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Nottinghamshire batsman Ali Brown extended his contract with the club for another year after helping bring the Championship to Trent Bridge in the 2010 season

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2010Nottinghamshire batsman Ali Brown extended his contract with the club for another year after helping bring the Championship to Trent Bridge in the 2010 season. The 40-year-old Brown has held off retirement for after a productive season where he scored 805 Championship runs at 37.52, alongside 337 runs in the Friends Provident t20.”Last season was very enjoyable for the team and for me personally and winning the championship was an achievement that we’re all immensely proud of,” said Brown.”My thinking at this moment in time is that this will be my final contract but it is hard to walk away from a club that is challenging for honours. There are some talented young batsmen here who are beginning to make inroads and I hope that they can grasp their opportunities and force their way into the side.”Brown’s 134 in the win over Durham at Trent Bridge in May was his personal highlight of Nottinghamshire’s Championship campaign and Nottinghamshire coach Mick Newell feels his experience, allied to his runs, makes him an important member of the squad.”Ali was a key player for us last season and he has a positive impact on the field and in the dressing room,” said Newell. “We know that there will be changes to our batting unit when Ali and Mark Wagh retire but it’s to our advantage that they are in the squad alongside young players who have the potential to succeed them.”Steven Mullaney has the potential to develop into a number six batsman in four day cricket and the likes of Akhil Patel and Scott Elstone have continued to improve.”

As Alex Neil’s Sunderland side prepare for a potential pivotal League One final day clash with Morecambe on Saturday, the club’s supporters would be forgiven for having more pressing matters to attend to than concerning themselves with who they did or didn’t sign over the past decade or so.

That being said, had the Black Cats made smarter moves in the transfer market during their Premier League days. they may not have found themselves where they are at present, facing a fifth successive season in the third tier unless they can navigate their way out of the play-offs.

One notable missed opportunity of recent times was the club’s failure to secure the signing of current Paris Saint-Germain star Georginio Wijnaldum, with the midfielder having appeared close to a deal back in 2015 during Dick Advocaat’s stint in charge at the Stadium of Light.

How Sunderland missed out on Wijnaldum

As reports at the time revealed, Sunderland held concrete interest in the then-PSV Eindhoven skipper and even submitted an £11m offer for the player, with Advocaat keen to use his Dutch connections to tempt his compatriot into a move to Wearside.

The then 24-year-old opted against the move, though, with the club suffering the ignominy of seeing the Rotterdam-born playmaker instead choosing to join bitter rivals Newcastle United in a £14.4m deal.

Despite the Magpies’ eventual relegation at the end of his debut campaign, Wijnaldum more than showed his suitability to English football in what was a stellar season on an individual note as he netted 11 Premier League goals.

That form alerted the attention of Liverpool, who moved for him after just a solitary season at St James’ Park, with the all-action midfielder going on to claim Champions League and Premier League honours during his time at Anfield.

Such was the Dutchman’s impact at the Merseyside club prior to his 2021 departure, Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness suggested that the 5 foot 9 star had been the “driving force” for the Reds’ success under Jurgen Klopp in recent years, alongside Jordan Henderson and James Milner.

While the 31-year-old has somewhat struggled since his free transfer to PSG last summer – with just a 6.65 average match rating in Ligue 1 – the 86-cap international is still held in high regard. His Oranje colleague Ryan Babel insisted that the £19.8m-rated colossus has “lungs for days”, such is his intense work ethic.

As for Sunderland, the club are no longer anywhere close to signing a player of that calibre, with the Black Cats having found it immensely difficult to climb their way out of the lower divisions.

Had they managed to secure Wijnaldum’s services that summer – rather than ending up with the likes of Yann M’Vila and later Jan Kirchoff – who knows where they could be right now.

AND in other news, Speakman howler: Sunderland may now be on the verge of repeating brutal Hugill disasterclass…

Celtic had a significant overhaul during the previous summer transfer window in terms of the number of players that moved in and out of the club.

After their busy summer, the Hoops have definitely made the most of it in their latest SPFL season in terms of their results.

With 34 league games played, Ange Postecoglou’s side have won 27, drawn four and lost three, scoring 80 goals and conceding 19 along the way.

Now that the end of the campaign is in sight, the Hoops are within touching distance of the league title as they currently find themselves six points clear at the top of the table.

Looking beyond that, the next summer transfer window will be opening and once again give the Parkhead club the chance to make whatever changes to the squad that Postecoglou feels are necessary.

With that in mind, one figure that we think should follow in the footsteps of the numerous players that left the club last summer is midfielder Ismaila Soro.

Having appeared in just eight league games this season, the 23-year-old has played only three minutes of action since September.

This is a big clue that the Ivorian is quite far down in the pecking order at the moment and isn’t likely to be in Postecoglou’s plans for next season.

Back in January, Soro was heavily linked with a move away from the Parkhead club after originally arriving for a fee of £2m during the 2020 winter window.

Taking into account how the midfielder has failed to show the 56-year-old why he deserves to be a regular figure in the team in terms of his performances, the summer could be the ideal time to finally call his time with the Bhoys to an end.

According to WhoScored, the Hoops outcast has only been able to earn himself a rather disappointing overall performance rating of 6.25/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players currently in the squad to have started at least one league game.

This shows just how much the £10.5k-per-week flop has been stealing a living this season.

To further highlight how ineffective the player has been for the Bhoys in this campaign, he has one yellow card to his name but not even a single successful tackle.

With the likes of Tom Rogic, Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley, David Turnbull and Reo Hatate all contributing to the team in terms of scoring goals, it’s no wonder that Soro has not been in Postecoglou’s thinking in recent months.

90% of voters in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast claimed that the club should look to get rid of the player in the summer, so things aren’t looking great for his future in a Celtic shirt.

Moving forward, if the Bhoys are able to pick up any sort of cash for the player in the summer and sell him on a permanent deal, this will certainly be the best option for all parties.

In other news: Celtic now plotting 7-figure bid for 14 G/A sensation, he’s perfect for Angeball

Australia’s Ashes situation is so perilous that the hosts will look anywhere for a good omen. After another day of being dominated by England, Michael Hussey peered back four years to the WACA match when Australia wrapped up the urn on the way to a 5-0 cl

Peter English at the WACA16-Dec-2010Australia’s Ashes situation is so perilous that the hosts will look anywhere for a good omen. After another day of being dominated by England, Michael Hussey peered back four years to the WACA match when Australia wrapped up the urn on the way to a 5-0 cleansweep.On that occasion the local unit was jammed with world-beating talent and could win from any situation. The current outfit, which was dismissed for268 after being 4 for 36, has only three players – Hussey, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke – from those all-conquering days and is experiencing the country’s worst slump in 25 years.Despite all the troubles, Hussey remained publicly confident of Australia’s chances in the game, which could determine whether England retains the urn. “I don’t think it’s as below par as some people would think,” Hussey said of the score. “I’ve played in quite a few Test matches here where the first-innings totals have been in the mid-200s.”Tomorrow will tell the tale if we’re below par or not. Even four years ago we were out for a similar total and were able to bowl England out for less than us. It will have to be the same again.”On that occasion Australia were dismissed for 244 and gained a 29-run lead on first innings before running away with the contest with hundreds to Hussey, Clarke and Adam Gilchrist. This time they will rely on a bowling attack with six serious operators but only one spinner after Ponting decided to conscript a pace army.The tactic might have been more successful if Ponting had won the toss, but instead Andrew Strauss chose to bowl and his men benefited from the bouncy, seaming conditions. The first wicket went to Chris Tremlett (3 for63) in the second over of the day and by the time Steven Smith was dismissed shortly after lunch the hosts were 5 for 69.Michael Beer, the left-arm spinner, was not handed a debut in a strange move and Ponting will have to rotate his quicks as Australia desperately chase their first wicket. “The selectors decided to go the fast-bowler option and we just need to back that 100%,” Hussey said. “There’s certainly enough there for the fast bowlers and it’s good we’ve got a good artillery of them.”England finished at 0 for 28 and had few troubles against Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris. “It was a great last half an hour,” Tremlett said. “The guys fought hard to fight off the new ball, which is key, so we’ll look to bat time, get a healthy lead, and look to go out and bowl them out again.”Australia have managed only 16 breakthroughs in the series and Hussey is hoping for a quick turnaround. “I’m quietly confident, we’ve certainly got a pitch that will aid us,” he said. “If we can bowl well at both ends and get the ball in the right area there’s enough there for us. There’s enough grass on the wicket and enough movement off the seam.”Hussey posted a hard-working 61 when the conditions were at their toughest and it continued his impressive streak since he saved his career with a domestic hundred for Western Australia last month. He has 401 runs for the series but is not getting much top-order help. Mitchell Johnson (62) and Brad Haddin (53) were the other major contributors on another troubling day.

A disciplined team performance helped India women beat West Indies women in the first Twenty20 by a comfortable six-wicket margin

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2011
Scorecard
A disciplined team performance helped India women beat West Indies women in the first Twenty20 by a comfortable six-wicket margin in Ahmedabad. Chasing 90 for victory, India got home with 16 balls to spare, going 1-0 up in the three-match series.Though there was no stand-out performer for the hosts, most batsmen chipped in, contributing to the victory in what was the first-ever Twenty20 between the two sides. West Indies’ new-ball bowler Stafanie Taylor got India opener Poonam Raut early, while her partner Rumeli Dhar was run out for 15. But the next three batsmen – Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and Priyanka Roy – posted 20s to steer India to victory.It was all about teamwork when India bowled as well, as the wickets were shared around, with only skipper Jhulan Goswami being responsible for more than a single dismissal. She effectively dismissed three batsmen, getting Stacy-Ann King run out off a direct hit without facing a ball in addition to two bowling successes. Only No. 3 batsman Shanel Daley displayed some amount of resistance, scoring 35 off 51 balls. Despite her efforts, West Indies finished on a total of which proved inadequate.The second match will be played on Saturday at the same venue.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made a claim regarding Aston Villa’s interest in Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Villa links

Villa appear to be on the hunt for defensive reinforcements this summer, with the futures of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings up in the air.

Nelsson has been just one centre-back who has been linked with a move to the Midlands, with reports suggesting Villa are ready to make a ‘serious offer’.

The 6-foot colossus has a €25m (£21m) release clause in his Galatasaray deal and has gone from strength to strength in Turkey this season, with his Transfermarkt valuation increasing from £3.15m to £9m.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Jones, talking to GMS, had this to say on Nelsson, admitting the centre-back is ‘definitely of interest’ to Villa chiefs and urged the club to be ‘smarter’ in the transfer window.

“Victor Nelsson is somebody that is definitely of interest. It’s probably good that they’re looking for players a bit different to all the other names you see linked to all the big clubs.

“Villa have got to be a little bit smarter about their recruitment this summer because they don’t want to get in price wars with some of the other big clubs in the Premier League as you just end up paying over the odds.

“That’s not really a situation they want to be in even though they have got a lot of money.”

The Verdict: Smart move?

Villa could be in for a busy summer ahead of Gerrard’s first full season when it comes to incomings and outgoings, and club officials will know all about the Denmark international.

The 23-year-old was the subject of a £9m bid from Villa back in 2020, so fellow countryman Johan Lange could have been the one to bring him to Gerrard’s attention recently.

It looks as if another offer could be a shrewd move following his impressive form in Turkey, and he may not be the only centre-back to arrive ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: Villa now edging closer to summer move for ‘clinical’ ace as Gerrard gets his way. 

Manchester United and Liverpool both hold ‘huge’ interest in Hoffenheim midfielder Christoph Baumgartner, according to reports in Germany.

The Lowdown: Baumgartner profiled

Baumgartner is 22 years of age and can play as an attacking midfielder, central midfielder or left-winger. [Transfermarkt]

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The Austria international has made 100 senior appearances for his current employers after coming through the academy, scoring 22 times and registering 14 assists.

Labelled as ‘dangerous’ by Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen, Baumgartner still has over three years left on his current contract but is now catching the eye in England, scoring six times from midfield in something of a breakout season.

The Latest: United interest

Sports Witness relayed a story from German outlet Bild on Wednesday regarding Baumgartner. They claimed that the interest in the midfielder is ‘huge’, with both Manchester United and Liverpool including the Hoffenheim star on their summer wishlist.

Baumgartner has a €30m (£25m) release clause and is considering his next move following interest from United and Liverpool.

The Verdict: Building for the future…

Erik ten Hag will arrive at Old Trafford in the coming weeks ahead of a busy first summer as manager. The Dutchman could make a number of additions as he looks to rebuild the club, so bringing in someone like Baumgartner could prove to be a smart call.

Still just 22 years of age, Baumgartner has enjoyed a brilliant rise in the Bundesliga, with his Transfermarkt valuation increasing from £1.8m to £19.8m in just two years.

He is now Hoffenheim’s most valuable player, and with Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata out of contract this summer, Baumgartner could be the perfect addition to challenge Bruno Fernandes in an attacking midfield role going forward.

In other news: ‘In the coming weeks’ – Fabrizio Romano drops Man Utd transfer news as Ten Hag gets his way. 

West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo is certain of his team’s qualification for the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup

Sharda Ugra in Delhi22-Feb-2011The group in which the West Indies finds themselves in this World Cup is not quite the football-esque Group of Death, but it could well be called a Cluster of Calamity. Where on any given day, a team that is highly-favoured, generously-rated, strongly-supported could find its plans, dreams and ambitions, upended. To whittle down the company that West Indies keep along with India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands into four quarter-finalists is tougher than getting Sreesanth to separate his bowling from his bravado.West Indies’ allrounder Dwayne Bravo, though, has a different point of view, “I have no doubt in my mind we are going to qualify for the second round. And obviously, take it from there.” It is a declaration through which Bravo has painted a target on his back two days before he gets out on the Ferozshah Kotla to play West Indies’ first World Cup match against South Africa. Bravo did so by dismissing the idea that his team’s group was tougher than the one made up of Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada. “It’s an open tournament and both groups have teams who can spring surprises and that’s what the World Cup wants – one of the big teams being surprised by one of the under-rated teams.”West Indies are one of those under-rated teams, particularly since the last time they beat a Test team in an ODI was in June 2009. Since then, they have been beaten in their last two series at home by Bangladesh (0-3) and South Africa (0-5), both of whom they will meet in this group. It is as if the Gods are mocking the form book, destiny and whatever else can be mocked.The series against South Africa, says Bravo, could have been “4-1 in the West Indies’ favour” and in hindsight, it spelt out his side’s biggest flaw: “We had a lot of opportunities, a lot of key moments that could have won us the games. But it was simple mistakes that cost us. We have identified those mistakes. We have to come up with good game plans as to how if those those situations do occur again, we will be more prepared to facing them.”Bravo’s own form in the run-up to the World Cup has been iffy, with only one fifty in his last ten games, but he said he was now “confident and happy” after his brief run in the rain-drenched ODI series in Sri Lanka. “I am waiting for the tournament to begin, it will be a long one and I have a big role to play with bat and ball.” Two days ago, Chris Gayle said Bravo was a factor because he brought “fireworks” to the team. “He get that buzz around and bring that energy… Regardless of what is happening, I’m not too worried about him, he will be ready to go when the umpire says play.” For his part, Bravo says, “We can’t wait for Thursday to come.”Gayle and Bravo make up two of the trio who turned down central contracts offered to them by the West Indies Cricket Board, giving themselves the opportunity to be freelance Twenty20 players in leagues mushrooming around the world. They may be in the same corner of a debate, but Bravo believes they must also share a common load in the World Cup. Not just because they are IPL regulars but also due to their all-round abilities. “Allrounders are very important in this part of the world and we have four top-quality allrounders. The captain Darren Sammy is one, Kieron Pollard, myself and Chris Gayle. On any given day if two of us out of the four have a good day, the West Indies will be in a good position to win games.”The IPL’s insider information was not going to be enormous, Bravo said, because “it’s the same information that Graeme Smith or J P Duminy will have.” What could give the West Indians a slight advantage was the similarity of the conditions in the sub-continent to their home pitches, but this, too, only when compared to “some of the other teams who play on hard bouncy surfaces.”Once we play properly and execute our plans properly, that obviously is going to come into play… knowing India, spin and slow-medium play a big part and we will also take that into consideration.”The West Indies’ recent form and rankings were dismissed as ‘history’ with Bravo distilling the news, the noise and the predictions into one simple idea: “This is a new tournament in a different setting. Each team starts with zero points and every team has an opportunity to win the World Cup.”The match against South Africa will be the first ‘marquee’ contest of the World Cup not featuring any of the home teams. The West Indies would want to light a few fires under a few chairs in their group, “because we have to begin well…we don’t want to be in the middle of the tournament where we are trying to play catch up cricket. We are not in a position where we can take it easy at the moment as we are rebuilding and trying to get back into winning ways… this tournament is important to us and the people of the Caribbean.”The people of the Caribbean will no doubt also keep Bravo’s promise of a quarter-final spot in mind.

Andrew Strauss has backed his team to recover well against South Africa after a stunning defeat at the hands of Ireland

Firdose Moonda in Chennai05-Mar-2011While Ireland were painting Bangalore green on Tuesday night, there were fifteen very blue men lurking nearby. Nobody noticed and why should they have? They were celebrating a coup and they didn’t need the ex-Kings doing it with them.Rather than allow their heads to be cut off and paraded on pikes, Andrew Strauss and his men accepted defeat and decided to join in. They had a drink with the victorious Ireland team because it was “the right thing to do.” Strauss held his head high as he explained why England had no problem partaking in some of the day’s joy. “You should win with class and lose with class.”Even in the midst of the chaos that has caused England to become the first victims to an Associate nation in this tournament, Strauss retained composure. Even in the midst of being questioned, over and over again, about the weakness of his bowling attack, Strauss smiled and explained, answering each question thoughtfully. Even in the midst of being told he was the leader of a failed fielding side, Strauss kept his cool and spoke with the same even-tone throughout. That’s class.”I’ve learnt that if you bowl and field poorly, there’s a good chance you will lose games of cricket,” he said when asked what he’d been mulling over in the past few days. “There are going to be high-scoring games and if there is any slight edge you get in the field, will stand you in good stead.”He had accepted that the performance while bowling was up to no good but admitted that this attack wasn’t helped by the pitch in Bangalore, where it conceded two scores over 300. “When you come across a very flat wicket, the margin of error goes down and that’s why we haven’t quite been able to do what we want to do.”The Chennai pitch is a different beast. It’s not the liveliest but Strauss’s assessment of it is that it will offer a little more. “The wicket looks grassless, hard and dry. There will be something in it for at least some of the bowlers.”Andrew Strauss expects more for the bowlers on the Chennai track•AFPIt’s taking whatever there is and making it work for them that may present England with a challenge. Barring Graeme Swann, the rest of their attack has looked ordinary and, at times, purposeless. But Strauss added that the bowlers have “a lot of clarity” about what they need to do, and they will prove that against South Africa. “We will bowl to our plans against them. We know their players pretty well, it’s not like we will get any surprise packages.”South Africa and England last played a one-day series in the 2009-10 season in South Africa, where the hosts were beaten. James Anderson and Stuart Broad were the two leading bowlers in that series, taking eight and six wickets respectively. They also played a series in 2008 in England, who were winners this time, too. Broad was the second highest wicket-taker, with eight scalps. It’s not just the familiarity of the South African team that Strauss is talking about but the familiarity of beating them. For two bowlers who seem horribly out of it at the moment, Anderson and Broad, it’s the familiarity of taking wickets against them.South Africa’s middle order has been untested at this World Cup and Strauss sees that as an opportunity to get his bowlers back in the groove. With Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers dominating time at the crease, the likes of Faf du Plessis and whoever will fill that troublesome No.7 spot have not had much match time. As a result of that, “maybe the middle order hasn’t got the pace of the wicket very well,” Strauss said. Scoring runs hasn’t been much of a problem for England so far and they won’t be thrown off if South African’s mystery man, Imran Tahir, plays, because most of the England batsmen have seen him on the county circuit. “When he first came to England I played with him at Middlesex,” Strauss said. “I have since played against him. The guys from Warwickshire also know him well. We know what he brings to the party quite clearly.”What’s just as lucid to the England side is how crucial it will be for them to recover, and recover quickly enough to launch an immediate challenge against the rampant South African side, “You’ve got to put defeats behind you very quickly. The great thing about this tournament is that you have the opportunity to get back on the bike straight away.” Strauss said. Then, with a half a grin and a quiet confidence that never let his class slip for a second he added. “We’re good at bouncing back.”

Daniel Vettori has said he should be ready for New Zealand’s quarter-final match against South Africa in Dhaka on Friday

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2011Daniel Vettori has said he should be fit to play New Zealand’s quarter-final against South Africa in Dhaka on Friday. There was another injury concern for New Zealand, though, as Brendon McCullum revealed he was struggling with a knee injury he picked up in the game against Zimbabwe.Vettori missed his side’s last two games, against Sri Lanka and Canada, after injuring his knee while fielding against Pakistan earlier in the tournament. “Skill-wise I should be all right to get through the batting and bowling, it is just the running around that is hampering me a little bit,” he said after a training session. “But I still have a few days left and I am confident of being available for that [quarter-final].”The injury is not likely to get worse if Vettori plays, and he said that it was simply a case of putting on a brave face and dealing with a little bit of pain. “The main thing is being able to try and work around everything else. I am very confident I will be able to bowl during the quarter-final. It feels all right bowling but I haven’t done it in under pressure conditions and there haven’t been any short, sharp, unpredictable movements. That will be the next step over the next few days.”McCullum had torn the cartilage in his right knee during the ten-wicket win over Zimbabwe and managed to keep playing with the aid of anti-inflammatory drugs and a brace. “I hate the fact this sort of stuff can be used as an excuse,” he told the . “The stars are never going to be fully aligned each time you play. Understand this: it is a World Cup. If it was a bilateral series then maybe you’d have a few games off but this comes around every four years, so players need to get over it and work through injuries. There are plenty of people with worse problems and issues than mine.”He said the knee was stiff and sore but he believed he could get through the tournament if he took it easy in training. “That means no warm-up games at practice and restricting wicketkeeping and batting to a minimum. It [the knee] goes up and down. It is sore after a game then the pain slowly eases off, meaning I can build up again.”