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The long-delayed Cricket Kenya elections are now on course to be held by the end of the year after the removal of the last obstacle posed by the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2012The long-delayed Cricket Kenya elections are now on course to be held by the end of the year after the removal of the last obstacle posed by the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association, which had delayed them taking place over the summer.The NPCA submitted its list of candidates for the CK board last week, ending months of wrangling over the validity of internal elections. Disgraced former CK CEO Tom Tikolo had won a court order earlier in the year preventing NCPA delegates from representing the association in elections which had originally been due to take place in February.Tikolo’s action prevented most of the country’s largest body, NCPA, from participating in the elections. He was then elected the NPCA Chairman last August even though he had been forced to stand down as CK chief executive at the end of 2009 after failing to account for board funds received by him.An unexpected outcome of the NPCA meeting was that Jackie Janmohamed was picked to stand for the post of CK chairman which is vacant after Samir Inamdar decided not to seek re-election. Janmohamed was a legal advisor for the old Kenyan Cricket Association which was removed from office in 2005.”We as Nairobi have decided that we want Janmohamed to take over the chairmanship at CK,” Tikolo said. “We don’t know who Coast and Rift Valley will put up so we expect a big battle. What we are working on is for CK and NPCA work together: I can assure you that we have sorted out all the problems we had since the year started.”

Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, called for “braver” batting from his team after their 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan that cost them the ODI series

Firdose Moonda11-Sep-2011Alan Butcher, the Zimbabwe coach, called for “braver” batting from his team after their 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan that cost them the ODI series. Butcher said their reluctance to try and score more quickly was due to a lack of confidence and that they are capable of scoring more runs if they changed their mindset.”I still feel that the side don’t necessarily believe in themselves as much as they should. We need to be braver if we are going to post totals that win matches.”Zimbabwe crawled to 225 for 6 after batting slowly on a pitch that was easier to score runs on than the surface in Bulawayo, where they also lost. Instead of showcasing their shots, Zimbabwe employed an ultra-cautious approach against the variations of Sohail Tanvir, Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema and even treated the spinners, whose role was almost negated by the strip, with circumspection.Butcher thinks that the batsmen’s watchfulness was overcompensation for the fear of being bundled out cheaply. “In the not too distant past we were prone to collapses and so people are perhaps a little bit wary of trying to expand their game too early in case we lose wickets and that’s may be holding us back a bit.”Both Zimbabwe’s openers were out by the 14th over with only 36 runs on the board and that prompted Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor to retreat into a shell and consolidate. They did not actively pierce the gaps and although they put on a century third-wicket partnership, they scored slowly. “Perhaps we were a bit inflexible in the way we tried to play,” Butcher said. “We were trying to hit the ball hard instead of deflect it and with the ball moving around a bit, we didn’t score enough runs in the third man and fine leg area which just dried up our scoring rate and made it easy for Pakistan to bowl to us.”The performance by Zimbabwe’s two senior batsmen did not go unappreciated though, with Masakadza’s a little overdue after a bit of a lean spell. “Without ever looking in prime form, Hamilton stuck through a lot of difficult periods and was just looking as if he was starting to strike the ball well when he was run out,” Butcher said.Taylor’s knock was needed for a different reason, to make up for the blunder he made at the toss, when he forgot the team’s plan and said they would like to bat instead of field. Taylor admitted his mistake in the post-match interview and Butcher said that it was not something that the team would dwell on. “We decided that we wanted to bowl, he [Taylor] happened to say the wrong thing,” Butcher said. “He stood up in front of everybody and said that’s what he did. It takes a big man to admit his mistake. It’s something that happens; we’ll have to live with that and move on.”Zimbabwe’s line-up were surprised to hear that they needed to take first guard, but Butcher did not see that as an excuse for them posting a below-par total and said they should have scored more. Taylor had a total of around 250 in mind, but Butcher could not be sure how many runs would have been enough to defend successfully, because Pakistan’s openers were in such devastating form. “If we’d got 250-260, it would have put them under a bit of pressure but that possibly wouldn’t have been enough, given the way they played and the pitch was a very good one.”Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s centurion was also pleased with the way the pitch played, with more bounce and carry on offer than Bulawayo. “We tried to spend more time on the wicket because it was easier to get runs than it was at Queens,” he said. “We were very determined to win this game because it was the decider of the three.”With the series won for Pakistan, Zimbabwe will have nothing but pride to play for in the dead rubber on September 14. Even though it will not change the outcome of the series, a good performance there will make a statement about the progression of cricket in the country.”Every game that we play is important on many levels, especially in terms of gaining credibility at international cricket and for individuals to show that they can perform at the top level,” Butcher said. “Of course we want to win because every game that we win is vital to the development of cricket in this country.”

New Zealand’s coach Mark Greatbatch has delivered a candid verdict on the efforts of his players in Bangladesh, declaring that they “played like dicks”

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2010New Zealand’s coach Mark Greatbatch has delivered a candid verdict on the efforts of his players in Bangladesh, declaring that they “played like d****”. Greatbatch was also scathing of the top order, suggesting that some of the batsmen simply weren’t good enough, and that it was “inexcusable” to lose 4-0 to Bangladesh.New Zealand play India in a three-match Test series that begins in Ahmedabad next Thursday. Although the format is different, Greatbatch hopes his players can use the Tests to regain some form and pride after the Bangladesh debacle, which resulted in meetings between senior New Zealand Cricket officials and team management.”When you play badly like that you’ve got to front up,” Greatbatch told . “It’s very devastating. We played like d**** really and I suppose there’s one positive thing, we’ve got a chance next week to actually put it right.”I think some [of the top order] aren’t good enough. I think some think they are better than they are and the third one I think is the mind. We’ve got to get our mind right and sometimes that requires patience, sometimes it requires being aggressive. What it requires is actually sorting out the cricket smarts and weighing up the situation that you’re playing in and we’ve got some work to do in all those areas.”Part of their plan to address the top-order problems, in the longer format at least, is for Brendon McCullum to move up into the top three for next week’s Test. McCullum made 86 in his four ODI innings in Bangladesh and he said it was to be expected that the players would come under the microscope following the disappointing tour.”I guess when you lose 4-0 in Bangladesh you can’t come home and expect a parade,” McCullum told the . “We didn’t play well and we’ve just got to cop it sweet. There’s no point in crying into your beer about it. You’ve just got turn the page and move on to the next tour. As long as we learn some lessons it’ll probably be good for us. It could be the best or worst thing that could happen.”Following the Ahmedabad Test, New Zealand travel to Hyderabad and Nagpur, and Greatbatch said given India’s strong record at home two draws from the series would be a good result. After the Tests there is a five-match ODI series, before the players fly back to New Zealand for a short break before taking on Pakistan at home.

ScorecardAn extraordinary return of 3 for 5 by Isle of Wight-born spinner Danny Briggs eased Hampshire to an emphatic 45-run Friends Provident t20 win over Kent in Canterbury. The 19-year-old slow-left arm spinner ran through the Kent middle order in the space of four overs to secure Hampshire’s sixth win in 11 in the South Group, while inflicting an eighth defeat on the Spitfires, who now look unlikely to qualify for the knockout stages.Batting first in what transpired to be a low-scoring clash on a spin-friendly pitch, Hampshire limped along at seven an over – a sedate pace for t20 – especially against an injury-ravaged Kent attack.Sean Ervine comfortably top-scored for the visitors, clattering 44 from 26 with six fours before he top-edged a catch to the keeper off Malinga Bandara.Otherwise none of the Royals top order moved to 20 as Sri Lankan legspinner Bandara took 3 for 14 and occasional offspinner Martin van Jaarsveld 3 for 25, a haul that included the experienced scalps of Nic Pothas (13) and Dominic Cork for a first-ball duck.Kent lost Joe Denly early in the reply when a crisp pull-shot against Chris Wood, which the right-hander believed might sail for six, simply picked out Jimmy Adams at deep square leg.Spitfires skipper Rob Key (22) and van Jaarsveld coaxed the home score through to 28 before Key, in looking to pull a short one from Wood through the leg side, bottom edged the ball onto his foot only to see it trickle back onto the stumps and remove one bail.Without the experienced duo of Darren Stevens and James Tredwell, both absent on England Lions duty, Kent’s rookie middle order struggled to hit boundaries as Hampshire skipper Cork took pace off the ball through Briggs.The teenage slow left-armer, who said afterwards he “didn’t bowl one bad ball”, had left-hander Alex Blake caught at backward square-leg off a miscued paddle and Matt Coles (one) snaffled at deep cover.Kent’s last hope rested on the shoulders of former Pakistan allrounder Azhar Mahmood, who reached 16 from 17 balls, but when he slogged across the line to be bowled, Kent’s hopes of progressing beyond the knockout stages went with him.Talking after securing the win with 21-balls to spare, Briggs said: “It came out well. I just kept to my plans and have got more confident as the tournament has gone on.”

Bangladesh will assess their captaincy situation following the one-day series against England after Shakib Al Hasan asked for a break from leadership duties

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's05-Jul-2010

Bangladesh will assess their captaincy situation following the one-day series against England after Shakib Al Hasan asked for a break from leadership duties as he struggled to combine all his roles. Mashrafe Mortaza is captain for the limited-overs matches, but coach Jamie Siddons hinted that Shakib was his preferred choice to guide the team into next year’s World Cup.Mortaza has only recently returned from a long-term knee injury which limited his participation during England’s tour of Bangladesh earlier this year to one disappointing ODI appearance. However, he has resumed the captaincy position that was his when he broke down in West Indies last July during the side’s famous victory at Kingstown.Shakib’s form has tailed off in recent months since he became the game’s leading allrounder. He averaged 13 with the bat in the Test series against England earlier in the season, although did manage eight wickets – including a five-wicket return at Old Trafford – with his left-arm spin, and followed that by scoring just 52 runs in three innings at the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.”Shakib was the main person behind the decision, he decided it was a bit much for him,” Siddons told Cricinfo. “His form was down with the bat and he needed a rest. Mashrafe was always going to come into the one-day side so it was a perfect chance for him to take the reins.”We’ll see how it goes after this tour, I think Shakib is ideally suited to the captaincy particularly leading into the World Cup but if Mash performs with the ball – and that’s his big challenge – he may be a good choice as well. If Shakib gets into form we may stick with it.”One good piece of news for Shakib as he strives to regain form is the absence of Graeme Swann, who has been rested for the series. Swann has dismissed Shakib five times in seven innings and it hadn’t escaped Siddons’ notice that the offspinner wouldn’t be around. “He’s been a thorn in our side so I’m happy to see him out and I’m sure Shakib is happy to see him gone,” he said.It is a gamble to put Mortaza back in the captaincy hot seat because he is still feeling his way back into the side and, although he remains the country’s leading pace bowler, he certainly isn’t the threat of a few years ago. Siddons, while backing Mortaza for the three ODIs which start on Thursday, added that it was vital he justified his position in the team.”The body I think will get through it’s just the form and the performance,” he said. “I think he’s dropped a yard of pace so we’ll have to see how he goes against the big boys. England certainly won’t hold back on him so we’ll see how he stands up. If he swings the ball he’ll be fine.”England will be expected to collect another whitewash in the one-day series, but Siddons warned that his team can pull off a surprise. They should have won the second match in Dhaka earlier in the year but couldn’t stop Eoin Morgan, and the visitors will look to Tamim Iqbal to continue his form from the Tests where he scored two thrilling hundreds.”If Tamim goes off in any of these three one-day games England are in a whole heap of trouble,” Siddons said. “We can put on a big score if the other guys bat around him. Anything is possible. Each time I speak to him he is learning more about the game. He will get out silly sometimes, but he is the bloke who sets up big scores which win matches. I won’t be pulling him back.”One man who has returned to the squad, although is unlikely to feature at the start of the series after Siddons said the batting line-up which piled up 301 for 7 against Middlesex was his No. 1 choice, is 22-year-old Raqibul Hasan who stormed out of the squad on the eve of the first Test in Chittagong.”There was a bit of a battle to get him back in, but he’s one of our really good up-and-coming young players,” Siddons said. “He needs to stay in this group to develop, a bit like Jahurul [Islam] who has just come in and is developing. It’s great to have Raqibul back and to see Jahurul making runs – they are the future of Bangladesh.”We have to keep them. Both of them are potentially world-class players and down the track should be there for years to come when Bangladesh come good.”

Falling crowds at Twenty20 matches will be high on the agenda when county chairmen meet at Edgbaston on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2010Falling crowds at Twenty20 matches will be high on the agenda when county chairmen meet at Edgbaston on Tuesday.Launched in 2003, Twenty20 proved an instant success with the public with huge crowds attending matches. But the competition has been massively expanded and there is now a growing feeling that the format is overexposed and the public is tiring of it. This season there are 151 matches, with each county playing eight home matches.”We do need some kind of change,” Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove told the Daily Telegraph. “This is the crucial time. We have had a couple of opportunities and not got it right. We now have to look at it again and decide what we are going to do to explore the fantastic opportunities Twenty20 provides. We are running out of chances.”The first four or five years of Twenty20 competition witnessed massive crowds, the zenith being when almost 30,000 watched Middlesex play Surrey at Lord’s in 2004. Many other larger grounds also sold out, and buoyed by this success the ECB took the decision to increase the number of matches.It is common knowledge attendances have been down this season. While some counties still attract good crowds, the major grounds have seen a dramatic falling off in interest. Warwickshire, which at one time expected close to capacity at Edgbaston, have averaged 3000 a game this year, and it is a similar story at many other counties.A source at The Oval told Cricinfo the counties had to take their share of the responsibility. “Who do you think asked for more matches?” he said. “The counties saw Twenty20 as the cash cow and they pushed the ECB to give them more games. Now the public are voting with their feet, the same people are moaning it’s all the ECB’s fault.”Another administrator said the timings of matches were a turn-off as well as the cost. “When it all started there were a handful of games, so the scarcity value made them must-see events, and the ticket prices were low. Now prices have rocketed and there are too many games in too short a time. Not many people can afford £20 a night eight or nine times in six weeks. So they come to one or two and miss the rest. It’s the same audience, it’s just been diluted. And when the buzz of a full ground becomes a more stilted atmosphere of a two-thirds-empty one, then the casual fans stop being drawn in as well.”The county chairmen are expected to demand another revamp of the format, with more weekend matches and a competition spread over the season. That is unlikely to find favour, either with the ECB or with Sky, who have broadcast rights and want a product which fills the void between football seasons.The other main area under discussion will be the county championship. The ECB continues to press for reform and earlier this year put forward five alternative proposals for change, but it is expected the chairmen will opt to leave things as they are.

West Ham United could be set to hand Darren Randolph a new contract at the London Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Sami Mokbel, with the Daily Mail journalist revealing a post on Twitter that, following his link with a move to Aston Villa, David Moyes has no intention of sanctioning the departure of the 34-year-old this month, before going on to claim that the 58-year-old could even hand the Hammers third-choice shot-stopper a new deal in East London.

This comes following an earlier claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider stating that West Ham are keen to move the goalkeeper on this winter – something that is largely down to the former Republic of Ireland international’s hefty weekly wage, which Moyes would rather spend on other areas of his squad.

However, in his tweet, Mokbel said: “Darren Randolph proposed move to Aston Villa unlikely to happen. David Moyes wants him to stay at West Ham and views him as a big part of the dressing room. Randolph could now be handed a new contract.”

Fans will be fuming

While Randolph is undoubtedly an extremely decent option as a third-choice goalkeeper, the fact remains that the goalkeeper is currently taking home a whopping £42k-per-week on his current deal, something that, considering his number of appearances this season, would indeed appear to be a waste of money – as ExWHUemployee suggests.

In the current campaign, the 34-year-old is yet to make a single appearance for the Hammers, with Lukasz Fabianski being Moyes’ first choice in the position, while Alphonse Areola has typically featured in both the Europa League and domestic cup competitions.

In fact, since the Irons resigned Randolph in a £4m deal two years ago this month, the ‘keeper has made a grand total of just nine appearances in all competitions, with only five of these outings coming in the Premier League.

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of West Ham fans claimed that they would like to see the club allow Randolph to leave the London Stadium on a free transfer this month, as a result of the veteran shot-stopper’s lack of game time and hefty weekly wage.

As such, should the Irishman indeed be in line for a new deal in East London, as Mokbel suggests, it would undoubtedly leave fans of the Hammers fuming – and we have to say, we can understand why.

In other news: Sheth drops major WHU transfer update on “bombshell” signing, fans will be buzzing

Injury expert Ben Dinnery believes Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi could be out for four weeks with his current muscle problem, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Ange’s comments

Furuhashi injured his hamstring in the final game before the winter break against St Johnstone and missed Celtic’s first game back against Hibernian on Monday evening due to injury alongside Albian Ajeti, Christopher Jullien, Karamoko Dembele and David Turnbull.

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The 26-year-old, who has contributed to 21 goals in 26 games as a Hoops player, is expected to be out for at least a couple more weeks, Ange Postecoglou confirmed.

That means he is at risk of missing the Glasgow derby against Rangers on February 2, in what could be a crucial fixture at Celtic Park with Postecoglou’s side currently four points adrift at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

The Latest: Dinnery reacts

Dinnery was talking to Football Insider regarding Furuhashi’s injury. This is what he had to say in reply, believing the Japan international could ultimately miss four weeks of action and urged Celtic to be cautious when it comes to a return.

“There are high re-injury and recurrence rates with these injuries.

“That first month is where we see the highest recurrence rates, so we need to be very careful.

“When you suffer a setback, typically you are looking at how long you’ve spent on the sidelines previously and then adding to that.

“He was injured in the Boxing Day fixtures and he’s just returned, so we’re talking a couple of weeks there.

“If he’s been back on the training pitches for around 10 to 14 days, the assumption is it’s a fairly low-grade tear.

“It’s really unfortunate but maybe we’re looking at that two to four week period that he might miss.

“It’s one of those injuries where it makes sense to take a little bit more time with it. The longer you take, the more likely you are to stay fit afterwards.

“Around 40 per cent of all muscle injuries are hamstring injuries. Around the winter months, we see very high prevalence because of the schedule.

“There is likely fatigue involvement, so with Kyogo, we’re looking at maybe early February before he returns.”

The Verdict: Maeda set for first Glasgow derby?

Should Dinnery’s prediction prove accurate and Furuhashi’s absence stretch to four weeks, he will miss the meeting with Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.

That could mean that new signing Daizen Maeda will get a first Glasgow derby start, and he proved against Hibernian he is more than up to the task when it comes to leading the line.

It took the 24-year-old just four minutes to score his first Celtic goal, and if he can continue his positive start, you’d expect him to feature ahead of Giorgos Giakoumakis and the injured Furuhashi and Ajeti against Rangers.

In other news: Transfer request submitted – Celtic handed boost as news emerges on possible 5th winter recruit. 

Everton could be well on their way to making their third signing at the club, a signing that reunites Rafa Benitez with a familiar face whilst offloading a problem for the Spanish manager.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports have reported that Everton have made an offer to sign Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff this winter.

However, the Magpies are keen to hold onto the player, despite the 24-year-old being out of contract in the summer.

That said, according to Keith Downie, Lucas Digne could be used in the deal as a sweetener.

Everton manager, Benitez, worked with the Geordie midfielder when he was managing Newcastle United from 2016 until 2019 when his contract expired with the North East club.

Benitez would love him

Benitez had always been full of praise for Longstaff when he worked with him, hailing the player “humble” when talking about him during his time in the toon:

“He is somebody who will continue to get better because he listens to you and works hard. He’s very humble.”

“My understanding is that his family and the people around him are focused and will give him the right advice.”

The Spanish manager will be hoping the £23k-per-week gem is given the right advice to join Everton this January, with the deal rumoured to include left-back, Digne, who has been frozen out of the side after a training ground argument with the manager about tactics.

Longstaff has made 14 appearances for Newcastle with one goal and one assist this season so far, and just over a month ago, OptaJoe released a statistic on Twitter that the Magpies midfielder had applied the most pressure to his opposition in the Premier League.

Everton are not short of midfielders, so it will be interesting to see how Benitez will fit Longstaff into his line-up’s for Everton or who he will drop out to accommodate the new addition if he does make the move to Goodison Park this month.

Either way, he is certainly a player the Spaniard would love to be reunited with judging by his previous comments.

In other news: Rafa can axe Seamus Coleman after securing new signing

Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side return to Premier League action this afternoon as Norwich City visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 52-year-old’s reign at Spurs has got off to an impressive start – embarrassing UEFA Europa Conference League defeat aside – with the club picking up seven points from the Italian’s first three league games in charge.

However, while Newcastle United’s win over Burnley on Saturday means that the Canaries come into the fixture as the 20th placed side in the top flight, Dean Smith’s men are currently on a run of four games without defeat in the league, with Conte undoubtedly being well aware that Spurs will have to be at their best if they are to pick up all three points in North London.

So, will the 52-year-old make any changes to the side that started the 2-0 win over Brentford on Thursday evening? Here’s how we’re predicting Tottenham will line up against City, along with the latest team and injury news.

With Antonio Conte recently confirming that Giovani Lo Celso – as well as long-term absentee Cristian Romero – will once again miss out on Sunday’s fixture due to injury, we expect the Spurs coach to make two changes to his starting XI against Norwich.

Indeed, as previously mentioned, Conte will know that Norwich can pose something of a threat despite their lowly league standing, leading us to believe the Italian will not rotate his squad too much – something which will likely be saved for Thursday evening’s European fixture against Stade Rennais.

As such, the back six of Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies, Eric Dier, Davison Sanchez, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson remains unchanged from midweek.

The first alteration comes in the middle of the park, with Tanguy Ndombele – who Noel Whelan dubbed a “frustrating” player – taking the place of 21-year-old Oliver Skipp, in a bid to increase the fluidity of the Tottenham attack.

The second change comes in the front three, with the £80k-per-week Lucas Moura dropping to the bench after a disappointing performance against Brentford, being replaced by Steven Bergwijn – who Conte recently took the time to praise.

Speaking about the potential of the 24-year-old winger, the former Inter Milan boss said: “I think Steven could also be a good option. We have a world-class striker as a number nine in Harry [Kane]… but in the past, I have seen that Son played in this position. Honestly, I prefer Son to play as a number 10 that he is now playing.

“I like to have a point of reference as a number nine. Steven is working and we are utilising him also in this position, in the three positions of the striker. Steven could be a good option on the day that I want to give a rest to Harry.”

With that in mind, it must be the Dutchman’s chance to shine in attack for the Lilywhites.

In other news: Conte offered £157k-p/w beast who’s “impossible to mark”, he’d solve a huge THFC issue