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Pakistan’s domestic cricket is likely to undergo yet more structural changes, with the emphasis moving once again back from regions to departments and private organisations

Cricinfo staff05-Dec-2008
Javed Miandad will send PCB coaches “to coach youth in far flung areas” across Pakistan © Getty Images
Pakistan’s domestic cricket is likely to undergo yet more structural changes, with the emphasis moving once again back from regions to departments and private organisations. Javed Miandad, the PCB’s director general, has said more private companies and MNCs will be given affiliation by the board to raise first-class teams, in a bid to replicate the domestic formula that Pakistan’s national side prospered from in the 70s and 80s.”MNCs and banks will have an open invitation from the board to raise good teams and take part in our first-class cricket,” Miandad told Cricinfo. “They will be encouraged to raise Under-19 teams, put in development schemes and so on.”Pakistan’s first-class structure, in recent years, has been centred around regional cricket. The previous two administrations of Shaharyar Khan and Nasim Ashraf were both keen proponents of regional-based cricket and departments and banks, in their scheme of things, were to be slowly sidelined. This is a vision favoured by, among others, Imran Khan.But others, including Miandad, Rashid Latif and Sarfraz Nawaz, have long argued that given Pakistan’s relatively poor economic health, organisations such as Habib Bank and PIA are crucial for cricket, because they offer a livelihood to poor, uneducated but talented cricketers.This season’s structure, Miandad said, will remain the same and the changes will only come after the plan has been vetted and approved by the various stakeholders: as such there is not set timeline for when these changes will occur.”This is like going back to Abdul Hafeez Kardar’s original plan for domestic cricket,” Miandad said, referring to the first captain of Pakistan and one of its most influential board heads, who first invited institutions to play domestically in the early 70s. “That vision served Pakistan well and between 1983 and 1996 in particular, when we had this set-up, Pakistan really prospered,” Miandad said.Region-based teams, such as Karachi and Lahore, or Sind and Punjab (in the Pentangular), will not, however, be sidelined completely. Instead, they will be given greater autonomy to run their own affairs, a decentralisation in a sense of the administration of cricket in the country. One charge against previous board administrations has been that they have controlled regional associations far too much and become embroiled in their politics.”We are saying to regional associations, take control of your cricket and handle your affairs and run it. Karachi, Lahore they should all take more responsibility and run cricket,” Miandad said. “Recently, the board has been giving them money – which is fine – but regions have taken it and not done as much with it as possible. These associations need to find players, bring them up from the grassroots and hand them to Pakistan cricket. The PCB will help you but you have to do the work yourself.”The plan, Miandad said, needs time. “We had two set-ups before this which tried regional cricket and it hasn’t really worked. We have to look at this and we need time.”

Arsenal have now dropped their pursuit of Aaron Ramsdale…

What’s the word?

That’s according to talkSPORT, who dropped a major update to supporters on Twitter.

The North London outfit had previously been mooted with a whopping £24m move for the Englishman, who was part of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad this summer.

As per football.london’s Chris Wheatley, the Gunners had held ‘advanced talks’ with Sheffield United over the 23-year-old shot-stopper. However, they now seem to have walked away from any potential deal.

“Breaking: Arsenal have pulled out of the race to sign Aaron Ramsdale.

“The Gunners have moved on to other targets after failing to agree a fee with Sheffield United for the goalkeeper – talkSPORT understands.”

Correct decision

This latest development should leave many Arsenal fans absolutely delighted as it means the club are no longer going to splash out on a backup goalkeeper.

Despite Ramsdale’s obvious potential, the two relegations on his CV at such a young age is certainly cause for concern and to spend more than the £20m they made on Emiliano Martinez for another second choice did seem a little absurd.

Some of the alternative options out there are available for a much cheaper price, too, including West Brom’s Sam Johnstone (£12m) and Ajax’s Andre Onana (£4m).

Furthermore, plenty of the Emirates Stadium faithful were completely against the idea of signing Ramsdale. Some of the best reactions were relayed by football.london earlier this week.

“A waste of money,” claimed one fan, with another deeming it “one of the worst transfers” he’d seen in a long time, whilst a further member of the Gunners fanbase believed the club were “completely panicking” heading into the final few weeks of the window.

Whilst it was just a small sample of fans, it did explain the general mood across North London over this potential deal.

Now that it appears to be off, they can feel a little relieved and perhaps quite excited as funds in excess of £24m could well be spent elsewhere in the squad, such as finding that new no.10 or securing another striker.

AND in other news, Arsenal “in talks” to sign £27m-rated “rare talent”, Edu could find their next Vieira…

Watford continue to strengthen their squad with new signings this summer, with Ozan Tufan the latest player to join Xisco Munoz’s side at Vicarage Road.

What’s the word?

It was confirmed earlier this week that the Hornets have signed the £9.9m-rated Fenerbahce man on loan for the season, with an option to buy should he impress throughout the campaign.

The 26-year-old has a wealth of experience playing in Turkey, with 259 career appearances to his name with Fenerbahce, Bursaspor and Alanyaspor, while he earned glowing comparisons with Manchester City legend Yaya Toure from one of his former managers during his time with the Istanbul club.

Will Tufan be a good signing for Watford?

He has contributed 25 goals and 34 assists in that time, and also has 63 caps for Turkey under his belt, so he will add plenty of experience to Watford’s midfield as they look to stave off relegation back to the Championship this season.

Although he might struggle to break into the midfield if Peter Etebo, Juraj Kucka and Tom Cleverley maintain the form they showed in the opening day victory against Aston Villa, Tufan’s versatility suggests that he will still be a hugely important member of Xisco’s squad.

During his career thus far, the 26-year-old has played in a wide range of positions across the midfield and defence, which suggests that he could provide cover in any of those roles for Watford this season should they suffer injury problems.

The Turkish midfielder will no doubt be pushing to earn a starting spot in his favoured central midfield position, however, and the increased competition in that area can only be a good thing for Xisco this term.

Watford’s report claims that they beat a host of Premier League and European clubs to the signing of Tufan, so Hornets fans must be delighted to see him arrive at Vicarage Road and will be hoping to watch him making a big contribution this season.

In other news… Forget Dennis: Watford star who made five key passes was Xisco’s star against Villa

A round-up of the third day’s play of the sixth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09

Cricinfo staff14-Dec-2008<iTamil Nadu 117 (Amarnath 5-24, Argal 3-39) and 402 (Karthik 123, Prasanna 92, Argal 4-59) beat Baroda 166 (YK Pathan 35, Amarnath 5-60) and 94 (Gaekwad 37*, Balaji 5-47, Ganapathy 4-47) by 259 runs
Scorecard
L Balaji’s five-wicket haul wrapped up an easy win for Tamil Nadu in Vadodara © Getty Images
A 259-run win at the Moti Bagh Stadium, and the five points from it, helped Tamil Nadu book their spot in the quarter-finals. Baroda’s bowlers came back strongly after leaking 301 runs in 73 overs on the second day, but Tamil Nadu’s medium-pacers were even better, bundling out the opposition in 24.5 overs to set up victory with a day to spare.Tamil Nadu started with a 252-run lead, but they lost seven wickets for 101on the third day. The overnight pair of Dinesh Karthik and S Vidyut extended their partnership to 77 before falling in quick succession. Suresh Kumar and R Ashwin then added 41 for the sixth wicket but medium-pacer Ajitesh Argal and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh took the last five wickets for 19 runs.Set a target of 354, Baroda were rarely in the hunt as Tamil Nadu’s medium-pacers maintained a testing off-stump line. P Amarnath, who took five in the first innings, dismissed Connor Williams for 3, and in the next over L Balaji made it 14 for 3. Azharuddin Bilakhia and Shatrunjay Gaekwad were the only pair to offer some resistance. Balaji removed Bilakhia after a 25 that included six boundaries, and C Ganapathy snuffed out chances of a fightback with three wickets in four balls. Ganpathy finished with four, and Balaji took two in the 25th over to complete his 15th first-class five-for. Gaekwad was not out on 37, while Karthik, the Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper and captain, claimed five catches in the innings to follow up his century.
ScorecardMumbai also secured their spot in the final eight with a thumping 315-run win over Orissa at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Ajinkya Rahane scored a career-best 201 at a brisk pace – 244 balls – to set Orissa a daunting target of 434. The hosts crumbled for 118 – ten more than their first-innings effort.Mumbai were leading by 205 overnight, and more than doubled that lead in 52.5 overs on the third day. Opener Sahil Kukreja fell on his overnight score of 53, and Rohit Sharma was out for 22, but Rahane found a partner in captain Wasim Jaffer. The duo have been involved in a few big partnerships previously, and they added 173 before Jaffer fell for 66. The declaration came soon, when Rahane was dismissed.For Orissa, two top-order batsmen, Bikas Pati and Shiv Sunder Das, did not bat – Das was injured on the first day. Stand-in opener Pinninti Jayachandra made 72, but there was not much from the rest as they were bowled out in 33.1overs – the final three wickets fell without a run being added.
Scorecard
Gujarat have almost firmed their place in the quarter-finals, and will be assured of a top-three finish from Group A if Delhi fail to win by an innings or ten wickets on Monday. Rajasthan began in Jaipur with a slender lead of 57 with three wickets left in the second innings, and Gujarat medium-pacer Amit Singh scalped all three to finish with figures of 7 for 31, his first five-wicket haul in first-class games. It also completed his maiden ten-wicket haul – he had taken 4 for 31 in the first innings. Singh’s 7 for 31 is the third-best figures for a Gujarat bowler; Jasubhai Patel had two eight-wicket hauls during his career. For Rajasthan, debutant Vinod Chanawaria was the last man out, falling 12 short of his maiden first-class ton.A ten-wicket win would have given Gujarat a bonus point and a spot in the quarter-finals, but Sumit Mathur removed Nilesh Modi early. He took the second wicket as well, but Gujarat were already 80 chasing 96, a target they achieved with seven wickets and a day to spare.Saurashtra 241 and 46 for 2 (Narwal 2-19) trail Delhi 384 (Dhawan 93, Kohli 69, Chopra 58, Nanda 47) by 97 runs
ScorecardA desperate Delhi will begin the final day in Rajkot hoping to take the remaining eight wickets in Saurashtra’s second innings as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. Delhi have three points assured from this game after they gained the first-innings lead, but a win will give them two more points – three if they win by an innings or ten wickets – and deny Saurashtra, another quarter-final contender from Group A, the one point they stand to earn from a draw.At 215 for 2, Delhi needed only 27 to overhaul Saurashtra’s first-innings score, and their overnight batsmen – Shikhar Dhawan and Mithun Manhas – secured the lead. However, Dhawan (93) and Manhas (32) fell with the score on 255. Two more wickets down for 18 runs, and Delhi were in trouble of being bundled with not much of a lead. Allrounder Rajat Bhatia made 36 to push to score past 300 along with Chetanya Nanda, who stayed till the end to take Delhi to 384. Nanda made 47 off 115 balls, putting on 58 for the ninth wicket with Pradeep Sangwan, who scored 35 off 39.Saurashtra crawled to 46 in 25 overs before stumps. Sumit Narwal removed both openers – Chirag Pathak falling lbw after playing across the line while Bhushan Chauhan was caught behind. The onus will be on Cheteshwar Pujara, their leading batsman this season, and the experienced Shitanshu Kotak to bat out for a draw.
ScorecardThe battle between Railways and Maharashtra is set for an intriguing finish. Railways, who need a win to boost their chances of progressing, set Maharashtra a challenging 303 to win. In reply, Maharashtra’s openers were off to a steady start, putting on 34 in their eight overs.Railways’ openers began the day with a 16-run lead in Ratnagiri – they had wiped out the first-innings deficit the previous evening – but both fell early. Mun Mangela struck twice to reduce the visitors for 59 for 3. However, as in the first innings, Yere Goud and Sanjib Sanyal rescued their side. They had scores in the 70s then, and this time both moved on to the 80s but failed to go beyond.The two batted 47.1 overs for their 141-run stand. As in the first innings, Sanyal was the first to fall, and Goud the sixth man out. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik came up the order and boosted the run-rate with ten fours in his 49-ball 56. There was a quick cameo from Deepak Yadav before Railways declared at 334 for 6.Hyderabad 335 and 68 for 2 (Pai 31*) lead Punjab 291 (Kaul 106, Goel 44, Sidhana 41, MP Arjun 3-54, Ashwin Yadav 3-68, Shanker 3-76) by 112 runs
Scorecard
Hyderabad are likely to bag three points from their match against Punjab at home. They took the first-innings lead at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, and the match is set to finish as a draw unless something dramatic happens on the final day.Punjab, though, did run Hyderabad close for the first-innings points. Wicketkeeper Uday Kaul scored a century, adding 89 runs for the sixth wicket with Mayank Sidhana, the other overnight batsman. But Sidhana’s wicket triggered a mini-collapse; MP Arjun struck twice to reduce Punjab to 241 for 9, still 94 short of Hyderabad’s total. Kaul, though, got support from Amanpreet Singh. He made 15, but the 50-run stand was not enough for them to take the lead. Hyderabad lost two wickets early in their second innings, but recovered to close the day leading by 112.Uttar Pradesh 295 for 2 (Srivastava 154*, Kaif 103*) trail Karnataka 511 by 216 runs
Scorecard
Tanmay Srivastava and Mohammad Kaif played in their last league match of the season just as they did in their first. Srivastava scored a fluent century, Kaif’s effort was more circumspect, and between them they put on an unbeaten 242-run stand. Uttar Pradesh lost only Suresh Raina on the day, moving towards Karnataka’s 511 in what has essentially become a first-innings match. (Read the full report.)

The ICC’s executive meeting in Perth at the end of the month will go ahead, but without Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket

Cricinfo staff23-Jan-2009
Peter Chingoka: absent from Perth after refusing to submit a visa application © Getty Images
The ICC’s executive meeting in Perth at the end of the month will go ahead, but without Peter Chingoka, the chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket.Chingoka was banned from entering Australia by the authorities earlier this month because of what it stated were his links to the Mugabe regime. The ICC, whose executive made clear last summer that it would not allow meetings to go ahead unless all its members were permitted to attend, had been lobbying the Australian Foreign Office to grant Chingoka a visa.However, Cricinfo has learned David Morgan, the ICC president, was told by Stephen Smith, Australia’s foreign minister, that a decision whether to issue the visa could only be made if Chingoka actually submitted an application. Chingoka refused, despite lobbying from senior ICC officials, insisting that he be guaranteed entry before he applied.Given that Chingoka has been in Bangladesh watching Zimbabwe play ODIs there over the last week and is now believed to be in India, it is clear that no application has been, or will be, made by him.With all executive members having booked flights to, and made hotel reservations in, Perth a decision was made in the last few days to proceed without Chingoka. It is possible he will contribute by means of a telephone link-up from Harare.Chingoka’s stubbornness has left some ICC members unimpressed. Morgan has been publicly pushing the Australian authorities, while behind the scenes it is understood that Sharad Pawar, the ICC vice-president and India’s agriculture minister, has also been trying to put pressure on them. It now seems that their efforts were pointless.This echoes what happened last year when the ICC moved its annual meeting because the UK authorities refused to make a decision whether to allow Chingoka in until he submitted a visa application, which he refused to do. On that occasion, Chingoka’s tactics paid off and the meeting was moved away from London for the first time in 99 years.He was subsequently barred from entering or transiting through the European Union, again because of links to the Mugabe government.

Manchester United would become genuine title contenders by making a late swoop for Harry Kane, according to Steve Howey.

England captain Kane has grown frustrated by a lack of trophies at Tottenham Hotspur and publicly confirmed he wants to leave his boyhood club before the transfer window slams shut next week.

While Manchester City have been the frontrunners for Kane’s signature all summer and boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his desire to sign last season’s Premier League Golden Boot winner, arch-rivals Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on the situation and club legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils to leap to the front of the queue.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already completed two big-money transfers during the window, with England international Jadon Sancho making the £73million switch from Borussia Dortmund and 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane joining from Real Madrid.

But former Premier League defender Howey believes the acquisition of Kane would immediately bolster Manchester United’s chances of clinching the title.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “They would automatically become title contenders by signing Kane.

“I think they look stronger defensively after signing Varane from Real Madrid. They’re looking good in midfield, with Paul Pogba starting the season really well and Bruno Fernandes scoring goals.

“Although Solskjaer has been criticised in the past, I think he is slowly and steadily building a decent team. If they get a player of Kane’s quality, that would take them to a different level.”

While anything can happen while the transfer window remains open, it does look like no club will be signing Kane this summer, with the player recently stating that he now intends to stay at the club.

Canada are set to play their first major overseas series against a Full Member country when they tour Zimbabwe in March

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2009Canada are set to play their first major overseas series against a Full Member country when they tour Zimbabwe in March. The matches form part of their preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in April.The games, which are likely to all be played in Harare, will take place between March 18 and 26 and are all likely to be against a Zimbabwe A side.The teams last met in a Twenty20 tournament in Toronto last October when Canada tied with Zimbabwe in the first match before losing a bowl off.

David Norris has called for Leeds United to tempt Liverpool outcast Divock Origi to Elland Road on transfer deadline day.

The Whites have gone into the final day of the window having welcomed two fresh faces to Yorkshire, with Junior Firpo completing a £13million switch from Spanish giants Barcelona and Valerenga goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson making the move.

Jack Harrison has also joined on a permanent basis following a succession of loan spells from Manchester City.

But Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa may make a late move for a striker who could provide competition for Patrick Bamford, with former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips suggesting Origi should be on the Argentinian’s radar.

The speculation comes after it was reported that Liverpool would allow the Belgium international to leave Anfield if a bid between £15million and £20million were to be lodged.

Origi, 26, has yet to make an appearance this season and former Leeds midfielder Norris believes Elland Road could be the perfect destination for the 6 ft 1 attacker.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “I think it would be a good fit and I would like that to go through.

“He’s not going to play regularly at Liverpool and, if he has that ambition of playing regular football, now is the time to go.

“I think the attributes he has and the players Leeds have would make it a good signing.”

Brett Dorey continued his impressive year with a five-wicket haul but he will need a repeat performance if Western Australia are to move to second

Cricinfo staff17-Feb-2009Western Australia 189 and 8 for 97 (Duval 4-16) lead Tasmania 163 (Marsh 64, Dorey 5-37) by 123 runs
Scorecard

Brett Dorey was a menace for Tasmania with five wickets at Bellerive Oval © Getty Images
Brett Dorey continued his impressive year with a five-wicket haul but he will need a repeat performance if Western Australia are to move to second after they collapsed to 8 for 97. Tasmania seemed to be the struggling team, giving up 26 runs on first innings, before storming back into the contest through their fast bowlers.Brett Geeves struck in the third and fifth overs and Chris Duval earned 4 for 16 after Wes Robinson (18) and David Bandy (22) were two of the four visiting batsmen to reach double figures. The performance gives Western Australia a 123-run lead entering the third morning, with Tasmania also eyeing second spot if they win.Steve Magoffin started Tasmania’s batting problems with three breakthroughs to have them 5 for 53, leaving Dan Marsh to take on the responsibility of pushing his side closer to the target. He stayed for 64 before he was Dorey’s fifth wicket when last out for 64. The haul of 5 for 37 off 23.2 overs added to Dorey’s 11 wickets in the previous game in Brisbane, but he will need more impact to save his side.

Flocking to Twitter, some West Ham United fans have been left unhappy over the deadline day decision to send promising young midfielder Conor Coventry out on loan to Peterborough United for the 2021/2022 season.

Coventry, who enjoyed an impressive pre-season under manager David Moyes at points, has been likened to star man Declan Rice and tipped by supporters as a real one to watch for the future (Hammers News).

The 21-year-old has made three competitive senior appearances for West Ham since his debut in 2018/2019 with that handful of cameos all coming in the EFL Cup (Transfermarkt).

He is yet to make an appearance for the Irons in any other competition, including the Premier League, as the club now decide to grant him some more experience on a season-long loan to Peterborough.

Despite the deal including a January break clause, which could allow West Ham to recall him before the end of 21/22, some supporters have still been left fuming at the decision not to give him a chance in Moyes’ first team.

While the late loan signing of Spartak Moscow midfielder Alex Kral supplies depth in that defensive midfield position, given Coventry’s promise, you can understand why some Irons fans are eager to see their starlet get a proper run in the senior side.

Find all of their verdicts on this decision to loan out Coventry, which one fan called ‘ridiculous’, down below.

West Ham fans seethe over Coventry call…

“Really stupid move this. His better than Noble, I understand Noble has to get game time because its his last year but Conor should have been given 1st team games in Europa League”

Credit: @WestHamFC_

“nooooo hes brilliant”

Credit: @bollolau

“Terrible from us”

Credit: @CooperfectUTB

“WHYYYYY”

Credit: @bestfullbackitl

“Pain. He’s gonna do well there.”

Credit: @louiefootball

“Disappointed in this tbh”

Credit: @theeightyfor

“Ridiculous”

Credit: @LovettGavin

In other news: Journalist reveals real reason why West Ham didn’t sign Abraham…find out more here.