All posts by h716a5.icu

A fine allround performance from captain Ramkaran Sharma helped India beat Australia by 46 runs in a 2002 Blind World Cup league match in Chennai

Staff Reporter11-Dec-2002A fine allround performance from captain Ramkaran Sharma helped India beat Australia by 46 runs in a 2002 Blind World Cup league match in Chennai. But despite that result they are now out of the tournament.After Australia inserted the Indians, Sharma (48) and Rajinder Verma (36) turned out to be the major contributors for the hosts. That is excluding Mr Extras who contributed 59 vital runs. The failure of most of the other batsmen, however, meant that India were dismissed for 258 in 32.5 overs.When Australia replied, Bob Farnham (66) and Robert Raiteri (39) ensured that their team got off to a good start. But their dismissals within 24 runs of each other, led to a collapse which sealed an easy Indian win.Sharma was named Man of the Match.India, then, ended their engagements having gained nine points from five matches and ended up fifth, only ahead of Sri Lanka.

Leeds United transfer target Josip Brekalo is open to leaving VfL Wolfsburg this summer as a transfer update emerges.

What’s the story?

The Croatian enjoyed a fine campaign with Wolfsburg, netting seven goals and providing three assists in 28 games in the Bundesliga, including scoring a hat-trick against Union Berlin.

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are interested in signing the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window, with the Whites among those to have watched the Croatian in action over the past few months in the Bundesliga.

And now, SportBild (via Sport Witness) claim that Brekalo is “flirting” with the idea of a move away from Wolfsburg, and that the German side are ready to sanction a sale this summer, with Leeds, Everton and Napoli all name-checked as having interest.

Leeds’ new Harry Kewell

When Harry Kewell burst onto the scene at Leeds, the exciting winger was a real breath of fresh air, displaying a real sense of fearlessness.

FootballWhispers noted: “The Australian youngster immediately stood out in Leeds’ youth ranks, exuding a confident swagger that would go on to define his on-field demeanour. With his pace, flair and guile, the young winger looked a natural fit in the immaculate white of the three-time English champions.”

And that “pace, flair and guile” is exactly what Brekalo could bring to the table were he to join Leeds from Wolfsburg this summer.

As per WhoScored, he averaged 1.6 shots, 1.3 key passes and one dribble per game in the league, all of which rank him in the top five for each category among his Wolfsburg teammates, and a real indication of the kind of directness and influence he provides.

Goal’s Bundesliga journalist Ronan Murphy added on Twitter: “The less said about his off-field antics the better, as he should leave his on-field performances do the talking. Able to unlock defences and strong cutting in to shoot, he will torment defenders everywhere.”

The £26m-rated Croatian would add some real quality and strength in depth in those wide positions and give Bielsa another potential game-changer just like Raphinha has been with six goals and nine assists.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/leeds-united-marcelo-bielsa-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-elland-road-rodrigo-de-paul” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

His dribbling and his willingness to take players on is very much like both Raphinha and Kewell, and another player like those two would be a real coup for Bielsa and Leeds.

Meanwhile, Leeds are in pole position for this star…

Michael Kasprowicz will become the first bowler to lead Queensland sinceCarl Rackemann following his selection today as captain of the XXXXQueensland Bulls for this week’s Pura Cup clash with Tasmania at theGabba.

Queensland Cricket12-Nov-2002Michael Kasprowicz will become the first bowler to lead Queensland sinceCarl Rackemann following his selection today as captain of the XXXXQueensland Bulls for this week’s Pura Cup clash with Tasmania at theGabba.Kasprowicz will lead the Bulls for the first time in the wake of captainJimmy Maher’s selection as captain of Australia ‘A’ that plays Englandin Hobart from Friday.The Queensland selection panel of chairman Andrew Courtice, Paul Jacksonand Dirk Tazelaar opted to hand the responsibility to the experiencedpace bowler for the match starting on Thursday rather than recallingformer captain Stuart Law.Kasprowicz produced a mighty game in the Bulls’ outright defeat at thehands of Victoria this week, taking 4-35 from 27 overs in the firstinnings, but admitted he was taken by surprise by the apppointment.”I’m extremely honoured and flattered to be considered for this,” hesaid.”I’m really looking forward to leading the way in the match. It’s astand-in job so I’ll be keen to continue everything that Jimmy has setup for the side.””With Andy Bichel and Stuey Law in the team, there’s still plenty ofexperience to call on so I don’t imagine too much will change,” hesaid.Kasprowicz has a winning record as a first class captain, leadingLeicestershire to victory in the 1999 English county season in his onlyappearance as skipper.Courtice said the panel wanted Law to lead the way as a batsman withoutthe added pressure of the captaincy.”Stuart has done many fine things for Queensland as a captain but thisis an opportunity for someone else have to have a go and it’s adirection that I’m sure he will support, just like all the players inthe team,” he said.”Stu’s form has been solid and the reports from the coaching staffindicate to us that he is working hard and due to convert that hard workinto some big scores for Queensland,” Courtice said.The selectors have also recalled rookies Daniel Payne and Scott Brantfor the match.Payne is expected to open the innings alongside Brendan Nash whileleft-arm seamer Brant to vie with Damien MacKenzie for the fourthbowling spot alongside pacemen Andy Bichel, Kasprowicz and Joe Dawes.XXXX Queensland Bulls v Tasmania, Pura Cup, Thurs-Sun, The Gabba.Bulls: Brendan Nash, Daniel Payne, Clinton Perren, Stuart Law, AndrewSymonds, Lee Carseldine, Wade Seccombe, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz(c), Joe Dawes, Damien MacKenzie. Scott Brant. (12th man to be named).Tigers: Ricky Ponting (c), Jamie Cox (v-c), Michael Di Venuto, MichaelDighton, Shane Watson, Daniel Marsh, Sean Clingeleffer, Damien Wright,Scott Kremerskothen, David Saker, Shane Jurgensen, Xavier Doherty (12thman to be named).

The first day of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament saw the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI reach four for no loss after bowling out Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) XI for just 258

Staff Reporter17-Aug-2002The first day of the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament saw the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI reach four for no loss after bowling out Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) XI for just 258.IOC started fairly well after winning the toss, putting on 79 runs for the first wicket before H Kinikar was run out. MR Beerala, his opening partner, went on to make a sedate 65 off 177 balls (10×4) before falling as the fifth wicket with the score on 146.A minor middle-order collapse was partially propped up by Beerala’s innings, but it was left to M Karanjkar (44), AP Dani (34) and RV Pawar (31) to add meat to IOC’s score lower down the order.For KSCA, NSC Aiyappa, Dharmichand and Vadeyraj picked up two wickets apiece. KSCA’s openers – KS Ponnappa and Barrington Rowland – played out an over before stumps, making four runs in the process.

Division One leaders and champions-elect Surrey had to work hard to separate the last Warwickshire pair of Mohammad Sheikh and Mel Betts

Ralph Dellor28-Aug-2002Division One leaders and champions-elect Surrey had to work hard to separate the last Warwickshire pair of Mohammad Sheikh and Mel Betts. They put on 66 for the last wicket before Betts fell to Jimmy Ormond for 47. Then Betts accounted for Jon Batty early before Ian Ward and Mark Ramprakash took Surrey into a dominant position. Ward went on to 114, while Ramprakash was out for 99 after the pair had put on 204 fro the second wicket. At the close, Surrey were still 26 runs behind but have seven wickets in hand.Shaun Udal reminded everyone, selectors included, that he is fit and in form with a return of five for 69 as Yorkshire were bowled out for 280 at the Rose Bowl. Top scorer for Yorkshire was Matthew Elliott with 92 as Yorkshire took a slender first innings lead of 11. However, even without the injured Chris Silverwood, Yorkshire reduced Hampshire to 91 for six in their second innings and appear set for a second victory straight after their first.Promising pace bowler James Anderson finished with six for 41 as Somerset were bowled out by Lancashire for 140. That gave Lancashire a lead of 111 on first innings and with David Byas contributing 81 and Chris Schofield coming in at number seven in the order to hit 77 despite Andrew Caddick returning to form with a six wicket return. With Somerset 21 for the loss of Jamie Cox in their second innings, they still need another 386 to win.Leicestershire took a first innings lead of 31 against Sussex, largely thanks to Iain Sutcliffe’s 75. Devon Malcolm swung the bat to hit three sixes in his 18-ball 24. He was not out as James Kirtley claimed four wickets. Sussex have fared badly in their second innings at 56 for five and only lead by 24.In Division Two, South African Gerard Brophy scored an undefeated 61 as Northamptonshire got with four runs of Durham’s first innings total. Steve Harmison was another to remind the selectors of his ability with four wickets. However, Carl Greenidge took four wickets in Durham’s second innings to reduce them to 129 for eight – a lead of 133.Nottinghamshire’s innings folded quickly after Jason Gallian was out for 171 against Glamorgan. There were four wickets for left-arm spinner Dean Cosker as the innings ended on 464. Matthew Maynard got a fifty for Glamorgan, but it was captain Steve James who led the reply with an undefeated 143 as his side built up a lead of 216 with seven wickets remaining.Middlesex went on to 531 all out against Worcestershire. David Nash reached his hundred and Ashley Noffke made a valuable 76. Promising seamer Kabir Ali took five wickets. Anurag Singh reached exactly fifty before he was out, but Graeme Hick is still there with a century to his name as Worcestershire closed on 231 for two.

New Zealand’s opening One-Day International on their tour of the West Indies was rained off in Jamaica today

Lynn McConnell06-Jun-2002New Zealand’s opening One-Day International on their tour of the West Indies was rained off in Jamaica today.As New Zealand walked onto Sabina Park to attempt to defend their 176 runs, rain started and it never let up.New Zealand team manager Jeff Crowe said earlier in the tour that he feared the weather was going to play a large part in the tour.New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to risk the state of the pitch which had been under covers for much of the previous week.Just how much of a risk was seen when wickets fell on the first ball of each of the third, fifth and seventh overs. Nathan Astle went for one, Fleming for a duck and Chris Nevin for eight.New Zealand were 14/3, all three batsmen were out to catches from balls that gained extra lift from a good length.Craig McMillan was the key batsman for the side, taking control initially in a partnership with Chris Harris that lifted the score to 37 before he was caught from off-spinner Chris Gayle for eight made off 23 balls.Lou Vincent then came in and while struggling for his timing, in the difficult batting conditions, he helped lift the score to 104 before he was trapped leg before wicket in the 33rd over by Cameron Cuffy for 20 scored off 62 balls.McMillan’s battling innings which included only five fours ended off the last ball of the 40th over as he attempted to hit Ryan Hinds over the long-on boundary when the score was 132. He was caught for 69 scored off 99 balls, his 15th one-day half-century. But New Zealand really needed him to stay longer, a fact borne out by the relatively quick demise of the remainder of the batting.Scott Styris went shortly after for nine, caught and bowled by Pedro Collins while Daryl Tuffey was soon caught for one. Daniel Vettori batted in his inimitable style to get a quick 15 before he was bowled by Gayle and Shane Bond demonstrated what a handy player he can be in the lower order when finishing unbeaten on 19, as New Zealand were all out for 176 with two balls remaining.All of the West Indies bowlers made the best of the conditions, bowling a consistent line. Gayle took three for 27 from 9.4 overs. But Hinds had two for 19 off four, Cuffy two for 28 from 10 and Mervyn Dillon two for 33 from his 10.Conditions were deteriorating throughout the innings and it was anticipated that the West Indies would face a trying task attempting to get the total.However, that was all conjecture as the rain set in to deny New Zealand their chance of a winning start to the series which resumes in St Lucia at the weekend with matches on successive days.Cloudy conditions are forecast for the entire weekend with temperatures around 87 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Almen Abdi has criticised Carlos Carvalhal, claiming he ‘didn’t like’ his former manager at Hillsborough.

The Lowdown: Abdi flops at Sheff Wed

Abdi made the move to Wednesday from Watford back in the summer of 2016, in what looked like a good piece of business at the time.

The Swiss midfielder proved to be a hugely disappointing signing, however, making just 23 appearances in total and contributing little towards the Owls reaching the Championship playoffs in both 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Abdi eventually left Hillsborough in 2019, following a desperately underwhelming three years in Sheffield.

The Latest: Carvalhal blamed for struggles

Despite his struggles, Abdi appears to be placing the blame with Carvalhal, telling The Athletic that he never felt he was treated well by his manager at the time:

“The coach didn’t help me very much because I’d play two games, then the third, which I didn’t play well, so he’d drop me, then drop me again and after a while, you lose confidence.

“I needed a manager who trusted me, who believed in me, who pushed me. He (Carvalhal) didn’t do that. He’s energetic, he’s enthusiastic.

“He’s a really good coach and he did well. But he didn’t trust me. He didn’t like me and I didn’t like him that much. So it was really hard mentally. I was asking myself why? What have I done?

“I was one of the best players at Watford in the Championship and Premier League for the whole season and played almost every game.

“And suddenly, I’m not good enough to play for Sheffield Wednesday, with all due respect they had a great team but I wasn’t good enough.”

The Verdict: Hugely disappointing signing

In truth, it could be argued that both Abdi and Carvalhal are to blame for the former’s lack of impact, but the majority of it still lies with the player himself.

He never hit the heights that many expected of him and the likes of Sam Hutchinson, Barry Bannan and Kieran Lee were far more prominent players in the middle of the park.

Wednesday coped just fine without Abdi, so nearly reaching the Premier League in 2017, so he needs to accept that he was a major flop at the club.

In other news, one Sheff Wed stalwart has been linked with a summer exit – find out who it is here.

The introduction of the Hampshire Academy team into the Southern Electric Premier League’s Second Division is certain to add spice to a potential intriguing tussle for the honours

Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo 30/04/02)02-May-2002The introduction of the Hampshire Academy team into the Southern Electric Premier League’s Second Division is certain to add spice to a potential intriguing tussle for the honours.County Second XI coach Tony Middleton plans to field three or four young professionals alongside his fledgling youngsters in the 50-over Division 2 matches.The Young Hawks, who have effectively replaced Thames Valley League bound Cove, face Sparsholt in their opening on the Rose Bowl Nursery ground on Saturday, 1pm.Middleton, who scored over 5,000 First Class runs for Hampshire prior to his retirement in 1995, will initially lead a raw, but talented Hawks team. It will include the five Academy students Tom Burrows, Martin Bushell, Luke Merry, Mark Mitchell and highly rated New Milton all-rounder David Wheeler.”Some of the youngsters are very inexperienced, but the Premier League promises to be a vital breeding ground for them; an arena in which they can develop their skills,” Middleton emphasised.Second XI regulars like Iain Brunnschweiler, Lawrie Prittipaul, Irfan Shah and James Schofield are among the ‘young pros’ likely to play. “Our team selection will obviously depend on Hampshire first team calls and, insofar as this Saturday is concerned, will hinge on Benson & Hedges Cup squad selection,” Middleton said.The Hampshire CCC Academy squad is : Tom Burrows, Martin Bushell (Finchampstead), David Griffiths (Sandown), Peter Hammond (Sarisbury Athletic), Ian Hilsum (Ventnor), Kevin Latouf (Millfield), James Manning (Andover), Luke Merry (Thame), Mark Mitchell (Ventnor), Alex Richardson (Locks Heath), Mitchell Stokes (Basingstoke & North Hants), David Wheeler (New Milton).Middleton’s emphasis will be on player development, but he wants his Academy side playing in the ‘Gold’ Division sooner rather than later.Hungerford, Lymington, United Services and newly promoted Winchester KS are expected to be among the Second Division front runners.Relegated from Premier 1 at the end of last season, Hungerford are clearly aiming for a ‘quick fix’ and have busily recruited former Sussex wicketkeeper Nick Wilton and Devon medium-pace bowler Paul Warren, in addition to welcoming back burly Steve Wyatt, who spent last season at nearby Falkland.Former MCC Young Professional all-rounder Owen Dawkins, who plays Minor Counties Championship cricket for Wales, will captain Hungerford.On paper, Lymington are capable of beating most sides, but all too often they flatter to deceive. Daniel Peacock, the club’s former Zimbabwe A off-spinner, takes over the Lymington captaincy from Neil Trestrail.Ben Craft and Glyn Treagus ought to be among the principal divisional run scorers, with Western Australia Under-19 left-arm spinning all-rounder Aaron Heal an interesting addition to the side.It took United Services a month or so last season before they even got off the mark but, once Gary Hounsome got a settled side together, the results began to come.Typical of a Services team, playing personnel at Burnaby Road has changed quite dramatically. The return of Royal Navy opener Pete Andrew and left-arm spinner John Mann will be significant, but Jacob Barnard and Tom Clarke are, as yet, unknown quantities.Wicketkeeper Warren Gilmour, 21, is an intriguing arrival from Zimbabwe. “Warren is a very accomplished cricketer, besides being an International standard hockey player,” recalled Lymington’s Daniel Peacock, who played against Gilmour in Zimbabwe.If Sussex pace bowler Billy Taylor turns out regularly – he is primarily a 1-day limited-overs player at Hove at the moment – Winchester will take some beating.Paul Marks and that ultra-talented sportsman Jimmy Taylor are proven run-getters, while the arrival of the nomadic Archie Norris (late of Hambledon and Finchampstead) should compensate for the loss of Raj Naik, who seems unlikely to return from his native India.The remaining four Second Division sides – Easton & Martyr Worthy, Rowledge, Sparsholt and Trojans – are all very capable of beating one another.Quarter-finalists in the Wadworth 6X Village Championship last season, Easton are a highly competitive outfit, capable of overturning the best, especially in their Cocket’s Mead ‘bowl.’Already boasting the proven Green brothers, they are strengthened by the return of Ben Collins from overseas and the arrival – from the Victorian outback – of Francis Gilly, a left-hand medium-pace bowler and batsman.But skipper Steve Green has one main aim – to avoid relegation !”This is going to be a very competitive league and our primary objective is to avoid finishing in the bottom two relegation positions,” he emphasised.Lack of batting depth is a worry for Trojans, who – initially at any rate – are expected to run without any assistance from overseas.Sparsholt, who struggled badly from unavailabilities last season, have an interesting newcomer in Australian-born Doug Tongue who showed his batting pedigree with a century against Lymington in a Sunday friendly last September.Rob Savage leads Sparsholt, who have lost Will Marriner to St Cross Symondians, their Winchester neighbours.Rowledge, who finished runners-up to Winchester after stringing together ten successive wins during the second half of last summer, accept they may struggle at first.”We’ve got a lot of lads away at university for the initial six weeks of the season,” conceded veteran bowler Chris Yates, who is currently sidelined after a hip operation.Among the initial absentees is Cardiff University CCE all-rounder Chris Yates, who has played regularly for the Hampshire Board XI for the past two seasons.

Slavisa Jokanovic is set to make a call regarding Ismaila Coulibaly at Sheffield United this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Yorkshire Live, who revealed that the 20-year-old has qualified for a visa to play in England a lot sooner than expected.

After joining Sheffield United from Sarpsborg 08 FF on a five-year deal last September, the central midfielder was sent on a three-year loan deal to the Blades’ sister club Beerschot V.A. in order to work towards acquiring a visa.

However, after just one season in the Jupiler Pro League, the £2.7m-rated man is now eligible to play in England, with the Sheffield United hierarchy set to offer Jokanovic the chance to bring the Mali U20 international back to Bramall Lane this summer.

Jokanovic must act

Considering how impressive Coulibaly has been this season in Belgium, it would appear a very wise move for Jokanovic to take the club up on their offer and add the 20-year-old to his squad ahead of next season.

Over his 22 Jupiler Pro League appearances for Will Still’s side, the central midfielder scored five goals, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles and 0.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the youngster earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Beerschot’s fifth-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – something that is no mean feat considering Coulibaly’s age and inexperience in an unfamiliar league.

Indeed, it is reported that, as a result of his displays in Belgium, both AC Milan and Galatasaray are considering a move for the midfielder, suggesting that a few clubs in Europe believe that the 20-year-old could operate at a much higher level than he currently is with Beerschot.

As such, there should be no doubt in Jokanovic’s mind about bringing Coulibaly back to Sheffield this summer, as, if he doesn’t, and the player’s head is turned by the growing amount of interest in his services, it could easily be argued that the issue has the potential to be the first major mistake of the 52-year-old manager’s time in charge of the Blades.

In other news: Transfer news emerges over “outstanding” £38k-p/w gem that’ll make Sheff Utd fans buzz

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Atalanta left-back Robin Gosens this summer have taken a blow after Barcelona joined the race to sign the German defender.

Man City have regularly been linked with the 26-year-old ahead of the upcoming transfer window and the latest report from Spanish news outlet Sport claims that he has now attracted the interest of La Liga giants Barcelona.

Ronald Koeman’s side look set to sell back-up left-back Junior Firpo this summer and need a suitable long-term replacement for Jordi Alba, who has maintained a starting spot at the Nou Camp this season but will turn 33 next year.

Gosens could be the ideal fit with the Catalan side, considering he is very much an attacking left-back, who can also feature in midfield, which would suit Barcelona’s long-standing style of attacking full-backs in the mould of Alba and Dani Alves.

However, his performances this season have been sensational at times and he could also prove to be an excellent addition to Pep Guardiola’s side, especially as left-back is one area in which the Citizens could definitely add some more depth.

Whilst Oleksandr Zinchenko has performed extremely well in recent weeks, and Joao Cancelo has performed well as an inverted wing-back at times this season, they both feel like short-term solutions in that position.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

The Atalanta star could be the man to replace Benjamin Mendy in this City side, with his various injury problems meaning he is no longer the player he once was, which has left the Citizens missing a marauding natural left-back such as Gosens.

The most recent season in Serie A saw the former Heracles Almelo man contribute a superb 11 goals and six assists in 32 appearances, averaging an excellent 7.19 rating from WhoScored.

He was similarly impressive last season, scoring nine and assisting eight in 34 appearances in Italy’s top-flight, so it was perhaps no surprise when former Lazio defender Roberto Cravero suggested that he had a “better” season than Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, despite the Englishman being pivotal to the Merseyside outfit’s first Premier League title.

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936″]

If the German could match the Liverpool man’s form in the Premier League with City, then he would surely prove to be an excellent addition to Guardiola’s side this summer, so it is unfortunate, therefore, that Barcelona have now entered the race to sign the £31.5m-rated defender, as it may prove to be a major blow to City’s chances of bringing him to the Etihad.

And, in other news… Man City massively missed out on £36m-rated PL beast, Pep dubbed him “one of the best”