defeat, particularly with fellow defender Malang Sarr having endured a torrid evening of his own.

The Frenchman – who joined the club on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020 – failed to take his chance on what was his first start for over a month, notably recording a fairly dismal 6.4 match rating, as per SofaScore, the third-worst among the starting XI.

On a shaky outing for the former Nice man, the £7.2m-rated centre-back was particularly at fault for the away side’s third goal just after half-time, with his clumsy attempted clearance gifting the ball straight to the feet of a grateful Nketiah who grabbed his second of the night.

The 23-year-old would be forgiven for struggling against the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, although this was an opposition who had lost their previous three league games and had a striker in tow who prior to the game had failed to score a top-flight goal this season.

The £34k-per-week defender had been tasked with filling the shoes of the stricken Antonio Rudiger for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s side, although on the basis of that defeat he hardly looks fit to lace the German’s boots, with the statistics proving rather damning for the 6-foot brute.

As per SofaScore, the former France U21 international lost possession on 22 occasions during his 90-minute horror show, while he was also dribbed past three times, eventually committing three fouls and failing to make a single interception throughout the hefty loss.

That underwhelming display was dubbed a “shambles” by talkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders, with the Welshman going on to insist that Sarr is simply “not good enough”, hence his recent absence from the side.

Football.london’s Adam Newson was also heavily critical of the defender’s showing, handing him just a five in his post-match player ratings and writing of the player’s performance that:

“With Antonio Rudiger ruled out through injury, Tuchel opted to pick Sarr on the left of his back three. It was the Frenchman’s first appearance in the Premier League for over a month, and he appeared rusty in the opening period as Bukayo Saka was able to dominate down the Arsenal right. Sarr was hesitant in possession and uncertain with his positioning.

The French defender didn’t improve after the break, and it was his poor touch after a Silva tackle that allowed Nketiah to score Arsenal’s third. Sarr was later booked for a poor tackle later in the contest.”

Perhaps there may need to be an element of sympathy with a player who was making just his sixth league start of the season, although he will likely have little complaint if he is replaced for this weekend’s clash with West Ham United, with Tuchel hinting that Rudiger is “close” to being available for that match.

In truth, Sarr simply let his manager, and the club’s supporters, down.

South Africa will be confident of taking a series lead on the final day in Dubai after setting Pakistan a huge 451 then extracting two wickets during a hard-working final session

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan15-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJacques Kallis went to his 36th Test century to set Pakistan a huge target•AFPSouth Africa will be confident of taking a series lead on the final day in Dubai after setting Pakistan a huge 451 then extracting two wickets during a hard-working final session. Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla laid the platform with methodical centuries in an unbroken 242-run stand which left Pakistan needing to bat 131 overs for safety. Although they didn’t fold under the evening sunset surviving an entire day is a major task for a brittle batting line-up.Azhar Ali again showed commendable stickability at the crease and his early performances in Test cricket suggest he has the temperament for a long rearguard, but he could struggle on the final day after a painful blow on the thumb from Dale Steyn in the penultimate over. It will have to be down to him, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq to do the bulk of the match-saving because the rest don’t offer much encouragement.The loss of one wicket before the close would have been acceptable for Pakistan, but Taufeeq Umar drove loosely at Johan Botha to give Kallis a sharp catch at slip having defied 92 balls. It was a poor choice from Taufeeq – driving out of the footmarks – because Botha has been the most dangerous spinner on show in the game, able to extract more bounce than the others. Botha and Paul Harris will expect a lot of work on the final day with an aim to string together maidens and test the batsmen’s concentration.South Africa, though, will be concerned about the fitness of Steyn after the fast bowler needed treatment on the boundary edge for a problem with his arm. He made the first breakthrough when Mohammad Hafeez, after a positive 34, was caught at first slip and he didn’t appear greatly hindered initially but was clearly grimacing later in the session. Fears were partly allayed when Steyn returned late in the day and produced the fearsome bouncer that Azhar gloved over slip but his bowling arm was heavily strapped.South Africa had delayed their declaration until 40 minutes before tea which was on the conservative side but that is the way they play their cricket. There was nothing in recent history to suggest Pakistan had a chance of chasing anything significant in the fourth innings and if time becomes tight at the end Graeme Smith may wonder if he needed to bat on.Kallis and Amla had eased along to an unbroken stand of 242, South Africa’s second-highest for any wicket against Pakistan. Kallis’ hundred was the 36th of a mighty career – and included four sixes, the most he has hit in a Test innings since 2005 – while Amla’s was number 11 for an increasingly prolific batsman. As a partnership they were as remorseless as batting can become, even if many of the runs were easy pickings.The match was already getting out of Pakistan’s reach when play started, but when they failed to break through in the first 20 minutes it became a waiting game as South Africa piled on the runs. Misbah soon set his field back, abandoning all pretence of taking wickets, and tried to slow the scoring. Ironically, one of their best chances to strike came when Kallis edged a Saeed Ajmal doosra through the vacant slip area – but the lead was already at 350.Kallis was the aggressor during the first session and signalled his positive intent by launching his first ball of the day, from Ajmal, over the sightscreen. It was a moment that took everyone by surprise and for the rest of the first hour he was content to work the ball around. After drinks, he briefly cut loose with 16 coming off another Ajmal over when Kallis cracked him straight for another six and then slog-swept over midwicket.Amla continued his wonderful form with an innings full of stylish touches. He opened his account for the day with a crisp back-foot drive off Umar Gul, and then rocked back to pull him through midwicket. His second fifty of the match came from 104 balls, although he was fortunate to survive an lbw appeal against Ajmal on 58, off a delivery that would have hit leg stump.The pair paced each other through the 90s and Amla won the race to three figures, reaching his ton off 190 balls, before Kallis joined him there in the next over, from 185 deliveries. As the partnership pushed on Pakistan became increasingly ragged in the field, with Gul dropping Kallis at deep square-leg on 124, but their ambitions had long-since become trying to deny South Africa a win. If they manage that on the final day it will feel like a victory.

Shane Shillingford, the West Indies offspinner, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket after his action was found to be illegal following independent tests in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2010Shane Shillingford, the West Indies offspinner, has been dropped from the Windwards Islands squad for next month’s Caribbean T20 following his suspension from bowling in international cricket on Tuesday after his action was found to be illegal. Analysis of his action in Perth revealed that his mean elbow extension was 17 degrees, which is above the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the laws.”We have taken the decision to pull him out of the Caribbean T20 tournament and he will be going to the High Performance Centre in Barbados at the beginning of January where he will commence three-months training,” said Emmanuel Nanthan, president of the Dominica Cricket Board and the Windward Islands Cricket Board chief. “It is hoped that at the end of his stint a second test will be done on his action with the view of getting him back for the Test series in 2011.”Shillingford had been reported for a suspect action after the first Test in Sri Lanka in November by on-field umpires Steve Davis and Richard Kettleborough, along with third umpire Asad Rauf and fourth umpire Tyron Wijewardene. The umpires’ report cited concern over the straightening of Shillingford’s arm while he bowled some deliveries.Nanthan said the WICB was working to rectify the situation and had sought out independent tests of the bowler’s action. “We have received the report from the University of Western Australia and that there is still more information that we have requested.””As a matter of fact, the WICB is making a request for footage on the testing that was done on Shane. That information will then be submitted to a company in the UK for independent analysis on behalf of the WICB. In the meantime, we want to ensure that Shane remains focused for that battle that is a head and that he is well prepared to get back on the international scene as quickly as possible.”21-year-old Vincentian legspinner Keron Cottoy will replace Shillingford in the 14-man Windwards squad.