Somerset Head Groundsman Phil Frost was busy spiking the outfield at The County Ground at Taunton this morning.Phil, who recently won the coveted Groundsman of the Year award for a record breaking fifth time in seven years told me, “The ground is looking better now than it did back in April at the start of the season.”It was bright and sunny this morning at the Cidermen’s headquarters and the conditions out in the middle looked almost good enough to play on.”The wickets seem to be getting better each year, “Phil told me, and went on, “I’m cutting the outfield every week, and today its being spiked.For the first time since I have been here I’ve cut the square with a cylinder mower well before Christmas.”All of this bodes well for 2002 when no doubt Phil Frost and his team will once again prepare wickets of the highest quality at Taunton.
As per Sky Sports Germany, some very interesting transfer news has now come out of Manchester City as the club lay out their summer transfer plans for manager Pep Guardiola.
The Lowdown: Sky Blues eyeing summer moves…
The Sky Blues are reliably reported to be eyeing a striker this summer transfer window with Guardiola himself confirming his belief that City will try to sign one.
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Txiki Begiristain, sporting director of the Premier League champions, reportedly has Borussia Dortmund star Erling Braut Haaland among his list of priority targets.
Meetings have apparently been held with the Norwegian’s super agent, Mino Raiola, but City face major competition for the elite forward as Real Madrid are also contenders for his signature.
Now, as Sky share news, it appears Guardiola, Begiristain and the club are eyeing an alternative whom Citizens will be very familiar with.
The Latest: Sky lift lid on City transfer plan…
According to their information, Man City will now ‘start a new attempt’ to sign Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.
The England international, who was at the centre of four Sky Blue approaches to sign him last summer, is apparently ‘anything but averse’.
Sky reporter Marc Behrenbeck goes on to say that Kane ‘wants to try again to go to Manchester City’ as he pursues a move to Eastlands.
The Verdict: Big claim…
Chairman Daniel Levy and Spurs proved difficult to deal with last year as City ultimately faltered in their attempts to back Guardiola with a world class striker.
Multi-million pound bids were sent Tottenham’s way but to no avail as the English frontrunners, again, improvise without a recognised centre-forward.
Guardiola’s men have thrived with the use of a false-nine system which seemingly gets the very best out of their inter-changing attacking midfielders across City’s forward line.
It remains to be seen where Kane would fit in, depending on whether Begiristain can prise him away from north London, but he has been revered for his link-up play as well as his proficiency in front of goal.
Journalist Matt Law even called the 28-year-old ‘underrated’ while Guardiola himself has never held back in his praise of the 67-cap England star.
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City’s boss has labelled Kane ‘incredible’ but we believe a swoop for Haaland should be prioritised regardless.
The Bundesliga ace’s €75 million (£63m) release clause, which comes into effect in June, is a major incentive to move and his younger age also sees Haaland come as more value for money.
Dortmund’s sensation, scoring 16 goals in just 13 league starts, certainly stands out above all other options.
In other news: Man City re-join race for ‘big-name’ 2020 target as price tag drops by 85%! Find out more here.
The unluckiest dismissal By inducing an edge, Pakistan’s bowlers nowadays enter a lottery. Kamran Akmal may catch it, he may not. Shoaib Akhtar started perfectly, put one in the channel, got Sourav Ganguly to commit to the shot, got his edge, celebrated prematurely, saw Akmal do that thing he does, turned and looked at Shoaib Malik, his captain, saying in effect: “I can’t play this game, man.” The wildchild of the old would have reacted a bit differently, one can be sure.Sachin Tendulkar, though, could not see the irony as he was disgusted that he edged one to Akmal and was acrobatically caught. That’s two in a row now for Tendulkar. He’ll do well to stay away from casinos.Wily old On a difficult wicket, Sourav Ganguly used his bag of tricks perfectly. The start he provided, along with Tendulkar, helped India put up the total they did. Making room, stepping out, he used every trick to unsettle Umar Gul. But the real trick came out when Sohail Tanvir had a big shout for lbw going against him. The ball was full and it was headed towards the stumps. It had hit the pad first, but Ganguly ran with his bat lifted to suggest he had hit the ball. The umpire obliged and gave it a run. Amid the fearlessness of youth, Ganguly showed that experience helps.Boom boom too brief Back to the haunt where he had scored his last century, ShahidAfridi was sent in to open again, chasing a big target on a tricky wicket. Sure enough the first ball he faced, he hit RP Singh back over his head for four. Three balls later, he crashed RP through the covers. A sense of guarded déjà vu took over, fielders ran hither and thither, conferences took place. And then – boom boom – anti-climax. Afridi swung mightily, Irfan Pathan swung gently, the ball kept low and crashed into the off stump.Brilliance, by chance This has to be the conglomeration of the worst 22 fieldsmen one can possibly assemble on a field. The London Bridges, the butterfingers, the Gateways, the mosquito nets, have all arrived. And although they have been putting up their wares for the last two games, they reached their absolute crescendo in RP’s fourth over. When Salman Butt punched the first ball, Ganguly first dived over it at short cover, and Yuvraj Singh, at point, instead of diving tried to stop it with his foot, which lost all the gravitational pull and arrived late. Immediately, Ganguly was moved to mid-on.The next ball RP bowled was full and driven straight to Murali Kartik at mid-off. Kartik went down in slow motion, the ball came at live speed and RP had given eight runs off two balls for no fault of his.It was fitting that the only piece of brilliance turned into a run-out by chance and not by design. When Yuvraj Singh dived to save a sure boundary, Mohammad Yousuf had taken off for a run. Zaheer Khan, running to collect the throw [slow and loopy], missed it completely and somehow it hit the stumps.
Carlton Baugh, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been dropped from the WestIndian one-day squad for five-match series against Pakistan startingDecember 5. The selectors have decided to retain Denesh Ramdin, who is partof the Test team, instead.The other players to miss out are Fidel Edwards, the fast bowler and WavellHinds, the opening batsman. Hinds had failed to make the Test squad, whileEdwards, had yielded his Test spot to Daren Powell in the second Test.Powell has made to the one-day squad as well.Lendl Simmons, the 21-year old opening batsman from Trinidad, is the onlynew face in the 14-member squad. Simmons was part of the Test squad and scored 40 in a tour match against the PCB Patron’s XI. Dave Mohammed, the chinaman bowler, whobowled creditably in the second Test is the lone specialist spinner.ODI squad Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Chris Gayle,Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Runako Morton, Marlon Samuels, Dwane Bravo, DwayneSmith, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin (wicketkeeper), Ian Bradshaw, Dave Mohammed, DarenPowell and Jerome Taylor
The Dolphins made the most of winning the toss and a good pitch to reach 308 for 3 by the close on the first day of their match against Cape Cobras at Paarl. Hashim Amla (118*) and Ahmed Amla led the way with a third-wicket stand of 205, ended shortly before the close when Ahmed Amla fell to Paul Adams, missing out on his fourth first-class hundred by two runs.The Eagles found the going tough after batting first against the Lions at Potchefstroom, Andrew Hall’s 5 for 39 doing much of the damage as they were bowled out for 181. The Lions made a solid reply, but two late wickets by Thandi Tshabalala gave the Eagles renewed hope as the Lions closed on 124 for 4.The Warriors closed on 277 for 5 against the Titans at East London, with half centuries from Mark Bruyns and Carl Bradfield underpinning their innings. Albie Morkel and Dale Steyn kept the Warriors in check with two wickets apiece.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced outline details of a forthcoming three-way one-day series, also involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, to be played in Pakistan from September 30. There will be seven one-day internationals in all, plus two Test matches against Sri Lanka.In a sponsorship deal worth over Rs17million, the mobile-phone provider Paktel has been awarded the title sponsorship of the series, while Super Asia are the co-sponsors. Transmedia Advertising has won the rights to in-stadium advertising. Prizemoney, totalling over a million rupees, will come out of the Paktel sponsorship.Akbar Khan, Paktel’s national marketing manager, said: “Paktel is sponsoring this mega-event because we understand the love that this nation has for this game and for us the people of Pakistan are more important than anything else. This is our way of thanking the people of Pakistan for the huge support they have given to Paktel over the years. Cricket is the first love of every Pakistani and watching three countries of the cricketing arena is a sure treat for all of us.”Paktel was the first cellular mobile service operator in Pakistan, and for a long time the word Paktel was commonly used as another word for mobile phone.
Just one week after raising the issue of “fancy fixing” in a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), exclusively published on Wisden Cricinfo, Rashid Latif has apologised to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his action. Samiul Hasan, the PCB spokesman, said: “He [Latif] has written to the PCB saying he committed a mistake by writing that letter without consulting the Board. He regretted his decision and said he would not do any such thing in future without prior clearance from the board.”Hasan clarified that despite the apology, the board might yet take disciplinary action against Latif. “We have asked the ICC to explain if any procedures were violated. If the ICC says yes, then the matter would be referred to the PCB disciplinary committee, which comprises two judges, one legal advisor and a former Test cricketer.”While admitting that the letter had put the board in a “very awkward position”, Hasan was quick to point out that the PCB fully understood Latif’s concern over matchfixing. “He has been a front-runner in exposing matchfixing activities and has even put his career at stake,” said Hasan. “He has not named any cricketer in his letter. Also, nowhere in his letter does he say that matchfixing was still taking place. So whatever he has written are his personal views. He has a right to his views as captain of the team.”In his letter to the ICC, Latif had raised concerns about the occurrence of “fancy fixing” – a form of matchfixing where bets are placed on various smaller aspects of the match. According to a report in The Independent, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit had noted this phenomenon too – Lord Condon, head of the ACU, had listed nine specific aspects in his draft report two years ago, terming them “occurrence fixing”.The ICC is likely to ask Latif to raise his concerns at the annual international captains’ meet, which takes place in September.
Charl Langeveldt has been released from the South African squad for the first Castle Lager/MTN Test match against India in Bloemfontein starting on Saturday and will be available to play for Boland in their Western Cape derby against Western Province at the weekend.According to a United Cricket Board media release, Langevedlt would not have been among the 11 playing in the Test. Selection convener Rushdi Magiet is quoted as saying: “It is important for South African cricket that he play as much cricket as possibleand this would not be the case were he to act as 12th man in Bloemfontein.”Members of the Free State team who have a bye this weekend will do duty as 12th man.The South African Test team is: Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Boeta Dippenaar, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, Nantie Hayward.
When it comes to the full-back positions, Celtic haven’t exactly brought in great quality with the Hoops devoid of many first-class options in Ange Postecoglou’s ranks at Parkhead.
Take Boli Bolingoli for example. The Belgian full-back was the subject of a rather stern telling off from Neil Lennon when the current pandemic was at its peak.
He visited Spain on an unsanctioned trip, failed to isolate when he came home and as a result, put the entirety of Celtic’s playing and coaching staff at huge risk of the virus.
But then there’s Greg Taylor as well, someone who is rather divisive in Glasgow.
Capable of bursting forward from full-back and delivering a cross, he is arguably the closest thing the Bhoys have had to Kieran Tierney since he departed for Arsenal.
Yet, met with inconsistency and injuries, he’s hardly an ideal long-term heir.
Of course, Josip Juranovic has deputised ably in that position at times since Postecoglou signed him but they didn’t half make a messy situation out of one of their former academy gems, someone who would now be their first choice every week.
That happens to be Aaron Hickey, a player who Celtic let go in his mid-teens to Hearts and then failed to bring back to Paradise in two successive summers.
The Hoops have long been linked with a move to bring him back into the fold but after a £1.5m sale to Serie A side Bologna, his path now looks destined for greater things.
The 19-year-old has been labelled an “exceptional talent” by Daniel Stendel and has even been compared to Sergio Busquets due to his ability to feature in a holding midfield role too.
Yet, it’s on the left-hand side of defence, an area that needs obvious improvement long-term at Celtic, that he’s become a star in.
As a teenager, he has quickly become one of the most promising young defenders in Italy, scoring four times and assisting a strike in 2021/22 so far.
Furthermore, he ranks in the top 1% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the last year for shot on-target percentage, and in the same 1% for fouls drawn by an opponent per 90 minutes.
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With those stats in mind, it would appear that not only did Celtic lose a tricky defender from their academy, but they have also missed a golden chance to bring him back to Glasgow.
Sadly, any chance of luring him back has now gone as well, with Transfermarkt valuing the Scot at a whopping £11.7m, an increase of 766% on what he was sold for and surely miles out of Postecoglou’s price range.
It’s fair to say they will have plenty of regrets about Hickey.
AND in other news, Forget Jota: Celtic ace with 78 touches today is no longer Parkhead’s “walking joke”…
Azhar Ali has said he and Mohammad Amir had “moved on” from the complications that beset Amir’s reintegration to the Pakistan team, in the approach to the New Zealand tour. He said he would focus on captaining Amir, and helping create an environment in which the bowler could thrive.The first ODI on Monday will be the first occasion in which the two will play together, since Amir’s return to international cricket. “He bowled well in the T20s I think,” Azhar said. “As the captain my job is to take the best out of him. Hopefully we will all be united and with Mohammad Amir, and we will allow him to bowl really well and get wickets for Pakistan.”
Elliott credits diligence for bowling contributions
New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott said his recent effectiveness with the ball in T20s was thanks to “hard work”. Elliott took nine wickets on the four occasions he bowled in the recent T20 series, against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “As an allrounder sometimes your batting’s not going as well and you want to be able to get into the game,” Elliott said. “I always think about what I wouldn’t want to face, when I’m bowling. For me in T20s, it’s about taking pace off the ball. In the one-dayers it’s slightly different. I want to try and swing the ball and hit the back of the length.” New Zealand are without Ross Taylor in the ODI series, after the batsman sustained a muscle injury in his side during the final T20. Brendon McCullum is also injured, but Elliott said the team had enough skill and experience to cope with the absences. “It’s unfortunate what’s happened to Ross, but that always creates opportunity for guys to step up. We’ve got a lot of experience in this team. I think what we’ve seen in the past is that guys have come in during the recent tours of South Africa and Zimbabwe, filled gaps and done pretty well.”
Four weeks ago, Azhar had been among two players who sought to avoid a pre-tour conditioning camp, stating: “I will not attend the camp as long as Amir is there.” He had also attempted to resign the ODI captaincy over Amir’s inclusion, before the Pakistan Cricket Board intervened. He struck a more philosophical tone in Wellington.”Whatever my stance was, my job is to lead this side and keep harmony in the dressing room,” he said. “We are all united and keen for this challenge.He did not want to be drawn on what has allowed his position to change since December. “We should not discuss more about it. We’ve moved on.”In the event Azhar is the passive-aggressive type, the Basin Reserve does present him with a unique opportunity. Bowlers who have upset their captains sometimes find themselves bowling into the stiff wind that is a feature of the Wellington climate. A strong northerly breeze is forecast for the day.”We already discussed it and we’re practicing in this wind,” Azhar said. “So everyone is prepared for that.”In addition to Amir, Azhar has a legion of left-armers in the squad. Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan and Rahat Ali are likely to play at some point in the series, and left-arm spinning allrounder Imad Wasim has also been effective with the ball since making his debut last year.”A lot of the good bowlers that are coming in – most of them are left-armers, in Pakistan,” Azhar said. “Sometimes it’s an advantage because not every team has left-armers. They bowl at good pace as well, so we’re lucky to have them.”With bounce and pace expected in the Basin Reserve surface, Azhar said he hoped Irfan could trouble opposition batsmen. New Zealand allrounder Grant Elliott said Irfan’s height and pace made him an “exciting” bowler to face.”I think I made the comment that playing Irfan was like batting on a trampoline,” Elliott said. “The height that he comes from is very different. It takes a little bit of getting used to – the first couple of balls. He’s another great player for the crowd to see bowl. He’s seven foot and bowls at 140 clicks.”