All posts by h716a5.icu

It was a frustrating day at the office for the Indians, the kind when almost nothing goes right, the world seems a cruel place, and circumstances just plummet downhill

Anand Vasu03-May-2002It was a frustrating day at the office for the Indians, the kind when almost nothing goes right, the world seems a cruel place, and circumstances just plummet downhill. And yes, the kind when competitors are making merry at your expense. West Indies, from 33 for one, reached a comfortable 314 for four, a healthy lead of 212 with three days to go in this game.There were three little moments of joy for the Indians, but they were too minor and too fleeting to bring any lasting comfort. The first came right at the start of play. With 35 on the board, just two runs added to the overnight score, Chris Gayle was rapped on the pads without really moving his feet by a well pitched-up Zaheer Khan delivery. Asoka de Sliva made an easy decision, and Gayle (14) was on his way.Then came the first big partnership of the day – 119 for the third wicket between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Brian Lara.Lara started off rather tentatively, looking to play himself in rather than blaze a trail. Although never in serious trouble, the left-hander was found lacking once or twice when the ball beat the outside edge or thudded into his pads. After lunch, however, Lara looked deadly dangerous. The risk-taking was minimal, and the flow was returning slowly but steadily. One over in particular stood out, when Javagal Srinath was hit for boundaries to long-on and long off. Both shots came with that characteristic flow of the blade, the full face of the bat and impeccable timing.And then, against the grain of play, an innocuous-looking delivery from Ashish Nehra trapped the master. Full and hinting to swing, the ball forced Lara (55, 123 balls, five fours) to dab forward, presenting Nehra with a simple return catch.At the opposite end to Lara, Sarwan gave a good account of why people rate this 21-year-old as a future mainstay of West Indian batting. Playing some exquisite strokes off the back foot that raced away to the fence, Sarwan blunted the Indian bowling. Comfortable against the quick men and adequate against Harbhajan Singh, Sarwan crafted a tidy half-century. However, he seems just a tad too content on reaching his half-century, rarely going on to make big scores. Sarwan’s loose swat at 60 (147 balls, 10 fours) went straight to the hands of Wasim Jaffer at gully.Two wickets in 13 balls. Once again, Nehra had proven his worth as a partnership breaker. After his lethal effort at Port of Spain, the left-arm seamer had once again struck vital blows in Barbados.But that was not the only sequence of events that evoked a sense of déjà vu. The two men from Guyana, Carl Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul came together to craft an unbeaten partnership of 153 for the fifth wicket.It was a strange partnership. Hooper seemed out of sorts and bogged down. It was almost as though the failure of the previous Test, which some feel West Indies were capable of winning, weighed heavily on the skipper. Chanderpaul, however, had no such problems. He easily outscored his partner, striking some crisp boundaries through midwicket. When Chanderpaul brought up his half-century, Hooper had a mere 15 runs to his name.Things swung around once more. After the tea break, Hooper came out all guns blazing. Whatever he sipped at the break must have done him a world of good. A commanding square cut started the run-flow. Hit with all the power and elan for which Caribbean batsmen are famous, the shot gave Hooper the confidence he needed. And if that were not enough to do the job, third umpire Billy Doctrove gave Hooper a reprieve; driving Nehra back down the wicket, Chanderpaul found the bowler’s hand on the way to the stumps, with Hooper well short of his crease. Or so thought just about everyone who watched the TV replays – other than Doctrove, of course.Before one realised it, Hooper had caught up with Chanderpaul. When the umpires put an end to an inordinately long last session, not before the sun winked its way behind a cloud just on the edge of the horizon, Hooper had 70 (172 balls, 10 fours) while Chanderpaul was on 73 (157 balls, 12 fours).Tired, unlucky in patches and run ragged, the Indians would not be bothered in the least about which of the Guyanese scored faster. The fact that they are still around to fight another day, having added 153 for the fifth wicket, will cause Ganguly to lose some sleep.

Rangers have been linked with a move for Deportivo de Cali winger Santiago Moreno recently and former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell has tipped him to be a hit in Steven Gerrard’s side should he make the summer switch to Ibrox.

The Gers were linked with the Colombian youngster by The Telegraph earlier this month, with Southampton and Leeds United also touted with an interest in the 21-year-old, whose performances have earned him comparisons with Liverpool star Sadio Mane.

When speaking to Football Insider recently, Campbell suggested that it would be a “masterstroke” by Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson if they were able to sign him this summer, saying:

“It sounds like it could be a really smart signing.

“They have gone down that route before and got a lot of bang for their buck in Morelos.“Getting another guy in from Colombia could be great. He will be able to relate to Morelos and they will both speak the same language. They could really help each other off the field.“I think it would be a masterstroke signing in all honesty.“Of course he has to have quality as well. He has to be able to add to the fantastic squad Steven Gerrard already has up there. If Rangers manage to get that one over the line, I am sure he will do just that.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-rangers-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Rangers transfer rumours and news!”]Moreno appears to have plenty of potential as, despite being just 21, he has already made 50 senior appearances for Deportivo de Cali, in which he has contributed an impressive 10 goals and seven assists.The winger predominantly features on the right-hand side and could compete with Ianis Hagi in that position in Gerrard’s side next term, as the Gers are arguably low on natural right-sided options other than the Romania international.[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]Whilst reports have suggested that he will cost at least £2.6m this summer, he is clearly highly-rated in Colombia and could add some real strength in depth at Ibrox, which Gerrard will need next season if his team are to be a success in domestic and European cup competitions as well as the Premiership.In other news… Rangers dealt huge transfer blow with “fantastic” star, Gerrard will be fuming

Leeds United are reportedly interested in signing Huesca defender Javi Galan this summer, as the Whites continue to look at new left-backs.

The Lowdown: Left-back search

Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be eyeing up reinforcements all over the pitch in the next transfer window, but left-back looks a particularly pressing area.

Ezgjan Alioski still looks like he could leave and it is vital that the North Macedonian is replaced, with a lack of options there without him.

The likes of Romain Perraud and Nicolas Tagliafico are just two of the players who have been linked and now a new name has emerged.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Leeds keen on Galan

According to Football Insider, Leeds are interested in signing Huesca full-back Galan and have even made their initial approach already – he featured in 37 of his side’s La Liga games last season.

The 26-year-old is considered a cheaper option than Perraud, with his release clause thought to have dropped from £7million to £3.5million.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Verdict: Exciting dribbling machine

Galan could be an exciting addition for Leeds, particularly when it comes to his attacking quality from left-back.

Incredibly, Spaniard’s average of 3.3 dribbles per game in the league last season is more than Raphinha (1.9) and Jack Harrison (1.2) combined, highlighting his risk-taking ability on the ball.

Only one goal and two assists does suggest that a lack of end product could be a potential issue, but under Bielsa’s tutelage, perhaps Galan could go up a gear and add the quality in the final third to his obvious abilities on the ball.

In other news, a pundit has claimed that one player would love to join Leeds this summer. Find out who it is here.

Northern Districts left-arm spinner Matthew Hart was one of the great “Whatever happened to” stories of New Zealand sport

Lynn McConnell27-May-2002Northern Districts left-arm spinner Matthew Hart was one of the great “Whatever happened to” stories of New Zealand sport.A player who still possesses the best figures by a New Zealand bowler in a One-Day International, with five for 22 against the West Indies at Goa in 1994/95, and who spun New Zealand to an outstanding first Test victory over South Africa at Johannesburg a few weeks later, he faded away after the 1999 World Cup in which his only innings saw him out for a duck and he wasn’t called on to bowl.Now he’s been recalled to the New Zealand team for their tour of the West Indies and leaves tomorrow, looking to kick-start a career that given New Zealand’s lack of resources, should never have been put on the backburner.Hart turned 30 a fortnight ago and had never given up hope that one day the phone would ring again and usher him back into the international frame.”I knew I was within cooee when I was one of the stand-by players for the Pakistan tour and I had a bit of an inkling last week, but it was a long week hoping that I might get a phone call from Sir Richard Hadlee,” he told CricInfo today.Hart, who was New Zealand’s left-arm spinner of choice before Daniel Vettori emerged in 1997, has played 14 Tests and taken 29 wickets at 49.58 while he had scored 353 runs at 17.65.In 12 ODIs he has 13 wickets at 26.69 with an economy rate of 3.79.Part of the reason for his absence is down to some changes he attempted to make to his bowling technique. But the lesson of that has been that he was better off being what he was and not trying to be someone different.”It’s a long story, but I was trying to change things, more by trial and error than anything else because I wanted to be better than I was.”I was impatient and it took trial and error and some knocks to make me realise it was wrong,” he said.Then after the World Cup in 1999 he was out of action for 12 months after having an operation for blood clots in his wrist, just what caused them is still not known.However, that time out of the game allowed him to rest up a little after a constant diet of cricket in New Zealand and league cricket in England, and it was only then that he realised how tough the life he was leading had been.It was almost a subconscious realisation that he needed to have a break.”I feel like I’ve made some big steps last season [2000/01] as a batsman and this season as I have done some more bowling,” he said.Getting back into bowling earlier had not been possible with Grant Bradburn and Bruce Martin doing a good job in his absence.”I just had to bide my time,” he said.That chance came during the State Shield one-day competition this year and while not used excessively his results were encouraging.He bowled 50 overs and took 15 wickets at an economy rate of 3.26, the best of the ND attack in the Shield, and in the State Championship he bowled only 45.1 overs and took six wickets for 100 runs, again with the best ND average of 16.66.Hart said ND coach Bruce Blair had been brilliant with him this year and he had been a very positive influence on him, and very pro-active in his approach.It was a start, and one sufficiently good enough to capture the attention of the national selectors. At the moment he is in the ODI side only, and primarily as cover for Vettori who is to be used sparingly in the one-day games.But with one space being left open while the selectors ponder the likely conditions for the Test matches, there has to be every chance that should they deem that spin is needed, then Hart is in the best place.”I’m just looking to get stuck in. I’m as keen as mustard,” he said.As New Zealand looks to deepen its reserves of spin bowlers, Hart is in a fine position to pick up his career, and even if in the same category as Vettori, every bowler is different.If he can regain some of his best touches during what has been something of a voyage of rediscovery, then New Zealand cricket overall will be better off.

Danny Ings has reignited his career at Southampton but that form has seen him attract interest from some of the Premier League’s top clubs, and if he was to depart former Saints vice-chairman Les Reed believes the striker would be heartbroken to leave the south coast.

The former Liverpool striker joined Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in 2018 initially on loan and he has managed to find the net 46 times in 100 appearances, which has seen the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City linked with the 28-year old.

A lot of clubs will be on the hunt for a striker this summer and with Ings entering the final year of his current deal, the Saints may feel like they have their hands tied and have to sell him to bring money into the club.

Ings appears to have found his feet and best form at Southampton after struggling to ever get going at Liverpool due to numerous injurie,s and Reed believes that if Ings left he would find it tough, as he explained exclusively to Transfer Tavern:

“For Danny, there could be opportunities that open up in the last year of his contract and it will be heartbreaking for him to move but this is the time if he’s going to win a medal or achieve something bigger.”

Man City were credited with an interest in Ings earlier this year but now that Sergio Aguero has officially left they may step up their interest in the striker, especially if the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland prove to be too expensive.

Ings is likely to have a lot of potential suitors both this summer and next year as teams up and down the Premier League will want someone who knows where the back of the net is.

A superb exhibition of swing bowling on a blameless pitch, reduced Warwickshire to 16-6 wickets off 15 overs

Gordon Child04-Jul-2002A superb exhibition of swing bowling on a blameless pitch, reduced Warwickshire to 16-6 wickets off 15 overs. The catalyst to this collapse was the smart run out of Mohamed Sheikh, off a mis-field, by Chris Brown.Cornwall’s Justin Stephens (2-23 off 10 overs) and Devon’s Ian Bishop (3-13 off 10 overs) did the early damage. Chris Brown and Martyn Dobson followed up with 20 overs of immaculate offspin to keep the pressure on the lower order batsmen.A couple of chances went begging as Nick Warren (64 not out) batted resolutely to save the situation. Even so, at 81-9 it looked all over, but a last wicket stand between Tom Mees and Warren added 51 in 16 overs, before Warren was run out for 20 in the 48th over.A target of 133 should have been comfortable, but it was not to be. Fine seam bowling from Mohamed Sheikh and Tom Mees reduced the Minor Counties to 56-6.Richard Howitt produced a magnificent innings and turned the game on its head in an 8th wicket stand of 49 with Justin Stephens, before Howitt was bowled for 69 with 4 runs still required. In tense finish, Stephens batted admirably to hit the winning runs with just three balls to spare.

Chris Adams has been given the all-clear following a ligament injury to his left knee

Surrey CCC Media Release25-Jun-2002Chris Adams has been given the all-clear following a ligament injury to his left knee.Adams was injured on the eve of Sussex’s B&H Quarter-Final against Warwickshire in May and underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament. He makes his return to first-class cricket in tomorrow’s Championship match against Yorkshire at Arundel.Commenting, Chris Adams said: “I’ve been out for five weeks and this is a big match to come back for. But I’ve always played well at Arundel and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of taking on Yorkshire.”I’ll be continuing where I left off in May and I’m determined to have a great season for Sussex and in doing so put myself in the frame for the Ashes and World Cup this winter.”The squad for the Yorkshire match is as follows:

MontgomerieGoodwinAdamsCotteyYardyAmbroseMartin-JenkinsPriorInnesDavisTaylorLewry

A major update has emerged regarding Rangers dud George Edmundson, it could lead to Ross Wilson needing to make a strong decision. 

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, Rangers have received and rejected several offers for centre-back Edmundson following the end of the defender’s loan spell with English Championship side Derby County. The report claims that a number of English clubs are keen on signing Edmundson and have tested Rangers’ resolve with opening salvos.

Edmundson spent the second half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan to Derby after being slapped with a seven-game ban by the Scottish FA for breaking Covid-19 regulations. The 23-year-old attended a party alongside teammate Jordan Jones during lockdown and was punished for his actions with the ban, leading to his exit from Rangers on loan during the January window.

After Edmundson was found guilty of breaking the protocols, former Scotland international Gary Caldwell suggested that Steven Gerrard “can’t trust” the defender on or off the pitch. He told BBC Sportsound, as transcribed by the Daily Record:

“If you can’t trust the players to adhere to Covid regulations, how can he trust them on the football park? To mark a man from a set piece?

“It’s disappointing for Rangers but also disappointing for Scottish football.

“The situation clubs find themselves in financially, they’re going to need help at some point so we need to be showing Scottish football in the best light and unfortunately, we didn’t do that.”

Wilson must axe him

The time is up for Edmundson at Ibrox and director of football Ross Wilson must now ruthlessly axe him from the club this summer. He has shown, as Caldwell explained, that he cannot be trusted off the pitch and the trust between himself and Gerrard may have been affected in terms of his on the pitch responsibilities as well. The fact Gerrard wanted to send him out on loan to Derby suggests that Edmundson is not part of his immediate plans and Rangers could benefit from moving him on as swiftly as possible.

Wilson needs to take advantage of the interest in Edmundson to bring in a respectable transfer fee for the defender, which could then bolster his own transfer plans. If Rangers can get a six or seven-figure offer for Edmundson then they could use that to bring in Gerrard’s targets to bolster the squad ahead of next season.

The £3.7k-per-week dud also failed to catch the eye on loan at Derby. In 10 Championship appearances for Wayne Rooney’s side, Edmundson averaged an unimpressive WhoScored rating of 6.62 at centre-back. Meanwhile, Connor Goldson, Filip Helander and Leon Balogun all averaged WhoScored ratings of 7.06 or higher in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers at centre-back. This suggests that Edmundson is not even close to Gerrard’s other centre-back options in terms of quality before you even take his off-field issues into considerations. So, Wilson now needs to facilitate an exit for Edmundson and send him back to England this summer.

AND in other news, Wilson must seal deal for £720k-rated ace likened to Pogba, Rangers fans would love it…

A major update has emerged on Rangers target Jonson Clarke-Harris, it could lead to Ross Wilson striking gold for Steven Gerrard this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, financial fair play rules mean that Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris is likely to be out of reach for any club outside of the Premier League in England. Bournemouth saw a £5m bid rejected by Peterborough in January and they will not be able to reignite their interest this summer.

The report claims that Rangers are interested in signing the English centre-forward, who is contracted to Peterborough until 2024. However, it remains to be seen exactly how much Peterborough will want for their star man.

Earlier this year, Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson hailed Clarke-Harris as a “leader” and emphasised how important he is to the team. He told Peterborough Today:

“Jonson’s goals have been valuable, but he’s more than just a goalscorer.“He is a leader, a winner and a real focal point for this team.“He was our number one target when Ivan Toney left and we had to work hard on his fitness when he first got here, but he’s been an oustanding signing and a real pleasure to work with.” Wilson could strike gold

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson could strike gold for Steven Gerrard if he takes advantage of this situation by snapping Clarke-Harris up. It is difficult to improve upon a season where you managed to go unbeaten and win the league title, but Clarke-Harris could provide a level of consistent goalscoring that Rangers did not have from one player in the 2020/21 campaign.

The goals were shared out in the Scottish Premiership, with Ryan Kent, James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe all on between eight and 11 league goals at the end of the season.

This suggests that there could be a gap for a prolific striker to come in and take on the burden of being a regular goalscorer for Rangers. Clarke-Harris’ incredible season for Peterborough in League One suggests that he could be the ideal target for that role. The 26-year-old found the back of the net 31 times in 45 League One matches for Peterborough, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.36.

The £6.1k-per-week goal machine could, therefore, be a brilliant addition to Gerrard’s team as he could add an extra dimension at the top end of the pitch.

His goals could help elevate Rangers to the next level and allow them to go further in European competitions, whilst also attempting to maintain their dominance over Celtic from a domestic standpoint.

So, Wilson must take advantage of the lack of funds available to use by EFL clubs to pounce on Clarke-Harris whilst they can.

AND in other news, Rangers must avoid grave error with “wonderful” £18k-p/w ace after pundit’s claim – opinion

Warwickshire Bears’ hopes of putting further pressure on the Division One leaders in the Norwich Union League were extinguished under the Canterbury floodlights, as Kent Spitfires won a rain-affected game by 13 runs to lift themselves away from the

Stephen Lamb30-Jul-2002Warwickshire Bears need 144 runs off 22 overs to beat Kent Spitfires, after rain delayed their reply to Kent Spitfires’ 217 in the Norwich Union Division One encounter at Canterbury.After a flurry of wickets at the start and finish of their innings, the Spitfires would have been a little disappointed with their eventual total. The second-placed Bears need a win to keep up the pressure on Worcestershire Royals, while victory for the Spitfires would lift them away from the edge of the relegation zone.Kent lost skipper Matthew Fleming in the first over, caught by Neil Carter off Nick Warren, but that did nothing to curb their early aggression. Robert Key found the rope twice before he was lbw, also to Warren, who took his third wicket when James Hockley was caught behind for 21 (16 balls), trying to add to a tally of five boundaries.Matthew Walker entered to exercise due caution, and with Andrew Symonds put together much the most substantial partnership of the innings. Symonds was characteristically hard to pin down – Brown and Richardson were deposited over the ropes at mid-wicket and long-on respectively. There was a touch of the Curate’s Egg about the Bears’ fielding – excellent at times (Trevor Penney and Jim Troughton stood out) and pedestrian at others.Symonds went for 46, losing his off stump playing back to Alan Richardson, but Walker accelerated after a stodgy start. Missed on 46 – a stinging return catch to Neil Smith, he caused hilarity next ball by throwing his bat several yards away without making any contact with the ball. Four more followed to complete a 96-ball 50, and a massive six in the same over off Smith.On Walker’s departure, lbw to Dougie Brown for 75, Kent lost their way. Without Mark Ealham, who was left out for disciplinary reasons, they subsided from 193 for four to 217 for nine. Geraint Jones got a bottom edge to Keith Piper, Paul Nixon and David Masters both perished having a swing, and James Golding, lifting his foot late, was beautifully stumped by Piper. The hosts had to settle for lesser fare than the 230-240 they would have been aiming to reach in the last five overs.