Mohammad Saad, bowlers lead Lahore Ravi to big win

A round-up of the action from the fifth round of matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Division Two

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2011Lahore Ravi completed a whopping innings and 185-run victory over Quetta within three days at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Mohammad Saad went on to add over a 100 runs to his overnight score of 84 and steered the hosts to 487 for 9. He fell for 188, but by then Lahore Ravi had secured a 315-run first-innings lead. Emmad Ali and Asif Ashfaq then went on to destroy the Quetta top order, while Waqas Aslam polished off the tail. If it hadn’t been for an unbeaten fifty from captain Taimur Khan, the margin of defeat would have been much worse for Quetta.On the third day at the Niaz Stadium in Sind, Karachi Whites’ bowlers set their team up for an easy, big win against Hyderabad. Hyderabad had resumed on 161 for 5 in reply to Karachi Whites’ 371, and promptly collapsed in the morning session. They folded for 197 courtesy incisive spells from Tabish Khan and Ali Mudassar, Karachi Whites’ new-ball pair. Akbar-ur-Rehman enforced the follow and another collapse ensued. In their second innings Hyderabad went from 43 for 0 to 111 for 8, before a half-century stand between Mir Ali and Zahid Mahmood prevented an innings’ defeat. Spinner Faraz Khan was the pick of the bowlers this time round, claiming 4 for 68. Ali fell for 86 just prior to stumps, as Hyderabad finished 36 ahead with one wicket in hand.United Bank Limited (UBL) set Lahore Shalimar an imposing target of 385, and then prised out two wickets late on day three to edge ahead at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. UBL’s first-innings’ lead of 112 was built on by their opener Mohammad Sami, who made 110 and they declared at 272 for 5. Lahore Shalimar’s openers looked settled in – they had put on 62 – before a double-strike from left-arm spinner Kashif Bhatti left them wobbling at stumps.Akbar Badshah and Jamaluddin put on a century partnership to steer Peshawar into a position of dominance against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. The pair’s stand was the backbone of the host’s second innings and, though they folded for 196, gave them a 300-run lead. Bilawal Bhatti was the pick with the ball, completing a five-for. SNGPL were then in big trouble at 31 for 3, before a steadying, unbroken 61-run partnership between Khurram Shehzad and Ali Waqas took them to 92 for 3 at stumps, setting up an interesting final day.Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) took control of their game against Multan on the second day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Their new-ball pair of Yasir Arafat and Rahat Ali combined to restrict the hosts to 129 in their first innings, in reply to 304. Multan was made to follow on and lost three wickets cheaply again. Moinuddin, though, scored Multan’s first half-century of the match and went to stumps unbeaten. He will be a key if they are to wipe out the 98-run deficit on day three and make KRL bat again in this game.

Vaas pegs Middlesex progress

Scott Newman hit 75, his highest score in the County Championship thisseason, and Chris Rogers made 67 on a rain-shortened day at Lord’s

11-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Scott Newman hit 75, his highest score in the County Championship thisseason, and Chris Rogers made 67 on a rain-shortened day at Lord’s.However, Chaminda Vaas kept Division Two leaders Northamptonshire in the gameagainst Middlesex – their closest challengers. Newman and Rogers put on 101 runs in 24 overs after Middlesex, who began the game five points behind Northamptonshire with a game in hand, had been put into bat. However Vaas took three wickets in two overs and they closed on 198 for 6.Rain had delayed the start until after lunch and held up play again in theafternoon but Newman made light of the conditions. The hosts lost Sam Robson early, caught behind down the leg side off Luke Evans – making his first championship appearance of the season in place of the injured Jack Brooks.Newman, who had made only one championship half-century this summer, had made75 off 115 balls with 11 fours and a six when he called for a sharp single toextra cover and was run out by Alex Wakeley’s direct hit.It was a breakthrough that Northamptonshire captain Andrew Hall, who saw Newmandropped at second slip on 61, badly needed and he was a much happier man whenVaas followed it up with a telling spell.The Sri Lankan, who once played for Middlesex, claimed Dawid Malan leg beforewicket pushing forward and then had Neil Dexter and Jamie Dalrymple caughtbehind by wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien off successive balls.The game had been turned on its head and Hall’s decision to field first wasvindicated when Rogers chopped the ball into his stumps trying to cut.

Série D: Caxias vence Mirassol e garante vaga na próxima fase

MatériaMais Notícias

O Caxias venceu o Mirassol, por 2 a 0, na tarde deste domingo, no Estádio José Maria de Campos Maia, mais conhecido como Maião. Com o triunfo, o time comandado pelo técnico Luiz Carlos Winck chegou aos treze pontos ganhos no Grupo A15 e carimbou a vaga para a próxima fase da Série D,com uma rodada de antecedência.

O JOGO
O time Grená começou com tudo em busca de abrir o marcador e quase fez aos 6 minutos, em contra-ataque com Wesley.Três minutos depois, o goleiro Ygor Vinhas fez grande defesa no toque de cabeçade Jean.O time paulista só foi chegar com perigo no último lance da primeira etapa com Alíson, que, na cara do gol, cabeceou pra fora.

Na segunda etapa o time gaúcho voltou melhor e aos18 minutos, na cobrança de escanteio de Diego Miranda, o atacante Wesley antecipou todo mundo e fez de cabeça, abrindo o placar. Aos 25 pênalti para o Caxias e de novo eleWesley, cobrou e deu números finais a partida.

Após a derrota o Mirassol, ainda viu o Inter de Lages vencer o lanterna do grupo Nova Iguaçu, por 4 a 3, e ir á dez pontos, assumindo a vice-liderança.Na última e decisiva rodada, o Caxias cumpre tabela e recebe o Inter de Lages, no domingo, às 18h, no Estádio Centenário. Ainda no Domingo o Leão visita a Laranja Mecânica da Baixada, também às 18h, no Estádio Giulite Coutinho e precisa vencer e torcer para que o time gaúcho derrote a equipe catarinense, para voltar a segunda colocação e passar entre um dos 15 melhores segundos colocados na competição.

Outros Resultados
​Plácido de Castro 1 x 3Independente-PA
Barcelona-RO 2 x 1 Santos-AP
São Raimundo-PA 4 x 3São Raimundo-RR
Cordino 2 x 1 Interporto
4 de Julho 0 x 1Ferroviário
Sparta 3 x 2 Moto Club
Assu 0 x 2 Altos
Imperatriz 4 x 0Belo Jardim
Jacuipense 3 x 1 ASA
Campinense 1 x 0 Murici
Flamengo de Arcoverde 0 x 4 Flu de Feira
Santa Rita 0 x 5 Treze
Iporá 2 x 2Brasiliense
Dom Bosco 1 x 1Corumbaense
Novo 2 x 1Sinop
Itumbiara 0 x 1 URT
Uberlândia 3 x 1Novorizontino
Maringá 2 x 1 Linense
Tubarão 1 x 2Novo Hamburgo
Prudentópolis 1 x 0 Brusque

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UAE book spot in final with crushing win

UAE extended their unbeaten run to four matches in the World Cricket League Division 2, completing an impressive eight-wicket win chasing just 87 against Uganda at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. The win ensures UAE a place in the tournament’s final on April 15.Choosing to bat, Uganda were not able to get any partnerships going; the best in the innings was a paltry 15 runs. Left-arm spinner Shadeep Silva struck early – as he has done through the tournament – removing opener Akbar Baig to trigger Uganda’s collapse. The spinners continued to trouble the Uganda batsmen, with offspinner Mohammad Tauqir picking up two wickets in a five-over spell, and the side’s second left-arm spinner, Ahmed Raza, running through the middle order with figures of 4 for 17 in 7.1 overs.UAE were steady in their chase, knocking off the runs in just 17.2 overs. Opener Amjad Ali anchored the innings, finishing with 40 not out. Raza was Man of the Match for his four wickets, and said the fact the wicket had been played on a lot helped him. “This is the fourth time this wickets been played on and today it definitely helped me as a spinner,” he said. “It’s a good wicket and I felt I needed to prove myself today after a comparatively poor performance yesterday against Hong Kong.”I don’t think the conditions really helped Uganda, and we felt coming into this game that we had the upper hand as we beat them in the warm-up fixture we played before the event started. We’d really like to face Namibia in the final and beat them; it would be a great way to end the tournament.”

Raza is likely to get his wish as Namibia moved on to six points, after they got the tournaments’ highest total and beat Bermuda by 86 runs at the other ground of the Global Academy. With their impressive net run-rate, Nambia are out of reach of the other sides. Against Bermuda, they racked up 297 after electing to bat, with Ewald Steenkamp, Sarel Burger and Craig Williams all getting half-centuries. Steenkamp got 87 at the top of the order, and along with Burger, who got 59, gave the team a steady start. But the two had taken their time getting their runs and it needed Williams to play a whirlwind innings of 74 from 35 balls to get Namibia to a big total. Williams’ knock ensured Nambia scored at 10 runs an over in their last 14 overs. He hit seven sixes in his innings and knocked the wind out of Bermuda.The target always looked too stiff for Bermuda, and the loss of three early wickets didn’t help. Dion Stovell tried keeping them abreast of the required-rate with his 73 off 67 balls, and Lionel Cann got 53, but Bermuda were bowled out in 42.3 overs for 211. Left-arm spinner Louis van der Westhuizen was the most successful of Namibia’s bowlers, taking 4 for 14.The loss means Bermuda have no chance of making the final, but they can still stay in the division by staying in the top four. Their coach David Moore was impressed with the attitude of the batsmen but felt they needed to last longer. “In terms of batting we set off like a house on fire with Stovell and Cann, but those boys should really be getting centuries,” he said. “Our bowling was disappointing, it began very well but we just lost it.”Papa New Guinea’s seamers Hitolo Areni and Rarva Dikana took seven wickets between them to help their side successfully defend 217 against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. PNG picked up wickets at regular intervals, and only five of Hong Kong’s batsmen got into double figures. Nizakat Khan got 55, and Najeeb Amar and Hussain Butt got thirties, but the rest of Hong Kong’s batting crumbled and they fell 43 runs short. PNG’s total was built on the back of Christopher Kent’s 59 and Mahuru Dai’s 43.

Borren rues dot balls and run-outs

Netherlands let themselves down with four run-outs and batsmen not converting starts into big scores. The regular fall of wickets meant Netherlands could never really use the batting Powerplay

Sidharth Monga in Chittagong14-Mar-2011There is an image that kept repeating itself, and summed up Netherlands’ game today. Their batsmen often found the length and width to cut, but kept hitting the ball in front of square, to cover-point. It resulted in a statistic that sums up their game: 185 dot balls out of the 278 they faced. In their first game of the tournament, when Netherlands scored 292 against England they faced 150 dot balls out of 305. Not only did they not last their full 50 overs, Netherlands scored off 35 balls fewer.It wasn’t easy for Netherlands. They were playing in Bangladesh for the first time, and no matter how much training you do on tailored pitches, batting on such slow tracks against pretty accurate and smart spinners is tough. More often than not, you don’t succeed in your first attempt, as Netherlands found out. They tried to manufacture shots against the seam bowlers when the ball was new and hard and the fields up. They even sent in a pinch hitter at the fall of the first wicket. It didn’t work.”Our ratio between runs and dot balls, and singles and boundaries was too low today,” Peter Borren, their captain, said. “We need to rotate the strike better. It is difficult here in these conditions, on this wicket, against the spinners, not as easy to rotate the strike as what we normally find. So this is something we have really tried hard to work on, and we came out short today.”It’s hard to practise for those conditions that we came out against today. Three left-arm spinners on a very, very slow wicket, trying to rotate the strike – I think the guys found it difficult, and if guys get in, they find it a little easier. It’s always difficult to start with. Once you are in, it’s easier. Today we got in a little bit, and then got out. Struggled to rotate the strike a bit.”The steady loss of wickets denied Ryan ten Doeschate the opportunity to take the batting Powerplay earlier than the 44th over•Getty ImagesNetherlands let themselves down with four run-outs and batsmen not converting starts into big scores. They would find it hard to blame themselves for two of those run-outs. One was a deflection off the bowler’s hand onto the non-striker’s stumps, and the other came out of confusion, with Ryan ten Doeschate trying to farm the strike with the No. 11.”What happens is it takes time to get in against the spinners on slow wickets,” Borren said. “It takes a little bit of getting used to. Today, every time we looked like getting a little bit used to it, we lost a wicket. Four run-outs, which was pretty crucial. It was hard work, the wicket was hard with their bowlers.”The regular fall of wickets meant Netherlands could never really use the batting Powerplay. On the face, it might have seemed ten Doeschate missed a trick by not calling for the Powerplay earlier than he eventually did, in the 44th over with nine wickets down, but to be fair to him there never were two batsmen set enough to utilise it. It could be argued that big batsmen take the risk and the responsibility alone in these situations, but perhaps the need to last the full 50 overs played on ten Doeschate’s mind. He stayed unbeaten on 53.”We kept losing wickets at crucial times,” Borren said. “You try and form a partnership between a couple of guys so they are both comfortable, and then you might take the Powerplay. We left the Powerplay till too late, we were nine down when we took it. The reason we didn’t take it earlier was, we were trying to build partnerships, and just kept failing to do that. Run-outs, a couple of poor dismissals – four run-outs, it’s pretty criminal at this level, and something we are really disappointed with.”

Gale and O'Shaughnessy join first-class umpires list

The ECB have added Steve Gale and Steve O’Shaughnessy to the First Class Umpires List for 2011 following the retirements of Barry Dudleston and Vanburn Holder last season

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2010The ECB have added Steve Gale and Steve O’Shaughnessy to the list of first-class umpires for 2011 following the retirements of Barry Dudleston and Vanburn Holder last season.Steve O’Shaughnessy played first-class cricket for Lancashire and Worcestershire between 1980 and 1989, and has been umpiring since 2007. He is delighted to now get the chance to umpire first-class games. “I am thrilled to be given this promotion and am looking forward to having the chance to further my career as an ECB official,” he said.Steve Gale, meanwhile, is promoted after spending three seasons on the Reserve List following a playing career representing Shropshire in Minor Counties cricket between 1975 and 1987. ECB umpires’ manager, Chris Kelly said: “We are pleased to welcome both Steve Gale and Steve O’Shaughnessy onto the Full List for 2011. Their commitment and attitude on the Reserve List has been outstanding and their promotion is the result of some exceptional performances in County Championship matches.”In addition, three new umpires have been added to the Reserve List for 2011: Alex Wharf, who played 13 ODIs for England between 2004 and 2005, Billy Taylor and Russell Evans. Wharf and Taylor retired from first-class cricket at the end of the 2009 season and Evans was contracted by Nottinghamshire between 1985 and 1990.”We are pleased to welcome Billy, Alex and Russell onto the Reserve List for 2011 which maintains the number of umpires available at this level,” said Kelly. “There is now plenty of competition for places on the Reserve List and these three have shown that they are in an excellent position to take their officiating forward.”ECB Full List 2011: Rob Bailey, Neil Bainton, Mark Benson, Martin Bodenham, Nick Cook, Nigel Cowley, Jeff Evans, Steve Gale, Steve Garratt, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Peter Hartley, Richard Illingworth, Trevor Jesty, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Jeremy Lloyds, Neil Mallender, David Millns, Steve O’Shaughnessy, Tim Robinson, George Sharp, John Steele, Peter Willey.ECB Reserve List 2011: Paul Baldwin, Ismail Dawood, Mark Eggleston, Russell Evans, Andy Hicks, Graham Lloyd, Steve Malone, Martin Saggers, Billy Taylor, Alex Wharf.

West Brom: Palmer fumes over Johnstone saga

Carlton Palmer has slammed the West Brom board for allowing Sam Johnstone to leave the club as a free agent. 

The lowdown: Johnstone attracting interest

A report from the Daily Mail has claimed that the 29-year-old goalkeeper is a target for Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and Southampton this summer.

Set to become a free agent in July (Transfermarkt), Johnstone seems certain to end a four-year permanent spell at The Hawthorns at the end of the current campaign. Indeed, Steve Bruce has acknowledged that the ‘keeper will be on his way out of Albion once the season ends.

The anti-climactic ending to Johnstone’s West Brom career has been criticised by one former England international…

The latest: Palmer criticises West Brom

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Palmer – who works as a pundit for the BBC – has slammed the club’s decision to allow the England ace to leave for nothing.

He fumed: “They’re going to lose Sam Johnstone on a free, which is crazy business. Why not let Sam Johnstone go last season if you’re not going to get him to sign a new contract? Why not let him go and get £10m-£12m for him rather than let him go on a free, it’s just crazy.”

The verdict: Bang on the money

Whilst keeping the three-cap England goalkeeper was perceived as a positive having suffered relegation last year, without the prospect of an instant return to the top flight it now appears to be a major oversight from the West Brom hierarchy.

Last summer, West Ham saw a reported £10m bid for the stopper rejected by the Midlands club, money which would now go a long way towards funding a much-needed squad overhaul.

Moreover, Bruce may need to replace Johnstone as first-choice at The Hawthorns, with neither David Button nor Alex Palmer seemingly up to the task based on the concession of 20 goals in their 10 combined Albion appearances so far this season.

In other news, West Brom have been backed to sign a Premier League midfielder. Read more here.

Espancado por jogador após festejar gol, gandula é goleiro e fazia bico para pagar faculdade: 'R$ 50'

MatériaMais Notícias

A cena assustadora rodou o mundo. No último domingo, o atacanteJeferson Reis, do Operário-MS,espancou o gandulaTadeu Kutter Junior após este ter comemorado, pulando, o gol que deu a vitória ao Comercial-MS por 1 a 0, aos 45 minutos do segundo tempo, em clássico válido pela7ª rodada do Campeonato Sul-Mato-Grossense. Dois dias depois do ocorrido, Tadeu ainda tem as marcas das agressões no corpo.Exames apontaram ferimento na cartilagem de seu nariz. Felizmente, não há fraturas no nariz e nem na cabeça, os dois pontos mais atingidos na barbárie de domingo. Curiosamente,Tadeu também é jogador: é o goleiro reserva do time sub-19 do Comercial-MS e nas últimas semanas vinha treinando como quarto goleiro do elenco profissional. Em entrevista ao LANCE!, Tadeu revela um ponto ainda mais tocante de sua atuação como gandula: ele estava ali por dinheiro para pagar sua faculdade.

– Estava fazendo esse bico de gandula para ganhar um dinheiro mesmo, para ajudar a pagar minha faculdade de Educação Física. Comecei a trabalhar como gandula no ano passado, nos jogos do Comercial como mandante. São R$ 50 por partida. Era o meu terceiro jogo como gandula neste ano, é um trabalho que me ajuda muito a pagar os estudos. Estou no quinto semestre e estudo no período noturno. Assim que acaba o treino, tomo banho e vou direto para a faculdade – disse Tadeu, que tem 19 anos é e natural de Campo Grande (MS).

Tadeu só conseguiu um tempo para dar entrevista nesta terça-feira. A segunda foi de muitos exames. O gandulafez raio x no Centro de Especialidades Médicas de Campo Grande e foi encaminhado para a Santa Casa de Campo Grande, onde passou por nova radiografia. Nada de grave foi constatado, mas ele precisará seguir cuidando do nariz com medicações e soro. Mesmo sem a necessidade de cirurgias, Tadeu também passou por exame de corpo de delito. Os advogados doComercial abriram boletim de ocorrência contra Jeferson Reis e o massagistaRaul Prazeres, que também é suspeito de ter agredido o gandula durante confusão. O episódio poderá ter desdobramentos em breve.

O caso foi registrado na delegacia como lesão corporal dolosa, quando existe intensão de ferir. Jeferson e Raul foram ouvidos e liberados. Eles assumiram o compromisso de se apresentarem à polícia quando forem chamados de novo.

– Não estou mais sentido dores. Fui medicado e as dores passaram, estou bem melhor. Agora é cuidar do nariz e lavar com soro por dentro – falou Tadeu.

O presidente do Operário, Estevão Petrállas, anunciou na segunda que Jeferson foi afastado por tempo indeterminado do clube. Porém, Estevão afirmou que Tadeu comemorou o gol fazendo gestos obscenos para o banco operariano e reclamou da postura do Comercial em escolher um atleta seu para atuar como gandula. Tadeu, no entanto, diz que a comemoração não teve gestos obscenos.

– Não fiz nada de obsceno, só comemorei o gol. Tem imagem da TV mostrando minha reação. Foi um gol aos 45 minutos do segundo tempo. Não tinha como não comemorar, né? Sou comercialino e são-paulino. Inclusive, nenhum dos envolvidos me pediu desculpas até agora. Estou aguardando – destacou Tadeu.

Em um primeiro momento, ciente de que o episódio daria grande repercussão, Tadeu sentiu temor por sua imagem – mesmo não tendo revidado às agressões:

– Fui para a Copa São Paulo como segundo goleiro, tenho sonhos no futebol. Senti medo de perder toda a carreira, de ficar queimado. Mas agora esse sentimento já passou. É erguer a cabeça e voltar a treinar. A vida continua.

Knee injury sends Jacob Oram home

Jacob Oram is set to miss the remainder of the Sri Lanka tri-series due to a recurring patella tendon injury in the knee that is affecting his ability to bowl

Cricinfo staff25-Aug-2010

Jacob Oram’s latest injury puts his Champions League participation in doubt•AFP

Jacob Oram is set to miss the remainder of the tri-series in Sri Lanka due to the recurrence of a tendon injury in the knee that has affected his bowling. Oram had received intensive treatment to get through the series but the injury has not responded and he is headed home for further assessment.New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch said the injury’s severity was not yet clear. “Jake had done everything possible to try and get ready for the remaining matches in the tri-series but had insufficient time to get fully fit. At this stage it is unclear how severe the injury is and he will return to New Zealand for further assessment and rehabilitation.”Oram’s injury has also put in doubt his participation for Central Districts in September’s Champions League. “Jacob’s knee has been troublesome for some time. He’s been having niggles on and off with it for a reasonable period of time,” said Alan Hunt, the Central Districts coach.”It has clearly flared up again in the last couple of days in Sri Lanka and they’ve tried to treat it there without any success. No doubt they’ve done everything they can to improve the situation but found they’d better get him back here for a medical opinion and some rehabilitation, thinking long-term towards the World Cup in February and March,” he said.Oram’s career has been blighted by injuries, forcing an early retirement from Test cricket in October 2009. His participation in the shorter formats has remained sporadic, and he was forced to miss this year’s IPL before returning to the national side for the World Twenty20. He bowled in two of New Zealand’s first three league games in Sri Lanka before the latest flare-up.

Sunderland avoided Jonson Clarke-Harris disaster

Sunderland made a number of additions to their squad throughout the January transfer window as Kristjaan Speakman looked to improve the squad.

Trai Hume, Patrick Roberts, Jay Matete, Danny Batth, Jermain Defoe and Jack Clarke all came in, with the Black Cats attempting to bolster their side to improve their chances of jumping out of League One at the end of the season.

Whilst it is easy to focus on the players who did come in, it is also worth looking at the deals that Sunderland also missed out on.

Relief

Fans will be relieved that the Black Cats ultimately opted against a deal to sign Jonson Clarke-Harris to add to their striking options.

Earlier this month, Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony confirmed that the club were interested in signing the centre-forward in the January transfer window.

talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook claimed that the Championship outfit wanted a fee in the region of £6m for the English striker.

Speakman avoided a big transfer nightmare by refusing to pay the asking price and opting against a deal for the attacker last month. It could have been a huge mistake for the club to shell out such a fee to sign a player who has struggled for form this season, as a big-money move could have seen then replicate the unsuccessful signing of Will Grigg who joined for £4m but only bagged eight goals.

In the Championship for the Posh, he has scored five goals and provided two assists in 27 appearances. He has missed eight ‘big chances’ and only completed a measly 56% of his attempted passes throughout the campaign, which suggests that he has struggled both in front of goal and with his all-around play.

Therefore, he is seemingly a player lacking in confidence and may not have been able to hit the ground running at the Stadium of Light. Paying a whopping £6m transfer fee for a player who is currently failing to deliver in the Championship does not appear to be a wise move on paper and Speakman agreed.

Supporters will surely be feeling relieved that their club did not decide to splash a ludicrous amount of money on the striker. Although, it is a shame that a loan deal was not on the cards for the 27-year-old as he has shown that he has the potential to be a top-qualtiy player in League One.

He scored 31 times for Peterborough last season as he fired them to promotion and taking a gamble on him rediscovering his form on loan could have been worthwhile. However, that was not one of the options on the table for Sunderland and they were right to avoid splashing out £6m on him.

AND in other news, Parky had huge howler over “important” gem whose value has soared 138% since SAFC exit…

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