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After the excitement of qualifying for the World Twenty20 tournament in England next year it’s back to first-class cricket for Ireland on Thursday as they aim for a hat-trick of Intercontinental Cup titles

Cricinfo staff06-Aug-2008
Andre Botha will have a key role to play against Canada © Getty Images
After the excitement of qualifying for the World Twenty20 tournament in England next year, it’s back to first-class cricket for Ireland on Thursday as they aim for a hat-trick of Intercontinental Cup titles.With the top of the table tight and four sides vying for two final places, a win for Ireland is a must – and Kyle McCallan’s side needs to achieve that against Canada, the team they beat in the 2007 final.It’s been almost 15 months since that one-sided encounter at Grace Road, Leicester, and plenty has changed in that time. Both teams have new captains and Canada have been unable to maintain the form they showed to reach the final on that occasion.One win in six matches tells its own story. Canada have struggled to replace the runs of Ashish Bagai – playing just once because of work commitments – and the penetration with the ball of Umar Bhatti.Last year, left-armer Bhatti and Henry Osinde formed perhaps the best new-ball attack in the Associate world but in this campaign Bhatti has played only half the matches and although Osinde has captured 15 wickets in five matches, those wickets have come at almost 34 runs apiece.Canada’s other problem has been its turnover of players. For one reason or another it has been unable to pick a settled side: they have used 29 players in six matches with only one player, Sunil Dhaniram, playing in every game. Dhaniram has been one of the few highlights for Canada with 472 runs at 59.00 and 17 wickets at 25.17 with his left-arm spin.Ireland have the belief that it can win this match with a full haul of 20 points. And if it can do that, depending on the result of the Scotland-Kenya match, they could go to the top of the table ahead of long-time leaders Namibia. Ireland’s other two remaining matches are against Namibia and other rivals Kenya.Trent Johnston is in the side but Ireland are without county players Eoin Morgan and Niall O’Brien. Morgan missed the European Championships with a knee injury and also sat out the World Twenty20 Qualifiers, while wicketkeeper-batsman O’Brien heads back to Northamptonshire.Fintan McAllister has been called up as replacement wicketkeeper as Gary Wilson is required by Surrey.Ireland (from) Kyle McCallan (capt), Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, Finton McAllister, Thinus Fourie, Trent Johnston, Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Poynter, Paul Stirling, Reinhardt Strydom, Greg Thompson, Andrew White.Canada (from Sanjay Thuraisingam (capt), Rustam Bhatti, Geoffrey Barnett, Harvir Baidwan, Eion Katchay, Sunil Dhaniram, Zubin Surkari, Karun Jethi, Steven Welsh, Qaiser Ali, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Mohammad Iqbal, Arvind Kandappah, Saad bin Zafar.

Leicester City attacker Ayoze Perez “ticks all the boxes” for Everton, the club’s former defender Michael Ball has told The Transfer Tavern.

Perez, of course, played under Rafael Benitez during his time at Newcastle United and is now being touted for a reunion with his countryman at Goodison Park.

According to another ex-Everton player, Marcus Bent, the 27-year-old is probably on his old manager’s radar as he looks to stamp his own mark on his new squad.

For Ball, if it is a deal that the Toffees can get done before the transfer window closes, then it could be a shrewd addition.

“I think that could be a really good possibility,” the retired full-back said. “You’ve got to trust Rafa Benitez. He’s worked with him very, very closely. 

“That could be a good addition because it can give us a different sort of attacking threat going forward if our Plan A isn’t working. He can play across anywhere in the front three like Richarlison can.

“He’s got quality and he’s got experience in the Premier League, so to me that sort of ticks all the boxes.”

Indeed, Perez is certainly an experienced Premier League player, making just over 200 appearances in the competition.

Across those games, the Spaniard has managed to score 43 goals, with 12 of those coming in his and Benitez’s last season at St. James’ Park. Perhaps it is one worth exploring for Everton.

Tottenham Hotspur are just two weeks away from the start of the 2021/22 Premier League season and Nuno Santo will be looking to vastly improve on their seventh-place finish last term.

The North London outfit have made some moves in the transfer market, signing two new players, and they still have plenty of time to make further additions before the start of the campaign, whilst some loan players have returned to give the Portuguese plenty of options.

Spurs begin with a tough fixture as defending champions Manchester City come to the capital to kickstart their Premier League title defence on August 15th.

But what will life under Nuno look like? Football FanCast predicts the XI we could see line up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for that game…

It’s believed that Nuno will deploy a back four, rather than his tried and tested three-man defence which had so much success at Molineux, and that could be bolstered by two defensive additions.

Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has been one main target for sporting director Fabio Paratici and his possible arrival would substantially aid Nuno’s ideal system.

“The logic, I understand, in going for Tomiyasu is that he will tuck in to allow [Nuno] Espirito Santo’s system to quickly flip from a back four to a back three, and allow Sergio Reguilon to bomb on like an attacking left wing-back, which we know will get the best out of him,” claimed football.london reporter Alasdair Gold.

Another signing could be Atalanta centre-back Cristian Romero, who seems likely to follow his former teammate Pierluigi Gollini, to Spurs.

He’s said to be the new no.1 central defensive target and personal terms have already been agreed with the player, according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare.

Both Romero and Tomiyasu should slot in ahead of club captain Hugo Lloris and alongside Sergio Reguilon and ball-playing defender Eric Dier in the backline.

In midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele are likely to remain as first-choice options but they could be joined by the returning Oliver Skipp, who impressed during a loan spell at Championship winners Norwich City last season.

With the futures of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks in doubt, there could well be an easy route into the starting XI for the 20-year-old gem, who has been tipped as a future captain of the club.

There could be a third and final debutant in the starting XI following the arrival of Bryan Gil from Sevilla, who arrived in a swap deal for Erik Lamela. That right-wing place is up for grabs, with Gareth Bale back at Real Madrid.

The young Spaniard could be favoured over Steven Bergwijn in an attack which should contain the potent Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

AND in other news, Nuno can save Levy millions by unleashing 20 y/o “machine” who is “Tottenham’s future”…

Sri Lanka Cricket’s decision to lift the domestic ban on its ICL cricketers is a “strong message” to other national boards, Marvan Atapattu has said

Ajay S Shankar19-Sep-2008
Marvan Atapattu: “This decision has come from a guy [Arjuna Ranatunga] who has led Sri Lankan cricket from the front, first as a player and now as an administrator” © Cricinfo
Sri Lanka Cricket’s decision to lift the domestic ban on five of its ICL cricketers is a “strong message” to other national boards, according to Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lankan captain. Atapattu, who plays for the ICL’s Delhi Giants, said the decision will lead to a situation where Sri Lankan cricketers can play for their country and choose between the unauthorised cricket league and the IPL.”It’s a very strong message to other boards that have imposed similar bans,” Atapattu told Cricinfo. “It’s a message that the game is not ruled by any single body, and nobody should try to rule the game. I hope that other boards, including India, also let all their ICL players play in all forms of cricket. The players in India have taken a brave stand by joining ICL; they are very young and talented. Why not give them a chance now?”Atapattu, 37, who also represents ICL’s World XI, was among the five who are now free to play domestic cricket again after the one-year-old ban was lifted by an interim committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), headed by Arjuna Ranatunga. The others who benefited from the decision, taken last week, were Russel Arnold, Upul Chandana, Avishka Gunawardene and Saman Jayantha.Atapattu described the removal of the ban as “a positive step” that will level the field between ICL and IPL at least for Sri Lankan cricketers. “I don’t think there should have been a ban in the first place but we are very happy that the Sri Lankan board has taken such a positive step,” Atapattu said. “We are hopeful this will soon lead to a situation where our cricketers can play for their country and choose between the ICL and IPL. Right now, the situation is grossly unfair where some of our players play in IPL while the others sit at home and watch it on TV. It’s not fair that only players who play in the IPL can play for Sri Lanka. The ICL is a similar tournament, with a similar format, and only the name is different. So why is there this discrimination?”Admitting he was “relieved” that the ban was lifted, Atapattu said the decision has prompted him to think about a comeback, possibly even to international cricket. “But for that, the first move has to come from the cricket board,” he said. “The previous administration wasn’t quite sure about me and the end wasn’t too good. This time, if they approach me, I will definitely think about it [an international comeback]. I just don’t want to jump the gun.”Sri Lanka’s ICL cricketers, he said, had Ranatunga to back them and that made the difference. “This decision has come from a guy who has led Sri Lankan cricket from the front, first as a player and now as an administrator. He has once more shown the aggression that he showed as a World Cup-winning captain [in 1996], and we are thankful to him for that.”Right now, I am just relieved that the ban has been lifted, and I haven’t given much thought to what I will do next. I have played all my life for Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), and I am still fit and can play in all formats of the game. Let’s see what lies ahead.”

Everton will make a late move for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge if they manage to offload fringe players before the transfer window shuts, according to Michael Ball.

Berge is facing the prospect of competing in the Championship after suffering relegation with the Blades last season.

The Norway international was left helpless in Sheffield United’s plight as he was restricted to just 16 appearances after undergoing surgery shortly before Christmas.

Berge, who became the Blades’ club-record signing when he joined from Belgian club Genk in a deal reportedly worth close to £22million, has been the subject of plenty of interest this summer.

Everton and Arsenal have been keeping tabs on Berge since Sheffield United’s relegation was confirmed, with the 23-year-old having a £35million release clause after suffering the drop – higher than his £16.2m valuation on Transfermarkt.

The Toffees, under new boss Rafa Benitez, have been eager to get some out-of-favour players off the wage bill and former Everton left-ball Ball feels the Merseyside club may look to sign Berge shortly before the window slams shut at the end of the month.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “It could be on the back-burner. Everton will want to see how Jean-Philippe Gbamin gets on with his fitness levels and it also depends on the futures of Allan and Andre Gomes, along with Tom Davies possibly.

“I think Everton have probably reached out to all the targets they would like to bring in and found out the financial packages from Sheffield United and the player.

“It’s a case of whether they can press the button at the right time.”

Steve Magoffin and Adam Voges, Western Australia’s first-day bowling stars, scored half-centuries to give their side a crucial 96-run lead against Tasmania on day two in Perth

Cricinfo staff20-Oct-2008
Scorecard

Steve Magoffin hit 11 fours during his maiden half-century in first-class cricket © Getty Images
Half-centuries from the nightwatchman Steve Magoffin and Adam Voges gave Western Australia the first-innings points against Tasmania and helped their team take a 96-run lead at the WACA. At the end of the second day the Tigers were 1 for 59, still trailing by 37 runs, with Rhett Lockyear on 42 and Travis Birt on 12.The Warriors found an unlikely batting hero in Magoffin, who had come in to shield the specialist batsmen late on the first day, with his team struggling at 4 for 33. His 79 was his maiden first-class half-century and he batted through the whole of the first session – he later said his four-hour innings was his longest in any form of cricket – with Adam Voges.They added 103 in 33 overs on the second day at a run-rate of nearly three before Voges was dismissed for 69, bowled by Brett Geeves in the first over after lunch. Magoffin, however, forged another substantial partnership with Theo Doropoulos, adding 79 for the sixth wicket, a stand which took the Warriors past the Tigers’ first-innings total. Two wickets fell quickly: Doropoulos was leg before to Luke Butterworth, and Magoffin was the fourth of Geeves’ five wicketsHowever, the Warriors were boosted by Luke Ronchi who hit 40 off 33 balls and added 56 with Brett Dorey. Dorey extended the Warriors’ advantage by having Michael Dighton caught at slip for 4 in Tasmania’s reply.

Just Joe football show host Joe Wainman believes that having Junior Firpo and Jack Harrison down the left-side is going to be frightening!

Harrison made his move to Elland Road permanent this summer after previous loan spells with Leeds and the Whites also completed the signing of left-back Junior Firpo from FC Barcelona.

Firpo featured 18 times for Barcelona in all competitions last season, whilst Harrison featured in 38 matches for Leeds in all competitions.

The duo will be frightening according Wainman, who told Football FanCast: “Junior Firpo is really exciting, I know it didn’t work out for him at Barcelona but when you’ve got Jordi Alba ahead of you it’s always going to be tough.

“We’ve paid next to nothing for him in terms of what his projections could be and look, once Bielsa has worked his magic, I think Junior Firpo from that left-back position, him and Jack Harrison this season it’ll be frightening, it’s going to be frightening!

“I see a lot of goals coming from that left hand side and I think Junior Firpo will get involved and he’ll get quite a lot of assists as well.”

Marcelo Bielsa has looked to strengthen his Leeds side this summer and provide competition for places in his starting XI, signing both Lewis Bate and Kristoffer Klaesson alongside Junior Firpo and Jack Harrison.

The White enjoyed a successful first season back in the Premier League finishing ninth on 59 points and ended the season in good form winning their last four matches, conceding just two goals in the process.

Marcelo Bielsa will be hoping to take that form into the new season and hit the ground running early and look to improve on last points tally and final position.

The credit crunch might be the last thing on England’s mind at the moment, with the million-dollar Stanford Series match a week away, but one of the most high-profile bat manufacturers has lost Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff as clients

Cricinfo staff16-Oct-2008The credit crunch might be the last thing on England’s mind at the moment, with the million-dollar Stanford Series match a week away, but one of the most high-profile bat manufacturers has lost Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff as clients.Woodworm, whose chiselled bats became famous in the 2005 Ashes, is believed to have been hit hard by the economic slow-down, with Pietersen signing a lucrative contract with Adidas while Flintoff is also on the lookout.Woodworm also had difficulty breaking into the golf equipment market, despite being endorsed by Ernie Els.

A round-up of the second day of the third-round matches of the Pentangular Cup

Cricinfo staff07-Nov-2008
Scorecard
Yasir Arafat and Shehzad Azam matched Shakeel-ur-Rehman’s day-one bowling effort for North-West Frontier Province and gave Federal Areas a chance to get back in the game despite a poor first-innings total. The two medium-pacers shared seven wickets as the hosts ended the second day trailing Federal Areas by six runs with only one wicket in hand.It took NWFP less than four overs to wrap up Federal Areas’ innings as the tail-enders added only eight runs to their overnight score of 228. Shakeel added another scalp to his five-for from day one when he had Azam caught for 6. But NWFP’s start was as bad as Federal Areas’ had been, as they lost their first three wickets for 21 with Yasir Arafat taking two in two balls. Yasir Hameed tried to resuscitate the innings with a 90-run stand with Aftab Alam but Azam broke their partnership by dismissing Alam for 39. He also removed Hameed, whose 120-ball 76 included 15 fours. At stumps Zulfiqar Jan (36) was batting with No. 10 Junaid Khan (5).
Scorecard
Punjab didn’t quite convert the start their openers had given them yesterday but they still managed 400 before declaring and gave their bowlers 20 overs to have a go at Sind on day two in Lahore. Umar Akmal, who added 124 with Azhar Ali, fell shortly after reaching his half-century while Azhar added 26 more to get to 135 before becoming Tanvir Ahmed’s only wicket in the innings. Khurram Shehzad’s 41 was the only other notable score of the innings. Though the total is substantial, Punjab may have set their sights on 500 considering they ended day one on 245 for 1. Sind lost opener Asif Zakir for 18 after which Khurram Manzoor and Faisal Athar played cautiously to reach 43 for 1 at stumps.

Ange Postecoglou was enduring a nightmare start to life at Celtic but the Hoops’ win in midweek will have been revitalising.

The Bhoys have already been knocked out of Europe’s premier competition but the Parkhead side bounced back in perfect fashion just a few days ago.

On the chalkboard

Buoyed by the signing of Joe Hart, Celtic travelled to the Czech Republic last week with renewed confidence.

Postecoglou was brave with his team selection again and in dropping Odsonne Edouard to the bench, the Australian showed he wasn’t scared of making the big calls.

Kyogo Furuhashi, James Forrest and Liel Abada all linked up superbly well against Jablonec, eventually running out 4-2 winners.

However, one man who disappointed and has been poor so far this season is David Turnbull.

The Scot was excellent in his debut campaign at Paradise, scoring ten goals on his way to being crowned the club’s Player of the Season.

Though, in the early stages of 2021/22, he’s yet to contribute to a single goal and looks off the pace in offensive situations.

The solution

As a result, Postecoglou should look at bringing Ryan Christie back into the starting XI ahead of Turnbull.

His contract is set to expire in January and with fresh terms yet to be agreed, a move elsewhere looked to be on the table.

It was inevitable that he’d be one of the faces to leave Glasgow behind this summer but his form since the Aussie took charge has been first class.

It marks a significant revival in Christie’s career after he was branded a “laughing stock” by Frank McAvennie for his performances last term.

He played out of position on the wing with James Forrest out injured but scored 13 fewer goals last term than he’d managed in 2019/20.

Yet, despite the mass criticism he received, the £12k-per-week earner has bounced back in tremendous fashion. Christie starred against Midtjylland in the Champions League, completing four dribbles and registering a further four key passes in the first leg.

He then popped up with a vital fourth goal from the bench against Jablonec in midweek.

The Scotland international raced into the area, got across his marker and then planted an excellent header beyond the goalkeeper.

Christie’s energy was unrelenting when he came on and Celtic could do with that type of performance when they face Dundee on Sunday afternoon.

They have won their first European game under Postecoglou; now they must find their debut win in domestic competition.

AND in other news, Celtic eye swoop for £60k-p/w beast who’s “different class”, he’s an upgrade on Bitton…