The South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) today announced a 12-man West End Redbacks squad to take on the Tasmanian Tigers in this Saturday’s ING Cup game at Bellerive Oval.The squad sees just one change from the team which played in Perth last Friday, with 19-year-old Mark Cosgrove coming in to the side for injured Mick Miller.Miller strained his shoulder while bowling during the Pura Cup win against the Western Warriors last week in Perth, and will be unavailable for one to two weeks.Cosgrove, who made his debut for the Redbacks as a rookie in 2002-03, was a member of the winning 2002 Under-19 Australian World Championship team and is a 2003 Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy scholar.The left-handed batsman from Northern Districts also won the Man-of-the-Match award for his 100 not out in the Prime Minister’s XI v ATSIC Chairman’s XI game at Adelaide Oval earlier this year.The Redbacks team is:
Greg Blewett (c)
Andy Flower
Mark Cleary
Mark Higgs
Mark Cosgrove
Ben Johnson
John Davison
Graham Manou
Shane Deitz
Paul Rofe
Callum Ferguson
Shaun Tait
The Redbacks squad is this week in Melbourne playing practice matches against the Victorian Bushrangers, and will arrive into Hobart this Thursday, October 30.The Redbacks also will play a Pura Cup game against Tasmania from Monday, November 3 to Thursday, November 6 in Hobart. The squad for that game will be announced later this week.
As a full moon holiday in Colombo brought the first Test to a temporary halt on Sunday, Zimbabwean captain Stuart Carlisle was left ruing a string of poor umpiring decisions on the first three days that leaves his side facing a massive innings defeat.Zimbabwe were forced to follow on 402 runs in arrears after being bowled out for 184. They then lost both openers, Hamilton Maskadza and Trevor Gripper, before the close of day three.Carlisle admitted that his side had bowled poorly on the first two days and some batsmen had been guilty of throwing away their wickets in the first innings, but he also believed his side to have been extremely unlucky.Zimbabwe were the victims of seven dubious decisions, starting with early let-offs for Marvan Atapattu (caught short leg) and Sanath Jayasuriya (caught behind). Russel Arnold was then reprieved on the first evening because of poor quality television replays.In their first innings, Muttiah Muralitharan won two doubtful decisions – Gavin Rennie (lbw) and Grant Flower (caught bat-pad) – before Pakistani umpire Riazruddin gave Travis Friend a palpable wrong decision. Then, to stir up Zimbabwe’s frustration even more, Trevor looked unlucky to have been given out caught behind in the second innings just before the close.Sri Lanka, too, suffered, with Andy Flower getting two lives and Kumar Sangakkara unlucky to be given out caught at slip by the third umpire after inconclusive replays, but Zimbabwe bore the brunt of the bad decision-making.Carlisle said: "We took a gamble with the toss and we were very unfortunate. We had certain opportunities and it could have been a completely different story. We could have had two wickets down relatively early and that would have changed the match a bit."As a fielding and batting side we have been very unlucky on certain things and it really hasn’t gone our way. Something needs to be done and I am sure that it will be eventually, but these important factors change games."He tried his best to be phlegmatic: "You just have to say its one of those things in cricket. Individuals make mistakes – although when they are made it can be very hard to lift the guys."But also acknowledged that his side had been outplayed: "We are lacking a spinner and we backed our seamers but the Sri Lankan batsmen made full use of a good batting pitch. Then there were some pretty ordinary shots from out batters and once again a couple of 30s and 40s that needed to be turned into big scores."We are now at the back end of it, but we sure are going to try our hardest to save this game. It is a pretty good batting pitch, but 30s and 40s are not going to do it. It’s up to the eight batters left to get really stuck in and put together some big partnerships."On a slow, low wicket offering little assistance to the faster bowlers, Zimbabwe’s faint hopes securing a draw, hang on how they counter the wiles of Muralitharan. Carlisle was not displeased with their efforts against him thus far, even though he has already taken six wickets."Murali is clearly a word class bowler and he is always going to be hard in Sri Lanka. We had a game plan – although it’s up to individual batsmen to say, "This is what I am going to do," and stick to it – and, on the whole, I was happy with how the guys played Murali. He got four wickets in the first innings and too of those were fortunate."
Tamil Nadu and Kerala settled for a draw after an interesting finalday’s play in the KSCA Coca Cola Under-25 Tournament at the MaharajaJayachamarajendra Wodayar Sports Complex in Bangalore on Saturday.Resuming their first innings at 169 for 3 on the final day in reply toTamil Nadu’s 446, Kerala lost centurion C Sanju (120) in the fifthover of the day. Three overs later wicketkeeper VG Nair (2) departedwhen he offered a catch to P Raju off Dhandapani. Then S Ramakrishnan(25), CM Shyam (10), S Mathen (34) tried to hold the fort. But withRamakrishnan retiring hurt and PV Rajesh being absent hurt, the Keralainnings folded up at 223.Tamil Nadu enforced the follow on but the Kerala batsmen stood theirground well the second time around. Opening batsmen CM Deepak (36) andC Sanju (29) put on a sedate 34 runs in 17.2 overs. Sanju was the onlybatsman to be dismissed when he offered a return catch to Velmurugan.skipper KPK Nambiar then joined CM Deepak and added a further 86 runsto play out the rest of the overs. Rain stopped play at 16.15 hoursand the match was declared a draw with Kerala 120 for one.Tamil Nadu, on the basis of their 223-run first innings lead, pickedup five points while Kerala picked up three. Tamil Nadu next take onHyderabad in their last match from October 5 to 7.
The relief was palpable in the Bangalore camp on Saturday after they finally registered their first victory at home, against the Deccan Chargers. A team of experienced internationals wasn’t expected to struggle early in the tournament, but at least they salvaged pride in a match which nearly fell out of their grasp in the final over. While they have every right to cherish the victory, it goes without saying that they would have to double their efforts against a team on a high, now with four consecutive wins. The Yuvraj Singh-led Kings XI Punjab have moulded into a dangerous unit and after two early defeats, are currently third in the points table, tied with three other teams on eight points. There’s little to separate the top four at this stage and it would be fair to say they start as favourites, despite playing away from home.
Watch out for …
… Kumar Sangakkara taking on Dale Steyn and Zaheer Khan. Sangakkara leads the run charts for Punjab with 203 in six games with two half-centuries. Steyn came back well after a pasting at the hands of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his first match to concede 20 runs in four overs. Zaheer is one of the leading wicket-takers in the tournament. Shaun Marsh would also be a tough nut to crack for Bangalore, like most Australians in this tournament.
Team news
Bangalore have in their ranks Cameron White, an Australian who can pack a punch with his big hitting. He was omitted after his team’s forgettable rout at the hands of Kolkata in the opening game of the tournament, but one would feel a player of his ability ought to get more opportunities. Jacques Kallis could face the axe after failing with the bat against Deccan and he hasn’t clicked with the ball either. It could be a gamble, as White is mainly a part-time legspinner and perhaps not the most reliable fifth-bowling option.Bangalore (probable) 1 Bharath Chipli, 2 Wasim Jaffer, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Cameron White, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Dale Steyn.Punjab wouldn’t want to alter their winning combination. Depth in batting is one of their strengths and the lower order demonstrated that in the previous game. James Hopes had a poor outing with the ball after missing three games but Punjab should see that as a blip and play him, not least for what he can do up the order.Punjab: (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 James Hopes, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Karan Goel, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Sreesanth, 10 VRV Singh, 11 Gagandeep Singh.
IPL form
(last five matches)Kings XI Punjab: LWWWW Bangalore Royal Challengers: WLLLW
Stats and trivia
White once held the record for the fastest Twenty20 century, off 55 balls.
Irfan Pathan is currently the leading wicket-taker in the IPL with 11 wickets.
Yuvraj’s six catches is the highest in the IPL so far.
Quotes
“In Twenty20, no team is a big team. The team that plays better will emerge as winners. But they have a few good players and we will see what happens tomorrow.” Praveen Kumar, the Bangalore allrounder, doesn’t think there are any favourites in Twenty20 cricket.
Divock Origi has decided that he would like to leave Liverpool this summer, according to Football Insider.
The lowdown
The 26-year-old has been on Liverpool’s books for nearly eight years now, having signed from Lille back in 2014 for a fee of £10m.
He has gone on to play 171 times for the club, scoring 40 goals, including the clincher in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur. However, Origi has been limited to just 533 minutes of action so far this season, equating to less than six full games.
That figure could improve if he features in this evening’s FA Cup clash against Nottingham Forest, which wouldn’t be a surprise on the basis that the majority of his 2021/22 game-time has come in the domestic cups.
The £60,000-per-week forward is now valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt.
The latest
The report from Football Insider stated that Origi has communicated his desire to move on to the Anfield hierarchy, having apparently grown ‘tired’ of his lack of playing time at the club. A ‘recruitment source’ has told the publication that the Belgian’s mind is made up at this point.
While Transfermarkt state that the 26-year-old’s contract expires this summer, Football Insider claimed that it runs until the summer of 2024, with the option for a further year. That will at least give the Reds the opportunity to cash in when the next transfer window opens.
The verdict
Given that he finds himself behind Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and January signing Luis Diaz in the pecking order, it’s no surprise that Origi wants to move on from Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp still thinks very highly of the 26-year-old, dubbing him a ‘monster’, but perhaps he might feel it is not right to stand in Origi’s way given the contribution he has made at Anfield.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
He has scored or set up a goal every 66 minutes this season, underlining his ability, and there should be plenty of suitors. Indeed, Serie A leaders AC Milan are reportedly pushing to reach an agreement for a potential transfer for the Belgium international.
In other news, Liverpool have enquired about this ‘simply incredible’ midfielder
It’s one thing to watch your team play badly, but having to watch them in what can only be described as a major fashion faux pas is just unforgiveable. From clashing colours, to odd pictures and animal-esque designs (yes I’m being deadly serious), football isn’t quite the beautiful game when it comes to designing kits. It appears from my ‘research’ that the 1990’s and Mexico’s keeper Jorge Campos are the main culprits for offending our eyes week in week out, without even so much as an apology. Put some of these on a canvas and we would be comparing them to Picasso’s masterpieces, but on a football pitch on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm, and the game is lost before a ball is even kicked.
To sum up the horrors I have seen, even David Beckham would struggle for sex appeal in these…oh who are we kidding? The guy would easily pull off Tiger stripes.
Click on Stade de Francais to see the worst 20 kits of our time
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Midweek England debutant Andy Carroll has admitted he wants a lengthy career in the national set-up following a promising showing against France on Wednesday.
Although the Three Lions crashed to a disappointing 2-1 setback against France at Wembley, Carroll was one of only a few positives in the capital as he played 70 minutes.
The bulldozing attacker was selected by head coach Fabio Capello after scoring seven Premier League goals and the Newcastle United man is hoping to win a place in the squad for years to come.
"I was happy with my performance on the night and it obviously leaves you wanting to experience a bit more," he told the Evening Chronicle.
"For me, it was a great experience to be out there and playing with top international players. I've really enjoyed it.
"The atmosphere in front of 86,000 people was a real buzz and it's something I'll never forget.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"Now I'm just looking forward to Bolton wanderers on Saturday."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Leeds United ended their travels for the 2011/12 season with a long trip to South Wales to take on play-off bound Cardiff City. Trips across the border to slay Welsh Dragons have been pretty fruitless for the Whites in recent times; in fact it has been 28 years since Leeds have returned home with the spoils.
That fact alone would be enough to dishearten most supporters from making the long trip from West Yorkshire to South Wales. When you throw in the fact that the game was a 12.30 kick off, that Leeds had absolutely nothing to play for, and for the last few weeks have looked like they were planning their summer holidays then you would expect a pitiful turn out from most clubs.
But Leeds United are not most clubs and over 1400 hardy supporters set off for the 4 hour journey to Cardiff. Whilst not one of the largest contingents to follow the Whites this season, it was still a remarkable number of fans to travel to a game, which to all intents and purposes meant absolutely nothing.
The level of support the club receives on its travels is perhaps one of the reasons that the away form of Leeds United has been their saving grace this season. When on the road, it is a given that you give the team your unequivocal backing, and get behind them, no matter what.
At home things have been hugely different. Ten defeats at Elland Road tells its own story. That is not to say that the fans have not got behind the team, but with the support spread around a ground which has been sparsely populated for most of the season, it has been difficult to generate the febrile atmosphere the ground has been known for.
There are many reasons for the lack of spark from the home fans this year. Attendances have generally been relatively poor, in the main due to the prohibitive ticket prices. With the cheapest ticket generally around the £26 mark, it has been a case of pick and choose for most supporters in these difficult economic times. This has seen attendances fluctuate from the 33K who turned up for the match against West Ham, to the paltry 19K against Birmingham and Peterborough.
There has also been the split between fans at how the club is being run. As was seen from the comments following my last post, there are differing opinions as to the success of the Ken Bates regime. A series of protests at how the club is run took place around the turn of the year, and although there has been a truce in recent weeks following the appointment of Neil Warnock, it can be taken as read that should there be no investment in the side during the summer, then the protests will return.
It does seem that there is to be a huge revamp of the squad. Following the release of Mika Varaynen and Ben Parker early last week, Darren O’Dea had his loan from Celtic cancelled on Friday following his dismissal in the 1-0 defeat at Blackpool.
The Republic Of Ireland international was rumoured to be interesting Neil Warnock next season to join the club on a permanent basis, with initial talks taking place. However that deal is now dead and Leeds look to be on the verge of making Jason Pearce of Portsmouth the first addition to the squad for 2012/13, especially now that Pompey have been relegated to League One.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
If Pearce does sign it is a signal of Warnock’s intent, looking for hungry young players to rise to the challenge of playing for a big club. It’s that sort of signing that will excite the fans, and get them back behind the team next season, restoring Elland Road to the fortress it once was. With the fans behind them home and away, Leeds United will be a different proposition to the team that has been masquerading as them this term.
Harry Redknapp is reportedly chasing Roma striker Mirko Vucinic, according to Mirror Football.
Redknapp is on the lookout for a new striker with the 27-year old high on his list. The Montenegrin scored 9 goals in 24 league appearances as Roma stuttered to 6th place and bidding is expected to start at £12 million.
Spurs are looking to overhaul their striker force after inconsistent performances from Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuvchenko whilst Robbie Keane’s Tottenham career is seemingly over.
Vucinic first signed for Roma in the Summer of 2006 and has gone on to score 62 goals in 196 appearances for the club. Preferring to play on the left side of the attack, Redknapp apparently sees the forward as key to Spurs re-qualifying for the Champions League.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Vucinic has scored 11 times in 21 caps for Montenegro but was injured during the 0 – 0 Euro 2012 qualifying match with England in October of last year. Having scored twice in the qualifying stage already he will be looking to add to his tally in the return leg this October.
Emmanuel Adebayor has put himself firmly in the frame to start against former club Arsenal after his hat-trick in Manchester City's 3-1 Europa League victory over Lech Poznan.
The Togo striker had been a peripheral figure at Eastlands during the opening months of the campaign but opened his account for the season with a treble against the Polish side.
Speaking afterwards, City boss Roberto Mancini suggested the former Arsenal striker is likely to retain his place when the Gunners arrive for a Premier League clash on Sunday.
"He's scored a hat-trick and he has a good chance of playing against Arsenal," he admitted.
"He gave an excellent performance. It was very important for us and for him. A striker needs to score goals and he scored three, so I'm happy for him."
City are now top of Group A and Mancini is happy with their unbeaten start in Europe.
"This was a good victory for us because we are first in the group now," he added.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"I watched Poznan four or five times, they are a good team. But we played very well in the first half. In the second half we started so-so.
"I thought they could be a problem but the third goal finished the game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email