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Division One

Yorkshire declared on 301 for 8 against Hampshire at Headingley, to set the visitors an unlikely 404 for victory. Anthony McGrath helped stabilise Yorkshire with a fine 127 and combined well with Michael Vaughan who made up for his first-innings failure to hit 56 in his second innings back from injury. Hampshire moved to 46 without loss at stumps.An intriguing final day is on the cards at Tunbridge Wells between Kent and Warwickshire after the home side could only add a further 56 runs to their first innings total. However, Warwickshire slipped in reply to 158 for 7 with Andrew Hall grabbing 2 for 16 and James Tredwell impressing with 3 for 48. Warwickshire, though they have Dougie Brown at the crease, lead by only 161 runs with three wickets remaining.Middlesex are staring down the barrel after being reduced to 131 for 5 on the third day against Sussex at Horsham. Sussex romped to 370 in their second innings, with Richard Montgomerie playing the anchor role in his 98 to leave Matt Prior licence to thrill: his 77 came from just 57 balls to leave Middlesex chasing the unlikely target of 418. And after losing their top three in quick succession, only Ed Joyce (63*) can save them from defeat tomorrow.

Division Two

Northamptonshire built a strong lead over Leicestershire with a series of useful innings from the top order. Stephen Peters, Bilal Shafayat and Usman Afzaal struck half-centuries with Peters’ 63 taking just 80 balls. Lance Klusener continued his fine all-round match – he already has 122 and 6 for 69 – as the lead grew over 300 despite the best efforts of Mohammad Asif and Claude Henderson. Leicestershire had earlier edged closer to first-innings parity as the last two wickets added 40 more runs although they still conceded a 37-run advantage.Surrey have a great chance of wrapping up victory against Essex despite the best efforts Andy Flower who struck a fine century. Trailing by 68, it took Essex three wickets to wipe out the deficit and at 148 for 7 and three day finish was a possibility. However, the last three wickets add 96 and Flower was ninth out before Andre Adams cracked a rapid 38. Nayan Doshi and Ian Salisbury shared five wickets between them and earlier Ryan ten Doeschate had claimed his first career five-for as Surrey’s last four fell for 42.1st dayVikram Solanki, with the first double century of his career, and Steven Davies flayed an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 286 as Worcestershire made Gloucestershire chase leather at Bristol. The pair came together with the innings at a crucial moment; 173 for 4 with Graeme Hick just removed. Solanki and Davies proceeded to blitz the attack to all corners. Solanki reached his double ton just before the close while Davies notched his second first-class century off 178 balls. Mark Hardinges took the first three wickets to fall but there was plenty of punishment on offer for the others. Phil Jaques had started the innings in a merry style but was cut off in his prime after a 67-ball 58.

Andrew Hall: missing for South Africa

South Africa go into the first Test against Pakistan in Lahore on Friday deprived of the lung-busting allround skills of the banned Andrew Hall, but the former Test offspinner – and ex-national selector – Pat Symcox still believes they will be too strong for their hosts.Hall’s ban – one ODI and two Tests – for his altercation with Yousuf Youhana in the one-day series, which South Africa eventually won 3-2, was upheld on appeal this week. But Symcox – Man of the Series the last time South Africa visited Pakistan, in 1997, when he starred with both bat and ball – does not believe that Hall, a combative allrounder, will necessarily be missed.”I don’t think South Africa will miss Andrew Hall at all,” Symcox told Wisden Cricinfo today. “He does not bowl out-and-out pace, and whoever replaces him will probably be a similar type of bowler. I don’t see him as a guy who is going to run up and take six-for in a Test match. He could do a good job and pick up one or two, but he’s not going to be a matchwinning bowler in Pakistan like Makhaya Ntini could be. And I don’t see him having a great influence with the bat at No. 9. I think the games will be won and lost at the top of the order.”Under Graeme Smith, their young captain, South Africa are still searching for a settled side, with important questions still to be answered by the middle order and the back-up bowlers to Shaun Pollock and Ntini. However, Symcox believes South Africa will have enough in their armoury to win, especially against a Pakistan side that will be without their captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has a leg injury.”We’re well equipped to beat them in the Test matches – we’ve got momentum on our side,” says Symcox. “Pakistan have also seen that pace is not going to beat us. We’ve shown we can handle Shoaib Akhtar and co., and I would think the guys are pretty confident right now. Pakistan have to look at other avenues now. I don’t know if they have got the batsmen to post really big scores.”Symcox went on: “I would have gone the spinners’ route from the beginning and played Shoaib plus one other seamer, and then had Saqlain [Mushtaq] and Mushie [Mushtaq Ahmed] bowling. But to use your spinners well you need to post big scores, and I don’t think they’ve got the batters to do that.”Although Herschelle Gibbs is struggling for form with the bat, the South African top order has been strengthened by the arrival of Gary Kirsten, the veteran left-hander whom Symcox pinpointed as central to the tourists’ cause. “Gary is absolutely crucial because he understands the need for patience in a place like Pakistan. You’ve got to have the mentality that scoring a hundred in Pakistan is not the same as in other places – runs are harder to come by and it just takes longer.”What we know is that if you get in, it is vitally important to stay in, because it’s tougher to come to the wicket later on when the ball’s older and reversing and spinning. If you don’t set up the innings and lose three or four wickets you can lose a good position very quickly. Someone has to bat through.”Meanwhile South Africans continue to express their dismay at Hall’s ban, with the majority feeling that he has been harshly treated. The former Test fast bowler Fanie de Villiers said this week that 99% of the callers to his TV cricket show were unhappy at the severity of the sentence handed down to Hall.de Villiers added some opinions of his own, about the way the affair had been treated by the ICC and its chief executive, Malcolm Speed. “This shows the incompetence of the ICC,” said de Villiers. “Their decision is both diabolical and disappointing. They are a bunch of old fools on the ICC. I’d like to know if they actually even spoke to the players.”Teams
Pakistan (from) Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Faisal Iqbal, Asim Kamal, Shoaib Malik, Moin Khan (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Mushtaq Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Shabbir Ahmed, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk).South Africa (from) Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Gary Kirsten, Jacques Kallis, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Rudolph, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher (wk), Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Alan Dawson, Paul Adams, Robin Peterson, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel.

Ganguly: fighting talk ahead of a stern test

With the Indian government having given the go-ahead for the tour of Pakistan, Sourav Ganguly insisted that it was one that he and his players would look forward to. Speaking to the newspaper in Mumbai, Ganguly said, “Most of the team members have not played any Test cricket in Pakistan. So we are kind of keen to go there.” Apart from Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut there in 1989, none of the Indians have played a Test match in Pakistan.The go-ahead for the tour came last Saturday after intense media speculation that the home ministry would seek a postponement until after India’s parliamentary elections were completed in May.Ganguly had been quoted earlier as having concerns about the security, but he appeared to be satisfied following the visit of a three-member BCCI delegation last week, one of whom was a security expert from the home ministry.There had also been much innuendo about several top players skipping the tour, but Ganguly suggested that wouldn’t be the case. “I will not force anybody to come,” he said. “If any cricketer is concerned about security in Pakistan, I think we should accept that.” According to Mid-Day, All the senior players they spoke to, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, were prepared to make the trip.Ganguly’s biggest headache will be putting together a penetrative bowling attack, with several frontline bowlers nursing injuries. Harbhajan Singh will miss the tour, having had surgery on his bowling hand just over a month ago, while Ajit Agarkar and Anil Kumble are doubtful with shin and shoulder injuries respectively. And it remains to be seen whether Zaheer Khan will recover in time from the hamstring injury that cut short his Australian tour.”I think if we go at full strength, we can beat Pakistan,” said Ganguly. “Pakistan will be formidable rivals at home. We have to seriously think about the fitness of the bowlers. We should go with an off-spinner. In the absence of Harbhajan, we should find one off-spinner who can produce big turn.”The itinerary for the tour has yet to be finalised, and it’s understood that the Indians aren’t too thrilled with the prospect of having to play in Karachi and Peshawar. The Indian squad will be finalised later this month, and it’s expected that the players will assemble for a short training camp before crossing the border.

Kenya are scheduled to embark on a month long tour of Sri Lanka starting on24 January.The full Kenyan side will play three unofficial Tests and three one-daygames against Sri Lanka A.The itinerary includes a four-day Test in Dambulla International Stadium,which has been virtually unused since hosting it’s inaugural One-DayInternational against England in March 2001.The other Tests will be played in Galle and Colombo, whilst all threeone-games will also be held in Colombo.Schedule:
27-28 Jan – Two-Day practice game – Colombo
31 Jan – 3 Feb – First Unofficial Test – Colombo
7 -10 Feb – Second Unofficial Test – Galle
14-17 Feb – Third Unofficial Test – Dambulla
21 Feb – First One-Day – Colombo
23 Feb – Second One-Day – Colombo
24 Feb – Third One-Day – Colombo

The 2nd Test between Pakistan and England at Old Trafford will surely be a high stakes game. While England will go all out to win five series in a row, Pakistan desperately need a victory to stay in contention as a viable cricket team. A win for Pakistan is an absolute must not only for the team’s rejuvenation but to regain some fighting spirit for the NatWest Triangular that follows. At Lords, Pakistan lost by an innings and performed miserably, well below their prowess and potential. Although they have the ability to bounce back but the way Pakistan crumble at the vital moment, one needs to think twice before declaring them favourites.Of immediate concern, however, is the Manchester weather – will it allow the match be held at all and then played for enough days for a result? According to reports, while elsewhere the English domestic cricket has been relatively unaffected by the weather since the Lords Test, only one day’s play has been possible at Old Trafford! Surely a dismal situation?Glancing at Pakistan’s previous ventures, one finds that all the three test matches played at Old Trafford in 1954, 1984 and 1992 were either interrupted or washed out by rain and drawn. So let’s hope the weather god shows generosity towards the two teams and a host of cricket lovers who are keen to witness an exciting contest.Sure of his team’s aspirations of a victory, England’s Chief Selector David Graveney has appealed to the English public to show up en masse to buck up their team. Injured skipper, sadly an armchair spectator, Nasser Hussain has also made a similar appeal to cricket fans of Asian origin.On relative strength, there is no doubt England are riding high in morale, spirits as well as performance. The absence of Nasser Hussain is not likely to make much of a difference because acting skipper Alec Stewart is considered fully competent to handle the side. Having successfully done so on previous occasions he is fully trusted to lead the team to success.As a batsman, Warwickshire opener Nick Knight replaces Nasser. Many think him to be a one-day specialist having scored only one century in 16 games and a test average of only 25. However, he has been selected for current prolific form in English domestic cricket, especially in one-day matches, scoring 4 centuries with an average of over 50.Another likely change in the team may be the entry of Matthew Hoggard in place of Ryan Sidebottom who failed to take a wicket on debut at Lords. The resurgent England attack, spearheaded by the deadly duo of Darren Gough and Andy Caddick who demolished Pakistan at Lords shall, however, remain the deciding factor. England plans to put in the field a force comprising 7 batsmen and 4 best bowlers, depending on the pitch and weather.Pakistan have suffered severe criticism after nose diving from 4th to 7th in international test rankings and now need to put in every ounce of energy to recover. The ten-day gap between the two tests must have been enough for a mental and physical shake up and rehabilitation as well as to make up for the ‘inadequate preparation’, cited as one of the reasons for the Lord’s defeat.It is said that success in a match largely depends on opening batsmen and opening bowlers. Unfortunately both failed for Pakistan at Lords. Clinching 5 wickets for 23 runs including a hat trick against Leicestershire, Waqar Younis showed devastating form with the ball. Similarly his new ball partner Wasim Akram claimed 4 wickets in this match as well. He is also on record having taken 5 wickets at Old Trafford during the 1992 tour. Possessing a thorough knowledge of the track he can be expected to keep the England batting in check or even help getting the side out for small totals.By scoring an unbeaten century after earning a disappointing pair of ducks in the Lord’s Test, opener Saleem Elahi must have regained his confidence. However, his place is at risk as there is talk of Abdur Razzaq as an opener and if selected, he needs a big score to justify his place in a future team. His partner Saeed Anwar is capable of bringing even the stars down but became the victim of poor shot selection. With a little more concentration he can turn into a match winner.Though pitch and weather conditions cannot be taken as a yardstick, it may be recalled that Pakistan scored 505 for 9 and 239 for 5 at this venue in 1992. At Lord’s Pakistan bought defeat by indiscriminately throwing away the wickets. If the batsmen manage to graft and play with responsibility, a big score could be expected.The actual playing XI would be a major factor. Though skipper Waqar Younis and Coach Richard Pybus justified the selection of an all pacer squad for the Lord’s Test, they came under burning criticism from the media and public for not including a spinner in the side. It may be great to play with all fast bowlers but variation is an important element that cannot be ignored. In Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed the team has two distinguished spinners. One of them is likely to make the team this time.Whom to drop to accommodate a spinner is the question worthy of debate. Shoaib Akhtar or Azhar Mahmood? Coach Pybus is of the opinion that Shoaib is regaining his confidence and is close to the form he enjoyed two years ago. I would, however, drop him for his uncertain physical fitness. Azhar being a useful all rounder deserves to be retained.Let us hope the uncertain weather does not jeopardize the Test. A decisive finish will be in the interest of both teams. It is expected to be a ferocious battle with the team not throwing away wickets and holding its catches to win.

Wolves have reportedly now held talks over the possibility of signing Rafa Silva in the summer.

The Lowdown: Standout season

There is no doubt that Silva is having a standout season at Benfica, racking up no fewer than 12 goals and a further 17 assists in total over all competitions so far (Transfermarkt).

He recently scored an ‘extraordinary’ solo goal that has since gone viral, demonstrating his elite dribbling ability, and has hardly missed a game in a campaign that has seen Benfica reach the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The Latest: Talks held

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), the Midlands club have now been making ‘exploratory contacts’ over Silva’s potential signing, motivated by Bruno Lage’s ‘knowledge’ of the player.

The move would cost in the region of €20-30m (£16.6-24.9m), with bonuses related to performance included in any deal.

Francisco Trincao’s future at Molineux is uncertain, and so he may not stay after his loan spell ends, thus paving the way for Silva to come in.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Given his record in terms of goals and assists this season, and Lage’s relationship with him, it is surely a no-brainer for the Wanderers to sign Silva.

Of course, the Portuguese boss managed him at Benfica, where he managed to score 23 times and produce eight assists (Transfermarkt), helping him win the league title in the 2018/19 term.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Called ‘fantastic’ by Lage when they were acquainted, Silva is now in his prime at 28 years of age, and so WWFC must look to jump on his signature straight away.

In other news, find out what big development has now emerged involving this Wolves ace here!

Pedro Collins has withdrawn from the West Indies squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka next week after opting to fulfil his contract with Surrey.Collins, the left-arm seamer, had the chance to return to the international fold after two years out but said his Surrey deal meant he had to decline the offer and may well signal the end of his international career.”Unfortunately, due to prior contractual commitments I have no alternative but to decline your kind invitation at this time,” Collins said in a letter sent to the West Indies board and posted on the West Indies Players’ Association website. “I would like to take the opportunity to wish my colleagues best of luck for the upcoming series as I have every confidence they would make us all proud. Thank you in advance for your understanding.”Collins joined Surrey as a Kolpak player on a two-year deal and it now appears he has removed any chance of extending his West Indies career. He has played 32 Tests and 30 ODIs.

Division One

Durham’s lower order denied Lancashire victory at Chester-le-Street with Ottis Gibson hitting 54 and Paul Wiseman making a 92-ball 7. Lancashire had chipped away at the top order, Dominic Cork taking the first two wickets, and Muttiah Muralitharan claimed the key scalp of Dale Benkenstein then Phil Mustard as the visitors appeared set for their second win of the season. But Gibson had other ideas and didn’t go about saving the match in traditional style, striking nine fours and a six in his 80-ball innings. He fell with the overs running out, lbw to Muralitharan, and James Anderson removed Mark Davies, but Graham Onions survived three balls. Wiseman was left to block out Muralitharan’s final over; with every man around the bat he was Durham’s hero.James Tredwell’s maiden first-class century in 44 games defied Yorkshire at Tunbridge Wells to make sure Kent saved the game after following on. Rob Key and Martin van Jaarsveld gave Kent a strong platform, with a second-wicket stand of 162, but then a cluster of wickets gave Yorkshire hope of finishing the job. Broken hand or not, Gough brought himself on as sixth-change trying to break the final few partnerships, but while he dismissed Geraint Jones for 15 that was to be the last victim for Kent. Tredwell, who reached 116 not out, then combined with Andrew Hall to take them way past parity. Hall struck 63 not out in an unbroken stand of 140 which earned Kent a share of the spoils.Worcestershire were left wondering how on earth Surrey managed to escape with the draw, after they were well on course for victory at New Road. At 126 for 5 in the middle of the afternoon, and with Mark Ramprakash in the hutch, Surrey were floundering. Still miles adrift of Worcestershire’s 701, they lost four more wickets throughout proceedings, but crucially not the fifth. Mark Butcher was their saviour, his painstaking 29 not out compiled during three hours and coming from 142 balls. Matt Nicholson helped to repel the attack with him, making 20 not out from 67 deliveries. It was some dogged resistance, but their bowling attack, smashed around by Worcestershire, continues to provide concern.Sussex’s season continued to take an upward curve with a convincing 166-run win against Hampshire at Arundel. Starting the day on 133 for 2, Hampshire faced a huge task and it became even tougher when Michael Lumb fell early to Naved-ul-Hasan. Michael Carberry (53) added 82 with John Crawley, who faced 174 balls for 44, until both fell in quick succession. Robin Martin-Jenkins ended stubborn resistance from the middle order and the final wicket fell to Mushtaq Ahmed, his ninth of the match.

Division Two

At one point today Northamptonshire looked in danger of making a habit of close run-chases from big targets. Earlier this week, they nearly defeated Gloucestershire, but lost their bottle towards the end. At Chelmsford, they briefly threatened to hunt down 408, but Danish Kaneria’s five wickets prised them out 41 runs short. The overnight pairing of Stephen Peters (93) and David Sales (67) put on 134 for the third wicket before Kaneria dismissed Sales, then Peters fell to James Middlebrook on the same score, 223. While Lance Klusener contributed a typically brisk 25, when he fell on 263 for 5, Essex had done most of the hard work.

West Indies have announced a 13-man squad for the seven-ODI series against Zimbabwe which gets underway in Antigua this Saturday.The side will be led by Brian Lara, who was earlier appointed as the new captain, and the squad also contains his predecessor, Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The West Indies selectors said that no vice-captain would be named.West Indies Brian Lara (capt), Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.

Sourav Ganguly: will not play at Kanpur© AFP

The confusion over Sourav Ganguly’s involvement in the fifth one-day international at Kanpur was finally resolved after the Indian board issued a statement saying that he would not play.According to the Press Trust of India, the BCCI secretary SK Nair said: “There will be no change in the team already selected, with Rahul Dravid as captain for the Kanpur ODI. Since less than 24 hours remains for the start of the match, the board felt that it was extremely important for the players to concentrate and focus on the match, so that they could bring out the best performance. In view of this, the board has decided to continue with the selected team for the Kanpur match.”Cricinfo had earlier reported that Ganguly was unlikely to play the match despite being cleared to do so after the Indian board appealed against the six-match ban imposed on him for slow over-rates. With Ganguly missing, Rahul Dravid will lead the team, with Dinesh Mongia likely to fill Ganguly’s slot in the middle order.The ICC has announced that The Hon. Michael Beloff QC, the Chairman of the ICC’s code of conduct commission, will hear Ganguly’s appeal against his ban within the next seven days, unless another agreement his reached. He will determine whether Ganguly has to serve his ban, or if any adjustment will be made.