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Queensland’s batsmen survived on the Gabba tightrope for long enough today to edge their noses in front of New South Wales during a difficult start to the Pura Cup match.The Bulls were closing on first innings points when stumps was called on a long first day, which had the batsmen second-guessing on a Gabba wicket which regained some of its old zest.It was green and the skies were grey, leaving New South Wales to scratch together 146 in its first innings before the Bulls reached 4-109 when bad light stopped play.Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but there should still be time for a result if the Gabba maintains the tricks which prompted Bulls captain Stuart Law to ask the Blues to bat.Frontline Blues batsmen Michael Slater (15) and Michael Bevan (three) were among the casualties, but the conditions had nothing to do with their departures against a Queensland attack underpinned by professional quick Michael Kasprowicz (5-44).Slater tried to pull Kasprowicz in the fifth over of the morning, edging one of seven catches to wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe.Only Bevan knows what he tried to do to the first ball from medium-pacer Andrew Symonds (3-30), but the result was an off-balanced looping catch to cover.Symonds struck again with his next ball, claiming Michael Clarke for nought to leave NSW 3-38.”I’ve played on worse wickets here but I’m not about to say anything bad about the batsmen who go out there and play their shots,” Lee said.”Bevo rarely plays a shot like that and he looked like he was going to bat for a long time but that shot was very uncharacteristic and sometimes that happens.”It was a wicket where you never really felt ‘in’ as a batsmen and where bowlers always thought they were a chance.”But this is going to be a six-point game so if we can get a couple of nicks tomorrow morning then we’re really in with a chance.”The Blues got plenty of nicks after a 74-minute rain delay today, but every one of them flew over or short of a frustrated slips cordon.Paceman Stuart Clark (3-31) showed plenty of anguish as he was edged to third man, but he was clearly the best NSW bowler, claiming Jimmy Maher (10), JerryCassell (12) and Martin Love (12).Clinton Perren (37 not out) diced with the slips early before finding his feet for one of the more convincing efforts of the day, outside the usual hasty knock of Symonds.His 23 from 27 balls ended with a run out, slipping as he turned back, to give the Blues a vital wicket before the umpires offered the light to the Bulls batsmen, despite the blazing Gabba floodlights.”The red ball does get tough to see and it’s different from the white ball, but we would have loved to keep going with them four-down,” Lee said.

Having only recently returned to action after a long injury layoff, 18-year-old Celtic centre-back Bosun Lawal has wasted no time in relaunching his offensive on a regular spot within Ange Postecoglou’s senior squad.

Indeed, speaking back in December of last year, the defender made it perfectly clear that, having made a move from the Watford academy in the summer prior, his ambitions are to make his mark within the first-team setup at Parkhead before the current season is up, stating:

“Things have gone really well. I just hit the ground running and things have been going well for me personally. The hope is to make my debut with the first team, get my chance and really grab the moment and show people I’m capable of playing at a high level.

“I’ve trained with the first team a couple of times and it’s a really good level. The main point is the intensity, everyone is always at it, there’s no slacking. Ideally, I would like to achieve my goals this season. I just have to be ready and wait for the call.”

And, after putting on a dominant display in Celtic B’s recent 1-1 draw with Rangers in the Glasgow Cup, talk has already intensified regarding the teenager’s future at Celtic Park.

Indeed, during the fixture, former Celtic defender Tom Boyd – who was commentating on the match – was clearly extremely impressed with Lawal, stating of the youngster:

“I could do that; be comfortable on the ball, break forward, use your pace and speed. He’s certainly got a lot of those attributes. Sometimes that can be the thing that unlocks the door with [Celtic].

“Certainly the first team, the way we press, and the way we get forward and play in advanced areas. It’s often the centre-backs that are playmakers.

“He looks as though he’s very accomplished, very comfortable. [He can] just cause confusion in organised defences that we go up against. He’s certainly one that’s stood up and looking very comfortable in possession, a physical presence as well.”

Furthermore, Kieran Devlin also suggested that there is a great deal of enthusiasm surrounding the centre-back’s potential, writing in a recent article for The Athletic:

“Bosun Lawal is very well-regarded too, and there is enthusiasm about the possibility of [Lawal and Dane Murray’s] solid partnership extending to first-team level over the next few years.”

Indeed, it is not difficult to see why this opinion has been formulated of the youngster, as it was evident throughout the 1-1 draw with Rangers B that Lawal is a defender who is extremely comfortable on the ball, often bursting out of the backline on a surging run, or picking out a line-breaking pass with ease.

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The centre-back well and truly proved his creative eye in the second half of the fixture, picking the ball up in the opposition half, before playing a deft no-look pass through to Mackenzie Carse who subsequently fired home Celtic’s equaliser – as can be seen here.

As such, should Lawal continue to demonstrate this level of form over the remainder of the season, it would not be surprising to see the youngster earn a call up to Postecoglou’s first-team squad before the campaign is out – a move that, if the 18-year-old carries on his current level of trajectory, could well save the Bhoys millions of pounds in transfer fees.

In other news: Ange must avoid disaster on “big player”, he may be Celtic’s next £49.5m-rated talent

Darrell Hair alleged that Rudi Koertzen had referred to Pakistan as cheats © Getty Images

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked the ICC to look into derogatorycomments allegedly made by Rudi Koertzen about the Pakistan team.During the Central Employment Tribunal’s hearing into Darrell Hair’s caseagainst the ICC last week, Hair had described a phone call in whichKoertzen, the South African umpire, had referred to the Pakistan team ascheats.Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, said, “We have written to the ICC to look intothis matter and verify the authenticity of the remarks Koertzen is allegedto have made.”Ashraf, who appeared at the tribunal half-an-hour before Hair withdrew thecase, also reiterated Pakistan’s stance that they felt Hair was unfit toofficiate at the elite level. “We have no personal issue against Hair,” he said. “Ourcomplaint was on the basis that Hair as an umpire failed. His judgement waswrong that day and his behaviour has to be rectified. For that he isundergoing rehabilitation and that is a positive step.”When asked what Pakistan’s stance would be were Hair to return, Ashrafsaid, “To say that he is coming back on the panel is putting an optimisticface on it. After rehabilitation, the ICC may consider if Hair is fit forumpiring. Our position remains the same, but after rehab the ICC boardwill revisit the issue.”

Division One

Mal Loye played neatly for Lancashire, but their title hopes are fast slipping away © Getty Images

A remarkable unbeaten 261 from Darren Lehmann, made from only 302 balls, powered Yorkshire to 473 for 3 on the first breathless day in the relegation decider against Durham at Headingley. The winner of this match stays in the first division and Yorkshire have raced out of the blocks and can already eye safety. Although in some trouble at 43 for 2, Lehmann was dominant from the outset and brought up his first hundred in just over two hours from just 114 balls. He wasn’t finished, though, clobbering 43 fours and two sixes for good measure before the umpires finally called stumps, to end a miserable day for Durham. His innings utterly overshadowed those of Anthony McGrath – whose 79-ball 62 was no less attractive – and Michael Lumb who remained unbeaten on 82.Two fine hundreds from David Fulton and Matt Walker led for Kent on the first day against Middlesex at Canterbury as the home side reached an impressive 353 for 3. The Middlesex bowling left a lot to be desired – only Chris Silverwood, who took two economical wickets, was any resemblance of a threat – as Fulton, in what is likely to be a farewell appearance for Kent, and Joe Denly, the 20-year-old right-hander, put on 123 for the opening stand. Silverwood finally made the breakthrough, bowling Denly for 66, but Walker and Fulton batted magnificently together to put on 196 for the third wicket.For a full report of Sussex‘s key clash against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge click here.For a full report of Lancashire‘s crucial match against Hampshire down at The Rose Bowl click here.

Division Two

A fine 77 from Lee Goddard saved Derbyshire from capitulation on the first day against Surrey at Derby. Goddard came to the crease with his side in deep trouble at 102 for 5, but found excellent support in Graeme Wagg. The pair put on an unbeaten stand of 149 – comfortably the innings’ highest – as Derbyshire closed on 273 for 6.Fifties from Hamish Marshall, Chris Taylor and a particularly aggressive unbeaten 87 from Alex Gidman gave Gloucestershire the honours on the first day against Glamorgan at Cardiff. Both Gloucestershire’s openers, Kadeer Ali and Craig Spearman, fell cheaply to leave the middle order shouldering the responsibility – and they did just that. Marshall smacked 11 fours and cleared the boundary twice in his 79, before he was run out. But Taylor (54) and Gidman made good Marshall’s work as the visitors closed on 342 for 5.Alastair Cook celebrated his first England contract with a brilliant 132, salvaging a sinking Essex ship on the first day against Leicestershire at Grace Road and keeping them in control of their own promotion. Mark Pettini and Ravinder Bopara both fell for 11 and, once Andy Flower (5) and Ronnie Irani departed Essex were in danger of collapsing. Enter James Foster, the forgotten England wicketkeeper, who helped stage a superb fight-back with Cook; the pair put on 155. Though Cook fell, Foster (94*) found good support from Ryan ten Doeschate as the visitors closed on 322 for 6. Essex began with a four point advantage over Worcestershire and will be confident of bagging at least four batting bonus points on the second day.A typically bullish 96 from David Sales was the standout performance for Northamptonshire against Worcestershire on the first day at Northampton. Worcestershire, though, managed three vital bonus points in their push for promotion. The home side’s batsmen all made starts, but only Sales and Ben Phillips (75) took advantage. However, in spite of the impressive run-rate, both fell in quick succession and Northants were dismissed for 342 when the umpires called stumps.

Kamran Akmal and all-rounder Yasir Arafat helped Pakistan ‘A’ complete a clean sweep in the one-day series against Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Gaddafi Stadium Thursday. Kamran hammered a scintillating 72 and Yasir claimed five for 28 as the home side won by 34 runs. Pakistan ‘A’ had already sealed the three-match rubber by winning the two first ties at Multan and Faisalabad, respectively.Sri Lanka ‘A’ made a partial recovery from 75 for six before being dismissed for 210 in 47.2 overs. Skipper Thilan Samaraweera and Khaushal Lokuarachchi saved face for the visitors by putting on 112 for the seventh wicket.Samaraweera struck seven fours in making 74 off 101 deliveries before being last out while Lokuarachchi hit 63 off 75 balls with six fours and one six.Yasir, who claimed three wickets in his opening burst, was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. He got excellent support from off-spinner Irfanuddin with three for 51.Earlier, Pakistan ‘A’ made another fine start when wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt shared an opening partnership of 108.Salman departed after stroking 44 off 62 balls. His knock included six boundaries. Kamran’s 93-ball knock of 72 was laced with seven hits to the fence.Stand-in captain Naved Latif contributed 25. Saeed bin Nasir made full use of an extended opportunity in the middle by remaining unconquered on 43, which were scored off only 41 balls with the aid of three fours and one six.

The Western Australian batsman, Chris Rogers, has been ruled out of action for up to ten weeks, after undergoing surgery to correct a chronic problem in his right hamstring.Rogers scored nearly 500 runs in six matches as an overseas player for Derbyshire this season, but after being bothered by the injury for the past 18 months, he underwent his operation at Mount Hospital yesterday."After a number of scans it was the only way to go," said Rogers. "I would have struggled to make it through the season without the surgery, as it was only going to get worse. I feel surprisingly good at the moment and I can walk around."Rogers has been Western Australia’s most consistent batsman for the past three seasons. In 2003-04, he made 864 runs at an average of 57.60, with four centuries and three fifties in eight games. These efforts earned him selection for Australia A in their three-day game against India at Hobart, where he starred with a half-century.Rogers hopes to return in time for the Pura Cup match against New South Wales at Sydney, starting on November 2.

Mike Powell became the first Glamorgan batsman to score a century in each inningsof the match against Worcestershire as he struck an immaculate 142 at SophiaGardens and together with a restrained 63 from David Hemp, he guided Glamorgan to a lead of 253 with twosecond innings wickets still standing.The pair shared a partnership of 148 in 47 overs for the third wicket after the visitors had gained afirst innings lead of 58 after their first innings ended in the fourth over of the morning. Glamorgan lost anearly wicket when Adrian Dale edged to first slip in the second over, and soon after the deficit had beenwiped off, they lost their second wicket as Jonathan Hughes was dismissed by Gareth Batty for 41.Hemp had already been batting for an hour and a quarter when Powell arrived at the crease, and as Hempcontinued to play watchfully, Powell soon went on the offensive, striking Batty for three consecutivefours and also lofting the off-spinner high into the seating at the Cathedral Road End. He continued todrive crisply as Hemp maintained his patient vigil at the other end, but their partnership ended whenHemp was run out for 63 off the last ball before tea.Shortly after the interval, Powell reached his second century of the match with a sweetly-timed coverdrive, having faced 164 balls and hitting 15 fours and a six, and duly entered the county`s record books asthe first man to score a hundred in each innings against Worcestershire.Soon after, two quick wickets fell to Justin Kemp, as the tall South African bowled Matthew Maynard witha ball that scuttled along the ground, and then had Mark Wallace caught behind for 3. But Powell remained defiant,and with Robert Croft dropping anchor in the final hour, the pair added 64 in 18 overs before Croft was bowledby the young off-spinner Shaftab Khalid. Powell continued to pepper the boundary boards, but on 142 he overbalancedtrying to drive Kemp, and after wicket-keeper Steve Adshead had removed the bails at the second attempt, Powell departed having struck 20 fours and a six in his four and a quarter hour stay at the wicket.Kemp took his fourth wicket as he trapped Mike Kasprowicz leg before shortly before the close, as Glamorgan endedthe day on 311/8. If the heavy rain that is forecast for South Wales tomorrow morning stays away,there is the prospect of an interesting final day`s play in what has been an enthralling contest so far.

Nashua Western Province star, middle order batsman, Ashwell Prince is set for a comeback this weekend when he represents the Western Province Bowl side against Natal Inland in a three day bowl match and a one day limited over match.Prince has not played competitive cricket since undergoing a shoulder operation in July. Last week he batted in the nets for the first time this season and although Western Province top the Supersport Series log, Prince is a vital cog in the one-day side and Western Province are hoping Prince has recovered and will be available for the full Standard Bank Cup Series that kicks off next week. Western Province start their Standard Bank Cup program against Easterns in Johannesburg on the 16 October. Western Province and Boland clash in their annual challenge encounter on Wednesday 14 October and if Prince comes through this weekend, unscathered, it is likely that he will play on the 14 October.Details of the Bowl match are as follows;

MEMORANDUM*********************MATCH  : NASHUA WP BOWL vs KWAZULU NATAL INLANDCOMPETITION : UCB BOWL COMPETITIONVENUE  : NEWLANDS CRICKET GROUNDDATE  : 9 – 12 NOVEMBER 2001NASHUA WP BOWL SQUAD:WARREN WYNGARDRYAN MARONASHWELL PRINCEJONATHAN MCLEANSEAN ACKERMAN (CAPT)RENIER MUNNIKWESLEY EULEYMARC DE STADLERQUINTON FRIENDPAUL HARRISANTONIO MULLINSGARETH BERGRYAN TEN DOESCATESIRAAZ ABRAHAMSNASHUA WP BOWL MANAGER/COACH:PETER KIRSTENNASHUA WP BOWL PRACTICE SESSION:NETS – TUESDAY 6 NOV  15H00  NEWLANDSWEDNESDAY 7 NOV  16H30  NEWLANDSTHURSDAY 8 NOV  16h30  NEWLANDSKWAZULU NATAL INLAND SQUAD:J. BULLOUGHM. MARILLIERM. HAMPSON (CAPT)M. BADATT. ESSACKA. VAN VUURENM. NDLOVUS. DORASAMYA. NDOVELAP. LANDMANP. ANDERSONL. ADENDORFFG. STEWARTKWAZULU NATAL INLAND MANAGER/COACH:B. ROBERTSHOURS OF PLAYStart of Play   : 10h00Morning Session          : 10h00 – 12h10Lunch    : 12h10 – 12h50Afternoon Session  : 12h50 – 15h00Tea    : 15h00 – 15h20Late afternoon session         : 15h20 – 17h30UMPIRESMR M. JAMIESONMR K. VAN TONDERMR R. MACINTOSH  – 3RD UMPIRE

Wolves’ defence has been the fourth-best team in the league, conceding just 21 goals, but on the flip-side, just Norwich City and Burnley have failed to better their tally of 24 scored.

Fans have been crying out for more quality in attack for some time now, stretching as far back to the dull days of Nuno Espirito Santo, before he endured even duller days at Tottenham.

Daniel Podence, Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-Chan have all scored five each this campaign, and the first two, in particular, seem to have hit a bit of form recently, having produced seven goal contributions in 2022 already between them.

One player who has struggled in particular though, is on-loan Barcelona winger Francisco Trincao, who could be signed by Wolves for £25m at the end of the season should they choose to.

However, given that he has registered zero goals and zero assists in the Premier League since arriving at Molineux, the likelihood of that transfer fee being paid by manager Bruno Lage is becoming increasingly unlikely – particularly with the return of fan-favourite Pedro Neto imminent.

The forward has been out of action since last April, after fracturing his kneecap during a match against Fulham, but prior to that he had scored five goals and provided six assists in 31 Premier League appearances – earning high praise from Jamie Carragher, who labelled him as a future “superstar”.

With both Trincao and Neto left-footed wingers capable of operating off the right-flank, it seems illogical to continue starting a player who is just on-loan, and hasn’t shown enough of a cutting-edge in the final third, opposed to starting a contracted Wolves player who has already won the fans’ hearts partially thanks to his significant goal contributions last year.

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Despite taking 1.1 shots per game, the Barca loanee has a total expected goals for the season so far of just 2.7, as well as an expected assists tally of 0.9, meaning it is clear that things haven’t worked out for him at Molineux, and it’s time to see the former Lazio man who cost £16m return to the starting line-up.

In other news: Lage must now finally unleash WWFC’s “very fast” £4.6m “wonderkid”, he’s game-changing…

Melbourne Renegades batsman Chris Gayle has come in for strong criticism for his comments towards a television presenter in an interview during his side’s victory over Hobart Hurricanes at Bellerive Oval, with Anthony Everard, the head of the BBL, promising action against the batsman., the broadcaster, also confirmed that Gayle would not be involved in their coverage for the rest of the tournament as a result of comments he made to their reporter Mel McLaughlin shortly after he had been dismissed.”I wanted to come and have an interview with you as well,” Gayle said to McLaughlin, when asked about how aggressively he had batted. “That’s the reason why I’m here, just to see your eyes for the first time. It’s nice so. Hopefully we can win this game and have a drink after. Don’t blush, baby.”Everard, who was at the game, was quick to sharply rebuke Gayle’s comments. “I heard Chris’ comments and they’re disrespectful and simply inappropriate,” he said in a statement.”We’ll certainly be talking to him and the Renegades about it. This league is all about its appeal to kids, families and females. There’s just no place in the BBL – or, for that matter, cricket anywhere – for that sort of behaviour.”Melbourne Renegades’ chief executive Stuart Coventry echoed Everard’s comments, saying “there is just no place for that sort of behaviour”.Channel Ten commentator Mark Howard, joined in the commentary box by former internationals Damien Fleming and Mark Waugh, quickly apologised for Gayle’s comments, but only after Ten’s official twitter account @TenSport had tweeted what Gayle had said, with the hashtag #smooth. That tweet has since been deleted.”We will be seeking an apology,” David Barham, Channel Ten’s head of sport, told , adding that he was “deeply offended” by Gayle’s comments. “We won’t be using him in the game anymore. Unless things change in the next few days, it’s not happening. It was totally inappropriate behaviour. Mel’s a working journalist doing a job.”Gayle has form in this department. In July 2014, when asked by a female reporter during the Caribbean Premier League about the surface the Jamaica Tallawahs, who he was captaining, would be playing on in their next game, Gayle responded: “Well, I haven’t touched yours yet so I don’t know how it feels.”On that occasion, a CPL spokesperson defended Gayle’s comments but he can expect shorter shrift this time, with Cricket Australia expected to make an official statement on the matter imminently.