All posts by h716a5.icu

Herschelle Gibbs has enjoyed a productive Caribbean tour with the mostruns in the five-match Test series against the West Indies but hiscoup-de-grace came on Wednesday with his fourth One-Day Internationalcentury

Ezra Stuart05-May-2001Herschelle Gibbs has enjoyed a productive Caribbean tour with the mostruns in the five-match Test series against the West Indies but hiscoup-de-grace came on Wednesday with his fourth One-Day Internationalcentury.The dashing opener flayed the West Indies bowling for 104 runs off 141balls, smashing eight fours and three sixes in a commanding display ofbatting.Gibbs, with his second One-Day hundred in 20 encounters with the WestIndies, and No 3 batsman Jacques Kallis established a new SouthAfrican One-Day record stand of 179 runs for the second wicket.I think, in any form of cricket, partnerships are vital. Especiallyafter losing Gary (Kirsten) quite early, we needed to consolidate.Jacques’s got the wealth of experience on his side but at the sametime, you have still got to back yourself in how you want to play,Gibbs said.Obviously it was my day. I had a few close shaves as far as the runouts are concerned and it worked out well, said the only South Africanto score centuries against the West Indies.Gibbs knocked West Indies fast bowler Nixon McLean, whose four overscost 40 runs, out of the attack, but he said it was not really hisintention to go after the big Vincentian.Any bad bowling in any form of cricket has got to be put away.Obviously, he didn’t get his length right in the first over and hebowled one wide one. In a One-Day game, that’s crucial. You can’treally do that.During the preceding Test series, Gibbs was out three times in the 80sand was happy to finally get to three figures.I thought of the three 80s that I’ve got I might have got a hundred,especially on this ground. But all these things I take and learn byand hopefully I don’t make the same mistakes in the future but I’mglad to have got this hundred.Regarded as one of the world’s best fielders, Gibbs said he enjoyedthe art, just like his batting.I enjoy both, he said. The fielding is a bit of bonus for myself and Ithink for the team especially.Despite his purple patch in the Caribbean, Gibbs does not believe hehas reached the peak of his career.After being suspended for six months last year for his involvement inthe Hansie Cronje match-fixing issue, Gibbs said the tour was a veryimportant one for him.The first month or two after the new year began, I was obviously a bittense and a bit frustrated but I think the team-mates, all thesupporters back home, my family, obviously stood by me and helped methrough the bad times.

Aston Villa and Leeds United have both made contact over a potential deal for Fleetwood Town defender Josh Feeney, according to the Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Feeney’s international battle

Feeney, who only turned 16 on Thursday, is wanted by both England and Scotland at international level. He is highly regarded and looks set to have a decision to make after being called up for international camps from both countries at under-16 level.

The Latest: Villa’s contact

According to the Daily Mail, Villa are joined by Leeds, Leicester City and Wolves in making contact with the League One club over the past few months. Celtic are also thought to be keen on Feeney and would have to pay a smaller compensation fee due to cross-border rules.

The teenager has been on the bench for Fleetwood in their last three League One games, but he is absent from Simon Grayson’s squad against Ipswich this afternoon due to school exams beginning on Monday.

The Verdict: Next addition to Villa’s U18’s?

Villa’s under-18 side have starred this season. They are in the last four of the FA Youth Cup, where they will take on rivals West Brom, scoring plenty of goals in all competitions.

On that basis, with Mark Delaney seemingly having plenty of attacking flair in his side, Feeney could be a shrewd addition at the back.

It seems as if Villa will have to fend off plenty of other clubs to secure his services, though, with another young defender in Harry Williams also recently linked with a move to the Midlanders.

In other news: Many AVFC fans react to Jack Grealish update, find out more here. 

West Ham United still have a lot to play for this season but there will be some big decisions to made in the summer.

The Irons are likely to be competing in Europe next term, so David Moyes will need to bolster his playing squad with quality additions and that recruitment process could be aided by shifting out some deadwood.

Amongst the culling candidates will surely be Felipe Anderson, who has spent the season on loan at Porto and has struggled to make an impression, failing to score in nine appearances.

“I have a contract with West Ham, so next season I’ll be here and I need to do my best to be back stronger,” he told talkSPORT but given the need to find a new striker and further depth options across the squad, the £13.5m-rated winger must be on the chopping block.

His time at the London Stadium has been nothing short of a disaster.

Back in the summer of 2018, the Brazilian attacker was signed by Manuel Pellegrini for a then club-record £36m, with that rising to £42m, and he is thought to be amongst the Hammers’ highest-earners on around £85k-per-week, which is more than Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek, and Declan Rice, as per Spotrac.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-team-injury-news-gsb-update” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

For their heavy financial investment, the East London outfit have only seen 12 goals and 12 assists from 72 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

When factoring in the total amount they have paid towards Anderson, excluding this season’s stint with the Portuguese side, then he has cost GSB around £720k per game and £4.3m per goal.

These are finances that could be better spent on that lucrative new talisman, or in bolstering Moyes’ midfield and defensive options.

Ex-Irons man Frank McAvennie has been far from pleased with his progress, too. He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s got to go. Let the boy go. They bought him in and he’s a luxury player. I’ve never seen him go into a tackle, never mind win one. Talent in abundance, but he’s gone to Porto on loan, but has done the same there – just strolled about. He can’t come back to West Ham; they’ll want him off the wage bill.”

On the above evidence, GSB must get rid of their 2018 flop at all costs this summer.

AND in other news, Forget Abraham: West Ham can finally replace Haller with swoop for £26m-rated “beast”…

I thought it was going to be a great summer of international cricket, and what a start we’ve made with that First Test win against Pakistan

Phil Tufnell22-May-2001I thought it was going to be a great summer of international cricket, and what a start we’ve made with that First Test win against Pakistan. I was up at Durham, plying my trade for Middlesex, but I took every opportunity to watch the dressing room TV and I thought the guys were fantastic. One day lost to rain, and then to win in three days; what a performance! They batted fantastically, bowled fantastically, fielded fantastically. Fantastic was definitely the word to describe it.
Phil Tufnell: I am available for England
Photo © CricInfo
I know people will say that Pakistan played badly, but there are two responses to that. I think they were naïve rather than bad (they’ve got too many good players to be a bad side), and they only played as well as they were allowed to by the England boys.They were right to win the toss and bowl, but they didn’t bowl as they should have done. I think I know a bit about Lord’s because it’s my home ground, and on that first day after the washout they should have pitched the ball up, used the slope and used the conditions to get it to swing. Just banging it in was not the way to do it.As for the team selection, they really dropped a clanger. Or, to be precise, they dropped Saqlain Mushtaq. I don’t care what anyone says, Saqlain Mushtaq is one of the world’s great bowlers, and that’s whether it spins or not. I thought Pakistan missed a trick by not playing him, and that’s to take nothing away from England.I’ve played quite a few times for England and, whether I’m in the side or not, I still want to see the boys I’ve known and played with do well. So, it was great to see Thorpey batting so well for his 80. He looked a class act, and so did Nasser with his 60. Then there was Caddy and Gough. I’ve played with all these fellas and it was great to see them all doing so well.The thing about it was that it takes all the pressure off before the Aussies arrive. One-nil up, they can’t lose the series now. It could have been a cheeky little two-match business and, had we lost it, we’d have felt a bit down before the Ashes. As it is, we can now begin to look forward to the next one.There’s a buzz about the game and, if we do well against the Aussies, it could really take off. I think everyone always wants England to do well and now, with four series wins in the bag and perhaps a fifth on the cards, the public is right behind the team.The important thing for me is that the boys are in a run of form and for the first time in a long time they’re making the other teams play badly. We’ve always had to go out and beat the opposition, but now the tables have turned and they’ve got to beat us. Pakistan played poorly at Lord’s and, make no mistake about it, Waqar Younis will know his side played poorly. That’s the way to beat teams. Put the onus on the other side and then you don’t have to play well – they’ll play badly.England did that. They went out and faced an experienced attack with the likes of Waqar and Wasim and they got nearly 400. That was a great start, it gave them confidence and gave the bowlers a couple of days with their feet up before they went out there and did the business.I must admit that I’d liked to have seen a bit of spin – and I’m not talking about the election now. When I’m sitting there with my cup of tea, dunking the old digestive and having a fag, I do want to see the top spin bowlers. Saqlain Mushtaq is one of the best and perhaps we’ll see him in the Pakistan side at Old Trafford.As for England at Old Trafford, well all I will say is that I am available. I like to think that I’ve still got some bowling to do for England, but all I can do is take a shed load of wickets for Middlesex and get attention that way. I’m not one to go round chatting up selectors and saying how well I’m doing. I reckon at the end of the day it’s performances on the field that count.I suppose I might have upset a few people along the way, but I’ve always believed that weight of wickets is what counts. That’s my philosophy and I hope to nudge the selectors in that way. If it comes – great stuff; if not, I’m still working hard. So, the message to Mr. Graveney and his wise men is: Tuffers says it’s coming out of the hand brilliantly and he’s bowling like a genius!Seriously, I’m really enjoying my cricket at the moment, we’ve made a great start to the season at Middlesex, so who knows what’s around the corner?

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Tony Pulis has been silent following his sacking from the Yorkshire club likely because of some sort of financial agreement.

Pulis was appointed as Wednesday manager last November, brought in as a replacement for Garry Monk, but was dismissed just 10 games later as the Owls continued to struggle in the Championship.

Following his Hillsborough exit, the 63-year-old has not said too much despite all of the drama that went on during his time at the club, which included the threat of a transfer embargo.

And Palmer has suggested that the above is probably due to an agreement he made with owner Dejphon Chansiri. On Pulis’ silence, the ex-Wednesday player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“It’s interesting that Tony’s never come out and said anything. And I’m assuming that’s due to the money that they paid him, that he’s not allowed to say anything.

“But it’d be interesting to know what he agreed with the chairman, why he went in there and why he left so quickly.”

In contrast, Monk has been very outspoken since his axing from the Hillsborough dugout, telling The Athletic (via The Star) that it was a “mistake” to join Wednesday and that he knew it was a club that had a lot of problems.

Article: Rameez Raja’s Column after the Ist round of NWS

Rameez Raja11-Jun-2001
Rameez Raja
Photo © PCB
With the first phase of the NatWest triangular now over, the Aussies lead with full points from their two games, followed by Pakistan while England complete the frame, at the bottom.Pakistan could have easily been on top of the table, had the upper order batted with a touch more responsibility against Australia and not frittered the game away after having seen through the new ball.
Shoaib Akhtar tears in to bowl
Photo © CricInfo
But then, the Pakistanis were, to a great extent bogged down by injuries, first with Wasim Akram sitting out and then Rashid Latif and Shoaib Akhtar breaking down during the game. That really upset their game plan, especially in the crucial latter half.Shoaib Akhtar’s exceptional pace means he does go for a few runs, but he is a wicket-taking bowler. Half his quota of overs remaining unbowled was thus a serious blow. And so was Rashid Latif’s absence from the field. The wicketkeeper plays the role of a pivot, and a dehydrated Rashid, not being able to stand behind the stumps too had its negative impact.Rashid, who played a glorious knock in Pakistan’s comeback, was unfortunately suffering with throat infection, and the antibiotics he’d been taking caused the dehydration.Yet, despite the defeat, there were things to celebrate, some real plus points.
Youhana with a drive on his way to 91 not out
Photo © CricInfo
The first was the rearguard action by Yousuf Youhana and Latif. From 86 for six, to fight back and end up with 257 takes some doing, especially against the Australian bowling attack and sharp fielding. Youhana and Latif deserve all credit for a great partnership when all seemed lost – their effort was one of some real guts and character.While Latif had played a few cameos in the Test matches and Youhana was trying to work his way back to form, their stay at the crease and the runs now behind them augurs well for their confidence. More importantly, it brought the team back into the game from a point when it seemed the game would be as one-sided an affair as the ’99 World Cup final between these two teams.It all started with two crucial blows, on rather innocuous deliveries, with Abdur Razzaq and Inzamam perishing in Shane Warne’s first over. While Inzamam was done in by a fit of bravado – perhaps he wanted to put Warne in his place straightaway; Razzaq doesn’t play spin very well in any case. Azhar too seems to have a similar problem. At least that is the impression one gets from the manner in which they start struggling the moment a spinner arrives. Oddly, they alter their game plan, and that is why both got out playing inside the line.
Ricky Ponting on his way to a score of 70
Photo © CricInfo
The Aussies are famous as run chasers, and when Ricky Ponting strikes such a rich vein of form, there’s no stopping them. Waqar didn’t do many things wrong, but he surely erred in not bringing on his spinners, especially Saqlain Mushtaq, a trifle earlier.There’s lot of cricket left in this tournament and it’s too early to predict anything. The way Pakistan has staged a comeback, to win the Old Trafford Test and the first match of the triangular in a convincing fashion, points to the fact that the team is now getting along well. And, with Waqar Younis proving to be an effective leader, they are likely to play some more sparkling cricket.The way I see it, almost two years to date since the ’99 World Cup final, it should be Pakistan and Australia slugging it out at Lord’s, come June 23.The picture for the Pakistanis really looks bright, and reflects from the good notices in the British press, which otherwise in turns, is either hostile or condescending. In quite a few pieces the resurgence of the Pakistan team has been applauded.A major contributing factor in Pakistan’s turnaround has been the spectators. The Pakistani expatriate community has filled the stands in good numbers, and the green and white flags fluttering with some vigour have provided the much-needed fillip to the morale of the team. The spirit and optimism of the spectators has rubbed off on the team and has motivated them to put up a united front and perform well.I hope with the crowds keeping faith in the Pakistanis, they would keep on improving.Ed: Rameez Raja is a former Pakistan opener and captain, a leading commentator on satellite channels and currently covering the England – Pakistan Series followed by the NatWest limited-overs triangular for Sky Television.

DURBAN, South Africa – Ricky Ponting will begin his one-day captaincycareer against Shaun Pollock on Friday after the South Africanallrounder declared himself fit for the seven-match series againstAustralia.

Michael Crutcher19-Mar-2002DURBAN, South Africa – Ricky Ponting will begin his one-day captaincycareer against Shaun Pollock on Friday after the South Africanallrounder declared himself fit for the seven-match series againstAustralia.Pollock has bowled at full pace without a problem for the first timesince he suffered a side strain last month, ruling him out ofAustralia’s 2-1 Test series win.Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher led the Proteas to a five-wicket win in thefinal Test in Durban yesterday before selectors announced Pollock’sreturn for the one-day series along with Lance Klusener and JontyRhodes.The experienced trio, especially Pollock, will ensure Ponting has atesting series after taking over the Australian leadership from dumpedcaptain Steve Waugh.”I started bowling at about 60 per cent in the nets at Kingsmead onFriday, then I worked up to full speed on Sunday and Monday,” Pollocksaid.”I felt absolutely fine. I’ll continue with the bowling tomorrow beforeheading up to Johannesburg.”Pollock and Klusener give South Africa genuine batting depth even thoughKlusener has been told his bowling is the main priority after he wasoverlooked for the Test series.”Lance is now a bowling allrounder and we are looking for him to bowlfast,” convenor of selectors Rushdi Magiet said.”Since being dropped from the Test team he has apparently redoubled hisefforts. We know Lance is a very good allrounder – he just went off theboil.”The Australian squad will train at the Wanderers tomorrow with selectorsyet to decide on the team to play the opening match.Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden will open the batting while selectorsmust decide when to introduce new faces Shane Watson and Nathan Hauritzduring the 10-match tour through South Africa and Zimbabwe.Ponting is leading a 15-man squad in the first serious step towards theWorld Cup defence in South Africa next February.

Watford are interested in a move to bring Josh Doig to Vicarage Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Watford Observer, who claim that the Hornets have opened talks with Scottish Premiership club Hibernian regarding the transfer of the £450,000-rated 19-year-old.

The report added that, although no price has been agreed between the two clubs as of yet, a figure of around £4m is expected to be enough to get a deal over the line for the Scotland under-19 international, who has also been linked with a move to Arsenal.

Giaretta must move

Following the confirmation that Achraf Lazaar, who only joined up with Xisco Munoz’s side in February, will be leaving Vicarage Road at the end of his contract in the coming weeks, the Hornets appear to be in need of reinforcements at left-back ahead of their upcoming Premier League campaign, with only Adam Masina as an out-and-out option in the position at present.

Considering how impressive Doig was for Hibernian this season, it would very much seem as if the 19-year-old would be a hugely astute signing for Cristiano Giaretta to complete this summer.

Over his 28 Scottish Premiership appearances for Jack Ross’ side this season, the SFWA Young Player of the Year scored one goal, registered three assists and created two big chances, as well as helping his side to keep four clean sheets and averaging 0.8 interceptions, 1.5 tackles and 1.1 clearances per game – culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.65.

What makes these returns all the more impressive is just how young Doig still is, with the defender appearing to possesses enormous potential that he looks on course to fulfil in the coming years.

This is something with which Rangers manager Steven Gerrard clearly agrees as, following a fixture between the Gers and Hibs back in April, the 40-year-old stated his belief that Doig has “huge potential,” while his own manager claimed that he is already an “excellent” player.

As such, Giaretta should be doing all he can to get a deal over the line for Doig this summer, as the left-back is a player who could not only play a huge role in Watford’s future, but also in the club’s bid to remain a Premier League side beyond next season.

In other news: Watford gain huge transfer boost over “outstanding” £3k-p/w gem, Xisco will be buzzing – opinion

Ahead of the start of the 2002 season every school in the South West of England will be receiving an invitation from Somerset Cricket Development Officer Andrew Moulding to bring along a party of their pupils to spend a day at the County Ground

Richard Walsh12-Apr-2002Ahead of the start of the 2002 season every school in the South West of England will be receiving an invitation from Somerset Cricket Development Officer Andrew Moulding to bring along a party of their pupils to spend a day at the County Ground.This is all part of an initiative by the county to raise the profile of the cricket right across the whole region and to encourage young people to take an interest in playing cricket and also in following the fortunes of Somerset County Cricket Club.The Cricket Development Officer told me: "We will invite a party of children from every school in the south west to come along and spend a day as our guests. This will involve a tour of the County Ground, a visit to the Somerset Cricket Museum, a visit to Millichamp and Hall the batmakers, with the rest of the day being spent watching county championship cricket."Mr Moulding continued: "The offer to watch a days county championship cricket is also available to schools in the north east of the county who might prefer to go to Bath in June."Any schools who are interested in bringing along a group of their pupils for the day should contact Guy Wolfenden at the Centre of Excellence on 01823 352266 as soon as possible.Meanwhile work on the new reception area at the Centre of Excellence is at an advanced stage, and will be finished over the next few days, with the new facility being fully operational by the end of next week.

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey believes that Steven Gerrard is a contender to become the next Wolves manager.

The Midlands outfit were set for a fifth season under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo until last week’s shock announcement.

Just over 48 hours before Wolves rounded off their third campaign in the Premier League against Manchester United, Santo confirmed that he’ll be leaving after four years in charge at Molineux.

Former Benfica boss Bruno Lage has quickly emerged as the favourite to replace Santo, but Howey believes that Rangers manager Gerrard would consider the vacant position at Wolves.

Gerrard has just led the Glasgow giants to their first Scottish Premiership title for a decade, whilst also reaching 100 points and going the entire league campaign unbeaten – he currently has a 66% win record north of the border.

The 40-year-old will no doubt have one eye on the Liverpool job, although with Jurgen Klopp unlikely to end his five-and-a-half year stay at Anfield any time soon, another Premier League position could appeal to the Reds legend.

Howey told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s done a magnificent job at Rangers. They’ve gone a full season unbeaten, won the league by a country mile.

“The last game against Celtic they blew them away. It’s a possibility, it’s a nice club, it’s always been a lovely club, nice ground. Would it appeal to him? Possibly.”