Kevin Pietersen could find himself in a race to be fit for England’s Champions Trophy campaign in September

Cricinfo staff23-Jul-2009

Kevin Pietersen could find himself in a race to be fit for England’s Champions Trophy campaign in September, after a London-based orthopaedic surgeon warned that he could need considerably longer than the estimated six weeks to recover from the operation he underwent on his right Achilles tendon on Wednesday.”Kevin Pietersen has a serious problem with his Achilles tendon known as chronic tendinopathy, which hasn’t responded to the usual measures of physiotherapy and injections,” Dr Simon Moyes, who works out of the Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood, told the Press Association. “Less than five percent of patients end up needing surgery for this condition and therefore he is most unfortunate.”Pietersen was booked in for an operation on Wednesday morning, after struggling throughout England’s historic victory in the second Test, in which they took a 1-0 lead in the Ashes series with their first win over Australia at Lord’s since 1934. He was never comfortable at the crease, nor in the field, although his twin scores of 32 and 44 took his career tally against Australia to a formidable 1116 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 50.72.In a statement, the ECB’s Chief Medical Officer, Nick Peirce, said that Pietersen had been operated on by a leading surgeon who had been specially flown in from Sweden, and that the early signs were that the operation had been routine.”The operation involved a small incision and trimming of the blood vessels and nerves around the inflamed tendon,” said Peirce. “Kevin will look to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation programme to ensure there is no risk of recurrence. This is expected to be approximately six weeks but will be taken at an appropriate pace following constant review.”Moyes, however, warned that there was no guaranteeing a quick fix to Achilles injuries, and said that Pietersen and England might have to be patient in his recovery period. “The surgery to the tendon is not always predictable and involves cleaning inflammatory tissue, necrotic tissue and neovascular tissue – i.e. new blood vessels,” he said. “I believe it will be at minimum of three months before he is fully recovered. Even then there is still a risk that the surgery may not work.””As an England cricketer the Ashes are the pinnacle of the game so I’m absolutely devastated to be missing the rest of this series,” said Pietersen. “I hate missing matches for England and especially during an Ashes summer but now that the decision has been made to undergo surgery I’m confident I can return to the England team injury-free following a course of rehabilitation.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Na tarde desta terça-feira, o Cruzeiro realizou seu último treino na Toca da Raposa II antes de embarcar para o Rio de Janeiro. Na quinta, a equipe enfrenta o Flamengo, no Maracanã, pelo jogo de ida da final da Copa do Brasil. Na atividade fechada comandada por Mano Menezes, a principal novidade ficou por conta da presença do lateral-direito Ezequiel, que desfalcou o grupo no treino da última segunda por conta de uma pubalgia.

A situação do lateral é bem complicada. Além da pubalgia atípica, o jogador tem uma hérnia inguinal, o que o impede de atuar em todos os jogos do Cruzeiro. Entretanto, a expectativa é a de que Ezequiel esteja em campo no duelo de volta contra o Flamengo, que será realizado no dia 27 de setembro, no Mineirão.

Dúvida no time é a presença do volante Lucas Romero. Esta foi a segunda vez que o jogador não participa do treino nesta semana. Enquanto o restante da equipe trabalhava em campo, o volante teve uma longa conversa com o diretor do departamento médico do clube, Fernando Lopes, e o fisioterapeuta Charles Costa sobre as dores que vem sentindo no tornozelo. Apesar da grande chance de ter seu nome entre os relacionados, o jogador deve ficar de foda da partida.

Sem poder disputar a Copa do Brasil, o lateral Rafael Galhardo, os meias Careca, Alex e Messidoro e o atacante Sassá correram em volta do gramado e treinaram auxiliados pelo preparador Quintiliano Lemos.

O Cruzeiro volta aos treinos nesta quarta-feira, já no gramado do Maracanã, e encerra sua preparação para o duelo. Além de divulgar a lista de relacionados para o confronto, Mano Menezes concederá uma entrevista coletiva antes da atividade em solo carioca.

England 116 for 2 (Strauss 64*, Bell 26*) trail Australia 263 (Watson 62, Onions 4-58, Anderson 5-80) by 147 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
King of swing: James Anderson picked up the seventh five-wicket haul in Tests•Getty Images

Barring an act of God or Duke, England should enter the home stretch of the Ashes series in the ascendancy. When Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell accepted the umpires’ offer of bad light at 5.45pm, the hosts packed their kitbags content in the knowledge that their dominant day two performance, coupled with the bleak forecast for days three and five of the Test, had made Australia’s task of squaring the series at Edgbaston difficult in the extreme.Much of the credit for England’s position of strength belonged to James Anderson (5 for 80) and Graham Onions (4 for 58), who claimed Australia’s last nine wickets for 137 runs in 40.4 overs on Friday. Their mastery of Birmingham’s conditions reopened old Australian wounds against quality swing bowling, and wrested back the momentum claimed by the tourists the previous evening.Strauss and Bell reinforced England’s advantage in the final session with an unbroken 56-run stand that owed something to fortune. Bell was somehow deemed not out by umpire Rudi Koertzen to a Johnson delivery that replays suggested would have thundered into middle-and-off, and the Warwickshire batsman made the most of his reprieve to advance to stumps unbeaten on 26.His captain, Strauss, experienced no such heart palpitations to finish the day on 64 not out in an innings marked by stoic defence and fluent driving. Strauss was seldom flustered as Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara fell by the wayside to Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus respectively to further pad his lead atop the series run-scorers’ list.Earlier, Anderson collected his seventh career five-wicket haul and his best return against Australia on a morning that left the raucous Edgbaston faithful in thrall. Ricky Ponting may have usurped Allan Border as Australia’s leading Test run-scorer in the first session, but the morning well and truly belonged to Anderson and Onions, who more than made amends for a wasteful evening session on Thursday.Onions began in the most emphatic manner imaginable, removing Shane Watson and Michael Hussey with the first two deliveries of the second day, while Anderson bookended the first session in a similar fashion with the wickets of Marcus North and Johnson in consecutive deliveries on the stroke of lunch.Anderson’s spells either side of lunch produced figures of 5 for 35, and Onions’ 4 for 37 – an analysis which might well have been enhanced if not for several dropped catches off his bowling – as Australia’s age-old problems against the swinging ball resurfaced. With heavy rain predicted for much of the next three days, England appear the only team capable of forcing a result, short of a major change in weather and Australian fortunes.Onions played a lead role in the only first-class result at Edgbaston this season – taking nine wickets to guide Durham past Warwickshire – and continued his love affair with the ground. Exploiting the heavy overhead conditions to full effect, he bowled unchanged for nine overs, during which he swung the ball extravagantly into both the right- and left-handers and threatened off the seam.He struck with the first ball of the day, beating a lunging Watson for pace to trap him lbw for 62. The dismissal served as an underwhelming exit for Watson, who the previous evening had gone some way to justifying the faith of Australia’s selectors in his first outing as a Test opener with an assured half-century.The tremors intensified for the Australians the next ball when Onions angled a delivery into Hussey, who obliged by hoisting his bat high above his head and watching helplessly as the ball cannoned into the top of off-stump. Hussey has twice been bowled this series without offering a shot – the other to Andrew Flintoff at Lord’s – and now possesses the modest record of 81 runs at 20.25 this series. Many more muddle-headed performances like this, and Australia might well ponder more changes to their XI moving ahead.Onions’ would-be hat-trick ball might have been his most disappointing of the morning – a short, leg-side offering to Michael Clarke – but could not detract from an otherwise fine spell of bowling in which he probed the Australians’ pads and proved a constant menace. The visitors steadied just long enough for Ponting to notch his 11,175th career run to overhaul Border’s long-standing national record, but he could not capitalise on his historic moment, top-edging a hook off Onions to Matt Prior for 38.Clarke appeared the only man capable of sparing Australia’s blushes, and fortune briefly smiled upon him. The vice-captain was blessed to have been ruled not out to an exceptionally close Onions lbw shout on 18, and again when dropped off the same bowler by Flintoff at second slip. Interspersed with these reprieves were some fine periods of batting in the cauldron-like atmosphere, however his hopes of leading a middle-order fightback were dashed when Rudi Koertzen adjudged him leg-before to an Anderson delivery that appeared to be slipping down the leg-side.Thus commenced a superb sequence of swing bowling from Anderson. Finding the aerial movement that eluded him at Cardiff and Lord’s, the Lancastrian crashed through for the wickets of North to a superb, one-handed catch by Prior and Johnson to a dubiously high lbw decision in consecutive deliveries. He rounded out the session by comprehensively bowling Graham Manou, the Australian debutant who had been presented with his baggy green cap prior to play.Australia coaxed a valuable 60 runs from their final two wickets, padding the total to a reasonable 263, but they would not emerge from the second session. Anderson prompted Peter Siddle into a feathered edge to Prior shortly after the lunch break to complete his first five-wicket haul side against the Australians, while Onions returned for the scalp of Hilfenhaus for a career-best 20.

Celtic have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Glasgow Evening Times, Ange Postecoglou revealed that Greg Taylor, who has not featured for Celtic since the club’s 3-0 win over Ross County back in September, could be sidelined until 2022 as the left-back has undergone surgery on a shoulder injury and is still a couple of months away from making a return.

Speaking about the defender’s current condition, the Hoops manager said: “Greg’s had an operation on his shoulder, it’s about four weeks since he started rehab so he’s still a good couple of months away. It’s a contact thing where we have to be careful.”

Fans will be gutted

While the emergence of 19-year-old left-back Adam Montgomery has helped to cover the loss of Taylor, the news that the 23-year-old looks set to miss Wednesday night’s trip to Hibernian, along with several important fixtures in Celtic’s season, is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

Indeed, prior to his injury, the £1.8m-rated man had impressed over his four Premiership appearances this term, helping his side to keep one clean sheet, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making two key passes, 1.5 interceptions and 1.5 tackles per game.

These returns saw the £8.2k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Postecoglou’s 11th-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

However, it would now seem as if the 56-year-old will have to make do without the Scotland international for a significant portion of the season, which will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to the Bhoys’ chances of reclaiming their Premiership crown this term, as well as making it out of their Europa League group.

In other news: Ange must ruthlessly axe “outstanding” £3.15m-rated Celtic ace for the greater good

Celtic have been handed an opportunity to sign reported summer transfer target Fraser Forster once again in January.

What’s the talk?

According to recent reports, Southampton look set to release the 33-year-old goalkeeper upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the current campaign, something which Football Scotland claim could open the door for Celtic to swoop for the former England international, either in January or next summer.

The report added that, with both Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain expected to leave Parkhead in the near future, Ange Postecoglou may well be in the market for a new goalkeeper in the winter market. A move for the player with whom Celtic were heavily linked during the summer could once again be a viable option for the 56-year-old Bhoys manager.

Postecoglou must move

While Celtic did complete the £1.08m signing of Joe Hart this summer, with the 34-year-old having impressed for the Hoops so far this season, Forster would still be a fantastic signing for Postecoglou to get over the line in January.

Indeed, while the £2.7m-rated stopper is yet to feature in the Premier League for Southampton this term, the 33-year-old has nevertheless demonstrated over his three appearances in the Carabao Cup that he is still a top-level option between the sticks – keeping one clean sheet, making 14 saves and earning an average SofaScore match rating of 7.90 in the competition.

The most impressive of these performances came against Chelsea, with the £72k-per-week ‘keeper making an astonishing 13 stops, saving a penalty and earning a SofaScore match rating of 9.8 in Saints’ victory over the Premier League leaders.

As such, it is clear to see that the man who Bain dubbed an “unbelievable” player would make an excellent addition to Postecoglou’s options in the position this winter. Considering that Southampton would likely be more than willing to offload Forster for a minimal transfer fee, a move for the 33-year-old would appear most advisable for the Hoops manager.

In other news: Ange must ruthlessly axe “exceptional” £16k-p/w Celtic flop as agent claim emerges

تورط نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي مع اقتراب نهاية نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية، ويسعى فريق يورجن كلوب لتعزيز مركز خط الوسط قبل غلق السوق وارتبط الآن بفرينكي دي يونج لاعب وسط برشلونة الإسباني.

وأدلى الألماني كلوب بتصريحات أكد خلالها أنه كان مخطئًا بشأن تعزيز مركز خط الوسط بالنظر إلى كثرة الإصابات في ذلك المركز، مع غياب أليكس أوكسلايد تشامبرلين، وتياجو ألكانتارا، وكورتيس جونز، ونابي كيتا.

وقد صرح كلوب: “لقد تغير الوضع بالطبع، أعلم أننا أجرينا هذه المناقشة منذ أن بدأ كل شيء وأنا من قال إننا لسنا بحاجة إلى لاعب وسط، أنت كنت على حق وكنت أنا المخطئ، هذا هو الوضع”.

وقد ارتبط ليفربول ارتباطًا وثيقًا بأمثال جود بيلينجهام لاعب بوروسيا دورتموند ونيكولو باريلا لاعب إنتر ميلان وموسيس كايسيدو لاعب برايتون مؤخرًا.

وبحسب آخر التقارير الصحفية الواردة، بحسب ما أفادت صحيفة “تايمز” البريطانية، ليفربول يرتبط الآن بفرينكي دي يونج لاعب وسط برشلونة، الذي يعد هدفًا طويل الأمد لمانشستر يونايتد وتشيلسي.

اقرأ أيضًا | دي يونج يخبر برشلونة بقراره الأخير بعد مفاوضات مانشستر يونايتد وتشيلسي

ويعمل برشلونة على رحيل بعض اللاعبين وضغط على دي يونج بالفعل ليقبل بالمغادرة مع عروض مانشستر يونايتد وتشيلسي.

الهولندي الدولي يتمسك بالبقاء في برشلونة، والخيار المتاح أمامه للاستمرار هو تخفيض راتبه، إما الرحيل وقبول عرض مانشستر يونايتد أو تشيلسي، والآن ظهر ليفربول في صف الراغبين في ضمه. 

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.

Aston Villa must ruthlessly sell Marvelous Nakamba in the upcoming transfer window amid Newcastle United’s reported interest in him.

What’s the story?

The £55k-a-week ace was linked with a potential exit back in the January transfer window earlier this year, with rumours that Galatasaray were keen on signing him after their initial interest the previous summer.

Now, Football Insider claim that the now money-rich Newcastle have set their sights on Nakamba, with strengthening their midfield one of their top priorities under their new owners.

The report adds that the Zimbabwe international’s energy and drive is something the Magpies are keen on, and that it is expected to take a fee in the region of £15m to prise him away from Villa Park.

He’s not good enough for Villa

While nobody can question Nakamba’s work ethic and energy, you do feel that Dean Smith could really do with an upgrade in that all-important anchor man role in midfield.

The Zimbabwean has never averaged more than two tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the Premier League in his time at Villa Park, while his start to the current campaign has been particularly below-par to say the least.

He’s averaged just 0.4 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per match, which to put into context, is considerably lower than even the likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Ashley Young respectively.

If Villa are to take that next step and really break into the top half of the table, let alone the European places given their indifferent start this season, signing a top-class holding midfielder should surely be on the agenda.

Nakamba has served them well up til now, but getting rid of him and bringing in a genuine upgrade on him could hold the key to ensuring Villa go up another level.

If Newcastle do come in with a £15m bid, then Nakamba’s time at Villa Park simply has to be up.

Meanwhile, Villa have been handed a transfer update on this winger…

Tottenham Hotspur have seemingly been handed a big boost over one of Antonio Conte’s mooted January transfer targets…

What’s the word?

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the Italian has asked sporting director Fabio Paratici and the club’s recruitment team to secure his former Inter Milan centre-back Stefan de Vrij as a top priority this winter.

The same website now believes that the Dutch colossus has told friends about the possibility of joining the north London outfit, and he is said to be keen to discuss a move.

An inside source has told Football Insider that the 29-year-old is aware of Spurs’ interest and he has asked those with knowledge of England about the club and what life is like in the country.

It is also thought that Conte rates the 6 foot 2 defender more than his teammate Milan Skriniar, who has regularly been linked with a move to Tottenham.

Go get him!

If the Dutchman is what Conte wants, then the Dutchman is what Conte should get.

The vastly experienced 54-time international has an impressive record in a three-man defence, one which ended last season with the best defensive record in the Serie A as Inter clinched their first title in over a decade.

He averaged an impressive 93.8% passing accuracy across 32 appearances in 2020/21, excelling with the ball at his feet, on top of two aerial duels won and 1.3 interceptions per outing, via WhoScored.

De Vrij has been described as a “monster” by former Lazio teammate Mauricio, who told ESPN (via Football Italia): “Stefan is a great defender and deserves to be at a big club. He’s very tall, he’s strong and fast, he runs a lot – he’s a monster!” before later adding: “He’s a calm defender who never gets agitated.”

This would be a dream first signing for the 52-year-old tactician as he could instantly bolster Spurs’ perilous backline. Currently, Eric Dier – who made plenty of errors last season – and full-back Ben Davies are partnering Cristian Romero in the middle, so there’s room for additions in that role.

Tottenham’s goal difference is the worst of any side ranked 14th or better in the Premier League this term, so it is also evident that Conte’s inherited options may not be performing to a good standard right now.

If the above report is true, then the £45m-rated De Vrij could be a very interesting acquisition this winter. Paratici must look to get it over the line to appease Spurs’ new manager.

AND in other news, Conte handed fresh Spurs injury boost ahead of Leeds United clash this weekend…

Rangers manager Gio van Bronckhorst will be unveiled at Ibrox for the first time on Thursday as he prepares for his first match in charge of the club.

The Gers are set to face Sparta Prague in their fifth group stage game in the Europa League. They lost 1-0 to them in the reverse fixture and a win would send them up into second place in the group.

Forget Roofe

FFC published an article explaining why Alfredo Morelos should be axed from the XI for this game. This would leave the number nine position vacant, with Kemar Roofe and Fashion Sakala competing to be named in the team from the start.

Van Bronckhorst should forget about the former Leeds United man, who is a minor injury doubt, for now and unleash Sakala against the Czech outfit tonight. He came off the bench against Hibernian and should now be given the chance to show what he can do from the start.

The 24-year-old is coming off the back of a sensational international break where he scored four goals in two games for Zambia. He has now scored seven times in his last six appearances for club and country, having also bagged a hat-trick for Rangers against Motherwell at the end of October.

This shows that the £8.3k-per-week gem has the ability to be a match-winner for van Bronckhorst as he has been consistently finding the back of the net of late. Goals win games and Sakala could potentially win the match for Rangers if he starts against Sparta, given his recent record.

Ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard once hailed the forward as an ‘incredible’ person and praised his quality in training for the club. He said:

“He’s an incredible human being. The way he has come into the club, his smile and demeanour, his attitude and energy, has lifted the whole place. The signs are he is really starting to find his feet here at Rangers. He is a really exciting one for everyone to watch moving forward.

“There will be plenty of opportunities for Fashion, not just in Europe but domestically as well. We are really starting to see his strengths, his consistency from a training point of view.”

These comments suggest that he has the attitude and mentality to thrive at Rangers and is willing to put his head down and work hard for the team. This should be encouraging to van Bronckhorst as he will surely want his players to put the hard yards in against Sparta to impress him in his first game.

AND in other news, 129 appearances: Rangers secured dream deal with £0 gem who “embodies professionalism”…