All posts by h716a5.icu

For the second day running, bat ruled the ball in Abu Dhabi where Lancashire’s Paul Horton emulated Yorkshire’s Michael Vaughan by scoring a majestic century in the clash against Sussex in the Pro Arch Trophy. Horton, who cracked 122, was well-supported b

Mark Pennell in Abu Dhabi19-Mar-2009
ScorecardFor the second day running, bat ruled the ball in Abu Dhabi where Lancashire’s Paul Horton emulated Yorkshire’s Michael Vaughan by scoring a majestic century in the clash against Sussex in the Pro Arch Trophy. Horton, who cracked 122, was well-supported by Kyle Hogg who turned in a fine all-round display in Lancashire’s comfortable 46-run win.Almost exactly 24 hours after Vaughan scored his first hundred for Yorkshire in nearly four years, so 26-year-old Horton was clattering his maiden one-day century for Lancashire in an impressive total of 298 all out. Horton, born in Australia but schooled in Liverpool, is fresh from a spell captaining the Western Australian club side Gosnalls and the trip has clearly been of great use. He plundered 14 fours during his 123-ball stay, showing great stamina in energy-sapping heat.Horton featured in a fine stand of 111 with Mark Chilton (59 from 63 balls), following on from Kyle Hogg who earlier gave Lancashire a sound start with a fluent 35 at almost a run-a-ball. Hogg was leg-before to slow left-armer Tom Smith who, with 3 for 51, was the pick of Sussex’s attack.On a pitch aiding spin more than seam, Michael Yardy mopped up wickets at the death, including Horton who was caught at deep midwicket, to finish with 3 for 59, while Robin Martin-Jenkins showed all his experience with a tidy stint of 3 for 43.Sussex began poorly, however, and within the first 11 overs had lost their top three. Ed Joyce (10) edged a slashing drive to the keeper off Hogg; Rory Hamilton-Brown fell in the same fashion for 11, either side of an unfortunate run out for Chris Nash (15) when backing up a drive that was tipped onto the stumps by Glen Chapple as he followed though.Sussex re-grouped through Carl Hopkinson (46) and Yardy with a fourth-wicket stand of 93 in 17 overs which ended when Hopkinson was deceived in the flight as he advanced to left-arm spinner Stephen Parry. Despite the loss of Andrew Hodd, bowled by Parry soon after the drinks break, Yardy anchored the reply with a fluent 82 until he too was snared by the spinner, trapped leg-before after missing a paddle sweep. With him went Sussex’s outside chances of victory.

Tottenham Hotspur could now be without as many as six players for their Saturday lunchtime Premier League clash at Crystal Palace.

The Lowdown: Spurs flying

Spurs have been flying under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo so far, recording three wins out of three in the top flight, including taking down the reigning champions (Premier League).

What has put the icing on top of the cake is that their fierce north London rivals, Arsenal, are also bottom of the division with three losses after three games.

There could be trouble ahead for Nuno and the Lilywhites however.

The Latest: Players missing

Writing in his latest piece for The Evening Standard, Dan Kilpatrick has confirmed that Ryan Sessegnon is out of the match against the Eagles, having sustained a hamstring injury while in training with England’s U21 team.

Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero are also out as they are having to train in Croatia at the moment in order to avoid having to quarantine on their return from red-list countries.

Both Son Heung-Min and Steven Bergwijn have also picked up knocks while on international duty with South Korea and The Netherlands respectively, and so they have to be assessed ahead of the clash.

The Verdict: Blow

It would certainly be a blow to the Lilywhites if all six players are unavailable to play at Selhurst Park, especially Son.

The 29-year-old has already scored two goals in the Premier League so far this season, and would have been relishing the chance to play alongside Harry Kane once more against Patrick Vieira’s side.

Nonetheless, with four players definitely out and two more doubtful, it looks like it may now be an uphill task for THFC to get maximum points.

In other news, find out what transfer blow Tottenham have been dealt here!

Fast bowler Daren Powell and allrounder Ryan Hinds have been dropped from the 17-man West Indies touring party for the Test series against England

Cricinfo staff07-Apr-2009Fast bowler Daren Powell and allrounder Ryan Hinds have been dropped from the 17-man West Indies touring party for the Test series against England. Three uncapped players – Grenada fast bowler Nelon Pascal, Barbados batsman Dale Richards, and Jamaica medium-pacer Andrew Richardson – have been included in the squad.However, in a blow to West Indies’ hopes Dwayne Bravo has been ruled out of the two Tests after medical advice said he hadn’t recovered sufficiently from the ankle surgery that kept him out of the game for eight months. He returned with impressive results in the one-day series against England and was expected to make this tour but the management are taking a cautious approach.Powell was axed after a prolonged spell of poor form – he managed only 25 wickets at 60.80 in his previous 14 Tests – while Hinds was left out after a lacklustre showing in the final Test against England.Richardson was called up after playing a pivotal role in taking Jamaica to the domestic four-day title, bagging 33 wickets at 23.12. “This year Richardson has been bowling very well and deserves his selection,” Clyde Butts, the chairman of selectors, said. “He is tall, accurate and has the ability to get wickets at crucial stages in the game.”Pascal, 21, who has taken 20 wickets in his previous five first-class games, caught the selectors’ eye with his pace while the 32-year-old Richards regains a place after recovering from a foot injury that ruled him out of action in February.Guyana’s Narsingh Deonarine, who played four Tests in 2005, has been recalled after becoming the first West Indies batsman to make more than 1000 domestic runs this season. “We felt he needed to get scores and take his game to another level and he did just that,” Butts said. “He has been consistent and deserves this chance.”Another player who has been out of the national reckoning for a long time, allrounder David Bernard, makes a comeback while medium-pacer Darren Sammy, who burst onto the international scene with a seven-wicket haul on debut during the 2007 trip to England, also finds a place. The tour starts on April 21 and will include three warm-up matches and two Tests.West Indies squad Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin (wk), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Dale Richards, Andrew Richardson, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.

Newcastle United have been dealt a major injury blow regarding Callum Wilson ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

Speaking after the 4-1 loss to Manchester United last weekend, Steve Bruce revealed that he could not put a timescale on the 29-year-old’s absence from first team action, but suggested that the centre-forward looks set to be sidelined for at least another two weeks due to injury.

On the England international’s injury, as cited by Chronicle Live, Bruce said: “We aren’t putting a time scale on it. But he could be touch and go for next week and the week after it.”

Fans will be devastated

With Bruce’s team having sorely missed Wilson in the heavy loss at Old Trafford last Saturday, the news that the forward also looks set to miss the Magpies’ clash with Leeds United on Friday, as well as potentially the fixture against Watford later this month, is sure to leave Newcastle fans devastated.

Since making the move from Bournemouth to St James’ Park back in the summer of 2020, the £19.8m-rated striker has been something of a revelation on Tyneside.

Indeed, over his 26 Premier League appearances last season, the £77k-per-week marksman scored 12 goals, registered five assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw Wilson earn an impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as the Magpies’ second-best performer in the top flight.

The centre-forward has also started the 2021/22 campaign in fine form, scoring two goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.03 over his three Premier League fixtures so far this season.

As such, it is evident how important the 29-year-old is to this Newcastle side, while it is also clear to see just how big of a miss he will be for the Magpies if he is ruled out for the rest of September.

In other news: Ashley must sanction Newcastle swoop for £9m-rated beast in January, he’d be a big coup

A 2-2 draw with one of the Premier League’s top-flight teams is a result that Wolves will have happily taken after their languid start to the campaign.

Sadly, that outcome came in the Carabao Cup where Bruno Lage’s men ultimately had to settle for a penalty shootout defeat at Molineux to Tottenham.

It was the second time this season that Nuno Santo has got the better of his former employers and they must now be sick of the sight of the Portuguese.

There were negatives again in the way that Wolves defended, but at long last, they were scoring goals.

The Old Gold have only found the net via their own player once in the top-flight this term so when Leander Dendoncker and Daniel Podence found the net, it will have brought great joy to Lage and the club’s supporters.

The less said about Dendoncker’s penalty, however, the better.

His miss was made worse by Ruben Neves’ moments before and then skipper Conor Coady rattling the crossbar as the Midlands outfit crashed out.

Yet, one of the most disappointing performances on Wednesday evening was undoubtedly Fabio Silva’s.

It was a rare opportunity for the teenager to shine and it was surprising that he started. Raul Jimenez wasn’t included in the squad and it was expected that summer signing, Hwang Hee-chan, started instead.

He did begin on the flanks but it was Wolves’ club-record signing who was given the chance to steal the headlines.

Unfortunately, his display was extremely abject. Silva has shown glimpses of his enormous quality since arriving 12 months ago but for a player that cost £35.6m, you’d expect more than a return of four goals in 42 outings.

Game time has been limited for the youngster but even when he’s played, Silva has done little to justify the selection or his enormous price tag.

That was perfectly evident in the clash with Spurs in midweek when he was dragged off at half time after making a very minimal impact on the pitch.

The striker had fewer touches of the ball (13) than goalkeeper John Ruddy (29) while he made a measly six passes at a success rate of only 67%.

Silva struggled to hold onto the ball and ultimately lost possession every 2.6 times he received it from his teammates.

His abilities were limited so significantly that he had just one shot and was then bullied into losing 80% of his physical battles.

Based on this performance and the vast majority of his showings in the 2020/21 campaign, Silva has not been worth the money.

AND in other news, Signed for £18m, now worth £50m: Fosun played a blinder over “unbelievable” Wolves ace…

Shane Watson has said he is not in doubt for next month’s World Twenty20 despite a groin injury ruling him out of the final two weeks of the IPL

Cricinfo staff09-May-2009Shane Watson has said he is not in doubt for next month’s World Twenty20 despite a groin injury ruling him out of the final two weeks of the IPL. Watson was one of three players Cricket Australia prevented from attending the tournament in South Africa on medical grounds and he arrived home with the limited-overs squad on Saturday.Watson, who was hurt in Thursday’s Twenty20 loss to Pakistan, said his groin strain was minor and he would be fit for the start of the global tournament in England. “The medical staff at Cricket Australia thought it was better for me to come home and get over it with probably a week or two’s rest instead of flying over to South Africa,” he told AAP. “We’ve got three weeks or so before the first practice match, so it should be plenty of time to get it right.”The final game of the Pakistan series was meant to allow Watson’s return to bowling following back stress fractures, but the latest setback prevented him from marking his run. “The last three weeks have been a big build up to my bowling so not to bowl was very disappointing,” Watson said. “I’m still so excited about improvements there are going to be in my bowling with little technical changes that I’ve made. I can’t wait to be able to get out there in the next couple of weeks.”After making a success of opening in the one-day team – he led the run-list in the five-match series with 271 at 90.33 – Watson wants to stay at the top of the order. “I love being able to take on the new ball, there’s a few more gaps when you’re batting,” he said. “But also being able to take on the best fast bowlers in the world with a brand-new ball is always a great challenge.”

Everton didn’t have much luck when it came to the summer transfer window.

They were severely restricted with their finances and as a consequence, spent money on a solitary player in Demarai Gray.

Four other faces arrived but they happened to be free transfers.

What’s the word?

It’s unlikely the Toffees will have much money to spend in January either but their wage bill has been saved drastically after James Rodriguez departed permanently earlier this month.

The Colombian didn’t play a single game under Rafa Benitez but his mesmeric qualities will need replacing sooner rather than later.

One player that Everton have seemingly identified ahead of January is Real Madrid’s creative midfielder, Isco.

That’s according to Defensa Central (via Sport Witness) who suggests the Toffees are ‘crazy’ to get signings done in the winter.

As a result, they have targeted £16.2m-rated Isco with a view to bringing the Spaniard to Goodison Park on loan.

It’s thought that Everton are willing to pay the player’s full salary.

Rodriguez 2.0

If Everton decided to spend all of Rodriguez’s salary on one player, it would be a strange judgement call from Marcel Brands and co.

That being said, there would be few better players to bring to Merseyside than Isco.

He is cut from a similar cloth as Rodriguez and could be their next version of the Colombia international for more reasons than one.

The Spain international wouldn’t just cost a fair wedge in terms of his wage but he’d hopefully be able to offer similarly magical performances.

Back when Isco was breaking onto the scene, Spanish publication Marca compared him to one of the greatest the game has seen, while waxing lyrical about his style of play.

One report wrote: “Isco combines strength and skill. His centre of gravity is low and this makes him quick off the mark and able to keep possession of the ball, characteristics he shares with Aguero.

“He has great vision as well as a killer pass, and a level of control reminiscent of Zidane.”

A lot of those traits are also comparable to Rodriguez, someone who contributed to ten Premier League goals in his one and only season in England.

At the age of 29, Isco is now in the prime of his career and is still capable of producing magical performances. For instance, this season he has produced a dazzling 1.7 dribbles per game.

His ball control is elite and with his deft touch and clever skill, he could take Everton’s attack to the next level.

It also helps that Rafa Benitez knows him well. Speaking about the playmaker in 2015, the Everton boss said: “Isco is a great footballer and what he needs to do is to carry on doing what he has been this whole time. Work, work with intensity and dedication and beyond that make the most of the quality he has to score the odd goal more.”

With Everton’s financial situation not in the greatest of places, a loan move for someone with the quality of Isco makes plenty of sense.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Gordon: Everton have a gem in rarely-seen 17 y/o with “great potential”…

It’s a measure of the competitiveness of this year’s IPL that the two teams clashing in Durban on Tuesday are five places apart in the rankings table, but only one point separates them

S Rajesh04-May-2009Match factsMay 5, 2009
Start time 12.30 (10.30GMT)Yusuf Abdulla’s bowling has been a huge factor in Punjab’s IPL campaign so far•AFPBig PictureIt’s a measure of the competitiveness of this year’s IPL that the two teams clashing in Durban on Tuesday are five places apart in the rankings table, but only one point separates them. Kings XI Punjab have eight points from seven games, while Rajasthan Royals are on seven from as many games.Punjab will go in as favourites, not only because of the rank in the table, but also because of their recent form – they’ve won four of their last five games, with their only defeat being a closely fought match against Bangalore. They have in their ranks Yusuf Abdulla, the highest wicket-taker in the IPL so far, while the batting is showing signs of coming to grips with the conditions in South Africa.Rajasthan, on the other hand, need to string together a few wins to get their campaign on track. Graeme Smith’s lack of form – 65 runs in six innings, including 44 in one – has been the biggest worry, and has exposed an inexperienced top order in conditions where hitting through the line isn’t a high-percentage option. The middle order, led by Yusuf Pathan, and the bowling have made up for the top-order lapses, which is why the team has won three out of seven so far.Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)Kings XI Punjab – WLWWW
Punjab have found some momentum after getting off to a slow start, and what’s been particularly impressive is the consistency shown by the bowlers. Abdulla has been incisive, Irfan Pathan has supported him well, and Piyush Chawla’s guile and control has meant that few batsmen have successfully belted him for runs. The batting responsibilities have been shared around as well, with four batsmen getting half-centuries.Rajasthan Royals – WLWLW
As their result pattern suggests, Rajasthan have struggled to consistently put together winning performances. Their top order has been woeful, and their poor form continued against Deccan, when they slumped to 3 for 3 before the middle order bailed them out. Yusuf Pathan has been the tournament’s biggest matchwinner so far, but in the last few games Ravidra Jadeja and Abhishek Raut have put their hands up too, which is good news for them. Now, if only Graeme Smith hits top gear soon.Watch out forThe battle of the Pathan brothers: Yusuf has so far outperformed Irfan in IPL 2009, scoring more runs, at a faster rate, and bowling more economically: his 169 runs have come at an average of 33.80 and a strike rate of 160.95; Irfan has scored 115 runs at 23.00 and a strike rate of 125. Irfan has taken more wickets at a much better average, but he has gone at 7.20 runs per over compared to Yusuf’s 6.52. Moreover, Yusuf has won three Man-of-the-Match awards while Irfan doesn’t have any. Irfan edged their personal battle last time, though, scoring 14 from nine balls off Yusuf, and conceding only eight off seven to him.Team newsPunjab might not want to tinker too much with the side that clinched the last-ball thriller against Kolkata, which means Sunny Sohal will continue at the top of the order in place of Karan Goel. Kumar Sangakkara scored a duck when he opened in the previous match, and might be pushed back to No.3.Kings XI Punjab: (probable) 1 Sunny Sohal, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Irfan Pathan, 7 Tanmay Srivastava, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 VS Malik, 11 Yusuf Abdulla.Rajasthan have problems at the top of the order, but Lee Carseldine impressed with 39 in his first IPL outing. Swapnil Asnodkar has scored two ducks in five innings so far, and Rajasthan could consider a replacement.Rajasthan: (probable) 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Swapnil Asnodkar/ Paul Valthaty, 3 Lee Carseldine, 4 Yusuf Pathan, 5 Ravindra Jedeja, 6 Abhishek Raut, 7 Naman Ojha (wk), 8 Shane Warne (capt), 9 Shane Harwood, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.Stats and trivia Spinners have done much better than fast bowlers in Durban so far, and they could have a bigger role to play considering Tuesday’s match is a day game. The 36 wickets that spinners have taken have come at an average of 22.55 and an economy rate of 6.72. Fast bowlers have taken 57 wickets at 26.92 and an economy rate of 8.21. In nine innings played by Asnodkar, Paul Valthaty, Niraj Patel and Naman Ojha – four of the young Indian talents for Rajasthan – they have scored a combined total of 34 runs at an average of 3.78. Rajasthan have been the best bowling team in the first six overs, taking 13 wickets at an average of 17.38 and an economy rate of 6.27. Punjab have taken 14 wickets in the first six, but an average of 20.57 and an economy rate of 7.05.Head-to-head recordPunjab won their first encounter, in Cape Town, by 27 runs, with their bowlers making quick inroads into Rajasthan’s brittle top order, reducing them to 36 for 5 in their chase of a modest target of 140.Last season, both teams had one victory each against the other: Rajasthan won by six wickets in Jaipur, while Punjab hit back with a 41-run win in Mohali.

Adam Voges posted a solid half-century to guide Australia A to reasonable score of 6 for 280 at stumps in Townsville

Cricinfo staff26-Jun-2009
ScorecardAdam Voges posted a solid half-century to guide Australia A to reasonable score of 6 for 280 at stumps on the first day of their four-day match against Pakistan A in Townsville. Moises Henriques also made a handy contribution and was unbeaten on 54 at the close of play with Jason Krejza on 25.The home team had been sent in at the Tony Ireland Stadium but Pakistan couldn’t make early inroads with the new ball. The openers Ryan Broad and Michael Klinger added 55 before Mohammad Talha picked up the first of his two victims when Broad departed for 19.Callum Ferguson, who will be one of the men considered if Australia need further batting cover during the Ashes, was caught behind for 12 before Voges and Cameron White (34) put on a 66-run stand. White and Tim Paine both fell to the left-arm spin of Abdur Rehman and it was left to Voges to keep the innings on track.Fresh from a productive county stint with Nottinghamshire, Voges worked his way to 78 from 148 deliveries before he was the sixth to go. Talha finished the day with 2 for 83 and Rehman collected 2 for 52.

Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause has been included in EA Sports’ FIFA 22 Team of the Week for his performance against Manchester United last weekend.

Villa shared the news on Wednesday evening via their official Twitter channel, which led to a number of fans giving their positive thoughts on social media.

The 26-year-old marked his 50th Villa appearance with a late winner at Old Trafford, heading to the net from Douglas Luiz’s corner.

Hause’s man of the match display against United earned him a place in the FIFA 22 Team of the Week, with Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe the other Premier League inclusions.

The centre-back now has an in-form card rated at 81, six higher than his 75 base card which is available to find in packs for a week.

Villa fans react

Aston Villa posted Hause’s card on their official Twitter channel on Wednesday evening. Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply regarding the £25,000-a-week defender, with many happy over the recognition from EA Sports.

“Omg yes in my villa team utv!!!!”

Credit: @undead_villian

“Get in!!! UTV”

Credit: @chipelibiza

“Siuuuu”

Credit: @AlexLeeXXI

“No one deserves it more! Get in there @Kortney_30”

Credit: @Villa4LifeAlex

“Well deserved”

Credit: @Lingwo0147

“My CB”

Credit: @h3_n7

In other news: ‘Believe it or not’ – Preece shares worrying under-the-radar update on Villa ace who Smith loves.