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Despite Manchester United being far from their best this season, Bruno Fernandes has once again been exceptional. Despite playing deeper in United’s midfield, next to Casemiro in the pivot, he is still producing an extraordinary amount of goals and assists.

This season, the United captain has played 16 games in the Premier League, scoring five goals and assisting a further seven. That assist tally is more than any other player in the top flight.

As United content creator Dev Bajwa said, the Portuguese superstar has been “absolutely exceptional” for Ruben Amorim’s side this season.

He has benefited from extra attacking firepower this season, which United are looking to add to in January.

Man United targeting big-money attacker

The summer transfer window saw the Red Devils reshape their attack with a multi-million-pound overhaul. Benjamin Seso was signed to lead the line, and they brought in two players ready-made for the Premier League, in Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.

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Well, according to Fabrizio Romano, it seems they could follow a similar pattern in January. United are said to be ‘in direct talks’ for Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo. Romano reports that the 13-time Premier League champions have ‘called this week’ and are ‘pushing’ for a move in January.

Unsurprisingly, United are not the only side in the top flight who want to sign the Ghanaian attacker. Their cross-city rivals, Manchester City, have also opened talks to sign Semenyo, with Romano confirming the final choice is ‘up to the player.’ As for a price, the winger has a release clause of £65m, which is valid in the first 10 days of the window.

Why Bruno Fernandes would love Semenyo

There is no doubt that bringing Semenyo to Old Trafford would be a strong addition for Amorim’s squad. Although he is a winger by trade, he could slot in as a wing-back, as Amad has done successfully, play as a number 10 or even as a number nine, a role he has done before.

This season, the 25-year-old has been one of the Premier League’s most in-form players. In 15 appearances in the top flight, Semenyo has found the back of the net on seven occasions and assisted three goals on top of that.

One of his most notable performances came away to Liverpool in the first game of the season. The Cherries number 24 bagged two goals at Anfield, devastating Arne Slot’s side in transitions and showcasing exactly why football scout Antonio Mango praised him for being so “explosive.”

Looking at some of his underlying numbers this season, it is easy to see why Semenyo is so highly sought after by both Manchester clubs. Not only is he averaging 0.8 goals and assists each game, but he’s creating 1.3 chances and winning 4.1 duels per 90 minutes on average.

Semenyo key stats in 25/26 PL season

Stat

Per 90 mins

Season total

Goals & assists

0.8

10

Conversion rate

22.58%

22.58%

Chances created

1.3

18

Take-ons completed

1.7

24

Ground duels won

4.1

60

Ball recoveries

5

74

Stats from Squawka

United fans might well be licking their lips at the prospect of seeing Semenyo playing alongside Fernandes this season. With the creativity of their skipper, even from those deeper zones, and the clinical nature of their potential new signing, it could be a match made in heaven.

The United number eight obviously has exceptional quality in the final third. He averages 3.15 key passes per game this season, placing him in the top 1% of Premier League midfielders. This pass to Mason Mount against Wolves is an example of the skill he possesses.

It is easy to imagine this duo being largely unstoppable for the Red Devils. Regardless of where on the pitch Semenyo operates, Fernandes has the ability to find him, especially if that is in transitional situations of more open games.

£65m is an expensive deal, especially in January, but United would be adding an extra quality in attack, signing a player who can make Fernandes’ output even better. Semenyo could be a huge addition for the Red Devils this winter.

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	Matthew Hayden: thrilled at working with Mahendra Singh Dhoni (file photo) © Getty Images

Rajasthan slash ticket rates
It was difficult for the authorities in Jaipur to fill up the 30,000 seats at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium and resorted to slashing the ticket rates, reported. That wasn’t all. The Rajasthan Police demanded Rs 80,00,000 (approx US$ 200,000) for providing security for the first match against Kings XI Punjab. Terming IPL to be an event organised for monetary benefits, the Rajasthan Police refused to provide security free of cost.No full house at Chennai either
Despite the presence of the most expensive player in the IPL, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings are struggling to get a full house for their first home match against the Mumbai Indians. A day before the match, reports that only 15,000 of the 38,000 available tickets have been sold. Besides the now-mandatory cheerleaders, Chennai have also lined up singer Hariharan and popular drummer Sivamani to entertain the crowd.Hayden settles in
Matthew Hayden was all praise for Dhoni’s leaderships skills and even said he had an aura about him. “I have no issues with that. Dhoni is a fine thinker and a confident individual,” said Hayden. “There is an aura about him. For me, it is a great experience sharing the dressing room with Indians and learning how they go about their cricket.”West Indies players to return on May 18
Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo are expected to return to the West Indies on May 18, in time for West Indies’ series against Australia. West Indies Cricket Board CEO Donald Peters said that the players will return four days before the first Test in Jamaica, starting on May 22 .Another floodlight failure at Eden
While the Kolkata Knight Riders have got off to the perfect start, winning two out of two, they are yet to get things in order at their home ground, Eden Gardens. After being criticised for preparing a difficult track for their first home game, which was also blighted by a power failure, there was further embarrassment as two of the floodlights went off during a practice session.

Shoaib Akhtar: “Geoff Lawson can lift us to that level where we can become world beaters” © AFP

Shoaib Akhtar is delighted by Geoff Lawson’s appointment as Pakistan coach, claiming only an Australian can help them beat the world’s best team. “I am excited that he is coming to Pakistan, it’s thrilling,” he said.”He can lift us to that level where we can become world beaters. I have always loved the Australian mentality. They only play to win and even if they lose they put up their best till the end. I am confident that Lawson will help us beat Australia because he will know their weaknesses and strong points.”Shoaib said teams from the subcontinent, especially Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have benefited from being coached by Australians. Both teams had extended stints with Dav Whatmore.”Australian thinking is different from the subcontinent,” Shoaib said. “They acquire knowledge about minor things and work on them while subcontinental people think differently.”Shoaib was confident Lawson’s presence would help him and the fast bowlers in the Pakistan line-up. “He is someone who believes fast bowlers can win matches and I will definitely be able to lift the level of my performance under him,” he said. “Once the fast bowlers deliver the team will benefit. Even Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor benefited from Lawson’s help when they played alongside him in New South Wales, so he must have something which worked.”Looking ahead to the season, Shoaib said: “This current Pakistan team has a young captain in Shoaib Malik and it has worked extensively to be the fittest. The atmosphere is very good and we are gearing up for the challenges ahead.”Pakistan have a busy season ahead and play the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in September in South Africa, then host South Africa for two Tests and five one-day internationals and tour India for three Tests and five ODIs. They also host the world champions Australia in March and April next year, a series Shoaib is already looking forward to. “I can’t wait for the Australian series. I want to play in at least one series win over Australia.”

Lashings World XI 292 for 4 in 41.3 overs (Tendulkar 147, Richardson 95, Pope 3-61) drew with Reigate Priory 197 for 7 in 51 overs (Gale 64, Drakes 2-12)
Scorecard

Another jazz-hat hundred for Sachin Tendulkar © Will Luke

Sachin Tendulkar continued his comeback from injury with a second successive century for Lashings World XI in a charity match against Reigate Priory in Surrey on Sunday.Tendulkar made 147 off 109 balls before retiring, while Richie Richardson, the captain, hammered 95 as Lashings raced to 292 for four in 41.3 overs.Jon Gale scored an unbeaten 64 and Alex Richard added 31 to Reigate’s total of 197 for 7 in 51 overs, but by then most of the crowd’s attention was on England’s World Cup match taking place in Germany.Tendulkar is scheduled to play three more matches in the coming fortnight for Lashings

Anil Kumble: another milestone achieved on his home ground© Getty Images

Two cricketers at the opposite ends of their career faced the media at the end of the first day’s play at Bangalore. And at the opposite ends of their tether as well, to judge by the outward appearances of Anil Kumble and Michael Clarke.Kumble, who had been laid low by a flu virus and managed just six hours’ sleep on the eve of the match, was tired but contented after becoming the ninth man in Test history to reach 400 wickets. Australia’s boy wonder, Clarke, on the other hand, was utterly unfazed by his achievement in batting for more than four hours on debut to reach an unbeaten 76.For Kumble, it was the third occasion he had brought up a landmark on home turf, after taking his 100th and 300th wickets here at Bangalore too. “It’s just a coincidence,” he shrugged. “Somehow it often seems to work out like that. I did start thinking about it as I got closer, but really we just had to get on with the game, and break that partnership [between Simon Katich and Clarke].”Clarke, for his part, also admitted to nerves, although they were scarcely on show in the course of his innings. “It was great to get off the mark,” he admitted, “but obviously the longer I spent out there, the more comfortable I became. Batting with Simon really helped as well – he’s at New South Wales now, so it was great to spend time with him. He played really well, and deserved a hundred, but unfortunately he missed out today.”Katich, in the end, became Kumble’s landmark victim, as he was bowled off an inside edge for 81. “It’s a great honour to have 400 wickets,” said Kumble afterwards, before setting his sights even higher than that. “Obviously the next target for me is another 35 wickets, to go past Paaji bhai [Kapil Dev], but it’s more important to win this Test, and if I contribute to that then records will take care of themselves. I just want to keep taking wickets, and I feel good at the moment.”Tomorrow it will be Clarke’s own milestone that takes centre stage, and if anyone has the self-confidence to get to a hundred on debut, it is he. “Yeah, I hope I can get there,” he enthused. “I’ll come back tomorrow, aim to put on a good partnership with Adam [Gilchrist], and hopefully get to a hundred.”

Michael Clarke: an assured debut© Getty Images

The pitch was certainly in the batsman’s favour. “Good” was Clarke’s verdict, “slow” was Kumble’s. “I’m sure we’re getting the best use out of it, by winning the toss and batting,” added Clarke, “but on the fourth and fifth days it should break up.”Kumble dismissed suggestions that he had lacked support from Harbhajan Singh, who managed just the one wicket, albeit the big one of Matthew Hayden. “He bowled well, maybe [he was] a bit unlucky. But the wicket was slow, and they looked to get after the spinners, and on a first-day wicket, you can’t expect a pair of five-fors and the [opposition] team being bowled out for 200. We still have a very good chance.”Clarke had few problems in facing the Indian pairing, and attributed his expert use of the feet to the schooling from his Indian coach, Neil D’Costa, who sat right there in the press briefing. He added that his prior knowledge of India, where he came with the one-day side last year, helped settle his nerves no end.”One-day cricket in general has been good to me,” added Clarke. “Today was a lot easier as a result. I felt a lot more comfortable with the players and that played a big part. A lot of cricket at the top level is mental, but I backed myself to play in my own way, and fortunately today it came off.”

India 349 for 7 (Dravid 99, Sehwag 79) beat Pakistan 344 for 8 (Inzamam 122, Youhana 73)
Scorecard

Inzamam-ul-Haq’s magnificent century wasn’t enough to take Pakistan to victory© AFP

A series that the entire cricket world had been waiting for with bated breath started off with an absolutely incredible match at the National Stadium in Karachi. In a game in which the result was in the balance until the very last ball, India finally edged through by five runs after amassing 349.For much of the match, it appeared that Pakistan would pull off an astounding run-chase, as Inzamam-ul-Haq chose this stage to showcase his genius. His innings of 122 – surely one of the greatest ever played in a one-day international – made light of a steep target, and almost handed India their second defeat in three days after scoring more than 300. Even so Pakistan’s 344 was comfortably the highest total made by the side batting second in any one-day international.It was high-octane stuff from the start, with plenty of batting stars from either side: Virender Sehwag blasted 79 from 57 balls to get India off to a blistering start, while Rahul Dravid stroked a classy 99 to ensure that the splendid start wasn’t wasted. Then, Yousuf Youhana caressed 73 to revive Pakistan’s hopes. But the innings of the match came from Inzamam.No team had ever successfully chased 350 in an ODI, and that statistic didn’t look likely to change when Pakistan lost two early wickets and struggled to 71 for 2 in 15 overs. The Indian seamers bowled with superb control, and with the asking rate mounting to eight early in the chase, it seemed that India would run away with it.Inzamam and Youhana turned it all around with an outstanding partnership of 135 from a mere 20 overs. Not only did they press on the accelerator, they did so with minimum risk, tonking the slow bowlers for straight sixes, and nurdling the seamers for ones and twos. Youhana finally played one lofted shot too many, but that only allowed Inzamam to take centre stage.Not allowing the pressure to get to him at any point, Inzamam turned it on with some scintillating batting, caressing fours to midwicket and square leg with a casual flick of the wrists, or making room to play some delectable strokes on the off side equally effortlessly. Ganguly switched the bowling around, but except for Sehwag, none of the bowlers made even a semblance of an impression. Inzamam’s fourth-wicket stand with Younis Khan yielded 109 before Inzamam finally perished, nicking one from Kartik to Dravid (278 for 4).Younis and Abdul Razzaq ensured that the momentum didn’t slip away, running hard between the wickets and finding the boundary frequently. Kartik swung the match India’s way again, bowling Younis for 46, while Zaheer’s slower ball did for Razzaq. Then came another twist in the tale, when Mohammad Kaif pulled off an amazing running catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik, running around from long-off, diving, and clinging on to the ball even as he almost collided with Hemang Badani. That catch came off the penultimate ball of the 49th over, and Pakistan approached the last over needing nine to win.Ashish Nehra, the man chosen for the task, did a nerveless job, bowling full and on the stumps. Naved-ul-Hasan swished and missed at the first one, but stole a single off the next. Moin Khan failed to get a yorker away, and only managed a single off the fourth ball. When Hasan took a run off the fifth, it required Moin to hit a six off the last ball. Javed Miandad was gesturing furiously from the stands – he obviously had a right to do so, having smashed a memorable last-ball six off Chetan Sharma to win a thriller at Sharjah back in 1986 – but all of that was to little effect, as Moin spooned a full-toss to Zaheer at extra cover. The match was India’s.When Pakistan look back on the match, they will probably identify their lack of discipline in the field as the primary reason for the defeat. Pakistan got the best of the bowling conditions – the pitch afforded plenty of bounce and some seam early on – but made a mess of it, sending down a shocking 20 no-balls and 10 wides. The Indians, on the other hand, bowled just two no-balls and seven wides.

Rahul Dravid missed his hundred, but kept his head, making a polished 99 to make sure that India did not lose the initiative© AFP

The trend was set in a frenetic first over in the Indian innings. Shoaib Akhtar, visibly keyed up for the battle with Tendulkar, bowled a nine-ball first over which included a couple of wides and no-balls. He began his second over with another no-ball, off which Tendulkar was caught at square leg, and then saw insult added to injury later in that same over when Tendulkar top-edged a hook for six.At the other end, Sehwag went on his merry way, slashing and swinging through the off side with gay abandon. Shoaib got Pakistan the breakthrough, when Tendulkar guided a drive to Hasan at backward point (69 for 1) for 28, but that only set the stage for a breathtaking onslaught by Sehwag.Hasan, all of two ODIs old in international cricket, bowled four no-balls in his first five deliveries, and disappeared for 24 in the over, while Razzaq was smashed for three fours in his opening over. Sehwag was finally bowled by a beautifully disguised slower ball from Hasan (142 for 2), but with 143 from the first 15 overs, the platform had been laid.Dravid and Sourav Ganguly then kept it going with a run-a-ball partnership of 72, but Pakistan had an opportunity to claw back when both Ganguly (47) and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed in quick succession. India were 220 for 4 in the 29th over, and with no VVS Laxman – a knee injury in the nets had ruled him out – a couple of further wickets would have exposed the Indian tail rather early. Dravid and Kaif ensured it didn’t happen.Dravid played another gem, continuing the rich vein of form he showed in Australia. He seldom played unorthodox strokes, but kept the runs coming with clever nudges and deflections. He didn’t miss out on the boundaries either – a couple of straight-drives off Razzaq early in the innings were among the shots of the innings.Kaif was equally composed, cutting out the risky strokes early in his innings, but putting pressure on the fielders with some blistering running between the wickets. Their vital 118-run stand ensured that India got up to 349. In the end, that turned out to be just enough.

New Zealand’s Brent Bowden will stay on in South Africa after being appointed to the list of 12 umpires for the Super Six stage of the World Cup.It is a prestigious appointment for Bowden who was New Zealand’s only umpire appointed to the World Cup.The group of 22 who stood in the first round have been reduced to 12 after an assessment was made of each umpire’s performances in the group stages.The 12 appointed are: Brent Bowden (New Zealand), Steve Bucknor (West Indies), Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka), Daryl Harper (Australia), Darrell Hair (Australia), Brian Jerling (South Africa), Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), David Shepherd (England), Simon Taufel (Australia), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (India), Peter Willey (England).Only six of the eight members of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) elite panel have been included. Missing are: David Orchard (South Africa) and Russell Tiffin (Zimbabwe).The ICC’s general manager-cricket, David Richardson said the appointments are a reflection of the high standard of performance seen during the group stage.”All match officials have been assessed by the ICC during the group matches, and it is fair to say that the 12 nominated to stand in the Super Sixes are the umpires we regard to be in the best form.”Their standard of decision making has been consistently high and has earned them the right to officiate in the later stages of the tournament.”All five full-time members of the ICC Match Referees’ panel have been retained for the Super Six fixtures: Clive Lloyd, Ranjan Madugalle, Mike Procter, Wasim Raja, Gundappa Viswanath.Bowden’s match appointments are: Australia v Sri Lanka (tomorrow), Australia v Kenya (March 15). Bowden will be third umpire in the Zimbabwe-Kenya game on March 12.New Zealand’s match officials will be: v Zimbabwe (Koertzen and Hair), v Australia (de Silva and Bucknor), v India (Willey and Harper).

Wasim Akram was the surprise exclusion from the 27-man camp announced for the Pakistan team’s preparations for the upcoming season. Pakistan is to face minnows Bangladesh and a possibly depleted India for the Asian Test Championship followed by the visiting Black Caps. This move has disappointed millions of his fans in Pakistan as well as abroad. Wasim Akram was the reigning monarch of fast bowling after retirement of the illustrious Courtney Walsh from the international cricket scene.

WasimAkram – one of the all time greats Photo CricInfo

With a splendid haul of 414 wickets in 102 Tests and equally precious 440 wickets in 319 One-day Internationals he brought unprecedented fame, honour and laurels to Pakistan. He was the only bowler in the history of cricket to have crossed the 400 wickets mark in both versions of the game. Throwing him out of a contingent that includes a number of new faces is not the respectable way of showing the door to such a great player.Chief Selector Wasim Bari’s assertion that ‘he had not closed the book on players’ test careers and Akram’s exclusion from the camp was no indication that his career was over’ is not a tenable answer. His next claim that ‘we are starting a re-building process’ is also a hackneyed phrase, one that has been heard by cricket lovers for many years now.Speaking from London, Wasim Akram expressed the desire of passing Kapil Dev’s mark of 434 test wickets, which is an absolutely genuine objective. Records are meant to be broken and here is a golden chance for Akram to break one. It is, however, clear with his current form and fitness Akram cannot touch the towering record of 519 wickets set by the great Courtney Walsh but Kapil Dev’s mark is well within his reach. He needs only 21 wickets to become the 2nd in command to Walsh till some one else takes over. About a year’s extension to his career would therefore be good enough for him to achieve the landmark.Not only that records set by players are a matter of honour for any cricket country but depriving Wasim Akram of this distinction will be gross injustice to a player who has contributed so much to Pakistan’s cricket.Agreed, his tally of wickets per match has come down but let us not forget that Kapil Dev was almost at a similar level of performance when he broke Sir Richard Hadlee’s record. While India vigorously pushed their horse towards the target, Pakistan seems to be doing the opposite. What great service for the glory of Pakistani cricket !Discussing the merits and demerits of a basket full of pace bowlers invited to the camp, let me mention that half of them are physically unfit while the others may only be good for camp training and grooming for the future. None of them is yet competent enough to replace Wasim Akram. And. let us also not forget that there is no substitute for experience.The Chief Selector’s contention that ‘ this squad is only for a training camp while for Tests, players can be called from outside the list’ is again baffling. Has he said so to keep anxiety and speculations rife for Wasim Akram fans? He should have realised that demoralisation caused to a great player can have deep rooted effects on his efficiency and morale.A glance at the list of pace bowlers called for the camp will reveal that Shoaib Akhtar is back and clearly someone’s hot favourite. He is not yet physically fit since he broke down during the course of play in England. An unfit Mohammad Sami who had a joyride to England continues to remain unfit. Shabbir Ahmed suffers from a suspect action and is reportedly sick.Mohammad Akram and Fazl-e-Akbar got more than enough chances to prove their mettle at home as well as abroad but failed to impress. The little known youngsters like Irfan Fazil (1 Test), Yasir Arafat (two ODIs) and a new comer Naved Rana, are only suitable for junior cricket and not yet matured enough to take the burden of a tournament like the Asian Test Championship. Who out of them is tipped to take over from a giant like Wasim Akram? Showing the door to him without a suitable replacement is not cricket.

A £40k-a-week Nottingham Forest player is now set to leave in the January transfer window, having fallen down the pecking order at the City Ground.

Dyche heading into first transfer window as Forest boss

Sean Dyche has overseen a fantastic turnaround since replacing Ange Postecoglou in the dugout, with his side moving five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, courtesy of the emphatic 3-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

The Tricky Trees now have some breathing space in the relegation battle, but with the January transfer window just around the corner, Dyche will be presented with his first opportunity to make changes to the squad he inherited, in a bid to continue the charge up the table.

Some departures could be on the cards, with it being revealed that Arnaud Kalimuendo wants to leave, amid a lack of game time since arriving in the summer, and another little-used player could be set to follow the forward out of the exit door.

That is according to a report from Africa Foot (via Sport Witness), which states Willy Boly is now set to leave Nottingham Forest within a matter of weeks, given that the 34-year-old will need to find a new club in January if he is going to stand a chance of making the Ivory Coast World Cup squad.

Boly has just six months remaining on his £40k-a-week contract, and Forest have now decided not to offer him fresh terms, which means a winter departure could now be on the cards.

Losing "fantastic" Boly won't be major blow for Forest

Once lauded as “fantastic” by West Ham United boss Nuno, the Ivorian is vastly experienced in the Premier League, making 126 top flight appearances, but he is now a bit-part player for Forest, having made just two appearances in all competitions this season.

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As such, losing the 34-year-old next month wouldn’t be a major blow, particularly considering Dyche’s side have been solid from a defensive point of view as of late, keeping three clean sheets in their last five Premier League matches.

Subscribe for Forest transfer insights and analysis Get focused Forest transfer coverage by subscribing to the newsletter: follow player exits, squad reshuffles and what moves like Boly’s potential departure mean for selection and competition. The newsletter also covers broader club transfer activity. Subscribe Subscribe for Forest transfer insights and analysis Get focused Forest transfer coverage by subscribing to the newsletter: follow player exits, squad reshuffles and what moves like Boly’s potential departure mean for selection and competition. The newsletter also covers broader club transfer activity.

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Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic have formed a solid partnership at the back, with the centre-backs being hailed for the part they played in helping Forest reach the Europa League last season.

Boly leaving Forest in the January transfer window may be best for all parties, considering the defender is clearly surplus to requirements, and needs to receive game time more regularly if he is going to make a late push for the Ivory Coast World Cup squad.

	Matt Johnston had a painful 2007-08 but he was rewarded for his efforts with a full state contract © Getty Images

Western Australia have named a fresh looking 20-man squad for 2008-09 after a year of change during which several of their senior players departed. Liam Davis, Paul Davis, Arron Crawford, Wes Robinson and Matt Johnston earned their first full contracts, while four new rookies were also included.The list of departures is extensive and includes the recent retirees Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer, Mathew Inness and Darren Wates. Brad Hogg has not officially given up state duties but has been left out while he contemplates his future, while Chris Rogers has moved to Victoria. The Warriors also axed the allrounders Sean Ervine and Shawn Gillies and the left-arm fast bowler Danny McLauchlan.Among the new rookies is Mitchell Marsh, 16, a younger brother of the Cricket Australia-contracted batsman Shaun Marsh and the son of former Australia opening batsman Geoff Marsh. A right-hand batsman, the youngest Marsh has represented his state at Under-17 and Under-19 level and this season broke the record for most runs in the Perth schools competition, the Darlot Cup, where he scored 739 runs at 105.57.Liam Davis was bumped up from a rookie deal after an impressive start to his first-class career in 2007-08. An opening batsman, Davis played three matches and scored a century and a fifty and will become a key player with the loss of Langer and Rogers.Johnston also received a promotion from the rookie list having shown promise in the FR Cup last summer until a wayward throw broke his jaw and forced him off for surgery that disrupted his season. The fast bowler Paul Davis, 27, made his limited-overs debut in February while Crawford was welcomed back to the list having lost his rookie deal last year.Robinson, 27, was included following an outstanding club season during which he made 865 runs at 61.78 and collected 12 wickets at 17.80. He also picked up the Olly Cooley Medal as the best player in Perth’s grade competition.The new rookies include Nicholas Death, a former ACT under-age representative who grabbed 46 wickets in club cricket in 2007-08. The batsman Marcus Stoinis and the bowler Chris Thompson also picked up their first rookie contracts. Josh Mangan, Michael Johnson and Christopher Wood held on to their rookie deals while Chris Hansberry and Patrick Molinari were omitted.Tom Moody, the Western Australia coach, said the youthful group would help the Warriors look to the future. “We are very fortunate to have a wealth of local talent in Western Australia and I am thrilled that we have managed to secure some of that talent on our contact list,” Moody said. “Our main focus in the selection process was to reward performances while also keeping a keen eye on youth so we can continue to develop for the future.”Squad David Bandy, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Arron Crawford, Liam Davis, Paul Davis, Brett Dorey, Theo Doropoulos, Ben Edmondson, Aaron Heal, Clint Heron, Michael Hussey (Cricket Australia contract), Matthew Johnston, Trent Kelly, Steve Magoffin, Shaun Marsh (CA), Marcus North, Luke Pomersbach, Wes Robinson, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges (CA).Rookies Nicholas Death, Michael Johnson, Josh Mangan, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Thompson, Christopher Wood.