All posts by h716a5.icu

Robbie Hart, the former Test wicketkeeper, has been appointed to the board of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to replace the former chairman Alan Isaac, who is now the vice-president of the ICC

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2010Robbie Hart, the former Test wicketkeeper, has been appointed to the board of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to replace the former chairman Alan Isaac, who is now the vice-president of the ICC.Hart, 35, was elected at NZC’s annual general meeting in Wellington, where he joined the former spin bowler Stephen Boock as the only ex-Test cricketers on the eight-member board.A gloveman who represented New Zealand in 11 Tests and two one-day internationals, Hart also spent 12 years playing for Northern Districts before his retirement in August 2004.Hart also has a background in law and corporate affairs, and until recently served on the board of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association.

James Franklin has not given up on fighting into New Zealand’s World Cup squad next year, despite losing his national contract during the off-season

Brydon Coverdale13-Sep-2010James Franklin has not given up on fighting into New Zealand’s World Cup squad next year, despite losing his national contract during the off-season. Franklin will have an opportunity to press his claims when he captains New Zealand A in Zimbabwe in October, after enjoying a highly productive county season with Gloucestershire.Franklin, 29, has an Irish passport and when he was cut from New Zealand’s contracted group, briefly considered using his heritage to play in England as a local player. However, the lure of the black cap was enough to convince Franklin to keep pursuing his international goals, especially with a World Cup around the corner.”Every domestic player around the world has got an eye on the World Cup,” Franklin told ESPNcricinfo, before the New Zealand A squad was named. “Going back home and hopefully being able to put up some good domestic performances, hopefully I might be able to put my case forward for selection for that. We’ll wait and see.”One of the major challenges for Franklin is to convince the selectors that he can lift his output at the elite level after struggling to grab his chances in 23 Tests and 75 ODIs. That could be extra difficult in a New Zealand side full of allrounders – Jacob Oram, Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, Kane Williamson and Scott Styris were all part of the recent tri-series in Sri Lanka.”There’s a lot of multi-skilled cricketers in the New Zealand side at the moment,” Franklin said. “That can only be a good thing for the New Zealand team going forward into a World Cup come February and March. The guys that are there at the moment are ahead of me, so I’ve just got to try and perform well at domestic level and push my case that way and force my way back into the New Zealand side.”In Franklin’s favour is the excellent form he has shown with Gloucestershire this year. He is second on the team’s run-scoring list in the County Championship, with 821 runs at 32.84, and has also collected 45 wickets at 22.86, including a career-best 7 for 14 against Derbyshire a fortnight ago.He also topped Gloucestershire’s one-day run tally with 511 at 73.00, including two centuries, and their Twenty20 list with 470 at 39.16, when he was given the chance to open the batting. Those numbers have appealed to the New Zealand selectors, and Mark Greatbatch hopes the A-team captaincy will help “unlock something we have not seen before” from Franklin.It is a strong indication that Franklin made the right move not to head to England permanently when he missed out on a national contract. Although he has not ruled out such a decision later in his career – Hamish Marshall has made the switch and will qualify for Ireland next year – Franklin still has the passion to play for his country.”I’m lucky in that I have an Irish passport through my grandparents, so I have a few options up my sleeve,” Franklin said. “I want to still go back home this summer and play for Wellington, try and win trophies with them and on top of that if I could try to get back in the New Zealand side for a World Cup, or even before that for Test match cricket, then that would be great.”It’s not a decision that you can take lightly. It wasn’t a decision to come to England and play as a local, that I wanted to make quite yet. I like to think that being 30 in November I’ve still got a good five to six or seven years of cricket ahead of me, as long as I can stay fit.”

With the Premier League set to get back underway soon, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will be desperately hoping that his side incurs far fewer injuries and illnesses than they did in the first half of the season.

The Whites were among the most affected clubs in the top flight, with numerous star players ruled out for considerable amounts of time – Kalvin Phillips is still out of action now.

While Bielsa will be eager to keep his thin squad together for as long as possible, there may well be increasing opportunities for some of his club’s brightest young prospects.

Joe Gelhardt has already seen some first-team action in recent weeks and months, but it’s Nohan Kenneh’s potential exposure into the side which could cause the most excitement.

Describing himself as someone who is “aggressive and hard-working who likes to break down play”, but also likes “getting forward and scoring long-range goals”, Kenneh seems like he could thrive in the anchor man role if given the chance by Bielsa.

Speaking on The Roaring Peacock Youth Pod, Matty Ingham said: “One of the biggest prospects in the academy if we’re being honest. Big, physical presence, can carry the ball and he’s powerful and quick.”

The teenager has already admitted to modelling himself on Phillips, while he also added that he is a fan of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, saying: “Currently I look up to Kalvin Phillips as (we) both play in a similar position, but I occasionally watch videos of Patrick Vieira for his qualities in midfield.”

He also has a big fan in The Athletic’s Phil Hay, who dubbed the 19-year-old “supremely gifted”, while he has been a permanent fixture in the under-23s, predominantly playing at centre-back.

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 3, he seems to have the physical attributes to hold his own at Premier League level; and given his versatility of being able to play in defence and as an anchor man in midfield, seems like he could be a perfect squad option for Bielsa going forward.

While the excitement surrounding Gelhardt is understandable, Kenneh could be the kind of hidden gem who makes the biggest mark at Leeds.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an exciting Leeds United transfer update…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some manager news involving Jose Mourinho.

As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager will not leave Roma this season, and the vacant job at Goodison Park is currently ‘not in his plans’.

Sky Sports broke on Tuesday evening that Mourinho was ‘under consideration’ to become the next permanent boss on Merseyside following the departure of Rafa Benitez, with Duncan Ferguson only in temporary charge for now.

However, it looks as if it is very unlikely that he would take the job with the Toffees given his desire to stay at Roma, meaning that the board will now have to look at other candidates.

Of course, Mourinho has succeeded in English football, winning the Premier League title no fewer than three times with Chelsea, but he is arguably not the manager he once was, having left both Spurs and Manchester United midway through campaigns while outside of the UEFA Champions League places.

Blues supporters may not like his pragmatic style of play either, and so it is no surprise to see them feeling as if they have dodged a bullet.

Everton fans on Mourinho manager news

These Evertonians buzzed as the manager news was shared on Twitter:

“Fantastic”

Credit: @EvertoniaMatt

“Best news I’ve heard. Now tell me Lampard got lost on the M25 driving up to his ‘interview'”

Credit: @Tw1ttr1

“Happy days”

Credit: @Pablo_Beezo

“Thank heavens for that.”

Credit: @owendeasha

“Panic over”

Credit: @Day89

“Siuuuuuu”

Credit: @blue_toffees

In other news, find out what other manager update has EFC fans buzzing here!

Taking to Twitter, reliable ESPN reporter Moises Llorens has shared a big update on Barcelona attacker and Tottenham Hotspur target Ousmane Dembele amid his contract stand-off.

The Lowdown: Spurs table offer…

As reported in recent months, the France international is a target for Spurs and manager Antonio Conte as Lilywhites chief Fabio Paratici takes to the 2022 free agent market.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham’s managing director is eyeing ‘quality players at zero cost’ for his countryman at N17 – including Dembele, whose deal runs out at the end of this season.

Spurs have also allegedly made an offer to sign the 24-year-old on a pre-contract, promising ‘a lot of money’ and the guarantee of being a key player (Mundo Deportivo).

After recent claims Tottenham will ‘push hard’ for his signing this month, ESPN journalist Llorens has shared a significant update.

The Latest: Spurs gifted possible boost,,,

According to his information, sharing news late Tuesday night, Dembele is set for a crunch ‘meeting’ today amid his contract stand-off at the Camp Nou.

However, it is now apparently very unlikely that the player signs an extension, with the difference in negotiations ‘practically insurmountable’.

Indeed, the La Liga giants would apparently see Dembele penning fresh terms as a ‘miracle’ in what could be a boost for Paratici and Spurs.

The Verdict: Time to strike?

The forward looks almost certain to leave as things stand, but does that mean Spurs should continue their alleged pursuit and sink the final blow?

Lauded as ‘exciting’ and ‘almost unplayable’ at times by Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand, Dembele’s ability is clearly rated and there is a reason Barca paid an initial £97 million to sign him from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017.

However, the winger also has a troubling history of hamstring problems and could command a hefty salary – with his current wages believed to be around £210,000-per-week.

An offer around this amount or over would make him the highest paid star at Hotspur Way, even above the likes of Harry Kane, and it would arguably be a gamble to invest that much in a player prone to absences.

Coming with plus and negative points, a move for Dembele before January 31 could prove potentially fruitful but with a big element of risk.

In other news: Conte green-lights move for £220,000-per-week ‘jewel’ as he lays out transfer demand for Spurs chiefs, find out more here.

Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has been training away from the first team in recent days, Alasdair Gold has reported for football.london.

The Lowdown: Morecambe substitution

The Frenchman hasn’t exactly been a star under Antonio Conte since the Italian took over in north London. The 25-year-old has started just 10 games all season, the last of which came against Morecambe in the FA Cup a week ago.

Spurs were in danger of being dumped out by the League One side after falling behind, with Ndombele being subbed with 20 minutes remaining. He walked off slowly with Spurs trailing and appeared to slow down further when fans started booing before going straight down the tunnel.

It seems as if that petulance has had an impact at the training ground, with Conte taking action.

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The Latest: Gold’s update

Gold took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to provide an update on Ndombele, sharing an accompanying article for football.london.

He tweeted: “Understand Tanguy Ndombele has been training separately, away from the first team group at Spurs in recent days at Hotspur Way.”

The reliable reporter claimed within his article that the Frenchman has been training alone following a collective decision from Conte and the club, with his future unclear at this moment in time.

The Verdict: Sell

Ndombele is the club’s joint-biggest earner, but he hasn’t been putting in the performances to reflect that.

He was open to leaving over the summer and would still consider an exit this month, with Spurs reportedly offering his services to Napoli recently.

On that basis, it makes sense for Spurs to sell the midfielder over the coming weeks. The substitution against Morecambe could well turn out to be the final straw, and Fabio Paratici will have a big challenge on his hands to recoup the majority of the £54m that the club spent on Ndombele in 2019.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops ‘positive update’ as Tottenham close in on first piece of major January business.

Manchester United have entered talks to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Dan-Axel Zagadou.

That’s according to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, and, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the rumours on social media.

Zagadou is 22 years of age and is out of contract with Dortmund at the end of June. The French centre-back has made 80 appearances for the club, however, he has suffered from numerous injury issues, missing 77 games since 2017/18.

Despite that, it seems as if United are keen to take advantage of Zagadou’s contract situation, with Aouna revealing on Twitter that Ralf Rangnick has started discussions with the defender’s agent.

Dortmund want to extend Zagadou’s stay in Germany, but he is now free to pen pre-contract terms at Old Trafford.

United fans react

@utdreport shared Aouna’s claim on Twitter on Wednesday morning. This is what these United fans had to say in reply, with many not keen on a transfer and one describing his injury record as ‘awful’.

“A extremely injury prone CB? Please no”

Credit: @MrCampbell98

“This can’t be true.. Very laughable”

Credit: @Sir_Skippa

“awful injury record NEXTTTT”

Credit: @UtdRajj

“He’d be our worst centre back”

Credit: @JoleanMU

“Just had a look at his stats….. this man is never going to be fit”

Credit: @TotalUnited

“A midfielder is more important”

Credit: @ShawzzyUTD

In other news: ‘Wow’ – Many MUFC fans erupt at journalist’s swap transfer news. 

West Ham manager David Moyes has provided an update on the fitness of Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson and Ryan Fredericks as the east Londoners face a full-back crisis.

What’s the story?

Following the Hammers’ 2-0 defeat to Arsenal and ahead of their subsequently postponed fixture against Norwich City over the weekend, Moyes addressed the media and provided an update on the absent trio.

“I am hoping that maybe Ryan or Ben or Cressie [Cresswell] can get themselves available for us,” the Irons manager said. “It would help us in a period where we have some injuries and it looks like all the full-backs in the main are the ones getting injured or sent off.”

Right-back Vladimir Coufal has been included in the squad for West Ham’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Tottenham but will miss the next Premier League match through suspension after being sent off at Arsenal on Wednesday night.

This leaves 28-year-old Arthur Masuaku as the Irons’ only available senior full-back. However, 20-year-old right-back Harrison Ashby came off the bench against Arsenal and impressed on his debut against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, which could form a pathway into the side for the youngster.

West Ham need full-back options

With a hectic festive schedule still set to be played, Moyes will need as many available options as possible, particularly in the full-back areas.

Should the likes of Cresswell, Johnson and Fredericks return in the near future, it will get West Ham fans buzzing again after their team’s recent dip in form.

Fredericks hasn’t featured for David Moyes’ side since their 2-0 win at Rapid Vienna in the Europa League last month and has only managed two minutes in the Premier League all season. However, both Cresswell and Johnson are regular fixtures in the side, with the latter working hard to maintain his place in the starting XI.

The 21-year-old right-back has been impressive this season, managing a run of eight consecutive starts in the Premier League before missing the trips to Burnley and Arsenal, and he will hope that a brief spell on the sidelines won’t halt his progress.

Moyes’ hopeful comments about having some, or possibly all, of his injured full-backs available for upcoming fixtures will at least give West Ham supporters a shot in the arm after a testing couple of weeks.

In other news: West Ham could spark top-four push with move for £16.2m-rated beast likened to Ribery

IMG, the event management company, has denied allegations that they were involved in helping set up a parallel IPL in England, and that they just facilitated an informal meeting between county representatives and Lalit Modi

Cricinfo staff08-May-2010IMG, the event management company, has denied allegations that they were involved in helping set up a parallel IPL in England, and that they just facilitated an informal meeting between county representatives and Lalit Modi.Their response comes after ECB chairman Giles Clarke had sent an email to the BCCI, alleging that the suspended IPL chairman Modi was trying to induce the counties into activities that could prove “detrimental to Indian cricket, English cricket and world cricket at large.””IMG has a 50-year record of integrity and probity in the business of sport and at all times IMG respects the authority and sovereignty of official federations and governing bodies,” the company said in a statement. “IMG has not been involved in any plans of the kind suggested in the quotes attributed to Mr Clarke.”Representatives of certain ECB member-counties requested a meeting with Mr Lalit Modi through IMG. An informal lunch meeting subsequently took place on 31st March 2010 in Delhi and was attended by IMG executives. The matters discussed at the lunch included a general conversation about the challenges currently facing English cricket and a theoretical discussion about the possible modelling and commercial potential of an English Twenty20 cricket competition.”As a matter of formality it was stated by IMG, and acknowledged by all present prior to this theoretical discussion, that the sovereignty and processes of the ECB must at all times be respected as must the relevant rules of all other official cricket bodies, including the ICC. Any suggestion otherwise is baseless, untrue and defamatory. IMG has been involved in no subsequent discussions regarding any of the matters discussed at this meeting.”Clarke’s accusations forced the BCCI to slap a second show-cause notice on Modi in two weeks, after the board suspended him from all BCCI positions including that as the chairman of the IPL and pressed five specific charges ranging from financial impropriety to “behavioral pattern.”However, representatives of the counties said the issue of their meeting with Modi was overblown, and that they were in India only on a fact-finding mission. Yorkshire’s chief executive, Stewart Regan clarified that they met Modi to find out more about how the IPL has gone from nowhere to being one of the biggest sporting businesses in the world inside two years.

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that India and Sri Lanka will tour the country for a tri-series between May 28 and June 9 this year

Cricinfo staff16-Mar-2010Itinerary

May 28: Zimbabwe v India, Bulawayo

May 30: India v Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 1: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 3: Zimbabwe v India, Harare

June 5: India v Sri Lanka, Harare

June 7: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka, Harare

June 9: Final, Harare

June 12: Zimbabwe v India, 1st Twenty20, Harare

June 13: Zimbabwe v India, 2nd Twenty20, Harare

Zimbabwe Cricket has confirmed that India and Sri Lanka will tour the country for a ODI tri-series between May 28 and June 9 this year. Each team plays the other twice before the final at the Harare Sports Club. India will stay back for two Twenty20 matches at the same venue on June 12 and 13.The announcement follows the postponement of New Zealand’s tour of the country over security issues. The tri-series kicks off with the home side taking on India at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, which will host the first three games.India last toured the country in 2005 for two Tests and a tri-series, also involving New Zealand. Sri Lanka last toured Zimbabwe in November 2008, sweeping the five-match ODI series. India are also likely to tour Sri Lanka in July and August for a proposed Test series and a tri-series involving New Zealand. The respective cricket boards are yet to finalise a schedule.