All posts by h716a5.icu

ADELAIDE, Dec 18 AAP – South Australia plans to play three spinners to cope with an expected heat wave and a very flat Adelaide Oval pitch in the Pura Cup cricket match against Western Australia starting here tomorrow.

Sam Lienert18-Dec-2002ADELAIDE, Dec 18 AAP – South Australia plans to play three spinners to cope with an expected heat wave and a very flat Adelaide Oval pitch in the Pura Cup cricket match against Western Australia starting here tomorrow.SA skipper Greg Blewett said all three slow bowlers in the Redbacks 12 – John Davison, Mark Higgs and Brad Young – were likely to be included in the final 11 tomorrow morning.”That’s a real possibility, we’ll make the final decision tomorrow when we have another look at the wicket,” Blewett said.”But with the weather that’s forecast, and as I can bowl a bit as well … that’s the way we’re probably leaning at this stage.”SA has also included debutant Shaun Tait, a 20-year-old fast bowler who is the leading wicket-taker in the Adelaide club competition, and whom Blewett said had the ability to bowl dangerously quick.”He’s given me a couple sore toes in the nets, especially last season I got a couple on the feet,” he said.”He’s sharp and he adds a new dimension to our bowling attack.”This year we’ve been quite steady and just tried to keep it at two or three runs per over, but certainly with him coming in he is just raw pace and really lets them go.”We’re aiming to bowl him in fairly short bursts and just tell him to bowl as quick as he can.”Fellow SA paceman Paul Rofe said he was looking forward to bowling with Tait.”He does bowl fast and he tries to scare a few blokes, so that should be exciting, I think,” Rofe said.But he said the pitch and weather conditions could make things difficult for pacemen.With Test opener Justin Langer in the WA side, Rofe said dismissing him quickly would be crucial to SA’s chances, as he has shown a strong liking for the Adelaide Oval pitch in the past.”Hopefully we can get him out so he doesn’t bat all day, because he can quite easily do that,” Rofe said.WA today lost Brad Hogg and Ryan Campbell, who were called up to the Australian one-day side, from its squad.All-rounder Kade Harvey is a late replacement for Hoggwhile youngster Luke Ronchi, who impressed in his Pura Cup debut last week by scoring 90 and 33 against Tasmania, will replace Campbell in the Warriors team.Teams:SA: Greg Blewett (captain), Chris Davies, John Davison, Shane Deitz, David Fitzgerald, Ben Higgins, Mark Higgs, Paul Rofe, Mike Smith, Shaun Tait, Jeff Vaughan, Brad Young (12th man to be named).WA: Justin Langer (c), Mike Hussey (VC), Jo Angel, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges, Brad Williams, Paul Wilson.

The Athletic have dropped an update regarding West Ham’s pursuit of Genk striker Paul Onuachu…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Irons are one of the Premier League clubs interested in a deal to sign the 27-year-old this summer. The report claims that Watford, Arsenal and the Hammers have all looked at the attacker as a potential target ahead of next season.

Genk are demanding a fee of £20m for their top scorer and this has put Watford off as they may not have the funds to facilitate such a transfer following their promotion back to the Premier League, handing a boost to West Ham’s hopes of signing him.

Fans will be buzzing

West Ham fans will surely be buzzing with this news. For starters, the update has seemingly ruled out Watford as serious contenders for his signature as they do not have the financial muscle to compete with the Hammers or Arsenal in a straight transfer shootout. This means that David Moyes could have a greater chance of being able to sign the attacker to bolster his squad.

The injury-prone Michail Antonio has been the club’s top scorer in each of the past two seasons with 10 goals in the Premier League. This suggests that there is room in West Ham’s squad for a prolific goalscorer to come in and be the main source of goals in the top flight, which is where Onuachu could come in useful.

Former England international John Fashanu hailed the Nigerian forward as a “goal king” earlier this year and said that he is proving to people that he is a number one option at the top end of the pitch.

He told The Punch, via Goal.com: “I remember when I said he was a great player and that he was the player that we needed and now I was right. I think everybody else has seen how football has to be understood at the right level.

“I want to tell Onuachu well done and a big congratulation because he has proved to everybody that he is still number one and indeed a goal king.

“Let’s just try to say we are not trying to prove anybody wrong but that we can have a successful team with the right players.”

This shows how highly Onuachu is regarded as a goalscorer. His record for Genk in Belgium is outstanding, with 45 goals and seven assists in 69 competitive games for the club, including 29 goals in 33 league matches during the 2020/21 campaign.

Therefore, he could be a sublime signing for the Hammers and hopefully become the potent starting striker they are currently lacking, which is why their fans would surely be buzzing to see him come through the door at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Soucek: West Ham must seal swoop for £17m maestro, Moyes needs him…

Amanda Staveley has revealed to an ITV journalist that she is still ‘committed’ to the Newcastle United takeover deal.

The Lowdown: Staveley call

Staveley, who is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium looking to take over at St James’ Park, has recently spoken to Sky Sports referencing a letter that she wrote urging both the UK government and football regulators to ensure that the upcoming arbitration case against the Premier League is made public.

This follows a statement from the Tyneside club calling for the same thing, as the top flight are now under pressure to follow in their footsteps.

The Latest: Staveley ‘committed’

In a recent interview with ITV journalist Chris Conway, Staveley claimed that she remains ‘committed’ to the deal, adding that she thinks the investment is ‘really important’.

The businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners also touched upon the ‘thousands of letters’ that the consortium have received from members of the Toon Army, and reiterated that she does not want to let those supporters down.

The Verdict: Consortium not going away

Staveley’s battle cries in her last two interviews suggest that she and the consortium are certainly not going away with regards to the potential takeover at Newcastle.

With the arbitration hearing set to take place later this month, they will be more than confident of achieving a positive result, which in turn could speed up the takeover process for the club.

Nonetheless, all eyes will be on the forthcoming proceedings, which should paint a much clearer picture over the direction of where the takeover is heading.

In other news, find out what promising Mike Ashley insight Lee Ryder has dropped on the potential takeover

Geoff Lawson has said the latest controversy involving Mohammad Asif would disrupt his comeback into the side after a series of injuries

Cricinfo staff05-Jun-2008
Geoff Lawson answers questions about Mohammad Asif © AFP
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach, has said the latest controversy involving Mohammad Asif will further disrupt his comeback after a series of injuries. Asif, who is currently detained in Dubai for allegedly possessing a banned substance, will remain there at least until Sunday, when a hearing is scheduled.Asif was returning home (via Dubai) after his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was held. No charges, though, have been laid against him. He was subsequently replaced in Pakistan’s squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh by the fast bowler Sohail Khan.”It’s unfortunate and would be disruptive for Asif,” Lawson told reporters in Karachi. “Personally I don’t know the facts, we feel for him. We hope it turns out well for him. It is very unfortunate, we have been thinking about him, he has been missing quite often but was making a successful comeback from injury. It would have been one more step on his way back to full form so from that point of view it’s disruptive.”Sohail has come in Asif’s place and has shown promise, so one person’s misfortune is another’s good fortune.”Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, though wasn’t perturbed by Asif’s absence and was confident of his team’s chances. “There is no doubt that Asif is a good bowler but we have other good bowlers who can step up and take their chances,” Malik said. “We have Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar and Sohail so the attack is in good hands.”Lawson said the tri-series was ideal for some of his players to adjust to the one-day format after a lengthy stint of Twenty20 cricket during the IPL. He said his players should use this opportunity to fine-tune themselves before the Asia Cup which starts on June 24 in Pakistan.”The guys have been playing 20-over cricket for five weeks so they will be in that frame of mind so they need to come back in the 50-overs frame and Bangladesh will be the first step,” Lawson said. “It’s just a nice little tournament to have in between major events.Lawson also denied that he had criticised senior players for not performing to standards in a radio interview he gave in Sydney just before arriving here. The interview had caused considerable consternation in Pakistan, leading to speculation that Lawson might be on his way out.”I never said anything about senior players,” he said. “They have all to go to higher levels, so we are working better than before.”

Zee Network are set to get the Indian television rights for the next four years

Anand Vasu13-Jun-2008

Jagmohan Dalmiya: Was the centre of attention in Chennai© AFP
Zee Network are set to get the Indian television rights for the next four years. Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, announced in Chennai that the BCCI intended to award the contract to Zee subject to certain conditions. If Zee Network met the conditions laid out by the marketing committee of the board, ESPN-Star Sports, would lose out.”The president [Dalmiya] has announced that the BCCI intend to award the contract to Zee subject to them fulfilling certain criteria,” Professor Ratnakar Shetty, Joint Secretary of the board, told Wisden Cricinfo from Chennai. “They have to pay the board US$20million by Wednesay, September 8 and also furnish a bank gurantee for a further US$75million by September 15. The president has said the BCCI intended to award the rights to Zee Network if they can fulfil these, and certain other criteria.”The marketing committee of the BCCI was in negotiations with senior officials of both television companies in Chennai, and in the end decided to go with Zee, who had bid US$260million for the rights. Zee had also pledged a further US$20million towards coverage of domestic matches. ESPN-Star Sports, the other contender, had bid US$230million.It is also learnt that Zee, who upped their bid to US$308million in the last round of negotiations, are set to launch their own sports channel on October 2. Rediff quoted a Zee official who said: “We will invest Rs100 to 150 crores [US$22million approx] for the sports channel to be launched on October 2 and the cricket matches will be shown on it.” The uplinking will be done from Delhi and the official also added that the launch will coincide with the 12th anniversary of the group.One of the points of contention was that Zee Networks did not havein-house production facilities. Industry sources indicate that TENSports, who are an existing player in the cricket broadcastingbusiness, are frontrunners to produce the live cricket programming forZee Networks.When the tender opened for bids in the middle of August, Zee emerged as a surprise front-runner in the tussle to win telecast rights. Zee tabled a bid worth approximately US$262million, about $14million more than the ESPN-Star Sports offer. Prasar Bharati, the national broadcaster, were willing to cough up $153million. Sony Entertainment Television ($148million) and the Dubai-based Ten Sports ($141million) were the rank outsiders.

Former teen sensation Ravel Morrison won’t be returning to Sheffield Wednesday this summer, according to journalist Alex Miller.

The Lowdown: Morrison trains with Owls

There was a time when Morrison was seen as arguably the most exciting young player in the country, starring for Manchester United’s youth team.

His career has never kicked on, however, and he was invited to train with Wednesday back in March, before the club decided not to retain his services.

The Latest: Former sensation won’t return

A fresh update has now been provided by Sheffield Star journalist Miller, who claims that there are still no plans to bring Morrison back to Hillsborough.

The 28-year-old is now training with Derby County under former United teammate Wayne Rooney, as he looks to get his career back on track.

The Verdict: Wasted career

In an ideal world, Wednesday would sign Morrison and he would be superb in League One next season, showcasing his outrageous natural talent in a division where he would certainly stand out.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have the application to be a success story, though, meaning the Owls are right not to acquire his services.

Darren Moore needs to create a happy environment and have his squad pulling in the same direction, but Morrison could end up being a disruptive influence is his career thus far is anything to go by.

In other news, Sheff Wed are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League player this summer. Find out who it is here.

The ECB have called a press conference at Loughborough at 1pm on Sunday to “consider the best way forward for the England team” following the series defeat against South Africa, which was sealed by a five-wicket defeat at Edgbaston

Cricinfo staff03-Aug-2008
Close to the end? Has the series defeat to South Africa ended Michael Vaughan’s captaincy reign © Getty Images
The ECB have called a press conference at Loughborough at 1pm (BST) on Sunday to “consider the best way forward for the England team” following the series defeat against South Africa, after their five-wicket loss at Edgbaston on Saturday.The rumours are that central to the debate will be the future of Michael Vaughan, with strong hints that he will step down from the role he has held since 2003. “Later today we will have to consider the best way forward for the England team,” managing director Hugh Morris told BBC Radio Five Live.Morris didn’t confirm the situation surrounding Vaughan but said that England have to look forward to the next 12 months. “Michael has been the most successful Test captain England has ever had,” he said. “The critical thing is that will be sitting down with Michael and the selectors to plot the way forward. It was a significant blow to lose the series to South Africa.”It was desperately disappointing. We had high hopes after two wins in two previous Tests against New Zealand so clearly the selectors will be talking this through. We have an incredibly important 12 months ahead of us.”If Vaughan does stand down, the search will be on for his successor, with Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss the frontrunners within the current team. Paul Collingwood would also be an option, but despite his 135 in the second innings at Edgbaston, he has been through a troubled time of late.The squad for the final Test at The Oval will also be announced, with changes expected, following England’s third series defeat in five. The batting could be given a shake-up, with the likes of Robert Key, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara eyeing a call-up. Ryan Sidebottom looked short of fitness at Edgbaston, so Steve Harmison could be back in the equation and it may also be the time to recall Simon Jones.

The Transfer Tavern’s EFL spy believes that Charlton should target a move for Brentford youngster David Oyegoke.

Oyegoke joined the Bees from Arsenal earlier this month, but has linked up with the club’s B team, with the first-team now in the Premier League, meaning his opportunities may well be limited.

His only experience of senior men’s football during his time in north London came in an EFL Trophy tie for the Under-23s against Ipswich last August.

Oyegoke, an England youth international, can anywhere across the back-four despite predominantly being a centre-back, which means he would offer an impressive amount of versatility to Nigel Adkins’ squad.

And whilst Charlton only narrowly missed out on finishing in the top-six last term, Adkins’ men had the worst defensive record in the top-nine having shipped 56 goals in League One.

Oyegoke has scored just once at youth team level, but the EFL insider reckons the teenager can be effective at both ends of the pitch.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“Charlton probably need to enter the market and potentially look to someone for a London loan.

“Brentford have a former Arsenal player in David Oyegoke, who has the size and presence for a young lad but goes past people for fun and is quick to get back and defend.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Gazzetta dello Sport (via Metro) say that the Midlands outfit are rivalling Spurs, now managed by former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, in the race for Juventus star.

Ramsey started 13 Serie A matches last season for the Old Lady, who slipped to fourth and surrendered their title to Inter.

He was directly involved in six goals (two goals, four assists) and averaged 1.1 shots, 1.4 key passes and 1.5 accurate long balls per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

Could Ramsey take Wolves’ spending past £35million?

Ramsey has two years left on his contract in Turin and is valued at £12.6million by Transfermarkt.

Wolves have spent £23.6million so far this summer on five new signings. Rayan Ait-Nouri has joined permanently, Jose Sa has replaced Rui Patricio and Francisco Trincao has arrived on loan from FC Barcelona.

Youngsters Yerson Mosquera and Bendeguz Bolla have also been recruited.

Fan feed Talking Wolves relayed Gazzetta’s claim, and here’s what supporters made of it.

These Wolves fans call for Ramsey signing

“If he wants to take a 50+% deduction in wages, I’m all for this”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“Get him signed asap then”

Credit: @JayWWFC

“Please and thank you”

Credit: @alexdunnesf

“Ohhhhhh please, for once be true”

Credit: @bo88om

“Don’t believe it’s true but would take him any day”

Credit: @KingGillyThe1st

“Dave Edwards get on the blower to your countryman to come to the wolves”

Credit: @MMBeats2025

In other news, Wolves are battling for this promising midfielder.

As widely predicted, England’s selectors have brought Andrew Flintoff into the squad for the second Test against South Africa which starts on Friday at Headingley.

Andrew Miller at Lord's14-Jul-2008
Andrew Flintoff: back for Headingley © Getty Images
As widely predicted, England’s selectors have brought Andrew Flintoff into the squad for the second Test against South Africa which starts on Friday at Headingley. Flintoff, who scored an unbeaten 39 off 23 balls to guide Lancashire to victory over Hampshire earlier today, is in line to play his first Test since January 2007. He replaces Chris Tremlett in the squad named for the Lord’s Test.His recall comes as no surprise, after England endured a frustrating final day of the first Test at Lord’s. After dominating the first three days, they were thwarted in their pursuit of victory by the combined efforts of Graeme Smith, Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla, all three of whom scored centuries in a second-innings total of 393 for 3 declared.Though England’s four-prong attack toiled manfully on a flat pitch, their lack of extreme firepower ultimately cost them the chance to put South Africa under pressure, and their captain, Michael Vaughan, said that Flintoff would come straight back into the starting line-up for Headingley.”It was always at the back of my mind to get Freddie back into the team,” said Vaughan. “He just needed another game to prove to himself that his body was right. He’s got through a good game at Hampshire, where he’s bowled a lot of overs and made a few runs today. He’s ready to come back.”Who, though, will make way for Flintoff’s return? England set a world record in this game, having named an unchanged side for the sixth match in a row, and Vaughan accepted that it would not be an easy call to make. Paul Collingwood is the most likely man to make way, as Flintoff slots in as part of a five-man attack, although Ryan Sidebottom (because of his back problem) and Stuart Broad are also under threat.”That’s the question I’m going to get asked all week,” said Vaughan. “Headingley’s a funny ground because you have to get the conditions right and read the pitch well. Both options are still available, but we’ll have to get up there and see the wicket and see what we feel are the best bowlers for that pitch.”Broad’s ever-increasing prowess with the bat, however, ought to tip the scales in favour of his retention. His Test-best 76 played a vital supporting role to Ian Bell on the second day, and Vaughan was full of praise after the match. “Broadys’ maturing into a really good cricketer,” said Vaughan. “Hopefully he can continue to contribute as he has done, as he looks a real solid batsman and should score consistent runs for us. That’s a real good sign for the team.”As for Collingwood, Vaughan seemed already to be sugaring the pill for his omission. “I think he’s human like everyone else,” he said. “He’s very calm outwardly, but I’ve been in those positions before, and it hurts when you’re not getting runs and you’re not contributing, and when you get a decision like he did in this game, you probably think everything’s against you. But he’s a fighter, always has been, and he could play at Headingley and get a hundred, that’s the kind of player he is. He’s always fought for England, so he’s a good man to have in the team, and we expect him to carry on like that.”South Africa’s players were not surprised by the announcement of Flintoff’s return. “I think his name was always being thrown around,” said Neil McKenzie. “He’s a serious player, but we don’t prepare for one guy, we prepare for a side. He was a key figure in the English set-up a couple of years ago, and he’s had a couple of injuries since then, but he’s bowling well and we’ll give him the respect he deserves.”Despite his eagerness to reintroduce Flintoff to the fold, Vaughan was keen to play down the inevitable expectation that will follow him to Headingley. “We’re building him up a bit too much, and that’s unfair on him,” he said. “He’s not a wizard, he’s not going to come and sprinkle [magic] dust. He just needs to come and bowl like he can, hopefully whack it like he does, and try and get his level of performance to what it was before. Eighteen months is a long time out of the game, and it might take him a little bit of time to adjust.”Even so, the mere sight of Flintoff walking into the England dressing-room at Headingley is sure to give a lift to his team-mates. “There’s a bit of X-factor about him,” said Vaughan. “You know when you give him the ball he can create something, and in the past when he’s gone out to bat, he’s made things happen, and he has the ability to take wonderful catches. As a captain it’s always nice to have that kind of player in and around the team, and I’m sure opposition teams around the world would rather play England without Freddie Flintoff than have him in the team.”England squad Michael Vaughan (capt), Tim Ambrose (wk), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss.