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Gordon Drummond will lead Scotland’s 13-member squad for the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya to be played in Nairobi from January 25 to 28. In the absence of some experienced players, the team will wear a youthful look in Kenya. Simon Smith returns from shoulder surgery to take his spot as the wicketkeeper.The selectors named a different squad of 14 for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers that will be held in UAE in February. Six new players will feature in a series of Twenty20 matches in Kenya against the hosts and Uganda before the UAE leg begins.Drummond will relinquish the leadership role to Gavin Hamilton for the shortest format. Hamilton will also have the services of Fraser Watts, Ryan Watson, Neil McCallum and Jan Stander. Navdeep Poonia will also join the squad at this stage.The full squads for each leg of the tour are as follows:Intercontinental Cup: Gordon Drummond (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Euan Chalmers, Stewart Chalmers, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Douglas Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Dewald Nel, Mathew Parker, Qasim Sheikh, Simon Smith (wk).Twenty20 warm-ups in Kenya and ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers: Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Gordon Goudie, Majid Haq, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Simon Smith (wk), Jan Stander, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.Coaches: Peter Steindl and Tony JuddManager: Dick Auckinleck

The coach David Williams is hoping the West Indians have blown out the rust and that the only way is up after three torrid days against Queensland. Their attack, which is missing the resting Jerome Taylor, was thrashed by the locals as they piled up 7 for 617 before the declaration, but the under-pressure tourists were boosted by their batsmen reaching 1 for 133 at stumps.Travis Dowlin and Adrian Barath both picked up useful half-centuries, although they still need 213 to make the Bulls bat again. “It was a tough two days in the field, but at the end of the day we have to expect these things and it was good to see these guys stick to the things we talked about,” Williams said. “It’s a good start in the second innings and we will look to capitalise on that.”The West Indians’ troubles started when they were dismissed for 271 on a good batting surface and only Kemar Roach’s athletic performance of 3 for 135 stood out when they bowled. Fielding was also an issue with a handful of catches going down to increase their frustration.”It’s been our problem,” Williams said. “We need to hold on to our crucial catches, so we hope to eradicate that as soon as possible and hopefully we go into the Test match with more confidence. The players have a fair idea where they went wrong and what they need to do, and it’s not about bashing anybody. But we set ourselves high standards and we want to try and maintain them as we go along.”Nathan Reardon was the main obstacle for the West Indians as he powered to 147, his first century for Queensland, and showed his state he could be a regular option in the Sheffield Shield side. Reardon, who hit seven sixes, has been seen mostly as a limited-overs player and is keen to add to his two first-class matches.”It’s good to finally get a go in the four-day arena and I was nervous coming into the game with people questioning whether I could play at the four-day level or not, so it was good to get some runs on the board,” he said. “It was good to get a few in the middle and a few over the ropes – the further they go the better they look.”

The USA Cricket Association has again stated its desire to stage international matches in the wake of comments from an Indian government official that the US could be an ideal place to stage India against Pakistan games.”We are keen to have both the top teams of the subcontinent and we welcome India’s proposal in this regard,” said Nabeel Ahmad, USACA’s senior vice-president, told AAP. “It’s a very good proposal because everyone related to cricket wants Pakistan and India to resume their cricket as such events are always thrilling and entertaining.”Critics have claimed that USACA needs to walk before it can run, adding that it has no experience of hosting major cricket. “We have an 8,000-capacity ICC-approved stadium in Florida which can accommodate nearly 25,000 spectators with makeshift arrangements by erecting extra stands,” Ahmed countered.”Cricket is gaining rapid popularity in the US, specially Twenty20 cricket, and the youth is taking keen interest in it,” he said. “More and more players are joining the game and we see a bright cricket future in the US because [the] market is full of sponsors. We plan to build more international cricket stadiums with the passage of time in other parts of the US.”We are capable of hosting a full-fledged series. If Abu Dhabi or Dubai can host successive matches, why can’t we?”

Paulo Fonseca’s representatives have contacted Aston Villa over the vacant managerial position, according to The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Villa’s Fonseca contact

Villa officially parted ways with Dean Smith on Sunday following a fifth successive defeat in the Premier League. However, a few days before the 1-0 loss to Southampton, the 50-year-old already appeared to be on borrowed time, with Villa making initial contact with Fonseca.

The 48-year-old, who was described as ‘very intelligent’ by Claudio Ranieri, has been out of work since the summer after he left AS Roma.

The Latest: Fonseca’s agent makes move…

The Daily Record’s Keith Jackson shared a story late on Monday night regarding Rangers’ 48-hour wait to see if Aston Villa will make a formal approach for Steven Gerrard.

Within their report, they suggested that Fonseca’s agents, who were involved in talks with Newcastle, have also contacted Villa to throw the Portuguese’s name into the hat for the vacancy in the Midlands.

The Verdict: Shrewd Gerrard alternative?

Ashley Preece believes that all signs are pointing towards Gerrard taking over from Smith at this moment in time, but should the club fail to bring the Rangers man to Villa Park, then Fonseca could be a good alternative.

He has a clear playing style with a preferred 3-4-2-1 system and has won nine honours as a manager in two different countries.

He has also been hailed by the likes of Ranieri and Antonio Conte, two Premier League-winning managers, so the Villa hierarchy could be clever to keep one eye on Fonseca while they pursue Gerrard.

In other news: ‘Thank god’ – Lots of Villa fans buzz as more exit news emerges. 

Celtic have been dealt a potential injury blow regarding central midfielder Tom Rogic.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by The Scottish Sun, Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou revealed that the 28-year-old, who was withdrawn in the first half of Celtic’s 3-1 win over Hibernian on Wednesday evening, appears to have pulled his hamstring.

He went on to state that he will have to wait and see how the Australia international recovers in the coming days as to whether or not Rogic will be available for selection for the visit of Livingston on Saturday.

On the midfielder’s injury, the 56-year-old Bhoys manager said: “Tom did feel something in his hamstring. It’s wait and see. We’ll just assess it. He was outstanding in the first half. His ability to find space is second to none.

“We had three quick boys up front, technically good, and he was key to getting the best out of them. He’s played a lot for us but, hopefully, he’s OK. I’m not that good, I’m not really sure, he said it didn’t feel too bad.”

Major blow

Considering just how impressive Rogic has been for Celtic so far this season, in addition to the fact that Postecoglou has already had to deal with something of an injury crisis at Parkhead during the opening stages of his reign as the Hoops manager, should the 28-year-old be ruled out for any length of time, it will undoubtedly leave fans very worried.

Indeed, over his 11 Scottish Premiership fixtures this term, the £1.35m-rated man has scored one goal, registered two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.2 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £16k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, with the Australian making up one-third of Celtic’s impressive midfield trio alongside David Turnbull and Callum McGregor – who have each been influential in the Bhoys’ ongoing run of five consecutive victories in all competitions.

As such, with two massive Europa League ties coming up for Celtic in November, should Rogic’s injury rule him out of action for these two clashes, it will certainly come as a major blow to Postecoglou – at a time when things finally appeared to be looking on the up at Parkhead.

In other news: “Important” £20k-p/w Celtic beast who had 9 clearances proved Ange right on Wednesday

After winning three of their four previous Premier League games prior to their international break, Southampton have a great chance to get back to where they left off with a match against Norwich City, who have only won one game in the league this season, next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side at the weekend.

Looking ahead to the match at Carrow Road, it seems as though the Saints have been handed a major squad boost just in time for the clash against the Canaries that will surely have a lot of Southampton fans buzzing given the various player’s importance to the squad.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Hampshire Live that Valentino Livramento, Armando Broja, and Nathan Redmond have all returned to training after previously being doubts to feature in the match.

Presuming that all three will be fit enough for selection by Saturday, this will be a big boost for Hasenhuttl when it comes to choosing his starting XI to take on Dean Smith’s side.

With Livramento, who dropped out of the England U21 squad last week through injury, the fact that he has played 90 minutes in all but one of Southampton’s league games so far this season with one goal and one assist under his belt shows just how important he has been for the team and suggests that he will be in the starting XI at the weekend if he’s fit.

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Even though Broja, who has struggled with an ankle injury in recent weeks, managed to score his first two goals for the Saints in their games against Leeds United and Burnley back in October, the fact that Che Adams and Adam Armstrong have both found the back of the net since then could give Hasenhuttl a tough decision over who he plays up front against Norwich. That would hand the manager a rare selection dilemma, but one he’ll be delighted to have.

Then with Redmond, who missed Southampton’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa after testing positive for the pandemic, even though he’s yet to score in the league this season, the fact that he has provided two assists and started seven of their 11 league games shows that he is an important figure for Hasenhuttl.

Taking all of this into account, only time will tell if the trio will all start against Norwich or not, but Hasenhuttl will definitely be glad to have them back in training rather than out on the sidelines to give him more options across the pitch.

In other news: Ralph must ruthlessly axe £60k-p/w “nice guy” at Southampton, he’s their weak link – opinion

Having won their first Premier League title in 30 years and sixth Champions League trophy during Jurgen Klopp’s reign at Liverpool, it’s safe to say they have a plethora of talented players in their squad.

One figure, in particular, that we feel is deserving of much praise at Anfield is Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, who was the only Reds player to start every Premier League game last season, proving just how vital he was for Klopp’s side.

Since joining the Merseyside club from Championship club Hull City back in the 2017 summer transfer window, Robertson has gone on to make 184 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions in which he has managed to score five goals and provide 38 assists along the way.

So far this season, Robertson, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £50k-per-week according to Spotrac, has made seven appearances for the Reds across all competitions, providing one assist that came during the club’s 3-3 draw against Brentford in the Premier League.

In terms of his market value, Robertson’s value stood at £9m according to Transfermarkt back in January 2018, whereas now it stands at £58.5m, highlighting a quite meteoric rise at Anfield.

Taking all of this into account, we feel that Liverpool’s signing of Robertson has been one of their best pieces of transfer business since Klopp’s arrival in 2015.

He has become one of the most outstanding full-backs on the planet, contributing as many as 38 assists during his time in Merseyside, 12 of which came in their Premier League-winning campaign.

Looking at his latest performance for Liverpool during their recent 2-2 draw against Manchester City at Anfield, Robertson once again proved how important he is for the team, particularly from a defensive point of view.

The 27-year-old won every duel he was involved in, made five clearances, three interceptions, two tackles and blocked one shot, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.1/10, higher than the likes of Diogo Jota, Fabinho and Virgil van Dijk according to SofaScore.

Moving forward, we see no reason why Robertson won’t continue to be a regular starter for Liverpool this season unless Klopp feels the need to rest him for whatever reason, with Kostas Tsimikas coming in as he did during their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, or a potential injury keeps him out of action.

In other news: FSG currently face one of their biggest Liverpool dilemmas, they must act soon – opinion 

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.

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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.

Michail Antonio bagged a 90th-minute winner on his return to West Ham’s starting XI as they defeated Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

In a match that was, understandably, end-to-end at Elland Road, David Moyes’ side came out on top thanks to two second-half goals.

Raphinha opened the scoring for the home side inside 20 minutes when he fired home a low shot past Lukasz Fabianksi from outside the penalty box but the tide turned when Jarrod Bowen’s shot deflected in off Junior Firpo halfway through the second half.

The 31-year-old, who is the leading goalscorer in the English top-flight right now, then popped up with a cool, calm and collected winner in the first minute of injury time.

He caught the Whites on the counter-attack as he knocked the ball past Jamie Shackleton before slotting the ball around Illan Meslier, much to the delight of the travelling Irons faithful, who stormed the pitch.

A lot of the admiration and acclaim will certainly fall at Antonio’s feet, as it should and often does, but there was another name who arguably stole the show up in Yorkshire.

As predicted by Football FanCast pre-game, tricky winger Said Benrahma had the potential to have a field day against Marcelo Bielsa’s injury-ravaged backline and that’s exactly what he did.

On the left flank, the Algerian earned the second-highest rating (7.6) of any Hammers player, via SofaScore.

The £26m-rated dynamo recorded three key passes and made 90% of his 31 passing attempts as he proved to be a major creative outlet for West Ham at Elland Road.

He was also a constant thorn in Bielsa’s side as he fired off five of the team’s 20 attempts at goal, had three successful dribbles and registered the third-highest number of touches for the visitors (52), as per SofaScore.

Benrahma would’ve left the young Leeds duo of Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell with nightmares after that display.

The 26-year-old wizard even did the dirty work defensively, having recorded four tackles. A number that was only bettered by one player on either side – home defender Firpo – and he even won eight of 13 ground duels, only further showing his dominance on the aforementioned Whites duo.

Tom Clark of football.london was equally impressed with the £23k-per-week Irons star as he graded his performance an 8/10, and wrote:

‘A very lively start from the Algerian who came close with a long-range effort then moments later showed the work rate Moyes demands with a vital interception in his own box. He is now becoming a trusted player by the manager after being in and out of the team last season.’

All in all, it’s evident that Benrahma was a key cog in the Hammers’ last-gasp win over Leeds on Saturday afternoon. He may not have added to his three goals and two assists but he was certainly a persistent nuisance and one that ran the show for Moyes this weekend.

AND in other news, West Ham eye shock striker swoop 5 ft 9 “goal machine” who’s haunted Moyes before

A number of Liverpool supporters have reacted to Kylian Mbappe’s comments about his future, talking up the Reds’ chances of signing him.

Despite being linked with a number of attacking players in the summer transfer window, Jurgen Klopp ended up not bringing in a new signing to boost the forward ranks.

Ibrahima Konate was the only addition to the squad, leading to frustration from some Liverpool fans.

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One player who the Reds were tipped to sign was Mbappe, whose Paris Saint-Germain future was up in the air, only for him to end up staying put.

The France international has now come out and openly admitted that he asked to leave the club [via journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter], however, throwing his future into doubt once more.

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Liverpool fans react to Mbappe comments

It suggests Mbappe could move on in the near future and these Liverpool fans took to Twitter to talk up the idea of Liverpool snapping him up, even despite the player’s suggestion that it is Madrid or bust…

“He hasn’t said his famous here we go, Mbappe could still play for Liverpool”

Credit: @DanielLFC04

“Leaving in January”

Credit: @lfcluke_7

“#Mbappe @LFC summer 2022 FREE Transfer amazing”

Credit: @Martinfreyne2

“Mbappe for Mane. Agree?”

Credit: @1stbrand

“Mbappe 2022, here we go”

Credit: @TomWhitaker89

“This is the only transfer I want I will literally give you my kidney, my legs, my arms, take everything just get Kylian Mbappe”

Credit: @LFC_IBYY

In other news, some Liverpool fans have talked up a move for another phenomenal talent. Find out who it is here.