All posts by h716a5.icu

Fast bowler Boyd Rankin has been forced to pull out of Ireland’s tour to Sri Lanka, after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot

Cricinfo staff14-Jan-2010Fast bowler Boyd Rankin has been forced to pull out of Ireland’s tour to Sri Lanka, after being diagnosed with a stress fracture to his right foot. Civil Service North allrounder Nigel Jones has been called up as his replacement.Rankin, 25, said, “I am wearing a protective cast. It’s not broken but it needs to be rested for four or five days. It was picked up by the physios and doctors at an ECB training camp in Loughborough earlier this week.”We’ll see where we are then depending on how sore it is. I’ve been told it could take between two or three weeks to fully heal, but we’ll know more when I get it checked out again next week at Warwickshire, where I’ll be doing my rehabilitation.”Ireland will begin their tour with a four-day Intercontinental Cup fixture against Afghanistan from January 21-24, before taking part in a Twenty20 tournament, also featuring Sri Lanka A and Canada.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Dean Jones of Eurosport has made an exciting Tottenham Hotspur transfer claim involving Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

The Lowdown: Spurs in defender chase?

There have been no shortage of links to high-profile defensive stars since Antonio Conte took the Spurs helm.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, both Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt have been mentioned as possible new recruits for Tottenham as their new manager seeks to oversee a north London overhaul.

These links could even be exacerbated by a ‘serious’ injury to summer signing Cristian Romero, with the big blow potentially threatening to hamper Conte’s rebuild.

The Latest: Jones drops Rudiger claim…

Amid Tottenham’s search for a centre-back, it appears they’ve now made an offer to sign yet another one on a pre-contract.

According to Jones, speaking to GMS, Spurs have actually made the ‘biggest offer’ for Rudiger in terms of salary – according to what he’s heard from people close to the Chelsea defender.

He explained:

“Rudiger’s people, the biggest offer they’re hearing about is coming from Tottenham, in terms of wages.”

The Verdict: Great option?

A Champions League-winning centre-back and proven in the Premier League, signing the 28-year-old as a free agent for next summer could come as a no-brainer.

While that doesn’t solve the lack of cover for Romero, the Blues centre-back would almost certainly strengthen Conte’s options over his first full season in charge next year.

Lauded as an ‘animal’ and ‘unbelievable’ by pundit Rio Ferdinand, as well as for reaching the level of Man City star Ruben Dias at a point last campaign (FIVE via The Metro), his quality is obvious.

Currently in the prime of his career, managing director Fabio Paratici could secure one of the bargains of 2022 with a swoop for the Germany international.

In other news: Spurs agreement to sign £200,000-per-week star possible as Paratici makes exciting plea, find out more here.

Celtic midfielder Tom Rogic looks set to return from injury when the Hoops take on Hearts at Parkhead on Thursday night, as per The Herald.

The Lowdown: Without Rogic…

The Australian has missed the last six games after suffering a hamstring injury against Hibernian at the end of October.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-17/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The 28-year-old, hailed as ‘brilliant’ by Ange Postecoglou, was a regular in the team prior to his muscle issue, with the manager using the likes of Nir Bitton and James McCarthy alongside Callum McGregor and David Turnbull in Rogic’s absence.

However, it now seems as if the Aussie is set to be available for selection once again, providing Postecoglou with a timely injury boost.

The Latest: Rogic to return

The Herald provided an injury update on Wednesday ahead of Celtic’s meeting with Hearts tonight. They suggested that both Rogic and Bitton will return to the squad after revering from their respective knocks.

However, the report added that Carl Starfelt and Giorgos Giakoumakis are both still sidelined with their hamstring and knee issues.

The Verdict: Good news…

The Hoops have an extremely busy month ahead with nine fixtures in all competitions, so having strength in depth may well be crucial to enjoying a positive December.

On that basis, having a regular in Rogic back and ready to go is a huge boost to bolster Postecoglou’s midfield options.

His displays have also improved under the 56-year-old, averaging more key passes per game and recording a better WhoScored average match rating when compared to last season, so hopefully he can pick up where he left off when he returns.

In other news: Nicholson ‘plans’ to sell ‘terrific’ Celtic ace in record-breaking £25.5m deal. 

Iqbal Qasim has tendered his resignation as Pakistan’s chief selector following the side’s disastrous results in Australia, where the team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series

Osman Samiuddin31-Jan-2010Iqbal Qasim has tendered his resignation as Pakistan’s chief selector following the side’s disastrous results in Australia, where the team was whitewashed in both the Test and ODI series in one of Pakistan’s most dispiriting campaigns in recent years. The PCB has turned down the resignation and asked Qasim to carry on till the Twenty20 World Cup in April but he appears adamant on his stand.”I am standing by my decision”, Qasim told Cricinfo.Earlier, on a day of fast-moving events, Qasim explained the reasons for his decision. “We made this team and it was the best possible team, but their performance has been really poor, unbelievably poor,” he said. “I had two options after this. One was to stick on, evaluate and analyse the performance or step down. Anyone would do a post-mortem so I thought it my moral responsibility to do this.”The move came within minutes of Pakistan’s two-wicket loss in Perth, sealing only their second-ever 5-0 blanking in ODI cricket. The statistic, in particular, hurt Qasim. “I have been very disturbed by it and it has really hurt. Everyone has a conscience and so with that in mind, I have stepped down. Clearly major surgery is required on the side,” he said.The PCB, though, was not playing ball. “The chairman has not accepted the resignation and asked him to continue till the World Twenty20,” Nadeem Sarwar, PCB’s media manager, told Cricinfo. However, it now seems a formality and the resignation, when accepted, will end a very short tenure for Qasim and likely bring in a third head of the selection committee in the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt’s tenure. Qasim took over in July last year, after Abdul Qadir had left the post claiming interference in his duties from external influences. His only assignments were the Champions Trophy, in which Pakistan reached the semi-final, and the the Test and ODI challenges against New Zealand and Australia.During this tour, on a couple of occasions disagreements with Mohammad Yousuf, the captain, cropped up, notably over the call-up of Misbah-ul-Haq in New Zealand and the request for Younis Khan for the Tests in Australia. That is not believed to be a factor behind the decision, however.Qasim was a member of the selection committee until the 2007 World Cup and had been appointed in an honorary post, continuing as a senior employee with the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). As such, his honorary post was a break from recent practice, where the chief selectors were full-time, paid employees of the board. It is believed that at least one other member of the seven-man committee – who are paid selectors – is considering his future as well.The move is likely to spark an escalation in the tumult permanently surrounding the country’s cricket. Changes in the coaching set-up are expected after the series, as well as a change in the captaincy. Shahid Afridi led the side in the fifth ODI in Perth, after Mohammad Yousuf pulled out with what team officials said was a “stiff knee.” But reports in the local press claim that Yousuf chose not to play after disagreements with the team management over the final playing XI.Yousuf had reportedly been asked to rest from the side by the team management the night before the match, but initially refused. Ultimately disagreements over the team XI – Pakistan brought in Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed – led Yousuf to sitting out, apparently in protest.

With Aston Villa having turned a corner in recent weeks, new manager Steven Gerrard may be reluctant to make too many significant changes ahead of his side’s contest against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Villans came from behind to beat Leicester last weekend at Villa Park but head to Anfield today knowing that they will be coming up against one of the very best teams in the division.

While Gerrard could be tempted to stick with the same starting line-up which served him so well last week – and understandably so – he may want to consider unleash Danny Ings, especially if he’s fit and available.

While Ings hasn’t exactly enjoyed a barnstorming start to his own career at Villa Park, his inclusion in the starting XI could spark a fire up front.

Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison once compared him to Robbie Keane for his “first-class” movement, while Ralph Hasenhuttl, his former boss at St Mary’s, lauded his exploits as “unbelievable”.

The £16m-rated striker enjoyed a decent campaign in the Premier League last term, firing in 12 goals in just 29 top-flight games – that followed up from his outstanding 2019/20 season when he bagged 22 goals and finished just behind Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy (23).

The 29-year-old got his Villa career off to the perfect start with two goals in his first two games, but goals have been far harder to come by since then, with his team’s overall struggles not being the most ideal situation either.

However, if he is passed fit, then the chance to perform against one of his former clubs in Liverpool might just give him the bit between his teeth that he needs to really kick-start his life at Villa. He could well come back to haunt the Reds today if given the opportunity by his manager.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered a promising Aston Villa update…

New Zealand and Sri Lanka will cross a new frontier when they meet each other in three Twenty20 internationals in the USA in May

Cricinfo staff12-Feb-2010New Zealand and Sri Lanka will cross a new frontier when they meet each other in three Twenty20 internationals in the USA in May.The games will take place at Central Broward Regional Park Cricket Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, which has been approved by the ICC. It is the first time two Full Members will have met in an official match on US soil and it follows the signing of a strategic partnership between the USA Cricket Association (USACA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) last year.”Given the door to cricket has been opened to investment through the sale of Indian Premier League franchises, this model is a logical step to raising the capital required to take cricket in the US to another level,” said Justin Vaughan, NZC’s chief executive. “The structure proposed is a wonderful opportunity for someone to get in on the ground floor, particularly given the growing level of interest in the US cricket market.”A delighted Don Lockerbie, CEO of USACA, said the move was the first of what he hoped would be many such initiatives, adding the US national side would participate in some warm-up matches as well.”We are experiencing increasing demand for ‘Destination USA’ cricket events from many Full Member ICC countries and the Sri Lanka v New Zealand series will bring – as forecasted – world-class cricket to the USA,” he said. “Through the strategic collaboration with NZC we now have the additional administrative support and knowledge base to be able to commercialise these opportunities and ultimately grow the revenue streams from one of the world’s largest advertising markets.”Looking ahead, Lockerbie added the matches were “a small indication of the amount of cricket content under consideration with our partners at NZC. We will be meeting with potential investors and event developers over the next few weeks and months to keep building our momentum. The interest is already high from potential investors in India and the US, and this is very encouraging.”

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been left fuming over some early team news that has emerged ahead of their game at home to St. Johnstone tonight.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match in the Scottish Premiership, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has now revealed that he hopes that Ryan Jack will be fully fit ‘after the winter break’, thus ruling him out of the clash and the foreseeable future.

The central midfielder has had real problems with injuries since arriving at Ibrox, and thus never seems to be able to put a consistent run of games together in the SPFL, with 25 the most he has played in one season so far with the Teddy Bears.

Nonetheless, his 19 appearances in the Gers’ title-winning season.

His fitness is now proving to be a real worry for the Light Blues however, giving credence to the thought process that he will never really reach his full potential.

Rangers fans on Jack news

These RFC supporters fumed as the team news was shared on Twitter:

“After the winter break? That has got to be a joke surely? Love the guy and is a great player when he’s fit but need to try cut our loses with him unfortunately”

Credit: @connor_mcgrotty

“Get him gone”

Credit: @Aidan72_

“Reckon I’ve got more chance of being fit after the winter break and I wear 3XL Castore gear.”

Credit: @JDGawa1

“Wow.”

Credit: @Rfc1872I

“His time is up”

Credit: @d____1872

“Sell him or release him please”

Credit: @MKRangers72

In other news, find out which transfer-linked star is happy at Rangers here!

All the attention on Clarke’s private life has meant that Marcus North has slipped under the radar

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington17-Mar-2010There is one man in the Australian team who would be a little relieved at Michael Clarke hogging the headlines this week. All the attention on Clarke’s private life has meant that Marcus North has slipped under the radar in the lead-up to a series that, should he fail to perform, could spell the end of his Test career.It was only a year ago that North burst on to the Test scene with a century on debut in Johannesburg, which was followed by two hundreds and a 96 on the Ashes tour. But since then the rewards have been fewer for North, who scratched through the home summer with 207 runs at 23 in six Tests. His Sheffield Shield form has not augured well either, and in seven games for Western Australia this summer he has managed only 294 runs at 24.50.His slip has been so pronounced that there is no guarantee he will even play the first Test in Wellington starting on Friday, although it is likely he will hold his place ahead of the in-form Steven Smith. North’s team-mates have been rallying around the struggling batsman, who has been working hard in the nets in Wellington in an attempt to reignite his Test career.”I know Ricky [Ponting] has been working with Northy in the nets, just on tiny little things just to try and improve his game,” Michael Hussey told Cricinfo. “For me, I just want to help him get into a good mental frame of mind so he can go out there, play his way, play with confidence, and he’s a class act and I’m sure he’ll be fine and scoring runs.”Hussey has known North since they both played junior cricket at Perth’s Wanneroo Cricket Club and he is desperately keen for his friend to regain the spark that escaped him against West Indies and Pakistan. The two men know each other’s games intimately and give one another pointers if they spot any errors.Hussey also understands the stress that can come with an extended lean patch in Test cricket, after he went 15 Tests without a century until he effectively saved his career with 121 at The Oval last year. He said the key for North was to keep trusting the game that had brought him this far and not to put too much pressure on himself.”Where I got myself into trouble was that when things weren’t quite going to plan, you start trying harder, you start becoming more intense, you start putting more pressure on yourself and it’s a natural human nature thing,” Hussey said. “But as soon as you take a step back, relax, go back to trusting what works for you, then suddenly it’s amazing how the consistency returns.”It will be difficult for North not to think about the pressure coming from outside the starting XI. His fellow debutant from the South African tour, Phillip Hughes, is hovering in the squad along with the allrounder Smith, who is coming off a superb Sheffield Shield season that brought him four centuries. At 20, Smith has the advantage of youth over the 30-year-old North. Should North play in Wellington and fail, there will be calls for the promotion of Smith, who was described by his New South Wales team-mate Clarke as “very confident”.”A lot has been made of Smithy coming out and saying he’s ready to take his opportunity when he gets it, and I think he’s shown that in the Twenty20 version for Australia and also for New South Wales,” Clarke said. “In all three forms of the game, he’s had a wonderful year. If he gets his chance he’ll grab it with both hands. If he doesn’t he’ll keep working his backside off and keep waiting for his opportunity.”As the beneficiary of Andrew Symonds departing from the Test scene, North knows full well that when opportunity knocks it is vital to respond positively. This week in Wellington, he needs to answer the call again.

Celtic are planning to use reported January transfer target Reo Hatate in midfield.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by the Daily Record’s Mark Pirie, with the journalist suggesting in a recent report that it looks increasingly likely the versatile midfielder – whose move to Parkhead has been reported by several outlets as being all but confirmed – will be used in the middle of the park – as opposed to at left-back, as had been claimed previously.

In his article, Pirie writes: “Hatate can play at left-back and in midfield, but with Greg Taylor returning it looks increasingly likely he will be deployed in the attacking third. A deal for the 24-year-old seems the most likely to be completed ahead of the derby day showdown with Rangers on January 2.”

Bye-bye Bitton

Considering just how impressive Hatate has been for Kawasaki Frontale this season, should Celtic indeed manage to get a deal over the line for the central midfielder this January, it could well spell the end of one of the Bhoys’ current options in the middle of the park, Nir Bitton.

Indeed, over his over 30 J League appearances, the £720k-rated man scored five goals, provided two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The 24-year-old also impressed in metrics more typical of a central midfielder, making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 51.7 passes and winning 5.3 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the Japan international who journalist Gabriele Anello dubbed “Dirk Kuyt-esque” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as his club’s fifth-best player in the league – with his displays also seeing him receive a place in the J League team of the season.

As such, with Kieran Devlin recently suggesting that Nir Bitton “will be phased out” at Celtic over the next six to 18 months, the potential signing of Hatate very much looks as if it could speed this process up.

That would consequently open up the possibility of Ange Postecoglou cashing in on the £14k-per-week player who Paul Robinson once dubbed as “inexcusable” in the January transfer window.

In other news: Major blow: Ange drops worrying injury update that will leave Celtic fans furious

They are the IPL’s ‘nearly men’, coming close to the summit in the first and second season, only to falter in the knock-out stages. However, Chennai Super Kings will begin the 2010 tournament on the back foot

Kanishkaa Balachandran08-Mar-2010

Chennai Super Kings

Muttiah Muralitharan’s bowling form could be the key to Chennai’s success•Associated PressThey are the IPL’s ‘nearly men’, coming close to the summit in the first and second season, only to falter in the knock-out stages. However, Chennai Super Kings will begin the 2010 tournament on the back foot. Two key allrounders, Andrew Flintoff and Jacob Oram, are missing in action because of injury, though Oram may play later in the season. Two other overseas players, Muttiah Muralitharan and Makhaya Ntini, are on the wane and that puts a lot of pressure on the captain MS Dhoni.Flintoff’s absence ought to have led to a big signing at the 2010 player auction but there were no major purchases. They bid aggressively for Kieron Pollard, Shane Bond and Kemar Roach, and also tried for Eoin Morgan, but lost all of them to other franchises. They ultimately settled for South African allrounder and ICL returnee Justin Kemp and Sri Lankan allrounder Thissaara Perera. With no apparent world-beaters in the bowling department, Chennai will bank on their batsmen to carry them through again.

The buzz

Unlike teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, Chennai’s build-up has been relatively low profile and they prefer it that way. Last month, they announced a five-year deal with a merchandising company to reach out to the fans. In fact, the team has been rated as the “most valuable” in this year’s IPL with a brand value of $48.4 million, according to a study conducted by the UK-based Brand Finance.On the cricketing front, the team began training on March 8, now with the arrival of coach Stephen Fleming. With South Zone out of the Deodhar Trophy, the local players will be available for the training camp.

New faces

Perera, a left-hand batsman who bowls nippy right-arm medium pace, recently won a match for Sri Lanka against India in a tri-series in Bangladesh. The IPL scouts were taking notes. Kemp and Albie Morkel will compete to fill the void left by Flintoff and Jacob Oram.

Missing in action

The high-profile Flintoff unfortunately hit his umpteenth injury crisis and will be out of competitive cricket till July. The team was further jolted by news that Oram will be out of action for a month due to a patella tendon tear. There’s speculation that he too may miss the entire tournament. VB Chandrasekar, the team’s director of cricketing operations, said contingency plans for Oram would be discussed in the coming days. Michael Hussey has Australia commitments till the end of this month, by which time the tournament’s first fortnight would have ended.

Watch out for

If Hayden fails, there’s always Dhoni to back Chennai up. The captain is in great touch. Re-run the tapes of India’s recent home series to see why.

Strength

Undoubtedly the batting. Hayden, Suresh Raina and Dhoni were Chennai’s top three run-getters last year, giving the team good starts. They will be a handful to contain on Indian pitches.

Weaknesses

The lower order hasn’t been tested enough – the flipside of having a power-packed top order. Muralitharan has struggled for form with Sri Lanka but he will be expected to carry this attack.

X Factor

Ignored by his country due to recent indifferent form, fuelled by mass speculation of imminent retirement, Ntini will use this IPL as a platform to show that he still belongs. Unlike Matthew Hayden, his selection isn’t guaranteed but Chennai will need his experience to shore up the bowling attack.

IPL 2009 – the key figures

Final position: Semi-finalists
Top-scorer: Hayden with 572 runs at 52.00
Top wicket-taker: Muralitharan with 14 wickets at 18.64
Best result: 92-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore
Worst result: Six-wicket defeat in the semis to Bangalore
Highest team score: 188 for 3 v Kolkata Knight Riders
Lowest team score: 129 v Bangalore Prediction for 2010 May find it difficult to make the final four