Queensland have promoted Clinton Perren to the top of the order for the first Pura Cup match of the season against New South Wales at the Gabba, starting on Friday.Perren, who made 721 runs at 37.95 in 2003-04, will partner Jimmy Maher, the captain, as he continues to make the transition from attacking middle-order batsman to reliable opener.Queensland’s selectors have made one change to the team that defeated New South Wales by two wickets in yesterday’s ING Cup match, with the pace bowler Joe Dawes coming into the twelve for Craig Philipson.New South Wales have named Jason Krejza, the uncapped offspinner who was a surprise consideration for the India tour, in the squad behind the No.1 spinner Stuart MacGill, who became the leading wicket-taker in the ING Cup yesterday.Queensland Jimmy Maher (c), Martin Love, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, James Hopes, Wade Seccombe, Chris Simpson, Andy Bichel, Ashley Noffke, Shane Jurgensen, Joe Dawes (12th man to be named).New South Wales Brad Haddin (c), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Phil Jaques, Jason Krejza, Grant Lambert, Greg Mail, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson, Aaron O’Brien, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely (12th man to be named).
CloseWestern Australia 6 for 562 dec and 5 for 244 (Langer 84, North 82*) lead Tasmania 5 for 384 dec (Dighton 101, Watson 139, Marsh 51*) by 422 runs ScorecardThe run-fest continued at the Bellerive Oval, as 436 were scored for seven wickets on the third day of the Pura Cup match between Tasmania and Western Australia. Tasmania got 192 of those – doubling their overnight total – for the loss of just two wickets, allowing them to declare at 5 for 384, 178 adrift of WA’s first-innings total. By close of play, WA had stretched that lead to 422.Michael Dighton and Shane Watson, the unbeaten batsmen, were the stars for Tasmania. Both notched up hundreds, and put together 194 for the fourth wicket, bailing the team out from a tricky 87 for 3. Dighton made 101 before being trapped in front by Marcus North, the part-time offspinner, while Watson went on to score 139 from 193 balls.Justin Langer led Western Australia’s reply after Tasmania’s bold declaration, scoring 84 in quick time. North then came in and hammered a rapid 82 not out off just 84 balls, inclusive of 10 fours and two sixes, ensuring that WA had enough runs on the board to allow Langer the option of declaring at the overnight total and give his bowlers an entire day to take ten wickets.
Manicaland’s batsmen dominated the first day of this inter-provincial first-class game at Mutare Sports Club yesterday with Guy Whittall unbeaten on 122 after a day of toil for Mashonaland’s bowlers.Winning an important toss, Neil Ferreira quickly elected to bat and featuredin a 71-run partnership for the first wicket with 16-year-old Tino Mawoyo. Mawoyo looked assured at this level before running himself out with a half-century beckoning.Joined by the increasingly confident Richie Sims, the pair put on 41 beforeFerreira surprised everybody by misreading off-spinner Simon Seager – playing back and being bowled. Up to that point he’d looked capable of three centuries, such was his command of Mashonaland’s finest. Particularly punishing off the back foot, his 71 (12×4) came up in 131 minutes off 163 balls and put Manicaland firmly on the front foot.Back from their Zimbabwe A tour of Border and Natal – and provided with sucha perfect launching pad – Sims and Whittall dominated the wilting Mashonaland attack for the next two hours. Their 135-run partnership looked set to last two days when Sims suddenly lost concentration and shouldered arms to a Gus Mackay off-cutter. Having watched a mini drama played out by tetchy Mashonaland fielders the previous over, Sims would have been forgiven for considering an appeal for willful obstruction.Having been loudly critical of his fielders for some time, medium-pacer Darlington Matambanadzo walked off the field in disgust after being hit forsuccessive fours in his 11th over. Not having notified the umpires of hisdeparture nor sustained any injury, Mashonaland were unable to field a substitute in his place. This led to the non-edifying spectacle of senior players following him to the change-room to plead his return to the field.Zimbabwean domestic cricket has seen too many bizarre things of late. Spectators can almost consider themselves short-changed to see a normal day’s play. After a delay of five minutes and echoes of “Dry your eyes, it’sall part of the game,” Craig Evans and Donald Campbell led Matambanadzo backonto the field – followed shortly thereafter by the uprooting of Sims’s offstump.Whittall offered no chance in his 121 (12×4) and it came in 144 minutes off170 balls. On reaching 50 and 100 he acknowledged the applause of the nineclubhouse spectators by raising his bat mischievously to the empty standsand hills – perhaps thinking of the thousands he might be playing to inDehli. With no talk of a recall to the Test team and little prospect of him keeping his own counsel, he seems destined to remain excluded for non-cricket reasons.Most effective bowler in unhelpful conditions was veteran Gus Mackay (twofor 46), whilst schoolboy Simon Seager’s (two for 68) eye-popping arm actionraised no concerns for Test umpires Ian Robinson and Kevan Barbour.
The West Indies selectors today recalled fast bowler, Reon King, for the back-to-back tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya starting later this month. Also recalled for the One Day series only, is Guyanese Mahendra Nagamootoo, who has not represented the West Indies since the ill-fated tour of Australia earlier this year.During a selection meeting yesterday, the selectors chose separate Test and One Day International squads for the two and half month tour of the African continent. Each squad is comprised of sixteen players.Three changes will be made to the One Day International squad. Leon Garrick, Colin Stuart and Dinanath Ramnarine will all play in the Test series, replacing Wavell Hinds, Kerry Jeremy and Mahendra Nagamootoo.The West Indies along with India, will join host Zimbabwe for a triangular One Day series, to be followed by two Tests involving Zimbabwe, before the team moves on to Kenya for a series of One Day matches.The management team for both tours will comprise of Ricky Skerritt (Manager), Roger Harper (Coach), Ronald Rogers (Trainer), Garfield Smith (Scorer/Analyst).The full squads are as follows:One Day Internationals:- Carl Hooper (captain), Ridley Jacobs, Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King, Corey Collymore, Kerry Jeremy, Neil McGarrell and Mahendra Nagamootoo.Test Squad:- Carl Hooper (captain), Ridley Jacobs, Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Leon Garrick, Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King, Corey Collymore, Colin Stuart, Neil McGarrell and Dinanath Ramnarine.
West Ham United have now expressed interest in signing a “phenomenal” striker in January, amid a major update on Niclas Fullkrug’s future.
Fullkrug heading for the exit door in January
Speculation about Fullkrug’s future at West Ham has been building for quite some time, and Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg dropped a major new update this morning, which indicates the striker’s time at the London Stadium is coming to an end.
In truth, losing Fullkrug is unlikely to be much of a blow for Nuno, given that the centre-forward hasn’t contributed with any goals in all competitions this season, with Jarrod Bowen, Callum Wilson and Crysencio Summerville emerging as the preferred options at striker.
However, considering Summerville isn’t a natural striker, it may be a savvy move to bring in another centre-forward in the upcoming transfer window, and West Ham have now made contact over a deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.
That is according to reliable reporter David Ornstein, in a report for the Athletic, which states the Hammers have lodged enquiries about a deal for the £95k-a-week striker, who they are hoping to sign on a permanent basis.
There could be competition for the Norwegian’s signature, with other, unnamed clubs said to be keen, and talks aren’t advanced at this stage, so it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible.
West Ham may need more firepower to avoid the drop
Only Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Everton have scored fewer goals than the Irons in the Premier League this season, with Nuno’s side most recently struggling from an attacking point of view in the 3-0 loss against Manchester City on Saturday.
West Ham managed to create two big chances in the heavy defeat, but they were squandered by Bowen and Summerville, which suggests it may be worth bringing in a more clinical centre-forward next month.
West Ham make first move to sign La Liga's 2024 top goalscorer to replace Fullkrug
He’s got a proven record.
ByEmilio Galantini
The Wolves star could be up to the task, given his previous exploits, chipping in with an impressive 14 goals and four assists in 35 Premier League appearances for the Old Gold last season.
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This season, the 25-year-old hasn’t been quite as clinical, scoring just once in the league, but he did manage to bag a brace in Wolves’ 3-2 EFL Cup triumph against the Hammers back in August.
Lauded as “phenomenal” by former manager Vitor Pereira, Strand Larsen could be a top signing if he is able to rediscover his previous form, but it would certainly be a gamble for West Ham to bring the Norway international in next month, given his current form.
Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, says his team will not sit back on its 1-0 lead and will aim for a 2-0 result when the Test series concludes in Port of Spain from Thursday. “It is important that we go for a win in the second Test,” Jayawardene told . “This is the way we play cricket. We want to win every match in which we play. This is the attitude with which we play whether we are playing at home or away.”Sri Lanka won their first Test in the West Indies with a 121-run success in Guyana and Jayawardene said the desire to succeed had helped his team post overseas triumphs in recent years “This is the attitude that has helped us in the last few years, and this is why we have been winning Test matches away from home, and we will not move away from this attitude,” he said.”We want to get accustomed to the conditions in Trinidad. We’ll make sure we do all the hard work and challenge West Indies, and see if we can win this Test series 2-0.”A victory would make Sri Lanka the first visiting side to complete a cleansweep in the West Indies. Australia came close five years ago when they won the first three Tests, but a record-breaking chase in the final match in Antigua ended their hopes of a whitewash.Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, said his side needed to be optimistic and tougher than in Guyana. “I believe that if we can remain positive and focus, we can win the Test,” Gayle said. “It’s a must-win situation for us to square the series. We’ll try and see what Sri Lanka has to offer a second time around both in the batting and bowling, so it is just for us to return to the drawing board, and come up with a plan, and come prepared to play a tough Test.”Jayawardene said there would be no let-up in intensity from his side. “We are going to pay attention to all areas of our game, and see where we can tighten-up,” he said. “This is how we work. The first Test is finished, and the next venue is totally different, and conditions will be totally different.”The visitors will be boosted by the familiarity of the Queen’s Park Oval, which reminds them of Muttiah Muralitharan’s home ground. “It is definitely Kandy,” Jayawardene said. “We always enjoy playing in Kandy because the bowlers have a little bit of help, but once the batsmen put up the initial hard work it’s going to be a good batting surface.”Sri Lanka are expected to make one change with Prasanna Jayawardene likely to be forced out with a hamstring injury. “He is struggling, he’s probably 80% fit but he’s a wicketkeeper, he needs to do a lot of work in a Test match, so we have to make a decision,” Mahela Jayawardene said.”We’ve got an adequate replacement. Kumar is a wicketkeeper who can do the job for us, so I don’t think we need to take too many risks in that department. We’ve got the extra batsman, Chamara Silva, who has been scoring runs, it’s a bit unfortunate to leave him out of the first Test team. He will get his opportunity to play and I’m sure he is looking forward to that.”
Michael Holding, the former West Indies fast bowler, has criticised the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for not developing any kind of domestic infrastructure for quality cricketers to come through to the international level.Since they arrived in England in May, West Indies have won only two limited-overs tour matches and one international Twenty20.”It’s time someone woke up and realised what is needed,” Holding, now a commentator, told BBC Sport. “I think many years ago they just sat down and the cricketers kept coming through and they thought they were doing their job – they weren’t doing anything. It was just a natural thing that was happening in West Indies cricket at that time.”And now that they actually have to try to do something they haven’t got a clue what to do.”These remarks echo what Brian Lara had said about his interest in what West Indies was doing at the grassroots level. “I don’t see anything in that direction,” Lara said. “It doesn’t matter who is the coach or who is playing – if the infrastructure isn’t there, you’re not going to produce the cricket you want to see.”Meanwhile, after West Indies’ 79-run defeat in the first one-day international against England, Dr Keith Mitchell, the Grenada Prime Minister, said that it was no longer possible for Caribbean governments to remain uninvolved in the running of the game as they were already involved with the huge amount of money they had invested in the development of facilities.”Certainly, governments do not want to be involved in the selection of players, of teams and so on but to say that we should not be involved is ridiculous because we’ve already been involved significantly by the level of investment on behalf of the taxpayers,” said Mitchell, who is the chairman of Caricom’s sub-committee on cricket.Mitchell also said that governments had been dragged into interfering in cricketing issues like the contracts case between the West Indies Players’ Association and the WICB. “It is clear that we have no choice sometimes but to offer advice and, again, that’s the role of the Prime Ministerial sub-committee,” he said.
England Women’s opening batsman, Laura Newton, has been announced as Charlotte Edwards’ vice-captain throughout their campaign leading up to the 2009 World Cup.”I’m really honoured to have been asked to join the management team and support Charlotte and Richard [Bates] in any way I can,” a delighted Newton said. “I aim to provide the backing that they both require in any way I can and I’m really pleased to know that I’ll be involved in the international set-up between now and the next World Cup.”Newton made her one-day international debut in 1997 against South Africa, followed by her Test debut against India two years later. She was voted the Player of the Series against South Africa in 2003 for her two consecutive fifties, and was England’s third leading run-scorer in last year’s one-day series against Australia – including a fine 61 in the decider at Taunton. She also played a pivotal role in helping England regain the Ashes.”I’m really looking forward to working with Laura in her new role,” Edwards commented. “I know she’ll compliment me well with her style and having worked with her in the past I am confident it will be a great partnership.”Head Coach, Bates, said that Newton was one of England’s “most experienced players” and possessed “the right character and qualities needed to compliment our newly appointed captain, Charlotte Edwards”.England face India this summer, in a two-Test and five-ODI series which begins with the first Test on August 8 at Grace Road, Leicester.
The proposed series of matches between an Asian XI and a World XI in Houston have hit another snag as several Pakistani players have said they have yet to receive visas to travel. “I still haven’t got a visa to fly to Houston so I don’t know whether they are having the matches or not,” Shoaib Akhtar, who is currently playing for Worcestershire, told .Shoaib and several others were originally slated to turn out for the Asian XI. Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq were also awaiting visas that would allow them to travel to Houston and play in this series. However, the report indicates that the players were likely to be issued visas in Islamabad over the next few days and that they would fly to America on the 13th or 14th. The one person who has no problems in this case is Yousuf Youhana, who already has a five-year multiple-entry visa to America.Meanwhile, several promising Pakistani fast bowlers are set to travel to India to train at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai. The Foundation has been a finishing school to cricketers from around the world, and has been preferred to other similar schools thanks to Dennis Lillee’s active involvement over the years.”There is no doubt that when it comes to talent, Pakistan pacers are much higher placed than that of India,” a Pakistan Cricket Board official is quoted as saying in . “However, what they need is proper coaching and guidance from a renowned coach and expert in the field. If we consider this aspect then there is no better place around than the academy run by Lillee in India.” The report names Mohammad Asif, Najaf Shah, Mohammad Irshad, Mohammad Khalil and Wahab Riaz as likely candidates to be selected for the training programme.
The South African board has received a cash donation of 200,000 Rand from Bellingham Wines.The announcement was made during the innings break of the fifth and final one-dayer between South Africa and West Indies at the Wanderers.The money is from proceeds of sales of the wines during the last year’s World Cup.Harry Dare, Bellingham’s marketing director, said, “We are delighted to be associated with cricket, especially during the prestigious event like the World Cup." He added, “For the wine brand to support cricket development is very special.”Maxwell Jordaan, the manager for amateur cricket, expressed his gratitude. “This unexpected windfall will go a long way to assist the remote regions of our cricket affiliates," he said. "It will serve as a fantastic kick-start for our elite programmes within our newest fledgling associates.”