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Shakib Al Hasan has criticised the limp top-order batting after the defeat in the first one-dayer against Zimbabwe in Mirpur but was confident of bouncing back to win the five-match series

Cricinfo staff27-Oct-2009Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has criticised the limp top-order batting after the defeat in the first one-dayer against Zimbabwe in Mirpur but was confident of bouncing back to win the five-match series.None of the top five Bangladesh batsmen crossed 20, and at one stage the home side were tottering at 62 for 6 before Mushfiqur Rahim’s 56 helped them post a decent total. “We made too many mistakes,” Shakib said. “The batsmen, myself included, needed to stay at the wicket. Too many wickets were lost in the early part of the innings and we never recovered.”Bangladesh have dominated encounters with Zimbabwe over the past few years, and were heavy favourites coming into the series. Shakib felt his side was still good enough to live up to their billing and take out the next four matches. “This is a nice wake-up call. I definitely feel that 4-1 is possible from here if we don’t repeat the errors in this game. We are a better team than they are.”Despite Mushfiqur’s efforts, Bangladesh could only make 183 which Shakib felt was at least 50 runs short of what they should have put up. “I will not say it was a 280 wicket. It is not a 180 wicket either. Something like 230-240 could have been very handy.”The home side pulled things back early in the chase with Abdur Razzak’s triple-strike, and snared two more to have Zimbabwe in some trouble at 90 for 5. But Man-of-the-Match Elton Chigumbura and Stuart Matsikenyeri piled on an unbroken 99-run stand to confirm the defeat. “Once we had them five down we felt we had a genuine chance,” Shakib said. “Another wicket at that point and we would have been into the tail and [Prosper] Utseya might not have batted.”Hamilton Masakadza, the Zimbabwe vice-captain, though said there were no nerves despite the loss of three quick wickets. “We were already 54 at that stage and when you are chasing a low score on that wicket we just knew that one good partnership would clinch it for us.”The one downer on a victorious day for Zimbabwe was the ankle injury to their captain Utseya, the seriousness of which was yet to be diagnosed. “He has a sprained left ankle and it doesn’t look too good at the moment,” Masakadza said. “We’ll see how he goes tomorrow.”

Everton could be about to add another exciting option to their attacking talents after it was revealed they are currently monitoring the situation of Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson.

What’s the story?

According to Football League World, the Toffees are one of several Premier League clubs hoping to capitalise on the 20-year-old’s ongoing contract dispute.

Johnson’s current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2023, but Forest boss Steve Cooper is now believed to be taking on an active role in the negotiations in an attempt to convince the youngster to commit his long-term future to the club.

However, with Johnson still undecided over his next step, an extensive list of potential suitors are keeping a close eye over proceedings.

The report states that: “There is Premier League interest still in the forward, though, after Brentford’s failed attempts to sign him in the summer. Everton, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion are keeping close tabs on him.”

Imagine him and Dominic Calvert-Lewin

New manager Rafa Benitez already boasts a talented first-choice forward line at Goodison Park, but the Spanish tactician has found the strength in depth lacking in recent weeks.

With injuries to key men Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the opening weeks of the current campaign, the likes of Alex Iwobi and Salomon Rondon have filled in with little success.

Therefore, director of football Marcel Brands must seal a move for Johnson ahead of his domestic rivals over the coming months, adding another exciting, talented, young English forward to Everton’s squad alongside the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray.

During his season-long loan spell with Lincoln City throughout 2020/21, Johnson played a crucial role as Michael Appleton’s Imps reached the League One play-off final, bagging 13 goals and providing a further 14 assists in 48 appearances.

And the youngster has carried that eye-catching form into the Championship this term. In 16 outings for Steve Cooper’s charges, he’s notched up three goals and three assists, impressing former striker Glenn Murray along the way.

“For me, Brennan, he just looks special. He just looks a cut above, and he’s destined for the top,” Murray told Sky Sports (as relayed by Nottingham Forest News).

“Yes, he’s not getting everything right at the moment, but he looks at the top-level easily. I expect a really big future from him.”

Therefore, a move for Johnson over the winter window could made sense for Everton for several reasons. His price tag is unlikely to break the bank, and the potential for him to form a formidable partnership with the club’s existing attacking options, particularly star man Calvert-Lewin, is a mouth-watering prospect.

It remains to be seen whether the Merseyside outfit follow up their interest with a concrete offer, but he’s certainly someone who would bring some excitement back to Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Heir to Mina: Everton plot £20m move for 6ft7 “quality footballer”, fans will love him 

Pakistan’s return to the IPL remains on hold with the PCB confirming it has not received any letters of invitation from the tournament organisers

Cricinfo staff21-Nov-2009Pakistan’s return to the IPL remains on hold with the national board (PCB) confirming it has not received any letters of invitation from the tournament organisers to its players to initiate the visa process. The deadline set by the IPL for receiving No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and visa paperwork was November 20, but a day after that PCB COO Wasim Bari has said he received no intimation about a step forward.”As far as I am concerned not a single player, who is interested in the IPL gave me an invitation letter of the IPL,” Bari told . “Though the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has already been in contact with the government to seek guidelines on this issue, whether to allow the players to play in the IPL or not, an invitation from the IPL is nevertheless mandatory.”I only want an invitation letter from the players and the guideline of the government and that is all from my side.”Pakistan’s players were absent from the second IPL, held earlier this year in South Africa, after their government did not allow them to travel to India – where the tournament was originally to be held – for security reasons.The PCB and the league have been in contact to clear the paperwork required for players to return after a one-year gap. Last week Bari told told Cricinfo that the PCB had sent NOCs to the IPL and requested the management to sent invitation letters.The third edition of the IPL will held in March-April next year.

An update has emerged on Manchester United gem Dean Henderson, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the England international has been mentioned as a possible goalkeeper target for the Magpies.

The report claims that a loan deal for Henderson would be costly for Newcastle, with Lazio shot-stopper Thomas Strakosha among their alternative options.

Krul 2.0

Eddie Howe, who is reportedly close to taking over on Tyneside, could unearth Tim Krul 2.0 for Newcastle by signing Henderson in the January window.

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Krul played 185 times for the Magpies after coming through the ranks as a young goalkeeper and kept 53 clean sheets for the club. He established himself as a regular in the Premier League and Henderson could be the newest long-term number one at St. James’ Park.

The 24-year-old has 49 Premier League appearances under his belt to date for Manchester United and Sheffield United and has kept 18 clean sheets in that time. He has played 27 times for the Red Devils in all competitions and kept an impressive 13 clean sheets.

Former United boss Jose Mourinho once hailed the shot-stopper and praised his arrogance. He told talkSPORT:

“I am a Henderson fan. When I was at United he was a kid, and I tell this story because it shows his nature.

“He came to my office asking for a loan, he went to Shrewsbury, but this kid said to me then, ‘When I come back, I want to be number one’. We looked at each other because we had De Gea and this kid never played one game, but he has had incredible development.

“The loans were all very successful. The way United organised them I think United did amazing for him and he did amazing for himself. He has this arrogance in him, this trust and belief which I think an England goalkeeper needs.”

This, along with his statistics in the top-flight to date, highlights the potential the £120k-per-week gem has heading into the rest of his career. 24 is incredibly young for a goalkeeper and Howe could bring in the club’s number one for years to come if he signs him, as he has shown that he has the quality to keep clean sheets in the Premier League.

Therefore, he has the potential to be a top-tier goalkeeper for a number of years and could be the next Tim Krul at St. James’ Park as he could come in and solidify his place in the starting XI if he is able to fulfil his potential and remain consistent.

AND in other news, Forget Hayden: Newcastle gem with 9 duels won was Jones’ real hero vs Brighton…

With Celtic currently on a run of eight consecutive games without suffering defeat, it is undeniable that things are looking on the up under the leadership of Ange Postecoglou at Parkhead.

Indeed, almost all of the 56-year-old’s summer signings have settled into the squad perfectly, with the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi – 13 goals and three assists in 18 fixtures – and Jota – six goals and six assists in 14 games – particularly impressing for the Hoops.

However, there is nevertheless a long way to go in Celtic’s rebuild, with Postecoglou himself admitting that January will once again be a busy period at Parkhead.

And, with left-back being the position that has provided the Greek-Australian manager with arguably his biggest headache of the season so far, it would be incredibly surprising if Postecoglou did not bring in a fresh face on the left-hand side of his defence this winter.

Indeed, the Bhoys have already been linked with a host of players in the position, although out of all the targets mentioned, there would appear to be one stand-out candidate – that of Derby County’s Lee Buchanan.

Big coup for Celtic

It is easy to see why Alan Nixon reported for The Sun that Postecoglou believes the 20-year-old could be the answer to his left-back woes, as the England U21 international is undoubtedly a player who boasts an incredible amount of potential.

Despite his tender age, Buchanan has already made 59 first-team appearances for the Rams, consistently turning in very respectable performances despite his side’s struggles.

Indeed, over his 35 Championship appearances last season, the £2.25m-rated man helped his side keep seven clean sheets, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 2.3 clearances and winning 6.1 duels per game.

Furthermore, Wayne Rooney is clearly a huge fan of the young defender, with the 36-year-old claiming: “He’s a top, top player. I’d argue he’s one of the best young left-backs in the country. And he can go to another level as well. He’s a real top player.”

As such, it would indeed appear highly advisable for Postecoglou to make a move for the man who Rooney also dubbed an “incredible” talent this winter, as not only would the £5k-per-week 20-year-old be a big coup for Celtic given his stock in England, he could well go on to transform the club’s issues at left-back for many seasons to come.

In other news: Get it done: “Outstanding” £8.4k-p/w ace drops big transfer claim, Celtic must act

Ricky Ponting’s team-mates are confident he will lead the team in the Boxing Day Test, despite his failure to bat in the nets at the MCG on Wednesday

Brydon Coverdale23-Dec-2009Ricky Ponting’s team-mates are confident he will lead the team in the Boxing Day Test, despite his failure to bat in the nets at the MCG on Wednesday. Ponting put in a vigorous performance in a fielding drill, diving and showing no serious signs of the tendon injury near his elbow, but a decision on his fitness might not be made until Christmas Day.The New South Wales opener Phillip Hughes is with the squad in case Ponting does not recover from the blow delivered by Kemar Roach at the WACA. However, Simon Katich said that with two more days of recovery time, he was not expecting Ponting to miss his first Test since 2004.”Knowing how tough Ricky is, I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t play,” Katich said. “He’s going to the [hyperbaric] chamber every day and giving himself every possible chance. He hasn’t missed a Test now for, what, 60-odd Tests. That pretty much sums up how durable and tough he is.”Ponting has not picked up a bat since his short effort at No. 9 in the second innings in Perth, when he was clearly uncomfortable and unable to fully extend his left arm. Katich said it was not unusual for injured players to sit out of training until the day before a Test, which he was confident would not prove a problem for Ponting.”With his experience and knowledge of batting, he’s the type of guy who can have one hit and then go out and perform,” Katich said. “I don’t think that will be too big a hindrance for him, it’s more just a case of how his elbow actually feels and whether it’s unbearable swinging a bat.”The Australians are so confident of Ponting playing that they have not yet discussed the other possibility, which would involve Michael Clarke stepping in as captain and Hughes finding a place in the batting order. If the specialist opener Hughes was to play, it would create a logjam at the top with Katich and Shane Watson the in-form opening pair, although both have played much of their career in the middle order.One option would be to send Hughes in at No. 3 in a direct swap for Ponting, but a more likely scenario involves Hughes and Katich opening and Watson moving down the list. Altering the order so close to a match could unsettle the batsmen but Michael Hussey said the team had shown flexibility in one-day cricket in recent years and most players were adaptable to different positions.”It would probably be a little bit more challenging in a Test match, where you do like to have your structure and know where you’re going to be batting,” Hussey said. “But we’re becoming more flexible all the time and the game is evolving all the time. I wouldn’t see it to be an issue but we’re pretty hopeful that he’s going to be okay.”The Australians are also keeping an eye on Peter Siddle, who missed the Perth Test due to a hamstring strain but has been included in the 13-man squad for Boxing Day. Siddle was making his comeback in an FR Cup match in Sydney on Wednesday and was expected to be fully fit and available for selection for the Test against Pakistan.

Virender Sehwag has said he is happy to have got “at least 293 runs” and was not disappointed at missing out on a record third Test triple-century

Cricinfo staff04-Dec-2009Virender Sehwag has said he is happy to have got “at least 293 runs” and was not disappointed at missing out on a record third Test triple-century.”Not many people have got two triple centuries and followed that with 293,” he said after the third day’s play at Brabourne Stadium. “So there is nothing to be disappointed about.”Sehwag had moved from his overnight score of 284 to 293 when he tapped a flighted ball from Muttiah Muralitharan back to the bowler who took the catch on second attempt. “I tried to take my time, but maybe the ball was not there to be hit,” he said. “I misjudged the length and the ball went straight into Murali’s hands.”I always tell myself to bat the full day, and if there is a ball to be hit, just hit it. If I’m able to bat the whole day we will be in a good position.”Sehwag’s innings, an unbeaten century from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a string of half-centuries by the middle order fired the hosts to their highest-ever total of 726 for 9 declared, in reply to Sri Lanka’s 393. The tourists, trailing by 333 runs on the first innings, were 11 for no loss in their second innings at stumps on a wearing track and Sehwag was quietly confident of his team’s prospects.”Sri Lanka are a good team and they will play well, but the pitch is not going to be easy,” he said. “At the same time, we will also need to be patient for our wickets.”

Many Wolves fans have been  slamming the performance of Francisco Trincao in their game at Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Barcelona loanee was preferred to Adama Traore by Bruno Lage but struggled to make an impact as he was substituted off for the Spaniard in the 68th minute with the score at 0-0.

He lost out on seven of his nine duels (77.8%) and failed to record a single shot on goal, key pass or cross in the match, losing possession of the ball on seven separate occasions (SofaScore).

At this rate, Wolves may want to think twice about making his move to Molineux permanent, and surely Traore must now be given a run in the team over the busy Christmas period given that Trincao has gone nine Premier League appearances without a goal or assist to his name.

Wolves fans on Trincao display

These Wolves supporters slammed the 21-year-old’s performance on Twitter, with one going as far as to call him a ‘liability’:

“Don’t see what hype or what Trincao even does”

Credit: @OhAnotherWolf

“I really hope Trincao goes back to Barca he has been useless all season.”

Credit: @ShaineRafferty8

“No killer passes today and Trincao looks very laboured not winning the 50-50 balls yet”

Credit: @daveandwolves

“Trincao is having a poor game. Every game is like a mirror of Vitinha last season.”

Credit: @agarthehorrible

“What you drinking Tim?? Trincao is the worst player on the pitch by a country mile. Need to change ASAP and we can win this.”

Credit: @Hursty63400254

“Get Trincao off.. liability”

Credit: @dairylee246

In other news, many Wolves fans loved this injury update

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing up a transfer move to sign Gleison Bremer.

The Lowdown: Centre-back wanted

As Spurs have been linked with moves for the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Antonio Rudiger and Kim Min-jae over the last few days, it is clear that Antonio Conte would like to bring in a new centre-back.

The Lilywhites slumped to an embarrassing 2-1 loss at the hands of NS Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday evening, and the Italian probably cannot wait for the January transfer window to come any sooner as he looks to bolster his defence.

The Latest: Bremer eyed

As per TUTTOmercatoWEB, Tottenham and AC Milan are now eyeing Bremer ahead of a potential move.

Torino could be tempted to sell him for €25m (£21.1m) if he does not sign a new deal, and they are awaiting responses from agents on what he is going to do.

The Verdict: Sign

Standing at 6 foot 2, Bremer could be the dominating centre-half that Tottenham need, and his 7.6 duels won per game in Serie A so far this season certainly suggests as such.

The Brazilian has made more than twice as many interceptions (four) as Spurs defenders Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Eric Dier (WhoScored) in their respective domestic leagues, and he also boasts two goals and one assist from the back, suggesting that he would give them a boost in both penalty areas.

Once dubbed ‘incredible’ by former Torino manager Davide Nicola, Bremer is still just 24 years of age, so his best years should still be ahead of him.

Interestingly, he shares the same agency as Spurs duo Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli, so there could be some inside work done to try and lure him to Hotspur Way.

In other news, Conte reportedly wants to sell this Tottenham ace

Karnataka’s success so far this season has been based on the blossoming of young talent but it was one of the most experienced players in world cricket, Rahul Dravid, who drove them to a dominant position

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran in Bangalore04-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Rahul Dravid’s effort was also an object lesson for Karnataka’s youngsters in making the most after getting a start•AFPKarnataka’s success so far this season has been based on the blossoming of young talent but it was one of the most experienced players in world cricket, Rahul Dravid, who drove them to a dominant position at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday. His fifth Ranji double-century flattened Uttar Pradesh and left them needing a monumental batting effort to make their third consecutive final.UP were shaken further during the seven overs they had to play out before stumps once Dravid declared soon after reaching his 200. Opener Tanmay Srivastava punched a couple of boundaries in the first over, but it was a nervy period after that, with fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun’s pace causing the visitors problems. Shivkant Shukla was run out by a direct hit from Amit Verma at square leg after the batsmen hesitated before going for a sharp single. Then, nightwatchman Bhuvneshwar Kumar lasted all of one ball, trapped lbw by Mithun and UP hobbled to 11 for 2 by the end of the day.That batting effort came after a sapping 176 overs bowling on an unresponsive track, with nothing in it for either the quicks or the spinners; UP tried out as many as nine bowlers as they desperately searched for wickets through the day. Even early in the morning, with a ball that was only a handful of overs old, Praveen Kumar’s deliveries were reaching the wicketkeeper on the second bounce. There had been some slow turn on offer for Piyush Chawla on the first day, but even that was not in evidence on Monday.It was Dravid who was the headline act, though, and he had a solid support cast backing him up – involved in four century partnerships. His effort was also an object lesson for the home side’s youngsters in making the most after getting a start – all the other Karnataka batsmen, except thenightwatchman, made it to the 30s but didn’t reach 70.There was an air of inevitability about a big score from Dravid. He had been extremely patient on Sunday, and was in no hurry as well at the start of the second day as well, watchfully playing out the morning spells of Praveen and RP Singh.Once the slow bowlers were brought on, both he and left-hand batsman Amit Verma opened out. Verma made room and crashed left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta through covers and followed up with a clever glide past the keeper. In the next over, Dravid whipped Chawla through midwicket before striking a classical on-drive to a flighted delivery. The run-rate remained sprightly all day after that.About 10 minutes before lunch, the pair raised their century stand, but Verma was stumped giving the charge to Chalwa off the next delivery. Chawla bowled round the wicket and into the pads in an attempt to slow the runs, Dravid responded with whips through midwicket and leg glances, one of which brought up his century; his first fifty had taken 146 balls, the second 63.UP tried to snare the new batsman, CM Gautam, by keeping three slips and making RP bowl well outside off. The ploy would have worked too, had it not been for Mohammad Kaif grassing a simple catch at second slip with Gautam on 13. After that, it was another period of toil, as Gautam and Dravid effortlessly picked off the runs. Again the wicket came soon after the hundred partnership and not too far from an interval – Gautam bowled by Praveen Gupta attempting an ambitious lofted on-drive.That brought together the most experienced players in the match, Dravid and Sunil Joshi, who hurt UP further with yet another century stand, 101 runs in only 138 deliveries. Dravid combined paddle-sweeps with powerful aerial drives while Joshi blasted the game’s first six, straight over the sightscreen to keep Karnataka accelerating. Even the third new ball, taken after 172 overs, didn’t rein in the batsmen, who also capitalised on UP’s falling fielding standards.To top off a thoroughly dispiriting day for UP, their captain Mohammad Kaif became the latest bowler to be no-balled for a suspect action, when he came on for a two-over spell an hour after lunch.