All posts by h716a5.icu

Zimbabwe have made seven changes to the side that drew their previous game against Afghanistan in Mutare

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2009A much-revamped Zimbabwe XI will host Kenya in an ICC Intercontinental Cup fixture in Kwekwe on Wednesday. Zimbabwe have made seven changes to the side that drew their previous game against Afghanistan in Mutare, and the most notable absence is Tatenda Taibu, who starred with a century in each innings.Taibu – who’s playing domestic cricket in Zimbabwe – had led Zimbabwe XI in their opening game, and has been replaced by opener Vusi Sibanda. The other six inclusions are Chamu Chibabha, Gregory Strydom, Kyle Jarvis, Ed Rainsford, John Nyumbu and Samuel Mwakayeni.Kenya have recalled seamer Ragheb Aba to the squad after more than a year’s absence. Aba replaces Seren Waters, who is unavailable due to study commitments in England. Kenya retain a familiar line-up with Maurice Ouma leading them, and will bank on the experience of Steve Tikolo – also playing domestic cricket in Zimbabwe – along with Thomas Odoyo and Alex Obanda.Zimbabwe find themselves at sixth place in the Intercontinental Cup, having played just one game, while their opponents Kenya have fared better, placed at No.2 after their 247-run win over Canada in King City in August.Kenya then play a five-match ODI series with Zimbabwe between October 12-18 in Harare.ZIMBABWE XI (squad): Vusi Sibanda (capt), Friday Kasteni, Chamu Chibabha, Gregory Strydom, Forster Mutizwa, Regis Chikabvha, Timycen Maruma, Kyle Jarvis, Shingirai Masakadza, Ed Rainsford, John Nyumbu, Tafadzwa Kamungozi, Samuel Mwakayemi.KENYA (squad): Maurice Ouma (capt), Rageb Aga, Steve Tikolo, David Obuya, Rakep Patel, Alex Obanda, Collins Oduya, Nehimiah Odhiambo, Thomas Odoyo, Jimmy Kamande, Eligah Otieno, Lameck Onyango, Alfred Luseno, Peter Ogondo, Hiren Varalya.

An exciting update has emerged on Villarreal boss Unai Emery, regarding a potential move to Newcastle…

What’s the talk?

According to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope, the Magpies are expecting to make an official appointment before their match against Brighton on Saturday.

Reports earlier this morning outlined the club’s interest in bringing the Spaniard to St. James’ Park, but Hope’s latest update suggests that they believe a deal will be done in the coming days.

In a nine-word claim, he said: “NUFC expect to appoint Unai Emery before the weekend.”

Cloud nine

Newcastle fans will surely be left on cloud nine following this exciting update from Hope as the club are seemingly confident of securing an agreement to bring Emery to Tyneside.

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie made a claim earlier in the day as he said Emery was under serious consideration by the club. Downie also claimed that there is a feeling the Spaniard has unfinished business in the Premier League, although at that point in the day there was no expectation of anything happening.

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This still left room for interpretation, as it was unclear as to whether or not the Magpies were able to strike a deal with Villarreal or whether or not Emery was keen on the job. However, this latest report from the Daily Mail journalist clears up both of those issues by stating that the club ‘expect’ to get it done, rather than saying they are hoping or trying to get him in.

The word ‘expect’ implies that PIF are confident of Emery being in charge for Saturday’s kick-off against Brighton at the AMEX. This is why fans could be left on cloud nine as Steve Bruce’s successor appears to be very close to being confirmed, putting an end to the speculation.

This weekend could be a first chance for the fans to see the Spaniard in charge at Newcastle, although he is likely to have little time to prepare the team to play the way he wants to play, so an immediate improvement on the pitch should not be expected.

The two-week international period could be an excellent opportunity for him to work with the remaining players on the training pitch to get them ready to battle against relegation in the coming months. If he can steer them away from the drop, the Toon Army will no doubt be elated.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wilson: PIF could form dream NUFC partnership with £100k-p/w “fighter”…

Tottenham Hotspur are expected to announce Antonio Conte as their next manager, just days after handing Nuno Santo the axe following a string of poor results and mounting fan backlash.

The Portuguese served just four months at the helm, so sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy will be hoping that this appointment is not only successful but lasts a lot longer.

Conte has won league titles at Juventus, Chelsea and more recently Inter Milan, and has done so by being versatile in his tactical setup, although these have largely been based around some sort of three-at-the-back system.

At Stamford Bridge, the Italian started out with a 4-2-3-1 – something we’ve largely seen at Spurs recently – before switching between a 3-5-2 and a 3-4-3, with Victor Moses playing a surprise and starring role at wing-back.

That should provide encouragement with the Lilywhites’ current squad, but how might the starting XI look in Conte’s system?

Here’s what Football FanCast think could be his best option…

When taking a fleeting look across Spurs’ squad, a formation involving a back three should be a seamless transition.

In goal, things pretty much write themselves as club captain Hugo Lloris will surely be preferred over backup and loanee Pierluigi Gollini.

At the back, though, the north Londoners have struggled to cement a firm partnership, but it seems likely that the nod is given to the three most senior choices in Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and summer signing Cristian Romero.

Both Dier and Romero could thrive as ball-playing defenders, whilst the often-erratic Colombian could benefit by having two others next to him in defence.

The wing-back options are straightforward selections, with Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal expected to be preferred. If Conte wants to repeat his Moses trick, then both Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn are contenders for the role.

Perhaps the biggest question marks lie in midfield – does he opt for two deep-lying players with one attacking option, or an anchorman with two players who are given license to advance further forward?

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg fulfils the defensive element, so Conte may choose Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso in the middle, meaning there’s no place for young gem Oliver Skipp.

It’s hard to envisage a spot for Dele Alli in this system, so his Spurs career may be dead and buried following this arrival. Only time will tell. Similarly, there’s little to suggest that Conte would bring Harry Winks back into the side.

If there’s any place for him, it could be in the attack as a backup alternative to the front two of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

This system could prove troublesome for aforementioned wingers Moura and Bergwijn, as well as Bryan Gil, whilst the likes of Japhet Tanganga and Joe Rodon may find it tough to break into the side.

AND in other news, Forget Kane: Shocking Spurs lightweight who lost 80% duels endured a nightmare against United…

A clinical performance by Victoria meant the Delhi Daredevils, like Royal Challengers Bangalore yesterday, were in danger of failing to make full use of the home advantage

The Bulletin by Judhajit Basu09-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Clint McKay played a major part in setting up Victoria’s seven-wicket win•Getty ImagesA similar story to yesterday’s panned out at the Feroz Shah Kotla, with another Indian team failing to capitalise on home conditions and crowd support. Delhi Daredevils – under new captain Gautam Gambhir – were comprehensively beaten by Victoria, for whom Clint McKay led a devastating seam attack, in the opening match of Group D.The win capped off a remarkable day for the Australian participants, after New South Wales pummelled the Eagles a few hours earlier at the same venue.Delhi had been left to look like outsiders against an attack that was relentless on a track with consistently uneven bounce, and which made run-scoring quite problematic. Gambhir had not bargained for such a dismal showing after choosing to bat and Delhi just managed to scrape past the second-lowest Twenty20 score at this venue, recorded by the Eagles earlier.The signs that a devil might just be in the pitch were first seen in the third over. The ball from Shane Harwood kept low, Gambhir was slow in getting his bat down in time and his off stump went cartwheeling.Virender Sehwag attempted to stamp his authority at home by smashing boundaries off successive Harwood deliveries, but was superbly caught and bowled by McKay in his first over off a mistimed shot on the leg side. McKay followed it up by getting Owais Shah caught behind for a duck.The Victorian fielders were always alert, keeping the batsmen on their toes. A moment of indecision from Tillakaratne Dilshan had Dinesh Karthik scrambling for safety at the bowler’s end. Cameron White swooped in from cover and threw it back to Andrew McDonald, who took the bails off in a flash.The situation called for Dilshan to play the anchor role and he was relatively sedate till the 16th over, when McKay – who seemed to be enjoying the conditions – lured him out and removed his off stump. Mithun Manhas tried to make the most of his run-out reprieve, but a suspected hamstring injury did not augur well for Delhi and Harwood broke through his defences to send him back for 25. McDonald capped off a superb display by castling Bhatia and Sangwan in the final over. However, there was more disappointment in store for the partisan crowd.If there were any doubts about the pitch during and after Delhi’s innings, Rob Quiney settled them in style. Dirk Nannes, bowling to his state team-mates, was handed no favours, as Quiney belted the ball past him to the mid-on boundary. Nannes’ new-ball partner Ashish Nehra fared no better and was carted for a four and a six in his third over. With 32 on the board in the fifth over, Delhi were in a state of panic and bewilderment.The introduction of legspinner Amit Mishra did not prove fruitful immediately, with Quiney attacking him from the start. Mishra was dispatched for six over long-on in his very first over, and the second and third deliveries of his next over disappeared for ten runs. Mishra persisted with flight and bowled Quiney next ball, the batsman failing to connect while trying to work to the leg side.Brad Hodge, who had been watching the pyrotechnics from the other end, was cleaned up by Dilshan two balls later, but with Victoria racing to 55 for 2 in the ninth over, Delhi needed a pre-Diwali miracle. Dilshan and Mishra, bowling in tandem, managed to stifle the runs but Victoria had been delivered a productive start, and could afford to sit back.Even Rajat Bhatia’s dismissal of David Hussey with a slower one did little to instill confidence in Gambhir to try out Pradeep Sangwan’s left-arm seam. It didn’t make much difference, for Aiden Blizzard ended the innings on a high, smashing Bhatia for a six over long-on.

England have received another setback after a shoulder injury ruled Stuart Broad out of tomorrow’s game against South Africa A.

Cricinfo staff16-Nov-2009Stuart Broad is a doubt for the first ODI against South Africa at the Wanderers on Friday, after he was ruled out of Tuesday’s warm-up game against South Africa A with a shoulder injury.Broad already missed the Twenty20 series and has still not recovered, 11 days after incurring the damage in a practice match. England’s coach, Andy Flower, believes he could yet be fit enough to reinforce a thinly stretched bowling attack, but admits it could be touch and go.”He’s had a number of injections in the past few days and we are waiting to see the reaction to those injections, to see whether it settles,” Flower told reporters in Johannesburg. “The medics reckon it’s possible that those injections will settle things pretty quickly, so we’ve got to monitor it day by day.”He won’t play tomorrow, but if he did show significant improvement and then bowled Wednesday and Thursday, it’s possible that he would play on Friday.”Broad is one of four England players struggling for fitness at present. Paul Collingwood missed England’s mauling in the second Twenty20 match with a recurrence of his long-standing back problem, which Flower thinks will rule him out of Tuesday’s game as well.”Unless it loosens up a lot today I don’t think he will play in tomorrow’s game either,” said Flower.To compound England’s problems, Graeme Swann has a problem with an intercostal muscle and James Anderson, England’s senior paceman, has a knee injury. Both are unavailable for the warm-up match and England’s growing injury list could mean call up an extra pace bowler.”We’ve had it quite a lot, being such an early part of a tour,” said Flower. “We reckon they aren’t going to be medium-term injuries, and we’re hopeful they’ll clear up by Friday. Swann will be out of tomorrow’s game and so will Anderson, he’s got a little problem with his knee. He played with it yesterday but he wasn’t 100 percent fit.Graham Onions, who has only just recovered from injury himself, is now certain to have an opportunity to impress ahead of the opening one-day international on November 20, but the glut of injuries has led Flower to raise the possibility of squad rotation for future contests.”We had a very heavy summer, then three weeks off and then we started again with gusto in Bloemfontein,” he said. “I think in the future we are going to have to target certain periods for strengthening, conditioning programmes for some of these fast bowlers especially and for them to miss the odd international because of it.”

Marcelo Bielsa’s future as Leeds United manager remains up in the air but a mid-season change is highly unlikely, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Bielsa showing signs of recovery

The Argentine hasn’t had the most impressive of starts to this season, with his Whites team languishing in the Premier League relegation zone at one point.

That being said, there are signs that Leeds are slowly clicking back into gear, with five points picked up in their last three games against Wolves, Norwich City and Leicester City.

It is now time for another international break, but Whites fans will hope that their three-match unbeaten run can continue away to Tottenham on November 21.

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The Latest: Hay discusses Bielsa’s future

Bielsa’s current Leeds deal expires next summer, and speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after the Leicester game, Hay admitted there are still question marks regarding the 66-year-old’s future at Elland Road when the issue was raised by a Whites supporter in light of a recent piece in The Guardian claiming that Leeds’ fans faith in the manager could be tested by their poor start to the season.

The journalist responded by saying:

“This group of players have been coached and handled in such a specific way that I think it would be very risky to change manager mid-season.

“Also, Bielsa deserves time to address the first sustained dip he’s experienced. He’s been so good for so long and I’d like to think that his impact would be reflected in support for him when results turn against him (and I do feel like that support has been there, from the crowd and the club).

“Every project has a lifespan though. Assuming Leeds are okay this season, it will be very interesting to see what happens next summer.

“Do they continue or do the club try to go in a slightly different direction? Will Bielsa want year five? Plenty of questions, which was part of what my piece on Cooper was about.”

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The Verdict: Still the right man

While it is important that things don’t grow stagnant at Leeds, Bielsa has proven during his time at Elland Road that he remains the right man to take this team forward, unless they collapse between now and the end of the season. His record speaks for itself – they finished 13th in the Championship in the season before his arrival – and one bad period shouldn’t lead to knee-jerk decisions.

The 66-year-old hasn’t always impressed so far in 2021/22, but he has been missing some key players through injury and there are clear signs of improvement in recent games.

If Bielsa signs for one more year next summer, perhaps a younger replacement could then come in in 2023, at which point he may feel as though he has taken this team as far as he can.

In other news, three Leeds players struggled against Leicester – find out who they are here.

Stuart Symington, who captained Leicestershire in 1949 in what his only full season of first-class cricket, has died at the end of 83

Martin Williamson16-Dec-2009Stuart Symington, who captained Leicestershire in 1949 in what his only full season of first-class cricket, has died at the age of 83. At the time of his death he was the county’s oldest living captain, a mantle which now passes to Ray Illingworth.Symington played for the county in the war – his first outing was as a 17-year-old – and he made his first-class debut in 1948 when he played twice. In 1949 Leicestershire were in need of a new captain and, as dictated by financial and social rules of the time, he had to be an amateur. Symington was a perfect and willing candidate.A seam bowler and reasonable middle-order batsman, he was a more capable cricketer than many stand-in amateur captains but nevertheless he failed to inspire a weak side. In 21 matches he scored 659 runs at 21.25 and took 30 wickets at 43.73. The highest of his three fifties came against Essex at Grace Road, while his only five-for was against Derbyshire at Ashby-de-la-Zouch when he took 5 for 45.He stood down in August to resume his Army commitments and played no more first-class cricket. He became ADC to the governor of the Bahamas, and then adjutant to the Kings Royal Rifles in Germany.On retirement from the Army in 1958, he became a director of R&W Symington in Market Harborough. In the 1970 general election, he unsuccessfully stood as Conservative candidate for North West Leicester.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as an official post emerged from the club involving Steven Davis’ time on international duty.

As shared in some footage by the official Twitter page of the Ibrox faithful, Davis can be seen walking away from his post-match interview to give a young Northern Ireland supporter his shirt, after their 0-0 draw at home to Euro 2020 winners Italy in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

He also stood to take a photo with the fan, as well as selfies with other supporters in the crowd.

The national team captain also gave away another of his shirts, prompting several Light Blues to show their appreciation for a player who is beloved by club and country for his passion and work ethic.

Davis is still going strong despite being 36 years of age now, with 18 appearances in total over all competitions so far this season for the Teddy Bears an impressive reminder of his fitness as the years wane on – he’s also scored one goal and provided one assist (Transfermarkt).

Rangers fans on Davis footage

These Gers buzzed as the footage was shared on Twitter:

“A living legend proud to have this man playing for my club and captaining my country”

Credit: @faithsteph11

“Class act, Rangers social team playing a blinder today though with all the notifications haha”

Credit: @RossFerguson

“Such a gentleman”

Credit: @EmmaHod81360881

“What a fantastic bloke you are Steven Davis!”

Credit: @billytf

“Class through to the core from @StevenDavis8 an absolute master.”

Credit: @CN51NKY1964

“He better be getting a TESTIMONIAL when it’s time”

Credit: @Bike_Nut69

In other news, find out what Giovanni van Bronckhorst report had RFC fans talking here!

An update has emerged on Rangers transfer target John Souttar with the Gers suffering a blow in their bid to bring him to Ibrox next year.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Hearts centre-back wants a move to England in the January transfer window, with the likes of Blackburn, Stoke and QPR, among others, keen on his services.

The report claims the Gers and Celtic are both keen on the defender and are set to be let down by his decision to go south of the border.

Big blow

This news comes as a big blow to Rangers as it suggests that they will be unable to land the defender in the next transfer window.

He is out of contract at the end of the season and that means the English sides will be able to pin him down to a pre-contract agreement in the winter, whereas the Gers would need to wait until his deal officially expires next summer.

It will also leave fans gutted as they will have been excited at the prospect of him arriving at Ibrox. He has been in sensational form in the Scottish Premiership and could have been a major addition to the side, but now appears set for the Championship in England.

Former Hearts boss Craig Levein once heaped praise on the defender, saying: “I’ve known him since he was 12 years old and he’s just got better and better. When he came here from Dundee Utd, we just needed to give him time. He’s grown into the player that I hoped he would be and for me he’s the best centre back in Scotland.

“Just for the fact that he can do wonderful things. His passing of the ball Saturday was fantastic, but he is also now capable physically of competing with any centre forward. His pace is very, very good and he’s strong, focused and aggressive.”

Souttar has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.39 in the Premiership for Hearts. Connor Goldson and Leon Balogun, meanwhile, have averaged scores of 7.05 each, which suggests that the Jam Tarts beast could be an upgrade on what the club currently have.

The 25-year-old has made 2.7 tackles and interceptions, along with 3.8 clearances, per game. He has also won an impressive 69% of his duels on the pitch throughout the campaign to date, with all of these statistics highlighting the defensive quality he could have brought with him to Glasgow. This is why fans will be gutted to read this update and why it is a big blow to the club ahead of the upcoming window.

AND in other news, 129 appearances: Rangers secured dream deal with £0 gem who “embodies professionalism”…

Maia Lewis is back, and New Zealand women’s cricket is all the better for it

Lynn McConnell25-Dec-2009Maia Lewis is back, and New Zealand women’s cricket is all the better for it.Her part in two match-winning stands over India and England respectively in the last two days has borne that out. Yesterday she scored 50 off 80 balls in a 94-run stand with Emily Drumm and today she hit 32 not out off 77 balls in a 120-run stand with Drumm.Lewis last played for New Zealand at the 1997 World Cup in India where she captained the side but problems with knee injuries and a lack of motivation resulted in her giving the game away.However, the sight of New Zealand winning the CricInfo Women’s World Cup at Lincoln in 2000 was something of a stimulus to getting involved again. That and the hunger that developed when playing indoor cricket.”I was quite gutted when New Zealand won the World Cup. I had played in two World Cup finals and lost both of them and I was jealous that I wasn’t part of it. That gave me a little bit of hunger,” she said.It wasn’t until she started scoring runs in the State League this year that she thought she might be able to play at international level again.”I went through a patch two or three years ago when I didn’t have the motivation. But I played indoor cricket and lost a bit of weight. Then I was just looking to have a good provincial season this summer and didn’t consider playing for New Zealand.”But she was asked about her availability and if she had the desire to work towards the next World Cup and subsequently got the call-up.When she did come back it was to a remarkably different set-up than what she had been used to before.”There were new people, new procedures and new routines. I was like a new kid on the block. There is much more emphasis on the team with everyone responsible for different areas of our debriefing process and things are quite player dominated,” she said.Lewis said that when she returned to State Shield play last summer she didn’t know half the players who were involved. But she has found the skills of the players are more impressive, there is a wider range of shots being played by batsmen, there is more athleticism in the field and there is more variation among the bowlers.”Mike [Shrimpton] has given the players different options to play balls than was the case before,” she said.”I see my role as supportive at the moment. It is good to bat with the type of players I have around me like Emily and Haidee [Tiffen]. We quite complement each other. I know my own game has matured but I am still not striking the ball well at the moment and there’s not the clean hitting,” she said.In today’s innings she did admit some luck when dropped on nine runs when attempting a sweep shot which wasn’t held at fine leg on the edge of the inner fielding circle.”Emily had said to me if I was going to sweep to sweep hard but I sort of half-lapped it. It is not the sort of shot I would normally play.”But we knew we had a lot of time and it was important not to get frustrated. We were grafting it out because it was all about the partnership,” she said.With all the cricket she has played through the last few weeks she said the knees that had troubled her and contributed to her absence from the game have stood up well and caused no problems at all.That has to be good news for the World Cup defenders over the next few years.