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England opening batsman Andrew Strauss has said he and his team-mates are ready to play their two-Test series in India because of a “duty to the game”

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2008
Andrew Strauss: ‘The players I’ve spoken to have been very much in the same frame of mind as me’ © Getty Images
England opening batsman Andrew Strauss has said he and his team-mates are ready to play their two-Test series in India because of a “duty to the game”.The squad will fly to Abu Dhabi on Thursday before receiving their final security briefings from the ECB. If they are satisfactory the team will head to Chennai early next week to prepare for the first Test. Contrary to speculation the full England squad will travel and Strauss said they need to trust the security advice.”We’ve weighed up the pros and cons of going back on tour and I think we’ve all come to the conclusion, if the security arrangements are sufficient, we’ve probably got a duty to the game of cricket to get out there and play these two Test matches if at all possible,” he told BBC Radio Five Live. “That’s what his job is and it would be wrong for us to second guess his [security advisor Reg Dickason] professional opinion.”We travel round the world all the time, we often go to places that have had problems in the past and we put our faith in the security experts to tell us where is safe to travel and where isn’t and I don’t see why this should be any different.”Strauss was with the Performance Squad in Bangalore when Mumbai was hit by the terror attacks last week and flew home the day before the one-day squad. He said in the immediate aftermath of seeing the TV pictures thoughts turned to home and families, but a few days back in England has given players time to refocus.”To begin with there was a lot of shock and emotion because a lot of it seemed very close to home. When things like that happen you start thinking about being with your family and cricket probably doesn’t feel like such a big priority,” he said. “But having had a few days to let things settle down, you look at things a bit more logically and objectively.”The indications we’ve got so far is it is [safe] and once the full checks have been made then we can all make that journey to India on Monday. The players I’ve spoken to have been very much in the same frame of mind as me.”

With Chris Hughton undoubtedly hoping to get Nottingham Forest’s season off to a better start than their previous Championship campaign – when the club lost their opening four fixtures – the 62-year-old faces a number of tough decisions regarding his squad selection ahead of the trip to Coventry City on Sunday.

Perhaps the position which will give the Reds manager the biggest headache is attacking midfield, with Hughton needing to decide between the club’s £13.5m signing Joao Carvalho and 20-year-old Brennan Johnson as to who should start this afternoon.

However, considering the contrasting form of the two players last term, as well as in pre-season, there would only appear to be one logical choice to us.

Over his 43 League One appearances while on loan at Lincoln City last time out, the £360k-rated Johnson highly impressed for Michael Appleton’s side, scoring 11 goals, providing 12 assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, taking 2.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man who Sabri Lamouchi dubbed an “unbelievable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.98, ranking the £2.5k-per-week man as the Imps’ sixth-best performer in the third tier of English football.

Meanwhile, it was a rather different story for the £2.7m-rated Carvalho last term, with the forward failing to impress over his 32 LaLiga2 fixtures while on loan at Almeria, failing to score, registering just three assists and missing three big chances, taking 0.8 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £15k-per-week man average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.76, ranking him as Rubi’s 16th-best player in the Spanish second division.

As such, it would seem highly advisable for Hughton to unleash Johnson in the trip to Coventry this Sunday, as not only does the 20-year-old have a much higher ceiling than the former Portugal under-21 international, the argument can easily be made that he is already a better player than Carvalho.

In other news: Bye-bye Carvalho: Murphy could seal Forest masterclass in move for “fantastic” £3.2k-p/w ace

After surging from laughing stock to spin hero, Jason Krejza’s modest next goal is to be part of the New Zealand series starting in Brisbane next Thursday

Cricinfo staff11-Nov-2008
Jason Krejza’s next goal is to be part of the upcoming New Zealand series © AFP
After surging from laughing stock to spin hero, Jason Krejza’s modest next goal is to be part of the New Zealand series starting in Brisbane next Thursday. Not being sure of your place following 12 wickets on debut adds to the upside-down performance of the offspinner, who was being mocked regularly six weeks ago.In a warm-up match in Hyderabad Krejza went wicketless as he was hit for 199 runs and seemed as far away from playing a Test as he was last year when trying to break into Tasmania’s team. At the end of his magnetic debut in Nagpur he was the toast of slow-bowling, having recorded the fourth-best figures by a debutant in Test history.”It’s pretty unbelievable,” he said. “I haven’t really realised the extent of what I’ve done yet. That probably won’t be until I get home. It’s still trying to sink in.”Now I’m looking forward, hoping to get into the next Test series, and looking forward to new things in front of me. Once you get a taste of Test cricket you don’t want to let it go.”Krejza has worked tirelessly on this tour, chatting to players and coaches and analysing Harbhajan Singh’s bowling, but he can’t afford to slacken. Now he has to prove his old-fashioned, well-flighted offspinners can work in Australia. It’s highly unlikely that he will be left out of the first Test against New Zealand on the seam-friendly Gabba, but despite his Nagpur heroics, he will be employed on a match-by-match basis.Until then he can enjoy reflecting on a game in which he tricked the best players of spin in the world, and surprised everybody with his bravery. “Jason’s debut is astounding really,” Ricky Ponting said. “For someone to take 12 wickets on debut is a magnificent achievement.”He’s worked exceptionally hard the whole time he’s been here. He’s been waiting for an opportunity, it presented itself in this last Test, and he’s stood up to be counted probably more than anybody else has in the whole series.”Krejza’s 8 for 215 in the first innings equalled the most wickets by a debutant in an innings, and he backed it up with 4 for 143 in the second. His match figures were the second-most expensive of all-time, but he was the only bowler who created regular danger for India. The only shame for him was that his debut ended in an Australian defeat and a series loss.Cameron White was preferred to Krejza in the first three matches, but Ponting remained convinced the offspinner was not ready for the step up until the final game. “Jason would be the first to admit he’s a better bowler now than he was in the Hyderabad game,” Ponting said. “He’s taken a lot of advice, whether it be from me, or Bishan Bedi helped him out, and lots of things came his way.”If he could have guaranteed me in the first Test that he’d take 12 wickets he probably would have played that game as well. I and the selectors have been comfortable with the 11 players we’ve picked for all the Tests.”

The match will be the first time the new Powerplay rules come into place

Cricinfo staff08-Oct-2008Match factsOctober 9, 2008
Start time 9.00am (0300 GMT)
Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum will look to make the most of the Bangladesh trip © AFP
Big Picture It’s the first test for Bangladesh after the exodus to the ICL. There didn’t appear to be much mercy coming from New Zealand, who arrived early to acclimatise, but unforeseen circumstances may have left the visitors a bit underdone. Their only warm-up game, in Fatullah, was washed out, and a day before the first ODI, the New Zealanders lost patience with the traffic and did a u-turn to the team hotel en route to the ground. The minor hiccups aside, New Zealand will still fancy their chances of a 3-0 win and the No. 2 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.The match will also be the first time the new Powerplay rules come into place. The batting team now has the opportunity to choose either the second or third Powerplay in the innings; earlier the Powerplays were taken only by the fielding side. It will the interesting to see the strategies adopted by the teams. Bowling teams generally tried to get rid of the Powerplay overs as soon as possible, especially when fielding first, but how will the batting side react? Will they use it up first-up or wait to hammer tired bowlers in the final five overs. Will they choose the Powerplay when the lesser bowlers are on, or when their best hitter is at the crease? It’s a whole new element that teams will need to strategise on. One small concession for the bowlers: three fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle for the second and third Powerplays.Pitch & conditionsWhat is encouraging is that, apart from an odd light drizzle, Mirpur has experienced dry conditions and play is likely to take place. Even if there are any overnight spells of rain, locals are confident the drainage facilities at the ground can have the ground ready in an hour.The pitch is expected to favour batting. The average score in Mirpur has been 239, but New Zealand’s strong batting line-up will look to put up a big score. Captain Daniel Vettori said they would prefer to bat first and put up a score of around 280-300. New Zealand’s line-up has aggressive stroke-players in Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum and they will definitely put pressure on Bangladesh’s bowling line-up. Mohammad Ashraful, though, was confident his bowlers could defend a score of 230-240.Form guide (last 5 ODIs, most recent first)New ZealandWWWWW
Bangladesh LLLLLWatch out forJesse Ryder: Ryder has been rewarded with places on both the Test and ODI teams for the tour, during which captain Daniel Vettori expects him to make his mark as an international batsman. Criticised for his fitness in the past, Ryder had a great debut ODI series at home against England. A punch in a window of a bar ruled him out of action in February, but Ryder made a successful return, captaining New Zealand to the Emerging Players title in July. If McCullum and Ryder get going, not many from Bangladesh will be lining up to bowl.Mohammad Ashraful: A man under immense pressure. Another bad series and Bangladesh’s captain could be out of the team; even coach Jamie Siddons has said time is running out for Ashraful. He had been at the centre of Bangladesh’s greatest triumph – over Australia in 2005 – but three years since, even the biggest of fans will find it hard to not find fault.Tim Southee: The Player of the Tournament at the Under-19 World Cup this year, Southee has had a tremendous start to his international career. He scored a blistering 77 not out and took a five-for on his Test debut, and in seven ODIs, he has 16 wickets at 16.93. Those games came in seamer-friendly conditions in New Zealand and England; subcontinent pitches will make for a different challenge.Team newsBangladesh have left out Mehrab Hossain jnr and Imrul Kayes from the XII for the match, which means uncapped Naeem Islam, who captained the Academy side in Sri Lanka, could make his debut. Junaid Siddique is likely to get another chance as opener, while Mahbubul Alam, another newcomer, might miss out.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Junaid Siddique 3 Naeem Islam 4 Mohammad Ashraful (capt), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shahadat Hossain, 11 Syed Rasel.New Zealand have not announced their XII but Jeetan Patel could get a game if the pitch favours spin.New Zealand (probable): 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jamie How, 4 Scott Styris, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Jacob Oram, 7 Grant Elliott, 8 Daniel Vettori (capt), 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Kyle Mills.Stats & Trivia The last time these two teams played an ODI, in Queenstown, Bangladesh were shot out for 93. In reply, Brendon McCullum scored a 28-ball 80 as New Zealand completed a ten-wicket win in six overs, making it one of the biggest ODI victories. Vettori has taken 16 wickets at 13.56 in nine ODIs against Bangladesh. Siddique averages a paltry 5.85 in the seven ODIs he has opened for Bangladesh.Quotes”As I said before, there are no superstars here. They are replacement for the other guys who have gone. I think they will do the job as good if not better.”
Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, admits the exodus to the ICL is a loss, but is confident the inexperienced players will step up.”We are certainly not going to use that as an excuse. We need to adapt quickly to the Bangladeshi conditions and with the new Powerplay rules. I think we are well covered in all areas and prepared for the series.”
Daniel Vettori expects no slip-ups despite New Zealand’s warm-up game being washed out.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been loving the latest video of cult hero Joel Matip, with the centre-back starring in a behind the scenes clip of the Reds’ pre-season tour.

Matip has become a hugely popular member of the Reds’ dressing room, often proving to be one of the funniest members of the squad, without always trying to be.

Not only that, but the Cameroonian is a top-class performer when he is fit, with injuries sadly hampering him throughout his time at Anfield.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Jurgen Klopp’s men are currently working hard in pre-season, but Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez enjoyed some downtime recently.

In a video posted by the club’s official Twitter account on Wednesday, the three centre-backs take part in a bowling competition, with Matip constantly mocked by his colleagues.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans react to brilliant Matip video

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their appreciation for Matip, as he adds another classic clip to his ever-growing collection.

“Matip kills me”

Credit: @KeeganLMoyer

“I love this. Joel is so funny we need more Joel content”

Credit: @1bmh_

“A night out with Joel Matip would put a smile on anyone’s face!”

Credit: @phil_corrigan

“Big Matip never leave”

Credit: @jordanhillllll

“I can’t deal with him. I love him”

Credit: @Jake_Phillpotts

“I’ll forever love Matip”

Credit: @LFC_000

“Matip is the funniest player of all time”

Credit: @redmen_lfc_

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with an update regarding one Reds player. Read more here.

The ship has sailed when it comes to Valencia striker Maxi Gomez and West Ham, says former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer.

West Ham came close to signing Gomez from Celta Vigo back in 2019 when Manuel Pellegrini was still in charge, only for the 24-year-old to join Valencia in the end.

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, though, the east London club have revived their interest in the player and could now make another move for him as they look to build on their impressive 2020/21 campaign.

Palmer, however, has his doubts, feeling that the train has left the station with that one.

“That ship has sailed,” the ex-Leeds United player exclusively told TT. “It was a target for the previous manager. It’s not somebody David Moyes has earmarked to bring to the football club.”

Indeed, with Gomez being a Pellegrini target, it would be a surprise to see West Ham reignite their interest in the Uruguay international.

The Hammers do seem to be in the market for a new striker this summer. However, according to The Athletic, Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham is the one they want.

Ultimately, while you can never say never, a move for Gomez this transfer window looks highly unlikely.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s half-century laid the platform for Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar to deliver incisive blows as India, after a walloping in the first one-dayer, took a 2-1 lead in the series

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran24-Aug-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Zaheer Khan, who claimed figures of 3 for 23, was the driving force behind India’s win © AFP
For the second game in succession, an inspired opening spell by India’s seam attack of Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar brought a powerful batting line-up to its knees. A middle-of-the-road target of 238 was always going to be competitive under lights but a flurry of early wickets before effectively sealed the match before the first Powerplay ended. Both captains arrested top-order slides with fighting half-centuries, but his bowlers made Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s effort count in the end.For Sri Lanka, only Mahela Jayawardene displayed the technique and temperament to craft a lengthy innings and though he had Thilan Thushara for company to give his side a glimmer of hope, their partnership came a little too late. Jayawardene fell six short of a deserved century when a paddle scoop ended his knock and with it, Sri Lanka’s last chance of snatching a miracle.The pre-match talk centered around the better batting conditions at the Premadasa Stadium when compared to the two-paced surface in Dambulla. Though the conditions were a shade easier to bat on in the afternoon, it got considerably challenging under lights as the seamers managed swing and nip off the pitch while the spinners got turn and bounce.While the swing was hard enough for the batsmen to negotiate under lights, the nagging stump-to-stump line was largely responsible for the spurt of lbw decisions early on. Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedera and Chamara Silva were all trapped as the trigger-happy umpires wasted no time in pondering over the appeals.Sanath Jayasuriya whiplashed Praveen for boundaries over his favoured off side region but perished after edging an away swinger off the same bowler. Zaheer relied more on hitting the deck hard and like in Dambulla, squared up Sangakkara with one that nipped back in and struck him high on the pad.Kapugedera began confidently with a clipped six over square leg off Praveen but paid the price for shuffling too far across his stumps. Silva became the third lbw victim of the evening, this time to Zaheer, trapped in front of middle stump to one that straightened. Tillakaratne Dilshan, tied down by the seamers’ nagging accuracy, feathered an edge to Dhoni off Munaf Patel.All the while, Jayawardene cut a lonely figure. The revival began when Thushara joined him in the middle. Runs were hard to come by initially but Jayawardene was probably mindful of India’s weak link – the fifth bowler. With the field spread out and the ball getting softer, Jayawardene placed faith in his partner by rotating the strike.Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma conceded 46 off nine combined overs as Sri Lanka added 50 runs between overs 37 and 43. Thushara regularly made room to loft the ball over vacant spaces and the anxiety began to tell on the Indian fielders as they dropped catches off Thushara and Jayawardene. Zaheer returned to york Thushara to end the 81-run eighth-wicket stand, and when Munaf sent back Jayawardene, the contest was all but over.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni top scored for India with 76 © AFP
Sri Lanka will no doubt look back at where they let the initiative slip. After reducing India to 97 for 4 at the halfway stage, two fifty partnerships – with Dhoni the central figure in both – resurrected the innings after another jerky start. The significant factor in India’s recovery in the middle overs was that the threat of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis was negated fairly comfortably. Though Mendis ended with three wickets, two of those came at the fag end of the innings. Murali, on the other hand, had a forgettable wicketless outing.Once again, Dhoni walked in to bat with the Indian innings wobbling. Often he has played a lone hand, but this time Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma offered excellent support. Raina needed runs, and with his captain for company, accumulated steadily with the spinners operating from both ends, and never at any stage did the Indians get bogged down. Dhoni was comfortable against Mendis, committing himself forward to smother the spin of the full-length deliveries, but when the length was short, he rocked back and cut and pulled for runs.Raina, too, was fleet-footed against the spinners, nudging, flicking and driving Muralitharan for singles in his workmanlike knock. Using his feet, he drove the same bowler to the extra-cover boundary before edging towards his sixth ODI fifty, which came off 75 balls. The running between wickets was excellent throughout, but ironically, it was a run-out that ended the 54-run partnership.Dhoni was fortunate to find an equally able partner in Rohit, who calmly rotated the strike. Short of runs over the last few innings, Rohit grafted initially before taking his chances against the spinners. The partnership came at a quicker rate than the Dhoni-Raina stand, with the pair bringing up their fifty stand in 55 balls. Dhoni brought up his own half-century off 64 balls and celebrated it with successive boundaries off Murali, using his feet well on both occasions. Just when a score in excess of 250 seemed likely, Sri Lanka struck. Rohit fell while attempting a slog off Thushara, after which the wickets continued to fall. Dhoni was dismissed in the 49th over, scooping to cover for a 80-ball 76 and in the end his efforts didn’t got to waste.

Alastair Cook will miss the second ODI between England and New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday,

Cricinfo staff17-Jun-2008
Alastair Cook: shoulder problem © Getty Images
Alastair Cook will miss the second ODI between England and New Zealand at Edgbaston on Wednesday, after failing to recover from the right shoulder injury that has kept him out of the set-up since the third Test at Trent Bridge last week.Cook’s place in the squad has gone to his Test opening partner, Andrew Strauss, although with Luke Wright and Ian Bell gelling impressively at the top of the order, he is not expected to break into the side that won both the Twenty20 at Old Trafford and the first ODI at Chester-le-Street by handsome margins.New Zealand have also made changes to their squad, with the allrounder Grant Elliott earning a call-up as cover for the injured Jacob Oram. Elliott made his Test debut against England at Napier in March and took part in the early stages of New Zealand’s tour while the senior players were away on IPL duty. He has since been playing for Weybridge in the Surrey League.Oram’s absence is a cruel blow for a New Zealand side that had high hopes of emulating their impressive 3-1 win in their last five-match ODI series against England in February. But he is expected to be out for up to ten days with a hamstring strain.

Scotland’s first full-time training academy is being run at Edinburgh’s Telford College in partnership with Cricket Scotland. It is intended that the year-long course will become an integral part of the treadmill from school cricket to the national level

Cricinfo staff24-Jun-2008Scotland’s first full-time training academy is being run at Edinburgh’s Telford College in partnership with Cricket Scotland. It is intended that the year-long course will become an integral part of the treadmill from school cricket to the national level.Bursary-funded, the course develops practical skills in all aspects of cricket, including speed development, strength and conditioning, flexibility, psychological skills, sports massage and physiotherapy, as well as offering academic SQA Higher National Units in fitness testing, resistance training and sports coaching theory. As part of the course students will also have the opportunity to attend an overseas academy.”We feel that the Cricket Performance Course, in conjunction with the Academy structure, will provide our best young cricketers with a well structured, varied and focused 12 month programme which will give them the best opportunity to maximise their potential and gain some valuable life experience at the same time,” said Craig Wright, the former Scotland coach who now heads development at Cricket Scotland. “On completion of the Academy year, players can progress in further education, into employment, or perhaps into careers as professional cricketers.”Eddie Pollock, Sport and Fitness Lecturer at Edinburgh’s Telford College, said: “We are delighted to team up with Cricket Scotland to offer Scotland’s first ever Cricket Performance course, and help the country’s talented young players develop their skills in the sport, while also gaining SQA qualifications at the same time. It’s an exciting prospect to potentially have the professional cricketers of the future in our midst.”

Sunderland have announced a friendly with Sky Bet Championship side Hull City as they ramp up their pre-season preparations [Sunderland AFC Official].

The event will be the final fixture of the Black Cats pre-season schedule, as it is pencilled in at the Stadium of Light on Friday the 30th of July at 7pm [Sunderland AFC Official].

Before the clash, Lee Johnson’s men will travel to York City, Tranmere Rovers and Harrogate Town in a bid to build up fitness before the Sky Bet League One campaign begins [Sunderland AFC Official].

Intriguingly, former Sunderland captain George Honeyman will be in line to return to his boyhood club, as he is now on the books of the Tigers [Hull Live].

In light of this, many Sunderland fans took to Twitter to voice their opinions on recent developments.

Sunderland AFC fans react:

Replying to the Sunderland AFC Official Twitter account, here is what some Black Cats supporters had to say about the friendly update, with one fan calling it ‘bizarre’:

“Think I’m boiling my head that night”

Credit: @M_Stubbs82″Sign players thanks”Credit: @harrytdixon20″A bit of a insult playing a team who beat us in getting automatic promotion last season don’t you think”Credit: @Simmysafc”That’s not quite the big home friendly I was after mind”Credit: @LiamIDST”No game for 18 days and then 4 games in 9 days. Bizarre”Credit: @chrissavedlatin”We gonna have any players left? How we supposedly strengthening the team when already managed to get rid of our top 4 goal scorers before even replacing them as usual”Credit: @ColArmstrongIn other news, a pundit has exclusively slammed Sunderland after their talisman departed the Stadium of Light.