All posts by h716a5.icu

The Irish Government has offered its support to the cricket board as they consider how to respond to the ICC vote to make the 2015 World Cup a 10-team tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Apr-2011The Irish Government has offered its support to Cricket Ireland as they consider how to respond to the ICC vote to make the 2015 World Cup a 10-team tournament consisting of only the Test nations.The decision, which was announced on April 4, and closed the door on anyone outside the main 10 nations competing at a World Cup until 2019, sparked fury among Irish cricket as players expressed their anger over Twitter while the chief executive, Warren Deutrom, called it a “dark day for the sport.”Cricket Ireland, in consultation with the other 94 Associate and Affiliate nations, are considering all their options to try and overturn the decision and the Irish Sport’s Minister, Leo Varadkar, said the Government would offer their backing.”I fully support the efforts of Cricket Ireland and the other non-Test countries to persuade the ICC Board to reverse their decision,” he told a reception held to ironically mark Ireland’s success at the recent World Cup. “And I want you to know that my offices are available to assist the Associate nations in their campaign to have this decision reversed, in any way that you see fit.”Non-Test nations such as Ireland have played a major part in World Cups, not just by their talent and skill, but also by their commitment, passion and love of the game,” he said. “It is difficult to see how the best interests of the game can be served by not allowing countries such as Ireland a chance to compete at the highest level. This ‘closed shop’ approach cannot be good for the game, and appears to fly in the face of the sacred values that cricket has espoused for so long – namely fair play, sportsmanship and camaraderie.”Cricket Ireland want to pursue all other options before opting for the legal route which could be costly and damaging. It is even unclear what legal challenges are open to them, but if they wanted to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport it is understood they have a three-week window from the date the decision was made. Such a short timeframe makes that an unlikely option.On Sunday it is the board’s AGM which was meant to be a celebration of what Ireland achieved at the World Cup, but will now become a further inquest into the ICC’s recent decision and no doubt there will be more strong calls for action.

A violent last-hour surge from Harbhajan Singh gave India an 86-run advantage over New Zealand at stumps on the third day and Rahul Dravid said they would look to bat on for as long as possible on the fourth

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2010A violent last-hour surge from Harbhajan Singh gave India an 86-run advantage over New Zealand at stumps on the third day and Rahul Dravid said they would look to bat on for as long as possible on the fourth because there was a “lot of time left in the game”.India lost wickets regularly as they approached New Zealand’s first-innings total of 350 but Harbhajan, who entered at 326 for 6, launched a jaw-dropping counterattack completely at odds with the nature of play in the previous five hours. He plundered 85 off the 110 runs scored while he was at the crease and is poised to reach his second century in successive Tests. At present, he has 269 runs from three innings, one short of the series’ top-scorer Virender Sehwag.”It was a fantastic innings. He has been batting brilliantly for us,” Dravid said of Harbhajan. “In the last game, he played superbly to save the Test match. Today was a really good attacking innings and a really good partnership with Sreesanth, which means we are slightly ahead in the game.”When asked if India were entertaining thoughts of an overnight declaration, so that their refreshed bowlers could get stuck into New Zealand’s batsmen early morning in a push for victory, Dravid said that was unlikely. He hoped that the last-wicket partnership between Harbhajan and Sreesanth could add a few more runs.”We would like to get as many runs as we can. Hopefully, Harbhajan can go on to get another hundred,” Dravid said. “Sreesanth has been batting really well and supporting him. The more runs we can put on the board, the more pressure will be on New Zealand.”The plan for India is to stretch their lead as much as possible and give New Zealand a sizeable deficit to erase. Dravid wasn’t worried out of running out of time to take 10 wickets and then pursue a target.”I think there is a lot of time left in the game,” he said. “Specially in India, we know that on the fourth and fifth days, the game starts moving very quickly. A lot starts happening on Indian wickets on the fourth and fifth day.”If we can get a few early wickets, then we can put them under pressure. Batting does get more difficult as the game goes on. We are hoping that there will be some bounce and turn tomorrow.”

Pakistan fought back valiantly on the second day in Dubai as Umar Gul sparked a South Africa collapse to 380 before Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez responded with an opening stand of 105

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan13-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUmar Gul was outstanding with the second new ball as he grabbed three wickets•AFPPakistan fought back valiantly on the second day in Dubai as Umar Gul sparked a South Africa collapse to 380 before Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez responded with an opening stand of 105. Gul, the one remaining frontline quick after Wahab Riaz suffered a side strain, struck three early blows before the spinners completed the resurgence. South Africa regained ground during the final session with the scalps of both openers but Younis Khan and Azhar Ali remained firm.The worst news for Pakistan came shortly before play started as, for the second day running, they lost a key player. On Friday it was Mohammad Yousuf and now Riaz was ruled out of the series with the injury he picked up late on the first evening. Yet, just as things looked like falling apart they picked up with Gul inspiring the turnaround during a fine spell of 3 for 15 in eight overs and South Africa lost their last eight wickets for 73 runs.But despite their end result being considerably lower than expectations, Pakistan’s recent top-order woes suggested Graeme Smith’s side would soon be in the wickets. That wasn’t the case, though, with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel inconsistent during their first spells as Taufeeq and Hafeez brought up a rollicking fifty stand in the ninth over. Neither batsman was afraid to play his shots; Taufeeq drove handsomely down the ground while Hafeez pulled strongly against Steyn. It was rare period of free-scoring on a day that brought 213 runs in 88 overs.Taufeeq, recalled to the Test side for the first time since 2006, built on a fine record against South Africa against whom he averages over 70 while Hafeez, who last played a Test in 2007 against this opposition, didn’t take a backward step. It was a sharp contrast to the feeble efforts offered in England earlier this year, and within 10 overs Smith was forced into containment mode.This is where South Africa started to claw back as after tea they managed to string together maidens and increase pressure on the batsmen with the run-rate steadily falling from five-an-over to under three. The opening pair brought up Pakistan’s first century opening stand since Imran Farhat and Salman Butt added 109 at Sydney, in January, but it wasn’t a surprise when Hafeez advanced at Paul Harris and lamely chipped a catch to mid-on.By now, Taufeeq was becoming seriously stalled. At tea he had 36 off 74 deliveries but managed just six runs from his next 45 balls as Harris and Johan Botha probed away. A return to pace brought his downfall when Morkel went round the wicket and gained an lbw decision although the point of impact raised some doubt. Morkel was much improved, striking Younis on the helmet in a tight six-over spell, and South Africa gave away only 58 runs in 35 overs during the final session. Still, it was as comfortably Pakistan’s day.South Africa began in rich health at 311 for 3, but the picture changed considerably in the morning session as the scoring rate was strangled and wickets fell regularly. Gul’s spell was the stand-out display, but the role played by Younis was equally vital as he filled the hole left by Riaz with some rarely seen medium-pace, and his seven overs cost just 11.Harris, the nightwatchman, was the first to depart when he pushed outside off stump and Younis snapped up a sharp chance at second slip. Harris’s 42-minute duck set a new record for South Africa and, as is often the case, nabbing the nightwatchman early gave the fielding side a lift. Kallis had clipped an early boundary off his legs but the scoreboard came to a standstill with just three boundaries struck in the opening session despite Pakistan’s depleted resources.South Africa could have shown more intent, especially against Younis, but it was excellent bowling that changed the complexion of the game. AB de Villiers received a cracking off-cutter from Gul which nipped back between bat and pad to take off stump. Gul struck again in his next over, when he trapped Ashwell Prince back in his crease, and although the batsman didn’t appear impressed with the decision, replays showed it pitched on leg stump.Mark Boucher briefly broke the stranglehold when he drove Younis through mid-off but it continued to be painful going for South Africa. Younis and Gul were rested after their hard work, yet the pressure didn’t let up as Rehman struck with his second ball to have Boucher lbw with one that went straight on.From aiming at a total around 550, and the prospect of batting once in this Test, South Africa were suddenly seeing 400 as the limit of their ambitions. Even that proved unreachable when Kallis’s obdurate display ended with an outside edge off Ajmal. Moments before lunch Rehman claimed his third when he straightened one past Johan Botha’s prod and Ajmal then trapped Morkel with a doosra. One good day doesn’t make a series, but yet again Pakistan managed to pull out a performance when it was least expected.

BCB chief Nazmul Hassan has said Bangladesh will only tour Pakistan if the security situation in the country improves

Mohammad Isam31-Dec-2012Bangladesh will only tour Pakistan if the security situation in the country improves, BCB chief Nazmul Hassan has said. Hassan, who addressed a press conference in Dhaka on Monday, was noncommittal on the issue, not saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the proposed tour, but made it clear in various ways that the January visit is ruled out for the moment.”The ICC minutes have it that we have made an unconditional commitment to tour Pakistan. But there is concern among us about the country’s security situation, it has deteriorated. We don’t think it will be wise to visit Pakistan at this time,” Hassan said. “We have sent them [the PCB] a letter three days ago, telling them of our stance. We will again contact them when their security situation improves. And we will go in the future, because we are committed to go there.”Two months ago, Hassan had said that the BCB – without mentioning who in particular – had committed to tour Pakistan in an ICC meeting. But concerns remained in Bangladesh, and it was learnt that the players wanted full-proof security guarantees from all parties before heading to play the series.However, the PCB has begun its preparations for an impending tour. It has already placed a tender in one of Pakistan’s top newspapers, inviting sponsorship bids for a series title sponsor, two co-sponsors and in-stadia advertising rights for two international matches (one ODI and one T20). The PCB has also moved the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam matches, scheduled between January 7 and 22 away from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to accommodate the proposed matches against Bangladesh.Hassan’s comments came at an “exchange of views” programme on Monday, which the BCB had arranged to discuss some of the issues in Bangladesh cricket with the media. Hassan said the BCB was aware that putting the tour on hold could sour relations with the PCB. “It isn’t an easy decision for us. If we say we want to go, many people in the country will be hurt. If we don’t go, there will be repercussions,” he said. “We know the consequences, they may not want to send their players to the Bangladesh Premier League and our Dhaka leagues. They will probably not want to help us or support us.”The PCB had used the upcoming BPL as a bargaining chip ahead of the T20 league’s player auction on December 20: the Pakistan board had not handed out No-Objection Certificates to their players to play in the tournament, the understanding being they were waiting for an official announcement from the BCB, confirming that the proposed tour would go ahead.Several Pakistan players were however bought at the auction. The prominent ones among them included Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Imran Nazir and Wahab Riaz, whose participation in the tournament is now unclear.The PCB and BCB have for some time now been discussing a short tour of Pakistan that would mark the return of top-flight international cricket to the country for the first time since the March 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore. A window had been created by the PCB to accommodate an ODI and T20 between January 10 and 15 ahead of the BPL, which starts from January 17. That window will now be missed.The BCB have a ‘written commitment’ to tour Pakistan and, earlier this month, Hassan had said that they were in the second phase of talks with the PCB about going ahead with the tour, as the first phase that dealt with security issues had been completed satisfactory.However, on December 22, Hassan said the tour was still unconfirmed, as the BCB was awaiting a security assessment to be conducted by the ICC.Bangladesh was all set to tour Pakistan in April 2012 after a deal had been cut between the two boards, by which the PCB would back the BCB president Mustafa Kamal as the nominee for the ICC vice-presidency and Bangladesh would tour Pakistan in 2012. However, the tour was postponed after a Dhaka court order embargoed the series. At the time, the ICC had introduced a special dispensation by which bilateral series can take place even if the ruling body determined it unsafe to appoint its officials for the series. As per the dispensation, such series could be manned by “non-neutral match officials”.

Queensland took the only points from their draw with Victoria at the MCG, but finished four wickets short of victory

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Nov-2010
ScorecardRyan Harris will join Australia’s squad in reasonable form after taking six wickets for the match•Getty ImagesQueensland took the only points from their draw with Victoria at the MCG, but finished four wickets short of victory. The Bushrangers were set a highly improbable target of 339 from 55 overs after the Bulls declared at 2 for 190 in their second innings, and despite a strong bowling effort from an attack led by Ryan Harris, Queensland couldn’t quite get through Victoria’s lower order.The hosts finished at 6 for 142, after David Hussey top scored with 48. Harris collected 2 for 27 from 13 overs to add to his first-innings collection of 4 for 41, which ensured he will be in good form when he joins the Australian squad for the second Test, which starts in Adelaide on Friday.Queensland spent a large chunk of the final day batting Victoria out of the match, with Chris Lynn finishing unbeaten on 77 and Wade Townsend on 72. The rain-affected draw has left Victoria, the defending champions, struggling in second-last position after half their matches, while Queensland are on top of the table.

Tottenham Hotspur could dip their toes into the Championship before the January transfer window deadline on Monday night…

What’s the word?

According to HullLive, the north London outfit are preparing a ‘big-money’ bid for versatile Hull City attacker Keane Lewis-Potter, who has been subject to a bid from Brentford and interest from rivals West Ham United in the past.

It’s believed that any move from Spurs would see the 20-year-old gem loaned back to the Tigers for the remainder of the season, whilst manager Antonio Conte was one of a number of managers to have sent scouts to watch him in recent games.

Hull City are expected to hold out for at least £14m and their new Turkish owner Acun Ilicali isn’t keen to sell, especially as his value will only increase with time.

Shades of Eden Hazard

Whilst this potential signing isn’t going to provide Conte with an instant addition or the fans much excitement this month, it would be a very wise long-term investment.

The 5 foot 7 winger has been in solid form for the Championship strugglers, leading the way for goals scored (five) and he isn’t too far behind in terms of creativity, having managed three assists and an average of one key pass per game, via WhoScored.

Primarily a left-sided attacker, Lewis-Potter is capable of playing in a variety of roles – indeed, he’s played in five different positions this season alone, which includes upfront and on the other flank.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-thfc-spurs-transfer-rumours-gossip-conte-paratici-levy-updates” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Conte loves to make the most of a player’s versatility but in the Hull City gem, he could well discover his new Eden Hazard.

“I’ve seen some players that are playing in the Premier League now who I don’t believe are as good as Keane is,” Tigers youth coach Craig Fagan told The Athletic last month. He later added:

“Keane is maybe more athletic, maybe technically has a few more tricks in the bag than Jarrod. He’s similar to how Eden Hazard plays, with that low centre of gravity, coming inside and shooting. He’s not as good as Hazard by any stretch of the imagination at this point but he’s got the skills and abilities to be striving towards that.”

Spurs have certainly had a mixed bag of success when it comes to lower league signings, with the likes of Jack Clarke and Joe Rodon perhaps erring on the side of disappointment but for every one of those there is a Dele Alli, for example.

Lewis-Potter, who has also been dubbed a “special talent” by his former boss Grant McCann, isn’t going to drastically change Spurs’ fortunes in the race for a top-four finish but under Conte’s stewardship, he could well become a future first-team star.

You only have to look at the success of Jarrod Bowen at West Ham to see why this risk might be one worth taking.

Conte could well have a new Hazard in the coming years, should Fabio Paratici and co seal a move for the promising EFL sensation before Monday night’s deadline.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Dele: Spurs plot swoop for £18m-rated “extraordinary talent” who’s like Zidane…

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left gushing over some transfer news that has emerged on John Souttar.

As per The Glasgow Times, the Ibrox faithful have now made a move to try and sign the Hearts central defender in the January transfer window, amid interest from a number of clubs in the English Championship.

Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest are all interested in his signature, but the Teddy Bears want to sign him up amid doubts over the futures of both Jack Simpson and Connor Goldson.

Like Goldson, he is out of contract in the summer, and so could potentially be signed on the cheap this month or for free at the end of the campaign.

Souttar has impressed in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, and is averaging more interceptions, clearances and blocks than both Goldson and Simpson too (WhoScored), suggesting that he would be a shrewd signing.

Rangers fans on Souttar transfer news

These Light Blues gushed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one Gers supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘fantastic’:

“A no-brainer with 6 months left”

Credit: @KelmanPeter

“Great player, if he can stay fit he’s one of the best in the league”

Credit: @Jason16904Jason

“A fantastic move for us: A ball-playing centre-half, fantastic in the air in both boxes & only 25”

Credit: @johnwalker_1986

“I like this”

Credit: @EveryOtherSatu1

“Come onnnn”

Credit: @mark30795301

“Yes yes yes yes yes yes”

Credit: @jscotland1990s

In other news, find out what transfer update has Gers buzzing here!

Leicestershire’s James Taylor posted his third century in four matches against Middlesex to leave this County Championship clash at Lord’s intriguingly poised

11-Aug-2010
ScorecardLeicestershire’s James Taylor posted his third century in four matches against Middlesex to leave this County Championship clash at Lord’s intriguingly poised going into the final day.The 20-year-old right-hander occupied the crease in NW8 for a shade over six hours in reaching an unbeaten 106 with only eight fours to help his side reach 282 all out, a useful first-innings lead of 63.Batting again by 2pm, Middlesex made a good start with an enterprising opening stand worth 119 in 33 overs either side of tea between Scott Newman and John Simpson. Former Surrey left-hander Newman counter attacked with 11 fours in his 110-ball half-century, but was first to go soon after tea for 70 when his top-edged cut to a turning, lifting ball from Claude Henderson looped to Jacques du Toit at slip.Left-arm spinner Henderson struck again in his next over when Simpson (44) walked across his stumps aiming to work through the leg-side only to fall lbw. Attacking with spin at both ends, Leicestershire struck again through Jigar Naik when he tossed one up from the Pavilion End to draw Dawid Malan into an ill-advised drive that he edged to slip.Three overs from the close, home skipper Neil Dexter (18) was trapped on the crease by a Nadeem Malik offcutter to go leg before but nightwatchman Toby Roland-Jones (one) and Owais Shah (25) survived until stumps to reach 168 for 4, a lead of 105 to take into the fourth and final day.The third day of this fluctuating tussle had started with Leicestershire on 186 for 5, still trailing by 33 runs after a rain-ruined Tuesday. Unbeaten on 65 overnight, Taylor soon lost sixth-wicket partner Naik (36) when he played back to the sixth ball of the game by occasional legspinner Malan to go leg before to a quicker delivery.In tandem with Henderson, Taylor added 57 for the sixth wicket and ground his way to a fifth career hundred and his second off the Middlesex attack this summer. His unbeaten 106 here followed his 206 not out against them at Grace Road in May.In the past three seasons the former England Under-19 batsman has amassed 483 runs against Middlesex at an amazing average of 161. The Leicestershire innings then tailed off badly when Roland-Jones made good use of the second new ball to claim three wickets for two runs from 26 balls either side of the lunch interval.He got Henderson to edge behind on 31 before trapping Nathan Buck (one) lbw and having Matthew Hoggard (four) caught by Shaun Udal. He finished with 4 for 52 and Pedro Collins 4 for 72, yet neither of them could dislodge the obdurate Taylor who marched off with a smile after his230-ball study in concentration.

T&T selector Rangy Nanan has suggested that Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard believe they can earn more money from playing in different leagues

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Sep-2010Trinidad & Tobago selector Rangy Nanan has suggested that allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard turned down their national contracts because they believe they’ll have opportunities to play in different leagues, but thinks there won’t be too many others following in their footsteps.”If you are under contract by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) they could prevent you from playing in other tournaments because they are paying your salary,” Nanan told . “If you do not have a contract you will not be paid if you are not selected, and would make [the] player available to play in other leagues.”The WICB had offered contracts to 25 players on August 31. While 23 of those players expressed their willingness to sign the one-year retainers, Bravo and Pollard were reported to have turned them down. The WICB offers players three different grades of contracts – Grade A, B and C – and according to Nanan, only two players were given Grade A contracts.”From what I heard only Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were given Grade A contracts. I am not sure how true that is, but if that is the case maybe they [Bravo and Pollard] believed they could earn more money playing in different leagues. “Pollard and Bravo most recently turned out for the Mumbai Indians in the Champions League Twenty20. Pollard also played for South Australia and Somerset, while Bravo played for Victoria and Essex. All these teams reached at least the semi-finals of their respective Twenty20 tournaments, in part due to the performances of the two players.The pair has been named in Trinidad & Tobago’s squad for the upcoming domestic limited-overs tournament and Nanan believes Bravo, who has played 37 Tests for the West Indies, would opt to play Test cricket if he were selected. The 23-year-old Pollard, on the other hand, has yet to make his Test debut, and turned down a place on the one-day leg of the West Indies A-team tour to England in June in favour of his deal with Somerset for the Friends Provident t20.Pollard’s desire to play Test cricket has been questioned in the past, but former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop is confident that the 23-year-old Pollard has the skills to make a big impact in the longest version of the game.”As far as whether he has aspirations to play the longer form of the game he says he has and I have to take him at his word on that,” Bishop told . “Does he have what it takes skill wise to play the longer form? I think so, yes.”Nanan, who played one Test for the West Indies, does not believe the duo will start a trend of players refusing to sign national contracts, as not all players enjoy the demand they have. At the same time, he said cricketers should be more focused on representing their national side than on how much money they can make.”We need to get back the pride of playing for the West Indies because it is the only thing that keeps the people in the West Indies together,” he said. “If the West Indies lose the people in the Caribbean hurt.”

Transfer insider Dean Jones has now dropped a big Everton manager claim involving Sean Dyche.

The Lowdown: Lampard under pressure

Frank Lampard is under huge pressure to guide the Goodison Park faithful to survival in the Premier League, as they currently find themselves lurking in the relegation zone, although with a game in hand on Dyche’s former club.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-4/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Merseyside club reportedly have the option to part ways with Lampard at the end of the season, and could look to act on that if they were to go down to the Championship.

The Latest: Dyche talk

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has now shared ‘talk’ of Dyche potentially succeeding Lampard at the Toffees, but feels the Burnley icon would not ‘fit the mould’ for what they are looking for:

“I see people are starting to talk about Sean Dyche as a potential option for Everton. Typically, he wouldn’t really fit the mould.

“Moshiri likes to be ambitious and go for managers of profile and a certain elegance when it comes to the Premier League and world football status.”

The Verdict: Keep the faith

The manager situation will be a matter of waiting until the end of the campaign to see whether Lampard can keep them up, and if he does, the board should really keep the faith for next term.

There is no doubt that Dyche is a quality manager, having kept Burnley up for five straight seasons in the Premier League, including one seventh-placed finish (Transfermarkt).

However, Lampard needs to be given time to implement his ideas and bring in his own players to the club, so if the Blues were to stay up, then he should be given next season as well.

In other news, find out which EFC star has now been offered to this top-flight giant here!