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Former Pakistan offspinner Akram Raza was arrested on charges of betting on Indian Premier League matches in Lahore on Sunday, reports . The 46-year-old Raza was among was one of seven men arrested from a busy Lahore shopping area when police raided a gang of bookmakers who were taking illegal bets.”Seven men were arrested after a tip-off that they were taking bets on IPL matches, and one of them has been identified as Raza, a former Pakistan player,” a police officer at Gulberg police station told .Raza, who played nine Tests and 49 ODIs for Pakistan, was one of the six players Pakistan players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000. Raza currently officiates as an umpire in Pakistan’s domestic matches.Police said they recovered telephones, computers, televisions and a large amount of money in the raid, and will charge the arrested men later on Sunday.

MCC wrapped up a 174-run victory with a day to spare against Nottinghamshire

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Mar-2011
ScorecardRahul Dravid finished with 106 to set up a huge run chase for Nottinghamshire•Graham MorrisMCC wrapped up a 174-run victory with a day to spare against Nottinghamshire despite a better second innings from the county champions who were eventually bowled out for 293 in Abu Dhabi. Paul Franks top-scored with 73 but they were never in the hunt for the target after the top order was blown away.Rahul Dravid earlier became a useful quiz question for the future as he scored the first century of the English season. He was last-man out for 106 with MCC making 357 as Luke Fletcher claimed another four-wicket haul.MCC soon made inroads into Nottinghamshire despite being without Steve Kirby following his match-ending foot injury. Hamid Hassan was again impressive removing Mark Wagh and Alex Hales in his opening spell, while Toby Roland-Jones also claimed a brace to leave the county side in tatters on 21 for 4.Finally, though, they put up some resistance with four batsmen passing fifty. It started as Ali Brown (55) and Chris Read (51) added 111 for the fifth wicket until Roland-Jones returned to trap Read lbw. The end looked to be nigh when Gary Keedy struck in the following over to claim his first scalp of the game when Brown departed.But Franks and Steve Mullaney (62) put bat to ball during an entertaining seventh-wicket stand of 129 which gave MCC’s bowlers harder work. Keedy and Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan allrounder, were given lengthy spells to rest the quicks and it was Keedy who broke through to end Mullaney’s effort.Nabi then enjoyed some late success with the wickets of Fletcher and Brett Hutton before the final man, Franks, fell to the deserving Hassan as he completed a match haul of seven wickets.

South Africa are unlikely to go into the second Test against India in Durban with all-pace attack, according to coach Corrie van Zyl

Firdose Moonda25-Dec-2010

South Africa are unlikely to go into the second Test against India in Durban with an all-pace attack, according to coach Corrie van Zyl. “Experience has told us that we will most probably have a spinner in the line-up for a Test match in Durban.”Despite a seamer-friendly pitch at Kingsmead, which Graeme Smith said was the greenest he had seen for a while, van Zyl wants insurance in case the pitch flattens. “You never know what the weather is like, whether it will get really hot.” That virtually guarantees Paul Harris his place in the starting XI, again in a containing role, and means South Africa will use three quicks.The position of the third seamer, which was being talked up as a contest between Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Wayne Parnell, has also been decided on. “We’ve made our decision but we are not going to tell you,” van Zyl said. Tsotsobe played in the first Test and was targeted by the Indian batsmen, but is likely to get the nod. He bowled more than Parnell during practice this week, an indication that the younger left-armer may end up carrying the drinks.The scene is set for a re-match between South Africa’s bowlers and India’s batsmen, one that the hosts won convincingly in Centurion. van Zyl was particularly impressed with the spearhead of his attack, Dale Steyn, who reached speeds over 145 kph in that match. “Steyn bowled some really fast spells in the previous test. The pitch will not determine how quickly he will run in.”With much of the build-up centred around the pitch and the assistance it will provide for the bowlers, once again, the toss is being viewed as a crucial element in the contest. While MS Dhoni thinks that it could have a major impact on this green wicket, van Zyl talked it down. “I don’t think the toss is going to be the most important thing, it depends on weather conditions.” Durban has seen three days of sunshine but clouds rolled in on Christmas day. Overcast conditions are forecast for most of the match, which will be ideal for both swing and bounce.Despite the obvious home advantage and the emphatic way in which South Africa beat India five days ago, van Zyl does is aware of South Africa’s recent record in Durban, which has seen them fail to notch up a win in two years. The difference between this year and the last two years is that South Africa are coming into the Boxing Day Test off a win and have momentum on their side.”There’s a lot of talk about momentum and it’s important but it’s just there until the next game,” van Zyl said. That next game starts tomorrow and although the hosts have the impetus, van Zyl indicated that South Africa respect India enough to understand that they shouldn’t take their advantage for granted. “Momentum is important, but not that important. It’s not going to make us win the Test. We have to work hard.”That’s what they’ve been doing since assembling in Durban on Thursday. van Zyl said the squad had two “really good training sessions” and there is a “good spirit” in the camp. They held an optional practice on Christmas day for “those guys who want to make sure they are 100% ready.”

Scorecard
Xavier Doherty finished with 5 for 83 to cap a memorable day on and off the field•Getty Images

Xavier Doherty should enter his first series for Australia full of confidence after his five-wicket haul put Tasmania on top on the second day against Victoria. Doherty has not been a regular first-class player for the Tigers in recent years and his national call-up came in the 50-over format, but he proved he has plenty to offer in the longer version as well with his best bowling since 2004-05.Doherty finished with 5 for 83 and was largely responsible for giving Tasmania a strong chance of collecting first-innings points as Victoria ended the day at 8 for 261. Rob Quiney was on 51 and Darren Pattinson was on 23, but the Bushrangers need some serious tail-wagging in order to overhaul Tasmania’s 326.Doherty collected both openers, the left-handers Michael Hill and Chris Rogers caught at short leg, and followed with three more victims. Luke Butterworth was the only other Tasmanian bowler to claim a wicket, while Ben Hilfenhaus enjoyed a lengthy if unsuccessful stint ahead of the first Ashes Test.Quiney, who batted at No. 7, reached his half-century late in the day after Aaron Finch (41) had been the leading scorer among the top order. The Tigers began the morning with one wicket in hand and the final pair added a further 11 before Peter Siddle grabbed his second wicket to complete the innings.

The Supreme Court of India has reserved its judgement on the petition filed by former BCCI president A.C. Muthiah

Cricinfo staff21-Sep-2010

The Supreme Court of India has reserved its judgement on the petition filed by former BCCI president AC Muthiah against the board’s constitutional amendment that permitted then treasurer N Srinivasan to bid for the Chennai Super Kings in 2008. Srinivasan, now the BCCI secretary, is the vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements, the franchise owners.The two-person bench comprising Justice JM Panchal and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra finished hearing arguments today on the validity of the amendment that excluded Twenty20 cricket from the board’s conflict of interest clause.Muthiah’s lawyer Abhishek Singhvi laid out the sequence of events from the creation of the IPL in 2007 to the amendment in September 2008, claiming it was done solely to benefit Srinivasan as without it he would have been unable to bid for an IPL franchise.Srinivasan’s lawyer Rohinton Nariman argued that Muthiah had brought the petition only because he had lost to Srinivasan in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association elections. The court responded by asking Nariman what should carry more weight with the bench – the intention of the petitioner or the cause of the petitioner?Before the amendment, clause 6.2.4 of the Regulations for Players, Team officials, Umpires and Administrators, read: “No administrator shall have, directly or indirectly, any commercial interest in the matches and events conducted by the board.”The amendment excluded Twenty20 cricket from the purview of the clause, which now reads: “No administrator shall have directly or indirectly any commercial interest in any of the events of the BCCI, excluding IPL, Champions League and Twenty20.”Muthiah appealed to the Supreme Court in April after the Madras High Court refused to entertain his petition challenging the BCCI’s decision to amend its constitution, saying there was “absolutely no merit to interfere”. Muthiah had originally written to the BCCI to say that allowing India Cements to buy Chennai created a conflict of interest. When the board failed to respond to his complaint, Muthiah took his fight to the courts, claiming that the amendment was “illegal and opposed to public policy.”

The Liverpool Echo journalist Adam Jones was left hailing Alex Iwobi for his display as Everton beat Manchester United 1-0 at home in the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Huge win

The win and three points for the Merseyside club at Goodison Park are simply huge for their chances of avoiding relegation down to the Championship.

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It has moved Frank Lampard’s team four points clear of Burnley in 18th place in the table, with just eight games for them left to play.

The Latest: Iwobi hailed

Taking to Twitter, Jones was left hailing Iwobi’s performance, in particular the energy and hard work that he showed on the pitch:

“Alex Iwobi’s energy today, absolutely fantastic.

“He’s a changed man under Lampard in terms of that off-the-ball work, I’d argue.”

The Verdict: Big shift

Iwobi certainly put in a big shift for his side, as the winger once again played in an unnatural position in the centre of midfield.

However, he did not disappoint, especially defensively, as he won three of his duels, and also made two interceptions, one clearance and one tackle (SofaScore).

Iwobi also made one key pass and successful dribble (SofaScore), in an overall display that surely would have pleased the Toffees supporters, as well as Lampard.

Nonetheless, the Nigeria international now needs to keep up this level of performance for the rest of the season, as the Blues look to get themselves out of trouble.

In other news, find out what big EFC update this transfer insider has now ‘heard’ here!

Nottingham Forest could be set for a difficult battle in the summer to keep ahold of star centre-back Joe Worrall, who is attracting significant interest from Premier League clubs ahead of a potential transfer at the end of the season.

It will be difficult to replace the defender, who has become a key man in manager Steve Cooper’s side, who are looking to reach the play-offs with a view to earning promotion and a return to the top flight for next campaign.

Should the club fail to secure their ticket into the Premier League, they might have to smartly replace Worrall with a transfer with good value for money – and Zulte Waregem central defender Cameron Humphreys could prove the solution to the problem.

What’s the news?

According to The Daily Mail, the Manchester City youth academy graduate is a hot property among Championship clubs, with Luton, Blackburn and Huddersfield just three of the teams believed to have enquired in his services.

Forest are also interested, and with the 23-year-old set to leave the Belgian Pro League club at the end of the season with his contract expiring – meaning the East Midlands club would be able to replace Worrall with a solid free transfer for a player that would be able to develop with the team.

He’s a top flight level defender

Former Manchester City U23’s coach and current Anderlecht assistant manager Simon Davies once tipped the £675k-rated star to realise his potential of becoming a “real leader'”, and while in Belgium, he has become a more experienced man who could bring maturity and composure to the Forest back-line.

Averaging a 6.62 match rating according to SofaScore for the struggling Pro League outfit, Humphreys is outshone by Worrall in a number of defensive areas.

That includes tackles per game (Worrall’s 1.8 vs Humphreys’ 1.3), clearances per game (Worrall’s 3.3 vs Humphreys’ 2.9) and league clean sheets (Worrall’s 11 vs Humphreys’ 4).

Without context, it might look like the Forest star is miles ahead of the former Man City prospect, however, given that Humphreys is playing in a top-flight European league, it is understandable that he would appear behind the former Rangers loanee playing in the second tier.

However, bearing in mind his leadership skills, he’d certainly be a suitable replacement for Worrall.

Aged just 23, the potential transfer would most likely prove to be an excellent move, and even if it doesn’t work out for him with Forest, he would likely command a healthy profit for the club given that he would sign for free this summer.

In other news: Imagine him & Watkins: AVFC can save millions with £25k-p/w gem who’s “got everything”

Brendon McCullum has announced that he will give up keeping wicket for New Zealand in Tests alone, in order to prolong his international career

Cricinfo staff27-Jun-2010

Brendon McCullum has announced that he will give up keeping wicket for New Zealand in Tests alone, in order to prolong his international career. McCullum had earlier toyed with the idea of hanging up the gloves in limited-overs cricket and playing as a specialist batsman, but realised the best way forward was to sacrifice his dual role in the game’s longest format.McCullum, who will continue to keep in one-dayers and Twenty20s, said he consulted experts before making his decision. “I have talked to a lot of people about how they went about extending their international careers, including some prominent former and current wicketkeepers,” McCullum said. “I am passionate about playing for the Blackcaps (New Zealand) and by limiting my keeping to the shorter forms of the game it increases my chances of prolonging my career.”Geoff Allott, former fast bowler and now general manager of cricket in the New Zealand board, said it was a positive step for the long run.”Brendon enjoys the challenge of Test cricket and has been a strong performer for New Zealand as a keeper over a significant period of time,” Allott said. “While his glove work will be missed, we understand and support his decision to focus his attention on scoring runs at Test level, and his objective to play on the international cricket stage for as long as possible. It is great to know he will continue to keep wickets in limited-overs cricket.”We need to work with players such as Brendon to ensure they stay fit and available for selection, with particular attention paid to those with heavy playing schedules.”Mark Greatbatch, the chairman of selectors, said the committee had no problems with McCullum’s decision, and added that only his form as a batsman will be considered for future Test selections.”Brendon has stated he wants to play cricket for New Zealand for as long as possible and that is really encouraging. I know he has had trouble with injuries that are related to keeping, and therefore understand his decision to stop keeping in Test cricket,” Greatbatch said. “But Brendon clearly understands he will only be considered as a Test batsman on his long-form batting performances.”McCullum has been a destructive opener in limited-overs games. In the last two years, he has scored two centuries and five fifties in one-dayers but his returns in T20s are relatively better, with one century and six fifties. New Zealand’s top order has struggled for consistency in all formats, and McCullum intended to focus on adding more stability to it. He too struggled to maintain his consistency in Tests as a batsman, but he remained New Zealand’s first-choice wicketkeeper. With the latest development, Gareth Hopkins could fill the keeper’s slot in Tests.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Boubacar Kamara to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Goal, who claim that all of Tottenham, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Southampton are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Olympique de Marseille central midfielder, who is set to leave the Orange Velodrome on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract with the Ligue 1 side this summer.

However, the report goes on to state that it is Atletico Madrid who are currently in pole position for the 22-year-old’s signature, with the France U21 international believed to be keen on the challenge of LaLiga and working with Diego Simeone.

Although, Goal also suggest that, with Antonio Conte – as well as the other interested parties from England – being able to offer the youngster a much bigger salary than the Spanish side, Kamara could yet decide on a move to the Premier League ahead of a switch to Spain.

Conte can axe Winks with Kamara

Considering the sheer amount of potential Kamara quite clearly possesses, in addition to Harry Winks having regressed greatly over the last year, it is easy to see why Tottenham would be interested in a move for the Marseille starlet this summer.

Indeed, over his 25 Ligue 1 appearances this season, the £22.5m-rated midfielder has been in breathtaking form for Jorge Sampaoli’s side, scoring one goal and creating two big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.8 key passes, 1.2 interceptions, two tackles, 59.1 passes and winning 5.6 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £46k-per-week dynamo who Rolando dubbed a “phenomenon” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as the Phocaeans’ second-best performer in the top flight of French football.

Furthermore, FBref rank the 22-year-old in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for passes attempted per 90, in addition to the top 6% for passes completed, the top 28% for progressive passes, the top 26% for progressive carries, the top 33% for tackles and the top 35% for interceptions over the last 365 days.

As such, with the £91k-per-week Harry Winks – who Dan Kilpatrick dubbed “out of form” earlier this season – looking as if he does not have a future at Spurs under Conte, having been offered to Leeds United in the January transfer window, it would appear wise for the 52-year-old to finally axe the England international on a permanent basis this summer, before reinvesting the money saved from his hefty weekly wage into a move for the much more exciting Kamara.

AND in other news: “I understand…”: Gold drops big behind-the-scenes Spurs update, Conte will be fuming

West Ham United have made an approach in a bid to bring Leandro Trossard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pete O’Rourke, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that West Ham have made an enquiry with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding a deal to sign the 27-year-old forward, with David Moyes desperate to bring in attacking reinforcements prior to Monday’s transfer deadline.

In his tweet, O’Rourke said: “Understand West Ham have made a shock enquiry for Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard.”

Fans will finally be pleased

While it is true that Trossard is naturally a winger, the Belgium international’s impressive positional versatility – being able to operate on either flank, in attacking midfield or at centre-forward – is undoubtedly a major reason for West Ham’s interest in the attacker.

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Furthermore, the £15.3m-rated forward is also proven in the Premier League, something that the 58-year-old Hammers manager typically prefers his signings to be – in order to reduce the amount of time it takes for a player to settle into the club.

However, not only does Trossard possess top-flight experience, the winger demonstrated over his 35 league outings last season that he has the ability to thrive in the division, scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £35k-per-week Belgian earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Graham Potter’s fifth-best performer in the Premier League last time out.

As such, while the 27-year-old is not an out and out centre-forward, considering his impressive returns in the final third, his versatility in attacking roles and his experience in the division, the Brighton star would very much appear to make an excellent addition to Moyes’ attacking arsenal at the London Stadium – with fans undoubtedly being delighted to hear that the 58-year-old is finally addressing a problem position in his squad.

In other news: Deal off: WHU insider reveals fresh transfer setback, Moyes can kiss top four goodbye