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Ryan Harris has been added to Australia’s one-day squad and David Warner will travel with the team to the first match in Melbourne after the side was dealt two injury blows

Cricinfo staff13-Jan-2009
Ryan Harris has been added to Australia’s one-day squad © Getty Images
Ryan Harris has been added to Australia’s one-day squad and David Warner will travel with the team to the first match in Melbourne after the side was dealt two injury blows. Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the limited-overs series against South Africa with a stress problem in his foot, while Michael Clarke will have his injured right thumb assessed in Melbourne on Wednesday.Warner has been placed on standby for Clarke and even if he does not play he will add to the national squad experience that began with a brilliant 89 at the MCG on Sunday. Harris, who is also part of the Twenty20 group but was not picked for either match, will be hoping for an ODI debut in Friday’s match.Siddle’s injury concern has ruled him out of the South Africa games but he is expected to be fit for the one-day series against New Zealand beginning on February 1. Scans revealed the early stages of mild stress in Siddle’s left foot, although the problem is far less severe than a similar worry that required Brett Lee to have surgery.”Peter Siddle has had previous pain in his left foot which became worse during the Test Series against South Africa,” Alex Kountouris, the team physio said. “After the series was completed, we investigated and scans revealed the early signs of mild stress on a bone in his left foot.”As such, Peter needs a short period of rest before resuming bowling which we anticipate will be in a further two weeks. We have taken a conservative approach to his recovery with the Test Series in South Africa, and the Australian team’s upcoming commitments, in mind.”Siddle is yet to make his one-day international debut but has impressed in his first four Tests with 17 wickets at 31.29. The Queensland fast bowler Harris, 29, is the second leading wicket taker in the Sheffield Shield this season with 27 victims at 26.59.

A potential power-struggle is looming over the fate of England’s Test series in India as the team travels home following the terrorist atrocities that have rocked Mumbai for three days

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2008
Kevin Pietersen won’t make any England player tour India if they are uncertain © Getty Images
A potential power-struggle is looming over the fate of England’s Test series in India as the team travels home following the terrorist atrocities that rocked Mumbai for three days. The squad is due to arrive at Heathrow on Saturday evening and have a very short time period to decide what to do next. The first Test is still scheduled to start in Ahmedabad on December 11 and there is an issue over where England would practice.Officials from both England and India are adamant that the Test series will go ahead, particularly after the BCCI agreed to shift the second Test from Mumbai to Chennai after a request from the ECB. According to Kevin Pietersen, however, the situation is not so cut-and-dry. If his team-mates have reservations about taking part, he will not be forcing them to re-join the tour.”We need to make sure the security’s right – but if it’s not safe then we won’t be coming back,” Pietersen said. “People are their own people, I’ll never force anyone to do anything or tell them to do anything against their will. On the field I may ask people to do things in a certain way but people run their own lives. We’ll have to see how the security is.”I do think the BCCI will make every single effort to get us back here playing Test-match cricket in India. There are TV rights and financial considerations and they run world cricket don’t they? But we will not come back to India if it’s not safe. My life means more to me than anything else and I won’t come back if it’s not safe.”Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association, said the ultimate decision on the tour will rest with the ECB. “It won’t be down to the players, it’ll be down to the ECB ultimately, and we are comfortable with that,” he told Cricinfo. “We have worked very well with our board in the past, so we are confident of the processes involved and with the people who provide the information.”However, Morris insisted that there would be no extra pressure to reach a resolution despite the huge influence that India currently wields in world cricket. He confirmed that the security report will be compiled partly by the team’s security consultant, Reg Dickason, along with input from an independent body and cooperation from the board.There is the strong possibility of a weakened England side returning to India if players make individual decisions on whether to tour. There is a precedent for that, as following the 9/11 attacks in 2001 Robert Croft and Andrew Caddick opted out of the India tour.A spokesman for AKE Group, a leading UK-based security firm, told Cricinfo that the level of risk faced by the England team “should not be overstated”. He did, however, concede that the high-profile nature of the team, coupled with the fact that their itinerary is widely publicised, could be a justifiable cause for concern. “India is not Iraq, it is not a naturally hostile environment,” said the spokesman. “But Britain is a front runner in the war on terror, and therefore an attack on one of their sporting teams would be high political capital, and a fair strike, so to speak.”England are still scheduled to take part in a planned warm-up match in Baroda on December 5-7, which effectively means that the players will have no more than five days to reach a consensus and return to the country. The possibility is being discussed of England preparing in either Dubai or Abu Dhabi and then flying straight into India for the Test series.In the opinion of Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, there is little chance of England feeling safe enough to return to India in the foreseeable future. “It’s getting closer,” he wrote in his column. “I remember watching on TV a few weeks ago as the lorry-full of bombs went off at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, where England were due to stay for the Champions Trophy, and thinking crikey, it’s getting close. Now it’s Mumbai, where the Middlesex players were due to stay on Thursday night. There seem to be these triggers, or warnings, that it is getting closer to cricket.”I didn’t think we were under threat in Bangalore,” Vaughan continued, “and history to date says cricketers are safe. But our security man said we couldn’t go in our England kit to the hotel where we eat 60 yards across the road from the stadium, and we’d have to go in cars, we couldn’t walk. We were told we couldn’t go to any of the hotels in Bangalore that westerners use.”Another former England captain, who preferred not to be named, told Cricinfo that he believed that the Test series would have to be postponed in the wake of the atrocities, although he predicted a tricky round of negotiations between the English and Indian boards before the matter could reach a conclusion. If previous political stand-offs were anything to go by, the two boards were likely to present conflicting security reports, with the players caught very much in the middle.One significant voice in support of the tour, however, is Michael Atherton, another former captain, who wrote in his column that he intended to travel for the Test series unless the Foreign Office advice changed in the meantime. “While it may seem inappropriate to say so right now, I hope the Test series in two weeks’ time can still go ahead,” he wrote. “One thing is for sure, however: since 9/11, much of the fun and spontaneity of watching sport has disappeared beneath an avalanche of security requirements. Sadly, sport, long regarded as a playground for those who want to abscond from the grim realities of daily life, is no longer immune.”

Aston Villa must look to sign PSG midfielder Rafinha this summer amid a recent transfer claim.

What’s the story?

According to reports in Spain, the French giants – who have just signed Lionel Messi – are ready to let Rafinha leave this summer in order to raise some funds and Villa could come in for the Brazilian.

And now, speaking exclusively to FFC, Ligue 1 expert Adam White said: “I think he has already been pushed quite significantly towards the exit at PSG and he would be a good signing for Villa.

“The Premier League is a little bit of a step up and he wouldn’t be playing in such a dominant team, so that’s perhaps something that Villa fans will need to think about. PSG would be keen to sell.”

Messi rates him highly

Talking about the 27-year-old, former Barca defender Andreu Fontas once said: “Rafinha is a great player. Physically, he is a beast and, technically, he is superb.”

As per Whoscored, the midfielder boasted an impressive 90.9% pass accuracy in Ligue 1 last season (considerably better than any Villa player with more than one start), while he also averaged 2.3 tackles per match as well (only Matty Cash fared better with 2.5).

The £13.5m-rated play-maker could bring that same fearlessness and intensity both on and off the ball to Villa Park should Smith land his man this summer.

And, given reports have previously claimed that now PSG superstar Messi rates the Brazilian very highly and was completely on board with seeing the midfielder become a prominent part of Barcelona’s side, is a real indication of just how talented he is.

Villa could strike gold with a deal for Rafinha.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a new Aston Villa transfer update…

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will not be leaving Old Trafford over what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Fabrizio Romano, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, despite reports suggesting otherwise, the Frenchman will not be leaving United this summer, and the central midfielder was never discussed as a potential makeweight in the club’s proposals to Juventus in their signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

In his tweet, Romano said: “Paul Pogba is also staying and he’s never been involved in any proposal to Juventus.”

Further reports have claimed that Paris Saint-Germain have been considering a move for the 28-year-old, who has just one year remaining on his current contract at Old Trafford – with no agreement reached between the club and the player concerning a new deal at present.

Music to the ears of fans

While it would indeed appear something of a priority to ensure that Pogba does put pen to paper on a contract extension this season, as the possibility of the midfielder leaving the club for nothing next summer is currently a very real one, Romano’s claim that the France international will remain a United player beyond Tuesday’s transfer deadline is sure to be music to the ears of fans.

Indeed, since his return to Manchester back in 2016, the 28-year-old has consistently been one of the club’s most consistent performers in the Premier League, earning seasonal SofaScore match ratings of 7.66, 7.40, 7.21, 7.13 and 6.98 over the past five top-flight seasons respectively.

And, the £54m-rated man has already highly impressed over his two Premier League appearances for the Red Devils this term, having provided a whopping five assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of three shots and making three key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £290k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.55, ranking him as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s third-best performer in the league.

As such, it is evident that Pogba is a crucial component within the Manchester United side, who will undoubtedly play a key role in any success the club manage to achieve this season.

So, Romano’s claim that the Frenchman does not look likely to leave the club over what remains of the summer transfer window is sure to delight Solskjaer and fans of the club alike.

In other news: Man Utd make contact over £27m-rated “complete midfielder”, Ole would love him

Sunderland have kicked off their season in style with back-to-back wins in the 2021/22 campaign, beating both Wigan and Port Vale.

The Black Cats beat the Latics 2-1 on the opening day of the League One season, before progressing through to the second round of the Carabao Cup by defeating Port Vale by the same score.

They now travel away to face an MK Dons side who recently lost their manager Russell Martin to Swansea and have conceded eight goals in their first two matches – five to Bournemouth in a 5-0 Carabao Cup loss and three to Bolton in a draw in their first league outing.

On the Chalkboard

Despite Sunderland’s strong start to the season, Lee Johnson has a major issue within his side. Young central midfielder Dan Neil has been deployed as a left-back and struggled against Wigan last weekend whilst playing out of position.

Neil received a tame WhoScored rating of 6.40 as he failed to win a single tackle and only made one clearance in the 90 minutes. He also completed 62% of his passes – the third-lowest in the team – and did not create any chances going forward from the back.

This suggests that the experiment of playing him at full-back has not been successful for Johnson, which means that a natural defender should take his place in the team against MK Dons. Prior to this week, Sunderland did not have a natural full-back option to slot in, but they have since announced the signing of Dennis Cirkin on a permanent deal from Premier League side Tottenham.

Johnson hailed the 19-year-old as a top talent upon his arrival at the club. He told Sunderland’s official website: “To get a player of Dennis’ quality at 19 speaks wonders in terms of what we’re trying to do because he is a top talent and he’s very highly regarded within the game.

“We have been really happy with the signings we have made so far and we will bank this one, but we will continue our work quietly and efficiently to try and get a couple more over the line.”

This shows that Johnson rates the defender highly and that is why he should be thrown straight in at the deep end against MK Dons. Whilst there is not much evidence to prove that he will be a quality option immediately, as he has not made his debut in senior football as of yet, it is worth the gamble as Neil has shown that he is not up to the task of playing out of position.

Therefore, Johnson may not have any other choice but to risk it and hand Cirkin his debut on Saturday. Hopefully, the exciting young full-back will be able to repay the faith shown in him by the club and demonstrate why he is so highly-rated, as it would give the former Bristol City coach a specialist left-back option instead of having to put square pegs in round holes.

AND in other news, Alan Nixon drops claim on £13k-p/w Sunderland “leader”, Lee Johnson will be relieved…

When South Africa last toured England, left-hand batsman Jacques Rudolph played all five Tests. Five years later, Rudolph is in the middle of a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire

Cricinfo staff19-Jul-2008
Jacques Rudolph has had a successful stint with Yorkshire © Getty Images
When South Africa last toured England in 2003, left-hand batsman Jacques Rudolph played all five Tests. Five years later, Rudolph is not with the visiting South African side, but in the middle of a Kolpak contract with Yorkshire, which will keep him at the county till 2011.Rudolph signed an initial three-year deal with Yorkshire in January 2007, effectively cutting short his international career with South Africa at the age of 25. Rudolph’s first-class average with Yorkshire is 58.38 – in contrast to his 36.21 in 35 Tests – and he is not unhappy with his decision to leave.”I’ve got no regrets,” Rudolph told the . “There are no hard feelings.” Although he had made his way to the South African squad in the 2001 home series against India, Rudolph made his Test debut over 15 months later in Bangladesh. The proposed third Test in Centurion against India was deemed unofficial after the Mike Denness episode, and later in Sydney, he was controversially omitted in favour of Justin Ontong, a Cape Coloured, after Cricket South Africa president Percy Sonn vetoed his selection on grounds of racial discrimination.Rudolph, though, started his Test career with an unbeaten 222 against Bangladesh in April 2003. However, he wasn’t able to firm a place and was dropped from the XI during the home series against India in December 2006. “At that stage of my career, I felt I needed stability and security,” Rudolph said. “I was in and out of the South Africa side and it was creating a lot of stress for me and my family.” Rudolph played his last Test, against Sri Lanka, in that year.”For that reason, I signed for Yorkshire. It was a great opportunity and I think I’m in a much better position at the moment.”Rudolph didn’t rule out returning to South Africa. “Will I play for South Africa again? There’s a possibility,” he said. “I’ve got three more seasons on my Yorkshire contract after this one and after that, I could qualify for England. I’ll make a decision on that if and when I get there. At the moment, I’m just enjoying my Yorkshire career.” Rudolph could also qualify to play for England under residency rules by 2012.Rudolph was not surprised by the manner in which South Africa’s batsmen saved the Lord’s Test after following on. “You can’t take anything away from South Africa’s batting,” he said. “I still take an interest in this series, of course I do. I’m friendly with some of the younger guys in the team.”Left-arm spinner Paul Harris, in his diary on Cricinfo, had mentioned he would speak to Rudolph about the conditions at Headingley, home to Yorkshire. “A little bit of me wants South Africa to win,” Rudolph said. “I played for them for so many years, and you don’t just change overnight.”Rudolph expects South Africa to come back strongly after the Lord’s performance. “England will take a lot out of the first Test – a lot of people expected South Africa to roll them over. This will be a wake-up call for South Africa and I think they will hit the ground better at Headingley.”They are renowned for their character and their ability to fight back, and they showed that at Lord’s in the second innings.”We haven’t seen the best of the South African attack. Dale Steyn has had an unbelievable couple of years. I think Headingley will suit them better than Lord’s, and Morne Morkel should be able to give them some insight from his time at Yorkshire.”

Mitchell Johnson will remain a Queensland player despite his decision to move from Brisbane to Perth

Cricinfo staff04-Jul-2008
Mitchell Johnson is keen to stay in Queensland colours © Getty Images
Mitchell Johnson will remain a Queensland player despite his decision to move from Brisbane to Perth. Johnson is keen to live in Western Australia to be closer to his partner Jessica Bratich, a Perth-based karate champion, but he did not want to switch to the Warriors.Queensland Cricket has agreed to the move, which leaves Johnson in a similar position to his Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who lives in Sydney but plays for Tasmania when not required for international duty. Johnson will probably have less state responsibilities in coming seasons as he is a first-choice player in the Test and ODI side and he believes the arrangement will be workable.”I’m really pleased we’ve been able to reach this outcome,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to the move to Perth but didn’t want to cut my ties with the Bulls. I’m confident the arrangement will be beneficial for both parties.”Trevor Barsby, the Queensland coach, said there was no reason Johnson had to live in Brisbane to remain a Bulls player. “We spoke to the players about it and they were very open to the idea,” Barsby said. “As Andy Bichel pointed out, we are in a highly professional era that brings with it different issues, and we should support our international players the best we can. Mitch can bunk down at my place for the week before a game if he happens to come back.”Graham Dixon, the CEO of Queensland Cricket, said Johnson had informed the state of his intention to move and discussed with them the possibility of occasional commutes across the country. Dixon said there was no way Queensland wanted to lose Johnson.”He is a Queenslander through and through,” Dixon said. “Having come through our development system, he is a most popular player within our organisation and we certainly want to keep him in the maroon cap whenever possible. We anticipate we would still see Mitchell on a semi-regular basis because he has close family ties in Townsville, and we are happy to go with the long-distance relationship.”

Leeds United fans should be hugely excited about new signing Junior Firpo, according to former Premier League striker Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Leeds snap up Firpo

The Whites have made their latest move in the transfer market, signing the 24-year-old from Barcelona in what looks like an intriguing piece of business.

The Brazilian struggled to oust Jordi Alba as the Blaugrana’s first-choice left-back last season, but he should now come in as a regular for Leeds following the exit of Ezgjan Alioski.

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The Latest: Pundits waxes lyrical over left-back

Firpo could be an exciting prospect and La Liga TV pundit Campbell has no doubt about his ability, outlining to Football Insider why Leeds fans should look forward to seeing him. He said:

“Firpo is incredibly fit, quick and strong. He is really athletic.

“I think he will fit right into what Leeds want to do because technically he is very good, you have to be to play for Barcelona.

“I’d say defensively, he is better than Alioski as well.”He hasn’t started that many games for Barcelona but you cannot read too much into that given that they have Jordi Alba ahead of him.”He has looked good when he has played so Leeds fans, you can get very excited.”

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The Verdict: Great signing for Whites

Firpo seems to be a perfect replacement for Alioski – if anything, the fact that he is an out-and-out left-back could make Leeds an even more balanced outfit.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a 92.9% pass completion rate in the Champions League last season, which suggests he will thrive in Marcelo Bielsa’s ball-playing style.

Firpo is also at an age where he should mature further in the coming years, potentially becoming a key figure over a long period for Leeds. With Campbell a regular analyst of Spanish football, for him to talk up the new Whites signing is very encouraging.

In other news, Leeds are believed to ‘retain an interest’ in one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

Fulham manager Scott Parker has left his position at Craven Cottage.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports, who confirmed late on Monday evening that the 40-year-old had left his role as manager of the Cottagers by mutual consent, with Parker being installed as the new AFC Bournemouth boss shortly after his departure from west London.

The former England international’s exit brings an end to what had looked to be turning into something of a messy break-up between the two parties, with The Sun reporting that Shahid Khan was reluctant to pay Parker the £2m compensation fee the coach was owed for the remainder of his two-year contract at Craven Cottage.

However, with his departure now confirmed, it would appear as if Khan and the 40-year-old eventually reached an amicable agreement regarding this settlement, with Fulham now being able to fully turn their attention towards appointing Parker’s successor at the club.

Khan will be buzzing

With reports of something of a fallout between the Fulham hierarchy and Parker, as well as the issue of his compensation fee, the fact that the 40-year-old is no longer tied to the club is sure to have left Khan buzzing.

Indeed, with the coach departing well before pre-season at the club is scheduled to begin, as well as plenty of time remaining in the summer transfer window, the Fulham owner now finds himself with the luxury of being able to consider each candidate for the role carefully and methodically rather than being rushed into making a decision due to time constraints.

Having said that, it would be advisable for Khan to not let the search drag on too long, and, considering it is reported that he has already drawn up a list of potential targets for the position, it would seem as if the sports tycoon has his eye firmly on the ball.

In any case, with Parker’s exit now confirmed, both Khan and Fulham supporters can look forward to a new chapter in their club’s history, one that hopefully brings with it a great amount of success.

In other news: Khan must ruthlessly axe “unbelievable” £21k-p/w flop, he’s let Fulham down for years

Essex entertain India next week between Wednesday 14th August and Saturday17th August at the County Ground, Chelmsford in the Vodafone Challenge Series.The Indians include in their squad the likes of, Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1997, Sachin Tendulkar (rated by many as the best batsman in the world), V V S Laxman, Sourav Ganguly and Wasim Jaffer. It is expected that Laxman, Tendulkar and Essex’s Andy Flower will receive their Wisden Awards at the County Ground on Wednesday.The game has sold well corporately, and Essex Commercial Manager, Dave Comley, is looking forward to a good occasion: “The Indians are always a great showpiece, and corporately we are virtually sold out on the first three days. We are hoping for four hot August days, and we are anticipating putting the heat on the touring side with a good Essex performance. There are some great names in the Indian Squad at the moment and we are looking forward to welcoming them at the County Ground. We are expecting a strong Asian contingent at the match and a great atmosphere is expected as we hope the public will take advantage of the opportunity to see some of the best players in the world at Chelmsford.”Tickets are still available pre-match at £14 and £9, and can be ordered on01245 254010. Tickets may also be purchased on the day. Members can bringunlimited guests and a special souvenir programme will be available.