Darren Lehmann wants the number of overseas players in the IPL to be lifted from four to five per franchise in next year’s competition.Lehmann covered for South Africa’s Graeme Smith in the first two matches for the Rajasthan Royals and would be keen for more overseas representatives to get involved. “The IPL should be played as a boutique tournament for international players,” Lehmann told the Advertiser.He has also added his voice to the growing clamour – mainly from English players – for all countries to be able to take part in the IPL. English cricketers, Dmitri Mascarenhas excepted, are currently looking on enviously as they are prevented from participating in a huge payday owing to a clash with their domestic season.”They could add another overseas player to rosters and open up the window for all international teams including England to play,” Lehmann said. “I feel a bit sorry for the English boys but think we can work around it to help get things across the line.”The ECB are considering setting up a rival Twenty20 league, but that is unlikely to happen until 2010. Another possible solution, from the English point of view, would be to move the IPL to November. The London Telegraph reported on Wednesday such a shift is a strong possibility as the month “is perceived to be a more productive TV advertising window”. David Collier, the ECB’s chairman, had earlier dismissed the idea as “unlikely” owing to a clash with international tournaments such as the Champions Trophy.The BCCI’s Lalit Modi reportedly told Lehmann that, contrary to speculation over the IPL’s financial feasibility, the tournament is a monetary triumph. “I have had good discussions with Lalit Modi and they can’t believe the success of the IPL,” Lehmann said. “It is out-rating all the big TV shows.”
As well as being a player and the ACA president, another hat Lehmann could soon be wearing is that of coach. His ambitions were enhanced in India and it is thought he could take up a post at his previous county Yorkshire, where he was a popular player. “I am really looking forward to getting into the coaching side of things now,” Lehmann said.
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Ahmed Shehzad made 42 off 31 balls, with five fours and a six•AFP
To have any chance to end in the last four of the BPL, Sylhet Super Stars needed to win the game against Comilla Victorians in 10.4 overs or less, to finish equal with Dhaka Dynamites on eight points and trump them on net run rate. Let alone trying to win the game quickly, Sylhet imploded badly to be bowled out for 79 runs in 13.5 overs.Their 71-run loss meant Dhaka made it to the last four even before they played their last game, against Barisal Bulls.Sylhet were comfortable at 33 for one in the fifth over when they collapsed, losing their next seven wickets for 24 runs in the space of 5.3 overs. Junaid Siddique had already been dismissed for 10 in the fourth over. The rot started with Abu Hider taking a good running catch to send back Josh Cobb for 21. Andre Russell then danced and took his sweet time to break the stumps at the bowler’s end, as Mushfiqur Rahim and Ravi Bopara almost ended up next to each other, with the latter getting run out.Shuvagata Hom had Mushfiqur caught at deep square-leg before Liton Das brilliantly stumped Sohail Tanvir in the same over. Shahid Afridi played all around an Ashar Zaidi delivery in the ninth over to leave Sylhet 48 for 6 which soon became 50 for 7 in the ninth over when Nurul Hasan was trapped leg-before by Zaidi. When they reached the cut-off point of 10.4 overs, Sylhet were all but gone at 58 for 8. Imrul Kayes and Shuvagata collided while the latter took Mohammad Shahid’s catch at long-on, which made it nine down before Russell finished the game with a yorker to Rubel Hossain.When Comilla batted first, Liton was caught behind off Mohammad Shahid in the second over before Kayes and Ahmed Shehzad added 68 runs for the second wicket. Shehzad was severe on anything on his legs, at times served by compatriot Sohail Tanvir who was struck for two fours early on. Kayes struck Rubel for a six over midwicket before Shehzad picked up his first six, off Abdur Razzak and back over his head. Kayes struck Afridi for two fours in the ninth over but Shehzad fell in the following over, for 42 off 31 balls. Kayes followed next over, giving Afridi a simple return catch after making 27.Alok Kapali, surprisingly sent to bat ahead of Andre Russell, struck Rubel for a six over cover and Shahid for a four through midwicket but struggled to connect regularly in the slog overs. He struck a six in the last over, ending on an unbeaten 32 off 26 balls. Zaidi added 31 off 29 balls with two fours and a six over midwicket but Comilla missed a trick by not sending Mashrafe or Russell much ahead. It ultimately didn’t matter as Sylhet collapsed in a heap.
Morne Morkel has rubbished a story in the South African media which claimed AB de Villiers intends to retire from Test cricket at the end of the England series., an Afrikaans newspaper said several of de Villiers’ current and former team-mates revealed to them “events in recent years have led him to seriously reconsider his Test future,” but Morkel indicated that was not the case.”I think it is a story. He is still very keen to play for South Africa and to break records,” Morkel said.He did not go into any further detail about the newspaper’s claims which cited the selection controversy at the 2015 World Cup – in which Vernon Philander was inserted into the semi-final XI, ahead of in-form Kyle Abbott, despite carrying a hamstring injury for most of the tournament – as one of the incidents which has contributed to what the publication called de Villiers’ “unhappiness,” with the current South African set-up.The extent to which the selection for that game was influenced by a conversation between de Villiers, the coach, Russell Domingo, and Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of CSA only became clear in the weeks following the tournament. However, sources close to the team revealed de Villiers was reluctant to play in the match because of what was perceived as interference.A similar incident took place in the three months before Graeme Smith retired in March 2014, when CSA denied that the then-captain was considering quitting over transformation pressures.In the time since Smith’s retirement, CSA’s transformation has been enhanced by greater guidelines at franchise level – which now require at least six players of colour in each team, of which three must be black African – and has extended to the national team as well. Since the World Cup semi-final, South Africa have fielded at least one black African in their team in every match in every format.Factor in de Villiers’ workload – he is now keeping wicket as well as batting a place higher in the Test team – and it’s easy to see why the pressures of international cricket may be becoming too much for him. But that did not show on the second day in Kingsmead, when his 49 held together a line-up once again troubled by a misfiring top order.Morkel explained how de Villiers’ role was not limited to what he did on the field and that his behind-the-scenes contributions remain crucial to the South African changeroom. “AB is the ultimate sportsmen. He is the rock of our batting line-up,” Morkel said. “Even though there was a lot of pressure on him, he has seen this movie before and he knows how to play it. The talks he gives in the dressing room give us a lot of hope. It’s very inspiring and every dressing room would love to have him.” also claimed Dale Steyn, who made his debut alongside de Villiers at Port Elizabeth during the England tour in 2004-05 but who has been plagued by eight injuries in the last two-and-a-half years, is considering hanging up his boots, as is Philander, who is currently sitting out the first two Tests against England as he recovers from ankle ligament tears. However, Morkel was not asked about the fates of either of his pace-bowling partners.
Offspinner Sunil Narine, who was suspended from bowling in international cricket due to an illegal action in November last year, has been named in West Indies’ squad for the upcoming World Twenty20, which will start from March 8 in India. The squad will be led by Darren Sammy.Narine was reported for a suspect action during the third ODI on West Indies’ tour to Sri Lanka in November. An independent assessment revealed that all variations of his deliveries exceeded the 15-degree limit.The offspinner was also picked in West Indies’ squad for the 2015 World Cup but later withdrew to work on his bowling action, which was reported during the 2014 Champions League T20.The squad for India features 11 players who were part of West Indies’ title win in 2012. The new faces include West Indies’ Test and ODI captain Jason Holder, who is a part of a World T20 squad for the first time, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn who has not represented West Indies in the format since January 2015. Andre Fletcher and Jerome Taylor are the two other players who were not part of the 2012 squad.The squad also includes Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard who were controversially axed from the ODI team for the South Africa tour in 2015 and the World Cup, and have since featured only in T20 internationals.Incidentally, Bravo and Pollard were among six senior players who were not given annual retainer contracts by the West Indies Cricket Board for the period between October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016. Gayle, Sammy, Andre Russell and Narine were also not offered contracts, although Michael Muirhead, the WICB’s chief executive, had stressed this would not be a factor in the selection of the World T20 squad.Currently ranked No. 1 in the T20s, West Indies are in Group 1 of the Super 10 stage at the World T20, along with England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and a qualifying team from the first round of the tournament. The squad will assemble in the UAE for a preparatory camp between February 22 and March 6, and will travel to India on March 7. West Indies are scheduled to play two warm-up matches in Kolkata, against India and Australia on March 10 and March 13 respectively, before travelling to Mumbai for their first league match against England on March 16.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor
Babar Azam’s sluggish start in the BBL continued as a typically lionhearted Jamie Overton delivered a superb all-round performance to inspire Adelaide Strikers over Sydney Sixers at the SCG.Overton claimed 2 for 22 from four overs to help restrict Sixers to a middling total in good batting conditions before making an invaluable 30 off 20 balls in a tense chase. Strikers reached the 160-run target with four balls to spare to notch their first win at the SCG since 2017.After Sixers were sent in to bat, all eyes were on Babar who made just 2 from five deliveries in Sixers’ season-opening loss to Perth Scorchers at Optus Stadium. But he fared only slightly better with 9 off ten balls after hitting tamely to midwicket in a similar mode of dismissal to his BBL debut.Sixers did recover through Josh Philippe’s 46 off 28 balls but were unable to kick on with a number of batters throwing their wickets away. Strikers were able to regularly make breakthroughs with Overton, Luke Wood and legspinner Lloyd Pope combining for seven wickets.Pakistan quick Hasan Ali struggled to find his lengths and finished with 0-36 from 4 overs in his BBL debut. It continues a tough start for Pakistan players in the competition with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan having also endured lacklustre debuts.Sixers’ total appeared under-par, but they have a knack of defending smaller totals at home. Matt Short and Chris Lynn blazed away in the early overs, but the dangermen fell in consecutive overs in the backend of the powerplay to lift Sixers’ spirit.Liam Scott made 51 off 32 balls to get Strikers back on track but regular wickets, including a brilliant one-handed catch by Dan Hughes at short fine-leg to dismiss Harry Nielsen, kept things interesting.Overton was calm and collected before falling with six runs needed off seven deliveries. There were no late wobbles, however, as Strikers clinched an impressive opening victory while powerhouse Sixers slumped to 0-2.After struggling to handle the bounce in Perth during his brief innings in a tough BBL initiation, Babar hoped to hit back in his home debut on a good batting surface.Luke Wood starred with three wickets•Getty Images
Having not yet faced a delivery, Babar had a nervous moment when he was almost run out on the second ball of the innings but a shy at the striker’s end from Scott at backward point narrowly missed the stumps.The smattering of fans garbed in magenta made plenty of noise when Babar whipped through midwicket on his second delivery to register a maiden boundary in the BBL.But Babar only lasted until the third over much to the disappointment of those in the terraces. There were shades of Marnus Labuschagne’s wicket earlier in the day in the third Ashes Test when Babar meekly jabbed a hard length delivery from Wood straight to midwicket.Sixers had initially done well to recover from Babar’s early dismissal. Having played in the ODI and T20I series against India recently, Philippe was a shining light against Scorchers and carried over his form with three early boundaries.Hasan entered the attack after the four-over powerplay, but made an inglorious start to his BBL career when Hughes whacked a half-tracker into the stands over deep backward square leg.Even though Hughes holed out on 11, Sixers appeared well placed at the halfway point as Philippe rolled towards a half-century. Philippe’s eyes lit up on 46, but he could only hit Pope straight to long-off.Pope can be expensive but has been relied upon in recent seasons to be a strike weapon for Strikers. He furthered his reputation by rattling the stumps of veteran Jordan Silk on the very next delivery.Sixers rallied somewhat through allrounder Jack Edwards, who backed up his big-hitting efforts against Scorchers, but their total ultimately proved not enough.There was a moment of silence before the game to honour the victims of the Bondi terror atrocity, with increased security measures put in place at the venue.
Micah Richards has been continually linked with a move to White Hart Lane in recent weeks, as question marks remain over the City star’s long term future at Eastlands. A move to Tottenham could be the kickstart the 21-year-old defender needs, so he can fulfil his undoubted potential.
It’s fair to say that Richards career has curtailed somewhat recently, after making his debut for England aged just 18, and in the process becoming the nation’s youngest ever defender and he hasn’t hit the heights as quickly as people expected. Injuries and some off-field issues may have contributed to his loss of form and his fall from the international set-up.
Should he join Spurs then it could be a chance for him to carry on where he left off and get himself back into the England set-up. Looking at the forums the general consensus amongst Spurs fans is that he would be a good addition to the squad as he would offer some much needed pace, strength and aerial ability. Equally there are some fans that worry about his attitude and believe that he isn’t consistent enough, however he is still only 21-years-old and those problems can be overcome with good management.
It could be that he has been mis-managed at City as they have gone through a number of managers during his time there, and constant changes like that can’t be good for a young player’s development. Richards also famously launched a touch-line tirade at Stuart Pearce when he was in charge of City. Pearce was the man who gave Richards his City debut and it is possible that his attitude problem didn’t get sorted out there and then, and has developed and held him back. Harry Redknapp is an excellent man-manager and as he has shown throughout his managerial career that he knows how to get the best out of young players and help shape their careers. Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Gareth Bale are prime examples and you do wonder if he could work his magic with Richards as well.
However another question must be asked which is would Richards want to leave Manchester City, given the clubs’s massive ambitions? It remains to be seen whether Roberto Mancini truly rates him as he has been at the club for only six months and has yet to properly make his own stamp on the team. Interestingly City have recently signed German defender Jerome Boateng from Hamburg and he is a very similar player to Micah Richards so it could be that Mancini already has plans to move Richards on in the summer. Should he be deemed surplus to requirements then Tottenham would be a decent move for Micah and White Hart Lane could be a place where he finally can get his once promising career back on track.
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Liverpool's new manager Roy Hodgson is adamant that neither Fernando Torres nor Steven Gerrard are for sale, following rumours of potential big-name exits from Anfield this summer.
Spain striker Torres has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester City and Barcelona, while England midfielder Gerrard was a reported target for Real Madrid.
However, Hodgson has spoken to both players and reassured them that the Reds are not about to offload any of their star performers.
He told reporters:"I have met with Fernando. I found him to be a very pleasant man and we had a nice conversation.
"As far as we are concerned he is a Liverpool player and we want him to remain a Liverpool player.
"He is not for sale and we don't welcome any offers for him. We want to keep him.
"We spoke about football, the World Cup, his injury and I told him how much I am looking forward to working with him.
"I have also met with Steven and thought the talks were positive.
"We are in a situation where we hear our players are being courted by other teams, but it is all just rumours.
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"What we haven't had is a club wanting to buy Steven Gerrard. Steven Gerrard is not for sale – I made that clear to him.
"I told him I supported the club's policy that we don't want to sell our best players and have to start building again."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sir Alex Ferguson is no stranger to pulling the odd surprise from up his sleeve when it comes to signing strikers. Not even the bookies have seen the United’s managers shock signings coming over the past twenty years. Eric Cantona, Andy, sorry Andrew, Cole, Henirk Larrsson and Michael Owen have left both United’s opponents and even fans dumfounded as nearly everyone was oblivious to their prospective arrival.
The United manager’s latest acquisition has left everyone reaching for the nearest search engine to find out just who on earth Tiago Manuel Dias Correia.
While I won’t waste anyone’s time regurgitating the biography I’m sure anyone who’s remotely interested in Bebe has already read, I will simply state that this signing while not likely to be the final piece of the jigsaw for European domination does raise a few questions that have yet to be addressed.
For starters are United really skint? According to reports, Bebe cost around 7.4 million quid, now while that is hardly in the stratosphere and less than what Stoke City have just forked out for Kenwyn Jones, it’s still a fairly large amount of money. It’s not loads but it ain’t peanuts. If United are penniless then spending over £7 million on a player who’ll be lucky if he makes the bench for the Carling Cup this season is foolish to say the least. Say what you may about Sir Alex, as many often do, but foolish is not something you’d associate with him – unlike angry or moody. Both David Gill and Fergie himself have claimed that despite the protests of many and the debt the club are in, there is still money available for transfers. While most people have been sceptical of this to say the least, I’ve often though there may be some truth to it, simply because if there wasn’t I can’t imagine Fergie lying on behalf of the Glazers. Yes they pay his wages but that doesn’t mean he has to be their puppet- unlike Gill who I trust slightly less- and if he were to state there is no money, could they sack him? No one is bigger than the club but Fergie is pretty much untouchable, if the Glazers think they’ve got problems with the green and gold campaign getting rid of the manager would start a Mancunian Armageddon.
Secondly if money is not the Mesut Ozil issue then what is? The young playmaker has been the most spoke about German since the Queen got married to that Greek fella. It seems there isn’t a club in world football that hasn’t been linked with the scary eye-browed one of late. Money has been mentioned as an obstacle to him joining the ranks at Old Trafford however with the asking price thought to have been anything from £13 to £20 million, if United can afford over £7 mill for a sixth choice striker, then surely they club could have spent a few more on one of the brightest young stars in the game. The reason for Ozil not signing- unless he does as part of a conspiracy to leave me with egg on my face – must be either a choice by the player himself or Fergie. Whether Ozil has let the powers that be know he has no intention of playing for United is unknown but also highly unlikely as no formal bid has been made. The likelihood is that Fergie has decided not to pursue him, the question is why? Well if it’s not money that leaves for me two likely reasons- faith in the current squad including Darron Gibson and Tom Cleverly or an unwillingness to remove a potential squad member at Ozil’s expense.
With Premier League clubs having to submit a 25-man squad to the FA by the end of August, and with only players under 21 years old being exempt, every squad place is precious. If United’s squad consisted of- VDS, Kuszczak, Neville, Brown, O’Shea, Vidic, Rio, Evra, Evans, Scholes, Park, Giggs Carrick Obertan ,De Laet , Fletcher, Gibson, Nani, Anderson, Valencia, Rooney, Berbatov, Hernandez and Owen then that would leave one space. Owen Hargreaves is –yet again- currently recovering with no real return date- yet again- in sight. If Fergie did buy Ozil then the door would surely be shut on Hargreaves making the squad. Although it still seems unlikely the Canadian-born England midfielder will make the squad at least he does have a slight chance. Hargreaves has retained his squad number the question is will we be seeing at Old Trafford again anytime soon.
Another question is should Fergie trust the judgement of Carlos Queiroz? The former United number two has been instrumental in convincing Fergie to buy a player yet to play a competitive match in the Portuguese top flight. Normally such a gamble would never have been entertained, after all even Chris Smalling had played several Premier League games before United signed him .Yet the word ‘untested’ would be something of a compliment to Bebe who has only played 26 games in the Portuguese third –tier. I’m not about to get on the lad’s case before he’s even kicked a ball in a United shirt and he may well be the real deal, it just seems a little strange, with all the striking options at Old Trafford- including five under the age of 25, Fergie saw fit to add another. Quieroz may have overseen one of United’s most successful periods but his judgement has been called into question on occasion and I just hope Fergie’s faith isn’t misplaced.
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The final question I’ve been left to ponder is whether we’re seeing a drastic shift in United transfer policy? The signing of Chris Smalling after only a handful of games for Fulham last season was a surprise to many United fans as it’s not something that happens very often at Old Trafford. Most players that arrive via a transfer are usually already established, it is very rare for a relative unknown to be bought- or at least it was. While United have bought young players in the past, Da Silva twins for example, it now seems to becoming a little bit more commonplace and the prices the club are willing to spend on somewhat unproven players is increasing. Admittedly in the case of Hernandez, sorry I mean Chicharito, it was a move that already looks like paying off, but with an outlay of over £24 million for three players who are- or at least were- fairly unproven, is this a drastic change in transfer policy for United? Spending large amounts on unknown players has never been the norm at Old Trafford but with clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea not to mention some ‘noisy neighbours’ able to outbid United, the club may feel the way forward is to take a bit of a gamble on promising stars. Fergie has lamented the over-inflated prices of the transfer market and he may feel this is the only way around it.
Read more of Justin Mottershead’s work on his blog ‘Name On The Trophy’
Stoke City have been handed a major boost after record signing Kenwyne Jones was cleared of having suffered a serious ankle injury in the season-opening 2-1 defeat at Wolves.
The 25-year-old £8million recruit from Sunderland lasted just over ten minutes of the Molineux clash, amid fears that he could be facing a lengthy lay-off.
However, subsequent scans and X-rays have revealed only minor ligament damage to Jones’ right ankle.
Manager Tony Pulis told the club’s official website:“The news is as good as we could have expected in the circumstances.
“We were obviously very concerned about the extent of the damage over the weekend, but the tests have shown only minor ligament damage.
“We will assess Kenwyne’s progress over the next few days, so it is hard to say how long he will be out, but we are talking days, rather than weeks or months.”
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Transfer deadline day saw ex-Barcelona and Chelsea midfielder Eidur Gudjohnsen seal a one year contract with Stoke City. Potter’s boss Tony Pulis has been busy in the transfer window, building an exciting project at the Brittania Stadium bringing in Jermaine Pennant, Marc Wilson and Kenwyne Jones. However, the signing of Eidur Gudjohnsen is the most high-profile move of the lot and could prove lucrative in Stoke’s ambition to establish themselves as a Premier League mainstay.
Not to put down a club of Stoke’s stature but I was surprised other Premier League teams declined to bid for the Icelander. He is a player with a great pedigree in the Premier League having made his name at Chelsea where he is idolised by the Stamford Bridge faithful.
He joined Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers in 2000 and spent 6 years at the Bridge where he was to become a firm fans’ favourite. He formed a deadly partnership with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, scoring 23 goals in the 2001-2002 season. Not just an out-and-out goalscorer, Gudjohnsen also has technique, skill and vision in abundance which has led to him being cast in his present role as an attacking midfielder.
Gudjohnsen first found himself playing as an attacking midfielder under Jose Mourinho after competition for places upfront at Chelsea were limiting Gudjohnsen’s chances of starting for the Blues. Mourinho knew that Gudjohnsen was too good a player to leave out of the team completely and began to mould the striker to play in a deeper midfield role; a role which Gudjohnsen took to with relish.
The former striker was a revelation in midfield contributing 60 assists in his 6 year spell in West London. However, competition for first team places became fierce at Chelsea and Gudjohnsen moved to Spain and signed for Spanish giants Barcelona.
Gudjohnsen had his ups and downs at the Camp Nou but his quality as a player was never in doubt. He failed to establish himself as a first team regular under Frank Rijkaard or Pep Guardiola despite a number of impressive performances and was signed by Monaco at the beginning of last season. His stint in the French principality was not to be a happy one as Gudjohnsen struggled for form but Harry Redknapp was savvy to Gudjohnsen’s talents and brought him to White Hart Lane on loan for the second half of last season.
It was probably when Gudjohnsen was on loan at Tottenham that Tony Pulis first took notice of the Icelander as it was he who inspired Tottenham to a 2-1 win against Stoke at the tail-end of last season. Gudjohnsen was in inspired form, scoring Spur’s opening goal with a consummate left foot finish after he was played in by Peter Crouch. His movement and was a nightmare all game for the Stoke defence and it was to prove decisive as Gudjohnsen unselfishly dummied a cross from the left to allow Nico Kranjar to smash in the winner for Tottenham.
Now that Gudjohnsen has signed for Stoke, it will be interesting to see whether his arrival will signal a change in philosophy for manager Tony Pulis. His rugged, direct style of football has been hugely successful for the Potters to date but with players such as Tuncay and Gudjohnsen, Pulis certainly has the players to play a more progressive brand of football should he so please.
Gudjohnsen will need time to get to match fitness after missing preseason and has the two week international break before Stoke’s match against Aston Villa to do so. But once he does get there, I have no doubt that Gudjohnsen will prove to be a great addition to the Stoke team.
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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery