All posts by h716a5.icu

Daniel Brettig24-May-2011Shane Watson is best suited to setting a speedy agenda at the top of the Test batting order rather than plugging gaps further down, the national selector Greg Chappell has said.Since becoming vice-captain under the team’s new leader Michael Clarke, Watson has pondered his ideal place within the XI, and has given ground to the possibility of moving down the order if it would help solidify a batting unit prone to collapse. Such a move would also allow Watson the chance to bowl a little more, and perhaps escape a pattern of being dismissed between 50 and 100.However Chappell was adamant that Watson should remain an opening batsman, to be partnered in Sri Lanka by either Simon Katich or Phil Hughes, as his ability to score runs quickly at the outset of an innings was a priceless asset.”I think at this stage we’re pretty happy with him opening,” Chappell told . “The beauty with Shane is that when he gets runs he tends to get them at a good strike rate. If you’ve got someone who makes runs at that sort of strike rate at the top of the order a la Matthew Hayden, it can make a very big difference.”If we get to the point where there’s others who we think might do the job it will come up in discussion, but the issue is if you take him out of that role and whoever replaces him doesn’t do it as well and he doesn’t do as well somewhere else, it’s not a straightforward exercise. He’s ideally suited to opening, he likes opening, he’s doing it well.”I think we’re very comfortable with that situation at the moment. It’s nice that he’s thinking outside himself and looking at it from a team perspective, but I can tell you the best thing for the team at the moment is for him to keep opening and keep scoring runs the way he does.”One of the more curious selections for the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe is that of David Warner in both limited-overs and first-class squads, an indication that his healthy conclusion to the 2010-11 Sheffield Shield for New South Wales had caught Chappell’s attention. Known mainly as a rapid-fire opening bat in Twenty20 cricket, Warner’s technical fundamentals are arguably more pure than those of his Blues compatriot Hughes, leaving open the possibility of a Test match future.”He finished the season off really well, I was pleased that New South Wales gave him those four-day opportunities because I’ve felt for some time that he has the ability to be a good long-form cricketer and the danger is you can pigeonhole somebody,” Chappell said. “I saw him get 90-odd here in Melbourne against Victoria at the MCG and he got a hundred up at the SCG I saw and they were two pretty impressive innings.”He has that capability so let’s see how he progresses over the next little while, but I don’t think there’s any thought from the national selection panel about shifting Shane from where he is at the moment.”

Sara McGlashan’s brisk half-century followed by an efficient performance from the bowlers helped New Zealand clinch a 14-run victory in the third Twenty20 against Australia and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2011
ScorecardSara McGlashan reverse sweeps during her half-century•Getty ImagesSara McGlashan’s brisk half-century followed by an efficient performance from the bowlers helped New Zealand clinch a 14-run victory in the third Twenty20 against Australia and take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.New Zealand had lost their openers before the fifth over was completed after choosing to bat in Invercargill, but a third-wicket partnership of 97 between McGlashan and Amy Satterthwaite steadied the innings. Satterthwaite struck six boundaries in her 45 off 37 balls before she was dismissed in the 18th over. McGlashan was the fifth and last wicket to fall in the New Zealand innings, in the final over, after she had scored 62 off 50 balls to lead her team to 147 for 5. Australia used five bowlers and all apart from Ellyse Perry picked up a wicket each.Australia’s chase began steadily with Meg Lanning leading them to 56 for 1 after eight overs. New Zealand then struck two double-blows that crippled the innings. Leah Poulton and Lanning fell with the score on 56 and then Nicola Browne struck off successive deliveries to reduce Australia to 73 for 5. Lisa Sthalekar scored a rapid, unbeaten 32 off 20 balls but could only take her team to 133 for 6 at the end of 20 overs. Kate Broadmore picked up 2 for 19 while Browne had figures of 2 for 24.

Khurram Manzoor hit a century as Pakistan A reached 238 for 7 on the first day of the second unofficial Test against West Indies A at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2010Pakistan A 238 for 7 (Manzoor 130, Permaul 3-56) v West Indies A
ScorecardKhurram Manzoor hit a century as Pakistan A reached 238 for 7 on the first day of the second unofficial Test against West Indies A at the Arnos Vale Ground in St Vincent. After the visitors chose to bat, the Pakistan openers, Manzoor and Umair Khan, started solidly adding 68 for the first wicket. David Bernard dismissed Umair for 41, but Manzoor, in the company of No. 3 Shan Masood continued to play fluently as the duo put on 111 runs. Manzoor, who made a hundred in the first Test, finally fell to the offspin of Veerasammy Permaul for 104 which included 16 boundaries. Pakistan then lost momentum, losing five wickets for just 59 as they crumbled from 179 for 2 to 238 for 7. Permaul was the most successful West Indies bowler with figures of 3 for 56. The first Test at the same venue ended in a draw after it was badly affected by rain.

A major Rangers transfer development has emerged on Ibrox gem Joe Aribo…

What’s the talk?

Reporter Tom Barclay has revealed that one Premier League club is not eyeing up a move for the Nigerian international midfielder.

Crystal Palace have been linked with a swoop for the Gers midfielder and Barclay has now allayed any fears in Glasgow that Aribo will be on his way to Selhurst Park.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “It makes sense and I can see why they are being linked with midfielders because of Gallagher leaving in the summer.

“But, from what I’m told, I’m not sure that is the case.”

Gio will be elated

This news will surely leave Gio van Bronckhorst feeling elated as Aribo is a key player for him in Glasgow and he will want him to stay at the club.

In the Premiership this season, the midfielder has eight goals and five assists in 32 outings as he has averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.10. This comes after he managed seven goals and four assists in the 2020/21 title-winning campaign for the Gers.

His form last term led to his former Charlton teammate Ezri Konsa heaping praise on him, saying: “Having Gerrard as his manager at Rangers, that has made him go up another level.

“Joe’s style is unique. When I was with him at Charlton he did remind me for a while of a left-footed Yaya Toure. But you don’t get a lot of midfielders like Joe, there aren’t many around.

“Like Toure, for a tall guy he’s got such great feet. But that languid style he’s got is actually fairly unique in the game.”

These comments highlight how rare of a talent Aribo is and why it would be difficult for van Bronckhorst to replace him with a similar player. As Konsa explained, the Nigerian’s blend of physical stature and technical ability makes him unplayable on his day as he has the strength to hold off defenders whilst also having the skill to produce quality in the final third.

His aforementioned statistics in the Scottish top-flight prove that he can put deliver on a regular basis at the top end of the pitch and that is why he is such a key player for the head coach. The Dutchman will not want to lose him and that is why he will be buzzing with Barclay’s claim that Palace are not eyeing him up as one of their top targets, as it stands.

AND in other news, Body blow: Van Bronckhorst now set for huge Rangers disaster over £27k-p/w “rock”…

USA return to ICC WCL action this week in the Division Four tournament Malaysia trying to rediscover the form that saw them finish as champions two years ago in Italy

Peter Della Penna03-Sep-2012After spending the last year licking their wounds following a last-place finish in Hong Kong, USA return to ICC World Cricket League action this week in the Division Four tournament Malaysia, trying to rediscover the form that saw them finish Division Four champions in 2010 in Italy.Much has changed since then. Gone are Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington and Rashard Marshall, three key contributors to success in that event. Cush had helped steer the side out of trouble to win the last group match against Argentina, scoring a half-century after USA were reduced to 17 for 5, before throttling Italy with a 55-ball century in the final. Darlington was a steady and miserly presence with the new ball while claiming 10 wickets. Marshall made his first and only century for USA in that event, clubbing 122 off 84 balls to complete the turnaround against Argentina.Charlie Javed was brought on tour in Italy as a 44-year-old leg-spinner. Today he is on tour in Malaysia serving as USA’s bowling coach. Steven Taylor was a nervous 16-year-old, who was dismissed for a six-ball duck batting at No. 6 in his only appearance of that tournament. Two years later, he enters as arguably USA’s most devastating batting threat at the top of the order.Some fresher faces have been infused into the squad along with Taylor. Abhimanyu Rajp made his debut in March at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers and wound up as his team’s leading wicket-taker along with Muhammad Ghous with 10 wickets. Aditya Mishra scored two half-centuries in the same event, including one that took the team to an upset win over Scotland. Akeem Dodson, Andy Mohammed and Ryan Corns have found opportunities in the senior team after coming through USA’s U-19 programme, just like Rajp and Taylor.Steve Massiah comes back after negotiating his way through a four-month battle with the U.S. legal system. He is also bidding to reverse his diminishing form in a USA jersey. Massiah hasn’t scored a century in tournament play for USA since 2006. Aditya Thyagarajan and Timroy Allen return to the fold as well, each player out to prove they can still contribute after battling injuries.Even though the squad’s identity has changed immensely since victory in Italy, the expectations remain high. The squad may not have developed much chemistry, but they are talented enough to come out on top once more.Standing in their way will be three sides playing in familiar conditions. While Malaysia are the hosts, both Nepal and Singapore have plenty of experience playing in Kuala Lumpur through Asian Cricket Council tournaments. The conditions in Malaysia are not altogether different from those in Singapore either so it can be argued that the home-field advantage is shared by two teams in the tournament.The weakest opposition is likely to be Tanzania, a team USA trounced by 10 wickets in Italy. While USA beat Denmark in a warm-up match ahead of the tournament, it will still be very fresh in the minds of both teams that Denmark derailed USA’s experience at WCL Division Three in 2011. A day after defeating eventual tournament champions Hong Kong by 7 wickets, USA were beaten by Denmark in the round-robin stage by 30 runs then again in the playoffs by 84 runs. These two defeats ensured that USA finished with the wooden spoon.But perhaps the biggest obstacle for USA will be to avoid the temptation of looking too far ahead to Division Three. Awaiting them will be Italy, a team USA beat comprehensively by 8 wickets on Italian soil two years ago in the Division Four final. The other three teams in Division Three won’t strike much fear in the hearts of whoever gets promoted from Division Four either: Bermuda, Uganda and Oman finished 13th, 14th and 15th respectively at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and while this is a different format, it is a strong indication of their talent level compared to fellow Associates. USA finished 12th in that event while fellow Division Four participant Nepal finished 7th in the UAE.The most important thing for USA will be to get off to a winning start. USA have tended to be a front-running side and it won’t be easy for them to dig out of a hole if they get into one. They have shown in the last three WCL tournaments they’ve played in that they are capable of neutralizing home-field advantage after defeating Nepal, Italy and Hong Kong in Divisions Five, Four and Three. They’ll need to repeat that again on day one in Kuala Lumpur against Malaysia to get on the path back toward promotion and the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier

Manchester United have reportedly contacted Robert Lewandowski’s representatives ahead of a possible summer swoop.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag incoming…

The Red Devils look set to bring Ajax boss Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford ahead of the 2022/23 campaign to take over from Ralf Rangnick.

Fabrizio Romano revealed on Monday that United are set to complete a contract agreement with Ten Hag and that contact has been made with Ajax over a €2m clause.

Ten Hag previously demanded to be 100% involved when it comes to signings, departures and new contracts, and it looks as if Lewandowski is a potential target.

The Latest: Lewandowski contact

Sports Witness relayed an update from Sport regarding the Bayern Munich striker on Monday. They claimed that United are on the search for a star striker this summer and have contacted Lewandowski’s camp to make their interest known.

The 33-year-old, valued at around ‘€140-150m’ (£117m-£125m) last year according to Di Marzio, will be entering the final 12 months of his Bayern deal in the summer, with Barcelona also name-checked in the latest report.

The Verdict: Ronaldo replacement?

Edinson Cavani is set to leave United over the coming months, which will leave Ten Hag with just Cristiano Ronaldo as the only recognised senior striker on the books.

Ronaldo’s future is also thought to be in doubt, so should he depart, then Lewandowski, described as ‘unplayable’ by Sky Sports analyst Statman Dave, could be a perfect replacement.

However, if Ronaldo remains at Old Trafford, then pursuing a younger forward could be a wiser move, with Benfica’s Darwin Nunez on their radar after a stellar 2021/22 campaign.

In other news: ‘Problems…’ – Fabrizio Romano now shares fresh blow for Man Utd and Erik ten Hag on Twitter. 

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has been reacting to the club’s reported interest in Aberdeen teenager Calvin Ramsay.

The Lowdown: Leeds keen on Ramsay

The Whites are yet to make a senior addition this month, with Mateo Joseph Fernandez the only player through the door at Thorp Arch for the under-23 side.

RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson is the club’s key midfield target, although Leeds have also been linked with Ramsay. The 18-year-old right-back has been a regular at Pittodrie this season, making 22 appearances, with Elland Road scouts heading north to watch him in action earlier this month.

Reports suggest that Aberdeen want in excess of £6m to part ways with the full-back this month, and Robinson has been giving his thoughts on a potential late move.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments

The 42-year-old, who regularly features as a pundit on Sky Sports, was talking to MOT Leeds News over a possible move for Ramsay.

He labelled the Aberdeen starlet as ‘quality’ but urged Leeds to strengthen in other areas before swooping for the teenager, saying:

“It’s not a lot of money but if you ask any Leeds fan if you want a right-back when you’ve got Luke Ayling, he’s been a top-class right-back for the last three or four seasons.

“Jamie Shackleton can play there, Stuart Dallas has played there. It’s not a pressing matter.

“Okay, signing good young players is always good for the club but they need a centre-half, they need a central midfielder and they need a centre-forward. They are far more pressing issues than a right-back.

“Yes, he’s a top player. Yes, he’s a quality young player who’s up and coming. But it’s not an area that Leeds fans will look at and say that’s what the team needs to improve.”

The Verdict: Spot on

As Robinson says, Victor Orta has bigger fish to fry in the final days of the January transfer window, so a move for Ramsay shouldn’t be a priority.

He could be a future star, but Leeds are well stocked in that department and also have youngster Cody Drameh gaining senior experience on loan at Cardiff City, and he could be Luke Ayling’s long-term replacement.

Orta was after a defensive and attacking midfielder this month, but at this stage it doesn’t look as if he’ll get either, with a move for Aaronson looking more likely for the summer.

He may have something up his sleeve to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s midfield ranks, and if he does, he’ll need to act fast with Monday’s deadline fast approaching.

In other news: Leeds now open to offloading this centre-forward with ‘fast feet’ just days before January transfer window shuts

Corey Collymore, the former West Indies seamer, is to leave Sussex and move up to Middlesex at the end of the season to be closer to his family

Cricinfo staff13-Sep-2010Corey Collymore, the former West Indies seamer, is set to leave Sussex and move up to Middlesex at the end of the season to be closer to his family.Collymore, 32, joined Sussex as a Kolpak player in 2008 after his international career faded, and has been a pivotal part of their side since then. He has spearheaded Sussex’s drive to the the Division Two championship this summer as the club’s leading leading wicket taker with 57 scalps at 19.87. Despite his success, he wants to support his partner who is looking to complete her accountancy qualification in London.”I’m obviously disappointed to be leaving Sussex but I feel it is the best decision for me and my family,” he said. “I’m fortunate to have played for a very successful club over the last few years. The atmosphere has been great and I have many friends here at Hove. Everything has been tremendous, and I couldn’t have asked for any more from the club.”His arrival at Lord’s is a major boon for Middlesex who have struggled this year with Steven Finn on England duty and overseas signing Iain O’Brien missing large parts of the season through injury. Whether Collymore is supported by O’Brien next year is out of Middlesex’s hands as the club waits for the ECB to decide if he can be classed as a home player rather than an overseas. If not then O’Brien will be looking for a new county because Middlesex have secured the services of Australian opener Chris Rogers.Sussex, who will be in Division One next season, are now in need of another seamer but coach Mark Robinson bared no resentment for Collymore’s decision.”Corey has been an integral part of our attack for the last three years in four-day cricket, and at times he has carried our bowling unit this season and been a constant threat all year,” he said. “It is sad when anyone leaves the club but we respect Corey’s desire to be closer to his family.”

Former internationals Hamish Marshall and Ed Joyce have been named in Ireland’s 17-man squad for their upcoming tour to India

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2010Former internationals Hamish Marshall and Ed Joyce have been named in Ireland’s 17-man squad for their upcoming tour to India. Marshall, the former New Zealand batsman, is included for the first time, while Ed Joyce is back in an Ireland squad after trying his hand with England. Joyce last played for Ireland in the ICC Trophy final against Scotland in July 2005.Both players don’t become eligible to play for Ireland in official ODIs until April next year, but Ireland have asked the ICC for a special dispensation to allow both to take part in the World Cup which starts next February – a decision on their participation is expected from the ICC soon.Alex Cusack returns after his recent operation, which ruled him out of Ireland’s tour to Zimbabwe. The remainder of the squad contains few surprises, with Boyd Rankin and Regan West still out recuperating from their injuries.The squad will be based at the Pune Sports Club from November 1 to 22, and will play four matches against invitational sides made up of first-class cricketers. The tour is a key part of Ireland’s preparation for the World Cup, which will be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next year.Ireland coach Phil Simmons feels the tour will not only give his team a chance to bond but also crucial experience of the conditions they will confront at the World Cup. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for the squad to acclimatise and bond together during the three weeks in India. I’ve put together a demanding programme covering physical, technical and tactical elements. We’ll also be playing four games against quality opposition, so the players will get a chance to impress in subcontinental conditions.”Although Joyce and Marshall aren’t officially available yet, Simmons said the tour was a great opportunity for them to get to know the other players and vice-versa, as well as providing depth to the squad. He also emphasised the need to do well in the World Cup, as the 2015 event has been reduced to 10 teams.”It’s vital we stay high in the world rankings, and continue to compete and indeed defeat full member countries. We’ve reached the quarter final stage of two of the last three major tournaments, and that could well have been three in a row bar the rain intervening in our game with England in Guyana.”Ireland squad: William Porterfield (capt), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Allan Eastwood, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, Hamish Marshall, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien (wk), Andrew Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.

New Zealand will visit Sri Lanka for a series of two Tests, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 in October and November

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2012New Zealand will visit Sri Lanka for a series of two Tests, five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 in October and November. Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed the schedule for the tour, which begins with a one-off T20 in Pallekele on October before the teams move on to the one-day international portion of the trip.The ODIs begin on November 1 in Pallekele and continue at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on November 4 and 6 before finishing with a pair of matches in Hambantota on November 10 and 12. They are followed by the first Test, which starts in Galle on November 17, and the second Test in Pallekele beginning on November 25.Last time New Zealand visited Sri Lanka for Tests was in 2009, when Sri Lanka won 2-0 on the back of a brilliant series from Thilan Samaraweera. New Zealand have not won a Test in Sri Lanka since May 1998, in what was Daniel Vettori’s 12th Test, when they prevailed by 167 runs in Colombo thanks to twin hundreds from Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan.