Category Uncategorized

Scott Styris, the New Zealand allrounder, has been overlooked for the series against Bangladesh but new coach Mark Greatbatch, who is also a selector, said it was partly because New Zealand wanted to test their bench strength.Styris has not been in the first-choice XI for more than year now but when he got his chances in the three ODIs against Pakistan in UAE, he didn’t make any substantial scores or impress with his bowling.”The reason Scott missed out was that we wanted to look at some others for this series,” Greatbatch told the . “He had an opportunity in Dubai as a batter and he didn’t quite take his opportunities to the full there.”Styris was one of the standout players in the Twenty20 domestic competition, the HRV Cup, scoring 274 runs at a strike-rate of 133 besides chipping in with 12 wickets. There have been media reports attributing Styris’ exclusion from the national side to an attitude problem, but Greatbatch scotched those rumours.”It was disappointing to read the speculation that he missed out because of his attitude and there’s no truth to that whatsoever,” he said. “There was no discussion during our selection meetings for this series about his behaviour.”Despite injuries to several New Zealand players, including allrounder Grant Elliott, Styris was left out, but he was encouraged by a call from Greatbatch. “I hope that I’m a valued member of that side and I think I am judging by the fact a lot of the guys this week have been telling me that’s the case,” he said. “I can only take at face value what the selectors told me. Mark Greatbatch has always been straight with me in the past and I have no reason to think that he’s not being the same now.”

Despite managing to win all of the four games he’s had in charge of Rangers since being appointed as their new manager, Giovanni van Bronckhorst could be heading for his first misstep at the club regarding the future of defender Connor Goldson at Ibrox.

With it recently being reported that Goldson has rejected a Rangers contract offer and is eyeing a Premier League return, it should be a main priority at the club at the moment for them to make the defender change his mind and pledge his future to the club.

Since joining Rangers back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Brighton & Hove Albion in a deal worth a reported fee of around £3m, Goldson has gone on to make a total of 188 appearances for the Scottish club across all competitions, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists in the process, showing how important he has been for the team since his arrival.

Described as a player that has “incredible leadership” by former Rangers manager Steven Gerrard, Goldson has played in 26 games so far this season across all competitions, completing the full 90 minutes in every league game he’s appeared in.

In those league games, the 28-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £27k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has shown what a defensive unit he is by racking up an average of 3.6 clearances per game, 1.1 tackles per game and winning 67% of his duels.

With that in mind, losing him would be nothing short of a big mistake from Gers who would undoubtedly be losing one of their most important figures.

Goldson said when he joined the club that playing under Gerrard was a big factor in his decision to sign for Rangers, so it’s not surprising to hear that now the Liverpudlian has left, Goldson supposedly doesn’t want to continue at Ibrox under van Bronckhorst.

Despite his apparent rejection of a new contract, Rangers should not give up on keeping hold of Goldson and consider offering him a new and improved deal that could persuade him to stay under their new manager given how important he has been for them.

It’s clear looking at how many appearances he’s made this season that playing time would not be an issue for Goldson under their new Dutch boss, who now must convince the defender to stay at the club.

Moving forward, unless Goldson is adamant that he won’t be signing a new deal with Rangers, then the club could either see if they can pick up a fee for him in January or risk losing him on a free transfer when his current contract expires in the summer, which would be a rather large mistake given how many more years he could potentially offer the club.

In other news: 115 touches: Rangers’ “absolutely fantastic” gem with 91% pass rate was unplayable – opinion

A round-up of the first day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Plate League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff01-Dec-2009

Group A

Scorecard
Dheeraj Jadhav’s first century for his new state side helped Assam to a healthy score at the end of the first day’s play in Guwahati. Amol Muzumdar’s decision to bat against Tripura was vindicated by Jadhav’s innings, which consumed 279 deliveries over 358 minutes, but there was a lack of firepower from the rest of Assam’s batsmen. Amit Sumanta Sinha, batting at No.3 on debut, made 42 and Muzumdar 40, but Timir Chanda’s four wickets gave the visitors some lift. From 244 for 3, Assam slipped to 256 for 7 by stumps.
Scorecard
Each of the six batsmen to walk to the crease on the opening day at Dhandad got a start, and without any of them really imposing themselves Goa finished in a dominant position. Swapnil Asnodkar made a solid 59 at the top, followed by 69 from the captain Sridharan Sriram, before Ajay Ratra collected a breezy 73 from 87 deliveries by the close. Asnodkar and Sriram’s half-centuries laid the platform, aided by a dogged 40 from Reagan Pinto, and allowed Ratra to walk out and sting the Jharkhand attack. Unlike those before him, Ratra will eye a century as Goa attempt to really shut out the opposition.
Scorecard
Rajasthan’s bowlers kept Vidarbha under wraps in Jaipur yet failed to bowl them out on day one. It was a slow day, with no batsman crossing 50 against a tidy bowling attack. Sumit Mathur (20-8-31-2) and Madhur Khatri (23-12-32-1) plugged away manfully and hardly allowed a run, while Vinod Chanawaria netted 2 for 28 from 12 overs. Ravi Jangid found himself needing to shore up the responsibility after Vidarbha’s top order stumbled, and by stumps had stonewalled himself to an unbeaten 45 from 207 deliveries.

Group B

Scorecard
TP Sudhindra’s first substantial contribution on return to Ranji Trophy cricket from the ICL put Madhya Pradesh in an advantageous position by stumps in Indore. Sudhindra, sharing the new ball, took a career-best 5 for 39 from 20 stifling overs of medium pace to help dismiss Jammu & Kashmir out for 171. Sudhindra got the ball rolling in the second over, dismissing Vinayak Mane for 1, and soon had J&K reeling at 33 for 3. His maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket came later when he got Abid Nabi for 20. The best score from J&K was Hardeep Singh’s 41 from the No. 7 spot. In reply, the opener Jalaj Saxena batted for an unbeaten 70 as MP finished day one just 58 runs behind J&K.
Scorecard
Boosted by left-arm seamer Tekkami Atchuti Rao’s career-best haul, Andhra dominated the first day in Anantapur. Haryana captain Sunny Singh opted to bat but laboured 61 deliveries for 9 amid a top-order slump that left the side 30 for 4 after 20.1 overs. Rao struck twice at the top and chipped away when recalled later in the innings and finished with 5 for 43. Sachin Rana’s 57 from 150 deliveries was the best any Haryana batsman could muster. In the 12 overs before stumps, Andhra’s openers stoutly added 17 runs.

As relayed by The Guardian’s match preview, Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt another injury worry ahead of today’s clash against Leeds United after Cristian Romero came back from international duty with a hamstring problem.

The Lowdown: Conte without key men for Leeds…

As the Italian aims to get Tottenham back near the top of English and European football, it looks like he will be without a handful of key players for his second Premier League game in charge of the club.

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

Indeed, marquee summer signing and 2020/21 Serie A MVP award-winning defender Romero will not be able to feature in north London today due to his hamstring injury (The Guardian).

Meanwhile, Conte will also be without midfield gem Oliver Skipp for a different reason, with the 21-year-old currently serving a ban after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Everton.

The Latest: Lo Celso blow emerges…

As per The Guardian, Tottenham have been dealt another injury worry as midfielder Giovani Lo Celso is also doubtful for the clash with Leeds this evening.

Indeed, the attacking ace has suffered a knock and it is currently up in the air as to whether he will feature today.

The Verdict: Blow for Conte…

The Argentine’s performances have attracted criticism in parts but Conte’s arrival comes with plenty of speculation that Lo Celso could thrive in a three-at-the-back formation.

Indeed, the playmaker is capable of rotating with club record signing Tanguy Ndombele in a number 10 role just behind deadly duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, as some critics believe this could be the way forward (Alasdair Gold).

As Conte works out the kinks of his new team, potentially losing Lo Celso today could come as a blow given that he will likely want to test out the 25-year-old as much as possible.

If the Argentine can transfer his performances at international level down to Tottenham, Conte may well have a player on his hands, with Lo Celso’s national team coach Lionel Scaloni even calling him ‘one of the best in the world’ (Today.in-24).

Meanwhile, former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho called him ‘phenomenal’, indicating that the 25-year-old has no shortage of quality.

Perhaps one of Conte’s biggest tasks at Spurs is getting the best out of Lo Celso on a consistent basis.

In other news: Tottenham tell rising star he is free to leave as they green light surprise exit from N17, find out more here.

كشف وكيل مدافع الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد الجديد، أنطونيو روديجر، سبب رحيله عن تشيلسي في نهاية الموسم الماضي قبل الانتقال إلى ريال مدريد.

وانتهى عقد روديجر مع تشيلسي في 30 يونيو ورحل إلى ريال مدريد بالمجان، ولكن القرار كان قد حُسم قبل أشهر من نهاية موسم 2021/2022.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سيد معوض يكشف موعد تدخل الأهلي لحل أزمة كهربا

وتحدث وكيل روديجر، سيف روبي، لشبكة “talkSPORT” الإنجليزية، عن الأسباب، وقال: “ماذا لو أخبرتكم أن تشيلسي خلال فترة رومان أبراموفيتش، لم يبذل أي جهد للإبقاء على اللاعب في لندن؟”.

وتابع: “كان أنطونيو سعيدًا جدًا بالبقاء، لأنه من المحتمل أن يكون قائدًا لهذا الفريق، لقد عرضوا عليه نصف راتب لوكاكو ولذلك اتخذنا قرارنا بالرحيل”.

وكان روديجر قد فاز في موسم 2020/2021 مع تشيلسي ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا على حساب مانشستر سيتي بالإضافة إلى كأس السوبر الأوروبي وكأس العالم للأندية.

Taking to Twitter, these Southampton fans slammed the “awful” performance of Jan Bednarek after his performance in their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool this afternoon.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men faced a tough task right from the off at Anfield and were always up against it in facing one of the most in-form teams in the country.

The Saints endured a torrid afternoon against Liverpool, who are aiming to regain the Premier League title, with the visitors’ defence in particular suffering against Jurgen Klopp’s electric front three of Diogo Jota, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

Mohamed Salisu and Alex McCarthy were handed poor SofaScore ratings for their displays on Merseyside, yet it was Poland international Bednarek who attracted plenty of criticism from supporters.

Saints fans slam Bednarek…

The 25-year-old seemed to be walking a tightrope throughout the entire first half, being placed in the referee’s book inside the opening few minutes after an awkward challenge on Sadio Mane.

Coming in late on the back of his right leg with a ‘nasty’ tackle, Bednarek spent the rest of the 45 minutes struggling to cope with the Senegal star on that side, winning none of his ground duels on an afternoon to forget and being hooked at half-time (SofaScore).

He also ranked as one of Southampton’s lowest-rated players on the afternoon with a 5.8/10 – leaving little wonder supporters weren’t happy.

Check out some of their verdicts below:

“Bednarek is useless. He needs to go, thank god Stephens is back”

Credit: @WillsfcMitchell

“Bednarek is trash”

Credit: @jh_dourado

“Ralph adjusts at half-time and brings on Tella, removing the Bednarek deadweight. Does he get any credit?”

Credit: @EFranzo17

“Can we please drop Bednarek, he’s so bad”

Credit: @LiamEyre25

“Bednarek, Livramento and Romeu have been awful. Should be subbed at half time and dropped until they earn there place back”

Credit: @willdebruin27

“Bednarek isn’t a serious footballer”

Credit: @sfccalum

Arsenal could be struck with a worrying sense of deja vu as another one of their youngsters lights up the Bundesliga.

The Gunners were made left to rue Arsene Wenger’s decision to sell Serge Gnabry for just £4.5m back in August 2016 – but he has since become one of the most exciting wide talents in Germany and perhaps even European football too.

His value now sits at a whopping €70m (£60m), as per CIES Football Observatory.

A major increase on the minimal fee they sold him for all those years ago. And now, they are at risk of repeating such a catastrophic mistake.

23-year-old centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos is currently in his second season on loan to VfB Stuttgart, only this time, the Bundesliga outfit have secured an option-to-buy, meaning he very much isn’t part of Mikel Arteta’s future plans.

The Greek colossus could be signed and the Gunners are now powerless to stop it, a troubling thought given his form over at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Mavropanos has emerged as an exciting goalscoring defender in one of Europe’s biggest divisions – he fired home from 35 yards out against Borussia Monchengladbach to take his tally to four from just nine appearances this campaign.

“He always shows in training that he can produce magic,” Die Roten head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo said of the Arsenal loan sensation earlier this year. “He’s got heart, energy and determination. We need guys like him.”

He added: “He’s our gladiator – a monster in terms of physique,” said Matarazzo. And the centre-back puts it to good use.”

Indeed, the £13m-rated colossus has excelled during his time at Stuttgart, where he is currently their highest-rated player (7.39) on the season, per WhoScored.

Mavropanos, who stands at 6 foot 4 has won an average of 2.9 aerial duels per game – more than the Gunners’ first-choice duo of Gabriel (2.4) and Benjamin White (1.7).

He has also averaged an impressive 1.9 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 5.1 clearances each outing, as well as an 80.9% passing accuracy, proving to be an all-round beast at the back.

Bundesliga.com claim he is amongst the division’s 12 fastest players, having clocked a top speed of 21.79 mph as of matchday eight.

If he continues this impressive form into 2022, not only will Stuttgart be keen to trigger their clause but surely other teams across the continent will keeping an eye on his progress.

Gnabry didn’t last long at Werder Bremen as Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich soon swooped him up, yet he was never good enough for the north Londoners.

The very same scenario could repeat itself with Mavropanos. That would be a big tragedy.

AND in other news, Edu could secure Alexis Sanchez 2.0 in Arsenal swoop for £18m-rated “fox in the box”…

England beat Pakistan by 48 runs at The Oval to go through to the Super Eights

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan07-Jun-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen was at his explosive best as he lifted England to a decent total•Getty Images

England certainly like doing things the hard way, but kept their ICC World Twenty20 hopes alive with an impressive 48-run victory against Pakistan at The Oval which was so emphatic that they are through to the Super Eights. With the hosts’ hopes hanging by a thread Kevin Pietersen returned and hit a sparkling 58 off 38 balls to lift England to a competitive 185 for 5, and Pakistan never got close against a team desperate to erase embarrassing memoriesPakistan, much like England the other night, were well short of their best especially in the field where they dropped at least four catches and produced countless more sloppy pieces of groundwork. They were terribly rusty during their warm-up games and are still a long way from settling, and maybe suffered from knowing they have a second chance against Netherlands on Wednesday, but this defeat was so heavy that even a win in that game might not be enough.England, as they had to, clearly came out with a point to prove having been rightly criticised for their performance against Netherlands on Friday. Whether Pietersen’s return was a case of desperate times calling for desperate measures, or a case of his injury really improving, he produced what England dearly needed from him with one of his best Twenty20 innings.The innings included six sixes, compared with none two days ago, and Pietersen produced three off his own bat including a monstrous blow into the second tier of the pavilion and a glorious, inside-out, cover-drive off Mohammad Aamer. Pietersen was helped out by two positive innings from Luke Wright, who crunched 34 off 16 balls, and Owais Shah, as he added 66 for the third wicket with Pietersen.Pakistan had the batting fire-power to chase down the target, but never formed a solid base as England produced a disciplined display with the ball and, most importantly, in the field where they were far superior. Paul Collingwood, a reluctant captain with much pressure on his shoulders, set the pattern with a well judged running catch to remove Ahmed Shehzad off the recalled Dimitri Mascarenhas.Mascarenhas had been handed the new ball – the role he plays for Hampshire – and Collingwood rotated his pace options. Broad produced the telling over when his short-pitched tactic worked with Kamran Akmal pulling to deep midwicket and the dangerous Salman Butt top-edging to backward point.From there the innings didn’t gain any momentum as Shoaib Malik struggled to score at a run-a-ball and Shahid Afridi’s poor form continuing with a painful 12-ball 5 before he holed out off Graeme Swann. Adil Rashid bowl four overs of accurate legspin and held his nerve each time the batsmen came after him. Pakistan didn’t manage a six until the 17th over and by then the game was long gone.The atmosphere when play got underway was electric with huge support for both teams. If there had been a roof on the ground it would have come off when Malik pulled off a good catch at backward point to remove Ravi Bopara, handing debutant Aamer his first wicket.That brought Pietersen to the crease early after his return to the side following the Achilles injury that ruled him out against Netherlands and the fact he started by dealing in quick singles suggested the problem wasn’t causing too much concern. Pietersen sparked into life by slamming a waist-height no-ball down the ground and the resulting extra delivery (although not a free-hit) was launched monstrously straight into the second tier of the pavilion. It registered as 104 metres, just a fraction shorter than Chris Gayle’s huge blow yesterday against Australia.It had been Wright who brought the early impetus by taking 14 off three balls against Aamer, including England’s first six of the tournament as the ball flew over deep midwicket. He continued in the next over from Yasir Arafat, but was gifted one boundary when Umar Gul misread the spin at third man and let the ball scoot past him.Pakistan’s disciplines continued to slip when Gul delivered another no-ball, but the question was whether England could keep it going as the crucial phase of the game began with Pakistan introducing their spinners? After a brief look, both men took boundaries off Ajmal and a huge top edge by Pietersen off Afridi carried over fine leg for six. Two more sixes came in the 13th over, bowled by Aamer as the batsmen cut loose.A mini-cluster of wickets, including two in an over to the impressive Ajmal, meant England’s charge wasn’t as destructive as it could have been, but unlike against Netherlands the innings finished with a spark rather than a whimper with Mascarenhas and James Foster adding 29 in 19 balls.It’s little things like that which make the difference in Twenty20, and just 48 hours after their biggest humiliation England are into the next stage. Pakistan, meanwhile, have to win against Netherlands. How quickly things change.

Chris Martin has announced he will return to Canterbury next season after spending the past four summers at Auckland

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2009Chris Martin has announced he will return to Canterbury for the 2009-10 season after spending the past four summers at Auckland. Martin said the move was so he and his wife, who is expecting their first child, could be closer to their family in Christchurch.”I’ve played some of my best cricket in Auckland, so it’s been a really enjoyable experience,” Martin told . “I’ll definitely leave with a whole bunch of new friends that I’ll keep in touch with.”Martin started his first-class career with Canterbury more than a decade ago but switched to Auckland ahead of the 2005-06 season. He will share the new ball with Shane Bond but there are few other familiar faces remaining at Canterbury from his previous time there.”Canterbury are a very young side – I think there are only two players that I’ve played with before,” he said. “But I’m looking forward to working with [coach] Bob Carter and I’m keen to contribute what I can as a senior player with the younger guys in the squad.”The Auckland Cricket chief executive Andrew Eade said he respected Martin’s wish to put his family first. “It is always hard to lose a player of his experience and ability,” Eade said, “but the opportunity is now there for some of our younger players to step up and establish themselves.”

Andrew Symonds is back in Australia’s plans after a troubled season and is part of the preliminary squad for the World Twenty20

Cricinfo staff03-Apr-2009
Andrew Symonds’ time on the international outer appears to be over © Getty Images
Andrew Symonds is back in Australia’s plans after a troubled season and is part of the preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 in England in June. Symonds, who has been chosen in the 30-man group with the injured Shaun Tait and Brett Lee, was banned from the South Africa tour due to his off-field problems, which began with him going fishing in Darwin last year.His selection in the outfit increases his chances of being involved in the limited-overs matches against Pakistan starting later this month. Cricket Australia told the selectors Symonds had shown enough in his rehabilitation programme, which increased following a handful of incidents during the home summer, to be considered solely on fitness and form.”I’m grateful that I’ve got the chance to get back to playing for Australia again,” Symonds said. “Hopefully the boys go well in South Africa [on Friday] and for the rest of the series because I’d love to be back in the rooms with them again sometime down the track.” He will be in South Africa next week to prepare for the IPL with the Deccan Chargers.”Cricket Australia and Andrew have been speaking, as have members of the team leadership group, and we are satisfied he is committed to doing the things needed of an Australian international cricketer,” the chief executive James Sutherland said. Symonds may be back in Australian colours by the end of the month if some of the senior players, including the worn out Michael Hussey, take a break for the Pakistan engagements in the UAE.Symonds last played for Australia during the second Test against South Africa in December before undergoing knee surgery. He showed his fitness – but not much form – with Queensland over the closing stages of the season.The Twenty20 squad will be cut to 15 for the 16-day tournament, which doubles as an Ashes warm-up for Australia. Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, has looked to the uncapped spinner Aaron Heal while Graham Manou has the inside running as Brad Haddin’s understudy following the slump of Luke Ronchi.”The squad includes Tait, Shane Watson, Lee and Shaun Marsh, who are all currently recovering from injuries,” Hilditch said. “Marsh has, from all reports, now made a full recovery from his hamstring injury. The recovery from injury of Lee and Tait will be carefully monitored in the next few weeks.” Tait has suffered a long-term hamstring problem while Lee had ankle and foot surgery after limping out of the Boxing Day Test.Watson, who is returning from back stress fractures, has started light bowling in the nets and is “pretty happy with how I’m going so far”. “We’ve made some minor technical adjustments to my action and I’ll be looking to gradually build up my workload over the next six or seven weeks,” he said. “I’ll have a much better idea during that period as to when I can bowl again in a match, but I’m certainly looking forward to getting into a regular playing routine with Rajasthan in the IPL.”Australia’s women’s outfit was also announced, with the tournament giving the players a chance to forget their disappointing fourth place in the home World Cup last month. The final squads will be named on May 5.Australia squad Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Shane Harwood, Nathan Hauritz, Aaron Heal, Moises Henriques, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Ben Laughlin, Brett Lee, Graham Manou, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Rob Quiney, Peter Siddle, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.Australia women’s squad Sarah Aley, Sarah Andrews, Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Kate Blackwell, Melissa Bulow, Jessica Cameron, Jude Coleman, Sarah Coyte, Lauren Ebsary, Sarah Edwards, Rene Farrell, Jodie Fields, Corinne Hall, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Emma Inglis, Jessica Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Kirsten Pike, Leah Poulton, Karen Rolton, Lisa Sthalekar, Selena Tainton, Jo-Ann Verrall, Elyse Villani, Julie Woerner.