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Shane Warne has said the decision to leave out Michael Vaughan from the pre-Ashes camp was a blunder

Cricinfo staff24-Jun-2009Shane Warne, the former Australian legspinner, has said the decision to leave out Michael Vaughan from the pre-Ashes camp was a blunder given his wealth of experience as a former Ashes-winning captain. Vaughan has made only 147 runs at 21.00 for Yorkshire this season and the chief selector Geoff Miller said he would have to make runs consistently in the county season to force his way back.”England may have made a mistake by leaving Michael Vaughan out of what looks to be their big Ashes squad,” Warne wrote in his column for the . “Admittedly, I haven’t seen him for a while, but I do know that he’s a big-match player who can bring that touch of class. He deals with the short ball really well and looks to attack. Tactically, he could have helped [Andrew] Strauss.”Warne had earlier questioned the presence of Ravi Bopara in England’s plans, saying he was not yet ready for international cricket, and he couldn’t resist another dig at England’s in-form Test batsman.”I’ve said a few things before in this column about Ravi Bopara’s temperament. He looks a bit flaky,” Warne said. “But I’m not thinking of it as a case of Vaughan or Bopara. Vaughan is not just a better batsman than Bopara – I’d put him above everybody bar Pietersen. As long as he is making runs and can run between the wickets, he would be in my team.”Looking ahead to the Ashes, which begins at Cardiff on July 8, Warne said Australia’s bowlers would help the team retain the urn.”Yes, of course you need runs on the board, but if Australia can take some cheap wickets with the new ball, they can definitely roll over England, even with Freddie Flintoff to come back after missing the West Indies series,” he said.”Australia will be looking to get them about 3 for 50 because, looking at their line-up, England could then find themselves all out for 100. I think they rely on Andrew Strauss and especially Kevin Pietersen, so a big task for Australia is to identify the guys most likely to put those two under pressure. I really hope that Nathan Hauritz is going to play, and Mitchell Johnson is a certainty.”Warne reckoned at least four fast bowlers will chase two spots and he backed Brett Lee to make the starting line-up, despite the fast bowler’s struggles during the World Twenty20. Lee will compete with Peter Siddle, Stuart Clark and Ben Hilfenhaus to partner Johnson.”I’d love Ricky Ponting to be able to give him (Lee) first crack because he’s a great kid and has experience of the Ashes,” he said.”Peter Siddle has a big future. He reminds me of Darren Gough with his big heart. He is one of those whose last ball of the day is as good as his first. Any captain would want to fit him in, if he could.”The one worry for Australia, Warne said, is the form of Michael Hussey and therefore, there could be a slot open in the batting line-up. Hussey’s patchy form – he has scored 322 runs at 23.00 in his past eight Tests – and exhaustion due to Australia’s packed international schedule forced him to reassess his future with the team and he even contemplated giving up one form of the game.”Hussey needs a score over the next fortnight to cement his place. The onus is on the others to push him out, yes, but if [Shane] Watson and [Marcus] North get runs it will be an interesting decision,” Warne said. “I don’t think Hussey’s place should be guaranteed. Watson would be good enough for No 3, if it came to it.”

Stuart Clark is again set to raise the hackles of England players and officials with confirmation he has agreed terms with Gloucestershire for a two-match stint ahead of the Ashes

Alex Brown22-May-2009Stuart Clark is again set to raise the hackles of England’s players and officials with confirmation he has agreed terms with Gloucestershire for a two-match stint ahead of the Ashes. The Australian fast bowler prompted a furore in March when he signed with Kent – an arrangement that was eventually scuppered with his call-up to the Australian one-day squad – and is now awaiting a UK visa before taking his place at the County Ground, Bristol.”All the paperwork went to the consulate today, so hopefully it all goes through pretty quickly,” Clark told Cricinfo. “(Gloucestershire) want me to go and I want to be there, so it’s just a question of getting the visa through.”A Gloucestershire spokesperson would not confirm on Friday whether an agreement had been struck with Clark, but said negotiations with the Australian paceman had been taking place. Tom Richardson, the Gloucestershire chief executive, has publicly spoken of his desire to replace fast bowler James Franklin while he is on World Twenty20 duty with New Zealand, and recently told BBC Radio Bristol: “Stuart’s someone that, were he to be available, we’d be very keen to get him to come and play.”Clark is in search of match practice ahead of the Ashes, following an extended stint on the sidelines due to right elbow surgery. The right-armer has turned out for his grade side, Sydney University, and played in three ODIs for Australia against Pakistan in the UAE since the operation to remove bone spurs in his bowling elbow, but has had no exposure to first-class cricket.Clark’s omission from Australia’s 15-man World Twenty20 squad created a window for a county stint, and John Bracewell’s Gloucestershire side is ready to accommodate. Should all go to plan, Clark will play in Gloucestershire’s four-day matches against Derbyshire (starting June 6) and his former club Middlesex (from June 18), before joining the Australian camp.”I feel good after the UAE trip and am looking forward to a bit more cricket before the tour games before the Ashes,” he said. “I probably could have done with a bit more bowling in the UAE, but I came out of that series feeling pretty good about where I was. I was pretty happy with the way I bowled in the games, and I got a lot of work done in the nets.”Clark’s proposed move to Kent prompted anger from many leading figures within England cricket, who argued counties should not provide support to Australian players in an Ashes year. Andrew Strauss, the England captain, accused Kent of “short sightedness”, while national selector Geoff Miller described the move as “disappointing”.Asked whether he was expecting another backlash, Clark was succinct: “I am, actually, but I couldn’t care less.”Clark is acutely aware of the importance of a thorough Ashes preparation. During his injury-enforced absence, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus excelled in Test matches against South Africa, creating a log-jam of contenders for fast bowling spots ahead of the first Test in Cardiff.”I think Punter (Ricky Ponting) will be in for a hard time in the nets – he’ll be getting it from all of us trying to outdo each other to claim the places that are up for grabs,” he said. “I think that will be healthy competition, not you-versus-me stuff, and will bring out the very best in all of us. Mitchell (Johnson) deserves to keep his place after all he’s done in the last year, and then it’s up to the rest of us to get the other spots.”

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s managerial targets before the arrival of Nuno Santo has spoken about Italian sporting director Fabio Paratici in a recent interview this week.

And it’s not going to go down well with the supporters…

What’s the word?

Spurs spent several months trying to find a successor to Jose Mourinho after he was sacked in mid-April and held talks with several different names, including Chelsea’s former title winner Antonio Conte and even their former manager Mauricio Pochettino.

However, ex-Roma head coach Paulo Fonseca was inches away from being appointed as the new Spurs boss before Paratici was hired.

He had verbally agreed on a two-year contract but the move broke down as the former Juventus chief wanted to go in a different direction to what chairman Daniel Levy and Steve Hitchen were planning.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the Portuguese revealed:

“The agreement was done. We were planning the pre-season and Tottenham wanted an offensive coach. It wasn’t announced but we planned pre-season players.

“But things changed when the new managing director arrived and we didn’t agree with some ideas and he preferred another coach.

“I have some principles. I wanted to be coach of the great teams but I want the right project and a club where the people believe in my ideas, my way to play, and this didn’t happen with the managing director.”

Fans won’t be happy

This damning revelation could not have come at a worse time as the north London outfit have struggled for form in recent matches.

After three straight 1-0 victories to kickstart the 2021/22 league campaign, Nuno and his side have lost 3-0 in back-to-back Premier League games and drawn 2-2 across both the UEFA Europa Conference League and the Carabao Cup.

Indeed, the numbers suggest that things have been much, much worse than they appear.

According to The Athletic, Spurs have the lowest expected goals (xG) of any team in the English top-flight (4.42) after the first five matches of the season. They are also second-lowest for total number of shots and have created just two big chances.

It would appear that Fonseca’s claim about a more defensively-minded coach is ringing true, on the evidence we’ve seen so far.

That will not go down well with the Spurs faithful, many of whom were never behind the appointment of Nuno and are very much still against it amid recent performances on the pitch.

This won’t do the atmosphere around the club any favours heading into this weekend’s north London derby.

AND in other news, Nuno handed huge dilemma by 5 ft 9 Spurs “machine” who was “bossing it” against Wolves…

A magnificent display of fast bowling from Zaheer Khan, coupled with a spineless batting performance by the home team, put India well on course to a series-clinching victory after just two days of the Wellington Test

The Bulletin by S Rajesh04-Apr-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outMS Dhoni marked his return from injury by taking six catches•Getty ImagesA magnificent display of fast bowling from Zaheer Khan, coupled with a spineless batting performance by the home team, put India well on course to a series-clinching victory after just two days of the Wellington Test. New Zealand needed a strong batting display to stay in the series, but the technique and temperament of their top order was exposed thoroughly yet again, as they folded meekly in 65 overs for 197. Though India lost Virender Sehwag early, that was the only negative in the day, which they finished 233 in front, with nine wickets in hand.Both teams could lay claims to taking the honours on the opening day, but today belonged quite emphatically to the visitors. Zaheer was the architect, knocking the stuffing out of the New Zealand top order by taking the first four wickets. Ross Taylor was the only batsman who stood firm, scoring a classy and unblemished 42, but none of the other batsmen looked the part.New Zealand needed just 13 deliveries to clean up India’s last wicket, but that was as good as it got for them. Ishant Sharma struggled while bowling against the wind, but Zaheer was relentless from the first ball. He charged in, found the perfect length and some swing, mixed in the short deliveries smartly, and changed his line of attack to keep the batsmen guessing. Operating mostly from a short run-up, he seemed to bowl within himself and yet worked up brisk pace.He started the New Zealand slide, switching to round the stumps to get rid of Martin Guptill, who was judging Zaheer’s over-the-wicket offerings to a nicety. But when the angle changed, Guptill tried to stand tall to defend a short one angled into him, and could only get an inside-edge onto his stumps. Daniel Flynn, back in the team for Jamie How, offered no resistance, lasting only eight deliveries before nicking a perfect delivery that pitched in the corridor and seamed away.Zaheer’s first spell read 8-2-18-2, and after a brief break, which included the lunch interval, he was back to wreck more havoc. Tim McIntosh had somehow made his way to 32 without ever being convincing – stiff and upright, he was often late on his shots and played-and-missed on several occasions – before Zaheer ended his misery with the short one. McIntosh was in two minds and in the end limply hung his bat, edging to Yuvraj Singh, who finally took a catch in the slip cordon.That brought together Taylor and Jesse Ryder, easily New Zealand’s best batsmen, but Ryder looked unsettled from the start. He was troubled by Harbhajan’s drift and turn, before attempting a stroke that will make him cringe when he sees the replay: Zaheer tempted him with a short and wide ball, so wide that Ryder had to stretch out to reach it, and all he managed was the toe end of the bat.Zaheer Khan was outstanding with the new ball, and took the first four New Zealand wickets to fall on the second day•Getty ImagesThrough all the limp batting at one end, Taylor’s approach suggested he was playing on another surface, against another attack. From ball one, he was precise with his footwork and assured in judgment, playing close to his body, with the full face of the bat, and scarcely looking in any discomfort. He started his innings with a superb straight-drive for four off Zaheer, and played several more strokes that stood out. When India had a stranglehold over proceedings in a period before lunch when seven overs fetched seven runs, Taylor broke the shackles with a classy cover-drive off the accurate Munaf Patel. After lunch, he played the shot of the innings: there was hardly anything wrong with Zaheer’s delivery, which was on a good length just outside off, but Taylor was still good enough to effortlessly ease it through cover-point with a small shuffle, short back-lift and outstanding timing.It was an innings that deserved to go much further, but was unfortunately cut short when umpire Daryl Harper upheld an appeal for a catch down the leg side. Replays suggested there was no contact between bat and ball, but Taylor didn’t question the decision, walking off as soon as the finger went up.Zaheer was the architect of the New Zealand collapse, but Harbhajan bowled superbly and deserved his success. Bowling at a slower pace than he normally does, he got the ball to drift, grip, and spin in an unchanged spell that began just before lunch and didn’t end till the New Zealand innings was wrapped up. James Franklin, who continues to bat above Brendon McCullum for reasons unknown, was his second victim, sweeping tamely to square leg, while McCullum, who was left to play with the tail for much of his innings, edged a cut to MS Dhoni, who marked his return to the team with six catches, a record for an Indian wicketkeeper. That the loudest cheers from New Zealand supporters probably came when Chris Martin – who had scored two runs in his 11 previous Test innings – lofted Harbhajan straight down the ground for four summed up the kind of day they had. The Indians, who are eyeing their 100th Test win, won’t be complaining.

Pakistan have lodged a protest with the ICC over the shifting of the 2011 World Cup matches from the country due to security reasons

Cricinfo staff22-Apr-2009The Pakistan board has lodged a formal protest with the ICC over the shifting of World Cup matches from the country due to security reasons.”We have registered our protest during the ICC meeting and our stance was that all four co-hosts of the World Cup were not treated equally by the ICC and they should have waited for six months before taking this decision,” Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed told AFP.The ICC executive board took the decision following a meeting on Friday in Dubai, citing the “uncertain security situation” in Pakistan in the aftermath of the Lahore terror attacks on March 3, when six policemen and two civilians were killed as gunmen fired at the Sri Lankan team bus.The ICC had also said that Pakistan was unlikely to resume hosting any international cricket at all until 2011. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the other co-hosts for the World Cup, will now be hosting the 14 matches, including one semi-final, originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan.Saeed questioned the ICC’s rationale of hosting games in the other three Asian countries. “India shifted their cricket league [the IPL] to South Africa over security fears,” he said. “We could not tour Bangladesh because there were security fears in March.”The situation in Sri Lanka was not good either, so from the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt (to) our director general Javed Miandad, everyone has said that ICC must reconsider the decision.”David Morgan, the ICC president, said the meeting with the PCB officials assumed great importance and helped serve a dual purpose. “It allowed myself and Haroon [Lorgat] the chance to outline the ICC’s objectives and the challenges facing the world governing body and, by extension, our members, something we have done in our previous presentations,” said Morgan.”But on top of that it also gave us the opportunity to reiterate the commitment of the ICC and its members to the cause of Pakistan cricket at a time when it is facing some immense difficulties that are beyond its control.”The country has done so many good things for international cricket, producing some of the greatest players and teams the world has ever seen, and we must do all we can to ensure it can continue to do that in the years ahead.”Haroon Lorgat, the ICC’s chief executive, said the meeting was useful and informative. “We realise that Pakistan is faced with unique challenges and we will do everything possible to ensure it continues to play international cricket,” he said.

New Zealand Cricket has denied that it has definitely decided to cancel its proposed tour of Pakistan

Cricinfo staff03-Mar-2009New Zealand Cricket has denied that it has definitely decided to cancel its proposed tour of Pakistan in November after the deadly attack targeting Sri Lanka’s team there, despite comments to that effect from chief executive Justin Vaughan.Speaking on local television, Vaughan said: “We’re not going and I think that’s pretty clear. I don’t think any international team will be going to Pakistan in the foreseeable future.”It’s very frightening that for the first time a cricket team appears to be the specific target of terrorist action. That’s never happened before. All previous incidents have been about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is a very different proposition and I think just a very frightening one for world cricket.”But within hours an official statement from the board contained less definite comments from Vaughan. “Staging our tour in Pakistan in November-December would appear very unlikely, but there is no final decision as yet. We will discuss the security issue with the Pakistan Cricket Board at the next ICC meeting, and we are likely to look at options such as the use of neutral venues.”Player safety and security is of paramount importance,” he added. “We will work closely with the New Zealand Cricket Players Association as we work through arrangements.”

Newcastle United discussed the possibility of signing Tom Davies in the summer transfer window, says Chris Waugh.

The Lowdown: Davies interest

The North East club were linked with a move for Davies in the 2020 summer window, before he ended up staying at Everton.

As per The Chronicle, Sean Longstaff could have been used in a potential swap deal to bring him to St. James’ Park this time around.

The Latest: Discussions

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Chris Waugh has now said that there were indeed discussions held between both the Toffees and the Tyneside outfit over the signing of Davies.

It would have seen Longstaff move to Goodison Park as a result in the swap deal that was mentioned earlier on in the window.

The Verdict: One for January?

It is a shame that Steve Bruce’s team have now missed out on the signing of Davies, although that could well be revisited in January.

Described as an ‘excellent’ player by pundit Paddy Kenny back in June, he averaged more interceptions, clearances, blocks, dribbles and passes per game than Longstaff in the Premier League in the 2020/21 season (Whoscored).

Longstaff is a local lad, but he only has a year left on his current deal with the Magpies, and so can leave on a free next summer.

Thus, it would be an idea to revisit the potential swap again in January, so that the Toon can get the best possible deal.

In other news, find out what worrying Mike Ashley claim has been made here!

Ramesh Powar and Dhawal Kulkarni shared the five remaining Saurashtra wickets to clinch Mumbai’s place in the final of the Ranji Trophy on the basis of a first-innings lead

Cricinfo staff07-Jan-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Ramesh Powar cleaned up the tail to take Mumbai to the finals © K Sivaraman
Ramesh Powar and Dhawal Kulkarni shared the five remaining Saurashtra wickets to clinch Mumbai’s place in the final of the Ranji Trophy on the basis of a first-innings lead. Kulkarni took two wickets in an over early in the day but Kamlesh Makvana and Rakesh Dhurv kept Saurashtra’s slim chances alive with a battling partnership. Offspinner Powar polished off the tail to ensure Saurashtra’s campaign ended in the semi-finals for the second season in a row.Kulkarni’s impressive debut season continued when he got rid of the Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah, the last specialist batsman, in the day’s third over. Shah chased a wide delivery outside off and ended up slicing a catch to backward point. Three balls later, Kulkarni had Sagar Jogiyani nicking a delivery that straightened after pitching outside off to third slip and Saurashtra were reduced to 256 for 7.Just when it seemed like Mumbai would run through the tail, Makvana, who made his second first-class half-century, and Dhurv stitched together a 103-run stand to keep Saurashtra fighting. Makvana was particularly gutsy, taking several blows on the body during a barrage of bouncers from Ajit Agarkar. With two leg slips, and a short leg, Agarkar peppered Makvana (first-class average of 12.70) with short balls from both over and round the wicket, but the batsman survived, weaving his way out of a few and clipping some towards square-leg.At the other end, Dhurv was more comfortable against spin than pace. He started off with a confident off-drive against Zaheer Khan, but was fortunate to survive several streaky shots past the slip cordon. Dhurv carted the shorter deliveries from Powar to the boundary and watchfully defended the better ones.Dhurv and Makvana fought through the first session but Powar’s post-lunch spell finished off Saurashtra. Dhurv was the first to go, in the second over of the second session, trapped lbw for 44. Sandeep Jobanputra slammed a couple of eye-catching boundaries off Zaheer but an attempted sweep off Powar landed in the hands of first slip soon after. The final wicket wasn’t long in coming: Balkrishna Jadeja was caught behind to virtually signal the end of Saurashtra’s campaign.Mumbai opted against enforcing the follow-on and Rohit Sharma and Amol Muzumdar, two batsmen who spent little time at the crease in the first innings, helped themselves to some batting practice before play was called off due to bad light.Saurashtra were on the backfoot right through the match after losing the toss. The batting might of Mumbai, made even more formidable by the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, ran up a mammoth total and with Saurashtra’s batting stars failing to make an impact, there was little chance of Saurashtra making the title clash.

Tharanga Paranavitana and Suranga Lakmal force their way into the side, with Michael Vandort and Dammika Prasad being cut from the squad

Cricinfo staff03-Feb-2009
Michael Vandort’s poor form has resulted in his omission © AFP
Sri Lanka have named two newcomers in their 15-man squad to tour Pakistan for two Tests, the first of which starts on February 22. Batsman Tharanga Paranavitana and fast bowler Suranga Lakmal force their way into the side, with opener Michael Vandort and fast bowler Dammika Prasad being cut from the squad that played two Tests in Bangladesh recently.Paranavitana, who captains Sinhalese Sports Club in Sri Lanka’s first-class competition, has scored 621 runs with three centuries at an average of 51.75 this season. Paranavitana, who finished the 2007-08 season by scoring back-to-back hundreds to lead his side to the title, also impressed on the A team’s tour of South Africa in August-September last year. He hit one hundred and two half-centuries in two Tests against South Africa A and was picked by coach Chandika Hathurusingha as a future prospect for Sri Lanka.Lakmal, who plays for Tamil Union, also impressed Hathurusingha on the South Africa tour. The coach felt Lakmal, 21, bowled impressively although his four wickets at 40.50 apiece in two Tests, and four at 50.75 in the one-dayers, suggest otherwise. He has taken 23 wickets at 29.21 each in Tier A of the Premier League Tournament this season.Vandort’s poor run has cost him his place. He failed to go past 50 in his past ten innings, with seven dismissals below 15. Prasad has taken nine wickets in two Tests, at an average of 34.22.The first Test in Pakistan starts on February 22 and the second on March 2. Sri Lanka won the three-ODI series in Pakistan 2-1 last month.Sri Lanka Test squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Malinda Warnapura, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Prasanna Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Thilan Thushara, Suranga Lakmal.

Southampton fans want to sign Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham after they were linked with a move for the central defender.

The Saints have been busy so far this summer transfer window, bringing in no less than five new faces (Transfermarkt) as Ralph Hasenhuttl hopes to improve on last season’s 15th place Premier League finish.

However, the departure of Denmark international Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester City (lcfc.com) means that the south-coast outfit could do with adding a new centre-back to their squad.

According to The Daily Express, one of their targets before the end of the transfer window is £10.8m-valued Adarabioyo (Transfermarkt), who was relegated with the Cottagers last season. He is said to have a release clause of £10m at Craven Cottage, a fee which would not be beyond the Saints.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan calling the starlet ‘excellent’.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Adarabioyo link below

“Whilst I do think experience would be good, this lad is a PLAYER. Maybe a part ex with Obafemi going the other way?”

Credit: @saintspins

“I’d be happy with this”

Credit: @JHart_1993

“Get him and an experienced cb and we are sorted”

Credit: @lagbo13

“This I like”

Credit: @Charlie_Mercer_

“Football snobbery. He was excellent last season. Get him in!”

Credit: @FPLHarriso19262

“Nah he’s class”

Credit: @cmpunk1034

In other news, Southampton fans want to sign this 4-time league winner.