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Andrew Flintoff gathered his team-mates in the dressing room once Australia had reached 249 for 1 to remind them of what happened at The Oval in the days before they lifted the urn for the first time in 16 years

Peter English in Cardiff09-Jul-2009Australia are still attempting to bust the ghosts of four years ago while England hope their 2005 triumph will continue to inspire them after their impressive advantage was reduced on the second day in Cardiff. Andrew Flintoff gathered his team-mates in the dressing room once Australia had reached 249 for 1 to remind them of what happened at The Oval in the days before they lifted the urn for the first time in 16 years.Back then, with England on the verge of sealing the series, Flintoff took 5 for 78 as Australia slid from 264 for 1 to 367 all out, eliminating the visitors’ chances of victory. The memory of the stirring campaign lingers in both squads.”As Fred said when we got in the changing room, for those who didn’t play at The Oval in 2005, it was a very similar situation,” offspinner Graeme Swann said. “From being absolutely nowhere, it only takes one good spell to bring us right back into the game. That’s what we’re thinking.”England started the day by stealing 99 runs to post 435, but their only success came when Flintoff ran through Phillip Hughes on 36. After that Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich fought over the centuries they hope will help erase the nightmares of their previous Test experience in England.Both men were part of the 2-1 defeat after they entered the contest thinking victory was the only possible result. “For those of us who have been through what happened four years ago, it hurt,” Katich said. “You can’t forget that hurt, there are a few of us who are keen to make amends for that tour. We want to turn it around from last time.”Michael Clarke and Brett Lee are the other survivors from that trip following the massive changes in the squad. Australia have lost six formidable players since 2006, ranging from Shane Warne to Adam Gilchrist, and their replacements are busy learning about the history of the rivalry. “For those of us that did experience it we were bitterly disappointed with how we played in that series,” Katich said.Katich’s unbeaten 104 and Ponting’s 100 not out – he brought up the milestone in the final over of the day – cut Australia’s deficit to 186. “We’ve got to start well again in the morning, the momentum can swing quickly,” Katich said. “It was a good day, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

The ICC has clarified that the forthcoming Champions Twenty20 League in India in October this year has not been included in the Future Tours Programme (FTP), contrary to some media reports

Cricinfo staff27-May-2009The ICC has contradicted claims made by Lalit Modi on the IPL’s official website by insisting the Champions Twenty20 League has not been incorporated into the Future Tours Programme. Modi, the IPL chairman, told the tournament’s site the “Champions League has already been slotted in as part of the FTP”, but Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has denied the claim.”The ICC Board, which includes all Full Members, worked together last October to come up with a date for this year’s Champions League tournament that was mutually convenient for all,” Lorgat said in a statement. “However, that was only as part of a wider discussion on when we could play the Champions Trophy, which was postponed from Pakistan in 2008 and relocated to South Africa.”The FTP does not include any fixtures between domestic teams, even those from more than one country, and only features ICC events, such as the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC World Twenty20, and bilateral fixtures between Full Member international teams.Lorgat added that he had been in contact with Modi, and the pair were in “full agreement on this matter.”The Champions Twenty20 League, sanctioned by the ICC, gets underway on October 8, just five days after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy in South Africa. The tournament, which will feature the top domestic Twenty20 teams from Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies, finishes on October 23. The inaugural edition was set for last year but it was cancelled following the terror attacks in Mumbai.The 2009 edition will feature 12 teams instead of eight and the venues will be decided next month.

It didn’t rain runs in either of the two matches at Kingsmead but there was no shortage of entertainment value as the bowlers called the shots in what is regarded as a sloggers’ game

The Bulletin by Kanishkaa Balachandran20-May-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outThe frustration got to Yuvraj Singh who backed away and lost his stumps to a shooter from Suresh Raina•Associated PressIt didn’t rain runs in either of the two matches at Kingsmead but there was no shortage of entertainment value as the bowlers called the shots in what is regarded as a sloggers’ game. When Chennai Super Kings limped to what looked like a barely defendable 116, Kings XI Punjab trooped off with the belief that a confirmed semi-final berth was just an hour-and-a-half away. But they were treated to a harsh lesson by Chennai’s spinners, led by the wily Muttiah Muralitharan, and never at any stage since their introduction did Punjab look like matching the mounting asking rate.The stern test couldn’t have come at a worse time for Punjab, who after this defeat, became the favourites not to make the semi-finals. Chennai were virtually in the top four before this match but the 24-run win only tightened their grip at second place.MS Dhoni, at the toss, justified the addition of an extra offspinner by pointing to the number of left-handers in the line-up. The strategy worked as the trio of offspinners – Muralitharan, R Ashwin and Suresh Raina – choked the runs and forced them into taking risks. The figures tell the story – their combined quota of 12 overs cost only 38 runs and yielded six wickets.The most decisive phase in the chase was Muralitharan’s spell. He came in when Chennai conceded 13 off an over by Thilan Thushara – the most expensive of the innings – and struck soon with the wicket of Simon Katich, who lost his legstump after shuffling across too far. The ball gripped, stopped on the batsmen and on the whole made scoring very difficult. The array of left-handers struggled to milk the singles, let alone find the odd boundary and went into their shell by shouldering arms.Sensing the truckload of pressure the batsmen had been putting on themselves, Dhoni, interestingly, didn’t over-attack the batsmen and instead placed fielders at the boundary, trying to tempt the batsmen into hitting out. Though the boundary riders came into play only towards the fag end of the innings, the pressure tactics applied by Dhoni contributed to Punjab’s capitulation.Even Yuvraj Singh was rendered clueless, plodding around for 18 deliveries for his six before he backed away in desperation and lost his stumps to a shooter from Suresh Raina. Punjab earlier pinned their hopes on Luke Pomersbach – one among only two batsmen to cross double figures – but he too fell to the spinners, edging Murali to slip.Prime Numbers3The number of batsmen with 400+ runs in the tournament, Raina being the latest addition to the list8.48Chennai’s average run-rate in the first six overs of the innings, the highest in the tournament12The number of overs in which Punjab scored less than five runs8The number of runs conceded by Muralitharan in the most economical spell by a Chennai bowler. In fact, offspinners today conceded only 38 runs of 12 overs4The number of matches in which the least number of sixes (just three) were hit. Punjab were involved in three of the matchesIn the five-over passage before the time-out, Punjab managed only 16 runs. Now with the loss of those two wickets, plus the fall of Kumar Sangakkara, the run-rate dipped to three an over, unimaginable by Twenty20 standards. None of the three spinners looked easy to get away. Murali used flight and got it to grip and turn; Raina bowled a much flatter trajectory and forced the batsmen to check using their feet; Ashwin relied on bowling a more stump-to -stump line. The frustration of not being able to put away the only spinner in the trio without international experience forced Sangakkara into chipping one back to Ashwin.From there, the innings was a freefall and there was an air of inevitability to the result by the 15th over. Punjab’s capable lower-order hitters couldn’t quite turn the script around, and it was all over when 32 was needed off the final over.The worried faces at the dugout was in sheer contrast to when the inimitable Sreesanth nearly scaled the entire perimeter of the outfield in celebration after pegging back Dhoni’s offstump with an inswinging yorker. Back then, Punjab had Chennai in a spot of bother at 70 for 4 in the tenth over, wrecking a brisk opening stand of 40 between George Bailey and Parthiv Patel.Their stand was the only passage of play in the entire match which witnessed some fluency in the strokeplay. They lost control when Ramesh Powar came on in the fifth over, which brought a run-out. Powar was just as effective as Chennai’s spinners, keeping the runs down and applying pressure on the batsmen to build on the opening stand.Sreesanth’s double-strike dented Chennai further and it reflected in the way the lower order failed to push the scoring. They swung their bats at everything, made room to improvise and managed only two fours and a six in the last ten overs, which yielded 46 runs. Punjab managed only twice the number of fours in their entire innings. The gulf between the two sides was, however, much wider than those figures indicate.

Everton’s transfer window has hardly been a barnstorming affair but the business Rafa Benitez has concluded has surprisingly paid off.

Demarai Gray is looking like an instant bargain after scoring twice in two games following a mere £1.7m move.

His goals have been vital in the Toffees securing seven points from their opening three matches but they aren’t done in the market just yet.

What’s the word?

Anything can happen in the remaining few days of the transfer window but despite Everton’s restricted finances, they are looking to conclude business.

Richarlison could still depart Goodison while James Rodriguez is looking increasingly likely to leave.

The Colombian is due to return to Porto in a swap deal involving Luis Diaz. That news broke on Friday and on Saturday, Fabrizio Romano posted an exciting update on the progress of the move.

He said: “Everton are confident to complete the agreement with FC Porto to sign Luis Díaz. Talks progressing on a permanent move – James Rodriguez expected to join Porto if salary agreement will be completed. Luis Díaz wants Everton as priority, now waiting for final agreement.”

Complete player

If Benitez can conclude a deal for the 24-year-old then he will have every right to be delighted. After all, the Toffees require an extra dose of quality in the final third to take them to the next level.

Gray has started his Everton career in scintillating fashion but if Richarlison does head for the exit door, it would leave them in the lurch.

That’s why the acquisition of Diaz is such an exciting one. He starred at the recent Copa America for Colombia, scoring four goals in five outings. He has hit the ground running in the top-flight of Portuguese football this term too.

In fact, he’s arguably been one of the best players in the division. The winger has beaten the goalkeeper on two occasions and claimed an assist in his first four outings.

Those numbers add to the nine goal involvements he managed in Liga NOS last term.

Diaz doesn’t just bring goals and assists to the table, however. He has won an impressive three aerial duels per game this term and has managed 2.3 dribbles per outing.

If we compare those statistics to those at Everton, he stands out considerably. Only Mason Holgate and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have won more aerial battles while no one has been able to replicate his dribbling.

On that evidence, he’d be a wonderful signing for Everton and a deal that surely suits the Toffees more.

They’ll be losing an unhappy ageing player and signing a young vibrant individual with the world at his feet. Benitez should be extremely pleased with Marcel Brands’ work.

AND in other news, Forget Gray: £22.5m-rated Everton dud who won 100% duels stole the show vs Brighton…

Newcastle United are interested in a deal to bring James Tarkowski to St. James’ Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent claim made by Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that he expects the Magpies to pursue a deal for the Burnley centre-back in the winter market, with Sean Dyche’s side reported to be willing to part with the defender for a figure of around £20m.

Speaking about Eddie Howe’s reported interest in the 29-year-old, Jones said: “They do want an English spine and that’s why Tarkowski makes sense, signings like that, and I still think that Tarkowski is someone they’re going to pursue.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Tarkowski has been for Burnley in recent years, in addition to the fact that Newcastle’s defence is an area of the pitch in which Howe simply must strengthen this January in order to give his side the possible best chance of beating the drop come May, the news that the Magpies look set to make a move for the England international is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 12 Premier League appearances this season, the £22.5m-rated man has scored one goal, registered two assists and helped his side keep one clean sheet, in addition to making an average of 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning a whopping 6.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £50k-per-week centre-back average a SofaScore match rating of 7.22, ranking him as Burnley’s second-best performer in the league, as well as the 32nd-best player in the top flight.

As such, the addition of Tarkowski to a Newcastle defence that has already shipped 27 goals over their 12 league fixtures would indeed appear to be a very wise move for the club in January, particularly at an extremely affordable – in the eyes of PIF – £20m.

In other news: PIF could “easily” seal NUFC deal to kickstart Howe era in £76m-rated “golden boy”

David Norris was shocked to discover Leeds United turned down the opportunity to secure Harry Winks on loan during the transfer window.

Winks has found his opportunities at Tottenham Hotspur restricted, with the central midfielder making just one substitute appearance in the Premier League this season.

It has been reported that Leeds opted against taking up Spurs’ offer of signing the England international on a season-long loan.

With the 25-year-old out of favour in north London, the current Premier League leaders were willing to offload Winks and Manchester United kept tabs on the situation before the new season got underway.

Winks also struggled to break into Spurs’ preferred starting line-up last season and made just nine top-flight starts.

His lack of involvement led to Southampton taking an interest before focusing their attentions elsewhere.

Former Leeds midfielder Norris believes Winks, who has made 110 Premier League appearances during his career, would have been an ideal addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites squad.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “I’m very surprised they didn’t take that opportunity. I thought that would be a no-brainer.

“He’s played in a top six side, done well and proved he can handle himself at that level. I am surprised they didn’t look to pursue that deal.”

World Cup representatives Jessica Cameron and Erin Osborne have been elevated into the Australian women’s squad for 2009-10

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2009World Cup representatives Jessica Cameron and Erin Osborne have been elevated into the Australian women’s squad for 2009-10 while three new players have been selected. Alyssa Healy, Elyse Villani and Rachael Haynes are the new faces in the 19-woman outfit as the side attempts to rebuild after the disappointing fourth place at the global tournament last month.Six players are under 19 and Marg Jennings, the national selection chair, said it was one of the youngest line-ups ever. “While we have lost some experienced players, we believe the squad selected has the ability to perform well for Australia at the upcoming World Twenty20 and beyond,” Jennings said. “We have taken the opportunity to introduce three new players to the group in Alyssa, Elyse and Rachael. All three are exciting prospects and deserve their place.”Healy also has the added versatility of being a wicketkeeper and she will assume the back-up role to Jodie Fields following the retirement of Leonie Coleman. The panel believes these players have the potential to play important roles into the future.”Coleman and Emma Sampson stepped down after the World Cup while Clea Smith and Renee Chappell are unavailable for the next year. Melissa Bulow and Kris Britt have been cut from last year’s squad.The players will attend camps at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane in April and May before the squad is named to contest the World Twenty20 and series against England. Lauren Ebsary, Rene Farrell, Osborne, Ellyse Perry and Villani will also attend the Centre of Excellence for four weeks from April 24.Australia squad Sarah Andrews (NSW), Alex Blackwell (NSW), Kate Blackwell (NSW), Jessica Cameron (Vic), Lauren Ebsary (WA), Sarah Edwards (Vic), Rene Farrell (WA), Jodie Fields (Qld), Rachael Haynes (Vic), Alyssa Healy (NSW), Delissa Kimmince (Qld), Shelley Nitschke (SA), Erin Osborne (NSW), Ellyse Perry (NSW), Kirsten Pike (Qld), Leah Poulton (NSW), Karen Rolton (SA), Lisa Sthalekar (NSW), Elyse Villani (Vic).AIS scholarship holders Lauren Ebsary, Rene Farrell, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Elyse Villani.Under-21 squad Sarah Coyte (NSW), Ashleigh Endacott (NSW), Katelyn Fryett (Tas), Emma Inglis (Vic), Jessica Jonassen (Qld), Meg Lanning (Vic), Renee Melton (Vic), Angela Reakes (NSW), Kara Sutherland (NSW), Selina Tainton (Qld), Jo-Ann Verrall (Qld), Amanda Williams (WA).

Many Southampton fans are far from happy after the Saints were linked with another loan move for Takumi Minamino this summer.

Less than a week separates the Saints from their first Premier League match of the season against Everton at St Mary’s, and Ralph Hasenhuttl and co will be hoping to improve on their 15th-placed finish in the top flight last time out.

The departure of Danny Ings to Aston Villa (avfc.co.uk) means that Southampton are light in the centre-forward position. As such, according to talkSPORT, the south coast outfit are interested in re-signing 26-year-old Minamino on loan from Liverpool.

The Japan international spent the second half of last season on loan at St Mary’s, scoring two goals in 10 matches (Transfermarkt), but it seems that plenty of Saints supporters were not really happy with what they saw from him. He averaged a modest 6.42 match rating from WhoScored while at the club and drew criticism from some fans over a few performances.

The news of Southampton’s renewed interest in Minamino was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra and it attracted plenty of attention from supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on his possible return to St Mary’s.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Minamino links

“better not be true. He was useless for us after a promising two goals to start”

Credit: @fletchsfc

“Minamino? No, no, no and no!”

Credit: @DG_StroM

“No, please no”

Credit: @BensBanter

“Just stop trolling the fans please #saintsfc, our blood pressure can’t take this!”

Credit: @Stumando28

“I wouldn’t even take him back on loan”

Credit: @IsaacPollard12

“please no”

Credit: @xmaiisie

In other news, Southampton want this Ligue 1 defender.

England’s major international venues could agree to host Test matches involving two non-English teams

Cricinfo staff21-Jan-2009
Overseas Tests could become a feature of the English summer, after proposals were raised at the ECB’s meeting in Leicester © Getty Images
England’s major international venues could agree to host Test matches involving two non-English teams, as the England & Wales Cricket Board meet in Leicester on Wednesday to consider the proposals raised at their Test Match Strategy Day at Stapleford Park earlier in the week.Monday’s summit meeting, which was attended by a host of former England captains and players, was called to address the future of Test cricket, which has come under increasing scrutiny following the huge growth in popularity of the Twenty20 format.At the top of the agenda was the need to strengthen the Future Tours Programme, which has been over-burdened by the sheer weight of matches now required to meet its demands, and undervalued by the proliferation of uncompetitive fixtures. One of the proposals raised was a greater emphasis on contests between the leading Test nations.”The input from all areas of cricket provided focus on the key opportunities and issues facing the game,” said David Collier, the ECB chief executive, who added that the board intended to work more closely with the ICC to give greater context to Test cricket through a World Test Championship.That proposal could give rise to the intriguing prospect of India playing Tests against Pakistan at Headingley, where Yorkshire’s large Asian community could be expected to turn out in droves. Meanwhile, the weaker nations such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe could find themselves limited to home Tests only, which would provide them with the exposure necessary for development, but not at the expense of the revenue of the major boards.Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, hinted at that outcome in Mohali last month, when he warned that Bangladesh might not be invited back for a full Test series after their next tour in 2010. “If we are going to have a proper strategy for Test cricket we want to have games like that we have just had in Chennai,” Clarke told reporters. “It showed everybody just what a Test can be. We have to make sure that the standard is there.”Under the staging arrangements being put in place for 2012-16, England’s nine Category A grounds are expected to be guaranteed only 11 days of international cricket over the course of five years, a prospect which jeopardises the ambitious expansion plans at many of the venues. Those grounds would doubtless welcome the prospect of more big matches being played on English soil, although one major stumbling block to such an arrangement would be the division of TV revenue.England’s current deal with Sky is worth £300 million over four years, which is a considerably larger income than any other board bar India. It is unlikely the ECB would be willing to agree to a revenue share, as proposed by Cricket Australia, if other nations wanted to stage matches on their turf.Another issue would be the willingness of other Test nations to voluntarily play their home matches overseas. According to the former England coach, David Lloyd, who was present at the meeting, Pakistan’s predicament was at the forefront of the discussions. The team did not play a single Test at home in 2008, and as Lloyd told Cricinfo, for Pakistan to agree to the idea would be tantamount to admitting that they could no longer host fixtures in their own country.Several other issues were raised at the meeting, including the suggestion that over-rates in Test matches should be improved by using points rewards or penalties within the World Test Championship, rather than the current system of fines and/or bans for transgressing captains. The ECB will also discuss the installation of improved drainage systems in all Test match venues, following the success of the system that is now in place at Lord’s.”I’m confident that there has never been such a gathering in the history of cricket in England and Wales,” claimed the ECB chairman, Giles Clarke. “I am extremely grateful for the support of all those who travelled from all corners of the country and the world to share their ideas on the state of Test cricket.”Everyone who attended shared the desire that Test cricket be preserved and reinforced as the pre-eminent form of this great game. It was an enthralling and informative session which allows the ECB board to consider key proposals which will allow us to deliver our promise of making England and Wales the home of Test cricket.”Six England captains were present at the meeting – Andrew Strauss, Michael Atherton, Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and Mike Gatting – as well as numerous past and present Test players, from Dennis Amiss, Ashley Giles, Alastair Cook, Hugh Morris, Angus Fraser, Mike Selvey, Jonathan Agnew, David Lloyd and Geoff Miller.Also present were ICC General Cricket Manager, Dave Richardson, England’s assistant coach Andy Flower, the ICC World Twenty20 director Steve Elworthy, and the elite umpire, Simon Taufel, as well as the chairmen and representatives of the 18 first-class counties and MCC.

NWFP overcame a poor opening day through a solid second, dismissing Baluchistan for 174 and extending their lead to 154 by stumps at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2008
ScorecardNorth West Frontier Province overcame a poor opening day through a solid second, dismissing Baluchistan for 174 and extending their lead to 154 by stumps at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Leading their push for a maiden title triumph was NWFP’s pace attack, led by four-wicket man Shakeel-ur-Rehman and Junaid Khan.Baluchistan resumed on 24 for 1, behind by 198 runs. Their day started poorly, when Shaleel-ur-Rehman removed opener Usman Tariq for his overnight score of 6 (24 for 2). One run later, Shakeel-ur-Rehman removed Baluchistan’s captain, Misbah-ul-Haq for a duck (25 for 3). That was a massive loss, and strikes from Umar Gul and Junaid later reduced Baluchistan to 87 for 6.Kamran Hussain (61) and wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf (27) added 71, a stand ended when Gul ran out Sadaf (158 for 7). Shakeel-ur-Rehman nipped out two more wickets immediately after to make it 158 for 9 and Gul bowled Hussain to finish off the innings. Shakeel-ur-Rehman finished with 4 for 41, Junaid took 3 for 49, and Gul’s two wickets cost him 63.A second time around, NWFP were given a solid opening. Yasir Hameed atoned for a single-digit first innings with 48 from 52 balls in an opening stand of 74 with Adnan Raees, who was unbeaten on 39 at close. Azharullah and Zulfiqar Babar took a wicket each.