All posts by h716a5.icu

The India A seamers, led by Jaidev Unadkat, had West Indies A on the backfoot yet again at Leicester after taking a first-innings lead of 147

Cricinfo staff12-Jun-2010
ScorecardThe India A seamers, led by Jaidev Unadkat, had West Indies A on the backfoot yet again at Leicester after taking a first-innings lead of 147. India held the edge at the end of the third day with West Indies still trailing by 22, but with only five second-innings wickets in hand.India started off the day poorly as they lost wickets in a rush to Andre Russell, the Jamaican fast bowler. India lost the early wicket of Rahane for 69, and the trio of Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary and Cheteshwar Pujara all stumbled to Russell, who was in the middle of a dream spell. The complexion of the game changed as India slid from 202 for 3 to 207 for 8. The wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha offered resistance with an important half-century, with the tail to support him. He scored an exact 50, off 91 balls, before he was trapped lbw by Lionel Baker. Russell finished with 5 for 68.West Indies lost the early wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite for 1, but Omar Phillips and captain Devon Smith steadied the innings with a stand of 59. However, C Ganapathy dismissed Smith shortly after he began his spell and Unadkat later got rid of Phillips. Both were dismissed in their 30s, just when West Indies were looking to the pair to erase the deficit. Andre Fletcher was soon run out and Chadwick Walton was trapped lbw by Unadkat shortly before the close of play. Unadkat, the left-arm seamer who took seven in the first innings, increased his match tally to ten.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s attempts to add further signings to their ranks in January…

What’s the talk?

Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has revealed that the Magpies are unlikely to sign Divock Origi or Dominic Solanke this month as they go in search of a striker to bolster their squad.

He tweeted: “Understand Newcastle haven’t gone in for Burnley’s Chris Wood, as it stands, but he has been put to them (same agents as Trippier). One of several striking options being considered. Azmoun of Zenit among them but Origi/Solanke unlikely, I’m told. Either way, NUFC need to act fast.”

Howe will be gutted

This update will surely leave Newcastle manager Eddie Howe feeling gutted, as both Origi and Solanke are strikers who could come in and make an impact at St James’ Park in the second half of the campaign.

The Belgian is a proven Premier League performer and the Englishman is a player who the 44-year-old knows well from his time at Bournemouth in the top flight.

Upon signing him for the Cherries in 2019, Howe said this about the ex-Liverpool man: “Dominic is technically gifted, very athletic and has the physical profile that will give us something different in our front line.

“He has done very well for England at various age groups, has a huge amount of potential and I’m really excited about working with him.”

This shows that he rates Solanke highly, which is why he will be gutted a deal now appears to be off the cards this month, especially given the striker’s form this season. The 24-year-old has scored 18 goals in 25 Championship matches for Bournemouth, after managing 15 last term, and this suggests that he could be ready for another shot at the top flight.

Meanwhile, Origi has won the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool, scoring in the final of the latter. He has found the back of the net 40 times in 167 matches for the Merseyside club, showing that he knows how to score at the very top level.

This is another reason why Howe will be gutted with this update from Hope, as the Belgian could have come in and scored vital goals for Newcastle. The ex-Bournemouth boss will now be hoping that quality alternatives are identified and brought in as quickly as possible to bolster his attacking options, especially with injured top scorer Callum Wilson facing several weeks on the sidelines.

AND in other news, “We understand”: Keith Downie drops big NUFC transfer claim which will leave fans gutted…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones of Eurosport has dropped a big update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs working on agreement?

As per reports in the media over these last few weeks, Tottenham are very much in contention to sign the Germany international as a free agent despite him plying his trade across London for one of their biggest rivals.

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Rudiger’s current contract at Stamford Bridge expires this year with no extension in sight as things stand, alerting some of Europe’s top clubs alongside Spurs.

The likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris-Saint Germain and Barcelona are all in the race to sign Chelsea’s star defender, according to Sky, and the fact that overseas clubs can formally secure him to a pre-contract this month puts Antonio Conte’s side at a disadvantage.

Nevertheless, Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici has apparently been in constant contact with Rudiger’s entourage as he attempts to seal an agreement for the player ahead of next summer (Football Insider).

Sharing news on the situation, Jones has dropped a significant update.

The Latest: Jones drops big Rudiger to Spurs update…

According to the reporter’s sources, Tottenham are making a ‘very attractive’ offer which has ‘definitely’ turned the 28-year-old’s head.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, he explained: “From a financial standing, the offer Spurs are making to Rudiger is very attractive. It has definitely turned his head but he has to be convinced of the football side of things.”

The Verdict: Promising…

With half the job seemingly done in terms of convincing Rudiger with their wage package, Spurs fans will be hoping that the player could decide to join Conte and be part of the Lilywhites’ rebuild.

Currently in his prime and playing well, signing the centre-back would come as one of Paratici’s best possible coups if he can manage to convince the 28-year-old to make the move across London.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan certainly agrees, going as far as to claim he would be ‘one of the biggest signings ever’ if he joined Tottenham (Football Insider). Ex-Sunderland front man Kevin Phillips is also a big fan, stating that Rudiger has been ‘amazing for a number of years’ and any club would be ‘lucky to have him’ (Football Insider).

Bypassing his £31.5m valuation and signing him for nothing would be nothing short of a Paratici masterstroke, and perhaps Conte’s ‘big-name’ manager status could further tempt Rudiger.

In other news: Bid made: TV broadcaster shares news as Spurs lodge offer to sign ‘extraordinary’ £66.8m man, find out more here.

Celtic appear to be edging closer to the signing of Daizen Maeda in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Dan Orlowitz, with the Japan Times journalist and J League insider stating in a post on Twitter that the Yokohama F. Marinos centre-forward’s proposed move to Celtic appears to be all but done, with the 24-year-old looking set to join the Bhoys on an initial loan deal with a €2m (£1.7m) purchase option to be exercised this summer.

In his post, Orlowitz said: “Multiple Japanese outlets reporting in the last 30 minutes that Daizen Maeda is expected to join Celtic on loan with a €2m purchase option to be exercised this summer. Based on [the] variety of sources I’d say this is done.”

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Maeda was in Japan this season, in addition to the fact that Ange Postecoglou is rather short of strength in depth up top, the news that the club’s deal to sign the striker looks to be all but complete is sure to have left the 56-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, over his 36 J League appearances this term, the £990k-rated forward scored a highly impressive 23 goals, provided three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 0.9 key passes per game.

These returns saw the Japan international earn an excellent seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as his club’s joint sixth-best performer in the league, as well as the joint top scorer in the division.

And, with all three of Kyogo Furuhashi, Albian Ajeti and Giorgos Giakoumakis suffering from various injuries this season, it would very much appear as if Postecoglou could use an extra body in attack ahead of the restart of the Premiership season next month.

As such, the news that the Maeda deal is close to completion will undoubtedly come as a major boost to the 56-year-old Bhoys manager, who will certainly be hoping to deploy the 24-year-old when Hibernian visit Parkhead on January 17.

In other news: Forget Jota: Ange can land the next Eriksen with Celtic swoop for £12.5m-rated machine

As per reliable reporter Mark Palmer of The Sunday Times, an exciting transfer claim has now dropped involving star J-League striker Daizen Maeda and Celtic.

The Lowdown: Ange eyes move…

Speaking ahead of their clash with St Johnstone in the SPFL today, Ange Postecoglou was forthright on the subject of fresh faces at Parkhead in January.

Indeed, the Hoops head coach revealed that the process of identifying transfer targets mid-season has already started and hints Celtic ‘will’ make signings ( via Sky Sports).

Now, an exciting claim has dropped on who could be making his way to Glasgow.

The Latest: Hoops ‘step up’ Maeda chase…

As per Palmer of The Times, sharing his article on Twitter, Celtic now ‘step up efforts’ to sign ‘another’ J-League star in the January window.

After snapping up Kyogo Furuhashi in the summer, well placed sources in Japan have told The Times and Palmer they expect a move to be completed for clinical Asian forward Maeda.

Scoring 18 goals and assisting three others over this current campaign so far, Celtic are apparently confident they can sign the 24-year-old for Ange.

The Verdict: Get it done…

His ruthless goalscoring record is just one reason why Ange simply must make a move for Maeda.

The Japan international has also been labelled a ‘stone cold killer’ by members of the press in his country (via Celts Are Here) and he could be exactly the kind of player to inject even more quality at Celtic.

If they are to re-gain their SPFL dominance back from arch rivals Rangers, signing Maeda would certainly be a step in the right direction.

Cricinfo previews the Pro20 final between Warriors and Lions in Port Elizabeth

Firdose Moonda12-Mar-2010If the Warriors had been told five weeks ago that they would face the Lions in the final of the Pro20, they probably would have taken it. The Lions go into the final as definite underdogs. They have just two South African players in their ranks – Neil McKenzie and Alviro Petersen – compared with the Warriors’ seven. The names Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini, Nicky Boje, Johan Botha and Wayne Parnell are enough to intimidate most international opposition, let alone a domestic franchise, particularly one that has been reduced to whipping boys of late.Since winning the 2006-07 Pro20 crown, the Lions have been on a dizzying, downward spiral. They languished at or near the bottom of the log in both the SuperSport Series and the MTN40 and fared equally poorly in the twenty-over competition. The season after winning the title, they did not manage to beat a single South African franchise in the next edition of the competition. The Lions did, however, earn a victory over Zimbabwe and tied a match with the Eagles. The next season was much of the same, with the Lions losing to every franchise except the Cobras, where the match was tied.This season, the Gauteng-based franchise has been plagued by more administrative infighting and yet again, they’ve suffered on the field. A poor four-day campaign and missing out on the final four in the 40-over competition led to many a headline about the Lions meowing like kittens. Their achievement in the Pro20 may be just the remedy to heal a fractured union.Richard Cameron, one of the Lions’ young stars who picked up career-best figures of 4 for 23 against the Titans in the second leg of their semi-final, said the team enjoyed the tag of underdogs. “I think our spirit and togetherness as a team was one of the things that helped us win the semi-final,” Cameron said. The Lions are certainly going to need more than just that, if they hope to overcome a talented Warriors side.History doesn’t provide much indication of who the favourites are though. In the three seasons since the Champions Twenty20 League presented itself as an incentive for the domestic Pro20, all six franchises have reached the final. In the first season, when the inaugural Champions League was postponed, the Dolphins (who ended at the bottom of the log this time) and the Titans reached the final. Last season, the Cobras and the Eagles made the trip to India and this year it will be the Lions and the Warriors.The men from the Eastern Cape are labelled favourites because they have been the in-form side since winning their maiden franchise trophy in the MTN40 just over a month ago. One thing the Lions can hope for is that the likes of Boucher, Kallis, and Ntini will be preoccupied with the impending Indian Premier League. Kallis and Boucher will join up with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who play the first match on Sunday, so the pair is unlikely to feature in that encounter.Ntini is representing Chennai this season, and their first match is also on Sunday. He spent a fair amount of time warming their bench last season but has been in sublime form for the Warriors. Ntini is the Warriors’ highest wicket-taker in the competition, with 10 wickets at an average of 18.90. Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron are also IPL players, although this will be their first season in the glamourous competition. Parnell was bought for US $610000 by the Delhi Daredevils while Theron was only just picked up by Kings XI Punjab after a successful season as the best death bowler in the tournament.While the dollars in their eyes may cloud some of the Warriors’ players’ views, captain Davy Jacobs has been known to impress upon his troops on the importance of adding to their trophy cabinet. Before the MTN40 he said the team’s sponsors, Chevrolet, said they “expected a trophy after three seasons of sponsoring the team.” That prediction was spot on. Should the men from the Eastern Cape collect two cups this season, that should keep the men with the money very pleased indeed.

With no goals scored in their previous two Premier League games, the upcoming January transfer window could provide West Ham United with the perfect opportunity to strengthen their squad and set themselves up to push for a top-four finish by the end of the campaign.

Taking this into account, it seems as though the east London club have their eye on securing a new attacking talent who could be just what they need to end the season on a high.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, West Ham have their eye on making a move to sign Rubin Kazan attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia alongside fellow Premier League clubs Everton and Southampton.

Since joining Rubin on a free transfer from FC Rustavi back in the 2019 summer transfer window, the 20-year-old winger – who is currently valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt – has made 68 appearances for his club across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing 16 assists.

Having been likened to former Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery – who scored 124 goals and provided 182 assists in 425 appearances for the Bavarian giants – by Denis Bushuev, Kvaratskhelia could be an exciting prospect for West Ham to add to their squad in January.

In his 15 league games so far this season for Rubin, Kvaratskhelia has shown how talented an attacking player he is by averaging 2.2 shots and 1.4 key passes per game.

To put these numbers into perspective, current Irons attacker Said Benrahma has racked up similar averages of 2.1 shots and 1.1 key passes per game in 17 Premier League appearances this term, showing that the Georgian has what it takes to mix it with West Ham’s senior attackers.

Moving forward, taking into account Kvaratskhelia’s attacking talents and West Ham’s lack of recent goals, they should be doing all they can to beat Everton and Southampton to his signature to add an extra spark to their attacking ranks as they look to finish in the top four.

In other news: “I could see” – Journalist drops exciting claim at West Ham which will have fans buzzing

Anthony McGrath may have played his last game for Yorkshire but if he does leave the club, he can do so in the knowledge that he has played a big hand in Yorkshire’s promotion

George Dobell at Chelmsford 13-Sep-2012
ScorecardAzeen Rafiq made his second half-century of the match•Getty ImagesIf this game does mark the end of Anthony McGrath’s distinguished career at Yorkshire, he can depart in the knowledge that he played a full part in restoring a great club to a place in the top division of the County Championship. McGrath, who will be 37 and out of contract in a month, began his first-class career in 1995 and is one of just two men in this team who played in the Championship-winning side of 2001.There have been a fair few downs to accompany the ups since then – McGrath has twice experienced relegation as well as those four Test and 14 ODI caps for England – but, if he has played his final first-class innings for the club he has served so well, he leaves with his head held high and knowing that he has helped Yorkshire return, in the words of their captain, “back where we belong”.When McGrath and Azeem Rafiq came to the wicket in the second innings, Yorkshire were in danger of allowing Essex back into this game. At 111 for 6, Yorkshire’s lead was 246 and there was little batting left to come. Adam Lyth, who but for an awful 2011 would surely be streets ahead of Joe Root in the race for an England cap, was unfortunate to have been caught off the full face of the bat at short leg, while Gary Ballance had been brilliantly caught at point attempting to cut the impressively tight off-spin of Tom Westley.But, instead of stumbling with the end in sight, the Yorkshire pair added 110 runs in 41.4 overs to take this game beyond Essex. Negating the increasingly sharp turn of Tom Craddock, who produced some diamonds amid the rust, the pace of Tymal Mills and the perseverance of Graham Napier, who strived in vain for a maiden 10-wicket haul, McGrath and Rafiq demonstrated composure, character and resilience to keep their side’s hopes of winning the Division Two title alive.We should not be surprised. McGrath also played a key role in the victory over Leicestershire – he scored 90 in Yorkshire’s first innings and then took 4 for 21 in Leicestershire’s first innings – and a key role in the victory over Gloucestershire – he finished unbeaten on 76 as Yorkshire chased 314 to win by two wickets. He still pulls with as much assurance as anyone in the county game and, when defending, there are still times when his bat looks as broad as a barn door. If he is not offered a new contract at Yorkshire, there will surely be a few other clubs interested.Rafiq, meanwhile, seems to grow in stature by the day. Having underlined the impression he gave in the first innings – that he has a decent defensive technique and temperament – he also showed a welcome ability to change gear as Yorkshire accelerated towards promotion. He struck four of his last 11 deliveries to the boundary and finished unbeaten on 75. It is perhaps premature talk but he might just be Graeme Swann’s spin-bowling successor in the England team.The Yorkshire declaration left Essex needing 388 to win in a minimum of 107 overs. To put that in perspective, Essex have only scored that many runs in the fourth innings of a first-class game three times in their history and never at home. Bearing in mind the turning pitch and the somewhat uneven bounce, they are most unlikely to change that record on the final day. They lost Tom Westley, caught behind prodding at a good one that left him, and Jaik Mickleburgh, top-edging an ill-advised sweep to Rafiq’s fourth delivery, before stumps.Yorkshire are not guaranteed to top the division even if they win. If Derbyshire defeat Hampshire, the two top sides will be equal on points, but Derbyshire will prevail as they have won more games. The same logic would see Derbyshire prevail in the unlikely event that both sides draw.In truth, Yorkshire would have secured promotion even without McGrath and Rafiq in this game. Kent’s loss to Glamorgan allowed Derbyshire, the surprise package of 2012, and Yorkshire to go into the final day of their games knowing that promotion was secure. For a team that was third and trailing Derbyshire by 30 points with three games to go, it is a fine achievement.Their captain, Andrew Gale, was understandably delighted. But, while saying his team can already compete with anyone, admitted they were in the market for a couple of new players before the start of next season. The fact that they will be playing Division One cricket will do no harm in convincing the likes of James Harris and Jack Brooks to come to Leeds.”It feels like we’re back where we belong,” Gale said. “Last year hurt a lot. Yorkshire are a first division side and a massive club so we didn’t want to play in Division Two. We knew we had the talent and the ability to get straight back up. We want to be competing with the best sides in the country and we’ve given ourselves the chance to do that. Given good weather we would have been up three weeks ago but those are the cards we’ve been dealt and now we’re over the line.”We had everything against us going into the last three games. We’ve won two out of three and we’re in a great position in this one, obviously we want to go up as champions. We have a squad that can go far and compete seriously in Division One. We’re one or two players light at the moment, but I hope we can fix that over the winter.”

Antonio Conte could be on the verge of making one of his first mistakes at Tottenham Hotspur after a recent claim emerged about central defender Joe Rodon.

What’s the word?

The 24-year-old Wales international has barely featured under the Italian since his arrival last month, featuring for only 54 minutes against NS Mura in the Europa Conference League, in what was just his fourth start of the season overall.

He was signed from Swansea City a year ago for around £11m and could now look to force an exit this January, in a bid to earn some more minutes on the pitch.

According to Football Insider, the 6 foot 4 colossus is “100 per cent” keen to secure an exit next month. Meanwhile, Spurs are seemingly on the lookout for defensive reinforcements, having been linked to the likes of Inter Milan’s Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, as well as AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli.

Now, Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, who is generally clued up on things behind the scenes at Hotspur Way, has delivered his verdict to GIVEMESPORT. He said:

“As it stands right now, I just get this feeling that Antonio Conte doesn’t think he’s at the level Tottenham need.”

Bad call?

This is a worrying claim as it almost certainly highlights the fact that the 52-year-old isn’t a fan of the Jose Mourinho addition, not at least because of his one start under him and that lasted less than an hour.

It is interesting that Conte will not turn to him despite their mini injury crisis that has seen star centre-back Cristian Romero ruled out for a couple of months heading into the start of 2022.

Rodon features regularly for his country and excelled at Euro 2020 alongside fellow Lilywhites defender Ben Davies, who the Italian has deployed in his back three regularly.

Indeed, the Welshman has played nearly as many times for Rob Page’s Dragons (12) as he has Spurs (16) in 2021.

But it’s a little perplexing as he clearly has a lot to offer and is a more natural centre-back than his compatriot and perhaps an even more reliable option than someone like Davinson Sanchez, who has been regularly lambasted as a “liability” during his time in N17.

Valued at £18m by CIES Football Observatory, Rodon has delivered fine performances for Wales, leading to praise such as “flawless” and him being a “special player” by journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

Meanwhile, in the past, he has been likened to two Premier League greats by Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe. “You look at Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and there are elements of both in Rodon’s game,” he claimed.

He’s also a player that the Lilywhites faithful have also been very keen to see and some feel that he should be in the starting XI more often, especially with Romero out injured – as seen in reactions relayed by This is Futbol earlier this month, once after the aforementioned Football Insider report and again after he was snubbed from a matchday squad.

They will not be thrilled by this latest update, so with the writing seemingly on the wall for Rodon, Conte could well be about to drop his biggest blunder yet in north London.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Conte: Spurs could form frightening duo with “fearless” £18m-rated beast…

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has said the ground conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium are “almost unplayable and unfit to play” with regard to the evening dew

Sriram Veera at the Shere Bangla National Stadium04-Jan-2010Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has said the ground conditions at the Shere Bangla National Stadium are “almost unplayable and unfit to play” with regard to the evening dew. In fact, he proposed that the subsequent games in the tri-nation tournament start earlier to avoid such a situation.”It was almost impossible to grip the ball as the dew started at 6:00 pm and we had four spinners in our team,” Shakib said. “If the conditions remain like this, even 300 won’t be difficult to chase. I even discussed the matter with [Kumar] Sangakkara, who agreed. We might speak to the officials and try to change the timing of the games to a 12:00 pm start.”His opposite number, Sangakkara, admitted that the dew was a big issue. “I had spoken to the groundsman earlier and therefore decided to chase,” he said. “Tomorrow this could happen to us. I can understand Shakib’s views but I don’t know what you can do about it [changing the time].”Of course, if the start time changes, it would make for better cricket. But I guess you take the good with the bad. You do feel sorry for the fielding side as dew kicked in the evening.”India captain MS Dhoni had expressed his concerns yesterday. “It would be good if we can start the match at 11:00 am, so that it gets over by 8:30 pm or 9:00 pm, at least an hour earlier than what it is now,” Dhoni said. “That is the time it really gets wet, but we have to play at whatever timings are given to us. We don’t decide on these matters.”The dew certainly played its role today, killing the excitement during the chase as the spinners found it difficult to grip the ball. But the game was lost while batting. It was the first game of the tournament and, ideally, it should have been exciting.However the dull, drab and low-quality contest witnessed half the crowd, which was never strong to begin with, heading for the exits mid-way during the chase. Perhaps it was the cold that was the catalyst behind the exodus, but the quality of play certainly wasn’t rivetting enough for them to brave the elements and come in numbers or stay till the finish.Bangladesh suffered from the old problems that have derailed their progress at the international level. Their top order struggled, rather surprisingly, against bounce on such an easy-paced wicket. The first four wickets all fell to short-pitched deliveries.Interestingly, around the time of the toss, the top order were practicing pull shots. They stood in line and kept pulling the balls which were thrown at them on to a net flung to their left. One was curious whether they were expecting short deliveries on this track or were they simply practicing big swings to the on side?And when it came, it didn’t seem like a plan. “On these wickets, you can’t go with a short-ball plan,” Sangakkara said. “But we found out that they were facing some problems with bounce and Suranga Lakmal later exploited it well.”Chanaka Welegedera bowled one short in the fourth over and Imrul Kayes was slow on the pull. The ball brushed the shoulders en route to Sangakkara. Another short ball, in the seventh over from Nuwan Kulasekara, saw Kayes mistime another pull but it cleared midwicket. The third bouncer though, in the 13th over, undid him as he got a fatal top-edge trying to pull.That seemed to kickstart a collapse. Lakmal got one to kick up to Raqibul Hasan’s shoulder height, who stabbed it straight to slips, while Shakib upper cut another lifter straight to thirdman. Mohammad Ashraful and Mahmudullah did the repair job, but on this wicket, with dew waiting to play havoc later in the day, 260 was never going to be enough.