All posts by h716a5.icu

Sussex are in a strong position going into the final day of their Cricinfo Championship match against Nottinghamshire after establishing a lead of more than 300 at Hove yesterday

Bruce Talbot11-May-2001Sussex are in a strong position going into the final day of their Cricinfo Championship match against Nottinghamshire after establishing a lead of more than 300 at Hove yesterday.After bowling out Notts for 332 to take a first innings lead of 72, Michael Yardy and Richard Montgomerie both made half-centuries as Sussex closed on 237-5, a lead of 309.Yardy’s 68 was his maiden first-class half-century and the left-hander certainly looked the part, playing some superb off side shots as he shared a second-wicket stand of 128 in 28 overs with Montgomerie.Yardy was eventually caught behind off Greg Blewett, but Montgomerie went on to make 66 before he became the second of three wickets for South African Greg Smith who was again the pick of the Notts’ attack.Smith had earlier claimed the wicket of Murray Goodwin and in an impressive second spell he also removed Will House for a duck as Sussex lost three middle-order wickets in the space of five overs.Robin Martin-Jenkins and Umer Rashid re-asserted Sussex supremacy and will be there this morning before the declaration.Earlier Jason Lewry must have impressed watching chairman of selectors David Graveney by taking 5-95 as the last six Notts wickets fell for 118 in the morning session.Kevin Pietersen and Read both made half-centuries and six Notts batsmen got past 29. But no one went on to score the big innings which might have made their last-day run chase less challenging.

Leeds United look set to enjoy an exciting summer transfer window as news emerges from Thorp Arch about Marcelo Bielsa’s plans.

What’s the story?

The Whites have enjoyed a fine first season back in the Premier League and recently picked up some outstanding results against some of the league’s big boys, including a win over champions-elect Manchester City.

Football Insider have now claimed that a Leeds source has told them that “director of football Victor Orta is compiling a shortlist of midfield anchormen targets with the pedigree to provide cover and competition for (Kalvin) Phillips”.

The report added that the holding midfield role “has been identified as a key position for squad improvement by manager Marcelo Bielsa”.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Make no mistake about it, when Kalvin Phillips hasn’t been involved, Leeds have just looked a completely different team, and understandably so given his importance. In the ten games in which he hasn’t taken to the field in all competitions, the Whites have lost eight times, with their only victories coming against Southampton and Aston Villa earlier on in the season.

Bielsa doesn’t have a real like-for-like replacement for the England international, and it was a damning indicator that Robin Koch filled the holding midfield role against Brighton at the weekend despite being a centre-back by trade.

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It’s exactly why the Leeds manager will be buzzing that Orta is already getting things underway in terms of signing a new holding midfielder to help provide some competition for Phillips and also offer much-needed depth in that position.

Meanwhile, this Leeds transfer target delivered a masterclass at the weekend…

Who will pay for washing the Indian cricketers’ linen

29-May-2001Who will pay for washing the Indian cricketers’ linen?An SOS on this issue has gone all the way from Mutare to Chennai.The laundry bills are a source of bother for the Indian cricketers whohave just begun a 45-day tour of Zimbabwe.Some of the players have made millions from the game but their dailyallowance on this tour is 32 dollars (approx 2,000 Zimbabweandollars). Laundering one set of clothes will cost about one-sixth ofthat allowance, leaving very little for food and other expenses.When the Zimbabwean team toured India last winter, the Indian CricketBoard provided for free laundry of six clothes a day for them.Now the Indian cricketers, who have yet to receive any payment fromtheir Board on this tour, want the Zimbabweans to reciprocate.The tour management has now sent a letter to Board President ACMuthiah requesting him to take up the matter with the Zimbabwe CricketUnion.After all, the team wants to turn out smartly. The ball is now in theBoard’s court.The popular team is flooded with invitations to dinners, felicitationsand shop openings from the local Indians in Zimbabwe. That distractsfrom their basic mission of preparing for the series but they wouldn’twant to disappoint the local fans.So, in a compromise of sorts, the team has decided to selectivelyaccept such invitations without the players turning up en masse.”We have made a decision before we embarked on this tour,” said vicecaptain Rahul Dravid. “The visit to these functions is optional andnot everyone has to turn up and show his face. It is important for usto satisfy the desire of a billion back home rather than cater to thedesire of a hundred on an overseas tour,” he said.”We understand their feelings but we have the job of winning in frontof us and we want to be well-prepared for every match,” Dravid said.Sure enough, there was a function by the Indian community here onMonday evening and very few from the team attended it. Coach JohnWright, captain Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar were among thosewho preferred to stay in their hotel rooms and mentally prepare forthe next day’s play.Despite a big hundred earlier in the day and niggling pain in hisright thigh muscle, Dravid did make it to the function to cheer up theexpatriates who had come in from as far as Harare and other parts ofZimbabwe.”You would notice it on this tour – we will keep (attending) suchfunctions to the minimum,” Dravid said.After all, the team has the job of reversing the trend of not winninga series abroad in the last 15 years. In its seven decades of Testcricket history, India has won only five series abroad – two rubbersin England, one each in West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. It hasyet to win a series in South Africa, Australia and Pakistan.Zimbabwe presents an excellent opportunity to reverse the currenttrend and there is little doubt the team wants to do it badly.The Indian Cricket Board, it seems, is finding it difficult to keeppace with the new-found professionalism of its cricketers and thepresent squad must be the cleanest to have left the Indian shores inthe last decade – if not on laundry then at least on the match-fixingaccount.Board secretary Jaywant Lele visited Zimbabwe earlier this month toinspect facilities, wickets and thrash out small details with ZCU.If he, or the Board he was representing, had taken care to discuss itwith the cricketers before finalising things, Lele would have heard aresounding no on the hosts’ plan to have 105 overs a day for the twofirst-class games preceding the first Test.This was an experiment which the South Africans had carried outagainst the Indians during the tour of 1997 and it had been roundlydisapproved.The Indian cricketers were again unhappy at the extra hour they weremade to play against Zimbabwe A here yesterday. The odd thing is,whatever overs are short for the day will be added to the next day.

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting negatively to reports that the Reds could look to sign Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.

The Reds have had a season to forget, with their Premier League title defence evaporating after Christmas and a top-four finish now even looking unlikely.

There is a feeling that Jurgen Klopp needs to delve into the transfer market this summer, adding a freshness to his squad after such a demoralising campaign.

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Liverpool’s midfield is arguably their most well-stocked area of the pitch, with the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Thiago, James Milner Curtis Jones and Naby Keita all options this season,

The Reds were linked with a move for Berge (via The Liverpool Echo) and it has now been reported by Sky Sports that he could leave the Blades this summer, with his release clause dropping from £45million to £35million.

This has led Sports Illustrated to link the Reds once again, who could see it as the perfect opportunity to grab a replacement for Wijnaldum.

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Liverpool fans react to Berge latest

These Liverpool supporters don’t want to see the Reds make a bid for the Norwegian however, even at the reduced price, taking to Twitter to provide their thoughts after the news was shared by @LFCTransferRoom.

“Please no”

Credit: @PhilPhenom

“Not at that price. Please. No”

Credit: @NocturnalPsycho

“No”

Credit: @kingkaz_7

“Good player but £35m is still too much for him”

Credit: @shirish18sharma

“This has to be a joke right, moves like the QE2 in a ploughed field”

Credit: @ScottWalker11

“I really hope not!!! He isn’t Liverpool gravy”

Credit: @ThiagosFather89

In other news, a journalist has confirmed Liverpool’s interest in one world-renowned player. Find out who it is here.

Tributes are being paid to the Surrey and England all-rounder Ben Hollioake, who has been tragically killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 24.

CricInfo22-Mar-2002
BenHollioake
Photo CricInfo
</tableTributes are being paid to the Surrey and England all-rounder Ben Hollioake, who has been tragically killed in a car crash in Australia at the age of 24.The England coach, Duncan Fletcher said: "Ben was a hugely talented young cricketer, a popular member of the side, and he will be greatly missed by everyone in the England dressing room."He was one of a number of young players that we were looking to take to the World Cup with the one-day squad next winter and it's tragic that a young life has been lost in this way."The chairman of England's selectors, David Graveney said: "This is a great loss of someone who was so young and so talented."Everyone will remember the impact Ben made on his ODI debut at Lord's against Australia in 1997 and I also remember how proud his family was when both brothers were capped together for England against Australia in the Trent Bridge Test match in the same year."This tragedy will hit Surrey County Cricket Club particularly hard following the death of Graham Kersey and my thoughts go to everyone at Surrey and also to Ben's family."The former England coach David Lloyd, who gave Hollioake his first opportunity at international level, was stunned by the news."You would be hard pressed to find a more popular lad anywhere in cricket," Lloyd said."This is absolutely devastating news for everyone who knew him and many of this England side who are playing against New Zealand at the moment would have grown up with him in junior cricket or played with him at Surrey."He gave you this impression of being laid back, but there was no one who worked harder at their game than Ben."He never quite cemented his place in the England side but there was no one who worked harder to get there."I remember his debut at Lord's when he played so well and his parents were there to watch it and the pride in their faces while he played that innings. It's so very sad."Paul Sheldon, Surrey's chief executive, said: "This is devastating news. It's terrible to lose such a supreme talent as Ben's, just as he was beginning to realise his full potential as a cricketer."Hollioake's Surrey colleague, the former England captain Alec Stewart, said: "Ben was the most naturally gifted and talented cricketer I've played with. This is a tragic loss of a great team-mate and friend. My thoughts and sympathies are with the Hollioake family."The Managing Director of the Professional Cricketers' Association, Richard Bevan, said: "I am shocked and appalled by this dreadful tragedy. Ben was in the prime of life and his death is truly devastating. On behalf of everyone at the PCA I extend my deepest sympathy to Ben's family."

Writing on Twitter, talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has backed claims by fellow reporter Jason Bourne that Leicester City has/will now offer Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand a one-year deal.

 The Lowdown: Suitors for Bertrand

Since the Englishman was announced to be leaving St Mary’s at the end of this season once his contract expires, suitors have emerged out of the woodwork.

The Foxes are among clubs linked with a move for Bertrand alongside the likes of Arsenal and AC Milan as manager Brendan Rodgers looks to strengthen his defensive options for the 2021/2022 season (talkSPORT).

The Latest: Journalist shares Leicester City transfer development

Now, reporters Bourne and Cook have shared some exciting information regarding City’s chase for Bertrand and both believe that he will now be offered a one-year deal at the King Power Stadium.

“It looks like Ryan Bertrand to Leicester City might in the offing – as reported by others in the last day or so,” explained Bourne on Twitter.

“I’m hearing a one-year deal has/will be offered to him to act as cover and offer competition for James Justin and Luke Thomas.”

Backing this claim, fellow journalist and talkSPORT colleague Crook also had his say on the development, explaining (via his social media):

“I’m also hearing this is a strong possibility. Bertrand waiting on the outcome of #LCFC Champions League bid before making final call. As per Jason understand it would be a year’s contract #SaintsFC.”

The Verdict: Exciting times for Foxes fans…

After winning the FA Cup for the first time in their history, Leicester City certainly have not delayed attempts to strengthen their squad for the 2021/2022 season.

Fabrizio Romano recently shared news that Rodgers’ side are close to agreeing the signing of Lille midfielder Boubacary Soumaré for around €23 million (£19.7m). 

The club are also said to be prioritising a new deal for star man Youri Tielemans, with there now being plenty of reasons for Leicester supporters to get excited.

News of a possible one-year deal for Bertrand to strengthen their left-back area certainly comes as icing on the cake.

In other news: Foxes supporters slammed this ‘donkey’ vs Chelsea, find out more here.

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has hailed Ezgjan Alioski as an ‘unsung hero’ for Leeds United, as the North Macedonian nears his Whites exit.

The Lowdown: Alioski set to leave

The 29-year-old has been a key figure for Leeds during a great period in their history, shining with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm.

Alioski has made 171 appearances for the Whites, chipping in with 22 goals and 19 assists along the way and shining in an auxiliary left-back role.

He is set to move on at the end of the season, however, with his contract at Elland Road expiring and Galatasaray heavily linked with snapping him up.

The Latest: McLeish lauds ‘unsung hero’

Speaking to Football Insider, 62-year-old McLeish was full of praise for Alioski, lauding the job he has done for Leeds, particularly in terms of changing roles:

“It depends if Bielsa adds another bit of quality somewhere. He’s bursting with quality all over.

“You think of Alioski, who’s a converted left wing-back. He was a smashing little winger in his own right but the job he’s done has been quite exceptional as well.

“He’s not a renowned defender but he adapted very quickly and an unsung hero in a sense. It’s been a good all-round performance by very, very hungry, young, dynamic Leeds team.”

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The Verdict: Right time to move on

While Alioski has undoubtedly been a key man for a number of years – Kevin Phillips hailed his ‘brilliant’ work rate and bits of ‘magic’ earlier this season – it does makes sense for him to enjoy a fresh challenge, rather than sign a new deal.

It gives Bielsa the chance to bringing in a natural left-back, potentially making his team even more balanced – perhaps one who isn’t nearing 30 years of age, such as Stade Brest defender Romain Perraud.

Alioski’s character could be missed, however, so it is important that his replacement possesses a similar kind of mentality – every side needs a few players with that extra competitive edge.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for an exciting attacking player. Find out who it is here.

On a request from the Indian team management in Zimbabwe, the nationalselectors on Tuesday retained Delhi medium pacer Ashish Nehra in theIndian cricket team for the triangular one-day series starting on June23

19-Jun-2001On a request from the Indian team management in Zimbabwe, the nationalselectors on Tuesday retained Delhi medium pacer Ashish Nehra in theIndian cricket team for the triangular one-day series starting on June23."Nehra was asked to stay back in Zimbabwe as Indian team managerChetan Chauhan had requested for him to stay back," selectioncommittee chairman Chandu Borde told PTI over phone from Pune. "TheBCCI secretary Jaywant Lele contacted me last night from London andtold me about Chauhan’s request," Borde said and added that Lele, inturn contacted BCCI president AC Muthiah who gave his consent."Meanwhile, I contacted my colleagues and took their consent aswell," Borde said.Nehra will be the 15th member of the team which will play a triangularseries with hosts Zimbabwe and West Indies being the other two teams.The Indians, who squared the Test series 1-1, will play their firstmatch against Zimbabwe on June 24 at Harare.

Australia’s cricketers have been rated in the same class as golfing icon Tiger Woods after enhancing their reputation as the world’s best team during a ruthless South African tour.

Michael Crutcher10-Apr-2002Australia’s cricketers have been rated in the same class as golfing icon Tiger Woods after enhancing their reputation as the world’s best team during a ruthless South African tour.Proteas captain Shaun Pollock has placed the Australians on sport’s top shelf even though South Africa ended its losing streak with a 65-run victory in therain-marred final one-day match in Cape Town last night.”You look at Australia and think they’re the Tiger Woods of cricket at the moment,” Pollock said.”They’ve raised the benchmark of how the game must be played. I believe other teams have got the ability to play that way, it’s just a matter of fine tuning and making sure that you can.”But in 10 months’ time come the World Cup, things may be going a bit different, certain players aren’t in the form they are at the moment, and maybe you get a few lucky breaks.”The South Africans will need some luck because they have not been up to Australia’s standard this summer, crashing to a 5-1 loss in the one-day series against new captain Ricky Ponting after a 2-1 loss in the Test series.Over the course of the summer, Australia won five of the six Tests and eight of 11 one-dayers, with one tied.Ponting was named the player-of-the-series for his shining performances as captain and batsman in one of the brightest signs for an improving team trying to cover for the loss of dumped veterans Steve and Mark Waugh.The runs were shared, with Ponting tops among five batsman scoring at least 200 in the seven matches, while the frontline bowlers claimed wickets in challengingconditions.With Darren Lehmann becoming a significant on-field adviser and 20-year-olds Shane Watson and Nathan Hauritz playing well, Australia left South African fansdreading their return next January 28 for the World Cup defence.But the Australians lacked their killer edge last night and Ponting admitted his players had half their thoughts on cricket and half on the plane, which will today take some of the team home for a much-needed rest.”It’s been a long tour for us and a tough tour and the guys have been looking forward to going home and having a bit of break,” Ponting said.”Our next 12 months are huge. That’s why this rest period when we get home is vitally important for us.”A lot of the guys have niggling injuries and have got to get over those and have a good break to freshen up mentally.”The Australians took a longer-term view with their Cape Town tactics, reshuffling their order so all-rounder Watson could bat at three behind opener Jimmy Maher, who replaced his Queensland mate Matthew Hayden.The tourists never hit top gear, reflecting the dismal weather which delayed the start of the match by almost two hours before South Africa scored 7-249 from themaximum 39 overs.Australia was dismissed for 185 in the 33rd over in a flat finish to the eight-week tour.Michael Bevan’s 55 from 63 balls and Brett Lee’s run-a-ball 28 were the main batting contributions but Australia was always struggling after losing Maher and Adam Gilchrist to consecutive deliveries in the third over.

When Nuno Santo decided to leave Wolves, it sent shockwaves throughout the city of Wolverhampton.

It was a huge surprise to see him depart Molineux but it now gives the entire club a fresh start, something that’s needed after their bottom-half finish.

What’s the word?

With Wolves in the hunt for a new manager, a number of coaches have been fed through to Fosun by super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Paulo Fonseca is in the hunt but former Benfica manager Bruno Lage appears to be at the top of the pile right now.

However, in recent days, Wolves have begun talking to former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

That’s according to reporter Alex Crook who was speaking on talkSPORT this week: “I was told by a very reliable source that Wolves have started to make enquiries about Frank Lampard,” he commented.

The 42-year-old was sacked from his role as manager of Chelsea back in January and is yet to find new work.

A good appointment

Lampard may have lost his job at Stamford Bridge but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a strong appointment for Wolves.

After all, he’s proven to be impressive with both Derby and the Blues.

He nearly achieved promotion with the Rams, developing a bold play-style that centred around young players in Fikayo Tomori, Harry Wilson and Mason Mount.

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Lampard then secured Champions League qualification with Chelsea despite being in the middle of a transfer embargo.

Used to working with a smaller budget, that could suit a Wolves team who are looking to operate shrewdly in the upcoming window.

After all, the main reason Nuno left was due to a lack of resources that were going to be handed to him this summer.

On top of that, Jeff Shi has always had a desire to improve the club from the academy upwards. It’s seen the likes of Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto develop from promising young talents into genuine Premier League stars.

Lage has proven adept at improving some of the biggest names around including Joao Felix and Ruben Dias but Lampard also has a similar ability in his locker.

He helped turn Mason Mount into one of England’s key players and aided Tammy Abraham in his cause to become Chelsea’s top goalscorer in consecutive years.

Crucially, he also has experience of managing in England.

Lage may have won the league in Portugal but coaching in the Premier League is a whole different ball game. If you’re not ready, it’ll swallow you whole and spit you back out.

Lampard also appears to be wise to the way Wolves want to play. Speaking about them in 2019, the ex-midfielder said: “I am very impressed by Nuno, looking from the outside and the way that he shows himself in the media and the unity they have. They have a style they believe in and I like the way he operates.”

With that in mind, perhaps the former England international could bring a similar swagger to their counter-attacking play.

Both would be smart appointments but Lampard should hold the upper hand. His methods and experience could well revive Wolves next season.

AND in other news, Wolves can take Traore to the next level by appointing “brave” 48 y/o Mendes client…