All posts by h716a5.icu

Rod Tucker has become the first umpire to be promoted from Cricket Australia’s project group to the international panel

Cricinfo staff03-Jun-2008
Dave Orchard has not retired, but he is not part of Cricket Australia’s plans for 2008-09 © Getty Images
Rod Tucker, the former Tasmania and New South Wales player, has become the first umpire to be promoted from Cricket Australia’s project group to the international panel. While Tucker’s appointment is in the smaller role of a television official, it is a big step for the former allrounder, who is part of a production line of retired first-class performers who have switched from whites to black-and-whites.There is no place on the national panel for Dave Orchard, the former South African official, who stood in 44 Tests and 107 one-day internationals. Last season Orchard, whose final Test was in 2004, was used as a mentor for younger umpires, but he has been dropped and his only duties will be with Queensland Cricket. Orchard has told the state’s officials he is not retired and wants to keep going, and they say he rated highly in the end-of-season appraisals.A Cricket Australia spokesman said there were umpires with better claims to a position than Orchard. “The selectors assessed that the panel had sufficient experience to assist in the development of the less experienced umpires and that the new additions deserved their opportunity,” he said. “It’s also the ICC’s intention for Cricket Australia to have more access to the Australians on the ICC elite panel over the summer to help out the younger umpires.”Tucker’s place was created by Steve Davis’ rise in April to the ICC’s expanded elite group, which also includes Simon Taufel, Daryl Harper and Darrell Hair. “Rod’s nomination to the international umpires’ panel and the promotion of Mick Martell and Tony Ward to the national panel illustrates the successes of Cricket Australia’s umpiring pathway,” Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket, said.Martell and Ward are joined on the national list by fellow newcomer Andrew Craig while Tim Laycock has been cut alongside Orchard. Laycock has been given an assignment during the Emerging Players’ Tournament in Queensland next month, but Orchard, who stood in the series last year, has missed out on that too.Australians on the ICC’s elite panel
Steve Davis (SA), Darrell Hair (NSW), Daryl Harper (SA), Simon Taufel (NSW).Cricket Australia’s international panel
Peter Parker (Qld), Bruce Oxenford (Qld), Rod Tucker (TV umpire, NSW).National umpires’ panel
Jeff Brookes (WA), Andrew Craig (WA), Simon Fry (SA), Ian Lock (WA), Mick Martell (WA), Bruce Oxenford (Qld), Peter Parker (Qld), Bob Parry (Vic), Paul Reiffel (Vic), Rod Tucker (NSW), John Ward (VIC), Tony Ward (Vic).

Aston Villa have reportedly ended their interest in Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, which can only be good news for Ralph Hasenhuttl and the Saints faithful.

What’s the word?

Villa were heavily linked with a move for the England international earlier in the summer, although Southampton were always likely to be in a strong position when it came to potentially selling him, as his contract at St Mary’s is set to expire in 2025.

It is likely that the Villa owners were priced out of a move for the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, and Birmingham Live journalist Ashley Preece has now confirmed that any potential deal for the midfielder is off.

There was undoubtedly some concern amongst Southampton fans that they could lose Ward-Prowse this summer, especially with Villa keen to splash the cash after already signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City for £33m, but it seems as if they can rest easy now with the knowledge that he won’t be switching St Mary’s for Villa Park.

A huge boost for Hasenhuttl?

Considering Ward-Prowse has remarkably played every minute of each of Southampton’s last two Premier League campaigns, it would not be an overstatement to suggest that he is the most important player in Hasenhuttl’s side.

Last season saw him register the best goal and assist numbers of his career, as he contributed an impressive eight goals and seven assists from midfield, earning a solid 7.07 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

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This was enough to rank him as the top performer at Southampton last season, so it would undoubtedly have been a devastating blow to lose him, as he is clearly a hugely influential player both on and off the pitch.

Although he would end up missing out on England’s squad for the European Championships, manager Gareth Southgate was full of praise for him earlier this year, saying:

“To see him go from being a young player under Mauricio [Pochettino] to a great captain under Ralph [Hasenhuttl], it’s fantastic.”

Therefore, the Austrian manager will surely be relieved that Villa have ended their interest in Ward-Prowse, and he will be hoping that he remains at St Mary’s for the foreseeable future.

And, in other news… Romano confirms news on “excellent” gem that’ll delight Southampton fans

Aston Villa should revive their interest in Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard this summer after suffering a major setback in their pursuit of Emile Smith Rowe.

What’s the story?

The Midlands oufit were linked with a move for Lingard back in April after a run of scintillating form, but they opted to bid for Smith Rowe instead.

However, after seeing separate offers of £25m and £30m turned down by Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the youngster is not for sale, leaving Villa back at square one.

Imagine him and Grealish

Lingard was one of the surprise packages of last season, enjoying a fabulous run of form in the second half of the campaign after joining West Ham United on a short-term loan deal.

After arriving at the London Stadium in January, the 28-year-old bagged nine goals and laid on five assists in just 16 Premier League appearances.

His impressive performances earned several plaudits, with talkSPORT host Adrian Durham labeling the England international as “phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal” following a brace against Leicester City.

Like Lingard, Villa made great strides in 2020/21, ending the season in 11th position and dramatically improving on their 17th-placed finish in the previous campaign.

The club’s ambitious owners have wasted no time in bolstering Dean Smith’s ranks this summer, bringing in former Norwich City forward Emi Buendia in a £33m deal, and director of football Johan Lange could seal a dream duo at Villa Park by recruiting Lingard as his next acquisition to partner captain Jack Grealish in midfield.

Chelsea loanee Ross Barkley got off to a fast start in the 2020/21 campaign, contributing to three goals in his first six outings for Villa, before a serious hamstring injury halted his progress.

Barkley’s drop-off in form didn’t affect Grealish, however, with the talismanic figure going on to enjoy the finest season of his career to date, earning himself a place in England’s squad for Euro 2020.

Pairing Lingard with Grealish would be enough to strike fear into any Premier League defence, and Smith should be urging Lange to get this deal over the line.

In other news… Villa suffer major blow in pursuit of “extraordinary” £30m gem, Smith will be gutted 

Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince have walked out on Cape Cobras after a reported dispute

Cricinfo staff13-Jun-2008
Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis will represent the Warriors for the 2008-09 season © AFP
Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince have walked out on Cape Cobras after a reported dispute which followed the franchise’s decision not to pick them for the Pro20 semi-finals last season. The three have nominated the Warriors as their franchise for the 2008-09 season.While the news will be a slight embarrassment to the Cobras, the actual impact on the playing side will not be great as the trio, as contracted national players, have not featured regularly for the team.Mohamed Ebrahim, chairman of Western Cape Cricket, said the franchise was sorry such high calibre players were leaving, particularly Kallis and Prince who have for long been associated with them.Chief executive Andre Odendaal said they would be sorely missed, adding pointedly that Boucher had never actually played for the Cobras and Jacques had turned out in only one of their last 78 matches.”We enjoyed the association with them and our fans and the door remains open from our side should they wish to be involved in any way in future,” he said. “We will also miss Ashwell’s on-field leadership and enthusiasm which has been an important factor in the Cobras’ recent run of five successive semis or more in limited overs competitions.”For their part, the Warriors were very pleased to have snapped up the trio. “We are delighted to have Jacques, Mark and Ashwell joining,” said the Warriors’ chief executive Dave Emslie. “All three of them bring with them a wealth of cricketing talent and experience.”Coach Russell Domingo added: “It’s wonderful that Boucher and Prince have returned to their roots and along with Robin Peterson, Johan Botha and Makhaya Ntini we now have five locally bred international cricketers all playing for the Warriors.”Prince said he was looking forward to the move. “I am very excited to be rejoining my boyhood team,” he said, “and am looking forward to taking the team back to the glory days.”

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, blamed the batsmen for his side’s defeat in Galle

Sa'adi Thawfeeq in Galle03-Aug-2008
Mahela Jayawardene: “I didn’t think the match would have been over today. I thought we could give India a better fight” © AFP
Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, blamed the batsmen for his side’s defeat in Galle. Sri Lanka, who conceded a lead of 37 on the first innings after restricting India to 329, managed to last only 47.3 overs in their second as they were bundled out for 136. Speaking after the 170-run loss, which levelled the three-Test series 1-1, Jayawardene suggested his team might consider “a quick bowler” like Ishant Sharma for the series-decider.”I didn’t think the match would have been over today. I thought we could give India a better fight,” Jayawardene said. “We fought every time we were down. We fought very well to come back into this Test match. To get six wickets this morning in quick time and restricting India to 269 was a brilliant effort. That gave us a good opportunity to chase these runs down.”Although stating that “batting first would be ideal” on subcontinent pitches, Jayawardene felt his batsmen should have chased down the target. “It’s important we get a good start in any run chase,” Jayawardene said. “We didn’t get it and [being down] 10 for 3 wasn’t ideal.”The bowling unit fought really well throughout the Test and created opportunities for us and kept the Indians under control,” he said. Like on Saturday, Jayawardene said the failure to gain the advantage in the first innings had cost his team dearly. “The disappointment was in the first innings where we should have capitalised and put more pressure on the Indians,” he said. “We should have got a few more runs on the board. We played really good cricket for two to three days and we just lost it in the last two sessions of the fourth day.”Jayawardene hinted his team was missing a genuine quick bowler. The fast bowlers hadn’t made much of an impact in the series so far, but Ishant extracted pace and bounce to surprise Sri Lanka’s batsmen on Sunday. “A quick bowler like Ishant is something for us to discuss. Ishant is an exceptional bowler,” Jayawardene said. “He creates a bit of bounce on these kinds of wickets. That’s something which India has.”The ineffectiveness of Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara in Colombo had prompted the selectors to call up Dammika Prasad, who took 4 for 58 in the tour game against the Indians prior to the Tests. However, Sri Lanka stuck to the same new-ball pairing in Galle. Vaas took two vital wickets in both innings of this Test after going wicketless in Colombo, but the pressure will be on Kulasekara, who has taken only one wicket in 33 overs in the series. With Dilhara Fernando and Lasith Malinga out due to injury, Prasad could get the nod for the final Test. “We just need to make a smart choice,” Jayawardene said. “We’ll have a chat with the selectors. We have a few options in our squad and see what we can come up with.”Even in subcontinental conditions, Jayawardene said the batsmen needed to be wary of the new ball, although it’s the spinners who will do the bulk of the damage. “Going into the fourth day or fifth day of a Test match, you always know that when you have [to face] two top-class spinners the mindset would be there. But we always knew that the new ball is always going to be a factor on these kinds of wickets,” he said. “That’s where you probably can pick up a couple of wickets. Thilan [Samaraweera] showed a lot of character to hang around there and batted well but it was a bit too much for him in the end.”One positive for Sri Lanka was the progress of Ajantha Mendis, who took the first ten-wicket haul of his career, in just his second Test, and Jayawardene praised Sri Lanka’s young spin sensation. “I am very happy for Ajantha, in his second Test match, to pick up ten wickets. He bowled brilliantly and supported the other bowlers as well.”Jayawardene, though, brushed off suggestions of any changes in the batting line-up. “The last game was brilliant, we got 600 runs. One game you have a bad run you just can’t point fingers and say this is bad,” he said. “It is just that we need to figure out a way of controlling situations a bit better especially under pressure and see how we can come out of it.”While India’s openers had stands of 167 and 90, Sri Lanka’s duo of Michael Vandort and Malinda Warnapura managed just 4 in both innings. However, Jayawardene is not pressing for any changes. “Michael has been one of the consistent bats in the last six months. In Australia he batted really well. Malinda is coming into his own. It is just that we need both of them to hang in there for a while.”

Manchester United are front runners to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, according to a report in Marca, and Carlton Palmer believes he would be a brilliant signing for the Red Devils.

The 28-year-old helped guide the French national team to the round of 16 stage at Euro 2020, before being eliminated by Switzerland on penalties.

Throughout the tournament there has been much speculation about Varane’s future at Real Madrid and with just one year left on his current contract, it appears that the French international could be heading for the exit door at the Santiago Bernabeu.

According to The Times, Varane could depart Real Madrid for around £42.9m this summer, a price which Carlton Palmer believes is great value.

“Absolute bargain! 

“I like the boy Varane, I’ve watched him since he first burst on the scene. He’s everything that you need in a modern day footballer, he’s a Rolls Royce.”

If Manchester United acquire Varane, then they have the perfect modern-day defender, with Palmer adding: “He’s got unbelievable pace, he’s comfortable on the football and I think it’s a fantastic signing.”

The Red Devils conceded 44 goals last term in the Premier League, the highest of any team who finished in the top four.With this in mind, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping that if he can add Varane to his defensive ranks, it will help United keep more clean sheets and enable the club to mount a serious title challenge.

Christopher Martin-Jenkins21-Aug-2008The first under-15 world tournament reached a wild climax atLord`s yesterday. Over-excited elements in a partisan crowd of8,000 supporting the finalists, India and Pakistan, had beenthreatening unruliness throughout what was, until the closingstages, a happy occasion.As India, led by a wonderfully mature innings of 82 not out bytheir captain, Retinder Sodhi, moved inexorably towards a four-wicket victory, reached eventually with 14 balls to spare,hordes of spectators twice invaded the pitch, stealing thestumps.Inadequate numbers of stewards and police struggled to keep orderand on the second occasion the Indian batsmen left the field, aspectator was hit on the head and lay in- jured on the outfieldfor several minutes and a skin-head Pakis- tan supporter was ledaway by police after having a stump wrested away. He was anadult, but most of the invaders were young: more over-enthusiastic than malevolent.There was further trouble after the game when pol- ice led awaymore trouble-makers and a spokesman said four spec- tators hadbeen arrested. It was clear that both the size and fervour ofthe crowd had taken the authorities by surprise. There wasbooing as well as cheering at the prize-giving.It was a quite inappropriate end to a lively match and a mostsuccessful tournament. Attracting 10 countries, run like clock-work until the final by the English Schools` Cricket Associa-tion, sponsored by Lombard with a #50,000 gift from the theLord`s Taverners, and televised from the semi- finals on bySky, the matches proved that all that separates 14 and 15-year-old would-be international players from the real thing isage, strength and experience.There was no difference in respect of raw talent, nor, alas, oftheatrical histrionics, fervent appealing and open, but notmalicious, dissent. No difference, even, in the advertising logoson the Indian shirts.Sodhi, a tall and already very accomplished right- handedopener, is clearly destined for stardom.India and Pakistan may not necessarily have been the bestsides in the tournament, but assuredly they were the most com-mitted and best organised. Both countries were backed by theirgovernments and had been planning for this event for 18months.Both finalists were unbeaten, so there was no ques- tioning theirright to be at Lord`s. What is more, some 8,000 of theirEngland-domiciled supporters turned up to watch, making a dinworthy of 80,000. They lent atmosphere to the day and those whoappreciated the finer points saw much stylish stroke-play andsome mature bowling, especially from the 13-year-old left-armspinner from Jalandhar, Rajiv Jolly, possibly the youngest toplay at Lord`s since Sir Colin Cowdrey in 1946. For Pakistan,Shazad Nazir already looks a fast bowler of immense promise.Pakistan were put into bat by the Indians on a heavy morningand on an ideal pitch were restricted to four an over despitea fine innings by the opener, Hasan Raja, from Karachi,whose 80 came from 108 balls.The Indians were hustled into a bad start by ag- gressivenew-ball bowling, but from 19 for two in the eighth over, theirsemi-final heroes, Retinder Sodhi and Pardeep Chawla, drove them,literally, into a position of control. Sodhi, a tall and al-ready very accomplished right-handed opener, is clearly des-tined for stardom.Keeping wicket Chawla spent too much time on the ground, buthis batting was wristy and neat. He and Sodhi put on 86 for thethird wicket, before Chawla drove a leg-break to mid-off. Hisdeceiver was Imran Qadir, son of Abdul and, as Burke said ofPitt the Younger, “not so much a chip off the old block as theold block itself”. But nothing would stop Sodhi, not leg-breaks, googlies or the Lord`s version yester- day of a sub-continental riot.Thank goodness, order was soon restored. Ken Lake, ESCA`s hard-working secretary, delighted with the camara- derie among allthe teams (there was a plate competition, won by Sri Lanka)hopes there may be another tournament for this age group infour years` time. The dangers are that a schoolboy competitionmight become a vehicle for xenophobes and that thistournament`s success will lead to commercial exploitation inap-propriate to amateur sport.

Norwich City midfielder Danel Sinani is set to join Huddersfield Town on loan, according to a fresh transfer rumour which emerged on Monday evening.

The Lowdown: No Norwich future for Sinani

The 24-year-old is still yet to make a first-team appearance for the Canaries and has only played once for the Under-23s, scoring in his only match.

It seems clear that there is no future for Sinani at Carrow Road, especially with Daniel Farke’s side now preparing for another season back in the Premier League.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Midfielder set for loan move

According to Football Insider’s Monday night development, Huddersfield are ‘in talks’ with Norwich over a loan move for Sinani, who spent last season at Belgian side Waasland-Beveren.

His current Canaries deal expires in the summer of 2023, with a recruitment source telling Football Insider that another temporary deal is now in the works.

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The Verdict: Permanent better?

It doesn’t look as though Sinani would have any chance of enjoying playing time for Norwich in 2021/22, so this could be a good thing for everyone concerned.

The player himself would benefit from regular starts in the Championship, while Huddersfield would hope he can add quality in the middle of the park – he has scored six goals in 34 appearances for Luxembourg, after all.

Should Sinani thrive there however, a permanent deal must surely be talked about further down the line, allowing Norwich to receive a fee for a player who clearly has no future at the club.

In other news, a journalist has tipped Norwich to sign an international midfielder this summer – find out who it is here.

Leeds United are reportedly ready to make a move for Manchester City midfielder Yangel Herrera this summer, according to a report which emerged on Wednesday evening.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Herrera move

The 23-year-old has spent the last two seasons on loan at Granada, with Pep Guardiola struggling to promise him playing time.

Herrera scored three times and registered one assist in La Liga last season, featuring in 32 of Granada’s 38 games in the competition.

Leeds have been linked with making a summer move for the 24-time capped Venezuela international and now a new report has emerged.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Fresh report emerges

According to El Gol Digital [via MOT Leeds News], Leeds are happy to pay £20.4million for Herrera’s services, seeing him as a strong midfield addition.

The report states that ‘everything indicates that he will be a Leeds player’, even though Atletico Madrid have shown an interest in signing him.

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The Verdict: Exciting big-money signing

Herrera could be a major coup for Leeds if they manage to get a deal over the line, especially as his admiration for Marcelo Bielsa is mentioned in the report.

The youngster has a huge amount of long-term potential, but he could be a key figure immediately at Elland Road, having averaged 1.8 tackles and 2.2 fouls per game in La Liga last season – he likes to get stuck in, also picking up seven yellow cards across the campaign.

Those figures suggest that he could do a similar job to Kalvin Phillips, in terms of thwarting the opposition, allowing him to dovetail effectively with the Leeds favourite and act as an able replacement when the talisman is injured or rotated.

In other news, a pundit has talked up the idea of Leeds signing one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Midwest Cricket Conference defeated the defending champions, International Cricket Management League, in the finals of the USACA Central East Region Regional tournament

Deb K Das07-Aug-2008Midwest Cricket Conference defeated the defending champions, International Cricket Management League, in the finals of the USACA Central East Region Regional tournament 2008, played at the Bloomer Park in Michigan.By Cricinfo’s unofficial estimate, the leagues at the tournament represented over 150 cricket clubs in the USA. This would make the tournament easily the largest in the country in 2008– a testimony to the growth of cricket in the US heartland.The Six Conferences/Leagues represented in the tournament were: 1. National Cricket League (NCL); 2. Directors’ XI (DXI) ; 3. Midwest Cricket Conference (MCC) ; 4. Great Lakes Cricket Conference (GLCC) ; 5. International Cricket Management League (ICML) , and 6. American Cricket Conference (ACC).The tournament was played in a round-robin unbalanced scheduling to complete two league games. The top two teams from the League stage, Midwest Cricket Conference and International Cricket Management League, qualified for the finals with undefeated records, and Midwest Cricket Conference won the grand finale to defeat the defending champions International Cricket Management League.Here are the box scores for all the matches played in the tournament.1. GLCC 235 for 9 (Shahzad Butt 95, Gautam Bala 37, Fahad Bin Aziz 3-20, Sunny 2-51) lost to ACC 236 for 7 (Mohit Saini 42, Mir Ali 25, Ashaar Mehdi 45, Kumar Devineni 2-43, Shahzad Butt 2-27) by three wickets2. NCL 132 all out (Faisal Baig 44, Shahid Munir 2-27, Mohammed Bakshi 5-28, Asif 2-18 ) lost to MCC 134 for 2 (Kabir Hussain 112*)3. ICML 260 all out (Razaak Malik Ahmed 68, Aamir Mustaq 32, Amber Abbas 57, Kumar Srinivasan 4-41, Mahesh Surya 3-36) beat Directors’ XI 156 all out ( Ali Ahmed 42, Sumitkumar Jagani 27, Mirza Baig 2-22, Niel S 2-19, Amber Abbas 5-21) by 104 runs4. ICML 240 for 7 (Razaaq Malik Ahmed 59, Aamir Mustaq 31, Farhan Syed 37, Wahaab Munir 29, Gautam 2-43, Mansab Butt 2-37) beat GLCC 103 all out (Shahzad Butt 29, Wahaab Munir 3 for 12, Asad Hussain 3 for 25, Razaaq Malik Ahmed 3-18) by 137 runs5. DXI 96 all out (Rup Narayan 3-31, Talha Mohsin 3-28, Hassan Aktar 2-17 ) lost to NCL 97 for 4 (John Titus 26, Talah Mohsin 25*, Kumar Srinivasan 2-34) by six wickets6. MCC 291 all out (Amit Kumar 85, Afroze Siddiqi 38, Shehzad Rasheed 48, Shahid Munir 28, Hashim Raza 2-54, Ashaar Medhi 2-36, Talha Zamir 2-33, Mir Ali 3-34) beat ACC 153 all out (Ashaar Medhi 42, Raheel Akthar 2-39, Mohammed Asif 4-33, Mohammed Bakshi 2-37)GRAND FINALE MCC 257 all out in 48.1 overs (Mohammed Bakshi 38, Amit Kumar 36, Afroz Siddiqi 72, Sohail Mohiuddin 7-53) beat ICML 65 all out (Raheel Akthar 2-28, Mohammed Yousuf 5-6) by 192 runs.