All posts by h716a5.icu

With West Indies and Sri Lanka already through to the Super Eights, there is little at stake in Wednesday’s clash

S Rajesh10-Jun-2009Match factsWednesday, June 10
Start time 13.30 local (12.30 GMT)Ajantha Mendis was more than a handful for Australia, and could cause plenty of problems for West Indies too•AFPBig PictureWith West Indies and Sri Lanka already through to the next stage after defeating Australia, and with the groups for the Super Eights already decided, there is little at stake in Wednesday’s clash which, incidentally, is the 100th Twenty20 international. However, both teams were superb in their demolition of Australia, and neither will want that momentum to slip away with a sloppy display going into the next stage of the tournament.Chris Gayle is an unlikely starter with a dodgy knee, but that won’t upset West Indies as long as he is fit for the bigger games ahead. Team sources say Gayle wants to play every game in this tournament and “make a statement” but he will be subjected to a fitness test at Trent Bridge before the game. Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards struck early blows with the new ball, and a similar performance against the top-heavy batting line-up of Sri Lanka could put them on top. Sri Lanka, though, have the spin wizardry of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, which could be more than a handful for West Indies.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka WLWWL
Tillakaratne Dilshan carried on his good work from the IPL, scoring a 32-ball 53 against Australia. Kumar Sangakkara was in fine form too, while Mendis had far too many tricks for the Australian batsmen.West Indies WWLTW
The opening batsmen did most of the work against Australia, but with Gayle unlikely to play, it’ll probably give the middle-order batsmen an opportunity to get a hit before the Super Eight games.Watch out for…Taylor and Edwards v Dilshan: Dilshan has been in outstanding form over the last couple of months, and the feature of his batting has been his aggression. Against the extreme pace of Taylor and Edwards, though, it could be quite a task, especially if the conditions are favourable for quick bowling.Mendis and Murali v Sarwan and Chanderpaul: The Sri Lankan spinners are capable of bothering the best, and West Indies will look to their two most experienced batsmen to get through those tricky periods.Team newsIsuru Udana went for 47 runs in his four overs against Australia, and Sri Lanka might want to give an opportunity Nuwan Kulasekara, who missed out against Australia.Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Sanath Jayasuriya, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Lasith Malinga.Gayle’s injury means there’s an opening in the batting line-up. Xavier Marshall could move one place up the order to open with Andre Fletcher, while Lendl Simmons fills in for Gayle.West Indies: (probable) 1 Andre Fletcher, 2 Xavier Marshall, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Keiron Pollard, 8 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Fidel Edwards.Pitch and conditionsRains have been forecast for Wednesday evening, but both teams will hope it comes down only after the end of their game.Quotes”In a Twenty20 game, where you have to attack almost every ball you play, to have unpredictability, that mystery around him [Mendis] is good. Batsmen will get on top of him on some days but more often than not he’s a wicket-taking bowler, an attacking bowler.”
.”I’m carrying a bit of an injury so I don’t know if I’m playing. After batting [against Australia] I didn’t feel it, but the next day I couldn’t walk properly. It had swollen and bruised a lot.”
.

Liverpool managed to keep their Premier League unbeaten streak intact following their 2-2 draw against reigning champions Manchester City over the weekend.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah were cancelled out thanks to goals from Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, resulting in the Reds dropping the lead twice and two points in the process in their latest league match ahead of the international break.

One player, in particular, that stood out for Liverpool on the day, but for all the wrong reasons, in our view, was Fabinho who played the full 90 minutes of the match in midfield alongside Curtis Jones and club captain Jordan Henderson.

From a defensive point of view, the Brazilian won just 25% of his ground duels (two out of eight), only made one tackle, lost possession on six occasions and was dribbled past five times. That ultimately earned himself a rather disappointing overall match rating of 5.9/10, the lowest rating of any Liverpool player on the day according to SofaScore.

What didn’t help was a glaring miss towards the end of the match too. With the goal at his mercy, the holding player had a chance to find the net but was tackled spectacularly well by Rodri.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2018 summer transfer window from French club AS Monaco for a fee of £40.5m, the 27-year-old has been a reliable figure, however.

Currently earning a weekly wage of £180k-per-week according to Spotrac, he’s made a total of 130 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions. During that time he has managed to score four goals and provide eight assists along the way.

So far this season, Fabinho has made eight appearances for the Reds in all tournaments, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Despite his poor showing against Pep Guardiola’s side, we feel as if Klopp should continue selecting Fabinho in his starting XI for the remainder of the season wherever possible and just hope his underwhelming display against City was just a bad day at the office.

However, with Fabinho currently being the only Liverpool player that predominantly plays in the defensive-midfield position, we feel as though his place in the team would be safe enough anyway.

In other news: £7.5k-p/w Liverpool gem has seen his value soar by £25.2m in 2 years, he’s exceptional – opinion

The opening day’s play of the first four-day Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A was restricted to just 40 minutes due to rain at the Asgiriya International Stadium

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Jul-2009Sri Lanka A 35 for 1 v Pakistan A
Scorecard

Wet work in Kandy as rain plagues unofficial Test© CricInfo
The opening day’s play of the first four-day Test between Sri Lanka A and Pakistan A was restricted to just 40 minutes due to rain at the Asgiriya International Stadium in Kandy. In that brief period, Sri Lanka A chose to bat first and scored 35 for the loss of Avishka Gunawardene, who was trapped in front by a full-toss by Najaf Shah for 6. Michael Vandort and Ian Daniel were unbeaten on 14 and 9 when bad light and then heavy rain put an end to the day’s proceedings.Play did not commence until 1.30pm because of excess moisture on the pitch, which was a result of the wicket being covered for two consecutive days due to rain. The outfield was in excellent shape, but the damp pitch meant that there was no play in the entire morning session.The Sri Lankans went into the match with seven specialist batsmen, a move which bordered on the defensive, but one which also spoke a lot about the uncertainty in their batting line-up. The move was probably caused by the fact that the team had a couple of part-time spinners in Russel Arnold and Jehan Mubarak, who could support Malinga Bandara, the specialist legspinner.Asgiriya has a history of rain-affected international matches and the early abandonment wasn’t unusual for the locals. Play is due to commence at 10am on the second day to partially make up for the lost time.

As per vivoperlei.calciomercato.com, an update has emerged on the future of promising Juventus defender Luca Pellegrini and it involves West Ham United.

The Lowdown: Newman eyeing West Ham moves…

Since the official announcement of new recruitment chief Rob Newman at the London Stadium, West Ham have been linked with a plethora of new targets as a fresh transfer era at Rush Green begins.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-updates-2/” title=”West Ham updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The likes of Weston McKennie and James McAtee, two exciting young stars, have been mentioned alongside the Hammers, while reports suggest that the striker hunt is also heating up. As per a new claim from Italy, Newman now appears to have another starlet in his sights.

The Latest: Approaches made for Pellegrini…

As per vivoperlei.calciomercato.com’s information, West Ham have now ‘probed the ground several times’ for out-of-favour international Pellegrini – presumably meaning the club have made enquiries/approaches.

The 22-year-old has been a bit-part figure in Turin since signing from AS Roma in 2019, starting just one Serie A match for Juventus in that time.

He has gone out on loan to the likes of Cagliari and Genoa, even managing to earn an Italy call-up in that time, but he is now a ‘hostage to the bench’ under Massimiliano Allegri and is ‘certain’ to ‘go away on loan’.

His departure will be a temporary one in January according to the report as West Ham, and by extension recruitment chief Newman, weigh up a move for him.

The Verdict: Great Cresswell alternative?

Described as a ‘very promising, technically gifted fullback’ by journalist Zach Lowy (Twitter), his best Serie A season to date arguably came with a loan spell at Cagliari in 2019/20.

He notched five assists in 22 league starts that year and will be itching to get back to that previous form, especially if he wishes to regain the favour of Roberto Mancini at international level.

West Ham could certainly do far worse than to sign him on loan in January, especially given their lack of cover for Aaron Cresswell.

In other news: West Ham now also lining up sensational move for ‘extraordinary’ 151-goal striker, find out more here.

The Warwickshire director of cricket, Ashley Giles, has confirmed his club’s interest in signing Gareth Batty, the former England spinner who has been given permission by Worcestershire to approach other counties

Cricinfo staff04-Aug-2009The Warwickshire director of cricket, Ashley Giles, has confirmed his club’s interest in signing Gareth Batty, the former England spinner who has been given permission by Worcestershire to approach other counties.”When a player of Gareth’s quality becomes available, you have to be interested,” Giles told PA Sport.Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Sussex, Surrey and Middlesex are all keen on signing up Batty, 31, who also represented Yorkshire before joining New Road.Batty’s four-day form has been a disappointment this season, and he was dropped for Worcestershire’s game against Warwickshire. His one-day form has been good enough for him to be included in England’s 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy.

Some Everton fans have been left fuming over some transfer news on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

As per The Daily Telegraph, Newcastle United are keen on signing the Goodison Park striker, while Arsenal and an unnamed club from the Bundesliga are also interested in his signature.

Manchester City and Manchester United are also believed to be a long-term admirer of his, as the race hots up to sign the former Sheffield United ace.

Of course, their talisman being linked with a move to a rival in the Premier League has upset a lot of supporters of the Merseyside club, who simply do not want to see him go, unless a monstrous offer came in.

With three goals in three games so far this season before his injury (Transfermarkt), Rafa Benitez would find it so hard to replace him.

Everton fans on Calvert-Lewin transfer news

These Toffees fans fumed as the transfer news on Calvert-Lewin was shared on Twitter:

“The media literally hate us”

Credit: @KUEFC

“Can all this bad news just like stop?…”

Credit: @shaun00012

“Marcel will let him leave for a season long loan and bring in someone like Joelinton”

Credit: @g4j4s4

“Knew this was coming”

Credit: @ToffeeTosh1878

“And so it begins”

Credit: @robjones673

“Don’t worry we have Rondon”

Credit: @neilh32

In other news, find out whose return from injury has Blues buzzing here!

Bangladesh Under-19s won the ODI series against England Under-19s after a thrilling one-wicket victory in the deciding fifth one-dayer

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2009
Scorecard
Bangladesh Under-19s won the ODI series against England Under-19s after a thrilling one-wicket victory in the deciding fifth one-dayer at Hove on Friday.In a low scoring game, Bangladesh needed six runs to win in the final two overs with two wickets in hand, but Nur Hossain was run-out to give England a sniff of victory. However, Bangladesh scrambled past the finish line with a single when England missed a run-out opportunity to hand the tourists a win.Bangladesh’s chase was led by captain Mahmudul Hasan, who top scored with 70 from 85 balls. Coming in after his team was reduced to 59 for 4, Hasan anchored the innings, and was well supported by Alauddin Babu, who stayed till the end with an unbeaten 24 off 30 balls.Earlier, England could not generate any momentum while batting, and the in-form Sam Northeast scored the only half-century of the innings. The Bangladesh bowlers kept a tight leash, limiting England to 196 for 8 in 50 overs.Bangladesh won the ODI series 2-1 after losing the two-match Test series 0-1, and will finish their tour of England with two Twenty20s beginning on Tuesday at Lincolnshire.

Harry Winks’ time at Tottenham Hotspur is surely running out after the Englishman endured another disappointing outing this week.

The 25-year-old has been restricted to only 60 minutes of action in the Premier League so far this season, so the bulk of his opportunities to impress have come in domestic and European cup competitions.

Nuno Santo heavily rotated his side for their Europa League clash at Vitesse on Thursday night, leaving home the bulk of his starting XI, a decision which seemed pretty smart considering that he still had plenty of options available.

One of those was Winks, who started in the Netherlands, making it four appearances from a possible five in the competition, but he failed to take the golden chance handed to him.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it could be best if both parties go their separate ways.

According to The Times, the Hotspur Way academy graduate is likely to seek a temporary move away from north London. He attracted interest from Everton, Aston Villa and Brighton in the summer and needs regular game time to stand a chance of breaking back into the England squad.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, it could be wise for Spurs to simply offload Winks, as it seems unlikely that a positive loan spell would see him suddenly rise through Nuno’s pecking order.

The Lilywhites could instead sell him and use the funds to bolster other key areas of the squad such as in attack, where Harry Kane still lacks a backup, or in attacking midfield as they have been bereft of creativity for quite some time.

With all due respect to the Dutch outfit, who were very worthy winners, the north Londoners should be sweeping aside such teams, especially when there are several players with points to prove on the pitch.

Winks was pretty poor once again, not only picking up a yellow card for his troubles, but also winning just two of nine battles (22%) in the engine room, thus proving to be lightweight. He also committed three fouls and lost possession 11 times, as per SofaScore.

At half-time, BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton questioned his attitude and ability, claiming that the 25-year-old maestro “looked a shadow of himself” [21st October, 18:40pm].

In the past, Spurs legend Graham Roberts dubbed him “an average player” during an interview with Football FanCast in the summer.

After another abject display and one which will hardly have Nuno rushing to keep him involved, perhaps it would be wise if Winks never featured for the club again as it is clear that he is simply not good enough.

If he can’t do it against Vitesse, then there’s no real hope in the Premier League. It’s time to get rid and move on.

AND in other news, Forget Lo Celso: £27m-rated Spurs lightweight who lost 89% duels failed Nuno yet again…

Sri Lanka A, with their backs to the wall, pulled off their second consecutive win to square the series at the P Sara Oval, leaving all to play for in the final game

Cricinfo staff26-Aug-2009
Scorecard
Sri Lanka A, with their backs to the wall, pulled off their second consecutive win to square the series at the P Sara Oval, leaving all to play for in the final game. A strong bowling performance by the home side restricted Pakistan A to 214 before the target was comfortably overhauled. Malinga Bandara responded to his omission from the Champions Trophy squad with a four-wicket haul to keep Pakistan to a score they couldn’t defend.It was a different story in the morning when the Pakistan openers, Umar Amin and Azhar Ali, added 105 at a decent clip. The trouble started for Pakistan when the spinners, Bandara and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara were in operation. Pushpakumara dismissed Amin for 59 before Bandara claimed Ahmed Shehzad. Pakistan suddenly lost three wickets for one run and were in need of a recovery. The middle order failed to settle down as the spin pair went on to share six wickets between them. Only four managed to cross double figures, including the captain Faisal Iqbal who ran out of partners till the 46th over, when the innings was wrapped up. Bandara finished with 4 for 43 while Pushpakumara conceded the same number of runs and took two wickets.The Sri Lankans were steady in their reply, with two half-century stands at the top. Thilina Kandamby carved out a patient 36 but when he was dismissed by Shehzad, the hosts had lost half their side with a further 76 needed to win. Lahiru Thirimanne and Farveez Maharoof then steered the side home with a stand of 73.The teams will stay back at the same venue for the deciding ODI on Friday.

While the Carabao Cup may not have been high up on Leeds United’s priority list, their tame 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday night would have done nothing for their confidence heading into this weekend.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were well in the game during the first-half, and but for some truly woeful decision-making in the final third and some questionable end product, could have found themselves a goal up.

Instead, they let the home side off the hook, and the Gunners duly punished them after the break, with goals from Calum Chambers and former Whites loanee Eddie Nketiah bagging to see the north Londoners through to the quarter-finals.

One man who really embarrassed Bielsa with his performance, was Dan James.

The Wales international was once again handed a start from the off as Bielsa went fairly strong with his starting line-up, and showed the searing pace that makes him a nightmare for opposition defenders.

But, James’ speed was all that was on show in terms of a positive sense for Leeds. Time and time again, his final ball and decision-making let him down and wasted numerous promising opportunities for his team.

One occasion saw him mis-control an admittedly difficult ball that would have had him take on Bernd Leno one on one, while another, and arguably the most disappointing, saw him race away on the break but fail to see Rodrigo to his right in open space and seeing the attack come to an end.

The fact he had fewer touches than goalkeeper Illan Meslier spoke volumes of just how anonymous he became, and it was something a couple of people spotted.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Yorkshire Evening Post, Graham Smyth gave him a five, saying: “His pace troubled Arsenal but the final ball let him down. Disappeared from the game as an influence after the break.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Leeds Live’s Beren Cross, who also gave him a five, and added: “Found excellent positions and out himself in the right places at the right times to turn the afterburners on and get Leeds up the field, but by contrast, showed slowness in thought when it came to delivering a final ball or shot around the box. Wasted several good openings.”

Bielsa would have been desperately hoping for James to prove why the Whites splashed out big money on him after several years of following his progress.

Instead, he put in the kind of mind-numbing display that would have left his manager extremely disappointed on the side-lines.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally unleash this academy starlet in the Premier League…it’s not Gelhardt