All posts by h716a5.icu

Gloucestershire have signed former England offspinner Richard Dawson, who has been without a first-class county since being released by Northamptonshire. Dawson has committed the next two years with the club

Cricinfo staff14-Aug-2008Gloucestershire have signed former England offspinner Richard Dawson, who has been without a first-class county since being released by Northamptonshire, on a two-year deal.He has been coaching at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, but has now been given a chance to resurrect his professional career after he initially began a short-term stint with Gloucestershire.”We are delighted to have Richard on board,” said Jack Russell, the Gloucestershire team mentor. “He is a player with international experience, as well as having a county championship medal under his belt.”Dawson played seven Tests, making his debut in Mohali on the 2001 tour of India where he took four wickets. He played the rest of that series then made four appearances in the 2002-03 Ashes series after Ashley Giles broke his hand between the first and second Tests.It was a tough tour for him and he took just five wickets in the four matches although his final appearance was in an England victory in Sydney.”I am really excited about the following two seasons at Gloucestershire,” Dawson said, “and I am looking forward to working with such a strong squad.”Although Dawson was named in England’s 30-man squad for the 2004 Champions Trophy his county form declined and in 2006 he was released by Yorkshire, joining Northamptonshire for a season.

West Ham United have been handed a massive boost in their pursuit of Nikola Milenkovic this week…

What’s the word?

The Fiorentina colossus has been subject to interest from the Irons for several months, with ExWHUemployee confirming last month that he is a target for manager David Moyes.

“The latest is a guy called Milenkovic from Fiorentina. There is interest in him, but I don’t think they’ve put any concrete offer in for him at all, but he is on the potential radar,” he said on ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast.

It’s gone quiet since but now it seems like the door has opened for the Premier League side to strike, according to reports in Italy.

Corriere dello Sport claim La Viola will sell the 23-year-old centre-back in the coming weeks, if he does not agree to a new contract, and they have already lined up some potential replacements.

GSB must act

If these reports are to be believed, then the Hammers have to make their move.

Moyes is believed to want to add a new star centre-back to his armoury before next month’s transfer deadline and the Serbian beast is a perfect candidate.

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Milenkovic has been likened to one of the Premier League’s greats in Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic, which is an encouraging sign to begin with.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN FC. “He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

Also dubbed a “beast” his former Partizan coach Ivan Tomic, who too made the same comparison, the towering 6 foot 5 defender averaged 3.6 clearances, 1.4 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per outing in 2020/21, via WhoScored.

He even recorded a seasonal 86% passing accuracy, proving he’s more than just a physically imposing presence but one that could be well-suited to the out-from-the-back way of playing in the Premier League.

GSB and the club’s hierarchy must now make a move for the £22.5m-rated star now that they have been handed a very encouraging boost over his future in Italy.

They’re evidently planning for the future without him, it would be foolish to not launch a bid now.

AND in other news, Moyes could seal West Ham bargain by signing £26m-rated “monster” who bullied Antonio…

Former Barbados captain Roland Holder is set to take up a new job at the West Indies Cricket Board

25-Sep-2008Former Barbados captain Roland Holder is set to take up a new job at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The 40-year-old Holder, who has also played for West Indies, will be employed as a cricket operations officer on a two-year contract starting on October 1.He brings to the position the experience of having served as a cricket operations manager at the 2007 World Cup. “It is a similar area to what I’ve worked in with the World Cup. It will be more challenging, but I have the World Cup template,” Holder said. “If we can try to get some of those implemented or we can buy into them, we will be in good shape.”A former Barbados team manager, Holder also has the experience of serving on the Barbados Cricket Association board of management between 2003 and 2005 and he was elected in 2007 for another two-year term. He has now resigned from this post.Holder was one of Barbados’ leading batsmen in a 16-year first-class career in which he played 11 Tests and 37 ODIs.

An update has emerged regarding Everton’s pursuit of Burnley winger Dwight McNeil.

What’s the talk?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees remain interested in a deal for the 21-year-old and could battle it out with Aston Villa for his signature this summer.

The report claims that Burnley do not want to sell the winger but realise that he will leave to join a bigger club in the near future. Earlier in the window, a fee of £25m was touted for the England under-21 international.

Bernard’s replacement?

Everton are in the market for a left winger with Bernard leaving the club earlier this month, and McNeil could be the perfect addition to the squad. He is proven in the Premier League and still has plenty of scope to develop further, whilst he would also suit the style of play Benitez wants to employ.

Earlier this summer, the Spaniard outlined his aim for the transfer window by pointing out that Dominic Calvert-Lewin – a scorer of seven headed goals last season – requires quality crosses from out wide. The manager said: “We have to be ambitious and we have to manage the situation. It is very easy to see that we have a great centre-forward. He’s very good in the air, he can score goals. But we have to provide him with good crosses, good passes.

“So the objective is to add the players to improve. We can improve in these areas and, from the wide areas, the crosses will come. When we can do that, the team will be better.”

Farhad Moshiri could therefore land a coup for the Toffees if he is able to secure a deal for McNeil, who is adept at crossing. WhoScored lists it as his biggest strength and he has provided 16 Premier League assists in the past three seasons for Sean Dyche’s side. This means that he could be able to routinely put balls into the box like Benitez wants, which is why he could be a terrific signing for the Blues.

His current Burnley teammate Ashley Westwood hailed him as a special talent and highlighted his progression since coming into the first team. He said: “He’s really mature. I think the world of him; he’s a special talent. It’s been good to see him grow up because when he first came training with us, he was really quiet.

“He’s already racked up more than 50 games in the Premier League now, which at his age is phenomenal. He’s producing as well, so if he keeps doing that and we all keep doing what we’re doing then there will be teams circulating.”

Therefore, he could be a superb addition to Everton’s squad and he might be exactly what Benitez needs to fulfil his ambitions of providing Calvert-Lewin with the service he requires to keep scoring goals in the Premier League. It is now down to Moshiri to get on the phone to Burnley in order to reach an agreement for the 21-year-old.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Godfrey: Benitez must seal dream Everton deal for £124k-p/w “monster”…

Matthew Spriegel, Laurie Evans, Stuart Meaker and Arun Harinath have all agreed new two-year deals with Surrey, while Chris Murtagh has signed a one-year contract

Cricinfo staff13-Oct-2008Surrey, criticised in many quarters for an over-reliance on older players during the last wretched season, have agreed new contracts with five youngsters.Matthew Spriegel, Laurie Evans, Stuart Meaker and Arun Harinath have all agreed new two-year deals, while Chris Murtagh has signed a one-year contract.”Though we have endured a disappointing season, the positive progress of Jade Dernbach and Matthew Spriegel in the first team this year highlights the quality players that are emerging from the PG academy programme,” academy director Gareth Townsend said. “The announcement by the club in offering these contracts to our young players is further testament to the faith that Surrey are showing in home-grown players.”It’s without doubt that players such as Dernbach, Spriegel, Stuart Meaker, Arun Harinath, Chris Murtagh, Laurie Evans and Simon King have worked hard on their cricket in the pursuit of forging a successful career with the club, and I have confidence that these players will be an integral part of Surrey’s future success.”Gus MacKay, who took up his role as managing director of cricket on October 1, added: “We’re looking to build a very strong squad for next season and these youngsters are a key part of our rebuilding process as well as being an extremely important part of our club’s long term plans.”

Nuno Santo’s first competitive match in charge of Tottenham Hotspur is less than two weeks away and he must avoid walking into his first big mistake at the club.

It is widely expected that Eric Dier will start their encounter against defending champions Manchester City on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign.

“This is where I’m really going to upset people. I’d be surprised if Dier isn’t starting that first game against Man City,” revealed football.london reporter Alasdair Gold to the ‘Gold and Guest talk Tottenham’ podcast.

“I just kind of feel where we’re at now, with Romero coming in very close to the Man City game – hopefully before. I’d be surprised if we see a very different centre-back pairing against Manchester City.

“Alderweireld is not there, so you have one change definitely, but I’d be very surprised if Eric Dier isn’t playing in that game.”

On the Chalkboard

If the Portuguese has done his homework, then he should know that this is a massive risk.

Spurs’ backline was one huge problem, if not the biggest problem, last season. They leaked more goals than any of the other ‘big six’ teams, including arch-rivals Arsenal, who finished below them in the table.

Dier was a favoured option under Jose Mourinho and interim boss Ryan Mason, though his experience did not help.

In fact, his performances saw him miss out on a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020, whilst he and Davinson Sanchez were deemed “one of the worst” pairings in the Premier League.

A defining theme of the Lilywhites’ struggles were these individual errors in defence – “Recently our team makes little important mistakes that are punished in terms of our results, and Eric was one of them,” Mourinho claimed back in February.

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Furthermore, Alan Shearer blasted the Englishman’s defending against Leeds United to The Athletic in May, claiming that he was given “the runaround” by their attackers, with Danny Mills describing him as a “defensive calamity.”

There has long been an argument questioning whether the 27-year-old should still be a centre-back or revert to his old defensive midfield position.

“Dier is an alright player but as a centre-half he just looks lost around the box,” questioned ex-Spurs star Jamie O’Hara back in February. Indeed, it’s worth a thought.

Across the last two seasons, the £85k-per-week Dier has seen his numbers regress at an alarming rate, recording fewer tackles and interceptions per game, as well as struggling to surpass an 83.2% passing accuracy, via WhoScored.

Considering that Nuno’s system will set up for a quarterback-like presence in defence, Dier may not be the answer and this may well go punished against a side of City’s calibre, with the firepower of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and many more on offer.

If Spurs seal the signing of Cristian Romero from Atalanta in the coming days, then there should be enough time to throw him into the deep end, and if Joe Rodon is to be the man in the future, there would be no harm in starting him instead either.

Nuno must avoid making his first big blunder as Spurs boss by including Dier as a centre-back against the reigning champions.

AND in other news, Nuno can save Levy millions by unleashing “special” Spurs prodigy who has “everything”…

Crystal Palace have confirmed that American businessman John Textor has purchased a substantial stake in the Premier League outfit.

What’s the story?

The Eagles revealed on their official website that Textor, the founder and chief executive of Facebank, a virtual entertainment company, has joined chairman Steve Parish and fellow American co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer as part of the board at the capital club.

Textor was close to purchasing shares in Portuguese giants Benfica last month and is thought to have paid £87.5m for a significant percentage of Palace, believed to be close to Parish’s 18% controlling stake.

Crystal Palace fans will be buzzing

Parish welcomed the fresh investment and a new board member, outlining how his arrival will help to breathe new life into Palace, both on and off the pitch.

“I’m delighted that search led us to John, who has invested significant sums, helping to facilitate the rejuvenation of the squad, bolster the balance sheet and enable the club to finalise the Academy,” he said.

“We all look forward to working with John, who has a strong passion for football and a growing knowledge and affinity to Crystal Palace.”

After joining the south London outfit’s hierarchy, Textor disclosed his delight at getting the deal over the line, highlighting his passion for football and Palace.

“I have looked at many opportunities across European football in which to invest so I could follow my passion for football and have a meaningful stake in a club.

“Over the past six months of discussions, I have also developed a real affinity to Crystal Palace F.C, its history, the staff and, of course, most importantly the supporters who create an incredible atmosphere at every game – one I cannot wait to witness again when supporters return to fill Selhurst Park this season.

“I very much look forward to working with the Chairman and the other partners,” he concluded.

Palace fans will surely be delighted at this newfound wealth, especially as it has arrived while the current transfer window still has plenty of time to run.

The Eagles have already bolstered new manager Patrick Vieira’s ranks, but the French tactician is likely to need extra reinforcement to ensure the club’s safety from relegation, something he is now expected to receive given this investment.

And, in other news…Get it done: Palace must swoop for “dangerous” 21 y/o prodigy, Vieira will love him 

George Binoy previews the first Test between India and Australia in Bangalore

The Preview by George Binoy16-Oct-2008Match factsOct 17-21, 2008
Start time 9.30am (0400 GMT)
Matthew Hayden has had a slow start to the series, scoring 0 and 13 in Bangalore © Getty Images
Big PictureAfter the attritional cricket in Bangalore, where one team dominated much of the contest and the other refused to give in, Mohali – where the pitch isn’t as slow as Bangalore – holds the prospect of a more lively encounter. Both teams will, however, need to rework their plans of attack to land the first punch in the series.The challenge for Australia will be not only to get into a commanding position against India, like they did in Bangalore, but also to close out the match, which they failed to do in the first Test. All of their batsmen, however, with the exceptions of Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke, made runs: Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey scored maiden Test centuries in India, while Shane Watson and Brad Haddin allayed concerns about an untested lower-middle order. Their fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson and Watson in particular, showed that inexperience in Indian conditions was not a hurdle that couldn’t be cleared.Although India’s batsmen played out the fifth day to secure a draw in Bangalore, the match was really saved on the third evening because of plucky batting from Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan. Their batting, however, isn’t a major worry since most batsmen made contributions at some stage of the Test. India’s biggest problem is the fitness of their captain Anil Kumble. He had a poor match in Bangalore, where he bowled 51 overs without a wicket, and struggled with a shoulder injury. He bowled during an indoor net session on Thursday but will decide on his participation in the Test only on the morning of the match.The build-up to the first Test in Bangalore was unusually quiet. By the end of the match, however, tensions were simmering: Zaheer said the Australians were defensive; Ponting brushed aside the comments; and Kumble was writing indignant columns in response to media speculation about his future. Normal service, it seems, has been resumed.Form guide (last 5 Tests)India DLWLW
Australia DWDWDWatch out forMatthew Hayden: He made a duck and 13 in Bangalore, falling to Zaheer Khan on both occasions, and Australia struggled to score at three runs per over. Hayden’s imposing style of batting will be crucial to the tempo of the Australian innings.Michael Hussey: Hayden and Ponting are Australia’s high-profile batsmen but Hussey is the fulcrum of the line-up. He scored 146 and 31 in the first Test and was done in only by big reverse swing and a freak doosra. His ability to string partnerships together with the lower order ensures extra depth in Australia’s batting line-up. Kumble: If he plays, Kumble will be under intense scrutiny especially after his outburst against the media. The Bangalore Test was only the third match of his career in which he failed to take a wicket. Kumble didn’t bowl until late Australia’s second innings and also dropped two catches.Zaheer and Ishant Sharma: Spin was touted as India’s strength in the lead-up to the series but Zaheer and Ishant took 13 out of 16 Australian wickets in Bangalore. They bowled accurately with the new ball and got the old one to reverse early and unsettle the batsmen.Team newsIf Kumble plays India will name an unchanged XI. However, if he pulls out India are likely to change their two-spinner strategy and play Munaf Patel as the third fast bowler.India (likely) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 Sourav Ganguly, 6 VVS Laxman, 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), 8 Anil Kumble (capt), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ishant Sharma.Clark’s elbow injury has given Victoria fast bowler Peter Siddle the opportunity to make his debut. He’s been preferred over left-arm swing bowler Doug Bollinger to complete the four-man pace attack. Cameron White will hold on to the spinner’s spot after a satisfactory performance in Bangalore while Simon Katich’s solid performance as opener will keep Phil Jaques out of the XI.Australia (likely) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Shane Watson, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Cameron White, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Peter Siddle.Pitch & conditionsIt’s been raining in Mohali but the forecast for the Test is more promising. “Heavy rains came down as recently as October 4 and water, two and a half feet deep, collected on the surface which initially affected our ground preparations,” the curator Daljit Singh said. The pitch hasn’t had much sun in the lead-up to the Test and Daljit feared that there might be moisture under the surface which could make it sluggish. A spell of sunshine, however, should bring the bounce back.Stats & TriviaVVS Laxman averages 128.50 with two half-centuries and a hundred in four innings in Mohali. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar also average above 50 at this venue.The average per wicket in Mohali is highest for the third innings – 46.77. The average is 35.98 and 41.50 for the first two innings and it dips to 33.27 in the fourth.Since 2000 fast bowlers have averaged 41.72 for their 54 wickets while spinners have taken 52 at 36.28 apiece.India have won two out of the last four Tests played here. They beat England in 2001 and 2006 and drew with New Zealand in 2003 and Pakistan in 2005.Quotes”They obviously miss the quality of a Shane Warne and a Stuart MacGill. On Indian wickets you definitely need a spinner to come into play, if not in the first innings then certainly in the second. That’s certainly something we will look to cash in on. Having said that, to win a match, we need to get big scores from the batters and every bowler has to contribute.”
“There was a lot made of the inexperience factor coming here, but all those inexperienced guys showed they are more than capable of performing well at international level.”

Cricinfo previews the ICL semi-final between Hyderabad Heroes and Royal Bengal Tigers

Cricinfo staff10-Nov-2008Match factsNov 11, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)
Can Craig McMillan power his team into the final? © ICL
The Big PictureOne of the most consistent performers in the ICL, Royal Bengal Tigers, will have to battle hard on Tuesday to reach one step closer to that elusive silverware: they have faltered at the semi-final stage in previous ICL tournaments. Their opponents in the semi-final will be Hyderabad Heroes, the defending champions, and a team that embarrassed them by nine wickets in their last game on Saturday.A shift in the final leg of matches from Hyderabad to Ahmedabad has denied the reigning winners the advantage of having a buoyant home crowd backing them, but they performed splendidly in their first outing at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium. Choosing to field, Hyderabad, with early strikes from opening bowler Syed Sahabuddin and wickets for left-arm spinners Nicky Boje and Inder Shekar Reddy, bundled out Bengal for 111. That score was chased down by two of Hyderabad’s Indian stars, Ibrahim Khaleel and Ambati Rayudu, without much fuss, and a similar performance is what captain Chris Harris will expect again. It they deliver, Hyderabad will make it a rematch of their best-of-three finals against Lahore last season.Harris is one of the many allrounders in the team, alongside Abdul Razzaq, Boje, Stuart Binny and Justin Kemp. (A back problem, though, has prevented Kemp from bowling in this tournament.) The all-round balance ensures the team doesn’t rely on big performances and their bowling have generally been disciplined – four have conceded less than seven an over in the tournament. Bengal have been reliant on Hamish Marshall, the leading run-getter in the tournament, to power them at the top, with Deep Dasgupta and Craig McMillan chipping in. However, their bowlers have been expensive: only Eklak Ahmid goes at less than seven per over and they will hope Upul Chandana takes his third fourth-wicket haul on Tuesday. The dew has affected the bowlers, more so in the second innings, in Ahmedabad – a factor that could influence the captain’s decision at the toss.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)Hyderabad- WWLWW
Bengal- LWLWLStats Will Hyderabad be double-teamed on Tuesday? Both of Chandana’s four-wicket hauls have been backed up by unbeaten half-centuries from Hamish Marshall, resulting in wins over Chennai Superstars and Lahore Badshahs, the two other semi-finalists. Prior to his 3 for 22 in Bengal’s rout, Syed Sahabuddin had only one wicket for 149 runs with an economy-rate of 9.31. The batsmen haven’t been able to get after Boje though: his economy-rate of 5.21 is the best in the tournament, with team-mate Harris next with 5.88. Players to watchOne battle to watch out for will be between the two wicketkeepers, Deep Dasgupta and Ibrahim Khaleel. With places in the ICL India XI up for grabs, both will be keen to impress. Dasgupta, who has been opening the batting for Bengal, has 232 runs in eight innings. Khaleel, one of the stars for the India XI last season, hasn’t got too many opportunities in this tournament. However, promoted up the order in Jimmy Maher’s absence on Saturday, his steady 54 not out guided them to victory. Will he get another chance?Justin Kemp is playing as a specialist bat, but he will need to do better than his average of 9.40 in the tournament. A best of 14 is disappointing given his big-hitting prowess.After the mauling on Saturday, Craig McMillan jokingly said his team had lost the game at the toss. Will McMillan be able to buoy up the spirits ahead of the semi-final? Winning the toss, and performing with the bat, will be a good way to go about it.McMillan’s opposition counterpart and former New Zealand team-mate, Chris Harris, is the man you can rely on under pressure. He had delivered in close chases, and can choke the opposition with tight overs when needed.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may make around €10m (£8.5m) rather than the initially-reported €15m (£12.8m) from the impending sale of Rafa Mir. 

That’s according to the print edition of Spanish paper Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The 24-year-old is poised to leave Molineux to join reigning La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. He had entered the final year of his contract with the Midlands outfit, so he would be able to leave on a free transfer next summer.

Mir was wanted by Atletico off the back of a 13-goal season on loan at relegated SD Huesca in 2020/21.

Wolves have only made one sale so far this summer, offloading goalkeeper Rui Patricio to Roma for a fee of £10.35m. They’ve also sent five players out on loan.

The latest

Marca had claimed that the deal would cost Atletico €15m (£12.8m), but Mundo Deportivo reported that it will be ‘close’ to €10m (£8.5m), albeit with potential bonuses.

Negotiations between the two clubs are ‘well advanced’, and personal terms have been long been agreed. As a result, he’s ‘about to sign’ for Los Rojiblancos.

Mir will reportedly join up with his new team-mates this week even though he represented silver medallists Spain at the Olympic Games. (Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness)

The verdict

It’s a shame that Wolves couldn’t extract more money up front for a player who’s still just 24 years old and who underlined his talent by banging in the goals for a relegated side. The sale seems mostly to be a consequence of his contract situation.

On the other hand, it does at least represent a healthy profit on the £1.8m they paid to Valencia back in 2018, while Mir had only played for Wolves four times, so most fans will probably be content with the money they’ve banked from his transfers.

In other news, many Wolves fans slammed this defender’s display at the weekend.