All posts by h716a5.icu

Canterbury opening bowler, Lea Tahuhu, 20, has been named in the 14-member New Zealand women’s squad for the quadrangular series in England in June this year

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Apr-2011Canterbury opening bowler, Lea Tahuhu, 20, has been named in the 14-member New Zealand women’s squad for the quadrangular series in England in June this year. The competition will be played over one-day and Twenty20 formats, with England, India and Australia making up the other three teams.The squad is without regulars Erin Bermingham, Sophie Devine and Sarah Tsukigawa. While Tsukigawa has announced her retirement, Bermingham is out with a shoulder injury and Devine has committed to hockey in her bid for inclusion in the New Zealand team for the London Olympics.The New Zealand women are also scheduled to play three one-day matches against Australia in Brisbane between June 12 and 16. Originally slated to be played in Christchurch, the venue for these matches was shifted following February’s earthquake.Squad: Aimee Watkins (capt.), Amy Satterthwaite (vice-captain), Kelly Anderson, Suzie Bates, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Lucy Doolan, Frances Mackay, Sara McGlashan, Katey Martin, Liz Perry, Rachel Priest, Sian Ruck, Lea Tahuhu

Leeds United and Arsenal are interested in signing exciting Club Brugge attacker Noa Lang, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Lang continues to shine

The 22-year-old is arguably one of the Netherlands’ brightest young talents at the moment and he continues to catch the eye in Belgium.

Lang has scored six goals and registered 10 assists in the Jupiler Pro League this season, taking his overall tally to 25 goals and 22 assists in 67 appearances for his current club.

Leeds have been linked with a move for the attacking midfielder in the past and it appears as though their interest remains.

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The Latest: Leeds keen on Noa Lang

According to Het Belang van Limburg [via Sport Witness], the Whites and Arsenal are keen on signing Lang, and both clubs ‘certainly sound like music to his ears’.

Brugge are believed to be ‘getting ready’ for the youngster’s departure, with a summer exit expected.

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The Verdict: Fantastic potential signing

Lang is an exciting talent whose aforementioned end product speaks for itself, so he could be a significant summer signing for Leeds, particularly with goals in short supply, partly due to 2020/21 top scorer Patrick Bamford suffering an injury-hit campaign this time around.

He has been hailed as a ‘phenomenon’ by journalist Peter Vandenbempt, further highlighting his ability, and he could fill the void left by Raphinha should the in-demand Brazilian leave Elland Road.

Lang’s current Brugge deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2025, so a hefty fee may be required, but his long-term potential makes him a no-brainer to bring in.

In other news, a journalist has made this crucial Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has left his native Titans franchise with immediate effect, and will now represent Cape Cobras in domestic cricket

Cricinfo staff16-Jul-2010South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has left the Titans franchise with immediate effect, and will now represent Cape Cobras in domestic cricket. Steyn is currently the No.1 ranked bowler in Tests and among the fastest in the world.”It was an honour to play for the Nashua Titans for so many years and my decision to leave them is purely a lifestyle matter as I relocated to Cape Town two years ago,” Steyn said.”I wish to thank the players and management most sincerely for everything they have done for my career. I know that I can approach them again should my situation change in the future. I also wish to thank the fans for their support during my time at SuperSport Park.”Steyn’s first season with the Centurion-based team was in 2003-04 and he has taken 114 first-class wickets and 48 wickets in limited-overs games for them. He leaves the franchise after winning a total of six trophies in various domestic competitions. His move to Cobras was anyway on the cards last season, when the South African coach Mickey Arthur confirmed the move.”Eight years ago, Dale arrived at Northerns as a promising fast bowler and now leaves us as the No.1 ranked fast bowler,” Vincent Sinovich, chairman of the Easterns Titans Board, said. “It is with much sadness that we say farewell to Dale. He has been a valuable contributor to the Titans setup.”

Cricinfo previews the first ODI between Australia and England at Southampton

The Preview by Andrew Miller21-Jun-2010Match factsJune 22, 2010
Start time 2.30pm (13.30GMT)Big PictureCameron White scored a century on his last visit to the Rose Bowl•Getty ImagesIf there is a future for 50-over cricket, then surely it lies in contests such as this: a five-match hors d’oeuvre that is decidedly and unashamedly geared towards more significant encounters in the not-so-distant future. Everything that England and Australia have done in their recent outings – whether it’s thumping Pakistan or labouring past Bangladesh – has been assessed in the context of their Ashes preparations. So here we go then. Here’s a proper Phoney War to be getting on with. May the best team steal the momentum and land the psychological blows.Whatever happens in the coming five games, it is hard to envisage a scoreline as one-sided as last September’s 6-1 drubbing. England have come on in leaps and bounds since that ignominious thrashing – their gameplans have been liberated by key personnel such as Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter – while Australia, regardless of their status as World Cup and Champions Trophy-holders, are in an undeniable period of transition, and beset by a raft of injuries to many of their first-choice seam attack, most notably Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and the fading Brett Lee.But the real reason why this series could and should be a humdinger lies in its timing. Ever since the days of the Texaco Trophy, English teams have invariably performed better when the one-dayers have preceded the Tests. In 2005, England produced some of their best 50-over form of the decade to share the NatWest Series courtesy of a tied final against Australia (before slumping 2-1 in the subsequent NatWest Challenge, but that’s another story), while their achievement in beating South Africa in South Africa back in November gave them vital self-belief ahead of the tough Test series that followed.Whether the public interest will match the expected commitment from the teams is a moot point – although given how woeful both England and Australia have been in the football World Cup to date, many sports fans might quite enjoy the chance to recapture some bragging rights.Form guide (last five completed matches)England WWWWW
Australia WLWWWWatch out for…Ricky Ponting is back in England and bristling for vengeance once again. His last two visits have not been among the most enjoyable memories of his illustrious career, seeing as he surrendered the Ashes in both 2005 and 2009, but the indignities will only have strengthened his resolve. He’s now the elder statesman of a new-look team, and his talents may not be as razor-edged as they once were, but his presence on a cricket field remains inspirational nonetheless.Paul Collingwood was a part of the England side that thrashed Australia by 100 runs on this very ground in 2005, in the first Twenty20 international between the two teams. While the prospect of once again reducing the Aussies to 31 for 7 may be improbable, Collingwood knows full well how critical it is to attack from the outset, just as they did five years ago. After his break during the Bangladesh series, he’s fit and refreshed, and ready to resume hostilities.Team newsCameron White scored a century on this ground when the teams met last September, and he is now the fulcrum of the batting line-up at No. 5. Tim Paine resumes his wicketkeeping duties following the injury to Brad Haddin, while Doug Bollinger leads an inexperienced seam attack, in the absence of Johnson and Hilfenhaus.Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Nathan Hauritz, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger.England eased to victory over Scotland at the weekend, and it’s hard to envisage many changes to the side for that game. Andrew Strauss and Craig Kieswetter gelled as an opening partnership at the first time of asking, while Stuart Broad will be better for his first outing since the World Twenty20 final.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Ajmal Shahzad, 11 James Anderson.Pitch and conditionsThe Rose Bowl had a reputation as a seamer’s paradise in its early years, but the pitch has settled down considerably since then. With fine weather in prospect, the challenge of batting under lights will be less daunting than it might otherwise have been, although White and Co. weren’t exactly unsettled by the autumnal chill they experienced on their last visit.Stats and Trivia The Rose Bowl match will be the 3000th ODI, and it will feature the same two teams who contested the first, at Melbourne in January 1971. Despite defeating Australia in the Ashes and the final of the World Twenty20, England’s recent record in ODIs against them is woeful. They’ve lost eight of their last nine fixtures, dating back to the World Cup in March 2007, and most recently were crushed by nine wickets in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy last October. Australia have a 100% record in ODIs at the Rose Bowl, albeit they’ve played just two matches, against England in 2009 and the USA in 2004. England have won two, lost two in four visits.Quotes”We all remember that Twenty20 game at Hampshire where we kept nipping them out. You’ve got to go hard at them. We’ve learnt that over the last five or six years.”
“Whenever there is a big series coming up the build-up starts a fair way out – and for the Ashes it’s already started. Pretty much from now until the Ashes are over and done with in the middle of January, everything we do will have some sort of focus on the Ashes series. There will be no excuses for us come late November.”
Ricky Ponting is quite focused, it would appear.

Nottingham Forest boosted their Championship promotion hopes on Monday night, with an impressive 4-0 drubbing over rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Steve Bruce’s side found themselves at an immediate disadvantage, when Darnell Furlong was shown a second yellow in the 17th minute of play.

Though, Forest – who were out to respond to their loss against Luton Town last time out – made the most of their extra man advantage to secure a massively important three points.

The game featured some brilliantly taken goals from the likes of Brennan Johnson, Ryan Yates and Sam Surridge – with Jack Colback’s screamer from out wide being the pick of the bunch.

Forest boss Steve Cooper had his say on his side’s 4-0 demolition job:

“To win a game 4-0, you have to do a lot of things well – and we did. We took real control.

“It was a job well done. We just played really well.”

The Reds were superb in Monday’s game at The City Ground, though there were two players that really stood out.

Academy graduate, Brennan Johnson was excellent, slotting a cool penalty home and bagging an assist for Colback’s contender for goal of the season.

Though, it was Manchester United loanee James Garner who impressed the most, with a metronomic performance that saw him make 63-passes with an 89% accuracy. 

The £20k-per-week talent has been one of Forest’s main creative outlets in a season that has seen him chip in with ten goal contributions (four goals and six assists) in 36 appearances, in what is his second campaign with the Reds.

Consistency has been a big part of Garner’s game this season and Monday night’s game against Bruce’s Baggies side saw him deliver on his average of around two key passes per match.

Though it was from a set-piece in which Garner got his assist, with a pin-point corner kick that met the head of Ryan Yates who took his goal well.

The 21-year-old was active in front of goal himself with his three shot attempts threatening to add to David Button’s misery between the West Brom sticks. This, despite the young Englishman occupying a position that requires defensive responsibility – with his positional acumen a positive indication of both his “football brain” and his composure in progressing the ball.

According to SofaScore, Garner received a rating of 7.4, making him the joint-third best player on the pitch for what was an all-round impressive performance for the young Manchester United loanee.

In other news: Cooper set for Forest disaster on “sensational” £25k-p/w star who’s like “Collymore” – opinion

Callum Fergsuon will join Australia’s one-day international squad ahead of Friday’s second match in Sydney after Shaun Marsh was ruled out due to a back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2010Callum Fergsuon will join Australia’s one-day international squad ahead of Friday’s second match in Sydney after Shaun Marsh was ruled out due to a back injury. Marsh made 31 in Australia’s one-wicket loss at the MCG on Wednesday, but he did not take the field at all during Sri Lanka’s innings and will miss the remaining two games in the series.”Shaun Marsh injured his lower back in the latter part of his batting innings yesterday against Sri Lanka,” the team physio Alex Kountouris said. “With the short turnaround between games in this series it was decided that the best management of this injury is to withdraw him from the remaining two games to allow him time to recover. His return to cricket will be based on his recovery over the next few days.”Marsh has had back troubles before, and a similar problem sidelined him for Australia’s one-day tour of New Zealand earlier this year. His latest niggle has opened the door for Ferguson, who was in the ODI squad in India last month but did not play a game, and is still waiting for his first appearance in Australian colours since seriously injuring his knee in the Champions Trophy final in October 2009.”Callum has been in extremely good form of late for South Australia in interstate cricket and has a very good one-day international record for Australia, averaging 46 with the bat, so we know he can perform well on a big stage,” the chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. Ferguson was due to link up with the squad in Sydney on Thursday, but his chances of playing on Friday are slim.Ricky Ponting will be back in the side having missed Wednesday’s game to attend his grandmother’s funeral, and Marsh would have been the likely man to make way for Ponting. The Australians haven’t got much time to turn around their form after losing a match they should have won comfortably at the MCG, and the coach Tim Nielsen said the players had a frank discussion after Sri Lanka’s triumph.”The most important thing is that we don’t run away from it, we identify the things we’re doing well and maybe not so well,” Nielsen said on the Melbourne radio station SEN. “We had a chat about that as a group last night, while it was very fresh and hitting pretty hard. Rather than just walk away and say ‘we got close’, we sat down and were pretty honest with each other about how we’re going and what we’re doing.”We just have to make sure that we don’t panic. There’s going to be a lot of speculation, there’s going to be a lot of theories and rumours and ideas on how we can get better. We just can’t afford to keep doing the same things like we did last night. We kept bowling bouncers that were chest high rather than head high, we bowled a few wides, we bowled a few slower balls that we didn’t land properly, and we didn’t really do anything out of the ordinary or different to what we’d been doing all night.”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte makes an early return to his old stomping ground as his side take on Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash this evening.

It’s the second successive season that the north London outfit are competing for a place in the final, whilst it offers the Italian a genuine chance at securing his first piece of silverware for the Lilywhites.

Spurs have already seen off a trio of Premier League teams on their route to tonight’s encounter, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and capital city rivals West Ham United.

Conte will be buoyed by plenty of confidence heading into kick-off with his side unbeaten in the Premier League under his stewardship. Meanwhile, the Champions of Europe have hit a bump in their season, winning just one of their last five.

At the weekend, Spurs moved to within touching distance of the top four after defeating fellow north Londoners Watford by a solitary goal and whilst it was three points, they will need to vastly improve to defeat Chelsea over two legs.

It leaves the 52-year-old with plenty to ponder in terms of team selection, especially as his side faces Morecambe in the FA Cup on Sunday before the return leg against Chelsea and then the small matter of the real north London derby a week Sunday.

One player who struggled to have much influence against the struggling Hornets was right wing-back, Emerson Royal. If he plays the same, then Thomas Tuchel’s frontline could well bully him on their way to success at Stamford Bridge this evening.

‘No-one was allowed more space and time in the final third but the Brazilian put in a succession of poor crosses. You couldn’t escape the feeling that Watford knew he wasn’t much of a threat,’ wrote The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick in his post-match ratings column, where he graded the Brazilian as Tottenham’s worst player on the day.

Per WhoScored, Chelsea’s favoured wing to attack is his side, with 18% of their total shots coming from the left flank (16% on the right).

He is likely to be up against Marcos Alonso, who has proven to be one of Tuchel’s major outlets this season, having created an average of 1.5 key passes per game, as well as managing 1.3 shots from left wing-back per outing too.

Conte cannot afford the £62k-per-week Emerson to have another mare against his former club and he will need to vastly improve at both ends of the pitch if he’s to help steer Spurs into the final.

As such, the Italian may want to be ruthless in his decision-making and axe the £25m-rated former Barcelona star, who was once dubbed “incredible” by those in and around the club, this evening.

AND in other news, Spurs could finally replace Christian Eriksen by signing “incredible” £5m beast once dubbed “one of the best”…

Rain denied Hampshire the chance to beat relegation rivals Essex after Ravi Bopara had lifted his team out of a potential implosion

07-Jun-2010
ScorecardRain denied Hampshire the chance to beat relegation rivals Essex after Ravi Bopara had lifted his team out of a potential implosion.Chasing a victory target of 328 in 75 overs, Essex were a perilous 16 for 4 until Bopara took control. In the end, the England man made 61 and Essex moved to 99 for 6 before the rain came with 24 overs remaining to spare them further loss.Hampshire began the day 235 for 6 in their second innings, captain Nic Pothas and Dominic Cork putting their team in a powerful position with a stand of 97 for the seventh wicket as Pothas completed a resolute 59. Pothas hit eight boundaries before calling in his players at 311 for seven in order to set Essex a tempting target.Maurice Chambers and Bopara each took two wickets but Essex were always struggling to contain the Hampshire batsman among whom veteran all-rounder Cork finished 41 not out at the declaration. Essex could not entertain any hope of a win of their own after a miserable start.Opener Tom Westley was bowled by James Tomlinson for one in the second over and in the next Cork knocked back Jaik Mickleburgh’s off stump. Essex slumped further when Matt Walker, who made 99 in the first innings, was caught in the slips off David Balcombe for three.And even worse was to follow two balls later when Ryan ten Doeschate was leg before to the same bowler. Only then did Bopara, showing his international pedigree, begin the recovery in a stand of 66 for the fifth wicket with James Foster.Bopara reached an imperious half century which he celebrated with a six off spinner Danny Briggs. But soon afterwards Briggs had his revenge when he trapped Bopara leg before with a delivery which kept low. Hampshire could sense victory at 99 when Foster, who had been dropped in the slips on seven, edged Sean Ervine into the same area where Jimmy Adams held the catch.Mark Pettini and Graham Napier was standing firm when rain intervened with Essex still 229 behind and facing a nervy spell to avoid defeat. Balcombe finished as Hampshire’s most successful bowler with 2 for 14 and there was a wicket each for Cork, Tomlinson, Ervine and Briggs. The premature end meant Hampshire had to be content with eight points, while Essex claimed the same despite their final-day struggles.

Newcastle United are preparing to make a second bid for Atalanta’s Robin Gosens after their first offer was rejected, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

The report claims that Atalanta turned down an offer worth €30m (£25.1m) for their left wing-back, who has 18 months left on his contract. The Serie A outfit paid just over £1m to sign Gosens from Eredivisie club Heracles Almelo in 2017, and that has proved to be very shrewd recruitment.

Alas, Gosens hasn’t played since September, having sustained a hamstring injury in the early stages of a Champions League clash with Young Boys. The German then suffered a setback when he was on the verge of returning in November.

The latest

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are apparently ‘ready to return to the assault’ in the final week of the transfer window with an improved bid.

It’s unclear just how much they’ll need to pay in order to persuade Atalanta to part with Gosens.

The verdict

Gosens is hugely effective in that attacking role on the left flank. He has been directly involved in 50 goals (scored 29, set up 21) in his 157 appearances for Atalanta, and six goals (scored two, set up four) in his 13 Germany caps.

Fans might remember his masterclass in the 4-2 victory against Portugal at last summer’s European Championship, as he set up Kai Havertz before finding the net himself. It was also his shot which deflected in off Manchester City’s Ruben Dias for Germany’s first goal.

Sports journalist Josh Bunting dubbed it ‘one of the best individual performances’ at the tournament, while CBS Sports’ James Benge remarked that the 27-year-old was evading Portugal so easily that it was as if he was wearing an ‘invisibility cloak’, a reference to the Harry Potter books and films.

If Eddie Howe did get his hands on Gosens, he’d probably be most effective in the left midfield slot in the manager’s 4-4-2, with full licence to attack, as opposed to being restricted to the left-back position.

In other news, Newcastle are considering a swoop for this PL defender. 

Kalvin Phillips must start for Leeds United in their crucial Premier League clash with Crystal Palace tonight, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Huge game for Leeds

The Whites face a massive game as they make the trip to Selhurst Park to take on a Palace side who have done well under Patrick Vieira this term.

Burnley’s recent resurgence in form has dragged Leeds back into the relegation picture, with Jesse Marsch’s side now only two points clear of the Clarets, having played one game more.

Phillips hasn’t started a match for the Whites since early December because of a lengthy injury-enforced absence, but he could be involved from the kick-off on Monday night.

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The Latest: Hay calls for Phillips to start v Palace

Writing in a Q&A for The Athletic on Monday morning, Hay claimed that the midfielder should, and likely will, be named in Marsch’s starting line-up against the Eagles tonight. The journalist stated:

“Kalvin Phillips is fully fit and there’s surely no question about him at Selhurst Park – he has to start.

“He can make a significant difference and the fact that he’s back at full fitness just as Adam Forshaw is out for the season is so important.

“Phillips is in line to start. I don’t think that can even be up for debate with Forshaw missing.”

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The Verdict: Has to happen

Leeds’ campaign has now reached its most critical point, with the Whites on the verge of being dragged into the relegation zone if results don’t improve.

For that reason, it is time for Marsch to take a punt on Phillips from the start at Palace, with the 26-year-old arguably among the most influential players at the club. As Hay mentions, Forshaw’s enforced absence makes it even more paramount for the manager to include the England international in the line-up.

Phillips already has two cameo appearances under his belt since returning earlier this month, and now is the time to try and test him for a full 90 minutes, or at least an hour or so.

In other news, Leeds have reportedly stepped up their interest in one player. Find out who it is here.