All posts by h716a5.icu

The Pakistan team for next month’s tour to England will be named onSaturday with all eyes focused on whether former captain Wasim Akramfinds a place in the 16-man squad

28-Apr-2001The Pakistan team for next month’s tour to England will be named onSaturday with all eyes focused on whether former captain Wasim Akramfinds a place in the 16-man squad.At the moment, the wind was not blowing in Wasim’s favour as ShoaibAkhtar didn’t undergo a scheduled fitness test on Friday.The 16 maybe:Waqar Younis (captain), Inzamam-ul-Haq (vice-captain),Saeed Anwar, Salim Elahi, Mohammad Wasim, Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana,Faisal Iqbal, Rashid Latif (wicketkeeper), Abdur Razzaq, AzharMahmood, Mohammad Sami, Shoaib Akhtar, Fazle Akbar, Saqlain Mushtaqand Mushtaq Ahmad.

Man City fans are livid after the plans for supporters travelling to Porto for the Champions League final have been revealed.

The Citizens will face Chelsea at the Estadio do Dragao on May 29th in the final of European football’s showpiece. The game was originally set to take place in Istanbul, but it was moved by governing body UEFA when Turkey was put on the travel red list by the United Kingdom, meaning fans would be unable to travel to take in the match live (euronews.com).

Both City and Chelsea will be allowed 6,000 fans at the stadium for the match, but it is unlikely to be a smooth experience for those who travel. Portugal’s cabinet affairs minister Mariana Vieira da Silva has revealed those who travel to the final will have to return on the same day and will only be allowed to visit a fanzone before going to the ground.

This news, which was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, did not go down well at all with the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to reveal their thoughts.

Let’s see what the Man City fans had to say below

“What a mess this is, they knew everyone would book flights and hotels when it got announced today”

Credit: @tomcuffy

“What a scam”

Credit: @Prince_Ederson

“Farce”

Credit: @MCFCfans

“Disgrace”

Credit: @mohamedamiin2

“farcical situation regarding this final”

Credit: @mancityrising

“Just after UEFA saying they care about fans”

Credit: @CityJoul

In other news, Man City fans were delighted with this Eric Garcia news.

Ryan Sidebottom was gearing up for his England Test debut today in place of his Yorkshire colleague Craig White

CricInfo18-May-2001Ryan Sidebottom was gearing up for his England Test debut today in place of his Yorkshire colleague Craig White.Quick bowler Sidebottom will appear against Pakistan in the First Test along with another debutant, Surrey’s Ian Ward.After it had been announced yesterday that White would be left out because of his back problems, England coach Duncan Fletcher said: “We’ve got a guy like Ryan who’s bowling well and it’s very important for an individual when he gets a gap to make sure you are ready for it.”He had a good A tour and hopefully he can come in and produce the goods.”Fletcher added: “He’s done well where he’s played in the big games in theWest Indies and he’s looked pretty relaxed in the changing room; just lookingat him he looks as though nothing seems to excite him too much, which is quitegood.”Hopefully he does go out there and do it. At the end of the day, we’ll onlyfind that out in the next couple of Test matches whether mentally he’s got it.”We are confident that as a bowler, he’s got the potential to be an effectiveTest bowler.”Ward was England A’s most consistent batsman on their winter tour of the West Indies.He is expected to bat at No 7 and, along with Dominic Cork at No 8, will be given the task of shepherding the lower order.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former Rangers defender Michael Ball has heaped praised on Ross Wilson.

Wilson was appointed as sporting director at Rangers back in 2019 after leaving Southampton and has spearheaded the Glasgow club’s recruitment drive alongside manager Steven Gerrard.

Under his direction, the Gers have signed the likes of Ianis Hagi and Kemar Roofe, who made significant contributions in their side’s Scottish Premiership title triumph this season.

It is a triumph that has seen Gerrard win a lot of plaudits – and rightly so after Celtic’s dominance of Scottish football was finally brought to an end. However, Ball believes Wilson, who is also rated highly by Kris Boyd, deserves credit too.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the Rangers sporting director, the retired full-back said:

“I think Steven, Ross Wilson, Steven’s backroom staff have been fantastic since they’ve come to the club.

“Ross Wilson, fantastic record under Les Reed at Southampton. He’ll have all the credentials and all the data on the players that Rangers could be able to afford going forward.”

Gerrard and Wilson have already got to work ahead of next season after signing striker Fashion Sakala from KV Oostende.

And with a title to defend, as well as Champions League football, you would expect a few other new names to follow the Zambia international to Ibrox.

Well the time has come for us to get stuck into our winter programme

Alistair Campbell05-Jun-2001Well the time has come for us to get stuck into our winter programme. On Thursday, in Bulawayo we start off our two Test Match Series against India, who on paper, and on recent performance look a very formidable unit.I read through their team sheet the other day, and the thought struck me that on their day, every member of their team could be a match winner. Not many other teams in the world could boast such strength and depth.India’s batting has always been its strength, and with players likeTendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, and Ganguly it is no surprise why. But with Srinath fit again, Zaheer Khan, Agarkar and of course Harbhajan Singh bowling for them, the balance of their side has never looked better. With John Wright at the helm they have gone from strength to strength. I feel it is going to take a lot of good gutsy cricket from us to get one over the Indians.Having said all of this, though, there still hangs over their heads the fact that their away record is nothing short of “a few unprintable four letter words”.They have been described as Tigers at home and Lambs abroad, and I am sure that they will be going all out to try and change this particular title as well as their record.This however could work in our favour, as they get to a stage where they start pushing too hard to achieve results, we will be there, hopefully, to cash in on any errors and mistakes they may make.It promises to be a fascinating contest, something I can’t wait to start and get my teeth into. I think people will enjoy the battle between the two teams no more so than the individual duels we are going to witness. Heath Streak against Sachin Tendulkar, and Andrew Flower against Harbhajan Singh promises to be a great contest between great players – Let the action begin!

West Brom’s relegation back to the Championship was confirmed last weekend but with three games still left to play, they ought to go down with their head held high.

Of course, it has been a disastrous season at The Hawthorns and things could quickly get worse with Liverpool in town as they look to bolster their top-four claims.

However, Sam Allardyce’s men caused them a lot of trouble up at Anfield in the reverse fixture back in late December and will be wanting to do the same here.

Given that they know their immediate fate, the 66-year-old could do with keeping one eye on next season. The Express & Star believe he is in line to stay at the Baggies, so he should look to some out-of-favour stars here this afternoon.

Some big-name players have struggled for minutes under Big Sam, particularly since the January transfer window, where Albion’s squad was bolstered by plenty of loan additions – but none of them are likely to be around next season, so there is very little point in playing them.

One star that has quickly become a forgotten man in the Midlands is £18m summer signing Grady Diangana.

The 23-year-old dynamo started up in Merseyside but has only played in four league games since, in which just two have been starts. In fact, the former West Ham academy gem has played only 85 minutes in 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

Diangana, who is now valued at just £9m, was one of West Brom’s star performers in the Championship last season, providing eight goals and seven assists.

He earned rave reviews as an “explosive” threat that is a “total nightmare” to defend against and considering the Baggies are heading back there, Big Sam must give him a run-out in these remaining matches to prove he’s worthy of redemption next term.

Interestingly, the 5 foot 11 wide man put in a very industrious and solid showing against the Reds last time, so perhaps he can be the man to give Jurgen Klopp and his team those ‘nightmares’ once again.

As per SofaScore, Diangana made three tackles, registered two interceptions and picked up two free-kicks, helping his defence thwart the threat on offer from Mo Salah and co, which would have undoubtedly left the German boss a little frustrated.

If West Brom want to cause a major upset and end their season on a high, then Allardyce could do no harm in unleashing a player with a big point to prove.

The rarely-seen gem must be part of the starting XI later today.

AND in other news, Albion given big manager update amid Allardyce claim, Dowling now has tricky dilemma…

With the Premier League season set to finish on Sunday afternoon, Dean Smith will have one final line-up to put out when Aston Villa take on Chelsea.

The Midlands club picked up an impressive three points away from home against Spurs in mid-week, with an own goal from Sergio Reguilon and a strike from Ollie Watkins enough to turn things around after they had initially fallen behind.

While a number of Villa’s players enjoyed some standout performances, one man who really struggled to get to the pace of the game was Anwar El Ghazi.

As per Sofascore, he finished with a 6.5 match rating, which was the lowest of any Villa player, and there were a number of times where he looked off the pace and a bit too lightweight.

He lost 13 duels on the day, which was by far the most of any player, and also lost possession 16 times, again the most of anyone who featured. The Dutchman also failed to complete any dribbles and committed three fouls as his frustrations got the better of him.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/villa-dean-smith-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-premier-league-buendia-berge-mcneil-trezeguet-villa-park” title=”Read the latest Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

The £9m-rated El Ghazi has been in good form in recent weeks, with three goals in the five games prior to the win at Spurs, but with this being the final day and Villa guaranteed to finish 11th, Smith has the perfect opportunity to experiment with his starting line-up.

With Jaden Philogene-Bidace waiting in the wings for Villa, it’s surely the perfect time for Smith to drop one of his usual first team players and hand an opportunity to one of the club’s brightest young talents.

Villa have nothing to lose, and it’s about time Smith makes some brave decisions and looks towards the club’s future.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a summer move for this Scottish star…

Western Province B completed a five wicket victory over Border B to complete the double, having already claimed the UCB Bowl 3-Day competition earlier in the week

Peter le Grange27-Mar-2002Western Province B completed a five wicket victory over Border B to complete the double, having already claimed the UCB Bowl 3-Day competition earlier in the week.Border never really got going in their innings after being sent in to bat in cool conditions with rain always threatening, and despite chipping away at the WP batting order, were always on the back foot in the field.Gareth Berg bowled Smith in the third over to set the visitors back, but Laden Gamiet and Burton de Wett kept the scoreboard ticking along nicely with a 54 run partnership off 72 balls. After Gamiet fell to Mark de Stadler, the aggressive Wayne Wiblin immediately got on with the boundary hitting. Their partnership of 40 off 51 balls raised the 100 in the 22nd over, at which point they were well placed to post a commanding score.Berg then returned, bowling de Wett with the first ball of his second spell. Paul Harris joined the attack, strangling the batsmen from the start. Wiblin managed just two singles off the last 16 balls he faced before lashing out at Ian Trott, and the middle order subsided to 140 for 6 in the 36th over.The experienced duo of Ian Mitchell and Piet Botha batted out the overs, their unbeaten partnership contributing 52 off 59 balls, and Border had posted a respectable but not overawing target of 4.3 to the over. Harris had the best return, taking a single wicket but conceding less than three an over, despite being hit for two successive boundaries by Sodumo in his fifth over.Heavy rain during the lunch break threatened to force the match into a replay, but the rain was short lived and the innings began just ten minutes late with no reduction of overs. Rashaad Magiet made a purposeful start, scoring 12 off his own bat in the first two overs. Botha tightened up, but his opening partner Maketa was rested after conceding 13 in his opening spell of three overs.Botha was rewarded with Magiet’s wicket in the 11th over, but Ryan Maron and JP Duminy broke the back of the task with a partnership of 79 off 116 balls. Maron could have been dismissed several times, but luck was on his side. Their partnership was broken in comical circumstances as he and Maron were involved in a massive misunderstanding. Maron rode his luck, hitting out whenever possible to record his 50 off 87 balls, and went on to reach 60 before he eventually succeeded in getting a faint edge to Justin Kreusch.The home side then had a flutter, Jonathan Trott and Wesley Euley following Maron in quick succession. Jonathan McLean steadied the ship, scoring at more than a run a ball and lofting two sixes. He almost ran himself out with the scores tied, but survived to hit the winning run with 12 balls to spare to bring down the curtain on yet another extremely successful season for the Western Province Bowl squad.

New Zealand waved goodbye to the prospect of a third placing in the ICC Test Championship when failing to win the second National Bank Series Test at the Basin Reserve against England but a win in Auckland could still see them claim fourth ahead of

Lynn McConnell25-Mar-2002New Zealand waved goodbye to the prospect of a third placing in the ICC Test Championship when failing to win the second National Bank Series Test at the Basin Reserve against England but a win in Auckland could still see them claim fourth ahead of England.Already England have secured the William Jordan Rosebowl for another term – the trophy is awarded to the winner of home series between the two countries. The only time New Zealand has won it remains the summer of 1983/84.The third Test starts in Auckland on Saturday. The New Zealand team for the Test will be named tomorrow.It won’t be remembered as a match of accurate umpiring and if it proves to be the last of Steve Dunne’s career it will not be the most shining example of efficiency, a point that should have been brought home to him by the on-field responses of both sides to some decisions – muted as the responses may have been under requirements of the International Code of Conduct.The message was plain, the players were not happy, and the all-seeing television eye would suggest they had good cause.New Zealand batted through 84 overs on the last day today, having been left a target of 356 in 86 overs, but under the conditions it was never on. When play ended two overs early, New Zealand were 158/4 with Nathan Astle (11) and Craig McMillan (17) unbeaten.It was always going to be a fine balancing act for England captain Nasser Hussain. He was always conscious of the threat posed by Astle after the Christchurch onslaught, but in reality the prospect of a repeat here in Wellington was always going to be unlikely.A different pitch, different circumstances, and different needs for Astle’s team.Ten years ago in Christchurch Phil Tufnell went through the New Zealand side in an afternoon as the home team lost seven wickets for 53 runs.But Ashley Giles did not offer the same problems to the New Zealand top order that Tufnell managed.And while the Basin Reserve came under scrutiny in the match, one thing has generally remained constant about the ground since the mid-1980s, at least, it doesn’t quickly deteriorate and, in fact, gets better the further the match goes.Losing the first day and most of the second helped ensure there would be no dramatic break up of the pitch on this occasion.It was at best one of those days which provides frustration for all but the most fervent admirer of Test cricket.England came out and went for the bash to add 97 runs in 18 overs, courtesy largely of 75 runs blasted by Andrew Flintoff who was let off the leash and given free rein to pummel the New Zealand attack, which he did.The one disappointment for England had to be the failure of Marcus Trescothick to achieve his third Test century in a situation made for him. He was out for 88 to Daniel Vettori’s bowling.At one stage Flintoff was in danger of setting the world record for the fastest 50 in Test matches although the actual amount appears to be in some dispute. Some claim Ian Botham’s 26-ball effort at Delhi in 1981/82 is the record while others say Kapil Dev’s 30-ball effort at Karachi in 1982/83 is the fastest.Whatever the record, Flintoff didn’t make it as his 50 came off 33 balls. He was eventually out, offering a simple return leading edge to Vettori when on 75, scored off 44 balls. He hit two sixes and nine fours.If there was any satisfaction for New Zealand’s bowlers it was that Vettori stayed composed under the circumstances and took three for 90.In New Zealand’s response Mark Richardson fell to a good, over-the-shoulder catch by Graham Thorpe from Giles’ bowling at fine leg, at least by the time he caught it, for four.Lou Vincent then came and played an applied innings, although he was given a huge stay of execution when Dunne failed to give him out caught off his gloves by Mark Butcher at silly mid-off.Vincent scored his second half century of the match and was 71, from 181 minutes and 170 balls, before he was trapped leg before wicket by Matthew Hoggard.Earlier, Matt Horne had played a more compelling innings, and one that should probably see him retained for the third Test, of 38 in 109 minutes.Stephen Fleming provided a crease occupation intent on saving the Test with 11 runs scored in 143 minutes.Hoggard did cause a minor flutter of expectation with Vincent and Fleming’s wicket but Astle and McMillan batted without error to keep the series alive.New Zealand knew what they had to do to win the Test in terms of bowling, and they failed. Some change seems likely for the last Test, probably the selection of Daryl Tuffey for Chris Martin.But the home side also need to remember that their two first inning batting efforts in the Tests to date have been poor when they are capable of much better and without those runs they are never going to put the pressure on England in the later stages of the game.

Newcastle are heading for a major transfer disaster over Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season coming to an end last Sunday, Steve Bruce’s side can now firmly turn their attention towards the summer transfer window and how best to reinforce the squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are set to reignite their interest in Ntcham, who becomes a free agent following news Celtic are set to terminate his contract.

The report said: “A recruitment source has told Football Insider that Ntcham, 25, is on their radar once again after they lost out to Marseille in the race to sign him in January”.

Fans won’t be happy

Given all the hype and excitement surrounding Joe Willock, who played a starring role for the Magpies in the final weeks of the Premier League campaign, for Newcastle to go after Ntcham seems like a complete mismatch.

The Frenchman has been nothing short of abysmal this season while on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille, averaging a measly 6.13 match rating as per WhoScored when he’s been on the pitch, and even missing out on several match-day squads as well, often frozen out under former boss Andre Villas-Boas.

He has averaged just 0.4 tackles and 0.5 interceptions per game, and hasn’t managed over a single shot, key pass or dribble per match either on average – those statistics would actually rank him among the worst players in the entire Newcastle squad.

Former Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers, who is now in charge of Leicester City, once called him a “terrific talent”, while Neil Lennon has said that Celtic had “one hell of a player” at their disposal, adding: “When he is in the mood, he’s fantastic.”

However, the £15,000-a-week midfielder has regressed considerably since those comments, and Lennon’s verdict on him being “in the mood” is also a worrying indication of someone who doesn’t turn up consistently like Willock has done. The Frenchman also angered Lennon in 2019 by intimating that he wanted to quit Celtic for a potential move to Porto, which never materialised.

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It’s exactly why Magpies fans will likely be unhappy at hearing that the club are targeting Ntcham this summer, and it would surely make them even more vexed if he came to Tyneside at the expense of Willock.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could hire a dream Steve Bruce replacement in this man…