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Steven Smith is looking forward to his first ODI

Brydon Coverdale18-Feb-2010Of all the roles in international cricket, bowling legspin in one-day games must be one of the most stressful. Stuart MacGill’s ODI career lasted three matches, Cameron White is now a batsman who prefers to stand at slip than at the bowling crease, and even Pakistan’s Danish Kaneria, one of the best exponents of recent years, has been all but written off as a one-day player.It’s into this harsh environment that Steven Smith will step when he makes his ODI debut for Australia against West Indies at the MCG on Friday. The game is a dead rubber and he’s only filling in for the resting Nathan Hauritz so the pressure might be down a notch, but that won’t make him feel any more comfortable when Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard are staring at him from 22 yards.Questions will race through his mind. Toss it up and try to dismiss them? Bowl quicker and flatter and try to constrain? Will I be dragged if I bowl a long hop? It’s a lot for a 20-year-old to consider. Lucky for this 20-year-old that in December he was a standby player for the Boxing Day Test and spent time with Shane Warne in the MCG nets.”When I was down here working with him I wasn’t bowling too well at the start of the session,” Smith said on the eve of his ODI debut. “By the end of it, the ball was coming out really good, I had good shape on the ball and I was getting a little bit of turn as well.”I can’t thank Shane enough. Since then the ball has been coming out really well and it’s all coming together. I’ve gained a few different things from that. I’ve slowed my run-up down a little bit and I’ve got my shoulder a bit higher. It’s quite hard to explain. It’s a few little minor changes but it’s worked pretty well so far.”Smith certainly didn’t seem fazed by the pressure during his Twenty20 debut against Pakistan at the MCG this month. Michael Clarke handed him the ball at a crucial late stage of the chase and, in front of a big crowd and TV audience, he picked up two key wickets that helped Australia to victory.He said the experience of playing in the Champions League Twenty20 final for New South Wales had helped his confidence and he felt good about where his cricket was heading. Smith is viewed as a potential member of Australia’s squad for this year’s ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies and he is keen to also push for Test selection in the future, although for now his best bowling results have come in the shorter formats.”In 20-over bowling, my main goal is to sort of miss the middle of the bat,” he said. “If you’re missing the middle of the bat with them going so hard, you’re always a chance of taking wickets. In the 50-over format it’s changing your pace and trying to change your positions on the crease and change things like that as much as possible.”Adding to Smith’s appeal is his power as a batsman. He has made two first-class centuries in 11 games, including one last week, and in his all-round capacity he resembles his Australia team-mate White. Like White at the same age, he is not yet ready to focus on either aspect of his game ahead of the other.”I really enjoy both batting and bowling,” Smith said. “I can’t say I like one better than the other because I really enjoy being involved in the game as much as I can.”

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa were open to selling Douglas Luiz in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Now, Evans has delivered an update on what went on behind-the-scenes at Villa Park.

He said: “They expected more interest in Douglas Luiz, too. Strong messages that Manchester City were ready to activate a buy-back clause found their way to members of the Villa hierarchy, and for some time they were preparing for such an outcome.

“Villa were also open to moving Luiz on elsewhere and at the right price, but there wasn’t enough interest. Roma continue to be linked with Luiz and if they come in strong during the January window, Villa will be in a good position to get a higher transfer fee should his form remain at this high level.”

Then, in response to a question from a fan, Evans added: “Multiple sources confirmed that Villa would have listened to offers for Luiz at the right price. They would have had to move on a midfielder if Ward-Prowse arrived.”

Villa fans will be worried

While last season was a bit of a difficult one for Luiz – as per Whoscored, his average match rating of 6.67 was only good enough to rank him 15th in the entire Villa squad – his start to the current campaign has been outstanding.

In fact, his average rating of 7.08 is the best of any Villa player, and he continues to be a cornerstone of Dean Smith’s midfield. – last year saw him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games last term, as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

As Evans himself suggests, given the kind of “high level” his form is at right now, it would surely be ludicrous from Villa to be selling him in the January transfer window, even if his market value would be at its highest.

In fact, in a recent poll done by FFC, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (1180 votes to 66) – an indication of just how concerning it would be were the Brazilian to make the move to Roma or somewhere else.

Evans’ latest update is sure to have Villa fans worried about Luiz potentially making an exit in January.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an Aston Villa update on Emi Martinez…

The emergence of spin as a match-turner in this IPL has surprised some of the best spinners in world cricket today but South African experts have seen it coming

Ajay S Shankar25-Apr-2009The emergence of spin as a match-turner in this IPL has surprised some of the best spinners in world cricket today but South African experts have seen it coming and say that spin will play a major role in Twenty20 cricket, and not just the Indian league.Consider this: 30 wickets have fallen to spin in 10 games so far, with Anil Kumble, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, and Daniel Vettori all turning in impressive performances. Even a part-timer like Kevin Pietersen has taken three wickets with his offspin.Harbhajan Singh and Murali have already revised their opinion about the role of spinners in the IPL, and Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, says their success has only strengthened his belief that slow bowlers will be influential in Twenty20 cricket. It is a view shared by Pat Symcox, the former South Africa offspinner, who says the weather conditions this time of the year will assist spinners.”I think spin plays a major role in Twenty20 cricket, and not just the IPL,” Arthur told Cricinfo. “Looking at the World Twenty20 in June, we have already decided to cover all our options in pace and spin in our blueprint. It’s obvious to us now that it’s a good bowling unit that wins you a Twenty20 game, and not just the batsmen. You need to have a bowling unit that has the ability to take wickets and that is what will finally determine the result of a Twenty20 game.”Symcox says the pitch and weather conditions in South Africa will be a deciding factor in the tournament. “It’s basically got to do with this time of the year in South Africa with the winter setting in,” Symcox told Cricinfo. “The pitches start to wear a bit and the grass becomes a lot drier. There is much better grip for the spinners. Besides, there is always a little bit of extra bounce in South Africa, when compared to India where the IPL was held last year. Add that bounce to a little bit of turn and spinners become a very useful option.”Kumble has grabbed six wickets so far, followed by Vettori with five, Warne with four, and Murali and Ojha with three each. In fact, Kumble, who retired from international cricket last year, turned in the most economical five-wicket haul in Twenty20s against Rajasthan Royals last weekend, claiming incredible figures of 3.1-1-5-5. All these spinners have played crucial roles for their IPL teams, claiming the scalps of some of the best in the business like Pietersen, Matthew Hayden, MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle and Adam Gilchrist.”We realised this during the recent one-day series here against Australia, and that’s why we worked our bowling strategy around Paul Harris and Roelof van der Merwe (both left-arm spinners),” Arthur said. “The result was there for all to see.” South Africa won the one-dayers 3-2 at home earlier this month.Harbhajan, who turned Mumbai Indians’ opening game against Chennai Super Kings with a spell of 3-0-15-1 including the key wicket of Andrew Flintoff, says the role of spinners in Twenty20 has taken “a 360 degree turn”. Harbhajan is sure that the spin will play a “pivotal role in this new ‘avatar’ of cricket”. He points to Kumble’s five-wicket spell on the opening day and writes in his blog: “The five-wicket haul, shelling out just five runs for exchange, is no joke in any format, forget about T20.”Murali, who watched Harbhajan bowl from the Chennai dugout, wrote in his blog that the Indian offspinner’s spell “was the first sign that spin could be a factor in the tournament”. “The fact that we are playing on tired squares at the end of the season may also be having an impact,” Murali wrote. “Whatever the reason, as a spinner, I am obviously delighted.”Symcox says the trend is “fantastic” not just for this IPL but for the Twenty20 format. “Youngsters will now be encouraged to bowl the slower ones,” he said. “They will realise that Twenty20 cricket is not just about running in hard. Now I feel sorry for the medium-pacer in Twenty20 cricket, guys who bowl around the 120-kmph mark. The faster guys always have a chance and now the spinners are also doing well, it’s the medium-pacer who has to adapt now.”

The Indian board has resolved the IMG dispute and will announce a fresh contract that will pay the sports management firm an annual fee between Rs 25 and 27 crore

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Sep-2009The Indian board has resolved the IMG dispute and will announce a fresh contract that will pay the sports management firm an annual fee between Rs 25 and 27 crore (US$5.5m approximately). The issue will be on the agenda during the BCCI’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Thursday in Mumbai.The BCCI had recently terminated their contract with IMG, citing disagreements over payments for the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was held in South Africa. IMG had quoted a fee of Rs 33 crore (US6.7$m), which the BCCI felt was unreasonable.Subsequently, the BCCI working committee authorised its president Shashank Manohar to act as a mediator and report back to the board at the AGM. Though both Manohar and IMG were unavailable for comment, the issue seems to have been resolved amicably with a new deal under which IMG would be paid a fixed annual fee for the remainder of their ten-year contract (starting 2008-09) originally signed with the BCCI two years ago. In the original deal IMG was paid a certain percent of the IPL earnings, which didn’t go down well with a majority of the board members. “There is no issue anymore, tomorrow it will be announced,” a top-ranking BCCI official told Cricinfo.Another key issue that is likely to be sorted is the reimbursement to the eight IPL franchises for the losses they incurred as a result of the tournament being shifted to a foreign country. “We have already been told that it would only happen post Champions League but I’m sure if they would discuss the IPL accounts, the compensation to the franchisees would also be discusssed,” a top official at one of the franchises told Cricinfo.The BCCI is also bound to gather support from its members on the controversial anti-doping code which it refused to sign unless the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped the ‘whereabouts’ clause for the Indian players. Only a few days ago, reacting to India’s National Anti-Doping Agency claim that the Indian government had accepted the WADA code, Manohar maintained there would be no change in the BCCI’s stand and the issue would be discussed at the ICC’s special meeting on October 6 and 7 in South Africa.Unlike the last AGM, which attracted a lot of attention due to the elections, this time the limelight will be on the political bigwigs, some of whom are attending the AGM for the first time. Sharad Pawar (Mumbai), Narendra Modi (Gujarat) and Farooq Abdullah (Jammu and Kashmir) are some of the heavyweights expected to attend the meeting.There is bound to be some controversy, too, as far as the representation from Rajasthan Cricket Association is concerned: the state has seen power change hands twice this year with the latest being members passing a no-confidence motion against Sanjay Dixit, the man who had displaced Lalit Modi six months ago as RCA president. The RCA has appointed Rajendra Singh Rathod, the current vice-president, to attend the BCCI meeting but Dixit is likely to be present at the Cricket Centre too, to spice up an otherwise subdued AGM.

Younis Khan has taken back his resignation, paving the way for his return to the Pakistan captaincy

Osman Samiuddin19-Oct-2009Younis Khan has taken back his resignation, paving the way for his return to the Pakistan captaincy, satisfied that the environment in which he will continue leading the side is now more conducive than before.Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said on Monday that the board had rejected the resignation Younis handed in last week. At the same time he offered Younis the stability that he has wanted since becoming captain in February this year, saying that, if fit, he will captain Pakistan till the 2011 World Cup.Younis said he was overwhelmed with the support he had received in the week after he handed in his papers at a National Assembly committee hearing in Islamabad. “I am very happy right now,” Younis told Cricinfo. “The faith that the chairman and the board has placed in me again, it’s good to know. The support that I have received from the board and the country through this time has been fantastic.”There were believed to be various reasons behind Younis’s resignation, though he never openly stated them. It is believed that as well as the suspicions of match-fixing raised in the aftermath of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy semi-final loss to New Zealand, murmurs about factions in the team and management working to undermine Younis spurred the move.Younis met Butt last week and it is understood that he set down some conditions which would have to be implemented before he could come back. Stability of tenure was one, though those close to Younis insist he didn’t want an assurance till the 2011 World Cup. A streamlining of the selection process, as well as changes in the team management were thought to be the other conditions.Younis refused to go into details, however, maintaining only that, “the environment is good right now and I am very happy with it. All that has happened over the last eight months, all the effort is worthwhile now.” Younis said he expects to be fit for Pakistan’s next assignment, an ODI and Twenty20 series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

With the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and summer signing Ibrahima Konate in their senior squad, it’s safe to say that Liverpool are pretty stacked in the centre-back position at the moment, which is just what Reds fans would want considering the injury issues the team suffered in that department last season.

However, one player who caught the eye for Jurgen Klopp’s side last season that we feel has proved himself to be a great bit of business by the Merseyside club is Nat Phillips.

Liverpool signed the defender to their under-23 side on a free transfer from Bolton Wanderers back in the 2016 summer window. He then made 27 appearances for Liverpool’s under-23s, chipping in with three goals in the process, and was granted his senior debut for the Reds back in their 1-0 FA Cup win over Merseyside rivals Everton in January 2020.

Last season saw the 24-year-old make 20 appearances for Klopp’s side across the Premier League and Champions League, contributing in a big way to their overall campaign and earning himself high praise from Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp, who dubbed him an “unbelievable” player.

In terms of his market value, in December 2020 – shortly after making his Premier League debut for the Reds in a 2-1 win over West Ham just under a year ago – Transfermarkt had it listed as £1.62m. It now stands at £7.2m, highlighting just how much he has progressed and developed in the space of 12 months, showing why he has been a low-key great signing for the club.

Furthermore, Liverpool gave Phillips a new contract back in August, illustrating just how impressed they were with him last season and how they see him as a long-term option for the club.

Moving forward, even though the 24-year-old hasn’t made a senior appearance for Liverpool so far this season, we feel that he could well go on to be a regular figure for them once again in the future given the experience he gained last season, his youth in comparison to 30-year-old pair Van Dijk and Matip, who could both only have a few years left at the club.

In other news: Klopp could unearth LFC’s perfect Milner successor with “energetic” 18 y/o prodigy

The IPL opened its doors a little to players from Pakistan once again, though it was made more difficult for the four players with suspended contracts to take part in the league’s next edition

Osman Samiuddin10-Dec-2009The IPL opened its doors a little to players from Pakistan once again, though ironically it was made more difficult for the four players with existing – albeit suspended – contracts to take part in the next edition of the lucrative league. Non-contracted Pakistani players, however, can enter this season’s auction, a step forward from last seasonKamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul-Haq, the gang of four who already had existing contracts with franchises, had their visas cleared earlier today by the Indian ministry of external affairs, briefly raising hopes that they may be allowed in after all. But because they missed the December 7 deadline to do so, their contracts remain suspended, according to Lalit Modi, chairman IPL. It wasn’t, however, a total reinforcement of the league’s earlier decision which ruled them out totally; they can, in the right circumstances, still appear.”The current players will be kept in suspension as they have not fulfilled their obligations,” Modi told Cricinfo. “The current suspended players cannot go to the auction. But they will be available to the franchisee for replacement if they have a spot. So their price does not change and others cannot bid for them as it will be a disadvantage for the existing owners.”Essentially this means that Tanvir, for example, can play for Rajasthan Royals only if they decide to free up a spot in their squad by getting rid of another foreign player. This will not be straightforward as the franchises involved – Rajasthan Royals (Tanvir and Akmal), Kolkata Knight Riders (Gul) and Bangalore Royal Challengers (Misbah) – have already replaced their Pakistani players after the contracts were first suspended.This will come as a disappointment not only to the players but to chairman Ijaz Butt and the PCB. Butt has fought hard to get his players back into the IPL after they were prevented by their own government from playing in the second season, a fallout of a deterioration in political ties between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks of 2008. He met Modi in October to begin finding a way back for the players. After confirming that visas had been granted earlier today, Butt intended to speak to Modi to try and get the four back in, despite missing the deadline, which had already been extended twice.Some gains seem to have been made, however, as other non-contracted Pakistani players can enter this season’s auction. “Others who are not with any franchisee can be in the auction. They need to apply by December 31. Once we get their request we will then put them on the list and fix a price,” Modi said, before adding that “all contracts expire after this season and we will then go through new process again.”In an ideal world, Pakistani players such as Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer would be attractive purchases in any auction, given that they won the World Twenty20 earlier this year and are generally considered the leading nation in the format. But franchises may find the red tape and paperwork to get through in getting players over too much.On a day of swift developments, Modi also addressed a press conference after news of the visa clearances came through, but full clarity is yet to be reached; who, for example, will initiate contact between franchises and Pakistan players for the auction; and what paperwork will be required for new Pakistani players to appear in the next IPL.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some footage emerged of Kemar Roofe bagging for Jamaica against Honduras in the early hours of Thursday morning.

As shared by the official Twitter page of the Ibrox faithful, the 28-year-old scored his first goal for Jamaica, as he tapped home from a driven cross to give his team the lead in the first half.

Having been born in England, Roofe has switched his allegiances to Jamaica in order to get more opportunities to play, and it certainly looks to have been the right decision as he scored what he will hope will be the first of many at international level.

With Premier League stars such as Leon Bailey and Michail Antonio who also play for the national team, there is no doubt that the striker will enjoy his time playing for his country.

Rangers fans on Roofe goal

These supporters of the Light Blues buzzed as the footage was shared on Twitter, with one Bear even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘brilliant’ finish:

“Brilliant, instinctive finish”

Credit: @GF46949252

“Things you love to see 1st thing on a Thursday morning”

Credit: @S0N0FWILLIAM

“Yaaaas THE man!”

Credit: @MrGaryValentine

“Lovely stuff”

Credit: @dave_n84

“Sharp”

Credit: @Wullie93

“Things you like to see in the morning.”

Credit: @Christophski85

In other news, find out what other international footage has Gers gushing here!

Mitchell Johnson delivered on a promise to team-mates to “puff my chest out” against England on Sunday despite his series-long struggles with the ball

Peter English at Edgbaston03-Aug-2009Mitchell Johnson delivered on a promise to team-mates to “puff my chest out” against England on Sunday despite his series-long struggles with the ball. Johnson was involved in a handful of disputes with the hosts on the fourth day and the manufactured aggression resulted in an up-and-down performance of 2 for 92 in 21 overs.Johnson’s form leading into the game was so bad he was considered a risk, but he improved with each spell until his verbals to Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad led to an expensive conclusion of 33 in his final four overs. “I probably let them off the hook a little bit,” he told FoxSports. “I got caught up in the moment a little bit too much, but I was pretty happy with the way I went. I burred them up a little bit as well, which was good to see. I haven’t done too much of it this series and that’s what it all about.”Speaking about his cricket for the first time since the start of the Ashes, Johnson said the side, which is behind 1-0 in the five-match series, had been too quiet during the draw at Cardiff and the defeat at Lord’s. “The whole team wanted to really stand up to these guys and show a bit more intent out there,” he said. “In the first two Tests I was just bowling a ball and walking back, not really getting in their faces. Even if I said nothing, at least get in there and give a bit of a stare. Let them know that we’re there.”If Johnson had followed up with verbals or evil eyes he would have looked even more out of place, especially given his wayward performances which contributed to England’s success in London. The attempts of intimidation by the young pace attack, which also includes Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, weren’t overly effective at Edgbaston as Australia gave up a 113-run deficit on first innings. England’s bright resistance from their tail-enders, led by Broad’s 55, ensured the hosts finished the skirmishes on top.The first signs of spice from Johnson came during a brief spell after lunch to Flintoff, who went on to muscle 74, and the pair swapped words and angry stares. “The aim for me was to be a bit more aggressive with my bowling,” Johnson said. “To get in there, puff my chest out a little bit and get into the contest. That seemed to work for me. I started to feel a lot better about things.” He picked up Ian Bell with a second strong lbw appeal and followed up with Swann’s wicket when he chipped a slower ball to cover shortly before the innings ended at 376.Johnson blamed his wild performances in his opening two Ashes Tests on putting too much pressure on himself – “I might have built it up a bit too much” – and maintained his form was not influenced by his mother saying his girlfriend had “stolen” him from the family. “Nothing on the outside affects the way I play my cricket,” he said. “That’s all left behind. It’s all about what happens on the field.”

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma despite intense interest in the player’s services.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Star, the Reds are set to battle it out with fellow Premier League outfit Arsenal for the highly-rated 25-year-old’s signature in January.

The report states that: “Bissouma is one of their top targets, though they will have to fend off competition from Mikel Arteta’s Gunners if they are to bring him to Anfield.”

Bissouma has entered the final two years of his current contract the Amex Stadium, meaning the winter window is likely to be the last chance for Brighton to secure a high price for their prized asset.

Jurgen Klopp needs him

After arriving on English shores back in 2018, the combative dynamo has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the top-flight, racking up 101 appearances for the Seagulls in all competitions.

He featured in all but two of Brighton’s league games last season, highlighting his importance to Graham Potter’s side, and when looking at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why.

As per WhoScored, Bissouma recorded an average of 2.9 tackles per game, the highest total amongst his teammates who made over three appearances in 2020/21.

The Mali international also outperformed his colleagues when it came to interceptions, making 1.8 per Premier League fixture, but it wasn’t just his off-the-ball work where he excelled.

Bissouma achieved a passing accuracy of 87.4%, the third-highest tally in the whole of the Brighton squad, showcasing his adeptness at kickstarting attacks as well as breaking up the opponent’s play.

They’re all attributes that led to Gary Lineker labelling him an “exceptional footballer” on Twitter and would serve him well should he make the step up and join Liverpool over the coming months, and Reds manager Jurgen Klopp needs further reinforcements in his engine room.

The departure of Gini Wijnaldum has left the Anfield outfit short of options in the middle of the park after no replacement was signed over the meaning, especially after Harvey Elliott suffered a dislocated ankle in the opening weeks of the new campaign.

It remains to be seen whether the teenager’s injury forces Liverpool into the transfer market in January, although the arrival of the £22.5m-rated Bissouma would be a significant boost to their chances of success.

And, in other news…Edwards must secure Liverpool swoop for £28.8m-rated wizard, Klopp would love him