All posts by h716a5.icu

Ireland’s women will face double world-champions England as well as New Zealand in a quadrangular tournament to be held in England in July

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2010Ireland’s women will face double world-champions England as well as New Zealand in a quadrangular tournament to be held in England in July. An MCC XI will be the fourth team.”These type of games are just what is required, and with the quality in the squad, the playing programme is warranted,” said Ireland Cricket operations director Mark Garaway. “We can only improve by playing top level opposition, and it will give the squad a terrific lift.””I’m absolutely delighted that Ireland has been given the chance to play two of the best sides in the world this summer,” said Irish captain Heather Whelan. “Playing England and New Zealand outside of a World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for us. It’s especially exciting for the new players on the squad who would never have played against opposition of this calibre before.””It’s a great way to start off our international season before heading to Scotland for the European Championships in August and then Dubai for the ranking tournament in October.”

The series turned feisty on the third day at Centurion Park, when England’s No. 8, Stuart Broad, was involved in an ugly on-field exchange with the umpires after being given out lbw following a delayed review from the South Africans

Andrew McGlashan at Centurion18-Dec-2009The series turned feisty on the third day at Centurion Park, when England’s No. 8, Stuart Broad, was involved in an ugly on-field exchange with the umpires after being given out lbw following a delayed review from the South Africans.England have not enjoyed much benefit from the system’s use in this match and Broad’s anger stemmed from the length of time it took for JP Duminy, the bowler, and the captain, Graeme Smith, to call for the opinion of the TV umpire. “Because of the amount of time that the decision took, we just asked the umpires,” said Graeme Swann, who was Broad’s partner at the time. “We didn’t know out in the middle how much time was allowed.”ICC guidelines clearly state that the decision has to be made swiftly. “The total time elapsed between the ball becoming dead and the review request being made should be no more than a few seconds,” the ruling reads. “If the umpires believe that a request has not been made sufficiently promptly, they may at their discretion decline to review the decision.”About 35 seconds elapsed before the third umpire was called in, and when replays showed the ball hitting the stumps, Broad was given out. Before walking off he marched over to Aleem Dar and Steve Davis to remonstrate and was clearly unhappy as he left the field. An England spokesman confirmed they will be taking up their concerns about the delay with match referee Roshan Mahanama, but do not expect Broad to face censure.Initially there was some suggestion that the South Africans had received a signal from the dressing room but this was played down by both sides. “They [the umpires] said they hadn’t seen any signal from the dressing room, so the decision has to stand – and when you’ve seen the replay it was out, so perhaps the review system does work sometimes,” Swann said.”With TV cameras all round the ground, someone has probably picked up something somewhere,” he added. “But as far as the guys in the middle and the team are concerned, we’re certainly not pointing the finger at South Africa, and saying ‘you definitely did it’. We’re just saying that, with the amount of time, there was certainly ample opportunity for maybe a message to get out.”The ICC’s ruling on off-field input is very clear. “If the umpires believe that the captain or batsman has received direct or indirect input emanating other than from the players on the field, then they may at their discretion decline the request for a Player Review. In particular, signals from the dressing room must not be given.”Paul Harris confirmed he hadn’t seen anything come from his dressing room during the delay between the appeal and the review being called. “By the time I got there from the boundary I think AB de Villiers had said to Graeme that we might as well take it,” he said. “I think at one stage Biff [Graeme Smith] wasn’t going to take it and changed his mind. As far as I’m concerned there was no message from the changing room, I don’t think our coaching staff would do that, as it isn’t in the spirit of the game. It was just a late decision from Graeme.”The UDRS has been the centre of attention during this Test. The most controversial decision was when England were convinced they had AB de Villiers caught-behind in the first innings, but replays were inconclusive, although it has worked well in all the other cases it has been used. Still, England clearly aren’t won over just yet.”Certainly the system has a few irregularities that need ironing out quickly if it’s going to be a lasting method for technology to be used in Test cricket,” Swann said. “We’ve seen the issues that need sorting in this game. We hope they’ll be sorted ASAP.”

Antonio Conte will be looking for his opening Premier League victory in charge of Spurs when he takes the dugout for the very first time at home this afternoon.

Spurs welcome Leeds United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Sunday’s late kick-off for their return to action following the international break.

The Italian narrowly defeated Vitesse in the Europa Conference League but could only seal a point against Everton at Goodison Park before several members of his first-team squad departed for national team duty.

He now faces an out-of-sorts Yorkshire outfit but there will be a number of dilemmas ringing around his head heading into the encounter.

The Lilywhites’ creative problems are no secret – despite sitting in tenth place before the game, they are amongst the very worst in the division in the final third.

Only Norwich City (10) have averaged fewer shots per game than Spurs (10.1) and similarly, the Canaries (9.32) are the one team to have managed a lower expected goals ratio than the north Londoners (11.43).

Furthermore, under Conte, Spurs’ worrying run without a goal or shot on target continued. It’s now five hours since they last found the net – when Heung-min Son bagged the third at Newcastle United – and it’s nearly four hours since Harry Kane’s header was on target against West Ham.

On that evidence, something has got to change.

It has been quietly mooted that the 52-year-old could alter his system at the club, going from a 3-4-3 of sorts, which utilises Son and Lucas Moura as inside-forwards behind Kane, to a 3-4-1-2, which would deploy a no.10 in the hole.

If this turns out to be the case, then it’s time for Conte to turn to Tanguy Ndombele as the Frenchman is arguably the club’s most technically gifted talent, on his day.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-news-updates-transfers-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

Indeed, ex-goalkeeper Joe Hart once waxed lyrical about his ability to BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand.

“This kid is a world-beater, he can do anything.’ He just turned around during the game and said ‘this kid is unplayable’,” claimed the former shot-stopper during Spurs’ FA Cup clash with Wycombe Wanderers (via football.london).

The 24-year-old dynamo, who is valued at £34m by CIES Football Observatory, was always meant to be the creative heartbeat of Spurs’ midfield following the departure of Christian Eriksen but he has not quite lived up to expectations.

Perhaps it will be Conte who gets the best out of him but he’ll have to start him for the very first time against Leeds to find out.

Back in 2018, French football journalist Julien Laurens lauded Ndombele for his attributes in the final third, telling the BBC:

“Everything he does is forward – there aren’t many sideways passes. The first thing on his mind is going forward, with a pass that can break a line or beat two or three players with a dribble because he’s so good carrying the ball.”

At Lyon, the 5 foot 11 midfielder averaged at least 1.5 key passes per 90 minutes in every top-flight campaign prior to his move to Spurs. That would see him rank third in the current squad and season.

With Oliver Skipp also out through suspension, it would be wise for Conte to unleash Ndombele against Leeds this afternoon. It could be a game-changing decision come full-time.

AND in other news, Paratici can resolve two major Conte problems by signing “faultless” £26m-rated colossus…

A number of Liverpool supporters are fuming after Andy Robertson picked up an injury for Scotland, with the Reds seemingly set to be without yet another key man.

The 27-year-old has been an outstanding player for Liverpool, joining from Hull City in 2017 and maturing into arguably the best left-back in the world.

Robertson has made 189 appearances for the Reds in total, winning both the Champions League and Premier League during a wonderful period in the club’s history.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

While the defender hasn’t been at his best this season, he remains a hugely important player, so news of an injury for Scotland on Monday night has not gone down well.

According to the Liverpool Echo [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], Robertson went off with a hamstring problem in the 2-0 win over Denmark, meaning he could be set for a spell on the sidelines.

This adds to the news of the international withdrawals of Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane, as well as the already injured list, which includes Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-11/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans livid at Robertson news

These Liverpool fans reacted to the news on Twitter.

“Oh noo……”

Credit: @Vk_9ty4

“IS OUR ENTIRE SQUAD INJURED?! Omg”

Credit: @MycketWicket

“Of course he has”

Credit: @ItsJamma

“Special place in hell for international football”

Credit: @RIIICHARD

“Hahaha we are finished”

Credit: @INM_91

“Horrible. Tsimikas a more than capable deputy though. Speedy recovery Robbo! “

Credit: @FaraiJulian

In other news, a journalist has tipped Liverpool to make a shock signing. Read more here.

Many Wolves fans have been slamming the performance of Conor Coady in their 2-0 loss at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday.

The captain struggled to keep his team organised as they ended up shipping two goals to Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher in what was a disappointing overall performance from Bruno Lage’s men on the road.

Coady was helpless in trying to block Gallagher’s shot, which ended up deflecting off him into the back of the net, which pretty much summed up the 28-year-old’s afternoon.

The England international lost out on three of his duels and also lost possession of the ball on eight separate occasions, while he recorded fewer touches (29) than his own goalkeeper Jose Sa (35). That earned him a measly 6.6 overall rating on SofaScore, the joint-fifth lowest out of any player to have started the match.

Wolves fans slam Coady’s display

These Wolves fans on Twitter slammed his performance, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that Coady was ‘abysmal’ at Selhurst Park:

“He is exactly right in what he is saying tbh, Coady offers hardly anything”

Credit: @LeoCook_14

“Bin Coady off ASAP… Get another attacker on.”

Credit: @StevenCross81

“Back three was abysmal – admittedly Saiss and Coady really – but you can’t argue more than a 5”

Credit: @joshdownes2001

“Sell Coady, sell Saiss”

Credit: @fatchav

“Coady was terrible…again. The Traore for Semedo swap made no sense. Need Adama making attacking runs down 1-0. He won’t do that from wing back, never has. Go to a back 4 in that instance, Bruno.”

Credit: @motownfill

“Conor Coady is by far our worst player, please please please get him gone”

Credit: @tylerwwfc

In other news, find out whose display against Palace was also slammed by some Wolves fans

Tillakaratne Dilshan has credited his move to the top order as the spark for his outstanding run of form this year, which continued with his match-winning 106 against South Africa

Cricinfo staff23-Sep-2009Tillakaratne Dilshan has credited his move to the top order as the spark for his outstanding run of form this year, which continued with his match-winning 106 against South Africa. Dilshan closed out 2008 batting at No. 6 in the ODI side but began this year as one of Sri Lanka’s preferred openers.The switch has inspired a purple patch for Dilshan, who had only opened three times in his previous 152 one-day internationals. In 2009, he has scored 681 runs at 54.90 including two centuries, and his brilliant effort in the opening Champions Trophy game in Centurion earned him the Man of the Match award.”I have been in good form for the past 12 months and believe moving from the middle order to the top has helped me a lot,” Dilshan said. “As an opener I feel I have more chances to build an innings and Kumar [Sangakkara] and I have developed a wonderful partnership in which we know how to assist each other.”The Dilshan-Sangakkara pairing was again key for Sri Lanka as they put on 158 for the second wicket to leave their side in a commanding position at the halfway mark of their innings. Sri Lanka went on to post 319 for 8 and Sangakkara was full of praise for Dilshan’s 92-ball innings, which finally ended when he was caught on the boundary off Dale Steyn’s bowling.”He’s been exceptional from the end of last year through to this year,” Sangakkara, Sri Lanka’s captain, said. “I think he’s matured a lot and understood how good he really is. He’s performed exceptionally well for us during this time.”The momentum was carried on by the spinner Ajantha Mendis, who grabbed 3 for 30 and removed the important South African trio of Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy. Sangakkara said it was vital that his side did not relax after one victory and focused on their remaining group matches against New Zealand and England.”Tilla and Ajantha were outstanding but this victory is history now and we must capitalise on it otherwise it will be worthless,” Sangakkara said. “As a side, I feel we are still firing at 75% maybe. So we have a lot of areas to improve, but the good thing is that we’re still winning. But the sky is the limit if we can work harder, make sure we keep to our basics and not get too carried away with wins like this.”

Aakash Chopra has been named Delhi captain for the first two games of this year’s Ranji Trophy season

Cricinfo staff26-Oct-2009Aakash Chopra, the former India opening batsman, has been named the Delhi captain for the first two games of the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy season. The selection committee, led by the former opener Chetan Chauhan, named a 15-man today that included just one new name, that of Pawan Suyal.Suyal, from the north Indian region of Pauri Garwhal, has been selected just 16 months after landing in Delhi. He played 15 matches for Telefunken in the DDCA league and took 25 wickets, an achievement that got him noticed by the local selectors. “That was a good experience as I got to play on different types of pitches and against stronger batsmen than I had bowled to back home,” he told Cricinfo. After playing for the Under-22 side he was added to the Ranji probables camp this year.The vice-captain’s post went to Shikhar Dhawan ahead of Mithun Manhas, who has captained the team in the past. Chopra captained Delhi last season, when they finished fourth in the Ranji Super League points table, winning two of seven games. They first play Baroda from November 3-6 and then host Karnataka from November 10-13.Delhi squad:
Aakash Chopra (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia, Yogesh Nagar, Mayank Tehlan, Gaurav Chhabra, Punit Bisht, Chetanya Nanda, Parwinder Awana, Sumit Narwal, Pradeep Sangwan, Aditya Jain, Darshan Kajania, Pawan Suyal.

Cricinfo’s preview of the first Twenty20 between England and Australia at Old Trafford

The Preview by Will Luke29-Aug-2009Match factsSunday, August 30, 2009
Start time 14.30 (13.30 GMT)Kent’s Joe Denly impressed on his ODI debut, and could make his first Twenty20 appearance against Australia on Sunday•Getty ImagesBig PictureDirk Nannes’ debut Twenty20 international was for Netherlands, and it resulted in a remarkable win over England in the World Twenty20. Now, however, he has switched alliance to his birth-country Australia, who have their first opportunity for Ashes revenge when they take on England in the first of two Twenty20s at Old Trafford tomorrow, ahead of seven one-dayers.Both sides dispatched their Associate opponents in recent days – Australia beating Scotland and England just about avoiding a howler against Ireland – but neither team has yet to master the shortest of formats. Australia failed to reach the group stages of the World Twenty20 while England were beaten to the semi-finals post by West Indies. Also, Australia have lost their last five matches in a row; their last win came in February.Yet both teams have key one-day players of whom much is expected. For England, a lot was desired of Ravi Bopara in the World Twenty20; he gave encouraging performances of 46, 5, 2, 37 and 55. Now, though, he finds himself in a horrible rut which forced the selectors to opt for the debutant Jonathan Trott in the final Ashes Test, and though he bounced back with a double-hundred for Essex while England’s Ashes heroes were drowning in champagne, he fell for a duck in Belfast.Meanwhile Australia will have to do without Ricky Ponting, who flew home with the Test specialists, and he’s not expected to be back until the latter stages of the subsequent seven-match ODI series. And with England’s key player, Kevin Pietersen, also absent, these two Twenty20 internationals are an opportunity for someone else in both teams to stake their name.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
England – LWLWL
Australia – LLLLL
Watch out for…David Hussey hasn’t quite hit it big internationally as well as he has for Victoria, but his powerful first ODI hundred against Scotland has at least put him in good shape for the Twenty20s, and for Victoria in the impending Champions Twenty20 League in India. England stifled his brother until the final Ashes Test. Their Twenty20 bowlers will need to produce a similarly nagging approach against the other Hussey.Ravi Bopara: A double hundred for Essex confirmed, were it needed, that a big score was just around the corner for Bopara. After his summer horibilis in the Ashes, there is enough pride at stake for him to bounce back strongly and prove to the doubters that he can cope with, and fight back from, a terrible slump in form.Team newsAll change from the Tests, Australia pack a punch at the top of the order with Shane Watson, Dave Warner, Michael Clarke and David Hussey occupying the top four. Brett Lee managed two wickets against Scotland in his first proper international outing of his tour, and must be hell bent on proving both his fitness and class after a frustrating summer on the sidelines. Tim Paine will take the gloves to replace the injured Brad Haddin, and he got had an encouraging debut with the bat in the Scotland ODI with 29 from 38.Australia squad Shane Watson, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), David Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Adam Voges, James Hopes, Cameron White, Tim Paine (wk), Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Dirk Nannes.Joe Denly might have booked himself in for these Twenty20s following a mature, cornerstone knock 67 against Ireland, an innings without which England’s Ashes bubble might have exploded fantastically. Paul Collingwood, the captain, continues to bat without conviction, and much rests on the shoulders of England’s latest pin-up megastar, Stuart Broad. How often are we going to be saying that about him in the next few years?England (possible) 1 Ravi Bopara, 2 Joe Denly, 3 Owais Shah, 4 Jonathan Trott, 5 Paul Collingwood (capt), 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Tim Bresnan, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.Pitch and conditionsWell, it’ll be warmer than Edinburgh. That much is certain, though only a touch warmer: the BBC predict a chilly 17°c for Manchester on Sunday with showery “light rain” forecast throughout the day, which could force the involvement of the rain gods themselves, Duckworth and Lewis.Stats and triviaThis is only the second Twenty20 international staged at Old Trafford. The last match was in 2008 against New Zealand, which England won by nine wickets.And this is the fourth Twenty20 between the two countries. Australia have won the last two – played in January and September of 2007 – by 77 runs and eight wickets respectively.England have won eight out of 20 Twenty20s, all of which involved Kevin Pietersen, who is absent in this series through injury.Australia have a better record, winning 11 out of 23, and they score quicker, too: 8.48 runs-per-over to England’s 8.10.Michael Clarke has twice led Australia, in December 2007 and February 2008, winning them both.August is traditionally the wettest month for Manchester, averaging 79mm of rain and fighting off strong competition from November and December (78mm). It is also the warmest, with a mean temperature (in every respect) of 20c. Quotes”I’m just glad it’s out of the way.”
“The Holland one was a World Cup so that was a pretty big full house at Lord’s. This one here, playing in Edinburgh, a beautiful spot, it’s my first game playing for Australia, where I’ve been brought up. It’s a pretty big deal.”

As per SofaScore, Tottenham Hotspur trio Ben Davies, Steven Bergwijn and Giovani Lo Celso struggled for Nuno Espirito’s Santo’s side as we analyse the number’s from their 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Burnley.

Spurs edge into quarter-finals…

Lucas Moura bagged the eventual winner as Spurs edged into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, easing some pressure off the under-fire Nuno following a regrettable week of action.

Defeats to both Vitesse and bitter London rivals West Ham had attracted heavy fire but the Lilywhites’ victory against Burnley ensures they remain fighting on all fronts for now.

Here, we take a take a statistical look at Tottenham’s three worst players from the night with the trio of Davies, Bergwijn and Lo Celso sticking out in particular.

Giving away the ball 50 times, losing 19 duels and spurning one big chance in total, it’s safe to say they didn’t enjoy the best outings.

Steven Bergwijn: 6.4/10

The Dutchman had been one of the Spurs players actually looking revitalised under Nuno at the start of the season, attracting praise from the Portuguese in particular as a ‘very talented’ and ‘unique’ asset.

However, since returning from his injury lay-off, you could make an argument that he hasn’t hit those same heights and it showed against the Clarets last night.

Coming in as Tottenham’s worst player on the night to start and play the majority of the game, being hauled off after 66 minutes, Bergwijn was handed a 6.4/10 match rating having lost possession 17 times whilst losing half of his duels and three in total (SofaScore).

Giovani Lo Celso: 6.7/10

Lo Celso is one player who has attracted criticism over the beginning of 2021/2022 and it’s safe to say his performance was once again in question last night.

The 25-year-old hasn’t evolved into that Christian Eriksen-type creative figure badly needed by Spurs and Nuno with Lo Celso’s numbers, again, hardly worthy of celebration.

He ranked in as Tottenham’s second-worst performer behind Bergwijn, again having started and played the majority against Burnley.

While he did make two key passes in the final third, Lo Celso also spurned a big chance to get on the scoresheet – giving away possession 16 times and losing the vast majority of his duels, seven out of nine to be exact (SofaScore).

 Ben Davies: 6.8/10

The best of the worst, Davies still didn’t particularly enjoy a great evening against Sean Dyche’s men and it would have done little to silence his critics.

The Wales international, being ranked a 6.8/10 and playing the whole game for Tottenham, was dribbled past twice on that flank and lost nine of his duels.

As well as this, Davies gave away the ball 17 times and recorded no accurate long balls or crosses from out wide (SofaScore).

In other news: Talks ongoing…Sky Sports journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim involving ‘phenomenal’ star, find out more here.

As Tottenham Hotspur gear up to take on bitter rivals Arsenal in the north London derby today, it appears manager Nuno Espirito Santo has been given a major boost.

The Lowdown: Spurs injury setbacks…

Since Tottenham’s regrettable international break, Nuno has had to cope with his fair share of N17 absences and that has arguably contributed to their run of form recently.

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

Davinson Sanchez, Giovani Lo Celso and Cristian Romero were all missing for a while due to their international fiascos in South America, while Ryan Sessegnon, Steven Bergwijn, Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura have all spent time out recently.

However, sharing news on the latter man, it appears he is now available again alongside Son who returned against Chelsea last week.

The Latest: Nuno gifted Lucas return…

Indeed, in what is ‘good news’ for Spurs and Nuno, the manager now has Lucas at his disposal again and just in time for one of Tottenham’s biggest games of the season.

“We have Lucas back also which is good news so let’s try to make and prepare the game,” the Spurs boss explained (via football.london).

“Like I said to you, it’s a different game, it’s a different game. We must feel it.”

The Verdict: Major boost…

Given the Brazilian’s form when available this season, there’s little arguing this comes as a major boost for Nuno and his side.

Lucas has completed more dribbles per 90 so far out of any Lilywhites player in the Premier League (2.5), highlighting his real threat and creativity (WhoScored).

Indeed, his presence could disrupt Arsenal and provide Spurs with a huge asset from out wide.

In other news: Spurs now want ‘outstanding’ 29 y/o who Pochettino wanted to make one of his highest earners, find out more here.