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Sunderland centre-forward Will Grigg may have played his last game at the Stadium of Light.

What’s been said?

That’s according to a claim made by Kevin Phillips, with the former Black Cats striker revealing in an interview with Football Insider that he cannot imagine the 30-year-old pulling on a Sunderland shirt once again, following his move to Rotherham United on loan.

In the interview, Phillips said: “I think that’s the last we will see of him at Sunderland, to be honest. It just hasn’t worked out for whatever reason. The quicker he moves on the better, for both parties. I cannot see him wearing a Sunderland shirt again.”

Bye-bye Grigg

With the Northern Ireland international’s current contract at Sunderland set to expire at the end of the season, unless, for some bizarre reason, Lee Johnson decides to offer the centre-forward a new deal at the club, it would indeed appear as if Grigg has played his last game for the Black Cats.

And, considering just how poor the striker has been since his record-breaking move from Wigan Athletic back in 2019, it would seem highly unlikely that too many tears will be shed at the Stadium of Light at the thought of waving goodbye to the 30-year-old.

Indeed, over his 62 appearances for Sunderland, the £1.08m-rated forward scored just eight goals and provided his teammates with three assists, a rather remarkable decline in form from his time at Wigan, where he bagged 65 goals and registered 14 assists over 150 appearances.

As such, when factoring in his £4m transfer fee and £6k-per-week wages during his time on Wearside, it would seem a fair assessment that Grigg has been a rather large waste of money for Sunderland, leading us to believe that Phillips is indeed correct to suggest that a parting of ways between the Mackems and the man Matthew Keeling once dubbed “pathetic” is something that would suit all parties.

In other news: Sunderland flop has seen his value soar 196% since leaving Wearside, he’s a powerhouse

If Warwickshire go on to miss out on the championship by a handful of points, they will surely rue the final day of this match

George Dobell at Edgbaston25-Apr-2009
ScorecardMichael Lumb bounced back from a poor run of form with a crucial 84•Getty ImagesIf Warwickshire go on to miss out on the championship by a handful of points, they will surely rue the final day of this match. They dropped five chances on the day, none of them especially difficult, to allow the visitors to escape from a position of some peril. On such a slow pitch, such profligacy was fatal.”It’s disappointing,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles, admitted. “We got ourselves in a great position to win the game and we can only blame ourselves for not doing so. We just didn’t quite seize the moment.”But I’m very happy with the way we batted and the way our young seamers bowled. Everything I read before the season suggested we are complete underdogs, so to have outplayed Hampshire for most of this game is pleasing. All our cricket was good except our catching.”The result was not purely the product of Warwickshire’s wastefulness, however. Hampshire were also grateful for the input of a trio of half-century makers, not least the substitute Michael Lumb.Lumb had hardly been in the best of form. After a pair in the first championship game of the season, against Worcestershire, he suffered another duck in the second eleven match from which he was withdrawn to replace Marcus North. Here, however, he batted very well. Driving sweetly, he looked quite untroubled until an attempted pull ballooned off the back of the bat and onto the stumps.It was the impact of another substitute that proved crucial, however. Navdeep Poonia, a fielder more in the Monty than Jonty mould, was only on the pitch a few minutes, but managed to drop Nic Pothas at short mid-off before he had scored. The furious reaction of the bowler, Ant Botha, spoke volumes.Botha deserved better. He delivered 39 overs on the final day, probing at the batsmen with some gentle turn and subtle variations and fully deserving his four wickets. Three of the dropped chances came off his bowling.Pothas was reprieved again on 25. This time Jonathan Trott, at first slip, was the guilty man, as he failed to hold onto a low chance in Darren Maddy’s first over. Pothas went on to record another half-century and make the game safe.Hampshire’s approach to much of the day was puzzling. Some of their batting was more suited to an IPL run chase than an attempt to save the game.Jimmy Adams fell to a catch on the mid-wicket boundary while Sean Ervine, who was dropped first ball and then, horribly, on just four by Tony Frost at mid-on, edged an airy drive. John Crawley paid the penalty for only coming half forward to one that turned and took his outside edge, while Michael Carberry’s worthy game ended when he edged an arm ball to slip.When Lumb and Dawson, who missed a full toss, fell in quick succession, Warwickshire scented victory once more. Pothas finally found a good ally in Dominic Cork, however, and the pair played out the final hour without further alarm.Warwickshire took some consolation from extending the longest unbeaten run in the land. They have not lost since Giles took charge at the start of 2007 – a period of 18 championship games – though they have only won twice at Edgbaston since the start of 2006. The addition of Jeetan Patel, who arrives within the next few days, will be most welcome.As an England selector Giles also had encouraging words for Hampshire seamer Chris Tremlett, who produced a blistering spell of fast bowling on the second day.”I wouldn’t have wanted to be facing him,” Giles said. “He has massive potential and it was nasty for a couple of overs. If he was more consistent with those sort of spells, then that’s Test bowling. There aren’t too many fast bowlers out there. But there’s no point just doing it for three or four overs; he needs to string performances together.”

The upcoming Pentangular Cup features many big names, with as many 15 Pakistan Test players representing their respective provincial sides.

Cricinfo staff17-Oct-2008
Shahid Afridi will be captaining Sind, the defending champions © AFP
This season’s Pentangular Cup will be boosted by the presence of most of Pakistan’s big names, with as many 15 Pakistan regulars representing their respective provincial sides.Defending champions Sind will once again be the team to beat, captained as they are by Shahid Afridi and boosted by the presence of Faisal Iqbal as his deputy and Danish Kaneria as his lead spinner. Sohail Khan, the fast-bowling find of the last domestic season on the fringes of the national team, will also be there, while Sarfraz Ahmed, Kamran Akmal’s national understudy, will keep wickets and provide lower-order stability.Fast bowler, Anwar Ali, who took five wickets in the Under-19 World Cup final against India in 2006, will be one of the many players to watch out for after his impressive show for the Pakistan Cricket Academy in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Ali, alongwith Sohail, will form a testing new-ball pairing for Sind, and both are in line for international places.Their main challenge is likely to come from Punjab who can rely on no less than 12 internationals in their 15-man squad. They will be led by Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, while Mohammad Yousuf, Nasir Jamshed, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez add enviable depth to their batting. Though not as strong as Sind, their bowling will benefit from the inclusion of Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Khaleel, the upcoming paceman Mohammad Talha and Saeed Ajmal and Mansoor Amjad as spinners.Though Younis Khan is absent playing for South Australia, NWFP will still be able to call on Umar Gul and Yasir Hameed as captain and vice-captain respectively. Fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, and Rao Iftikhar will represent Federal Areas who were runners-up last season.Baluchistan found themselves at the bottom of the points table last season after losing all their matches, three of which were innings-defeats. They’ll be hoping for a change in fortunes this time under the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, who is among a number of guest players recruited from other provinces to try and beef up a traditionally cricket-poor province. Kamran Hussein, Abdur Rauf and Mohammad Irshad – all three from Punjab – will ensure Baluchistan have a more than adequate pace attack.Sind and Federal Areas, who play the tournament opener on October 25, met in a closely fought game last season, when Federal Areas recorded a one-wicket win. Ten matches were played in the competition last season, with seven outright results.Teams:NWFP: Umar Gul (capt), Yasir Hameed, Rafatullah Mohmand, Aftab Alam, Adnan Raees, Riaz Kail, Zulfiqar Jan (wk), Nauman Habib, Aslam Qureshi, Waqar Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Yasir Shah, Aslam Qureshi, Wajid Ali, Shoaib Khan.
Sind: Shahid Afridi (capt), Khalid Latif, Khurram Manzoor, Asif Zakir, Naumanullah, Faisal Iqbal, Faisal Ather, Rizwan Ahmed, Fawad Alam, Danish Kaneria, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Sohail Khan, Tanvir Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Naeem-ur-Rehman.
Federal Areas: Iftikhar Anjum (capt), Raheel Majeed, Afaq Raheem, Umair Khan, Bazid Khan, Naveed Quereshi, Usman Saeed, Ashar Zaidi, Umar Amin, Naeem Anjum (wk), Immad Wasim, Shoail Tanvir, Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat, Yasir Ali.
Baluchistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Usman Tariq, Saeed Anwar Jr., Shoaib Khan, Naseem Khan, Saeed Bin Nasir, Rameez Alam, Taimur Ali, Kamran Hussain, Abdur Rauf, Azharullah, Mohammad Irshad, Nazar Hussain, Gulraiz Sadaf, Bilal Khilji.
Punjab: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Yousuf, Ammar Mahmood, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamral Akmal (wk), Mansoor Amjad, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Khalil, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Zia, Mohammad Talha, Adnan Raza.

Some Manchester United fans have been left fuming as an update emerged on Jadon Sancho.

As per the Red Devils’ official website, the former Borussia Dortmund star will miss England’s remaining September fixtures at home to Andorra and away to Poland respectively.

He missed the 4-0 win in Hungary on Thursday because he sustained a slight injury in training, and it appears to be more serious than first thought given that he has had to withdraw from the England squad.

Manchester United fans will surely be hoping that Sancho can recover in time for them to play Newcastle in their first game back after the international break next Saturday, especially with the prospect of linking up with Cristiano Ronaldo on the veteran’s second Old Trafford debut.

Manchester United fans on Sancho update

These United supporters fumed as the news about Sancho was shared on Twitter, with one fan calling it ‘unbelievable’:

“Noooo!!!!! Why now?!”

Credit: @AdebisiIsrael12

“the universe is against us”

Credit: @eldad__

“This is why I hate international breaks”

Credit: @NAKEDI_NKD

“Ahhhh man”

Credit: @t7891011

“The Manchester curse has hit him… injuries!!!”

Credit: @KoreanKiwi1989

“Shocking. Unbelievable. Devastating”

Credit: @DumVardi

In other news, lots of Man Utd fans slammed this player’s display against Wolves

Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain, has outlined his task in his role as technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme

Cricinfo staff20-Feb-2009Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain, has outlined his task in his role as technical director of Jamaica’s cricket development programme. Adams’ first goal will be to feed West Indies cricket with players prepared to meet international standards.Adams felt the regional scene was suffering because players were thrust onto the international platform at a young age, and expected to hone their skills after reaching the highest level.”The bottom line is basically to get a player to international cricket in his early 20s and not just to international cricket, but to international standards. I think that’s something that we’ve not been able to do for quite a few years now,” Adams, 41, told the . “We are asking young players on getting to international level to learn the game there and I think that we need a system and a process that will get them there more prepared for international competition.”Adams, who played 54 Tests for West Indies between 1992 to 2001, hoped Jamaica would turn out international-quality players. “It’s very challenging because I think one of the issues that we’re faced with is trying to get a more professional mindset throughout the organisation and that’s something I’m sure we’ll get to eventually, but they’re going to be a few challenges along the way,” he said.”But I don’t think anything worthwhile comes without a fair bit of effort … but I’m confident we’ll get to the point where we have systems and processes in our cricket programmes here in Jamaica that will produce truly world-class players at a fairly young age and give us the sort of cricketer that we can be proud of.”Adams led West Indies in 15 games.

The ICC chief executive has justified postponing the Champions Trophy to 2009, stating the absence of four major teams would have robbed the event of its world-class nature

Cricinfo staff08-Sep-2008
Haroon Lorgat: “I guess most people respected our decision because the last thing we wanted was a Champions Trophy which was just not world-class” © AFP
Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has justified postponing the Champions Trophy to 2009, stating the absence of four teams would have robbed the event of its world-class nature.Lorgat, who was in New Delhi to announce the nominations for this year’s ICC Awards, said the decision was unanimous after the ICC saw no point going ahead. The tournament, involving the top eight teams in the world, was originally scheduled for September 2008 but was put off after some of the teams were reluctant to travel to Pakistan.”As many as four teams were apprehensive about the security there. After all, we cannot force players if they don’t want to go and play there,” he told PTI. “Then we had documents from some people who did some research on the issue and finally we had to postpone the event.”I guess most people respected our decision because the last thing we wanted was a Champions Trophy that was just not world-class.” Lorgat was quick to dismiss the notion that the ICC was divided with the Asian bloc on one side and the rest on the other. “Prior to working with the ICC, even I had read about the issues,” he said. “But now, I can say that there is nothing even close to what is being claimed.”He also brushed aside doubts over the revised Champions Trophy schedule coinciding with the second edition of the Champions League, to be held September-October, as well as the India-Australia ODI series from mid-October.”I don’t think the FTP [Future Tours Programme] is running out of control,” Lorgat said. “We have a chief executive committee meeting in Dubai this week where we’ll discuss the calendar. There is an existing framework for the FTP and we will work under that.”

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as transfer news emerged on Franck Kessie.

As per a report this week by 90min, which has since been shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter page, the Goodison Park club – as well as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Leicester City – are monitoring his situation at AC Milan, where he has yet to agree to sign a new deal with his contract expiring next summer.

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint Germain have all enquired about Kessie, but a move to the Premier League is high on the wish list for the Ivory Coast international, who struck 14 goals last season for the Rossoneri despite playing as a defensively-orientated midfielder.

Given the calibre of competition for his signature, and the fact that he is currently playing in the UEFA Champions League, it would be quite the coup for the Merseyside club if they were able to snap him up.

Everton fans on Kessie transfer news

These Toffees fans buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that they were ‘excited’ and another describing it as ‘awesome’:

“PLEASE”

Credit: @29tooffeeezz

“I heard this the other day before their match last night in which he got sent off. Once Everton has touched you ……. (P.S would be an awesome signing to be fair)”

Credit: @joshhodge81

“Absolute masterstroke if we pull that off”

Credit: @_EvertonTheGear

“JUST INJECT HIM IN TO MY VEINS!! He’s great on the counter which is what this team needs. There are critics to his tackling ability but we have that bulldog Allan to help with that. Please @Everton get this man!!!!!!”

Credit: @GeezyEFC

“I wish mate, imagine Allan, Doucoure and Kessie in midfield”

Credit: @JoeyOconnor22

“Don’t even get me excited like that!!”

Credit: @EFCDayne

In other news, find out what contract news has had these Everton fans buzzing

Graeme Swann is hoping that a return to the subcontinent will bring a change of fortune for him as England begin their tour of India

Cricinfo staff06-Nov-2008
Kevin Pietersen waves out after arriving in Mumbai © AFP
Graeme Swann is hoping that a return to the subcontinent will bring a change of fortune for him as England begin their tour of India. Swann is part of both the one-day and Test squad, but although he isn’t guaranteed a starting place in either side he is hoping conditions will be in his favour.He played a key role in England’s one-day series win in Sri Lanka last year, taking seven wickets in four matches, but has since struggled to maintain his place in the team. He hasn’t played an ODI since June and against South Africa he was sidelined by the emergence of Samit Patel. However, he was selected for the final two matches in the Stanford Super Series and with conditions likely to favour spin he could partner Patel over the next month.”I am really excited, I can’t wait to get out there because I did well in Sri Lanka last year, the wickets obviously suit spin bowling more than other parts of the world,” Swann told the . “So I hope to play a big role in both the one-dayers and the Test matches.”The tour includes seven one-day internationals, starting in Rajkot on November 14, followed by two Tests before Christmas. The last time England toured India they lost the one-day series 5-1, following an impressive drawn Test series, and Swann knows it’s vital that the squad begin strongly this time around.”The start of this tour is the most important couple of weeks we have got left in this year because if we start well and get off on the right footing then it sets you up for the whole trip,” he said. “The last thing you want to do when you are on a tour like India and you’re travelling, it’s hectic and you’re not in places that you’re familiar with, is lose the first couple.”Suddenly it can seem like a whirlwind, flying around, playing games but never having time to prepare. On the same basis if you are winning, you just can’t wait to play again.”England had 12 hours in London after arriving back from Antigua before departing for Mumbai and Swann said the team has already moved on from the disappointment of missing out on a million dollars each.”I was a lot less bothered than I thought I’d be,” he said. “Even though it was a big week in terms of publicity, it still ranks low in the grand scheme of England cricket.”The journey back after the match was very English. There was a lot of mickey-taking and Paul Collingwood came out with ‘don’t worry lads, at least we got to the final’.”

Liverpool could still make an attacking signing if certain players leave in the summer transfer window, according to The Athletic’s James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Quiet summer at Liverpool

While the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have spent big this summer, the Reds have had a low-key window.

Ibrahima Konate remains Liverpool’s only new signing, while Gini Wijnaldum is yet to be replaced after his move to Paris Saint-Germain.

It remains to be seen whether any news faces will be brought in, but Pearce has given an update on the current situation.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Pearce provides key update

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic after Liverpool’s 3-0 win away to Norwich on Saturday, the journalist said that Xherdan Shaqiri or Divock Origi leaving could lead to some transfer activity, particularly if the latter moves on. He outlined:

“As I’ve written a few times it all depends what happens with outgoings. If Shaqiri and Origi both leave then I’d expect LFC to bring in an attacker. I asked Klopp about the midfield yesterday and he’s adamant he has enough cover.

“With AFCON on the horizon, I do think the squad needs another Jota type signing. My info is that if as expected Shaqiri goes he’s unlikely to be directly replaced as they see Elliott having his minutes. If Origi left too then I think LFC would be active in the market.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: One more addition needed

Liverpool’s squad looks strong, as shown by them beating Norwich comfortably without Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Roberto Firmino starting, but a new signing would still be welcome.

Greater attacking depth would help ease the workload of the current players, giving Jurgen Klopp extra options in the final third throughout the season.

It is slightly frustrating that Wijnaldum seemingly won’t be replaced, but if Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain stay fit, that issue will be somewhat alleviated.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been critical of some recent Jurgen Klopp comments. Read more here.

Graeme Hick, the former England and Worcestershire batsman, has joined the unofficial Indian Cricket League

Cricinfo staff01-Nov-2008
Graeme Hick has signed to play for the Chandigarh Lions © Getty Images
Graeme Hick, the former England and Worcestershire batsman, has joined the Indian Cricket League. He will be a part of the Chandigarh Lions and will play their remaining matches this season.Hick had ended his 25-year county career two months ago at the end of the 2008 season. He is the second highest run-scorer in all cricket (first-class and limited-overs combined), with more than 64,000 runs, and his tally of 136 hundreds is eighth on the all-time list.”I am greatly honoured to be associated with the ICL and hope to do my best for them,” Hick said. He played 37 Twenty20 matches in his county career, and scored two hundreds and ten half-centuries.Chandigarh lost two of their key players earlier this week when their regular captain Chris Cairns and Dinesh Mongia were suspended on disciplinary grounds. Chandigarh are currently in fifth place with three matches to go in the round-robin phase.