All posts by h716a5.icu

It came as no surprise that overcast conditions at the picturesque Trent Bridge ground on the second day of the second Test made for exaggerated swing

Anand Vasu10-Aug-2002It came as no surprise that overcast conditions at the picturesque Trent Bridge ground on the second day of the second Test made for exaggerated swing. What was a bit unnerving, though, was the fact that all the swing on display was of the blade of Michael Vaughan’s bat. Brandishing willow with grace and power of which some thought he was incapable, Vaughan won over many doubting critics with his strident innings of 197. The sheer majesty of the knock, progressing at a rapid pace throughout the day, ever narrowing the gap between the England response and India’s 357, made life terrible for India’s bowlers.To take anything away from Vaughan, considered by many to be not just the finest bat in the Isles, but also a future captain, would be a travesty of justice. But the Indians did their best to make you consider such a thought. The three seamers, a bit of a misnomer on the day, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra andAjit Agarkar, fed the England batsmen with a steady stream of loose deliveries that it was surprising that the visitors did not surpass the Indian total on theday.After the fine performance of Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and company at Lord’s — the feature of which was the sustained accuracy — the Indian seamers produced the exact opposite. Apart from a two-over initial burst from Zaheer Khan, there was never a point in the day when the quick men threatened to dismiss a batsman.Agarkar, high on confidence from his Lord’s ton, looks well set to repeat the feat here – but with ball instead of bat. Conceding 42 runs from his 10 overs,the medium pacer was all over the place. To begin with, his length varied from overpitched to eminently cut and pull friendly. Spanning the arc from very wide of off stump to shaping down the leg, while carefully leaving out that area just outside the off where batsmen might have some trouble, Agarkar sprayed hisskidders.But it would be churlish to go on and on about Agarkar. After all, Nehra complemented him perfectly, and at times even outdid him for waywardness. Howironic that the man many believed could exhibit shades of Wasim Akram would turn in a performance of this kind. Akram, in these conditions, would have had batsmen ducking and weaving, and nibbling outside the off stump as though the finest titbits were on offer. No, it’s time to face facts for Nehra and the team. The tall left-arm seamer from Delhi, who often looks no more than half fit, has not lived up to his star billing. Very much a rhythm bowler, Nehraappears lost just as soon as the ball stops swinging. Sure, his late inswing is a great weapon, but we hardly see any of it these days.Just after the Lord’s Test match, Angus Fraser said that it was not simply a case of putting the ball in the right place and hoping the conditions did the rest for you. "It takes a bit of skill," said the former England and Middlesex seamer in his typical understated fashion. And what happens when the ball is simply not doing anything? The true masters of this art then begin to make subtle changes – in pace, in the angle of delivery, in anything that they canreliably control. Those that cannot yet stake claims to be masters of this art then resign themselves to keeping things tight. Nehra, with 97 from 20 overs, did neither.Initial success in Zimbabwe suggested that Nehra might be the right man to take the Indian seam attack forward after Javagal Srinath retires. If recent evidence is anything to go by, it might be time for Indian selectors to bury the hatchet and send out an SOS to Srinath. The Karnataka medium pacer, who has signed to play for Leicestershire in the wake of his retirement from Test cricket, is due to arrive in England shortly. Discarded by the selectors for what was perceived as `picking and choosing matches’ Srinath will now bendhis ageing back at Grace Road. Surely he can be convinced that there is a greater national need?If there was any joy for the Indians on the day, it was the moment when Mark Butcher gloved Harbhajan Singh up into the air for Parthiv Patel to catch. The 17-year old stumper from Gujarat had a forgettable first few moments on a Test field, being dismissed for a duck, but the joy on his face at snapping up Butcher was a spontaneous burst. Almost like the look you’d expect on the face of a little kid who was presented with his favourite treat… Oh hang on, this is a little kid, and what could be a better treat than a Test scalp?Patel will no doubt pick a few choice paper clippings and file them away for posterity. But the seamers had better relagate this day to the same part of the brain where nightmares reside. A few more days like this, where they gift the opposition 341 runs from 83 overs, including 42 boundaries, and the selectors might just decide to banish the seamers themselves. Remember two gents by the name Amit Bhandari and Thirunavukarasu Kumaran anyone? Well, let’s just say they once were hammered for 161 runs for 20 overs between them, against Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2000, and never played for India again.

A major update has emerged on Gillingham centre-back Jack Tucker, regarding Portsmouth’s interest in his signature.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Portsmouth have tabled an opening bid for Gillingham centre-back Jack Tucker. In the printed edition of The Sun (20/06, p65), as transcribed by Football League World, it has been claimed that Portsmouth’s offer is worth £200k.

The report claims that Gillingham are not prepared to listen to offers in that region and are demanding £1m for the young centre-back this summer.

Last year, Gillingham boss Steve Evans claimed that Tucker has all the qualities he needs to be a quality player at centre-back. He told the Scottish Sun:

“Jack’s got everything.

“He’s been a little inconsistent lately after a lot of good publicity but I’ve seen that before with young players, the likes of Lewis Cook, now playing in the Premier League at Bournemouth, and Chris Wood who I signed for Leeds and is now scoring regularly at Burnley.

“Jack’s two footed, is good in the air and he’s a competitor. He’s got a bright future, make no mistake.

Cowley would love him

Pompey owner Michael Eisner needs to go back in with another offer for Tucker to make sure that he can bring him to Fratton Park this summer.

Jack Whatmough and Tom Naylor have both left the club to join League One rivals Wigan on free transfers, which has left a gaping hole in Danny Cowley’s Portsmouth squad ahead of next season. Eisner needs to add a centre-back or two to Cowley’s ranks and Tucker could be an ideal target for the club.

Tucker ticks multiple boxes for Portsmouth; he is young, has potential, is experienced in League One and has proven his quality at this level. In terms of his age, Tucker is only 21 and has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop as a player. Whilst £1m may seem steep at this stage, it could prove to be a bargain if Tucker is able to progress into a Championship or even Premier League standard player – with Evans admitting that he has a bright future ahead of him.

The central defender caught the eye in League One with some outstanding performances. He averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.02 in 43 appearances for Gillingham in the season just gone.

For context, that is a higher score than both Whatmough and Naylor managed for Portsmouth and the same as Sean Raggett – who was ranked as Portsmouth’s second-best player overall. This is why Cowley would love to have Tucker at Fratton Park; he is a quality young centre-back who could be a great addition in the short and long term for Portsmouth.

AND in other news, Cowley handed transfer boost with “top drawer” starlet, Pompey fans will be buzzing…

Gloucestershire play Buckinghamshire on the 7th May 2003 – away

Gloucestershire CCC Media Release27-Sep-2002Gloucestershire play Buckinghamshire on the 7th May 2003 – away. Reserve Day is 8th May 2003Away to the winner of Cornwall v Kent on 28 May. Reserve Day on 29th.Quarter Finals 10 or 11 Jun (Reserve Days 11 and 12 Jun).

Leeds United are set to miss out on signing Fleetwood Town teenager Josh Feeney, with Aston Villa reportedly on the verge of snapping him up.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Feeney

The Whites may be eying up first-team reinforcements this summer, but they have also been linked with a move for Feeney, who is the current England Under-16s captain.

The highly-rated youngster has been watched by a host of clubs, such is his potential, with Leeds tussling with the likes of Wolves, Leicester City and Celtic for his services.

The Latest: Aston Villa set to sign youngster

It looks as though Villa have won the race to sign Feeney, however with the Birmingham Mail reporting that the centre-back has been in talks with them in recent days.

The player’s representatives were believed to be ‘impressed’ by what Villa had to offer, seeing a potential path into the first-team for him eventually.

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The Verdict: Long-term blow

While missing out on Feeney is no great issue currently, with Leeds possessing strong centre-back options in Diego Llorente, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk, it is a potential long-term hit.

The defender clearly has a huge amount of promise moving forward going by the huge fight for his signature, and with Marcelo Bielsa hopefully looking to set the Whites up for a strong future, signing him would have been a positive.

Only time will tell if Feeney makes the grade, but having great English talent in the academy squad is always preferable, so this is a blow for Victor Orta and co.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for an exciting youngster – find out who it is here. 

Manchester City are willing to wait 12 months to acquire an ‘ideal striker’ amid obstacles to signing reported target Harry Kane, as relayed by City Xtra.

In need of a replacement for club legend Sergio Aguero, the Blues could elect to hold off for a year before effectively replacing the Argentinian [ESPN].

Signing a lengthy contract extension back in 2016 at Tottenham Hotspur, the England captain still has three years to run on his deal at the Londoners, who allegedly value his signature at more than £150 million according to reports [City Xtra].

Enjoying a stunning 2020/21 season, Kane chipped in with an unbelievable 50 goal contributions for Spurs in 49 fixtures; 33 goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

In light of the news that the Citizens are set to hold off on his prospective signature, no wonder loads of Manchester City diehards took to Twitter to protest.

City fans react:

Replying to the City Xtra Twitter page, here is how some supporters summarized their feelings on these recent developments:

“A massive gamble”

Credit: @MCFC_SZn26″our board isn’t learning. If we can’t get Kane, go for Lukaku. If that can’t happen go for Silva from Frankfurt. Kane and Haaland aren’t the only strikers in the world.”Credit: @MCFC_SZn26″I would feel sick and frustrated starting a petition on change.org to remove Txiki for letting Aguero go without a replacement”Credit: @ManCityKD”Terrible, obviously? What was the logic in not extending Agüero’s contract with a year if we weren’t gonna replace him properly?”Credit: @Naji33211550″I don’t feel we’ll get away with another season without a striker – other teams will learn from Chelsea and how we struggled with their approach, and will replicate it…. It’s natural / same happened this year to Liverpool and how teams learned to expose their weakness at RB”Credit: @gwhewell0704″Can’t see us making the same mistake of never replacing Kompany for a few years. His goals won’t be replaced by Jesus and possibly Torres if given a good run of games. Replacing Aguero this summer is a must in my eyes!”Credit: @mcfcsoldierIn other news, Manchester City fans react to official confirmation of a transfer offer.

By the late sixties and early seventies, the great West Indian side ofthe decade had broken up, but by 1974, the rebuilding process had beencompleted, and it was a strong and confident side that came to Indiaduring the winter

Partab Ramchand18-Oct-2002By the late sixties and early seventies, the great West Indian side ofthe decade had broken up, but by 1974, the rebuilding process had beencompleted, and it was a strong and confident side that came to Indiaduring the winter. Clive Lloyd took over the captaincy and the sidebristled with brilliant young stroke players in Gordon Greenidge, RoyFredericks, Lawrence Rowe, Vivian Richards and Alvin Kallicharran. Inaddition, they had fine all-rounders in Bernard Julien and Keith Boyceand a fearsome pace bowler in Andy Roberts while veteran Lance Gibbs,at 40 was still around to shoulder the spin burden.
© ICCEven as the West Indies had completed their rebuilding process, Indiawere going through a turbulent period. In England in 1974, India hadbeen routed in all three Tests and a few seamy happenings off thefield added to the already clouded atmosphere. As the team approachedthe series against the West Indies, they could not have been in aconfident frame of mind, particularly since Ajit Wadekar suddenlyannounced his retirement and the Indian Cricket Board slapped a oneTest ban on Bishen Bedi for airing controversial views during anunauthorised TV interview in England.The selectors had to find a new captain and they fell back on MansurAli Khan Pataudi. But while leading India in the first Test atBangalore, which was lost by 267 runs, Pataudi was injured. Atemporary replacement had to be found for the second Test at New Delhiand the selectors’ choice was Sunil Gavaskar. But the opening batsmanwas injured in a Ranji Trophy game and this led to utter confusion asto who would lead India since the captain had not been appointed evenon the night before the commencement of the Test.Ultimately, S Venkatraghavan was chosen to lead the team on themorning of the match. But the change of captaincy did not result in achange of fortunes and India lost by an innings and 17 runs theirfifth successive defeat in the space of six months – to go two down inthe series.At this stage, interest in the series declined and a 5-0 rout waspredicted. The West Indian batsmen had made hay with Greenidge,Richards, Lloyd and Kallicharran making hundreds while Roberts withhis pace, Vanburn Holder with his cut and swing and Gibbs with his offspin had mowed down the Indian batting. There seemed a lack offighting spirit in the home team.Astonishingly, however, India won the next two Tests to draw level inthe series. And they did so without the services of Gavaskar, who wasstill on the injured list. The architect of this turn about wasGundappa Viswanath.With scores of 52 and 139 at Calcutta and 97 not out and 46 at Madras,he more than anyone else helped shaped victories by 85 runs and 100runs. The spin trio of Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrasekhar weavedpatterns around the West Indian batsmen and suddenly the visitorslooked very vulnerable. They were also timely contributions from newplayers like Madan Lal, Anshuman Gaekwad and Karsan Ghavri and thisoffset the poor form of Pataudi. But if Pataudi’s reflexes hadconsiderably slowed down – this was his last series – he displayedshrewdness and skill in his captaincy, a notable factor in India’sfightback.Predictably enough, there was tremendous interest in the decider to beplayed at the brand new Wankhede stadium in Bombay. Could Indiaemulate the feat of Australia in 1936-37 as the only side to come from0-2 down to win a five-Test series? The answer was emphaticallyanswered in the negative by the West Indies who ran up a total of 604for six declared on the third morning after a minor riot interruptedplay on the second evening. Lloyd hammered an unbeaten 242 whileFredericks got his second hundred of the series.Despite some fine batting by Gavaskar, Viswanath, Gaekwad and EknathSolkar, who posted his only Test century, India just about managed toavoid the follow on and the West Indies had plenty of time to coast tovictory by 201 runs in the decisive Test, played over six days.While the batting certainly played its part in the West Indies’triumph, the most vital role was the pace bowling of Roberts who with32 wickets, set a record for IndiaWest Indies matches. Gibbs showedthat he had lost none of his old magic in taking 21 wickets.But India too came out with flying colours, thanks principally to thebatting of Viswanath who finished with 568 runs in the series. Hestrode like a colossus, emphasised by the fact that the next highestaggregate was Farokh Engineer’s 222. The spinners, handled in adroitfashion by Pataudi, too had a major hand in India’s gallant showing.Also, the fact that all five Tests produced results in India, wherepitches were reputedly slow and heavily loaded in favour of thebatsmen, did not go unnoticed. Indeed, it was a series in which theaccent was on attack even as negative tactics were generally shunned.

Sheffield Wednesday are considering making a summer move for Everton midfielder Dennis Adeniran, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Moore looks for new signings

The Owls are preparing for life in League One, having not played in the third tier since 2011/12 season.

Darren Moore is still relatively new to the job and faces his first transfer window as manager, so will surely be looking to bring in a number of new faces who can adapt to both his style and a new league.

The Latest: Owls eye Adeniran move

According to The Sheffield Star, Wednesday are eyeing up a move for Adeniran, who is about to be without a club, due to his Everton deal expiring on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at fellow relegated Championship side Wycombe Wanderers, featuring in 21 league games and chipping in with one assist.

Moore’s influence is thought to be a key factor behind Adenrian potentially joining the Owls, with a number of Championship also believed to be interested.

The Verdict: Solid midfield acquisition

Wednesday need an injection of youth and vibrancy next season, with the team growing stagnant in recent years, as a core of established players grew older together.

At 22, Adeniran would certainly represent a youthful addition and he could provide energy and defensive quality in the middle of the park, having averaged 1.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the league last season with Wycombe.

He has played for England at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level, highlighting his quality as a player, so he could be an exciting signing.

In other news, one Sheff Wed player is reportedly set to join a fellow League One club. Find out who it is here.

At Indore, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for 379 – a lead of 45 over Maharashtra – with skipper Amay Khurasiya making 237 (299b, 31×4)

Staff Reporter20-Nov-2002At Indore, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for 379 – a lead of 45 over Maharashtra – with skipper Amay Khurasiya making 237 (299b, 31×4). His was the final wicket to fall, and the next highest score in the innings was that of D Bundela, who hit a painstaking 75 off 226 balls. Maharashtra had almost erased the deficit by the close of play, but at a price; three wickets had fallen for 42 runs when stumps were called.Haryana cantered to a seven-wicket win at Jammu over the hosts, experiencing no further hiccups in their chase of 82. Ajay Ratra and Shafiq Khan made 33 not out and 22 not out respectively as Haryana took only 9.2 overs on the third day to register their two points from the match.

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club are planning to link up with with NottsCounty FC and Boots plc to become joint owners of the Boots Sports Ground atLady Bay

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club04-Dec-2002Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club are planning to link up with with NottsCounty FC and Boots plc to become joint owners of the Boots Sports Ground atLady Bay.But the Cricket Club have strongly denied suggestions that links with NottsCounty could become far more extensive and may even involve the sharing ofstaff.A statement issued from Trent Bridge today said: “We wish to make it clearthat discussions relating to ‘joining forces’ with Notts County are solelyfocussed on the possibility of joint ownership with the Boots plc SportsGround as an academy/Second XI facility.”Such an arrangement would be of immense benefit to all parties. By poolingthe expertise and resources of the partners and sharing of investment in newfacilities, the Lady Bay Complex could become a centre of excellence for anumber of sports, particularly football and cricket.”Discussions between Boots plc, Notts County FC and Notts CCC are on-goingand it is hoped that arrangements can be progressed by the end of this year.It is naturally assumed that the Football Club will no longer be inadministration before the joint ownership can be concluded.”The invitation of Cricket Club Chairman Albert Bocking to stand forelection as a Director of Notts County FC will assist in the development ofthe proposed project at Lady Bay.”Notts County FC already market International Cricket Match tickets and theCricket Club has a similar mutually beneficial relationship with NottinghamForest FC.”Notts CCC have been leasing Boots Sports Ground, which is situated a fewhundred yards from Trent Bridge, for the past few years with the club’sground staff overseeing the preparation of pitches.The facilities are already used extensively for hosting Second XI and countyrepresentative team matches and practise.

Rafa Benitez may have been promised money to spend after penning terms with Everton but he already faces a few in-house problems.

The Toffees could relinquish their grasp on the dynamic James Rodriguez after enjoying just a year of his services. The Colombian has been linked with a move to AC Milan, while his former employers Real Madrid could also get involved in the race.

Everton also face the prospect of losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin after a career-best season of 21 goals. The tall striker has been touted with an incredible move to Real Madrid, while Manchester United have reportedly enquired about his services.

They slapped a price tag of £80m on his shoulders before Benitez arrived, but if anyone does meet their valuation or if an agreement is reached, they’ll undoubtedly need a replacement.

One man to whom they could look to fill the burden is Austrian forward Sasa Kalajdzic.

The two-metre (6 foot 7) colossus has been playing for his country at Euro 2020 but wasn’t afforded too many opportunities to showcase his devastating talents, although he did come off the bench to score late on during Austria’s extra-time defeat to Italy in the last 16.

Capable of rising high above his opponents, the forward is quite alike Calvert-Lewin, a player who won plenty of aerial battles last season.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast earlier this year after the 23-year-old was linked with Everton, editor-in-chief at Get German Football News Daniel Pinder said: “I think they’re quite similar in terms of goal threat, but Kalajdzic can drop deep and play as a central attacking midfielder or as a false nine, so he can offer a lot to Everton.”

While Calvert-Lewin won 4.7 aerial duels per game in 2020/21, Kalajdzic won just 2.9 per match in comparison. Considering his immense height, that may come as a surprise, but he knows how to hold the play up and, crucially, can score goals in abundance.

The Stuttgart striker beat the goalkeeper on 16 occasions in the Bundesliga last term, scoring eight with his head.

His style of play has earned some fascinating comparisons. He has been likened to Erling Haaland, while Kalajdzic also been described as an “Ibrahimovic machine.”

With that phrase ringing fresh in your ears, there’s probably no better time to suggest that the attacker would be perfect for Everton. That said, his addition may have to come at the price of losing their 2020/21 top scorer to pastures new.

AND in other news, Everton eye swoop for “superb” 69-goal colossus, it could mean the end for DCL…