All posts by h716a5.icu

For a match that started off with a slight shock for the touring Indians, the first day of their tour opener against Guyana could not have been better, with all the regular bowlers getting some crucial wickets under their belt ahead of the first Test

Staff Reporter06-Apr-2002For a match that started off with a slight shock for the touring Indians, the first day of their tour opener against Guyana could not have been better, with all the regular bowlers getting some crucial wickets under their belt ahead of the first Test on April 11.After having practiced with Kookaburra balls, there was some consternation in the Indian camp when they were handed Duke balls for the match. Luckily there was enough time for manager Gautam Dasgupta to rush to the hotel and bring back six Kookaburra balls to be used instead.India, in fact, took on what was virtually a second-string Guyana team, with the real stars such as Carl Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Reon King and Mahendra Nagamootoo away in Kingston competing in the final of the Busta International Shield against Jamaica.The Guyana Board President’s XI, thus, expectedly fared poorly against some good bowling from, surprisingly, a full-strength Indian team. It was, in fact, a most auspicious beginning for the visitors when Javagal Srinath dismissed Andrew Gonsalves caught behind off the very first ball of the match.Zaheer Khan got an edge from Narsingh Deonaraine in the very next over, the catch being comfortably pouched by VVS Laxman at second slip.None of the Guyanese batsmen, barring Homchand Pooran and, to a lesser extent, K Arjune, could come to terms with the Indian attack. Arjune made 25 at the top of the order before falling to Harbhajan Singh. Pooran was the highest scorer of the innings, hitting 41 in 143 minutes with three fours and a six.Along with Reon Griffith (10), Pooran induced signs of frustration in the Indian bowlers. The pair did not score their runs quickly, but their 21-run partnership consumed 15 overs after lunch.Zaheer Khan finally broke the stand, Dasgupta taking a smart low catch to get rid of Pooran. The innings did not last much longer, and Guyana were skittled out for 118.The Indians will take heart from the performances of Srinath (2-20), Zaheer Khan (2-22) and Anil Kumble (2-28). The star of the bowling attack, however, was Harbhajan Singh, who returned figures of 19-5-37-4. Combined with the fact that, barring Brian Lara and Carl Hooper, few of the West Indians play spin well, Harbhajan’s form is a very good omen for the tourists.In the Indian innings, Dasgupta was run out early for just six. Shiv Sunder Das and Sourav Ganguly, who came in at number three, added 24 runs for the second wicket before the former was dismissed for 20 by D Dasrath.At the close of play, India were 73 for two in response to Guyana’s low total. Ganguly looked in good touch, unbeaten on 40, while Sachin Tendulkar took his time at the crease, making just three out of the third-wicket partnership of 31 runs.

Nigel Adkins’ Charlton Athletic side head into Sunday’s fixture knowing that nothing short of victory will give them a chance of securing a top six finish in the League One standings come the final whistle.

Having slipped up in recent fixtures such as the 1-0 loss to Peterborough United, 2-2 draw against Crewe Alexandra and 1-1 stalemate with Accrington Stanley, whether or not Charlton can end the season in a play-off position is now out of their hands.

However, a 3-1 win against Lincoln City on Tuesday evening has given the Addicks a sliver of hope in their quest for a top six finish, as a Charlton victory against Hull City this Sunday, coupled with Portsmouth losing against Accrington Stanley and Oxford United failing to beat Burton Albion, would see Adkins’ side sneak into sixth place.

Will the 56-year-old decide to make any changes to the team which started against Lincoln? Here’s our predicted XI, along with the latest team and injury news…

With influential midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey being ruled out through injury, as well as Diallang Jaiyesimi – who has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury in recent weeks – remaining doubtful, Adkins has some big decisions to make for the clash with Hull.

As a result, we are predicting two changes from the side which lined up against Lincoln City last time out.

The first alteration sees Chuks Aneke come into the starting XI after putting in a Man of the Match performance against the Imps, with the 27-year-old scoring one goal and registering one assist despite starting the game on the bench.

The forward takes the place of 19-year-old Ian Maatsen, who is now without a goal or an assist in any of his last four fixtures.

The other change sees the injured Forster-Caskey replaced by Albie Morgan, which seems only logical as the 21-year-old was the man who replaced the injured midfielder in the game against Lincoln.

This means that Jaiyesimi, if he is fit, only makes the bench, while the remainder of the Addicks side remains unchanged.

In other news: Lost possession 15x: Charlton passenger who committed six fouls let Adkins down against Lincoln – opinion

No president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has ever had such a turbulent time in office as Pat Rousseau, the 67-year-old Jamaican attorney who resigned last night, five years after taking office following the latest of the many

Tony Cozier03-Jun-2001No president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has ever had such a turbulent time in office as Pat Rousseau, the 67-year-old Jamaican attorney who resigned last night, five years after taking office following the latest of the many controversies in which he was involved.The dismissal of team manager Ricky Skerritt nine days ago that brought his eventual downfall was typical of the autocratic style in which Rousseau ran the WICB.He and vice-president Clarvis Joseph made the decision to sack Skerritt 15 months into his contract on the strength of assessments of his performance on the four tours in which he was in charge of the team. No one else was involved and chief executive Gregory Shillingford informed the manager of the decision by e-mail.It was the last straw for some of those in the WICB who had railed against Rousseau’s methods but were overwhelmed by the strength of his personality.Richard deSouza, the former Trinidad and Tobago batsman, who is a director on the board, was incensed that he was not consulted. He told the media that he still considered Skerritt manager.Chetram Singh, the Georgetown bookmaker who is president of the Guyana Cricket Board, said he was canvassed for his opinion but was taken aback when he read the decision was a fait accompli.Other directors at the annual general meeting at the Accra Hotel Friday shared their wrath and voted to have Skerritt’s dismissal rescinded. After that, Rousseau and Joseph, a businessman, who is head of the Antigua Chamber of Commerce, had no option but to resign.There has been growing frustration throughout the Caribbean over the administration of the WICB and the rapid decline of the once mighty team.Last week, Rudolph Greenidge, the Barbados Minister of Sports, and several of his CARICOM colleagues at a recent meeting in Bridgetown had expressed their displeasure with what is going on with the WICB and with our cricket generally.And that was even before the latest hullabaloo over the Skerritt business.There has been such a litany of bloopers and blunders that the head of any organisation with such a record would have tendered his resignation of his own accord, whether or not he deemed the chaos and controversy that have characterised his tenure, his fault or not.It was Harry S. Truman, who coined the phrase, the buck stops here. He was president of the United States at the time and accepted that he was ultimately responsible for the conduct of his administration.It is not a sentiment shared in this part of the world, certainly not by politicians and sporting leaders.In West Indies cricket under Rousseau, the team has remained in a spiral of defeat while the buck has stopped at three captains, two coaches, a chief executive and now a second manager.Along the way, the long-serving trainer/physiotherapist and a couple of psychologists have fallen by the wayside and now the director of coaching and the secretary are searching for jobs.All the while, Rousseau has remained head of the organisation.He was first chosen for the post in 1996, returned unopposed two years later and again last year when he beat the challenge of Alloy Lequay, head of the Trinidad and Tobago board, in an especially bitter election.The problems that have beset the WICB with such frequency of late did not start with Rousseau. He took up his position when the first signs of internal divisions and player indiscipline were coming to the surface and immediately after Richie Richardson had quit as captain and Andy Roberts was booted out as coach.He succeeded Peter Short after heading the marketing committee for four successful years when his negotiating skills helped earn the WICB new contracts from sponsors and broadcasters.He took over full of confidence and proclaimed a mission statement that now has a hollow ring to it.”It (the board) desperately needs a lift and a new vision and direction,” he said at his first media conference. “Our aim should be to unify the board, the territories and the players behind the common objective of producing the best cricket team in the world and resuming the position of being unchallenged as the No.1 team in the world in both Tests and One-Day cricket.”It was an ambitious agenda but Rousseau did not believe it to be unrealistic. Perhaps he underestimated the destructive capacity of insularity. What-ever, he should be wiser now.Many of the territorial boards view the WICB with suspicion. And the relationship with the players became so strained that it led to their infamous strike at London’s Heathrow Airport on their way to the West Indies’ first full tour to South Africa in November, 1998.On that occasion, Rousseau had to fly to London to meet with the players and then had to overturn a decision to dismiss then captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Carl Hooper.As to producing the best cricket team in the world and resuming the position of being unchallenged as the No.1 team in the world in both Tests and One-Day cricket, the less said the better.If Rousseau didn’t meet those goals, the WICB became financially stronger in his time through sponsorship and broadcasting deals secured by the marketing department under its dynamic young director, Chris Dehring, even against the background of the team’s failure.But it was the distinct discord within the board, the constant controversy and the continuous chopping and changing of personnel without any effect on performance that led to the general exasperation expressed by the sports ministers.Above all, it was Rousseau’s domineering way that brought him down.At that first media conference in 1996, Rousseau said: “I’m going to take the question of accountability very seriously.”Apparently, he did not apply the stricture to himself until now.

Despite beating Derbyshire by 21 runs to make it three wins in a row at home in the Benson Hedges Cup, Leicestershire failed to qualify for the quarter-finals

Neville Foulger07-May-2001Despite beating Derbyshire by 21 runs to make it three wins in a row at home in the Benson Hedges Cup, Leicestershire failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.Leicestershire hardly had time to celebrate the victory before realisation dawned that it was not enough. Yorkshire’s win at Durham meant that they pipped Leicestershire for third place in the Group by virtue of a better run-rate.At least Leicestershire had the consolation of producing their best total of the competition after being put into bat. They scored 267 off 49.5 overs – and then needed to bowl out Derbyshire as cheaply as possible to stand a chance of qualifying.But a superb century from Australian Michael Di Venuto and an injury to fast bowler James Ormond, conspired to make it a close finish with Derbyshire eventually dismissed for 246.Di Venuto was the last wicket to fall when he was run out going for a quick single having made an impressive 108, reaching his century off 121 balls with 10 fours.He received very little support from the earlier batsmen but was joined by Trevor Smith in an eighth wicket stand of 63 spread over 12 overs.That gave Derbyshire a glimmer of a chance of victory but when Smith was sensationally caught by his namesake Ben, at cover, the game swung Leicestershire’s way again.Tom Lungley was stumped off Darren Maddy but some lusty blows from Tim Munton, who hit an unbeaten 17, held the home side at bay for a while until Di Venuto was run out.Earlier Leicestershire, aware of the mathematics involved, chased quick runs and as big a total as possible with Wells setting the tempo. He hit 57 off 42 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Maddy also struck a half-century and Neil Burns chipped in with 46. But it was not enough.

Crystal Palace have been handed a fresh blow in their quest to find their next manager…

What’s the word?

According to former Celtic winger Davie Provan, Eddie Howe won’t be going to the Eagles this summer as his move to Parkhead is a “done deal.” He told Go Radio (via Daily Record):

“I don’t think for a moment Dermot Desmond would have exposed himself to the possibility of being embarrassed by Eddie Howe. And Eddie Howe himself has chosen not to rule himself out. So reading between the lines I think there’s an agreement, I think it’s a done deal,” he said.

Provan later added: “I don’t think for a moment that Eddie Howe is going to take a Crystal Palace, I don’t think Dermot Desmond would leave himself open to that embarrassment.”

Huge blow

Only last month, Football Insider reported that the former Bournemouth manager was on Palace’s three-man shortlist and had even held talks with Steve Parish and the club’s hierarchy. If that’s true, then the Selhurst Park owner and CEO is in line for a devastating blow following these fresh claims that Howe is heading for the Glasgow giants.

The Eagles still do not know who will be in charge next season, as with Roy Hodgson’s contract set to expire, the 73-year-old veteran seems likely to be heading for the exit.

Palace were set to be boosted by the fact that Howe was ‘not close’ to any club and was waiting until the summer to decide his future, but the comments from Provan are hard to ignore.

The 43-year-old was largely the mastermind behind the Cherries’ rise through the leagues – across two stints on the south coast, he took charge of 454 matches, winning 42% of those. That is a better return than Hodgson at Palace, with the former England boss managing a poor win rate of just 33%.

Howe, a three-time winner of the Premier League’s ‘Manager of the Month’ award, managed to keep Bournemouth in the top flight for four straight seasons until their unfortunate relegation last year, but in reality, they were always punching above their weight under him.

To lose out on him is certainly a blow to Parish considering he was amongst his top three options. He will likely be gutted that the 43-year-old appears Celtic-bound.

AND in other news, Fresh twist emerges in Crystal Palace managerial hunt, it’s bad news for Parish…

Marcel Brands could deliver Carlo Ancelotti his new Arjen Robben by launching a pursuit for Everton to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees are eager to add depth to Ancelotti’s wide options in the summer transfer market. It is expected that a left-footed player will be preferred, and that Everton’s Director of Football Brands will focus efforts on those aged between 20 and 25/26.

Everton currently have three natural wide players in Richarlison, Alex Iwobi and Bernard, while James Rodriguez, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Joshua King can play on the wings and Anthony Gordon is due to return from a half-season loan with Preston North End.

The Goodison Park natives have prioritised improving Ancelotti’s options in attack and at right-back this summer, and will only chase a new centre-forward should King leave and Moise Kean be sold amid reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

Brands is considered to have great scope for wide options to target, which is not replicated at right-back with Everton feeling that there are few players available who meet all of Ancelotti’s requirements.

Everton have been linked with Max Aarons but are loath to pay Norwich City’s £30m asking price, while Ancelotti is thought to covet a tall right-back, which may rule 5 ft 5 Tariq Lamptey of Brighton & Hove Albion out of the running.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-everton-news%2c-views-and-gossip” title=”Latest Everton news, views and gossip!”]

The Blues are also expected to make a raft of sales to raise funds and clear a bloated wage bill in the off-season, with Bernard and Jonjoe Kenny among those facing uncertain futures and Yannick Bolasie, Southampton-linked Theo Walcott and Reading-linked Mo Besic set to leave at the end of their contracts.

Should Everton revive their Bailey interest?

With Everton claimed to be on the search for a young, left-footed winger this summer, Brands should look to formalise the Goodison Park club’s interest in Bayer Leverkusen star Bailey.

Reports by the Daily Mail linked the Toffees with scouting the Jamaican earlier in the season with a view to a potential summer swoop, having proven to be the biggest contributor to the BayArena club’s efforts at the start of the campaign.

It was expected that any club who wished to sign Bailey would have to pay £36m after the Bundesliga outfit snubbed Leeds United’s approaches in the last summer market, while Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United joined Everton in scouting the 23-year-old.

Tottenham and Everton were also linked with the Jamaica international in the last off-season after he allegedly expressed desires of testing himself in the Premier League.

Brands now seeing that he gets that chance at Goodison Park could see the Dutchman hand Ancelotti his new Robben, to whom Bailey has previously been considered as the heir in the Bundesliga. Pace has been noted as one of his strongest assets, having once clocked a sprint speed of 21.4 mph.

The ex-Chelsea winger featured 45 times under Ancelotti at Bayern Munich during the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, which saw him score 18 goals and offer 15 assists as the Bavarian powerhouse won the Bundesliga title and two German Super Cups.

Leverkusen coach Peter Bosz had also lauded Bailey as an “immense” talent, while Die Werkself’s sporting director Simon Rolfes believes that a move to the right-wing has done him “a lot of good” by playing in a Robben-esque way of cutting inside onto his stronger left foot.

That style saw Bailey strike a wonder goal against Hoffenheim in December, one of 14 goals that the eight-cap speedster has hit in all competitions this term, while offering 10 assists – no Leverkusen player has scored more while only Moussa Diaby (13) has more assists.

It remains to be seen whether Everton’s scouts reported back glowing endorsements of Bailey which will see Brands step forward with a bid this summer, but the Jamaican – who Bosz believes “gets better with every game” – could be the Toffees’ ideal wide option to target.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti set to make shrewd Everton appointment with “hugely popular” coach…

Newcastle could sign their new Demba Ba in Young Boys striker Jean-Pierre Nsame.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have once again found goals hard to come by in the Premier League this season, with top scorer Callum Wilson only on ten amid an injury-hit debut campaign at St James’ Park.

TEAMtalk have now claimed that Steve Bruce’s side have their eye on Nsame, although they are set to face significant competition for the Cameroon international’s signature. The report added that the likes of Southampton, West Ham and Celtic are all interested in him as well.

A new Demba Ba

Barring the recent arrival of Wilson, Newcastle haven’t really had a proven Premier League striker in their ranks since Demba Ba was lighting up St James’ Park.

The Senegal international developed into a real fans’ favourite at the club, bagging an incredible 29 times in just 58 games in all competitions, including a real knack for scoring some sublime acrobatic goals. In Nsame, they could find something quite close to their former hero.

Speaking last year, Young Boys manager Gerardo Seoane raved about the 27-year-old’s ability, saying: “Jean-Pierre Nsamé has had an extraordinary season. He has really progressed especially in terms of taking responsibility in the team.”

“He is very physical, with an unbelievable ability in front of goal. He is very present in the penalty area and all the balls that comes, he puts them in the back of the net, thanks to his technique and strength.”

That combination of “technique and strength” is exactly what marked out Ba as a real Premier League force, and why Chelsea ended up luring him to Stamford Bridge.

With 129 goals to his name in his professional career, Nsame has become an incredibly prolific striker at Young Boys, with his impressive haul of 32 goals last season seeing him become the Swiss League’s all-time top scorer in a single campaign.

With another 25 goals to his name this year, the striker is just continuing where he left off and it’s no surprise that clubs across Europe have sat up and taken notice.

Mike Ashley must be all over a deal for the Cameroon forward this summer.

In other news, Rob Lee has hailed one Newcastle ace as a game-changer.

Manchester United strengthened their grip on second place in the Premier League table with a come-from-behind victory against Tottenham Hotspur.

The Red Devils initially found themselves behind to Heung Min-Son but not before they had a goal ruled out by VAR for an apparent foul on the South Korean by Scott McTominay.

Fred got the equaliser before strikes from Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood sealed the victory.

Whilst United’s front players will claim the headlines, Paul Pogba performed excellently in what was his first 90-minute Premier League display since late January.

According to WhoScored, the 78-cap Frenchman was a constant threat, having two shots at goal whilst also providing two key passes.

The latter of those saw United seal the game as Pogba displayed excellent feet and trickery in midfield and then picked out Greenwood who lashed home. It was only his third assist in the Premier League this season.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-man-united-transfer-rumours-and-news-old-trafford-macheda-solskjaer-lingard-ousmane-dembele-anthony-martial-injury-rabiot-van-de-beek” title=” The latest Man United transfer rumours and news from Old Trafford…”]

Meanwhile, only three players, Bruno Fernandes, Fred and Luke Shaw had more touches of the ball than the former Juventus man.

It will not be a surprise to also find out that not only was Pogba a key cog in the Red Devils’ attack, he was also key in a defensive vain as well.

He contributed an interception as well as a game-high four clearances, whilst also winning a highly impressive four aerial duels throughout the 90 minutes.

It was certainly a fantastic all around midfield performance from Pogba and very much saw him align himself with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s assessment that he can “do everything”.

So, whilst United’s attacking stars will claim the headlines for the victory in North London, Pogba is certainly deserving of his own plaudits for an accomplished display.

AND in more news, take a look at the glaring transfer mistake the Red Devils could be making in the summer…

According to a report by Torino Granata, the chances of a contract renewal for powerhouse Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic are practically zero as it stands, with GSB and West Ham United now ‘warming up’ in the race to sign him alongside a plethora of other interested clubs. 

West Ham ‘warming up’ for Maksimovic

Maksimovic, standing at a lofty 6 foot 4, is on the Hammers’ radar as a possible free agent signing this summer amid his contract dispute.

His current deal runs out this summer and Torino Granata report the chances of it being extended have fallen by the wayside at this moment in time – resulting in Roma, Fiorentina, Tottenham, Inter Milan and the Hammers taking note.

West Ham defender Fabian Balbuena is expected to leave in the summer upon his contract expiry, perhaps prompting the club to weigh up replacements for the Paraguayan.

Transfer Tavern take

The Irons will need more options at the back, especially if they qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, and Maksimovic comes as a potentially fruitful choice on a free.

According to Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio (via the Daily Express), Slaven Bilic’s West Ham even offered him a contract way back in 2016.

However, Napoli beat them to the punch and signed him on loan with an option-to-buy that year (ESPN).

It appears, as per Torino Granata, that West Ham are warming up for a second opportunity to sign the Serbian colossus this summer.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this Lingard update, find out more here.

Liverpool will be able to park their Premier League woes in midweek as they take on RB Leipzig in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Reds head into the clash on Wednesday evening, holding a 2-0 aggregate advantage after goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in Budapest, where they will return to play this defacto ‘home’ tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have to be wary though, having lost seven out of their last 15 matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, including the 1-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, a match where the German elected to make sweeping changes.

What could his starting XI look like against Leipzig then?

There could be as many as six alterations to the Liverpool side on Wednesday.

Alisson and Andrew Robertson will be a few of those selected against Fulham to be retained. They will be joined in the back-line by Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ozan Kabak, who was injured last time out.

The centre of midfield should have a totally different complexion to it as Thiago and Curtis Jones earn recalls to be deployed alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. One of the duo will replace £36m-rated midfielder Naby Keita, the other comes in for James Milner.

The final alteration will occur in the frontline. It has already been confirmed that forward Roberto Firmino is a doubt for the game so Diogo Jota will lead the line, with the returning Sadio Mane coming in to replace Xherdan Shaqiri.

Mo Salah struggled hugely against Fulham at the weekend so he too could be dropped with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recalled into the starting XI alongside Mane and Jota. We explained earlier today why we’d have played Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield instead of Thiago, but we think Klopp will not go down that route, instead, we think he’ll use the former Arsenal man on the wing.

AND in more news, take a closer look at why the Reds must make a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen…