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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has arranged a press conference on Dec 7, on the eve of the International Cricket Council (ICC) development committee, meeting scheduled for Dec 7 and 8 in Lahore

Our Sports Correspondent03-Dec-2002Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has arranged a press conference on Dec 7, on the eve of the International Cricket Council (ICC) development committee, meeting scheduled for Dec 7 and 8 in Lahore.ICC president Malcolm Gray and chief executive Malcolm Speed are especially attending the meeting and will address the press conference.PCB has decided to hold the press conference when the meeting would have to take various decisions on Dec 8. That means the journalists would not be able to get answers to their questions about decisions which will be taken the next day.A PCB spokesman said that the schedule of the ICC officials was tight and there was no free time on Dec 8 for a press conference.PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia succeeded in getting the meeting rescheduled, and relocated to Lahore during ICC’s executive board meeting held in Colombo on Sept 30 and Oct 1, where some of the members had suggested to shift the meeting to Amsterdam, Holland.

The plays of the first day between England and New Zealand at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan at Old Trafford23-May-2008
Aaron Redmond clatters Monty Panesar over the top © Getty Images
Partnership of the day
For a long time, any contributions from New Zealand’s top three has been a welcome bonus, so the relative success of Jamie How and Aaron Redmond was a notable moment. Their partnership of 80 was New Zealand’s first half-century opening stand since December 2006, and the best since Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson added 163 against England, at Trent Bridge, in June 2004. Since then 14 opening partnerships have been tried with precious little success, so the New Zealand management will be crossing all the fingers they have about the latest combination.Shot of the day
Ross Taylor played most of the flashing shots, but one of the more important came from the normally very restrained Redmond. This match had been billed as the return of Monty Panesar to his favourite ground and he was brought into the attack for the 10th over. His first ball spun and took the edge of How’s bat, so it was clear he was going to play a key role even early in the game. New Zealand, though, weren’t going to let him settle. To the final delivery of Panesar’s second over Redmond stepped down the pitch, thumping him dismissively straight down the ground. Panesar’s economy rate of over four-and-a-half is a key reason why New Zealand have been able to keep England at bay.Angle of the day
Left-arm round the wicket is quickly becoming the new reverse swing, the type of bowling that gets people talking because it is aggressive and different. Ryan Sidebottom is becoming a master of the art, having only attempted it in anger during the tour of New Zealand. It is one of the rarer angles a batsman will face and it has posed the New Zealanders plenty of problems. Sidebottom set-up Redmond beautifully with deliveries that went away, before bringing one back into the right hander. James Marshall was then nailed by one which swung back.Contest of the day
It was brief (very brief) but compelling all the same. Almost as soon as Brendon McCullum made his way to the middle Michael Vaughan called Panesar back onto action. The first ball McCullum faced, he tried to loft it over mid-on and got a leading edge away from the fielders. When he was back on strike two deliveries later Panesar let out a deafening lbw appeal, which Simon Taufel correctly rejected. And in the next over, McCullum rocked back and cut a short ball to the boundary, before depositing Panesar over deep midwicket for six. But Monty stayed calm and three balls later tossed one up outside off stump. McCullum couldn’t resist the drive and got a thin edge which rebounded off Tim Ambrose’s gloves and into the hands of an alert Paul Collingwood at slip. Monty had his man.Spell of the day
James Anderson began with a worryingly poor spell from the Stretford End, his first four overs costing 23. He wasn’t recalled until after lunch, but the switch to the Brian Statham End worked wonders. Anderson charged in, having How caught behind before a rapid bouncer burst through Daniel Flynn’s visor removing a tooth. Jacob Oram was given a working over, getting struck on the helmet and the gloves, for a time looking anything other than the batsman who hit that final-day 101 at Lord’s. Anderson’s spell ended with the figures of 8-0-43-1, but that barely tells the story of the drama it included.Injury of the day
At Lord’s it was McCullum getting dusted up and here it was the turn of Flynn, who showed real fighting earlier in the week. However, facing Anderson in the middle of his rapid burst, Flynn was late on a pull, the ball squeezed between his helmet and visor and smacked into his mouth. The super slow-mo replays showed it all in gory detail and as Flynn staggered, his tooth could be seen falling out. The physio was quickly on the scene to inspect the damage and also picked up the tooth. Shortly after Flynn left the field, the news soon came through that he was fit to bat again. His reputation as a fighter grows.Ball change of the day
Darrell Hair was the same assured and authoritative figure on his return to the Test arena as the man who’d left it 21 months ago. He had a couple of early appeals from Sidebottom to deal with and they were calmly answered in the negative, while the caught behind of How was a simple decision. Then, in the 39th over, there was a problem with the ball. The last time Hair was looking at a ball during a Test, well we all know what happened. On this occasion, though, it was nothing more than it had gone out of shape – as happened at Lord’s – and it was promptly changed. The only time the players marched off the field was when they were offered the light.

Liverpool are not currently close to signing Renato Sanches but the player has long been ‘appreciated’ by the club, transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has told Anfield Watch.

The lowdown

Sanches made 23 Ligue 1 appearances, including 14 starts, for Lille last season as they beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title. The former Bayern Munich midfielder averaged 1.7 dribbles, 3.5 successful long balls and 0.8 key passes per game (via WhoScored).

Sanches then made four appearances for Portugal at the European Championship and caught the eye, with BBC Sport’s Jermaine Jenas hailing him as ‘terrific’.

It was reported in regional newspaper La Voix du Nord this week that Liverpool are ‘very interested’ in the 23-year-old. Encouragingly, one ‘experienced agent’ says that any ‘decent talent’ outside of PSG ‘has a value right now’ amid a financial crisis in French football (via The Athletic).

Liverpool may therefore be able to strike a cut-price deal for a player who could replace Paris-bound Georginio Wijnaldum.

The latest

Romano says that recruiting a midfielder is not Liverpool’s current priority, and as such a deal for Sanches isn’t thought to be imminent. Instead, he urged any Reds fans keen on Sanches to be patient.

“From what I know, it is not a done deal,” he told Anfield Watch, adding: “It is not yet at an advanced stage because, what I have been told, the strategy for Liverpool is not going immediately for a midfielder.

“He has always been appreciated but at the moment, it is not advanced yet. So we need to wait a bit on this deal.”

The verdict

Sanches is a gifted player, and his ability to glide through challenges as he drives forward makes him particularly easy on the eye.

However, this isn’t a deal Liverpool should pursue. Wijnaldum was hardly ever injured, but Sanches’ fitness record makes for worrying reading, so he doesn’t fit the bill as a replacement for the Dutchman.

After a succession of injuries decimated their Premier League title defence, the Reds ought to proceed with caution with regards to the Lille maestro.

In other news, there’s one surprise omission from Liverpool’s pre-season squad. 

Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009 has opened the way for a third Associate county to be invited from next month’s ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers

Cricinfo staff04-Jul-2008Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the ICC World Twenty20 in England in 2009 has opened the way for a third Associate county to be invited from next month’s ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers.The leading Associates meet in Belfast between August 2 and 4 with the top two gained an automatic place in the main event the following June.”The third associate will come through the qualifiers in August this year,” Samir Inamdar, the chairman of the ICC’s Affiliates and Associates, told Cricinfo. “I have had a conversation with Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, who has agreed that it is logical to replace Zimbabwe with an Associate.”

Leeds United are considering a move for Levante goalkeeper Dani Cardenas this summer, according to The Athletic‘s Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds search for new goalkeeper

Kiko Casilla’s loan move to Elche next season means the Whites need to sign a replacement between the sticks, with Illan Meslier the only established option in that role.

Leeds have been linked with a move for Valerenga stopper Kristoffer Klaesson, but another ‘keeper is also reportedly in contention to move to Elland Road.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Whites interested in Cardenas

The individual in question is Cardenas, with Hay claiming that Leeds see both him and Klaesson as ‘suitable’ backups to Meslier moving forward.

Cardenas was limited to just eight La Liga appearances for Levante last season, finding himself behind Aitor Fernandez in the pecking order.

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The Verdict: Strong deputy to Meslier

Leeds don’t need to bring in a top-class ‘keeper – a solid backup option is all that is needed, with Meslier hopefully available for the vast majority of the Whites’ matches.

Cardenas only joined Levante in January, but they could be happy for the 1.86m (6 foot 1) Spaniard to leave this summer in order to avoid losing him for free when his contract expires next year.

He conceded a respectable 16 goals in 13 appearances for the club (1.23 per game), which is actually a better concession rate than Meslier’s 52 in 35 matches (1.49 per game) last season, so he could be a strong deputy to the French youngster.

The 24-year-old has La Liga experience to his name and he wouldn’t represent an expensive signing – he is valued at just £540,000 by Transfermarkt – so it is a move which makes plenty of sense from a Leeds point of view.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly still eyeing up a move for one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Nuno Espirito Santo has reportedly confirmed that Oliver Skipp will be part of his first-team squad at Tottenham Hotspur next season, which will surely delight Spurs fans after his superb season out on loan at Norwich City.

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard, the new Spurs boss has told both Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon that they will be given opportunities to impress in the first team next season.

He said:

“Every player of the squad is in my plan, every player, every player.

“Even the Under-23s that are working with us are in my plans because this is how we build a strong group. Everybody is going to be needed.”

The Portuguese manager was hired late last month, which gives him a little over six weeks to prepare for Spurs’ opening game against Manchester City in the Premier League.

Considering no transfer business has been concluded so far by the North London club, it is perhaps no surprise that the Portuguese manager will turn towards the likes of Skipp and Sessegnon in pre-season, as a large number of Spurs’ players are still on holiday after playing at the Euros and Copa America this summer.

Can Skipp be a regular next season?

Spurs fans will be especially excited about Skipp, after the £9m-rated gem, who is a product of the youth academy at Spurs, was a key part of Norwich’s promotion to the top-flight last season.

The 20-year-old joined Daniel Farke’s side on loan for the season and was a regular as they won the title, featuring 45 times in the second tier and averaging a solid 6.90 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He certainly won a lot of plaudits from Farke, who described him as the “perfect” player as a result of his performances and attitude during his time at Carrow Road. Consequently, the German manager will no doubt be disappointed if he cannot get him back on loan for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

However, Norwich’s loss is Spurs’ gain, as Skipp can provide Santo with an alternative to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in defensive-midfield after the Dane played every minute in the Premier League last season. He could also be an upgrade on Harry Winks, whose form has been less than impressive in recent seasons, failing to earn a seasonal average match rating above 6.6.

Skipp looks like he definitely has the potential to be a key player for Spurs in the future, and fans will be hoping that the 21/22 season proves to be his breakthrough with the Lilywhites after Nuno’s recent admission.

And, in other news… Paratici can upgrade Nuno’s Spurs defence with swoop for “one of the best”

Defending champions Kent secured their place in Twenty20 Finals Day with a convincing 42-run victory against Warwickshire at Edgbaston

Cricinfo staff10-Jul-2008
ScorecardDefending champions Kent secured their place in Twenty20 Finals Day with a convincing 42-run victory against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Darren Stevens was the star as he clubbed 69 off 32 to turnaround a stuttering innings then claimed two wickets.Kent’s innings was threatening to fall short of expectations as Warwickshire’s seamers – especially Neil Carter and Chris Martin – restricted the scoring rate. When Justin Kemp was bowled by Ian Salisbury for 9, Kent were 98 for 5. Stevens, though, didn’t panic and hit five sixes alongside six fours in his innings, adding 60 with Azhar Mahmood who took 25 off 13 balls.Stevens took a particularly liking to Chris Woakes, who was hit for three sixes before being order out of the attack for bowling two beamers in his final over. Darren Maddy completed the 19th over, which in total cost 33 runs.Chasing 176, Warwickshire lost Carter early and after reaching 40 for 1 suffered a terminal decline in the middle order. Maddy, who missed the qualifying section with a broken thumb, was run out for 27 off 18 balls. Mahmood was also miserly with the ball, conceding 16 runs from his four overs, while Yasir Arafat continued his good season with three wickets.Kent join Middlesex and Essex in Finals Day and the fourth team will be known after the rearranged quarter-final between Durham and Nottinghamshire, following the expulsion of Yorkshire.

Valerien Ismael has dropped a hint regarding the transfer business West Bromwich Albion still have to do this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with Birmingham Live, the West Brom manager revealed that, despite Albion having made just two signings in the summer transfer window thus far with several holes still in need of plugging in the Baggies’ first team squad, he is in no real rush to bring a glut of new faces to The Hawthorns.

The Frenchman added that this is because of just how impressive many of the West Brom starlets have been in pre-season, with the 45-year-old stating upon his arrival at the club that he would be looking to integrate a number of the most promising academy players into his first team plans.

However, Ismael also suggested that he is nevertheless working on a number of deals behind the scenes, and is not afraid to dip into the transfer market if he feels the need to do so.

“We will see, I think at the moment I said that the good thing is our young players are doing well and they have given us time,” Ismael told Birmingham Live when questioned about Albion’s transfer business.

“There is no rush on the transfer market, we want to see the young players and [at Watford] it was a very important game for us.

“We needed to assess the players but we saw that the performance was there. They understood the principle and I think it is better for us if we can push some young players from the academy.

“We will do it if we have the possibility and if the performance and commitment is there we will do it. Otherwise, for sure we will show what we can do in the transfer market but at the minute there is no rush.

“We are working behind the scenes to prepare. We prepare a lot of things already but we have no rush because of the good performance from the young players.”

Music to the ears of fans

With Ismael arriving at the club amid speculation that he would be looking to reshape West Brom from the bottom to the top, these comments are arguably the first evidence of the 45-year-old’s plans in action.

Indeed, it would surprise us if the Baggies did not make a few more additions to their squad this summer, with the middle of the park in particular looking rather short on depth.

However, considering just how successful the Frenchman was when placing his trust in youngsters with Barnsley last season – and clubs such as Swansea City and Lincoln City thriving with a team featuring a number of players closer to the beginning than the end of their careers – that Ismael is looking to prioritise the West Brom academy starlets ahead of splurging in the transfer market should be music to the ears of Baggies fans who have endured some expensive flops over the years.

With the likes of Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Rayhaan Tulloch, Rico Richards and Caleb Taylor all featuring regularly for the club in pre-season, West Brom could well see a number of very promising players developing into first team regulars over the coming months – an exciting prospect, indeed.

In other news: Hatfield drops West Brom transfer claim on “complete” £12k-p/w ace, Ismael must act

Mitchell Johnson, the Australian fast bowler, has decided to move to Western Australia after seven seasons with Queensland

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2008
Mitchell Johnson: “I will leave with some regrets but also lots of fond memories” © Getty Images
Mitchell Johnson, the Australian fast bowler, has decided to move to Western Australia after seven seasons with Queensland. The switch was motivated by his desire to be closer to his partner Jessica Bratich, a Perth-based karate expert.”Leaving Queensland was one of the toughest decisions I have ever had to make, but it was something that I had to do because I am entering a very important time in my career and to constantly travel back and forth between Perth and Brisbane was not going to be an ideal situation,” Johnson said in a statement.Queensland Cricket chief executive Graham Dixon said the decision was reached on Thursday at a meeting involving Johnson and Queensland coach Trevor Barsby.”I’m looking forward to getting everything sorted out in Perth and getting back into training before the ODI series against Bangladesh in Darwin next month,” Johnson said. “Obviously this hasn’t been an easy decision to make and I will leave with some regrets, but also with plenty of fond memories.”Johnson was also excited by the prospect of working with Australian fast bowling legend Dennis Lillee. “I also look forward to the opportunity of being close to Dennis Lillee, who has played a massive role in my development as a fast bowler over the years, and I will also learn a great deal from working with the likes of Bruce Reid and Tom Moody as well.”Western Australian Cricket Association chief executive Graeme Wood was thrilled to have secured Johnson’s services. “He will provide outstanding leadership to the young Warriors pace bowlers with his tremendous work ethic,” Wood said.Johnson has played nine Tests, 39 one-day internationals and eight Twenty20 internationals for Australia and has now established himself as a regular in both the Test and one-day sides.

Simon Katich, the captain of Australia A, said that the two three-day games against India A will be a great platform to push for national selection for the series against India in October

Cricinfo staff30-Aug-2008
Simon Katich believes patience and fast bowlers will be the twin-success mantra in India © Getty Images
Simon Katich, the captain of Australia A, said that the two three-day games against India A will be a great platform to push for national selection for the series against India in October.”We have four quicks and three spinners and the selectors obviously want to look at a few players there for the touring party later in October. There is no [Shane] Warne, no [Adam] Gilchrist, no [Glen] Mcgrath, no [Justin] Langer, no [Damien] Martyn … you name it. We took a 15-member squad to West Indies, which was our last tour in June and there is no doubt that the selectors will be looking closely at the performances of guys in this series.”The fast bowling attack will be spearheaded by Doug Bollinger and Ashley Noffke, part of Australia’s Test squad in the West Indies, and supported by Queensland’s Ryan Harris and Victoria’s Peter Siddle. Bryce McGain, Victoria’s 36-year-old legspinner, Jason Krejza, the Tasmania offspinner, and Beau Casson, who made his Test debut against West Indies, are the three spinners.It’s not only the Australian selectors but the IPL talent scouts will also be looking at this series closely. “There are some impressive talent like Phillip Hughes. We have not signed up anybody yet as we are waiting for the IPL council to lay down the ground rules for selection for this season but yes we will be following the series closely,” said a source, associated with the top management in one of the franchises.Katich believed the players taking part in the limited-over series with India A are aware of the IPL opening but will be focused on the job on hand. “Definitely the guys in the ODI series will get a chance to showcase their potential. But I don’t think they will be viewing it that way. When you are playing for Australia A, you see the opportunity to press for a place in Australia but if obviously they attract the attention of IPL scouts they would be happy.”In the absence of the injured Matthew Hayden, Katich had opened in the Test series in West Indies but highlighted Hughes, the 19-year old opener from New South Wales who is in the Australia A squad, as some one to watch out for in the future. “I was surprise opener in the West Indies. I had not done it a lot and it was a nice to get an opportunity. Young Phillip Hughes will get an opportunity here to open the batting. We have had lots of young players here who had a good domestic season last year. We are lucky that our domestic cricket provides good competition and players that have been picked all warrant to be here.”Speaking about his own chances to tour India in October, Katich said, “If Matthew Hayden is fit and back, he will be obviously back into the team. Hopefully a good performance here will help me to be picked for the Test tour as the extra batsman. In the Test team, at the moment, there could be a opportunity in the middle order as well depending some one gets injured or some one getting sick. You just have to wait and see what happens.”Katich identified patience and the importance of the fast bowlers as the two important lessons Australia took from their previous Indian tours. “You have to be very patient here. Things can take a while to happen here, be it in batting or bowling. Last time when we were here, we were very disciplined in not only our preparation but also how we played. We probably backed off a little bit; we weren’t probably as attacking as we had been in the past and that certainly helped our cause. The other thing we learnt was that the quick bowlers played a huge role in winning the Test series. Obviously Shane Warne bowled beautifully but our three quicks helped in setting up that win.”When the two teams met in Australia early this year, they were involved in a series marred by poor spirit and controversies. Katich, however, was confident playing in the IPL had helped many players to sort out their differences. “Hopefully after IPL the relations between the two sides will be much better. Guys have played with each other.”Katich played with Sreesanth for the Mohali franchise that made to the semi-finals. “We were mates. We got along well and there would be no dramas between us.”The Australia A team, coached by Simon Helmot, who heads Victoria’s High Performance Academy, play the first of the two three-day games on September 3 in Bangalore.Australia A squad Simon Katich (capt), Phillip Hughes, Adam Voges, Marcus North, George Bailey, Peter Forrest, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ashley Noffke, Beau Casson, Ryan Harris, Jason Krejza, Peter Siddle, Bryce McGain, Doug Bollinger.