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Sean Williams has ended weeks of speculation by confirming he does not intend making himself available for Zimbabwe

Steven Price in Harare29-Oct-2008Sean Williams has ended weeks of speculation by confirming he does not intend making himself available for Zimbabwe. There had been rumours that he was considering his future after he declined to join the recent tours of Canada and Kenya.Williams, the former Under-19 captain who is now playing his cricket in Johannesburg, told local media sources that he had quit the team altogether. He is said to have been frustrated by “practice without matches”, blaming the Zimbabwe board for the inactivity.The news will be a massive blow to Zimbabwe on the eve of their home ODI series against Sri Lanka. In the last fortnight they have suffered defeats at the hands of Kenya and Uganda and tied with Canada in one-day games.The news comes hot on the heels of the recent loss of Brendan Taylor, one of their leading players, who has chosen to play club cricket in Australia after one too many disagreements with the Zimbabwe board.There is also uncertainty over the position of Tatenda Taibu who only joined the recent tour at the 11th hour after a major row with the board. While he did play, he was believed to be deeply frustrated at the way he had been treated.

Darren Gough has said he is in talks to join the Indian Premier League next year after finishing his first-class career with Yorkshire

Cricinfo staff30-Sep-2008
Darren Gough is keen to play in the IPL after ending his first-class career © PA Photos
Darren Gough has said he is in talks to join the Indian Premier League next year after finishing his first-class career with Yorkshire.Gough played his final Championship match against Somerset, at Scarborough, before sitting out the last round matches as Yorkshire battled to Division One safety. He had already hinted that he may yet return to the domestic Twenty20 tournament next season, and now a trip to India is looking likely.”The IPL would be a great buzz for me and I need cricket to be a buzz. It’s something I know I could do,” he told BBC Sport. “I would do the [full IPL programme of] six weeks, but realistically it might be a short-term deal as a replacement for someone else. Every single cricketer wants to play in the IPL and there’s not so many places available this year.”If Gough joins he will be just the second English player to take part in the IPL, following Dimitri Mascarenhas’ short stint with eventually champions Rajasthan Royals.However, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, says he expects more England players during the second event which starts next April. “As for the influx of English players I am certain that the Indian Premier League will definitely see the likes of Flintoff and Pietersen playing next year,” he told the .While Gough won’t have an issue making time to take part in the IPL, current internationals like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen will find it more of a squeeze. England’s one-day series against West Indies doesn’t finish until early April and a two-Test series against Sri Lanka is due to begin on May 7 at Lord’s.”As far as the IPL is concerned, we are continuing to negotiate,” Hugh Morris, the managing director of England cricket, said earlier this month. “We have drafted a document that we are taking forward, saying if players are allowed to go to unauthorised events, then on what conditions they are allowed.”

According to Fichajes (via The Liverpool Echo), Tottenham are interested in signing Marco Asensio from Real Madrid this summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs prepare for new season

The new Premier League season is fast approaching, and Spurs have made just two new signings so far in goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and winger Bryan Gil.

If they want to be competitive in the 2021/22 campaign, they will surely need to bring in some fresh faces to supplement the existing squad following their seventh-placed finish last term.

The Latest: Spurs eye Asensio

As per this latest report, Tottenham want to bring Asensio to north London.

A bid of £34m is believed to be enough to capture his services, although Arsenal and Liverpool are also believed to be in pursuit of the Spaniard.

The Verdict: Plenty of talent

At the age of just 25, Asensio already has a strong pedigree. A two-time Champions League winner who has netted in the final of the competition, he has 37 strikes in 193 matches for Real Madrid (Transfermarkt).

He also has four caps for Spain, and has even been previously compared to Lionel Messi (dreamteamfc.com). Furthermore, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez once hailed him as “a big player” who “can become a Golden Ball winner” (football.london).

A fee of £34m for a highly-regarded and well-decorated player who has plenty of years left ahead of him would quite frankly would be a stall for the Lilywhites. There is plenty of competition for his signature, of course, so Daniel Levy and co will have to move quick if they are to capture their man.

In other news, Spurs are interested in this Euro 2020 star.

A total of nearly 200 school children aged between 7 and 10 from the Volksschule Markomannenstrasse 9, in Vienna’s 22nd district, had an introduction to cricket on 4th-5th December, with eight classes seeing promotional videos about the sport, prior

Michael Bailey / Pascal Cyniburk / Siva Nadarajah11-Dec-2002A total of nearly 200 school children aged between 7 and 10 from the Volksschule Markomannenstrasse 9, in Vienna’s 22nd district, had an introduction to cricket on 4th-5th December, with eight classes seeing promotional videos about the sport, prior to then having a cricket session in the school gym, with Siva Nadarajah and Pascal Cyniburk, himself a product of Concordia CC’s Youth Development Programme, assisting the European Development Programme’s Dave Gelling, who whilst no stranger to Austrian Cricket, was making his first trip under the Regional Coaching Initiative.Amongst the presentations, children were shown the 2001 Confetti Show programme on Cricket – which was shot at Seebarn, and in which the children taking part in Concordia CC’s Youth Development Programme presented cricket to Austria’s younger television viewers, as part of state broadcaster ORF’s children’s programming (Confetti TV).The children were also able to try out Kwik Cricket, with sets being presented to the school, so the hope is that cricket will soon be played on a regular basis at the school which overlooks Concordia’s ground, with the previously "mysterious" activities at the ground, visible from the school’s classrooms being less strange. Hopefully some of the children will take up cricket outside of school and will establish themselves for club and country!The Austrian Cricket Association would like to thank the European Development Programme for their assistance in this project, especially at such short notice, and to thank Dave Gelling in particular, whose next project will be an introductory coaching course in Vienna this weekend.

Southampton fans are eager to sell Jannik Vestergaard after it was reported Tottenham want to sign him this summer, with a transfer value of around £25m.

The Saints will be preparing for a big campaign as they look to improve on their 15th place Premier League finish from last term. Vestergaard has spent the summer away with Denmark at the European Championships, and he was a key member of that side that reached the semi-finals before losing 2-1 to England at Wembley.

Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for the 28-year-old and, according to The Daily Mail, the London outfit have been in talks with Southampton to sign Vestergaard.

They are said to be looking at the former Borussia Monchengladbach central defender as an alternate if they can’t sign their other targets, with the player valued at £25m by Southampton.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Gers supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Vestergaard news

“I’d take £25M for Vestergaard. He has qualities, but he is desperately slow, both in terms of pace and changing direction”

Credit: @Dixon1970Darren

“25m I think is good business considering he signed for 18m and has been with us for a while now (bearing in mind the first season, season and a half he was pony) On the other hand he had a solid European tournament this year so that figure of 25m could rise if we push hard enough”

Credit: @specsheppard95

“£25 million. Thanks very much!”

Credit: @Bev1975

“If we get 25 mill for him, then snap their hand off.”

Credit: @curlywiggins

“Snap their hand off at £25 million”

Credit: @jamesalexwhite7

“Take the money and run, £25M for a player that slow is great business.”

Credit: @Footbal28149607

In other news, Southampton are interested in signing this Bundesliga ace.

Part one of the history of matches between New Zealand and Pakistan

Martin Williamson24-Jun-2008
Waqar Hassan’s 189 helped Pakistan wrap up the first series © Hulton Archive
1955-56
Pakistan won the first Test between the two countries, the matting pitch in Karachi and Zulfiqar Ahmed’s 11 for 79 proving too much for the tourists. Back on turf in Lahore, Pakistan wrapped up the series with a remarkable comeback, recovering from 111 for 6 to make 561 on their first innings. Waqar Hassan (189) and Imtiaz Ahmed (209 batting at No. 8) added 308 for the seventh wicket, but set 117 to win, they scraped home by four wickets with 18 minutes to spare. The third Test was blighted by rain.
Pakistan 2 New Zealand 0 Drawn 11964-65
Pakistan’s first series in New Zealand produced three fairly unmemorable matches. In Wellington, Pakistan were 64 for 6 after being set 259 in 188 minutes before Asif Iqbal dug in and secured a draw. Auckland was a turgid, low -scoring affair, summed up by the fact there were 71 maidens on the first day. Rain blighted the Christchurch Test where New Zealand closed on 223 for 5 chasing 314 in four hours.
New Zealand 0 Pakistan 0 Drawn 31964-65
Given what had happened a few months earlier, New Zealand’s visit in the middle of a tour of India was hardly the subject of keen anticipation, but the home support were left happy. Pakistan opened with an innings win in Rawalpindi, Pervez Sajjad returning 8 for 47. Hanid Mohammad’s 203 blunted the New Zealand attack after they had stuck Pakistan in on a rain-affected pitch, and in the final Test hundreds from Saeed Ahmed and Mohammad Ilyas steered Pakistan to an eight-wicket win.
Pakistan 2 New Zealand 0 Drawn 11969-70
A strong New Zealand side came away with a 1-0 win, their first away series success. Pakistan had the better of the opening game, Mohammad Nazir taking 7 for 99 on his debut, and New Zealand shut up shop after being reduced to 11 for 3 chasing 230 in three-and-a-quarter hours. The only positive result came in a low-scoring game in Lahore where New Zealand won by five wickets. In Dacca, Pakistan looked set to level the series when New Zealand, 17 behind on the first innings, slipped to 101 for 8. But Mark Burgess (119*) and Bob Cunis added 96 for the ninth wicket. That left Pakistan needing 184 in two-and-a-half hours, and when bad light stopped play they were 51 for 4. Any chance of a resumption was scuppered by crowd disturbances.
Pakistan 0 New Zealand 1 Drawn 21972-73
Pakistan gained revenge back in New Zealand, some solace immediately after a 3-0 loss in Australia. In the first and third Tests the bat dominated, but in Dunedin New Zealand were twice bowled out cheaply, Intikhab Alam taking 11 for 130, after Mushtaq Mohammad’s double hundred.
New Zealand 0 Pakistan 1 Drawn 21976-77
Pakistan’s formidable batting was the basis of their big wins in the first two Tests. In Lahore it was Asif Iqbal (166) and Javed Miandad (163 on debut) who dominated, and then in Hyderabad Sadiq and Mushtaq Mohammad both made first-innings hundreds. Miandad, who finished the series with 504 runs at 126.00, scored a double hundred in the Karachi Test as Pakistan made 565 for 9, but for the once New Zealand’s reply was equal to it.
Pakistan 2 New Zealand 0 Drawn 11978-79
Pakistan fielded a weakened side in Christchurch – four regulars were playing in World Series Cricket – where they recovered from a small first-innings deficit to win by 128 runs. Miandad started the fightback with 160 and then Mushtaq Mohammed (5 for 59) and Wasim Raja (4 for 68) bowled the home side out for 176. There was nothing between the sides in a dull draw in Napier, and in Auckland, New Zealand did well to salvage a draw but were never in with a chance of levelling the series. Wasim Bari caught seven of the first eight wickets to fall in New Zealand’s first innings to create a new Test record.
New Zealand 0 Pakistan 1 Drawn 2

Matheus Pereira has been linked with a move away from West Bromwich Albion this summer, but there is still a small chance he stays at The Hawthorns, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Express & Star have reported this week that the Baggies are hoping for a bidding war with the clubs from the Premier League and the Bundesliga among those experessing an interest in the 25-year-old star.

Hatfield told TT: “There is of course still the chance that Pereira does stick around, it could happen.

“It’s very unlikely because he will want to play at the top level possible, but if nobody matches Albion’s bid and they think that they can do without the money of that sale, then he will stick around”.

Pereira still has three years left to run on his Albion contract, but it is no surprise why clubs are interested in him after he managed 12 goals and six assists in all competitions last season.

Aston Villa, West Ham and Leeds United were clubs touted as being interested in Pereira earlier this month, with new West Brom Valerien Ismael telling The Mirror: “It’s not a secret that Sam (Johnstone) and Matheus can maybe leave the club”.

With the amount of reported interest in the midfielder and his return last season, it is clear that West Brom will command a big fee for one of their star assets.

After saying goodbye to Georginio Wijnaldum at the end of last season, Liverpool didn’t sign a replacement for the Dutchman who joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after making a total of 237 appearances across all competitions.

One midfield player, however, that has been linked with a move to the Merseyside club that could be a potential heir for Wijnaldum is LOSC Lille star Renato Sanches.

Recently, the Portuguese international has made a claim that could excite a lot of Liverpool fans that may be hoping to see him in a Reds shirt in the near future.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with French media outlet L’Equipe (via Liverpool Echo), Sanches revealed that he feels ready to join a big club again after admitting that he was too young to join Bayern Munich when he did back in 2016.

During his time in Germany, Sanches made 53 appearances for Bayern across all competitions in which he also had a loan spell at Swansea City where he made just 15 appearances before eventually arriving at Lille in 2019.

Since joining the French club, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has managed to score five goal and provide six assists in 67 appearances in all competitions.

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In the recent Euro 2020 tournament over the summer, Sanches’ performance in Portugal’s 2-2 draw against France earned him a lot of praise from pundit Jermaine Jenas who said that the midfielder has got “a lot of character.”

That performance, in particular, highlighted just how impressive Sanches can be on the big stage as an all-round midfielder, a role Wijnladum thrived in at Anfield.

In the 88 minutes he was on the pitch for, Sanches managed to complete 69 of the 74 passes he attempted, had one shot on target, made one key pass, won nine ground duels, made three tackles and completed all of the three dribbles he attempted, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore.

Consequently, this would be an excellent piece of business from the Merseyside club if they can sign him for a relatively low fee considering how his current contract at Lille is set to expire in the summer of 2023. Certainly, it would give them a potential long-term replacement for Wijnaldum given his age and ability in the middle of the pitch.

In other news: FSG may be heading for a big Liverpool disaster in January on “outstanding” 26 y/o ace – opinion

The ECB have granted Yorkshire £600,000 to install a state-of-the-art drainage system at Headingley

Cricinfo staff24-May-2008
The new drainage system will help to cope with heavy downpours such as this © Cricinfo Ltd
The ECB have granted Yorkshire £600,000 to install a state-of-the-art drainage system at Headingley.The relaying of the pitch will begin in mid-September, forcing Yorkshire to switch their final Championship match away from Headingley whose last match this season will be held on August 2. Scarborough is the venue for two other Championship matches in August.”We are looking at whether to play there or somewhere else, an alternative outground,” Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, told . “Scarborough (CC) are keen, but we hope that the town and the council are also keen to have a week of cricket. We are looking at what other benefits there are for the club.”Yorkshire have also requested to host their first couple of games next season away from Headingley, though the county remains confident the extensive work will be finished come April.

Celtic have opened talks to sign Kyle Edwards after he recently left West Brom, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: January interest

This isn’t the first time the Hoops have been linked with the 23-year-old.

Back in December, Celtic were thought to be looking into a loan deal for the winger, who can play on the left, right, or even in the middle. Edwards was on Neil Lennon’s winter window radar, but, as we know, a deal never materialised.

He’s now without a club after his contract with the Baggies expired, and it seems as if the Hoops are making their move.

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The Latest: Source shares update

According to Football Insider, who have been informed by a Celtic source, the Hoops have opened talks over a possible cut-price move for Edwards.

The report claims that Celtic are working on a deal, which would cost them in the region of £300,000 due to cross-border compensation rules.

Edwards, who released a music single following West Brom’s promotion in the 2019/20 season, made 49 appearances during his time in the Midlands, scoring four times and registering five assists.

The Verdict: Worth a punt

Edwards was on just £2,000-a-week at The Hawthorns and would cost Celtic only £300,000, so a move could be worth a go by the Hoops.

At just 23 years of age, you’d expect Edwards still has room for improvement, and Celtic could do with wide additions following Mohamed Elyounoussi’s return to Southampton.

Ange Postecoglou currently has James Forrest, Maryan Shved and Mikey Johnston as wide options, so that area of the pitch could do with adding to.

Edwards has five Premier League appearances to his name and 32 in the second-tier, so it could turn out to be a smart move in the long run given his age and low cost.

In other news: Celtic now ‘moving’ to sign ace on Top-100 prospects list alongside Sancho, Foden and Saka, find out more here.