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After a poor first innings, the Bangladeshis got themselves some useful batting practice on the final day against West Indies A at Bridgetown

Cricinfo staff06-Jul-2009
ScorecardAfter a poor first innings, the Bangladeshis got themselves some useful batting practice on the final day against West Indies A at Bridgetown. It was a satisfactory day for the tourists after they were dismissed for 195 on day one, with most of their remaining recognised batsmen spending time at the crease.The Bangladeshis rallied through a century opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes (44). Tamim hit nine fours in scoring 72 from 153 balls in little over three hours. Raqibul Hasan contributed 49 and Shakin Al Hasan 33, but there were single-digit failures for Mohammad Ashraful and Junaid Siddique.The West Indian offspinner Ryan Austin continued his fine match, backing up a first-innings five-wicket haul with 4 for 65 in the second as the game ended in a draw. Austin finished with match figures of 9 for 136 as the Bangladeshis, trailing by 53, reached 233 for 5. He snapped a 123-run opening partnership by having Kayes caught at slip, and then got Siddique caught at midwicket and Tamim edging behind. Shakib and Raqibul then put on 61 for the fifth wicket.West Indies had been bowled out for 248 just five deliveries into the morning.

Everton are reportedly eyeing up a move for Stoke City defender Harry Souttar as new manager Rafael Benitez looks to freshen up his backline.

What’s the story?

According to reports, assistant manager Duncan Ferguson has scouted the highly-rated 22-year-old ahead of a potential move.

The report states that Souttar has been identified as a potential replacement for Yerry Mina after the Colombian centre-back expressed his desire to leave Goodison Park next summer.

It’s believed that Mina has his heart set on a move to Serie A with both Inter and Fiorentina keen to secure his services, while Souttar is continuing to impress in the Championship.

Benitez would love him

After departing boyhood club Dundee United to join Stoke back in September 2016, the youngster has enjoyed multiple loan spells away from the Bet365 Stadium.

A 12-month stay at Fleetwood Town during 2019/20 proved to be the turning point in Souttar’s career to date, though, and his eye-catching performances at Highbury Stadium were enough to secure a place in Michael O’Neill’s first-team plans.

“We drip-fed him in using the cup games to begin with and he found his way into the starting XI,” said O’Neill. “I said to him that he just has to keep up the levels he’s been doing. Sometimes young players drop off a little bit. He can’t allow that to happen.

“He’s a player blessed with great natural attributes. Obviously his height, but also, he’s got good game intelligence, and he’s a great user of the ball as well. That’s something which I think will set him apart from the other defenders in this league,” he concluded.

Souttar made 38 league starts for the Potters last term as he found his feet at the heart of defence and has continued his good form into the current campaign, making ten Championship outings as Stoke sit fourth in the second-tier table.

As a result, Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands, must sanction a move for the Australian starlet if Mina departs for Italian football.

Benitez would surely relish the opportunity to work with such a talented young player, providing the Merseyside outfit with a solid defensive foundation for many years to come. After all, the Spanish coach has already been keen to blood young players in his team this season.

Jarrad Branthwaite, Anthony Gordon and Lewis Dobbin have all become more regular parts of the furniture this season. Souttar must join that talented crop coming through at Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Everton may find their new Rodriguez by signing £22.5m-rated gem, he’s a “big player” 

Clive Lloyd has expressed disappointment and concern at the impact of Twenty20 on cricket’s traditional format, fearing that Andrew Flintoff’s retirement from Tests could set a dangerous precedent

Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jul-2009Clive Lloyd has expressed disappointment and concern at the impact of Twenty20 on cricket’s traditional format, fearing that Andrew Flintoff’s retirement from Tests could set a dangerous precedent. Lloyd, the former West Indian captain and current chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, said Flintoff’s retirement had set a bad example for younger players and that others would soon follow unless money was not pumped into Test cricket.”Would some of these guys have retired if there was no Twenty20? It is obvious if I’m being paid $1.5 million and I don’t have to put in too much work then, yes, I’ll go the other way,” said Lloyd on the first day of the ICC History Conference in Oxford. “It is a bit unfortunate that Flintoff has decided to leave Test cricket and he knows his body and know how bad his ankle is but he is a tremendous cricketer. But the point is he is not going to play for Lancashire – he will play for England in the ODIs and Twenty20. The point is it is destroying the fabric of the game.””When a player retires in his prime and when you have poured all that money on him to get him where he is now and then he leaves that is a bother for me. Like Dwayne Bravo, if he decides to leave halfway [into his career] that is not a situation I would like. I would like a situation where people leave later on and there is a natural progression of young players into the cricket. But I can tell you there are a few more people coming up shortly to announce retirements if this goes on.”Cricket, Lloyd said, was suffering from the “obscene” amount of money being paid in lucrative Twenty20 tournaments, giving the example of West Indies, a good Twenty20 side but struggling to stay afloat in Tests. “We are suffering from that at the moment and I think other countries, too, might. Our countries are probably the second-best players in the world. We are paying guys an obscene amount of money – US $60,000 for one Twenty20 game when he might not bat or bowl. It is destroying the other two components of the game. If Test cricket is the type of cricket we want people to recognise the game by then we have to put a little bit more money into it so players are better paid. We can’t just think it will chug along.”.

Newcastle United are eyeing a potential move for Rangers star Alfredo Morelos as reports emerge over PIF’s potential transfer plans.

What’s the story?

Following the completion of their takeover, PIF will no doubt be looking towards the upcoming January transfer window as the perfect opportunity to start their revamp of the Magpies’ squad.

And, according to 90min, the Tyneside club have earmarked Colombia international Morelos as a player they could get, with suggestions that a move could be a “distinct possibility.”

The report adds that the striker is someone they’re closely looking at and that a lot of scouting work on him has been done already.

Newcastle’s new Mitrovic

While Aleksandar Mitrovic may not have been a prolific goal-scorer in his time at Newcastle, he certainly brought a sense of aggression and intensity to the club’s attack.

In the 72 games that he played for the club, the fiery Serbian bagged 17 goals and provided another ten assists, while his hot-headedness saw him also pick up eight yellows and two red cards to boot too.

In Morelos, PIF could find someone who has got that same level of fire and drive, but with a bit more of a clinical touch to his game.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, former Rangers star Michael Ball said: “I think there’s been talk about Morelos maybe for two or three years now about leaving Rangers for many reasons. His goal-scoring is second to none but he’s got that South American bite to him.

“He reminds me of the Suarez situation where, one day he’s fantastic and the next he can let you down because the passion gets too much for him. Being part of Rangers, he’s got to know the club so well, he understands it and sometimes passion does get over him.”

That “passion” is something former Dundee boss Neil McCann has raved about, saying: “I would love to have someone like that in my team. Not just the goals, even though 28 is a quite incredible return given he has missed a number of games. It is his all-round play. He is a proper No.9. He can hold it up, run the channel and is very good in the air despite not being that big. He wouldn’t be much bigger than me but he is powerful. And he loves a fight.

“Centre-backs don’t like a fight. They want to be the ones bullying people. Defenders can almost get caught up with Morelos’ power. So they think about the fight first and all of a sudden he is off down the side of them or dipping off – and bang.”

But it’s not just his personality that marks him out as a potentially exciting signing for Newcastle.

Speaking to The Athletic in 2019, one Scottish Premiership defender hailed Morelos as ‘deceptive’ with his strength on the pitch, saying: “When he goes to shield the ball it’s so difficult. His body strength and ball control are very good, so he makes it very difficult for you. He is deceptive with his physical attributes, but what I’d say he’s best at is when the ball is played up to him. He lets you think that you can nip in front of him and then his timing to put his body in and spin you is excellent.”

The man with 145 career goals to his name could be the exact kind of striker to get people off the edge of their seats at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, Newcastle are keen on making this landmark appointment…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City supporters have been left excited by a fresh update on their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Braut Haaland.

The Norway international has been heavily linked with a move to Eastlands since the beginning of 2021 as sporting director Txiki Begiristain continues his search for a new world class striker.

A City move for Spurs star Harry Kane failed to materialise over the summer while mooted attempts for Cristiano Ronaldo and Dusan Vlahovic probably came too late in the window.

Pep Guardiola, as a result, will have to improvise with makeshift options in a similar fashion to last season.

Judging by their latest outings, which includes a ruthless 5-1 victory away to Club Brugges in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, City aren’t exactly faltering in the attacking department.

However, Begiristain and co will eventually need to sign a natural successor to club legend Sergio Aguero as an update emerges on their pursuit of Haaland.

According to German source Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness, City are ‘getting hotter’ in the race to sign one of Europe’s most deadly finishers.

It is also believed that the Sky Blues will have ‘no problem’ paying the €75 million (£63.2m) transfer fee required nor his ‘high salary’ – with super agent Mino Raiola believed to be asking for ‘up to €50 million (£42.1m) per year.’

Flocking to this update, it’s safe to say many supporters have been left excited.

Find all of their Twitter verdicts down below, where one fan hailed the news as ‘huge’.

Man City fans excited by Haaland news…

“YESSS”

Credit: @kunsologist

“huge if true”

Credit: @WildSZN

“LETS GOOOOOOO”

Credit: @stockport

“50m per year?

Madness”

Credit: @BlaqForeigner00

“He’s coming home”

Credit: @Ederson02116942

“Omg omg omg omg I’m on my knees”

Credit: @mcfclou

“Don’t Gas Me”

Credit: @IsaacMCFC

“The league ain’t ready”

Credit: @MCFCDON2

In other news: ‘Tears in my eyes’, ‘Huge’…Fabrizio Romano’s ‘great news’ has many City fans thrilled, find out more here.

HD Ackerman has decided to end his county career with Leicestershire, making way for the club’s younger players

Cricinfo staff20-Aug-2009HD Ackerman has decided to end his county career with Leicestershire, making way for the club’s younger players.Ackerman, the 36-year-old South African, was left out of the current Championship side playing Gloucestershire, allowing Josh Cobb, 19, to take his place.”He has been an outstanding batsman and role model to our younger players,” David Smith, Leicestershire’s chief executive told the . “He will leave a strong legacy when he returns to South Africa and we would like to take this opportunity to wish both HD and his wife Kerryn every success in the future.”Ackerman moved to Grace Road in 2005, and since then has been Leicestershire’s leading batsman, accumulating over 5,000 first-class runs. His top score was 309 not out against Glamorgan in 2006.

A number of Wolves supporters have been showing their love for Jonny after a club tweet emerged of him continuing to work on his injury recovery.

Bruno Lage’s side find themselves on a good run of form at the moment, picking up ten points from their last four Premier League games.

In fact, it could be even better for Wolves, with four successive victories coming their way had it not been for Leeds United’s late equaliser on Saturday.

One player who Lage is having to make do without is Jonny, who hasn’t featured since April after suffering a cruciate ligament injury last season.

The popular 27-year-old is working hard on his recovery, with an official club tweet on Monday showing him in the gym looking typically focused.

Wolves fans react to Jonny footage

These Wolves fans took to Twitter to hail Jonny, reacting positively to the progress he is making.

“Guy’s a machine”

Credit: @MrR1g4t

“I love him. Vamos!!”

Credit: @dmarsden1988

“Brilliant to see @wolves”

Credit: @therealamarsden

“So good to see him”

Credit: @kellylouise3008

“Great to see him stepping his rehab up, what a player he is”

Credit: @DJRwwfc

“Come on Jonny!! Top defender! Badly missed, you will get there”

Credit: @JonMoss89615310

In other news, one player has been linked with a return to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

There is a strong Australian connection to Adil Rashid’s progression into international cricket

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's05-Sep-2009There is a strong Australian influence on Adil Rashid’s progression into international cricket. As with many young legspinners Shane Warne is his role model and, like Warne, Rashid is mentored by Terry Jenner after spending two winters at his spin academy. And the wise words are clearly paying off. Rashid’s all-round performance in the opening one-day against Australia, at The Oval, continued an impressive season as he makes further strides towards the fully-fledged England career he has always seemed destined to have.”I’ve been to see him [Jenner] twice in Australia to work on my bowling and he has been a big influence on my development,” Rashid said. “I spoke to him two weeks ago – he was in England coaching at the time in Yorkshire – just to have a general chat about my performances and where I am at the moment.”It is a friendship. I grew up with him and talking with him I learn about myself and the game. I talk to him about my development. To bowl leg spin you have got to learn the basics. Alignment and head position is the key for bowling in a consistent area and getting a shape and spin.”It was Rashid’s father who first introduced him to the magic of leg spin as a 10-year-old, but he says there is no-one better than Warne for a role model. “We played Hampshire two years ago and I went to the dressing room and had a little chat with him about my bowling and general cricket talk. We were talking about how to set batsmen up, the different types of delivery and field placing.”Rashid is being eased slowly onto the international scene, but soon there may be no holding him back. His first taste came in the World Twenty20 where he impressed with his nerve in tough circumstances and there was talk of a possible Ashes berth. That sort of rapid elevation, though, has not been part of the well mapped plan so instead he played for the England Lions and returned to Yorkshire.He made runs for the Lions against the Australians at New Road, but his season really took off shortly before the one-day squads were announced. He produced career-best scores in consecutive Championship matches – 117 against Hampshire followed by 157 against Lancashire – and also bagged five-wicket hauls in both those games.A winter tour to South Africa is virtually nailed on, probably at the expense of Monty Panesar who has regressed as quickly as Rashid has progressed, which means he’s only an injury away from a Test debut. Friday night at The Oval was the first chance for an extended viewing of Rashid at the top level and he didn’t disappoint. A controlled ten-over spell cost 37 runs and the Australians couldn’t attack him as planned. Then with England seemingly out of the match he struck 32 off 23 balls and almost pulled off the run chase.”It was nice to perform with bat and ball but I have still got a long way to go,” he said. “It has increased my confidence bowling to the Australians who are a great team. The more you play the more confidence you get and hopefully I can show that in the next game. I was a bit nervous but I was batting with Luke Wright and he helped me get through it.”However, while his batting almost got England across the line, it is Rashid’s bowling that is being keenly followed. There is a feeling around the shires that his batting skills have overtaken those with the ball – he averages 36 and 34 respectively – but Rashid is adamant that bowling is his No. 1 role. Last season he was batting in the top six for Yorkshire, but this summer he has been coming in as low as No. 8.”I have always enjoyed my batting but my main priority when I came through was my bowling,” he said. “As time has gone on my batting has improved and I became part of the Yorkshire team as an allrounder. I have still got a long way to go and I’ve got to improve a hell of a lot.”Howvever, when Australians come out praising a young English player – and allrounder James Hopes echoed the positive comments of Michael Clarke – then there is plenty to work with. “I was very impressed with his bowling,” Hopes said. “After a couple of overs it was always our plan to try and make him go without any wickets and try and take confidence away from him that way. But then he came out and batted very well as well. He’s still very young and we’ll keep taking note of him. If they keep producing dry wickets then he’ll be hard to play, but if we get him on a wicket that doesn’t suit, we’ll find out about him.”The challenge has been laid down to Rashid, and the expectations are only going to increase, but the early signs are that he has both the skills and temperament to respond.

VS Laxman, the Indian Test batsman, has returned from a successful county stint raring to go for the home series against Sri Lanka starting November

Cricinfo staff03-Oct-2009VVS Laxman, the Indian Test batsman, has returned from a successful county stint raring to go for the home series against Sri Lanka starting November. Laxman has said that he was pleased with his county form after not being scheduled to play competitive cricket from May to October.Laxman struck a super run of form during the English summer where he topped Lancashire’s first-class run tally with 857 runs in 11 matches at an average of 65.92, including four centuries. “At this point of my career, there is nothing like proving a point or two. My county performances show that I can play in any format and under any conditions,” he said on return to India. “All that I can say is that given the chance, I will be ready to perform for my country as I did for Lancashire.”Laxman also did well in the other two formats for Lancashire. In three Twenty20 Cup matches he was the top run-getter with 159 at 79.50. In four innings during the Pro40, he made 80 runs at 26.66. In the one Friends Provident Trophy game he played, Laxman made 54. Asked as to whether he was up for a return to one-day internationals, like Rahul Dravid, Laxman said: “It is for the national selectors to decide about my selection, for they are the best judges. I have nothing more to prove and I am really pleased with my performance for Lancashire this season.”Laxman, 34, was pleased to have been active for three months in England, after being apprehensive about the gap between the end of the IPL and the Indian domestic season, which began this week. “I can say that I stayed in touch with the game and stayed in the right frame of mind,” he said. “Playing in different places and in different conditions in various formats was really a wonderful experience and it was a great feeling to be part of the Lancashire dressing room atmosphere. I am ready for any challenge now.”Since playing their last Test in April, India are scheduled to host Sri Lanka for three Tests in India. That number, according to Laxman, was insufficient. “From a personal point of view, it is really disappointing that India will play only three Tests this year,” he said. “I hope the board will look into this issue seriously and do something.”Despite India’s poor form in the ICC Champions Trophy, Laxman backed MS Dhoni’s captaincy. “I enjoyed playing under him. I believe that both Dhoni and Gary Kirsten form a great combination. Let us not forget that Dhoni did determine the results of quite a few important matches in recent times.”

Rangers are set to host Aberdeen at Ibrox tonight as they look to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

The Gers are three points clear as it stands after beating St Mirren 2-1 on Sunday to overtake Hearts. Steven Gerrard’s side went 1-0 down early on, but goals from Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos secured the win for the away side.

Whilst Gerrard will be delighted with his team’s ability to come back from behind, it was far from a perfect performance and he could be tempted to make some changes to his XI for this clash with Aberdeen.

One player the head coach must ruthlessly axe from the team is left-back Borna Barisic.

The Croatian international should be dropped to give Calvin Bassey the opportunity to show that he can produce a better display than the one Barisic managed against St Mirren on Sunday.

As per SofaScore, the full-back recorded a rating of 6.5 in the match as he put in a shocking showing for the Gers at left-back.

He lost 66.6% of his nine individual duels on the pitch and was dribbled past as many times as he completed tackles (two), as he struggled badly defensively. The lightweight also lost possession of the ball 18 times as he failed with seven of his nine attempted crosses.

This is why the £18k-per-week dud does not deserve to keep his place in the side against Aberdeen. Gerrard knows that Bassey has the quality to come in and produce a top-class display, which is another reason why he could be tempted to axe the 28-year-old.

The Nigerian international has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.10 in four Premiership appearances this season.

He has won 63% of his duels and only been dribbled past 0.3 times per match, to go along with his 2.5 tackles and interceptions combined. The ex-Leicester man has shown that he is a reliable, viable, option for the manager to call upon at left-back or centre-back.

This suggests that he has the potential to come in and perform to a higher standard than the level shown by Barisic against St. Mirren.

Resting the Croatian for this match could also allow him to get himself fully prepared for the match against Motherwell on Sunday, with rotation – along with form – an important part of Gerrard’s team selection decisions.

AND in other news, Rangers fumbled the ball with decision on “irreplaceable” £25k-p/w “all-round player”…