All posts by h716a5.icu

West Ham United star Declan Rice and 2020/2021 loanee Jesse Lingard have been included in England’s 33-man provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2020 – with many Hammers fans erupting as this ‘amazing news’ was confirmed this week.

Both men were arguable standouts for West Ham over a campaign which saw them qualify for the 2021/2022 Europa League.

Indeed, David Moyes’ men smashed expectations by securing sixth spot just one season after finishing a lowly 16th in 2019/2020.

Both Rice and Lingard were crucial cogs in that achievement, with the former starting 32 top flight matches and averaging the most interceptions per 90 out of any Irons player with more than 15 appearances (WhoScored).

Meanwhile, Lingard signed on loan from parent club Manchester United in January and racked up an incredible nine goals and four assists in just 16 starts for West Ham (WhoScored).

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As a result, both men have been rewarded with a shot of making Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the Euros which will be announced on 1 June.

West Ham fans, flocking to this update, had their say on the ‘amazing news’ – find all of their best verdicts from a social media down below.

West Ham fans praise Rice and Lingard provisional squad inclusion

“That is amazing news! Congratulations Declan and Jesse a well deserved honour to play for your country yet again”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

“No brainer”

Credit: @Richard59824563

“IRONSSSS”

Credit: @lozza3man

“Great to see Rice & Lingard in the provisional England squad”

Credit: @supersonic_mark

“Fair play to both of the boys. Fully deserved”

Credit: @MarshyBoy26

“Lingard through David Moyes showing faith in him makes the Euros, lets hope he returns the favour and shows faith in West Ham for the next chapter in his career, could be a very interesting match and maybe keep Rice on board.”

Credit: @WHUFCpubtalk

“Rice and JLingz to carry us to the final, inject it”

Credit: @T_Roberts99

“The boys”

Credit: @TomFrase10

In other news: BBC pundit thrilled by this ‘brilliant news’ for West Ham, find out more here.

New Zealand virtually pulled the rug from under the feet of the Sri Lankans when they beat the islanders by 11 runs in the second match of the Sharjah Cup one day tournament here on Tuesday

Tanvir Ahmad10-Apr-2002New Zealand virtually pulled the rug from under the feet of the Sri Lankans when they beat the islanders by 11 runs in the second match of the Sharjah Cup one day tournament here on Tuesday. Scores: New Zealand 218 for 8; Sri Lanka 207 all out in 49.1 overs.But the Sri Lankans must only blame themselves for the result. They were too confident after having restricted New Zealand to 218 and were probably over confident after their convincing win against Pakistan in the opener on Monday.New Zealand should thank their bowlers, who did a wonderful job to practically strangulate the Lanka batsmen. Surprisingly the Sri Lankan batsmen never looked like enjoying the going and appeared under pressure as soon as skipper Sanath Jayasuriya was dismissed by Daryl Tuffey in the very first over.Marvan Atapattu (61) lived a charmed life having been dropped thrice before being finally caught by Butler off Harris. His departure seemed to completely dampened the spirits of the Lankan batsmen and realising this skipper Stephen Fleming began putting the pressure. The fielders looked transformed and the Kiwi bowlers bowled their hearts out to send the last five Sri Lankan batsmen packing for only 34 runs.Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first. They suffered two early setbacks, losing Nathan Astle and Craig Mcmillan with only 31 runs on the board. Astle, who had come to this desert city with two outstanding performances to his credit – a one-day century followed by fastest Test double hundred, both against England last month. Both wickets were claimed by Nuwan Zoysa, who finished with match figures of 2 for 37 from 7 overs.But it was again Muttiah Muralidharan who practically mesmerised the New Zealand line-up with his off spin to capture 5 for 9 from his 10 over quota. It was a fantastic performance by the spin wizard, who came very near to his best in Sharjah – 7 for 30 against India in October 2000. Even after the a rather disastrous start the Kiwis tried to regroup with skipper Stephen Fleming and wicket-keeper opener Chris Nevin adding 55 runs for the 3rd wicket partnership. Fleming was the first of Murli’s five victims, being caught by Russel Arnold after making 34.Nevin was unlucky to be victim of umpire Venkatraghawan’s rather poor judgment. Murli’s delivery hit his front leg and Arnold brought out a good diving catch. What was the reason that Venkat sought the advice of the TV umpire is a mystery. One could see even from the pavilion that the ball had hit the pad but Venkat thought otherwise and the TV umpire Sheperd ruled that Arnold’s catch was in order.That one decision apparently turned the game and although Chris Harris with Mathew Sinclair added 56 runs to take the score to 155 when New Zealand lost its 6th wicket. A last a ditch effort by Jacob Oram(46 n.o) helped the Kiwis cross the 200 mark and they managed to get 218 for 8 wickets from 50 overs.

India’s traditional strength has always been spin, and this holds goodeven for Test matches abroad

Partab Ramchand29-May-2002India’s traditional strength has always been spin, and this holds goodeven for Test matches abroad. Take any overseas victory from the 60sto the 90s, and it will be noticed that spin has played a decisiverole. In the 60s and 70s, all Indian wins overseas came about as aresult of some splendid work by the famed spin quartet. They wereresponsible for shaping the victories in New Zealand in 1967-68, inthe West Indies and England in 1971, in New Zealand in 1976, in WestIndies later that year, and in Australia in 1977-78.

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But there was no denying the fact that, overall, the Indian bowlingneeded to revolve around spin if it was to make a greater impactoverseas, and this was proved even as recently as 1993, when AnilKumble, albeit all too rarely, scripted a victory in Sri Lanka.

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The advent of Kapil Dev changed the script considerably. But even whenhe was at the forefront of India’s wins, most notably at Melbourne in1981 and at Lord’s and Leeds in 1986, the contribution of the spinnerscould not be overlooked. In England, when conditions heavily favouredKapil, Roger Binny and Chetan Sharma, the Test averages were stillheaded by Maninder Singh, who struck telling blows in the two matches.And if Kapil played a courageous role in bowling India to victory atMelbourne, the role of Dilip Doshi cannot be forgotten. The left-armspinner, like Kapil, battled injury even as he picked up the vitalwickets of Graeme Wood and Kim Hughes on his way to a match haul offive to the Indian spearhead’s six.But there was no denying the fact that, overall, the Indian bowlingneeded to revolve around spin if it was to make a greater impactoverseas, and this was proved even as recently as 1993, when AnilKumble, albeit all too rarely, scripted a victory in Sri Lanka. Sevenyears later, Sunil Joshi played the leading role in the win overBangladesh at Dhaka.However, in the past year, there has been a significant change in thescenario. The last three victories abroad have been shaped by seamrather than spin. The trio of medium-pacers – Zaheer Khan, AshishNehra and Javagal Srinath – took 13 wickets, while the lone spinner,Harbhajan Singh, managed just three in the victory over Zimbabwe atBulawayo.The seamers’ dominance was almost complete a couple of months later inthe win over Sri Lanka at Kandy. Venkatesh Prasad, Zaheer Khan,Harvinder Singh and Sourav Ganguly shared 18 wickets between them,while only one wicket fell to Harbhajan. In the most recent triumph atPort of Spain, Srinath, Zaheer and Nehra had 15 wickets to show fortheir efforts, while again Harbhajan, the lone spinner, had just threescalps.The Indian spinner’s role in the past had never been so minimal. Evenwhen the side had three seam bowlers and one spinner, the latteralways made his presence felt, as can be seen by the examples ofManinder and Doshi. Admittedly, the spinners in the post-1980 period,when the quartet broke up, cannot be compared to their predecessors,especially in overseas conditions. This has become more pronounced inthe last decade or so, as illustrated by the figures of NarendraHirwani, Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chauhan, besides Kumble andHarbhajan.The palpable shift to seam cannot be missed, what with the team’sthink-tank in the West Indies fielding three seam bowlers and only onespinner in four straight Tests, starting from the victory at Port ofSpain. Conventional wisdom, on the other hand, had it, as the teamleft for the Caribbean, that Kumble and Harbhajan would be an integralpart of the bowling line-up.This shift in attack may also be seen in England, where conditions arebound to help the seamers. If any further evidence were required, onehas only to look back at the bowling averages of the last Test seriesthere between the two countries in 1996, when Srinath and Prasadformed a splendid pair of opening bowlers.However, I have a lurking feeling that it will not be long before themesmeric magic and infinite variety of Indian spin again wins matchesabroad. In the long run, because of its strong traditional strength,spin is more likely to succeed abroad rather than pace. An analogy canbe drawn with the West Indian pacemen, who have always done well evenon Indian pitches, regarded as graveyards for fast bowlers. Ifanything, past history by way of the cases I have pointed out is proofof this. Spin to win is the Indian mantra, and this holds good evenfor Test matches abroad, despite the good work done by the seamers oflate.

Andros Townsend is reportedly subject of interest from Turkish champions Besiktas, according to Sport Witness.

The Lowdown

Predictably, the Besiktas interest in the 29-year-old England international is enhanced by his favourable contractual situation. His deal is due to expire at the tail end of this month, meaning the former Tottenham man is now free to talk to other clubs [Transfermarkt].

Signing from Newcastle United in 2016 [Crystal Palace FC], he has gone on to rack up 185 appearances for the Eagles notching 16 goals and 28 assists [Transfermarkt].

   The Latest

Intriguingly, this potential pursuit may hinge on whether Besiktas succeed or fail to secure Rachid Ghezzal from Leicester City. Following a successful loan spell at the club, Besiktas are said to be keen to secure his services permanently [Leicester Mercury].

Should this deal fall through, the European powerhouses could make their move for Townsend.

Open to a move away, Townsend has spoken this year in an interview with talkSPORT breakfast about one particular offer he has received from abroad, admitting he had spoken to a club from ‘around’ Turkey.

Verdict: Losing Townsend would be a blow to Crystal Palace

Losing players is never easy and Townsend is no different in that regard – even if he has not been a consistent feature in the team at times this season, his experience and quality is an asset to behold for any dressing room.

Once labelled a ‘flying winger’ by previous manager Roy Hodgson, he has provided plenty entertaining moments for the Palace supporters – perhaps most notably the stunning strike at Manchester City in 2018.

Despite this, his departure could pave the way for some younger talent to break through the ranks in South-East London. Having recently parted company with Hodgson, it may be time for large-scale replenishment encompassing all departments of the football club.

Cautious and conservative in their outlook, English cricketauthorities have taken to innovations like night cricket, whiteballs and coloured clothing rather late

Partab Ramchand26-Jun-2002Cautious and conservative in their outlook, English cricketauthorities have taken to innovations like night cricket, whiteballs and coloured clothing rather late. In keeping with thisorthodox approach, a tri-series competition was introduced inEngland some 20 years after it first made its debut in Australiain the immediate post-Packer period and well after othercountries adopted it.
© CricInfoThe first such tournament was held in 1998 involving Sri Lanka,South Africa and the hosts. Sri Lanka, then in the midst of theirgreat period following their World Cup triumph in 1996, duly wonthe event defeating England in the final.The competition was not held in 1999 with the World Cup inEngland holding centre-stage. In 2000, England won thetournament, defeating Zimbabwe in the final; the West Indies werethe third team in the fray. Last year, England did not even makethe final, contested between Australia and Pakistan. And yetEngland have been listed as favourites by the bookies for thisyear’s competition, involving Sri Lanka and India.Sri Lanka, despite the fact that are obviously weary at the endof their tour, are listed second favourites while the Indians,freshly arrived in England, have been adjudged as outsiders.A close look at the squads suggests that the bookies might havegot it all wrong. For, on paper, the Indians would seem to have alot of things going in their favour. A formidable batting lineup, an attack based on seam bowling – always favourable inEnglish conditions – and two fine spin bowlers to exploitwhatever turn they can from the pitch.Certainly, both England and Sri Lanka would be hard pressed tooffer a batting line-up as attractive as the one made up byGanguly, Tendulkar, Mongia, Sehwag, Dravid, Laxman, Kaif andYuvraj Singh. This array of stroke-playing batsmen looks capableof running up totals that could be well beyond the reach of boththeir opponents. Even granting the fact that they may beweaknesses in bowling and fielding, it would appear that thebatting is so strong that it can cover up for any deficiency inother departments.But the bookies obviously have done their cricketing homework.They are convinced that the Indian team does not do well abroad,something admitted even by coach John Wright. This isparticularly so in England.The heady days of the World Cup triumph are now almost twodecades ago. The 2-0 victory in the Texaco Trophy series in 1990is a 12-year-old story. Since then, the Indians lost rather badlyin the one-day series to England in 1996 and three years laterjust about made it to the Super Six stage where their challengefizzled out.Of course, it could also be pointed out with some justificationthat neither England nor Sri Lanka even made the Super Six stagein the competition. But there is no denying that the overall formof both these teams is far more consistent in recent times.Evidence of this is seen in the various one-day ratings that haveSri Lanka ahead of both India and England, who are bunchedtogether in the middle. Few would argue against this, even aftertaking into account India’s triumph in the rain-affected limitedovers series in the West Indies.
© CricInfoOnly some six months ago, England came back from a 1-3 deficit todraw a six-match series in India and that should stand them invery good stead for the competition that commences on Thursday.The hosts have retained most of their players, who did so well inIndia, and have added the experience of Alec Stewart, the flairof the in-form Ronnie Irani, the promise of James Kirtley aswell as the bubbling enthusiasm of Alex Tudor.Besides, their established stars have all been among the runs andthe wickets during the season and the emphatic Test seriesvictory over Sri Lanka should have boosted their confidence noend. Even though they will miss the injured Mark Butcher, abatting line-up that has Nasser Hussain, Nick Knight, Stewart,Graham Thorpe, Marcus Trescothick, Michael Vaughan and AndrewFlintoff has to be respected.The bowling, however, may pose problems for Hussain. The injuredAndy Caddick is already out of the reckoning and there are doubtsabout Darren Gough’s availability. If the pace spearhead is notable to pass the fitness test, almost everything would depend onMatthew Hoggard, Ashley Giles, Tudor and Flintoff. In Englishconditions, the quartet could still prove to be a force to reckonwith. Hussain, it has to be remembered, has proved to be aplayer’s captain besides being a shrewd tactician.The withdrawal of Muthiah Muralitharan due to injury willundoubtedly affect Sri Lanka’s chances. But the prospects ofSanath Jayasuriya’s team cannot be written off. In Murali’sabsence, the bowling does look a bit handicapped but then theexperience of Chandana and Samaraweera is bound to come in handy.It is true that the seam bowlers did not exactly come off in theTest series but then the limited overs game is very differentfrom Test cricket and the NatWest series gives Chaminda Vaas andcompany the opportunity to show that they still have a trick ortwo up their sleeve.The batting, even if it fell from their lofty standards in theTest series, was seen in better light than the bowling and aline-up that has the always dangerous captain, Marvan Atapattu,Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, AvishaGunawardene and Romesh Kaluwitharana cannot be dismissedlightly.
© CricInfoHowever, it must be admitted that the recent form displayed byall the contestants has been rather patchy, symbolised by Englandlosing to Wales on Monday. On the same day, the Indians went downto Kent while the Sri Lankans haven’t exactly been on a winningspree on the current tour.In my book, the strengths and weaknesses of the competing teamsare clearly marked. I normally love sticking my neck out butunlike the bookies, who don’t have an option anyway, I will notdo so this time. The competition is too close to call. About theonly prediction I will make is that it is going to be a scorcherof a NatWest series.

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting to an update regarding the Eagles’ pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

According to the Daily Mail, ‘Crystal Palace would like to sign him now’ – an intriguing eight-word transfer update.

The report claims that Blues boss Thomas Tuchel would like to take a closer look at Gallagher before making any decision, but it appears as if Palace want to land the 21-year-old as soon as possible.

Gallagher spent last season on loan at West Brom, making 32 appearances in all competitions. He netted twice during his temporary stay in the Midlands, with one of his goals actually coming against Palace in a 5-1 win for the Eagles.

Palace are still without a manager after Roy Hodgson left at the end of the previous campaign, but their hot-seat vacancy hasn’t appeared to have hindered their transfer plans.

Palace fans react

Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared the update on Gallagher on Twitter on Tuesday evening. This is what these fans had to say in reply, with many keen to see a deal go through.

“oh go on then”Credit: @CpfcDan_”Yes please!”Credit: @OliverRender”Do it then”Credit: @bradhcpfc”please”Credit: @notconnorlmaov2″Yessssss”Credit: @cpfcjude”PLEASE”Credit: @StatmanOli

In other news: Eagles eye Belgian defender, find out more here. 

New Zealand Cricket Board(NZCB)has confirmed its inability to participate in the triangular tournament which is scheduled to be played in Nairobi, Kenya from Aug 27 to Sept 7

Sports Correspondent19-Jul-2002New Zealand Cricket Board(NZCB)has confirmed its inability to participate in the triangular tournament which is scheduled to be played in Nairobi, Kenya from Aug 27 to Sept 7.Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand were the teams for the competition which had to be shifted from Pakistan to Kenya due to security concerns raised by Australia and New Zealand.The newly appointed director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)Chishty Mujahid, told journalists Thursday that the NZCB chief executive Martin Snedden had conveyed the decision to the PCB.Mujhaid said that the NZCB cited certain reasons without elaborating them for declining to compete in Kenya.When asked if the NZCB showed any concern on security fears, he said that no such reason was given. “It is not indicated in the letter received from New Zealand but one of the reasons given is the fear of burn out of players”, he said.He, however, claimed that Australia had confirmed its participation. ” PCB was considering to invite Kenya to replace New Zealand for which a formal invitation would be extended to them as there were no other teams available for the tournament”.APP adds: He also dispelled chances of match fixing in a tri-nation tournament in August which gives the Tangier in Morocco the official status of a international cricket venue.” Amid the presence of ICC anti-corruption unit and the measures taking by games ruling body to curb the practice of match fixing there are no fears of any illegal practice there”,South Africa, Sri Lanka and Pakistan feature in the series which will be played during August 12-22. He said Tangier has been cleared by ICC for staging the series and ICC has taken this step after a thorough careful investigation and check-ups of the venue and its allied facilities.”New Zealand Cricket Board has given a number of reasons for their teams withdrawal from the event “,he said.When asked about any specific reason, he said, there is no reason given by the New Zealand Cricket Board and they offered multiple reasons for the withdrawal of their team.The Tri-Nation series named as Golden Jubilee Series was to be played in Pakistan in August at Karachi. Security concerns raised by other participating teams forced the ICC to shift it to a neutral venue.”In the given circumstances, Kenya is the best choice and hopefully it will be compete in the tournament as other teams are busy with their schedules and have not time to play in that event”, he said.He admitted after the withdrawal of New Zealand the tournament will offer less interest but there was no other choice except to extend invitation to Kenya.

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Paul Stewart insists that Graham Potter would be a fine appointment for the club, and believes he could well bring both Lewis Dunk and Yves Bissouma with him to north London.

Spurs are still on the lookout for a new boss after sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April.

Ryan Mason ultimately led the club to a seventh-placed finish, ensuring qualification to the Europa Conference League.

Links with both Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte have ultimately come to nothing and Potter is still being touted as a potential target.

Brighton finished 15th in the Premier League table but, per Understat, their xG rate means they should have finished 10th.

Both Dunk and Bissouma have developed into key players at Brighton, in central defence and central midfield respectively, and Stewart believes they could both come to Spurs along with Potter if he were appointed.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Stewart said: “He’s done wonders at Brighton, to keep them in the Premier League. When you watch them, they do play good stuff, I’ve been impressed by the football they play.

“I’m very impressed with the big centre-half, Dunk, I think someone will snap him up because unfortunately Brighton won’t be able to hold onto their better players and I think they’re resigned. Bissouma in midfield, as well, is somebody you’d be looking at.

“And if Graham Potter does get the job, and having worked with them two players in particular, I think there’d be strong links with them.”

Noel Whelan suspects Spurs have struggled to attract a ‘big-name’ manager because of Harry Kane’s potential departure.

The former Leeds United forward was speaking to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Spurs are set to appoint Paulo Fonseca as their new boss, nearly two months on from the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

Fonseca led AS Roma to an underwhelming seventh-place finish in Serie A last season, and was not offered a new contract.

The London-based club were previously said to be in talks with Antonio Conte, a title winner at Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

But those negotiations broke down, and Conte was said to harbour ‘major doubts’ about taking up the role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Meanwhile, Kane, who won the 2020/21 Golden Boot with 23 Premier League goals, is reportedly pushing to leave the club.

The latest

Whelan thinks that Spurs may have wound up opting for Fonseca because other candidates have been left ‘questioning their fight’.

Without the sure knowledge that Kane will stay put, the job is far less ‘enticing’.

“It looks like a desperate option in many people’s eyes,” he said.

“They’ll also be wondering why they can’t attract big-name managers these days. Well, they’ve got the stadium and they’ve got the training facilities.

“But are they going to have the team? The managers are questioning their fight and what they want to do with the club.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than Harry Kane, unfortunately.

“I think that would probably be one enticing factor for any manager coming in, having a world-class striker.”

Whelan says taking over a post-Kane Spurs would be a daunting task, with the deficit between them and the title-chasing sides only widening.

“You might not have him, so how would you replace him? It makes the task even more difficult,” he said.

“It doesn’t seem an appealing project to many of these managers.

“They feel like they’re not going to be anywhere near Man City, Liverpool and Man United. Maybe missing out on the top four again.”

The verdict

We shouldn’t be overly quick to write off Fonseca as a ‘desperate’ appointment. He’s the preferred choice of Fabio Paratici, the club’s new general manager, and a strong relationship between the two could be hugely beneficial.

Moreover, he was battling against some tricky circumstances in Rome, with the club in the midst of a ‘difficult restructure’.

Still, you don’t sense that this is an appointment that will ambitious enough to leave Kane with second thoughts about moving on.

And if he was to depart, not only would it be a monumental blow to Spurs’ hopes of a Champions League return, but it might also lead other stars to push to follow him out the door.

In other news, this Serie A outfit could launch a move for a Spurs midfielder. 

The Essex and England wicket-keeper James Foster today broke his left thumbwhile playing for his county against Glamorgan in the Frizzell CountyChampionship at Chelmsford.

Media Release25-Jul-2002The Essex and England wicket-keeper James Foster today broke his left thumbwhile playing for his county against Glamorgan in the Frizzell CountyChampionship at Chelmsford.An X-ray this lunchtime on the injured thumb revealed a non-displaced fracture and, at this stage, it is anticipated that he will miss four to six weeks’ cricket.Foster will see a specialist tomorrow for a further assessment of the injurywhich took place while he was keeping wicket standing back to the bowling ofJohn Stephenson.The 22-year-old, who made his England Test debut last winter in India, returned to the Essex side at Southgate last week against Middlesex following a two-month lay-off with a fractured forearm.James Foster said: “This is a huge blow for me coming so soon after breaking my arm earlier in the season. The early indications are that I could be out for a while, but we will have a clearer idea once I have seen the specialisttomorrow.”