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Having emphatically completed their 354-run victory against Pakistan in the first Test, England have named an unchanged squad for the 2nd match which begins on Friday at Edgbaston

Cricinfo staff02-Aug-2010Having emphatically completed a 354-run victory against Pakistan in the first Test, England have stuck with the men who delivered the job and named an unchanged squad for the second match, which begins on Friday at Edgbaston.Tim Bresnan, included as a late replacement in the squad for the opening game after Ajmal Shahzad picked up an ankle injury, retains his place with Shahzad being sent back to Yorkshire for their crucial Championship clash against Nottinghamshire to prove his fitness.The competition for the position of England’s back-up paceman is close, with Bresnan impressing during England’s away tour to Bangladesh before Shahzad got the chance to stake his claim when he made his Test debut against the same opposition at Old Trafford last month.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said he was impressed with England’s showing at Trent Bridge but echoed Andrew Strauss’s sentiments in calling for consistency.”Clearly we were delighted with the performance in the first Test but the key to consistency is building on that success throughout the rest of the series,” he said. “We saw a number of outstanding performances at Trent Bridge not only with bat and ball but also in the field and the challenge is to maintain those standards over the next three Test matches.”Tim Bresnan returns to the squad while Ajmal Shahzad will play for Yorkshire in their County Championship match commencing Tuesday. We would like to see how Ajmal gets through this four-day match given the recent ankle injury that saw his withdrawal from the first Test squad.”Bresnan’s inclusion is largely a formality with England settled on the four-man attack that proved so hostile in the opening Test and barring a late injury he is likely to remain on the sidelines.England’s unchanged squad could not be in greater contrast to their opposition who have dropped spinner Danish Kaneria and hauled veteran ex-captain Mohammad Yousuf out of retirement to bolster the batting.England squad 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven Finn, 12 Tim Bresnan.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Marseille forward Bamba Dieng…

What’s the talk?

According to the Express, PIF are interested in a deal to sign the attacker for the Magpies and could land him on loan with an obligation to make it permanent in the summer.

The report claims that the Ligue 1 outfit are prepared to sell him for a fee in the region of £10-15m, with Newcastle, Brighton and West Ham are considering a swoop.

Howe’s own Drogba

Eddie Howe could find his own Didier Drogba by securing a deal to bring Dieng to St. James’ Park before the end of the month.

El-Hadji Diouf previously compared the forward to the Premier League and Chelsea icon whilst hailing his potential, saying:

“I knew him from the Senegal national youth teams. He’s a forward, a Didier Drogba [kind of player]. All he knows how to do is score goals. I watched him when he was with Diambars [Dieng’s former club in Senegal] and he wasn’t far off being one of the best strikers in the Senegalese league [Dieng was top scorer in the 2019/20 season, his first as a professional].

“He’s a young player who has a future. The Senegal national team has perhaps also found its own great striker. All I can say to him is that he should keep his head on his shoulders, and carry on working hard. Out of three chances, he’ll score two. He’s a striker who finishes when he’s in the box.”

Drogba scored 104 goals and provided 55 assists in 254 matches for Chelsea in the Premier League throughout his career, which shows how highly Diouf rates the young Marseille man. He is not performing to those levels yet but he could have the potential to get there and this is why he could be an excellent signing for Newcastle.

Dieng may not be the player they need to come in and save them from relegation this season, but he could be someone Howe is able to work with over time to develop him into being the next iconic centre-forward of the Premier League era if he is able to fulfil his potential.

At the age of 21, he has the world at his feet and the Magpies could bed him in slowly, allowing him to learn from the likes of Callum Wilson and Chris Wood whilst picking up Premier League experience along the way.

Jorge Sampaoli previously lauded him as an “explosive” talent and he has burst onto the scene in Ligue 1 this season, with four goals in 14 games (seven starts). He has also scored one goal in two games for Senegal at the African Cup of Nations, showing that he is starting to find his form at senior level for club and country.

This suggests that he could have the potential to score goals on a regular basis at the top level, but he is yet to show that he can do it over the course of an entire season let alone four or five. Therefore, he could be a great signing for the future and Howe could mould him into his own version of Drogba in the coming years.

AND in other news, “Hearing that NUFC have..”: Pete Graves drops big transfer twist, it’ll infuriate Howe…

It may not have looked a particularly demanding target on paper but, with a wretched batting record and their top division status at stake, Warwickshire produced one of their best performances

George Dobell at Edgbaston28-Aug-2010
ScorecardIt may not have looked a particularly demanding target on paper but, with a wretched batting record and their top division status at stake, Warwickshire produced one of their best performances of the summer to revive their hopes of avoiding relegation.A seven-wicket victory over Essex leaves Warwickshire equal on points with Kent and seventh in the table. Kent, who have a game in hand, are the next visitors to Edgbaston in an encounter that could well decide which team goes down. The financial pressure under which Kent are under, with just about their entire squad made available for transfer to other counties, can hardly help them.This defeat all but condemns Essex to relegation, however. They are now bottom of the table and have just one game – against Durham – left to play. Essex need not only to win, but for other results to go their way. On the evidence of this performance, it would be a major surprise if they were to avoid the drop. They look ill-disciplined, with brittle batting and, the reliable David Masters apart, anodyne bowling.Indeed, for much of the afternoon, it looked as if only the weather could deny Warwickshire. While the rain intervened twice, the showers were never severe enough to keep the players off the field for long.Darren Maddy, with just his second Championship half-century of the summer, led the way for Warwickshire, though there were also useful contributions from Ian Westwood and Varun Chopra.To many teams, a target of 153 in 70 might not look have looked too demanding. For Warwickshire, however, who have been dismissed for 155 or fewer 11 times in this Championship campaign, it could have proved daunting.Crucially, however, they made a decent start. For just the third time in 28 attempts this summer, the openers compiled a half-century partnership, with Westwood and Chopra watchful but positive.Westwood was particularly impressive. Though the pitch continued to provide assistance to the seamers, Westwood drove neatly through the covers and square cut with power. He has been the victim of a large amount of criticism from Warwickshire supporters this season but, in such situations, he is just the sort of dogged fighter his team require. He is also the team’s highest run-scorer. It was some surprise when he missed an attempted sweep in Danish Kaneria’s first over.Though Jim Troughton’s grim run showed no sign of abating – he’s passed 50 just once this season, and that was in April – when he was leg-before playing across a straight one, Maddy looked nerveless and feasted on a surfeit of short bowling.The end came in a rush. Maddy punished Tony Palladino for four successive boundaries to reach his first half-century since May and, when Rikki Clarke drove Chambers through the covers. It was, oddly, the fourth time in this championship campaign that Warwickshire have made 155 against Essex.Earlier, a sustained spell of fast bowling from Rikki Clarke helped bowl out Essex for 193 in their second innings. Clarke, who has already taken more first-class wickets than in any previous summer, reaped the rewards for bowling an excellent line and length at an unusually brisk pace.Both Mark Pettini and Ryan ten Doeschate were bowled off their inside edges, prodding indeterminately, unsure whether to play forward or back, before Masters edged a loose drive.Perhaps the key wicket, however, was gifted to Warwickshire. Pettini called Matt Walker through for a high-risk single only to see Chopra swoop in from extra-cover and throw down the stumps with a direct hit. James Foster was deceived by Chris Woakes’ inswinger, before Palladino completed his pair by missing a straight one and Kaneria failed in his attempts to slog one out of Birmingham.”If we can stay up it will be a miraculous effort,” Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, said afterwards. “We know this win doesn’t suddenly make everything rosy, but we’ve some signs of improvement with the bat and some glimpses of confidence. It makes next week’s game against Kent, in effect, a double-pointer. We’ve some massive days coming up.”But, so far, we’ve done what we needed to do. We’ve showed a lot of spirit and we’ve made sure our fate remains in our hands. To win a game where we’ve lost the best part of a day and two-thirds to the opposition, is a great effort.”We were clearly the team that wanted to win this game more. We were fighting the weather more than the opposition and it’s nice to see the guys relaxing and enjoying the win. We’ve had enough tears this summer.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers are looking to make a bid for Metz midfielder Boubacar Traore with manager Bruno Lage targeting additions in the middle of the pitch.

What’s the story?

According to The Sun, Wolves are lining up an £8m bid for the 20-year-old who has made 16 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring one goal.

However, it has been reported that the bid won’t be made until the summer.

The Malian is highly rated and deemed to be an exciting prospect having made his debut in the French top-flight at the end of the last campaign.

Metz are also believed to be holding out for a higher transfer fee but are open to the idea of selling Boubacar.

Wolves could have themselves a bargain

At just 20 years of age, Boubacar certainly appears to possess bags of potential and could prove to be a shrewd acquisition for Wanderers.

Midfield is certainly an area where Bruno Lage’s side lack numbers with Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker the club’s only senior midfielders.

Moreover, Moutinho is 35 and will surely soon struggle to maintain the high standard he’s set for himself whilst Neves has been subject to heavy interest from Manchester United.

Now a regular in Metz’s side, Traore is only going to improve and by the end of the campaign could be a mouth-watering prospect for the West Midlands club going into next season.

With Moutinho and Neves both enjoying fruitful campaigns, it is currently difficult to see how the youngster would find himself playing regular football at Molineux. However, by the summer the picture could be completely different.

At least one of the two Portuguese midfielders could have departed the West Midlands by the time a deal is struck for Traore. Another possibility is that Wolves may secure themselves European football for next season and will require extra squad depth which would potentially prove to be a clear pathway to regular game time for the 20-year-old.

Should a bid of around £8m be sufficient to secure the Malian’s services, Wolves could also secure themselves a fantastic bargain.

Keith Downie has now dropped some exciting Sunderland manager news, with three potential candidates for the job named.

The Lowdown: Search goes on

The manager search at the Stadium of Light goes on following the departure of Lee Johnson, with the likes of Neil Warnock and Roy Keane named as his potential successors.

However, a new coach is unlikely to be appointed before their game against Doncaster Rovers in League One on Saturday, meaning that the board will have time to analyse who the right person is for the job.

The Latest: ‘Several candidates’

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports journalist and North East reporter Downie has now revealed that the plan is for the Black Cats to talk to ‘several candidates’, with Keane as well as Neil Lennon and Grant McCann among the names currently being ‘considered’:

“Roy Keane set to be interviewed for the Sunderland vacancy, but we’re told the plan is to talk to several candidates.

“Neil Lennon & Grant McCann are among those being considered.”

The Verdict: Patience

The SAFC board must make sure that they get the next appointment right above all, and so should take their time to analyse who is best fit for the job.

Keane of course has Transfermarkt).

Lennon has achieved a lot of success with Celtic, including a domestic treble in the 2019/20 term, and so should also be considered.

Nonetheless, other coaches will no doubt be studied as well in the lead up to the appointment, and the board cannot afford to rush to the wrong decision in the race for promotion up to the Championship.

In other news, find out what significant manager update James Hunter has dropped here!

Royal Challengers Bangalore sauntered to victory against Guyana in one of the most one-sided games so far in the tournament

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran12-Sep-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Jacques Kallis grabbed three wickets, including that of Jonathan Foo•Associated PressRoyal Challengers Bangalore sauntered to victory against Guyana in the most one-sided game of the tournament so far. It was Guyana’s first game on the big stage, and they looked way out of their depth, as the highly rated Bangalore sounded an early warning to the rest of the field.On a track where 345 runs had been scored in the evening’s earlier game, Guyana poked and prodded their way to 103, a total Bangalore overhauled with the small matter of 46 deliveries remaining, giving the net run-rate an early boost. No statistic highlighted Guyana’s ineffectual batting as much as the solitary boundary in a ten-over spell after the Powerplays.None of their batsman, barring Christopher Barnwell to an extent, seemed at ease on a pitch which had some extra bounce to interest the South Africans in Bangalore’s attack, and some early movement for Praveen Kumar. Opener Travis Dowlin was perhaps the most unsettled: in a 17-ball stay he was beaten, struck on the pads, squared up while defending, got inside edges, and mishit a pull towards the bowler before finally gloving a short ball to short fine leg.That brought in Guyana’s captain and most experienced batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan. He struck an imperious six off the back foot over long-off but Kallis knocked back his off stump the following ball.One of the concerns for Bangalore coming into the match was Rahul Dravid’s fitness, barely recovering from a stomach bug. He dropped Sewnarine Chattergoon in the fourth over, a simple skier at square leg, in what was perhaps the only blemish in Bangalore’s spotless performance. Chattergoon didn’t make use of that opportunity though, run-out two overs later after being called for a non-existent single, caught well short by a Cameron White direct-hit from cover.It was all too easy for Bangalore from then on. Even left-arm spinner Nayan Doshi and medium-pacer B Akhil, who together sent down the fifth bowler’s quota, weren’t attacked. At the end of the 12th over, with Guyana gasping at 60 for 4, the normally grim-faced Anil Kumble was relaxed enough to laugh and exchange a joke with the umpire.Even the much-awaited entrance of Jonathan Foo didn’t change Guyana’s fortunes. He could only take a single off five balls before edging a rising delivery from Kallis, who removed Derwin Christian two balls later to finish with career-best figures. Towards the end of the innings, the only interest was in whether Guyana could reach triple digits, which they did thanks to a Barnwell swipe in the final over.Guyana’s bowlers had little chance of reining in the heavy-hitters of Bangalore, their only sliver of hope of pulling off an upset lay in getting early breakthroughs. Kallis and Dravid made sure there were no nasty surprises for the Bangalore fans in Centurion, who sang local chants though the game. Kallis put away two short and wide gifts in the first over for fours and followed it up with a sweetly-timed flick for six in the second. When Dravid helped himself to a couple of eye-catching fours in the fourth over, Bangalore had galloped to 31 for 0 and Guyana’s day was turning into a total embarrassment.

As per Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, some transfer news has come out of West Ham United, and it involves Borussia Monchengladbach star Matthias Ginter.

The Lowdown: Newman and Moyes face big summer…

Hammers officials, according to club insider Claret & Hugh, are soon set for a crunch meeting to determine the amount of money which will be allocated to both David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman’s transfer kitty.

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Depending on the outcome of these financial discussions, Moyes and Newman could be set for a big window, but a lot could also come down to West Ham’s run in the Europa League or if they qualify for Europe next season.

The free agent market, as a result, could be a fruitful source for talent to bolster West Ham’s squad at zero cost.

Sharing news, Sky journalist Thomas has now lifted the lid on a potential Bosman transfer for the club this summer.

The Latest: West Ham eye Ginter…

As per his sources, the Irons are now eyeing Bundesliga defender and Germany international Ginter – joining ‘a lot of top clubs’ who have been keeping tabs on the in-demand star.

The 28-year-old, as he’s already confirmed, is set to move on this summer after his contract expires – prompting West Ham to now take note as they eye him for Moyes.

The Verdict: Make a move?

Ginter, a mainstay for his club, has played the second-most top flight minutes for Gladbach behind goalkeeper Yann Sommer – all while ranking in as their fourth-best performer by average match rating (WhoScored).

He’s also made the second-most clearances per 90 (3) out of their squad, standing out as a solid and reliable defender who could seemingly strengthen Moyes’ options at centre-half.

Valued at around £21.6 million by Transfermarkt, bypassing this fee entirely and signing Ginter for free comes as a potential bargain for West Ham.

In other news: West Ham insider: Irons officials set for crunch talks as Moyes personally plots ‘special’ player bid, find out more here.

The ICC has directed the Indian and South African boards to come to a decision on the use of the Umpire Decision Review System for the upcoming Test series between the two teams

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2010The ICC has directed the Indian and South African boards to come to a decision on the use of the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) for the upcoming Test series between the teams. Cricket South Africa (CSA) had expressed its interest in using the system for India’s tour which begins on December 16, but it will have to persuade the BCCI.”Discussions will go on between CSA and BCCI whether to use it or not and CSA will eventually make a decision in consultation with BCCI,” ICC chief Haroon Lorgat said. “We would leave it to them to come to an understanding.”India’s resistance towards the UDRS stems from their experience in the 2008 tour of Sri Lanka, where they only managed one successful referral as opposed to Sri Lanka’s 11.The BCCI has already ruled out the UDRS for the upcoming home Tests against New Zealand. They had earlier refused the use of referrals for the recently-concluded series against Australia despite the availability of the requisite technology.In recent times, some of India’s players have softened their stand, with Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan expressing their support for the system, though others, including MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, share the skepticism of the board. Lorgat, however, was optimistic that they would eventually rethink their stand. “A lot of players are happy with the system,” he said. “I am confident in due course the BCCI would give consent.”South Africa have used the UDRS three times in their last four Test series – against Australia and England at home in 2009, and in the West Indies in June. The exception was when they toured India earlier this year for a two-Test series.

Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif has said he inspired his team for the Asian Games final against Bangladesh by narrating how underdogs India beat the all-conquering West Indies to win the 1983 World Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2010Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif has said he inspired his team for the Asian Games final against Bangladesh by narrating how underdogs India beat the all-conquering West Indies to win the 1983 World Cup. “The Indians were not as fit as their rivals, nor was their skill superior to the West Indies, yet on that day they played better and won,” Latif told . “My team here was the fittest and they had good skills too, but I warned the boys not to take Bangladesh lightly.”Having stunned favourites Pakistan in the semi-final yesterday, Afghanistan proved worthy opponents against Bangladesh, taking the final to the last over before losing by five wickets.Latif, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, said Afghanistan’s ultimate aim was to play Test cricket. “The result proved me right, but I am happy we are on the right path. We will improve further if we play the big teams regularly. The aim is to be a Test nation soon and play against the best. I want to bring youngsters into the game so the sport continues to grow in Afghanistan.”Afghanistan have made rapid strides, rising through the ranks from the lower divisions of the World Cricket League. They played in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean earlier this year and narrowly missed qualifying for the 2011 World Cup.Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan captain, said passion for the game kept the players going. “The war has been going on for three decades, but we have been playing cricket there for the last 10 years despite the lack of proper facilities or grounds. Cricket has caught on back home. More people are playing the game or following it on radio and TV.”Nabi was disappointed to lose the final, but said the silver medal had buoyed his team for the five-day Intercontinental Cup final against Scotland in Dubai from December 2. “We want to play as much as possible, wherever possible. The aim is to join the big league.”Afghanistan received backing from Bangladesh, who won their country’s first ever Asian Games gold medal. “We are celebrating, but I hope Afghanistan will celebrate too because they deserve the silver medal,” Imran Sarwar, the Bangladesh coach, said. “They are a very good side and I am sure they will become a top team in the near future. Their rise has been remarkable.”This was not an easy win at all. We expected them to make around 100 or 110, but they went to 118 and then kept us under pressure till the end.”

Celtic have seen many players come and go out of the Parkhead club over the years throughout the numerous transfer windows that have gone by.

While a significant number of players that end up in a Celtic shirt have gone on to be successful with the Hoops, not every deal that was completed ended up being worthwhile.

One deal, in particular, that ended up falling into this unfortunate category is the club’s 2011 swoop for winger Mohamed Bangura.

Having previously been rather optimistically touted as “the next Henrik Larsson” by his agent, the then 22-year-old was also recommended for the Hoops by their Swedish hero.

He said: “Celtic called and asked me, so I told them what I thought about him. I spoke to Neil and Johan Mjallby. I said that Mohamed is a clever, intelligent player. He is quick and strong, even if he isn’t even 180cm tall (5ft 9in). And most importantly – he knows how to score.”

Despite Larsson claiming that the Sierra Leone winger knew how to score goals, it seems as though Bangura failed to bring that knowledge with him to Celtic Park.

Signed from AIK Stockholm for a fee of £2.2m in the 2011 summer transfer window, the winger made just 16 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions and failed to find the back of the net on even one occasion.

After having a loan spell back with his previous club and one with IF Elfsborg, the attacker left Celtic in February 2014 for a free transfer to Istanbul BBSK.

To highlight how disappointing the now 32-year-old was during his time in Scotland, with ten appearances to his name throughout the 2011/12 SPFL season, he only registered three shots on target.

As well as his lack of attacking prowess, injuries also hampered his time in Scotland.

In terms of how much of a financial blow signing Bangura was for the club, every appearance the now 32-year-old made for them cost £137.5k based on the transfer fee they splashed out to bring him to Parkhead.

While this deal ended up being a complete waste of time and money for the Hoops, it at least taught them to not rely on Larsson’s player recommendations.

In other news: Sold for £1.3m, now worth £107k: Celtic hit the jackpot on “selfish” 28 y/o “villain”