All posts by h716a5.icu

Two Ws and Imran unanimously voted in. Yousuf misses out

Cricinfo staff24-May-2010Three fast bowlers have been picked unanimously in Cricinfo’s all-time Pakistan Test XI. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Imran Khan each received 10 votes from a jury that included Ramiz Raja and Intikhab Alam among others. The only other unanimous selection was Javed Miandad, in the middle order.No current Pakistani player makes it to the side – unlike in five of the six all-time XIs named by Cricinfo so far. The most recent retiree was Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is at No. 5 in the order, with nine votes. Mohammad Yousuf, who received four votes, and Shoaib Akhtar (one) were among those who didn’t make the cut.Historically fast bowling has been Pakistan’s strength, and it is a sign of how highly the fearsome and influential spearheads of the side’s 1990s attack were rated that both were picked unanimously. While the two Ws made the XI purely as bowlers, Imran also serves as the side’s allrounder. There was no consensus over the third quick bowler, though: Fazal Mahmood, who received three votes, edged out Sarfraz Nawaz and Shoaib Akhtar.Wasim Bari and Rashid Latif were tied with four votes each for the wicketkeeper’s place. Latif was picked for his superior batting.The jury opted for an opening combination that would provide a mix of strokeplay and stoic defence: Saeed Anwar (six votes), who attacked no matter what the format or situation, and Hanif Mohammad (nine), who gave up his naturally aggressive style and dug in for several marathon innings to complement the stroke-making of his team-mates.At one-down is Zaheer Abbas (six), the only Asian batsman to make over 100 first-class hundreds.Only two members of the jury did not pick Abdul Qadir, who revolutionised legspin in the 80s and paved the way for the likes of Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, as the team’s lone slow bowler.Qadir also made it to the readers’ XI, getting more than half the votes polled in the spin category, comfortably ahead of Saqlain Mushtaq. Latif narrowly missed getting the gloves in the readers’ XI, losing out to Bari. The readers preferred Shoaib as the third fast bowler over Fazal. All their other choices matched those of the jury.The jury included Salahuddin Mulla, who played Test cricket for Pakistan in the 1960s, cricket writers Qamar Ahmed (who also played first-class cricket and coached Netherlands) and Kamran Abbasi, and former administrators Shaharyar Khan, Arif Abbasi and Chishty Mujahid.The XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Rashid Latif, Wasim Akram, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir, Waqar YounisMore on the XI hereThe readers’ XI: Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan, Wasim Bari, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.The nominees
Openers: Aamer Sohail, Hanif Mohammad, Saeed Anwar, Majid Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Sadiq Mohammad, Mohsin Khan.Middle order: Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saleem Malik, Mushtaq Mohammad, Younis Khan, Asif Iqbal, Saeed Ahmed.Allrounder: AH Kardar, Imran Khan, Intikhab Alam, Mushtaq Mohammad, Wasim Akram.Wicketkeepers: Wasim Bari, Imtiaz Ahmed, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan.Fast bowlers: Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Fazal Mahmood, Sarfraz Nawaz, Shoaib Akhtar.Spinners: Abdul Qadir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Iqbal Qasim, Danish Kaneria.

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has opened, this will allow a wide variety of clubs to make some transfer deals to help them strengthen their squads.

One deal that Aston Villa and Steven Gerrard should be looking to complete would be to move Trezeguet out and potentially bring in a new winger to replace him.

Since joining the Midlands club back in the 2019 summer transfer window from Turkish club Kasimpasa, the winger has made a total of 64 appearances for Villa across all competitions but has only managed to score nine goals and provide five assists along the way.

His latest appearance for the Villans came during their recent 2-1 defeat against Brentford where he came off the substitutes bench to replace Bertrand Traore in the final ten minutes of the match to try and grab a positive result for the travelling side.

Instead of that, the only notable thing Trezeguet did during his short spell on the pitch was an eye-catching attempt to win a penalty for his side which did not go down well on social media, as he threw himself to the floor after no contact.

Prior to the serious knee injury that has kept him out of action for a considerable amount of time from April to October last year, Trezeguet, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £47k-per-week according to Salary Sport, was on the end of some criticism from former Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor who had previously described him as a “frustrating” player to watch.

In addition to this, there have been reports in recent weeks and months that the Egyptian could be one of a number of Villa players that Gerrard could look to move on in January, as well as there being a number of different attacking players linked with a move to Villa Park in January.

Taking all of this into account, it could be worth Villa getting Trezeguet off their wage bill this month if Gerrard thinks he isn’t capable of delivering the sort of performances he wants to see from his players and isn’t likely to be playing regularly, especially if they’re able to bring a new player into replace him.

After all, after his horrendous bit of play-acting last weekend, it would be a surprise if we saw him in the claret and blue again.

In other news: Lange could solve Gerrard’s big AVFC issue with swoop for “complete” £24.3m-rated gem – opinion

Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely scored a century apiece as they shared a third-wicket partnership of 182 to take Northamptonshire to 280 for 4

05-Jun-2010
ScorecardStephen Peters and Alex Wakely scored a century apiece as they shared a third-wicket partnership of 182 to take Northamptonshire to 280 for 4 in reply to Middlesex’s 347 all out in their County Championship Division Two clash at Lord’s. Peters, who scored a career-best 183 not out in leading Northamptonshire to a six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Wantage Road in April, simply carried on where he left off to make an unbeaten 115 off 231 balls with 13 fours.Wakely was more enterprising on the way to only his second hundred in 26 first-class matches, hitting 15 fours in his 108 off 193 balls. They were together for 54 overs and Middlesex captain Shaun Udal, who had just been off the field for repairs to his left hand after stopping a fierce drive, was wondering where their next wicket was coming from when Wakely chipped him to mid-on to offer Gareth Berg a simple catch.Six overs later, Rob White gave Udal a second wicket when he lofted him to Danny Evans at mid-off but it had been a dispiriting afternoon for Middlesex after they had made a promising start with the ball. Pedro Collins, the former West Indies left-armer, was rewarded for a demanding opening spell when he had Ben Howgego leg-before and Berg, the South Africa-born allrounder who was presented with his county cap at teatime, put Mal Loye out of his misery by having him caught at second slip for a 22-ball duck.Middlesex then ran into an immovable object in Peters, who had scored only 65 runs in his previous seven innings at Lord’s at an average of 9.28 and was obviously determined to put the record straight.Now 31, he has never quite fulfilled the potential he showed when he scored a century on his first-class debut for Essex at 17 and won the Man-of-the-Match award with a hundred in the Under-19 World Cup final in South Africa, but he has become one of the most consistent opening batsmen in the championship with three centuries and three fifties this season.Wakely, 21, has found runs harder to come by since making his maiden hundred against Glamorgan at Cardiff last summer but there were signs of real promise in some of his strokeplay.Earlier, Middlesex added six to their overnight 341 for 9 before Chaminda Vaas, the Sri Lanka left-arm seamer, had Collins caught behind to finish with the excellent figures of 4 for 49 in 21.2 overs against one of his former counties.

Rangers are making good progress as they look to sign James Sands on loan from New York City FC, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

Giovanni van Bronckhorst said prior to the January transfer window that he didn’t want his squad to get any smaller. Rangers have agreed to sell Nathan Patterson to Everton for around £16m, with the transfer being completed today.

In Sands, they are pursuing a player who can line out at right-back, although he has predominantly been a defensive midfielder and a centre-back during his career. He is only 21 years old but has already been capped seven times by the United States senior team.

The latest

According to The Daily Mail, talks between Rangers and New York City FC over a deal for Sands are said to be ‘advancing well’.

The Gers are hopeful of securing his services on an 18-month loan, running until the end of the 2022/23 season.

The verdict

Sands, who replaced Andrea Pirlo from the substitutes’ bench to make his NYCFC debut in 2017, is one of the outstanding young talents in Major League Soccer. The club have even referred to him as the ‘apprentice’ of the two-time Champions League and 2006 World Cup winner, which is not a bad endorsement at all.

In 2020, he featured on the league’s ’22 under-22 list’, and a year later he was named in the All-Star roster which took on the best players from Liga MX (via MLS), which further highlights his precocious talent.

This could be a tremendous piece of business for Rangers if they pull it off, particularly if they can negotiate an option to buy the American next year.

In other news, lots of Rangers fans reacted to this Nathan Patterson revelation

Wolves winger Adama Traore is reportedly happy to stay put at Molineux until the summer before potentially returning to his former club Barcelona.

The Lowdown: Constant exit rumours

The 25-year-old has been continually linked with a move away from Wolves in the January transfer window, with Bruno Lage seemingly happy to see him leave.

The likes of Liverpool and Tottenham have both been tipped to sign Traore in the near future but nothing concrete has materialised yet.

Another update has now emerged regarding the winger’s future as the saga takes another twist.

The Latest: Summer move instead?

According to Sport, Traore sees returning to Barca as a ‘priority’ and is willing to wait until the end of the season for the move to come to fruition, with the report describing it as a ‘feasible’ transfer.

It is claimed that the Spanish giants see the Wolves winger as a possible replacement for Ousmane Dembele, should the Frenchman move on in the summer.

The Verdict: Matter of time

Traore has had huge praise down the years, with Jurgen Klopp once hailing him as ‘exceptional’, but it seems evident that Lage doesn’t see a long-term future for the Spain international at Wolves.

The speedy winger finally scored his first goal of the season in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Southampton but it is a damning indictment of his end product that it has taken 22 appearances for that to happen.

A summer exit feels best for all parties, ensuring that Wolves don’t lose a good squad player in the middle of the campaign while allowing them to receive a healthy fee which can go towards new signings for next season.

In other news, Tim Spiers claims Wolves are ‘set to sign’ one player. Find out who it is here.

That both India and Sri Lanka have rested their main players for the Zimbabwe tri-series is a small mercy, as some new contests might be seen

Sidharth Monga29-May-2010Match FactsSunday, May 30, 2010
Start time 0900 (0700 GMT)
India look to rebound against Sri Lanka after a disappointing loss to Zimbabwe•AFPThe Big PictureThe greatest rivalry of our times resumes. Wait, when did it stop in the first place? Starting with the Asia Cup in July 2008, India and Sri Lanka have faced each other in a whopping 22 ODIs, six Tests, and four Twenty20s. The beauty of it is, what starts in Zimbabwe heralds a new beginning. By August 15, presuming these two teams make the finals of the three events they are playing, they will have played each other in seven more ODIs and three more Tests. And, whisper it lightly, there is a 20-day break for both the teams during the same period, which is a prime candidate for a hurriedly planned five-match bilateral.

Don’t be surprised, though, if crowds in Zimbabwe and folks on TV give this rarest of rare contests a miss and find better things to do on a Sunday afternoon. That both the sides have rested their main players for the Zimbabwe tri-series is a small mercy, as some new contests might be seen.The Indian selectors, though, have taken the whole rotation philosophy too seriously and forgotten to send a proper squad. At last glance, rotation in cricket meant resting important players in turns, one or two or three at a time. And even when players are rested en masse, the selectors usually ensure they send a balanced squad, unlike the one sent by India, which is made up of four specialist batsmen, two wicketkeeper-batsmen, three bits-and-pieces spinners, and six bowlers.Sri Lanka, for example, have rested Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Sanath Jayasuriya, but they have Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedera and Jeevan Mendis, among others, as like-for-like replacements. After India proved to be the equals of Zimbabwe, the minnows of the tournament, Sri Lanka clearly are the strongest side. It will take the young Indian side, three of whom made their debuts on Friday, and only four of whom have played a Test, some regrouping to compete with Sri Lanka.Form guide (most recent first)India LLWWL
Sri Lanka WLWWWWatch out for…Tillakaratne Dilshan’s loss of form has been sudden and inexplicable. Perhaps he got used to India on low and flat tracks and found it too much of a culture shock when other sides on better tracks came prepared for him and cramped his style. That, like the other two captains in the tournament, he will be leading an ODI side for the first time will add more pressure.After a smashing debut season, Ajantha Mendis, too, has slowly and surely become less and less effective. He will be bowling to inexperienced line-ups, and if he fails against them, it will be an ominous indicator of his future.The heat is now on the Indian new-ball bowlers. It is no new thing for the medium-pacers to be the weakest link in India’s limited-over sides, but these are new personnel, with no experience, and all by themselves in an unforgiving format. Team newsAgainst Zimbabwe, India’s medium-pacers went for 148 runs in the 23.2 overs between them. What’s more, none of them troubled the batsmen. So India will be tempted to play both Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha. The only problem with that will be the presence of two part-time spinners in Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja, who are more or less imposed on the XI because of the skewed nature of the XV. Unless, of course, India choose to play two wicketkeepers in Dinesh Karthik and Naman Ojha.India (possible) 1 M Vijay, 2 Dinesh Karthik/Naman Ojha (wk), 3 Suresh Raina (capt.), 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Vinay Kumar/Ashok Dinda, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Pragyan Ojha, 11 Umesh Yadav.The last time Sri Lanka played an ODI they were badly hit by injuries. So while they lose Sangakkara and Jayawardene from that XI, they have reinforcements in Angelo Mathews and Kapugedera. There should be debate over whether they want to play two allrounders, in Mathews and Thissara Perera.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt.), 3 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 4 Thilan Samaraweera, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Chamara Kapugedera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Suraj Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Ajantha Mendis.Stats and trivia Suresh Raina has played 29 of his 91 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Virat Kohli 13 out of 24, and Pragyan Ojha eight out of nine. Over the last two years, India lead the head-to-head 13-8, but in multi-nation tournaments, Sri Lanka lead 4-3.Quotes”We need to work on our bowling. A couple of players are playing for the first time, but hopefully they will learn from this mistake.”
“I like it here. It’s a good country. I made both my Test and ODI debuts here in Bulawayo in 1999, and I’m glad to come back as captain.”

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Mostafa Kamal has been appointed the 21st president of the Asian Cricket Council following the ACC AGM in Singapore today

Cricinfo staff30-Jun-2010The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Mostafa Kamal has been appointed the 21st president of the Asian Cricket Council following the ACC AGM in Singapore today. A senior political figure in Bangladesh, Kamal takes over from PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and will hold the post for the next two years.”I consider this as a great honour for Bangladesh. I wish to thank everyone for their support and seek cooperation from all ACC Member nations so that we can take Asian cricket to new heights,” Kamal said.Kamal had been appointed BCB president in September 2009, replacing Sina Ibn Jamali. He assumes the ACC’s leadership just after the body conducted the eleventh edition of the Asia Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.

West Ham United’s hopes of a top four finish were dented as they lost 3-2 to Leeds United at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon, just a week after beating the Whites 2-0 in the FA Cup.

Leeds winger Jack Harrison scored his first career hat-trick in East London as Marcelo Bielsa’s side showed resilience by taking the lead three times after Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals’ equalisers.

However, the defeat could prove to be a major blow in David Moyes’ side’s hopes of securing Champions League football this campaign with the Hammers still fourth but just two points ahead of fifth-place Arsenal who have two games in hand.

With winger Said Benrahma away on African Cup of Nations duty with Algeria, summer signing Nikola Vlasic is likely to be handed more game time by Moyes, with the Croatian handed a rare start against Leeds. However, the 24-year-old failed to take his opportunity.

According to SofaScore, the winger made just 24 touches, losing possession 12 times, meaning he lost the ball for every two touches he made. Vlasic’s creativity was certainly lacking too, failing to offer a single shot, accurate cross, key pass or successful dribble.

There was little offering in the defensive department too, with no tackles, interceptions or clearances with the Croat being withdrawn just after the hour mark. Overall, the wide man was rated 6.1/10 by SofaScore.

It will certainly disappoint Moyes that Vlasic was unable to take his opportunity after publicly stating that he will receive game time with the absence of Benrahma, particularly against a side who sit 15th in the Premier League table.

The Algerian has already scored eight goals and assisted four times in 28 appearances for the Irons this season, setting a high standard for the Croatian to match. Moreover, Jarred Bowen has been in impressive form of late with the goal against Leeds his ninth of the season.

Sunday’s appearance was just the 24-year-old’s fourth start in the Premier League for the Hammers, who has scored once and assisted twice in 19 appearances across all competitions since his move from CSKA Moscow last summer.

Vlasic has plenty to prove after making the decision to return to the English top-flight after a failed stint at Everton. Granted, he was much younger, but the winger made just 19 appearances for the Toffees, scoring twice and assisting once.

His spell in Russia was fruitful, scoring 33 goals and registering 21 assists in 108 appearances for CSKA Moscow; that’s the sort of form Moyes will be keen to see on display as soon as possible.

In other news: Moyes could finally replace Haller as West Ham plot bid for “complete” £13.5m-rated machine

Surrey have signed Steven Cheetham, the Lancashire pace bowler, on loan for the remainder of the season to bolster their attack

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2010Surrey have signed Steven Cheetham, the Lancashire pace bowler, on loan for the remainder of the season to bolster their attack.Cheetham, 22, hasn’t made any first-team appearances for Lancashire this summer and has just one first-class and five one-day games under his belt. Surrey have drafted him in after an injury to Andre Nel so that cricket manager Chris Adams can continue to rotate his fast bowlers.”Steven is a young bowler with terrific physical attributes, who bowls wicket to wicket and is very much at the start of his career,” Adams said. “Due to one or two injuries we need some seam bowling cover for the end of the season and this loan represents a big opportunity for him to enhance his first-class experience.”Cheetham has gone straight into the Surrey squad for Wednesday’s CB40 match against Glamorgan.

A number of Liverpool supporters have urged the Reds to sign Canadian striker Jonathan David, following an update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

After a quiet time of things in the transfer department of late, the hope is that Liverpool bring in a number of new faces in the summer window.

With Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane turning 30 this year, and Roberto Firmino already reaching that milestone, the need for fresh attacking talent is clear to see.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Reds have been linked with a move for Lille striker David in the recent past, with the 22-year-old scoring 12 goals in just 16 Ligue 1 starts this season.

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Romano confirmed that the attacker will leave Lille in the summer, instead of during the January transfer window.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-17/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans desperate for David signing

These Liverpool fans on Twitter pleaded with the Reds to get David to Anfield ahead of next season.

“I would love him at Liverpool”

Credit: @Kaartik_FPL

“We should be all over this”

Credit: @TheImmortalKop

“Let’s not miss out on this guy”

Credit: @its__lew

“Please @LFC please”

Credit: @Kidmonger

“Get it done”

Credit: @Ikerinssy

“I want another Canadian at LFC and Jonathan David is one of the best Canadian men’s players around right now.”

Credit: @DannySherms

In other news, James Pearce has talked up a possible Liverpool signing. Find out who it is here.