All posts by h716a5.icu

The two most exciting and beguiling cricketers of their time, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, are on opposite sides for the first time in five years

Tony Cozier11-Apr-2002The two most exciting and beguiling cricketers of their time, Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar, are on opposite sides for the first time in five years.Yet the West Indies and India start the Cable & Wireless series today battling each other to escape the lower reaches of the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) ratings.Lara, the brilliant West Indian returning after a three-month layoff through injury, and Tendulkar, the little Indian maestro, share a host of records, 46 Tests hundreds and averages in excess of 50. But the ICC places their teams ahead only of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.Tendulkar, whose average of 58.57 from 91 Tests places him among the all-time batting elite, needs only another two centuries to surpass the legendary Australia Don Bradman’s incredible 29 in 52 Tests (from which he averaged just .06 short of an even 100) and nudge closer to the overall record of 34 by another great Indian, Sunil Gavaskar.Millions of his adoring countrymen will be following his progress, fully expecting him to feast on the inexperienced West Indies bowling.The West Indies rely on Lara, the flamboyant left-hander from Trinidad, to reply in kind.They have not always been able to depend on him as India has Tendulkar, for his form tends to fluctuate with his moods. But when he puts his mind to it, as he did in compiling Test cricket’s highest individual score, 375, against England in Antigua eight years ago and more recently in three Tests in Sri Lanka last December when he compiled 688 runs at 114.66, not even Tendulkar is as devastating.He dislocated and fractured his elbow in an on-field collision in a subsequent One-Day International, an injury that required two months to properly heal.Since then his match cricket has been confined to an innings of 71 against a touring amateur club team from Surrey in Port-of-Spain two weeks ago. But he reports no discomfort batting in the nets.Captains Carl Hooper of the West Indies and Saurav Ganguly of India are adamant that there are 22 players on the field, not just two, and that the series will surely be decided by more than the anticipated face-off between Lara and Tendulkar.The numbers strongly favour India, even given their appalling record overseas where they have not won a series since they overcame Sri Lanka 1-0 in Sri Lanka eight years ago and the West Indies’ resilience at home where they have fallen only twice in the past 28 years.Apart from Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Ganguly and opener Shiv Das are Indian batsmen who average over 40. Lara is the only West Indian in that league.While the veteran leg-spinner Anil Kumble has 316 wickets to his name and fast bowler Javagal Srinath 219, the West Indies are so short of experience the spearhead of their attack, Merv Dillon, has just 76.

Despite a potential impending points deduction, Wayne Rooney’s Derby County side look likely to be spared relegation from the Championship this season.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who claimed in a post on Twitter that, despite recent reports suggesting that the Rams could yet still be relegated from the second tier following their dramatic final day 3-3 draw with Sheffield Wednesday due to a breach of financial fair play rules, any points deduction will be imposed on the club as of next season, rather than the campaign just past.

He said: “Hear EFL will reveal findings of their appeal in the next 24 hours. Then it goes to charges and any appeal. Any points penalties will next season. As was the case with Sheffield Wednesday. Interesting to see the details… [they will be] key to all this and how hard they will be hit.”

Fans will be buzzing

Following what has been a rather disastrous 2020/21 campaign for Derby fans to endure, with their side only narrowing avoiding relegation to the third tier of English football due to, ultimately, Sheffield Wednesday incurring their own six-point penalty, the news that the club look set to avoid any deductions to this season’s points total will leave the Pride Park faithful buzzing.

Having said that, if Derby do not buck up their ideas next season, both in terms of the way the club is run from a financial perspective as well as the performances of Rooney’s players on the pitch, then the joy of avoiding relegation this season could well be short-lived.

However, with a summer transfer window ahead of him, the 35-year-old manager has plenty of time to put a team together that is capable of a much more respectable league position than their 21st placed finish this term, be that with or without a points deduction.

In other news: Get him gone: Rooney must ruthlessly axe Lampard’s £20k-p/w Derby flop this summer – opinion

South African national cricketers Makhaya Ntini, Mornantau Hayward andMfuneko Ngam will attend Saturday’s 25th Anniversary commemorations of theJune 1976 uprising in Soweto.

Bronwyn Wilkinson14-Jun-2001South African national cricketers Makhaya Ntini, Mornantau Hayward andMfuneko Ngam will attend Saturday’s 25th Anniversary commemorations of theJune 1976 uprising in Soweto.The three players will be present at the Morris Isaacson High School for theend of the fun run at 9am on Saturday, from where they will walk to theHector Pietersen Memorial in Orlando West. Makhaya Ntini will say a fewwords at the memorial and will lay a wreath from the United Cricket Boardand the South African national cricket team in memory of those who losttheir lives in 1976.

Aston Villa have emerged as contenders to sign Fulham midfielder Zambo Anguissa this summer.

What’s the story?

Following the Cottagers’ relegation from the Premier League last weekend, it would be no surprise to see a few, if not many, of the club’s best players leave the London side over the course of the summer transfer window.

And, according to The Daily Mail, Dean Smith’s Villa side are monitoring developments over Anguissa ahead of a potential move, with Fulham braced for offers for many of their key men.

The report adds that the 25-year-old is likely to be one of those players sold following confirmation of Fulham’s relegation, while Villa are also set to face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Everton.

Upgrade on Douglas Luiz

A combative midfielder who has been one of the shining lights of Fulham’s season, Anguissa’s performances this campaign have been very impressive, and appears tailor-made to be a real upgrade on Douglas Luiz at Villa Park.

Joachim Andersen, his teammate at Fulham, has raved about about the £22.5m-rated powerhouse, saying: “He’s a top player. He’s a machine in the midfield. He’s winning so many balls and driving forward with it.”

And, Toni Conceicao, his coach for Cameroon, said: “He’s a quality player. In football, the collective is the most important, so you have to have players that work for the team. And although Anguissa is not a Messi or Ronaldo, he’s a player that has a lot of capacity to influence the match. He brings a lot of tactical culture and rigour to the team.

“He has got a really good passing ability, long and short, and is one of those players that makes the team tick without necessarily being the standout. As a coach and with all due respect to Fulham, which I know is a great club, Anguissa can reach an even higher level.”

And, when you compare the key stats between Anguissa and Luiz, it’s the former who comes out on top.

As per Whoscored, he is defensively far stronger than his Brazilian counterpart, averaging more tackles and interceptions per game in the Premier League, and also committing far fewer fouls too – something Villa fans will be relieved to know after Luiz’s mindless challenge to give away a penalty against Manchester United at the weekend.

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And, as Andersen said, Anguissa is also adept at driving the ball forward, averaging a whopping 2.7 dribbles per game – far higher than Luiz, and actually only slightly below Jack Grealish with 2.8 in the entire Villa squad.

At 25, Anguissa seems like the dream Luiz upgrade and a player Villa must surely sign this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a major boost that will have Dean Smith buzzing…

Pakistan’s humiliating defeat at Lords has plunged this cricket crazy nation into an ocean of frustration, anger and depression, not for the team losing a match but because it surrendered without a fight

Rafi Nasim24-May-2001Pakistan’s humiliating defeat at Lords has plunged this cricket crazy nation into an ocean of frustration, anger and depression, not for the team losing a match but because it surrendered without a fight. They feel as if the team was devastated by a storm, from which the debris has to be collected, reconstruct its body and inject it with a soul. One that is full of imagination, wisdom, and a strong will to resist aggression. Can it be done in the week left before the second storm waiting at Old Trafford?The PCB and the players will only be spared of the people’s wrath if the team emerges victorious at Old Trafford. They’ve done it before and can do it now, but not with the same unimaginative, careless, timid and insipid attitude towards the game. The team management has to put its head down, do soul-searching to analyze the blunders committed and pledge to rectify them.The papers are full of news, comments, reviews and articles on the catastrophe that hit Pakistan at Lords. The major criticism revolved around lack of preparation, poor selection of the playing XI, lack of harmony, cohesion, motivation and the requisite fighting spirit. Above every thing else there was neither a visible plan of trying for victory nor one for saving the match when the going got tougher.Many observers of the game decried the inclusion of a half-fit Shoaib Akhtar in the side in place of master off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq who had carved his place among Wisden’s 5 Cricketers of the Year and had been a match winner on many an occasion.Mudassar Nazar, a former test player and presently Chief Coach of the PCB Cricket Academy found the Pakistan players confused and moving about in some kind of a daze. He termed the team’s overall performance as pathetic and advised the batsmen to stop chasing swinging and chasing balls outside the off-stump.An official of the PCB who accompanied the team to New Zealand as an Analyst has reflected badly on team discipline. According to him, the Pakistan team tours abroad without a set of rules and regulations. Staying up late nights and other frivolities, taking breakfast in bed, considering keeping in good shape as one’s own affair and attending practice sessions at will, were the common features. If such practices are continuing even on the England tour, we have no hope on Earth of performing better than at Lords.Former Captain Imran Khan who happened to visit the boys in the dressing room, tried to boost up their morale, at the same time being severely critical of the team’s warm up schedule. "It is the worst thing to happen after having had just five days of cricket. It is no preparation for a side for which the conditions were completely alien" he commented.Skipper Waqar Younis did express his disappointment on the defeat but had no excuse for the thrashing his team received. He frankly admitted that the team played badly, bowled and batted badly while England did not! He paid England pacers Darren Gough and Andy Caddick the ultimate compliment by comparing them with his own deadly pairing with Wasim Akram in the heydays. He, however, insisted that he had picked the right team discounting the need for a spinner.Being the controlling body, the PCB naturally comes under fire whenever a disaster of this nature occurs and history is replete with instances when the Board was dissolved for being incapable of efficiently handling the affairs of cricket.After all, what are they paid for, especially in the present times when every official makes a living out of cricket? Gone are the days when people used to work for love of the game, in honorary capacity and were still able to bring good results.Going through the chart of defeats that Pakistan suffered during the last 18 months rule of the present PCB set up, one finds the team’s performance at its worst, what to say of other administrative affairs. This is what prompted the press to surround the PCB Chairman and ask him all sorts of questions.The General expressed his disappointment on losing the Lords Test but did not think that the team deliberately threw it away. "Their body language was also not looking good and they made a lot of mistakes during the match", he commented. He also felt surprised as to why, one of the two spinners Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq was not included in the squad and that England was invited to bat after winning the toss.Furious at the disgrace, the public in general is demanding dismissal of the cricket establishment and accountability of the cricketers. Holding them responsible for messing up the national team, they asked for immediate sacking of the PCB officials. Such were the views expressed by the ardent cricket lovers during a poll conducted by the press. Even a businessman when interviewed said that `managing high profile game like cricket was different from running a battalion of semi-literate soldiers’.Amidst the wave of shock and discontentment that prevailed all over, the PCB Chairman was perhaps the right man to answer the queries. Replying to a sensitive question, whether he was thinking of quitting the office voluntarily or waiting for his removal after the humiliating defeat at Lords, he said that he had no intentions to quit. Those who appointed him could only remove him. He was right, because in Pakistan we have no such tradition of quitting a prized appointment. At a lower level people do so but a top man would never!The need of the hour is to re-group the team, motivate the boys and induce undying fighting spirit in them. The debacle at Lords must provide them a lesson to follow and put them in the right frame of mind to perform well in the 2nd Test. Whatever the result, they must acquit themselves honorably.

When the transfer window opens this summer there should be a number of priorities on the agenda for Wolves.

They will need to sign a new striker after struggling with Raul Jimenez’s injury while they will need to beef up their midfield too.

In a normal season, you’d be able to rely on the midfield pairing of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho to set the tone.

Neves has thrived this term by scoring five goals in the Premier League but one man who has defined inconsistency is his partner in crime; Moutinho.

The Portuguese veteran has looked off the pace and had to wait until February to finally register a goal involvement. His form has been sluggish and due to that, Wolves reporter Tim Spiers thinks this could be his final season as a regular in the starting XI.

With that in mind, another midfielder would go down nicely this summer.

Wolves have long had Ainsley Maitland-Niles on their radar and he seems a perfect fit, not only for the starting XI but the manager too.

The England international has been touted at a massive £30m but if they can lure him back to the Midlands after his loan spell with West Brom expires, it would be great business.

First and foremost, Maitland-Niles is versatile. He’d suit Wolves’ system down to the ground given his ability to play at wing-back while he has become a threat from midfield now as well.

What Ruben Neves has been lacking in recent years is a dynamic option next to him. Moutinho is rather one dimensional at the age of 34 while Leander Dendoncker’s approach to the game is more about defence.

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It’s evident they have a number of midfielders who are quite similar. Maitland-Niles, however, would give them a very different threat.

He has the ability to defend, winning 2.2 tackles per game this season, while he is also a presence in the final third, epitomising the box-to-box role in the middle of the park.

Neves has long been the quarterback of Nuno’s team but he has lacked a more mobile presence with energy and tenacity next to him in order to transition defence into attack more quickly.

The Portugal international can spray passes and take shots from distance but his ball-carrying leaves plenty to be desired.

For instance, Neves has managed just 0.3 dribbles per match this season. Maitland-Niles, on the other hand, has registered 1.4 per game.

That’s a tally that only four players at Wolves have bettered this campaign; Adama Traore, Pedro Neto, Nelson Semedo and Daniel Podence.

On that basis, it’s clear to see why he’s been labelled a “weapon” by BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton.

This acquisition would benefit Wolves plenty and it could just squeeze even more out of the radiant Neves.

AND in other news, Forget MGW: Wolves must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o who creates “things out of nothing”…

The contract talks of Sheffield Wednesday star Adam Reach have been put on hold until the end of the season.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Yorkshire Live’s Sheffield Wednesday correspondent Dom Howson, who revealed in a recent Q&A that Dejphon Chansiri has put the contract talks of Reach – as well as every other Owls player – on hold until the end of the season, despite the fact that these talks reportedly began back in December.

When asked for an update on the progression of Reach’s new deal, Howson said: “From what I have been told, all contract talks have been put on the back-burner until the end of the season.”

A risk not worth taking

Despite Wednesday’s diabolical Championship campaign this season, Reach has been one of the few shining lights coming out of Hillsborough.

Over the 28-year-old’s 42 league appearances this term, he has scored five goals, provided three assists and created five big chances, as well as making an average of 0.8 key passes and taking 1.2 shots per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.83 – ranking him as the Owls’ fifth-best performer in the second tier.

In addition to this, following the appointment of Darren Moore as the Wednesday boss back in March, the £23,000-per-week midfielder appears to have taken his game to a new level, scoring two goals and registering one assist over his 11 appearances under the 47-year-old manager, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.99 in the same period.

As such, regardless of which league the Owls are playing their football in next season, the tying of Reach down to a new deal is an absolute priority for Wednesday this summer.

Thus, Chansiri’s risk of waiting until the end of the season to finalise a contract is certainly not one worth taking when it comes to the midfielder Chey Dunkley dubbed a “leader” in the team, as other Championship clubs will undoubtedly be keeping a very close eye on the situation of Reach in the coming weeks.

In other news: Howson drops big transfer claim on SWFC’s “constant threat”, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Southampton have been linked with a move for Celtic centre-back Leo Hjelde and if he were to join Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side this summer, it could prove to be a repeat of the deal that saw the Saints sign Virgil van Dijk from the Hoops in 2015.

According to The Scottish Sun, Southampton are keeping tabs on the teenage centre-back, who is impressing out on loan at Ross County this season.

The 17-year-old joined Celtic from Rosenborg in the summer of 2019 and whilst he is yet to make his senior debut for the Hoops, the fact he has been a regular in the Premiership this season at Ross County highlights his obvious potential.

The centre-back has made nine appearances in total for John Hughes’ side since joining in January, which is impressive when you consider that they are currently embroiled in a relegation battle, which is when you would normally expect a manager to call on some of his more experienced players, rather than a 17-year-old loanee.

However, Hughes has clearly been impressed with Hjelde this season and was full of praise for him after he scored in their 3-2 win against Kilmarnock in March, saying:

“I’m delighted for Leo. He found himself out of the team a little bit, then came on there and got his goal. He’s destined for big, big, big things. He won’t be far away from the Celtic first-team when he goes back.”

Whilst Hjelde is just 17-years-old, and it is impossible to predict whether he will go on to have a successful career or not, there are obvious similarities to the deal that saw Van Dijk join Southampton six years ago, as he is a centre-back who would be joining Southampton from Celtic.

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The Dutch superstar joined for £13m and impressed on the South Coast before joining Liverpool and going on to become one of, if not the world’s best, centre-back with the Reds.

The Norwegian defender also already stands at 6 ft 2, so could easily keep growing, and it is clear that he has not been overawed playing men’s football at such an early age, which is certainly promising for his future.

The fact he has been tipped to play a part for Celtic next season suggests that he has a lot of potential and perhaps wouldn’t look out of place in the Premier League in the not too distant future.

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Therefore, if Southampton can snap him up before he starts to attract heavy interest, there’s no reason why they couldn’t have another player similar to Van Dijk on their hands again if Hjelde can realise his potential with the Saints.

And, in other news… Forget Winks: Southampton should swoop for “outstanding” £16.2m-rated beast 

According to reports from Spain, West Ham United have been handed a massive boost in their pursuit of both Mariano Diaz and Luka Jovic this summer.

The report by Marca claimed that Real Madrid are open to offers for both Diaz and Jovic in the upcoming transfer window, with West Ham being linked with a move for the two players over the course of this season.

In November of last year, Defensa Central reported of David Moyes’ interest in the Real Madrid duo, while the Daily Mail reinforced West Ham’s interest in the pair back in January.

According to Milan News, Jovic would be available for around €35m (£30m) this summer, while Metro claimed in 2019 that Diaz would command an £18m fee.

Transfer Tavern Take

With Michail Antonio currently representing West Ham’s only option as an out-and-out centre-forward, it would indeed appear quite likely that Moyes will be in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer.

Also, considering the fact that the Hammers received £20.25m in January for Sebastien Haller’s sale to Ajax, a move for either of Jovic or Diaz – or potentially even both – would not appear to be out of reach financially for the east London side, particularly if they go on to secure Champions League football by the end of the season.

In other news: West Ham eye summer swoop for in-demand defender; GSB could land deal for £13m – find out more here!

Southampton can ease their relegation fears with three points against Brighton at St Mary’s on Sunday but it appears as if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be without Moussa Djenepo for the game against Graham Potter’s side.

The Malian has unfortunately endured a number of injury issues during his time on the south coast and picked up another groin injury during the 5-2 defeat against Manchester City in midweek.

Hasenhuttl suggested earlier this week that they are hopeful he will return to training this week and provide an alternative option against Brighton, so it seems clear that he won’t be fit enough to start, and therefore he might not be risked against the Seagulls.

Although the winger hasn’t had too much impact for Southampton in the final third this season, with one goal and no assists in 21 Premier League appearances, his overall contribution is clearly appreciated by the Austrian manager given his regularity of selection, and he has performed well in recent fixtures against Chelsea and Everton.

It is a shame that he looks unlikely to feature against Brighton in what is an important fixture for the Saints, but thankfully for Hasenhuttl, their injury woes have eased in recent weeks, and they still have the likes of Takumi Minamino, Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond available to play on the wing.

Incidentally, Djenepo’s first goal for the club came in a win against Brighton last season, and Hasenhuttl was full of praise for him after that game, saying: “He wasn’t on the pitch very long before he made the first goal – it’s fantastic for him.

“The fans will love him immediately, but don’t put too much pressure on him. He must learn a lot, especially against the ball, but I like this guy – he’s very positive.”

Hopefully Hasenhuttl doesn’t feel the need to risk Djenepo after he was forced off against the Citizens in midweek, as he could prove to be an important player for the rest of the season if he can stay fit, and rushing him back too early could lead to another setback for the Malian.

And, in other news… Saints’ 4-year nightmare looks set to continue after update on £5.4m-rated disaster