All posts by h716a5.icu

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad will work with the national team as a batting and fielding consultant to help them prepare for their upcoming tour of New Zealand and the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2010Javed Miandad will work with the Pakistan team as a batting and fielding consultant to help them prepare for their upcoming tour of New Zealand and the 2011 World Cup. This is the latest of his roles in Pakistan cricket, having been captain and coach and currently also director-general of the PCB.”It is a great feeling to be back in cricket gear,” Miandad told on the sidelines of a preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming New Zealand tour. “Coaching has always been a passion for me and I can help our players. It is all about fine-tuning them and preparing them mentally for difficult conditions and situations, since they have the talent.”Miandad, however, will not be travelling with the team to New Zealand later this month. “I have full confidence in the abilities of Waqar Younis [the Pakistan coach], and if there are two men dealing with the players, it may cause a conflict,” he said. “So, I have decided not to go with the team and prefer to give coaching tips to the players in the training camp here.”I hope the wickets at Christchurch and Eden Park and other venues are conducive for batsmen. But our batsmen will have to read their bowlers carefully. Pakistan must do well in New Zealand to enter World Cup in right frame of mind.”The New Zealand series is Pakistan’s last opportunity to finalise their World Cup plans. In recent times, they have been bogged down by controversies on and off the field, prompting one-day captain Shahid Afridi to play down the side’s World Cup hopes. Miandad, who holds the record for having appeared in most World Cups (six), could prove to be a valuable addition to the team as they search for stability ahead of the marquee event.Miandad has coached the team three times in the past, each association ending in acrimonious circumstances. In January, he was involved in a war of words with Ijaz Butt after the PCB chairman indicated that Miandad was costing the board almost Rs 1 million ($11,820) for his services as director-general.

Leeds United are back in Premier League action later this afternoon as they make the trip to the capital to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Jesse Marsch’s men head into kick-off only two points clear of Everton, who play Leicester City at the same time, and the relegation zone but the Yorkshire outfit can be buoyed by the fact that they have only lost to league leaders Manchester City across their last six outings.

That was last time out, where the Whites were thrashed 4-0 at Elland Road, though the Gunners will be no easy task as they are fighting it out with their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a place inside the top four.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

A victory for the visitors would also see them move three points clear of relegation rivals Burnley and that would seriously bolster their chances of survival with just five games to go after this weekend.

Marsch could also boost their safety bid by unleashing young striker Joe Gelhardt from the off down in north London today.

Leeds have rued the absence of last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford (17) for the majority of the campaign but it’s been evident that the likes of Rodrigo and club-record signing Daniel James are not up to scratch as out-and-out central strikers.

The 20-year-old, however, could be a big threat against a side that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six outings – and he has already proven himself against some of the best teams in this division.

For example, against Wednesday’s opposition – Chelsea – he scored his first professional goal for the club as he bullied his way past their backline in the game’s dying stages. He then scored the crucial winner in injury time against rock-bottom Norwich City.

Gelhardt has certainly caught the eye already, with Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp describing him as a “human wrecking ball,” he said:

“He’s like a human wrecking ball. I like him, he’s really exciting. He’s fast, he’s aggressive, he gets on the ball, he takes people on. Once he gets into the box, he loves it. That’s where he can do most of his damage.”

Meanwhile, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, he has been “banging on the door”, whilst LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross believes he looks “absolutely outrageous” and is a big talent indeed.

Arsenal have struggled to keep out the opposition since March 19th, conceding three goals to Crystal Palace, two to Brighton & Hove Albion and two to Chelsea in the last six games.

It’s clear that Gelhardt possesses the sort of skill set and ability to do serious damage to Mikel Arteta’s men, but it’s on Marsch to unleash him down in the capital this afternoon.

Forget James or Rodrigo, it’s the young striking sensation who must feature in the starting XI today. As a result, his presence could seriously bolster their survival bid.

AND in other news, Marsch dealt another setback ahead of Arsenal clash…

A brilliant all-round performance from Steven O’Keefe lifted New South Wales to a hard-fought 17-run win over Victoria at the MCG, ending the Bushrangers’ finals hopes

The Bulletin by Andrew Fuss22-Jan-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Usman Khawaja helped New South Wales recover with a half-century•Getty ImagesA brilliant all-round performance from Steven O’Keefe lifted New South Wales to a hard-fought 17-run win over Victoria at the MCG, ending the Bushrangers’ finals hopes.The ‘baby’ Blues – missing a host of senior players because of international duties and injury – were rattled early by Dirk Nannes (3 for 23), James Pattinson (3 for 22) and an Aaron Finch wonder catch on the boundary, collapsing to 5 for 69 in the 9th over.A mature 61-run partnership between Usman Khawaja (65 off 43 balls) and O’Keefe (50 off 38) then steadied the innings and helped them reach a very respectable 7 for 168.The Bushrangers looked to be cruising in the chase at 1 for 100 in the 12th over when Finch (53 off 37) decided to get a move on in the hope of improving the hosts abysmal net run-rate, but was fortuitously stumped by Dan Smith off the bowling of Man of the Match O’Keefe – the keeper fumbling the ball back onto the stumps.Brad Hodge (22 off 21) fell two balls later, lbw to a nice slider from O’Keefe before captain Andrew McDonald fell cheaply to Scott Coyte the next over, exposing the Bushrangers’ young middle order.From there, the hosts never looked like making the runs with teenagers Sean Abbott (2 for 25) and Patrick Cummins (1 for 27) sealing an impressive win away from home – the Bushrangers’ first Big Bash loss at the MCG.O’Keefe will feel he is an outside chance of a World Cup call-up, depending on the fitness of Nathan Hauritz, who dislocated his shoulder in Australia’s win over England in the second ODI at the Bellerive Oval.Victoria is now out of the competition, sitting at the foot of the table with just one win. The Blues on the other hand, will face Queensland twice in five days as the two teams fight for third place behind South Australia and Tasmania.

Gloucestershire have signed James Fuller, a 20-year-old pace bowler from New Zealand, on a three-year contact

Cricinfo staff26-Aug-2010Gloucestershire have signed James Fuller, a 20-year-old pace bowler from New Zealand, on a three-year contact.Fuller plays for Otago but was born in South Africa and holds a British passport which means he doesn’t qualify as an overseas player. He has also been part of the New Zealand Under-19 team and joined a full training squad in 2010. John Bracewell, the former New Zealand player and coach, is currently in charge at Gloucestershire and links between the two are strong.”The opportunity of playing cricket for Gloucestershire under John Bracewell, on so many famous grounds, and amongst such great players is truly the chance of a lifetime,” Fuller said. “I am extremely grateful to Gloucestershire for having faith in me, and look forward to repaying that through my pace bowling, and allrounder ability”.James Franklin and Hamish Marshall are part of the current Gloucestershire side and Bracewell was looking forward to his latest New Zealand recruit. “It is great news to have signed James as he has enormous potential as a pace bowler and ball striker,” he said. “He is a genuine athlete who has chosen cricket as his profession and Gloucestershire will reap the benefit.”

Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final

Liam Brickhill at Edgbaston27-Aug-2011Leicestershire captain Matthew Hoggard’s celebrations were muted despite his side, ultimately, prevailing over Lancashire in a Super Over Eliminator to book their place in the Friends Life t20 Final and also make the cut for the Champions League qualifier. Hoggard expressed his disappointment at the inclement weather and the widespread confusion caused by the repeated stoppages.”It was a little bit disappointing that the weather played a big part in the game,” said Hoggard. “It was going to be a good game by the looks of things, and to come off needing a six to tie off the last ball was a little bit of what dreams are made of. And getting into the super over and the six off the first ball your heart goes into your mouth and you think ‘oh dear here we go’.””I knew that it was going to be a tie because I ran up to [Wayne White] and I said ‘look they can still tie’ and he waved me away saying ‘yeah whatever’. Then it went for six and then I thought ‘what are we doing now?'””The amount of time it took to sort out the confusion, the 10 minutes sorting it out and getting your pads on, and bowling the two overs, we could’ve finished the game. But you can only do what you’re told to. That’s what we did and thankfully we managed to scrape a victory.”Lancashire were understandably glum after their defeat, captain Glen Chapple summing the match with: “It rained.” He was quick to point out, however, that while Lancashire had invested themselves in 17 Twenty20 matches to get this far, they also have the small matter of the County Championship title to chase.”This’ll have no impact on the rest of the season,” insisted Chapple. “Absolutely not. We’ll be disappointed for the rest of the day, but in terms of lifting ourselves for the four-day cricket, that will not be a problem because we’ve got three games to go with a great chance of coming out on top in that.””They’ll hurt now as you would, they’ve just lost a game and obviously they were desperate to win it,” agreed Lancashire coach Peter Moores. “By the time we get to Wednesday next week we’ll be fine, we’ll be ready to go.”Leicestershire, on the other hand, have had a season to forget in Division Two and the potential riches of the Champions League will provide a welcome distraction and allow them to re-group around their Twenty20 successes.”It’s going to be a fantastic experience for the players and the club,” said Hoggard. “It’s going to be a bit hectic at the end of the season, because it’s very close to the end of the season.”I’m going to have to postpone my Portugal golf trip, which is a little bit disappointing because I was looking forward to that,” he joked. “But there you go, that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’m not looking that far ahead. I’ve got a final to play in a couple of hours and I’ll sit down with Phil at the end of the final and we’ll have a drink and we’ll discuss it another time because we’ve got India on Monday then we go straight down to lords to play a four day game. So there’s no rest for the wicked.”

Tottenham Hotspur legend Ledley King has been waxing lyrical about central defender Eric Dier. 

The lowdown: Regular feature

Dier has been a mainstay for Spurs this season, completing 90 minutes on 28 occasions from 29 outings overall in the Premier League.

Having transformed from a defensive midfielder, the 28-year-old has formed a solid trio alongside Ben Davies and Cristian Romero under Antonio Conte in recent months.

Despite facing early criticism having moved back into defence, a fellow top-level centre-back has been hailing Dier’s recent form…

The latest: King impressed

Speaking during BT Sport’s coverage prior to the defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, ex-Spurs stalwart King was full of praise for the England ace:

“Do you know what? With Eric, it was his first proper season as a centre-half – where he committed to being a centre-half – last season. So I think he found it a little bit difficult. This season, with a year under his belt, he seems a lot more confident.

“But one thing that struck me about Eric straight away was that he was a leader. He was a vocal player on the pitch and I think someone like him has been perfect for Romero. He’s a really intelligent guy too, he speaks different languages so it’s helped definitely.”

The verdict: Transformation complete

There can be no doubt Dier has endured a difficult spell in what was at one stage a blossoming career for the 45-cap England man. Despite one-time being a shoo-in for the Three Lions, the Cheltenham-born defender now hasn’t appeared for Gareth Southgate’s side since November 2020.

However, following some early struggles as a central defender, this season Dier boasts an impressive 6.96 average rating in the Premier League, helping to keep 12 clean sheets and making 3.7 clearances per game (Sofascore).

With a World Cup in Qatar to come at the end of 2022, a potential top-four finish and UEFA Champions League football on the horizon, Dier will no doubt welcome the recognition for an upturn in form ahead of a monumental year.

In other news: Tottenham eyeing move for European based defender, find out more here.

Now that the 2022 January transfer window has come to a close, Wolves and manager Bruno Lage will now have the rest of the season to try and end their Premier League campaign as strongly as possible with the players they currently have in their squad.

In terms of what business the Midlands club managed to do throughout the month, they secured deals for Chiquinho, Hayao Kawabe and Sang-bin Jeong, with the latter two then leaving on individual loan deals.

On the other side, Wolves also managed to loan out some of their current players such as Adama Traore to Barcelona, Bruno Jordao to Grasshoppers and Leonardo Campana to Inter Miami.

With the window now closed and time for reflection has presented itself, it could be argued that Fosun made a critical error during January that will have infuriated Lage – not bringing in a new centre-back.

The Wolves manager made it clear early on in the window that he wanted a new central defender in his squad with Romain Saiss away on international duty and the duo of Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera out injured.

Despite being linked with moves for the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Duje Caleta-Car throughout the month, there were no reinforcements to their backline at Molineux.

Thankfully for Wolves, their reliable duo of club captain Conor Coady and Max Kilman managed to get through the month unscathed, with recalled loanee Toti Gomes playing in their game against Southampton and Brentford in the second half of the month.

Moving forward, with Boly and Mosquera eventually going to return from injury and Saiss from international duty, this should help with Wolves’ strength and depth at the back instead of having to constantly rely on Coady and Kilman.

Although, with Fosun not securing a deal for a centre-back when the 45-year-old made it clear he needed one, this could be seen as the Wolves owner not being willing to back the manager and strengthen the team when needed.

Either way, the January window is closed now and the former Benfica boss will have to make do with what he has in his squad until the summer transfer window opens, where it will be intriguing to see if Wolves try and secure a new centre-half this time around.

However, until then, if the Old Gold start to concede more goals in the league that could cost them points and potentially a European place; something that would lead to their failings in the January window being described as a big blunder from Fosun.

In other news: “I’d expect..”: Spiers drops behind-the-scenes Wolves claim, fans surely delighted – opinion

A 135-run fifth-wicket stand between Malcolm Waller and Friday Kasteni and a surprise four-wicket haul by Brendan Taylor helped Mid West Rhinos prevail over Southern Rocks by 18 runs in Masvingo

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2010
ScorecardA 135-run fifth-wicket stand between Malcolm Waller and Friday Kasteni and a surprise four-wicket haul by Brendan Taylor helped Mid West Rhinos prevail over Southern Rocks by 18 runs in Masvingo.Rhinos, put into bat, were reduced to 67 for 4 before Waller and Kasteni added 135 in 21 overs to lift their side to a competitive 239 for 8. Malcolm – son of the former Zimbabwe player Andy Waller – made his highest List A score of 94 off 82 deliveries before falling to Blessing Mahwire, who took 3 for 40. Kasteni, who made 52, got stuck after reaching his half-century and fell to Steve Tikolo.Rocks were in control of the chase as Tatenda Taibu and Craig Ervine took them to 107 for 2 in the 19th over. But once Taibu fell after making 56 off 64 deliveries, Rhinos captain Taylor – who had until then taken only 15 wickets in 147 List A games – struck telling blows with his offbreaks to dismiss Rocks for 221.

Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, is expected to be fully fit for the series against India that starts on December 16 after being examined by a hand surgeon

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2010Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, is expected to be fully fit for the series against India that starts on December 16 after being examined by a hand surgeon on the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Medical Panel on Friday. Smith had fractured the ring finger of his left hand during the recently completed series against Pakistan, and there was a concern that the injury might require surgery.”We have been given the assurance that Graeme’s injury is healing within expectation and we are confident that he will make a full recovery and be available for the entire series against India,” Dr Shuaib Manjra, the chairman of CSA’s medical committee, said in a statement.CSA’s medical team will continue with Smith’s rehabilitation and his condition will be reviewed again in two weeks’ time. According to Dr Manjra, the expectation is “he will begin training with the team when they reconvene on December 12, 2010.”Mike Solomons, the hand surgeon who saw Smith, told ESPNcricinfo, “he does not need surgery. He will have a few weeks of rest and physiotherapy and that should sort it out.”Smith sustained the injury when he was hit by a Shoaib Akhtar bouncer in the first ODI against Pakistan last month, and aggravated it by playing in the last two ODIs of the same series and the two-Test series in the UAE. He has now had five separate hand injuries in the past two-and-a-half years, which have often kept him out of limited-overs engagements but have yet to affect his participation in Tests.The fracture prior to his most recent injury was sustained while taking a catch during the IPL in April. The worrying thing about the latest injury is that, similar to the broken hand Smith suffered twice at the hands of Mitchell Johnson in the 2008/9 season, it was sustained while batting. Once again, questions will be raised about whether it’s Smith’s technique that makes him vulnerable to being hit or if he is just unlucky.

Cricinfo previews the deciding ODI between England and Bangladesh at Edgbaston

The Preview by Sahil Dutta11-Jul-2010Match factsJuly 12, 2010, Edgbaston
Start time 10.45am (9.45GMT)Can Bangladesh do it again?•Getty ImagesBig pictureBangladesh lit up their English summer and breathed life into the series with their shock triumph in the second game at Bristol. Having gone 15 ODI matches and 247 days without victory they turned their fortunes around with a display of remarkable hunger and spirit.England were outplayed but Andrew Strauss would accept his team were a touch casual. Fielding lapses, ill-disciplined bowling and some loose shots betrayed a side not operating at full intensity. Defeat to set up a series decider at Edgbaston should stir them.While it was Bangladesh who were parachuting in replacements for Saturday’s game, it’s England now who have the concerns. Ravi Bopara has had to come into the squad after Ian Bell fractured his left foot and there must be some worry over the form of James Anderson.Since being left out of England’s triumphant World Twenty20 side Anderson has cut a forlorn figure and his returns this summer – seven wickets in five matches against Australia and three expensive scalps in this series – have been poor. Tamim Iqbal’s flashing blade is enough to unsettle even the steeliest of bowlers but, in the crunch game, Anderson must prove he can rise to the mantle expected of England’s most experienced bowler.Really though, there is only one story. Bangladesh are chasing a dream series win that just two games ago looked completely unthinkable. They won’t start favourites, they rarely do, but they could finish on top of the world.Form guide (last five completed matches)England LWLLW
Bangladesh WLLLLWatch out for…Andrew Strauss has been in sublime touch this series and has, by some distance, looked England’s best batsman. Curiously for a man with 18 Test hundreds, Strauss’s conversion rate in one-day cricket is poor. England have talked for a long time about making more centuries and given his form at the top of the order, the captain could set the example at Edgbaston by scoring his fourth. Rubel Hossain turned the game at Bristol on its head when his pacey slingers removed England’s openers. Missing from the first match he gave the Bangladesh attack some much-needed fire to accompany the wily spin duo of Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan. He will need to provide the same incision if Bangladesh are going to have a chance.Team newsFor the England selectors there is the familiar problem of balance. Six batsmen would mean Ravi Bopara gets his first chance since September 2009 but force James Tredwell out again and leave the attack looking a touch one-paced.Five batsmen may nudge Ajmal Shahzad, who impressed with three wickets at Bristol, aside because of Tim Bresnan’s more robust lower-order batting. But new-ball wickets have been a problem for England for a while so they’ll be reluctant to let Shahzad go.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Michael Yardy, 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 James Tredwell, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.Having secured a historic victory Bangladesh won’t be in a rush to meddle with the side. Expect an unchanged line up at Edgbaston.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Junaid Siddique, 4 Jahurul Islam (wk), 5 Mohammad Ashraful, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Rubel Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Shafiul IslamPitch and conditionsFortress Edgbaston has been a happy hunting ground for England over the last few years. Most recently though, the Barmy Army was replaced by an equally vociferous Pakistani crowd for the two Twenty20 games Pakistan played against Australia. It made for a thrilling atmosphere and both teams will hope for similar capacity-crowds for the series decider. Edgbaston has been a high-scoring ground in limited-overs cricket this season and will suit the free-flowing batsmen in both teams.Stats and Trivia Bangladesh have only one memory of Edgbaston, and it’s not a happy one. In 2004 they were bowled out for 93 in their Champions Trophy game against South Africa. Only one member of their side from that day survives – Mohammad Ashraful.Apart from a depleted West Indies team ravaged by contract disputes, Bangladesh have never beaten a major Test-playing nation in a one-day series. Quotes”I’ve said before there were a few chinks in the armour of this England team and I guess them leaving a few players out of their side weakened them a bit.”
.

“Ruthlessness is a skill in itself and it’s something we need to keep improving on.”.