All posts by h716a5.icu

Danish Kaneria will miss the rest of Essex’s season after fracturing a finger attempting to take a return catch against Worcestershire

Cricinfo staff22-Aug-2008Danish Kaneria will miss the rest of Essex’s season after fracturing a finger attempting to take a return catch against Worcestershire in the Championship at Castle Park on Thursday. Kaneria, their leading wicket-taker with 40 first-class victims this season, will need an operation which will force him to miss the end of the season.”Danish saw a hand specialist on Friday morning at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford for a second opinion on the best management of the injury,” an Essex spokesperson told Cricinfo. “It was decided he needs an operation and will miss the rest of the English county season.”The only area left for discussion is whether he will have the operation in England or back in Pakistan.His loss will dent Essex’s promotion hopes. They are currently fifth in the Championship table, 40 points adrift of leaders Worcestershire but with one game in hand on them. They also lead Division Two of the Pro40 competition, although they have played one match more than Kent in second, and Yorkshire in third.Essex coach Paul Grayson said: “Danish’s injury is a big blow to us because he’s a world-class performer and has been a massive part of our success. But we have a good replacement in Tim Phillips, who has played a big part for us in one-day games in previous years, so this is a good opportunity for him to show what he can do.”Meanwhile, the club’s physio Peter Gettings said Maurice Chambers will have an operation on his left ankle problem on September 1. “The surgery will be to remove a bony fragment from the back of the joint. This has been affecting his ability to bowl but he is still able to play until surgery and this will be decided on a game-by-game basis.”

Having kicked off two months ago, the Under-23 Division I tournament is nearing its close, with Sri Lanka Under-20 Schools unexpectedly making it to the semi-finals

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Sep-2008Under-23 Tournament Division 1 fixturesSemi-finals: September 19-21: Colombo Colts CC v Nondescripts CC, Under-20 Schools v Sinhalese SCFinal: September 26 to 28.Having kicked off two months ago, the Under-23 Youth Tournament Division 1 is nearing its close, with Sri Lanka Under-20 Schools unexpectedly making it to the semi-finals alongside defending champs Sinhalese Sports Club, Nondescripts Cricket Club and Colts Cricket Club.The U-20 Schools side, comprising many of those who represented Sri Lanka at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, were introduced this year to the competition in order to ensure the players in the national U-19 squad have continued exposure to cricket.Danesh Dissanayake, the team’s joint coach, hailed the ‘achievement’, with the young team qualifying for the semi-finals ahead of some reputed clubs. “We had to win our final group match to qualify for the semi-finals and the boys showed that they are capable of taking up the challenge when we defeated Moors SC by 55 runs on the first innings,” Dissanayake, who in charge of the team with Janak Gamage, said. “For most part of the tournament we did not have some of our key players who were sitting for their Advanced Level examinations. But the replacements have proved equally good.”Led by Ashan Priyanjan, Sri Lanka’s U-19 World Cup captain, the team won against Saracens and drew eight games, obtaining first-innings points in four of those. Dissanayake said the decision to include the Schools team in the tournament was questioned after their first game, in which they conceded first-innings points to Chilaw Marians Cricket Club. “But as the tournament progressed we improved and we managed to prove them wrong by reaching the semi-finals.”Priyanjan has been the third-highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 395 runs at 43.88 with a century and a fifty. But it has been the spin-bowling attack that has given U-20 Schools the edge over their competitors. Offspinner Sanjaya Fernando has taken 34 wickets at an average of 12.76, with a best of 14 for 47 against Saracens Sports Club, while left-arm slow bowler Sachith Pathirana has taken 29 wickets at 27.51. Along with medium-pacer Ishan Jayaratne (21 wickets), the duo have been instrumental in Under-20 School’s success so far.For Colts CC, the path to the semi-finals has been made easier by Angelo Mathews, a former Sri Lanka U-19 captain. Mathews is the only batsman to score three hundreds in the tournament. His 428 runs in five games, at an average of 107, also earned him a place in the Sri Lanka A squad to tour South Africa. He averages 107 in five matches from which he has the leading aggregate in the tournament with 428.Meanwhile in the Under-23 division II tournament, Bloomfield, Colts and Negombo SC have qualified for the semi-finals. The fourth team will be decided at the completion of the group matches.

Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser has revealed West Ham United could be priced out of a move for central defensive targets Clement Lenglet and Nikola Milenkovic.

Hammers boss David Moyes is looking to bolster his squad with new arrivals after a club record Premier League points tally ensured the east Londoners will feature in the Europa League next season.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Barcelona’s Lenglet is being tracked by West Ham and Everton.

While a loan move has been touted, Barcelona would prefer to sell the 26-year-old France international due to exceeding La Liga’s wage limit.

Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato have reported that West Ham have identified Fiorentina’s Milenkovic as a potential signing this summer.

The 23-year-old Serbia international made 37 appearances last season and also showed his attacking threat from set pieces by notching three goals.

However, Rosser believes Moyes may seek cheaper alternatives before the transfer window slams shut next month.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “They would be fairly expensive signings, which isn’t the market that Moyes has been shopping in at West Ham.”

Another last-over thriller in Hyderabad saw Alok Kapali hit the first ton in the history of the ICL but finish on the losing side as Hyderabad Heroes overhauled the Dhaka Warriors’ target of 169 with a complete team effort

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera in Hyderabad15-Oct-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Alok Kapali’s century, the first in ICL history, wasn’t enough to give the Dhaka Warriors their first win of the tournament© ICL
It was another last-over thriller in Hyderabad. Alok Kapali hit the first ton in ICL history but finished on the losing side as the Hyderabad Heroes overhauled the target of 169 set by the Dhaka Warriors with a complete team effort.Hyderabad got the target down to 13 runs from the last over bowled by Farhad Reza. Chris Harris sliced the second delivery to the backward point boundary to reduce the target to 8 from 4. He launched the next one over the sightscreen before spearing the fourth ball to the extra cover boundary. Game over.Dhaka had almost clinched it in the penultimate over when the final turning point of the game happened. Requiring 17 runs from seven balls, Harris lifted Mohammad Rafique to the right of long-off and Reza had it seemingly covered but spilled it in the end.It was that kind of a night – just when you relaxed, a partnership would form and as soon as you thought Hyderabad were getting ahead, some one would get out. It was a complete tease act. It had everything: Fours, sixes, wickets, run outs and vital dropped catches.Jimmy Maher started with a flurry of boundaries, Abdul Razzaq bludgeoned 27 that included the shot of the night: a fierce slice off the medium-pacer Mohammad Sharif that skimmed over backward point boundary. Along with Justin Kemp he picked 19 runs in the fifth over bowled by Reza, but was cleaned up by the same bowler. When Kemp fell immediately to make it 73 for 4, it looked as if the target was beyond Hyderabad but Stuart Binny provided the shot in the arm with four crucial boundaries in a breezy innings of 30, but again got out at the wrong time. Or so it seemed.The score read 115 for 5 in the 14th over; surely it was over now? However, Nicky Boje and Harris kept the game on a knife-edge. They ran hard, hit the odd boundary, kept Dhaka on their toes and had reduced the equation when Boje was run out. He turned for the second run after Harris had hit the ball to long-off but couldn’t beat the throw from Aftab Ahmed.At that point Hyderabad needed 28 from 15 balls and Harris expertly farmed the strike to steer his side home.Spare a thought for Kapali, though. In June 2008, he hit a dazzling maiden ton against India in the Asia Cup but had to finish on the losing side. It was another one-man show from him tonight. Dhaka had lost wickets in a clutch at the top before he shared a 77-run partnership with Dhiman Ghosh, whose managed just eight.Similar to his innings in the Asia Cup, Kapali started off slowly, offering the full face of the bat. He was out of the Bangladesh team for a long time due to his failures, which were, by his own admission, triggered by his penchant to play across the line too early in his innings. Even as he tried to settle down here, the team situation worsened by the minute.Kapali finally decided it was time to counterattack when Dhaka were tottering at 57 for 5. For the first time he went across the line, pulling Chris Harris for a six. He repeated the dose against the left-arm spinner Inder Shekar Reddy but it was in the 13th over, bowled by the slow bowler Pagadala Niranjan, that he really turned on the heat.Two exquisite shots over extra cover were sandwiched with a feisty cut and the pressure was off. Hyderabad were always going to struggle in the middle overs with the innocuous slow men Reddy and Niranjan in operation and Kapali cashed in in style.Harris tried the medium-pace of Syed Sahabuddin but Kapali hit him for three consecutive fours between square leg and midwicket. Harris then brought on Stuart Binny and the change almost worked but Sahabuddin dropped a top-edged skier from Kapali, who was on 71.Kapali began to go after Harris, hitting him to the sight screen and over the dugout for two big sixes. He brought up his hundred with a chip to midwicket, and though Reza was run out trying for the second run, there were big celebrations.

West Ham’s talks to sign Kurt Zouma are still ongoing…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee, who has provided a fresh update on the Irons’ pursuit of the Chelsea centre-back to his Patreon page.

“So the major developments have been on centre backs again. Talks for Zouma continued today, as I said it would, and the clubs can’t agree on the asking price. Although it appears that terms with the player did get a bit closer.

“Chelsea are keen to sell Zouma because of the imminent signing of [Romelu] Lukaku so could be prepared to back down and West Ham would like to get someone in, preferably before the weekend. Zouma also wants to join West Ham.”

Get it done

Back in May, Football Insider reported that David Sullivan and co were to set aside funds to secure a ‘top-level’ centre-back this summer, at the request of David Moyes.

Therefore, it seems strange that the Hammers aren’t prepared to pay Chelsea’s valuation of Zouma as he’s a standout candidate to fulfil one of the 58-year-old’s biggest priorities this window.

But there could be hope yet, as Ex explains, with the Blues looking to raise finances to secure a return for Lukaku.

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Zouma has excelled at this level for several seasons now, yet doesn’t seem to get the credit he deserves. Whilst his manager Thomas Tuchel has described him as “top-level”, he’s seemingly not in his plans for the new season, certainly if he’s prepared to sell him.

The 26-year-old, who is valued at €40m (£34m) by CIES Football Observatory, recorded monstrous numbers in 2020/21 after starting 22 league games.

As per WhoScored, the eight-cap France international won an average of 3.6 aerial battles per game and managed a seasonal passing accuracy of 90.9%, which for context, only three other centre-backs managed to exceed and are returns that would see him top the charts at the London Stadium.

Evidently, Zouma is a superb ball-playing defender and one capable of using his brute strength to bully the opposition’s attack – something that the Hammers witnessed first-hand as he tormented former striker Sebastian Haller back in December.

The 6 foot 3 titan, who has since departed for Ajax, was caught offside three times, lost possession 16 times and won just six of 16 aerial battles when coming up against the Chelsea colossus, who himself lost just one duel in the air, and recorded two interceptions, six clearances and made 90% of his passes, as per SofaScore.

It’s no wonder legendary centre-back John Terry once described Zouma as a “beast”.

“He’s a great lad, unbelievable pro and a great professional,” claimed the four-time Premier League winner on Instagram Live. “He’s a beast of a player.”

On the above evidence, GSB must absolutely stump up the cash to seal Moyes his next marquee signing. If he is indeed so desperate for a high-tier defender, then Zouma could well be the most viable and suitable option.

Getting someone of his quality and experience in the side would certainly be a transfer masterclass from the Scotsman.

AND in other news, Moyes can seal another bargain as West Ham “in talks” to sign “fearless” 28-cap titan…

Cricinfo previews the match between Delhi Giants and Hyderabad Heroes

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2008Match factsNov 1, 2008
Start time 7.30pm (1400 GMT)
Nicky Boje has shone with both the bat and ball for the Hyderabad Heroes© ICL
Big PictureDelhi’s chances of making the semi-finals were dealt a crushing blow after a 58-run defeat against Mumbai Champs in their last match. With their two big-name foreign players, captain Marvan Atapattu and pace spearhead Shane Bond, not at the top of their games, Delhi’s hopes of progress are almost non-existent. They need to win their remaining games and hope for several other results to go their way to stay in contention for the semi-finals.On the other hand, Hyderabad, their opponents on Saturday, further strengthened their place in the top half of the table with a narrow win against the Ahmedabad Rockets. With a relatively easy game against Mumbai, whom they take on after Delhi, and home advantage against Bengal in their last league game, Hyderabad are poised for a spot in the final four.Where they rankDelhi are second-last in the league with two victories. They need to win their remaining two games to keep their improbable chances of qualifying alive.Currently in second place, Hyderabad will look to climb to the top of the rankings with a win, at least for a brief period, with table-toppers Chennai Superstars playing Mumbai the next day.Form guide (most recent match first) Delhi: LWLLL
Mumbai: WWLWStats Delhi have been on the receiving end of three of the four largest defeats (in terms of runs) in the tournament – 62 against Dhaka, 58 against Mumbai and 35 against Bengal. Delhi’s Ali Murtaza is the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 scalps. He also has the best bowling figures of 4-0-7-4 against Lahore.Players to watchS Abbas Ali has been enjoying a rich vein of form for Delhi . His brave performance (31 off 19 balls) against Mumbai followed a match-winning 52 against Lahore. He also shared the best fourth-wicket partnership with Abhinav Bali in the tournament, putting on 80 runs against Lahore.
Nicky Boje is having a great time with both bat and ball for Hyderabad. He has seven wickets from five matches, with a best of 3-20 against Dhaka, and scored a crucial 30-ball 47 against Ahmedabad.Quotes”If we have to chase a target against the Delhi team, seeing off Shane Bond would be the priority. If we succeed in it, we have the potential and the confidence to chase any target.”

West Ham United are battling Napoli for the signing of Villarreal left-back Pervis Estupinan, according to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

The Ecuador international only joined Villarreal in September 2020, leaving Watford in a £14.76m deal after they were relegated from the Premier League last summer.

The Hornets had previously loaned him out to three different Spanish clubs and never handed him a competitive debut (via Sky Sports).

Estupinan made 33 appearances for Unai Emery’s side in all competitions, including four in the Europa League as he helped Villarreal to lift the trophy after beating Manchester United on penalties in the final.

It may be difficult to prise him away from The Yellow Submarine, though, given that they committed him to a seven-year contract on his arrival.

The latest

The report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) stated that West Ham are now in the frame for the 23-year-old, along with Luciano Spaletti’s Napoli.

While the Serie A outfit have been pursuing the move for longer, the Irons could have the advantage in this transfer race because they ‘don’t seem to have any economic problems’.

The verdict

This would be a slightly superfluous move for the Hammers. They already have two good left-back options in the form of Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku, whose respective WhoScored average match ratings for 2020/21 were 6.81 and 6.89, both of which far outshone Estupinan’s 6.53.

On top of that, Villarreal would be within their rights to demand a hefty sum of money less than 12 months on from signing the Ecuadorian.

There are bigger priorities to be addressed – namely a centre-back, a backup forward and an alternative to Jesse Lingard if he isn’t going to be returning permanently – so the Irons shouldn’t be too dismayed if they don’t manage to sign the Villarreal full-back.

In other news, West Ham are plotting a new bid for this transfer target.

Suriname’s squad for their debut at the ICC Americas Division 1 tournament has been severely weakened after US officials refused to grant entry visas for a significant number of its players

Tony Munro24-Nov-2008Suriname’s squad for their debut at the ICC Americas Division 1 tournament has been severely weakened after US officials refused to grant entry visas for a significant number of its players.A source has advised CricInfo that as many as 50% of the original squad has had to be replaced. It’s not known whether captain and allrounder Troy Dudnauth is one of the players denied entry.Suriname’s participation had created interest ever since they surprisingly defeated Bahamas by 146 runs on the last day of Americas Division 2 tournament in Paramaribo in April.As a result, Suriname won the tournament on run-rate and earned the Affiliate place in the Division 1 tournament previously filled by the Bahamas.

Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy insists that the club have been trying to sell Dwight Gayle since their promotion to the Premier League.

Gayle has been with the club since 2016 and has made a total of 113 appearances for the Magpies.

He has struggled for goals at times, though, with his most prolific campaign coming in the Championship, when he scored 23 times in 2018/19.

In his three Premier League seasons, he has scored just 11 goals, and Kennedy believes that the club have been trying to offload him for some time.

Indeed, they managed to sign Callum Wilson from Bournemouth last season and he went on to score 12 goals in 26 league games.

And Kennedy thinks that the club will continue to offer Gayle out as they bid to shift him from their squad.

He said: “Newcastle United, really, in many ways have been trying to replace Dwight Gayle for about five years now. Since they got promoted, they’ve wanted an upgrade on Dwight Gayle and they did that, in getting Callum Wilson.”

Newcastle start their Premier League season against West Ham United this weekend and it remains to be seen if Gayle will be included in the squad under Steve Bruce.

Andrew McDonald and his fast-bowling colleagues caused major problems for Tasmania on the MCG’s first day of Sheffield Shield action for the season as the Tigers went to stumps at 8 for 189

Brydon Coverdale at the MCG15-Nov-2008
Scorecard
Andrew McDonald was in good bowling form and collected 3 for 29 © Getty Images
Andrew McDonald and his fast-bowling colleagues caused major problems for Tasmania on the MCG’s first day of Sheffield Shield action for the season as the Tigers went to stumps at 8 for 189. George Bailey was the only batsman to show serious application on a pitch that shouldn’t have been that difficult and at the close Gerard Denton was on 5 and Ben Hilfenhaus had 1.Play finished half an hour early and 16 overs short as bad light set in but it was a predictable outcome. The first ball was not bowled until 1pm and stumps was scheduled for 7.50pm to give players from both sides time to fly back from Brisbane where several had taken part in Friday night’s All-Stars Twenty20 match. Cricket Australia is keen to pursue day-night Tests and this match confirmed that red balls in the evening are not the way to go.McDonald was one of the men who had made the rush to Melbourne but he showed no weariness after the late night; he finished with 3 for 29 and took two magnificent diving catches. He symbolised the sharpness in the Victoria outfit – no chances were dropped, the players hared through between overs and the fast men bowled with effort and purpose on a reasonably benign surface.Even without key bowlers Peter Siddle, who is with the Test squad, Dirk Nannes, who was a late withdrawal with the flu, and Darren Pattinson, who has a groin injury, Victoria were constantly dangerous. Clint McKay and Damien Wright picked up two wickets each in the early stages as Tasmania wobbled to 5 for 62.Only when Bailey and Luke Butterworth combined for a 62-run stand did Daniel Marsh’s decision to bat begin to look like it might work out. But McDonald ended that partnership when Butterworth (25) clipped Shane Harwood to square leg, where McDonald hurled himself to his left and clasped a strong chance.Bailey, renowned as a dasher, displayed impressive resolve in reaching 73 from 185 balls. He still found opportunities to hit the rope on eight occasions, including a swatted pull off his former Tigers team-mate Wright. But Bailey became another victim of Victoria’s excellent fielding when he top-edged an attempted pull off McDonald and a deceptively agile Harwood ran back at midwicket to take a superbly-judged catch.The best catch was yet to come. Brett Geeves (31) had just lofted McDonald over long-on for six when he checked his next shot and prodded the ball back down the pitch, where McDonald flung himself to his left to grab the sharp chance at full stretch.McDonald clearly adjusted better after the flight south than his All-Stars team-mates Michael Dighton and Marsh. Marsh poked Wright to point for a laborious 7 off 41 balls and Dighton, who had mesmerised the Gabba crowd with 34 from 13 deliveries, managed only 20 before edging behind off McKay.Dighton’s innings was one of many stark contrasts between Friday night’s extravaganza and the dour first-class day that followed. In Brisbane, the All-Stars managed 203 from 20 overs; at the MCG, a Tasmania outfit featuring some of the same batsmen struggled to 189 from 80 overs. A thrill a minute it was not, but it was a good, hard-fought day of first-class cricket.