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Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits

Brydon Coverdale06-Dec-2012Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting’s brashness and “show-no-fear” attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting’s habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia’s loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night’s Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting’s 17-year Test career.”Certainly he’s up there with the very best,” Richards said. “What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He’s not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence.”The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of ‘s five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap – Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut – Richards saw plenty of Ponting’s batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.”A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out,” Richards said. “You’ve got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I’ve always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he’s an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that.”Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting’s captaincy decisions, he said Ponting’s ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.”It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting,” Warne said. “I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he’ll hold up well on the international stage.”He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That’s a really good characteristic in any player. It’s not about how many runs you get, it’s about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails.”

Tottenham have held talks with Valencia over a loan move for Bryan Gil, AS report.

The Lowdown: Gil’s struggles

Gil was brought to the club during Nuno Espirito Santo’s time in charge but has struggled to make an impact in north London.

The 20-year-old is yet to start in the Premier League and has had to make do with appearances in various cup competitions. The left-winger is still awaiting his first goal as a Spurs player and has registered just one assist in 20 games.

It now seems as if he could depart on loan in the final days of the January transfer window in what could be a busy end of the month.

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The Latest: Spurs demands

According to AS, Spurs want a £1.5m loan fee for Gil, with Valencia reluctant to pay that.

Tottenham also want them to pay a percentage of Gil’s salary, with Conte now giving the green light for the Spaniard to depart.

Valencia have maintained contact in recent days and have held talks, however, it seems as if a possible loan fee without an option to buy could be a stumbling block.

The Verdict: Correct call?

It hasn’t worked out for Gil in his first season at the club, so allowing him to gain regular first-team football ahead of the 2022/23 season could be a shrewd call in the long run.

The club signed the young playmaker for a reason, so they are absolutely correct to be seeking a mere temporary exit with no additional buy option.

That said, Fabio Paratici could do with bringing an attacking player in before signing off on a loan for Gil.

Moves for Adama Traore and Luis Diaz seem to have collapsed, so an exit for Gil may be one that has to wait until the final hours on Monday to go through, providing there is an attacking arrival before that – perhaps a certain Dejan Kulusevski?.

In other news: ‘Agreement reached’ – Spurs breakthrough as player Conte and Paratici love now ‘happy’ to sign.  

Worcestershire exploited Northamptonshire’s recent uncertainty by recovering topost 287 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clashat New Road

29-Jul-2010
ScorecardWorcestershire exploited Northamptonshire’s recent uncertainty by recovering topost 287 on the opening day of their County Championship Division Two clashat New Road.When the visitors took six wickets for 104 in the afternoon, it seemed theywould restate their promotion credentials after a four-day mauling by Surrey anda painful defeat by Somerset in the Friends Provident t20 quarter-final.However Worcestershire’s oldest and youngest players turned the day on itshead. Teenager Ben Cox made an inventive 59 from 86 balls and 36-year-old MattMason thrashed his first half-century for six years.The last three wickets added 129 and Mason struck a further blow by dismissingStephen Peters as Northants replied with 3 for 1 in six overs.Worcestershire secured no immediate benefit from winning the toss despite agritty 50 from 150 balls by rookie opener David Wheeldon. Even when Wheeldon anchored the morning grind to 55 for 1 at lunch, Northamptonshire’s seamers frequently caused problems in favourable conditions.With the ball moving around under cloud cover, it was a battling effort byWorcestershire to lose only one wicket when Daryl Mitchell, after survivinguntil the 25th over for 23, skimmed a catch to James Middlebrook at gully.That proved was a first success for Elton Chigumbura and there were more tocome after lunch, although the initial breakthrough was the work of DavidLucas. The strapping left-armer had Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali taken in the slips byPeters and Alex Wakely in the space of five balls.A brief interlude of spin brought a wicket for Middlebrook when Alexei Kervezeechopped on after breezing along to 28 with five fours, but it was Chigumbura whofinally found a way to break Wheeldon’s concentration. The left-hander collected 11 fours, several from nicks or steers behind the wicket, before he played on attempting to force the medium-pacer through theoffside.Wheeldon has certainly proved he has the determination to supplement a soundtechnique. Recalled for last week’s game against Derbyshire, he has made 84 fromthree innings stretching over seven hours and 20 minutes.Chigumbura’s next success put a dampener on the home debut of Shakib Al Hasanin the presence of the Bangladeshi High Commissioner, Dr Sayeedur Rahman Khan. However, Shakib, the first player from his country to play professionally for an English county, made only nine in 18 balls before a flashing attempt to drive resulted in another catch for Peters.Wicketkeeper David Murphy went some way to his left to take James Cameron’sedge off Lucas, but Cox and Mason led the revival after tea. Cox eventually fell to Hall, giving Peters his third catch, after hitting seven fours and a six, and Mason was unbeaten with 51 from 33 balls when AlanRichardson was lbw to Lucas (4 for 68) after a last-wicket stand of 54.

Wolves have been boosted in their efforts to sign Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek, with the Dutchman now set to leave the club this month.

The Lowdown: Van de Beek struggles at United

The 24-year-old moved to Old Trafford back in 2020, having been a key man for the Ajax team that reached the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.

Van de Beek has had a nightmare time of things at United, however, making just 50 appearances in all competitions, mostly from the bench, scoring and assisting only twice apiece.

He appears to be completely out of favour under Ralf Rangnick and a January exit looks to be on the cards.

The Latest: Wolves given fresh boost

According to Algemeen Dagblad [via Sport Witness], it ‘seems inevitable’ that Van de Beek will move on to pastures new before the current transfer window ends. His situation has become ‘more and more hopeless’, leading him to pursue a fresh challenge.

Wolves are mentioned in the report, as are Everton and Newcastle United, as Bruno Lage eyes up a move for the 19-time capped Netherlands international, who has been hailed as ‘close to perfect’ by Owen Hargreaves in the past.

The Verdict: Worth the risk

Van de Beek’s reputation may have been damaged during an awful spell in Manchester but he can’t have become a bad footballer overnight and still has so much to offer.

At 24, his peak years should still be ahead of him, while 75 goal contributions in 175 appearances for Ajax shows how productive he can be in the final third.

Van de Beek could provide Wolves with the goal threat that the likes of Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves often don’t bring, adding an extra dimension in the middle of the park to the Portuguese pair’s control and tempo.

Perhaps the funds for a move could be available through the expected sale of Adama Traore to Tottenham.

In other news, a journalist has highlighted the position Wolves are trying to strengthen in this month, Read more here.

In the build-up to this Test match, England referred back so often to Headingley and Johannesburg, the scenes of their capitulations in their last two marquee series against Australia and South Africa, that complacency could not have been further from the

Andrew Miller at the WACA18-Dec-2010In the build-up to this Test match, England referred back so often to Headingley and Johannesburg, the scenes of their capitulations in their last two marquee series against Australia and South Africa, that complacency could not have been further from their thoughts. But somehow they’ve let their ascendancy slip again. With five wickets tumbling on a raucous third evening at the WACA, they face the prospect of going to Melbourne on Boxing Day with the series locked at 1-1, and the destiny of the Ashes in the balance all over again.On Friday, a display of individual brilliance from Mitchell Johnson hoisted Australia back into the contest, but Saturday’s batting performance owed more to demoralisation than any particular brilliance on the part of the bowlers. This time, Johnson needed no prodigious swing to find the edge of Andrew Strauss’s bat, while the last-ball dismissal of Paul Collingwood, whose score of 11 exactly matches his average in his last nine innings, summed up a match that is no longer in England’s hands.”It’s just one of those things,” said Chris Tremlett, who was England’s outstanding performer on the day with 5 for 87. “We bowled pretty well today at the end of the day, we fought back after a tough morning session and we were pretty pleased to bowl them out for what we did [309]. But credit to Australia, they bowled pretty well this evening. For the last few months, England have played pretty tough cricket, so it’s just one of those things.”However, the dynamic of the series has been transformed with astonishing speed. On Friday morning, as England’s openers moved effortlessly along to 78 for 0, the joke doing the rounds – with a serious undertone – was whether Australia’s bowlers could manage as many as 20 wickets in the series, never mind the match. Their tally at that stage stood at 17 after two completed Tests, at a cost of 1475 runs. Since the dismissal of England’s series mainstay, Alastair Cook, however, they’ve racked up 15 for 190.”Teams are always going to bat well [sometimes],” said Peter Siddle.”You can’t just think that they’re going to be poor or be great all the time. To their credit they batted really well in those first few matches and we couldn’t break it, but it was just a matter of being patient and bowling as a group – that’s what’s changed here. All four quicks have bowled with patience and consistency and in great partnerships together … it’s put the pressure right on them.”England’s preparation and attitude throughout their Ashes campaign has been faultless, and Australia will remember full well what happened in England 18 months ago, when an innings victory at Headingley left England needing to bounce straight back in the final Test at The Oval to snatch the Ashes. They did just that, with Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss refusing to panic even while the press and public went into a tizzy on their behalf. The onus now will be to find the same level heads again.”It’s pretty obvious the guys are disappointed to get out because they’ve put in some pretty impressive performances in the other games,” said Tremlett. “But we’re not worried about momentum. They are going to take some momentum with a positive performance on their front, but we’re going to concentrate on our game. We’re still full of confidence, we’re still 1-0 up in the series and there’s always tomorrow and we still believe we can do it.”The second-innings collapse, when it came, was dramatic and unpreventable, with a succession of previously unruffled batsmen falling to strokes that they would not have played in other circumstances – particularly Kevin Pietersen, whose open-faced steer into the slip cordon almost caused him to thwack his bat on the plastic seating as he returned to the dressing-room.Tremlett, however, insisted that a degree of decorum had been retained in spite of England’s impending defeat. “It’s about not panicking when those situations happen,” he said. “Throughout the series the dressing room has been a pretty calm environment, even though we lost a few wickets we still remained pretty calm. It’s a long shot but we still believe we can put a partnership together and still win this game.”Siddle, however, was already preparing for Australia’s victory celebrations, with the prospect of a real tussle going into the festive season finale. “It does change things,” he said. “There was obviously a lot of pressure on us in this match to get a result. Mike Hussey was outstanding, Shane Watson held it together. It’s just a good team effort so far. There’s still a lot of work to be done but it does make a big change for us.”We just knew we had to change a little bit and work a little bit harder in the matches,” he said. “We just knew that if we played our best cricket that would put them under a lot of pressure. That’s what we’ve shown in this Test match, that we can play some good cricket.We’ve shown everyone out here, batting and bowling, that we can fight and we can work hard. If we could be patient and work them over, instead of them playing on top of us, we knew we could get results.”

Dermot Desmond’s self-sustaining ownership model at Celtic is a perfect example for other clubs to use, according to financial expert Dr. Dan Plumley.

The Lowdown: Desmond’s successful era

The Irishman is the majority shareholder at Parkhead, fulfilling a lifelong dream by owning the club he has supported since childhood.

During Desmond’s tenure, Celtic have racked up Scottish Premiership titles galore, among numerous other domestic trophies, and another league crown looks to be coming their way this season.

The 71-year-old has run the club in shrewd fashion too, ensuring they are in a healthy financial situation and not getting themselves into worrying amounts of debt.

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The Latest: Expert hails Celtic owner

Speaking to Football Insider, Plumley praised Desmond’s model at Celtic, saying other clubs should take a leaf out of his book:

“It’s always a plus if you can stand on your own two feet. They are set up so they can manage themselves in their own right. We see it too often where a club is solely dependent on one owner.

“If the owner is in trouble, the club’s in trouble. It’s very different at Celtic. You have to class that as a benefit that they aren’t too worried about the owner’s finances.

“This is a blueprint for all clubs. Make them more self-reliant so when the owner does take a hit, they aren’t collateral damage.”

The Verdict: Credit where it’s due

Desmond deserves undoubted credit for the manner in which he has kept Celtic afloat, running the Hoops far more intelligently than some of the more reckless owners elsewhere.

Liverpool owners FSG are a good comparison to use in some ways, with their supporters not always enamoured by a lack of mega-money transfers but the Reds in a strong financial position compared to some of their rivals.

Supporters will always be critical of Desmond – it is the nature of a football fan to never be happy – but he may only be fully appreciated when he eventually sells up.

In other news, Frank McAvennie is in awe of one Celtic player’s development. Find out who it is here.

Acting captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road

29-Jun-2010
ScorecardActing captain Daryl Mitchell and newcomer James Cameron dragged Worcestershire out of a deep hole against Leicestershire in the County Championship at New Road. Still 75 behind on losing the fourth wicket in their second innings, the home side survived the remaining 35 overs and eased into a lead of 34 on reaching 168 for 4.Teenager Nathan Buck led Leicestershire’s early charge by taking the first three wickets for 19 runs, but they missed a potential short cut to victory by dropping three slip chances from Mitchell before he completed his half-century. The opener made the most of the reprieves in compiling an undefeated 63 and Cameron hit two sixes and six fours on his way to a maiden 50 from 87 balls.With the left-hander on 62 not out in only his second Championship match, their unbroken partnership of 109 has already transformed a game that seemed in danger of finishing on the second day. Although the New Road pitch assisted the seamers from the outset, it has never been a minefield and ECB inspector David Hughes said he was happy with the surface when Worcestershire were dismissed for 175 in the first innings.Leicestershire began day two in a promising position, resuming only 12 runs behind at 163 for 3, and their batsmen pressed home the advantage as they progressed to 309 and a lead of 134. Nightwatchman Buck became a first victim for Matt Mason in a spell of 2 for 9 and James Benning, in his first Championship innings of the season, chipped in with 29 until caught at first slip off Jack Shantry.James Taylor, awaiting England Lions duty later in the week, dug in for nearly two hours for 27 and when he edged Mason to slip, it was left to Tom New to make the most of support from the lower order. Always positive, the left-hander hit 11 fours in making 58 – his fourth half-century of the season – before he played on to Richard Jones and Leicestershire were well in charge even when Gareth Andrew mopped up the last three wickets.Worcestershire desperately needed to improve on their first innings, but Phil Jaques made a disappointing exit in his last Championship game before Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan takes up the overseas position. A nick to first slip from Buck’s second delivery resulted in the Australian’s sixth duck in 15 first-class innings.Buck, who played for England in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January, kept the batsmen under pressure as he removed Moeen Ali (24) and Alexei Kervezee in successive overs.

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s efforts to bring players in during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Responding to a fan asking whether or not the club will make any more signings in the coming days, Telegraph journalist Luke Edwards has revealed that they are closing in on two players.

He Tweeted: “That’s the plan judging by conversations I had over weekend. Two deals are close apparently but until they are done they’re not done and no point hiding fact #nufc are finding it tough.”

Buzzing

Eddie Howe will surely be buzzing with this news as it suggest that he will have two players added to his squad in the coming days, although there is no guarantee. It shows that Nick Hammond and PIF are working hard behind the scenes to get things done and that they are making progress with their efforts.

The claim of two deals being close proves that they are making strides in their attempts to bring players in and Howe, along with the fans, will be delighted with this. It remains to be seen who the two players are and what positions they play in, but there it is difficult to deny that the Magpies are in dire need of strengthening across the board.

Ultimately, Newcastle have not been good enough in the Premier League this season and that is reflected in their points tally. They have 12 points from 20 matches and have only won one game throughout the campaign, whilst Norwich are the only team with more goals conceded.

Howe needs players to improve his team if they want to avoid relegation to the Championship and that is why he will be delighted with this update from Edwards. Further additions to his team appear to be on the horizon and he will undoubtedly be excited at the prospect of strengthening his XI.

This also comes after a Telegraph article from the journalist claiming that the Magpies are hoping to sign Diego Carlos by the end of the week. It is impossible to say whether or not he is one of the two players Edwards mentioned in his Tweet, but there is the potential that he is someone the club are trying to sign in the coming days based on the report.

AND in other news, Talks ongoing: Newcastle could sign £40.5m-rated “beast” by Friday, Howe surely elated…

Gloucestershire suffered another alarming batting collapse to concede victory to Surrey by 10 runs on the final day of the County Championship Second Division match at Bristol

16-Sep-2010
ScorecardGloucestershire suffered another alarming batting collapse to concede victory to Surrey by 10 runs on the final day of the County Championship Second Division match at Bristol. Set 261 to win in 74 overs, the home side appeared to be cruising at 216 for 4 with Chris Dent and Hamish Marshall well established. But Marshall’s dismissal sparked a calamitous slide in which six wickets fell for the addition of just 34 runs as Gloucestershire were dismissed for 250.Pace bowler Jade Dernbach and leg spinner Chris Schofield did the damage, returning figures of 4 for 55 and 4 for 63 respectively to send Gloucestershire tumbling to their ninth Championship defeat of a disappointing summer.Although there was little at stake for either side other than pride, Surrey’s 17-point haul was nevertheless sufficient to haul them above arch-rivals Middlesex in the final Second Division table. For their part, Gloucestershire were left to reflect on another feeble performance with the bat, their Achilles heel throughout the campaign.At one stage, they looked odds-on favourites to chase down their target thanks to teenage batsman Chris Dent. The England Under-19 left-hander dominated stands of 88 and 89 with New Zealanders James Franklin and Hamish Marshall respectively and looked set toregister his maiden first-class hundred.Twice out for 98 at Derby in May and Northampton last month, the Backwell-based 19-year-old reached 94 from 194 balls on this occasion before losing his wicket, bowled by the wily Schofield in the act of sweeping. It was Marshall’s departure, caught behind off Dernbach for 51, that inexorably altered the course of the game.Schofield pinned an unwell Jon Batty lbw for one in his next over and then accounted for Dent to put the skids under Gloucestershire. Jon Lewis attempted to cut Dernbach and was bowled without scoring, but there remained hope for the home side while Chris Taylor was still at large.Careful to keep the strike, he represented the biggest threat to Surrey’s prospects of completing an unlikely success. Gloucestershire required only another 11 runs when the Bristolian was utterly undone by a Dernbach yorker, having scored 28. And it was all over next ball, Anthony Ireland playing on to leave Gemaal Hussain one not out and spark noisy Surrey celebrations.Eager to make a game of it, the visitors earlier declared their second innings on 180 for 3. Gloucestershire played their part in contriving an exciting finale, serving up some friendly bowling to hasten the declaration.Occasional offspinners Chris Taylor and Will Porterfield offered all the encouragement Surrey needed during the morning session, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Tom Lancefield filling their boots as the Londoners added 81 runs in eight overs.Lancefield harvested an unbeaten 67 from 99 balls and hit 12 fours, while skipper Hamilton-Brown made 50 not out from just 31 deliveries in an innings liberally studded with 11 fours.

Aizaz Cheema’s seven wickets gave Pakistan International Airlines the advantage in their last group game, against Karachi Blues

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jan-2011
ScorecardPakistan International Airlines moved firmly into the driving seat as they pressed for a place in the QEA Division One final, taking a 116-run first-innings lead over Karachi Blues, before reducing their opposition to 49 for 3 at the National Stadium in Karachi. Opener Agha Sabir could not push on and get a big score, falling prey to Babar Rehman after adding just three to his overnight 74, but Faisal Iqbal made a brisk 54 from 62 balls, with eight fours, and Sheraryar Ghani a sedate 48 to make sure PIA did not relinquish their advantage.Seamer Tabish Khan picked up 5 for 77, including the wicket of Iqbal, trapped in front, to limit the damage, but Karachi were quickly in trouble in their second innings as well. Cheema was once again in the thick of things, dismissing Atif Ali and Saeed Bin Nasir for ducks, to take PIA another step closer to their goal.PIA need to take all nine points from the game to overtake Rawalpindi and secure a finals berth.