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Pakistan’s ODI vice-captain Shahid Afridi has quashed rumours about an ongoing rift with captain Younis Khan

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2009Pakistan’s ODI vice-captain Shahid Afridi has quashed rumours about an ongoing rift with captain Younis Khan, and believes Younis is the ideal man to lead the team.”I am fed up of the thousand and one stories doing the rounds about me and Younis not getting along or me playing in the hands of a certain lobby, my lust for captaincy and the like,” he told , the Pakistan daily. “I take this opportunity to clarify once and for all that Younis and I go a long way as friends, almost 15 years, and are mature enough to discuss and sort out any problem under the sun in an amicable way.”We won the World Twenty20 in June this year under Younis’ leadership and there’s no reason why I should not back him for leading the team and the country to more such laurels in the future.”A mountain was made out of a molehill by some quarters about my meeting with the PCB chief earlier this month, which, centered around the Twenty20 planning and not captaincy. But I am quite used to such rumours of discord or leadership difference which surface everytime Pakistan lose a key match or a tournament. I am not unfazed by them anymore.”Afridi, who was appointed Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain after Younis retired from the shortest format after the World Twenty20, said he was not aware of any lobby working to remove Younis as captain, but advised that the problems should be sorted out in a mature manner.”When so many people with varying temperaments are thrown together for several weeks or months on a tour, things of course cannot always be trouble-free,” Afridi said “But cricket is through and through a team game, more than any other sports perhaps. I feel the players, the skipper and the team management should accommodate each other on all fronts to make it a success on the field.”Having completed 13 international years in the game, Afridi said the experience had taught him to handle things better, both personally and professionally. “I have come to realise that no one is bigger than the game and holding grudges will not do anyone any good. At the end of the day, only your performance for the country matters, difference of opinion should not dictate your game, never.”Afridi said the team was looking to avenge the Champions Trophy semi-final defeat against New Zealand, in the upcoming limited-overs series in the UAE. “We will not be taking them lightly but one thing I can tell you with confidence; we are definitely better prepared for them this time,” Afridi said. “So bring on the Vettoris, the Bonds, the Kyle Mills. We are ready for you.”About his future plans as Twenty20 captain, Afridi said he had around 25 or 30 players in mind, who could form the nucleus for the next year’s World Twenty20 in West Indies. “I have certain ideas about grooming some of the younger players and building a solid team for 2010.”

Tottenham Hotspur reporter Alex Crook has revealed how excited the Spurs squad is to work under Antonio Conte, the club’s new manager.

The Lowdown: Spurs hire Conte

Antonio Conte has been hired as Tottenham’s new manager, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo after the Portuguese was sacked on Monday. The Italian has put pen to paper on an 18-month contract.

It is not yet sure whether he will take charge of the club’s match in the UEFA Europa Conference League against Vitesse Arnhem (via The Express), where Spurs could do with a win as they sit third in their group, but he will definitely be in dugout for the Premier League clash with Everton at the weekend.

The Lilywhites have fallen behind their rivals in the race for European football next season, but a win against the Toffees could turn things around quickly – three points may even put Conte’s new squad within a win of the top four if other results go their way.

The Latest: Crook makes squad claim

Speaking to talkSPORT, Crook dropped a behind the scenes verdict from Hotspur Way on how much Spurs’ players are looking forward to working with Conte. He explained:

“The vibe I’m getting is the players are genuinely quite excited and quite enthused by this.”

The Verdict: About time…

Conte is the fifth manager some of Spurs’ squad will have played under in north London in just under three years. Mauricio Pochettino was much-loved (via The Metro), but since then, the Lilywhites have failed to find the right boss to take over a squad that contains plenty of top talent such as Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

In fact, it has looked in recent times like some star members of the squad have dialled it in – Kane was lambasted by Roy Keane last weekend – so the news that they are ‘excited and enthused’ is long overdue.

As long as the players buy in to what Conte tries to do, Spurs could enjoy unexpected success. For example, the Italian led Chelsea to the Premier League title the season after they have finished 10th in the table, while the Serie A title won at Inter last season came after Juve had won the trophy nine seasons on the trot.

However, as he showed with his treatment of Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge (via The BBC), he will not take any prisoners. It depends on the Spurs players themselves whether they can enjoy success under Conte.

In other news, Tottenham met with club directors to discuss a move for this 21-year-old.

National Bank of Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Talha has targetted 50 wickets in this season’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009National Bank of Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Talha has set 50 wickets in the current Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and a role in Pakistan’s tour of Australia as his targets for the season.The 21-year-old from Faisalabad, who has represented Pakistan just once, in the ill-fated Test against Sri Lanka back in March, told he was happy with his form so far this season.”I’ve managed to take 17 wickets in the four matches that I have played so far and it’s been great bowling in tandem with Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer,” Talha said. “Asif is really helpful in providing advice on how to bowl to different batsmen and he really encourages me. It’s great having someone as experienced as Asif alongside me in the team.”Talha, who managed figures of 1 for 88 on Test debut, has been overlooked by the selectors since. However, he was happy with slight changes that had been made to his run-up recently and hoped to get a look-in for the tour of Australia.”I feel in good shape and am comfortable with my run up and action,” Talha said. “I hope I can continue to have a successful season with National Bank and make the Australia tour. For now, though, the most important thing is for me to concentrate on the match against Sui Southern Gas Corporation”.

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas is set for a move away from Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Giannis Chorianopoulos, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that the 27-year-old shot-stopper looks to be on his way out of Parkhead, with the Bhoys looking to part ways with the Greek international this winter on either a temporary or permanent basis.

In his tweet, Chorianopoulos said: “Vasilis Barkas is about to leave from Celtic [in] January. On loan or permanent.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how little Barkas has featured for Celtic since his £4.5m move to Glasgow in the summer of 2020, in addition to, when the goalkeeper has featured, how poor the Greece international has looked for the club, the news that the shot-stopper is set to move onto pastures new this January will undoubtedly leave Celtic fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 15 Scottish Premiership appearances last season, the £2.52m-rated ‘keeper made an average of just one save and conceded 0.7 goals per game.

These returns saw the 27-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore rating of a mere 6.79, ranking him as the Bhoys’ joint ninth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

As a result of these disappointing performances, Celtic made a move to sign Joe Hart in the summer transfer window, with the former England international’s arrival all but confirming the end of Barkas’ career at Parkhead – with the shot-stopper having made just one appearance under Ange Postecoglou this season.

As such, considering the fact that the Greek international is still collecting his £9k-per-week wage in Glasgow, despite appearing to have very little chance of featuring for the Hoops once again, the news that Celtic are planning to offload the goalkeeper in the upcoming transfer window is undoubtedly positive for the club – as Barkas is rather stealing a living at present.

In other news: Signed for peanuts, sold for £13m: Celtic struck gold on “outstanding” 30 y/o monster

Yuvraj Singh’s participation in the opening match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka is in doubt after he complained of pain in his left little finger

Cricinfo staff13-Dec-2009Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh’s participation in the opening match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka is in doubt after he complained of pain in his little finger on the left hand while fielding during the second Twenty20 in Mohali on Saturday. A final decision will be taken on Monday, the eve of the match in Rajkot.”The team management will give every possible opportunity to Yuvraj play the first ODI but the final call would be taken only tomorrow,” a team source said, adding that it could take upto three weeks for him to recover, effectively ruling him out of the five-match series.Yuvraj, who took 3 for 23 in Mohali, didn’t bowl his full quota of overs and bowled only three before he was taken off after the 17th over. However, the injury didn’t affect his batting as he slammed an unbeaten 60 off 25 balls, hitting five sixes, to help India comfortably chase down 207 with five balls to spare.He was taken to a clinic in Rajkot late on Sunday evening after complaining of pain and later took an X-ray. Niranjan Shah, the president of the Saurashtra Cricket Association, told PTI that a final decision will be taken after examining the report submitted by the orthopedic surgeon.He could be replaced by batsman Virat Kohli, who was called-up a cover for Gautam Gambhir, who was suspected to have been struck with swine flu on the eve of the Mohali game, which was later diagnosed as negative.

A promising update has emerged on Rangers’ managerial pursuit, regarding Gio van Bronckhorst’s discussions with the club.

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports News have reported that Gio van Bronckhorst is holding further talks with the Gers over a potential move to the club, having spoken with the club last weekend.

Journalist Haley McQueen has revealed that the two sides are meeting to discuss a deal, although there are other candidates who remain in the mix.

The presenter said on Sky Sports News (16/11/21), via Football Daily:

“A bit of breaking news comes from Scotland concerning Rangers.

“Sky Sports News have been told that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is having further talks with Rangers about the vacant managerial position since, of course, Steven Gerrard left to take up the position at Aston Villa.

“It’s understood he is not the only candidate, though.

“The club are pleased with the progress they are making.”

Fans surely happy

Rangers fans will surely be happy with this update as it shows enthusiasm from van Bronckhorst to hold more talks with the club, whilst it also proves that the club are making real progress in their search for a new boss.

The Dutchman does not appear to view this job as a favour towards anyone due to his previous spell in Glasgow with the initial signals indicating that he is genuinely interested in the job and wants to be a success, given that he is now in a second round of talks.

Van Bronckhorst has an impressive C.V in Dutch football and could, potentially, earn himself a high-profile gig in his home country, but instead, he’s wanting to branch out and return to Scotland, showing his appetite for a challenge.

The ex-Gers defender spent four seasons with Feyenoord in the Netherlands and ended his tenure with an excellent haul of five trophies, with one Eredivise and four cups. He averaged 1.99 points per game across 176 matches in charge of the club, showing that he was able to consistently set his team up to win points more often than not, leading to his success in the silverware department.

This is another reason supporters should be pleased with this update, as it suggests that Rangers are serious about moving forward with a manager whose C.V indicates he’d be a shrewd appointment.

Irrespective of whether or not a better coach ends up getting the job, for now, the fans will be happy that a promising, successful, manager is firmly in the running and eager to take on the role.

It will be interesting to see where Wilson does go from here. As it stands, van Bronckhorst remains in contention for the job, but no final decision has been made on the new manager of Gers and the next few days could be exciting for supporters following events as the other candidates are potentially revealed.

AND in other news, “I’d be surprised”: Rangers insider makes manager claim that’ll leave fans frustrated…

Marcus North is not in danger of losing his place for this week’s Hobart Test but Simon Katich’s position in the team won’t be clear until after training on Monday afternoon

Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2010Marcus North is not in danger of losing his place for this week’s Hobart Test but Simon Katich’s position in the team won’t be clear until after training on Monday afternoon. Katich is battling an elbow injury that he sustained during the Boxing Day Test and the coach Tim Nielsen said Australia remained unsure of Katich’s prospects.He missed the Sydney victory and is hoping to be fit for the final Test of the summer, against Pakistan at Bellerive Oval starting on Thursday. Phillip Hughes remains on standby for Katich, who will bat properly for the first time in the nets in Hobart on Monday.”While he’s probably had a few throwdowns and picked up a bat, he was still tender at the end of the Test match in Sydney,” Nielsen said in the . “We’ve tried to give him as long as we could to prove his fitness. Our first run-around [on Monday] will give him a pretty clear indication of whether he is right to go or not.”Regardless of whether Katich is cleared to play, there is no doubt over the No. 6 North, despite his shaky results this season. In his five Tests at home this summer, North has scored 186 runs at 23.25 and he hasn’t passed 10 in his past four innings.”In this Test match, he’s safe,” Nielsen said of North. “We’ll have Phil there as a standby player for Simon as in Sydney. We must keep in perspective it was only a couple of months ago that Marcus had three centuries in five Tests. He’s having a bit of a dip in form at the moment.”It happens in our game, different players go through rough trots. He’s a good player and I’m sure he will perform this week. Probably the major thing is he hasn’t been able to get through that difficult period from nought to 20. It’s been one of those summers for him, perhaps a little bit like what Michael Hussey went through, and he’s come out the other end playing so well.”Australia can complete a 3-0 clean-sweep against Pakistan if they win in Hobart, and such a result would give them five wins from six Tests at home this season. But Nielsen said there were plenty of areas in which the team needed to improve, and certain individuals would be keen to do just that in their last chance for the summer.”The biggest thing for us is that while we had a tremendous result in Sydney, we certainly didn’t play at our best for the four days,” Nielsen said. “It’s good to go into the last Test match on such a high, but I think there’s probably a few guys who feel they could do a little better personally as well. It’d be nice to finish off our Test match summer now with a really complete performance.”

Tottenham Hotspur are considered the front-runners to secure coveted transfer target Stefan de Vrij, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Italian outlet Calciomercato claim Spurs are interested in a move to sign the Inter Milan centre-back and the Serie A champions could be open to selling him in the future.

His departure could raise finances to subsequently reinvest in a younger alternative, one that will be of more use to Simeone Inzaghi in the long term.

It remains to be seen how much de Vrij would command, though Transfermarkt currently value him at £45m, with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2023.

Major coup

The Lilywhites may remain unbeaten in all three matches under Antonio Conte, but their defensive problems are bubbling beneath the surface and sooner or later, this will be a big problem for the 52-year-old.

It is no surprise that he is targeting the addition of two new centre-backs this winter, per Duncan Castles.

Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez played a big part in last season’s turmoil at the back, whilst Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon may not be considered ready, and even left-back Ben Davies has been filling in as the only left-footed option.

Their problems have evidently continued into the current campaign as Spurs have the worst goal difference of any team ranked 16th or better right now.

Whilst summer signing Cristian Romero is seemingly acing a pretty length stint on the sidelines with what has been described as a “serious” hamstring injury.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-updates-transfers-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

The Netherlands international is someone Conte knows well from their time together at the San Siro, where last season, he not only contributed to their title triumph but also towards them having the best defensive record in the league.

He will know too well about the Italian’s demands and system, so he would need little time to settle in and that not to mention his obvious qualities as an experienced 54-cap colossus.

In 2020/21, de Vrij averaged an impressive 93.8% passing accuracy across 32 appearances, excelling with the ball at his feet, on top of two aerial duels won and 1.3 interceptions per league outing, via WhoScored.

“Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster!,” claimed ex-Lazio teammate Mauricio to ESPN (via Football Italia), before later adding: “He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

Also dubbed a “world-beater” by former top-flight striker Noel Whelan to Football Insider, the Inter Milan beast could be exactly what Conte needs to kickstart his era in north London.

Given their issues defensively, he could quite easily become Spurs’ biggest and best signing since Heung-min Son, who has made a big impact over the years.

Lilywhites chief Fabio Paratici must look to seal a move for de Vrij as early as January.

AND in other news, Conte could have a secret weapon at Spurs in rarely-seen £18m-rated “big, big talent”…

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic may have picked up all three points at Parkhead on Thursday evening but it didn’t come without a hefty blow for the Hoops.

As appears to be tradition this term, the Bhoys receive a plethora of injury blows which really dampens the mood inside Paradise.

Christopher Jullien has already been missing all year while the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Tom Rogic, Carl Starfelt and Greg Taylor to name a few have all had spells on the treatment table.

Taylor has been a big miss with Josip Juranovic forced to play out of position but he may now gain a chance to play in his favoured role at right-back this weekend against Dundee United.

That’s because Anthony Ralston was one of three injury victims in the 1-0 win over Hearts on Thursday evening.

Opportunity knocks

Not only does a fantastic chance now present itself for Juranovic to slot in on the right, but it also opens up an avenue of selection at left-back.

With Ralston and Taylor out, Postecoglou could pick either Boli Bolingoli or Adam Montgomery in that position. However, he’d do well to also consider a lesser-spotted Liam Scales.

The Irishman has played just 44 minutes of first-team football since arriving from Shamrock Rovers in the summer, struggling to make an impression on the manager.

Capable of playing in a number of positions, however, he should prove to be a useful asset for the manager going forward.

Despite being the tender age of 23, he can play on the wing, in the middle of defence or at full-back. It’s in that final role where he tends to star, specifically on the left-hand side where he uses his long 6 foot 2 levers and rampant offensive skills to get forward with devastating effect.

Speaking about him in the past, Collie O’Neill, his former manager at UCD, once remarked: “Liam likes to get forward. It’s not often you have guys on the wing who are tall and attacking, but when he gets going into his stride, he’s quick and strong. He can just whip past people.”

That eye-catching review should do enough to whet the appetite of Celtic fans who may be a little downbeat after reading of Ralston’s new injury problem.

Watching Scales come into the team, though, would be a treat, especially as they are yet to see a great deal of their summer signing in action.

That said, when you consider his outstanding offensive and physical traits, he’s surely everything Postecoglou is looking for at such short notice. Montgomery is still incredibly young while Bolingoli has proven himself to be a liability on frequent occasions.

Thus, it must be Scales’ time to show the Celtic Park faithful what he can do.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Alan Nixon delivers promising Celtic update that will leave fans buzzing…

Reportedly, the Maharashtra Under-19 team, who were playing Punjab in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy semi-final, staged a walkout on the second day after claiming the Mohali wicket was “underprepared and poor”

Cricinfo staff14-Jan-2010Close on the heels of the Feroze Shah Kotla pitch fiasco during the fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi, curator Daljit Singh has come under criticism for a similar incident in Mohali.Reportedly, the Maharashtra Under-19 team, who were playing Punjab in the Under-19 Cooch Behar Trophy semi-final, staged a walkout on the second day after claiming the wicket tended to by him was “underprepared and poor”.The visitors protested against playing in such conditions, and complained of poor light as well as high-handedness by the match officials, after umpires sent a player off the field for disciplinary reasons. The match was eventually awarded to Punjab.Ajay Shirke, the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president and former BCCI vice-president said the association would file a written complaint to the Indian board. “Five batsmen got seriously hurt, they were hit on their elbow, groin, stomach,” Shirke told the . “It’s documented on video. It was a poor, underprepared wicket and it’s pitiable that the semi-final of such a prestigious tournament for juniors was held in such conditions.”The wicket was not covered before the start and the match started only at 12:45 pm because of a damp wicket and poor light. It was then called off at 3:47 pm again. Within two-and-a-half hours, we lost eight wickets. Until this match, the boys have scored more than 300 runs in every innings, including 477 against this very side in the league phase.”However, GS Walia, the Punjab Cricket Association joint secretary, defended the Mohali pitch and dismissed Shirke’s claims. “The pitch was prepared according to the domestic standards with utmost professionalism,” Walia said. “It is just an excuse to get away from their irrational behaviour on the field. Neither the Maharashtra captain nor the manager during, or right after, the match complained about the pitch.”The India-Sri Lanka ODI on December 27 last year was called off after 23.3 overs, during which Sri Lankan players received body blows more than once. Daljit, who was the curator, was sacked as chairman of the BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee soon after.