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The Pakistan board stayed away from a meeting of the 2011 World Cup organising committee that ruled out the possibility of holding Pakistan’s matches at a neutral venue

Cricinfo staff14-Jul-2009The Pakistan Cricket Board stayed away from a meeting of the 2011 World Cup organising committee that ruled out the possibility of holding Pakistan’s matches at a neutral venue and reconfirmed an earlier decision to redistribute those 14 games among India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the other co-hosts.The decisions were taken at a meeting of the ICC event’s Central Organising Committee (COC) in Mumbai on Tuesday, to which the PCB had been invited as the fourth co-host. Although the PCB chose to skip the meeting, it deputed Zakir Khan, its director (cricket operations), to attend the event’s logo launch ceremony that was held later in the evening.The ICC said a match schedule would be announced in due course and recommendations of Tuesday’s communicated to the ICC board. The ICC board had last month asked the organising committee to recommend afresh alternative venues for Pakistan’s matches after the PCB challenged the committee’s earlier decision to redistribute its matches among the other co-hosts.The organising committee also reconfirmed all the decisions taken at the previous meeting in April, including shifting the event secretariat from Lahore to Mumbai, holding the final in India, the semi-finals in India and Sri Lanka, and distributing the quarter-finals among the three co-hosts with two of those matches going to Bangladesh.”Scheduling for the quarter and semi-finals will attempt to ensure that the host country will play at home should it qualify,” the ICC said. “All venues for matches will be confirmed and announced in due course.”The organising committee’s latest decision effectively puts the lid on Pakistan’s hopes of staging at least some of the 14 matches initially allotted to it in a neutral venue, possibly in the Middle East. However, it also paves the way for the PCB to press ahead with its legal challenge against the ICC’s decision in April not to hold any World Cup matches in Pakistan due to the prevailing security situation in the country.The ICC, meanwhile, said that it will ask the PCB to nominate three representatives to join the event’s organising committee, which is headed by Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president. Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and senior officials from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka attended Tuesday’s meeting, which was described as having been “good, productive” by Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI official who was reconfirmed as tournament director.”There was a recognition that there is much hard work to be done but we are confident we are now well on the way, with operational plans in place to become effective from the start of August,” Prof. Shetty said. “Moving forward, the COC will meet on a regular basis with everyone committed to a successful event, something we are confident we can achieve.”The organisers unveiled the event’s logo at a function that was attended by player representatives, including Clive Lloyd, Dilip Vengsarkar, Aravinda de Silva and Michael Bevan, from all the World Cup-winning countries, except Pakistan.

Manchester United are reportedly eyeing up a move for Rangers defender Nathan Patterson as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to bolster his backline.

What’s the story?

According to 90min, the Red Devils are set to target a new right-back over the January window after missing out on Kieran Tripper in the summer, with the Gers’ 19-year-old gem identified as an alternative option.

The report states that: “United’s scouts have now been instructed to look at options other than Trippier, should they decide to push ahead and sign a right-back in the winter window.

“Rangers captain James Tavernier was a player considered by United in the summer, but while he remains a possibility, it’s another member of Steven Gerrard’s title-winning side that is now of interest – teenage sensation Nathan Patterson.”

However, the Old Trafford outfit are not the only interested party in the Scotland international. Fellow Premier League side Everton are also listed as potential suitors, while 90min claim that more than a dozen teams across Europe have shown an interest.

Fans would love him

The right-back position has been a problem area for United for some time now. And while current incumbent Aaron Wan-Bissaka has showcased his top-class defensive qualities on many occasions, he continues to struggles in an attacking sense. For instance, he has only managed 0.2 shots and 0.7 key passes per match in his career so far.

Atletico Madrid’s Trippier was targeted in the previous window, but although he expressed his desire to return to English shores, the reigning La Liga champions refused to lower their £34m asking price, meaning a deal could not be concluded.

That led to Diogo Dalot staying put in Manchester after a successful loan spell with AC Milan throughout 2020/21, although a slow start to the season from the Portugal international means he could be allowed to leave if another body is brought in.

And Patterson is one of the stars understood to be high up on Solskjaer’s wishlist. The youngster has caught the eye throughout his 20 appearances for the Glasgow giants, with his trademark burst down the flank endearing him to the supporters.

His impressive displays for his boyhood club have already earned him three international caps for Scotland and a standout display against Moldova saw talkSPORT presenter David Tanner laud the full-back for his positive performance.

Tanner wrote on Twitter: “This is why young Nathan Patterson got the nod over Stephen O’Donnell at right back for this particular game. Sensational energy in attack.”

Although he’s very inexperienced at senior level, Patterson’s attacking ability, energy and ability to improve have the potential to make him a firm fans favourite at Old Trafford, and United supporters would surely love to see him line up at the Theatre of Dreams in the near future.

And, in other news…Murtough must sanction Man Utd swoop for £114k-p/w dynamo, he has “incredible quality” 

All the 16 players who toured the West Indies went through fitness tests under the supervision of Kirsten

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2009India coach Gary Kirsten has said that a few players who were carrying injuries after the West Indies tour have now recovered well.”There were a fair amount of niggles after we left the West Indies,” Kirsten said. “Everybody has recovered pretty well. I spoke to Nitin (team physio) today and apart from the ones that we know, everyone is in pretty good condition.”The 16 players who toured the West Indies went through fitness tests at Delhi and Mumbai, and Kirsten said it was part of a ‘series of assessments’ during the off-season.Virender Sehwag, who is undergoing rehabilitation after his shoulder surgery last month, did not take part in the camps. But Kirsten said he was happy with the opener’s progress. “Sehwag is undergoing rehabilitation at the moment. I think things are looking really good there,” he said. “We are very happy with his progress and hopefully we have him ready soon.”Sachin Tendulkar, who also missed the camp, is expected to go through the fitness tests soon. “We have brought together the squad that was in the West Indies. Sachin was also to be part of the camp but he is unavailable today,” Kirsten said. “We really could not get everyone available at such short time but he will be doing his tests in the next day or two.”

Leeds United are likely to wait until next summer to look for a new central midfielder, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay. 

The lowdown

The Whites were linked with midfielders during the summer transfer window, with Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien and Cagliari’s Nahitan Nandez among the names mentioned. They didn’t sign one in the end, though, sticking with existing options Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich, Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton.

Most of their £53m summer spend went on wingers Dan James and Jack Harrison and a left-back in the form of Junior Firpo.

The Whites had to wait until the seventh league game of the season to record their first victory and are hovering in 16th in the early Premier League table.

The latest

Hay was asked in a supporter mailbag for The Athletic whether there’ll be ‘any moves for a midfielder in January’.

“What else is there to talk about?” he wrote in reply.

“At least one other person took this further by asking whether a new centre-mid will be a priority next summer, to which the answer has to be “yes”.

“But January?” he added. “I’m not convinced the club will do much in January unless the league position is causing acute concern.”

Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta is apparently of the view that the mid-season window offers ‘poor value for money’, while the club are increasingly sceptical about whether ‘January arrivals work for Marcelo Bielsa’.

The verdict

It has been a rocky start to the season for Leeds, but by January they should hopefully have moved comfortably clear of trouble. As Hay says, that would make mid-season signings unlikely.

He added that the failure of a previous winter addition in Jean-Kevin Augustin, who made only three appearances at Elland Road, is something of a cautionary tale.

Leeds’ push for Europe may be delayed by the absence of a quality central midfielder in front of Phillips, but you could still argue that their approach is sensible.

In other news, Hay had this to say about Marcelo Bielsa’s future. 

Merrissa Aguilleira will lead a strong West Indies women’s team for a tour of South Africa next month, which includes four ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals

Cricinfo staff11-Sep-2009Merissa Aguilleira will lead a strong West Indies women’s team for the tour of South Africa next month, which includes four ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals. Allrounder Anisa Mohammed will be her deputy. The matches will be played at Newlands in Cape Town and Boland Park in Paarl.The squad is mainly made up of players who represented West Indies in the ICC Women’s World Cup in Australia and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in England. West Indies had a poor outing in the World Cup, losing all of their five games but managed to snatch a win against South Africa in the World Twenty20.West Indies have included four players, all allrounders, who are new to the international circuit – Britney Cooper, Tremayne Smartt, Amanda Samaroo and Shemaine Campbelle. Batting allrounder Chadean Nation returns to the side after more than a year and earned selection in the squad, like the four new players, as a result of her performance in the regional competition.West Indies are currently ranked No.5 in ODIs and Twenty20 internationals, and the tour of South Africa will be a part of the team’s preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 to be played in the Caribbean next year.Squad: Merissa Aguilleira (capt and wk), Anisa Mohammed, Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Cordel Jack, Stacy Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Chadean Nation, Amanda Samaroo, Tremayne Smartt, Shakera Selman, Stefanie TaylorFixturesSunday, October 11: arrive in Cape Town
Wednesday, October 14: Warm-up game vs Western Cape XI (venue to be determined)
Friday October 16: 1st ODI at Boland Bank Park, Paarl
Sunday, October 18: 2nd ODI at Newlands, Cape Town
Wednesday, October 21: 3rd ODI at Boland Bank Park, Paarl
Friday, October 23: 4th ODI at Newlands, Cape Town
Sunday, October 25: 1st T20 at Boland Bank Park, Paarl
Monday, October 26: 2nd T20 at Newlands Cape Town
Wednesday, October 28: 3rd T20 at Boland Park, Paarl
Thursday, October 29: depart from Cape Town
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After beating Watford 5-0 on Saturday at Vicarage Road in their latest Premier League outing, Liverpool are back in Champions League action on Tuesday evening with an away clash against Atletico Madrid.

A hat-trick from Roberto Firmino and additional goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah perfectly set up Jurgen Klopp’s side for their latest Champions League match in midweek after winning their opening two group games.

On the chalkboard

One player that wasn’t involved in the game against Watford, that we think should be in the starting XI to face Atletico is midfielder Fabinho, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £180k-per-week according to Spotrac.

The 27-year-old wasn’t in the squad to face Watford as he was involved with Brazil on international duty just a short period before the match against the Hornets, alongside Alisson Becker.

Given that Fabinho has now had time after returning from Brazil duty to get ready for the Atletico match, we feel he should be back in the team as he would presumably be fresher than the midfielders that played against Watford such as James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita.

Taking into account some of Fabinho’s numbers and it’s evident why he deserves to play.

He has managed to rack up an average of 2.5 interceptions per game and 4.5 tackles per game from the two previous Champions League outings he’s played in for Liverpool this season. On top of that, he’s won 73% of all duels he’s been involved in so he could definitely prove himself to be a tough and possibly even terrifying opponent for Atletico’s attacking players. That’s given how Diego Simeone’s side have only managed to score 11 goals in eight La Liga games so far this season.

One in, one out

In terms of who Fabinho could replace in the team, we feel that Klopp should take Keita out of the team given he played 90 minutes against Watford and has struggled with his fitness and numerous injuries in the past. It might be a risk to play him again in midweek, even though he played well against Watford, earning himself an overall match rating of 7.2/10 according to SofaScore.

Looking ahead to the match, whether Klopp decides to start Fabinho, who has been described as “outstanding” by the Reds manager in the past, they will definitely be looking to keep their winning streak in the Champions League going ahead of their big Premier League clash against Manchester United at the weekend.

In other news: Klopp could land perfect Mane heir at Liverpool in “pure class” £22.5m-rated star – opinion

Senior West Indies players including Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor, will be available for the team’s tour of Australia despite being left out of the Champions Trophy squad

Cricinfo staff18-Aug-2009Senior West Indies players including Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Jerome Taylor, will be available for the team’s tour of Australia despite being left out of the Champions Trophy squad according to a WICB director.Paul Campbell, one of two Jamaicans on the board, said that as long as players make themselves available for the domestic one-day tournament, which starts in October, they will be considered for selection for the tour of Australia.”All players are expected to make themselves available for the regional one-day tournament, and, as such, would be in contention for a place on the team for the tour of Australia,” Campbell told the .West Indies’ leading players have been involved in a contractual dispute with the board in recent months and it led to a shadow team being selected to play the series against Bangladesh. West Indies lost both the Test and one-day series, but the selectors have shown faith with the fringe players who filled the gap during and the squad for the Champions Trophy will be led by Floyd Reifer.Joel Garner, also a WICB director, said it was important to show loyalty to the those who faced Bangladesh and that it was time players realised that representing West Indies should be an honour.”I do not think that we have asked the players that are playing cricket for West Indies to take up a gun and go to war, or anything like that,” he told CBC Radio. “It is a case of national duty and representing the region, and I think that is an honour.”I think the time has come when [the WICB] has to draw the line and try to get the players to understand that there is a sacrifice that has to be made. We can’t keep doing things business as usual. We have to look to see how best we can improve West Indies cricket.”I think you have to reward the people that have been loyal to you and at the end of the day, they withdrew their services.”

When former Leeds United starlet Lewis Cook was bursting onto the scene, then-Whites manager Dave Hockaday waxed lyrical about the young prospect, saying: “if you chopped Lewis’ head off and put an older head on his shoulders, you wouldn’t be surprised”.

It was Hockaday who handed the midfielder his debut and first start for Leeds before he left the club, and some of the credit for Cook’s emergence surely must go to the former Whites boss for placing his trust in him.

Cook, who came through the academy at Thorp Arch, was someone who predominantly played in the middle of the park, but could also operate out wide just like he did in his final season at Elland Road in the 2015/16 campaign.

After making 85 senior appearances for the Yorkshire club, the Whites eventually cashed in on their young starlet, with Bournemouth paying a fee rising to £10m to lure him away from Elland Road.

Hailed as a “special talent” by former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe, Cook’s time with the Cherries has been absolutely shattered by injury after injury; and earlier this year, he suffered another long-term knee injury which has kept him out of first team action until now.

It’s all meant that the midfielder has played just 120 times for the south coast club in his five years there (no Championship appearances since mid-March), and new Bournemouth manager Scott Parker recently admitted he could empathise with Cook’s plight.

He said: “I was a player a little while ago and I realise during injuries they’re the worst moments really, when you feel really low. Certainly long-term ones and to go and do the same injury like Lewis has, psychologically that probably would’ve been a big blow for him in that sense.

“I think I see that where he is currently as well. I’m sure it’s been some tough moments for Lewis, just in the nature of two injuries and long-term like they’ve been. But I’ve certainly been impressed with him where he is.”

It’s been a tragic downturn in fortune for the 24-year-old Cook, but from a purely business sense in respects to Leeds, they cashed in the absolute perfect time on a player who was rapidly rising through the ranks at Elland Road.

Nobody could have predicted the scale and extent of the injuries that he would end up suffering following his exit from Yorkshire, but the Whites got out when they could.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally sell this first team player…

Pundit Kevin Campbell has been reacting to Celtic’s interest in Yokohama F. Marinos forward Daizen Maeda, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Maeda profiled

Maeda, clocked as the quickest player in Japan, can play centrally or out wide, similar to his international teammate and Hoops star Kyogo Furuhashi.

The 24-year-old netted 18 times in 31 appearances last season, taking his tally for his current employers to 21 goals in 65 games.

He’s valued at just £990,000 by Transfermarkt and is under contract until 2024, and it seems as if the Hoops are plotting their move.

The Latest: Celtic links, Campbell reacts

According to The Times, Celtic are confident of landing Maeda in the New Year, with Ange Postecoglou knowing the forward well following his time in charge of the J1 League side.

Campbell, who regularly features on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding the links to Maeda.

“Someone who can put the ball in the back of the net is worth their weight in gold.

“I am not surprised Celtic are interested in him. His record speaks for itself, even if it is in the J-League.

“Get him in and get him scoring goals. Postecoglou has already made it clear that there will be some extra bodies coming in in January. It looks like he could be one of them.”

The Verdict: Needed?

Furuhashi has scored 19% of Celtic’s 26 goals in the Scottish Premiership this season, so bringing in a player like Maeda in the winter window could give the Hoops that extra firepower required for the second half of the season.

Postecoglou has only really used Albian Ajeti from the off when he has been down to the bare bones, whereas Giorgos Giakoumakis is only now starting to reach full fitness with his first start and goal last weekend.

On that basis, adding to their attacking ranks with a player who can also fill in out wide could be handy, especially with right-back Anthony Ralston scoring as many league goals as Ajeti and Giakoumakis combined so far.

In other news: ‘That has been alleged’ – Devlin’s worrying answer on ‘quick’ Celtic signing and Dermot Desmond. 

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir appears likely to play in India’s opening match of the Champions Trophy, against Pakistan on Saturday, a senior BCCI official indicated on Thursday

Cricinfo staff24-Sep-2009Indian opener Gautam Gambhir appears likely to play in India’s opening match of the Champions Trophy, against Pakistan on Saturday, a senior BCCI official indicated on Thursday. There were doubts over his availability after he sustained a groin injury that kept him out of the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka.However, the BCCI sounded optimistic about Gambhir’s return. “He was cleared by the BCCI experts when he underwent a fitness test in Mumbai before the team’s departure. I understand he’s playing in the first match,” said BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.Gambhir pulled out on the eve of India’s first match after aggravating the injury during a nets session. He was advised 10 days’ rest and his withdrawal from the tri-series was more of a precautionary measure, given the recent spate of injuries.Gambhir’s return would, no doubt, be good news for the Indian team, who have had their share of injury worries. While Yuvraj Singh was the latest casualty, fracturing the little finger on his right hand in South Africa, Gambhir’s opening partner Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan failed to make the trip after both picked up shoulder injuries.”Nothing can be done. The doctor has just told me to rest and let the recovery happen. Now, it depends on me on how fast I recover. I am very positive about working on my fitness.”Gautam has worked really hard. There were always apprehensions about him not performing against big teams. He has proved everybody wrong and become the No. 1 Test batsman. I am very proud of him as a team-mate.”Following their opening match in Centurion, India take on Australia on Monday and play West Indies in their final group match on September 30.