Daryl Tuffey must have achieved one of the more remarkable records in international cricket with the number of occasions in which he has taken a wicket in his first over opening the bowling at either end.He did it again in Napier today when New Zealand were playing India in the second match of their National Bank One-Day International Series.Tuffey has completed the feat 14 times in 11 separate matches, six times in Test matches and eight times in ODIs. He has taken two wickets in his opening over once each in a Test and ODI.Ten of the occurrences have happened this year and four against India this month alone.The list of victims are:Tests:Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher (England) at Auckland, 1 April 2002 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) at Lahore, 1 May 2002 Virender Sehwag (India) at Wellington, 12 December 2002 Sanjay Bangar and Parthiv Patel* (India) at Hamilton, 20 and 21 December 2002ODIs:Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) at Napier, 20 February 2001 Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) at Christchurch, 25 February 2001 Marvan Atapattu and Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) at Sharjah, 10 April 2001 Marcus Trescothick (England) at Auckland, 23 February 2002 Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) at Sharjah, 14 April 2002 Imran Nazir (Pakistan) at Rawalpindi, 24 April 2002 Sourav Ganguly (India) at Napier, 29 December 2002* Bangar was dismissed in the first innings, Patel in the second innings.
For the third consecutive day Gloucestershire held the upper hand in theirChampionship match against Notts at Trent Bridge.After Mark Alleyne set the home side an improbable victory target of 472 hesaw his bowlers make immediate inroads, picking up three wickets beforeclose of play.With just the fourth ball of the innings Guy Welton drove wildly at JamesAveris and smeared the ball to gully, where Jeremy Snape took a good, lowcatch – a duck to add to Welton’s poor recent run of form.Darren Bicknell and Greg Blewett looked to have seized the initiative backtowards the batamen as they added 36 but then, for the second time in thematch, the Australian tried to crash Averis through the covers and wassmartly taken by a jubilant Jack Russell behind the stumps.David Lucas came out to bat as a nightwatchman, having made a competent 41in the first innings, but before he’d faced a ball Bicknell had been trappedlbw on the back foot by Michael CawdronThe day ended as it began with Lucas and Usman Afzaal together at the creaseand Notts in crisis.When Gloucestershire had batted for a second time Kim Barnett (45) and Dominic Hewson(51) put on 81 for the first wicket and then Matt Windows with 73, Chris Taylor (19), Mark Alleyne (17), Jeremy Snape(16) all made useful contributions as the home bowlers laboured.The declaration eventually came at 265-5 as Martyn Ball (22no) and JeremySnape (21no) were trying to outgun each other in an entertaining and rapidstand of 30.For Notts Gareth Clough (3/69) and Creg Blewett (2/20) shared the wickets inan otherwise disappointing bowling performance.During the morning session Usman Afzaal was the final man out, for 88, asNotts were dismissed for 267. Gloucestershire, with a first innings lead of 206,elected not to enforce the follow-on and batting for a second time theystretched their advantage to 471.Notts will have to bat significantly better on the final day and still hope for intervention from the weather if they are to have any chance of avoiding a heavy defeat.
Celtic have had a number of successful academy graduates make their way through to the first team at Parkhead over the years.
Callum McGregor and James Forrest are two great examples of players who have been able to rise through the ranks and establish themselves as key stars for the Hoops at senior level.
However, some talented prospects can slip through the cracks and that is what happened with left-back Aaron Hickey in Glasgow. He was brought to the club from Hearts in 2017 and did not make a single first-team outing as a teenager before Brendan Rodgers sanctioned his exit back to Tynecastle for nothing in the summer of 2018.
Two years later, Italian side Bologna snapped him up from the Scottish side and he is now attracting interest from England.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that Premier League side Newcastle United are eyeing up a deal worth up to £20m for the youngster, which means his value has risen astronomically in the space of around four years. The Magpies are looking to snap him up this summer after watching him catch the eye in Italy this season.
In the Serie A, he has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 6.89 across 27 appearances. He has been able to showcase his attacking flair from full-back with four goals and one assist, whilst creating 0.5 chances per game.
Defensively, he has been solid throughout the campaign. Hickey has averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game and has only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, winning 60% of his overall duels in the Italian top-flight. This shows that he is a strong defender who also offers quality in possession, which makes him a modern-day full-back who can make an impact at both ends of the pitch.
At the age of 19, he also has the potential to improve further. He is in the infancy of his professional career and has plenty of time to develop further and progress as a left-back. If he is able to continue growing and raising his standards on the pitch then that £20m may start to look like a bargain and Celtic could rue their decision even more as time passes.
His former manager Daniel Stendl previously labelled him as an “extraordinary talent” and the youngster’s statistics in the Serie A at such a young age back that up.
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Hickey’s form since leaving Celtic and his immense potential as a player prove that Rodgers made a huge blunder by not offering him a route to the first-team and allowing him to leave fo nothing. He slipped through the now-Leicester boss’ clutches and the Hoops will surely be wondering what could have been, as they look set to watch him seal a potential mega-money move this summer.
AND in other news, £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks…
Sussex begin the defence of their Championship crown against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl on Wednesday aiming to become the first county since Yorkshire in 1968 to claim a hat-trick of titles. It was been a fraught few months at Hove as they sweated over the availability of Mushtaq Ahmed, but their match-winner arrived safely in the country this week as Sussex were taking on MCC at Lord’s.He whirled away in the nets, clearing his throat with some hearty appeals as much as loosening his limbs for the campaign ahead. He has taken an incredible 459 wickets in five years with Sussex – including 192 in the last two successful seasons – and while anyone on the south coast baulks at the suggestion they are a one-man man it is undeniable the role Mushtaq has played.However, Sussex have nothing to feel guilty about even if Mushtaq does provide such a significant advantage. They were clever enough to lure him to Hove in 2003 when his career was threatening to end quietly, and his enthusiasm and spirit runs throughout the squad, which, if anything, looks stronger this season even with the loss of Rana Naved and Richard Montgomerie.The availability of Matt Prior, who is set to bat at No. 6, adds Test-match class to a healthy middle order while Chris Nash and Carl Hopkinson are more than capable of filling Montgomerie’s boots. The bowling depth is there, too. Their new Australian signing, Ryan Harris, caught the attention with four wickets on debut at Lord’s, where Luke Wright also bowled with impressive pace. And on top of all that, there’s James Kirtley waiting in the wings.”It’s been a fantastic time for Sussex in the last four or five years,” said their captain, Chris Adams. “We’ve played really competitive cricket and the nucleus of the squad is very much there. But we also have young players coming through and players coming back from international call-ups. We look a strong squad on paper, but what I can say from behind those closed doors is that we are also strong as a unit. It’s great to have Mushy back and Murray Goodwin, they are two quality players who will only add to what we’ve got.”Goodwin also played a major role in Sussex’s first Championship in 2003, finishing the season with a career-best 335 against Leicestershire to seal the title. Adams believes the side has continued to evolve since then and keeps getting stronger. “Less and less are we relying on one-dimensional players – bowlers who don’t bat – the way our side is now structured includes a lot of players who bowl and bat to a high standard. That’s what the vision has always been, and if that includes players who have come through our system then we are getting to where we wanted to be. Good home grown talent who could play for England.”Crucially, though, the impact of international calls in the near future will be limited. Wright will be part of the one-day squad, but with Prior out of favour and the only other absentee could be Michael Yardy if he pushed his claims in the one-day arena which appears unlikely.However, being the holders and, in many people’s eyes, the favourites Sussex are there to be knocked off. “It’s going to be another tight year. I don’t think one, two or three sides are going to run away with it. It will be another year of everyone beating everyone, I really think the level has got much closer,” said Adams.”Surrey have impressed me with their end-of-season form last year, Lancashire are always strong, Hampshire and Kent as well. Somerset are making a lot of noise, telling us how good they are, so I’m keen to see how good they actually are. They are making a few declarations.”
Somerset are making a lot of noise, telling us how good they are, so I’m keen to see how good they actually areChris Adams lays down the challenge
Adams doesn’t want to look too far ahead with Sussex playing four key Championship matches in the first four weeks. “For me it’s about the next month. If you’re not on the money and properly prepared now you can find yourself with a lot to do. I know Surrey found that last year and were left to rue the start they had.”Two days after the Championship starts the Indian Premier League bursts into life. There is much conjecture about how the future of domestic cricket will look – and there will undoubtedly be change – but Adams believes the current set-up is strong and performing its role of preparing players for the top level.”I think we have a powerful product in domestic cricket, the ECB should be looking to use that,” he said. “In terms of the step up from what we are playing now to international cricket they tell me it’s not too far away now. We have to thank the likes of Murali, Warney and for Peter Moores letting the England players back into county cricket. It’s become quite an intense environment mirroring what you’d expect in Tests.”The international calendar is so packed that it means more Tests or ODIs are never far away and England start their series against New Zealand on May 15. In the meantime, if the IPL hasn’t grabbed your attention then take a look at the Championship over the next month. It might surprise you.
Zaheer Khan is likely to be ruled out of upcoming ODI series against South Africa in Ireland after sustaining a groin strain during the second Afro-Asia Cup game at Chennai.Zaheer left the field after bowling just 2.4 overs against Africa on June 9 and was replaced by Mashrafe Mortaza for the third and final match.India’s physio and medical staff have yet to determine how long Zaheer will be out of the game. He was taken to a local hospital in the company of physio John Gloster for a MRI scan of the hip and a report is expected soon. “The MRI scan revealed it’s a groin injury and I have sent my observation to the board,” Gloster said was reported as saying in a PTI report.A decision on Zaheer’s selection for the Ireland and England trips will be taken when a clearer picture emerges, Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, told Cricinfo. “We don’t know the exact nature of the problem yet and will take a decision when we have an update.”India are scheduled to play three matches in Ireland between June 26 and July 1 ahead of a one-off ODI against Pakistan at Glasgow on July 3. The squad for these four matches will be picked on June 12 in Delhi.
Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, has been fined 20% of his match fee for knocking over his stumps after being dismissed at Trent Bridge in the final Test of the series.Jayawardene, hoping to become only the second captain from his country to win a Test in England, vented his frustration after being dismissed for 45. After chasing a wide delivery from Liam Plunkett, he got an edge and was caught by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones upon which he swished his bat and knocked over his stumps, more in frustration with himself than in annoyance with the umpire’s decision.Though he apologised immediately to square leg umpire Rudi Koertzen as he left the field, it wasn’t enough to save him from punishment following a hearing with match referee Alan Hurst, who imposed the fine in accordance with a Level One breach of the ICC’s Code of Conduct.
The ICC has confirmed that USA will participate in the ICC Trophy after their cricket association named a squad and also stated that the team would not be disputed by a faction which has been contesting the legitimacy of the USACA.In a media release, Malcolm Speed, the ICC’s chief executive, said: “The nomination of the team and the confirmation from the opposition group that it would not be disputing the squad through any domestic legal or other type of challenge or submitting an alternative team clears the way for USA’s participation in the event.”Though the immediate issue of participation in the ICC Trophy has been resolved, Speed warned that there were other matters that needed to be sorted out. “The confirmation of this team has addressed the ICC’s most immediate concern regarding cricket in America but it does not change the need for the stakeholders in the game in the United States to come together and resolve their domestic differences in the overall interests of the sport.” Earlier, the ICC had indicated that USA might not be allowed to participate in the tournament after internal bickering between the two factions who both claim to represent the USA Cricket Association.”The ICC does not and will not unilaterally get involved in the domestic issues that affect its members,” Speed said. “The ICC has repeatedly offered to assist the disputing parties in the USA to help find a way forward but these offers have not been accepted by both sides. These offers have now been withdrawn.”It is now up to the factions within cricket in America to find a solution to their internal dispute through the mediation, arbitration or legal systems that are available to them. I hope this happens quickly and that a resolution can be found.”
In Australia a batsman needs to be patient. He also needs to rely mostly on shots square of the wicket rather than straight down the ground because of the extra bounce. Even a batsman like [Sachin] Tendulkar – who scores against all sorts of bowling across the globe – will be tested by the bounce: you have to be able to cut, pull and hook to score runs in Australia. You need to be a good player off the back foot. The advantage of batting in Australia is that the ball comes on to the bat so you can hit through the line of the ball.The range of strokes that Tendulkar and VVS Laxman possess makes them the main dangers to the Australian bowlers. These conditions are not good for Sourav Ganguly – he, and most of the others, will need to be prepared to cop a lot of short-pitched bowling. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar had problems dealing with the extra bounce. What tends to happen with visiting batsmen is that due to the extra bounce they tend to follow the ball outside off, with their hands pushing at it. But to succeed you have got to judge the line of the ball early. In India the ball comes slower off the pitch, so you can make last-minute adjustments and not get an edge, but in Australia if you misjudge the line of the ball you will end up getting an edge.Brisbane is the best pitch in Australia – and the world – as it has a beautiful covering of grass, and is always hard and even. The Gabba is notoriously live on the first day. It won’t be significantly fast, but it will have a lot of bounce, and a little bit of sideways movement, particularly in the first session. But if you can get through that period, then batting becomes easier. Conditions are best for both batsmen and bowlers on the second day: the wicket is at its fastest with maximum bounce, so there is something in it for bowlers. The ball comes on to the bat, so good batsmen can score runs and good bowlers can take wickets. Brisbane provides the best advantage to the Australians to break into the opposition batting order and stir them up quickly. A look at their recent record shows that Australia have often wrapped up matches inside four days here.Adelaide is the best batting wicket in the world, and it will favour the Indians because it will not bounce as much as the Gabba, and it will turn towards the end of the game. It is a beautiful track and the team winning the toss must bat.The wicket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has changed over the recent years as it has been relaid. It is now a pretty bouncy pitch, not as fast as Brisbane and Adelaide, but it will provide assistance to the seamers on the first day due to its bounce, which will stay for about three days.Sydney is an ordinary pitch – it will spin a lot, and finger-spinners will find it especially helpful. Anil Kumble can prosper there as he is quick through the air, but [Stuart] MacGill and [Shane] Warne have had a lot of success, too, as they turn the ball prodigiously. There will be some life in the pitch on the first day but thereafter it will turn and the bounce will be lower.
Earlier this morning I asked Chief Executive Peter Anderson for an update on Somerset Coach Kevin Shine who has been missing from the scene since the middle of last week.Mr Anderson told me, “The tough guy image which Kevin Shine likes to project took a battering last week when he disclosed that he had to go into hospital for a hernia operation which the club reliably understands was caused by coughing.”He continued, “With the operation successfully completed at the Nuffield Hospital the professional players are wondering when the coach will be fit enough to throw them 100 m.p.h. balls off 18 yards.”Mr Anderson added, “When Kevin Shine was bowling we used to watch him off 18 yards, but it was nowhere near 100 m.p.h.”A mystery surrounds the sender of a bouquet of yellow pansies to Kevin Shine, which was suitably wrapped in a long pink ribbon.The Somerset Chief Executive is calling upon all of his police experience to try to solve this mystery, but it has been said that on Thursday last week Ian Blackwell was spotted returning from a local garden centre, leaving a trail of pansy petals!Everyone at the club wishes Kevin Shine all the best and hopes that he makes a speedy recovery and is soon well enough to return to work!
Bat again dominated ball on the second day at West End where Hampshirefinished the day 92 for one from 42 overs in response to the Sussex firstinnings total of 500 for seven declared.As on the opening day, it was the Zimbabwean batsman Murray Goodwin who provided the impetus with a career-best score of 195 made in a patient eight hours 41 minutes.Goodwin, who was 132 overnight, found a willing partner in nightwatchman JamesKirtley who helped him add 100 for the fifth wicket against a depletedHampshire attack. Overseas all-rounder Neil Johnson was unable to bowl andEngland’s Alan Mullally retired from the fray with a slight groin strainafter a few overs in the morning session.Goodwin’s vigil came to an end at 390 when he fell leg before attempting to sweep occasional bowler Giles White. His innings included 20 fours mainly off the backfoot or punched square on the offside and came off 421 balls.Sussex acclerated during the afternoon session thanks to a stand of 79 between Umer Rashid and Robin Martin-Jenkins who was 56 not out at the declaration from 81 balls.Hampshire, after a day and a half in the field, needed 351 just to avoid the follow-on. But Giles White and Derek Kenway made a confident response in an opening stand of 59, ended when Kenway was lbw only half-forward to Martin Jenkins – and with White 45 not out at the close, Hampshire were moving towards safety.