All posts by h716a5.icu

Pakistan have dropped middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq’s international career could be over after he was left out from the squads for all three formats in the series against New Zealand

Cricinfo staff22-Oct-2009Misbah-ul-Haq’s international revival seems to have come to an end, after he was left out from the squads in all three formats for Pakistan’s upcoming series of ODIs, T20Is and Tests against New Zealand in the Middle East and New Zealand. Pakistan’s selection committee have seemingly covered as many bases as possible in the three formats, recalling several forgotten names and forming an unusually large 18-man Test squad.Misbah’s form has been poor in all three formats over the last year, in contrast to 2007, when he reignited his dormant international career in sensational fashion at the World Twenty20 in South Africa and then on a tour to India. The emergence of Umar Akmal as a middle order prospect has, for now at least, brought Misbah’s second innings to a close.However, chief selector Iqbal Qasim hoped Misbah would regain form before the tour to Australia later this year. “He has been given rest because we think he is under pressure and needs time to regroup himself,” Qasim said.The other major theme to the squads is the return of opener Imran Farhat, who ends a two-year exile after his stint in the Indian Cricket League by being picked in all three squads. Pakistan’s last few squads have lacked specialist openers; at the Champions Trophy, only Imran Nazir was a specialist in the position.Alongside Farhat returns another left-handed opener, Salman Butt; he was dropped after a poor series in Sri Lanka this summer but is back in both the Test and ODI squads. According to the selectors, the left-hander was brought back to avoid reliance on makeshift openers. “Opening is a specialized field and we want to hand over this job to regular openers,” Qasim said.Nazir is retained in the Twenty20 squad. Khalid Latif, in imperious domestic form, has also been recalled to Pakistan’s ODI and Twenty20 squads, offering another opening option.There will be disappointment at the non-selection of fresh faces performing well in domestic cricket, particularly batsmen, but the selectors have recalled left-arm pacemen Sohail Tanvir and Wahab Riaz. The pair make up for the absence of Mohammad Asif from the first limited-overs leg of the tour; because of his deportation last year from Dubai, Asif is unable to travel back and so has been picked only for the Test squad.Seven players – the Akmal brothers, Saeed Ajmal, Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer – find a place in all three squads. Younis Khan, after resigning and coming back in the last week as captain, will lead the Test and ODI side, and Shahid Afridi remains the Twenty20 captain.After a lull in international assignments over the last two years, Pakistan suddenly find themselves embarking on a schedule that will keep them in action until February next year. They first play three one-dayers in Abu Dhabi starting November 3, followed by two Twenty20s in Dubai before heading off to New Zealand for a three-Test series. Following that, they move to Australia where they have another three-Test series and a series of five ODIs as well as a T20I. The large squads, in part, reflects the heavy schedule.Squads
Tests: Salman Butt, Khurrum Manzoor, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Fawad Alam, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Danish Kaneria, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rauf, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmad
One-dayers: Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Younis Khan (capt), Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Wahab RiazTwenty20: Khalid Latif, Imran Nazir, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi (capt), Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Saeed Ajmal, Imran Farhat, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir

An intriguing behind-the-scenes Newcastle update has emerged, regarding Unai Emery’s potential arrival at the club.

What’s the talk?

According to Chronicle Live journalist Ciaran Kelly, some Magpies players have reacted positively to the prospect of the ex-Arsenal man taking the job, with one player said to be wanting a manager with international pedigree.

Another source, said to be close to a key first-team member, was quoted as saying “That would be top!” when asked about the move. This, along with a detail on Emery asking the board why they want him, provides an intriguing insight behind the scenes at St. James’ Park at present.

Excitement

This update will surely excite Newcastle fans as it suggests that the players are set to get behind the Spaniard from the get-go and are happy with his arrival, given the two aforementioned sources.

Emery is a coach with international pedigree as he has won an incredible four Europa League trophies during his career, along with the Ligue 1 title in France with PSG.

The supporters will surely be buzzing with excitement from this insight, simply because of how bad the situation was at the end of Steve Bruce’s reign. Last month, the Daily Mail ran an article detailing the mood inside the camp and it did not make for pleasant reading if you are of a Newcastle persuasion.

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The report claimed that Jamaal Lascelles and Isaac Hayden had a fight in the tunnel after the 3-2 defeat to Spurs and that a number of players questioned Bruce’s tactics in the dressing room.  It also stated that player resentment towards him was intensifying after the result.

This highlights the negative mentality inside the club towards the end of Bruce’s time on Tyneside and emphasises why bringing in a manager who commands respect is key. The Chronicle report suggests that Emery will be the man for the job in that respect, with his C.V backing up his talents.

In 14 years as a manager, Emery has never completed a full season and finished lower than ninth in the table – managing the likes of Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal and Almeria, among others. Therefore, the players could be given a reason to show him respect and believe in what he is trying to do.

That could then translate into improved performances on the pitch due to an improved mentality towards tactics that wasn’t there when Bruce was. That’s exactly why supporters should be getting excited at this update.

AND in other news, Craig Hope delivers exciting 9-word NUFC update that’ll leave fans on cloud nine…

With Liverpool currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table, four points below league leaders Chelsea, Jurgen Klopp’s side are firmly in the race to contend for the title this season.

Unsurprisingly, some players at the club have contributed to Liverpool’s campaign more than others, such as wingers Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, who have scored 16 of Liverpool’s 31 league goals between them.

One player who hasn’t had much of an impact in the league for Liverpool this season, though, is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The Englishman has made only six appearances for the Reds in the Premier League this term, starting just two of them and not playing a full 90 minutes once, which suggests that Klopp does not see the 28-year-old as a crucial figure for his side.

Even though he has appeared in Liverpool’s four previous league games, this could be down to the fact that they have had fellow midfielders James Milner and Naby Keita out injured for the past few weeks, with Oxlade-Chamberlain having to fill in for the time being.

In those appearances, the 28-year-old has lost possession 39 times in total and failed to impose himself as a regular attacking threat for the side with just one assist. He has not offered much from a defensive point of view either, with an average of just 0.7 interceptions and 0.8 tackles per game in the league.

In terms of his overall performances, Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently listed as the lowest-rated Liverpool player to have started a league game so far this season, with an overall rating of 6.58/10 according to WhoScored. That is even lower than Andy Robertson, who has been under scrutiny from some Liverpool fans at times this season.

Taking all this into account, it’s safe to say that Oxlade-Chamberlain has let Klopp down in the Premier League this season, despite having plenty of opportunities to show what he’s capable of bringing to the team.

Moving forward, unless he can turn his form around and start putting in some impressive performances for the Reds, he could well see his time at the club coming to an end sooner than he may have expected.

In other news – Get rid: Klopp must ruthlessly axe £60k-p/w Liverpool outcast who’s “different class”

The term was appropriate after his side was bundled out for 228 and 187 on Saturday to tumble to an innings-and-65-run defeat

Peter English at the Gabba28-Nov-2009Chris Gayle doesn’t waste energy or words and was quick to call West Indies’ three-day defeat at the Gabba a “disaster”. The term was appropriate after his side was bundled out for 228 and 187 on Saturday to tumble to an innings-and-65-run embarrassment that gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series.”It’s a must-turnaround situation that we’re in,” Gayle said. “Two matches to go, so hopefully we can rebound from this disaster, this loss in three days. We have to look for positives.”Adrian Barath’s hundred stood miles ahead, Travis Dowlin’s first-innings 62 was useful and Denesh Ramdin had a strong game with bat and gloves, but there was little else to encourage the tourists. Fifteen wickets fell on the third day as the game was handed over due to Australia’s varied attack and some poor shot selection.”I’m very disappointed at the batting in both innings, they didn’t come off,” Gayle said. “Apart from Adrian and his second-innings century, a brilliant innings, he batted well and showed a lot of character.”Despite the struggles of this game and the bitter players’ strike, Gayle has no plans to seek an easy way out of his captaincy. He showed his belief in the team and Test cricket by flying back from Jamaica, where he visited his sick mother, in time for the match, but after the contest finished it was hard to tell whether he was still suffering from jet-lag or in despair at the defeat.”The captain don’t want to lose,” he said. “You have to be strong in this situation, have to be a strong individual. Try and uplift the players and encourage them and lift your game as well. It’s a tough situation and I’ve been around a long time as well to handle this situation. I’m not thinking down that path [of stepping down] at this point of time.”Ricky Ponting will hold his assessment of West Indies until after Adelaide following another win on a ground where Australia haven’t lost since 1988-89. “There is no team that comes here and performs well, simple as that,” he said. “It’s 21 years since we’ve lost a game here. And they’re not at full strength.”The pitch was excellent for the run-makers if they could cope with the bounce, but the visitors struggled, feeding the slips with catches as well as making bad mistakes, such as Dwayne Bravo’s hooking of Michael Hussey to the only man in the deep. “We have ourselves to blame,” Gayle said, “so go back to the nets and rebuild for the second Test.” That game starts on Friday and the extra time may help Jerome Taylor to recover from a back strain that limited him to nine overs on the first day.Taylor has had a scan and Gayle said they would wait on him and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who suffered a back injury at training the day before the game. “Keep our fingers crossed, hopefully [Sarwan] will be ready for the second Test,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

The ICC has confirmed the remaining fixtures in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup, with everything leading towards next November’s final, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2009The ICC has confirmed the remaining fixtures in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup, with everything leading towards next November’s final, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.The next match will start on January 23 and sees defending champions Ireland facing improving newcomers Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. Two days later, second-placed Kenya will take on 2004 champions and current leaders Scotland in a top-of-the-table clash.There is a total of US$250,000 in prize money for the Associate and Affiliate teams taking part in the ICC Intercontinental Cup with US$100,000 for the winners and US$40,000 for the runners-up.Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event then evolved in 2006 to an eight-team round-robin and truly global tournament of four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the invaluable experience of the longer form of the game.This year’s format includes seven teams (Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland and Zimbabwe XI), while the new competition, the ICC Intercontinental Shield, involves the four teams below that, namely Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in all three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event and Namibia in 2007-08.The remaining fixtures for the second-tier ICC Intercontinental Shield have also been announced.ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP23-26 Jan – Afghanistan v Ireland, Sri Lanka
25-28 Jan – Kenya v Scotland, Kenya
17-20 Feb – Afghanistan v Canada, UAE
17-20 Feb – Kenya v Netherlands, Kenya
10-13 Jun – Netherlands v Scotland, Netherlands
11-14 Aug – Scotland v Afghanistan, Scotland
11-14 Aug – Ireland v Netherlands, Ireland
21-24 Aug – Canada v Zimbabwe XI, Canada
1-4 Sep – Canada v Ireland, Canada
1-4 Sep – Netherlands v Zimbabwe XI, Netherlands
2-5 Oct – Kenya v Afghanistan, Kenya
6-9 Oct – Zimbabwe XI v Ireland, Africa
13-16 Oct – Zimbabwe XI v Scotland, Africa
25-29 Nov – FINAL (five days), UAE
ICC INTERCONTINENTAL SHIELD20-23 Jan – UAE v Uganda, UAE
2-5 Apr – Namibia v Bermuda, Namibia
5-8 Jul – Bermuda v UAE, Bermuda
18-21 Sep – Uganda v Namibia, Uganda
25-28 Nov – FINAL, UAE

Alan Nixon has dropped an extremely promising update regarding a potential takeover of Derby County.

What’s the latest?

In response to a fan asking whether the American businessman, Chris Kirchner – who has been heavily linked with a takeover of the Rams – is indeed a serious contender to purchase the club from Mel Morris, The Sun journalist suggested that Kirchner is very much interested in a deal, as well as claiming the businessman wants to tie-up his purchase of the club as quickly as possible.

In a six-word post on Twitter, Nixon revealed: “Wants the club. Wants it ASAP.”

Fans will be buzzing

There has not been much for Derby County fans to get excited about so far this season, with the club being entered into administration and docked 12 points for doing so, as well as being docked a further nine points after admitting they had broken Football League accounting rules on Tuesday.

That has left the club rooted to the foot of the Championship table which means the news that Kirchner is a serious candidate to purchase the club will undoubtedly leave fans buzzing and relieved.

Indeed, with relegation appearing to be all but a certainty following the club’s latest points penalty, there was rather understandably a great deal of concern that any interested parties may well be put off by the fact they would essentially be buying a League One side.

However, following Nixon’s latest update, despite the rather bleak outlook for the Rams on the pitch, it would nevertheless seem as if Kirchner is extremely interested in securing a deal to purchase Derby, and would like to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible – something which will provide fans of the club with a great sense of comfort.

So, while things will more than likely get worse before they get better at Pride Park, there now appears to be hope on the horizon for the Rams, an outcome that did not appear overly likely only a matter of weeks ago.

Wayne Parnell, the uncapped left-arm seamer, has been dropped from South Africa’s squad for the next two Tests against England in Durban and Cape Town

Cricinfo staff20-Dec-2009Wayne Parnell, the uncapped left-arm seamer, has been dropped from South Africa’s squad for the next two Tests against England in Durban and Cape Town. His omission is the only change from the 15-man unit that prepared for the opening encounter at Centurion Park.It means South Africa will have 14 players to select from for the next two matches with the fit-again Dale Steyn set to resume his new-ball duties. Steyn’s return is likely to mean Friedel de Wet will drop out of the XI, while South Africa’s bowling options have increased with Jacques Kallis recovering from his rib injury.Kallis came on for a surprise bowl during the final afternoon at Centurion and although he operated off about three paces with the wicketkeeper stood up it showed his rehabilitation was on course. The uncapped pair of Alvrio Petersen and Ryan McLaren have again been included to give the selectors options, but it’s unlikely either will find a spot in the team and the players who are left out will return to domestic action.”Those players who do not make the starting XI will be released to play for their franchises in the MTN40,” said the selection convener Mike Procter, “and will then rejoin the national squad. It is important that they have opportunities to stay cricket fit.”South Africa squad Graeme Smith (capt), Ashwell Prince, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Friedel de Wet, Alvrio Petersen, Ryan McLaren

Kevin Phillips has mixed feelings about Leeds United’s potential move for John Swift but has tipped Marcelo Bielsa to get the best out of him.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Swift move

The Whites are reportedly keen on signing the 26-year-old in the January transfer window in order to add squad depth in the middle of the park.

Swift is enjoying a fantastic season in the Championship with Reading, scoring eight goals and setting up another eight and arguably standing out as one of the best players in the division.

Bielsa has called the Reading maestro a ‘great player’ in the past, adding further fuel to the fire regarding a move to Elland Road.

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The Latest: Phillips has mixed feelings

Phillips is a bit unsure about the prospective transfer, telling Football Insider that he would love to see Swift succeed at Elland Road but feeling that it would be a “gamble” to take him to the Premier League. He said:

“I think it would be a slight gamble from Leeds. It’s a big jump, moving from the Championship to the Premier League.

“He is a player who has been around a while now. It makes you wonder why nobody has brought him up to the Premier League already.

“However, we know when Bielsa signs a player, he gets the best out of them. Swift might be one of those players who comes up to the Premier League and really surprises everyone. I would love to see him jump up and make an impression.

“If I’m honest though, I’m dubious as to whether he could do that. Bielsa’s man-management skills could bring out the best in him though. It’s certainly a position Leeds are light in.”

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The Verdict: Trust Bielsa?

The idea of signing a Championship player is naturally less enticing than bringing in someone from a top European league, but Bielsa has shown that he should be trusted with signings, given the success he has enjoyed at Leeds. The Argentine can also take credit for moulding the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Luke Ayling and Patrick Bamford from being useful Championship operators to accomplished Premier League-standard footballers.

He may believe that Swift has exactly what it takes to be a key player in his system, most importantly providing him with more midfield options as well. The 26-year-old is averaging 2.8 key passes per game in the Championship this season, with Raphinha (2.2) Leeds’ strongest performer in that area.

With Adam Forshaw still only recently back from a two-year injury absence and Kalvin Phillips’ future up in the air, the need for more bodies in the middle of the park is evident.

In other news, Phil Hay has discussed Leeds’ possible January transfer business. Read more here.

Mumbai coach Pravin Amre has confirmed that Sachin Tendulkar will not play for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-final match against Delhi.

Cricinfo staff29-Dec-2009Sachin Tendulkar will not play in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Delhi to be played in Mumbai.Tendulkar had opted out of the Indian team for next month’s tri-series in Bangladesh. His place in the national side was taken by Rohit Sharma, fuelling speculation that Tendulkar would replace him in the Mumbai squad for the Ranji fixture starting on Sunday. However, Mumbai coach Pravin Amre reasoned that since Tendulkar had taken a break for rest, there was no chance of his playing in the domestic match.”He has opted out of the Bangladesh tri-series to take rest and is not available for the semi-finals. The team is going to be picked tomorrow,” Amre told PTI.The absence of Tendulkar, Rohit and Zaheer Khan will leave Mumbai short on experience, similar to the Delhi squad that will miss the services of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Ashish Nehra. However, Ishant Sharma’s return to the side will be a shot in the arm for the visitors.”Both the teams are missing some players but have the momentum going into the game,” Amre said.Allrounder Abhishek Nayar has been included in Mumbai’s squad for the semi-final clash – the lone change in the defending champions’ lineup that got past Haryana in the quarterfinal after picking up first-innings points.Squad: Wasim Jaffer (capt), Ajit Agarkar, Praful Waghela, Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Prashant Naik, Sushant Marathe, Ramesh Powar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Usman Malvi, Dhaval Kulkarni, Onkar Khanvilkar, Abhsishek Nayar, Avishkar Salvi and Iqbal Abdulla

Flocking to Twitter, lots of Manchester City supporters have erupted over an update on the future of Raheem Sterling as Barcelona reportedly plot an Eastlands raid.

The La Liga giants are apparently eyeing a few City swoops ahead of January, with Sterling having been on their agenda for quite some time in particular.

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In the past 48 hours, however, some major news emerged on other Sky Blue players that the Catalans could target, with their chief executive Ferran Reverter and director of football Mateu Alemany also spotted at the club’s training ground (Jack Gaughan).

This includes the likes of Ferran Torres and Bernardo Silva, with the Spanish youngster even said to be keen on the idea of joining Xavi’s new-look Barca side in January (Sam Lee).

However, in some good news for Citizens, it appears their club are keeping tight hold of Sterling at least. According to reliable reporter Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, City and sporting director Txiki Begiristain will step up their talks to tie down the England international with a new long-term contract.

Making their stance crystal-clear, it is also believed that Pep Guardiola’s side are ready to reject any offers for the 26-year-old amid interest from the likes of Barcelona.

Man City fans buzzing…

As Barca look to Manchester in a bid to bolster their squad ahead of January, it’s little wonder that so many Sky Blues supporters are delighted with this “lovely news” on Sterling.

Despite damp patches of form over 2021 in particular, the England star has been on a mini-resurgence as of late, scoring in the 3-0 home win over Everton and grabbing City’s equaliser in their midweek Champions League victory against Paris-Saint Germain.

Having finished the 2019/20 season as Guardiola’s top scorer in all competitions with 30 goals, supporters know exactly what he’s capable of when at the very top level.

Overjoyed by City’s stance on selling him to Barca, here’s how these City fans reacted on Twitter:

“Redemption season”

Credit: @Jamesmcfc01

“He’s been showing that he’s still the same player from years ago, sign the contract”

Credit: @DeBruyneProp

“Lovely news!”

Credit: @city_rabin

“WE ARE BACKKKKKKKKKK”

Credit: @amir7iqbal_amir

“Let’s goooooo WWWW”

Credit: @IIM9320

“They wanted to see us gone but we ain’t going nowhere”

Credit: @zukisa_matyana

“YESSSSSSS”

Credit: @SamosaSterling

In other news: Another Etihad Stadium transfer rumour had loads of City fans up in arms