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Cricinfo staff08-Mar-2009South Australia 253 and 5 for 338 (Cosgrove 118, Harris 82) beat Tasmania 301 and 9 for 289 dec by 5 wickets
Scorecard
Points table

Mark Cosgrove continued his late-season flourish with 118 © Getty Images
Mark Cosgrove’s 118 drove South Australia to third place and ended Tasmania’s brave push to join Victoria in Friday’s final. The Tigers had fought back on the second and third days, but could not fulfil their last aim of ten wickets on Sunday, finishing with five as the Redbacks reached 338.Tasmania declared on their overnight score of 9 for 289 and were in with a chance until Cosgrove arrived. Cosgrove spent most of the season out of the side, but capped his recall with centuries in two of the final three games. He could have remained unbeaten but tried to clear the boundary with one run remaining and was out for 118.Daniel Harris steered the early stages of the chase, but when he left 18 short of a century the Redbacks were a nervous 4 for 189. Cosgrove played freely and Graham Manou, one of a host of in-form glovemen around the country, provided excellent assistance with 55 not out.James Smith started the pursuit aggressively with 31 off 29 before he slipped against Luke Butterworth, who completed a five-wicket haul and a half-century on Saturday. Klinger, who has a competition-high 1203 runs, went after lunch on 23 when he nicked Jason Krejza to Dan Marsh at slip and Callum Ferguson (11) edged to Tim Paine. However, the afternoon belonged to the Redbacks, who leaped over Tasmania after winning three matches in a row for the first time since 1994-95.

Mike McGrath has revealed that Everton made a late enquiry to try to sign Kyle Walker-Peters in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Walker-Peters at left-back?

Predominantly a right-back, Walker-Peters has been playing on the left so far in the 2021/22 season (Transfermarkt).

With Niels Nkounkou allowed to leave on loan, perhaps the Goodison Park faithful were thinking that the Southampton ace could have been a suitable replacement.

The Latest: Enquiry

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, McGrath has revealed that the Merseyside club made an enquiry over the possibility of signing Walker-Peters during the final days of the window.

However, the Saints were not going to entertain the deal, and as such, he has stayed put at St. Mary’s.

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that Rafa Benitez’s team appeared to have missed out on the signing of Walker-Peters, given his versatility to be able to play at left-back as well as on the right.

Currently earning £50,000-per-week under Ralph Hasenhuttl’s management, he has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League for both Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton (Transfermarkt).

At 24 years of age, Walker-Peters has not hit his peak yet, and being English, he would have also helped fill the homegrown quota.

Thus, it is a deal that the Toffees really should have made sure that they got done but it looks like they may have left it too late.

In other news, find out what transfer news has Blues talking here!

England remain optimistic that both Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen will recover from their respective injuries in time for Friday’s ODI series decider against West Indies

Cricinfo staff30-Mar-2009
Kevin Pietersen left the field with a back spasm, but should be physically fit for Friday’s series decider © Getty Images
England remain optimistic that both Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen will recover from their respective injuries in time for Friday’s ODI series decider against West Indies, after both men were forced to leave the field during England’s nine-wicket victory in Barbados on Sunday.Flintoff required heavy strapping after being hit on the left thumb by a fierce drive from Dwayne Bravo, but an ultra-sound revealed no break and he now has four days in which to recover. Pietersen, meanwhile, left the field after suffering a back spasm while bowling his offbreaks to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and did not return for the rest of the innings.The injury had a certain irony about it, seeing as Pietersen had criticised Chanderpaul’s regular absences from the field during a newspaper interview in which he had admitted he was “ready to do a Robinho” and fly home from an increasingly unhappy tour. The England management confirmed that Pietersen had been refused permission to leave the tour for 48 hours between the third and fourth Tests to watch his wife, Jessica Taylor, compete in the celebrity talent show, Dancing on Ice.”The permission wasn’t granted because we’re on a cricket tour and it sets a bad precedent if people can go home during cricket tours,” England’s captain, Andrew Strauss, told reporters in Barbados. “He understood that fully and it wasn’t an issue by any means and he just got on with it. He’s been very supportive all the tour, he’s been very professional in the way he’s prepared himself.Nevertheless, the England management remained concerned about Pietersen’s outspoken comments in the media, not least because, for all that his concerns about homesickness are valid in their own right, he still intends to fly to South Africa after the series to fulfil his lucrative IPL contract with the Bangalore Royal Challengers. On Sunday, Pietersen told his Sunday newspaper column that being a part of the current England squad was a “pretty damn lonely place to be.””Sometimes what he says is put in big headlines so he must be conscious of the attention what he says does receive,” said Strauss. “I’ve had a chat to him about what he said and I think it’s completely dealt with as far as we’re concerned. I don’t think anything he said was in a malicious manner and we move on from there and hopefully lessons have been learned.”

Celtic head into their match this weekend needing an immediate response from what occurred in the Old Firm derby.

The Hoops were beaten by their biggest rivals and, all of a sudden, Ange Postecoglou’s men look as though they lack a bit of confidence again.

However, as the Bhoys get ready to face Ross County on Saturday afternoon, they will do so boosted by three deadline day signings.

Will any of those new faces start today? Here’s our predicted XI…

We anticipate Celtic to make four changes to the side which lost to Rangers two weeks ago.

The first change comes in the centre of defence, where Carl Starfelt – a man with an error in his system – is axed in favour of Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The Tottenham defender was a surprise late arrival on deadline day as Postecoglou managed to secure him on loan.

With Greg Taylor’s fitness unknown after pulling out of the Scotland squad, Josip Juranovic starts again on the left, with Anthony Ralston on the right.

The biggest change is in attack, where Kyogo Furuhashi is forced to drop out. The forward picked up a knee injury on international duty which will rule him for a month at least.

That means there is also a Hoops debut for Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is likely to be charged with leading the line.

There is no Odsonne Edouard anymore either, so he is replaced in the starting XI by Jota, who penned temporary terms from Benfica and could be the third of the Celtic debutants today.

The final change is behind the striker, where Ryan Christie is replaced by Tom Rogic. The former sealed a late move to Bournemouth and is no longer on the wage bill at Parkhead.

David Turnbull is likely to feature in midfield alongside the in-form skipper Callum McGregor.

Celtic have played some excellent attacking football this season, so it will be interesting to see how they fare with a huge change in personnel.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 20 y/o with a “wand of a left foot”…

Watford ended a run of three straight Premier League defeats with a comfortable 3-1 win over Norwich in the Premier League on Saturday.

Emmanuel Dennis scored the opener with a deft header after Grant Hanley misjudged the flight of a cross from Kiko Femenia on the right, with Teemu Pukki equalising for Norwich before half-time with a composed finish past Ben Foster.

Xisco Munoz’s side stepped up their game in the second- half, with Ismaila Sarr on hand to finish with ease in the box twice to seal the three points and a 3-1 win.

Whilst Sarr and Dennis will rightly get the plaudits for finding the back of the net, one player who went under the radar with a superb performance in midfield was Juraj Kucka.

The Slovakian midfielder was a thorn in Norwich’s side throughout the game as he bossed the middle of the park and helped Watford cruise to victory. He was strong defensively and looked to put his foot on the ball to calm things down in possession.

Defending his own goal, Kucka put himself about to put out fires and stop Norwich from breaking. As per SofaScore, he won an impressive 14 duels, nine on the ground and five in the air. He also made four tackles, one interception and one clearance, highlighting how much effort he put in across the pitch to pressurise the Canaries midfield.

This shows that the 34-year-old was strong in his 50-50 battles and did not allow Norwich to get the better of him in the physical side of the game. Daniel Farke’s side may have found more joy in the final third had Kucka not been so adept at winning his duels.

He also provided a valuable relief for Watford when in possession. As per SofaScore, he had 57 touches of the ball and completed two of his three long ball attempts, whilst also creating one chance. He also won five free-kicks for his team, relieving pressure and allowing the Hornets to settle and take the sting out of the game. This was his experience coming through and it played a vital role in the result as it meant that Norwich were unable to build momentum for prolonged periods of play.

Therefore, his performance was key for Watford as he was able to find a balance between defensive ballast and quality on the ball. He may not have grabbed the headlines with a goal or an assist, but he was an unsung hero in the middle of the park and deserves the plaudits for his strong performance.

In other news: Xisco avoided Watford nightmare as details revealed on £3k-pw dud’s transfer move

Essex wicketkeeper James Foster and Sajid Mahmood, the Lancashire fast bowler, have been given further hope of international recalls after being named in the ECB’s 25-man performance squad

Cricinfo staff08-Apr-2009Essex wicketkeeper James Foster and Lancashire fast bowler Sajid Mahmood have been given further hope of international recalls after being named in the ECB’s 25-man performance squad. Samit Patel and Amjad Khan, who both made their international debuts over the last 12 months, are also included.The squad, which is chosen by the England selectors, consists of the 12 players currently holding 12-month ECB contracts, plus the seven on increment deals. It enables the selectors to keep tabs on players they think are likely to play a part during the home season.Patel has been included despite being dropped from England’s one-day squad to face West Indies because of poor fitness levels. In Amjad’s case the selectors can monitor his recovery from the knee injury that forced him to fly home from West Indies a few days early. Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire legspinner, who toured India and West Indies is the only player not capped at either Test or one-day level.”The England performance squad is designed to allow us to monitor the development of international players and better prepare them for the demands of the international game,” Geoff Miller, the national selector, said. “The selectors can name up to 30 players in the EPS, but we have decided to keep five places vacant at present in order to give ourselves greater flexibility and we will reserve the right to add further players to the squad if their performances in domestic cricket merit it.”Two players who have earned the right to be in the squad are James Foster and Sajid Mahmood. They are pressing for a place in the England squads and we will watch Mahmood , Foster and Rashid with interest when they play for the MCC against Durham at Lord’s this weekend. Samit Patel, like Amjad Khan, has already been in the international set up in the last 12 months.”Five players who made last year’s list – Michael Carberry, Matthew Hoggard, Phil Mustard, James Tredwell and Chris Tremlett – haven’t found spaces this time around and in Hoggard’s case it makes any international return extremely unlikely.Performance squad Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire) + , James Anderson (Lancashire) *, Ian Bell (Warwickshire) *, Ravi Bopara (Essex) + , Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire) *, Paul Collingwood (Durham)*, Alastair Cook (Essex)*, Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) * , James Foster (Essex), Stephen Harmison (Durham)*, Robert Key (Kent), Amjad Khan (Kent), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire)*, Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)+, Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire)*, Matthew Prior (Sussex) +, Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex) +, Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)*, Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire)*, Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire) +, Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire)*, Luke Wright (Sussex) +* denotes centrally contracted player
+ denotes players on ECB increment contracts

Sheffield United have been dealt a boost regarding the fitness of Ben Davies ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Yorkshire Live, Slavisa Jokanovic revealed that he expects the centre-back to be available for selection against Derby County this afternoon despite being withdrawn towards the end of the Blades’ 3-1 victory over Hull City last weekend and being left out of his side’s Carabao Cup penalty shootout loss to Southampton on Tuesday.

Speaking about the current condition of the Liverpool loanee, Jokanovic said: “The situation with Ben at the moment is that after every game he is in a little bit of a complicated situation with injury. This is because he has not been active for many months on the field. Now he is improving and we expect him to be ready for the game.”

Jokanovic will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Davies has been for Sheffield United this season, the news that the defender looks set to be fit for the visit of Derby to Bramall Lane today is sure to have left his manager buzzing.

Indeed, over his three Championship appearances for the Blades this term, the £2.7m-rated man has helped his side to keep one clean sheet, as well as making 1.3 interceptions, two tackles and 3.7 clearances and winning six duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Jokanovic’s joint-fifth best performer in the second tier.

As such, the return of the centre-back will undoubtedly provide United’s chances of picking up three points against Wayne Rooney’s side this afternoon with a big boost – something which will delight everyone involved with the Blades.

In other news: Sheff Utd dealt potential blow on “powerful” £6.3m-rated ace, Jokanovic will be fuming

Jason Gillespie has been saddened by the mass exodus of players from the ICL and doesn’t expect the 2009 tournament to go ahead

Alex Brown02-Jun-2009Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, has been saddened by the mass exodus of players from the ICL and believes the unofficial Twenty20 league will continue to struggle for traction in the mainstream cricketing market until it is officially recognised by the ICC. He does not expect the cash-strapped ICL to conduct a tournament in 2009, but remains hopeful that a successful legal challenge to the ICC could pave the way for a return the following year.”It’s incredibly sad but it all comes down to that issue of recognition,” Gillespie told Cricinfo. “With my team, the [Ahmedabad] Rockets, we have already lost quite a few young Indian players back to official cricket. I don’t begrudge them that. They have to make a living and they don’t want to be ostracised anymore.”What is killing the ICL is that the ICC refuses to give it recognition. They are being squeezed by the BCCI, so the ICC’s fall-back position is to label it a domestic tournament. That’s their get-out-of-jail-free card. The ICL is going to struggle until it is recognised by the ICC. The players involved in the ICL just want to play cricket. That has been quite hard for some of them, especially the younger guys, when they’ve had their status taken away.”Gillespie, like many of the ICL’s high-profile players, has yet to be paid in full for his two seasons of service to the ICL. But while younger cricketers have rushed to take up the BCCI’s amnesty offer, Gillespie, who has retired from first-class cricket, has pledged to remain loyal to the Zee Telefilms-backed league.”I’m not giving up hope on the ICL,” he said. “If I’m to be completely honest, I’m not convinced that there will be a tournament this year, but hopefully they’ll get it back together for 2010. There’s still a chance. I know the ICL is keen to explore the legal route, the restraint of trade argument. They’ve been advised that legally they have a pretty strong case. But at the end of the day, until we get recognition it will be an uphill battle.”It’s no secret that they’ve fallen a bit behind in their payments. The ICL management have been in contact with me and they have reassured me that they will settle their dues as soon as they can. I trust in that correspondence. I have a contract with them, and I would like to see it out.”

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton were left disappointed as they lost 1-0 to Bruno Lage’s Wolves at St. Mary’s on Sunday.

The Saints are without a win in their six Premier League matches, sitting on four points after four draws and two defeats.

Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game as he raced onto a long ball from Jose Sa, outmuscled Jan Bednarek and then chopped inside of Mo Salisu and Bednarek again to slot past Alex McCarthy.

Despite the defeat, there were some positives to take from the match, with one player – in particular – catching the eye – Tino Livramento.

The summer signing from Chelsea was a shining light on a dark day for the Saints as he impressed at right-back with an excellent performance. He looked assured at both ends of the pitch and was ultimately let down by his teammates to end up on the losing side.

Defensively, he was almost a brick wall. Per SofaScore, he won 75% of his duels on the pitch, winning six of seven on the ground and losing his one aerial battle. He also made one tackle whilst no Wolves players were able to dribble past him throughout the match, showing that his positioning and tackling were perfect in that sense.

On the ball, Livramento also flourished. Per SofaScore, he had 75 touches and completed 86% of his passes from full-back. He also completed his only attempted dribble and provided two key passes for his teammates, whilst forcing a solid save out of Jose Sa with a low-driven effort in the second half. On another day, his creativity may have seen him end the game with an assist, but his teammates were unable to make the most out of either of the openings he created.

This shows that he has the quality to make an impact going forward, whilst also offering a balance by being able to keep it tight defensively and not gift any openings to the opposition.

Therefore, Hasenhuttl will surely be delighted by what he saw from the young defender and feeling grateful that his club were able to snap him up from Chelsea in the summer window.

AND in other news, Possession lost 23x: Southampton lightweight who created zero chances let Ralph down…

Zimbabwe Cricket has set up training centres countrywide in order to develop the sport, expanding on initiatives started a decade ago

Cricinfo staff05-May-2009Zimbabwe Cricket has set up training centres countrywide in order to develop the sport, expanding on initiatives started a decade ago.In 1999, the board established the CFX Cricket Academy with the objective being to develop a stream of first-class players to underpin the playing and coaching strengths of the provincial sides. This produced a number of internationals, such as Andy Blignaut, Douglas Hondo, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Ray Price and Mark Vermeulen.In 2002, the board expanded that with the launch of Cricket Development Centres (CDCs) with the aim of improving the playing technique of promising younger cricketers and exposing them the critical eye of a qualified coach from an earlier age.”How it generally works is that identified talent from the various surrounding schools register to attend age-group sessions run by Zimbabwe’s top coaches,” Shingai Ruhwaya, Zimbabwe’s Cricket’s media manager, told Cricinfo. “Of late, we’ve been encouraging former players with at least a Level 2 coaching certificate to volunteer to spend an hour or two a week with these kids. These CDCs have over 4000 registered children using them between the ages of 9 and 18.”Most recently, ZC decided to concentrate its technical development efforts in a select number of centres rather than spread its resources thinly. Each of these centres has been earmarked to benefit from re-investments in kit and equipment. We should have six to eight fully functional such centres by the end of August this year.”