All posts by h716a5.icu

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has suspended the national cricket team’s shadow coach Chandika Hathurusingha on disciplinary grounds

Sa'adi Thawfeeq08-Jun-2010Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has suspended the national cricket team’s shadow coach Chandika Hathurusingha on disciplinary grounds.Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee chairman DS de Silva told Cricinfo that the decision to suspend Hathurusingha was taken after he had disobeyed orders to not abandon the team and return home ahead of the one-day tri-series final where Sri Lanka is meeting Zimbabwe at Harare on Wednesday.”Hathurusingha is expected to follow an advanced Level 3 coaching in Australia from June 13, and he had wanted to come home early to be with his family before heading for Australia,” de Silva said. “He had conveyed this decision soon after the first-round match against India. But I advised him that he can return home only if Sri Lanka fails to qualify for the final not otherwise. Despite me giving him clear instructions to be with the team for the final he returned home on Saturday.”Hathurusingha’s action is a clear breach of discipline and we have taken the decision to suspend him until an inquiry is held. He will be given the chance to explain his conduct before we decide on further action.”de Silva also revealed that Sri Lanka Cricket was bearing all the costs pertaining to the coaching course and the airfare and had even offered Hathurusingha the option of flying straight from Zimbabwe to Australia if he thought he cannot make it in time for the five-day coaching course. He said Hathurusingha’s trip to Australia for the time being has been put on hold till the outcome of the inquiry.According to de Silva the former Sri Lanka Test opener was being groomed for the assistant coach’s position in the national team when he was appointed shadow coach last year as understudy to head coach Trevor Bayliss and assistant coach Stuart Law.

In terms of incoming transfers this month, Wolves have secured a deal for Japan midfielder Hayao Kawabe from Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zurich. He is expected to return to Switzerland on loan to complete the season with Grasshoppers after spending January in the Black Country.

With three-and-a-half weeks still left until the window shuts, it seems as though the Old Gold have been dealt a blow in their attempts to add a new player to Bruno Lage’s squad, one which will leave their fans gutted.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from French media outlet L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), Wolves have had an offer of €30m (£25m) for AS Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile rejected by the Ligue 1 club.

As a product of Monaco’s youth system, the 20-year-old has already made more than 100 senior appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing three assists along the way, showing how highly he is rated in the principality and presumably why they have reportedly rejected Wolves’ offer for him.

Standing at 6 foot 4, Badiashile has played in 19 games for Monaco across all competitions so far this season, highlighting his importance to the team and why they would be reluctant to let him leave this month for a fee they don’t see as suitable for his services.

With Wolves seeing Romain Saiss jet off to take part in the Africa Cup of Nations after playing in all 19 of their Premier League games so far this season, it’s easy to see why the Old Gold would be looking at bringing in a defender like Badiashile this month to not only fill in for Saiss but also potentially become a long-term figure in their squad for the future given his young age.

Moving forward, if Wolves are serious about signing the 20-year-old in January, they should try to establish what sort of fee Monaco would be willing to accept for him and then decide whether it is feasible.

If they aren’t willing to pay whatever the French club would want for him, then Lage may need to look at other options who would be available for less than Badiashile. He could also give Dion Sanderson, who was recently recalled from his loan spell with Birmingham City, the chance to prove himself in the team as an even cheaper option.

That could help to soften the significant blow of seeing a sizeable bid for the Monaco youngster rejected.

In other news: Journalist drops 19-word Wolves update that will surely have a lot of fans fuming – opinion

Former England allrounder Dominic Cork proved the years have not hindered his quality with a five-wicket haul for Hampshire against Kent at the Rose Bowl

05-Jul-2010
ScorecardDominic Cork claimed figures of 5 for 50 as Kent were bowled out for 251•Getty ImagesFormer England allrounder Dominic Cork proved the years have not hindered his quality with a five-wicket haul for Hampshire against Kent at the Rose Bowl. Cork, who turns 39 next month, finished with 5 for 50 as Kent lurched to 251 all out after their captain Robert Key had won the toss.In reply, Hampshire lost in-form opener James Adams first ball and then Liam Dawson to end a turbulent first day 200 behind at 51 for 2. Cork’s burst of wickets took his first-class career total to 944 and the ex-Derbyshire and Lancashire player is also in sight of another impressive milestone, requiring 400 runs for his 10,000.Key was Cork’s first victim in the 11th over when the bowler took a smart return catch, and the rest was a bit of a procession with Geraint Jones and Martin van Jaarsveld both out by the 26th over. Only the obstinate Joe Denly and Sam Northeast offered any prolonged resistance in a stand of 74 for the fourth wicket.David Balcombe removed Denly after a hard-fought 67 off 153 balls, smartly taken by wicketkeeper Nic Pothas diving to his right in front of the slips. That left Kent on 172 for 4 but Northeast did not last much longer, departing the ball after reaching his half-century to a catch at second slip by Neil McKenzie.Northeast hit nine boundaries in a fluent 50 off 108 balls, and it was then that Cork came on to do his major damage. James Hockley was bowled by Cork, getting plenty of movement through the air, without scoring and Simon Cook went the same way.In between, Malinga Bandara edged Cork to the wicketkeeper and suddenly Kent were 191 for 8 and in real trouble. Their tail gleaned some extra runs, Alex Blake making 31 and helping take the total to 251, thanks in part to a stand of 24 for the last wicket involving Amjad Khan and Robbie Joseph.Left-arm spinner Danny Briggs continued to show his promise with figures of 2 for 26. England selector James Whitaker had travelled to the south coast to look at the form of opener Denly for Kent and Adams for Hampshire, but Adams lasted only one ball before fending a sharply rising delivery from Khan to short leg where Northeast held the catch.Dawson departed with the score on 24, edging Joseph to second slip where Van Jaarsveld clutched onto the opportunity.

According to John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose (as shared by Football Insider), Tottenham could agree a new contract with Harry Kane which would see him commit the rest of his career to the club.

The Lowdown: Poor start to the season

Kane’s relationship with Spurs saw a rapid decline over the summer as he asked to leave the club in search of silverware. This came after Manchester City’s public pursuit of the England captain, which saw Tottenham reject two offers for the player, the second of which was for a staggering £125m.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

By his own standards, he has had a poor start to the Premier League campaign, having scored just once in his opening 13 matches. However, it seems recently that the striker is picking up form, netting in Spurs’ last two games against Liverpool and Crystal Palace.

At the age of 28 and with just two-and-half-years left on his current contract, Spurs are keen on agreeing a new deal with Kane, keeping him at the club during his probable prime years.

The Latest: New contract closer

According to club insider John Wenham (via Football Insider), Kane could agree a new contract with Tottenham which would see him spend the rest of his career in north London. Fabrizio Romano recently reported the relationship between the player and his manager Antonio Conte as being ‘more than good’.

Following information from club sources, Wenham spoke to Football Insider, revealing: “Kane has made it very well known that he’s enjoying working with Conte.

“I heard some little snippets from well-placed people that Tottenham are confident of agreeing a new contract with him. That would signal that he is going to spend his whole career at Tottenham.

“If you look at his age and the fact some top strikers are probably going to be available soon, Kane won’t be on the shopping list of the big clubs. I’ve heard some murmurings that Kane is very, very happy with Conte.

“I saw a report from Fabrizio Romano that said the same thing. It seems as though it is building towards a new deal.

“Personally, I think we will agree a new contract with Kane sooner rather than later. His form is really improving on the pitch and he continues to be a big player for us.”

The Verdict: Kane is essential

Despite this season’s dip in form, Kane is an essential part of Conte’s plans. Having secured his status as a club legend by scoring 231 goals in a Lilywhites shirt, it would be ridiculous if Spurs weren’t trying their hardest to come to an agreement on a new deal, especially following their rejection of Man City’s £125m summer bid.

If Tottenham are to challenge for Champions League football, it is imperative that Conte is able to keep Kane at the club. As has been reported, the striker is desperate to win some silverware, so Daniel Levy and Fabio Paratici will need to do everything they can to keep their star man happy.

Judging by Wenham’s revelations, the 52-year-old’s appointment as manager appears to have gone some way towards improving Kane’s morale in N17, which may just be the springboard towards him committing his future to the club.

In other news: 52-cap star already has proposal from Tottenham with Paratici in pole to sign him

MS Dhoni, India’s under-fire captain, has said this is the time for the team to show character

Sidharth Monga12-Dec-2012MS Dhoni, India’s under-fire captain, has said this is the time for the team to show character. India are 2-1 down against England and could lose their first Test series at home since 2004 if they don’t win the Nagpur Test. In all they have now lost 10 of their 11 Tests against England and Australia, and almost every player in the side has had his place questioned in recent times.”Not only as a captain, but as an individual too you rarely get these situations,” Dhoni said. “Against South Africa [in 2008], we were in a similar situation, when we were down in the series, going into Kanpur. I won’t say this is a very good situation to be in, but you get to know the character of a team or a person only in tough times. In a way it’s a good situation to be in where we have nowhere to go. We have to do well in this game.”Dhoni said the team has been in good spirits despite the reverses over the last few weeks. “The spirit is really good,” he said. “We have maintained that really well. In tough times the only people who will support you are team members, and the support staff. We have kept it really close, and the good thing is we are enjoying our cricket, which at times you don’t tend to do when you go through a rough patch. When it comes to the dressing-room atmosphere, it’s looking great.”Dhoni said his team is used to being under such pressure. “If you are part of Indian cricket, everything is under the microscope, and everybody has an opinion about cricket,” he said. “Everybody asks the questions we also ask, but nobody comes with a solution, which is the brilliant part. That’s how it goes in India. Cricket is a sport followed in a big way. Everybody has an opinion about everything that goes on.”People who have covered cricket for a long time, once you wait for the result you have plenty more questions you can ask – ‘Why that guy was not picked’, ‘why this guy was not given the new ball.’ It’s not like soccer where players play from a specific area. The midfielder plays from there, you alter it very rarely. Cricket is a sport where you can ask a lot of questions. That’s a big part of our life. We are under the microscope throughout.”Asked if many cricketing futures relied on the coming game, Dhoni said there was no need to be that dramatic. “That’s getting very critical,” Dhoni said. “A series or two or a rough patch…everybody was talking of this phase in Indian cricket where the big cricketers will move on and the pressure will come on young players. Everybody was expecting a rough patch.”Of course we have struggled in the last two Test matches. If you ask big questions depending on two Test matches, it may come in the future too when we lose two Test matches that youngsters should go out and somebody else should come in. You have to be consistent. You have to keep faith in the players. People who have done a lot for Indian cricket over the years, just on the basis of one series or two Test matches or half a season, it will be difficult if you are asking questions.”Dhoni defended two of his batsmen under-fire from the critics. About Sachin Tendulkar, he said: “He is the best man to have in the side in a game like this. The experience he has, the kind of performances he has given under pressure over the years is something we all look up to. When it comes to Sachin, the best thing to do is to not speculate. He has proved everybody wrong throughout his career. There is nothing really to speculate. Let him enjoy his cricket. That’s important.”Gautam Gambhir got Dhoni’s vote of confidence too. “About Gautam, the best thing I like about him is he is an aggressive character,” Dhoni said. “I always talk about it. I have played with him a lot. If you see the last few games, he has batted really well, he has taken time. There is a lot of improvement in his batting. I feel whenever he is aggressive – by aggressive I don’t mean stepping out and hitting the ball, it’s more about positively defending a ball, because that can be an aggressive mindset. He has been batting well in the last few games. It’s an ideal setup, this is a big game, he is a big-game player. He can transform starts into a big innings.”About the pressure on himself, Dhoni said he can handle these situations well. “That’s one thing I have done really good,” he said. “Whether it was the 2007 World Cup or when it was the 2011 World Cup, when people appreciate me, I don’t go to seventh heaven and go outside my way. When people criticise me, it’s the same.”In India we have extreme opinions. We praise someone very highly, and in a few games we start pulling the same individual down. I always say it’s important to be in the middle path. That’s how you will enjoy the sport. I have been quite good at maintaining that. Whether you win a game or lose it, the basics remain the same. It hasn’t been difficult not watching TV or reading newspapers. I have not been doing it for quite some time now.”

The end of the season can’t come soon enough for Mitchell Johnson

Brydon Coverdale in Hamilton28-Mar-2010The end of the season can’t come soon enough for Mitchell Johnson. After the second day at Seddon Park Johnson, who has had a heavy workload in all three formats this summer, appeared physically and mentally exhausted. He had good reason to, following an innings in which he consciously aimed for more aggression, bowled in the low 150kph region and picked up four wickets.All of his victims fell to full-ish deliveries, three caught behind the wicket and one bowled. But Johnson had sent down a few more bouncers than he did last week in Wellington, and together with Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger ensured that New Zealand’s first-innings lead was slender enough to be overhauled by the close of the second day.”I looked at the last game and I was just trying to bowl the perfect ball a little too much, I was just trying to get it on the spot,” Johnson said. “I don’t think I was really aggressive in that first Test and this Test I had a bit of a chat to Troy Cooley and had a think about it and I came up with the fact I didn’t bowl aggressively enough and that’s what I wanted to do out here.”Even though it was a slower wicket, I just wanted to bowl a few more shorter ones and have that follow-up being a good ball. I really tried to bowl quicker in this game and it definitely felt good. I enjoyed it and coming to the end of the season you have a bit more energy knowing you only have a certain amount of time to go.”Although Australia gained a two-run advantage by stumps it was a mixed day for the visitors, who fluffed three simple opportunities off Ross Taylor before he reached his century. For the fast men, it was a delicate balancing act between setting up chances and feeding Taylor’s appetite for runs through the off side, and Johnson said there were times when Australia didn’t bowl to their plans.”To Ross, you need to be pretty tight to him,” he said. “Being a left-armer, when we try to go across him with that tight off-stump line, we create chances. I think we created enough chances but I can put my hand up and say I probably went a bit too wide to him and played into his game a little bit. He played his strength and it came off for him today.”Shane Watson had taken notice of Taylor’s run scoring and during Australia’s 14-over spell late in the day he moved quickly to 28 from 43 deliveries. On a two-paced pitch on which 264 was enough for a first-innings lead it is difficult to know what a winning score will be, but Johnson said he would be comfortable with an advantage of 350.”I’m not sure what Ricky is thinking,” he said. “There’s still a fair bit of time in this game. I think the plan is to bat for as long as we can and Ricky will make that decision when it’s time. But I think the way the wicket is looking, there’s going to be a bit of turn there and hopefully a bit of variable bounce later on in the Test.”

Indian news broadcasters will cover the IPL after all, with the IPL and the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) resolving the dispute regarding tournament footage

Cricinfo staff12-Mar-2010Indian news broadcasters will cover the IPL after all, with the tournament organisers and the News Broadcasters’ Association (NBA) resolving the dispute regarding tournament footage. Lalit Modi confirmed the development on the eve of the third season of the IPL in his Twitter page. Further details on the compromise are still awaited.”NBA issue resolved. News broadcasters will carry IPL news,” Modi wrote. “Both us moved forward to ensure all fans don’t miss the IPL. My sincere thanks to the NBA members for making it happen.”The NBA, which has 34-member channels, had last month decided to boycott the tournament in protest against what it called “arbitrary” guidelines and contentious clauses regarding tournament footage. The decision followed a meeting between the NBA and officials of the IPL and Set Max, the tournament rights holder. The media coverage guidelines for 2010 had reduced the duration of match footage that news channels could carry — 30 seconds per bulletin and seven minutes a day. Repeats would be allowed three times a day, as against four previously, and while match footage could earlier be telecast with a five-minute delay from the end of the live telecast, it had been expanded to a half-hour delay.The first IPL season was boycotted by the international news agencies over several contentious clauses in the media accreditation guidelines, including a bar on supplying photographs to cricket-specific websites such as Cricinfo.The second season witnessed a repeat after News Media Coalition, the umbrella body that includes global news and photograph agencies Reuters, AP, AFP and Getty Images, objected over the same clause. However, the boycott was lifted after the IPL removed the clause from the terms of coverage.

Ravi Bopara has admitted that he is fighting to save his Test place after his poor form continued with a miserable match at Headingley

Cricinfo staff09-Aug-2009Ravi Bopara has admitted that he is fighting to save his Test place after his poor form continued with a miserable match at Headingley. He bagged scores of 1 and 0 in the fourth Test and his series tally is a meagre 105 at an average of 15 as he struggles to adapt to the No. 3 berth.”There is no disguising the pressure I am under,” he wrote in the . “There is nowhere to hide because, in such a massively high-profile series as this and against opponents of the quality of Australia, you have to front up every single day.”Bopara made a promising start to his time at first drop with consecutive centuries against West Indies earlier in the summer, but combating the likes of Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson has proved a far harder task. The Australians have probed his weakness outside off stump where his technique is loose and, as Justin Langer wrote in his hard-hitting dossier about the England players, have prayed on Bopara’s ego.However, Bopara is determined to remain positive despite his difficulties having experienced a similar situation in Sri Lanka during his debut series when he collected three ducks on the bounce.”It is up to me. No one else can do the batting for me,” he said. “Just as important for me now is my thinking and my approach. When you are searching for a bit of form, the main danger for a player like me, who likes to go for his shots, is that I might start slipping into survival mode.”I’ve been guilty of doing that in the past, both in county cricket and when I had that terrible time on my first England tour in Sri Lanka, and it just doesn’t work. If I am given the opportunity at The Oval to respond to my scores of one and a first-ball duck here at Leeds, whatever else I do to break out of this trot, I must remain positive and look to score at every opportunity.”To compound Bopara’s misery replays showed he got an inside edge when given out first ball against Hilfenhaus on the second day at Headingley, but he refused to make any excuses.”I wouldn’t say I’ve been blessed with good fortune over a couple of umpiring decisions, but I’ve no complaints. Stuff happens when things aren’t going your way. I have to admit I’m finding it pretty difficult to see the positives at the moment. But I’ll try to keep smiling and keep enjoying my first taste of the Ashes.”

Daniel Vettori is in danger of missing Saturday’s second ODI against Australia with a nagging neck injury

Cricinfo staff05-Mar-2010Daniel Vettori is in danger of missing Saturday’s second ODI against Australia with a nagging neck injury. Vettori, who sat out the dramatic opening victory, was unable to bat or bowl at training in Auckland on Friday and is hoping the problem improves dramatically overnight.”I got through the fielding session well but I didn’t bat today so I’m just going to leave it until the last possible minute,” Vettori said after training. “I’ve had this injury for about 13 years. It flares up and down occasionally. I’m just hoping I wake up feeling good in the morning.”Nathan McCullum, the offspinner, is expected to come in for Vettori if he doesn’t make it, a move which would give Ross Taylor his second match in charge. New Zealand are already without Jacob Oram, who hurt his knee on Wednesday and is expected to be out for up to a month.The Chappell-Hadlee Series had a heated opening when Mitchell Johnson and Scott Styris bumped heads late in the first game. Johnson was fined 60% of his match fee and Styris had to pay 15% in an incident giving extra spice to the contests.”We’re going to make sure we try to play it in the right spirit of the game without crossing that line,” Vettori said. “A lot of people enjoy that intensity. We’ve just got to make sure it doesn’t go too far. It’s the responsibility of both teams and both captains to make sure it doesn’t happen.”Shane Watson said Ricky Ponting had spoken to the team about behavior. “It’s an important part because we want to make sure that we are competitive but we don’t step over the line,” Watson said. “Ricky had a chat to us after the game to let us know that there is a line and no matter what we can’t cross it.”So that’s just something that Ricky and the coaching and the support staff are always talking to us about. We can’t afford for anyone to get suspended or get fined because it’s not in the spirit of the game. People enjoy watching two guys in the battle. That’s what everyone loves to see.”

Leeds United have been handed a quadruple injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article for Leeds Live, Beren Cross revealed that there could be light at the end of the tunnel regarding both Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling’s respective recoveries from injury, with the centre-forward having been sidelined since September with an ankle injury, while the right-back has missed the Whites’ last nine fixtures due to a knee injury.

The journalist then went on to state that the knocks of Raphinha and Rodrigo – who both missed the Leeds’ 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday – are only believed to be minor, suggesting that the duo will be back for the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.

In his article, Cross wrote: “There is hopefully light at the end of the tunnel for United. Ayling and Bamford are thought to be making good progress and not far away, while Raphinha and Rodrigo’s issues are thought to be minor.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Leeds have not enjoyed the best of seasons so far this term, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side having picked up just 11 points from their opening 12 fixtures of the campaign, considering just how important the quartet of Bamford, Ayling, Raphinha and Rodrigo are to the Whites, when these four all make a return to first-team football, it would not be surprising to see Leeds shoot up the league standings.

Indeed, last season, Raphinha ranked as the club’s third-best performer in the league according to SofaScore, while Ayling, Bamford and Rodrigo came in as the Whites’ sixth, seventh and tenth-best players in the top flight respectively.

As such, despite the fact that Leeds currently sit in 17th place in the Premier League standings, a mere two points above Burnley in the relegation zone, following Cross’ latest injury update, the Elland Road faithful shouldn’t have too much to worry regarding relegation just yet as they gear up for the exiting return of their star men.

In other news: Imagine him & Phillips: Orta can land dream LUFC duo with 27 y/o gem likened to Rooney