All posts by h716a5.icu

Lancashire are on course for their fifth County Championship win of the season after taking charge against Hampshire at Liverpool on the second da

01-Sep-2010
ScorecardLancashire are on course for their fifth County Championship win of the season after taking charge against Hampshire at Liverpool on the second day. The hosts, replying to Hampshire’s below-par first innings score of 160, posted a commanding 398 off 134 overs.Kyle Hogg top scored with 81 off 111 balls – the highest score of the match so far. With a deficit of 238, Hampshire openers Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams then reached 15 for none from seven overs of their second innings at the close.Resuming the day on 124 for 2 Lancashire were made to work hard for their runs early on. They only scored two runs in the first eight overs, with left-arm pace bowler James Tomlinson bowling eight maidens in his first 10 overs of the day to Mark Chilton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul.Chilton was the first Lancashire wicket to fall when caught behind by Michael Bates standing up to the stumps off Tomlinson. He departed for 48 off 175 balls and it was the seventh time this season he has fallen in the forties. Steven Croft was also caught behind by Bates off Chris Wood, Hampshire’s other left-arm quick bowler.And when Chanderpaul was run out by Carberry’s direct hit from square leg for 38 Lancashire were 144 for 5 in the 68th over before lunch. At that stage Hampshire would have fancied their chances of staying in the game but Gareth Cross, Tom Smith, Sajid Mahmood and Hogg boosted the total late.Cross and Smith (31) shared 75 in 25 overs for the sixth wicket, Cross hitting 44 off 75 balls. And then Mahmood and Hogg united for the highest stand of the match so far – 89 inside 15 overs for the eighth wicket – a far cry from the 40 runs scored from 29 overs in the morning session.Cross had been well caught by Adams at gully off Wood, who also trapped Smith lbw to reduce the score to 225 for seven in the 97th over. But Mahmood, who smashed Wood over long on for a lusty maximum, passed 500 runs for the season with a series flicks, chops and drives on the way to 47 off 58 balls.He fell to the medium pace of Neil McKenzie in the first over after tea and it provided the South African batsman with only his eighth wicket of a career spanning 209 first-class matches. McKenzie later had Glen Chapple caught by Adams at point before Hogg, who took four wickets on day one, brought up his belligerent 50 off 86 balls with seven fours.The 27-year-old left hander hit four more fours and a six over mid-wicket as part of a 10th wicket stand of 54 with Gary Keedy. But he fell trying to repeat his six over mid-wicket off left arm spinner Danny Briggs with James Vince taking a juggling effort whilst trying to navigate the boundary rope at long on. Hogg was then back in action with the new ball before close, but could not break through.

After succumbing to a disheartening 2-0 defeat against Preston North End in their latest Championship clash, West Brom are back in action again this afternoon with an away game against Millwall, who are currently ten places and 12 points below the Baggies in the league table. 

With Valerien Ismael revealing that Sam Johnstone will not be in the squad this afternoon but that Andy Carroll should be available, here’s how we feel West Brom will line up for today’s clash against Millwall with the likes of Kean Bryan, Dara O’Shea and Daryl Dike out injured and Semi Ajayi still away on international duty. 

In goal, with Johnstone still not involved, it seems likely that David Button will keep his place in the team to try and keep a clean sheet for the Baggies. 

In a back three, we think Ismael will keep Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre in the side but put Conor Townsend in the left wing-back position with Adam Reach, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £23k-per-week according to Salary Sport, dropping out and Matt Clarke coming back in. 

For the right wing-back position, we can see Darnell Furlong keeping his place in the team to see if he can have any attacking impact on the team after providing an assist in their recent 3-0 win over Peterborough United.

In the two central-midfield positions, we predict Ismael will stick with the duo of club captain Jake Livermore and Alex Mowatt.

Then for the front three, we could see the duo of Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana keeping their places in the team on the wings but see Matt Phillips drop out in place of Callum Robinson, with Carroll on the bench to come on as a substitute to make his debut if needed. 

Whether Ismael goes with this exact starting XI that we have suggested or not, this is still an important game for the Baggies to secure all three points, climb a step closer to promotion and put their spotty run of form in recent weeks behind them. 

Also, with West Brom unable to make even one shot on target in their defeat against Preston, they will certainly need to show a bit more attacking intent this time around if they want to have any chance of securing a win.

In other news: Ismael must unleash £18k-p/w WBA gem who “gives his all”, his job could depend on it – opinion

Pakistan cricket’s chief Ijaz Butt said that his board will not make any appeals for leniency for 18-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Amir in the spot-fixing controversy

Cricinfo staff16-Sep-2010Pakistan cricket’s chief Ijaz Butt has said his board will not make any appeals for leniency for 18-year-old fast bowler Mohammad Amir in the spot-fixing controversy. Butt was speaking in New Delhi after meeting with ICC chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday afternoon.He told the Indian news channel that Amir would be treated like the other two Pakistan cricketers suspended for their role in the spot-fixing controversy. “Different standards cannot be applied for different cricketers,” he said, adding that according to the PCB the players had to be thought of as “innocent unless proven guilty”. If they are found guilty Butt said, “the book will be thrown at them”.The cricket administrators emerged out of Pawar’s residence after the meeting which lasted close to 75 minutes. Butt said the “first and foremost reason” he was in Delhi was because he “owed him (Pawar) one because we had not met after he became the ICC president – I have a lot of respect for him and he is a dear friend”.The two had talked about the suspended players but Butt said he would not comment on the investigation until it was complete, though he did add it was “wrong of the police to search the players’ room without their permission”. Butt said the PCB had protested strongly when it was discovered that the Pakistan dressing room at Lord’s had been searched without the knowledge of either the English or the Pakistan boards. He said only the MCC, as the hosts, were informed about the search.Butt’s meeting with Pawar appears to be a move to gain support in the ICC to put forward a case for Indo-Pak cricket. Butt was quick to say he “didn’t see an India bias in the ICC suspension – but I am not a politician” and wanted ties between the two nations to “resume as soon as possible”.The resumption of ties, he believed, would be quickened if an India-Pakistan series was to be held at a neutral venue. “If we can play against Australia in England, why can’t we play India?”, Butt said, adding that the PCB had a few suggestions to offer to the Indians as his Board had discussed the possibility “for a long time”. A BCCI official, however, told ESPNcricinfo that a neutral series seemed “impossible” at this stage due to both the political climate between India and Pakistan as well as the spot-fixing controversy.In his television interview, Butt said Pakistan’s defeat in the Lord’s Test, by an innings and 225 runs, had proved that “there was no match-fixing in that game – the three no balls had nothing to do with the ultimate result”. He said that the media coverage had shifted during the week following the Lord’s Test. “First everyone said match-fixing. Then they switched to spot-fixing, spot-fixing”.The anger in Pakistan after the ICC’s first-ever suspension of players was not reinforced by the PCB chief who told the media, “we are not angry about the players being suspended … the ICC’s Code of Conduct is clear and the ICC has the authority to do what they did”. Butt said, “the PCB is a part of the ICC and we should work together for a solution”.As the ICC chief, Pawar was “duty bound” to meet Butt, his aides told ESPNcricinfo. “He has to be accessible to all member boards – particularly an ICC member in distress.”Pawar said the Scotland Yard investigation into the charges against four Pakistan players is likely to end soon. “Prima facie there are some allegations and we have suspended the players on the basis of that,” Pawar said. “Scotland Yard has permitted them to go back to Pakistan and the PCB has also promised to make them available to the investigators if required. Nobody is playing hide and seek.”A major investigation agency is carrying out the probe and that will not take long. Neither the PCB nor ICC will interfere in the process.”

The Australians had a satisfactory first day of cricket on their tour of India. Two of their batsmen scored centuries without much fuss, and two others seemed on the way

Sidharth Monga in Chandigarh25-Sep-2010
ScorecardSreesanth’s lacklustre show will be a cause of worry for the the Indian team’s management•AFPThe Australians had a satisfactory first day of cricket on their tour of India. Two of their batsmen scored centuries without much fuss, and two others seemed on the way. On a pitch that was expectedly slow, thanks to unseasonal rains until earlier this week, Shane Watson and Simon Katich hardly looked like getting out, and Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke followed suit with an unbroken 87-run partnership. It is unlikely now that Australia will consider splitting Watson and Katich at the top during this tour.The first day of the game didn’t bring any good news for India. Not only did the tourists look in form, India’s two Test bowlers – Sreesanth and Pragyan Ojha – bowled 34 overs without a wicket. Apart from bowling 13 unimpressive overs and sliding down the leg side often, Sreesanth let slip four boundaries in the field. The first of those could have been a catch at backward point. The last left him grimacing with a cramp in the calf, and he hobbled off the field, with the new ball just around the corner. However, he is likely to bowl on the second day.Ojha, too, seemed to have picked a stomach ache in the afternoon session. That Ojha, who was strictly steady, was the pick of the bowlers says how good the day was for the Australians. The only time their balcony looked concerned – and that too mildly – was when a bus tyre went flat outside the stadium with a loud explosion. Even that ended with some in their support staff taking pictures. By then, without any explosiveness, their openers were entrenched in the middle.Katich, who was quicker than Watson, didn’t make the smoothest of starts, though. He had trouble adjusting to the slowness of the pitch, and his bat face closed early on a few occasions when facing the left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat. Apart from that, none of three fast bowlers posed any threat. Neither of the openers was made to play straight, and neither was looking to take any risks.Katich looked more comfortable against spin than Watson. He was quick to late-cut, and flick into the leg side with both spinners turning the ball into his pads. Watson was beaten on a few occasions by Piyush Chawla’s legbreaks. Ojha bowled tightly – his 21 overs went for just 23 – and had a couple of close lbw shouts against Watson, but the batsman was well forward on both occasions.The battle between Ojha and Katich was more interesting. Katich preferred staying back and cutting, Ojha fancied hitting that in-between length and sneaking in through the gap or making Katich play on. Katich did chop a few off the underside edge, but none of them was close to his stumps.Both the batsmen had reached similar scores at similar strike-rates by lunch, but Katich took the lead after the interval. Just after reaching his fifty, he edged Unadkat twice, first wide of second slip and then just short of him. That, along with a tough run-out chance against Watson, which Wriddhiman Saha missed, was the closest the BP XI came to a wicket.Tim Nielsen, the coach, realised these two were not going to get out, and took turns to give Clarke, Marcus North, Phil Hughes and Steven Smith throw-downs in the adjoining nets. By the time he returned from the nets, Katich had reached his century and Watson was nearing it. During that middle session, Gautam Gambhir, the home captain, got Ravindra Jadeja to keep signalling towards the dressing room for Ojha to return on the field. ” [Stomach ache],” came the reply. Not that Ojha would have been lining up to bowl.Watson went to tea five short of his century, and came back with a new partner as the Australians decided that Katich had had enough of a look-in. Perhaps Watson knew the same would happen to him once he reached the hundred, or it was his usual nerves in the 90s, he took 17 more balls to raise three-figures. As he got there with a sweep, he seemed to have done a hamstring. He got back up, though, and opened fire at Chawla, hitting him for 14 runs in the next over. At the end of it, though, he was bowled while going for another boundary.The others too batted without much trouble. Ponting made a slightly iffy start, not reading the spinners’ lengths early, but Chawla let him get away by feeding him two long-hops early on. The first ball Clarke faced on the tour, he jumped out of the crease, got to the pitch of the ball, and then pushed it wide of mid-off for one. There was to be more exemplary footwork later in the innings, when he charged at Chawla and lofted him for a straight boundary. The next ball, he seemed to be charging down again, but transferred his weight back in a flash to cut a slightly flat delivery for four.The new ball, take for the last four overs of the day, didn’t have much impact either, and “retired not out” is likely to be the most favoured way of changing batsmen on the second day.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes it would be a ‘big coup’ if Leeds bring Barcelona’s Sergino Dest to Elland Road this summer, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Dest links

Leeds were linked with a move for Dest at the end of March, with sources suggesting that the right-back is on Victor Orta’s radar alongside RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson.

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The 21-year-old has played as a full-back and winger on both flanks this season but is primarily a right-back.

The USA international still has over three years remaining on his Nou Camp deal, and O’Rourke has been having his say on a possible deal for the £16.2m-rated defender.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke said that ‘it would be a big, big coup’ if Leeds managed to land Dest over the coming months, believing that he may be a man in demand this summer.

“I can see Leeds monitoring his situation. It would be a big, big coup if they were able to bring him to Elland Road in the summer.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of clubs looking at Dest, who has performed well for the United States over the last couple of years, especially if Barcelona are willing to sell him.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Raphinha has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, so Leeds could look to enquire over bringing Dest to Yorkshire plus receiving cash in a deal for the Leeds star – it may even give them a head start on other sides looking to sign Dest.

Some supporters may be cautious, though, with Junior Firpo not exactly starring in his first campaign after signing from the Catalan giants last summer.

Dest does look like a promising talent who is also extremely versatile, so a move to link up with fellow countryman Jesse Marsch could be one to watch over the coming months.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals big transfer blow for Leeds as key 21 y/o target now set to move elsewhere

Seamer Rusty Theron has been added to the South Africa squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe that starts on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2010Seamer Rusty Theron has been added to South Africa’s squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe that starts on Friday.Theron, 25, is yet to play ODI cricket for South Africa but made his international debut in the Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe last week, impressing with his composed performances during the death overs.His call-up the the 50-over squad is partly a reward for his consistent domestic limited-overs form but also because of the injury that Morne Morkel picked up in the first Twenty20 against Zimbabwe.Alongside Morkel, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis are both resting and Andrew Hudson, the South Africa convener of selectors, felt the squad needed someone to bolster the seam attack.”With Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis both out of the series and Morne Morkel still recovering from injury we thought it prudent to add an extra seamer to the squad,” he said.Hudson also announced that Steyn and Kallis would be added to the South Africa squad for the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan at the start of the tour.”We had originally decided to rest them from that section of the tour to the United Arab Emirates but we feel that they will benefit from the extra match time now that they have been ruled out of the Zimbabwe series.”

Newcastle United were active throughout the January transfer window as they made a number of additions to their squad.

Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood all came in to bolster Eddie Howe’s options across the park.

These signings tipped the club over the squad limit in the Premier League and they made the decision to leave Ciaran Clark, Isaac Hayden and Jamal Lewis out of their 25-man list.

Big error

PIF must now avoid making a big error as Hayden is being linked with an exit from St. James’ Park.

Sparta Prague, Basel, Spartak Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow and Sochi are among the European teams reportedly interested in snapping him up as their respective transfer windows remain open for the time being.

Alan Shearer once dubbed him “superb” and he still has plenty to offer. The £41k-per-week machine has averaged 3.0 tackles and interceptions whilst winning 4.6 duels per game. This shows that he is able to regularly win the ball back for his side, whilst he has been reliable in possession in his own half with a pass completion rate of 89%.

He was ruled out for two months at the end of December and it remains to be seen exactly when he will be cleared for action. This injury seemingly influenced their decision to leave him out of the squad but it should not tempt PIF into cashing in on him.

Hayden is an experienced, hard-working, option in the middle of the park and a player the club should be looking to bring back in next season. This is why it would be a big error for the owners to sanction a permanent exit, instead of a loan until the end of the campaign.

The former Arsenal enforcer has over 100 appearances in the Premier League under his belt and still has plenty of years left ahead of him in the top-flight at the age of 26.

Even if Howe does not see him as a player who will be starting on a regular basis next season, he could be useful as a squad option who can come off the bench late in games to see out results and to start when needed due to injuries or suspensions.

This is why PIF must avoid allowing Hayden to depart St. James’ Park on a permanent basis. It would be a big error and one that could negatively impact the squad next season, due to the loss of his experience and defensive nous.

AND in other news, Time’s up: Howe must brutally axe £42k-p/w NUFC “lightweight”, he’s been “shocking”…

Ian Bell insists there is no need for England to panic after they were run over by Peter Siddle’s career-best haul on the first day at the Gabba

Peter English at the Gabba25-Nov-2010Ian Bell insists there is no need for England to panic after they were run over by Peter Siddle’s career-best haul on the first day at the Gabba. The opening exchanges of Brisbane Tests have been a quadrennial pain for the tourists but Bell said their total of 260 was an improvement on their problems here in 2006-07.”We’re not a million miles away from a par score,” Bell said after his bright 76. “We know we’re under-par, but it was a slow wicket and a decent day to bowl – it swung all day which was a bit unusual. There are some disappointed guys but it’s day one of an Ashes series.”The Gabba has been impenetrable for visiting teams over the past 22 years and on England’s last visit they finished the first day with Australia 3 for 346. There was the first-over exit of Andrew Strauss but the side had recovered until Siddle burst through with a hat-trick after tea on the way to 6 for 54.When asked if it was a time for panic Bell said: “Of course not. This is probably a better first day than we had last time we were here. We’re going to come out scrapping tomorrow morning, the guys have had really good preparation and we’ve played some really good cricket. Obviously it hasn’t all gone to plan.”The conditions were helpful for the bowlers throughout and England’s seam specialists will enjoy coming back after seven wicket-less overs before stumps. “There’s an opportunity for our taller bowlers to hit the pitch tomorrow and if it quickens up a bit we’ll be in the game,” Bell said.Siddle caused England’s swift slide from 4 for 197 when he terminated Bell and Alastair Cook’s 72-run partnership. “To keep them under 300 is going to be a perfect day for us and then being none down is probably the best position we could have been in,” Siddle said.The third-ball departure of Strauss, who hit Ben Hilfenhaus to gully, gave the hosts an early buzz, and Siddle’s removal of Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood provided a further spark in the second session. “We knew if we could be a bit more consistent and patient after the lunch break that we could get a few wickets quickly,” Siddle said. “We got a couple and it was a long break again before we got the wickets [with Siddle’s hat-trick].”Both teams will monitor the weather closely, with showers predicted for the remaining four days, and hope their bowlers take advantage of the conditions. “Tomorrow morning is going to be the crucial time, we have to work hard in the first hour, see the new ball off,” Siddle said. “It’s always tough up here early to start”

Having won four successive league titles in his time at Celtic, it’s fair to say Dedryck Boyata enjoyed a rather fruitful time at Parkhead.

The Belgium international would end up playing 135 times for the club, and even chipped in with an impressive 15 goals and nine assists as he consolidated a place at the back under former boss Brendan Rodgers.

But amid speculation linking him with a move away, it was clear that there were just a little bit of friction.

Indeed, Rodgers didn’t seem to be all impressed with some of the work going on behind-the-scenes, revealing back in August 2018: “Dedryck’s agent turned up yesterday at the training ground, which is closed the day before the game.

“He wanted to speak to me at 10 o’clock. I have a meeting with players at 10.30 and I said I couldn’t meet him before but I would after I had done my work. Obviously when I came back after training he wasn’t there. That’s where it is at. But he is a player we don’t want to lose.”

In the end, Boyata would leave Celtic on a free transfer back in the summer of 2019, arriving at Bundesliga outfit Hertha BSC.

After joining the German side on a four-year deal, the centre-back said: “I am pleased that the deal has worked out. It is an ambitious club and we have similar goals. Also, I was very impressed with Michael Preetz’ efforts to bring me here.

“I am looking forward to the new season and want to achieve something with the club.”

Well, whatever Boyata may have envisaged would happen at Hertha, certainly hasn’t done so.

The Bundesliga side are currently staring at the very real prospect of relegation to the second-tier of German football, lying just one point and one place above the play-off spot – to make matters worse, they remain just two points ahead of Arminia, who occupy the last automatic relegation spot.

Boyata, who has been handed the captain’s armband at the Olympiastadion, was sent off earlier this season against Hoffenheim following a challenge that was upgraded to a red card after a VAR check.

The Belgian has been part of a shocking defence that has conceded a whopping 66 goals in just 30 Bundesliga games this season, the second-worst record in the entire division, with only bottom side Greuther Furth having let in more (72).

When you think of how Celtic have found a real leader in defence in Cameron Carter-Vickers, and how the side have performed superbly in stopping the opposition – they have the meanest back-line in the Scottish Premiership with just 19 goals conceded (eight fewer than second-best Rangers) – the Hoops must feel they have landed a real upgrade on Boyata.

Slammed as being “stupid” for the way he picked up a red card against St Johnstone back in September 2018, it’s clear Boyata hasn’t really found the grass is greener elsewhere, and instead looks set for a really big step down unless he can help turn things around at Hertha.

AND in other news – £4.7m down the drain: £12k-p/w Celtic liability rinsed Peter Lawwell for 140 weeks

It used to be that England’s batsmen saw Shane Warne in their sleep, and he continues to stalk Kevin Pietersen in retirement

Andrew Miller and Peter English at Adelaide06-Dec-2010Super-sized Warney
It used to be that England’s batsmen saw Shane Warne in their sleep, and he continues to stalk Kevin Pietersen in retirement. Pietersen was facing up to Doug Bollinger when he looked at the sightscreen and saw a huge sponsorship picture of Warne with a chicken burger. The backdrop hadn’t been turned white in time and Pietersen pulled away just as Bollinger was in his delivery stride. Bollinger let the ball go slowly and Pietersen picked it up with his bat, patting the bowler on the back while pointing out one of the ground’s old burghers.Mine, yours … oops
The final embarrassment of Australia’s fielding came when Matt Prior top-edged a sweep off Xavier Doherty and it went towards Marcus North at deep square leg. Adelaide has small square boundaries so the ball was also close to Ricky Ponting at midwicket. Both men ran towards the catch but just as they were nearing the take they spotted each other and stopped. As they looked at each other the ball plopped in between them. It was North’s catch but he deferred to his captain, and the two were still discussing the miss as they walked off the field after the declaration.Doherty’s pyrrhic victory
Though no-one has quite admitted it in as many words, Doherty’s selection was almost entirely influenced by Pietersen’s woeful recent record against left-arm spin. And what do you know, in the fourth over of the fourth day, X only went and got his man, as Pietersen aimed a wild swipe across the line and toe-ended a simple chance to slip. Unfortunately, by that stage, KP had already larruped him through midwicket to go to his highest Test score of 227, and having scored 10 fours and a six from the 60 balls he received from Doherty, there was only one winner in that particular battle of wits.Bells on his toes
Ian Bell was England’s most fluent batsman on the opening day of the series at Brisbane, where his unrecognisably confident 76 was like a dose of Xanax for a previously jittery dressing-room. He’s had to wait for more than 1000 runs to get another chance in the middle, but when it arose, his fluency was once again something to behold. He went dancing out of his crease to spin and seam alike, and eased eight fours and a six in his unbeaten 68, including a sweetly timed loft down the ground that was as effortless as Pietersen’s earlier assaults had been violent. On the evidence of the series so far, he’s not going to get a whole lot of opportunities to bat. But neither is he in a mood to miss out when they come.